As the specter of climate change continues to cause controversy among politicians but minimal action, this nation’s engineers remain ahead of the game through the innovative use of green energy sources. All engineering disciplines have shown increased use of earth friendly power, but obviously the world of environmental engineering is home to leveraging many new energy innovations.

Let’s take a closer look at few different ways engineers are able to use environmentally friendly energy.

Renewable Energy seeing Widespread Use throughout Industry

Sure, renewable energy sources are good for the planet, but they are also becoming good for a company’s bottom line. Government incentives are helping to “fuel” the growth of green energy at the industry level. Organizations are able to gain cost savings through a variety of “green” programs.

Facilities engineers leverage biomass technology to help heat homes and commercial offices. Solar technology continues to improve in efficiency, making it more cost effective to implement on a house by house basis, let alone in larger scale installations.

Civil engineers increasingly are taking advantage of green energy options for power generation. Solar, biomass, wind, and water energy solutions are all becoming less cost prohibitive. Even something as simple as incandescent light bulb replacement is making a difference in a small way, as illustrated in a project taking place at Atlantic City Air National Guard Base.

Environmental Engineers grow in Importance

Clean energy also helps environmental engineers perform their jobs while saving money in a green-friendly manner. As this engineering discipline is close to the environmental impacts caused by human activity, they are able to directly observe the positive impacts through innovative use of new techniques to manage adverse environmental events, like oil spills.

As humans continue to battle climate change, environmental engineers and their innovations will become more important as the 21st Century matures.

If the innovative use of renewable energy inspires you to further your engineering career, talk to the experts at The Talley Group. As one of the top engineering staffing agencies in Washington State, they employ top notch recruiters that are also a great source of Seattle engineering jobs. Make it a point to schedule a meeting with The Talley Group today!

No matter the engineering discipline, your résumé is the most important piece in your job search arsenal. Environmental engineering is no exception to this fact — even in these days of LinkedIn. Making sure your CV stands out among the competition remains a key factor in ensuring you get the chance at landing a great position.

Needless to say, it is vital to author a résumé that highlights both your engineering abilities and professional experience. Hiring managers only take a minute or two to initially skim each candidate that comes across their desk. Let’s take a closer look at what skills to highlight on your environmental engineering résumé to make sure you get noticed.

Emphasize your Professional Engineering Experience

Obviously your performance while earning an engineering degree still holds some weight, especially if you earned honors in college, but professional experience trumps classroom work. Be sure to highlight your tangible professional experience — both significant and quantifiable accomplishments as well as the skills and abilities you bring to the table everyday on the job.

Certain specific environmental engineering skills that attract the eyes of hiring managers include abilities in pollution control technology, waste treatment techniques, and site remediation. Definitely stress your tangible achievements in these areas and use quantifiable data, such as “improved waste treatment efficacy by a factor of 23 percent.”

Companies want to hire Well-Rounded Environmental Engineers

Those general engineering skills found in all disciplines are also high in demand. Companies need well-rounded engineers who are able to combine the critical thinking and open-mindedness that enables them to develop new solutions to complex problems. If your work experience sports accomplishments that display these capabilities, emphasize them on your résumé.

Towards the top of your résumé should be a section that lists the skills that reflect both your hard environmental engineering abilities and the “soft” skills that make you a well-rounded engineer.

If you need any additional help with your environmental engineering job search, talk to the experts at The Talley Group. As one of Washington’s top engineering staffing agencies, they are also a great source of Seattle engineering jobs. Make it a point to schedule time with them today!

Access to fresh water is a growing environmental issue, and supplies of this resource are expected to become scarcer as the effects of climate change continue to be felt in the 21st Century. Thankfully, engineers and other talented scientists are working on desalination and other water recycling technologies ensuring humanity gets the water it needs for life.

With a variety of techniques for water reuse in development, how long will it be before companies — including your own — take steps to manage their own usage by recycling water? This new, environmentally-friendly future isn’t that far away. Read the post about Dumposaurus Dumpsters & Rolloff Rental: The causes/reasons, effects, repercussions, and solutions of illegal dumping to know about the waste management in detail.

Desalination with Less Energy Required

One new technology currently in development at Trevi Systems, a Bay Area startup, increases the efficiency of the water desalination process. Early test results are promising; showing the use of only 25 percent of the energy required as with traditional desalination. The company is engaged in a large scale trial project in the United Arab Emirates involving a solar-powered plant used for processing seawater.

