Sustainability protects resources for future generations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1995-04-01

This publication by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory addresses the steps necessary to provide livable urban centers for future generations through sustainable development, or sustainability. To illustrate this concept, nonsustainable cities and sustainable cities are compared. Sustainable city projects for several major US cites are reviewed.

Quality Disclosure in Sustainability Reporting: Evidence From Universities

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Alberto ROMOLINI

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Attention towards sustainability reporting is very high with reference to higher education. The paper aims to assess the maturity level of sus-tainability reporting and to measure its quality by evaluating the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI indicators currently disclosed. The research was carried out using the inductive method. We de-limited the study to universities and we evaluated the quality of sustainability reporting by analyzing the indicators disclosed in 2012 reports accord-ing to GRI guidelines. The research gives an overview of sustainability reporting in universities by evaluating the quality level of their disclosure. The results confrm previous research by high-lighting the necessity to improve sustainability reporting. Moreover, the results show there are differences between universities that are con-nected to the peculiarities of each country. They also enable us to draw up an initial classifcation of universities. The paper provides one of the frst in-depth studies of sustainability reporting quality for universities included in the GRI database.

University Sustainability Reporting: Taking Stock of Transparency

Science.gov (United States)

Bice, Sara; Coates, Hamish

2016-01-01

This paper interrogates the case for improved and broadened public sustainability reporting by universities, and explores whether and how global performance measures capture the institutional attitudes and activities pertinent to universities' contributions to sustainability. The analysis explores all stand-alone, English language reports produced…

Implementing the Sustainable Development Goals at University Level

Science.gov (United States)

Albareda-Tiana, Silvia; Vidal-Raméntol, Salvador; Fernández-Morilla, Mónica

2018-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this case study is to explore the principles and practices of sustainable development (SD) in the university curriculum. Design/methodology/approach: To explore the principles linked with the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and the learning and teaching practices in sustainability at the International University of…

Johnson Space Center's Role in a Sustainable Future

Science.gov (United States)

Ewert, Michael K.

2004-01-01

NASA scientists and many others are contributing to the growing knowledge of our Earth and its ecosystems. Satellites measure sea level rise, and changes in vegetation and air pollutants that travel between countries and continents. The U.S. federal government seeks to be a leader in environmental sustainability efforts through various Executive Orders and policies that save energy, reduce waste, and encourage less reliance on oil as an energy source. NASA, as an agency that is by nature focused on the future, has much to contribute to these efforts. The NASA mission is 'To understand and protect our home planet, to explore the universe and search for life, to inspire the next generation of explorers as only NASA can.' Pollution prevention, affirmative procurement and sustainable design are all programs that are under way at NASA. But more can be done. By sharing ideas and learning from other organizations as well as from the talented workforce we are a part of, JSC can improve its sustainability performance and spread the benefits to our community.

ECO-INNOVATION FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

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RATIU Mariana

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Eco-innovation is any form of innovation resulting in or aiming at significant and demonstrable progress towards the goal of sustainable development, through reducing impacts on the environment, enhancing resilience to environmental pressures, or achieving a more efficient and responsible use of natural resources. States and governments of the world, different institutions and organizations actively involved and aware in public policies, strategies and actions, reaffirm their commitments and reassess actions in order to achieve a truly sustainable development. In the common vision and the resolutions and other documents of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, Rio+20, the words "environment", "innovation", "green economy" appear very often and almost always along the same context, to achieve the objectives of the sustainable development. The objectives of EU's Europe 2020 strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, are being implemented through a number of Flagship Initiatives addressing the main challenges, like “Innovation for a sustainable Future - The Eco-innovation Action Plan (EcoAP”. Eco-innovation Observatory developed the Eco-Innovation index, the first tool to assess and illustrate eco-innovation performance across the EU Member States. Like in all fields, in textiles and leather field, eco-innovation is present and there are a lot of tools available that measure environmental damage and help manufacturers and brands become more sustainable. Eco-innovation is not just a trendy concept but a reality and a necessity nowadays, a way to achieve a sustainable future for ourselves and future generations.

Learning for a Sustainable Economy: Teaching of Green Competencies in the University

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Mª Ángeles Murga-Menoyo

2014-05-01

Full Text Available This paper looks at universities as training centers for a sustainable economy. Their remit is to promote the required competencies to achieve that aim, including competencies in sustainability. This article describes the role that the universities in Spain are fulfilling with respect to these issues and presents a training proposal that comprises four key competencies in sustainability with their corresponding performance indicators that permit the evaluation of different levels of achievement in training processes. These competencies must embrace their formative role not only with regard to future graduates who will be employed in “green jobs” per se, but also with regard to those alumni who will work in all the other productive sectors, in addition to all citizens directly and indirectly involved in the wider economy as consumers, producers and (direct or indirect recipients of its effects. The proposal is based on the recommendations of the Conferencia de Rectores de Universidades Españolas (CRUE: Conference of Chancellors of Spanish Universities, and can be adapted to the teaching programs of different subjects in order to facilitate the training necessary in general competencies of sustainability within the ambit of the subjects taught. Furthermore, this proposal follows the institutional strategy of CRUE to promote curricula sustainability through the inclusion of the principles and values of sustainable development in every degree and educational program taught. This proposal could also be applied to other cultural contexts with similar characteristics.

Marine Structures: Future Trends and the Role of Universities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Preben Terndrup

2015-01-01

the analysis tools that are most needed to enable sustainable designs for future ships and offshore structures.The last section of the paper contains thoughts on the role of universities in education, research, and innovation regarding marine structures. It discusses curriculum requirements for maritime-technology......This paper emphasizes some of the challenges and trends associated with the future development of marine structures. Its main focus is onways to improve the efficiency of energy-consuming ships, and on design challenges related to energy-producing offshore structures. This paper also discusses...... education, basic research activities, and international cooperation....

Marine Structures: Future Trends and the Role of Universities

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Preben Terndrup Pedersen

2015-03-01

Full Text Available This paper emphasizes some of the challenges and trends associated with the future development of marine structures. Its main focus is on ways to improve the efficiency of energy-consuming ships, and on design challenges related to energy-producing offshore structures. This paper also discusses the analysis tools that are most needed to enable sustainable designs for future ships and offshore structures. The last section of the paper contains thoughts on the role of universities in education, research, and innovation regarding marine structures. It discusses curriculum requirements for maritime-technology education, basic research activities, and international cooperation.

Marine Environmental Awareness among University Students in Taiwan: A Potential Signal for Sustainability of the Oceans

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Chen, Chung-Ling; Tsai, Chen-Hao

2016-01-01

University students are regarded as future decision-makers in society and have a high likelihood of becoming opinion-shapers in terms of the environment. Their awareness of the marine environment will therefore have a significant effect upon sustainable marine development. This study examines Taiwanese university students' marine environmental…

Sustainable values for a livable future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McCluney, R.

1995-01-01

Alternative paths to the future which might produce true sustainability involve comprehensive behavior change, not only by government and business leaders but also by ordinary citizens. Individual and societal behavior is guided to a great extent by the values and beliefs underlying that behavior. A growing body of literature deals with this subject, which is called environmental ethics. From the seminal work of Thomas Berry to conference proceedings and journal articles, examinations of the moral and ethical implications of the need for changing values and behavior can be found in both the religious and secular literature. Central to much of that literature is the concept of envisioning a sustainable future. Developing, promoting, and publicizing those visions will be important in overcoming the natural fears one has of changing basic values and beliefs, thereby enabling open and public discussion of the need of a set of sustainable values for a livable future

Environment, energy, economy. A sustainable future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luise, A.; Borrello, L.; Calef, D.; Cialani, C.; Di Majo, V.; Federio, A.; Lovisolo, G.; Musmeci, F.

1998-01-01

This paper is organized in five parts: 1. sustainable development from global point of view; 2. global problems and international instruments; 3. sustainable management of resources in economic systems; 4. forecasting and methods: models and index; 5. future urban areas [it

Africa energy future: Alternative scenarios and their implications for sustainable development strategies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ouedraogo, Nadia S.

2017-01-01

The long-term forecasting of energy supply and demand is of prime importance in Africa due to the steady increase in energy requirements, the non-availability of sufficient resources, the high dependence on fossil-fuels to meet these requirements, and the global concerns over the energy-induced environmental issues. This paper is concerned with modelling possible future paths for Africa's energy future and the related emissions. Future energy demand is forecasted based on socio-economic variables such as gross domestic product, income per capita, population, and urbanisation. The Long-range Energy Alternative Planning System (LEAP) modelling framework is employed to analyse and project energy demand and the related emissions under alternative strategies for the period of 2010–2040. Results of scenarios including business-as-usual (BAU) policies, moderate energy access and accelerate energy access policies, renewable energies promotion and energy efficiency policies and their environmental implications are provided. The study provides some policy insights and identifies synergies and trade-offs relating to the potential for energy policies to promote universal energy access, enable a transition to renewable energy, and mitigate climate change for a sustainable development. - Highlights: • Possible future paths for Africa's energy future and the related emissions are modelled. • Scenarios using an adaptation of Schwartz's scenario approach, under LEAP are developed. • Under the current energy policies, the universal access to modern energy will not be met by 2030. • Policies to accelerate the changes in energy structure are required for sustainable development. • Investing in Energy efficient strategies has emerged as one of the best solution.

Imagining the Future University

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bengtsen, Søren Smedegaard; Barnett, Ronald

'Imagining the Future University' is a special issue in the journal Philosophy and Theory in Higher Education, published by Peter Lang. Editor in Chief of the journal is John Petrovic, University of Alabama. The speciale issue is edited by Søren Bengtsen and Ronald Barnett.......'Imagining the Future University' is a special issue in the journal Philosophy and Theory in Higher Education, published by Peter Lang. Editor in Chief of the journal is John Petrovic, University of Alabama. The speciale issue is edited by Søren Bengtsen and Ronald Barnett....

Universities' Intermediary Role in the "Design for Sustainability" Field

Science.gov (United States)

Küçüksayraç, Elif; Wever, Renee; Brezet, Han

2017-01-01

Purpose: This paper aims to investigate the intermediary role of universities in spreading design for sustainability into industry. Design/methodology/approach: Three case studies were undertaken on Delft University of Technology, Design for Sustainability Program from The Netherlands; a center on sustainable consumption and production; and Prof.…

Defining Sustainable Universities Following Public Opinion Formation Process

Science.gov (United States)

Zaptcioglu Celikdemir, Deniz; Gunay, Gonca; Katrinli, Alev; Penbek Alpbaz, Sebnem

2017-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to define the sustainable university in Turkey, by considering perspectives of various stakeholders such as experts, intellectual, public, political parties and media using public opinion formation analysis. The paper aims to re-define the "sustainable university" with all dimensions including…

The future of the universe

CERN Document Server

Meadows, AJ

2007-01-01

Many books have described how the universe became the way it is today. But what about the future of the universe? How long might the universe as we recognize it survive? The Future of the Universe takes the reader on a journey through space and time, beginning with a long look at the Earth and solar system, voyaging to the outermost galaxies, and finishing with speculations about the life and fate of the entire universe.

Increasing Awareness of Sustainable Water Management for Future Civil Engineers

Science.gov (United States)

Ilic, Suzana; Karleusa, Barbara; Deluka-Tibljas, Aleksandra

2010-05-01

There are more than 1.2 billion people around the world that do not have access to drinking water. While there are plans under the United Nations Millennium Development Goals to halve this number by 2015, there are a number of regions that will be exposed to water scarcity in the coming future. Providing sufficient water for future development is a great challenge for planners and designers of water supply systems. In order to design sustainable water supplies for the future, it is important to learn how people consume water and how water consumption can be reduced. The education of future civil engineers should take into account not only technical aspects of the water supply but also the accompanying social and economical issues, and appreciated the strengths and weaknesses of traditional solutions. The Faculty of Civil Engineering, at the University of Rijeka, has begun incorporating a series of activities that engage undergraduate students and the local community to develop a mutual understanding of the future needs for sustainable management. We present one of the activities, collaboration with the Lancaster Environment Centre at Lancaster University in the UK through the field course Water and environmental management in Mediterranean context. The course, which is designed for the Lancaster University geography students, features a combination of field trips and visits to provide an understanding of the socio-economic and environmental context of water management in two counties (Istra and Primorsko-Goranska). Students from Lancaster visit the Croatian water authority and a regional water company, where they learn about current management practices and problems in managing water supplies and demand through the year. They make their own observations of current management practices in the field and learn about water consumption from the end users. One day field visit to a village in the area that is still not connected to the main water supply system is

Teaching organisational change management for sustainability : designing and delivering a course at the University of Leeds to better prepare future sustainability change agents

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lozano, Rodrigo; Ceulemans, Kim; Scarff Seatter, Carol

2015-01-01

A number of universities worldwide have created new courses and degrees or modified existing ones, as a response to the increasing interest by companies to hire sustainability literate graduates. However, many of such courses have been developed with a focus on 'hard' technocentric or managerial

Education for sustainability: A new challenge for the current university model

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Ana Fernández Pérez

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Education for Sustainable Development aims to disseminate and promote a set of principles and values within the university model through management, teaching, research and university extension. It does not focus on a specific area but covers many areas such as equality, peace, health, sustainable urbanization, the environment. The objective of this study is to make an appeal in all these areas so that universities incorporate the dimension of sustainability in their curricula, through teaching, research and university management. For this, the different international and regional initiatives that have emphasized the need for Universities to be committed to the culture of sustainability and their inclusion in the current university model have been analyzed. The work will conclude with the idea that a sustainable development is perhaps one of the key pieces in the conception of the University of the 21st century.

True Green and Sustainable University Campuses? Toward a Clusters Approach

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Giulia Sonetti

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Campus greening is often the first step universities take towards sustainability. However, the diffusion of sustainability reporting methodologies and rankings is still at an early stage, and is biased in mainly measuring energy efficiency indicators while omitting basic features enabling meaningful comparisons among centers or addressing social (users aspects related to long term sustainability transitions. This paper aims to introduce a critical perspective on sustainability university frameworks through: (i a review of current Campus Sustainability Assessments (CSAs; (ii performing and comparing the results obtained from the application of two internationally recognized CSAs (namely, Green Metric and ISCN to two case studies (the Politecnico di Torino, in Italy, and the Hokkaido University, In Japan and, finally, (iii proposing a new CSA approach that encompasses clusters of homogeneous campus typologies for meaningful comparisons and university rankings. The proposed clusters regard universities’ morphological structures (campuses nested within city centers versus outside of a city compact ones, climatic zones and functions. At the micro scale, the paper introduces the need for indicators beyond measuring pure energy efficiency, but which are attentive to local and societal constraints and provide long-term tracking of outcomes. This, better than a sheer record of sustainability priority actions, can help in building homogenous university case studies to find similar and scalable success strategies and practices, and also in self-monitoring progress toward achieving truly sustainable university campuses.

Integrating Sustainability across the University Curriculum

Science.gov (United States)

Dmochowski, Jane Ellen; Garofalo, Dan; Fisher, Sarah; Greene, Ann; Gambogi, Danielle

2016-01-01

Purpose: Colleges and universities increasingly have the mandate and motivation to integrate sustainability into their curricula. The purpose of this paper is to share the strategy used at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) and provide an evaluation of its success and guidance to others creating similar programs. Design/methodology/approach:…

Sustainable Academia: Translating the Vision of a Full Sustainable University into a Measurable Reality

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Antonios Maragakis

2017-04-01

Full Text Available There is a growing public expectation that universities should start focusing on delivering sustainability. The topic of sustainability in higher education has gathered a significant amount of interest from students, academics, governments and international organizations. With a plethora of declarations, initiatives, marketing and assessments, there is a need to assess what the stakeholders want in order to make decisions regarding an institutions sustainability. Ultimately, students are the ones using these sustainability marketing materials to assist in their decision at which institution they will pursue their studies. The sheer volume of interpretations of the word sustainability with regards to higher education institution leaves ample room for potentially misguided initiatives or marketing. A universal system for assessing a higher educational institution’s sustainability has not been translated into a measurable reality. It is proposed that a universal system would help create a common understanding of sustainability within higher education institutions and would help in stakeholder understanding, institutional accountability and impactful application of sustainable initiatives. This research looked to answer if a holistic framework could be created that would aid stakeholders in reviewing a university’s level of sustainability. And, if so, if this vision of a fully sustainable university could be translated into a measurable reality. The research was approached in a structured way. Each chapter represents a published and peer-reviewed step towards addressing if a holistic framework could be created that would aid students in reviewing sustainability tools, assessments and marketing. The qualitative and quantitative conclusions from each chapter influenced the subsequent chapters, eventually leading to the creation and testing of two digital tools. The interpretations of these published chapters are found in the conclusion of this

Farming with future: making crop protection sustainable

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wijnands, F.G.

2011-01-01

The project Farming with future works with parties with a vested interest to promote sustainable crop protection in practice. Besides developing new knowledge, it spends a good deal of its energy in the embedding of sustainable practices within relevant organisations, businesses and agrarian

The Potential of the Technical University of Denmark in the Light of Sustainable Livable Cities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Lotte Bjerregaard; Nielsen, Per Sieverts; Nielsen, Susanne Balslev

2014-01-01

The Technical University of Denmark (DTU) has a long tradition for research and education in urban planning and sustainable urban development. An increasing societal focus on sustainability and urbanization in society supports this continuous focus on sustainable urban planning in technical...... educations. The focus on sustainable urban development includes understanding the role of civil engineering, water engineering, sustainable mobility and energy, and communities in developing future desirable solutions. However, beyond the challenges faced in each of the specific technical fields...... which by themselves have an impact on urban development, including water in cities, climate adaptation, mobility planning, building, energy, and community designs. A number of challenges in developing an integrated approach in the technical education are discussed in the paper. The increasing focus...

A review of China’s approaches toward a sustainable energy future: the period since 1990

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhu, Xianli; Zhuang, Guiyang; Xiong, Na

2014-01-01

policy-making in China, as well as to other developing countries facing similar challenges. This article gives a brief overview and assessment of the Chinese approaches toward ensuring a sustainable future. It starts with a description of the challenges facing China in securing universal, clean......China’s rapid economic growth in the past few decades has been accompanied by huge increases in energy demand. The Chinese energy sector faces the multiple challenges of mobilizing huge investment to keep energy supplies in line with increases in demand, securing international oil and gas supplies...... to meet the widening gap between domestic demand and supply, and reducing environmental pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Identifying China’s approaches toward ensuring a sustainable energy future in the last two decades and assessing their effectiveness can be of great value to the future of energy...

Shaping a sustainable energy future for India: Management challenges

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhattacharyya, Subhes C.

2010-01-01

Most of the studies on the Indian energy sector focus on the possible future scenarios of Indian energy system development without considering the management dimension to the problem-how to ensure a smooth transition to reach the desired future state. The purpose of this paper is to highlight some sector management concerns to a sustainable energy future in the country. The paper follows a deductive approach and reviews the present status and possible future energy outlooks from the existing literature. This is followed by a strategy outline to achieve long-term energy sustainability. Management challenges on the way to such a sustainable future are finally presented. The paper finds that the aspiration of becoming an economic powerhouse and the need to eradicate poverty will necessarily mean an increase in energy consumption unless a decoupling of energy and GDP growth is achieved. Consequently, the energy future of the country is eminently unsustainable. A strategy focussing on demand reduction, enhanced access, use of local resources and better management practices is proposed here. However, a sustainable path faces a number of challenges from the management and policy perspectives.

The Transformation of Traditional Universities into Entrepreneurial Universities to Ensure Sustainable Higher Education

Science.gov (United States)

Bikse, Veronika; Lusena-Ezera, Inese; Rivza, Baiba; Volkova, Tatjana

2016-01-01

This paper aims to investigate the experience and to identify the drivers of transforming traditional universities into Entrepreneurial Universities for ensuring sustainable higher education in Latvia. Due to the wide scope, Entrepreneurial University characteristics, the present research study is limited and focuses on the university providing…

SUSTAINABILITY UNIVERSITY PROGRAM FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT COMPANY (PUEDES IN THE CITY OF ESTELÍ, NICARAGUA

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Beverly Castillo Herrera

2013-07-01

Full Text Available This article discusses the sustainability that has taken the program Company University for Sustainable Development (PUEDES which ran from 2008 to 2009 in the city of Estelí, Nicaragua. It highlights the success stories of MSMEs involved, enabling sustainability and strengthening the links between Estelí Multidisciplinary Regional School (Unite-FAREM-Estelí and employers organized in the Chamber of Commerce of Estelí. The methodology for this article includes desk research and interviews with the president of the Chamber of Industry and Trade of Estelí, businessmen and university professors involved in this experience.

Evaluation of possibility to increasing sustainability of high-rise buildings through use university intellectual property

Science.gov (United States)

Potekhin, Igor; Mischenko, Valeryi; Mottaeva, Angela; Zheltenkov, Alexander

2018-03-01

In this article explained approach of valuation of intellectual property of Voronezh State Technical University, as her usefulness to increasing the sustainability and ecological safety of high-rise building. High-rise building is main type of buildings in modern cities. They include large volume of material mass, high volume of energy using and high volume of emissions. Using innovation solutions to improving ecology safety of high-rise buildings has large potential to city in whole. Explained in the article methods of calculation of effects helps to value sustainable solutions of present and future generations. Thus usefulness of patents express through usefulness regarding to high-rise building, including for sustainable development.

New Goals of Sustainable Future

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Arkady Ursul

2017-02-01

Full Text Available This article investigates the process of transition from the Millennium Development Goals to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs. The authors have set an objective to demonstrate that SD as a future form of development of civilization from the very beginning had a “target orientation” and from the beginning and anticipated realization and staging of the whole hierarchy of objectives needed for the establishment of an effective global governance. In the future, global development in its “anthropogenic” aspect will be to implement the goals and principles of SD, which will be updated with each new stage of the implementation of this kind of socio-natural evolution. The paper argues the position that the concept of SD should be radically transformed into a “global dimension.” Attention is drawn to the fact that Russia recognized another distant, but very important in the conceptual and theoretical perspective, global goal of “sustainable transition” — formation of the noosphere.

Process framework for identifying sustainability aspects in university curricula and integrating education for sustainable development

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Holm, Tove; Sammalisto, Kaisu; Grindsted, Thomas Skou

2015-01-01

Sustainability aspects in higher education must be enhanced with more concrete actions. Universities are globally required to have quality assurance to secure and improve teaching and learning, and they use management systems to this aim. Integrating education for sustainable development...... and management systems are alike in that they are based on continuous improvement and systematic thinking; for both processes all stakeholders need to be involved. Although quality assurance is compulsory for higher education, education for sustainable development has barely been examined or integrated...... in this context. This article examines how voluntary integration of education for sustainable development into management systems at universities could facilitate a scheme to overcome the challenges to integrating education for sustainable development that were identified in previous research. For this, a process...

Sustaining biological welfare for our future through consistent science

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Shimomura Yoshihiro

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Physiological anthropology presently covers a very broad range of human knowledge and engineering technologies. This study reviews scientific inconsistencies within a variety of areas: sitting posture; negative air ions; oxygen inhalation; alpha brain waves induced by music and ultrasound; 1/f fluctuations; the evaluation of feelings using surface electroencephalography; Kansei; universal design; and anti-stress issues. We found that the inconsistencies within these areas indicate the importance of integrative thinking and the need to maintain the perspective on the biological benefit to humanity. Analytical science divides human physiological functions into discrete details, although individuals comprise a unified collection of whole-body functions. Such disparate considerations contribute to the misunderstanding of physiological functions and the misevaluation of positive and negative values for humankind. Research related to human health will, in future, depend on the concept of maintaining physiological functions based on consistent science and on sustaining human health to maintain biological welfare in future generations.

The Future of Sustainable Development: Welcome to the European Journal of Sustainable Development Research

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Marc A. Rosen

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Sustainable development is an objective for humanity of crucial importance to how we develop and evolve. It is also a rapidly growing discipline that is becoming increasingly applied in numerous areas, reflecting humanity's desire to ensure its activities can be sustained into the future and do not adversely affect the ecology or environment. Sustainable development is often defined based on the 1987 statement of the World Commission on Environment and Development (i.e., the Brundtland Commission. In that milestone document, sustainable development was defined as "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." But new definitions are being developed as the discipline expands and becomes more multidisciplinary and complex.

Strategic Partnership: Potential for Ensuring the University Sustainable Development

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Tatiana Salimova

2014-07-01

Full Text Available The purpose of the article is to research the theoretical approaches to strategic partnerships of universities, analyse the current trends of partnership development of universities in the context of sustainable development, discuss the experience of the National Research Ogarev Mordovia State University in terms of strategic partnerships creation and define the new opportunities of developing the strategic partnerships. The methodology of the paper is based on comprehensive literature review in the sphere of university partnerships. The authors use a comparative method, analysis and summarizing aimed on defining the current trends and issues related to strategic partnership. There has been developed the partnership commitment chart of key stakeholders of universities to show current points and target points. The research findings are generalization of the strategic partnership theory with the focus on university activities in reference to sustainable development, clarification of current trends and issues of university strategic partnership, definition of further opportunities and methods in the area under consideration. Under modern conditions it is extremely important to develop a strategic partnership in the sphere of higher education. Universities are open institutions and they need to be involved into different processes of economy and society development. Article’s significance is in a new view on strategic partnership in the context of sustainable development of universities.

Building a Sustainable Future: A Report on the Environmental Protection Agency's Brownfields Sustainability Pilots

Science.gov (United States)

This report describes each of the Brownfields Sustainability Pilots and provides findings and recommendations for future projects. It is intended for use by people, communities, organizations, and agencies helping make brownfields more sustainable.

India's Proposed Universal Health Coverage Policy: Evidence for Age Structure Transition Effect and Fiscal Sustainability.

Science.gov (United States)

Narayana, Muttur Ranganathan

2016-12-01

India's High Level Expert Group on Universal Health Coverage in 2011 recommended a universal, public-funded and national health coverage policy. As a plausible forward-looking macroeconomic reform in the health sector, this policy proposal on universal health coverage (UHC) needs to be evaluated for age structure transition effect and fiscal sustainability to strengthen its current design and future implementation. Macroeconomic analyses of the long-term implications of age structure transition and fiscal sustainability on India's proposed UHC policy. A new measure of age-specific UHC is developed by combining the age profile of public and private health consumption expenditure by using the National Transfer Accounts methodology. Different projections of age-specific public health expenditure are calculated over the period 2005-2100 to account for the age structure transition effect. The projections include changes in: (1) levels of the expenditure as gross domestic product grows, (2) levels and shape of the expenditure as gross domestic product grows and expenditure converges to that of developed countries (or convergence scenario) based on the Lee-Carter model of forecasting mortality rates, and (3) levels of the expenditure as India moves toward a UHC policy. Fiscal sustainability under each health expenditure projection is determined by using the measures of generational imbalance and sustainability gap in the Generational Accounting methodology. Public health expenditure is marked by age specificities and the elderly population is costlier to support for their healthcare needs in the future. Given the discount and productivity growth rates, the proposed UHC is not fiscally sustainable under India's current fiscal policies except for the convergence scenario. However, if the income elasticity of public expenditure on social welfare and health expenditure is less than one, fiscal sustainability of the UHC policy is attainable in all scenarios of projected public

Sustainable Academia : Translating the Vision of a Fully Sustainable University into a Measurable Reality

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Maragakis, A.

2017-01-01

There is a growing public expectation that universities should start focusing on delivering sustainability. The topic of sustainability in higher education has gathered a significant amount of interest from students, academics, governments and international organizations.

With a plethora of

Sustainable supply chain management: current debate and future directions

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Bruno Silvestre

Full Text Available Abstract This paper is a research brief on sustainable supply chain management and covers some of the key elements of literature’s past debate and trends for future directions. It highlights the growth of this research area and reinforces the importance of a full consideration of all three key dimensions of sustainability when managing sustainable supply chains, i.e., the financial, environmental and social dimensions. Therefore, supply chain decision makers need to unequivocally assess the impact of their decisions on the financial, environmental and social performances of their supply chains. This paper also argues that risks and opportunities are the key drivers for supply chain decision makers to adopt sustainability within their operations, and that barriers to sustainability adoption exist. This research highlights that, depending on the focus adopted, supply chains can evolve and shift from more traditional to more sustainable approaches over time. The paper concludes with some promising avenues for future investigation.

Sustainable Leadership: Honeybee Practices at Thailand's Oldest University

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Kantabutra, Sooksan; Saratun, Molraudee

2013-01-01

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to adopt Avery and Bergsteiner's 23 sustainable leadership practices derived from sustainable organizations as a framework to examine the leadership practices of Thailand's oldest university. Design/methodology/approach: Avery and Bergsteiner's principles were grouped into six categories for analysis: long-term…

Asset Management and Sustainability at the University of Richmond

Science.gov (United States)

Burchard, Wendy

2009-01-01

In January 2008, Ed Ayers, president of the University of Richmond, signed the American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment. This commits the university to creating a comprehensive action plan to move toward climate neutrality. Even before "sustainability" became one of the university's overall goals, Information Services (IS)…

Students’ Assessment of Campus Sustainability at the University of Dammam, Saudi Arabia

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Ismaila R. Abubakar

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Higher education institutions are major drivers of change in achieving environmental sustainability both within college campuses and beyond campuses in communities at large. However, achieving campus sustainability is not possible without the involvement of students as one of the major stakeholders of a university. Based on survey of 152 students of the College of Architecture and Planning, University of Dammam, Saudi Arabia, this study explores students’ assessment of campus sustainability components: curriculum and research; campus operations; and community involvement. The results show that even though the students indicate a great deal of awareness and concern about campus environmental sustainability, they lack interest and willingness to participate in initiatives towards achieving sustainability. Apart from some sustainable landscaping and waste recycling practices, there are few sustainability initiatives in transportation and energy and water conservation on the campus. Offered courses and student projects have also been reported to have modest focus on sustainability. The article concludes by highlighting the roles of incorporating sustainability into campus operations, and training university students in promoting environmental sustainability in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East.

Sustaining Community-University Collaborations: The Durham University Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrew Russell

2011-11-01

Full Text Available Durham University has initiated a community outreach and engagement program based on an evolving multifaceted model. This article analyses the components of the model and looks at how our work at Durham has become increasingly embedded in the structures and processes of the university as it has developed. The strengths and weaknesses in what has been achieved are highlighted, as is the future vision for the further development of this innovative community-university program. Keywords Public engagement; community partnerships; employer supported volunteering; corporate social responsibility

Sustainability of University Technology Transfer: Mediating Effect of Inventor’s Technology Service

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fang Li

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Based on the perspective of knowledge transfer and the technology acceptance model (TAM, this paper constructs a university technology transfer sustainable development model that considers the inventor’s technology service from the perspective of the long-term cooperation of enterprise, and analyzes the mediating effect of the inventor’s technology service on university technology transfer sustainability. By using 270 questionnaires as survey data, it is found that the availability of an inventor’s technology service has a significant positive impact on the attitude tendency and practice tendency of enterprise long-term technological cooperation; enterprise technology absorption capacity and trust between a university and an enterprise also have significant influence on an inventor’s technical service availability. Therefore, the inventor’s technology service acts as a mediator in the relationship between university technology transfer sustainability and influence factors. Universities ought to establish the technology transfer model, which focuses on the inventor’s tacit knowledge transfer service, and promotes the sustainable development of the university.

Assessing university’s sustainability programs from the perspective of university students: a gap analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ulkhaq M. Mujiya

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The role of universities in promoting sustainability has outstretched over the past decades as a result of abundant declarations related to the need for sustainability in higher education. As consequences, several universities have integrated sustainability into their curricula, research, programs, projects, partnerships, and assessments. However, despite the need for sustainable development in today’s highly competitive global network, many university members especially students are still unaware or ignorant of sustainability practices. This research tried to analyse the gap between what the university has done in campaigning for sustainability and what the students have perceived. A case study is conducted in Diponegoro University, Indonesia. Twelve indicators of four variables, i.e., community outreach; sustainability commitment and monitoring; waste and energy; as well as land use and planning are used to accomplish this research. Three hundred and fortyfive students spreading from all faculties participated in the survey. The result shows that an average gap of –0.38 is revealed; indicating that the respondents did not consider a significant impact on the sustainability programs. In addition, more than 50% of the respondents were not familiar with the sustainability programs. It is suggested that the university has to put more attention in fostering sustainability to its biggest stakeholders.

