Sustainable Philosophy Research Articles

The Impact of Information Technology and Sustainable Strategies in Hotel Branding, Evidence from the Greek Environment

Information Systems, Sustainable Development and Hotel Branding are the main study areas of this specific research. In recent years, many technologies have been which have started to be implemented in the hospitality industry, but the full potential of these technologies has not yet been analyzed in order to understand how they could help companies to develop branding strategies and increase the customer’s loyalty and business performance. Moreover, due to the pandemic crisis due to COVID-19, hotel companies have to manage a new crisis, which affects both the economic and social pillars of their sustainable development. Therefore, the hospitality industry must be more flexible in adopting information technologies and sustainable philosophies, firstly for their own survival and secondly to strengthen their position inside the task environment. The methodology approach was based both on the literature review and qualitative methodology, which was conducted through questionnaires. The aim of this research is to analyze the above concepts and see how this combination could lead the hotel companies to develop a competitive advantage inside their task environment. The findings of this research concern the region of Greece. They reveal that there is a strong correlation among the above concepts, and each company should start to adopt sustainable philosophy, use information technologies, and develop new branding strategies.

Green CVD—Toward a sustainable philosophy for thin film deposition by chemical vapor deposition

Thin films of materials are critical components for most areas of sustainable technologies, making thin film techniques, such as chemical vapor deposition (CVD), instrumental for a sustainable future. It is, therefore, of great importance to critically consider the sustainability aspects of CVD processes themselves used to make thin films for sustainable technologies. Here, we point to several common practices in CVD that are not sustainable. From these, we offer a perspective on several principles for a sustainable, “Green CVD” philosophy, which we hope will spur research on how to make CVD more sustainable without affecting the properties of the deposited film. We hope that these principles can be developed by the research community over time and be used to establish research on how to make CVD more sustainable and that a Green CVD philosophy can develop new research directions for both precursor and reactor design to reduce the precursor and energy consumption in CVD processes.

Participatory Empowerment as a Tool for Enhancing the Sustainable Development Process of Slums

Many cities in Egypt have witnessed a comprehensive development of its various services and facilities. A lot of cities are established as a back of the current cities; and although this development has reached many slums, most of it has come traditionally, depending on concrete buildings only. Without consider the philosophy of sustainability or trying to exploit or recycle natural resources. The difficulty of developing slums is concentrated in several reasons, including: The development projects is usually carried out in isolation from the target community, so the projects not being associated with the actual priorities and needs of the community; The citizens have the idea of forcibly displacing homes and going to areas far away from their workplaces. There is high cost of alternative housing units and the state collects fees from residents of slums, which may exceed the capabilities of some of them. On the other hand, design research recently considered the user as a centre for deign process (User Centred Design), and to give it special attention, some design concepts that seek to place the user in the design process environment so that the solution (design) stem from it; and from these concepts: sustainable design sustainable design, co-operative design, contextual design, and participatory design.

THE LIBRARY OF THE FREE UNIVERSITY OF BERLIN. ENVIRONMENTAL FRIENDLINESS AS A RESPONSE TO MODERN CHALLENGES

Objective. The article deals with the functional organisation and design of the Free University Library in Berlin, which has become not only an information centre, but also a centre for supporting research, supporting and providing education and training with a green space. Methods. The article is the result of the thorough study of the Internet resources about “green” libraries and the Philological Library of the Free University of Berlin. Conclusion.The library is an example of how to implement the philosophy of sustainability in all processes of the organisation's life, without detracting from the importance of scientific and information support for the teaching and research process. Results. The article was an attempt to describe the ways in which modern technologies go hand in hand with resource-saving policy, which could be implemented in the university libraries ofUkraine.

