Integrating Sustainability into the Introduction of Environmental Engineering

Abstract

Sustainability concepts and technologies were integrated in the context of an existing course titled “Introduction to Environmental Engineering” at the University of Cincinnati. It was taught four times with sustainability integration and three times without from 2003 to 2011. Various versions of the sustainability concept were introduced and solid examples related to environmental sustainability were provided, such as green buildings, alternative energy, water conservation, wastewater treatment, and municipal solid waste management, in order to better illustrate the concept to the students. The effectiveness of sustainability integration was evaluated in the forms of homework assignments, exams, student surveys, and instructor observations. The sustainability content accounted for 15 to 25% of course sessions. Comparing with this course without sustainability integration, the formerly intended technical content of the course can still be preserved with sustainability integration.