An Evaluation System for University–Industry Partnership Sustainability: Enhancing Options for Entrepreneurial Universities

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Artūras Kaklauskas

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The concept of university–industry partnership sustainability (UIPS stands for well-adjusted progress among key players from universities and industry by sustaining their welfare, both in the present and in the future. This paper sought to develop an evaluation system for UIPS. The need for such a system is justified at three levels: the micro level (i.e., research and innovation performance, transfer and absorptive capability, and technology development, the meso level (i.e., institutional arrangements, communication networks, and local and indigenous rules and the macro level (i.e., supply and demand, regulations, financing, taxes, culture, traditions, market, climate, politics, demographics, and technology. The UIPS evaluation system developed in this study offers the possibility of calculating a fair value of UIPS and providing recommendations for improving university–industry (U–I partnerships. This can be of great importance for entrepreneurial universities that would like to strengthen their corporate links and/or reduce/reverse the “hollowing effect” of globalisation in disadvantaged regions. Additionally, this paper also contains discussions on the advantages, limitations, and managerial implications of this proposal.

Collaboration Between Universities: An effective way of sustaining community-university partnerships?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jonathan Pratt

2011-11-01

Full Text Available This article highlights some of the opportunities and challenges that collaboration between higher education institutions (HEIs can bring to the development of sustainable community-university partnerships. In particular, it explores the potential for universities to collaborate on building effective engagement mechanisms (such as helpdesks, ‘hub and spoke’ contact models, and research groups to review ideas for activities that will support an ongoing flow of new projects and partnerships over time. It draws on evidence gathered from the evaluation and coordination of the South East Coastal Communities (SECC program, an almost unique experiment in collaboration between English universities. In an ‘age of austerity’, opportunities to reduce costs without damaging core services are of particular interest to public funding bodies. The article suggests that collaboration between universities may be an efficient and effective way of engaging with local communities, but that it is not cost-free, and high-level strategic buy-in within HEIs is required if community-university partnerships are to thrive in the current higher education funding environment. The article also suggests that there may be a geographic dimension to effective collaboration between universities in both community-university partnership work and the mechanisms that support community engagement. Inter-university collaboration across the whole region covered by the SECC program has been much weaker than collaboration at a subregional level and within ‘city-regions’ in particular. This raises a key question: does the natural geography for effective collaboration between universities need to reflect, at least in part, the geographies of communities themselves, in terms of lived experiences and/or community representation? Such a debate has interesting and timely parallels in the United Kingdom, where the new coalition government is bringing about a fundamental shift in the

Bitcoin as digital money: Its growth and future sustainability

OpenAIRE

Pradipta Kumar SAHOO

2017-01-01

This paper examines the comprehensive idea about the growth and future sustainability of bitcoin as a cryptocurrency. The transaction volume of bitcoin is used as the growth of the bitcoin and the bitcoin log return is used for testing the volatility which is helpful for the future sustainability of bitcoin. The study period says that the growth of bitcoin’s transaction volume is an increasing trend as more day to day transaction is minting with the exchange of Bitcoin. The stu...

The universe - present, past and future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Longair, M.S.

1986-01-01

This paper is the text of the Halley Lecture 1985 which was delivered on 21 May 1985 in Oxford. It addresses the major problems of contemporary cosmology. The Universe as understood to astronomers in 1985 is discussed, and this is compared with the observations of what happened in earlier epochs. Questions about the origin of galaxies and the Universe itself are raised. Although some guesses are made about the future of the Universe the main look at the future is about what astronomers want to do about the major problems facing them today. (UK)

Implementing Sustainability Co-Creation between Universities and Society: A Typology-Based Understanding

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Gregory Trencher

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Universities are under mounting pressure to partner with societal stakeholders and organizations to collaboratively create and implement sustainability-advancing knowledge, tools, and societal transformations. Simultaneously, an increasing number of societal organizations are reaching out to partner with universities to achieve organizational objectives and increase the effectiveness of strategies to further societal sustainability. Using a conceptual framework of “sustainability co-creation”, this study empirically examines the historical and ongoing experiences of five organizations in Japan that actively partner with universities to enhance sustainability activities and strategies to transform society. We examine motivations for partnering with universities, innovative models of practice, factors hampering the co-creative potential of the university, and desired changes to overcome these. Our empirical study leads to the proposal of a typology that might assist in categorizing and understanding key attributes of differing types of sustainability co-creation. We build our typology from two perspectives: First, in terms of the primary objective of the co-creation (ranging from knowledge production to the transformation of society, and second, in terms of the approach taken (ranging from either socially or technologically-centered. We then reflect on the organizations’ experiences to offer several strategies that could increase the effectiveness of the university when partnering with stakeholders in sustainability co-creation. We also highlight several factors effecting the university’s capacity to move beyond knowledge production towards implementation measures to transform society with external stakeholders.

The University and Transformation towards Sustainability: The Strategy Used at Chalmers University of Technology

Science.gov (United States)

Holmberg, John; Lundqvist, Ulrika; Svanstrom, Magdalena; Arehag, Marie

2012-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present the strategy used for achieving change towards sustainability at Chalmers University of Technology (Chalmers). Examples of how this strategy has been used are described and discussed, and exemplified with different lines of activities in a project on Education for Sustainable Development, the ESD…

Sustainable Urban Development: Spatial Analyses as Novel Tools for Planning a Universally Designed City

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joanna Borowczyk

2018-05-01

Full Text Available The aim of the research was to analyze the “design for all” concept as a key strategy for creating social sustainability. The paper attempts to answer the question: how can universal design contribute to the rational development of the city space? The author has taken part in participatory experiments. The research took into account various criteria, including the level of the city space’s adaptation to the needs and capabilities of persons with different disabilities. Analyses included qualitative studies concerning the possibilities of developing the social capital as well as creating and preserving a cohesive social structure. The analytic process allowed determining the means of raising the quality of urban planning. Finding effective and reliable analytical tools enabling the development of healthy cities which are compatible with the principles of sustainability could become both a great chance and a great challenge for urban planners. Transition from the microplanning to the macroplanning scale and following the principles of universal design at the stage of the formation of urban concepts using spatiotemporal modelling methods will lead to the creation of harmonious accessible spaces adjusted to the needs of present and future users, which will generate sustainable development and lead to the healing of a city.

MHR fuel cycle options for future sustainability of nuclear power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baxter, Alan; Venneri, Francesco; Rodriguez, Carmelo; Fikani, Michael

2005-01-01

The future sustainability of the nuclear option is not significantly tied to the level of resources. For example, current high quality uranium reserves (∼3.34x10 6 tons) are enough for more than 55 years at present consumption rates (IAEA estimate). Doubling of the present uranium ore price (∼$26/kg) could create about a tenfold increase in resources, providing more than 550 years of supply at present rates (World Nuclear Association estimate). There are also thorium reserves which are estimated to be about three times those of uranium, and would allow for a significant increase in annual consumption levels. The key to a sustainable nuclear future is really tied to the political and technical problems of long term waste disposal, and the perceived risks of nuclear weapons proliferation. Thus fuel cycle options for a sustainable nuclear future must address and solve these issues. High temperature, Gas-Cooled, Graphite Moderated, reactors (MHRs) have nuclear and operational characteristics to provide multiple fuel cycle options to solve these issues. Three fuel cycles for the MHD are described in this paper, and their capabilities for meeting a sustainable nuclear future in terms of nuclear waste minimization and destruction, and reduction of proliferation risk, are discussed. (author)

Measurement invariance of an instrument assessing sustainability of school-based universal behavior practices.

Science.gov (United States)

Mercer, Sterett H; McIntosh, Kent; Strickland-Cohen, M Kathleen; Horner, Robert H

2014-06-01

The purpose of the study was to examine the extent to which the School-Wide Universal Behavior Sustainability Index: School Teams (SUBSIST; McIntosh, Doolittle, Vincent, Horner, & Ervin, 2009), a measure of school and district contextual factors that promote the sustainability of school practices, demonstrated measurement invariance across groups of schools that differed in length of time implementing school-wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS; Sugai & Horner, 2009), student ethnic composition, and student socioeconomic status (SES). School PBIS team members and district coaches representing 860 schools in 14 U.S. states completed the SUBSIST. Findings supported strong measurement invariance, for all items except 1, of a model with two school-level factors (School Priority and Team Use of Data) and 2 district-level factors (District Priority and Capacity Building) across groups of schools at initial implementation, institutionalization, and sustainability phases of PBIS implementation. Schools in the sustainability phase were rated significantly higher on School Priority and Team Use of Data than schools in initial implementation. Strong measurement invariance held across groups of schools that differed in student ethnicity and SES. The findings regarding measurement invariance are important for future longitudinal investigations of factors that may promote the sustained implementation of school practices. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

Commercialising university inventions for sustainability : A case study of (non-)intermediating 'cleantech' at Aalto University

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kivimaa, Paula; Boon, Wouter; Antikainen, Riina

2017-01-01

The challenge to transform towards more sustainable societies requires action on multiple levels, including commercialisation of inventions created in universities. We examine intermediation in the pre-commercialisation phase of cleantech inventions developed at Aalto University, Finland, focusing

Chinese villages and their sustainable future: the European Union-China-Research Project "SUCCESS".

Science.gov (United States)

Dumreicher, Heidi

2008-04-01

from European Union and China, agreed upon as a common result for the SUCCESS project, is as follows: "China is composed of a rich diversity of villages with many attractive qualities and essential resources for the future growth of the whole country; we recommend that policy makers cherish the human and natural potential of the rural economy and environment so that villages provide the foundation for sustainable development of this progressive nation" [Dumreicher, H., 2006. SUCCESS-a sustainable future for Chinese villages. International Symposium "Chinese Villages and their Sustainable Future", University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Vienna, January 16]. This sentence was used in papers that where sent to different Chinese authorities by the Chinese partners and found its way, as a sort of "unofficial Charta", towards governmental agencies at national and provincial levels. The team carried out a 5-year-research study in rural China, aiming at establishing future images under the premises of sustainability. But the basic topic that needed to be tackled with was the question whether at all those villages could persist in the coming decades of rapid development. Therefore, the first aim of the study was to establish the importance of the rural environment and living space as a basis for the future of China.

Sustainability performance evaluation: Literature review and future directions.

Science.gov (United States)

Büyüközkan, Gülçin; Karabulut, Yağmur

2018-07-01

Current global economic activities are increasingly being perceived as unsustainable. Despite the high number of publications, sustainability science remains highly dispersed over diverse approaches and topics. This article aims to provide a structured overview of sustainability performance evaluation related publications and to document the current state of literature, categorize publications, analyze and link trends, as well as highlight gaps and provide research recommendations. 128 articles between 2007 and 2018 are identified. The results suggest that sustainability performance evaluation models shall be more balanced, suitable criteria and their interrelations shall be well defined and subjectivity of qualitative criteria inherent to sustainability indicators shall be considered. To address this subjectivity, group decision-making techniques and other analytical methods that can deal with uncertainty, conflicting indicators, and linguistic evaluations can be used in future works. By presenting research gaps, this review stimulates researchers to establish practically applicable sustainability performance evaluation frameworks to help assess and compare the degree of sustainability, leading to more sustainable business practices. The review is unique in defining corporate sustainability performance evaluation for the first time, exploring the gap between sustainability accounting and sustainability assessment, and coming up with a structured overview of innovative research recommendations about integrating analytical assessment methods into conceptual sustainability frameworks. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Global Energy Assessment. Toward a Sustainable Future

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Johansson, T B; Nakicenovic, N; Patwardhan, A; Gomez-Echeverri, L [eds.

2012-11-01

The Global Energy Assessment (GEA) brings together over 300 international researchers to provide an independent, scientifically based, integrated and policy-relevant analysis of current and emerging energy issues and options. It has been peer-reviewed anonymously by an additional 200 international experts. The GEA assesses the major global challenges for sustainable development and their linkages to energy; the technologies and resources available for providing energy services; future energy systems that address the major challenges; and the policies and other measures that are needed to realize transformational change toward sustainable energy futures. The GEA goes beyond existing studies on energy issues by presenting a comprehensive and integrated analysis of energy challenges, opportunities and strategies, for developing, industrialized and emerging economies. This volume is an invaluable resource for energy specialists and technologists in all sectors (academia, industry and government) as well as policymakers, development economists and practitioners in international organizations and national governments.

Social sustainability of alternate transportation modes at the University of British Columbia

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cato, N. [British Columbia Univ., Vancouver, BC (Canada). TREK Program

2006-08-03

As a result of the University of British Columbia's U-Pass program, more than $3 million per month has been saved in transportation cost savings for the university and its students. In addition, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have been reduced by 16,000 tonnes per year. This research study examined the social implications of the U-Pass program and examined the social sustainability of alternate transportation modes, including cycling, walking, carpooling, and telecommuting. The report was intended as a preliminary investigation, and provided recommendations for future quantitative research. The study identified the social factors that caused student to resist using alternative transportation modes. Social factors were then evaluated in order to determine changes that could be made to encourage sustainable transportation choices. Results of the study suggested that the lack of availability and frequency of public transit buses was a significant barrier for students. More frequent service in the evenings and on weekends was recommended. The expansion of all-door boarding was recommended to reduce travel times. Other recommendations included investigating the feasibility of dedicated bus lanes; improving comfort and increasing travel speed; and introducing more effective ways of communicating route and schedule information, including the development of software programs for electronic devices. 12 refs., 4 tabs., 1 fig.

Environmental Management and Sustainability in Higher Education: The Case of Spanish Universities

Science.gov (United States)

Leon-Fernandez, Yolanda; Domínguez-Vilches, Eugenio

2015-01-01

Purpose: This paper aims to analyse trends in implementing the main initiatives in the field of environmental management and sustainability in Spanish universities, taking as a reference point the guidelines adopted by a number of universities in countries most committed to sustainable development. Design/methodology/approach: An analysis of…

Sustainability Reporting Experience by Universities: A Causal Configuration Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Zorio-Grima, Ana; Sierra-García, Laura; Garcia-Benau, Maria A.

2018-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this research is to identify the combinations of factors leading to experience in sustainability reporting by Spanish public universities. Design/methodology/approach: Using a sample of 49 public universities in Spain, this paper identifies the combinations of factors on innovation profile, political and internal factors…

Sustainability Insights from the Mission Statements of Leading Brazilian Universities

Science.gov (United States)

Deus, Rafael Mattos; Battistelle, Rosane Aparecida Gomes; Ribeiro da Silva, Gustavo Henrique

2016-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the mission statements from 30 leading Brazilian universities, evaluating the statements based on a sustainable model that involves an environmental management system, public participation and social responsibility, and sustainable education and research. Design/methodology/approach: Content…

Strategic Partnership: Potential for Ensuring the University Sustainable Development

OpenAIRE

Tatiana Salimova; Natalya Vatolkina; Vasily Makolov

2014-01-01

The purpose of the article is to research the theoretical approaches to strategic partnerships of universities, analyse the current trends of partnership development of universities in the context of sustainable development, discuss the experience of the National Research Ogarev Mordovia State University in terms of strategic partnerships creation and define the new opportunities of developing the strategic partnerships. The methodology of the paper is based on comprehensive literature review...

An engineering dilemma: sustainability in the eyes of future technology professionals.

Science.gov (United States)

Haase, S

2013-09-01

The ability to design technological solutions that address sustainability is considered pivotal to the future of the planet and its people. As technology professionals engineers are expected to play an important role in sustaining society. The present article aims at exploring sustainability concepts of newly enrolled engineering students in Denmark. Their understandings of sustainability and the role they ascribe to sustainability in their future professional practice is investigated by means of a critical discourse analysis including metaphor analysis and semiotic analysis. The sustainability construal is considered to delimit possible ways of dealing with the concept in practice along the engineering education pathway and in professional problem solving. Five different metaphors used by the engineering students to illustrate sustainability are identified, and their different connotative and interpretive implications are discussed. It is found that sustainability represents a dilemma to the engineering students that situates them in a tension between their technology fascination and the blame they find that technological progress bears. Their sustainability descriptions are collected as part of a survey containing among other questions one open-ended, qualitative question on sustainability. The survey covers an entire year group of Danish engineering students in the first month of their degree study.

Financing University Education for Sustainable Development in Nigeria: Issues and Challenges

Science.gov (United States)

Chukwu, Leo C.; Chinyelugo, Agada Fidelia; Eze, S. G. N.

2017-01-01

The paper explained the concept university and the objectives of university education. Sustainable development and its purpose were then explained. The paper went further to analyze the various sources of financing the universities, including; the governments, endowment, and consultancy amongst others. The role of the universities in the…

Can Education for Sustainable Development Change Entrepreneurship Education to Deliver a Sustainable Future?

Science.gov (United States)

Strachan, Glenn

2018-01-01

An objective of the European Union's Entrepreneurship 2020 Action Plan is to address high levels of youth unemployment in Europe by promoting entrepreneurship. Implementing entrepreneurship education in schools, colleges and universities is one of three strategic interventions proposed by the Action Plan. Sustainable entrepreneurship is a…

Commitment to sustainability: A content analysis of website for university organisations

Science.gov (United States)

Hasim, M. S.; Hashim, A. E.; Ariff, N. R. M.; Sapeciay, Z.; Abdullah, A. S.

2018-02-01

This research aim on investigating the commitments of organisations towards sustainability. For this research context, ‘commitment’ refers to the extent of information provided by universities in their website which demonstrated initiatives towards achieving the sustainability goal. The objective of this study was to identify sustainability initiatives highlighted within university websites using Australia as a case study. Thirty-nine (39) websites were reviewed and web content analysis was performed to publicly available data including any relevant accessible PDF documents attached to the universities website. Specific websites information was reviewed to detect sustainability themes in the broad university management and operations (i.e., in general policies, corporate mission statements, research activities, positions available and strategies). The commitment of Australian universities was significant and well established with a set of twenty (20) related themes were identified. The findings have some limitations because the established themes only emerged from the websites’ content without human validation which possibly weakens the correlations between website information and organisations actual practice. This possibility is recognised and for this reason, further assessment may be advantageous to provide verification of the findings. Therefore, further studies using other techniques are suggested such as interviews or observations for validation of data and reinforce the entire conclusions. An interesting aspect of this study is the validity of reviewing organisational websites for gauging actual practice and a number of researchers supporting this approached as indicated in methodology section of this paper.

About the Role of Universities and Their Contribution to Sustainable Development

Science.gov (United States)

Filho, Walter Leal

2011-01-01

The debate on sustainable development is not new and the search for new approaches, methods and means to further the case of sustainability in a higher education context is needed today more than ever. This paper reviews the status of sustainable development at universities and presents issues which need to be considered in ensuring sustainable…

Transnational Higher Education and Sustainable Development: Current Initiatives and Future Prospects

Science.gov (United States)

Koehn, Peter H.

2012-01-01

Tertiary educational institutions increasingly are relied upon for sustainable development initiatives. This policy research note analyzes newly available data regarding seven key dimensions of 295 transnational sustainable development projects involving US universities. Comparative regional analysis of the projects profiled in the APLU/AAU…

Virtual Universities: Current Models and Future Trends.

Science.gov (United States)

Guri-Rosenblit, Sarah

2001-01-01

Describes current models of distance education (single-mode distance teaching universities, dual- and mixed-mode universities, extension services, consortia-type ventures, and new technology-based universities), including their merits and problems. Discusses future trends in potential student constituencies, faculty roles, forms of knowledge…

Sustainable Development Policies as Indicators and Pre-Conditions for Sustainability Efforts at Universities: Fact or Fiction?

Science.gov (United States)

Leal Filho, Walter; Brandli, Luciana Londero; Becker, Deisi; Skanavis, Constantina; Kounani, Aristea; Sardi, Chrysoula; Papaioannidou, Dimitra; Paço, Arminda; Azeiteiro, Ulisses; de Sousa, Luiza Olim; Raath, Schalk; Pretorius, Rudi Wessel; Shiel, Christine; Vargas, Valeria; Trencher, Gregory; Marans, Robert W.

2018-01-01

Purpose: There is a widely held belief that sustainable development (SD) policies are essential for universities to successfully engage in matters related to sustainability, and are an indicator of the extent to which they are active in this field. This paper aims to examine the evidence which currently exists to support this assumption. It…

Universe, human immortality and future human evaluation

CERN Document Server

Bolonkin, Alexander

2011-01-01

This book debates the universe, the development of new technologies in the 21st century and the future of the human race. Dr Bolonkin shows that a human soul is only the information in a person's head. He offers a new unique method for re-writing the main brain information in chips without any damage to the human brain. This is the scientific prediction of the non-biological (electronic) civilization and immortality of the human being. Such a prognosis is predicated upon a new law, discovered by the author, for the development of complex systems. According to this law, every self-copying system tends to be more complex than the previous system, provided that all external conditions remain the same. The consequences are disastrous: humanity will be replaced by a new civilization created by intellectual robots (which Dr Bolonkin refers to as "E-humans" and "E-beings"). These creatures, whose intellectual and mechanical abilities will far exceed those of man, will require neither food nor oxygen to sustain their...

Classifying the future of universes with dark energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chiba, Takeshi; Takahashi, Ryuichi; Sugiyama, Naoshi

2005-01-01

We classify the future of the universe for general cosmological models including matter and dark energy. If the equation of state of dark energy is less then -1, the age of the universe becomes finite. We compute the rest of the age of the universe for such universe models. The behaviour of the future growth of matter density perturbation is also studied. We find that the collapse of the spherical overdensity region is greatly changed if the equation of state of dark energy is less than -1

Towards a sustainably certifiable futures contract for biofuels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mathews, John A.

2008-01-01

How are biofuels to be certified as produced in a sustainable and responsible fashion? In the global debate over this issue, one party to the proceedings seems rarely to be mentioned-namely the commodities exchanges through which a global biofuels market is being created. In this contribution, I propose a solution to the problem of sustainability certification through a biofuels futures contract equipped with 'proof of origin' documentation. The proposal does not call for any radical break with current practice, extending existing certification procedures with a requirement for the vendor to provide documentation, probably in barcoded form, of the history of the biofuel offered for sale, including plantation and biorefinery where the biofuel was produced and subsequent blendings it may have undergone. The proposal is thus compatible with the blending practices of large global traders, whose activities are the source of the difficulties of other approaches to certification. It is argued that if such a sustainable futures contract for bioethanol (in the first instance) were to be introduced, then it would likely trade at a premium and become the primary vehicle for North-South trade in biofuels

Evaluating the engagement of universities in capacity building for sustainable development in local communities.

Science.gov (United States)

Shiel, Chris; Leal Filho, Walter; do Paço, Arminda; Brandli, Luciana

2016-02-01

Universities have the potential to play a leading role in enabling communities to develop more sustainable ways of living and working however, sustainable communities may only emerge with facilitation, community learning and continual efforts to build their capacities. Elements of programme planning and evaluation on the one hand, and capacity building on the other, are needed. The latter entails approaches and processes that may contribute to community empowerment; universities may either lead such approaches, or be key partners in an endeavour to empower communities to address the challenges posed by the need for sustainable development. Although capacity building and the promotion of sustainable development locally, are on the agenda for universities who take seriously regional engagement, very little is published that illustrates or describes the various forms of activities that take place. Further, there is a paucity of studies that have evaluated the work performed by universities in building capacity for sustainable development at the local level. This paper is an attempt to address this need, and entails an empirical study based on a sample of universities in the United Kingdom, Germany, Portugal and Brazil. The paper examines the extent to which capacity building for sustainable development is being undertaken, suggests the forms that this might take and evaluates some of the benefits for local communities. The paper concludes by reinforcing that universities have a critical role to play in community development; that role has to prioritise the sustainability agenda. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Towards a sustainable future of energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Castro Diaz-Balart, Fidel

1999-01-01

The only form of having a future energy insurance is to find a road environmentally sustainable to take place and to use the energy. Their production and non alone use should be compatible with the environmental priorities of the society but rather they should be organized in such a way that they have a social consent, under the principle that so that there is economic development an economic and sure energy supply it should exist

The sustainable project management: A review and future possibilities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V.K. Chawla

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Sustainability in project operations such as financial, social and environmental sustainability is one of the most prominent issues of the present times to address. The increased focus on sus-tainable business operations has changed the viewpoint of researchers and corporate community towards the project management. Today sustainability in business operations along with sustain-ability of natural and environmental resources are of paramount significance which has further caused a huge impact on conception, planning, scheduling and execution of the project manage-ment activities. In this paper, a literature review between 1987 and 2018 on different issues af-fecting the sustainability in project management is carried out. The present study also identifies and discusses the future possibilities to apply computational procedures in order to estimate and optimize the sustainability issues in the management of projects, for example the computational evolutionary algorithms can be applied to formulate the multi-objective decision-making problem after considering critical factors of sustainability in the projects and then yielding optimized solu-tions for the formulated problem to achieve sustainability in the projects. A new integrated framework with the inclusion of feedback function for assessment of each decision and actions taken towards the sustainability of the projects is also identified and presented.

Engineering for Sustainable Development - An obligatory Skill of the Future Engineer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hauschild, Michael Zwicky; Alting, Leo; Molin, Christine

2003-01-01

, Bruxelles (Belgium). Department of Manufacturing Engineering and Management hosted a mini-tutorial on Courses and Curricula in Sustainable Development and Environmental Management at the Technical University of Denmark. The procedings comprise papers from universities and institutions in many countries...

Developing Quality Assurance Culture for Sustainable University Education in Nigeria

Science.gov (United States)

Ibara, Emmanuel Chisa

2015-01-01

The relevance of any university education depends on quality parameters that should be specified, adhered to and sustained. The development of quality assurance culture in Nigerian university education is imperative, considering the fact that globalization, mobility of labour, competition and the quest for best practices have subjected…

Strategic Sustainability Performance Plan. Discovering Sustainable Solutions to Power and Secure America’s Future

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None, None

2010-09-01

Sustainability is fundamental to the Department of Energy’s research mission and operations as reflected in the Department’s Strategic Plan. Our overarching mission is to discover the solutions to power and secure America’s future.

Chemistry education for sustainability: Assessing the chemistry curricula at Cardiff University

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lozano, R.; Watson, M.K.

2013-01-01

As more universities become interested in, and engaged with, sustainability, there has been a growing need to assess how their curricula addresses sustainable development and its myriad issues. Different tools and assessment exercises have looked at course descriptors. This paper presents the

Toward sustainable energy futures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pasztor, J. (United Nations Environment Programme, Nairobi (Kenya))

1990-01-01

All energy systems have adverse as well as beneficial impacts on the environment. They vary in quality, quantity, in time and in space. Environmentally sensitive energy management tries to minimize the adverse impacts in an equitable manner between different groups in the most cost-effective ways. Many of the enviornmental impacts of energy continue to be externalized. Consequently, these energy systems which can externalize their impacts more easily are favoured, while others remain relatively expensive. The lack of full integration of environmental factors into energy policy and planning is the overriding problem to be resolved before a transition towards sustainable energy futures can take place. The most pressing problem in the developing countries relates to the unsustainable and inefficient use of biomass resources, while in the industrialized countries, the major energy-environment problems arise out of the continued intensive use of fossil fuel resources. Both of these resource issues have their role to play in climate change. Although there has been considerable improvement in pollution control in a number of situations, most of the adverse impacts will undoubtedly increase in the future. Population growth will lead to increased demand, and there will also be greater use of lower grade fuels. Climate change and the crisis in the biomass resource base in the developing countries are the most critical energy-environment issues to be resolved in the immediate future. In both cases, international cooperation is an essential requirement for successful resolution. 26 refs.

A multi evaporator desalination system operated with thermocline energy for future sustainability

KAUST Repository

Shahzad, Muhammad Wakil

2017-05-05

All existing commercial seawater desalination processes, i.e. thermally-driven and membrane-based reverse osmosis (RO), are operated with universal performance ratios (UPR) varying up to 105, whilst the UPR for an ideal or thermodynamic limit (TL) of desalination is at 828. Despite slightly better UPRs for the RO plants, all practical desalination plants available, hitherto, operate at only less than 12% of the TL, rendering them highly energy intensive and unsustainable for future sustainability. More innovative desalination methods must be sought to meet the needs of future sustainable desalination and these methods should attain an upper UPR bound of about 25 to 30% of the TL. In this paper, we examined the efficacy of a multi-effect distillation (MED) system operated with thermocline energy from the sea; a proven desalination technology that can exploit the narrow temperature gradient of 20°C all year round created between the warm surface seawater and the cold-seawater at depths of about 300–600m. Such a seawater thermocline (ST)-driven MED system, simply called the ST-MED process, has the potential to achieve up to 2 folds improvement in desalination efficiency over the existing methods, attaining about 18.8% of the ideal limit. With the major energy input emanated from the renewable solar, the ST-MED is truly a “green desalination” method of low global warming potential, best suited for tropical coastal shores having bathymetry depths of 300m or more.

Sustainable water management under future uncertainty with eco-engineering decision scaling

Science.gov (United States)

Poff, N. Leroy; Brown, Casey M.; Grantham, Theodore E.; Matthews, John H.; Palmer, Margaret A.; Spence, Caitlin M.; Wilby, Robert L.; Haasnoot, Marjolijn; Mendoza, Guillermo F.; Dominique, Kathleen C.; Baeza, Andres

2016-01-01

Managing freshwater resources sustainably under future climatic and hydrological uncertainty poses novel challenges. Rehabilitation of ageing infrastructure and construction of new dams are widely viewed as solutions to diminish climate risk, but attaining the broad goal of freshwater sustainability will require expansion of the prevailing water resources management paradigm beyond narrow economic criteria to include socially valued ecosystem functions and services. We introduce a new decision framework, eco-engineering decision scaling (EEDS), that explicitly and quantitatively explores trade-offs in stakeholder-defined engineering and ecological performance metrics across a range of possible management actions under unknown future hydrological and climate states. We illustrate its potential application through a hypothetical case study of the Iowa River, USA. EEDS holds promise as a powerful framework for operationalizing freshwater sustainability under future hydrological uncertainty by fostering collaboration across historically conflicting perspectives of water resource engineering and river conservation ecology to design and operate water infrastructure for social and environmental benefits.

Sustainable water management under future uncertainty with eco-engineering decision scaling

Science.gov (United States)

Poff, N LeRoy; Brown, Casey M; Grantham, Theodore E.; Matthews, John H; Palmer, Margaret A.; Spence, Caitlin M; Wilby, Robert L.; Haasnoot, Marjolijn; Mendoza, Guillermo F; Dominique, Kathleen C; Baeza, Andres

2015-01-01

Managing freshwater resources sustainably under future climatic and hydrological uncertainty poses novel challenges. Rehabilitation of ageing infrastructure and construction of new dams are widely viewed as solutions to diminish climate risk, but attaining the broad goal of freshwater sustainability will require expansion of the prevailing water resources management paradigm beyond narrow economic criteria to include socially valued ecosystem functions and services. We introduce a new decision framework, eco-engineering decision scaling (EEDS), that explicitly and quantitatively explores trade-offs in stakeholder-defined engineering and ecological performance metrics across a range of possible management actions under unknown future hydrological and climate states. We illustrate its potential application through a hypothetical case study of the Iowa River, USA. EEDS holds promise as a powerful framework for operationalizing freshwater sustainability under future hydrological uncertainty by fostering collaboration across historically conflicting perspectives of water resource engineering and river conservation ecology to design and operate water infrastructure for social and environmental benefits.

Seeking consensus on universal health coverage indicators in the sustainable development goals.

Science.gov (United States)

Reddock, Jennifer

2017-01-01

There is optimism that the inclusion of universal health coverage in the Sustainable Development Goals advances its prominence in global and national health policy. However, formulating indicators for Target 3.8 through the Inter-Agency Expert Group on Sustainable Development Indicators has been challenging. Achieving consensus on the conceptual and methodological aspects of universal health coverage is likely to take some time in multi-stakeholder fora compared with national efforts to select indicators.

