Can engineers fix the world?

“Companies are living bodies that are affected by the state of the world in which they do business. Environmental issues need to be high on our list of concerns. Having said that, if we fail to fully address the social aspects, they will turn society upside down much faster than climate change. They go hand-in-hand, so we cannot take action on one without the other.”

“Social and environmental responsibility is top of the agenda during our corporate seminars.”

“When I was a student, I didn't lend any credit to human and social sciences. Speaking today, I know that engineering cannot change behaviour without a helping hand from cognitive science.”

“One of the engineer's strengths is that they can take the figures for what they are and bring fantasies back down to earth with a touch of rationality.”

“Fortunately, we are equipped to find solutions. We have access to data and technical knowledge, especially on renewable energies and eco-design, that we can use to take action.”

“As young graduates, companies are highly attentive to your needs. Even when you're an employee, you have the power to make things happen and make your voice heard.”

“The constraints of the market economy, meaning costs, have a direct effect on engineers' specifications. Sustainability is not a top constraint in their specifications.”

“Wherever you go, people are always talking about reducing the carbon footprint of human activities, but very few people actually know the amount of carbon emissions associated with their own lifestyle.”

“When someone says that a bottle of water costs €1.50, we don't understand its real cost.
 If you wanted to put an accurate figure on its cost, you'd need to internalise its negative consequences, in other words you'd need to add the environmental cost of its production and recycling processes.”

“To avoid falling into a sorcerer's apprentice-type situation, we need to draw inspiration from the existing system, the living world and human beings.”

“We can learn a lot from the trials and errors that have marked the evolution of the living world. Biomimetics does not prevent us from producing, it's simply a new approach to producing.”

“Termite nests, with their complex galleries, effective ventilation, good temperature and almost constant relative humidity levels, have inspired a number of new buildings and eco-homes.”