The integration of sustainable development within the curriculum of mechanical and manufacturing engineering courses

This paper describes activities within the Wolfson School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering at Loughborough University, Loughborough, England, UK, to incorporate an understanding of environmental and sustainable development issues within undergraduate and postgraduate courses. The work reported was undertaken under the auspices of The Royal Academy of Engineers' initiative for Visiting Professors in Engineering Design for Sustainable Development. The paper describes how sustainable development issues are being introduced to the syllabus of each year of the undergraduate courses and the development and presentation of a new postgraduate module. The development of case studies to support environmental teaching through the link with Nortel Networks is also described. The paper also describes the problems experienced and solutions devised on the path towards the integration of sustainable development teaching. Finally, the paper briefly outlines proposed future developments in the teaching of sustainable development in the Faculty of Engineering at Loughborough University.