Course : Introduction to

Sustainable Engineering
 Sustainability
• Introduction
• History
• SD goals
• Three pillars of Sustainability
• Need for Sustainability
• Waste pyramid
• Concept of sustainability
 Sustainability - Introduction
• It is the capacity to endure [“maintain", "support" ]
(continue to exist in the same state)
• Sustainability is related to the quality of life in
a community -- whether the economic, social
and environmental systems that make up the
community are providing a healthy,
productive, meaningful life for all community
residents, present and future.
 Sustainable Development
• “Meeting the needs of the present
without compromising the ability of
future generations to meet their own
needs.”

• But moving towards sustainability is a big

social challenge before the humanity
 History
• Reasons of non-sustainability:
– In early human history – use of fire and desire for
food – plant and animal communities
– Then – largely water rich local environment
– From 17th to 19th century – industrial revolution –
fossil fuels
– Mid 20th – pointed out that least polluted for
environment
– Late 20th – environmental problem became global
– In 21st – global awareness for threat by human
induced activities
SD goals
 Three pillars of sustainability
• A diagram indicating the relationship between the "three
pillars of sustainability", in which both economy and society
are constrained by environmental limits.

Venn diagram of sustainable

development: at the confluence of three constituent
parts
 Need for sustainability
• When the human economic system was small
(earlier), the assimilative capacity (natural self
cleansing capacity) of nature appeared
infinite.
• But today human economy exceeds -
accumulation of waste.
• Hence sustainability is more concerned over
reckless exploitation of our natural recourses
leads to environmental degradation.
Environmental unsustainability
3 big global sustainability issues
Need for sustainability
Waste pyramid
 Concept of sustainability
• It is the capacity to endure [“maintain", "support" ]
(continue to exist in the same state)
• Sustainability is related to the quality of life in
a community -- whether the economic, social
and environmental systems that make up the
community are providing a healthy,
productive, meaningful life for all community
residents, present and future.
 Concept of sustainability
• UNESCO released a document – acknowledges
that achieving sustainability is indeed a
process of learning which helps us to grow in
understanding sustainability, human
motivation and vision.
• Process of learning enables people – to reflect
their experiences, how to make changes and
move forward.
 Concept of sustainability
• For the world to be sustainable, Four
principles are to be adhered to:
– Reduce dependence upon fossil fuels
– Reduce dependence upon synthetic chemicals and
other unnatural substances
– Reduce encroachment upon nature
– Meet human needs fairly and efficiently
 Three spheres of sustainability
Environmental – Economic : energy efficient
incentives for use of natural resources
Optimum
consumption
of natural resources Economic growth,
profit
Environ Economy
-ment

Economic- Social :
Social-Environmental : Business ethics, fair
Environmental Justice trade
Society

SUSTAINABILITY
Standard of living, Education, Equal
opportunity
 Concept of social sustainability
• It examines social relationships, interactions and
institutions that are affected by SD.
• SS can be defined as the development or growth
that is compatible with harmonious evolution of
civil society fostering on environment favorable
to the compatible cohabitation of culturally and
socially diverse groups – with encouraging social
integration and improvements in the life all
segments of population.
 Concept of social sustainability
• Three values that form the core to social
sustainability:
– Quality of life
– Growth
– Equality
 Concept of environmental
sustainability
• Improving the quality of human life while
living within the carrying capacity of
supporting ecosystem.
• When the sum total of natural resources is
used up faster than it can be replenished,
degradation of the environment occurs.
• ES involves making decisions and taking
actions that are in the interest of protecting
the natural world.
 Concept of environmental
sustainability
Consumption of State of Sustainability
Resources environment
Less than nature’s Environmental Environmental
ability to replenish Renewal Sustainable

Equal to nature’s Environmental Steady-State

ability to replenish Equilibrium Economy

More than nature’s Environmental Not sustainable

ability to replenish Degradation
Concept of economic sustainability
• The idea is to promote the use of available
resources in a way that is both efficient and
responsible, and likely to provide long-term
benefits.
• Goal of ES should be to establish profitability
over the long term coupled with responsible
use of resources and creating no/less
environmental concerns.
 Economic Social and Environmental
Matrix
Economic Issues
Quality of life
concerns
Unsustainable Sustainable

Water High cost of drinking Drinking water available

water and water supply 24 X 7 at affordable cost
intermittent
Food High cost for food and Good food available at
use of fertilizers and affordable cost and use
pesticides in farming of organic farming
Energy High cost and Energy available 24X7 at
intermittent supply affordable cost
(power cuts)
 Economic Social and Environmental
Matrix
Social Issues
Quality of life
concerns
Unsustainable Sustainable

Water Access to drinking water Adequate access to

supply is denied to the Drinking water to all
weaker areas areas
Food Access to good food Adequate access to good
supply is denied to the food to all areas
weaker areas
Energy Overuse of energy by Adequate energy
rich society and available to all areas
inadequate energy
distribution
 Economic Social and Environmental
Matrix
Environmental Issues
Quality of life
concerns
Unsustainable Sustainable

Water High level pollution in Conservation of existing

lakes and rivers fresh water bodies

Food Food is of poor quality Food is of nutritious

due to contamination quality and related
diseases are lowered
Energy Use of fossil fuels and Use of renewable
pollution resources (solar, wind,
biomass)
 Sustainable Development
• “Meeting the needs of the present
without compromising the ability of
future generations to meet their own
needs.”

