Recycling wind turbine blades
The rise of wind power has been crucial in reducing carbon dioxide emissions and tackling climate change. Minnesota has been a leader in deploying wind turbines, and wind accounted for […]
Sustainability
Rebuilding for resilience in Pakistan
We’ve discussed in previous blogs how rebuilding after a natural disaster could mean continuing to do the same thing while expecting the results to be different. The problem is becoming […]
Overdesign and sustainability
Acceptance of concrete delivered to the job site is usually on the basis of compressive strength tests in accordance with ASTM C31 and ASTM C39. To compensate for variability in […]
Is rebuilding always better?
Now that the 2022 hurricane season is over, rebuilding is underway. Because of its intensity and where it made landfall, Hurricane Ian was the costliest weather event in Florida’s history. […]
Accessory dwelling units in Minnesota
Accessory dwelling units provide additional living space separate from the main house. You could use the unit as additional housing for extended family members to give them both privacy and […]
How fish overcame the tragedy of the commons
The tragedy of the commons occurs when individuals acting in their own interest cause widespread harm. It can take the form of overuse of common resources, or of air- or […]
Indigenous fire management
Growing up in California, I remember summer as fire season. Every year the vegetation in the hills around us would dry out. Then it would take just one careless camper […]
Sustainability is good engineering
Engineering has always been about the wise use of resources. Traditionally, the profession focused on resources in the microeconomic sense. That is, the economic interests of the owner, employer, or […]
Yellow dirt: the environmental legacy of the Manhattan Project
Through my work on several National Academy of Sciences committees I’ve come to appreciate the lasting effects of the Manhattan Project on tribal lands—and the peoples who lived there. Several […]
Can we restore coral reefs?
Coral reefs are home to a vast diversity of marine life. Like rainforests, they act as “lungs” for the planet, providing 70% of our oxygen. They’re dying out, so we […]