Greater Environmental Sustainability Research Articles

Complementing the Dominant Social Paradigm with Sustainability

The dominant social paradigm (DSP) defines the basic belief structures and practices of marketplace actors and is manifested in existing exchange structures. Sustainability – a so-called megatrend – challenges the DSP by questioning its underlying assumptions, resulting in tensions or conflicts for different marketplace actors. This study examines a specific case of an alternative market arrangement that bridges tensions between the DSP and environmental concerns. Ethnography in the context of retail food waste disposition reveals tensions experienced by several marketplace actors – namely consumers, retail firms and regulators – and investigates an alternative market arrangement that alleviates those tensions by connecting the actors and their practices in a creative new way. We identify complementarity as the underlying mechanism of connection and resolution. Compared to previously identified alternative market arrangements that are either oppositional or parallel to the DSP, complementarity opens another path toward greater environmental sustainability through market-level solutions.

The role of environmental sustainability in marketing of small architectural design practices

Environmental sustainability in construction is a pressing concern. Despite their importance to the industry, and evident differences from large organizations in business strategy, markets and challenges, the literature has little to say about how small architectural design firms view the marketing potential of improved environmental sustainability. The aim is to address this gap by examining practitioner experience of sustainability and marketing in small architectural design practices. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 such practices. A critical interpretive stance was adopted in analysis, drawing on the theoretical framings of service-dominant logic (SDL) and relationship marketing. Sustainable design is part of the co-creation of value in architecture, enhancing the value proposition beyond a cost basis. Its inclusion contributed to business development through referrals. Taken together, co-creation of value and asymmetry of knowledge between professional and client drive the conclusion that the architectural designer has primary responsibility in guiding clients towards greater environmental sustainability. This responsibility and the role of sustainability in business development were not necessarily recognized by the designers. Insights from SDL challenge assumptions that cost and lack of client demand prevent greater sustainability in design.

SYNTHESIS OF FATTY ACID ETHYL ESTER FROM CHICKEN FAT USING ZnO/SiO2 HETEROGENEOUS CATALYST

The synthesis of fatty acid ethyl ester from chicken fat waste using ZnO/SiO 2 heterogeneous catalyst was carried out using t wo-step procedures of acid pretreatment by esterification and transesterification of the pretreated oil. The first step reduces the high free fatty acid in the oil to an acceptable level for transesterification using concentrated sulphuric acid at a temperature of 60 o C during 1 h of reaction time. The second step was transesterification of the preheated oil using silica promoted zinc oxide as heterogeneous catalyst. A three level, four factorial box behnken design (BBD) of response surface methodology was used whereby the biodiesel yield obtained in the range of 56−88%and a second order quadratic polynomial regression model that established the relationship between biodiesel yield and the process variables was developed. The quality of the produced biodiesel was determined by investigating its physicochemical properties which results are obtained for specific gravity at 15 o C to be 0.889 g/cm 3 , Flash point was 175 o C, Cloud Point was -3 o C, Pour point was -8 o C, Cetane number was 57.72 and Kinematic Viscosity at 40 o C was 7.95mm 2 /s. The results obtained are consistent and in line with ASTM standard for biodiesel; hence, chicken fat as non-edible oil can be a good renewable feedstock for biodiesel production for a sustainable green environment. http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/njt.v35i1.16

Building community resilience: can everyone enjoy a good life?

ABSTRACTInitiatives to reduce community carbon emissions and foster sustainable lifestyles have had varying degrees of success. There is now a need for a re-energised, concerted and joined-up approach that places environmental issues in a wider context – one that improves quality of life while building community resilience. This involves enhancing the capacity of neighbourhoods to recover, respond and adapt to environmental and socio-economic changes. This paper examines the experience gained in a participatory action research (PAR) study to build community resilience, where facilitators supported residents to take ownership of their own agendas. The New Earswick Good Life Initiative (GLI) was an 18-month project undertaken in a low-income suburb of York (UK). A range of approaches were used to identify activities which had the most potential to nurture resilience and foster a shift towards greater environmental sustainability. The GLI highlighted how the introduction of new ideas not only need to be locally relevant but also requires care and time in order for them to embed within community. Altering the way a community manages its environment involves transforming social relationships, strengthening institutions and influencing local power balances. Furthermore, it is necessary to build social capital, knowledge, leadership skills and support social networks to allow communities to effectively engage with relevant local and national policies. Only by providing opportunities to develop these resilient attributes can increased local responsibility be successful. The paper concludes by providing guidance on strengthening community resilience and delivering pro-environmental behaviour change.

Smart energy: where do we stand and where should we go?