Paisajes del viñedo, turismo y sostenibilidad: interrelaciones teóricas y aplicadas

Los paisajes del viñedo, como paisajes culturales agrarios, aportan gran potencial para impulsar diversas fórmulas de turismo sostenible, entendido como aquél que vela por un equilibrio entre los condicionantes ambientales, sociales y económicos que rodean a dicha actividad. En estos paisajes se define el estado de conservación de los recursos naturales, se expresa la autenticidad sociocultural de las comunidades locales y se favorece el mantenimiento de las actividades económicas, bien a partir de su propia finalidad productiva, bien como recurso cultural y escénico en base a su viabilidad turística. Partimos, en este caso, de distintas aproximaciones teóricas que revelan la importancia de estos paisajes en relación con el territorio entendido como patrimonio, con la filosofía de la sostenibilidad y con su atractivo turístico a partir de los beneficios que aportan al visitante. Desde un punto de vista aplicado, consideramos que las explotaciones vitivinícolas certificadas con Denominación de Origen propia, comúnmente conocidas como “Vinos de Pago”, presentan una importante potencialidad para planificar y promover fórmulas de turismo sostenible

An Introduction to Aboriginal Fishing Cultures and Legacies in Seafood Sustainability

The purpose of this paper was to explore the rich legacy of Aboriginal fishing cultures through historical and contemporary records, in order to inductively identify cultural and social elements which may enhance the aquatic resource sustainability knowledge and ethos in Australia. A thorough, comprehensive and analytical literature review was conducted. The literature review explored the importance of Aboriginal Peoples’ (AP) fishing cultures, and identified examples of fishing practices, ideology and sustainable philosophy, which may be beneficial in sustainably managing dwindling seafood resources. The overriding theme of Aboriginal Peoples’ fishing cultures is the taking of enough fish to ease personal/community hunger, and restricted fishing based on seasons and/or stock abundance. This practice protects fish during vulnerable or important stages, such as spawning, allowing fish stocks to regenerate, and allowing fish to be caught when they are healthy and most nutritious. It is considered that the Aboriginal Peoples of Australia can contribute significant knowledge to the management of dwindling aquatic resources. Access to sacred sites and favourite fishing grounds would benefit communities, would increase the contact between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Peoples, and may assist in an interchange of sustainability information and philosophy. The world’s aquatic resources are dangerously depleted. Without a significant shift in focus, this will continue. Rather than relegate the fishing cultures of Aboriginal Peoples to ‘histories past’, we can learn valuable lessons to conserve aquatic resources, and to better understand the interconnectedness with the environment inherent in their cultures. Fishing is used as a generic term for both freshwater and marine fishing in this article.

الخبرات العالمية في تحقيق فلسفة استدامة الجودة والاعتماد ومدي الاستفادة منها بمدارس التعليم الأساسي في مصر.

هدف البحث إلى التعرف علي اهم الخبرات العالمية في مجال استدامة الجودة والاعتماد ، وکيفية الاستفادة منها في تحيف نظلم جودة مستدام بمدارس التعليم الأساسي ، وفي سبيل تحقيق هذا الهدف استخدم البحث المنهج الوصفي التحليلي، وقد توصل البحث إلى أن الإهتمام باستدامة نظم الجودة والاعتماد لمؤسساتها التعليمية أمرا حتميا ، وأن السبيل لذلک العناية بعمليات التحسين المستمر لمنظومة العمل (المدخلات -العمليات -المخرجات) في ضوء أهم جهود وخبرات الإصلاح التي قدمتها التجارب العالمية . Abstract: The Global experiences in achieving the philosophy of sustainability of quality, accreditation and awarding it in basic education schools in Egypt. The goal of the research to identify the most important global experiences in the field of quality sustainability and accreditation, and how to use them in the manner of sustainable quality in basic education schools, and in order to achieve this goal use the research descriptive analytical method, the research has reached that attention to the sustainability of quality systems and accreditation of their educational institutions is inevitable, and that the way to take care of the continuous improvements of the work system )inputs - processes – outputs( in light of the most important efforts and reform experiences provided by global experiences.

