(gentle music)
- [Jeff] I don't remember exactly where we were
the first time I viewed the Earth,
but I remember getting out of the spacesuits
in the mid-deck of the space shuttle and then floating
back up and then having a chance to actually get
my full view out the window, to get close to the window
and to view the Earth and what struck me was that just
the overall beauty of the planet,
but specifically with the blues of the oceans
and the whites of the cloud formation.
(slow piano music)
- Planet Earth.
We have all seen this photo or similar pictures
thousands of times.
It was taken on one of the Apollo missions
in the early 1970's, and when you think about it,
that's actually not very long ago.
Only 50 years ago.
No human being had ever seen planet Earth
from this perspective.
At that time, no one thought that one day,
only 50 years later, there might be a problem
with life on this planet.
This week, will all be about sustainability.
But, what actually is sustainability?
If someone asks you this question, you can answer
with a simple statement.
You can just say sustainability is the art of living
well on a finite planet.
Too easy.
Of course there is much, much more behind this statement
and this is what we will explore this week.
So, let's start with a finite planet.
This one, planet Earth, is all we've got to live on.
The more people we are, the more we produce and consume,
the more we put this earth and the system under pressure.
Scientist have worked out that human influence has now
irreversibly changed the functions of the system.
In other words, we have already transgressed
some of the planetary boundaries that define a safe,
operating space for humanity.
You will learn what these boundaries are
and why they matter.
But it is not only about the natural environment.
As you will see this week, both society and economy
are the two other important domains for sustainability.
As with planetary boundaries, we can actually
define social boundaries or you could also call them
minimum social and economic standards that we have to
achieve or maintain in order to be truly sustainable.
You will learn about principles for sustainability
and how they can be applied to engineering.
More than ever, engineers need to find
wholistic and effective solutions to currently
unsustainable practices.
You will learn what it takes to think and act
as a sustainable engineer.
You might have heard about sustainable engineering
or industrial ecology or circular economy perhaps?
All these are concepts that take civil and environmental
engineering to the next level by considering interactions
between the technical, ecological,
social and economic systems and by avoid shifting problems
from one area to the other.
Well, I hope you enjoy the course during this week
and I will see you online.
Thank you.
(uplifting music)