Healthy and sustainable diets for future generations.

Science.gov (United States)

Green, Hilary; Broun, Pierre; Cook, Douglas; Cooper, Karen; Drewnowski, Adam; Pollard, Duncan; Sweeney, Gary; Roulin, Anne

2018-07-01

Global food systems will face unprecedented challenges in the coming years. They will need to meet the nutritional needs of a growing population and feed an expanding demand for proteins. This is against a backdrop of increasing environmental challenges (water resources, climate change, soil health) and the need to improve farming livelihoods. Collaborative efforts by a variety of stakeholders are needed to ensure that future generations have access to healthy and sustainable diets. Food will play an increasingly important role in the global discourse on health. These topics were explored during Nestlé's second international conference on 'Planting Seeds for the Future of Food: The Agriculture, Nutrition and Sustainability Nexus', which took place in July 2017. This article discusses some of the key issues from the perspective of three major stakeholder groups, namely farming/agriculture, the food industry and consumers. © 2018 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry. © 2018 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Sustainability in engineering programs in a Portuguese Public University

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ciliana Regina Colombo

Full Text Available Abstract Rethink the interventions, human practices and their effects on the natural environment, for the preservation of life and biodiversity, threatened by the capitalist model of production, consumption and disposal, becomes each day more indispensable. The role of universities as knowledge building space is fundamental for the insertion of the environmental approach (greening in its various fronts (education, research, extension, and management. Following the line of several types of researches about the subject, this paper aims to identify if and how the issue of sustainability (e.g. through Project-Based Learning use is taught in the various engineering programs of a Portuguese Public University. This study was carried out by a documental research based on the programs´ curricula published in the official website of the university. The engineering programs selected included integrated master, master (second cycle and doctorate (third cycle. In this study, it was identified programs that are more focused on sustainability concepts than others, so the programs were classified in three categories: strongest, medium and weakest focus.

Sustainable Development at Universities: New Horizons. Umweltbildung, Umweltkommunikation und Nachhaltigkeit/Environmental Education, Communication and Sustainability. Volume 34

Science.gov (United States)

Leal Filho, Walter, Ed.

2012-01-01

This book, prepared in the context of the "UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD)", also known as "Rio+20", contains the papers submitted to the "World Symposium on Sustainable Development at Universities (WSSD-U-2012)", which took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on 5 and 6 June 2012. It pursues the following main aims: to document and…

Creating a sustainable energy future for Australia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sonneborn, C.L.

1995-01-01

A joint industry approach is needed to put in place a sustainable energy system that is economically and technologically feasible. The industry sectors involved must include the renewable energy industry, energy efficiency industry and the natural gas industry. Conventional forecasts of energy futures make far less use of these industries than is economically and technically feasible. Existing forecasts make the trade off between acceptable levels of economic growth, limitation of greenhouse gases and dependence on coal and oil appear more difficult than they actually are and overlook the benefits of sustainable energy industry development. This paper outlines how national gains from carefully targeted action can exceed national losses while substantially reducing greenhouse gases and creating jobs at zero or negative costs. (author). 3 figs., 27 refs

Sustainability of plant-based diets: back to the future.

Science.gov (United States)

Sabaté, Joan; Soret, Sam

2014-07-01

Plant-based diets in comparison to diets rich in animal products are more sustainable because they use many fewer natural resources and are less taxing on the environment. Given the global population explosion and increase in wealth, there is an increased demand for foods of animal origin. Environmental data are rapidly accumulating on the unsustainability of current worldwide food consumption practices that are high in meat and dairy products. Natural nonrenewable resources are becoming scarce, and environmental degradation is rapidly increasing. At the current trends of food consumption and environmental changes, food security and food sustainability are on a collision course. Changing course (to avoid the collision) will require extreme downward shifts in meat and dairy consumption by large segments of the world's population. Other approaches such as food waste reduction and precision agriculture and/or other technological advances have to be simultaneously pursued; however, they are insufficient to make the global food system sustainable. For millennia, meatless diets have been advocated on the basis of values, and large segments of the world population have thrived on plant-based diets. "Going back" to plant-based diets worldwide seems to be a reasonable alternative for a sustainable future. Policies in favor of the global adoption of plant-based diets will simultaneously optimize the food supply, health, environmental, and social justice outcomes for the world's population. Implementing such nutrition policy is perhaps one of the most rational and moral paths for a sustainable future of the human race and other living creatures of the biosphere that we share. © 2014 American Society for Nutrition.

Linking Curriculum and Learning to Facilities: Arizona State University's GK-12 Sustainable Schools Program

Science.gov (United States)

Elser, Monica M.; Pollari, Lynette; Frisk, Erin; Wood, Mark

2011-01-01

Arizona State University's "Sustainability Science for Sustainable Schools program" brings together graduate students, sustainability researchers, high school teachers and students, and school or district administrators in a project designed to address the challenge of becoming a "sustainable school." Funded by the National…

Sustainability Assessment: Energy Efficiency in Buildings at a Community University

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stephane Louise Bocasanta

2017-10-01

Full Text Available This research aims to analyze the degree of sustainability of a building in a community university (object of analysis, as regards its energy efficiency. Therefore, it seeks out to contribute to the literature, provide a basis for the application of SICOGEA system in other buildings and contribute to the consolidation of an effective and consistent environmental management system. The research can be classified, as to its technical procedures, as a case study. As to its objectives it is descriptive, with a qualitative approach. The literature on environmental management and sustainability assessment of buildings was used to support the research. As to the results found, the overall University sustainability rate was 48%, which can be classified as regular, that is, it aims to deal with the legislation only. Therefore, it is believed that the institution can make improvements to achieve a more efficient index. By taking into consideration the deficit items, the following is suggested: to introduce sustainable procurement; to strive for stamps and certifications; to avoid environmental fines and indemnity; and to implement environmental auditing. However, it is clarified that these are suggestions that should be taken into consideration along with financial matters and within the institution planning questions. The analysis of financial sustainability was considered good and, ideally, it will go on.

Finding synergy between local competitiveness and global sustainability to provide a future to nuclear energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van Den Durpel, Luc; Yacout, Abdellatif; Wade, Dave

2008-01-01

The world's future energy needs will require a mix of energy conversion technologies matched to the local energy market needs while also responding to both local and global socio-political concerns, e.g. energy security, environmental impact, safety and non-proliferation. There is growing recognition worldwide that nuclear energy should not only be part of the solution but maybe as well play a larger share in future's energy supply. The sustainability of future nuclear energy systems is hereby important and a variety of studies have already shown that sustainability of nuclear energy from a resource perspective is achievable via the nuclear fuel cycle though where economic sustainability is essentially defined by the nuclear power plants. The main challenge in deploying sustainable nuclear energy systems will be to find synergies between this local competitiveness of nuclear power plants and the global resource sustainability defined via the nuclear fuel cycle. Both may go hand-in-hand in the long-term but may need government guidance in starting the transition towards such future sustainable nuclear energy systems. (authors)

Sustainable development, a summit for the future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dessus, B.

2002-01-01

The Johannesburg summit, which took place at the end of the summer of 2002, was the opportunity to spread out to the large public worldwide the notion of sustainable development, a notion that remained confidential so far. It was also a good opportunity to show that the share of energy resources is a vital point for the future. The institute of energy and environment of the French-speaking world has published a huge dossier which takes stock of the overall questions raised by the summit and answered by French-speaking experts. This article reprints some large extracts of two contributions devoted to the energy and its key role in the sustainable development. The first contribution deals with the four energy stakes of the sustainable development: the energy and the fight against poverty, the mastery of energy demand, the development of renewable energy sources, and the nuclear question. The second contribution treats of the five points of the action plan of the world energy council (CME) for the implementation of a durable energy policy in developing countries. (J.S.)

Sustainable Mobility, Future Fuels, and the Periodic Table

Science.gov (United States)

Wallington, Timothy J.; Anderson, James E.; Siegel, Donald J.; Tamor, Michael A.; Mueller, Sherry A.; Winkler, Sandra L.; Nielsen, Ole J.

2013-01-01

Providing sustainable mobility is a major challenge that will require new vehicle and fuel technologies. Alternative and future fuels are the subject of considerable research and public interest. A simple approach is presented that can be used in science education lectures at the high school or undergraduate level to provide students with an…

3Ecologies: Visualizing sustainability factors and futures

OpenAIRE

Avila, Martin; Carpenter, John; Mazé, Ramia

2010-01-01

‘3Ecologies’ makes visible factors affecting the sustainability of consumer products. Within engineering and economics, there are a variety of models for analyzing and ‘predicting’ the environmental factors such as energy, emissions and waste involved during production, consumption and disposal. We develop an expanded model, which emphasizes human impact and choices as well as potential consequences and futures. Psychological, sociological and environmental factors are mapped over time – thro...

Sustainable Retrofitting of Nordic University Campuses

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Eriksson, Robert; Nenonen, Suvi; Nielsen, Susanne Balslev

2014-01-01

of university campuses as socio-technical systems. Design/methodology/approach State-of-art analysis is conducted using literature review and document analysis. Findings The results identify the trends and challenges on strategic, tactical and operational levels and the three-level roadmap for future campus...

Intangible heritage for sustainable future: mathematics in the paddy field

Science.gov (United States)

Dewanto, Stanley P.; Kusuma, Dianne A.; Nurani Ruchjana, Budi; Setiawan Abdullah, Atje

2017-10-01

Mathematics, as the only general language, can describe all phenomena on earth. Mathematics not only helps us to understand these phenomena, but it also can sustain human activities, consequently ensure that the future development is sustainable. Indonesia, with high cultural diversity, should aware to have its understanding, skills, and philosophies developed by certain societies, with long histories of interaction with their natural surroundings, which will provide a foundation for locally appropriate sustainable development. This paper discussed the condition and situation on certain area in Cigugur, Indonesia, and what skills, knowledge, and concept can be transmitted, regarding simple mathematics (arithmetic). Some examples are provided.

Sustainability and Action Research in Universities: Towards Knowledge for Organisational Transformation

Science.gov (United States)

Wooltorton, Sandra; Wilkinson, Anne; Horwitz, Pierre; Bahn, Sue; Redmond, Janice; Dooley, Julian

2015-01-01

Purpose: Academic approaches to the challenge of enhancing sustainability in research in university contexts illustrate that universities are affected by the very same values and socio-ecological issues they set out to address, making transformation difficult at every level. A theoretical and practical framework designed to facilitate cultural…

Strategic Orientation Towards Sustainable Innovation: A Case Study in a Brazilian University

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mauri Leodir Löbler

2012-07-01

Full Text Available The technological development that results from innovation can lead to considerable environmental impact. Yet, companies and other stakeholders have not done enough to develop strategies for minimizing waste management. The present study contributes to research in this area, by empirically examining the link between the management of technological innovation and sustainability. A case study was carried out to examine the extent to which there is strategic orientation towards both technological innovation and sustainability in a large public university in Brazil. The results show the importance of integrating sustainability activities within the organisation’s corporate strategy: although the researched organisation had sufficient theoretical knowledge about waste management, the lack of an integrated strategy led to uncoordinated attempts at recycling within the university.

Scenarios reveal pathways to sustain future ecosystem services in an agricultural landscape.

Science.gov (United States)

Qiu, Jiangxiao; Carpenter, Stephen R; Booth, Eric G; Motew, Melissa; Zipper, Samuel C; Kucharik, Christopher J; Chen, Xi; Loheide, Steven P; Seifert, Jenny; Turner, Monica G

2018-01-01

Sustaining food production, water quality, soil retention, flood, and climate regulation in agricultural landscapes is a pressing global challenge given accelerating environmental changes. Scenarios are stories about plausible futures, and scenarios can be integrated with biophysical simulation models to explore quantitatively how the future might unfold. However, few studies have incorporated a wide range of drivers (e.g., climate, land-use, management, population, human diet) in spatially explicit, process-based models to investigate spatial-temporal dynamics and relationships of a portfolio of ecosystem services. Here, we simulated nine ecosystem services (three provisioning and six regulating services) at 220 × 220 m from 2010 to 2070 under four contrasting scenarios in the 1,345-km 2 Yahara Watershed (Wisconsin, USA) using Agro-IBIS, a dynamic model of terrestrial ecosystem processes, biogeochemistry, water, and energy balance. We asked (1) How does ecosystem service supply vary among alternative future scenarios? (2) Where on the landscape is the provision of ecosystem services most susceptible to future social-ecological changes? (3) Among alternative future scenarios, are relationships (i.e., trade-offs, synergies) among food production, water, and biogeochemical services consistent over time? Our results showed that food production varied substantially with future land-use choices and management, and its trade-offs with water quality and soil retention persisted under most scenarios. However, pathways to mitigate or even reverse such trade-offs through technological advances and sustainable agricultural practices were apparent. Consistent relationships among regulating services were identified across scenarios (e.g., trade-offs of freshwater supply vs. flood and climate regulation, and synergies among water quality, soil retention, and climate regulation), suggesting opportunities and challenges to sustaining these services. In particular, proactive

Strategies for Financing Universal Basic Education for Sustainable National Development in Nigeria

Science.gov (United States)

Abdullahi, N. J. K.; Abdulkareem, A. Y.

2017-01-01

This study investigated strategies of financing universal basic education for sustainable national development by school managers in North-Central Zone, Nigeria. Specifically the purpose was to determine the relationship between commercial based income and sustainable national development as well as to examine the relationship between agricultural…

Opportunities and challenges for a sustainable energy future.

Science.gov (United States)

Chu, Steven; Majumdar, Arun

2012-08-16

Access to clean, affordable and reliable energy has been a cornerstone of the world's increasing prosperity and economic growth since the beginning of the industrial revolution. Our use of energy in the twenty-first century must also be sustainable. Solar and water-based energy generation, and engineering of microbes to produce biofuels are a few examples of the alternatives. This Perspective puts these opportunities into a larger context by relating them to a number of aspects in the transportation and electricity generation sectors. It also provides a snapshot of the current energy landscape and discusses several research and development opportunities and pathways that could lead to a prosperous, sustainable and secure energy future for the world.

Mapping a sustainable future: Community learning in dialogue at the science-society interface

Science.gov (United States)

Barth, Matthias; Lang, Daniel J.; Luthardt, Philip; Vilsmaier, Ulli

2017-12-01

In 2015, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) announced that the Science Year 2015 would focus on the "City of the Future". It called for innovative projects from cities and communities in Germany dedicated to exploring future options and scenarios for sustainable development. Among the successful respondents was the city of Lüneburg, located in the north of Germany, which was awarded funding to establish a community learning project to envision a sustainable future ("City of the Future Lüneburg 2030+"). What made Lüneburg's approach unique was that the city itself initiated the project and invited a broad range of stakeholders to participate in a community learning process for sustainable development. The authors of this article use the project as a blueprint for sustainable city development. Presenting a reflexive case study, they report on the process and outcomes of the project and investigate community learning processes amongst different stakeholders as an opportunity for transformative social learning. They discuss outputs and outcomes (intended as well as unintended) in relation to the specific starting points of the project to provide a context-sensitive yet rich narrative of the case and to overcome typical criticisms of case studies in the field.

Transformative Learning for a Sustainable Future: An Exploration of Pedagogies for Change at an Alternative College

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joanna Blake

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Educators and policy makers have long recognised the central role that education can play in creating a more sustainable and equitable world. Yet some question whether current processes across mainstream higher education prepare learners sufficiently to graduate with the capabilities or motivation to shape and create a future that is life-sustaining. This paper presents findings from a qualitative research project carried out by Plymouth University in association with Schumacher College, Devon, UK. Schumacher College is an alternative, civil society college, owned by the Dartington Hall Trust that claims to provide transformative learning opportunities within a broad context of sustainability. The study explored the nature and application of transformative learning as a pedagogical approach to advance change towards sustainability. If learners claimed transformational learning experiences, the research asked whether, and to what extent, this transformation could be attributed to the pedagogies employed at the College. The paper begins by setting out the broad background to the relationship between marginal and mainstream educational settings, and definitions and theoretical underpinnings of transformative learning, and then leads into the research design and findings. The potential for transformative pedagogies to be applied to and employed within the wider higher education (HE sector is then discussed, and the overall findings and conclusions are presented.

LAWS AND PRINCIPLES OF UNIVERSAL VALUE IN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT INDICATORS ANALYSIS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andreea CONSTANTINESCU

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Each extension of the scope of laws and principles that allow both mathematical and statistical remodeling as well as reaffirming the appropriateness of proven methods, stirs up a special study interest. The ever-expanding computational power of laws of power offers to the scientific universe possibility of new approach to the crucial relationship between quantity and quality, between micro and macro dimensions. Boosting broadening the use of quasi-universal value theories in research in order to deepen the analysis of sustainable development indicators can lead to a greater understanding of all aspects of this area and to facilitate understanding of the arguments which underlie any responsible decision making. This assumption underlies the logical conclusion that sustainability becomes even stronger as it benefits from scientific arguments support resulting from research. Although we have confined ourselves in drafting some coordinates for application of each method presented to particular issues of sustainable development, this research theme will be strengthened and pursued through appropriate extensive analysis.

NASA Ames Sustainability Initiatives: Aeronautics, Space Exploration, and Sustainable Futures

Science.gov (United States)

Grymes, Rosalind A.

2015-01-01

In support of the mission-specific challenges of aeronautics and space exploration, NASA Ames produces a wealth of research and technology advancements with significant relevance to larger issues of planetary sustainability. NASA research on NexGen airspace solutions and its development of autonomous and intelligent technologies will revolutionize both the nation's air transporation systems and have applicability to the low altitude flight economy and to both air and ground transporation, more generally. NASA's understanding of the Earth as a complex of integrated systems contributes to humanity's perception of the sustainability of our home planet. Research at NASA Ames on closed environment life support systems produces directly applicable lessons on energy, water, and resource management in ground-based infrastructure. Moreover, every NASA campus is a 'city'; including an urbanscape and a workplace including scientists, human relations specialists, plumbers, engineers, facility managers, construction trades, transportation managers, software developers, leaders, financial planners, technologists, electricians, students, accountants, and even lawyers. NASA is applying the lessons of our mission-related activities to our urbanscapes and infrastructure, and also anticipates a leadership role in developing future environments for living and working in space.

Awareness of Climate Change and Sustainable Development among Undergraduates from Two Selected Universities in Oyo State, Nigeria

Science.gov (United States)

Agboola, Omowunmi Sola; Emmanuel, Michael

2016-01-01

This study investigated awareness of climate change and sustainable development among undergraduates in two universities: University of Ibadan, Ibadan and Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso in Oyo State of Nigeria. This was aimed at increasing the knowledge of undergraduates on climate change and sustainable development. The study…

Sustainable sludge management - what are the challenges for the future?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rulkens, Wim H.

2003-07-01

Sewage sludge is a serious problem due to the high treatment costs and the risks to environment and human health. Future sludge treatment will be progressively focused on an improved efficiency and environmental sustainability of the process. In this context a survey is given of most relevant sludge treatment options and separate treatment steps. Special attention is paid to those processes that are simultaneously focused on the elimination of the risks for environment and human health and on the recovery or beneficial use of the valuable compounds in the sludge such as organic carbon compounds, inorganic non-toxic substances, phosphorous and nitrogen containing compounds. Also, a brief assessment is given of the specific future technological developments regarding the various treatment steps. Furthermore, it is discussed how to assess the various pathways which can lead to the required developments. In such an assessment the technical and economic feasibility, the environmental sustainability, the societal acceptance and the implementation route are important factors. The optimal approach also strongly depends on the local and regional situation of concern and the relevant current and future boundary conditions. (author)

Nuclear fuel cycle and sustainable development: strategies for the future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bouchard, J.

2004-01-01

In this presentation, the author aims to define the major role of the nuclear energy in the future, according a sustainable development scenario. The today aging park and the new Generation IV technologies are presented. The transition scenario from Pu mono-recycling in PWRs to actinide global recycling in fast neutron Gen IV systems is also developed. Closed cycles and fast reactors appear as the appropriate answer to sustainable objectives in a vision of a large expansion. (A.L.B.)

Chicago Clean Air, Clean Water Project: Environmental Monitoring for a Healthy, Sustainable Urban Future

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

none, none; Tuchman, Nancy [Institute of Environmental Sustainability (IES), Chicago, IL (United States)

2015-11-11

The U.S. Department of Energy awarded Loyola University Chicago and the Institute of Environmental Sustainability (IES) $486,000.00 for the proposal entitled “Chicago clean air, clean water project: Environmental monitoring for a healthy, sustainable urban future.” The project supported the purchase of analytical instruments for the development of an environmental analytical laboratory. The analytical laboratory is designed to support the testing of field water and soil samples for nutrients, industrial pollutants, heavy metals, and agricultural toxins, with special emphasis on testing Chicago regional soils and water affected by coal-based industry. Since the award was made in 2010, the IES has been launched (fall 2013), and the IES acquired a new state-of-the-art research and education facility on Loyola University Chicago’s Lakeshore campus. Two labs were included in the research and education facility. The second floor lab is the Ecology Laboratory where lab experiments and analyses are conducted on soil, plant, and water samples. The third floor lab is the Environmental Toxicology Lab where lab experiments on environmental toxins are conducted, as well as analytical tests conducted on water, soil, and plants. On the south end of the Environmental Toxicology Lab is the analytical instrumentation collection purchased from the present DOE grant, which is overseen by a full time Analytical Chemist (hired January 2016), who maintains the instruments, conducts analyses on samples, and helps to train faculty and undergraduate and graduate student researchers.

Planning for a Sustainable Future of the Cincinnati Union Terminal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None, None

2012-04-30

The Cincinnati Museum Center invited a number of local stakeholders, political leaders, nationally and internationally recognized design professionals and the Design Team, that has been engaged to help shape the future of this remarkable resource, to work together in a Workshop that would begin to shape a truly sustainable future for both the Museum and its home, the Union Terminal, one of the most significant buildings in America. This report summarizes and highlights the discussions that took place during the Workshop and presents recommendations for shaping a direction and a framework for the future.

Sustainability Science Needs Sustainable Data!

Science.gov (United States)

Downs, R. R.; Chen, R. S.

2013-12-01

infrastructures will reduce dependencies on changing priorities and sponsorship that may not continue. Implementing community-based appraisal criteria and selection procedures for data will ensure that limited resources for long-term data management are applied efficiently to data likely to have the most enduring value. Encouraging producers to provide rights for open access to data will support their replication, reuse, integration, and application in a range of SS research and applications in both the near and long term. Identifying modest changes to current data preparation activities to meet preservation goals should reduce expensive post-hoc data and documentation rescue efforts. The NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC), an active archive in the NASA Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS), established the SEDAC Long-Term Archive (LTA) in collaboration with the Columbia University Libraries to preserve selected data and information resources for future access and use. A case study of the LTA shows how archives can be organized to foster sustainable data stewardship in a university environment. Lessons learned from the organization planning and the preparation, appraisal, and selection of data for the LTA are described along with enhancements that have been applied to data management by the active archive.

Sustainability, the Next Generation Science Standards, and the Education of Future Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Egger, Anne E.; Kastens, Kim A.; Turrin, Margaret K.

2017-01-01

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) emphasize how human activities affect the Earth and how Earth processes impact humans, placing the concept of sustainability within the Earth and Space Sciences. We ask: how prepared are future teachers to address sustainability and systems thinking as encoded in the NGSS? And how can geoscientists…

The Future of Education: Innovations Needed to Meet the Sustainable Development Goals

Science.gov (United States)

Pota, Vikas

2017-01-01

In autumn 2015, the world's governments came together to agree to 17 ambitious Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which promised to overcome a vast array of problems--from poverty and hunger to health and gender equality--by 2030. The UNESCO report "Education for People and Planet: Creating Sustainable Futures for All" charted the…

Establishment of sustainable health science for future generations: from a hundred years ago to a hundred years in the future.

Science.gov (United States)

Mori, Chisato; Todaka, Emiko

2009-01-01

Recently, we have investigated the relationship between environment and health from a scientific perspective and developed a new academic field, "Sustainable Health Science" that will contribute to creating a healthy environment for future generations. There are three key points in Sustainable Heath Science. The first key point is "focusing on future generations"-society should improve the environment and prevent possible adverse health effects on future generations (Environmental Preventive Medicine). The second key point is the "precautious principle". The third key point is "transdisciplinary science", which means that not only medical science but also other scientific fields, such as architectural and engineering science, should be involved. Here, we introduce our recent challenging project "Chemiless Town Project", in which a model town is under construction with fewer chemicals. In the project, a trial of an education program and a health-examination system of chemical exposure is going to be conducted. In the future, we are aiming to establish health examination of exposure to chemicals of women of reproductive age so that the risk of adverse health effects to future generations will decrease and they can enjoy a better quality of life. We hope that society will accept the importance of forming a sustainable society for future generations not only with regard to chemicals but also to the whole surrounding environment. As the proverb of American native people tells us, we should live considering the effects on seven generations in the future.

Beyond access: a case study on the intersection between accessibility, sustainability, and universal design.

Science.gov (United States)

Gossett, Andrea; Mirza, Mansha; Barnds, Ann Kathleen; Feidt, Daisy

2009-11-01

A growing emphasis has been placed on providing equal opportunities for all people, particularly people with disabilities, to support participation. Barriers to participation are represented in part by physical space restrictions. This article explores the decision-making process during the construction of a new office building housing a disability-rights organization. The building project featured in this study was developed on the principles of universal design, maximal accessibility, and sustainability to support access and participation. A qualitative case study approach was used involving collection of data through in-depth interviews with key decision-makers; non-participant observations at design meetings; and on-site tours. Qualitative thematic analysis along with the development of a classification system was used to understand specific building elements and the relevant decision processes from which they resulted. Recording and analyzing the design process revealed several key issues including grassroots involvement of stakeholders; interaction between universal design and sustainable design; addressing diversity through flexibility and universality; and segregationist accessibility versus universal design. This case study revealed complex interactions between accessibility, universal design, and sustainability. Two visual models were proposed to understand and analyze these complexities.

FOOD SECURITY, NUTRITION AND SUSTAINABILITY AT RESTAURANT UNIVERSITY

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Thainara Araujo Franklin

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Healthy eating is one of the factors that may influence the establishment of the health of an individual and the health quality of food consumed. Faced with the daily rush, with long days of activities, a large number of the population uses University restaurants for food. Thus, these sites should pay attention to the variables involved in the process of food production through the use of safe food and adequate nutrition for consumers. For this reason, knowledge of food security and sustainable development condition are relevant for discussion and information about employee training for food handling and conservation of these. Thus, the sanitary conditions and knowledge of restaurant employees on this topic were collected through a questionnaire composed of 18 questions containing information on sociodemographic, food security, nutrition and sustainability. We used the Packcage The Statistical Software for Social Sciences for Windows (SPSS version 21.0 for tabulation and analysis of data. It was found that most employees responded correctly to questions relating to hygiene and sanitary practices and have knowledge about the sustainable development of the restaurant.

Violência e desenvolvimento sustentável: o papel da universidade Violence and sustainable development: the role of the university

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Graziela Aline Hartmann Zottis

2008-09-01

Full Text Available Este é um trabalho de natureza ensaística, resultado de reflexões sobre o desenvolvimento sustentável e a sua conexão com as ações de extensão universitárias e a violência. Discute as quatro dimensões básicas do desenvolvimento sustentável - a ética, a temporal, a social e a prática - e os princípios éticos da sustentabilidade, necessários para uma cultura de paz. Propõe uma nova práxis universitária, em que a departamentalização da instituição seja repensada a fim de abrir espaço para a construção de um ambiente de atuação transdisciplinar, formador de profissionais preparados para um futuro sustentável. Apresenta um serviço da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS, que, por meio da ação de extensão Projeto Proteger, estuda o comportamento violento e age para diminuir efetivamente a violência. Conclui que é papel da universidade formar profissionais em compasso com os valores do desenvolvimento sustentável, preparados para agir de forma ética e responsável com os recursos naturais e humanos, capazes de entender e interagir com a complexidade de problemas como a pobreza, as desigualdades sociais e a violência, que ameaçam os direitos humanos e as futuras gerações.This paper is an essay that resulted from reflections on sustainable development and its connections with university extension programs and violence. The paper discusses the four extents of sustainable development - ethical, temporal, social, and practical and the ethical principles of sustainability, essential for a culture of peace. It proposes a new praxis in the university to reevaluate the institution departmentalization, in order to open space for the construction of a cross-disciplinary environment which will produce graduates prepared for a sustainable future. It introduces an extension program of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS, which studies violent behavior and acts to decrease the problem effectively

Capacity Development and Strengthening for Energy Policy formulation and implementation of Sustainable Energy Projects in Indonesia CASINDO. Deliverable No. 17. Development of Education Programs at Indonesian Universities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wijnker, M. [Eindhoven University of Technology TUE, Eindhoven (Netherlands)

2011-08-15

The overall objective of the CASINDO programme is to establish a self-sustaining and self-developing structure at both the national and regional level to build and strengthen human capacity to enable the provinces of North Sumatra, Yogyakarta, Central Java, West Nusa Tenggara and Papua to formulate sound policies for renewable energy and energy efficiency and to develop and implement sustainable energy projects. All five Indonesian partner universities managed to develop and implement an education program within the timeline of the CASINDO project. UMY (Muhammadiyah University of Yogyakarta, Indonesia), UNRAM (University of Mataram, Mataram, Indonesia) and UNCEN (Cenderawasih University, Jayapura, Papua, Indonesia) have chosen to develop a certificate program. UNDIP (Diponegoro University in Semarang, Java, Indonesia) and USU (University of Sumatra Utara, Medan, Indonesia) have both developed a master program in sustainable energy. UNDIP has already discussed the proposal of their master program with the Ministry of Education and will have to make some improvements. USU will first start the program as a specialisation within the Mechanical Engineering department and in some time continues to make it an independent master program. At all universities both contact persons and lecturers have put a lot of effort in developing the programs and succeeded. Additionally, through CASINDO a network of lecturers between the universities has developed, which will ease future cooperation, after the CASINDO project will have finished.

Epidemiology of rugby injuries sustained by Free State University ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Background Rugby results in more hospitalisations and visits to the emergency rooms of hospitals than any other sport. It is also the sport with the highest injury rate. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence and profile of the rugby injuries that were sustained by hostel-league rugby players at the University of the ...

Sustainability in Teaching: An Evaluation of University Teachers and Students

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rosa María Brito

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Since the 1970s, interest in caring for the environment has gained traction and the environmental education movement has gained momentum. The Talloires Declaration was the first document to incorporate sustainable development into higher education. After that, higher education institutions assumed the social responsibility of training human resources with a sustainable vision. This study aimed to contribute to the design of indicators that could be used to evaluate the efficacy of the sustainability taught at the Universidad Autónoma de Guerrero (Autonomous University of Guerrero in Mexico. We administered a survey to 63 teachers and 511 students from four academic units in high schools, and undergraduate and postgraduate programs. The answers were analyzed using the F-test and the variable descriptions. For the environmental, social and economic indicators, the satisfaction levels of teachers and students were more positive in graduate and undergraduate programs than in the high school. To determine the efficacy of the teaching function in terms of sustainable education, as well as to fulfill the commitments acquired to achieve sustainability, institutional processes need to be strengthened.

Universities in capacity building in sustainable development: focus on solid waste management and technology.