Impacts of Cittaslow philosophy on sustainable tourism development

PurposeSustainability concept exists in the soul of the Cittaslow (slow city) philosophy. This protest movement is mainly based on the philosophy of sustainability by promoting the “slowness” perspective and the concept of sustainable development at the local level. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the impacts of Cittaslow (slow city) philosophy on support for sustainable tourism development in North Cyprus. In this context, this research study is concentrated on the influences of Cittaslow practices on support for sustainable tourism development with dimensions in terms of socio-cultural, economic and ecological aspects.Design/methodology/approachThis study was based on a quantitative research approach to observe the significant effects and meet the objectives. The data were collected randomly by self-administrated questionnaires from residents who are living in the slow cities (Yeni Bogaziçi, Mehmetçik, Lefke, Geçitkale and Tatlisu) at North Cyprus.FindingsThe partial least squares approach to the structural equation model was used to analyze the data. The research results were discussed the critical issues and consequences in the management of slow cities.Originality/valueThe slow city concept is a very significant movement that emphasizes the importance of local differences and sustainability. There is a lack of knowledge about the effects of Cittaslow membership and efforts on sustainable tourism development in North Cyprus. The critical factors and implications were pinpointed for enhancing sustainable tourism development in slow cities.

Sustainable intercultural and inclusive education: teachers’ efforts on promoting a combining paradigm

ABSTRACT Educational systems face various challenges: globalisation, the fourth industrial revolution, a global recession, and global mobility. As a result they have to become inclusive of diversity to bring about a sustainable philosophy of social change. It is therefore necessary to overcome the dichotomy between intercultural and inclusive education and pave the way for a pedagogical model that combines both to fulfill the multidisciplinary mission of the contemporary school. We define this combined paradigm as ‘sustainable intercultural and inclusive education’, which aims to meet the academic and socio-emotional needs of all students, while at the same time placing emphasis on intra-generational and inter-generational sustainability with regard to inclusion, equality and social justice. Twenty Greek teachers reflected on their perceptions of such a model, the obstacles they faced, and their suggestions. The analysis highlights specific prospects that may be exploited to achieve the implementation of this combined paradigm.

Alternative paradigms for sustainability: a Relational worldview

PurposeThe authors do not claim that the following represents the views of any one tribe but instead the culmination of the academic literature written on the topic. Marketing’s current Western dominant social paradigm (DSP) is said to perpetuate “green”, yet unsustainable practices. The DSP does not support strictly pro-environmental practices and its proposed alternative, the new environmental paradigm (NEP), lacks in-depth conceptualisation, especially concerning business and marketing activities. However, the two paradigms contrast so much that a shift from one to the other is vehemently argued against and conceptually rife with problems. This paper aims to expand upon the merits of the NEP using indigenous people’s environmental philosophies [1] – as examples of historically supported and successful sustainable philosophies. It conceptualises a Relational view to provide a more practical alternative to the DSP and includes propositions for marketing implementation of this perspective.FindingsBy explicating both the DSP and NEP and reflecting on each through an indigenous Māori view, this paper provides propositions for a broadened paradigm that supports sustainability and its application for sustainable marketing.Research limitations/implicationsThe implications of this research are in the area of paradigm development and in providing an alternative paradigm to that of the DSP. This paper is the first to fully explicate parts of the NEP and considers a solution to the problems of changing the current DSP so drastically by broadening the NEP using a Relational worldview.Practical implicationsThe propositions and examples provided in this work give practical application of the newly presented paradigm for marketers influenced by indigenous belief systems.Originality/valueThis paper is the first to explicate parts of the NEP and broaden its reach by integrating a Relational worldview as an alternative to drastically changing the current DSP. It does so by proposing that marketers embrace a middle ground that is influenced by indigenous belief systems.

