Solving Real World Problems with Environmental and Green Engineering
THE GREEN TEAM Engineers are people who use their knowledge of science to fix problems They produce things that can make life easy safe or fun To do this they might use their skills to improve an object or they might invent something new Lots of engineers use a method called green engineering The purpose of green engineering is to help protect the land water and air that make up Earth’s environment Some engineers practice green engineering by deciding to use building and power supplies that are safe Engineers invented a car engine that can run on used cooking oil 4
and plentiful Others apply green engineering by cutting down on waste and the use of natural resources These practices allow an engineer’s inventions to be made for many years to come An engineer works on a bus that will run on both electricity and a fuel called diesel fuel Natural resources are things found in nature that can be used by people They include air water plants oil and soil 5
Many people are worried that humans are using too many of the world’s natural resources One way to save natural resources is to reuse them instead of throwing them away Engineers have found many ways to recycle old things For example engineers planning new buildings might use the wood or metal from old buildings that have been torn down They could also decide to make the building’s deck out of lumber made from old plastic bottles WASTE NOT WANT NOT These students are making new paper out of recycled paper 6
instead of wood Old blue jeans can be used to make insulation for a building The metal parts on windows and doors can be made from old cans Old glass bottles can be ground up and turned into glass blocks In these ways many of the things people use every day can be reused and not wasted Insulation made from recycled blue jeans is used in walls of homes Engineers are not the only ones who can cut down on the amount of waste What are some of the ways you and your family could limit waste in your home Think About It 7
