1. Radical resource productivity
Sustainability
Radical resource productivity
Whole system design
Biomimicry
Green chemistry
Industrial ecology
Renewable energy
Green nanotechnology
R. Shanthini Dec 2012

2. means surviving to infinity.
Sustainability
means surviving to infinity.
Conventional economic view
Ecological
economic view vs
Biased to
Man-made capital
(buildings & equipment)
Biased to
Natural capital
(natural resources & ecosystem services)
R. Shanthini Dec 2012

3. Examples of Natural Capital:
Natural resources:
- water, minerals, biomass and oil
Ecosystem services:
- Land which provides space to live and work
- Water and nutrient cycling
- Purification of water and air
- Atmospheric and ecological stability
- Pollination and biodiversity
- Pest and disease control
- Topsoil and biological productivity
- Waste decomposition and detoxification
R. Shanthini Dec 2012

4. Very Weak (Solow-) Sustainability
SD is achievable as long as the total of natural capital (KN) plus the man-made capital (KM) remains constant.
i.e., KN + KM = constant
Conventional Economic View:
It is okay to reduce KN stocks as far as they are being substituted by increase in KM stocks.
Rationale: Increasing man-made stocks provide high incomes, which lead to increased levels of environmental protectionism.
(Substitutability Paradigm)
R. Shanthini Dec 2012

5. Very Weak (Solow-) Sustainability
Criticism:
What about the following substitutions
to maintain KM + KN = constant?
Boats for Fish
Pumps for Aquifers
Saw mills for Forests
(Substitutability Paradigm)
R. Shanthini Dec 2012

6. Weak (Modified Solow-) Sustainability
SD is achievable by maintaining KN + KM = constant only by preserving the non-substitutable proportion and/or components of KN stocks.
Rationale: Upper limits on the non-substitutable proportion and/or components of KN stocks are needed to preserve biodiversity and ecosystem resilience to meet the human needs.
Problem:
Yet there is no scientific consensus over the set of physical indicators required to monitor and measure biodiversity and ecosystem resilience.
Eg: How much CO2 could be emitted?
R. Shanthini Dec 2012

7. Strong Sustainability
SD is achievable only when KN = constant.
(Non-substitutability Paradigm)
Rationale:
Non-substitutability of some components of KN;
Uncertainty about ecosystem functioning and their total service value;
Irreversibility of some environmental resource degradation and/or loss;
Scale of human impact relative to global carrying capacity (scale effect)
Eg: greenhouse effect, ozone layer depletion and acid rain
R. Shanthini Dec 2012

8. Criticism of Weak & Strong Sustainabilities
They both assume a centralized decision-making process and a decision-maker who decides on behalf of “society” among alternative programs and plans.
In reality, virtually all economic decisions are decentralized among many much narrower interests, namely individuals, family groups, or firms.
Even with the best concerns for the welfare of future generations and the planet, most decision-makers optimize within a much narrower context.
Eg: Purchase of a car
R. Shanthini Dec 2012
Source: R. U. Ayres, ‘Viewpoint: weak versus strong sustainability’

9. forcing it to seek remedies.
Natural Capitalism
Industrial Capitalism recognizes the value of money and goods as capital.
Natural Capitalism extends recognition to natural capital and human capital.
Problems such as pollution and social injustice may then be seen as failures to properly account for capital, rather than as inherent features of Capitalism itself.
Eg: Polluting with a car or not being able to afford a car will be seen as a failure of the political system
forcing it to seek remedies.
R. Shanthini Dec 2012
Source: P. Hawken, A. Lovins and H. Lovins, 1999
‘Natural Capitalism: Creating the Next Industrial Revolution.’

10. Tata’s nano car – any comments?
R. Shanthini Dec 2012

11. An innovation? Negative direction in Industrial Capitalism
Positive direction in Natural Capitalism
An innovation?
R. Shanthini Dec 2012
Source:

12. Natural Capitalism
The "next industrial revolution" depends on four central strategies:
- conservation of resources through more effective manufacturing processes
- reuse of materials as found in natural systems
- change in values from quantity to quality
- investing in natural capital, or restoring and sustaining natural resources
R. Shanthini Dec 2012
Source: P. Hawken, A. Lovins and H. Lovins, 1999
‘Natural Capitalism: Creating the Next Industrial Revolution.’

