Information Systems and the Environment

Information Systems and the Environment
Author: National Academy of Engineering
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 239
Release: 2001-09-13
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 0309062438

Information technology is a powerful tool for meeting environmental objectives and promoting sustainable development. This collection of papers by leaders in industry, government, and academia explores how information technology can improve environmental performance by individual firms, collaborations among firms, and collaborations among firms, government agencies, and academia. Information systems can also be used by nonprofit organizations and the government to inform the public about broad environmental issues and environmental conditions in their neighborhoods. Several papers address the challenges to information management posed by the explosive increase in information and knowledge about environmental issues and potential solutions, including determining what information is environmentally relevant and how it can be used in decision making. In addition, case studies are described and show how industry is using information systems to ensure sustainable development and meet environmental standards. The book also includes examples from the public sector showing how governments use information knowledge systems to disseminate "best practices" beyond big firms to small businesses, and from the world of the Internet showing how knowledge is shared among environmental advocates and the general public.

Green Graphic Design

Green Graphic Design
Author: Celery Design Collaborative
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 209
Release: 2010-06-29
Genre: Design
ISBN: 1581157541

Can a graphic designer be a catalyst for positive change? Green Graphic Design reframes the way designers can think about the work they create, while remaining focused on cost constraints and corporate identity. Simple, eco-innovative changes are demonstrated in all phases of the design process, including: · Picking projects · Strategizing with clients · Choosing materials for manufacture and shipping · Understanding users · Picking ink and paper for printing · Binding · Packing final products · Building strong brands · Working with clients to foster transparency and corporate social responsibility Fully illustrated and packed with case studies of green design implementation, this reference guide more than inspires; a "sustainability scorecard" and a complete glossary of key terms and resources ensure that anyone in the design field can implement practical green solutions. Green Graphic Design is an indispensable resource for graphic designers ready to look to the future of their business and the environment.

Fundamentals of Electronic Systems Design

Fundamentals of Electronic Systems Design
Author: Jens Lienig
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 251
Release: 2017-04-25
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 3319558404

This textbook covers the design of electronic systems from the ground up, from drawing and CAD essentials to recycling requirements. Chapter by chapter, it deals with the challenges any modern system designer faces: The design process and its fundamentals, such as technical drawings and CAD, electronic system levels, assembly and packaging issues and appliance protection classes, reliability analysis, thermal management and cooling, electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), all the way to recycling requirements and environmental-friendly design principles. "This unique book provides fundamental, complete, and indispensable information regarding the design of electronic systems. This topic has not been addressed as complete and thorough anywhere before. Since the authors are world-renown experts, it is a foundational reference for today’s design professionals, as well as for the next generation of engineering students." Dr. Patrick Groeneveld, Synopsys Inc.

Environmental Engineering for the 21st Century

Environmental Engineering for the 21st Century
Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 125
Release: 2019-03-08
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 0309476550

Environmental engineers support the well-being of people and the planet in areas where the two intersect. Over the decades the field has improved countless lives through innovative systems for delivering water, treating waste, and preventing and remediating pollution in air, water, and soil. These achievements are a testament to the multidisciplinary, pragmatic, systems-oriented approach that characterizes environmental engineering. Environmental Engineering for the 21st Century: Addressing Grand Challenges outlines the crucial role for environmental engineers in this period of dramatic growth and change. The report identifies five pressing challenges of the 21st century that environmental engineers are uniquely poised to help advance: sustainably supply food, water, and energy; curb climate change and adapt to its impacts; design a future without pollution and waste; create efficient, healthy, resilient cities; and foster informed decisions and actions.

Green Products by Design

Green Products by Design
Author: Gregory Eyring
Publisher: DIANE Publishing
Total Pages: 129
Release: 1998-04
Genre:
ISBN: 078814815X

Product design is an important environmental focal point, with design decisions directly and indirectly determining levels of resource use and the composition of waste streams. This report, addresses the importance of product design as a tool for reducing wastes and managing materials. It provides a conceptual overview of how designers might integrate environmental concerns with traditional design objectives, and how policymakers can best take advantage of such opportunities. Although the concept of "green" design is gathering momentum, technical, behavioral, and economic barriers need to be addressed. Illustrated.

