Sustainability

Practising interdisciplinarity in the interplay between disciplines: experiences of established researchers

by Melf-Hinrich Ehlers

Changing Lives to Tackle Climate Change: Why do people adopt and maintain a sustainable lifestyle?

by Sustainable Communities Research Group

A research briefing by Sarah Hards

Climate change and the transition to a “green economy” are major concerns for policy and research. Individual... more Climate change and the transition to a “green economy” are major concerns for policy and research. Individual behaviour change has played an important part in UK environmental policy over the last decade, with attention recently focussing on controversial “nudge” approaches. However, we do not fully understand why people adopt and maintain sustainable lifestyles. This summary report presents findings from recently completed postgraduate research that addresses this issue.

Ecofeminism in Appalachia: One Woman’s Perspective and Call to Action

by Tammy Clemons

Women of Appalachia Conference 2003

This paper is a call to action for Appalachian women and men and feminist scholars to discuss the relevance,... more This paper is a call to action for Appalachian women and men and feminist scholars to discuss the relevance, character, and applications of ecofeminism in Appalachia. I will explore both the theoretical and practical elements of ecofeminism, drawing upon my Appalachian background and my personal attempt to live and model a sustainable lifestyle. By illustrating the interconnection between the precepts of ecofeminism and the natural and cultural gifts of the Appalachian region, I hope to inspire others to think of creative solutions to the sexism and ecological devastation which impede the self-empowerment of Appalachian women and men, and which contribute to the economical, ecological, and cultural impoverishment of our communities.

Ecofeminism in Appalachia: One Woman’s Perspective and Call to Action

by Tammy Clemons

Women of Appalachia Conference 2003

This paper is a call to action for Appalachian women and men and feminist scholars to discuss the relevance,... more This paper is a call to action for Appalachian women and men and feminist scholars to discuss the relevance, character, and applications of ecofeminism in Appalachia. I will explore both the theoretical and practical elements of ecofeminism, drawing upon my Appalachian background and my personal attempt to live and model a sustainable lifestyle. By illustrating the interconnection between the precepts of ecofeminism and the natural and cultural gifts of the Appalachian region, I hope to inspire others to think of creative solutions to the sexism and ecological devastation which impede the self-empowerment of Appalachian women and men, and which contribute to the economical, ecological, and cultural impoverishment of our communities.

Haigh, M. 2010. Education for a Sustainable Future: Strategies of the New Hindu Religious Movements. Sustainability 2, 11, pp 3500-3519. Available (open access): (http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/2/11/3500/pdf). DOI:10.3390/su2113500. [ISSN 2071-1050; CODEN: SUSTDE]. (This article belongs to the special issue: Sustainable Education)

by Martin Haigh

SUSTAINABLE STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT

by Anna Witek-Crabb

Evolution and sustainability of in-situ concrete flat slabs in office buildings

by Oscar Liebana

Co-authored with G. Pulido, MD; Gómez Hermoso J.
XXXVII IAHS World Congress on Housing (October 26 – 29, 2010, Santander, Spain)

In the current office building construction practice, flat plate is the most common floor structural system due to its... more In the current office building construction practice, flat plate is the most common floor structural system due to its economic and practical advantages. Traditionally, high material costs have had a great impact on total construction cost, so voided options as ribbed or waffle slab have been used extensively. However, recently there is a tendency to design solid slabs options, especially due to rising labor costs, simpler and quicker construction, which reduces execution timeframe and increases construction safety.
The use of post-tensioned (PT) floors in building structures has been growing in recent years. This type of construction allows thinner slabs and thus, it creates lighter structures, produces a large reduction in rebar tonnage, with the subsequent advantages in transportation, storage or labor. Also, these slabs have other advantages as reduced cracking and deflections, reduced floor to floor height or quick construction. In most countries these design mechanical and economical features have enabled the system to compete economically with traditional in-situ concrete floor slabs; however, this is not the case in some other countries like Spain. Introduction of sustainability criteria and specialization in construction can allow for this system to be introduced in the market, which can also mean lower costs, improved performance and focusing on sustainability in construction.
Different solutions have been studied for an actual project, in terms of material quantities, minimum structural thickness and it has also been checked the impact of costs and environmental criteria based on CO2 emission. With these data, we could assess that the current status of low production of flat slabs in Spain it is not related to real economic reasons; it is actually related to a combination of reasons as lack of technical knowledge of designers or builders, inconsistencies or deficiencies in current national codes in each country. The construction industry is following an inertial period that resists changing known systems, apparently satisfactory, and that especially shows an unsustainable view of the construction. Post-tensioned concrete slabs will not always be the most suitable and sustainable option, but it should be evaluated while considering other more familiar techniques of construction with updated considerations.

