How Sustainability Engineering Is Delivering Solutions For A Changing World

With a global population of over eight billion, we consume a significant amount of earth’s resources every day. Unfortunately, not only natural resources are limited, and irreplaceable, but certain resource extraction practices may irreversibly deteriorate the ecosystem.  To maintain a continued supply of resources, we must sustainably engage with our environment and strive to preserve resources for future generations. Sustainability solves these difficulties by protecting and maintaining our environment and ensuring the availability of resources. Pertaining to this, Sustainability Engineering plays an important role in this effort, as seen by the growing popularity of courses and degrees in the domain.

But what exactly is Sustainability Engineering, and what can a career in this profession entail? Let’s dig deeper into these concepts.

What Is Sustainability Engineering?

Sustainability engineering, often known as sustainable engineering or eco-engineering, is an interdisciplinary field dedicated for developing and implementing ecologically friendly and socially responsible solutions to the challenges of a changing world. By incorporating sustainable development ideas into engineering processes, sustainability engineers aim to reduce negative environmental impacts, save resources, innovate efficient resource utilization, develop circular economical and political tools, help to set priority agendas for sustainable development goals, and promote long-term social well-being.

The concept of sustainability engineering is essentially the application of broad definitions of sustainability to engineering. In some ways, designing sustainability is more complicated and involved. That is, sustainability engineering entails providing engineering services, which requires that engineering services be provided for all people in ways that are sufficient to meet basic needs now and, in the future, affordable, environmentally friendly, and acceptable to communities and people.

Key Areas Where Sustainability Engineering Is Making A Difference In Our Changing World:

Renewable Energy Systems: Sustainability engineers are at the forefront of designing and implementing renewable energy technologies such as solar, wind, hydro, and geothermal power. Their work is primarily focused on improving efficiency and affordability, crucial for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and addressing climate change.

Energy Efficiency: Sustainability Engineers are dedicated to enhancing energy efficiency in various sectors, including buildings, transportation, and industrial processes. They develop innovative technologies and practices to reduce energy consumption and optimise energy use, playing a significant role in reducing carbon emissions and conserving natural resources.

Sustainable Infrastructure: Sustainability engineers play a vital role in designing and constructing sustainable infrastructure systems. They integrate green building principles and are using Factor X engineering and Eco-design strategies for water conservation, waste management, and smart urban planning to create resilient and environmentally friendly infrastructure, aiming to minimise environmental impact and improve resource efficiency.

Circular Economy: Sustainability engineering promotes the concept of a circular economy, focusing on minimizing waste generation and maximizing resource efficiency. Engineers in this field are formulating strategies to design products for durability, recyclability, and easy disassembly, supporting sustainable production and consumption patterns.

Water and Wastewater Management: Sustainability engineers are working relentlessly to contribute to the development of sustainable water and wastewater management systems. They have come up with innovative technologies for water treatment, like AI recycling Robots, Waste Level Sensors, and Pneumatic Waste Pipes, among others, all of which help in rainwater harvesting, and water reuse, crucial for ensuring water availability and protecting ecosystems.

Sustainable Agriculture: Sustainability engineering plays a role in developing sustainable agricultural practices that minimise environmental impacts while ensuring food security. Engineers are working on precision agriculture techniques, and are using GIS remote sensing, nanotechnology, and genome editing tools for efficient irrigation systems, and organic farming methods to reduce water consumption, chemical use, and soil degradation.

Life Cycle Assessment: Sustainability engineers are employing life cycle assessment (LCA) techniques to evaluate the environmental and social impacts of products and processes throughout their entire life cycle. LCA assists in identifying opportunities for improvement and informs decision-making towards more sustainable alternatives, considering the entire life cycle from raw material extraction to disposal.

Roles and Responsibilities of Sustainable Engineers

• Designing long-term solutions for the frequently competing requirements of people, environment development, and successful business.
• Assessing a company’s environmental impact (for example, its carbon footprint) and then reducing it or planning how to use limited resources.
• Predicting hydrological extremes as well as natural disaster risk, innovative waste disposal techniques, and development of sustainable solutions.

The incorporation of sustainability principles into engineering processes is transforming industries and encouraging responsible resource management. Companies are looking for engineers, researchers, and policymakers who can work together to develop and execute these new ideas to create a more sustainable world.

Tech. in Sustainability Engineering program at UPES School of Advanced Engineering is the first of its kind in India, and it aims to provide graduates with the information, skills, and values required for environmental conservation, social equality, and economic sustainability. The program is intended to address the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), ensuring that graduates have promising worldwide work opportunities. The program’s uniqueness stems from its tailored strategy, which focuses on developing sustainability experts capable of combining interdisciplinary knowledge from engineering, sustainability, environmental science, policy, design, citizen science, health, and safety engineering.

UPES also has B.Tech. Sustainability Engineering. The coursework integrates the principles of alternative energy, transportation, earth & environmental systems, and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) to address the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs). Students also get a chance to pursue a dual degree by spending 2 years at UPES and 2 years abroad at renowned universities like the University of Exeter, University of Aberdeen UK, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), among others.

At UPES, the focus is on offering a learning module comprising a holistic blend of engineering, environmental science, and social aspects, equipping students to address sustainability challenges with a well-rounded perspective. To learn more, click on https://www.upes.ac.in/school-of-advanced-engineering