At a time when engineering education faces increasing pressure to address climate risk, resource scarcity, and ESG accountability, sustainability can no longer remain an adjunct to the curriculum. It must be embedded at the core of engineering practice and pedagogy. A practice-led approach demonstrates how sustainability reshapes engineering from a narrow focus on technical problem-solving to a broader responsibility for long-term stewardship. The adoption of sustainable materials, such as bamboo, illustrates this shift by serving as a tangible inflection point where design decisions intersect with environmental and social impact. Today, sustainability-driven engineering education is no longer optional. It is essential for maintaining industry relevance, ensuring regulatory alignment, strengthening institutional credibility, and, most importantly, preparing engineers to design and deliver scalable solutions to the world’s most urgent environmental and societal challenges.
Against this backdrop, The Interview World engaged in an in-depth conversation with KP Murthy, Sustainability Advisor. In this wide-ranging dialogue, Murthy traced the personal and professional motivations that led him to champion the integration of sustainability into engineering curricula. He articulated how embedding sustainability at the core of engineering education can equip future engineers to confront pressing global challenges, including climate change and the pursuit of carbon neutrality.
Further, he outlined the vision and strategic intent behind establishing Clean Tech Clubs as platforms for experiential learning and innovation. He also proposed pragmatic solutions and systemic strategies to address the escalating challenge of air pollution in Delhi and other major metropolitan centres. Concluding the discussion, Murthy delivered a clear and compelling message to aspiring engineers: practice sustainable engineering not as an option, but as a responsibility essential to building a better world.
What follows are the key takeaways from this insightful and thought-provoking exchange.
Q: What inspired you to champion the integration of sustainability into the engineering curriculum?
A: Across a professional career spanning four decades, I have consistently worked at the intersection of engineering practice, education, and sustainability. I began by pioneering the use of power tools across diverse industrial engineering applications. Building on this foundation, I transitioned into academia, where I established rigorous, hands-on laboratory practices that equipped engineering students with practical competence in power tool usage.
This work led to the conceptualization and formalization of VET through PET, Vocational Education and Training through Power Tool Education and Training, a theme endorsed by UNESCO-UNEVOC, Bonn. Its implementation in an Afghan training program drew commendation at the highest levels, including appreciation from the Presidents of India and Afghanistan.
A pivotal moment followed in November 2006, when I met Professor Jeffrey Sachs in New York and presented this framework as a vehicle for advancing the Millennium Development Goals through Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET). That engagement proved catalytic. It prompted a sustained and deep exploration of sustainability and, more importantly, a commitment to embedding sustainability consciousness within engineering education.
Practical exposure to power tools in bamboo construction further sharpened this focus, revealing bamboo’s potential as a scalable, sustainable industrial material. From there, my efforts shifted to identifying and integrating critical sustainability gaps within existing engineering curricula and persuading institutions to adopt them.
Today, this focus is not optional. Sustainability-driven engineering education aligns directly with industry needs, particularly as ESG compliance becomes mandatory. It also strengthens institutional rankings. Most importantly, engineers trained with sustainability awareness become effective, responsible practitioners who can meaningfully advance sustainability within industry.
Q: In your view, how can embedding sustainability within engineering education equip the future engineers to tackle global challenges such as climate change and carbon neutrality?
A: It is often said that clearly understanding a problem is the first decisive step toward solving it. A Sustainable Engineering curriculum is built precisely on this premise. It systematically examines the wide-ranging consequences of environmental impact on public health, livelihoods, economic stability, industrial productivity, agricultural output, national GDP, and emissions.
From this problem framework, the curriculum advances to solutions. It emphasizes the informed selection of sustainable materials and processes, the adoption of proven best practices, and the rigorous analysis of real-world case studies through collaborative group work. Sustainability-focused research further elevates this effort by enabling deeper inquiry and more robust problem-solving approaches.
