Land/Energy Use, & How Engineers Can Help

     As someone who has ties both to the engineering and environmental justice communities, the issues of land and energy use and how engineers interact with those issues are very important to me. As far as land/energy use policies go, I understand that the public depends on infrastructure -- often built on private property -- for their heating, electrical, and water needs. On the other hand, I also understand that few communities are happy about the risks usually associated with such infrastructure (e.g. gas/oil leaks, water contamination, flooding, ecosystem disruption, etc.). I believe proper land/energy use should try to balance the immediate needs of the larger public with the rights of landowners and the needs of smaller communities.
      That being said, I think engineers can help find this balance by reducing the risks associated with proposed and existing infrastructure, and also by reducing the demand for new infrastructure. For example, engineers can help reduce the risk of a gas leak by designing better pipelines, or by outlining safer operating conditions. Likewise, engineers can help reduce the need for a new gas pipeline by improving the efficiency of appliances that run on natural gas.
      Of course, the work of engineers is only helpful if people choose to use it. I can design a leakage-resistant pipeline, but it's not helpful if my bosses decide that it's too expensive compared to a less safe alternative. I see a few options for dealing with this dilemma as an engineer: I can attempt to design a product that both solves the problem and is cheaper than its alternatives, or I can try to work for a company that considers the public's needs, desires, and rights alongside its own profit. Neither of these is a great solution, especially in an uncertain job market where engineers may feel they have no choice in employer or project, but I still feel that it's important for engineers to take some responsibility for how their products are used.