Creative Gardening as a STEM Club Activity

by Sue Howarth

Co-authored with Linda Scott, University of Worcester.  Published in School Science Review, March 2012, 93(344) p18-22

Gardening creatively makes an engaging STEM / Science Club project all year round.  A list of organisations such... more Gardening creatively makes an engaging STEM / Science Club project all year round.  A list of organisations such as the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) and Science and Plants in Schools (SAPS) that provide help for school pupils and teachers is provided along with examples of school gardens that have been particularly successful.

Reclaiming The Sacred: A Festival Experience as a Response to Globalisation

by Karin Mackay

published in Journal for the Study of Religion, vol 24, No 2, 2011

Pressures of globalisation such as the focus on the growth of productive economies, consumerism, and long work-hours... more Pressures of globalisation such as the focus on the growth of productive economies, consumerism, and long work-hours have fragmented cultural beliefs and practices worldwide. Devaluation of deeply held soulful, creative, and nature-based practices in the dominant neoliberal capitalist discourse has challenged the way cultural and spiritual wellbeing are lived. Instead of being completely subsumed into the neoliberal global discourse, local responses incorporating global themes are emerging in the form of the “neo-tribal” festival experience. Although festivals have primarily been seen as places of consumption, this misunderstands the drive to participate in a festival experience. This article investigates a women’s arts and ecology festival held in The Blue Mountains, Australia, where members of the local community celebrate the return of spring. Findings suggest that this festival was a site for reclaiming a localized sense of connectedness, where participants reclaimed what was sacred to them. I will argue that consumerism is secondary to the desire for a sacred synergy of connectedness at this festival where critical creative action challenges the neoliberal and patriarchal discourses in the negotiation of global culture.

Ambiente e construção sustentável

by Manuel Duarte Pinheiro

Urban Design_Landscape Architecture _Sustainable Design_Giornale-Iuav-107_2012-01-12

by Mauro Marzo

Can green infrastructure promote urban sustainability?

by Ian Mell

In 2000, a UK government white paper promoted the prospect of an urban renaissance in the UK to be developed through a... more In 2000, a UK government white paper promoted the prospect of an urban renaissance in the UK to be developed through a series of urban renewal initiatives to create better places for living, working and recreation. Eight years on, there continues to be a policy drive promoting better quality environments through integrative design, social inclusion and public participation. However, whether urban renewal can succeed without a progressive integration of multi-functional green spaces into the urban matrix is still uncertain. This paper proposes that green infrastructure can play a pivotal role in urban renaissance by providing a complementary green matrix of spaces that offer multi-level benefits for human populations. Green infrastructure can also be viewed as simultaneously providing natural resource sinks to assist urban climate control, water management and provide important green networks in an increasingly urbanised Britain.

Due to the potential of green infrastructure to be ‘retrofitted’ into most environments, this paper argues that green infrastructures can be delivered across diverse urban environments in the UK to promote sustainable communities and landscape management. Overall, this paper will address how green infrastructure can be planned within urban environments to promote increased human integration, ecological sustainability and economic regeneration. Finally, it is suggested that the broader implications for climate control and economic regeneration delivered by green infrastructure integration will, in the long term, provide a base for a continued urban renaissance.

Sustainability in Outdoor Education: Rethinking Root Metaphors

by Jeff Rose

Cachelin, A., Rose, J., Dustin, D., & Shooter, W.

Recognizing that behavior comes not only from understanding, but also from attitudes cultivated in outdoor settings... more Recognizing that behavior comes not only from understanding, but also from attitudes cultivated in outdoor settings that elicit visceral feelings toward nature, outdoor educators have
unique opportunities to make sustainability comprehensive, accessible, and relevant. Yet the principal metaphor underlying outdoor education in general, and the Leave No Trace (LNT)
program in particular, may be counterproductive to fostering environmentally and socially responsible behavior. We attribute this possibility to the prevailing "humans as apart from
nature" metaphor underpinning LNT and recommend it be replaced by a "humans as a part of nature" metaphor grounded in heightened ecological understanding. We contrast the tenets of LNT with those of As Sustainable As Possible and Conscious Impact Living, and with the work of ecologists and critical educators to illustrate the practical implications of our point of view. We conclude by suggesting that outdoor educators are well-suited to lead the proposed linguistic, metaphorical, and pedagogical shifts towards better encompass humankind‘s relationships in the natural world. In so doing, we hope to encourage dialogue about the unique opportunities outdoor educators have to shape an ecologically literate citizenry prepared to make environmentally responsible choices in all dimensions of their lives.