13. Radical resource productivity
Sustainability
Radical resource productivity
Whole system design
Biomimicry
Green chemistry
Industrial ecology
Renewable energy
Green nanotechnology
R. Shanthini Dec 2012

14. Radical Resource Productivity
(or Eco-efficiency)
means doing more with less for longer.
An (engineering) drive to dramatically increase the output per unit input of resources
(such as energy, man-made materials &
natural resources such as air, water, or minerals).
R. Shanthini Dec 2012

15. Radical Resource Productivity
(or Eco-efficiency)
The Industrial Revolution led to a radical increase in labour productivity and capital productivity
at the cost of exploitation of natural resources which are considered abundant.
What is needed now is a radical increase in resource productivity
because it can slow or reverse resource depletion,
reduce pollution caused by the inefficient
use of resources,
and save money.
R. Shanthini Dec 2012
Source:

16. Radical Resource Productivity
(or Eco-efficiency)
World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) has identified the following
seven elements of eco-efficiency:
- reduce the material requirements for goods & services
- reduce the energy intensity of goods & services
- enhance material recyclability
- maximize sustainable use of renewable resources
- extend product durability
increase the service intensity of goods & services
- reduce toxic dispersion
R. Shanthini Dec 2012

17. Radical Resource Productivity
(or Eco-efficiency)
Increasing efficiency could result
in Rebound Effect
Example of Rebound Effect:
In Scotland, about a 66% efficiency increase was realized in making of steel per unit amount of coal consumed.
It was however followed by a tenfold increase in total consumption of coal.
R. Shanthini Dec 2012

18. Radical Resource Productivity
(or Eco-efficiency)
Increasing efficiency could result
in Rebound Effect
Example of Rebound Effect:
A consumer saved 90% electricity by replacing an inefficient light bulb by a 90% more efficient one.
He/she may forget to turn the light off and/or may leave it on for prolonged periods.
R. Shanthini Dec 2012

19. Radical Resource Productivity
(or Eco-efficiency)
Increasing efficiency could result
in Rebound Effect
Example of Rebound Effect:
A family purchased a hybrid car which is 50% more efficient than a standard car.
It paid half as much for petrol to go a km.
Therefore it may decide to drive the car more.
R. Shanthini Dec 2012

20. Radical Resource Productivity
(or Eco-efficiency)
Purposeful sustainability policies and
incentives for sustainability orientated behaviour change
are needed to make efficiency savings meaningful.
Otherwise efficiency saving can lead to rebound effects that lead to even greater resource consumption
due to either making a process much cheaper or removing the financial incentive for behaviour change.
R. Shanthini Dec 2012

21. On critical elements
R. Shanthini Dec 2012

22. Calculation of Global Sustainable Limiting Rate of Zinc Consumption:
1. Virgin material supply limit: The reserve base for zinc in 1999 was 430 x 1012 g (430 Tg), so the virgin material supply limit over the next 50 years is 430 Tg / 50 years = 8.6 Tg/yr.
2. Allocation of virgin material: Allocating the available zinc equally among all the world’s population gives approximately 8.6 Tg/7.5 billions people = 1.15 kg/(person.yr)
R. Shanthini Dec 2012
Source: Graedel, T.E. and Klee, R.J., Getting serious about
sustainability, Env. Sci. & Tech. 36(4): 523-9

23. Calculation of Global Sustainable Limiting Rate of Zinc Consumption:
3. Regional “re-captureable” resource base: Assume 30% zinc recycling rate. And, if the system is in steady state and if 30% of the 1.15 kg/(person.yr) is recycled, then each person in the region actually has (1+0.3)(1.15) = 1.5 kg/(person.yr) of zinc available.
4. Current consumption rate vs. sustainable limiting rate: In 1999, the U.S. on average consumed 1.6 Tg for a population of 260 million people, which translates to a U.S. per capita zinc consumption of 6.2 kg/(person.yr).
R. Shanthini Dec 2012
Source: Graedel, T.E. and Klee, R.J., Getting serious about
sustainability, Env. Sci. & Tech. 36(4): 523-9

