Going Green

It seems like if you aren't going green these days then you are way out of the loop.  This includes the area of engineering.  Even the government, specifically the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), has come up with a way to sort of define this new trend within the engineering world.  The EPA defines Green Engineering as, "the design, commercialization, and use of processes and products, which are feasible and economical while minimizing 1) generation of pollution at the source and 2) risk to human health and the environment."  Along with that definition there are a few principles that were formulated.  A simple and obvious one is that Green Engineers will, "Strive to prevent waste."  Although the government is pushing for going green companies have already taken steps towards going green. 

The most common ways companies do this is through new advances in green technology.  Another is through energy consumption and new ways of keeping costs of energy down while also generating the most energy possible.  Wind turbines are gaining in popularity and will continue to grow as more and more companies move towards going green.  One of the most interesting engineering advances in green technology is the creation of new technology that has increased the efficiency of the process of desalting sea water.  A new advancement has come about which allows the water to be evaporated with less energy than before using solar energy.  Things like these are what will continue to push ahead in green engineering and will over all help our planet as we look to create new technologies and keep Earth clean.

Sources:

"EPA." Green Engineering. EPA, n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2015.

Ayers, Ryan. "Top 5 New Green Technologies in Civil Engineering." BonLightcom RSS. BonLight, 20 Oct. 2012. Web. 22 Nov. 2015.

 EPA BonLight

By Quinn Foster