Modernity and the Environment Part II

In our modern life there are some luxuries that have become necessities, because that is what we are used to. We can and should try to change our habits, but by and large we do like technology, we do like comfort, and it is only natural that we pursue comfort. It is the job of the engineer to provide comfort and practicality while minimizing environmental impact. It is only recently that the second criterion has been recognized as part of the job.

Engineers work in teams to make environmentally viable products and systems for the home, for the office, for transportation, and so on. Engineers are involved in just about every aspect of modern life: you will find engineers working in the fields of medicine, mining, household products, computers, furniture and toy manufacturing companies, automobiles, waste treatment, public transport, cargo transport, aeronautics, ships and boats, power generation and transmission, and nearly everything else you could think of.

Here are just a few of the examples of how the new environmentally responsible generation of engineering has helped me personally.

As an asthmatic, I used to use a Ventolin spray that contained CFCs as its propellant. I now have a CFC-free spray.

I did without a car for eight months, choosing an apartment right near the inner city so I could take advantage of our frequent and free inner city bus service, but in the end I succumbed to my need for freedom to explore and go driving. I bought a Toyota Echo, which has been so fuel-efficient that even with the soaring costs of fuel in Australia, almost double that in the U.S., I spend less on fuel here than I did in the U.S. with our ten-year-old Audi 80. I travel more now, too, though I still use public transport on weekdays for work and university. My city uses cleaner gas as the fuel for its newest buses.

I have split-system reverse-cycle airconditioning in our apartment, a system which is endorsed by our state electricity company, Western Power, as the most efficient means to heating and cooling buildings (once built - the importance of proper insulation and other building aspects can never be overrated).

My washing machine uses fuzzy logic to sense the correct amount of water and time required to wash the load. This means that I use only as much water and electricity as is necessary. The rinse cycle is cold and cannot be changed. This is specifically to reduce the energy required for each wash.

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