Science.gov (United States)

Agamuthu, P; Hansen, Jens Aage

2007-06-01

This paper analyses some of the higher education and research capacity building experiences gained from 1998-2006 by Danish and Malaysian universities. The focus is on waste management, directly relating to both the environmental and socio-economic dimensions of sustainable development. Primary benefits, available as an educational legacy to universities, were obtained in terms of new and enhanced study curricula established on Problem-oriented Project-based Learning (POPBL) pedagogy, which strengthened academic environmental programmes at Malaysian and Danish universities. It involved more direct and mutually beneficial cooperation between academia and businesses in both countries. This kind of university reach-out is considered vital to development in all countries actively striving for global and sustainable development. Supplementary benefits were accrued for those involved directly in activities such as the 4 months of field studies, workshops, field courses and joint research projects. For students and academics, the gains have been new international dimensions in university curricula, enhanced career development and research collaboration based on realworld cases. It is suggested that the area of solid waste management offers opportunities for much needed capacity building in higher education and research, contributing to sustainable waste management on a global scale. Universities should be more actively involved in such educational, research and innovation programmes to make the necessary progress. ISWA can support capacity building activities by utilizing its resources--providing a lively platform for debate, securing dissemination of new knowledge, and furthering international networking beyond that which universities already do by themselves. A special challenge to ISWA may be to improve national and international professional networks between academia and business, thereby making education, research and innovation the key driving mechanisms in

Teaching Sustainable Entrepreneurship to Engineering Students: The Case of Delft University of Technology

Science.gov (United States)

Bonnet, Hans; Quist, Jaco; Hoogwater, Daan; Spaans, Johan; Wehrmann, Caroline

2006-01-01

Sustainability, enhancement of personal skills, social aspects of technology, management and entrepreneurship are of increasing concern for engineers and therefore for engineering education. In 1996 at Delft University of Technology this led to the introduction of a subject on sustainable entrepreneurship and technology in the course programmes of…

Sustaining Community-University Partnerships: Lessons learned from a participatory research project with elderly Chinese

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XinQi Dong

2011-11-01

Full Text Available The strength of community-engaged research has been well documented in public health literature. It is recognised as a useful approach for eliminating health disparities by linking research and practice. While the framework of community-engaged research encompasses a broad range of research collaborations, community-based participatory research (CBPR places most emphasis on involving the community as a full, equitable partner throughout the collaboration. Despite growing interest in and demand for community-university partnerships, less attention is given to the issue of partnership sustainability. The purpose of this article is to present the challenges faced in sustaining a community-university partnership when conducting a CBPR project with an elderly Chinese population in Chicago’s Chinatown. Lessons and strategies learned from the cultural and linguistic complexities of the Chinese community are also detailed. In addition, based on a well-accepted sustainability conceptual framework, we reflect on the initial stage, mid-term actions and long-term goals of developing partnership sustainability. Working with the Chinese community required trust and respect for its unique cultural values and diversity. The cultural, social and environmental contexts within which the partnership operated served as critical forces for long-term sustainability: a culturally sensitive approach is instrumental in sustaining community-university partnership. Also discussed are the significant implications for evidence-based, impact-driven partnerships to develop culturally appropriate strategies to meet the needs of diverse populations. Keywords Community-based participatory research, community health partnerships, health promotion, Chinese Americans, ageing

Building Sustainability Change Management and Leadership Skills in Students: Lessons Learned from "Sustainability and the Campus" at the University of Michigan

Science.gov (United States)

Shriberg, Michael; Harris, Kathryn

2012-01-01

Leading institutions of higher education are increasingly utilizing the campus as a laboratory not only for implementing "green projects" but also for developing the skill set of students to lead the deep organizational change necessary for sustainability. This case study of "Sustainability and the Campus" at the University of…

Educating Professionals for Sustainable Futures

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Hille Janhonen-Abruquah

2018-02-01

Full Text Available The recent discourse on sustainability science calls for interdisciplinary research. The home economics science approach ranges from individual actions to the involvement of communities and societies at large, and thus it can provide important perspectives on cultural sustainability. The aim of the research is to study the linkage between cultural sustainability and service sector education to support the creation of sustainable professions. In the present small-scale empirical study, the food service degree curriculum of a Finnish vocational college and teachers’ group interview data were analyzed to find how cultural sustainability is presented in the curriculum and how it is understood by teachers and integrated into teaching practices. Previous cultural sustainability research identifies four perspectives of cultural sustainability: (1 vitality of cultural traditions; (2 economic starting point; (3 diversity together with maintenance of local culture; and (4 possible influence on the balance between human actions and environment. Findings indicate that sustainability, including cultural sustainability, is integrated in the curriculum and considered important by teachers. Translating these into practice remains a challenge. The balance between human and nature was mostly understood as recycling, use of public transport, sustainable consumption, and taking trips to the nature nearby. Cultural sustainability as a concept is not well known, although themes such as multicultural issues, equality, charity, and environmental responsibility were included in teachers’ practical lessons daily. Feasts and celebrations in learning were opportunities to view cultural sustainability widely. This paper provides a way forward for the teachers to develop further their pedagogical practices.

Sustainability and Convergence: The Future of Corporate Governance Systems?

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Daniela M. Salvioni

2016-11-01

Full Text Available In today’s world, a sustainable approach to corporate governance can be a source of competitive advantage and a long-term success factor for any firm. Sustainable governance requires that the board of directors considers economic, social and environmental expectations in an integrated way, no matter what ownership structure and formal rules of corporate governance apply to the company: this mitigates the traditional differences between insider and outsider systems of corporate governance. Previous studies failed to consider the contribution of sustainability in the process of corporate governance convergence. Therefore, the aim of this article is to fill the gap in the existing literature by means of a qualitative analysis, supporting the international debate about convergence of corporate governance systems. The article describes the evolution of outsider and insider systems in the light of the increasing importance of sustainability in the board’s decision-making and firm’s operation to satisfy the needs of all the company’s stakeholders. According to this, a qualitative content analysis developed with a directed approach completes the theoretical discussion, demonstrating that sustainability can bring de facto convergence between outsider and insider corporate governance systems. The article aims to be a theoretical starting point for future research, the findings of which could also have practical implications: the study encourages the policy makers to translate the sustainable business best practices into laws and recommendations, strengthening the mutual influence between formal and substantial convergence.

A future task for health-promotion research: Integration of health promotion and sustainable development.

Science.gov (United States)

Jelsøe, Erling; Thualagant, Nicole; Holm, Jesper; Kjærgård, Bente; Andersen, Heidi Myglegård; From, Ditte-Marie; Land, Birgit; Pedersen, Kirsten Bransholm

2018-02-01

Based on previous studies and reflections collected from participants in a workshop at the 8th Nordic Health Promotion Research Network conference, we reveal current tendencies and discuss future challenges for health-promotion research regarding integration of sustainable development principles. Despite obvious interfaces and interactions between the two, our contention is that strategies for health promotion are not sufficiently integrated with strategies for sustainable development and that policies aimed at solving health or sustainability problems may therefore cause new, undesired and unforeseen environmental and health problems. As illustrated in previous research and as deliberated in the above-mentioned workshop, a number of barriers are identified. These are believed to be related to historical segregation, the conceptual understandings of health promotion and sustainable development, as well as the politics and implementation of policy goals in both areas. Three focal points are proposed as important challenges to address in future research: (a) the duality of health promotion and sustainability and how it can be handled in order to enhance mutually supportive processes between them; (b) the social dimension of sustainability and how it can be strengthened in the development of strategies for health promotion and sustainable development; and (c) exploring and identifying policy approaches and strategies for integrating health promotion and sustainable development.

Bridges to Global Citizenship: Ecologically Sustainable Futures Utilising Children's Literature in Teacher Education

Science.gov (United States)

Bradbery, Debbie

2013-01-01

Developing an understanding of the importance of a sustainable future is vital in helping children to become "global citizens". Global citizens are those willing to take responsibility for their own actions, respect and value diversity and see themselves as contributors to a more peaceful and sustainable world. Children's…

Delineating a sustainable future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, Lester R

1996-01-01

The expression Develop Sustainable of wide use today in day is used among national political leaders and among environmentalists. The sustainable economy from the environmental point of view is that that obeys the basic principles or laws of the sustainability; principles so real as those of the aerodynamic one or those of the thermodynamic. If somebody intends, for example, to design an airplane, it will have to be adjusted to the aerodynamic principles and to print to the apparatus a certain stability degree so that it can fly. In the same way, an economic system environmentally sustainable it must respond to the balance principles if it doesn't want to be condemned to the failure. The fundamental laws or sustainability principles are as rigorous as the aerodynamic laws. The society can violate these laws in the short term; but not long term. As well as an airplane can lose height in a brief lapse without falling; the economy can violate the principles of the sustainability in the short term without collapsing. Among of the sustainability principles figure the following: long term; the extinction of species cannot exceed the evolution of the species; the soil erosion cannot exceed the soils formation; the destruction of forests cannot exceed the regeneration of the forests; the emissions of carbon cannot exceed the fixation of carbon; the fishing cannot exceed the regenerative capacity of the banks of fish and, in the human land, the morbidity cannot exceed the mortality. The author also speaks of the disappearance of species, ozone layer, stability of the climate, earth, water fertilizers and alimentary systems among others

Indonesian Private University Lecturer Performance Improvement Model to Improve a Sustainable Organization Performance

Science.gov (United States)

Suryaman

2018-01-01

Lecturer performance will affect the quality and carrying capacity of the sustainability of an organization, in this case the university. There are many models developed to measure the performance of teachers, but not much to discuss the influence of faculty performance itself towards sustainability of an organization. This study was conducted in…

Policy and advice for a sustainable energy future. The Netherlands

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van der Werff, T.T.

2000-01-01

The VROM Council offered to host a workshop (27-28 October 2000) for a group of European environmental advisory bodies. This meeting is meant as a kick-off for a working group on energy and climate change. The workshop may help to develop standpoints of the advisory bodies on the basis of shared knowledge of problem perceptions and proposed solutions in other EU countries. This may increase the common denominator and thus promote common EU policies. The proposed title for this workshop is: Reconciling a sustainable energy future with the liberalisation and privatisation of the European energy market One of the participating councils from each country is expected to draft a report on the policies directed at a sustainable energy future in their respective countries. These reports should include the following elements of the national policies and relevant proposals of the councils: a brief description of the current energy supply and a lookout on sustainable development in the energy sector; .a description of the liberalisation and privatisation of the energy market, including the institutional reform (government involvement), juridical changes and realisation path and, if applicable, how the share of non fossil energy generation is enlarged; a description of how in the future a sustainable energy supply will be promoted, including (options for) policy strategies, measures and instruments; and a description of the European Union (EU) policy that is conditional for the realisation of these national policies. The VROM Council has asked CE to produce the report for the Netherlands. The report is organised as follows. Chapter 2 gives a brief description of the current Dutch energy and CO2 characteristics. Chapter 3 gives an overview of Dutch energy policy and chapter 4 an overview of Dutch climate policy. The chapters 5-7 give the views of the various councils on energy and climate policy (AER, VROMRaad, and SER). The final chapter, chapter 8, gives some suggestions for

Will the Future Be Greener? The Environmental Behavioral Intentions of University Tourism Students

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Su-Lan Pan

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Sustainable tourism is essential for tourism sector development. Environmentally responsible behaviors and behavioral intentions are important prerequisites for sustainable tourism. This research explores the behavioral intentions of university tourism students and significant factors affecting these behavioral intentions. The questionnaire survey method was applied to university students from the tourism departments of nine universities in Taiwan. A total of 390 valid questionnaires were collected. The pro-environmental behavioral intentions of the students ranged from moderate to high. Environmental knowledge positively affected behavioral intentions and positively influenced environmental sensitivity and environmental responsibility. Furthermore, environmental sensitivity and environmental responsibility exerted a full effect in mediating the relationship between environmental knowledge and behavioral intentions. Hence, increasing students’ environmental knowledge will enhance their behavioral intentions. However, by improving students’ sensitivity and responsibility, their intentions to protect the environment can be more effectively elevated. Development implications and recommendations for sustainable tourism and higher education are provided.

Finding Sustainability: University-community collaborations focused on arts in health

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Mike White

2011-11-01

Full Text Available This article describes a number of community-based arts in health projects in schools and disadvantaged communities in Northern England that connect with the interdisciplinary research interests of the Centre for Medical Humanities at Durham University (www.dur.ac.uk/cmh. It examines issues about what makes for sustainability in both practice and research of arts in health when operating from a university base and stresses the importance of relationship-based work in health promotion interventions in communities. It attempts to set arts development work in the policy context of how community health has been addressed over the last decade. It provides both practical and metaphorical illustrations of how community cohesion and emotional literacy can be developed and recognised in schools and communities when supported by ethnographic research that is underpinned by theories of social capital, resilience and participatory arts practice. The significance that the artwork can attain as a social gift, with a special meaning for its creators, is examined from an anthropological perspective. Looking historically and comparatively at some longitudinal projects in community-based arts in health, the article assesses what makes for both success and failure in practice, and looks particularly at the significance of the arts in helping to deliver strategies for improving child health and education. In a strategic development context, explanation is given of several strands of university-community collaboration in arts in health, with interlinked project examples drawn from Tyneside and West Yorkshire. Finally, the article looks at the prospects for sustaining arts in health within the coming transfer of the public health function to local government. Keywords Sustainability, arts in community health, resilience, child mental health, social capital

An image-based multi-criteria assessment of sustainable redevelopment plans of a university campus

NARCIS (Netherlands)

João, Romão; Nijkamp, Peter; Van Leeuwen, Eveline; Karima, Kourtit; Ozasa, Takao; Ikegami, Maki

2015-01-01

The concept of sustainability is increasingly applied in urban facilities planning, including a University campus. A campus can essentially be seen as a living laboratory for the development of ecologically-benign practices connected to the social interactions of an academic environment. Sustainable

Sustainability - What are the Odds? Guessing the Future of our Environment, Economy, and Society

Science.gov (United States)

This article examines the concept of sustainability from a global perspective, describing how alternative futures might develop in the environmental, economic, and social dimensions. The alternatives to sustainability appear to be (a) a catastrophic failure of life support, econo...

Creating and Sustaining a Culture of Excellence: Insights from Accomplished University Team-Sport Coaches

Science.gov (United States)

Donoso-Morales, Daniela; Bloom, Gordon A.; Caron, Jeffrey G.

2017-01-01

Purpose: Winning several national championships is an extraordinary feat that very few university coaches have accomplished. The objective of this study was to investigate how some of Canada's most accomplished university team-sport coaches created and sustained a culture of excellence in their programs. Method: Six university coaches who had won…

The Luneburg Sustainable University Project in International Comparison: An Assessment against North American Peers

Science.gov (United States)

Beringer, Almut

2007-01-01

Purpose: To assess the Luneburg Sustainable University Project (the Project) in a non-European international context; to relate the project scholarly approach to selected scholarly and practice-oriented North American sustainability in higher education (SHE) methods; to analyze project innovations against North American initiatives.…

75 FR 9747 - Promoting Excellence, Innovation, and Sustainability at Historically Black Colleges and Universities

Science.gov (United States)

2010-03-03

... Part V The President Executive Order 13532--Promoting Excellence, Innovation, and Sustainability..., Innovation, and Sustainability at Historically Black Colleges and Universities By the authority vested in me... the Secretary shall appoint a senior official to report directly to the department or agency head with...

Perspective on the French closed fuel cycle: Open towards energy future and sustainability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tinturier, Bernard; Debes, Michel; Delbecq, Jean-Michel

2006-01-01

Energy sustainability and nuclear energy nowadays are far reaching issues with many implications and as a consequence, any long term sustainable strategy needs to be flexible. In France, nuclear energy (427 TWh in 2004, 80% of national electricity production) is a major asset for clean electricity production and for meeting Kyoto protocol objective in France. The decision to build a future EPR reactor in France has been taken. Regarding back end and fuel cycle, the current reprocessing and recycling strategy, with the existing industrial system (Cogema La Hague and Melox), has proven to be reliable and efficient. It enables to meet sustainability requirements, now and in the long run: ensuring a good management of high level waste through vitrification, reducing the amount of nuclear spent fuel in interim storage, recycling valuable nuclear material (Pu), keeping the possibility to use Pu concentrated in MOX spent fuel to start FBR in the future. To maintain this possibility for the far future, EDF considers that the Generation IV program is of major importance in order to develop future fast reactors able to use plutonium and to ensure a full utilization of uranium resource, while optimizing high level waste management. EDF strategy is to keep the nuclear option open in the future, with a two-steps approach for the renewal of the current nuclear fleet: first, around 2020, with the launching of generation III reactors like EPR, and second, depending on the energy demand, launching of Generation IV systems, around 2040 or beyond. To meet this energy prospect, R and D efforts must be devoted to fast breeder reactors (sodium cooled, which benefits already from industrial experience, and gas cooled, under consideration for R and D). Globally, this strategy is open to future progress and optimisation as needed to meet long term energy sustainability. It appears the necessity of a good consistency between all the components of the nuclear system: reactors, fuel cycle

Ethics and answers engineering efficiency for a sustainable future

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hamilton, J.M.

2000-07-01

Speech on some perspectives in the USA including a few facts on energy usage; value of ethics in energy conservation; challenges for ITT to develop leadership and concepts of partnership and benefits to do everything in our power to create a sustainable environment and secure the future for generations to come. Therefore it is a good business to save energy and protect the environment.(GL)

Universities' Contributions to Sustainable Development's Social Challenge : A Case Study of a Social Innovation Practice

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Juliani, Douglas; Silva, Ania; Cunha, Jorge; Benneworth, Paul Stephen

2017-01-01

There is an increasing recognition that dealing with sustainable development need to address the social structures that encourage unsustainable economic and environmental practices. Universities represent important sources of knowledge for addressing sustainable development, but there has been

Science for a sustainable future

CERN Multimedia

2013-01-01

Today we had a visit from Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations. This is Mr Ban’s second visit to our laboratory, but his first since CERN was granted Observer status at the United Nations General Assembly last December. It therefore gave us our first opportunity to discuss joint initiatives already under way.   Our discussions focused on CERN’s contribution to science-related UN activities, and in particular those of the UN’s Economic and Social Council, ECOSOC, whose focus for 2013 is on leveraging science, technology, innovation and culture for a sustainable future. CERN will be taking part in ECOSOC meetings in Geneva in July, and we will be contributing on the theme of young women in science to ECOSOC’s Youth Forum on 27 March. Mr Ban and I also discussed the role of the Secretary-General’s recently established science advisory board. During his brief visit, Mr Ban became one of our first visitors to see some of the underg...

Pressure tube reactors and a sustainable energy future: the ultra development path

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duffey, R.

2008-01-01

Nuclear energy must be made available, freely and readily, to help meet world energy needs, concerns over energy price and security of supply, and alleviating the uncertainties over potential climate change. The perspective offered here is a model for others to consider, adopting and adapting using whatever elements fit their own strategies and needs. The underlying philosophy is to retain flexibility in the reactor development, deployment and fuel cycle, while ensuring the principle that customer, energy market, safety, non-proliferation and sustainability needs are all addressed. Canada is the world's largest exporter of uranium, providing about one-third of the world supply for nuclear power reactors. Pressure tube reactors (PTRs), of which CANDU is a prime example, have a major role to play in a sustainable energy future. The inherent fuel cycle flexibility of the PTR offers many technical, resource and sustainability, and economic advantages over other reactor technologies and is the subject of this paper. The design evolution and development intent is to be consistent with improved or enhanced safety, licensing and operating limits, global proliferation concerns, and waste stream reduction, thus enabling sustainable energy futures. The limits are simply those placed by safety, economics and resource availability. (author)

Pressure tube reactors and a sustainable energy future: the ultra development path

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duffey, R.

2008-01-01

Nuclear energy must be made available, freely and readily, to help meet world energy needs, concerns over energy price and security of supply, and alleviating the uncertainties over potential climate change. The perspective offered here is a model for others to consider, adopting and adapting using whatever elements fit their own strategies and needs. The underlying philosophy is to retain flexibility in the reactor development, deployment and fuel cycle, while ensuring the principle that customer, energy market, safety, non-proliferation and sustainability needs are all addressed. Canada is the world's largest exporter of uranium, providing about one-third of the world supply for nuclear power reactors. Pressure tube reactors (PTRs), of which CANDU, is a prime example, have a major role to play in a sustainable energy future. The inherent fuel cycle flexibility of the PTR offers many technical, resource and sustainability and economic advantages over other reactor technologies and is the subject of this paper. The design evolution and development intent is to be consistent with improved or enhanced safety, licensing and operating limits, global proliferation concerns, and waste stream reduction, thus enabling sustainable energy futures. The limits are simply those placed by safety, economics and resource availability. (author)

Mobility, Emotion, and Universality in Future Collaboration

Science.gov (United States)

Chignell, Mark; Hosono, Naotsune; Fels, Deborah; Lottridge, Danielle; Waterworth, John

The Graphical user interface has traditionally supported personal productivity, efficiency, and usability. With computer supported cooperative work, the focus has been on typical people, doing typical work in a highly rational model of interaction. Recent trends towards mobility, and emotional and universal design are extending the user interface paradigm beyond the routine. As computing moves into the hand and away from the desktop, there is a greater need for dealing with emotions and distractions. Busy and distracted people represent a new kind of disability, but one that will be increasingly prevalent. In this panel we examine the current state of the art, and prospects for future collaboration in non-normative computing requirements. This panel draws together researchers who are studying the problems of mobility, emotion and universality. The goal of the panel is to discuss how progress in these areas will change the nature of future collaboration.

The post-2015 delivery of universal and sustainable access to infrastructure services. Working Paper

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Doczi, Julian, Dorr, Tobias; Mason, Nathaniel; Scott, Andrew

2013-06-15

In this new working paper, the authors focus specifically on what would be necessary to achieve High Level Panel-style goals and targets for water, energy and transport, if these were to be eventually adopted by world leaders. In all three cases, much of the advocacy - and the proposed High Level Panel goals - have emphasized the need to strive for universal and sustainable access to at least basic levels of services from these sectors. Many of the proposals for post-2015 goals and targets appear ambitious, but what would it take to achieve them? This paper assesses what is needed to achieve goals for universal and sustainable access to infrastructure, specifically water, energy and transport. Using illustrative goals and targets, the paper reviews the development challenges in each sector, and what will be necessary to overcome the barriers to universal and sustainable access to water, energy and transport infrastructure services, in the areas of governance, finance, capacity development and environmental protection. The paper ends with general conclusions about infrastructure in the post-2015 development agenda.

The role of Carbon Capture and Storage in a future sustainable energy system

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lund, Henrik; Mathiesen, Brian Vad

2012-01-01

systems, the number of utilisation hours of power and CHP plants will have to decrease substantially due to the energy efficiency measures in combination with the inclusion of renewable energy power inputs from wind and similar resources. Consequently, no power or CHP plants exist in future sustainable......This paper presents the results of adding a CCS(Carbon Capture and Storage) plant including an underground CO2 storage to a well described and well documented vision of converting the present Danish fossil based energy system into a future sustainable energy system made by the Danish Society...... huge construction costs with the expectation of long lifetimes. Consequently, the CCS has to operate as part of large-scale power or CHP plants with high utilisation hours for the CCS investment to come even close to being feasible. However, seen in the light of transforming to sustainable energy...

Indicator based sustainability analysis of future energy situation of Santiago de Chile

OpenAIRE

Stelzer, Volker; Quintero, Adriana; Vargas, Luis; Paredes, Gonzalo; Simon, Sonja; Nienhaus, Kristina; Kopfmüller, Jürgen

2014-01-01

Up to now, the Chilean Energy system has fulfilled the energy needs of Santiago de Chile considerably well. However, development trends of the current system impose significant future risks on the energy system. A detailed sustainability analysis of the energy sector of the Metropolitan Region of Santiago de Chile was conducted, using selected energy indicators and a distance-to-target approach. Risks for the sustainable development of the energy sector are detected, such...

A sustainable future for the polar regions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dalal-Clayton, Barry; Wilson, Emma

2008-04-15

The spectre of change is galvanising debate about the future of the poles. Climatic shifts look set to affect both profoundly. As the ice melts, new marine transport routes will open up. The exploitation of natural resources could expand significantly. Further risks include marine acidification, the migration of commercial fish species and coastal erosion. In the Arctic, traditional livelihoods could suffer. Meanwhile, national claims of sovereignty over areas of ocean floor are fuelling fears of a new 'cold war' over access to mineral resources in sensitive environments. Clearly, science alone cannot address the challenges facing the poles: a coherent strategy for sustainable development is urgently needed.

A sustainable future for the polar regions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dalal-Clayton, Barry; Wilson, Emma

2008-04-15

The spectre of change is galvanising debate about the future of the poles. Climatic shifts look set to affect both profoundly. As the ice melts, new marine transport routes will open up. The exploitation of natural resources could expand significantly. Further risks include marine acidification, the migration of commercial fish species and coastal erosion. In the Arctic, traditional livelihoods could suffer. Meanwhile, national claims of sovereignty over areas of ocean floor are fuelling fears of a new 'cold war' over access to mineral resources in sensitive environments. Clearly, science alone cannot address the challenges facing the poles: a coherent strategy for sustainable development is urgently needed.

Future Transportation with Smart Grids and Sustainable Energy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gustav R. Grob

2009-10-01

Full Text Available Transportation is facing fundamental change due to the rapid depletion of fossil fuels, environmental and health problems, the growing world population, rising standards of living with more individual mobility and the globalization of trade with its increasing international transport volume. To cope with these serious problems benign, renewable energy systems and much more efficient drives must be multiplied as rapidly as possible to replace the polluting combustion engines with their much too low efficiency and high fuel logistics cost. Consequently the vehicles of the future must be non-polluting and super-efficient, i.e. electric. The energy supply must come via smart grids from clean energy sources not affecting the health, climate and biosphere. It is shown how this transition to the clean, sustainable energy age is possible, feasible and why it is urgent. The important role of international ISO, IEC and ITU standards and the need for better legislation by means of the Global Energy Charter for Sustainable Development are also highlighted.

Sustainable Future for Biodiesel in Brazil

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dias, Maria Amélia de Paula

This thesis aims to study alternatives to biodiesel industry in Brazil, for 2030, taking in account the sustainability dimensions, namely economic, environmental, ecological, social, national and international politics, territorial, cultural, and technological, through the development of scenarios...... for agriculture and pasture. Thus, a simulation, using linear programming models, was made in order to verify the alternatives of feedstock to produce biodiesel. It was observed that it is possible to decentralize the market, reduce land use, and regionalize production, making better use of the availability...... to identify the driving forces to develop the scenario storylines. This proposition was tested in an in-depth interview with the biodiesel market stakeholders. Based on the findings of the two approaches, the simulations and the interviews, it was possible to obtain future alternatives, where the biodiesel...

Our cosmic future : humanity's fate in the universe

Science.gov (United States)

Prantzos, Nikos

2000-04-01

What is humankind's ultimate fate and destiny in the Universe? Can human life and intelligence go on forever? This captivating and unparalleled book explores the future of the human race in the Universe, for centuries, millennia, and eons to come. Nikos Prantzos, distinguished astrophysicist and popular science writer, focuses not on what will be done, but on what could be done in light of our current knowledge and the speculations of eminent scientists. While he employs many concepts from physics, Prantzos also provides historical accounts of such ideas as terraforming, asteroid mining, interstellar travel, astroengineering, and eschatology, discussing their philosophical and social implications. Moreover, he uses the work of well known science and science-fiction writers--including Verne, Wells, Clarke, Tsiolkovsky, and Dyson--to illustrate many possibilities and concepts. Our Cosmic Future offers compelling answers to such intriguing questions as: Should we return to the Moon and eventually colonize Mars and other planets in our solar system? Why haven't we encountered an extraterrestrial civilization up to this time in our history? How can we avoid various cosmic threats, such as asteroid collisions and supernova explosions? Could we escape the remote, yet certain, death of the Sun? What will eventually happen to stars, our Galaxy, distant galaxies, and the Universe itself? With its artful blend of historical, scientific accounts and themes from classic works of science fiction, Our Cosmic Future is a spellbinding work that will enchant all readers interested in space travel and colonization, cosmology, and humankind's future prospects in the Cosmos.

When Legitimacy Shapes Environmentally Responsible Behaviors: Considering Exposure to University Sustainability Initiatives

OpenAIRE

Lesley Watson; Karen A. Hegtvedt; Cathryn Johnson; Christie L. Parris; Shruthi Subramanyam

2017-01-01

This study examines how perceptions of the legitimacy of university sustainability efforts—support by the administration (authorization) or from students’ peers (endorsement)—as well as the physical context in which students live, matter in shaping students’ environmentally responsible behaviors (ERBs). Using survey data collected from fourth-year students at a university in the Southeastern US, we employ Seeming Unrelated Regression to analyze the impact of perceived legitimacy and context o...

Observations on Leadership, Problem Solving, and Preferred Futures of Universities

Science.gov (United States)

Puncochar, Judith

2013-01-01

A focus on enrollments, rankings, uncertain budgets, and branding efforts to operate universities could have serious implications for discussions of sustainable solutions to complex problems and the decision-making processes of leaders. The Authentic Leadership Model for framing ill-defined problems in higher education is posited to improve the…

A University-Hosted Program in Pursuit of Coastal Sustainability: The Case of Tokyo Bay

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Osamu Baba

2013-09-01

Full Text Available This study presents a unique way by which a university program can contribute to capacity development for coastal sustainability. The program is steered by a working group of volunteer faculty members, having different academic backgrounds, in collaboration with students and marine professionals, including fisherfolk and environment education interpreters. Although the program began with conventional educational ideas and style, its practical framework evolved to include interactive activities with collaborators in the community, all of which were geared toward social learning. The combination of service learning and participatory action research (PAR was proven to be an adequate approach to link higher education for sustainable development (HESD and university-community partnerships and to promote learning for coastal sustainability. Challenges identified include (1 ensuring continuity of learning and (2 reducing the heavy workload of faculty members involved in program preparation and coordination. The authors would like to emphasize the possibilities offered by the engagement of scholarship in the capacity development for coastal sustainability by focusing on community-based efforts.

The Future Role of Publishing Services in University Libraries

Science.gov (United States)

Walters, Tyler

2012-01-01

This study explores possible futures for university-based library publishing services (LPS) and uses scenario planning as its research method. The study posits that the major force in developing LPS is the level of funding from the host university, with the most uncertain factor being whether faculty will adopt LPS. The study participants…

education for sustainability through academic freedom

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Jude

being to acquire knowledge, skills, attitudes and values necessary to shape a sustainable future to make judgments and ... could explore students and create opportunities for them to learn and ... Esther E. Ekon, Department of Science Education, Faculty of Education, University of Calabar, Calabar. Cross River State ...

A critical knowledge pathway to a sustainable future in an urbanizing planet

Science.gov (United States)

Romero-Lankao, P.

2014-12-01

The pace and scale of contemporary urbanization is a defining feature of the Anthropocene, which characterizes the dominance of human influence on the global environment. Although urban areas occupy less than three percent of the global land surface, they have global-scale impacts on natural resources, social dynamics, human wellbeing and the environment. The global environmental changes already underway are profound and in some ways irreversible. Altogether, these have serious implications for future human and environmental health, and social wellbeing. Despite considerable research and policy attention to cities, efforts are strongly needed towards integration that builds upon this and facilitates intensive interactions among disciplines in developing new perspectives, theory and methods for understanding urbanizations and urban systems as they drive and are affected by global environmental change, and for exploring options to achieve sustainability and resilience in an urbanizing world. I will present initial outcomes from a 2014 NSF/Future Earth-funded activity to develop a co-designed and interdisciplinary urban initiative within the Future Earth framework. The complexity of urban systems and the global sustainability challenges we face require inter- and trans-disciplinary research approaches that adopt a contextual approach to finding solutions. I will synthesize perspectives spanning multiple urban research and practice communities from workshops that took place over 2014 including the 2104 UGEC Conference, where emphasis was given to exploring: knowledge gaps and key urban research and socially-relevant questions moving forward; major challenges and opportunities for developing conceptual and methodological frameworks that support the global transformation to sustainability in the context of an urbanizing planet; operational mechanisms that must be in place for a successful interdisciplinary urban project that fits within Future Earth.