24. R. Shanthini Dec 2012

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26. R. Shanthini Dec 2012

27. R. Shanthini Dec 2012

28. A direct-drive permanent-magnet generator for a top capacity wind turbine would use 4,400 lb of neodymium-based permanent magnet material.
300 kg per 2 GW wind power
R. Shanthini Dec 2012

29. Inside the Baotou Xijun Rare Earth refinery in Baotou, where neodymium, essential in new wind turbine magnets, is processed
R. Shanthini Dec 2012

30. The lake of toxic waste at Baotou, China, which as been dumped by the rare earth processing plants in the background
R. Shanthini Dec 2012

31. Villagers Su Bairen, 69, and Yan Man Jia Hong, 74, stand on the edge of the six-mile-wide toxic lake in Baotou, China that has devastated their farmland and ruined the health of the people in their community
R. Shanthini Dec 2012

32. Radical resource productivity
Sustainability
Radical resource productivity
Whole system design
Biomimicry
Green chemistry
Industrial ecology
Renewable energy
Green nanotechnology
R. Shanthini Dec 2012

33. optimizes an entire system to capture synergies.
Whole System Design
optimizes an entire system to capture synergies.
What is synergy?
Synergy means combined
effort being greater than parts
R. Shanthini Dec 2012
Source:

34. Synergy in Ecosystem
Mutualism: both populations benefit and neither can survive without the other
Protocooperation: both populations benefit but the relationship is not obligatory
Commensalism: one population benefits and the other is not affected
R. Shanthini Dec 2012

35. Antagonism (the opposite to synergy) in Ecosystem
Amensalism - one is inhibited and the other is not affected
Competition – one’s fitness is lowered by the presence of the other
Parasitism – one is inhibited and for the other its obligatory
R. Shanthini Dec 2012

36. Whole System Design Take a look at an age-old example of synergy:
R. Shanthini Dec 2012

37. Whole System Design A modern example of synergy:
Pumping is the largest use of electric motors, which use more than 50% of world’s electricity use.
One heat-transfer loop was designed to use 14 pumps totalling 71 kW by a top Western firm.
Dutch engineer Jan Schilham cut the design’s pumping power use by 92% to just 5 kW
(using the methods learned from the
efficiency expert Eng Lock Lee of Singapore)
R. Shanthini Dec 2012
Source:
LovinsLovins1997.pdf

38. Whole System Design How was that possible?
The pipes diameter was increased. Since friction reduction is proportional to diameter5, small pumps were enough.
Pipes were laid out before the equipment installation. The pipes are therefore short and straight, with far less friction, requiring smaller and cheaper pumps, motors and inverters.
The straighter pipes also allowed to add more insulation, saving 70 kW of heat loss with a 2-month payback.
R. Shanthini Dec 2012
Source:
LovinsLovins1997.pdf

39. A typical production plant scenario
Window
(fixed into wall)
Machine press
(movable)
(2) Elevation
(Z2 = 10 m)
Elevation (Z1 = 0 m)
(1) A Q
R. Shanthini Dec 2012

40. Conventional Design Solution
R. Shanthini Dec 2012

41. Whole System Design Solution
Larger diameter pipes
Avoid 90 degree bends
And much more
R. Shanthini Dec 2012

42. Comparing the cost of the two solutions
D (m)
Pipes and components cost
P (W)
Pump cost
Total capital cost
Running cost
Life cycle cost
(-NPV)
Conven-tional
0.015
$835
1025
$616
$1451
$61/mth
$12,989
WSD
0.03
$914
119
$331
$1245
$9/mth
$2947
Synergy means combined effort being greater than parts
R. Shanthini Dec 2012

