1.0 Introduction 1.1 Throwaway Society Throwaway society is a human society powerfully prejudiced by consumerism.

The term pronounces the serious view of ingesting unnecessary production of reusable items. The sad story is that most of us today are throw away society because we are throwing away so much, it is very likely that there will be no resources in the future. any of our practices today are putting a lot of stress on future resources and we might soon find many of our needs unsatisfied because of our throw away attitude and careless practices. There are many reasons as to why we are subject to the jeopardy of a resource!deficient future. "ne of these is the constant demand for better lifestyles and standards of living. #nother reason is our increased consumption of food, products and materials as well as our increased use of items that pollute our environment and make it unsafe for living. There are problems with being a throwaway society. $e throw away out of convenience. %ecause societal conventions have us constantly wanting to move on to the ne&t fad or technology, we are throwing away televisions, cell phones, computers, and other plastics in e&change for shinier new ones. 'nsurprisingly, these new technologies will also become our future garbage. The biggest impact from this is that it will caused limited amount of landfill space. # common misconception is that if we simply throw something away, then it will magically go to a place where we can forget about it forever. (owever, those trash increased years by years and this number will be reached to the ma&imum occupancy of the landfill in the very near future. To reduce the trash, unwanted product need to be disposed. (owever, products retain little economic value regarding how they are disposed of. )aring about trash is not just environmentally conscious* it+s also economic. )urrently, products are valued for the tasks they perform* yet, what also needs to be of importance is how the product is disposed of. This concept will assuredly create economic incentives for ,greener- and more recyclable materials. There are trash in the ocean and not all trash in the ocean will wash ashore. $hile some of the debris that comes into the ocean from rivers and storm drains eventually washes ashore, a great deal of trash will break up to become micro!particles. $hat+s more, certain parts of the ocean concentrate this debris. .or instance, the /astern 0arbage 1atch off the 1acific )oast is twice the si2e of Te&as. Trash particles are funneled into this area causing major environmental concerns. oreover, plastic in the ocean does more than just pollute. It also acts as a giant sponge for oil, making ocean clean up that much more difficult and ocean life that much more at risk. #s just one e&ample, birds that go to the ocean for food mistake floating plastic debris for fish and feed it to their young. $hen these birds die

and decay, one can see their remains. These consist of bones, feathers, and the plastic lighters and bottle caps that killed the birds.

1.2 Future Sustainability

There is no universally agreed definition on what sustainability means. There are many different views on what it is and how it can be achieved. The idea of sustainability stems from the concept of sustainable development which became common language at the $orld3s first /arth Summit in 4io in 1556. The original definition of sustainable development is usually considered to be development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The concept of sustainable development can be interpreted in many different ways, but at its core is an approach to development that looks to balance different, and often competing, needs against an awareness of the environmental, social and economic limitations we face as a society. #ll too often, development is driven by one particular need, without fully considering the wider or future impacts. $e are already seeing the damage this kind of approach can cause, from large!scale financial crises caused by irresponsible banking, to changes in global climate resulting from our dependence on fossil fuel!based energy sources. The longer we pursue unsustainable development, the more fre7uent and severe its conse7uences are likely to become, which is why we need to take action now. %ut the focus of sustainable development is far broader than just the environment. It3s also about ensuring a strong, healthy and just society. This means meeting the diverse needs of all people in e&isting and future communities, promoting personal wellbeing, social cohesion and inclusion, and creating e7ual opportunity. Sustainable development is about finding better ways of doing things, both for the future and the present. $e might need to change the way we work and live now, but this doesn3t mean our 7uality of life will be reduced. $e all have a part to play. Small actions, taken collectively, can add up to real change. (owever, to achieve sustainability in the 0overnment needs to take the lead. alaysia, we believe the

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4oles of engineers towards sustainability 1rofessional engineers are increasingly re7uired to play a leadership role in sustainable

development, overcoming global challenges, such as depletion of resources, environmental pollution, rapid population growth and damage to ecosystems. The goal of sustainable development is to enable all people throughout the world to satisfy their basic needs and enjoy a better 7uality of life, without compromising 7uality of life for future generations.