Although public concern about environmental issues has been growing, the global efforts towards greater environmental sustainability have not been able to stabilize—let alone decrease—the level of GHGs in the atmosphere (IPCC 2013). Still worse, in 2013 the level of carbon dioxide (the main GHG produced by burning fossil fuels such as coal and oil) in the atmosphere surged at its fastest rate in 30 years (IPCC 2013). Annually, about 50 billion tons of additional carbon dioxide are emitted (The Economist 2014). There is a consensus among academics that, by 2100, in order to avoid “dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system” (UNFCCC 1992), the global mean temperature must not increase more than two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. To stabilize carbon dioxide concentration at this level, emissions must be reduced by around 40 to 70 % (compared to 2010) by 2050 and close to zero by 2100 (IPCC 2014a). Currently, however, it appears extremely unlikely that the global community will succeed in effectively curbing GHG emissions fast enough to achieve the two degrees Celsius goal. Our economies are still heavily dependent on fossil fuels, and as long as increasing economic prosperity goes along with increasing levels of GHG emissions (von Weizsacker, Hargroves, Smith, Desha, and Stasinopoulos 2009, pp. 17), these emissions will almost certainly not decline as much as needed. To break this vicious cycle, we have to identify ways to increase carbon productivity (using energy more efficiently while sustaining economic growth), consume less energy (eco-effectivity and eco-sufficiency), and decrease our dependency on fossil fuels by using renewable energy sources (Hoffert et al. 2002; McKinsey Global Institute 2008; von Weizsacker et al. 2009). Correspondingly, Sarkis, Koo, and Watson (2013) emphasize the need to find a synergistic win–win relationship between economic growth and green growth. The largest proportion (49 %) of GHG emissions are caused by the energy supply sector (IPCC 2014b). Due to a higher energy demand and a larger share of coal in the global fuel mix, GHG emissions associated with the energy supply sector increased more rapidly between 2000 and 2010 than in the three previous decades (IPCC 2014a). Seventy percent of the energy supply sector’s GHG emissions are caused by electricity and heat generation, the largest polluter of which is in the electricity sector. Therefore, many countries have been striving to make their electricity systems more renewablesbased and “intelligent.” Intelligent (or smart) systems often involve the deployment of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to allow for electricity systems to be used as efficiently as possible. J. Kranz (*) Chair of Management Information Systems and Methods, University of Gottingen, Platz der Gottinger Sieben 5, 37073 Gottingen, Germany e-mail: jkranz@uni-goettingen.de

Life cycle analysis in refurbishment of the buildings as intervention practices in energy saving

This paper presents the energy savings in refurbishment of the buildings using Life Cycle Assessment at material level by comparing three insulation materials that offer higher thermal performance and greater environmental sustainability. The comparison is made on products having the same insulation performance (U-value). After the enumeration of intervention practices for energy saving in buildings, the Life Cycle Assessment methodology in refurbishment of the buildings is applied at material level using Life Cycle Inventory to transform material volume input into impact on the environment as output. The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was carried out according to the requirements of the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD). After assessing the building performance before and after isolation, the “embodied energy”, which comes from the materials manufacturing as phases of the refurbishment of the buildings, was determinate and compared with the operational energy of the building.This LCA methodology in refurbishment of the buildings at material level was evaluated for Expanded Polystyrene (EPS), Extruded Polystyrene (XPS) and Rigid polyurethane (PUR) insulation products. This methodology has been used on a building in Galati, Romania (School No. 9). A spider diagram was used to represent the criteria in a consistent, graphical way in relative units. The extreme values for a given criteria indicate the poor performance of the insulation material.Finally, the assessment of the building performance before and after using the insulation and the determination of the “embodied energy” compared to the operational energy of the building resulted in a 55% energy saving in the use stage of the building after refurbishment.

Eficiência do silicato de potássio no controle do oídio e no desenvolvimento de abobrinha de moita

A medida mais utilizada para o controle de oídio em cucurbitáceas é o uso de variedades resistentes e fungicidas sistêmicos, entretanto, a nutrição silicatada tem se mostrado uma opção. O fornecimento do silício é benéfico para muitas espécies vegetais, estimulando o crescimento, a produção, a fotossíntese e a regulação da transpiração; além disso, sua deposição na epiderme evita a invasão de fungos, bactérias e insetos sugadores. O objetivo deste trabalho foi verificar a influência do silicato de potássio no controle do oídio, e no desenvolvimento e na produção de abobrinha de moita, cultivar Caserta. O experimento foi conduzido em cultivo protegido, com delineamento inteiramente casualizado, quatro repetições e cinco tratamentos: testemunha (água); tratamento químico com fenarimol (2,4 g i.a 100 L-1) e silicato de potássio, nas doses de 1,5 L ha-1; 2,0 L ha-1 e 2,5 L ha-1. Foram avaliados a severidade da doença; trocas gasosas; crescimento e produção de frutos. Os resultados mostraram que a aplicação foliar de silicato de potássio com fenarimol controlou o oídio e não teve influência no crescimento da planta. Portanto, o silicato de potássio pode ser utilizado como alternativa para o controle desse fungo e diminuição da aplicação de produtos químicos, o que proporciona uma maior sustentabilidade ambiental. No entanto, deve-se tomar cuidado com dosagens altas, pois observou-se que a dosagem de 2,5 L ha-1 foi prejudicial à produção de frutos e às trocas gasosas, apesar de ter sido eficiente no controle do oídio. Recomenda-se o uso de 2,0 L ha-1 de silicato de potássio para o controle de oídio para abobrinha de moita, podendo substituir o uso de fenarimol, sem afetar a produção e desenvolvimento das plantas.

