Social innovation is one of my favourite aspects of today’s society. I’m not a big fan of consumerism, and it’s pretty easy to be pessimistic about humanity’s future when you look at our behaviour towards one another and the environment, justified by economics. BUT, the fact that people who have been shaped by this culture can use it […]
You get a Wastewater Treatment Plant, you get a WWTP, everyone gets a WWTP!
Throughout this wastewater series we have discussed the user interface of the treatment process. The modern paradigm involves a separation of the user (that’s us) from the waste management, resulting in poor consumer/user behaviour and inefficient systems. By now you should be clear on my position towards this. If not, let me clarify: I think it’s […]
Bottoms Up: a Systems Approach to Wastewater Regulation
Hey everyone, Now that we’ve got a decent understanding of what’s in wastewater and why it’s dangerous, this week I’d like to discuss the importance of its regulation and treatment, and how we should be approaching this. Let’s start with a couple of good news stories, and I use that term loosely here. The Mayans – […]
What’s in Wastewater and Why is it Dangerous?
TL; DR: Humans use water. Stuff gets in water. Humans treat water. Humans don’t die. Yay. Water – H2O, agua, whatever you want to call it – is essential to life on Earth. We use it for all kinds of things in the household (such as for drinking, washing our dishes, clothes, and bodies, watering the […]
Social & Environmental Capital: the Value of Relationships
TL; DR: Investing in, and preserving, social and environmental capital is the key to a sustainable lifestyle. We can incorporate this in our engineering design to promote health and happiness. Sir David Attenborough knows best. Have you ever made eye-contact with a stranger on the train and averted your gaze? Being wary of strangers is hard-wired into […]
Site-Specifics & Ecological Engineering
TL; DR: Small scale ecological engineering projects that are designed specifically to the local conditions have the most benefit for both humans and the environment. They consider the physical and cultural requirements of the site. Sir David Attenborough is awesome. Engineering design is typically based on two questions: What is already here? And, what is possible […]
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