Current course offerings

Please Note: Course profiles marked as not available may still be in development.

Course description

The transition from a take-make-waste economy to a circular economy is underway. The aim of a circular economy is to reduce non-renewable energy and resource consumption. This course will focus on methods for measuring circularity including energy, life cycle and ecological footprint analysis. The course will also look at the technologies that are shaping the sustainable future, including the H2 economy, bio-based plastics, bio-based liquid natural gas and energy storage systems. These changes are occurring at the same time that paradigms are shifting in transport (electric vehicles, driverless systems), communication (virtual instead of physical) and leisure. The course will examine the energy and material requirements of the sustainable society and the biological, physical and thermodynamic limits of the technologies that are proposed to meet these demands. Through a series of individual and team projects, students will gain experience in developing sustainable solutions, considering local and regional scales. The economic impacts of shifting to a circular economy will also be explored. The course applies to a wide range of careers, including Geotechnical, Civil, Mining and Environmental Engineering, Environmental Management, and Agricultural and Earth Sciences.

Archived offerings