Design strategies and energy performance of a net-zero energy house based on natural philosophy

ABSTRACTThis paper presents the design strategies and energy performance of a net-zero energy house (NZEH), Nature Between, which was designed and built to participate in the Solar Decathlon China 2018 competition. The specific parts of the design strategies for Nature Between, including architectural concept, materials, passive strategies and active strategies, are introduced and analyzed. This study includes a discussion of the building’s energy performance based on the measured data gathered in Dezhou, where the competition was held. And also the annual energy simulation using Energyplus software based on the climate of Xiamen, where the prototype was located in. The results show that the design strategies are reasonably applied in Nature Between to achieve the goal of zero energy consumption in Dezhou and Xiamen. Pleasant indoor environment and flexible spaces are achieved in the house using natural material, which embodies the concepts of sustainability and natural philosophy. The practical strategies provided in this paper could help the architecture designs for residential NZEH.

Sahotra Sarkar and Ben A. Minteer (eds), A Sustainable Philosophy: The Work of Bryan Norton

Sahotra Sarkar and Ben A. Minteer (eds), <i>A Sustainable Philosophy: The Work of Bryan Norton</i>

If a Tree Falls: Business Students Learning Active Citizenship from Environmentalists

This article presents and discusses student assignments reflecting on the documentary film If a Tree Falls, written as part of the Business Ethics and Sustainability course at The Hague University of Applied Sciences. This article follows two lines of inquiry. First, it challenges mainstream environmental education, supporting critical pedagogy and ecopedagogy. These pedagogies, which advocate pedagogy for radical change, offer a distinct and valuable contribution to sustainability education, enabling students to critically examine normative assumptions, and learn about ethical relativity, and citizenship engagement from environmentalists. The discussion of “lessons of radical environmentalism” is pertinent to the question of what types of actions are likely to achieve the widely acceptable long-term societal change. While this article focuses on student reflection on a film about radical environmentalism, this article also discusses many forms of activism and raises the question of what can be considered effective activism and active citizenship in the context of the philosophy of (environmental or sustainability) education in connection didactics and curriculum studies. Second, this article argues for the need for reformed democracy and inclusive pluralism that recognizes the needs of nonhuman species, ecocentrism, and deep ecology. The connection between these two purposes is expressed in the design of the student assignment: It is described as a case study, which employs critical pedagogy and ecopedagogy.

A hybrid ELECTRE based prioritization of conjoint tools for lean and sustainable manufacturing

Lean manufacturing applies systematic strategies and tools to eliminate wastes and non-value-added activities in all the functions during manufacturing practice. Similarly, minimizing the consumption of material, energy and other natural resources while preserving the environment are the primary focus of sustainable philosophy. The synergy of these two strategies is the need of the hour in order to survive as a manufacturer as well as to achieve sustainability for the industry. The objective of this paper is to present a method of assessment and prioritization of conjoint tools to effectively implement lean and sustainable manufacturing simultaneously using a hybrid of two decision making tools. A multi-criteria decision making tool based on outranking approach, ELECTRE-II (ELimination and Choice Expressing/Translating REality) is implemented for the selection of lean tools in the order of their rankings for achieving sustainability in manufacturing. A case study of a manufacturing industry is presented to illustrate the approach.

Noble Tradition and Blind Spots In U.S. Sustainability Philosophy

The foundational philosophy that provides the context in which sustainability operates in any given period in history would seem to be key to determining success or failure. In order to have the greatest chance of success, reasonable openness to a wide array of potentially useful ideas would logically appear to be essential. Progress needs context, ignoring neither the truths nor the errors of the past. However, certain blind spots exist that may cause useful ideas of the past to be ignored. This study focuses on the situation of the United States and considers one potential deterrent to long-run effectiveness of sustainability – the routine shunning by Americans of “noble tradition” stemming from the aristocracy and feudalism and its derivatives as anathema to the principles of American democracy. That tradition, though not without its flaws or abuses (no society is free from that), was built arguably on precepts of sustainability – even before the term really existed as it is known today. It is argued that the principles from medieval agrarian society that persisted in one form or another until republican revolutions, the Great War, and finally in the mid-to-late-20th century (depending on the country) are beneficial to consider, and learning from them can benefit modern industry in terms of promoting sustainable practices in systems of production and labour, as well as social responsibility. In order to create a conceptual framework that can be used to consider the potential impact on sustainability programmes of blind spots, a multipoint gravitational model is proposed. The model demonstrates mechanisms by which sustainability efforts may be harmed due to blind spots. Also, the potential for society to impose a cost on firms or individuals that attempt to consider unpopular tradition is considered via payoff analysis of strategic behaviour. That demonstrates the difficulty in breaking through the wall imposed by a blind spot.

