Engineers of the future need to think differently: Think of DfE

India is celebrating the 50^th Engineers’ Day today, September 15, 2017 to commemorate the birthday of the legendary engineer Bharat Ratna Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya. Considering the theme “Role of Engineers in a developing India” to mark the occasion, Engineers of the future need to think differently, in their approach of planning, designing and executing the projects in the development of the nation. As Sir M Visvesvaraya rightly said "Plan or Perish" is very relevant today. However, an extension to that will be Plan, Design, Execute and sustain based on the principles of sustainable development. To move towards conditions of sustainability, engineers must design and deliver projects that address sustainability holistically (from concept to demolition or reuse).

Traditional Engineering Design Criteria (TEDC) incorporate Function, Cost, and Safety, wherein Sustainable Engineering Design Criteria (SEDC), emphasis about Impact on people (society) and Impact on the planet (environment) in addition to TEDC. Such a design approach to reduce the overall human health and environmental impact of a product, process or service, where impacts are considered across its life cycle is known as Design for the Environment (DfE).

Engineers need to understand the relationships between population, the quantity and availability of resources and the quality of the environment, and interrelated impacts, of Population on resources and Population on the environment. The intensity of consumption of energy, water, land and material and the emission of pollutants and waste. The diverse categories of environmental impacts needing consideration include resource use, human health, and ecological consequences.

Hence, the Sustainable Engineering involves steps such as plan and manage effectively, give sustainability the benefit of the doubt, if polluters are polluting, they must pay, adopt a cradle to grave approach, do things right, having decided the right thing to do. Beware of cost cutting that masquerades as value engineering, practice what you preach.

Sustainable engineering approach derive the benefits like increased material efficiency: reducing raw material inputs and waste outputs, removing hazardous materials for a more acceptable alternative, designing service systems to minimize environmental impacts.

We always keep in mind the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Two Principles of Sustainable Development, listed as follows:

Principle 1- Do the Right Project. A proposed project's economic, environmental and social effects on each of the communities served and affected must be assessed and understood by all stakeholders before there is a decision to proceed with a project. Consider non-structural as well as structural (built) solutions to the needs being addressed and 

Principle 2 - Do the Project Right. The engineer shall actively engage stakeholders and secure public understanding and acceptance of a projects economic, environmental and social costs and benefits.