DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING – PG

Civil Engineering UG Program is Provisionally NBA accredited (Tier I) up to 2023

INTRODUCTION TO SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING

(22ETC25D)
UNIT 1
“SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND ROLE OF ENGINEERS”
“SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING CONCEPTS”
Presented by,
Mr. Nitin A V
Assistant Professor,
Department of Civil Engineering,
NMIT, Bengaluru
Email : [email protected] || [email protected]
Ph. No : 70902 96869
 Syllabus of Unit 1
Sustainable Development and Role of Engineers;
– Introduction
– Why and What is Sustainable Development
– The SDGs
– Paris Agreement and Role of Engineering, Sustainable Development and the
Engineering Profession
– Key attributes of the Graduate Engineering
Sustainable Engineering Concepts;
– Key concepts – Factor 4 and Factor 10
– Goals of sustainability, System Thinking
– Life Cycle Thinking and Circular Economy

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 INTRODUCTION
Development is the gradual Sustainable development is the development

growth of a situation that that meets the needs of the present without

becomes more advanced and compromising the ability of the future

strong than previous one. generation to meet their own needs.

• Sustainable development refers to a holistic approach to economic, social, and environmental progress
that aims to meet the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs. It is a concept that recognizes the interdependence between
economic development, social well-being, and environmental sustainability.

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 INTRODUCTION
• Sustainable development refers to a holistic approach to economic, social, and environmental progress
that aims to meet the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs. It is a concept that recognizes the interdependence between
economic development, social well-being, and environmental sustainability.
• The concept of sustainable development gained significant attention with the publication of the
Brundtland Report in 1987, which defined it as "development that meets the needs of the present
without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." It highlights the
need for a harmonious integration of economic development, social progress, and environmental
conservation.

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 IMPORTANCE
• Environmental Conservation: Sustainable development focuses on preserving and protecting the
natural environment. It aims to prevent the depletion of natural resources, mitigate climate change,
protect biodiversity, and reduce pollution. By practicing sustainable development, we can ensure the
health and resilience of ecosystems for future generations.

• Social Equity and Inclusion: Sustainable development recognizes the importance of social equity and
inclusivity. It promotes access to basic needs such as clean water, sanitation, education, healthcare, and
affordable housing for all. It seeks to reduce poverty, inequality, and social disparities, ensuring that the
benefits of development are shared by all members of society.

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 IMPORTANCE
• Economic Prosperity: Sustainable development encourages long-term economic growth that is
socially inclusive and environmentally responsible. It promotes the development of sustainable
industries, renewable energy sources, and green technologies. By investing in sustainable practices,
businesses can enhance their competitiveness, create jobs, and foster innovation and economic
resilience.

• Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation: Sustainable development plays a critical role in
addressing climate change. It emphasizes the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, the transition to
renewable energy sources, and the adoption of climate-resilient practices. By implementing sustainable
strategies, we can mitigate the impacts of climate change and adapt to its effects, ensuring a sustainable
future for all.

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 IMPORTANCE
• Resource Efficiency: Sustainable development encourages the efficient use of resources, minimizing
waste generation and promoting recycling and reuse. By adopting sustainable practices, we can reduce
our ecological footprint, optimize resource allocation, and enhance resource security. This leads to cost
savings, improved efficiency, and a more sustainable use of natural resources.

• Long-Term Planning and Resilience: Sustainable development fosters a long-term perspective in

decision-making and planning. It recognizes that short-term gains should not come at the expense of
long-term sustainability. By considering the environmental, social, and economic dimensions,
sustainable development helps build resilient communities and infrastructure that can withstand shocks
and uncertainties.

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 IMPORTANCE
• Global Collaboration: Sustainable development requires global collaboration and partnerships. It
acknowledges that challenges like climate change, poverty, and inequality transcend national
boundaries and necessitate collective action. Sustainable development frameworks, such as the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), provide a common agenda for countries, organizations, and
individuals to work together towards a sustainable future.

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 Role of engineers in promoting
sustainability

• Sustainable Design and Innovation • Transportation and Mobility

• Environmental Impact Assessment • Sustainable Construction and Infrastructure

• Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy • Education and Advocacy

• Sustainable Water Management

• Waste Management and Recycling

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 Role of IS engineers in promoting
sustainability

• Data Analysis and Decision-Making • Sustainable Smart Cities

• Environmental Monitoring and Management • Sustainable Supply Chain Management

• Sustainable Information Systems • Renewable Energy Integration

• Environmental Informatics • Environmental Impact Assessment

• Sustainability Communication and Education • Digital Transformation for Sustainability

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 Overview of the Sustainable
Development Goals
1. Find a Goal 1 charity you want to support. Any donation, big or small, can make a
difference
2. Donate what you don’t use. Local charities will give your gently used clothes, books
and furniture a new life.

