Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Efficiency is the goal

Posted by Duncan Drennan at 09:27 Tags: , , , ,
Nature strives towards efficiency. Efficiency can be defined as any waste which occurs in achieving a goal, or, "The ratio of the effective or useful output to the total input in any system."

Efficiency is the perfect use of material. Packaging is inefficient, as the "goal" is what is inside the package, while the packaging becomes waste. Packaging can be efficient if it is reused, as it never exits the system. Recycling requires extra energy, and is therefore less efficient than reusing, but more efficient than throwing away packaging. Using less to achieve the same is material efficiency. Smaller products, less packaging, lower material consumption. Have you ever considered how you could design exactly the same thing but smaller? Electronic engineers, think about small 0402 or 0201 size resistors over larger ones – in most cases they are functionally equivalent, but use less material and require less space on a PCB.

Efficiency is the perfect use of fuel. Internal combustion engines are around 20% efficient – that means 80% of the energy you put into your car is wasted. If cars were 100% efficient they would have zero emmissions and generate no heat. Did you know that cycling is the most energy efficient mode of transport?

Efficiency is the perfect use of water. Polluting potable water with waste such as sewerage and chemical cleaners requires energy and further chemicals to restore the water to a usable state. Efficient water usage means reducing consumption and leaving it in a usable state. Reducing waste and chemicals entering the water system means more efficient processing of water. Processing waste on site (composting toilets, greywater systems) reduces both waste and water consumption.

Solar energy is time efficient. Oil and natural gasses are the result of thousands of years of energy from the sun. Using the sun directly is an efficient time short cut.

Increasing crop yields makes more efficient use of space. Decreasing the use of fertilizers moves towards the perfect balance of an efficient ecosystem. Growing food near where it will be consumed is transport efficient. All our environmental goals centre around efficiency.

We need to learn from nature – waste nothing, strive towards perfect efficiency.

3 comments :

  1. Pieter10/15/2008 9:21 am

    Your first remark about materials struck me: food.

    It has always bothered me how a food chain such as Woolworths can market their products as being organic (supposedly not damaging the environment), but use such profuse amounts of plastic packaging (damaging the environment, since I haven't seen anything on their packaging to make me believe differently).

    It is not only Woolworths, but they were the first to use these aesthetical forms of packaging. Since then, others have followed in their steps.

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  2. Duncan Drennan10/15/2008 12:22 pm

    Woolworths is quite a good example, and also provides an interesting dichotomy.

    On the one hand you have their marketing strategy which centres around an upmarket, high quality message. The message requires the nice packaging, the perfect looking produce, and so forth.

    On the other hand you have their commitment to good business and environmental practices. They are third largest buyer of organic cotton in the world (cotton farming requires lots of pesticides), they have a well laid out good business strategy which they are slowly implementing, they have begun to mark all their plastic packaging with the type (which allows for easier recycling), and they actively engage in recycling and using recycled products (have a look at their baskets).

    Now I am not too sure how far they are willing to go with regards to packaging. I suspect that they will argue that the packaging allows for better transportation and longevity of the foods, and that package marking will improve recycling. At the least I would want to see them introduce recycling bins in their stores, at the best find a package free way to present their food, and in the middle offer a way to reuse packaging (which is probably the most difficult).

    The sale of organic produce is a definite win for the environment. It encourages better farming practices which preserve both our water and our soil.

    Woolworths is (in my view) a leader in South Africa in terms of good environmental practices. Can they lead others beyond the lure of shiny packaging and perfect produce? That remains to be seen.

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  3. Duncan Drennan10/15/2008 2:06 pm

    Oh, I should just add that I try to order or buy unpackaged foods whenever possible. Making use of a good organic box scheme, or something like the ethical coop is a great way to get good unpackaged produce.

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