University vinculación: A two-way strategy for sustainable development and academic relevance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rebeca Hernández Arámburo

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The public university of the twenty-first century is faced with numerous pressing issues, but none greater than the need to promote social transformation through sustainable development. The authors of this article understand sustainable development as that which brings us closer to a comprehensive social order in which humanity has the challenge of viewing reality in all its complexity, but acting simply in order to solve the socio-environmental problems we suffer. In this article, we ask the following questions: What is the university’s role within complex social structures? How can it produce a vinculación, or two-way interaction, between university and the wider environment that contributes towards sustainable development? Put most simply, where does the university fit in? This article discusses the project of the Universidad Veracruzana: that is, the establishment of a university-wide vinculación or strategic process for attending to society’s needs and problems, via the deliberate inclusion of formal processes into the university’s substantive functions of teaching, research, outreach and cultural diffusion. Furthermore, these processes include feedback mechanisms that impact on the university’s work. Over many years of engagement, the Universidad Veracruzana has built a very particular vision of the way in which a process can be organized in order to respond to the challenge of social transformation. The subsequent systematization of this experience has led to the development of the University Social Action Model, which is a strategy to clarify the social commitment of the university based on four levels of support: altruism, assistance, advice, and the promotion of self-management for social transformation. This article provides detail on how the model works in practice, as evidenced by the award-winning work of the University Brigades and Casas UV. The ultimate goal of this model is to help shift the role of the university

Spatial Optimization of Future Urban Development with Regards to Climate Risk and Sustainability Objectives.

Science.gov (United States)

Caparros-Midwood, Daniel; Barr, Stuart; Dawson, Richard

2017-11-01

Future development in cities needs to manage increasing populations, climate-related risks, and sustainable development objectives such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Planners therefore face a challenge of multidimensional, spatial optimization in order to balance potential tradeoffs and maximize synergies between risks and other objectives. To address this, a spatial optimization framework has been developed. This uses a spatially implemented genetic algorithm to generate a set of Pareto-optimal results that provide planners with the best set of trade-off spatial plans for six risk and sustainability objectives: (i) minimize heat risks, (ii) minimize flooding risks, (iii) minimize transport travel costs to minimize associated emissions, (iv) maximize brownfield development, (v) minimize urban sprawl, and (vi) prevent development of greenspace. The framework is applied to Greater London (U.K.) and shown to generate spatial development strategies that are optimal for specific objectives and differ significantly from the existing development strategies. In addition, the analysis reveals tradeoffs between different risks as well as between risk and sustainability objectives. While increases in heat or flood risk can be avoided, there are no strategies that do not increase at least one of these. Tradeoffs between risk and other sustainability objectives can be more severe, for example, minimizing heat risk is only possible if future development is allowed to sprawl significantly. The results highlight the importance of spatial structure in modulating risks and other sustainability objectives. However, not all planning objectives are suited to quantified optimization and so the results should form part of an evidence base to improve the delivery of risk and sustainability management in future urban development. © 2017 The Authors Risk Analysis published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Society for Risk Analysis.

[Engineering and expertise in sustainable development in hospitals].

Science.gov (United States)

Barat, Pascal

2012-01-01

Sustainable development is nowadays a concept shared by most people even if it is sometimes hard to grasp. Combining good economic management, social progress and the protection of the environment is not always easy. It is however an essential exercise in order not to compromise the ability of future generations to meet their requirements. Tours University Hospital embarked on a sustainable development strategy in 2008.

A multi evaporator desalination system operated with thermocline energy for future sustainability

KAUST Repository

Shahzad, Muhammad Wakil; Burhan, Muhammad; Ghaffour, NorEddine; Ng, Kim Choon

2017-01-01

) of desalination is at 828. Despite slightly better UPRs for the RO plants, all practical desalination plants available, hitherto, operate at only less than 12% of the TL, rendering them highly energy intensive and unsustainable for future sustainability. More

Sustainability in the Higher Education System: An Opportunity to Improve Quality and Image

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniela M. Salvioni

2017-05-01

Full Text Available In view of the increasing importance attributed to social responsibility and stakeholder relationship management, more universities have expanded their research topics and their educational programs through the years. High attention is dedicated to the dominant principles and values of internal and external relations, to the innovation processes designed to ensure an approach to sustainable development. However, less attention is dedicated to the sustainability governance orientation and to the development of a strong institutional culture of sustainability, which is a key success factor to improve the quality and the image. This article observes the sustainability governance orientation, through the analysis of the information on the websites of three fair groups of universities in the international Top 500-ARWU (Academic Ranking of World Universities 2015 ranking. The aim is to verify if there is a link between the degree of sustainability culture in the management and the positioning of the universities in the international ranking. In addition, the analysis is compared with self-assessment data carried out by the same universities in terms of performance sustainability through the STARS (Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System online platform. As principal consideration, we have noted that the best universities in the ranking have a management approach based on a shared vision of sustainability development of their university leaders, who play an essential role affirming and disseminating a sustainability culture. All this opens broader future implications intended to highlight the importance of management sustainability as a quality improvement factor of universities.

Towards a new world: The contributions of nuclear energy to a sustainable future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duffey, R. B.; Miller, A. I.; Fehrenbach, P. J.; Kuran, S.; Tregunno, D.; Suppiah, S.

2007-01-01

Over the last few years, the world has seen growing concern about the sustainability of the Planet when supplying increasing energy use. The major issues are: increased energy prices in the world markets; growing energy demand in emerging economies; security and stability of oil and gas supply; potentially adverse climate change due to carbon-based emissions; and the need to deploy economic, sustainable and reliable alternates. Large undefined 'wedges' of alternate energy technologies are needed. In light of these major difficulties, there is renewed interest and need for a greater role for nuclear energy as a safe, sustainable and economic energy contributor. The shift has been, from being viewed by some as politically discounted, to being accepted as absolutely globally essential. We have carefully considered, and systematically, extensively and technically analyzed the contributions that nuclear energy can and should make to a globally sustainable energy future. These include restraining emissions, providing safe and secure power, operating synergistically with other sources, and being both socially and fiscally attractive. Therefore, we quantify in this paper the major contributions: a) The reduction in climate change potential and the global impact of future nuclear energy deployment through emissions reduction, using established analysis tools which varying the plausible future penetration and scale of nuclear energy. b) The minimization of economic costs and the maximization of global benefits, including investment requirements, carbon price implications, competitive market penetration, and effect of variable daily pricing. c) The introduction of fuel switching, including base-load nuclear energy synergistically enabling both hydrogen production and the introduction of significant wind power. d) The management and reduction of waste streams, utilizing intelligent designs and fuel cycles that optimize fuel resource use and minimize emissions, waste disposal

Who Really Cares About Higher Education For Sustainable Development?

OpenAIRE

Torsten Richter; Kim P. Schumacher

2011-01-01

Problem statement: It is agreed that integrating Higher Education for Sustainable Development (HESD) into the curricula of universities is of key importance to disseminate the idea of sustainability. Especially the curricula of teacher-training should contain elements of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) due to the crucial role of future teachers in information propagation. Approach: In order to find out about the spreading of ESD into the curricula and whether or not it is of inter...

Developing the curriculum for a new Bachelor's degree in Engineering for Sustainable Development

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lozano, F.J.; Lozano, R.

2013-01-01

With a growing interest in sustainability, a number of universities have engaged in educating the future leaders, decision makers, scientists, and engineers on how their decisions can help societies become more sustainable. This paper presents the process for developing the Bachelor’s degree

Developing the curriculum for a new Bachelor's degree in Engineering for Sustainable Development

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lozano, Francisco J.; Lozano, Rodrigo

2014-01-01

With a growing interest in sustainability, a number of universities have engaged in educating the future leaders, decision makers, scientists, and engineers on how their decisions can help societies become more sustainable. This paper presents the process for developing the Bachelor's degree

Describing an Environment for a Self-Sustaining Technology Transfer Service in a Small Research Budget University: A Case Study

Science.gov (United States)

Nieb, Sharon Lynn

2014-01-01

This single-site qualitative study sought to identify the characteristics that contribute to the self sustainability of technology transfer services at universities with small research budgets through a case study analysis of a small research budget university that has been operating a financially self-sustainable technology transfer service for…

Sustainable development. Uncertain futures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leveque, Ch.; Sciama, Y.

2005-01-01

The last 30 years show that the human being did not dominate the Nature. After an introduction on the historical relations between the human and the environment, the authors present the different research ways (irrigation with recovery, renewable energies, new agriculture,...). They show that science is not always the enemy of the sustainable development. The third part presents the constraints that the society puts on the way of the sustainable development, which explain the limitations of the progress. (A.L.B.)

Sustainability and the future of managed floating in China

OpenAIRE

Švarc, Jiří

2009-01-01

The purpose of this thesis is to study the Balance of Payments and the Exchange Rate of the People's Republic of China, and it aims to assess whether the current performance of their Managed Floating Exchange Rate is sustainable in the future (given the equilibrium of China's Balance of Payments) and examine what effect would a Free Floating Renminbi Exchange Rate have on the Chinese economy. The work uses the method of compilation - gathering and organizing information on the development of ...

When Legitimacy Shapes Environmentally Responsible Behaviors: Considering Exposure to University Sustainability Initiatives

Science.gov (United States)

Watson, Lesley; Hegtvedt, Karen A.; Johnson, Cathryn; Parris, Christie L.; Subramanyam, Shruthi

2017-01-01

This study examines how perceptions of the legitimacy of university sustainability efforts--support by the administration (authorization) or from students' peers (endorsement)--as well as the physical context in which students live, matter in shaping students' environmentally responsible behaviors (ERBs). Using survey data collected from…

The Integrate Student Portal: Online Resources to Prepare Students for the Workforce of a Sustainable Future

Science.gov (United States)

Bruckner, M. Z.; Manduca, C. A.; Egger, A. E.; Macdonald, H.

2014-12-01

The InTeGrate Student Portal is a suite of web pages that utilize InTeGrate resources to support student success by providing undergraduates with tools and information necessary to be proactive in their career choices and development. Drawn from various InTeGrate workshops and programming, the Portal organizes these resources to illuminate a variety of career opportunities and pathways to both traditional and non-traditional jobs that support a sustainable future. Informed from a variety of sources including employers, practitioners, faculty, students, reports, and articles, the pages explore five facets: (1) sustainability across the disciplines, (2) workforce preparation, (3) professional communication, (4) teaching and teaching careers, and (5) the future of green research and technology. The first three facets explore how sustainability is integrated across disciplines and how sustainability and 'green' jobs are available in a wide range of traditional and non-traditional workplaces within and beyond science. They provide students guidance in preparing for this sustainability workforce, including where to learn about jobs and how to pursue them, advice for strengthening their job applications, and how to build a set of skills that employers seek. This advice encompasses classroom skills as well as those acquired and strengthened as part of extracurricular or workplace experiences. The fourth facet, aimed at teaching assistants with little or no experience as well as at students who are interested in pursuing teaching as a career, provides information and resources about teaching. The fifth facet explores future directions of technology and the need for innovations in the workforce of the future to address sustainability issues. We seek your input and invite you to explore the Portal at: serc.carleton.edu/integrate/students/

Mississippi State University Sustainable Energy Research Center

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Steele, W. Glenn [Mississippi State Univ., Mississippi State, MS (United States)

2014-09-26

The Sustainable Energy Research Center (SERC) project at Mississippi State University included all phases of biofuel production from feedstock development, to conversion to liquid transportation fuels, to engine testing of the fuels. The feedstocks work focused on non-food based crops and yielded an increased understanding of many significant Southeastern feedstocks. an emphasis was placed on energy grasses that could supplement the primary feedstock, wood. Two energy grasses, giant miscanthus and switchgrass, were developed that had increased yields per acre. Each of these grasses was patented and licensed to companies for commercialization. The fuels work focused on three different technologies that each led to a gasoline, diesel, or jet fuel product. The three technologies were microbial oil, pyrolysis oil, and syngas-to liquid-hydrocarbons

Collaborative procurement for developing a sustainable campus

Science.gov (United States)

Nifa, Faizatul Akmar Abdul; Rahim, Syukran Abdul; Rani, Wan Nurul Mardiah Wan Mohd; Ismail, Mohd. Noorizhar

2016-08-01

It is particularly challenging to achieve sustainability in campus universities, where a high volume of users and activities has made it more imperative to promote green buildings that reduce energy and water consumption while having a minimal carbon footprint. At present, the frameworks for sustainable campus have seldom focused on the project procurement method which would improve construction team integration in developing the physical aspect of campus development. Therefore, in response to that challenge, this paper investigates how the delivery team, responsible for the design and construction of a project, can be integrated to work together more efficiently and more using the collaborative procurement method known as partnering. This paper reports part of a previous research and sets the base for ongoing research on the critical factors in partnering for sustainable campus development. The outcome or result of this study will meet and support the requirement for construction, maintenance, and operation process for universities towards sustainable building/campus in the future.

Re-Thinking Sustainable Education Systems in Iceland: The Net-University Project

Science.gov (United States)

Rennie, Frank; Johannesdottir, Sigurbjorg

2011-01-01

The recent economic crisis in Iceland has raised issues of the sustainability of Icelandic higher education to new levels of importance. A key strategy in relation to this economic crisis is to consider the merger of the four public universities in Iceland and to introduce a much higher engagement with online and open delivery methods of higher…

Sustainable energy research at DTU

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Rolf Haugaard; Andersen, Morten

In the coming years, Denmark and other countries worldwide are set to increase their focus on transforming their energy supplies towards more sustainablew technologies. As part of this process, they can make extensive use of the knowledge generated by the Technical University of Denmark (DTU...... technologies, energy systems and energy consumption in buildings, the transport sector and for lighting purposes. The university alsolooks at challenges, opportunities and limitations.This publication present a selection of the sustainable energy related activities at DTU, which all point towards future...

Future-Proofed Energy Design Approaches for Achieving Low-Energy Homes: Enhancing the Code for Sustainable Homes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Christina Georgiadou

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Under the label “future-proofing”, this paper examines the temporal component of sustainable construction as an unexplored, yet fundamental ingredient in the delivery of low-energy domestic buildings. The overarching aim is to explore the integration of future-proofed design approaches into current mainstream construction practice in the UK, focusing on the example of the Code for Sustainable Homes (CSH tool. Regulation has been the most significant driver for achieving the 2016 zero-carbon target; however, there is a gap between the appeal for future-proofing and the lack of effective implementation by building professionals. Even though the CSH was introduced as the leading tool to drive the “step-change” required for achieving zero-carbon new homes by 2016 and the single national standard to encourage energy performance beyond current statutory minima, it lacks assessment criteria that explicitly promote a futures perspective. Based on an established conceptual model of future-proofing, 14 interviews with building practitioners in the UK were conducted to identify the “feasible” and “reasonably feasible” future-proofed design approaches with the potential to enhance the “Energy and CO2 Emissions” category of the CSH. The findings are categorised under three key aspects; namely: coverage of sustainability issues; adopting lifecycle thinking; and accommodating risks and uncertainties and seek to inform industry practice and policy-making in relation to building energy performance.

Sustaining the future: the role of nuclear power in meeting future world energy needs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duffey, R.; Sun, Y.

2003-01-01

A description is given of recently informed analyses showing the potential that nuclear power has in meeting global energy demands. For both the electricity and transportation sectors, we can quantify the beneficial effects on the environment, and we show how nuclear power deserves credit for its role in assisting future world energy, environmental and economic sustainability. The continuing expansion of the world's and Asia's energy needs, coupled with the need to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) and other emissions, will require new approaches for large scale energy production and use. This is particularly important for China and Asia with respect to meeting both the energy demand and sustainability challenges. We show and explore the role of nuclear power for large-scale energy applications, including electricity production and hydrogen for transportation. Advanced nuclear technologies, such as those like CANDU's next generation ACR, can meet future global energy market needs, avoid emissions, and mitigate the potential for global climate change. We use the latest IPCC Scenarios out to the year 2100 as a base case, but correct them to examine the sensitivity to large scale nuclear and hydrogen fuel penetration. We show a significant impact of nuclear energy on energy market penetration, and in reducing GHGs and other emissions in the coming century, particularly in the industrial developing world and in Asia. This is achieved without needing emissions credits, as are used or needed as economic support for other sources, or for subsidies via emissions trading schemes. Nuclear power offers the relatively emissions-free means, both to provide electricity for traditional applications and, by electrolytic production of hydrogen, to extend its use deep into the transportation sector. For the published IPCC Marker Scenarios for Asia we show the reduction in GHG emissions when electrolysis using electricity from nuclear power assists the introduction of hydrogen as a fuel

Sustainable de-growth: Mapping the context, criticisms and future prospects of an emergent paradigm

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Martinez-Alier, Joan [Department of Economics and Economic History, Universidad Autonoma de Barcelona (Spain); Pascual, Unai [Department of Land Economy, University of Cambridge (United Kingdom); Vivien, Franck-Dominique [Department of Economics, Universite de Reims Champagne Ardenne (France); Zaccai, Edwin [Institute for Environmental Management and Land Planning, Universite Libre de Bruxelles (Belgium)

2010-07-15

'Sustainable de-growth' is both a concept and a social-grassroots (Northern) movement with its origins in the fields of ecological economics, social ecology, economic anthropology and environmental and social activist groups. This paper introduces the concept of sustainable de-growth by mapping some of the main intellectual influences from these fields, with special focus on the Francophone and Anglophone thinking about this emergent notion. We propose hypotheses pertaining to the appeal of sustainable de-growth, and compare it to the messages enclosed within the dominant sustainable development idea. We scrutinize the theses, contradictions, and consequences of sustainable de-growth thinking as it is currently being shaped by a heterogeneous body of literature and as it interacts with an ample and growing corpus of social movements. We also discuss possible future paths for the de-growth movement compared to the apparent weakening of the sustainable development paradigm. (author)

20th Joint Workshop on Sustained Simulation Performance

CERN Document Server

Bez, Wolfgang; Focht, Erich; Patel, Nisarg; Kobayashi, Hiroaki

2016-01-01

The book presents the state of the art in high-performance computing and simulation on modern supercomputer architectures. It explores general trends in hardware and software development, and then focuses specifically on the future of high-performance systems and heterogeneous architectures. It also covers applications such as computational fluid dynamics, material science, medical applications and climate research and discusses innovative fields like coupled multi-physics or multi-scale simulations. The papers included were selected from the presentations given at the 20th Workshop on Sustained Simulation Performance at the HLRS, University of Stuttgart, Germany in December 2015, and the subsequent Workshop on Sustained Simulation Performance at Tohoku University in February 2016.

Solar power for energy sustainability and environmental friendliness of Curtin University Sarawak

Science.gov (United States)

Palanichamy, C.; Goh, Alvin

2016-03-01

The demand on electrical energy is rapidly increasing. Everything around us requires electrical energy either during its production or usage stage. Sustainability has become the main concern nowadays as the availability of fossil fuels is limited. As renewable energy is the path-way to energy sustainability and environmental friendly environment, this paper proposes a solar power system for Curtin University Sarawak to reduce its electricity consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. The proposed 208 kW solar system saves an energy consumption of more than 380,000 kWh per year, and a CO2 offset by 285 Tons per year

Solar power for energy sustainability and environmental friendliness of Curtin University Sarawak

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Palanichamy, C; Goh, Alvin

2016-01-01

The demand on electrical energy is rapidly increasing. Everything around us requires electrical energy either during its production or usage stage. Sustainability has become the main concern nowadays as the availability of fossil fuels is limited. As renewable energy is the path-way to energy sustainability and environmental friendly environment, this paper proposes a solar power system for Curtin University Sarawak to reduce its electricity consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. The proposed 208 kW solar system saves an energy consumption of more than 380,000 kWh per year, and a CO 2 offset by 285 Tons per year (paper)

Building a Sustainable Energy Future for Africa - Acting Now and Together

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fall, L.

2007-07-01

The key energy challenges Africa is facing are: low level of access to commercial energy, low per capita energy consumption, weak development of energy infrastructure and lack of investment and financing for energy projects. Addressing these challenges is critical for sustainable economic and social development, and assured access to secure, affordable and reliable energy. In spite of these daunting challenges, Africa is well endowed in energy resources, but these resources are largely untapped and concentrated in a few countries. In addition, there are numerous 'rooms' for opportunities that could be seized concretely to overcome the main obstacles to the Sustainable Energy Development of the Continent. Thus, right actions must be taken to overcome these obstacles, including: financing the huge needed investments, technological development, private-public partnerships, energy market reform and effective regulation, sound and sustainable energy policies, and economic and social measures. Subsequently, from priority areas, the related stakeholders should 'act now' and 'act together', through effective collaboration and partnership and making proper alliances, to initiate effective and concrete actions to support Africa aspirations in order to build a Sustainable Energy Future for Africa, in a cost-effective and timely manner. (auth)

Future plans on the Kyoto University Research Reactor (KUR)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shibata, Seiichi

2000-01-01

The Research Reactor Institute (RRI), Kyoto University, for aiming at performing the 'Experiments using a reactor and its related research', was established in Showa 38 (1963) as a cooperative research institute for universities and so on in allover Japan. Operation using KUR of one of main facilities in RRI was started by 1 MW of its rated output in 1964, and converted to 5 MW in 1968, after which through development , addition and modification of various research apparatus it has been proposed to the cooperative application researches with universities and so on in allover Japan, hitherto. Among these periods, its research organization is improved to six departments containing twenty divisions and two attached research facilities to progress some investigations on future plans at RRI for response to new researching trends. Here were described on present state of research on use of low concentrated uranium fuels at research reactor, and future plans on neutron factory and hybrid reactor. The former aims at establishment of a new research facility capable of alternating to KUR for future academic research on research reactor containing high quality and high degree application of neutron field and safety management and feature upgrading of nuclear energy. And, the latter aims at development on an accelerator drive uncritical reactor combined an accelerator neutron source and an uncritical reactor. (G.K.)

Sustainability in Higher Education's Annual Reports: An Empirical Study on Australian and Austrian Universities

Science.gov (United States)

Schaffhauser-Linzatti, Michaela Maria; Ossmann, Stefan F.

2018-01-01

Purpose: Higher education institutions are regarded as forerunners and pioneers of sustainability. However, it is to question whether they actually fulfill their role model function. This paper aims to reveal whether selected universities in Australia and Austria meet the reporting expectations about their activities on sustainability in very…

Motivators of University and College Leaders in the Integration of Sustainable Practices

Science.gov (United States)

Peterson, John J.

2014-01-01

Today, as our society faces economic and environmental crises, educational institutions occupy a strategic position to assist in solving these predicaments, by carrying out research and offering teaching in sustainability literacy. However, only a small portion of the total number of colleges and universities in the United States has fully pledged…

Sustainable rice production in Malaysia beyond 2000

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nashriyah Mat; Ho Nai Kin; Ismail Sahid; Ahyaudin Ali; Lum Keng Yeang; Mashhor Mansor

2002-01-01

This book is a compendium of works carried out by various institutions on subjects related to sustainable rice production. The institutions comprise Department of Agriculture, Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute, Malaysian Institute for Nuclear Technology Research, Muda Agricultural Development Authority, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Universiti Sains Malaysia, International Islamic University of Malaysia and the Agrochemical Company Mosanto. Integrated Biodiversity Management parallel with the Integrated Weed / Pest / Disease Management, rice-fish farming networking, agrochemical residue monitoring in rice and marine ecosystems, and application of biotechnology in rice productivity are taken as the future direction towards achieving sustainable rice production beyond 2000. Challenges from social and technical agroecosystem constraints, agricultural input management and maintenance of agroecosystem biodiversity are highlighted. It is imperative that the challenges are surmounted to attain the target that would be reflected by tangible rice output of 10 t/ha, and at the same time maintaining the well-being of rice-farmers. (Author)

Sustainability in a Hospital-Based Biobank and University-Based DNA Biorepository: Strategic Roadmaps.

Science.gov (United States)

Seiler, Catherine Y; Eschbacher, Jennifer; Bowser, Robert; LaBaer, Joshua

2015-12-01

Sustainability in the biobanking community has recently become an important and oft-discussed issue as biorepositories struggle to balance limited external funding and complex cost recovery models with high operating costs and the desire to provide the highest quality materials and services to the research community. A multi-faceted view of biobanking sustainability requires consideration of operational and social sustainability in addition to the historical focus exclusively on financial sustainability. Planning and implementing this three pillar model creates a well-rounded biorepository that meets the needs of all the major stakeholders: the funders, the patients/depositors, and the researcher recipients. Often the creation of a detailed business plan is the first step to develop goals and objectives that lead down a path towards sustainability. The definition of sustainability and the complexity of a sustainable business plan may differ for each biorepository. The DNASU Plasmid Repository at Arizona State University stores and distributes DNA plasmids to researchers worldwide, and the Biobank Core Facility at St. Joseph's Hospital and Barrow Neurological Institute consents patients and collects, stores, and distributes human tissue and blood samples. We will discuss these two biorepositories, their similar and different approaches to sustainability and business planning, their challenges in creating and implementing their sustainability plan, and their responses to some of these challenges. From these experiences, the biobanks share lessons learned about planning for sustainability that are applicable to all biorepositories.

Designing a Sustainable Future through Creation of North America’s only International Wildlife Refuge

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Michael A. Zarull

2010-09-01

Full Text Available In 2001, the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge was established based on the principles of conservation and sustainability. The refuge has grown from 49.1 ha in 2001 to over 2,300 ha in 2010. Agreement on a compelling vision for a sustainable future was necessary to rally stakeholders and move them forward together. Project examples include: lake sturgeon and common tern restoration; soft shoreline engineering; ecotourism; sustainable redevelopment of a brownfield; and indicator reporting. Key success factors include: a consensus long-term vision; a multi-stakeholder process that achieves cooperative learning; strong coupling of monitoring/research programs with management; implementing actions consistent with adaptive management; measuring and celebrating successes; quantifying benefits; building capacity; and developing the next generation of sustainability practitioners and entrepreneurs.

A future task for Health Promotion research: Integration of Health Promotion and sustainable development

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jelsøe, Erling; Thualagant, Nicole; Holm, Jesper

2018-01-01

Based on previous studies and reflections collected from participants in a workshop at the 8th Nordic Health Promotion Research Network conference, we reveal current tendencies and discuss future challenges for health promotion research regarding integration of sustainable development principles....... Despite obvious interfaces and interactions between the two, our contention is that strategies for health promotion are not sufficiently integrated with strategies for sustainable development and that policies aimed at solving health or sustainability problems may therefore cause new, undesired...... and unforeseen environmental and health problems. As illustrated in previous research and as deliberated in the above-mentioned workshop, a number of barriers are identified: these are believed to be related to historical segregation, the conceptual understandings of health promotion and sustainable development...

Ties That Bind: Creating and sustaining community-academic partnerships

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Kynna N. Wright

2011-11-01

Full Text Available Growing interest among academics and health professionals in finding new ways to study and address complex health and social problems has manifested in recent years with increasing community demands for research and program implementation that is community-based, rather than merely community placed. In the United States, community-based participatory research (CBPR, with its emphasis on the creation and use of community-university or community-academic partnerships, is the prevailing paradigm to address these complex problems, especially those concerning racial/ethnic disparities in health and health care. While the need to strengthen the relationship between researchers and the community has been recognised, often from the viewpoint of the university partner, discussions on sustainability of partnerships have been few. The aim of this paper is to share reflections, through the eyes of the community members, on the core elements that tie community and academic members together and the challenges in understanding and nurturing those ties so that the community-academic partnership is sustained over time, and to offer possible recommendations for sustainability. This article speaks from the community’s perspective and reflects on the vital elements/components that tie together community-university partnerships and the challenges that may occur when trying to sustain and grow the partnership. It is based on a research CBPR study that was conducted to (1 evaluate the functioning and future sustainability of the community-university partnership of the Community Child Health Network Study Los Angeles (CCHN-LA community-university partnership, and (2 evaluate the experience and beliefs of the current CCHN-LA community-university partnership members in their understanding of current functioning. Keywords Community-academic partnerships; sustainability; challenges; solutions

Model of environmental management system for environmentally sustainable universities training in Colombia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rivas Marin, Maria Isabel

2011-01-01

Sustainable campuses have become one of the main objectives of the Agendas University as a result of the impacts generated by the activities developed there and affect the environment. Given this, there are environmental management systems which are the set of practices, procedures, processes and resources needed to meet environmental regulations on business and are focused on reducing the impacts on the environment and the efficiency of processes. College- level companies still being considered, these systems do not work efficiently, it is necessary and urgent that the adequacy of a model environmental management system and that, through education and research, will help society to achieve the transition to sustainable lifestyles.

Education for Sustainable Development at Notre Dame University--Louaize: Environmental Science Curriculum--A Pre-Phase to the Rucas Project on Education for Sustainable Development

Science.gov (United States)

Khalaf-Kairouz, Layla

2012-01-01

The Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences at Notre Dame University--Louaize, conscious to the need of experts in the emerging field of sustainability and to the role that an educational institution plays for the service of the community, introduced into the university curricula a major in environmental science. This paper will present the…

The sustainable company: new challenges and strategies for more sustainability

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Victor DANCIU

2013-09-01

Full Text Available The sustainability becomes a model of development only if countries, industries, businesses and citizens become sustainable. The contribution of the business to a promising future should come from a fully integrated sustainability in its DNA and strategies.This paper focuses on the needed sustainable strategies for scaling up the contribution of the companies to sustainable development in the future. At the beginning, we analyze the main theoretical points of view on sustainability. Then, we explain how companies could achieve the sustainability by following the steps of a difficult process and the present performances in sustainability of large companies around the world. Finally, we suggest four strategies that businesses could design and implement in order to scaling up their sustainability in the future.The research has two important conclusions on sustainability in business. One is that the sustainability pays off if it is integrated in the DNA of the companies. The other conclusion says that the companies will succeed to make the needed transformation for achieving a better sustainability in the future only if they design and perform strategies focused on improving sustainability.

E-Waste and the Sustainable Organisation: Griffith University's Approach to E-Waste

Science.gov (United States)

Davis, Georgina; Wolski, Malcolm

2009-01-01

Purpose: This paper seeks to provide details of Griffith University's (GU) approach for sustainably dealing with electronic waste (e-waste) and the benefits of using the e-waste programme as a valuable educational case study for ESD. Design/methodology/approach: The e-waste programme is explained with reference to key resources and literature, so…

Transition Communities and the Glass Ceiling of Environmental Sustainability Policies at Three Universities

Science.gov (United States)

Pardellas Santiago, Miguel; Meira Cartea, Pablo; Iglesias da Cunha, Lucía

2017-01-01

Purpose: This paper deals with the experiences of three European universities that have implemented transition initiatives, using the Transition Network's methodology to promote their sustainability plans. The Transition Communities' model for change is presented from a socio-educational perspective as an effective methodology for encouraging…

Implementation of Transformative Sustainability Learning into Engineering Curricular

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Yuliana Lavrysh

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Nowadays an engineering profession is the most promising in terms of sustainability. Yet, there is a question if higher educational establishments are ready and possess necessary resources to prepare graduates in a sufficient way to create a life-sustainable future. Therefore, universities recognize the education for sustainable development as an essential and timely process of engineering training. The paper presents the characteristics of transformative sustainability learning as a key factor of advanced life-learning engineering education. The analysis of theoretical background signifies that the transformative sustainability learning concept is based on the theory of person’s transformations depending on such personality traits as the life experience, cognitive development, and critical reflection skills which foster personality changes towards sustainability. Thus, we can state that transformative sustainability learning (TSL integrates such fields as transformative learning and Education for Sustainable Development and the combination impacts personal and societal transformations. This fact provides us with the opportunity to suggest the (TSL concepts implementation into engineering educational process as an approach that enhances students’ motivation to studying, understanding of sustainability issues and high order thinking skills. If students experience personality transformations, we can find out the pedagogical strategy attributed to these transformations. Having conducted interviews and observations the teaching process at the university, we outlined the most used TSL pedagogical strategies at technical university (placed-based, problem-based, enquiry and service learning assessed their efficacy, found out the barriers to successful implementation and suggested recommendations to overcome the barriers. Our paper demonstrates potential of TSL implementation as it not only benefits for students but also enhances sustainability

Winter University 2017. Urban rivers as a part of sustainable development

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Valeria Nuyanzina

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The article presents proposals worked out by the international teams that took part in the 18th session of International Baikal Winter University of Urban Planning. The session focused on small rivers rehabilitation as a part of sustainable development. Through the case study of the Ushakovka River in Irkutsk, the teams proposed new ideas of riverfront development, which can be also applied to other small rivers.

