Lecture 1 Flashcards
Who defined sustainable design as seeking to meet the needs of the present without compromising those of future generations?
Brundtland.
Who defined sustainable design as the careful meshing of human purposes with the larger patterns and flows of the natural world?
David Orr.
Who defined sustainable design as a process that supports and improves the health of the systems that sustain life?
Bill Reed.
What are the three pillars of sustainability?
People (social), planet (environmental), and profit (economic).
The environmental impact of human activities fall into what three categories?
Physical changes, chemical changes, biological changes.
Deforestation (and other alterations of landscapes or waterways) is an example of what type of environmental change?
Physical change.
Changes to the built environment (buildings, bridges, etc.) from deposition and chemical attack is an example of what type of environmental change?
Physical change.
Changes to chemical constituents of soils and sediments is an example of what type of environmental change?
Chemical change.
Increases in the concentration of emitted substances in the air/water/soil and any resulting secondary reactions is an example of what type of environmental change?
Chemical change.
Changes in the viability of plants, fish, animals, and microorganisms due to altered habitat and chemical constituents/concentrations is an example of what type of environmental change?
Biological change.
Injury or illness to people/plants/animals from exposure to and/or accumulation of chemicals and their derivatives is an example of what type of environmental change?
Biological change.
What is anthropogenic environmental change?
Environmental change caused by human activities.
Anthropogenic environmental changes fall into what two categories?
Land use (including depletion of natural resources) and emissions/residues from products/industrial processes.
What are the 4 guiding principles for engineers to achieve sustainability?
(1) Maximize the value of your activity towards building a sustainable world. (2) Apply professional/responsible judgement & take a leadership role. (3) Seek multiple views. (4) Manage risk to minimize adverse impact.
What are the 3 major categories of sources of environmental impacts due to human activity.
Materials selection, manufacturing processes, and energy use.
In what 2 ways can the environmental impact of material selection be reduced?
Selecting alternative, environmentally preferable materials and using less material without compromising function/reliability.
The manufacturing process often consists of material extraction, refining, transport, transformation and assembly into final products. Which of these steps release waste materials into the environment?
In most cases, every one of these steps releases waste material to the environment.
Most of the world’s energy today comes from what energy source?
Fossil fuels - oil, coal, and natural gas.
Besides cost, why are nuclear and renewable energy sources not necessarily appropriate alternatives?
They aren’t free of adverse environmental consequences.
What is an environmental LCA and what does it do?
An environmental life cycle assessment provides the big picture of how engineering decisions in a particular area affect the environment.
What does the law of mass conservation state?
That mass can neither be created nor destroyed.
What does the first law of thermodynamics state?
That energy can neither be created nor destroyed.
The Clean Air Act requires the EPA to set standards for 6 common air pollutants. What name is given to these standards?
National Ambient Air Quality Standards.
What are the criteria air pollutants?
Particulate matters, ground-level ozone, carbon monoxide, lead, sulfur dioxide, & nitrogen dioxide.
