Environmental design

Environmental design emerged as a new idea in the early 60s, but it took several more decades to refine its definition, its implementation is still being corrected, and it received wide recognition as a new paradigm relatively recently. Ecological design was presented by Howard Odum and others ^[2] as using natural energy sources as the main approach for manipulating and controlling ecological systems. Mitsch and Jørgensen ^[3] were the first to define environmental engineering and ensure its basic principles. They identified and characterized Ecological Engineering in 1989 in a book and confirmed it in their next book in 2004. ^[4] They suggested that the purpose of the Ecological Design is to a) restore ecosystems that were damaged by human activity, such as pollution or land disturbances. b) The development of new sustainable ecosystems that are relevant to both humans and ecology. They gathered five key concepts of ecological design.

• Based on self-reproducing capacities of ecosystems
• May be a field test for environmental theory.
• Relies on approaches to an integrated system
• Saves non-renewable energy sources
• Supports biological conservation

Bergen et al. ^[5] defined Environmental Engineering as

• Uses environmental science and theory
• Applies to all types of ecosystems
• Adapts design methods
• Recognizes Leading Value System

Barrett (1999) ^[6] proposed a more literal definition of the term: design, construction, use, and management of associated plant communities and for the benefit of humans, often nature. Barrett continues: other terms with equal or similar meanings include ecotechnology and two widely used terms in the field of erosion control: soil bioengineering and biotechnical engineering. However, eco-engineering should not be confused with biotechnologies that are used to describe genetic engineering at the cellular level or “bioengineering”, meaning the creation of artificial body parts. This design direction combines the basic and added sciences of Ecological Design, Economics, Natural Sciences, and Sciences for the restoration and construction of water and land ecosystems. The field of Environmental Design is growing in breadth and depth as great opportunities arise for the creation and use of ecosystems and as the interactions between technology and the environment are explored. The implementation of environmental design is aimed at creating or restoring ecosystems from degraded wetlands to multi-level baths and greenhouses that combine microbes, fish and plants to transform the water used by humans into products such as fertilizers, flowers and drinking water. Potential application of Ecological design in cities includes the areas of landscape architecture, urban planning, construction and urban gardening, which can be applied in urban stormwater systems. Potential application of environmental engineering in rural areas includes the treatment of wetlands and forest restoration in communities using ecological knowledge. ^[7] Today's lifestyle and habitat planning includes permaculture movements.

An environmental design project will follow a cycle similar to the engineering project cycle — designation of the problem (goal), analysis of the problem (constraint), search for alternative solutions, choice of alternative, and specification of the final solution. ^[8] Elements that distinguish environmental design are developed by many authors, but there is still no single approach. As a rule, the project’s goal includes protecting the ecosystems at risk, restoring degraded ecosystems, or creating a new sustainable ecosystem to meet the needs of nature and society. ^[4] When choosing between alternatives, the project must include the ecological economy in the evaluation of the project and recognize the guiding value system that promotes biological conservation.

• Suitable for all types of ecosystems
• Adapts design methods
• The project should be based on the use of environmental science and theory.
• Based on self-reproducing capacities of ecosystems
• Accepts the theory of adaptive management exercises on errors, the project is tested on environmental theory.
• Relies on approaches to an integrated system
• Saves non-renewable energy sources

The curriculum was designed for Environmental Design and key US institutions began launching these programs. The key elements of this program are:

• Quantitative Ecology
• System ecology
• Restorative ecology
• Environmental modeling
• Environmental engineering
• Economics of environmental engineering
• Technical electives

In addition to this set of courses there are elementary courses in physical, biological and chemical disciplines. According to Matlock and others, the project should define constraints, characterize solutions in environmental time, and include the ecological economy in the project's assessment. The economics of environmental engineering have been demonstrated using the principles of energy consumption required for wetlands and using nutrients for a dairy farm.

• Howard T. Odum (1963), "Man and Ecosystem" Proceedings, Lockwood Conference on the Suburban Forest and Ecology, in: Bulletin Connecticut Agric. Station .
• PC Kangas (2004) Ecological Engineering: Principles and Practice . Lewis Publishers, CRC Press , Boca Raton, Florida.
• WJ Mitsch (1993), Ecological engineering— "a cooperative role with the planetary life – support systems . Environmental Science & Technology 27: 438-445.
• WJ Mitsch and SE Jørgensen (1989) Ecological Engineering: An Introduction to Ecotechnology , John Wiley and Sons , New York.
• WJ Mitsch and SE Jørgensen (2004) Ecological Engineering and Ecosystem Restoration , John Wiley and Sons, New York.
• HD van Bohemen (2004), Ecological Engineering and Civil Engineering works , Doctoral thesis TU Delft, The Netherlands.
• KR Barrett, 1999. Benefits of collaborating with nature. Water International , Journal of the International Water Resources Association. v 24, p182-188.