An Introduction to Circular Economy

An Introduction to Circular Economy
Author: Lerwen Liu
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 631
Release: 2020-12-18
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 9811585105

This book is purposefully styled as an introductory textbook on circular economy (CE) for the benefit of educators and students of universities. It provides comprehensive knowledge exemplified by practices from policy, education, R&D, innovation, design, production, waste management, business and financing around the world. The book covers sectors such as agriculture/food, packaging materials, build environment, textile, energy, and mobility to inspire the growth of circular business transformation. It aims to stimulate action among different stakeholders to drive CE transformation. It elaborates critical driving forces of CE including digital technologies; restorative innovations; business opportunities & sustainable business model; financing instruments, regulation & assessment and experiential education programs. It connects a CE transformation for reaching the SDGs2030 and highlights youth leadership and entrepreneurship at all levels in driving the sustainability transformation.

Cradle to Cradle

Cradle to Cradle
Author: William McDonough
Publisher: North Point Press
Total Pages: 207
Release: 2010-03-01
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1429973846

A manifesto for a radically different philosophy and practice of manufacture and environmentalism "Reduce, reuse, recycle" urge environmentalists; in other words, do more with less in order to minimize damage. But as this provocative, visionary book argues, this approach perpetuates a one-way, "cradle to grave" manufacturing model that dates to the Industrial Revolution and casts off as much as 90 percent of the materials it uses as waste, much of it toxic. Why not challenge the notion that human industry must inevitably damage the natural world? In fact, why not take nature itself as our model? A tree produces thousands of blossoms in order to create another tree, yet we do not consider its abundance wasteful but safe, beautiful, and highly effective; hence, "waste equals food" is the first principle the book sets forth. Products might be designed so that, after their useful life, they provide nourishment for something new-either as "biological nutrients" that safely re-enter the environment or as "technical nutrients" that circulate within closed-loop industrial cycles, without being "downcycled" into low-grade uses (as most "recyclables" now are). Elaborating their principles from experience (re)designing everything from carpeting to corporate campuses, William McDonough and Michael Braungart make an exciting and viable case for change.

Green Technology and Design for the Environment

Green Technology and Design for the Environment
Author: Samir Billatos
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 314
Release: 2024-11-01
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 1040285333

This book is intended to be an introductory reference to green technology and design for the environment (GTDFE) for working professionals as well as a basic text for graduate course work in engineering, covering all facets of GTDFE.

Plastic Waste and Recycling

Plastic Waste and Recycling
Author: Trevor Letcher
Publisher: Academic Press
Total Pages: 688
Release: 2020-03-10
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0128178817

Plastic Waste and Recycling: Environmental Impact, Societal Issues, Prevention, and Solutions begins with an introduction to the different types of plastic materials, their uses, and the concepts of reduce, reuse and recycle before examining plastic types, chemistry and degradation patterns that are organized by non-degradable plastic, degradable and biodegradable plastics, biopolymers and bioplastics. Other sections cover current challenges relating to plastic waste, explain the sources of waste and their routes into the environment, and provide systematic coverage of plastic waste treatment methods, including mechanical processing, monomerization, blast furnace feedstocks, gasification, thermal recycling, and conversion to fuel. This is an essential guide for anyone involved in plastic waste or recycling, including researchers and advanced students across plastics engineering, polymer science, polymer chemistry, environmental science, and sustainable materials. - Presents actionable solutions for reducing plastic waste, with a focus on the concepts of collection, re-use, recycling and replacement - Considers major societal and environmental issues, providing the reader with a broader understanding and supporting effective implementation - Includes detailed case studies from across the globe, offering unique insights into different solutions and approaches