Building a Better Environment

The “built environment” can be defined as "the humanitarian-made space in which people live, work, and recreate on a day-to-day basis."1 The built environment includes homes, streets, office buildings, and parks, as well as other man-made spaces. The buildings and transportation systems that make up our built environment account for more than two-thirds of all greenhouse gas emissions. When designing the built environment, engineers focus on efficiency in order to decrease the energy required to produce the optimal outcome. Analyzing buildings for efficiency is the practice of dynamically balancing environmental, social, economic, and health benefits. These considerations can be applied to both residential and commercial buildings. How can engineers help? As the population of the world increases, the number of residences required also increases. You and your team will consider the design of a residential home using green building practices, and compare this home with a conventional home, comparing the cost difference over the lifetime of the structure. 1 Roof, K; Oleru N. (2008). "Public Health: Seattle and King County’s Push for the Built Environment.". Journal of Environmental Health. 75: 24–27 Explore more: The Seven Principles of Green Building http://www.greendesignbuild.net/Pages/SevenPrinciplesofGreenDesign.aspx Principles of Green Building Design from Monterey Peninsula College http://www.ecologicdesignlab.com/files/MPC-pub090709.pdf The EPA Guide to Green Building https://archive.epa.gov/greenbuilding/web/html/ Federal Trade Commission: Energy Guide Labels http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0072-shopping-home-appliances-use-energyguide-label United States Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy http://energy.gov/eere/office-energy-efficiency-renewable-energy

Economics of Green Engineering

Engineers are often faced with choices between traditional

materials/methods and more innovative, “green” solutions.

The “greening” of engineering has appeal in terms of

benefiting the environment; yet, the cost of implementing such

technology over traditional solutions can be a deterrent. These

costs can be found not only in materials and research, but

also in less obvious areas such as required certifications.

Example: The US Green Building Council established a rating system that provides a

global symbol of sustainability, abbreviated as LEED (Leadership in Energy and

Environmental Design). However, such accreditation comes at a cost.

How can engineers help? When designing green technology or buildings, engineers

must perform a cost-benefit analysis of each design to consider the economics of the

product. Your team will be using economic models to evaluate the trade-offs of going

green in the current economy, especially in the face of unexpected costs.

Explore More:

Basic economics

http://www.conejousd.org/Portals/49/Departments/Social%20Science/Freed/Unit%201%

20Summary%20(For%20Posting%20Online).pdf

http://faculty.washington.edu/cnelson/Chap01.pdf

Economics applied to Green Engineering principles

Google “emea_economics_of_sustainable_building2009.” Click on the first link with the

address

portal.cbre.eu/uk_en/imgs.../emea_economics_of_sustainable_building2009.pdf’

https://www1.eere.energy.gov/femp/pdfs/buscase_section2.pdf

Green Certification

http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2013/04/10/building-certification-what-does-leed-really-mean/

https://greenbuildingsolutions.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/LEED-Cost-Analysis-

Report.pdf

Energy Basics

Energy is used for transportation, manufacturing, and

commercial uses that are essential to modern society.

Humans cannot survive without the ability to capture, store,

use, and transport energy. A civilization cannot advance

without creating ways to translate energy to useful work.

Each year, the United States uses 28% of its total energy

for transportation, moving people and goods from one place

to another. Modes of transportation include cars, trucks,

airplanes, boats, trains and buses. Reducing energy use

through efficient practices and alternative fuels is a major

initiative in planning for future transportation needs.

Energy allows manufacturers to transform raw materials into a final product for the consumer. The

raw materials go through a number of stages during this transformation, which makes up a large

percentage of industrial energy consumption. In an economic sense, energy performs work that adds

value to the final consumer product. There are opportunities to improve energy efficiency at each step

of the manufacturing process.

Historically engineering has driven advances in energy through its extraction, utilization, and

transportation. This work had been largely with oil, coal, nuclear, and hydropower sources. Recently

society has seen a need for the development and utilization of renewable energy sources, and

engineers are at the forefront of that work.

How can engineers help?