The hydrogen economy for a sustainable future and the potential contribution of nuclear power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hardy, C.

2003-01-01

The Hydrogen Economy encompasses the production of hydrogen using a wide range of energy sources, its storage and distribution as an economic and universal energy carrier, and its end use by industry and individuals with negligible emission of pollutants and greenhouse gases. Hydrogen is an energy carrier not a primary energy source, just like electricity is an energy carrier. The advantages of hydrogen as a means of storage and distribution of energy, and the methods of production of hydrogen, are reviewed. Energy sources for hydrogen production include fossil fuels, renewables, hydropower and nuclear power. Hydrogen has many applications in industry, for residential use and for transport by air, land and sea. Fuel cells are showing great promise for conversion of hydrogen into electricity and their development and current status are discussed. Non-energy uses of hydrogen and the safety aspects of hydrogen are also considered. It is concluded that the Hydrogen Economy, especially if coupled to renewable and nuclear energy sources, is a technically viable and economic way of achieving greater energy diversity and security and a sustainable future in this century

Teens, Power Tools, and Green Schools: Education for Sustainability through a University Environmental Design Program and Middle School Partnership

Science.gov (United States)

Derr, Victoria

2017-01-01

This article explores the role of green schools in promoting education for sustainability by reflecting on a university-middle school partnership focused on sustainable design. Undergraduates and middle school students met weekly for a semester to learn about sustainability through simple design projects and activities that focused on…

First Conference on African Youth Nuclear Summit 2017: Nuclear for a Sustainable Future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2017-03-01

Kenyan Young Generation in Nuclear (KYGN) hosted the inaugural African Youth Nuclear Summit, dubbed AYNS2017 that took place on the 27th to 30th March, 2017, Nairobi, Kenya. The participants were drawn from academia, research and development institutes, radiation services providers, health institutions, nuclear facilities and regulatory bodies. They shared experiences, exchanged ideas and built networks on issues related to safe application of nuclear science and technology. The theme of the summit was ''Nuclear for a Sustainable future'', which centered on three thematic areas: Nuclear powering Africa, Radiation Protection and safety culture; and application of nuclear science and technology for a sustainable future. The Director General, World Nuclear Association who pointed out that nuclear energy had made a major contribution to world energy output and was set to increase by two and half time by 2040. The importance of nuclear science and technology for a sustainable socio-economic development in Africa shared and highlight on many areas IAEA has helped member states in improving the life of its populations. The main activities of project 60 whose focus is to strengthen the nuclear security culture in East and Central Africa through improved regulation, training, capacity and awareness were highlighted

SolEn for a Sustainable Future: Developing and Teaching a Multidisciplinary Course on Solar Energy to Further Sustainable Education in Chemistry

Science.gov (United States)

Pullen, Sonja; Brinkert, Katharina

2014-01-01

The high demand for the integration of sustainable topics into university curricula presents new challenges for the way chemistry is traditionally taught. New teaching concepts are required that consider and connect different disciplines to achieve a higher student awareness of the importance of these topics for humanity, the environment, and the…

Leadership, Governance, and Sustainability of Black Colleges and Universities

Science.gov (United States)

Ezzell, Jack L., Jr.; Schexnider, Alvin J.

2010-01-01

A topic of continuing interest in American higher education and society is the future of historically black colleges and universities, commonly referred to as HBCUs. The nation's public and private black institutions of higher education have proved their mettle, and yet they face persistent challenges to survive. A huge part of the challenge black…

Facilitating Transformation and Competence Development in Sustainable Agriculture University Education: An Experiential and Action Oriented Approach

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Paola Migliorini

2016-11-01

Full Text Available The need to strengthen the connection between academia and society has received increased attention over the past years. The importance of bringing university students closer to stakeholders in society as part of their learning process is high regarding sustainable agriculture, because of its applied approach. University programs based on experiential and action-oriented learning have been developed over the past decades, but more knowledge is needed about the impact of these educational activities. In a short course in sustainable agriculture at the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Bra, Italy, we examined the impacts of experiential and action-oriented learning on competency development as well as transformational impacts on the students. We found that students improve on several core competences as a result of their participation in the short course, and also signs of deep transformational processes among the students.

Simulated Sustainable Societies: Students' Reflections on Creating Future Cities in Computer Games

Science.gov (United States)

Nilsson, Elisabet M.; Jakobsson, Anders

2011-01-01

The empirical study, in this article, involved 42 students (ages 14-15), who used the urban simulation computer game SimCity 4 to create models of sustainable future cities. The aim was to explore in what ways the simulated "real" worlds provided by this game could be a potential facilitator for science learning contexts. The topic investigated is…

Foreign University Involvement in Sustainable New Town Planning in Provincial China

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David. J. Edelman

Full Text Available ABSTRACT: Recent concern with sustainable urban development has focused on the widespread development of new towns and the expansion of cities throughout China. In recent decades, an increasing number of planning and design professionals in the United States and Europe have undertaken consulting work in China. This study examines the first instance of a Chinese city funding an American academic planning unit to create a conceptual plan for a new town. The School of Planning from the University of Cincinnati was commissioned to prepare the conceptual plan for the Anyang Eastern New Town. Prior to the drafting of the plan, faculty and students visited the site on a reconnaissance and data gathering mission, undertook research and studio work, organized presentations, and navigated the labyrinthine bureaucracy at the local, provincial, and national levels. These experiences differ considerably from those encountered in places such as Shanghai and the southern coastal plain region. This article identifies a number of issues that play a key role in the success of projects involving American or European Universities in conjunction with the Chinese government, particularly provincial authorities. This paper provides a valuable reference for any organization involved in such undertakings. KEYWORDS: Chinese urban planning, sustainable urban design, provincial planning

Problem Based Learning and sustainability

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pizzol, Massimo; Løkke, Søren; Schmidt, Jannick Højrup

and challenges that the PBL model offers for developing five key competences in sustainability: (i) system thinking, (ii) interpersonal competence, (iii) anticipatory competence, (iv) strategic competence, (v) normative competences. The study draws on the experiences from PBL activities performed at Aalborg...... University (AAU), Denmark, and focuses on the teaching of Life Cycle Assessment as a method for sustainability assessment. The objective is providing recommendations for future LCA teaching and learning. PBL activites performed at AAU were evaluated critically to detemine to what extent they addressed...... of how PBL-approaches were used to develop five specific competences in sustainability. It is concluded that -for the case fo LCA teaching at AAU- the PBL model included activities to develop system thinking, interpersonal competence, and normative competence. However, the PBL approach should...

When Legitimacy Shapes Environmentally Responsible Behaviors: Considering Exposure to University Sustainability Initiatives

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Lesley Watson

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This study examines how perceptions of the legitimacy of university sustainability efforts—support by the administration (authorization or from students’ peers (endorsement—as well as the physical context in which students live, matter in shaping students’ environmentally responsible behaviors (ERBs. Using survey data collected from fourth-year students at a university in the Southeastern US, we employ Seeming Unrelated Regression to analyze the impact of perceived legitimacy and context on recycling and conservation behaviors, controlling for demographic characteristics, pro-environmental attitudes, and environmental identity. Our findings indicate that students’ perceptions of what university administrators support affect the likelihood of students to enact recycling and conservation behaviors, and peer support influences conservation behaviors. This research contributes to the literature on legitimacy by examining how legitimacy processes work in natural, rather than experimental, settings.

An Examination of the Structure of Sustainable Facilities Planning Scale for User Satisfaction in Nigerian Universities

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Abayomi Ibiyemi

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Universities are under increasing pressure to demonstrate that continuous performance improvement is being delivered for user satisfaction, but the importance of facilities planning as a student-staff focused tool needs to be emphasised. This research sought answers to questions relating to the underlying structure of sustainable facilities planning and user satisfaction, and the number of factors that make up the facilities planning scale. Three universities from the south-western part of Nigeria were selected randomly using ownership structure to define the cases: University of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso and Joseph Ayo Babalola University, Ikeji Arakeji, each representing the Federal, State, and Private ownership. A questionnaire survey was used on a random sample of 651 staff and students from the three universities. Six hundred questionnaires were retrieved (response rate of 92.2%. An exploratory factor analysis was used to understand the responses and the interrelationships. The results showed a two-factor solution of ‘locational advantages and user needs’ and ‘adequacy of facilities/functional connection and four core determinants for acceptance. It is concluded that universities should factor student-staff focus points into their facilities planning schemes to optimise their service deliveries. The study contributes to the discussion on factor structure of sustainable facilities planning scale with a focus on students and staff of universities.   Keywords: Facilities planning, universities, data structure, factors, Nigeria.

An Examination of the Structure of Sustainable Facilities Planning Scale for User Satisfaction in Nigerian Universities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abayomi Ibiyemi

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Universities are under increasing pressure to demonstrate that continuous performance improvement is being delivered for user satisfaction, but the importance of facilities planning as a student-staff focused tool needs to be emphasised. This research sought answers to questions relating to the underlying structure of sustainable facilities planning and user satisfaction, and the number of factors that make up the facilities planning scale. Three universities from the south-western part of Nigeria were selected randomly using ownership structure to define the cases: University of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso and Joseph Ayo Babalola University, Ikeji Arakeji, each representing the Federal, State, and Private ownership. A questionnaire survey was used on a random sample of 651 staff and students from the three universities. Six hundred questionnaires were retrieved (response rate of 92.2%. An exploratory factor analysis was used to understand the responses and the interrelationships. The results showed a two-factor solution of ‘locational advantages and user needs’ and ‘adequacy of facilities/functional connection and four core determinants for acceptance. It is concluded that universities should factor student-staff focus points into their facilities planning schemes to optimise their service deliveries. The study contributes to the discussion on factor structure of sustainable facilities planning scale with a focus on students and staff of universities. Keywords: Facilities planning, universities, data structure, factors, Nigeria.

Writing a Recipe for Teaching Sustainable Food Systems: Lessons from Three University Courses

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Christy Anderson Brekken

2018-06-01

Full Text Available The sustainability of the food system is at the forefront of academic and policy discussions as we face the challenge of providing food security to a growing population amidst environmental uncertainty and depletion, social disruptions, and structural economic shocks and stresses. Crafting a sustainable and resilient food system requires us to go beyond disciplinary boundaries and broaden critical and creative thinking skills. Recent literature calls for examples of pedagogical transformations from food systems courses to identify successful practices and potential challenges. We offer a recipe for what to teach by framing systems thinking concepts, then discuss how to teach it with five learning activities: deductive case studies, experiential learning, reflective narrative learning, system dynamics simulations and scenarios, and inductive/open-ended case studies, implemented with collaborative group learning, inter/trans-disciplinarity, and instructor-modeled co-learning. Each learning activity is animated with concrete examples from our courses at Oregon State University, University of Minnesota, and University of Vermont, USA. We discuss opportunities and challenges implementing these strategies in light of student, instructor, and institutional expectations and constraints. But the challenge is worth the effort, because food system transformation requires active learners and systemic thinkers as engaged citizens, food system advocates, entrepreneurs, and policy makers.

Sustainable uranium energy - an optional future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meneley, D.

2015-01-01

After 50 plus years of working on uranium fission principles and application, it is a bit hard for me to talk about anything else - but I'll give it a try. To start, I solemnly promise not to recommend to you any new reactor design - be it small, medium, modular, or large. The Uranium-fuelled power plant will be discussed ONLY as a finished product. Note that this sketch is an optional future. Ontario will, of course, take it or leave it, in whole or in part. This paper concentrates on future potential achievements of the CANDU nuclear energy systems. In the past, this venture has produced several modular systems, ranging from small (NPD and CANDU 3), medium (CANDU 6 and 6E) and large (Bruce, Darlington, and CANDU 9). All of these projects are more Ol' less finished products, and yet the CANDU concept still has broad scope for refinement and upgrading. This paper is, however, not about nuclear technology per se, but rather it is about what nuclear energy can do, both now and in the future. What does Ontario need to do next, in the line of technology applications that can help deal with the negative aspects of human-induced climate change? What energy systems can be installed to sustain the wealth and prosperity that Ontario's citizens now enjoy? What are the opportunities and the engineering challenges ahead of us? I do wish to apologize in advance for errors and omissions, and can only hope that missed details do not detract nor completely destroy an optimistic vision. Energy engineering is my game. Economics is not my specialty though it is an integral part of every engineering project. It is likely that the topic of economics will dominate the future choice of world energy supply, whatever that choice may be. Some people claim that the decisive factor dominating decisions with respect to uranium energy will be fear. In fact many opponents of the associated technology aim to induce fear as their main guiding theme. On the contrary, it is more reasonable to expect

Sustainable uranium energy - an optional future

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Meneley, D. [Univ. of Ontario Inst. of Tech., Oshawa, Ontario (Canada)

2015-06-15

After 50 plus years of working on uranium fission principles and application, it is a bit hard for me to talk about anything else - but I'll give it a try. To start, I solemnly promise not to recommend to you any new reactor design - be it small, medium, modular, or large. The Uranium-fuelled power plant will be discussed ONLY as a finished product. Note that this sketch is an optional future. Ontario will, of course, take it or leave it, in whole or in part. This paper concentrates on future potential achievements of the CANDU nuclear energy systems. In the past, this venture has produced several modular systems, ranging from small (NPD and CANDU 3), medium (CANDU 6 and 6E) and large (Bruce, Darlington, and CANDU 9). All of these projects are more Ol' less finished products, and yet the CANDU concept still has broad scope for refinement and upgrading. This paper is, however, not about nuclear technology per se, but rather it is about what nuclear energy can do, both now and in the future. What does Ontario need to do next, in the line of technology applications that can help deal with the negative aspects of human-induced climate change? What energy systems can be installed to sustain the wealth and prosperity that Ontario's citizens now enjoy? What are the opportunities and the engineering challenges ahead of us? I do wish to apologize in advance for errors and omissions, and can only hope that missed details do not detract nor completely destroy an optimistic vision. Energy engineering is my game. Economics is not my specialty though it is an integral part of every engineering project. It is likely that the topic of economics will dominate the future choice of world energy supply, whatever that choice may be. Some people claim that the decisive factor dominating decisions with respect to uranium energy will be fear. In fact many opponents of the associated technology aim to induce fear as their main guiding theme. On the contrary, it is more

Strengthening the role of universities in addressing sustainability challenges: the Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions as an institutional experiment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David D. Hart

2015-06-01

Full Text Available As the magnitude, complexity, and urgency of many sustainability problems increase, there is a growing need for universities to contribute more effectively to problem solving. Drawing upon prior research on social-ecological systems, knowledge-action connections, and organizational innovation, we developed an integrated conceptual framework for strengthening the capacity of universities to help society understand and respond to a wide range of sustainability challenges. Based on experiences gained in creating the Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions (Mitchell Center, we tested this framework by evaluating the experiences of interdisciplinary research teams involved in place-based, solutions-oriented research projects at the scale of a single region (i.e., the state of Maine, USA. We employed a multiple-case-study approach examining the experiences of three interdisciplinary research teams working on tidal energy development, adaptation to climate change, and forest vulnerability to an invasive insect. Drawing upon documents, observations, interviews, and other data sources, three common patterns emerged across these cases that were associated with more effective problem-solving strategies. First, an emphasis on local places and short-term dynamics in social-ecological systems research provides more frequent opportunities for learning while doing. Second, iterative stakeholder engagement and inclusive forms of knowledge co-production can generate substantial returns on investment, especially when researchers are dedicated to a shared process of problem identification and they avoid framing solutions too narrowly. Although these practices are time consuming, they can be accelerated by leveraging existing stakeholder relationships. Third, efforts to mobilize interdisciplinary expertise and link knowledge with action are facilitated by an organizational culture that emphasizes mutual respect, adaptability, and solutions

STEM Education as a Gateway to Future Astronomy: the Case of Ethiopian Universities

Science.gov (United States)

Adhana Teklr, Kelali

2015-08-01

Over last two decades education sector in Ethiopia has got due attention. To meet the education deficit of the nation number of universities has been increased from two to thirty eight and twelve more are coming soon. The proliferation has brought a spillover effect that universities have to compete for center excellence in research and education. Convincingly, government’s support is geared towards knowledge-based and innovation-driven system of education to back up the green economic development plan.In an effort to build inclusive economic development emphasis is given to innovative competency building through science and technology fields. The universities in the nation have establish laboratories to educate school boys and girls at early stage of their schooling in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) subjects as means to paving future destiny. Though most of the astronomy and space science labs are virtual ones; more and more student have been inspired and want astronomy and space science as their future career fields. Assessment study carried out in universities running STEM education showed that there is a mismatch between the capacity of the labs and number of students wanted to study astronomy and space sciences. The universities have endorsed that STEM education is the gateway to future astronomy and strongly advised concerned bodies and partnering institutions to collaboratively work to intensify the teaching-learning of STEM subjects.The assessment study compiled astronomic and space science exercises carried out by instructors and students and the document is ready to be disseminated to universities and middle and secondary schools to promote the science nationwide. The results have motivated university instructors, science and technology professionals, researchers and policy makers to be more involved in shaping future destiny of the young generation and have their shown determination to support the STEM education so that it will

Nuclear Energy - Hydrogen Production - Fuel Cell: A Road Towards Future China's Sustainable Energy Strategy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhiwei Zhou

2006-01-01

Sustainable development of Chinese economy in 21. century will mainly rely on self-supply of clean energy with indigenous natural resources. The burden of current coal-dominant energy mix and the environmental stress due to energy consumptions has led nuclear power to be an indispensable choice for further expanding electricity generation capacity in China and for reducing greenhouse effect gases emission. The application of nuclear energy in producing substitutive fuels for road transportation vehicles will also be of importance in future China's sustainable energy strategy. This paper illustrates the current status of China's energy supply and the energy demand required for establishing a harmonic and prosperous society in China. In fact China's energy market faces following three major challenges, namely (1) gaps between energy supply and demand; (2) low efficiency in energy utilization, and (3) severe environmental pollution. This study emphasizes that China should implement sustainable energy development policy and pay great attention to the construction of energy saving recycle economy. Based on current forecast, the nuclear energy development in China will encounter a high-speed track. The demand for crude oil will reach 400-450 million tons in 2020 in which Chinese indigenous production will remain 180 million tons. The increase of the expected crude oil will be about 150 million tons on the basis of 117 million tons of imported oil in 2004 with the time span of 15 years. This demand increase of crude oil certainly will influence China's energy supply security and to find the substitution will be a big challenge to Chinese energy industry. This study illustrates an analysis of the market demands to future hydrogen economy of China. Based on current status of technology development of HTGR in China, this study describes a road of hydrogen production with nuclear energy. The possible technology choices in relation to a number of types of nuclear reactors are

High resolution digital soil mapping as a future instrument for developing sustainable landuse strategies

Science.gov (United States)

Gries, Philipp; Funke, Lisa-Marie; Baumann, Frank; Schmidt, Karsten; Behrens, Thorsten; Scholten, Thomas

2016-04-01

Climate change, increase in population and intensification of land use pose a great challenge for sustainable handling of soils. Intelligent landuse systems are able to minimize and/or avoid soil erosion and loss of soil fertility. A successful application of such systems requires area-wide soil information with high resolution. Containing three consecutive steps, the project INE-2-H („innovative sustainable landuse") at the University of Tuebingen is about creating high-resolution soil information using Digital Soil Mapping (DSM) techniques to develop sustainable landuse strategies. Input data includes soil data from fieldwork (texture and carbon content), the official digital soil and geological map (1:50.000) as well as a wide selection of local, complex and combined terrain parameters. First, soil maps have been created using the DSM approach and Random Forest (RF). Due to high resolution (10x10 m pixels), those maps show a more detailed spatial variability of soil information compared to the official maps used. Root mean square errors (RMSE) of the modelled maps vary from 2.11 % to 6.87 % and the coefficients of determination (R²) go from 0.42 to 0.68. Second, soil erosion potentials have been estimated according to the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE). Long-term average annual soil loss ranges from 0.56 to 24.23 [t/ha/a]. Third, combining high-resolution erosion potentials with expert-knowledge of local farmers will result in a landuse system adapted to local conditions. This system will include sustainable strategies reducing soil erosion and conserving soil fertility.

Key Factors in Planning a Sustainable Energy Future Including Hydrogen and Fuel Cells

Science.gov (United States)

Hedstrom, Lars; Saxe, Maria; Folkesson, Anders; Wallmark, Cecilia; Haraldsson, Kristina; Bryngelsson, Marten; Alvfors, Per

2006-01-01

In this article, a number of future energy visions, especially those basing the energy systems on hydrogen, are discussed. Some often missing comparisons between alternatives, from a sustainability perspective, are identified and then performed for energy storage, energy transportation, and energy use in vehicles. It is shown that it is important…

Smart City for a Sustainable Future: Is Delhi Ready?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anindita Roy Saha

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Cities are the geographic nodes around which people gather for their livelihood activities. Various factors like resources, technology, education, medical innovations and environmental developments have shaped modern cities. However, with rapid urbanization and population growth, many cities are facing the problems of degradation, pollution, diseases and a poor quality of life. The major challenges before the urban growth centers have necessitated the formation of smart cities. Sustainable future of a city lies in the development of transport, infrastructure, environment, energy, ICT and people with a sustainability approach. The Government of India has launched a scheme to create hundred smart cities across the country, among which the National Capital of Delhi is a frontrunner. This paper attempts to study the existing infrastructure and facilities in Delhi in order to assess its readiness to be a smart city. It also attempts to analyze the citizens’ perception about Delhi as a smart city through a primary survey. Although there are limitations in the current scenario of economic and environmental performances and people’s perceptions, Delhi makes a strong case for becoming a smart city.

COMPANION ANIMALS SYMPOSIUM: Future aspects and perceptions of companion animal nutrition and sustainability.

Science.gov (United States)

Deng, P; Swanson, K S

2015-03-01

Companion animals play an important role in our lives and are now considered to be and treated as family members in a majority of households in the United States. Because of the high number of pets that now exist, an increasingly stronger pet-human bond, and the importance placed on health and longevity, the pet food industry has realized steady growth over the last few decades. Despite past successes and opportunities that exist in the future, there are also challenges that must be considered. This review will present a brief overview of the current pet food industry and address some of the key issues moving forward. In regards to companion animal research, recent advances and future needs in the areas of canine and feline metabolism, aging, clinical disease, and the gut microbiome using molecular and high-throughput assays; chemical, in vitro, and in vivo testing of feed ingredients; and innovative pet food processing methods is discussed. Training the future workforce for the pet food industry is also of great importance. Recent trends on student demographics and their species and careers of interest, changing animal science department curricula, and technology's impact on instruction are provided. Finally, the sustainability of the pet food industry is discussed. Focus was primarily placed on the disconnect that exists between opinions and trends of consumers and the nutrient recommendations for dogs and cats, the desire for increasing use of animal-based and human-grade products, the overfeeding of pets and the pet obesity crisis, and the issues that involve the evaluation of primary vs. secondary products in terms of sustainability. Moving forward, the pet food industry will need to anticipate and address challenges that arise, especially those pertaining to consumer expectations, the regulatory environment, and sustainability. Given the already strong and increasingly dynamic market for pet foods and supplies, an academic environment primed to supply a

The Future of Pork Production in the World: Towards Sustainable, Welfare-Positive Systems.

Science.gov (United States)

McGlone, John J

2013-05-15

Among land animals, more pork is eaten in the world than any other meat. The earth holds about one billion pigs who deliver over 100 mmt of pork to people for consumption. Systems of pork production changed from a forest-based to pasture-based to dirt lots and finally into specially-designed buildings. The world pork industry is variable and complex not just in production methods but in economics and cultural value. A systematic analysis of pork industry sustainability was performed. Sustainable production methods are considered at three levels using three examples in this paper: production system, penning system and for a production practice. A sustainability matrix was provided for each example. In a comparison of indoor vs. outdoor systems, the food safety/zoonoses concerns make current outdoor systems unsustainable. The choice of keeping pregnant sows in group pens or individual crates is complex in that the outcome of a sustainability assessment leads to the conclusion that group penning is more sustainable in the EU and certain USA states, but the individual crate is currently more sustainable in other USA states, Asia and Latin America. A comparison of conventional physical castration with immunological castration shows that the less-common immunological castration method is more sustainable (for a number of reasons). This paper provides a method to assess the sustainability of production systems and practices that take into account the best available science, human perception and culture, animal welfare, the environment, food safety, worker health and safety, and economics (including the cost of production and solving world hunger). This tool can be used in countries and regions where the table values of a sustainability matrix change based on local conditions. The sustainability matrix can be used to assess current systems and predict improved systems of the future.

The Future of Pork Production in the World: Towards Sustainable, Welfare-Positive Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John J. McGlone

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Among land animals, more pork is eaten in the world than any other meat. The earth holds about one billion pigs who deliver over 100 mmt of pork to people for consumption. Systems of pork production changed from a forest-based to pasture-based to dirt lots and finally into specially-designed buildings. The world pork industry is variable and complex not just in production methods but in economics and cultural value. A systematic analysis of pork industry sustainability was performed. Sustainable production methods are considered at three levels using three examples in this paper: production system, penning system and for a production practice. A sustainability matrix was provided for each example. In a comparison of indoor vs. outdoor systems, the food safety/zoonoses concerns make current outdoor systems unsustainable. The choice of keeping pregnant sows in group pens or individual crates is complex in that the outcome of a sustainability assessment leads to the conclusion that group penning is more sustainable in the EU and certain USA states, but the individual crate is currently more sustainable in other USA states, Asia and Latin America. A comparison of conventional physical castration with immunological castration shows that the less-common immunological castration method is more sustainable (for a number of reasons. This paper provides a method to assess the sustainability of production systems and practices that take into account the best available science, human perception and culture, animal welfare, the environment, food safety, worker health and safety, and economics (including the cost of production and solving world hunger. This tool can be used in countries and regions where the table values of a sustainability matrix change based on local conditions. The sustainability matrix can be used to assess current systems and predict improved systems of the future.

Designing a Sustainable Future with Mental Models

OpenAIRE

Bernotat, Anke; Bertling, Jürgen; English, Christiane; Schanz, Judith

2017-01-01

Inspired by the question of the Club of Rome as to Design could help to translate the ubiquitous knowledge on sustainability into daily practise and Peter Senge's belief on mental models as a limiting factor to implementation of systemic insight (Senge 2006), we explored working with mental models as a sustainable design tool. We propose a definition for design uses. At the 7th Sustainable Summer School we collected general unsustainable mental models and "designed" sustainable ones. These me...

Applying Spatial Indicators to Support Sustainable Urban Futures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petrov, Laura Oana; Shahumyan, Harutyun; Williams, Brendan

2013-01-01

structural analysis, FRAGSTATS, and ArcGIS software packages. The developed indicators form a valuable and complementary addition to the planning and policy process due to their interdisciplinary and practical nature. They were elaborated based on discussions with scientists, policy-makers and stakeholders......Indicators are helpful tools for land use management, particularly in the context of sustainable urban development. Together with scenarios they are a key requirement in order to produce information for stakeholders and policy-makers and aid their understanding of development processes. Using...... these information products and tools, policy-makers can be given the opportunity to spatially interrogate the driving forces and the current state of urban development. Understanding how trends will develop in the future and the possible impacts of their decisions on the development process is vital...

Requirements on future energy supply. Analysis on the demand of future power plant capacity and strategy for a sustainable power utilization in Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2003-08-01

This strategy paper was drawn up with a view to maximum ecological compatibility of pwer plant modernization and sustainable power generation and use. The first part of the paper analyzes the power plants to be decommissioned on a medium-term basis and - against the background of several different scenarios for future power demand - an estimate of power plant capacities required by 2020. The second part describes the goals and concrete requirements of sustainable energy use. In the final part, the available instruments are presented, and those instruments are recommended that will be best suited for making power demand and supply efficient, sustainable and environment-friend.y [de

Students' Attitudes to Solid Waste Management in a Nigerian University: Implications for Campus-Based Sustainability Education

Science.gov (United States)

Ifegbesan, Ayodeji Peter; Ogunyemi, Biodun; Rampedi, Isaac T.

2017-01-01

Purpose: Waste management is a critical element of the campus sustainability movement in which Nigerian universities are yet to actively participate. The purpose of this study was to investigate prevalent waste management practices and the disposition of undergraduate students in a Nigerian University. Design/methodology/approach: Data collection…

Local Institutional Development and Organizational Change for Advancing Sustainable Urban Water Futures

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Rebekah R.

2008-02-01

This paper presents the local institutional and organizational development insights from a five-year ongoing interdisciplinary research project focused on advancing the implementation of sustainable urban water management. While it is broadly acknowledged that the inertia associated with administrative systems is possibly the most significant obstacle to advancing sustainable urban water management, contemporary research still largely prioritizes investigations at the technological level. This research is explicitly concerned with critically informing the design of methodologies for mobilizing and overcoming the administrative inertia of traditional urban water management practice. The results of fourteen in-depth case studies of local government organizations across Metropolitan Sydney primarily reveal that (i) the political institutionalization of environmental concern and (ii) the commitment to local leadership and organizational learning are key corporate attributes for enabling sustainable management. A typology of five organizational development phases has been proposed as both a heuristic and capacity benchmarking tool for urban water strategists, policy makers, and decision makers that are focused on improving the level of local implementation of sustainable urban water management activity. While this investigation has focused on local government, these findings do provide guideposts for assessing the development needs of future capacity building programs across a range of different institutional contexts.

City Blueprints: Baseline Assessments of Sustainable Water Management in 11 Cities of the Future

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Leeuwen, C.J.

2013-01-01

The necessity of Urban Water Cycle Services (UWCS) adapting to future stresses calls for changes that take sustainability into account. Megatrends (e.g. population growth, water scarcity, pollution and climate change) pose urgent water challenges in cities. In a previous paper, a set of indicators,

Innovative Management for Organizational Sustainability in Higher Education

Science.gov (United States)

Barnard, Zenia; Van der Merwe, Derek

2016-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the innovative management strategies at the University of Johannesburg (UJ) during volatile post-merger years, in its quest for a sustainable future. It illustrates how the institution went from a place of relative uncertainty and volatility to a place of progression and stability by…

20th and 21st Joint Workshop on Sustained Simulation Performance

CERN Document Server

Bez, Wolfgang; Focht, Erich; Kobayashi, Hiroaki; Qi, Jiaxing; Roller, Sabine

2015-01-01

The book presents the state of the art in high-performance computing and simulation on modern supercomputer architectures. It covers trends in hardware and software development in general, and the future of high-performance systems and heterogeneous architectures specifically. The application contributions cover computational fluid dynamics, material science, medical applications and climate research. Innovative fields like coupled multi-physics or multi-scale simulations are also discussed. All papers were chosen from presentations given at the 20th Workshop on Sustained Simulation Performance in December 2014 at the HLRS, University of Stuttgart, Germany, and the subsequent Workshop on Sustained Simulation Performance at Tohoku University in February 2015.  .

Hydrogen and fuel cells. Towards a sustainable energy future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Edwards, P.P.; Kuznetsov, V.L.; David, W.I.F.; Brandon, N.P.

2008-01-01

A major challenge - some would argue, the major challenge facing our planet today - relates to the problem of anthropogenic-driven climate change and its inextricable link to our global society's present and future energy needs [King, D.A., 2004. Environment - climate change science: adapt, mitigate, or ignore? Science 303, 176-177]. Hydrogen and fuel cells are now widely regarded as one of the key energy solutions for the 21st century. These technologies will contribute significantly to a reduction in environmental impact, enhanced energy security (and diversity) and creation of new energy industries. Hydrogen and fuel cells can be utilised in transportation, distributed heat and power generation, and energy storage systems. However, the transition from a carbon-based (fossil fuel) energy system to a hydrogen-based economy involves significant scientific, technological and socioeconomic barriers to the implementation of hydrogen and fuel cells as clean energy technologies of the future. This paper aims to capture, in brief, the current status, key scientific and technical challenges and projection of hydrogen and fuel cells within a sustainable energy vision of the future. We offer no comments here on energy policy and strategy. Rather, we identify challenges facing hydrogen and fuel cell technologies that must be overcome before these technologies can make a significant contribution to cleaner and more efficient energy production processes. (author)

New science for global sustainability? The institutionalisation of knowledge co-production in Future Earth

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Hel, S.C.

