Definitions
Citizen Engineer defines the concept in a slightly different way, saying: "It is within the engineer's power to envision—and create—a new generation of buildings, vehicles, machines, devices, and services that deliver
the functionality people want without destroying the ecosystem or depleting
scarce resources."[1]
A popular definition that is often quoted comes from a UN report: "Humanity has the ability to make development
sustainable – to ensure that it meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."[2]
William McDonough, author of Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things says that the goal of designs should be "To love all the children of all species for all time".
Engineering is very broad, and so engineering for sustainable development can be applied to every area of life. Anything you can think of is somehow related to engineering for sustainable development: drinking water, bank investments, building a house, the food that you eat, even the air that you breathe! A few examples of subcategories within the category of engineering for sustainable development are open access information, appropriate technology, green information technology, solar energy, needs of the developing world, socially responsible investing, industrial symbiosis, and green design principles.
Canadian and US Accreditation Standards for Sustainability
United States
The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) is the governing body that accredits educational programs in the United States so they can be recognized as meeting the necessary criteria. The document that outlines the requirements is called "CRITERIA FOR ACCREDITING ENGINEERING PROGRAMS" and can be found here. Some of the sustainability related learning requirements for an engineering program are:
- "an ability to design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs within realistic constraints such as economic, environmental, social, political, ethical, health and safety, manufacturability, and sustainability"[3]
- "an understanding of professional and ethical responsibility"[4]
- "the broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global and societal context"[5]
Canada
The Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board, part of Engineers Canada, is the governing body that accredits undergraduate engineering programs in Canada to ensure that graduates have the qualifications to become a professional engineer. The Accreditation Criteria and Procedures can be found here.
- "accredited engineering programs must contain not only adequate mathematics, science, and engineering curriculum content but must also develop communication skills, an understanding of the environmental, cultural, economic, and social impacts of engineering on society, the concepts of sustainable development, and the capacity for life-long learning."[6]
- "Impact of engineering on society and the environment: An ability to analyze social and environmental aspects of engineering activities. Such ability includes an understanding of the interactions that engineering has with the economic, social, health, safety, legal, and cultural aspects of society, the uncertainties in the prediction of such interactions; and the concepts of sustainable design and development and environmental stewardship."[7]
- "While considerable latitude is provided in the choice of suitable content for the complementary studies component of the curriculum, some areas of study are essential in the education of an engineer. Accordingly, the curriculum must include studies in the following:
...(g)Sustainable development and environmental stewardship"[8]