43. Whole System Design What about the cost?
Optimizing the lifecycle savings in pumping energy plus capital cost of the whole system showed that the extra cost of the slightly bigger pipes was smaller than the cost reduction for the dramatically smaller pumps and drive systems.
Whole-system life cycle costing is widely used in principle, but in practice, energy-using components are usually optimized (if at all) over the short term, singly, and in isolation.
R. Shanthini Dec 2012
Source:
LovinsLovins1997.pdf

44. Whole System Design
Traditional engineering design process focuses on optimizing components for single benefits rather than whole systems for multiple benefits.
WSD requires creativity, good communication, and a desire to look at causes of problems rather than adopting familiar solutions, and it requires getting to the root of the problem.
R. Shanthini Dec 2012
Source:

45. Whole System Design Sustainable Buildings
An example: Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS) building in British Columbia
all heating and cooling from the ground underneath the building
all electricity from the sun
use 100% day-lighting during the day
use no external water supply
depend on natural ventilation and sustainable building materials
treat all waste produced
minimize the use of private automobiles
have hospital operating room levels of air quality
improve the productivity and health of building occupants
Sustainable Buildings
R. Shanthini Dec 2012

46. Virtual tour at http://cirs.ubc.ca/building
CIRS building in British Columbia
R. Shanthini Dec 2012
Virtual tour at

47. Whole System Design Sustainable Buildings Humane Green Smart
(occupants are
happy, healthy
and productive)
Green
(siting, water, energy, and
material
efficiencies
reduce the
building footprint)
Smart
(fully
adaptive
to new
conditions
while being
cost competitive)
Sustainable Buildings
R. Shanthini Dec 2012

48. Whole System Design
Like the engineering profession itself, engineering education is compartmentalized, with minimal consideration of systems, design, sustainability, and economics.
The traditional design process focuses on optimizing components for single benefits rather than whole systems for multiple benefits.
This, plus schedule-driven repetitis
(i.e., copy the previous drawings),
perpetuates inferior design.
R. Shanthini Dec 2012
Source:

49. Whole System Design Worked Examples on WSD
from Natural Edge Project, Australia
Example 1: Industrial Pumping Systems
Example 2: Passenger Vehicles
Example 3: Electronic and Computer Systems
Example 4: Temperature Control of Buildings
Example 5: Domestic Water Systems
(Uploaded at
R. Shanthini Dec 2012
Source:

50. Whole System Design Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI)
R. Shanthini Dec 2012

51. Whole System Design Hypercar Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI)
R. Shanthini Dec 2012

52. Whole System Design The Volkswagen 1-litre car:
- It is two-person concept car produced by Volkswagen.
- 1-litre car was designed to be able to travel 100 km on 1 litre of diesel fuel
- It is produced with lightweight materials, a streamlined body and an engine and transmission designed and tuned for economy.
The concept car was modified first in 2009 as the L1 (100 km/L)
It was modified again in 2011 as the XL1 (100 km/0.9 L).
R. Shanthini Dec 2012

53. Whole System Design The Volkswagen 1-litre car: XL1 L1
In February 2012, Volkswagen confirmed that it would build a limited series of XL1s starting in 2013.
R. Shanthini Dec 2012

54. Whole System Design
Rocky Mountain Institute started a Factor Ten Engineering (“10XE”), a four-year program to develop and introduce pedagogic tools on whole-system design for both engineering students and practicing engineers.
The focus is on case studies where whole-system design boosted resource productivity by at least tenfold, usually at lower initial cost than traditional engineering approaches.
R. Shanthini Dec 2012

55. Radical resource productivity
Sustainability
Radical resource productivity
Whole system design
Biomimicry
Green chemistry
Industrial ecology
Renewable energy
Green nanotechnology
R. Shanthini Dec 2012

56. Biomimicry (or Bionics)
Study nature, observe its ingenious designs and processes, and then imitates these designs and processes to solve human problems.
‘Nature knows what works,
what is appropriate,
and what lasts here on Earth.’
R. Shanthini Dec 2012

