Innovation issue missing from Wikipedia right now (hopefully not for long)
Green Engineering is not only ‘using engineering to do sustainable things’, it is also about ‘how to do all engineering in a sustainable way’
The video has ‘Green Manufacturing’ in its title (once again, no page in Wikipedia for this term yet) but it covers directly relevant concerns (even the ad near the start is ‘on topic’!)
The video mentions an article in Control Design magazine
Focus On: Green Manufacturing & Sustainability
Ok, so is there such a subject as green engineering?
Is there any basis for defining the term?
Here is my evidence for such a requirement:
‘The Twelve Principles of Green Engineering’
Published in the Environmental Science and Technology Journal of the American Chemical Society (ACS) by Paul Anastas and Julie Zimmerman
“Sustainability requires objectives at the molecular, product, process, and system levels”
1. Inherent Rather Than Circumstantial
Designers need to strive to ensure that all materials and energy inputs and outputs are as inherently non-hazardous as possible.
2. Prevention Instead of Treatment
It is better to prevent waste than to treat or clean up waste after it is formed.
3. Design for Separation
Separation and purification operations should be designed to minimize energy consumption and materials use.
4. Maximize Efficiency
Products, processes, and systems should be designed to maximize mass, energy, space, and time efficiency.
5. Output-Pulled Versus Input-Pushed
Products, processes, and systems should be “output pulled” rather than “input pushed” through the use of energy and materials.
6. Conserve Complexity
Embedded entropy and complexity must be viewed as an investment when making design choices on recycle, reuse, or beneficial disposition.
7. Durability Rather Than Immortality
Targeted durability, not immortality, should be a design goal.
8. Meet Need, Minimize Excess
Design for unnecessary capacity or capability (e.g., “one size fits all”) solutions should be considered a design flaw.
9. Minimize Material Diversity
Material diversity in multicomponent products should be minimized to promote disassembly and value retention.
10. Integrate Material and Energy Flows
Design of products, processes, and systems must include integration and interconnectivity with available energy and materials flows.
11. Design for Commercial “Afterlife”
Products, processes, and systems should be designed for performance in a commercial “afterlife.”
12. Renewable Rather Than Depleting
Material and energy inputs should be renewable rather than depleting.
Anastas, P.T., and Zimmerman, J.B., “Design through the Twelve Principles of Green Engineering”, Env. Sci. and Tech., 37, 5, 94A-101A, 2003.
Just in case this exercise in ‘defining green engineering’ seems to be a bit overbearingly authoritative (as far as adopting the ‘twelve principles’ and their basis as being definitive without question) on my part, a book with that term in the title has just been released.
Let me know whether you feel the term is being used in the book in the way described in the principles or in a different way, or in more than one way.
Sustainable infrastructure: the guide to green engineering and design
A complete guide to integrating sustainable strategies into infrastructure planning and design with emphasis on water resource management, site design and land planning.
Press release disclaimer
The item to the left of this box is a press release
Issued on behalf of at least one of the main organisations that it mentions, it concerns matters and events which they’d like to bring to your attention.
After checking it out, I’ve concluded that it’s a good idea to include it in here at length because it contains material relevant to this story and that if you are interested, you might find these additional details useful
I know it’s not common practice to include more than a small fragment of a press release in an independently written article, so I’d just like to make a point of reminding you to take the declared and implicit interests of the source into account when considering its content
John Wiley & Sons – Sustainable, or “Green,” building practices, coupled with emerging technologies, are transforming the design and construction industries.
As more factors, perspectives, and metrics are incorporated into the planning and building process, the roles of engineers and designers are increasingly being fused together.
Designers are being asked to account for and incorporate systems thinking, material flows, and environmental performance into their work; and engineers are being asked to apply their technical and infrastructural expertise earlier and more comprehensively as an integral part of the design process.
John Wiley & Sons, a leading publisher for designers and engineers, is releasing Sustainable Infrastructure: The Guide to Green Engineering and Design to explain how engineers are working with other members of the design team to develop a unified strategy that produces the most effective and elegant green alternatives for the revitalization of urban infrastructure.
This new release covers the concepts, strategies, tools, practices, and approaches that lead to environmental improvement through design & engineering practices.
In an effort to maximize the usability of dwindling resources such as land and water to help humanity strive to reconnect with the natural world, Sustainable Infrastructure advocates a multidisciplinary team approach to design that is not only highly sustainable technologically, but also visually beautiful.
