Roleofengineersinsd 090901163407 Phpapp02

Sustainable Technology
Role of Engineers
Case study
Professor Jordi Segalas

Technology and Sustainable Development
Polytechnic University of Catalonia
Barcelona, SPAIN
Course SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

NTUU KPI, 3 December 2008
What role can engineers play, in
sustainable development?
Are we
followers?

The current world view
- relative importance?
Economy laws are
inevitable - market
laws
Environment
Environment is used to fulfill
(technology
the demands of the Economy
can fix it) laws. (Resources, waste and
pollution absorption)
Economy
(inevitable laws)
Society adapts to the
inevitable economy laws:
As much money as sooner as
Society possible.

But this is what we all ultimately
depend on for life - so...

Engineers provide the interfaces...
Environmental laws are
inevitable - laws of nature.
Products
Products
Environment nurtures,
supports and makes
possible.
Society - which has a
Economy
Economy mixture of instinctive and
learned/cultural laws
--invented!
invented!
Society has invented, to
serve societys purposes.
Society
Society Economy - whose rules and
practices are totally invented
Infrastructure
Infrastructure by society
Environment
Environment
--inevitable
inevitable
SO: why do so many regard Economic laws as inevitable (globalisation, etc); but
Environmental laws, and limits, as manipulable?
Serving Needs, or Quality of Life, or
Wants?
Traditional cultures, having more limited means
to satisfy human needs, tend to meet as many
needs as possible with as few resources as
possible.
In contrast, industrial capitalism emphasises the

creation of specialised products that fight for
market niches to fill needs that, as often as not,
cannot be satisfied by material goods.
(Natural Capitalism, Ch. 14)

Example: which of these is more worth
an engineers energy & interest?
Hasbro's Tooth Tunes toothbrushes have an MP3 player
built in. They use bone-conduction to rattle the sound through
your teeth for 3 minutes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ViXgz0pGjQ&feature=related

Example: which of these is more worth
an engineers energy & interest?
Design of Temporary Shelters for Refugees
Thousands of refugee deaths from

hypothermia could be prevented every
year if a new hi-tech UK-designed tent
lining performs well in tests in
Afghanistan. A team from the University
of Cambridge has developed linings for
existing refugee tents that will pay for
themselves in saved heating costs in one
winter.
They are made of a sandwich of
materials: polyester wadding like you'd
find in a puffa jacket and a cheap
breathable waterproof membrane.

Choosing what you are engineering
for - engineers cant be neutral
Luxury OK NEVER NEVER
y
liiiltity
Affluence
a bb ipp
a i nina shhi
Quality GOOD
s a eerrs
ttMAYBE NEVER
s
SSuu eeaadd
LL
Needs BRILLIANT GOOD MAYBE
Technology
No net impact In - between High impact

Engineers reputation as professionals, not
mercenaries - whose interests do we serve?
Video
Videotoothbrush
toothbrush
In
Indevelopment
developmentby by
OK NEVER Panasonic, this
NEVERthis
Panasonic,
electric
electrictoothbrush
toothbrush
has
has a miniaturevideo
a miniature video
camera mounted
camera mounted
beside
besidethe
thebristles
bristlestoto
allow the user to see
allow the user to see
GOOD MAYBE on
onaamonitor
NEVER the
monitor the
40%
40%ofofdebris
debristhey
they
normally miss.
normally miss.
(TYNKYN
(TYNKYN- -EC
EC11/01)
11/01)
BRILLIANT GOOD MAYBE

What do you think? - discuss in
groups...
Engineering is never neutral - every product
or project - or research topic - lies
somewhere on that matrix, and is going to
affect the sustainable/unsustainable
balance. SO:
What are the social responsibilities of

engineering whom do we want to serve?

What defines a socially
sustainable product?
Is being manufactured sustainably enough,
whatever the products social impact?
Or, should engineers push for socially
sustainable features in the products: for
instance.affordability and accessibility for
the excluded - the poorest 10%?
Or, should we put our energy and interest into
products and projects which serve needs
rather than artificially created wants?

Case Study
http://www.interfacesustainability.com/

Enterprise core

Enterprise relation to Society
The company is part of a supply chain, with suppliers and customers and a market, our
share of which we hope to increase. Products flow through that supply chain in one
direction; money flows in the other direction.

XX Century Enterprise Model

1. Zero Waste
Against ideal operational

standardszero waste
they identified $70 million
in waste, based on 1994
operations10 percent of
sales!

1. Zero Waste
Total manufacturing waste sent to landfills has decreased by 66% since 1996.

1. Zero Waste
The cumulative avoided costs from waste elimination activities since 1995 have
totaled over $372 million.
2. Benign Emissions
Interface identified and inventoried 247

air emissions stacks and 19 waste
water effluent pipes at their
manufacturing locations.