6.1

.uture 8egislation In seeking sustainable solutions, complying with current legislation, codes and environmental

protection regulations may not be sufficient. .or e&ample is the water sustainability current legislation in alaysia. #ccording to $orld $ide .und for 9ature :$$.; alaysia, most legislation relating to any e&isting laws are also not water is outdated and needs to be reviewed in today+s conte&t.

comprehensive enough and do not deal directly with water issues. The recently approved $ater Services Industry #ct and 9ational $ater Services )ommission #ct provide some progress towards strengthening water resources management. (owever, their scope is limited to matters concerning regulation of the water services industry involving mainly the treatment and distribution of water supply. Therefore, engineers should strive to go beyond the minimum wherever possible, anticipating future legislation which may be stronger. /ngineers should proposing a law that would prohibit spending on anything that won+t set the country on a course to self!destruction. .urthermore, engineers should alert the relevant authorities if there are deficiencies in legislation and if sustainable solutions and outcomes could be endangered by regulatory change. The relevant authorities such as $$. alaysia have technical e&pertise or skills for sustainability. Skills for sustainability, also known as green skills, are the technical skills, knowledge, values and attitudes needed in the workforce to develop and support sustainable social, economic and environmental outcomes in business, industry and the community. To address environmental challenges usually re7uires people to think broadly and to have a generic understanding of systems, connections, patterns and causes. The challenges themselves often have social, scientific, cultural, economic and ethical dimensions, all of which need to be taken into account. In that sense, there are generic skills for sustainability that apply across a range of environmental challenges. Thus, engineers could use the technical e&pertise of relevant authorities such as $$. to influence the development of new legislation and codes.

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'tili2e 4esources /fficiently and /ffectively #nother roles of engineers towards future sustainability is to use resources efficiently and

effectively. /ngineers have a stewardship role with respect to planetary resources, and a responsibility to society to create more useful products and services with the lowest possible consumption of raw materials, water and energy. /ngineers are re7uires to understand that there are environmental limits and finite resources. #s human populations continue to e&pand and finite resources are divided among increasing numbers of people, it will become more and more difficult to maintain prosperity and a 7uality of life, and personal freedoms will decline. The 7uantity and 7uality of arable land, water, energy, and biological resources determine the current and future status of the support services for human life. easurable shortages of fertile land, water, and fossil energy now e&ist in many regions of the world. Thus, engineers should reduce resource demand by using less in the first place and also reduce waste production by being efficient with resources that are used. .or e&ample of water reduction, engineers should invent cost effective water efficiency technologies such as rain water harvesters, automatic meter reading, occupancy sensors, and cistern and flow restrictors, leak detection and resources, and e&pertise to reduce the water consumption, including bill and tariff analysis. oreover, engineers are re7uires to use systems and products that reduce embedded carbon, energy and water use, waste and pollution. "ne of the e&ample is 0reen Infrastructure :0I; which is a network of high 7uality green spaces and other environmental features including parks, open spaces, playing fields, urban trees, woodlands, allotments, and private gardens. Trees, like all plants absorb and store carbon dio&ide. In doing so they help clean the air, reduce temperatures, and counteract our polluting lifestyles. .or reducing energy consumption, trees can save as much as 10< of annual energy consumption around buildings by keeping the local climate cool in summer and warmer in winter. 8astly, in helping flood management, trees help to reduce surface runoff of water from storms, reducing soil erosion and sedimentation of streams. They also increase ground water absorption, which can be significantly reduced by paving. $aste is created by every part of society, from private households to commercial businesses such as the construction industry. /ngineers involved in the waste industry and the process of 4esource anagement should encourage the idea of a 3waste hierarchy3 that are reduce, reuse, recycle, and recover which is the process of using waste to generate energy. oreover, engineers are involved in all steps of integrated!waste management. They should use smaller amounts of materials to package products, and use recyclable and reusable materials when possible. /ngineers need to develop environmentally!friendly, recyclable materials by investigate ways to accelerate the decomposition

process, develop industrial systems that burn trash for energy at power plants, and design innovative landfills that are more economical and reduce pollution.