Sustainability and Engineering
Sustainability and Engineering
An Open Educational Resource for U-Now University of Nottingham 2012 Author: Aran Eales
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This module is intended to
give you a broad understanding of issues related to environmental
sustainability in the context of engineering.
The environmental problems facing our world are becoming more apparent
day by day, and the term “sustainability” is used more frequently in the
media. This module will explore the
concept of sustainability and discuss some of the issues surrounding the
subject.
Each chapter will begin
with an overview of the the content, and will then introduce key factors and
the current world systems in place for the subject matter such as energy,
materials, food, water and shelter. The social
and economic factors of sustainability in an engineering context will also be
covered. The problems associated with these systems will then be highlighted,
specifically their environmental or social impacts and what part of the systems
that could be considered unsustainable.
Alternatives will then be introduced and outlined including what options
there are and what are the challenges involved in implementing them.
Scope of Module
The issues around
sustainability are enormous, and it is not the role or scope of this module to
cover everything in great depth, as there is enough information on any single
subject for a masters or Ph.D. The aim
of this module instead is to introduce the key concepts of hazards facing the
global community in the coming years, how we got to our current state and ideas
for what can be done to modify the current trajectory.
Teaching Method
The module is self taught
through online resources. You will be
expected to work through the content at your own pace. There will be several resources included in
the body of the module such as links to websites, podcasts or videos online,
which you can browse as necessary. As
mentioned, the module is intended to introduce certain concepts around
sustainability and instigate interest for you to conduct personal research in
topics of interest.
Assessment
The assessment will be an
essay or presentation for which you must research a topic of your choice
related to the module content. The essay
will become part of the learning resources for this module – essays and
presentations will be published on line for use by people doing the module in
the future. There will be more
information about the assessment towards the end of the module – but bear it in
mind as you are going through the chapters – make a note if anything
specifically interests you or you feel you would want to research more about a
particular topic.
Module Chapter Outline
Chapter Title |
Duration (hours) |
Content Outline |
Introduction | 2 |
What is sustainability? - definitions Limits to exponential growth on a finite planet An Engineers role in sustainability |
Energy | 3 |
World energy usage Problems with fossil fuels Alternatives - reduction, efficiency, renewable energy |
Materials | 3 |
Impacts of material production, sources of waste Problems with current waste management Suggestions for reducing the impact of material use |
Water | 2 |
Water resource and use worldwide Associated problems with current water systems Sustainable water management |
Food | 2 |
World food production Energy + environmental impacts Alternatives - organic/local |
Shelter | 2 |
Current building styles and associated problems Retrofit vs new build Sustainable Architecture |
Social | 2 |
Inequality and poverty Links between globalisation, climate change, poverty and engineering Suggested solutions |
Economics | 2 |
Current economic models social and environmental effects 'Ecological' economics |
Assignment |
As required |
Essay or presentation on subject of choice |