Your team will explore calculations to increase the efficiency of energy use, find better ways to store

electricity, and monitor and mitigate pollution.

Explore more:

U.S. Energy Information Administration: https://www.eia.gov/

National Renewable Energy Laboratory: http://www.nrel.gov/

National Academy of Engineering Solar Grand Challenge:

http://www.engineeringchallenges.org/challenges/solar.aspx

Tesla Gigafactory: https://www.tesla.com/gigafactory

Foundation for Water and Energy Education: http://fwee.org/

U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear Energy: https://www.energy.gov/ne/office-nuclear-

energy

Global Health and Engineering

Around the world, one of the most pressing global health challenges is neonatal (newborn infant) mortality. In Africa alone, over 1.16 million babies die before they are one month old. One of the greatest contributors to these alarmingly high mortality rates is neonatal hypothermia. These newborn babies often need to be transported from a rural location via ambulance to a hospital. In most cases, neither the ambulance nor the hospital has adequate access to electricity. As a result, many babies die of hypothermia during this process. Though engineers have developed technologies to keep babies warm in high-resource settings, such as the United States, few solutions exist in low resource settings, such as sub-Saharan Africa. One of the biggest challenges for engineers in these settings is the lack of a stable electric grid. Many medical devices have high energy requirements, making sustainable use of these technologies difficult in hospitals without electricity. While engineers work on green energy alternatives for countries like the U.S., many of these solutions could be used to generate a stable and reliable source of power for countries without a stable grid. Engineers play a crucial role in developing technologies that can keep infants warm during their first month of life. Limited access to an unreliable electric grid in low resource settings means engineers must develop technologies that effectively operate in available conditions. How can engineers help? Your team will review available issues and options, considering energy requirements, efficiencies, and the sustainability of potential solutions in health care. Explore more: Access to modern energy services for health facilities in resource-constrained settings (World Health Organization) http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/156847/1/9789241507646_eng.pdf Limited electricity access in health facilities of Sub-Saharan Africa (Adair-Rohani et. al) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25276537 Methods of Heat Transfer http://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/thermalP/Lesson-1/Methods-of-Heat-Transfer Thermal protection of the Newborn (World Health Organization)

http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/63986/1/WHO_RHT_MSM_97.2.pdf

Neonatal hypothermia in low resource settings: a review (Kumar et. al)

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19158799

Insects and Climate Change

The causes and effects of climate change have been

researched and advances towards greener technology

have been made in recent years. However, climate

change continues as the Earth grows steadily warmer

and CO2 concentrations rise. Engineers and scientists

are responsible for not only the creation of new

technologies and techniques to curb this phenomenon,

but also for measuring and predicting what is naturally

occurring around us.

Some of the most important organisms to consider when investigating the effects of

climate change are insects. Their presence and migration patterns influence the

success of the ecosystems they inhabit. As temperatures warm, many insect species

move northward to reach a more stable environment. This migration can disrupt an

ecosystem, affecting crops and introducing disease.

How can engineers help? Your team will use a variety of tools to understand and

measure how climate change influences the life cycle and migrations patterns of insects

and how this might affect humans and other organisms.

Explore more:

How does climate change affect agricultural pests and disease?

http://agadapt.ucdavis.edu/pestsdiseases/

Climate Change Effects on Insects and Pathogens:

http://www.panna.org/sites/default/files/CC%20insects&pests.pdf

Insect Disturbance and Climate Change:

https://www.fs.usda.gov/ccrc/topics/insect-disturbance-and-climate-change

The Bees in Decline:

http://sos-bees.org/

Reducing Light Pollution

Light pollution occurs as the result of poorly designed artificial lighting that is used at night, causing one or more of the following effects:

1) sky glow - artificial reflected and ambient light which prevents the visibility of the natural night sky

2) light trespass - unwanted light that crosses property lines and degrades quality of life