3. Support campaigns collecting items for victims of emergencies. Donate your clothes, food supplies etc.
to support those in need.
4. Poverty still persists in every country. Over 8% of the world population lives in extreme poverty. Lend
your voice to the fight against extreme poverty.

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 Overview of the Sustainable
Development Goals
1. Find a Goal 2 charity you want to support. Any donation, big or small, can make a
difference.
2. Buy local and in-season food. Try to grow some of your own food.
3. Don’t waste food. Freeze fresh produce and leftovers if you don’t have the chance to
eat them before they go bad.

4. Buy Funny Fruit— many fruits and vegetables are thrown out because their size, shape, or color are
not “right”. Buying these perfectly good funny fruit, utilizes food that might otherwise go to waste.
5. Consume less meat and become vegetarian for one day a week. The meat production industry has a
huge impact on the environment.

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 Overview of the Sustainable
Development Goals
1. Vaccinate yourself and your kids. Protecting your family from disease also aids public
health.
2. Place yourself on the organ and tissue donors’ registry in your country.
3. Donate your blood. Safe blood saves lives!

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 Overview of the Sustainable
Development Goals
1. Donate your used books. The easiest way to give access to knowledge is to
donate your used books to someone.
2. Promote and take free online courses. In a digital world, there are more
opportunities to get access to education than just go to university.

3. Visit your local school and ask what school supplies they need. Start a school supply drive in your
community.
4. Mentor young people. You can provide tutoring and homework assistance, teach a language or
deliver a lesson on the Global Goals.

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 Overview of the Sustainable
Development Goals
1. Women earn 10 to 30 per cent less than men for the same work. Pay inequality
persists everywhere. Voice your support for equal pay for equal work.
2. Find a Goal 5 charity you want to support. Any donation, big or small, can
make a difference!

3. Be aware of gender stereotypes. Recognize them, avoid them and educate others about them.
4. Stand up against harassment. Whenever you see or become aware of harassment, whether in the
workplace, streets, home or the online space, raise your voice against it.
5. Find female mentors/leaders. Ensure that some of your role models or mentors are women. There’s a
lot you can learn from women in positions of authority.

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 Overview of the Sustainable
Development Goals
1. 4 billion people lack access to basic sanitation services. Lend your voice to talk
about the lack of toilets in many communities around the world!
2. Run a campaign on hygiene. Raise awareness about the hygiene issues in your
community through social media, school/university campaign or even a
campaign in the neighborhood you live in.

3. Don’t overuse water. Make sure to close a tap when washing dishes, take short showers – Bathtubs
require gallons more water than a 5-10 minute shower. Consider getting a water meter to be aware of
your water usage.
4. Organize a clean up project for rivers and oceans. Engage your whole community to clean up a local
river, seaside or an ocean.
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 Overview of the Sustainable
Development Goals
1. 4 billion people lack access to basic sanitation services. Lend your voice to talk
about the lack of toilets in many communities around the world!
2. Run a campaign on hygiene. Raise awareness about the hygiene issues in your
community through social media, school/university campaign or even a
campaign in the neighborhood you live in.

3. Don’t overuse water. Make sure to close a tap when washing dishes, take short showers – Bathtubs
require gallons more water than a 5-10 minute shower. Consider getting a water meter to be aware of
your water usage.
4. Organize a clean up project for rivers and oceans. Engage your whole community to clean up a local
river, seaside or an ocean.
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 Overview of the Sustainable
Development Goals
1. Organize a mentoring program. Invite people with experience in a certain field
to create a mentoring group that will help young people better prepare for their
future jobs.
2. Be a conscious consumer – if something is cheap it is likely to be hurting
people or the planet in some way.

3. Know your rights at work. In order to access justice, knowing what you are entitled to will go a long
way.
4. Read about workers in other countries and business practices. Talk to your colleagues about these issues.
5. Buy from local producers. Support local economic growth by choosing to buy from local producers and
businesses.
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 Overview of the Sustainable
Development Goals
1. Does your company invest in clean and resilient infrastructure? It’s the only
way to keep workers safe and protect the environment.
2. Create a hotspot map. There are a lot of public spaces with free WiFi access.
By mapping them out in your neighborhood and spreading awareness through
social media, announcements you can help more people access the internet.