Industry exposure strengthens this learning. During internships, students gain first-hand insight into the operation and maintenance challenges associated with sustainable systems, while also receiving opportunities to test and apply their own innovations. In parallel, startups are increasingly centering their business models on sustainability-driven innovation, reinforcing the relevance of these competencies.
At its core, sustainable engineering seeks to identify viable alternative materials while systematically reducing dependence on high-emission resources such as coal, steel, oil, plastics, and unsustainable wood use. By nature, the discipline is multidisciplinary. For example, in computer science, Software-Defined Vehicles (SDVs) are emerging as a key enabler of sustainability, with their broader impact extending to enhanced safety, reduced hardware complexity, and lower material intensity.
Q: What is the vision behind establishing Clean Tech Clubs and in what way do you see them reshaping engineering education?
A: The Clean Tech Club is a student-led initiative of engineering students dedicated to designing and building sustainable products while contributing meaningfully to Engineering Social Responsibility (ESR). At its core, the club translates intent into action. Through hands-on work and disciplined teamwork, students convert theoretical knowledge into practical, real-world solutions.
The club places strong emphasis on the use of sustainable materials that can substitute high-impact resources such as coal, steel, oil, plastics, and unsustainable wood. In parallel, students examine and redesign processes to reduce adverse environmental and social impacts. This dual focus, materials and processes, ensures that sustainability is addressed at both the product and system levels.
Importantly, problem statements do not emerge in isolation. They are grounded in outreach-based research and informed by real-time societal and environmental challenges. As a result, student projects span a wide spectrum of critical issues, including heat stress mitigation and “Beat the Heat” solutions, lightweighting, climate moderation, safety, crop and production losses, soil health, biofuels, climate-related health risks, emission reduction, and energy efficiency.
Continuous community engagement strengthens this work. Direct interaction with communities enables the club to identify authentic, pressing problems and respond with solutions that are both relevant and impactful.
Q: What solutions and strategies would you recommend for addressing the challenge of air pollution in Delhi and other major metropolitan cities?
A: I strongly recommend the large-scale planting of bamboo, specifically the right species with dense, healthy foliage, in carefully selected locations as a practical and high-impact intervention for clean air. When deployed correctly, bamboo plantations can enhance oxygenation, function as effective carbon sinks, and reduce PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations by an estimated 5–10 percent. This directly supports clean air objectives.
The proposal is cost-effective, technically feasible, and rapidly deployable. Importantly, it delivers measurable public health benefits. Strategically placed bamboo borders also act as physical and biological barriers, limiting the ingress of outdoor pollution into residential apartments and buildings.
Bamboo offers a rare convergence of advantages. It is renewable, fast-growing, economical, highly oxygenating, and an efficient sink for both carbon dioxide and particulate matter. Beyond environmental benefits, bamboo cultivation can significantly improve rural livelihoods by contributing to the doubling of farmers’ incomes.
Equally critical, bamboo has wide-ranging engineering applications that align with national clean air goals. The following measures address air toxics, heat stress, dust pollution, and vehicular emissions in an integrated manner.
First, bamboo should be planted extensively in public parks in the form of bamboo tunnels, walkways, and designated yoga or wellness zones. These spaces would serve both ecological and community health functions. Second, metro rail medians and traffic islands present ideal locations for bamboo plantations, with Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) participation actively encouraged.
From a performance standpoint, a single bamboo plant can sequester more than a quarter ton of CO₂ annually and generate up to 35 percent more oxygen than many conventional tree species. Its dense foliage and high transpiration rate enable effective adsorption of airborne particulates, while also reducing nitrogen oxides associated with smog and aiding in the dissipation of pollutants such as sulphur dioxide.
Urban scale impact is particularly compelling. Cities such as Delhi, with more than 18,000 parks of varying sizes, could achieve substantial emissions reduction by planting even 100 or more bamboo plants per park. Collectively, this could prevent millions of tons of CO₂ from mixing with airborne dust, which otherwise exacerbates toxicity and public health risks.
