Engineering Sustainability

Stanford faculty are conducting groundbreaking research in environmental engineering.

Their goal: to protect and sustain natural resources and human health.

Wind generation doesn’t just hold its own through the coldest days, but actually rises to the moment when it is needed most. | Photo by Getty Images

Mar 17, 2021

Research shows that as the weather turns coldest, wind power heats up

Energy, Environment

Leaders in the Monterey-Salinas region have taken a waste-not, want-not approach to supplying water for farms and faucets. | Adobe Stock/Dreamframer

Feb 19, 2021

One California community shows how to take the waste out of water

Energy

Wastewater treatment, a process essential to community health — is also vulnerable to power grid shutdowns. | Flickr/Doc Searls

Aug 9, 2019

A battery that harnesses energy from mixing of freshwater and seawater

Energy, Environment

California bills would mandate reducing, composting or recycling 75 percent of single-use packaging by 2030. | Photo: Karl-Friedrich Hohl/iStock

May 8, 2019

Q&A: Experts discuss the future of waste disposal

Environment

A study of jackdaws offers insights as designers work to orchestrate the motions of drones and autonomous cars.| iStock/TT

May 6, 2019

What can autonomous vehicles learn from the flight behavior of birds?

Transportation & Robotics

The drone's camera snaps photos at the pace of one per second, painting a detailed picture of water quality. | Video courtesy of Kurt Hickman

May 6, 2019

Can a drone reveal the murky secrets of San Francisco Bay?

Environment

What’s next in long-term energy storage? | Reuters/Jo Yong-Hak

Apr 2, 2019

The next step in clean energy storage could take its cue from biology

Energy, Environment

The Hetch Hetchy Reservoir provides water to millions of people in the San Francisco Bay Area. | Stocksy/Lucas Saugen

Oct 12, 2018

How do we cope with demands for water as we enter an era of scarcity?

Environment

When a pump fails, it may not be enough to simply install a new one. | Reuters/Mike Hutchings

Sep 24, 2018

In Africa, access to clean water isn’t just about pipes and pumps

Health

If current trends continue, by 2050 the plastic in the ocean will outweigh the fish. | Adobe Stock/drew

Sep 19, 2018

Last straw: The path to reducing plastic pollution

Environment

Could better mapping help prevent the process of “bleaching” that turns coral ecosystems into lifeless white rock? | iStock/David_Slater

Aug 16, 2018

A new aerial technique maps coral reefs with unprecedented precision

Environment

Can we deploy oxygen averse bacteria to clean wastewater? | Illustration by Stefani Billings

May 15, 2018

Old bacteria, new tricks: The future of water purification

Energy, Environment

A brine shrimp tethered in place generates flow with its swimming motion. | Illustration by Stefani Billings

Apr 20, 2018

Swarms of tiny organisms churn ocean waters

Environment

A panoramic view of the Pacific Coast from Goat Rock state park. | iStock/AlessandraRC

Mar 9, 2018

Experts weigh in on the future of offshore drilling in California

Environment

It’s time to start thinking about the long-term future of our water supply. | iStock/sandsun

Feb 9, 2018

Craig Criddle: Can water security be engineered?

Energy, Environment

Most designers consider natural ventilation too risky and expensive. | iStock / paulwongkwan

Dec 20, 2017

A modeling technique could help buildings and cities breathe easier

Energy, Environment, Health

Nov 20, 2017

Wind farms can be a tough sell for residents. What can be done?

Energy, Environment

Water treatment plant at sunset. | iStock/tuachanwatthana

Aug 4, 2017

Engineers develop planning tool to help dry regions replenish aquifers

Environment

In California's Central Valley, a group of students designed a development that combines low income housing and commercial services. | Image by the designers

Jun 27, 2017

“This is the future of architectural design”

Technology & Society

Monterey Bay | iStock/fdastudillo

Jun 26, 2017

DNA left by ocean animals provides a rare glimpse of marine ecosystems

Environment

Using new turbines and arranging them in different ways, researchers hope to generate wind power more efficiently. | Image by Dabiri Lab, Stanford

Jan 13, 2017

How can we extract the most energy from the wind?

Energy