Effect of accumulation elements on the energy consumption of wood constructions

Matters related to saving fuel, energy, and financial resources in particular, with respect to sustainability, are a much-debated topic. This means that one of the main considerations in the design and construction of new buildings, as well as in the case of existing buildings, is their energy consumption during use. Many newly-constructed buildings are already designed as low-energy or passive buildings. Construction systems based on wood are often assessed for these energy standards, as they have very positive thermal-technical properties. Construction time for wood constructions is very short, with a low – sometimes even negative – ecological footprint. The use of wood and structural elements based on wood save non-renewable resources, which is also highly desirable from the perspective of a sustainability philosophy. In terms of construction physics, we often encounter opinions in construction practice that the accumulation properties of wood constructions are not as positive as those of traditional materials such as brick, steel or concrete. With the above in mind, we formulated a hypothesis about the effect of accumulation elements on the energy consumption of wood constructions. The proposed hypothesis gave us an objective prompting us to analyse already completed constructions in actual use in terms of the presence of accumulation elements located in the constructions, and in terms of their effect on the energy consumption of the examined constructions. In our research of these actual wood constructions, we recorded a statistically significant effect of the presence of accumulation elements on the energy consumption of these examined constructions, both in terms of energy use and costs. This means that there is a clear benefit in using accumulation elements in wood constructions. These improvements in the structural properties of wood constructions can ultimately improve the properties of the resulting structure in many respects, whether in terms of cost saving, the level of comfort for users, or sustainability in general. Another contribution of our work is in raising awareness of constructions based on wood among all those who are involved in the construction process.

Sustainable Spatial Development of Oil Investment Locations in Iraq) An Analytical Study of Environmental Impact (The site of the field Ahdab in Wasit province as a case study

The existence of a large oil industry leading the Iraqi economic sector has a pivotal role in economic development. Development in the oil sector, which follows geographical determinism, does not mean that it achieves economic development only, but must achieve sustainable development too. The process of investment as an engine for development in the oil sector, especially after oil contracts, which allowed the global companies to work in the oil sector in Iraq, contributed to increase the quantities of oil and gas production, and helped the sites near the oil fields to be more economically efficient. The research problem focused on the negative effects of the establishment and continuation of the work of oil investment projects on the local environment, including agricultural land area as well as soil, air, and water. The research aims to introduce the philosophy of environmental sustainability in oil investment projects, to achieve development for the societies near of the oil fields, and ensure that the environment is not damaged. This will be done by putting the hypothesis that: including the dimensions of sustainable environmental development within the adoption of oil investment policy, helps to improve the spatial development of the oil investment site and improve the quality of life of the community. Descriptive analysis used to study the environmental effects of the Ahdab oil field / Al-ahrar Nahiya / Numaniya Qada / Wasit province as a case study. The study found that there are significant negative impacts on agricultural land, air, water and soil. The local community quashinare represented by members of local governments (members of the provincial council, local council of Nu’maniyah, and the local council of the Al-ahrar Nahia), believe that the company’s performance about theenvironmentis unsatisfactory.A number of relevant conclusions and recommendations were presented.

