Sustainable Design: A Reflection on Progressive Practices

Sustainable design will ultimately be recognized as synonymous with excellence in engineering design. There are companies and there are communities making considerable progress. Developing more sustainable designs and developing more sustainable communities moves the entire world forward. Our great, grandchildren will view these efforts with awe and with gratitude. Engineering education has much to learn from progressive practices around the world and much to learn from our students. A significant fraction of our students recognize the importance of sustainability and they hope that their engineering education empowers them to make a difference in the world. Engineering education should aspire to graduate engineers who will lead in sustainable design. This presentation will reflect on progressive practices in jurisdictions, in companies and in engineering education. The intent is to inspire engineering educators to take advantage of these practices to advance sustainable design within their courses and their engineering program