• But moving towards sustainability is a big

social challenge before the humanity
 Sustainable Development

Preserving
Improvement of
Sustainable natural resources
lifestyles and well-
Development and ecosystems
being
 Sustainable Development
• Sustainable development promotes the idea
that social, environmental, and economic
progress are all attainable within the limits of
our earth’s natural resources.
• Sustainable development approaches
everything in the world as being connected
through space, time and quality of life.
SD goals
 Sustainable Development
• Three pillars of sustainability
 Measures for Sustainable
Development
• (i) Technology
• (ii) Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle Approach (3 R
concept):
• (iii) Promoting Environmental Education and
Awareness
• iv) Resource Utilization as Per Carrying
Capacity:
 Measures for Sustainable
Development
(i) Technology:
• Using appropriate technology is one which is locally
adaptable, eco-friendly, resource efficient and
culturally suitable.
• It mostly involves local resources and local labor.
• local technologies are more useful, cost-effective and
sustainable.
• Nature is often taken as a model, using the natural
conditions of that region as its components. This
concept is known as “design with nature”.
• The technology should use less of resources and should
produce minimum waste.
 Measures for Sustainable
Development
(ii) Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle Approach (3 R
concept):
• The 3-R approach advocating minimization of
resource use, using them again and again
instead of passing it on to the waste stream
and recycling the materials goes a long way in
achieving the goals of sustainability.
• It reduces pressure on our resources as well as
reduces waste generation and pollution.
 Measures for Sustainable
Development
(iii) Promoting Environmental Education and Awareness:
• Making environmental education the centre of all
learning process will greatly help in changing the
thinking pattern and attitude of people towards our
earth and the environment.
• Introducing subject right from the school stage will
inculcate a feeling of belongingness to earth in small
children.
• ‘Earth thinking’ will gradually get incorporated in our
thinking and action which will greatly help in
transforming our lifestyles to sustainable ones.
 Measures for Sustainable
Development
iv) Resource Utilization as Per Carrying Capacity:
• Sustainability of a system depends largely upon the carrying
capacity of the system.
• If the carrying capacity of a system is crossed (say, by over
exploitation of a resource), environmental degradation starts
and continues till it reaches a point of no return.
• Carrying capacity has two basic components:
– i. Supporting capacity i.e. the capacity to regenerate
– ii. Assimilative capacity i.e. the capacity to tolerate different
stresses.
• In order to attain sustainability it is very important to utilize the
resources based upon the above two properties of the system.
• Consumption should not exceed regeneration and changes
should not be allowed to occur beyond the tolerance capacity of
the system.
 Nexus between technology and
sustainable development
• Scientific knowledge and appropriate
technologies are central to resolving the
economic, social and environmental problems
that make current development paths
unsustainable.
• Majority of the world population still lives in
extreme poverty with inadequate food,
housing sanitation and energy, health
conditions etc..
 Nexus between technology and
sustainable development
• The contradictions between a better life
created and supported by technology for the
wealthy few, and increasing environmental
degradation and persistent poverty for the
vast majority, a call for a deeper exploration
and understanding of the nature of
technology and its relationships to society,
especially moving towards sustainable society.
 Nexus between technology and
sustainable development
• Of the various dimensions of SD (ie., economic,
political, environmental, technological), technology
seems to be the most eagerly explored.
• Agricultural Technologies
• The goal of agricultural research and technology is to:
– Improve productivity
– Soil and water conservation
– Improving human nutrition's
– Food quality
– Safety
Pesticides contaminated fruits – Maximum Residue Level
(MRL)
 Nexus between technology and
sustainable development
• Agricultural policy issues w. r. t SD include:
– Research and development priorities
– Regulations and programs for food prices
– Land ownership
– Environmental quality
– Food security and employment
• Farmers need technologies with potential in:
– Use of local natural resources
– Improving soil fertility
– Improving water availability and efficiency of use
– Improving integration of animal and cropping system
– Reducing food losses
 Nexus between technology and
sustainable development
• Energy Technologies:
– Energy efficiency vary in the developing world,
but, on average, appear to be much lower than in
industrialized countries.
– Technologies to provide and improve energy
services for developing world populations like
• More efficient biomass stoves
• Simple motor driven system for pumping water
• Fertilizers etc…
 Nexus between technology and
sustainable development
• Environmental technologies:
– For many developing countries, provision of basic
facilities such as access to drinking water and
proper sanitation, gaseous, liquid and solid waste
disposal are major environmental issues.
– Technologies such as forest management and
improved agricultural practices are primary
environmental needs in most of the developing
countries.
 Nexus between technology and
sustainable development
• Diseases related biomedical technologies:
– More death due to respiratory infections, diarreha
etc..
– Most developing nations – still at increased
investment in sanitation and clean water – controlling
diseases
• Technologies for local development:
– Technology projects like solar green houses, small
farm systems, farmers market, resource recovery from
municipal solid waste, waste water treatment, etc…
 Challenges for SD
• Misconception about SD
• Population explosion in the developing
economies
• Poverty
• Over exploitation of natural resources in the
developed countries
• Corruption and misuse of SD assistance funds
• Poor solid waste management
• High cost to the appropriate technology to tap
renewable energy resources
 Challenges for SD
• Lack of co-ordination between three pillars of SD.
• Unsustainable urbanization results in slums,
congestion of living space, inadequate food,
poverty etc.,
• Fresh water scarcity
• Loss in biodiversity
• over dependency on fossil fuels
• Absence of strict environment laws and
legislations