Neither dashboard nor ‘mashup’ indices: an empirical wealth approach as a pathway to a comprehensive measure of development

by Emanuele Felice

Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament d’Economia i d’Història Econòmica. UHE Working Paper 2012_01, 2012

The article is composed of two sections. The first one is a critical review of the three main alternative indices to... more The article is composed of two sections. The first one is a critical review of the three main alternative indices to GDP which were proposed in the last decades – the Human Development Index (HDI), the Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI), and the Happy Planet Index (HPI) – which is made on the basis of conceptual foundations, rather than looking at issues of statistical consistency or mathematical refinement as most of the literature does. The pars construens aims to propose an alternative measure, the composite wealth index, consistent with
an approach to development based on the notion of composite wealth, which is in turn derived from an empirical common sense criterion. Arguably, this approach is suitable to be conveyed into
an easily understandable and coherent indicator, and thus appropriate to track development in its various dimensions: simple in its formulation, the wealth approach can incorporate social and ecological goals without significant alterations in conceptual foundations, while reducing to a minimum arbitrary weighting.

Sustainability assessment methods for developing advanced mining technologies

by Julija Šommet

Sustainable Assessment in Dolostone Mining Management

by Julija Šommet

SUSTAINABILITY ASSESSMENT METHODS IN OIL SHALE MINE CLOSURE

by Julija Šommet

Biofuel Plant Simulation (presentation overview) - SARK7

by Scott Mongeau

Produced as independent research for SARK7 - presented at Palisade Europe 2010 Risk Management conference in London

Bioethanol, valuation, risk management, productivity,
simulation, techno-economic analysis Bioethanol, valuation, risk management, productivity,
simulation, techno-economic analysis

Refining the Business Case for Sustainable Energy Projects Using Palisade @RISK and PrecisionTree: A Biofuel Plant Case Study (PRESENTATION) - SARK7

by Scott Mongeau

Presented at 2011 Palisade Europe Risk Conference in Amsterdam
Refining the Business Case for
Sustainable Energy Projects Using
Palisade @RISK and PrecisionTree:
A Biofuel Plant Case Study

Overview
1. Profitable sustainable energy projects
2. Palisade as facilitating tool
3. Biofuel project... more Overview
1. Profitable sustainable energy projects
2. Palisade as facilitating tool
3. Biofuel project as example

• Examples using Palisade Decision Suite

• Economic phenomenon
– Drive to marginal optimality
– Perverse incentives
– ‘The tragedy of the commons’ and free-riders
• Sustainability project characteristics
– Marginally profitable
– Highly sensitive
– Requires systemic engineering / optimization
• Coordinated management of systemic complexity
– Core NPV variance analysis
– Profitable systemic market scenarios
• Leadership gap:
– Transcend politics and sentiment
– Need for market-based solutions

From “(R)Evolution” to sustainable development: current features and perspectives

by Nuno Gaspar de Oliveira

Jerónimo, Winston,  Center for Environmental and Sustainability Research, Departamento de Ciências e Engenharia do Ambiente, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa; Oliveira, Nuno Gaspar,  Assistant in ISG, Business R&D Centre, Instituto Superior de Gestão.

This article aims to address the issue of Sustainable Development (SD) in an evolutionary perspective within its... more This article aims to address the issue of Sustainable Development (SD) in an evolutionary perspective within its multidisciplinary scope. The complexity of developments for sustainability has frequently proven difficult in its implementation, evaluation and effective communication.It was our intention to provide an outline of the diverse views on the subject, focusing on globalization as a change of attitude towards sustainability.It is a review of terminology associated with the SD and its multiple interpretations.It is referenced the apparent and irrelevant impact of initiatives to solve the economic, social and environmental problem. It emphasizes the influence and importance of strategies and the positioning of SMEs on the way to SD in the policy of act local think global.
KEY WORDS: Strategy, Sustainable Development, Sustainability, SMEs.