{"id":10014,"date":"2018-06-21T00:01:09","date_gmt":"2018-06-21T04:01:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.zuken.com\/?p=10014"},"modified":"2023-05-12T10:21:43","modified_gmt":"2023-05-12T09:21:43","slug":"engineering-green-technology","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zuken.com\/en\/blog\/engineering-green-technology\/","title":{"rendered":"The Irony of Green Technology and Engineering Departments"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Are we there yet?<\/h4>\n

\"ClimateOur climate is changing, and that is evident across the board no matter which part of this beautiful planet you are currently exploring. This is not a debate about who is causing it or how we can change everything all at once. This is an observation and a pointer to the small steps we can take to ensure we are playing our part in the solution. Engineering departments world over are relentlessly striving to attain the environment-saving badge of honor. We have made steady progress, though at times taking two steps forward and one step back; it\u2019s progress nonetheless. Electric cars, harnessing wind and solar energy, recycling, planting more trees etc. are all steps in the right direction.<\/p>\n

Green technology and saving the environment are two of the biggest common challenges facing all industries. The economic progress we’re aiming for, to a large part, seems counter intuitive when we must expend less energy and be more mindful of our product designs. The cradle-to-grave assessment is imperative and must form the basis of any design environment. In the midst of this, larger than life problem solving, it is easy to forget the smaller details that negate some of the work being accomplished. Case in point: the use of paper in engineering departments is commonplace with very few exceptions. I am guilty as charged for printing many sets of drawings for review, albeit that I haven\u2019t done it in a long time.<\/p>\n

A typical engineering department will print a set of drawings for review and for the manufacturing floor. I have walked many a production facility and the staple item on most stations is a printer. Some companies print the drawings once and store them in an accessible location only to have to make changes to the original, send them for corrections to the engineering department and print them again for storage. Immaterial of how you use the paper drawings and the reasons behind their use, it\u2019s worth a look to understand the impact it has on goals for conservation.<\/p>\n

There is so much information out there to understand the impact of paper use that I cannot possibly cover in this post \u2013 nor am I qualified to be scientifically accurate about the nuances of that discussion. Here\u2019s some light reading if you want to start your research<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Why do we like paper?<\/h4>\n

\"PaperWe are used to paper and have been all our lives. Almost everything we received as a recognition for our hard work invariably involved paper. Starting from our birth certificate, graduation certificates, deed to our home, all the way to our death certificate; paper has always been there for all of us. We tend to read better when paper is involved, and many Kindle users would still agree that paper is still better for reading, not convenient, but easier on the eyes. The discussion is not about eliminating the use of paper completely but rather to challenge ourselves to reduce the usage to an absolute minimum. The cost of printing is largely ignored as a general cost of doing business. The cost of printing a page can vary from $0.12 to as high as $0.50 before adding the cost of paper. The actual costs and environmental impact are staggering. I am sure these facts will be eye-opening and if not, at least interesting enough to use as a conversation starter at your next office party!<\/p>\n