Sustainability and the Circular Economy

This course is part of Applied Sustainability for Technical Managers Specialization

Instructor: Michael J. Readey, Ph.D.

What you'll learn

  •   Understand the reasons for climate change and its ramifications. 
  •   Explain how power is generated today, and its associated impact on global warming.
  •   Recognize how sustainability applies to transportation, homes and cities, food and fashion.
  •   Describe the principles of the Circular Economy, and how the Butterfly Diagram can be used in product design.
  • Skills you'll gain

  •   Building Design
  •   Environmental Social And Corporate Governance (ESG)
  •   Environmental Engineering
  •   Corporate Sustainability
  •   Environment
  •   Natural Resource Management
  •   Organizational Leadership
  •   Product Lifecycle Management
  •   Environmental Science
  •   Environmental Resource Management
  •   Economics
  •   Strategic Leadership
  •   Sustainability Reporting
  •   Architectural Design
  •   Initiative and Leadership
  •   Economic Development
  •   Transportation Operations
  •   Business Leadership
  •   Energy and Utilities
  • There are 6 modules in this course

    Sustainability and the Circular Economy is the first course in the Applied Sustainability for Technical Managers specialization and builds the foundation for the rest of the specialization. It aims to provide learners with the strategies and tools to realize their vision by integrating sustainability into everyday life, and in the companies where they work. The course opens with an examination of climate change and human impact on the environment, and the opportunities created for innovative solutions that drive real change. We then explore the sources of many of our environmental challenges, and the need to transition to a zero-carbon energy future. A sustainable future is more than just renewable energy, as we need to pay attention to our ever-growing desire for products that add value to our lives. Therefore, the course explores how we’re electrifying transportation, making our homes more energy efficient, eating more sustainable food grown with regenerative agricultural practices, and wearing clothes designed to last and made from more natural materials using fair and equitable labor. It is important to recognize that many of the 10 billion global citizens will want the same products and lifestyles as citizens in wealthier industrialized nations. Yet products require materials - and our current extractive approach to resources will not meet this burgeoning demand. The course concludes with an overview of the Circular Economy, an innovative way of decoupling such economic growth from traditional resource extraction. This course was developed in collaboration with Siemens Digital Industries Software and is part of the "Design for the Circular Economy" collection. Learners who complete and pass the course can receive an industry-recognized digital badge. The “Design for the Circular Economy” microcredential and graduate certificate are developed around the educational goals of providing technical, business, and leadership knowledge and skills that inspire the transformation towards a more circular economy. This includes gaining technical knowledge to apply circular economy principles in product design, minimizing waste and maximizing impact; developing business acumen to implement innovative circular economic models that prioritize sustainability and resilience; and acquiring leadership strategies to communicate effectively and inspire change within an organization. This course can be taken for academic credit as part of CU Boulder’s Master of Engineering in Engineering Management (ME-EM) degree offered on the Coursera platform. The ME-EM is designed to help engineers, scientists, and technical professionals move into leadership and management roles in the engineering and technical sectors. With performance-based admissions and no application process, the ME-EM is ideal for individuals with a broad range of undergraduate education and/or professional experience. Learn more about the ME-EM program at https://www.coursera.org/degrees/me-engineering-management-boulder.

    Sustainability Defined and How We Got Here

    The Science of Climate Change

    GHGs and Electric Power Generation

    Sustainable Solutions in Daily Life

    Introduction to the Circular Economy

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