2016-01-01

In the context of complex and unprecedented issues of global change, calls for new modes of knowledge production that are better equipped to address urgent challenges of global sustainability are increasingly frequent. This paper presents a case study of the new major research programme “Future

Sustainable development goals as the basis of university management towards global competitiveness

Science.gov (United States)

Utama, Yos Johan; Ambariyanto, Ambariyanto; Zainuri, Muhammad; Darsono, Darsono; Setyono, Budi; Widowati; Purnomo Putro, Sapto

2018-05-01

Sustainable Development Goals are international agreements of many countries under UN initiation that have certain goals and targets. Achieving these goals and targets of the SDG requires a broad and focused effort from various sectors including higher education. Some of the goals associated with higher education are education, sanitation, innovation and global partnership. Given that higher education is one of the main drivers of the progress of a country, it gives university opportunities to play a bigger role. In addition, the rapid development and changes that occur today also require universities to respond quickly and appropriately. This can be done by developing university management based on the principle of SDG. This paper provides a brief description of the strategies that higher education institutions can take, particularly in responding to the changing world and in achieving the target of the SDGs. Five strategis for the university to encourage faster achievement of the targeted SDGs are proposed, i.e. Improvement of higher education quality, improvement of higher education equity, improvement of sanitarian and environment, improvement of research and innovation, and global partnership.

The Integration of Sustainable Transport into Future Renewable Energy Systems in China

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Liu, Wen

use are largely lost in the current fossil fuel dominated energy systems. Sustainable transport development requires solutions from an overall renewable energy system in which integration of large-scale intermittent renewable energy needs assistance. Technologies of alternative vehicle fuels...... in transport may play a role in furthering such integration. The objective of this research is to make a contribution to the development of methodologies to identify and develop future sustainable transport systems as well as to apply such methodologies to the case of China. In particular, the methodological...... development focuses on 1) identifying suitable transport technologies and strategies based on renewable energy and 2) evaluating such technologies from the perspective of overall renewable energy system integration. For this purpose, a methodological framework involving the research fields of both...

Fit for the Future? A New Approach in the Debate about What Makes Healthcare Systems Really Sustainable

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matthias Fischer

2014-12-01

Full Text Available As healthcare systems face enormous challenges, sustainability is seen as a crucial requirement for making them fit for the future. However, there is no consensus with regard to either the definition of the term or the factors that characterize a “sustainable healthcare system”. Therefore, the aim of this article is twofold. First, it gives examples of the existing literature about sustainable healthcare systems and analyzes this literature with regard to its understanding of sustainability and the strengths and weaknesses of the different approaches. The article then identifies crucial factors for sustainable healthcare systems, and the result, a conceptual framework consisting of five distinct and interacting factors, can be seen as a starting point for further research.

The Role of Ethiopia's Public Universities in Achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

Science.gov (United States)

O'Keeffe, Paul

2016-01-01

In recent years, the Ethiopian government has embarked on an ambitious agriculture development strategy aimed at raising Ethiopia to the status of a middle-income-level country by 2025. Encouraged by the international development push behind the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the rapid expansion of public universities has…

Sustainability of UK shale gas in comparison with other electricity options: Current situation and future scenarios.

Science.gov (United States)

Cooper, Jasmin; Stamford, Laurence; Azapagic, Adisa

2018-04-01

Many countries are considering exploitation of shale gas but its overall sustainability is currently unclear. Previous studies focused mainly on environmental aspects of shale gas, largely in the US, with scant information on socio-economic aspects. To address this knowledge gap, this paper integrates for the first time environmental, economic and social aspects of shale gas to evaluate its overall sustainability. The focus is on the UK which is on the cusp of developing a shale gas industry. Shale gas is compared to other electricity options for the current situation and future scenarios up to the year 2030 to investigate whether it can contribute towards a more sustainable electricity mix in the UK. The results obtained through multi-criteria decision analysis suggest that, when equal importance is assumed for each of the three sustainability aspects shale gas ranks seventh out of nine electricity options, with wind and solar PV being the best and coal the worst options. However, it outranks biomass and hydropower. Changing the importance of the sustainability aspects widely, the ranking of shale gas ranges between fourth and eighth. For shale gas to become the most sustainable option of those assessed, large improvements would be needed, including a 329-fold reduction in environmental impacts and 16 times higher employment, along with simultaneous large changes (up to 10,000 times) in the importance assigned to each criterion. Similar changes would be needed if it were to be comparable to conventional or liquefied natural gas, biomass, nuclear or hydropower. The results also suggest that a future electricity mix (2030) would be more sustainable with a lower rather than a higher share of shale gas. These results serve to inform UK policy makers, industry and non-governmental organisations. They will also be of interest to other countries considering exploitation of shale gas. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Methodological Framework to Analyze Stakeholder Preferences and Propose Strategic Pathways for a Sustainable University

Science.gov (United States)

Turan, Fikret Korhan; Cetinkaya, Saadet; Ustun, Ceyda

2016-01-01

Building sustainable universities calls for participative management and collaboration among stakeholders. Combining analytic hierarchy and network processes (AHP/ANP) with statistical analysis, this research proposes a framework that can be used in higher education institutions for integrating stakeholder preferences into strategic decisions. The…

NREL Screens Universities for Solar and Battery Storage Potential

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Elgqvist, Emma M [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2017-09-12

In support of the U.S. Department of Energy's SunShot initiative, NREL provided solar photovoltaic (PV) screenings in 2016 and 2017 for universities seeking to go solar. Fifteen universities were selected for screenings based on campus solar and sustainability goals, plans for future solar projects and solar deployment capacity (megawatts), regional diversity, energy costs, and availability of campus energy data for the analysis.

Re-Thinking Sustainable Education Systems in Iceland: The Net-University Project

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Frank Rennie

2011-05-01

Full Text Available The recent economic crisis in Iceland has raised issues of the sustainability of Icelandic higher education to new levels of importance. A key strategy in relation to this economic crisis is to consider the merger of the four public universities in Iceland and to introduce a much higher enegagement with online and open delivery methods of higher education. The Net-University Project was an EU Leonardo-funded initiative to compare approaches to open and distance education in Iceland, Sweden, and Scotland, with additional lessons from Atlantic Canada. In particular, it sought to focus on the transfer of innovation in continuing university education, with particular emphasis on the development and delivery of online higher education courses throughout rural Iceland (i.e., outside of Reykjavik. The partners concentrated on how knowledge and experience about distributed and distance learning models could be transferred between the partner countries and how such models can be integrated into the education system to better support higher education and lifelong learning. There was a particular interest in the practical use of open educational resources (OER for course design and in the sharing of these course modules among university partners. Some good practice and lessons from OER use in course creation are listed.

A TWO CENTURY HISTORY OF PACIFIC NORTHWEST SALMON: LESSONS LEARNED FOR ACHIEVING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

Science.gov (United States)

Achieving ecological sustainability is a daunting challenge. In the Pacific Northwest one of the most highly visible public policy debates concerns the future of salmon populations. Throughout the Pacific Northwest, many wild salmon stocks have declined and some have disappeare...

Future-Oriented Dairy Farmers’ Willingness to Participate in a Sustainability Standard: Evidence from an Empirical Study in Germany

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Henrike Luhmann

2016-07-01

Full Text Available As a major agricultural subsector, milk production plays an important role in the EU 28. Political decisions such as the abolition of the milk quota system in 2015, highly volatile milk prices, high bargaining power of retailers and fierce international competition have led to challenges for both farmers and dairies and have created a need to improve competitiveness. Furthermore, the dairy sector is increasingly subject to societal demands for higher animal welfare and ecological standards. The concept of sustainability in the form of a production standard can be seen as a means for both dairy farmers and dairies to gain competitive advantages and meet stakeholders’ demands. Farmers’ willingness to participate in a sustainability standard is a key factor for its successful implementation. One attractive target group for such a standard are future-oriented farmers who plan to stay in dairy farming in the long run. This study, therefore, focuses on future-oriented dairy farmers and investigates their willingness to participate in a comprehensive sustainability standard. A hierarchical agglomerative cluster analysis is conducted to identify different groups based on their willingness to participate. 211 farmers can be categorized into three different clusters: ‘halfhearted sustainability proponents’, ‘highly dedicated sustainability proponents’ and ‘profit-oriented sustainability refusers’. Further analysis provides insights into the determinants of farmers’ willingness to participate in a sustainability standard. The results of this study provide manifold starting points for deriving managerial implications for the successful implementation of sustainability standards in European dairy farming

Education for Sustainable Development: Assessment of the Current Situation at the Faculty of Engineering of Notre Dame University--Louaize

Science.gov (United States)

Salem, Talal; Harb, Jacques

2012-01-01

There is a growing need to incorporate educational sustainable development (ESD) principles into engineering education. This paper identifies engineering competencies within the Faculty of Engineering at Notre Dame University--Louaize and the means to shift towards sustainability. ESD tools are used to carry the analysis, keeping in mind the…

Research, Education and Innovation Bundling Forces towards a Sustainable European Energy Future

CERN Multimedia

CERN. Geneva

2013-01-01

New technologies and applied innovation in the field of sustainable energy are needed in order to achieve a competitive and climate neutral Europe. As one of the first three Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KIC) of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), KIC InnoEnergy invests in innovation projects and new educational programmes and provides business creation service with the purpose of delivering the disruptive technologies and innovations that Europe requires to meet this ambitious goal. Its stakeholders are top European players in the industry, research institutes, universities and business schools. Six regionally bundled European hubs – Barcelona/Lisbon, Grenoble, Eindhoven, Karlsruhe, Stockholm and Krakow - lead one thematic field each in sustainable energy. The thematic fields addressed range from Intelligent “Energy-efficient Residential Buildings and Cities” over “Energy from Chemical Fuels”, “Renewable Energies”, “Clean Coal Technologies” to “European Smar...

Sustainability-open : Why every building will be sustainable in the future

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Coenders, J.L.

2013-01-01

In this paper the initiative “sustainability-open” will be introduced. The aim of the initiative is to take away one of the reasons why buildings and other objects in the built environment are often not designed in a sustainable manner: the availability of clear and insightful software to analyse

Moving Universities: A Case Study on the Use of Unconferencing for Facilitating Sustainability Learning in a Swiss University

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ralf Hansmann

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Unconferencing is a method for organizing social learning which could be suitable to trigger sustainability learning processes. An unconference is defined as participant-driven meeting that tries to avoid one or more aspects of a conventional conference, such as top-down organization, one-way communication and power-relationships based on titles, formal hierarchies and status. This paper presents a case study on the application of unconferencing in a large Swiss university (ETH Zurich where an unconference was conducted to engage students, academics, staff and external experts in a mutual learning process aimed at the development of project ideas for reducing its CO2 emissions. The study analyzes how the unconferencing format initiated and promoted sustainability oriented group processes during the unconference, and in how far the projects which were developed contributed to a reduction of the university’s CO2 emissions.

77 FR 33895 - Universal Service Contribution Methodology; a National Broadband Plan for Our Future

Science.gov (United States)

2012-06-07

... contribution system in an effort to promote efficiency, fairness, and sustainability. The Commission seeks... improved; and recovery of universal service contributions from consumers. DATES: Comments are due on or... print, electronic files, audio format), send an email to [email protected] or call the Consumer...

Future plant of basic research for nuclear energy by university researchers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shibata, Toshikazu

1984-01-01

National Committee for Nuclear Energy Research, Japan Science Council has completed a future plan for basic nuclear energy research by university researchers. The JSC has recommended the promotion of basic research for nuclear energy based on the plan in 1983. The future plan consists of four main research fields, namely, (1) improvements of reactor safety, (2) down stream, (3) thorium fuel reactors, and (4) applications of research reactor and radioisotopes. (author)

Developing Boundary-Spanning Capacity for Regional Sustainability Transitions—A Comparative Case Study of the Universities of Augsburg (Germany and Linz (Austria

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gesa Pflitsch

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The potential of universities to become ‘change agents’ for sustainability has increasingly been highlighted in the literature. Some largely open questions are how universities get involved in regional sustainability transitions and how that affects their role in these processes. This paper argues that universities need to develop a boundary-spanning capacity, which enables them to transcend disciplinary as well as sectoral boundaries in order to adopt a developmental role in regional sustainability transitions. It is investigated how universities develop this capacity within a particular regional context, using the method of a transition topology. Comparing how the relationships of universities with their surrounding regions developed in Augsburg (Germany and Linz (Austria, the paper shows why these processes are place-specific. A university’s boundary-spanning capacity develops over time and differs according to the actors involved. The primarily bottom-up driven process in Augsburg was thematically quite broad and involved diverse actors. In Linz, the top-down initiated process was fragmented and more narrowly focused. Individual value-driven actors that made use of their personal networks played an important role in both regions.

Supporting future university educators in Haiti – Phase 2 | IDRC ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Supporting future university educators in Haiti – Phase 2 ... ISTEAH recently created five research centres and IDRC will support master's ... and entrepreneurship will support students in building their careers. ... The 2017 World Conference of Science Journalists was an opportunity for the awardees to develop their skills ...

Sustaining PICA for Future NASA Robotic Science Missions Including NF-4 and Discovery

Science.gov (United States)

Stackpoole, Mairead; Venkatapathy, Ethiraj; Violette, Steve

2018-01-01

Phenolic Impregnated Carbon Ablator (PICA), invented in the mid 1990's, is a low-density ablative thermal protection material proven capable of meeting sample return mission needs from the moon, asteroids, comets and other unrestricted class V destinations as well as for Mars. Its low density and efficient performance characteristics have proven effective for use from Discovery to Flag-ship class missions. It is important that NASA maintain this thermal protection material capability and ensure its availability for future NASA use. The rayon based carbon precursor raw material used in PICA preform manufacturing has experienced multiple supply chain issues and required replacement and requalification at least twice in the past 25 years and a third substitution is now needed. The carbon precursor replacement challenge is twofold - the first involves finding a long-term replacement for the current rayon and the second is to assess its future availability periodically to ensure it is sustainable and be alerted if additional replacement efforts need to be initiated. This paper reviews current PICA sustainability activities to identify a rayon replacement and to establish that the capability of the new PICA derived from an alternative precursor is in family with previous versions.

Undergraduate Writing Promotes Student’s Understanding of International Sustainable Development in Horticulture

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Neil O. Anderson

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Promotion of undergraduate student thinking and learning in the realm of sustainable production is a new focus for horticulture curricula. In a writing intensive course, Greenhouse Management (Hort 3002W; University of Minnesota, students focus their learning of sustainability by writing peer-reviewed, 3-phase ‘Worldwide Sustainable Horticultural Crop Production Papers’ on past, present, and future prospects for sustainability. The USA is used as an in-class example throughout the semester while each student focuses their writing on a specific country of their choosing. Their papers focus on eight goals for each country across the three Phases: I—their choice of a country, definition of sustainability, identification of historical production practices, current production statistics; II—current production practices and integration of historical/current practices (ranked strategies; III—finalized sustainable development strategy, design of a future sustainable, controlled-environment production facility. The last two goals (Phase III provide plant breeders with potential breeding objectives for country-specific cultivar development within a sustainable production framework. Completed papers are web-published for global availability to enable each country’s researchers and policy makers to access sustainable ideas for future development. In 2009–2010, ‘Worldwide Sustainable Horticultural Crop Production Papers’ were published for 41 countries which were downloaded 3900 times in 19 months through April 2011. This large readership indicates such an assignment can generate interest in either undergraduate writing about developing sustainable horticulture and/or the topic area itself, although the exact purpose of the downloads or the location of the users could not be determined.

Human development and sustainability of energy systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2003-07-01

This seminar on human development and sustainability was jointly organized by the French agency of environment and energy mastery (Ademe) and Enerdata company. This document summarises the content of the different presentations and of the minutes of the discussions that took place at the end of each topic. The different themes discussed were: 1 - Political and methodological issues related to sustainability (sustainability concept in government policy, sustainability and back-casting: lessons from EST); 2 - towards a socially viable world: thematic discussions (demography and peoples' migration; time budget and life style change - equal sex access to instruction and labour - geopolitical regional and inter-regional universal cultural acceptability; welfare, poverty and social link and economics); 3 - building up an environmentally sustainable energy world, keeping resources for future generations and preventing geopolitical ruptures (CO{sub 2} emissions; nuclear issues; land-use, noise, and other industrial risks). The memorandum on sustainability issues in view of very long term energy studies is reprinted in the appendix. The transparencies of seven presentations are attached to this document. (J.S.)

Human development and sustainability of energy systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2003-07-01

This seminar on human development and sustainability was jointly organized by the French agency of environment and energy mastery (Ademe) and Enerdata company. This document summarises the content of the different presentations and of the minutes of the discussions that took place at the end of each topic. The different themes discussed were: 1 - Political and methodological issues related to sustainability (sustainability concept in government policy, sustainability and back-casting: lessons from EST); 2 - towards a socially viable world: thematic discussions (demography and peoples' migration; time budget and life style change - equal sex access to instruction and labour - geopolitical regional and inter-regional universal cultural acceptability; welfare, poverty and social link and economics); 3 - building up an environmentally sustainable energy world, keeping resources for future generations and preventing geopolitical ruptures (CO{sub 2} emissions; nuclear issues; land-use, noise, and other industrial risks). The memorandum on sustainability issues in view of very long term energy studies is reprinted in the appendix. The transparencies of seven presentations are attached to this document. (J.S.)

College and University Dining Services Administrators' Intention to Adopt Sustainable Practices: Results from US Institutions

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Chao-Jung; Gregoire, Mary B.; Arendt, Susan; Shelley, Mack C.

2011-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine college and university dining services administrators' (CUDSAs) intention to adopt sustainable practices. Design/methodology/approach: The theory of planned behavior (TPB) including constructs of subjective norm (SN), attitude, perceived behavior control, and personal norm (PN), formed the…

University Internationalization and University Autonomy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Turcan, Romeo V.; Gulieva, Valeria

2016-01-01

Turcan and Gulieva deepen our theoretical understanding of the process of university internationalisation by exploring the relationship between university internationalisation and university autonomy. They conjecture that the process of university internationalisation and its sustainability are d......, dissimilar, and sometimes conflicting dimensions of the financial, legal, organisational, staffing, and academic autonomy of the host country, are compromising key aspects of their own autonomy and core mission?......Turcan and Gulieva deepen our theoretical understanding of the process of university internationalisation by exploring the relationship between university internationalisation and university autonomy. They conjecture that the process of university internationalisation and its sustainability...... are determined by the structure and exercise of university autonomy settings at home and in the host countries, and that the process itself cannot be successfully achieved and maintained without changes in the autonomy settings. The key question the authors ask is to what degree universities, in embracing new...

Sustainability and Agenda 21: teaching sustainability ideology and landscape design practice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David Jones

2000-03-01

Full Text Available This paper reviews the 'Issues in Landscape Sustainability' subject/project that has been devised by Adelaide University's School of Architecture, Landscape Architecture and Urban Design. It has been successfully run in the townships of Strathalbyn (University of Adelaide 1997, Loxton (University of Adelaide 1998, Port Broughton (University of Adelaide 1999a, and Lobethal (University of Adelaide 2000. The subject/project was recently recognised by the Royal Australian Planning Institute (SA Group with a Student Project Award in their 1999 State Awards of Excellence: 'Issues in Landscape Sustainability' is a project that introduces tertiary students to concepts of urban design, community planning, and landscape design with economic implications, woven around the concept of sustainability as contained in the State Government's Agenda 21 Strategy (Anon 1999 p 19. Agenda 21 is about devising policy and practical ideas to address sustainability objectives in communities. This project has focused upon rural communities as a vehicle to involve community and municipal representatives actively, to expose students to both theory and practice, and to serve as an introduction to landscape design principles at a medium level.

Not just lumber--Using wood in the sustainable future of materials, chemicals, and fuels

Science.gov (United States)

Joseph E. Jakes; Xavier Arzola; Richard Bergman; Peter Ciesielski; Christopher G. Hunt; Nima Rahbar; Mandla Tshabalala; Alex C. Wiedenhoeft; Samuel L. Zelinka

2016-01-01

Forest-derived biomaterials can play an integral role in a sustainable and renewable future. Research across a range of disciplines is required to develop the knowledge necessary to overcome the challenges of incorporating more renewable forest resources in materials, chemicals, and fuels. We focus on wood specifically because in our view, better characterization of...

Creating the integral engineer : Combining development education, sustainability, entrepreneurship and technology at Delft University of Technology

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zwarteveen, J.W.; Blom, E.M.; Vastbinder, B.; Brezet, J.C.

2010-01-01

A modern engineer is more than a technical specialist. Training an integral engineer requires education in non-technical skills, including social and ethical aspects. Therefore, Delft University of Technology (DUT) introduced sustainable development and entrepreneurship into its bachelor and master

Powering the future: Blueprint for a sustainable electricity industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Flavin, C.; Lenssen, N.

1997-01-01

Long known for its vast scale and fierce resistance to change, the US power industry is poised for a sweeping transformation. Although driven by many of the same forces propelling the telecommunications revolution, the electricity industry has received only a fraction as much attention. Yet the electric industry is far larger, with a current investment per customer of $6,000--double that of the phone and cable industries combined. Moreover, unlike telecommunications, the future of the power industry will have an enormous impact on the global environment. The glimmerings of a more efficient, decentralized, and less-polluting power system are beginning to capture the interest--and even the investment dollars--of some. In this paper, the authors describe the route to a more environmentally sustainable electric industry to power the twenty-first century

Creating and Sustaining University-Community Partnerships in Science Education (Invited)

Science.gov (United States)

Finkelstein, N.

2009-12-01

Despite years of research and investment, we have yet to see the widespread implementation of a myriad research-proven instructional strategies in STEM education[1]. To address this challenge, we present and analyze one such strategy, a theoretically-grounded model of university-community partnership [2] that engages university students and children in a collective enterprise that has the potential to improve the participation and education of all. We document the impact of this effort on: university participants who learn about education, the community and science; children in the community who learn about science, the nature of science and develop their identities and attitudes towards science; and, shifts in institutional structures which may allow these programs to be part of standard practice. This project is designed to be sustained and scaled, and is analyzed through the application of a new framework [3] which brings together theories of STEM change that come from studies in higher education, faculty development and disciplinary-based education research in STEM. [1] National Research Council. (2003). Improving Undergraduate Instruction in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics: Report of A Workshop. Washington, D.C.: The National Academies Press. [2] Finkelstein, N. and Mayhew, L. (2008). Acting in Our Own Self-Interest: Blending University and Community. Proceedings of the 2008 Physics Education Research Conf, AIP Press. Melville NY, 1064, 19-22. [3] Henderson, C., Finkelstein, N. & Beach A. (to appear). Beyond Dissemination in College science teaching: An Introduction to Four Core Change Strategies. Accepted May 2009 in Journal of College Science Teaching.

The Hybrid Public Research University: A Comparative Case Study of Two Self-Sustaining Degree Programs in Public Health

OpenAIRE

Hagigi, Farhad A

2014-01-01

Abstract of the DissertationThe Hybrid Public Research University: A Comparative Case Study of Two Self‐Sustaining Degree Programs in Public HealthByFarhad Abas HagigiDoctor of Philosophy in EducationUniversity of California, Los Angeles, 2014Professor Walter R. Allen, Co-ChairProfessor Jos� Luis Santos, Co-ChairDecreased public funding, diminishing political and societal support, and increased competition from private institutions have led public research universities (PRUs) to under...

Sustainability and uncertainty

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Karsten Klint

2007-01-01

The widely used concept of sustainability is seldom precisely defined, and its clarification involves making up one's mind about a range of difficult questions. One line of research (bottom-up) takes sustaining a system over time as its starting point and then infers prescriptions from...... this requirement. Another line (top-down) takes an economical interpretation of the Brundtland Commission's suggestion that the present generation's needsatisfaction should not compromise the need-satisfaction of future generations as its starting point. It then measures sustainability at the level of society...... a clarified ethical goal, disagreements can arise. At present we do not know what substitutions will be possible in the future. This uncertainty clearly affects the prescriptions that follow from the measure of sustainability. Consequently, decisions about how to make future agriculture sustainable...

Learning to be a global citizen: student transition to an internationalised university

OpenAIRE

Montgomery, Catherine

2010-01-01

This session focuses on first year undergraduate students’ encounters with internationalism at university. University is a key site for educating responsible citizens of the future, graduates who will work in their professional contexts within ethical and sustainable parameters. It is important to understand how young students are experiencing internationalism and how their encounters with diversity, particularly in the first stages of their university experience, may enable them to become et...

A Framework for Supporting Organizational Transition Processes Towards Sustainable Energy Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Buch, Rajesh

organizational transition processes towards sustainable energy systems, using systems and stakeholder mapping, participatory envisioning, and sustainability assessment to prepare the development of transition strategies towards realizing long-term energy sustainability. The energy system at Arizona State University's Tempe campus (ASU) in 2008 was used as a baseline to evaluate the sustainability of the current system. From interviews and participatory workshops, energy system stakeholders provided information to map the current system and measure its performance. Utilizing operationalized principles of energy sustainability, stakeholders envisioned a future sustainable state of the energy system, and then developed strategies to begin transition of the current system to its potential future sustainable state. Key findings include stakeholders recognizing that the current energy system is unsustainable as measured against principles of energy sustainability and an envisioned future sustainable state of the energy system. Also, insufficient governmental stakeholder engagement upstream within the current system could lead to added risk as regulations affect energy supply. Energy demand behavior and consumption patterns are insufficiently understood by current stakeholders, limiting participation and accountability from consumers. In conclusion, although this research study focused on the Tempe campus, ASU could apply this process to other campuses thereby improving overall ASU energy system sustainability. Expanding stakeholder engagement upstream within the energy system and better understanding energy consumption behavior can also improve long-term energy sustainability. Finally, benchmarking ASU's performance against its peer universities could expand the current climate commitment of participants to broader sustainability goals.

Turning points towards sustainability: integrative science and policy for novel (but real landscape futures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David J. Brunckhorst

2004-09-01

Full Text Available Non-metropolitan landscapes are the major theatre of interactions where large-scale alteration occurs precipitated by local to global forces of economic, social and environmental change. However, these regional landscape effects are critical also to local natural resource and social sustainability, ecosystem health through to larger scales of biospheric functioning. The institutions contributing pressures and responses consequently shape future landscapes and in turn influence how social systems, resource users, governments and policy makers perceive those landscapes and their future. These are, in essence, complex social-ecological systems intertwined in a multitude of ways at many spatial scales across time. Over time, the cycles of complex social-ecological systems also reach crossroads, which might be crisis points at which future options are no longer available (possibly because of resource degradation or loss, or turning points where opportunities arise when it is easier to change direction towards more sustainable activities. This paper provides some examples of interdisciplinary research that has provided a holistic integration through close engagement with residents and communities or through deliberately implementing integrative high-risk ‘on-ground’ experimental models to ‘learn by doing’. In the final analysis, each project has characteristically, however, sought to integrate through spatial (if not temporal synthesis, policy analysis and (new or changed institutional arrangements that are relevant locally and corporately, as well as at broader levels of government and geography. This has provided transferable outcomes that can contribute real options and adaptive capacity for suitable positive futures.

The design of Eco Board Games as an umbrella approach to sustainable product design education

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Boks, Casper; McAloone, Tim C.

2009-01-01

The multidisciplinarity and quickly broadening scope of sustainable product design education provide incentives for experimentation with different pedagogical techniques. One of these, involving the development of eco board games, has been used at both the Technical University Denmark and the Nor......The multidisciplinarity and quickly broadening scope of sustainable product design education provide incentives for experimentation with different pedagogical techniques. One of these, involving the development of eco board games, has been used at both the Technical University Denmark...... and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. This paper aims to reflect on the experiences, in terms of ratonales, learning goals, possible variations of the exercise, delivered course work, and future ambitions....

Book Review: "The Road to Sustainability, GDP and Future Generations" Pulselli et al, WIT Press, Southhampton, UK 197p 2008

Science.gov (United States)

“The Road to Sustainability, GDP and future generations” by Pulselli, F.M., Bastianoni, S., Marchettini, N. Tiezzi, E. was reviewed upon request by the journal’s editor. Briefly, this book presents the authors’ perspective on the complex and important topic of sustainability. Su...

Sustainability Assessment of Higher Education Institutions in Saudi Arabia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Habib M. Alshuwaikhat

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Universities are paramount change drivers in bringing about a culture of sustainability in society by setting themselves up as models and nurseries for sustainable development. Thus, assessment of sustainability integration within universities is key to their impact on sustainable development. This study conducted an assessment of different public sector universities of Saudi Arabia based on five components: (i Teaching and Curriculum; (ii Research and Scholarship; (iii Campus Operations; (iv Management and Community; and (v Financial Management. The sustainability assessment questionnaire (SAQ was utilized as a tool to discern the component-wise sustainability assessment for Saudi universities. The outcomes of the survey reveal that, in stark contrast with the universities of the developed world, offerings of sustainability relevant academic courses in Saudi Arabia are still lacking. Most Saudi universities still need to integrate research and scholarship in the area of sustainability; sustainable-campus operations in the current scenario are not sufficient. The results also reveal that sustainability-related projects are not prioritized within universities and sustainable financial management practices are not significant. This article concludes by proposing some recommendations emphasizing the importance of adopting sustainability practices in Saudi universities.

Inventions for future sustainable development in agriculture

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jacobsen, E.; Beers, P.J.; Fischer, A.R.H.

2011-01-01

This chapter is directed to the importance of different inventions as driver for sustainable development of agriculture. Inventions are defined as radical new ideas, perspectives and technologies that hold the potential to trigger a change in sustainable agriculture. Innovation is based on one or

Sustainability Assessment Using a Unit-based Sustainability ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

A sustainability assessment study was performed with three teaching departments at Rhodes University – Ichthyology and Fisheries Science, Anthropology, and Accounting. The assessment used a Unit-based Sustainability Assessment Tool (USAT) and was guided by systems thinking and the ontological framework ...

An Early Look at Building a Social Learning for Sustainability Community of Practice: RCE Grand Rapids' Flagship Project

Science.gov (United States)

Glasser, Harold

2010-01-01

Grand Rapids is the first United Nations University (UNU) Regional Centre of Expertise (RCE) on education for sustainable development (ESD) in the United States. It builds on the region's long history and deep foundation in research, planning and problem solving to build a sustainable future. This article explores the concept of RCEs as social…

Mapping Research Activities and Technologies for Sustainability and Environmental Studies--A Case Study at University Level

Science.gov (United States)

Hara, Keishiro; Uwasu, Michinori; Kurimoto, Shuji; Yamanaka, Shinsuke; Umeda, Yasushi; Shimoda, Yoshiyuki

2013-01-01

Systemic understanding of potential research activities and available technology seeds at university level is an essential condition to promote interdisciplinary and vision-driven collaboration in an attempt to cope with complex sustainability and environmental problems. Nonetheless, any such practices have been hardly conducted at universities…

A conceptual synthesis of organisational transformation: How to diagnose, and navigate, pathways for sustainability at universities?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Baker-Shelley, Alex; van Zeijl - Rozema, Annemarie; Martens, Pim

2017-01-01

Universities will play a profound role in a century in which society will be judged by its capacity for self-transformation in response to pandemic crises of climate change and capitalism. Frameworks of analysis of sustainability in organisations could benefit from tangible systemic rubrics for

STRESS AND FUTURE CAREER ASPIRATIONS AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN TURKEY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Yavuzaslan

2016-01-01

Full Text Available It isevidentthat everyday life stressesmaycause changes in the systematic cycleof human kind. It has been proven that universitystudents have been carrying“future goal concerns” with them sincethe start of their university experience.Studyingin Turkish universitieshas allowed university students to undertake theprocess of finding a job in either the public or private sector with ease at the endof their studies, as demonstrated by the TUIK (Turkey Statistic Intuition.However,in the last fewyears, unemployment rates havebeen increasingrapidly.The increasing number of students enrolled at universitiescould be a contributingfactor to high unemployment rates. According to the statisticsof theTurkishHigher Education,in2000-2001, 1.5 million students wereenrolledto study. In2015-2016, 6.7million students wereenrolled. Therefore, students will be facedwithgreatercompetitionin finding employment. This is of great concern to theuniversity student and his/her future career plans, especially during a time of sloweconomic growth. Students who arejob hunting under these circumstances areunder immense pressure. This paper addresses a number of factors– social andeconomic, academic – which may be stressful to students in Turkey. The role andresponsibility of societyin this regard is also reiterated.The aim of this study is to examine the factors that constitute sources of stressforTurkish university students and to provide suggestions for solution. Therefore the method of this study includes surveys carried out among students of variousuniversity programs in Turkey and is based on statistical data. As a result of thestudy, the effect of stress factors will be evaluated and suggestions for openingrelevant programs and courses at state and private universities will be given aswell as a solution through the support of entrepreneurship will be recommended.