3. Organize or participate in a Think Tank contest. You can foster your and your colleagues’ entrepreneurial
spirit by organizing a local idea contest and inviting companies or startups to mentor the winners.

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 Overview of the Sustainable
Development Goals
1. Raise your voice against any type of discrimination. Everyone is equal regardless

of their gender, race, sexual orientation, social background and physical abilities.

2. Visit local shelters, orphanages or minority community centers and organize a

conversation space to discuss the importance of these rights or volunteer there

regularly.

3. Support migrants and refugees in your communities. Volunteer in a local refugee camp. Gather or donate
the appliances, food, clothes needed.

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 Overview of the Sustainable
Development Goals
1. Support a project in slums for safe housing. You can volunteer in slums to help

with building houses, fixing existing ones, setting up public or green spaces.

2. Shop, eat and drink locally. Supporting neighborhood businesses keeps people

employed and circulates money back into your community.

3. Take advantage of your right to elect the leaders in your local community.
4. Commute in a sustainable way – bike, walk or take public transport. Save the car trips for when you’ve
got a big group.
5. Take care of public spaces. Start yourself and inspire others to contribute to better public spaces – water
the greenery, trim and plant trees, renovate sports areas and playgrounds, organize a cleanup.
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 Overview of the Sustainable
Development Goals
1. Shop, eat and drink locally. Supporting neighborhood businesses keeps people

employed and circulates money back into your community.

2. Buy second-hand whenever you can.

3. Do some research and buy from companies, have sustainable practices and don’t harm the environment.
4. Download and use food sharing applications. You can download apps to donate your leftover food and
decrease the amount of food waste you produce.
5. Choose reusable products. Use an eco-bag for shopping, a reusable water bottle or a cup to reduce your
plastic waste.

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 Overview of the Sustainable
Development Goals
1. Recycle paper, glass, plastic, metal and old electronics.

2. Choose reusable products. Use an eco-bag for shopping and a reusable water

bottle or a cup to reduce your plastic waste.

3. Buy eco-friendly products. Read the packaging to see if products are produced in an eco-friendly way.
4. Bike, walk or take public transport. Save the car trips for when you’ve got a big group.
5. Consume less meat and become vegetarian for one day a week. The meat production industry has a huge
impact on the environment.
6. Reduce your use of paper . Avoid printing and substitute it with electronic devices or carriers.
7. Offset your carbon emissions.
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 Overview of the Sustainable
Development Goals
1. Never buy bottled water – boil, filter, chlorine, rainwater, do what you can.

2. Reduce waste – much of the waste that we produce on land ends up in the oceans.

Stop using plastic bags: Usage and wrong disposal of plastic is a major cause of

marine pollution.

3. Run a campaign on the effects of plastic use on the seas and oceans.
4. Organize a cleanup project for rivers and oceans. Engage your whole community to clean up a local
river, seaside or an ocean.
5. Buy local and certified fish. You can support small-scale producers by shopping in local markets and
shops.
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 Overview of the Sustainable
Development Goals
1. Reduce your use of paper. Avoid printing and substitute it with electronic devices

or carriers.

2. Don’t buy products tested on animals: Check the labels on the products you buy.

3. Recycle paper, glass, plastic, metal and old electronics.

4. Clean your local parks and forests. Organise your own or join an existing clean-up event to sustain the
ecosystem of your local green space.
5. Don’t use pesticides. To protect and sustain the quality of soil, don’t use chemicals while growing plants.
6. Volunteer with street animal organizations or shelters: Help to sustain diversity and save lives of animal
species by volunteering in organizations helping these pets as well as endangered species.
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 Overview of the Sustainable
Development Goals
1. Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere.

2. Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure

equal access to justice for all

3. Vote! Take advantage of your right to elect the leaders in your country and local community.
4. Substantially reduce corruption and bribery in all their forms.

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 Overview of the Sustainable
Development Goals
1. Work or volunteer in NGOs that are working towards the Global Goals. You

can contribute through various projects to achieving the Goals by 2030.

2. Support export by buying products from developing countries. Pay attention to the Fair Trade label on
products which helps to indicate products from local producers in developing countries.

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 The Paris Agreement
• The Paris Agreement is an international treaty negotiated under the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2015. It aims to combat climate change and strengthen
the global response to the threat of climate change by keeping global temperature rise well below 2
degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5
degrees Celsius.