This forward-thinking guide:
- Contains complete coverage of sustainable infrastructure strategies for watershed master-planning, integrated storm water management, reclaiming urban spaces, and green streets programs
- Delivers information on how to account for and incorporate systems thinking, material flows, and environmental performance into projects
- Demonstrates how natural spaces are assimilated into the built environment
- Offers an international perspective with case studies from around the world
- Provides guidance on the role creative thinking and collaborative team-building play in developing the complex solutions needed to affect sustainability
Sustainable Infrastructure takes an in-depth view of the challenges involved in matching artistic impression with engineering principles in a sustainable development context.
It is the first to recognize and articulate the design and engineering perspectives when approaching the development of a modern sustainable infrastructure.
This book is an essential reference, for any professional incorporating sustainability into their design of urban infrastructure.
About the author:
S. Bry Sarté, PE, ASCE, LEED AP, founder of the Sherwood Institute and Sherwood Design Engineers, is a leading designer in green and sustainable engineering, and has made significant contributions to contemporary research involving global environmental issues affecting water supply, urban design, material science, and energy use.
Bry has built an international reputation by providing engineering services and design solutions that reflect a deep commitment to executing well-planned, sustainable alternatives for communities worldwide.
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Publication date: September 27, 2010
$80.00; Hardcover; 384 pages; ISBN: 978-0-470-45361
After listening to definitions of Green Engineering from different perspectives in this video, I just found comprehensive and pradigm-free definition of Green Engineering at
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-green-engineering.htm
“Green engineering is the process and design of products that conserve natural resources, and impact the natural environment as little as possible. The term is often applied to housing, but it can be used for automobiles, lights or any other sort of system or device that requires engineering, and incorporates sound environmental principles.”
“Though green engineering is somewhat more expensive, many countries, recognizing the value of such work, have begun to offer tax breaks, and other incentives to those who incorporate its use.”
However, I am not conviced with the second paragaph. Unless Green Engineering does not enhance profits for companies, it would just remain a dream.
Can’t completely agree with you AflatoonS. I think there are actually companies that will change their manufacturing habits towards more green solutions, even though it means more costs for them. It’s not always all about the money, have to consider the positive publicity they get for going green, customers reactions and changing attitude and so on.
Actually this would need compulsive regulations imposed on them, and I don’t believe that compulsions make the things sustainable
But why do you think it would need compulsive regulations for companies? It really doesn’t have to be like that, not every company treats it as simple cash to cash situation
If one is interested in Green Manufacturing, I think this blog by Professor David Dornfeld is a must:
http://green-manufacturing.blogspot.com/
Lots of great insights, tables, graphs etc.
Wow! Greg, that’s a great find.
Very interesting and realistic analysis! The things that don’t consume, or consume little energy during operation, the resource utilization for their manufacturing is high, while one’s the consume energy during their operation use less resources in manufacturing. But there are a few exceptios, for example, the airplane, which is on higher side on both axes.
However, the 12 principles of sustainable green engineering won’t allow this
As inferred from book review like press release referred in the article, the writer is right in in his view that Sustainable Green Engineering needs a holistic approach, it can not be acheived in parts. It needs an integrated approach to re-engineer the entire process cycle so that overall effect is “Profitable”.
Hi Peter,
I just noticed that Wikipedia has an article with keyword “Sustainable Design” that describes the same concepts as Green Engineering, and it also refers to “12 principles of green engineering” in citation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_design
And I agree, it’s not all about “engineering” to go green, it must include “management”. So you are right in saying that it should be “Green Engineering and Management”.
@Greg,
“Not every company”, but “many companies” do care for profit than for environment..
Sure, but this is the way it goes, isn’t it? You can’t tell every company to use new technologies, new innovations and so on – same with green manufacturing – some will implement it, some will not. Every single one that does is a success on a road to ‘greener’ world we live in. It is not a dream, it is reality I think.
David R. Shonnard, Ph.D., Department of Chemical Engineering, Michigan Technological University has done a great research in Green Engineering with respect to a particular industry relating to chemicals.
The link below leads to his presentation:
http://www.mpri.lsu.edu/workshop/David%20Shonnard%20Green%20Engineering.ppt
He concluded that process can be improved / re-engineered in that particular industry, i.e. chemical process, in a way that it becomes energy efficient (and hence Green) as well as economical (delivering more profit).
I think similar process re-engineering research is required for other industries too.