Introduction to the idea of "sustainability"-
There are many ways to define sustainability, and most often each definition leads to one thing: the future. For many, the definition is simply "Managing our current resources and technologies without compromising future resources." What, then, should we do with what we have now in order to give future generations an "equal share?" Three authors offer their own definitions:
| Robert Solow, an environmental economist whose work can be found in The Scandinavian Journal of Economics defines sustainability as "A path for the national economy...one that allows every future generation the option of being as well off as its predecessors." | Lester Brown, author, states that "Humankind has the ability to achieve sustainable development--to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs" | Fritjof Capra, author, claims that in order to build sustainable communities, we must not associate sustainability with extranatural properties, but model it, rather, after the mechanics of natural ecosystems |
There are many types of sustainability. Depending on what your focus is (economy, ecology, society), sustainability has different qualities. There are three main types, however, that prevail in most aspects of life: (1) social sustainability; (2) ecological / environmental sustainability; and (3) sustainability of the "built environment." All involve economic and political factors.
Throughout history, politicians and environmentalists have debates the status of technologies, environmental issues, and land management issues that persist in various places. The United Nations (UN), which serves as a political body, serving over 170 world nations, has been a leading champion in sustainable law and development.
In addition to the multitude of legislative referenda, there are case studies around the world for the need to implement sustainability NOW. Most often, regions of the world suffer from greatly stratified economic, social, and political systems (not to mention exponential growth of the human population). This growth raises the standard of living. As these places become dirtier and increasingly less homogenous with the industrialized world, they accelerate downward from thriving, affluent nations (like the US). Here are some examples:
“Decades of unhindered discharge had left the rock coated with a cream-like residue, creating a perversely beautiful white-on-white effect” (3).
“…China’s environmental crisis was bound to command [great] attention. According to its [communist] government, China’s population at the end of 1996 was 1.22 billion people” (5). That was almost a decade ago.
So why, then, should we focus on the sustainability of engineering and industrial processes?
This question has many answers. When you first think about the things that you use everyday, do you consider the materials that are needed to create them? Do you think of the manual labor that goes into creating them? Do you sit and question the design of the things you use? Costs? I certainly bet that most of you do not think about what happens inside the factories that made them, and what happens to energy and materials flows (as well as many other complex dynamics).
Such is the problem of our modern industrial society. MATERIALS, ENERGY, AND WASTE ARE MAJOR COMPONENTS OF OPERATING INUSTRIES. What happens to them? When production companies waste up to seventy-five percent on the energy that goes into making its products, things have to change.
"'This problem will be much more difficult to solve,' Reeves said, 'because it is so...complex. You Can't just have two men sit down at a table and agree to stop being stupid'"(Hertsgaard, 8).
GREEN ENGINEERING: What Is IT?