• Mitigation • Finance and Technology Transfer

• Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) • Global Stocktake

• Transparency and Accountability • Support for Developing Countries

• Adaptation
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 Key attributes of the Graduate Engineers
• The graduate engineering program plays a crucial role in preparing future engineers to address the
challenges of sustainable development. Here are key attributes that a graduate engineering program
should instill in its students to promote sustainable development:

• Knowledge of Sustainable Practices • Environmental and Social Awareness

• Systems Thinking • Innovation and Technological Advancement

• Interdisciplinary Collaboration • Lifelong Learning

• Ethical Decision-Making

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 Goals of Sustainability
• The goals of sustainability encompass a wide range of objectives and aspirations aimed at achieving a
balanced and harmonious coexistence between society, the environment, and the economy. These goals
guide efforts to create a sustainable future by addressing various environmental, social, and economic
challenges.

• Environmental Conservation • Cultural Preservation

• Social Equity and Justice • Responsible Consumption and Production

• Economic Prosperity • Collaboration and Partnerships

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 Factor 4 and Factor 10 concept

• The Factor Four concept visualizes a quadruple increase in resource efficiency using existing
methodologies whilst avoiding negative impacts on the overall quality of life. The concept aims for
society to last twice as long or enjoy twice as much whilst using half the resources and placing half the
pressure on the environment.
• By using best available technology, advanced engineering and improved production methods, fewer
resources are required to produce more products and services. As a result, the life span of resources is
stretched and future generations provided for. In other words, four times as much wealth can be
extracted from the resources we currently use.

https://www.gdrc.org/sustdev/concepts/12-f4.html
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 Factor 4 and Factor 10 concept

https://www.gdrc.org/sustdev/concepts/12-f4.html
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 Factor 4 and Factor 10 concept

https://www.gdrc.org/sustdev/concepts/12-f4.html
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 Factor 4 and Factor 10 concept

• Factor 10 states that over the next 30 to 50 years (one generation) a decrease in energy use and
material flows by a factor of 10 and an increase in resource productivity/efficiency by a factor of 10 is
required to achieve de-materialization.
• That is, to attain sustainability and environmental protection we need to reduce resource turn over by
90% on a global scale, within the next 50 years.
• Based on sustainability, Factor 10 focuses on materials and the input side of the economy. It requires
new technologies; policies; services; and manufacturing processes, as well as socio-cultural change to
create and do more for longer periods of time with fewer resources.

https://www.gdrc.org/sustdev/concepts/12-f4.html
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 Factor 4 and Factor 10 concept
• Factor 10 is a long-term concept and as
such, governments or business working
to short term plans may have difficulty
achieving factor 10 reductions. Since
Factor 10 aims to decrease energy and
resource use, it helps governments work
towards multi-lateral environmental
agreements.

https://www.gdrc.org/sustdev/concepts/11-f10.html
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 System Thinking
• Systems thinking is an important concept in sustainable development that involves understanding and
analyzing complex systems and their interconnections. It emphasizes the recognition that individual
components of a system are interconnected and interdependent, and their actions and relationships
influence the overall behavior and outcomes of the system.

• Interconnectedness • Holistic Perspective

• Feedback Loops • Anticipatory Approach

• Emergent Properties

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 Life Cycle Thinking (LCT)
• Life Cycle Thinking (LCT) is an approach that considers the entire life cycle of a product, process, or
service, from raw material extraction to disposal or recycling.
• It involves assessing the environmental, social, and economic impacts at each stage of the life cycle,
including production, use, and end-of-life.
• By taking a holistic perspective, LCT allows for a more comprehensive understanding of the
environmental footprint and potential sustainability improvements.

• Assessing Impacts • Considering Trade-offs

• Identifying Hotspots • Collaboration and Stakeholder Engagement

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 Circular Economy

• The circular economy is a model of production and

consumption, which involves sharing, leasing, reusing,
repairing, refurbishing and recycling existing materials and
products as long as possible. In this way, the life cycle of
products is extended.

Benefits

• To protect the environment

• Reduce raw material dependence
• Create jobs and save consumers money

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 Circular Economy

• Circular Economy is an economic model that aims to decouple economic growth from resource
consumption and waste generation. It is based on the principles of designing out waste and pollution,
keeping products and materials in use for as long as possible, and regenerating natural systems.

• The traditional linear economy follows a "take-make-dispose" approach, where resources are extracted,
transformed into products, and eventually discarded as waste. In contrast, the Circular Economy
promotes a closed-loop system where resources are continually reused, recycled, and repurposed.

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