Effect of SiO2, Al2O3 and CaO on characteristics of lightweight aggregates produced from MSWI bottom ash sludge (MSWI-BAS)

For the utilization of municipal solid waste incineration bottom ash sludge (MSWI-BAS), the production of lightweight aggregates (LWA) was carried out using it as raw materials. SiO2, Al2O3 and CaO were the major oxides in MSWI-BAS, so their effect on characteristics of LWA was investigated to optimize the process. Results showed that the increase in SiO2 content from 25% to 40% caused the good growth of the structure with Si and O as the skeleton, leading to LWA with increased compressive strength and particle density from 0.5 to 6.18 MPa and from 755 to 1268 kg/m3 respectively, and reduced 1 h water absorption from 50% to 14%. Lower strength LWA with more pores and amorphous phases were obtained at 20% ≤ Al2O3 ≤ 30% because excessive Al2O3 inhibited the crystallization inside the products. Dramatic changes occurred when CaO increased from 21% to 22% with compressive strength and particle density from 8.82 to 2.02 MPa and from 1300 to 862 kg/m3 respectively, and 1 h water absorption from 4% to 36%, indicating that more CO2 was produced. This attempt to utilize MSWI-BAS can produce high-performance LWA that meets the sustainability philosophy and reduces the cost of waste treatment and lightweight aggregates production.

Noble Tradition and Blind Spots In U.S. Sustainability Philosophy

The foundational philosophy that provides the context in which sustainability operates in any given period in history would seem to be key to determining success or failure. In order to have the greatest chance of success, reasonable openness to a wide array of potentially useful ideas would logically appear to be essential. Progress needs context, ignoring neither the truths nor the errors of the past. However, certain blind spots exist that may cause useful ideas of the past to be ignored. This study focuses on the situation of the United States and considers one potential deterrent to long-run effectiveness of sustainability – the routine shunning by Americans of “noble tradition” stemming from the aristocracy and feudalism and its derivatives as anathema to the principles of American democracy. That tradition, though not without its flaws or abuses (no society is free from that), was built arguably on precepts of sustainability – even before the term really existed as it is known today. It is argued that the principles from medieval agrarian society that persisted in one form or another until republican revolutions, the Great War, and finally in the mid-to-late-20th century (depending on the country) are beneficial to consider, and learning from them can benefit modern industry in terms of promoting sustainable practices in systems of production and labour, as well as social responsibility. In order to create a conceptual framework that can be used to consider the potential impact on sustainability programmes of blind spots, a multipoint gravitational model is proposed. The model demonstrates mechanisms by which sustainability efforts may be harmed due to blind spots. Also, the potential for society to impose a cost on firms or individuals that attempt to consider unpopular tradition is considered via payoff analysis of strategic behaviour. That demonstrates the difficulty in breaking through the wall imposed by a blind spot.

Noble Tradition and Blind Spots In U.S. Sustainability Philosophy

The foundational philosophy that provides the context in which sustainability operates in any given period in history would seem to be key to determining success or failure. In order to have the greatest chance of success, reasonable openness to a wide array of potentially useful ideas would logically appear to be essential. Progress needs context, ignoring neither the truths nor the errors of the past. However, certain blind spots exist that may cause useful ideas of the past to be ignored. This study focuses on the situation of the United States and considers one potential deterrent to long-run effectiveness of sustainability – the routine shunning by Americans of “noble tradition” stemming from the aristocracy and feudalism and its derivatives as anathema to the principles of American democracy. That tradition, though not without its flaws or abuses (no society is free from that), was built arguably on precepts of sustainability – even before the term really existed as it is known today. It is argued that the principles from medieval agrarian society that persisted in one form or another until republican revolutions, the Great War, and finally in the mid-to-late-20th century (depending on the country) are beneficial to consider, and learning from them can benefit modern industry in terms of promoting sustainable practices in systems of production and labour, as well as social responsibility. In order to create a conceptual framework that can be used to consider the potential impact on sustainability programmes of blind spots, a multipoint gravitational model is proposed. The model demonstrates mechanisms by which sustainability efforts may be harmed due to blind spots. Also, the potential for society to impose a cost on firms or individuals that attempt to consider unpopular tradition is considered via payoff analysis of strategic behaviour. That demonstrates the difficulty in breaking through the wall imposed by a blind spot.