2. Benign Emissions
Net absolute greenhouse gas emissions have been reduced by 82% from our
1996 baseline. 33% from improved efficiencies, process changes, and direct
renewable energy purchases.
3. Renewable Energies
The third front, Renewable Energy,

means eventually harnessing solar
energy
Harnessing renewable energy will
attack numerous unwanted
linkages, both to the lithosphere
and to the biosphere, and will allow
closed loop recycling

Total energy used at carpet manufacturing facilities (per unit of product) is down
45% since 1996.
Use of renewable energy increased to 27% in 2007.


4. Closing cycles
Two cycles are introduced:
a natural, organic cycle,
emphasizing natural raw
materials and compostable
products ("dust to dust")
a technical cycle, giving man-
made materials and precious
organic molecules life after life,
through closed loop recycling.

4. Closing cycles
ReEntry program has diverted 133 million pounds of material from landfills
between 1995 and 2007.
4. Closing cycles
The percentage of recycled and bio-based materials used to manufacture our

products worldwide has increased from 0.5% in 1996 to 25% in 2007.
4. Closing cycles
Water intake per production unit is down 45% in broadloom facilities from 1996
due to conservation efforts and process changes.
4. Closing cycles
Water intake per production unit is down 75% in modular carpet facilities from
1996 due to conservation efforts and process changes.
5. Efficient resources/goods transport
We can:
videoconference to avoid the
unnecessary trip for a meeting.
drive the most efficient
automobiles available.
site our factories near the markets
they serve
plan logistics for maximum
efficiency

6. Sensitivity Hookup
service to the community through
involvement and investment in the
community (especially in
education),
closer relations among ourselves
(inside the circle) to get all of us in
alignment, and with suppliers and
customers.

to reduce the frequency of injuries by almost 63% since 1999.





7. Redesign of commerce
Redesigning commerce probably

hinges, more than anything else, on
the acceptance of entirely new notions
of economics, especially prices that
reflect full costs.
It means shifting emphasis from

simply selling products to
providing services
Relationships based on delivering, via

leasing agreements, the services our
products provide, in lieu of the
products themselves

7. Redesign of commerce
Other examples:
Photocopies: Xerox: Sells copy services instead of copy
machines.
Elevator: Schindler, Sells vertical transport maintenance free
instead of elevators
We can go farther:
In ICT: You can buy hours of word editor instead of hardware

and software.
In civil engineering: you can provide the service: connection
between two places instead of roads. The enterprise is
responsible for maintenance, in case of interruption enterprise
is fined.
service oriented
resource-efficient
wasting nothing
solar driven
cyclical (no longer take-make-
waste linear)
strongly connected to
stakeholders: communities
(building social equity),
customers, and suppliers
and to one another.
Our communities are stronger
and better educated

Redefine engineering culture away from
Building things to meeting needs sustainably?
The 19th (& 20th?) Century Engineer The 21st Century Engineer
I built all I didnt need

this! to build
anything new!
Visible construction, at great public Providing and Refurbishing the

expense, to meet societys wants minimum to meet societys needs

Engineers provide the
interfaces... Becoming
Products
Products sustainable
requires leaders
who recognise
this world view,
and act
Economy
Economy accordingly.
--invented!
invented!
Society
Society --instinctive?
instinctive?
Infrastructure
Infrastructure
Environment
Environment --
inevitable
inevitable

Thank you for your attention!
Professor Jordi Segalas

Technology and Sustainable Development
Polytechnic University of Catalonia
Barcelona, SPAIN


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Sustainable Technology

Professor Jordi Segalas

Course SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Course SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Course SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Course SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

In contrast, industrial capitalism emphasises the

Course SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Course SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Thousands of refugee deaths from

Course SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Luxury OK NEVER NEVER

Needs BRILLIANT GOOD MAYBE

Course SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

BRILLIANT GOOD MAYBE

Course SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

What are the social responsibilities of

Course SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Course SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Course SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Course SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Course SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Course SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Against ideal operational

Course SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Course SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Interface identified and inventoried 247

Course SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

The third front, Renewable Energy,

Course SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Use of renewable energy increased to 27% in 2007.

Course SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Course SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

The percentage of recycled and bio-based materials used to manufacture our

Course SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Course SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

to reduce the frequency of injuries by almost 63% since 1999.

Course SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Course SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Course SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Course SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Course SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Redesigning commerce probably

It means shifting emphasis from

Relationships based on delivering, via

Course SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

In ICT: You can buy hours of word editor instead of hardware

Course SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

I built all I didnt need

Visible construction, at great public Providing and Refurbishing the

Course SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Course SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Professor Jordi Segalas

Course SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

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