57. Biomimicry (or Bionics)
Janine Benyus
Author of ‘Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature’, a book that has galvanized scientists, architects, designers and engineers into exploring new ways in which nature's successes can inspire humanity.
R. Shanthini Dec 2012

58. Biomimicry (or Bionics)
Termite mounds include flues which vent through the top and sides, and the mound itself is designed to catch the breeze.
As the wind blows, hot air from the main chambers below ground is drawn out of the structure, helped by termites opening or blocking tunnels to control air flow.
R. Shanthini Dec 2012

59. Biomimicry (or Bionics)
Eastgate centre
(shopping centre and office block) at central Harare, Zimbabwe is
modelled on local termite mounds and is ventilated and cooled entirely by natural means.
R. Shanthini Dec 2012

60. Super-grip gecko tape modelled after gecko’s feet
Biomimicry (or Bionics)
Super-grip gecko tape modelled after gecko’s feet
R. Shanthini Dec 2012

61. Biomimicry (or Bionics)
Trapped air on the rough surface of the lotus leaf reduces liquid-to-solid contact area.
Due to self-attraction, water forms a sphere.
Due to natural adhesion between water and solids, dirt particles on a leaf's surface stick to the water.
The slightest angle in the surface of the leaf causes balls of water to roll off the leaf surface, carrying away the attached dirt particles.
R. Shanthini Dec 2012
Source:

62. Biomimicry (or Bionics)
GreenShield™ coats textile fibres with liquid repelling nano particles in order to create water and stain repellency on textiles, and results in a 10-fold decrease in the use of environmentally harmful fluorocarbons (the conventional means of achieving repellency).
Other products inspired by the Lotus Effect include Lotusan paint and Signapur glass finish.
R. Shanthini Dec 2012

63. Biomimicry (or Bionics)
Fiber that can stop bullets is made from petroleum-derived molecules at high-pressure and high temperature with concentrated sulfuric acid. The energy input is extreme and the toxic byproducts are horrible.
Spider makes equally strong and much tougher fiber at body temperature, without high pressures, heat, or corrosive acids. If we could act like the spider, we could take a soluble, renewable raw material and make a super-strong water-insoluble fiber with negligible energy inputs and no toxic outputs.
Janine Benyus, 1997
R. Shanthini Dec 2012

64. Biomimicry (or Bionics)
Nature runs on sunlight
Nature uses only the energy it needs
Nature fits form to function
Nature recycles everything
Nature rewards cooperation
Nature banks on diversity
Nature demands local expertise
Nature curbs excesses from within
Nature taps the power of limits
Janine Benyus, 1997
R. Shanthini Dec 2012

65. Biomimicry (or Bionics)
Nature fits form to function
An owl can fly silently to avoid being heard or seen. - A penguin uses its "wings" to swim due to the large portion of water in their environment.
Anymore…….
R. Shanthini Dec 2012

66. Biomimicry (or Bionics)
Nature taps the power of limits
we humans regard limits as something to be overcome so we can continue our expansion. Other Earthlings take their limits more seriously, knowing they must function within a tight range of life-friendly temperatures, harvest within the carrying capacity of the land, and maintain an energy balance that cannot be borrowed against.
R. Shanthini Dec 2012

67. Biomimicry (or Bionics)
We flew like a bird for the first time in 1903, and by 1914, we were dropping bombs from the sky.
Perhaps in the end, it will not be a change in technology that will bring us to the biomimetic future, but a change of heart, a humbling that allows us to be attentive to nature's lessons.
- Janine Benyus, 1997
R. Shanthini Dec 2012

68. How to evaluate innovation?
We need to consider how an innovation will impact the planet. So ask these questions:
Does it run on sunlight?
Does it use only the energy it needs?
Does it fit form to function?
Does it recycle everything?
Does it reward cooperation?
Does it bank on diversity?
Does it utilize local expertise?
Does it curb excess from within?
Does it tap the power of limits?
Is it beautiful?
R. Shanthini Dec 2012
Source: