Educating Engineers in Sustainability Dr. Carol Boyle International Centre for Sustainability Engineering and Research University of Auckland

Sustainability and Engineers Sustainability is a relatively recent concept to most engineers In 1997, WFEO encouraged all engineers to ‘Become knowledgeable of sustainable development principles and be continuously trained about the current sustainable development technologies applicable to their work.’

Sustainability and Engineers Many educational institutions are moving to incorporate sustainability into engineering education Many such programmes focus on environmental engineering as the core of sustainability engineering Although sustainability engineer is derived from environmental engineering the two are very different

Environmental vs Sustainability Engineering Environmental engineering traditionally focuses on end of pipe technologies It primarily derived from civil engineering Some aspects of environmental engineering are taught in all engineering disciplines Much of this however, does not include a full understanding of the basic knowledge of the environment and its function

Environmental vs Sustainability Engineering Sustainability engineering focuses on efficiency of process rather than on end of pipe Life cycle analysis becomes important It also encompasses broader social dimensions Overall, it is more interdisciplinary than any other field of engineering

Current Engineering Education Basic engineering education focuses on the design, development and management of technology Often this is in isolation from the users or the potential purposes of the technology Most engineering education also includes ethics, communication and basic accounting Sustainability is also being included

Current Engineering Education Over the four years of undergraduate study, the focus is on the knowledge specific to the chose engineering discipline Development from basic design skills to broad project management and organisation skills Traditional concepts are often taught as the basic elements

Sustainability The understanding of sustainability requires an understanding of human and social needs, the environment and its limitations and a context of time and future Societal and environmental interactions are highly complex or chaotic Sustainability therefore requires an understanding of systems and complexity beyond that of traditional engineering

Basics of Sustainability Ethics Social and cultural needs and context Environment Environmental and social law Pollution Toxicology Climate change Resource limitations

Sustainability Engineering Requires an understanding of: The effect of technology on humans, society and the environment Approaches to reduce negative effects of technology Defining the causes of problems Systems thinking Innovative, sustainable solutions

The Temporal Context Our inability to learn from the past and apply that to the future is a major problem for sustainability We tend to move towards quick, easy solutions Traditional product design does not consider end of product life Budgeting practices look more toward short term returns

The Temporal Context Incorporating a temporal context requires an understanding of life cycle analysis, long term impact assessment and risk management Requires an understanding of change over time or process thinking

The Leadership Role As trained professionals, with an understanding of technology, society, the environment and process thinking, sustainability engineers will have the capacity and capability to become leaders of society They must therefore be trained to understand the role of leaders and to have good leadership skills

Sustainability and the Engineering Disciplines Although derived from environmental engineering, sustainability engineering goes far beyond that discipline Since it deals with the design, development and management of all technology in relation to society, it should be brought into all engineering disciplines

Problems Maturity of the students Knowledge of sustainability among lecturers Acceptance of sustainability engineering Lack of textbooks Lack of examples Lack of time

Masters Programme in Sustainability Engineering Core courses include the following topics: Sustainability Engineering Sustainable Technologies and Processes Sustainability Analysis and Risk Sustainability Engineering Design Leadership

Conclusions Although sustainability engineering derives from environmental engineering, it requires an approach at the design level, not the end of pipe It is thus suitable to all engineering disciplines Significant problems will prevent sustainability engineering from being included in basic engineering education

Conclusions Significant problems (time, maturity, academic knowledge etc.) will prevent sustainability engineering from being included in basic engineering education Sustainability engineering should therefore be taught at a Masters level

Conclusions Core material should include Sustainability engineering, Sustainable technologies and processes Sustainability analysis and risk Sustainability engineering design Leadership A process thinking approach is essential