At the building level, clump-variety bamboo planted along property boundaries, at appropriate spacing, can significantly reduce indoor pollution and dust ingress. Residential associations, public institutions, and private organizations should be actively sensitized to these benefits. To accelerate adoption, bamboo planting may also be recommended as part of building plan approval guidelines.
Species selection is critical. Varieties such as Tulda, Moso, Balcooa, and other species with robust foliage should be prioritized. Where rapid results are required, planting two-year-old bamboo saplings is advised, as this materially accelerates PM2.5 reduction.
Beyond city limits, bamboo borders planted along farmlands in neighbouring states can help curb PM2.5 originating from agricultural zones. These plantations also benefit farmers by conserving water, moderating microclimates, and providing shade. In parallel, farmers may be encouraged to establish rice husk pyrolysis units in clustered locations, supported by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), to generate revenue from silica and other valuable by-products.
Scientific evidence further reinforces this strategy. Studies indicate that a one-degree Celsius increase in ambient temperature can lead to a 0.5–2 percent rise in PM2.5 levels. Bamboo plantations contribute meaningfully to temperature moderation, thereby indirectly controlling particulate concentrations.
In addition, I propose an innovative clean-tech research direction focused on vehicular emissions. Two concepts under development involve automotive accessories designed to make moving vehicles carbon-negative by capturing approximately 100 grams of CO₂ and microplastics from ambient air. With over 300 million vehicles on Indian roads, such technologies could convert mobility itself into a distributed pollution mitigation mechanism.
Dust suppression practices also warrant attention. An eco-friendly alternative involves substituting bamboo lignosulfonate (BLS) for magnesium chloride. BLS offers higher sulfonate reactivity, improved water solubility, lower viscosity for better sprayability, enhanced performance on irregular surfaces, and hygroscopic properties that ensure longer-lasting dust settlement. Following successful trials, suppliers should be encouraged to replace non-renewable wood-based feedstock with BLS.
Finally, smart construction solutions can further reinforce clean air efforts. Incorporating reduced graphene oxide (rGO) into concrete walls enables CO₂ capture, while silica-enhanced walls contribute to heat reflection and thermal regulation. Institutional trials should be undertaken to validate and scale these benefits.
Taken together, these measures present a coherent, scalable, and multidisciplinary pathway toward cleaner air, improved public health, climate resilience, and sustainable economic outcomes.
Q: What message would you like to share with aspiring engineers about practicing sustainable engineering to help build better world?
A: Aspiring sustainable engineers can strategically align themselves with multiple professional pathways to build deep sustainability expertise while making meaningful contributions. These engagements not only create impact but also offer recognition, professional growth, and long-term rewards.
First, they can directly support national sustainability priorities, including Net Zero targets, emissions reduction, non-fossil power generation, Surya Ghar initiatives, green hydrogen, electric mobility, and biofuels. In parallel, they can strengthen the sustainability and ESG performance of the industries they work in, thereby improving regulatory compliance, investor confidence, and corporate reputation.
Equipped with sustainability competencies, engineers can apply their skills across high-impact functions such as CSR, product and project development, EHS, green finance, plant maintenance, procurement, and vendor development. At the same time, emerging opportunities in climate finance within the banking and financial services sector offer new and influential career avenues.
Beyond industry roles, sustainable engineers can actively participate in sustainability research aimed at addressing environmental and social challenges, as well as contribute to social impact assessments that inform policy and community interventions. With experience, they can evolve into sustainability consultants and certified energy auditors, providing strategic and technical guidance across sectors.
Further, they may associate with sustainability regulatory bodies, engage with NGOs focused on clean air and AQI-driven city initiatives, or establish clean-tech startups that translate innovation into scalable solutions. Finally, as sustainability is a global imperative, these competencies open access to international career opportunities, enabling engineers to operate and lead in a globally interconnected sustainability ecosystem.