Energy efficient desalination gives hope that oceans and other salt water sources can be used in the future for drinking water. More importantly, Trevi Systems’ technology also works with the recycling of wastewater — another potential source of human-potable H20.

A Three-Pronged Solution for Water Shortages

Desalination, wastewater recycling, and the capture of rainwater combine to make a three-pronged solution for managing water shortages in the future. David Sedlak, a University of California-Berkeley professor of civil and environmental engineering, feels these are the three pillars of future access to water sources. “Eventually, we’ll have to develop new sources of water to replace water supplies that are going to become less reliable and less available in the future,” said Sedlak.

The new desalination technologies combined with other methods gives companies the ability to improve their environmental footprint when this new water tech becomes commercially available.

If the innovations in water desalination are inspiring you to advance your engineering career, talk to the experts at The Talley Group. They are a great source of Seattle engineering jobs, and remain one of the top staffing agencies in the region. Schedule a meeting with Talley today!

Agriculture and environmental engineering are important disciplines, especially in this era of climate change and the ever-increasing population of the world. Tracing the history of agricultural engineering education at the college level provides insight into its development in the early 20th Century and beyond. North Carolina State University is typical of other American universities in this regard, and as such is the focus of this article.

Growing from Humble Beginnings North Carolina State University created its first agricultural engineering teaching program in 1920, when the university was known as the North Carolina College of Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts. A four-year course in the discipline actually attracted no students for the first few years, so its beginnings were definitely very humble. The first graduate from the nascent program earned a B.S. in Agriculture (no Engineering) in 1935. Soon afterwards, a fully fledged agricultural engineering degree program saw its first graduate in 1938. Nearly simultaneously, agricultural research efforts began at the college in 1937. An actual Agricultural Engineering Department saw its genesis in 1940, as the program separated from the Agronomy Department where it had resided since its beginnings.

An Expanding Program’s New Lab Space Over the 40s and 50s, the Agricultural Engineering program at North Carolina State continued to grow, taking advantage of an eventual 95,000 square foot facility called Weaver Labs. The university began offering a Ph.D. in Agricultural Engineering in 1957. In 1965, the department changed its name to Biological and Agricultural Engineering, reflecting the growing importance of biology as it relates to the practice of agriculture. It was the first department in the United States to do so. Currently, Biological Engineering is the only undergraduate program offered, but a significant number of agricultural courses are still part of the coursework, along with environmental engineering and bioprocessing/food classes. If the history of agricultural engineering education, with its evolution to encompass biological and environmental disciplines, inspires use to further a career in this area, talk to the experts at The Talley Group.

As one of the leading sources for Seattle engineering jobs, they have the knowledgeable recruiters on hand t insure your success. Be sure to schedule some time with them today!

Salaries at engineering firms are seeing a nice recovery from the Great Recession so far in 2014. An industry study from ZweigWhite, made in a partnership with the American Council of Engineering Companies, looks at salary data by U.S. region, the firm’s specific industry specialty, and the job role. There is no doubt that this year is a good time to be either getting started, or already an experienced worker, in the engineering industry.

Let’s take a closer look at the survey data.

All Experience Levels seeing Engineering Salaries go Higher

A rising tide lifts all boats is the time-honored saying, and it appears to ring true for salary levels in engineering. The ZweigWhite study shows that everyone, from entry-level engineers to firm principals, is earning more so far this year. Project engineers, project managers, and departmental heads also see an increase earning rate.

The Northeast and South Atlantic, as well as the Central regions in the survey both show salary increases. The Mountain and Pacific combined region held steady, probably because engineering salaries in those regions already rank among the highest in the United States. Wherever your location in the United States — it pays well to be an engineer!

Environmental Engineering Jobs remain Lucrative

The environmental engineering discipline garnered special attention for salary growth in the ZweigWhite survey. The Central region noted an increase of 17 percent in the median base salary for environmental engineers for 2014 compared to the previous year. Firm principals for environmental engineering companies saw a 2014 salary increase of 12.7 percent compared to 2013’s numbers.

Project managers involved in the structural engineering discipline saw a median salary increase of more than 10 percent — from $81,640 in 2013 to $90,000 in the current year. Hopefully, the still improving economy bodes well for engineering salaries in 2015 and beyond.

If you are an environmental engineer fresh out of a college, or an experienced worker looking for career advancement, talk to the engineering staffing experts at The Talley Group. They are one of the top engineering recruiting firms in the Seattle area, with the unique capabilities to help you and your career no matter your specific discipline — environmental, structural, and more. Schedule some time with them today!