Green Engineering Principles Flashcards
What does the following principle mean?
“Inherent rather than circumstantial inputs and outputs are as inherently non-hazardous as possible”
Designers control the “inherent” or built-in properties of a product and need to ensure that the inputs and outputs of that product are as non-hazardous as possible.
Eg. Using non-toxic materials or using materials that are produced with green energy sources
What does the following principle mean?
“Prevention instead of treatment”
Preventing a risk from ever happening is better than trying to treat the consequences of it.
What does the following principle mean?
“Design for Separation”
A product should be designed so that the separation and sorting of its materials during the recycling/recovery phase of its life is as easy as possible
What does the following principle mean?
‘“Maximize Efficiency”
Products should be designed so that as little energy and materials are wasted during its production
What does the following principle mean?
Output-pulled rather than input-pushed through the use of energy and materials
Products should produce as much output with as little input as possible.
They should also be produced to meet the time, quantity and quality demands of the user exactly.
What does the following principle mean?
“Conserve Complexity”
Embedded entropy and complexity is to be viewed as an investment
What does the following principle mean?
“Target durability and not immortality”
Durable products should be able to be repaired with minimal extra materials. The durability of a product should not extend past its useful life.
What does the following principle mean?
“Meet need and minimize excess”
Avoid over-designing the capacity or capability of a product as this is wasteful.
What does the following principle mean?
“Minimize material diversity”
Having too many materials to make up a product is problematic during its end of life. Design products that have few materials to make recycling easier, or make their components easy to disassemble and separate.
What does the following principle mean?
“Integrate local material and energy flows”
All available material and energy processes should be integrated. This increases efficiency.
What does the following principle mean?
“Design for commercial afterlife”
A product should be easy to reuse and recycle, or its components should be easy to disassemble and be reused/recycled.
What does the following principle mean?
“Renewable rather than depleting”
A product should be designed and made from renewable energy and materials.
Name the 12 green engineering principles
- Inherent Rather Than Circumstantial
- Prevention Instead of Treatment
- Design for Separation
- Maximize Efficiency
- Output Pulled Versus Input Pushed
- Conserve Complexity
- Durability Rather than Immortality
- Meet Need, Minimize Excess
- Minimize Material Diversity
- Integrate Material and Energy Flows
- Design for Commercial “Afterlife”
- Renewable Rather Than Depleting