3) glare - unshielded light which can produce a health and safety hazard

There is a perception of human safety when higher density artificial lighting is used at night. This is a primary reason light pollution exists everywhere in the world today. Existing research, however, does not support a link between artificial lighting and safety in most situations. What has been established is that poorly designed artificial lighting produces negative impacts on humans and wildlife. Additionally, approximately 2.2 billion dollars in US energy consumption is wasted annually from inappropriately designed artificial lighting that shines directly into the sky. This inefficient and poor use of technology to light the night is a growing concern that contributes to our light pollution epidemic. Addressing light pollution is required if we want to engineer a greener world. How can engineers help? Your team will be challenged to understand the factors influencing the design of artificial lighting and the impact of these factors on light pollution reduction. You will be asked to predict the likely outcomes of changes in lighting design as well as evaluate specific lighting applications for their ability to reduce light pollution. Explore More: http://www.darksky.org

http://www.darkskiesawareness.org/faq-what-is-lp.php

https://www.globeatnight.org/light-pollution.php

https://www.lightpollutionmap.info/ (check this site out to see light pollution in your area) http://www.artificiallightatnight.org

Material Strength and Durability Requirements

Hydrogen-powered fuel cells have long been researched as

a viable alternative energy source for vehicles or homes.

Although there are many different types of hydrogen-

powered fuel cells, one common method is the proton

exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell. In principle, the

operations of a PEM fuel cell is simple, but a barrier to

advancing the technology involves the strength and

durability of the proton exchange membrane itself. A proton

exchange membrane looks and feels like clear food wrap --

in engineering this is referred to as a viscoelastic material, which means its mechanical

properties change depending on the temperature and on the amount of time under load.

A material that changes properties under varied conditions can be both an asset and a liability,

depending on its use. For example, cars may be driven for short 3-minute commutes or for

multi-day road trips, or they may operate in extreme outdoor temperatures that can range from

a freezing Minnesota winter to a blistering Arizona summer. For fuel cell vehicles to be viable

in the future, we need ways to mathematically model how such use impacts important

components like the proton exchange membrane and to use that data to predict how and when

such components might fail.

How can engineers help? In engineering, the strength and durability of materials is related

both to material properties and how the material is loaded—this is called the mechanical

behavior of materials. We study concepts of stress (how applied forces act over an area) and

strain (how a material deforms in response to the stress). Your task will be to analyze material

characteristics in preparation for their use in different green engineering applications.

Explore more:

Hydrogen Fuel Cell -

https://www.driveclean.ca.gov/Search_and_Explore/Technologies_and_Fuel_Types/Hydrogen

_Fuel_Cell.php

Fuel Cell Vehicle - http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/fuelcell.shtml

Viscoelasticity - https://www.teachengineering.org/lessons/view/cub_surg_lesson04

Silly Putty (A Viscoelastic Material) - http://people.howstuffworks.com/silly-putty2.htm

Stress, Strain, & Strength - http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-

projects/project_ideas/MatlSci_StressStrainStrength_h001.shtml#testingmaterials

Solar Energy Cost Reduction Solar power is a prominent source of renewable energy and is often used for mobile devices, appliances, vehicles, buildings, and even entire grids. Technologies that generate power from solar energy are considered sustainable resources since they involve no polluting emissions and have minimal impact on the environment. Since the sun is expected to continue to burn brightly for the next five billion years, it is a reliable energy solution for the future. Through solar power technologies, both photonic and heat emissions from the sun can be converted into electricity. The systems used to perform such conversions are referred to, respectively, as photovoltaic and solar thermal (or “concentrating solar power”) systems. While many engineered systems utilizing solar power are “active” and convert the energy to electricity, there are also those that do so passively and do not necessarily have moving parts or electronics to heat and cool buildings or water supplies. How can engineers help? Your team will be tasked to find performance characteristics of solar panels given different operating locations and conditions. Explore more: IEEE – Solar information - http://spectrum.ieee.org/green-tech/solar Basics of solar power - https://www.solarpowerauthority.com/how-solar-works CleanTechnica page on solar energy - https://cleantechnica.com/solar-power/ National Renewable Energy Laboratory - https://www.nrel.gov/workingwithus/re-solar.html U.S. Energy Information Administration - https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/index.cfm?page=solar_home Solar Energy Industry Association - http://www.seia.org/policy/solar-technology