Re-storying wilderness and adventure therapies: healing places and selves in an era of environmental crises

This paper begins by examining the therapeutic work of wilderness and adventure therapy through the lens of narrative counselling and the concept of the narrative-self. The terms wilderness and adventure are unpacked and attention is drawn to the risks of working uncritically with these concepts. Illustrations of alternative understandings of people in relationship to the more-than-human world are offered. In keeping with the principles of narrative therapy, rather than providing definitive answers, which risk foreclosing on alternative storylines, this paper seeks instead to open up new possibilities for being and acting within the field of wilderness and adventure therapies and within Western societies more broadly. As long as critical attention is paid to the discourses and stories wilderness and adventure therapies draw on and promote, the paper concludes that these fields are well positioned to help individuals and societies move towards greater environmental sustainability.

A Next Generation Smart Energy Technology

This paper has focused on the integration of renewable energy, specifically the solar energy resources into conventional electric grid and deployment of smart architecture of hybrid energy system in the user-centric pervasive computing concept in the context of Kyoto Protocol for sustainable development of the rural and urban sector. A concept of next generation mobile smart-grid city for efficient real-time collaborative use of renewable and non-renewable energy sources at smart user-centric device for sustainable green environment in the context of climate change is proposed

From banger to classic – a model for sustainable car consumption?

AbstractCars are the most complex of consumer durables, yet they are not as durable as one may expect. Each year, millions of cars are scrapped, many still roadworthy or easily repairable. As with other consumer durables, consumers increasingly lose their emotional attachment with their old car in favour of a younger model. Is it possible to remedy this failure of consumer–product relationships in the interest of greater product durability and hence greater environmental sustainability? This paper explores this question in the context of the classic car market and suggests there may be some lessons there that could lead to a more sustainable new car consumption culture.

Context and Systems: Thinking More Broadly About Effectiveness in Strategic Environmental Assessment in China

China is an illustrative--and extreme--case of the difficulties of balancing the pursuit of economic, social, and environmental objectives. In 2003 it adopted a form of Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) for its plans and programs (referred to here as PEIA) with the aim of moving towards greater environmental sustainability. The literature has explored primarily the issue of methods and legal procedures. This research contributes to the analysis of PEIA through a different set of interpretative lens. Drawing on recent developments in the theory and practice of SEA, I propose a conceptualization of SEA effectiveness that combines direct and incremental impacts, and a need for context-specific systems as a way to focus on the relationship between assessment, planning, and their context, and thus maximize effectiveness. This framework underpins the analysis of China's experience, which I explore with the help of interview material and the literature. The result is an evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of PEIA in terms of its purpose, assessment concept, process, and methods. The detailed analysis of six aspects of the context helps explain the origin of such shortcomings, and identify opportunities for its improvement. I conclude defining elements of a context-specific system for SEA that seeks to maximize the opportunity for incremental, as well as direct, effectiveness in China.

Britain’s national railway network: fit for purpose in the 21st century?

The case for developing railway networks rests on a mix of economic, social and environmental factors. A crucial factor is the relationship between the network and developing patterns of urban form and policy intentions with regard to securing modal shift from road to rail as part of the search for greater environmental sustainability. This article explores these relationships in contemporary Britain in the context of the recent attempt to privatise the railway network. It concludes that although there are serious shortcomings in the current situation, there is a case for further development of the network, but that this is now a matter for public sector leadership.

Strategic innovation in sustainable technology: the case of fuel cells for vehicles

This paper explores the gap between the implied theoretical 'assumption' that development of technologies for sustainable development should be a smooth evolutionary transition and the reality of such change. Here, we identify a split between macro, long-term models of transition to greater environmental sustainability through innovation, as found in theories of ecological modernisation, techno-economic paradigms and technology transitions and the firm level issues involved. Innovation theory, in contrast, has been concerned with contingent factors affecting the process of technology management and innovation strategy. While long-term models of change are predicated on the necessity of successful development and adoption of novel technologies, more specific, firm-based study of radical innovation demonstrates the complex and disruptive aspects of such change. In this paper, we investigate the interactions between these issues through a case study of fuel cell technology for vehicle propulsion.

Passing the pollution test. Preparing for environment regulations

Over the past few years, pollution legislation has placed tighter and tighter demands on the way operators produce power. In 1996 we saw the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) Directive. Enforced by the European Commission this includes measures to prevent or reduce emissions in the air, water and land. The year 2000 saw the UK's Environment Agency launching the Pollution Prevent and Control (PPC) regulations. These were created to implement the IPPC directive across the UK, and replaced existing Integrated Pollution Control (IPC) regulations The main thrust of these regulations is to move operators towards greater environmental sustainability and the deadline is March 2006. By this time, operators of existing combustion plants with a rated thermal input of 50MWth or more, as well as some waste-fired plants of at least 3MWth, have to apply for the PPC licence.