Introduction to Environmental

Engineering
 What is Environment?
• The environment encompasses the whole of
life on earth and the complex interactions that
link the living world with the physical world
Our environment is everything that surrounds
us, both natural and man-made
 Environmental Engineering
• Environmental Engineering is the integration
of science and engineering principles to
improve the natural environment, to provide
healthy water, air, and land for human
habitation and for other organisms, and to
remediate pollution sites.
 Science & Engineering
• Science improve our understanding of natural
processes

• Engineering use this understanding to develop

and apply technologies that will maintain or
improve environmental quality
 Environmental Engineer
• The environmental engineer is a professional
trained in the art of applying scientific
principles and technological means to avoid or
reduce forms of pollution.
 What is Ecosystem?
• An ecosystem is formed by the interactions
between all living and non-living things
 Population and Community
• A population is one species living in a specific
area.
• A community is formed from all living
populations found in an area.
 What is Ecology?
• Ecology is how living and non-living things
affect each other in their environment.
 Environment: the total of our
surroundings
All the things around us with which we interact:
Living things
• Animals, plants, forests, fungi, etc.
Nonliving things
• Continents, oceans, clouds, soil, rocks
Our built environment
• Buildings, human-created living centers, roads , etc.
What is an “environmental problem”?
• The perception of what constitutes a problem varies
between individuals and societies
 Pollution
• The introduction of substances or energy into the
environment, by people, liable to cause harm to living
creatures or ecological systems.
How did pollution begin?
1. More sophisticated lifestyles.
2. Growing needs of people.
3. Accelerated rates of human and economic activities.
4. Waste becomes pollution if the level discharged
exceeds the capacity of the environment to absorb it
without adverse effect.
 Types of Pollution
• The types of pollution that we are going to
look at:
– Air Pollution
– Water Pollution
– Land Pollution
– Noise pollution
– Thermal pollution
– Radiation pollution
 Air Pollution
• Air pollution is the introduction of chemicals,
particulate matter, or biological materials that
cause harm or discomfort to humans or other
living organisms, or cause damage to the
natural environment or built environment,
into the atmosphere
 Water Pollution
• Water pollution is the contamination of water
bodies (e.g. lakes, rivers, oceans and
groundwater).
 Land Pollution
• Land pollution is the degradation of Earth's
land surfaces often caused by human activities
and their misuse of land resources.
 Noise Pollution
• Noise pollution is excessive, displeasing
human, animal or machine-created
environmental noise that disrupts the activity
or balance of human or animal life.
 Climate Change
• Scientists have firmly concluded that humans
are changing the composition of the
atmosphere
•The Earth’s surface is warming
• Melting glaciers
• Rising sea levels
• Impacted wildlife and crops
• Increasingly destructive weather
 Greenhouse Gases and Global
Warming
Global warming: An increase in the average air
temperature of the Earth.
Greenhouse effect: Heat from the sun gets
trapped inside the glass of a greenhouse and
heats up its air.
More carbon dioxide (CO2) being released in
the atmosphere traps more heat.
Since the Industrial
Revolution,
atmospheric
carbon dioxide
concentrations
have risen by 37%,
to the highest level
in 650,000 years
 Biodiversity
• Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life
forms at all levels of biological systems and is
used to measure the health of ecosystems.
• Human actions have driven many species
extinct, and biodiversity is declining
dramatically
• Biodiversity loss may be our biggest
environmental problem; once a species is
extinct, it is gone forever
 Energy Choices
• Our energy choices will affect our future
The lives we live today are due to fossil fuels
• Machines
• Chemicals
• Transportation
• Products
 What is Sustainability?
• Meeting society’s present needs without
compromising the ability of future generations
to meet their own needs.
 Three Pillars of Sustainability
• The triple bottom line solution
1) Environment
2) Society
3) Economic
 Three Pillars of Sustainability
1) Environment (Planet)- Management of renewable and
non renewable resources while reducing waste.
2) Society(People) - Fair practices for all people and does not
exploit interest of separate parties based on money, status
or growth.
3) Economics(Profit) - Financial benefit enjoyed by the
majority of society.
 Renewable and Non-renewable
Resources
• Renewable resources:
– Perpetually available: sunlight, wind, wave energy
– Renew themselves over short periods: timber, water, soil
• These can be destroyed
• Nonrenewable resources: can be depleted
– Oil, coal, minerals

• Natural resources = substances and energy

sources needed for survival
Yes, engineers are part of the problem.
We’re also an integral part of the
solution
But not if we keep designing things in
the same old way

Engineers of the future need to

think differently.
Traditional Engineering Design Criteria:
• Function
• Cost (economics)
• Safety
 Sustainable Engineering Design Criteria:

• Function
• Cost (economics)
• Safety
• Impact on people (society)
• Impact on the planet (environment)
Material use,
Energy use,
Water use ,
Solid waste generation/ability to be recycled ,
Emissions generation ,
Toxic releases ,
Land impact
 Sustainable Design

• Sustainable design is the way of doing things

or making things such that the result of the
design meets the three pillars of
sustainability – it should NOT cause
irreversible change to the environment –
locally and globally, should be functional,
practical, and economically viable, and
should benefit society. Sustainable design
uses a holistic approach that optimizes the
overall system performance, not just the
product or service itself.
 Principles of Sustainability Design

1.Holistic approach to environmental, social,

and economic issues
2.Minimize environmental impacts (pollution,
waste, disruption, etc.)
3.Use renewable energy and resources
efficiently
4.Design for reuse, recycling, and emotionally
and functionally durability
 Sustainable Engineering

• Sustainable engineering is the process

of using resources in a way that does NOT
compromise the environment or deplete
the materials for future generations.
Sustainable engineering requires an
interdisciplinary approach in all aspects of
engineering. All engineering fields should
incorporate sustainability into their practice
in order to improve the quality of life for all.
Sustainability Hierarchy
 Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs)
• In the year 2000, the United Nations specified
eight Millennium Development Goal to
address prior to the year 2015.
• Focused on increasing the standard of living
for the world's existing population and also for
future generations as the world population
continues to grow.
 Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs)
• Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger.
• Achieve universal primary education.
• Promote gender equality and empower women.
• Reduce childhood mortality.
• Improve maternal health.
• Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases.
• Ensure environmental sustainability.
• Develop a global partnership for development.
Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs)

A 15-year plan with 8

MDG – 2000
 Sustainability

• Leaves future generations with a rich

and full Earth
• Conserves the Earth’s natural resources
• Maintains fully functioning ecological
systems