Enhancing Education for Sustainable Development in Environmental University Programmes: A Co-Creation Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Rosario Perello-Marín

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study is to analyse co-creation approach as a strategy at HE as a prerequisite for a successful implementation of sustainable development (HESD, while considering student collaboration in university processes. A questionnaire was handed in to 395 undergraduate environmental students from twelve Ecuadorian universities to test a structural equation model that included four variables—participation, co-creation, satisfaction, and trust. It is worth noting that these topics are increasingly relevant in competitive and innovative universities when promoting management in HESD. The results verify that student participation, as one of the key ESD skills, has a significant and positive influence on co-creation as a generator of student satisfaction and trust, especially in this context. Co-creation, from a higher education perspective, from the premise that students are the centre of the learning process, reinforces the education quality principles in an innovative way, and promotes the HESD perspectives.

24th & 25th Joint Workshop on Sustained Simulation Performance

CERN Document Server

Bez, Wolfgang; Focht, Erich; Gienger, Michael; Kobayashi, Hiroaki

2017-01-01

This book presents the state of the art in High Performance Computing on modern supercomputer architectures. It addresses trends in hardware and software development in general, as well as the future of High Performance Computing systems and heterogeneous architectures. The contributions cover a broad range of topics, from improved system management to Computational Fluid Dynamics, High Performance Data Analytics, and novel mathematical approaches for large-scale systems. In addition, they explore innovative fields like coupled multi-physics and multi-scale simulations. All contributions are based on selected papers presented at the 24th Workshop on Sustained Simulation Performance, held at the University of Stuttgart’s High Performance Computing Center in Stuttgart, Germany in December 2016 and the subsequent Workshop on Sustained Simulation Performance, held at the Cyberscience Center, Tohoku University, Japan in March 2017.

Sustainable WEE management in Malaysia: present scenarios and future perspectives

Science.gov (United States)

Rezaul Hasan Shumon, Md; Ahmed, S.

2013-12-01

Technological advances have resulted development of a lot of electronic products for continuously increasing number of customers. As the customer taste and features of these products change rapidly, the life cycles have come down tremendously. Therefore, a large volume of e-wastes are now emanated every year. This scenario is very much predominant in Malaysia. On one hand e-wastes are becoming environmental hazards and affecting the ecological imbalance. On the other, these wastes are remaining still economically valuable. In Malaysia, e-waste management system is still in its nascent state. This paper describes the current status of e-waste generation and recycling and explores issues for future e-waste management system in Malaysia from sustainable point of view. As to draw some factual comparisons, this paper reviews the e-waste management system in European Union, USA, Japan, as a benchmark. Then it focuses on understanding the Malaysian culture, consumer discarding behavior, flow of the materials in recycling, e-waste management system, and presents a comparative view with the Swiss e-waste system. Sustainable issues for e-waste management in Malaysia are also presented. The response adopted so far in collection and recovery activities are covered in later phases. Finally, it investigates the barriers and challenges of e-waste system in Malaysia.

Simulated Sustainable Societies: Students' Reflections on Creating Future Cities in Computer Games

Science.gov (United States)

Nilsson, Elisabet M.; Jakobsson, Anders

2011-02-01

The empirical study, in this article, involved 42 students (ages 14-15), who used the urban simulation computer game SimCity 4 to create models of sustainable future cities. The aim was to explore in what ways the simulated "real" worlds provided by this game could be a potential facilitator for science learning contexts. The topic investigated is in what way interactions in this gaming environment, and reflections about these interactions, can form a context where the students deal with real world problems, and where they can contextualise and apply their scientific knowledge. Focus group interviews and video recordings were used to gather data on students' reflections on their cities, and on sustainable development. The findings indicate that SimCity 4 actually contributes to creating meaningful educational situations in science classrooms, and that computer games can constitute an important artefact that may facilitate contextualisation and make students' use of science concepts and theories more explicit.

Social responsibility and sustainability in Spanish university libraries: questioning the discourse from critical analysis perspectives

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Engracia Martin Valdunciel

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The paper focus on a critical analysis of a discursive formation in Spanish academic libraries: social responsibility and sustainability. The concepts that make up the discourse are historically contextualized in order to clarify their origin and social affiliation. Although the enunciation of social responsibility and sustainability content is formulated ambiguously, its articulation as a discursive practice within the framework of the new corporate management university libraries leads us to infer bias in their rhetorical formulation. We consider that, from a fuzzy concept and its integration into technocratic practices, the discourse can be used as a tool for legitimizing the deregulation of public educational institutions.

A source of energy : sustainable architecture and urbanism

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Roestvik, Harald N.

2011-07-01

An update on the environmental challenges. Meant to inspire and be a source of energy.Tearing down myths and floodlighting paradoxes. Particularly relevant for students of architecture, architects and concerned citizens. Training tasks, recommendations for further source books and web sites, are included. From the content: Climate change and consensus, Population growth, Food production, The sustainable city, Transportation myths and facts, A mini history of environmental architecture, Architects' approach to sustainable design, The failure of western architects; a case study; China, The passive, zeb and plus energy building, Natural ventilation, Sustainable materials, Plastics in building, Nuclear energy, Solar energy, The grid of the future, Indoor climate and health. The sick building syndrome, Radon, Universal design, Paradoxes, Bullying techniques, Trust yourself, Timing, Which gateway will you choose?, On transience. (au)

THE ROLE OF ENERGY IN ECOLOGICAL SUSTAINABILITY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Popescu Maria-Floriana

2015-07-01

Full Text Available The rapid population growth leads to greater daily demand for energy, causing nations to diversify their portfolios and seek new sources of energy, including renewable to provide more energy. In a universe with seriously exhausted natural resources, severe urbanization, climate change and conflicts that go beyond borders, the issue of overpopulation unquestionably causes worldwide debates and can generate a snowball effect for the global economy or human society. Population’s increase in the nearby future will have a central role in challenges such as: global warming, air and water contamination, increase in the level of poverty, food scarcity, deforestation, desertification, health problems and resource shortages. The transformation into a sustainable environmental model, situated in a post-carbon economy, will imply setting barriers to industrial progress (will have to be sustainable and environmental friendly and also to population growth (will have to follow a normal pace. But, the level on vulnerability and uncertainty in the evolution of energy has been threatened lately by major events that took place all around the world. Security of supply, new geopolitical perspectives and ecological and sustainability issues are yet again on the bleeding line. Therefore, the goal of this theoretical article is to give an overview of the current situation concerning the role of energy in ecological sustainability. It expresses routes in which humans and enterprises can act in order to contribute to ecologically sustainable development. The subject of how we live on a congested planet represents the most critical sustainability of all. We are witnessing our current risks and we can also envision our possible, and particularly desirable, future: a steady human population, living and protecting the nature and planet, having finite needs of goods, services, or energy, and maintaining a healthy Earth for us and the animals that also depend on it. This is

Symposium 9: Rocky Mountain futures: preserving, utilizing, and sustaining Rocky Mountain ecosystems

Science.gov (United States)

Baron, Jill S.; Seastedt, Timothy; Fagre, Daniel B.; Hicke, Jeffrey A.; Tomback, Diana; Garcia, Elizabeth; Bowen, Zachary H.; Logan, Jesse A.

2013-01-01

In 2002 we published Rocky Mountain Futures, an Ecological Perspective (Island Press) to examine the cumulative ecological effects of human activity in the Rocky Mountains. We concluded that multiple local activities concerning land use, hydrologic manipulation, and resource extraction have altered ecosystems, although there were examples where the “tyranny of small decisions” worked in a positive way toward more sustainable coupled human/environment interactions. Superimposed on local change was climate change, atmospheric deposition of nitrogen and other pollutants, regional population growth, and some national management policies such as fire suppression.

Geneva University: Pixel Detectors – trends and options for the future

CERN Multimedia

Geneva University

2012-01-01

GENEVA UNIVERSITY École de physique Département de physique nucléaire et corspusculaire 24, quai Ernest-Ansermet 1211 Genève 4 Tél.: (022) 379 62 73 Fax: (022) 379 69 92   Wednesday 25 April 2012 SEMINAIRE DE PHYSIQUE CORPUSCULAIRE Science III, Auditoire 1S081 30Science III, Auditoire 1S081 30 Pixel Detectors – trends and options for the future Prof. Norbert Wermes - University of Bonn  Pixel detectors have been invented in the early 90s with the advancement of micro technologies. With the advent of the LHC, big vertex detectors have demonstrated that the pixel detector type is holding many of the promises it had made before. Meanwhile new, different or just improved variants of the pixel technology are being studied for their suitability for future experiments or experiment upgrades. The talk will address the various pro's and con's comparing hybrid and monolithic pixel technologies and their su...

The role of sustainable HORECA for sustainable lifestyles - identification of challenges and future work

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Strassner, Carola; Bügel, Susanne Gjedsted; Hertwig, Jostein

2016-01-01

Internationally there is increasing interest in short food supply chains and local and organic food as part of a wider concern with sustainability. This is strongly evident in both commercially oriented food service, where it is often associated with sustainable tourism endeavours, and in institu......Internationally there is increasing interest in short food supply chains and local and organic food as part of a wider concern with sustainability. This is strongly evident in both commercially oriented food service, where it is often associated with sustainable tourism endeavours...

Sustainable development, clean technology and knowledge from industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sokolović Slobodan M.

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Clean technology or clean production is the most important factor for the economic growth of a society and it will play the main role not only in the area of cleaner production, but also in sustainable development. The development of clean technology will be the main factor of the company’s strategy in the future. Each company, which wants to reach the competitive position at the market and wants to be environmentally friendly, has to accept the new approach in corporate management and the strategy of new clean technology. The main principles of clean technology are based on the concept of maximum resource and energy productivity and virtually no waste. This approach may be limited by human resources and the level of their environmental knowledge. Companies are committed to the development of the workers’ skills, and thus to the improvement of the company for the full implementation of the environmental legislation and clean production concept. Based on this commitment, one of Tempus projects is designed to improve the university-enterprise cooperation in the process of creating sustainable industry in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. To achieve this goal, partner universities will create special courses on sustainable industry and thus enhance the lifelong learning process and cooperation between industry and universities in the Western Balkan countries.

The Sustainable University: Green Goals and New Challenges for Higher Education Leaders

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, James; Samels, James E.

2012-01-01

Colleges and universities are at the forefront of efforts to preserve the earth's resources for future generations. Carbon neutrality, renewable energy sources, green building strategies, and related initiatives require informed and courageous leaders at all levels of higher education. James Martin and James E. Samels have worked closely with…

Pathway to future sustainable land imaging: the compact hyperspectral prism spectrometer

Science.gov (United States)

Kampe, Thomas U.; Good, William S.

2017-09-01

NASA's Sustainable Land Imaging (SLI) program, managed through the Earth Science Technology Office, aims to develop technologies that will provide future Landsat-like measurements. SLI aims to develop a new generation of smaller, more capable, less costly payloads that meet or exceed current imaging capabilities. One projects funded by this program is Ball's Compact Hyperspectral Prism Spectrometer (CHPS), a visible-to-shortwave imaging spectrometer that provides legacy Landsat data products as well as hyperspectral coverage suitable for a broad range of land science products. CHPS exhibits extremely low straylight and accommodates full aperture, full optical path calibration needed to ensure the high radiometric accuracy demanded by SLI measurement objectives. Low polarization sensitivity in visible to near-infrared bands facilitates coastal water science as first demonstrated by the exceptional performance of the Operational Land Imager. Our goal is to mature CHPS imaging spectrometer technology for infusion into the SLI program. Our effort builds on technology development initiated by Ball IRAD investment and includes laboratory and airborne demonstration, data distribution to science collaborators, and maturation of technology for spaceborne demonstration. CHPS is a three year program with expected exiting technology readiness of TRL-6. The 2013 NRC report Landsat and Beyond: Sustaining and Enhancing the Nations Land Imaging Program recommended that the nation should "maintain a sustained, space-based, land-imaging program, while ensuring the continuity of 42-years of multispectral information." We are confident that CHPS provides a path to achieve this goal while enabling new science measurements and significantly reducing the cost, size, and volume of the VSWIR instrument.

Education for sustainable development

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Breiting, Søren

2009-01-01

 An introduction to the idea of sustainable development (SD) and education for sustainable development (ESD) with reference to the international Decade for Education for Sustainable Development . The chapter includes a focus on conflicting interests between present and future generations related ...... to the use of natural resources and other matters, and how that kind of issues can be dealt with in education as ESD....... An introduction to the idea of sustainable development (SD) and education for sustainable development (ESD) with reference to the international Decade for Education for Sustainable Development . The chapter includes a focus on conflicting interests between present and future generations related...

Agroecology and Sustainable Agriculture

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fabio Caporali

Full Text Available In the framework of the 16th National Meeting of the Italian Ecological Society (“Global Change, Ecological Diversity and Sustainability”, University of Tuscia, Viterbo, 19-22 September 2006, a symposium was devoted to “Agroecology and Sustainable Development”. A major goal of this symposium was to contribute to keeping the dialogue among the experts of the various disciplines alive. Sustainability of agriculture is a challenge for society world wide. Universities and society as a whole have a responsibility in re-examining current perception of nature, of the world and of human society in the light of natural resources depletion, increasing pollution and social inequalities. The urgency to address sustainability issues is increasingly being reflected in the manner in which institutions of higher education around the world are giving priority to the teaching, research and practice of sustainability. The University of Tuscia is involved in international initiatives concerning teaching and research in Agroecology and Sustainable Agriculture.

Experience of computer technology usage within university training for future specialists of nuclear power plants under «the university-enterprise» program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Semenov, V.K.; Vol'man, M.A.; Zhuravleva, V.S.

2015-01-01

The article deals with the aspects of training program for future specialists of nuclear power plants. This program is realized at NPP Department of Ivanovo State University and Kalinin NPP. The usage of computer and simulation modeling at the university are the main components of this concept [ru

Trends in future health financing and coverage: future health spending and universal health coverage in 188 countries, 2016-40.

Science.gov (United States)

2018-05-05

Achieving universal health coverage (UHC) requires health financing systems that provide prepaid pooled resources for key health services without placing undue financial stress on households. Understanding current and future trajectories of health financing is vital for progress towards UHC. We used historical health financing data for 188 countries from 1995 to 2015 to estimate future scenarios of health spending and pooled health spending through to 2040. We extracted historical data on gross domestic product (GDP) and health spending for 188 countries from 1995 to 2015, and projected annual GDP, development assistance for health, and government, out-of-pocket, and prepaid private health spending from 2015 through to 2040 as a reference scenario. These estimates were generated using an ensemble of models that varied key demographic and socioeconomic determinants. We generated better and worse alternative future scenarios based on the global distribution of historic health spending growth rates. Last, we used stochastic frontier analysis to investigate the association between pooled health resources and UHC index, a measure of a country's UHC service coverage. Finally, we estimated future UHC performance and the number of people covered under the three future scenarios. In the reference scenario, global health spending was projected to increase from US$10 trillion (95% uncertainty interval 10 trillion to 10 trillion) in 2015 to $20 trillion (18 trillion to 22 trillion) in 2040. Per capita health spending was projected to increase fastest in upper-middle-income countries, at 4·2% (3·4-5·1) per year, followed by lower-middle-income countries (4·0%, 3·6-4·5) and low-income countries (2·2%, 1·7-2·8). Despite global growth, per capita health spending was projected to range from only $40 (24-65) to $413 (263-668) in 2040 in low-income countries, and from $140 (90-200) to $1699 (711-3423) in lower-middle-income countries. Globally, the share of health spending

Annual Sustainability Report FY 2014. Incorporates NREL Site Sustainability Plan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rukavina, Frank [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2015-07-01

NREL's Sustainability Program is responsible for upholding all executive orders, federal regulations, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) orders, and goals related to sustainable and resilient facility operations. But NREL continues to expand sustainable practices above and beyond the laboratory's regulations and requirements to ensure that the laboratory fulfills its mission into the future, leaves the smallest possible legacy footprint, and models sustainable operations and behaviors on national, regional, and local levels. The report, per the GRI reporting format, elaborates on multi-year goals relative to executive orders, achievements, and challenges; and success stories provide specific examples. A section called 'Sustaining NREL's Future Through Integration' provides insight into how NREL is successfully expanding the adoption of renewable energy technologies through integration.

Domestic food and sustainable design : a study of university student cooking and its impacts

OpenAIRE

Clear, Adrian; Hazas, Michael; Morley, Janine; Friday, Adrian; Bates, Oliver

2013-01-01

In four university student kitchens over twenty-one days, we captured participants' food preparation activity, quantified the greenhouse gas emissions and direct energy connected to the food and cooking, and talked to participants about their food practices. Grounded in this uniquely detailed micro-account, our findings inform sustainable design for cooking and eating at home and quantify the potential impacts. We outline the relation of the impacts to our participants' approaches to everyday...

Sustainability knowledge using “AKASA” model among architecture students from Klang Valley private universities, Malaysia.

Science.gov (United States)

Kuppusamy, Sivaraman; Faris Khamidi, Mohd; Sheng, Lee Xia; Salvi Mari, Tamil

2017-12-01

The study intend to investigate sustainability knowledge using “AKASA” model. This model comprises all the literacy level which is the awareness, knowledge, attitude, skills and action. 234 students from 5 selected private universities were surveyed using questionnaires. Students were specifically selected from year 2 and year 3 from private universities in Klang valley, Malaysia. The study intends to investigate the environmental literacy level specifically the knowledge variable. The parametric study was conducted with descriptive analysis and the results shows that the environmental knowledge is at high level compared to other environmental literacy variables among year 2, year 3 and combine year 2 and year 3.

Achieving and Sustaining Universal Health Coverage: Fiscal Reform of the National Health Insurance in Taiwan.

Science.gov (United States)

Lan, Jesse Yu-Chen

2017-12-01

The paper discusses the expansion of the universal health coverage (UHC) in Taiwan through the establishment of National Health Insurance (NHI), and the fiscal crisis it caused. Two key questions are addressed: How did the NHI gradually achieve universal coverage, and yet cause Taiwanese health spending to escalate to fiscal crisis? What measures have been taken to reform the NHI finance and achieve moderate success to date? The main argument of this paper is that the Taiwanese Government did try to implement various reforms to save costs and had moderate success, but the path-dependent process of reform does not allow increasing contribution rates significantly and thereby makes sustainability challenging.

Sustainable energy development: The present (2011) situation and possible paths to the future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lior, Noam

2012-01-01

This invited keynote paper is the most recent among similar reviews published by the author, update to year 2011. In a format similar to that in past reviews, recent estimates and forecasts of the conventional fossil fuel resources and their reserve/production ratio, nuclear power, and renewable energy potential, and energy uses are surveyed. A brief discussion of the status, sustainability (economic, environmental and social impact), and prospects of fossil, nuclear and renewable energy use, and of power generation is presented. Beyond the general review, the paper focuses this year on some of the many important areas that deserve more attention: (1) the recently emerging game-changing developments of postponement of “peak oil”, nuclear power future following the disaster in Japan, and effects of the recent global economy downturn of global sustainability, (2) the potential and impacts of electric cars (3) the often neglected energy status and promising potential of Africa. Some ways to resolve the problem of the availability, cost, and sustainability of energy resources alongside the rapidly rising demand are discussed. The author’s view of the promising energy R and D areas, their potential, foreseen improvements and their time scale, and last year’s trends in government funding are presented.

Sustainable consumption

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Prothero, Andrea; Dobscha, Susan; Freund, Jim

2011-01-01

This essay explores sustainable consumption and considers possible roles for marketing and consumer researchers and public policy makers in addressing the many sustainability challenges that pervade our planet. Future research approaches to this interdisciplinary topic need to be comprehensive...... and systematic and will benefit from a variety of different perspectives. There are a number of opportunities for future research, and three areas are explored in detail. First, the essay considers the inconsistency between the attitudes and behaviors of consumers with respect to sustainability; next, the agenda...... is broadened to explore the role of individual citizens in society; and finally, a macro institutional approach to fostering sustainability is explored. Each of these areas is examined in detail and possible research avenues and public policy initiatives are considered within each of these separate...

Corporate Universities and Corporation- University Partnerships in Thailand: Complimenting Education in Learning, Leadership and Change

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oliver S. Crocco

2017-04-01

Full Text Available With an estimated workforce of 285 million and the establishment of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN Economic Community in 2015, ASEAN faces vast challenges in human resource development (HRD and higher education. These challenges in Thailand have resulted in the rise of corporate universities and corporation-university partnerships. Corporate partnerships in education adapt quickly to industry needs and are increasingly popular and complimentary to traditional higher education. This research looks at one corporate university and one corporation-university partnership to investigate how, if at all, corporate universities and partnerships address HRD issues such as adult learning, leadership development, organisational change, corporate social responsibility (CSR, as well as ethical and global issues. This research finds initial evidence that corporate educational strategies address a variety of HRD issues and have the potential to revolutionise and compliment higher education in Thailand in a way that drives the nation toward a more sustainable future.

Fostering Sustainable Energy Entrepreneurship among Students: The Business Oriented Technological System Analysis (BOTSA Program at Eindhoven University of Technology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mara Wijnker

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The Business Oriented Technological System Analysis (BOTSA program is a new teaching and learning concept developed by Eindhoven University of Technology (the Netherlands with participation from innovative companies in renewable energy. It is designed to stimulate sustainable entrepreneurship among engineering students in this field. The program combines the placement of students in companies to study and contribute to the development and incubation of sustainable energy innovations, with a curriculum at the university designed to support these internships from a scientific perspective. The teaching method assists students in developing a broad system view that enables them to analyze the potential of, and bottlenecks to promising innovations from a realistic business perspective. This empowers students to identify those techno-economic aspects that are critical to innovation success, and advise the entrepreneurs about these aspects. Experience indicates that teachers, students, and entrepreneurs find BOTSA a valuable way of coaching, learning and working. Theoretical support for this method is found in system analysis originating in evolutionary innovation theory in combination with concepts of entrepreneurship, business model generation and sustainable/green innovation.

A Sustainable Paperless Online System (SPOS for Engineering Quality in Teaching: Koya University as a Case Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Salah I. Yahya

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Rapidly advancing computer based technologies offer many possibilities for innovation in educational and administrative assessment tasks which allow for a reliable real time reporting and feedback process. This paper considers the requirements for teacher assessments to become an accurate and reliable process. As a case study, the challenges of implementing such a system at Koya University have been considered. This paper examines how a paperless online system can support faculties' efforts for improving sustainable quality in learning and up-to-date assessment techniques. The proposed sustainable paperless online system (SPOS uses Google Applications for Education that have been adopted at Koya university as a communications and collaboration medium to enhance its teaching quality. Such a system may enhance security, transparency and ease of use while consuming less time and resources and promoting green practice. The work throughout this paper explains how the initiative is engineered for achieving and monitoring a better quality in teaching.

The Institute for Sustained Performance, Energy, and Resilience, University of North Carolina, Final Technical Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fowler, Robert [Univ. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC (United States)

2018-01-20

This is the final report for the UNC component of the SciDAD Institute for Sustained Performance, Energy, and Resilience. In this report, we describe activities on the SUPER project at RENCI at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. While we focus particularly on UNC, we touch on project-wide activities as well as, on interactions with, and impacts on, other projects.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT THROUGH ECO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vergina CHIRITESCU

2013-12-01

Full Text Available The issue of the relationship between humankind and the environment became scientific and economic concerns of the international community since the first UN Conference on the Human Environment (Stockholm, 1972 and resulted in the work of the World Commission on Environment and Development, established in 1985. Report of the Commission presented in 1987 by GH Brundtland, entitled "Our Common Future" provided the first universally accepted definition of sustainable development as "development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the opportunities of future generations to meet their own needs". Brundtland Report, 1987, was reaffirmed by the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development / Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro - Brazil, 1992 which established the principles of Agenda 21, which was intended to be a guide implementation of sustainable development for the 21st century, a development that was required to be applied at national, regional and local level. [1] In the context of developing new eco-economic system adopted a number of international conventions that establish detailed obligations of the States and strict implementation deadlines climate change, biodiversity conservation, protection of forests and wetlands, limiting the use of certain chemicals, access information on the state of the environment and other international legal space outlining the practical application of the principles of sustainable economic development in ecological conditions.

The Physiology undergraduate major in the University of Arizona College of Medicine: past, present, and future.

Science.gov (United States)

Henriksen, Erik J; Atwater, Anne E; Delamere, Nicholas A; Dantzler, William H

2011-06-01

The American Physiological Society (APS) and APS Council encourage the teaching of physiology at the undergraduate, graduate, and medical school levels to support the continued prominence of this area of science. One area identified by the APS Council that is of particular importance for the development of future physiologists (the "physiology pipeline") is the teaching of physiology and physiology-related topics at the undergraduate level. In this article, we describe the historical development and implementation of an undergraduate program offered through the Department of Physiology, a basic science department in the College of Medicine at the University of Arizona, culminating in a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences degree with a major in Physiology. Moreover, we discuss the current Physiology curriculum offered at our institution and explain how this program prepares our students for successful entry into a variety of postbaccalaureate professional programs, including medical school and numerous other programs in health professions, and in graduate study in the Masters and Doctoral programs in biomedical sciences. Finally, we cover the considerable challenges that we have faced, and continue to face, in developing and sustaining a successful physiology undergraduate major in a college of medicine. We hope that the information provided on the Physiology major offered by the Department of Physiology in the College of Medicine at the University of Arizona will be helpful for individuals at other institutions who may be contemplating the development and implementation of an undergraduate program in Physiology.

Sustainability in Transport Planning

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gudmundsson, Henrik; Greve, Carsten

Contribution to session J: Joint University Sustainability Initiatives. This session will provide an inspiring overview of interdisciplinary research and teaching activities on sustainability bridging DTU, KU, and CBS, and introduce the joint collaboration Copenhagen Sustainability Initiative (COSI...

Current and future sustainable biofuels; Dagens och framtidens haallbara biodrivmedel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boerjesson, Paal [Lunds Univ., Lund (Sweden); Lundgren, Joakim [Luleaa Tekniska Univ., Luleaa (Sweden); Ahlgren, Serina [Sveriges Lantbruksuniv., Uppsala (Sweden); Nystroem, Ingrid [Swedish Knowledge Centre for Renewable Transportation Fuels, Goeteborg (Sweden); CIT Industriell Energi., Goeteborg (Sweden)

2013-09-01

This report has been prepared as a background paper for the state investigation 'Fossil Free Vehicle Traffic'. The purpose of this study is to describe and summarize the current knowledge on production of biofuels and linkages to sustainability issues such as energy and land efficiency, GHG performance and costs. The report includes both existing and future fuel systems under development and based on different raw materials and production processes. The study has primarily a Swedish perspective, but with international views. The report includes both existing and future fuel systems under development, and based on different raw materials and production processes. The study has primarily a Swedish perspective, but with international views. The report's analysis of energy efficiency, greenhouse gas performance and production costs is based on system analysis and a life-cycle perspective. The focus is on the production chain to the produced fuel (well-to-tank). Results are based on current research and commercial development of the respective chains. They are based primarily from standardized life cycle analysis and, in some production systems, also on industrial systems analysis. These two approaches have some differences in methodology, which are highlighted in the report. In the overview values and results have been compiled to make it possible to compare the results.

Current and future sustainable biofuels; Dagens och framtidens haallbara biodrivmedel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boerjesson, Paal [Lunds Univ., Lund (Sweden); Lundgren, Joakim [Luleaa Tekniska Univ., Luleaa (Sweden); Ahlgren, Serina [Sveriges Lantbruksuniv., Uppsala (Sweden); Nystroem, Ingrid [Swedish Knowledge Centre for Renewable Transportation Fuels, Goeteborg (Sweden); CIT Industriell Energi., Goeteborg (Sweden)

2013-09-01

This report has been prepared as a background paper for the state investigation 'Fossil Free Vehicle Traffic'. The purpose of this study is to describe and summarize the current knowledge on production of biofuels and linkages to sustainability issues such as energy and land efficiency, GHG performance and costs. The report includes both existing and future fuel systems under development and based on different raw materials and production processes. The study has primarily a Swedish perspective, but with international views. The report includes both existing and future fuel systems under development, and based on different raw materials and production processes. The study has primarily a Swedish perspective, but with international views. The report's analysis of energy efficiency, greenhouse gas performance and production costs is based on system analysis and a life-cycle perspective. The focus is on the production chain to the produced fuel (well-to-tank). Results are based on current research and commercial development of the respective chains. They are based primarily from standardized life cycle analysis and, in some production systems, also on industrial systems analysis. These two approaches have some differences in methodology, which are highlighted in the report. In the overview values and results have been compiled to make it possible to compare the results.

Utopia University: A Faculty Member Reflects on Recommendations for the Future of SoTL

Science.gov (United States)

Forrest, Krista D.

2013-01-01

The author, Krista D. Forrest, Professor of Psychology, University of Nebraska at Kearney, reports on what it would take to create a "Utopian university," a campus of the future where faculty members' scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) has gone on to change departments and as the departments changed, so did the institution.…

Competencies in Education for Sustainable Development: Exploring the Student Teachers’ Views

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gisela Cebrián

2015-03-01

Full Text Available In the context of higher education, over 100 universities have signed international declarations and have committed to embed sustainability within their operations, outreach, education and research. However, despite the declaration of good intentions and policy developments at the national, regional and international level, little has been achieved in terms of embedding education for sustainable development holistically in the curriculum. To date, a number of research studies have focused on the perceptions and views of university students in relation to sustainable development knowledge, skills and competencies; however, few studies have focused on student teachers’ perceptions of education for sustainable development. The aim of this study was to explore the perceptions and views of a group of thirty-two student teachers in relation to education for sustainable development competencies. The research instrument used was a questionnaire. This study provides evidence on the education for sustainable development (ESD competencies that student teachers would prioritize in a school project related to ESD: acquisition of knowledge and practical skills related to nature and natural sciences, to the detriment of other types of learning, such as the promotion of ethical values, positive attitudes towards sustainability and the management of emotions among their future primary school students. Existing ESD theoretical frameworks need to become more alive and integrated within the existing teacher education curriculum to promote the awareness and development of ESD competencies amongst student teachers.

A New Agenda for Sustainability

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Aagaard Nielsen, Kurt

Two decades after the Brundtland Commission's Report "Our Common Future" adopted the concept of 'sustainable development', this book provides a renewal of the concept exploring the potential for new practices and fields for those involved in sustainability activity. The book addresses a number...... on sustainability. The material dealt with in the book offers a wide variety of perspectives on sustainability and reflects the importance of interdisciplinary and transdiciplinary work in the field. Suggesting targets for future analytical and political efforts in achieving global sustainability, this book offers...

Globalization, Sustainable Development and Universities

Science.gov (United States)

Toakley, Arthur Raymond

2004-01-01

Globalization is a natural outcome of the sustained technological and economic growth, which originated with the Industrial Revolution in Britain during the 18th century. This path to continuing economic growth spread initially to continental Europe and North America, and brought with it the creation of large towns and substantial social change.…

Debating Futures in Flemish Deaf Parliament: Deaf Epistemologies, Participatory Citizenship, and Sustainable Development

Science.gov (United States)

De Clerck, Goedele A.M.

2017-01-01

More than 350 deaf/sign language community members gathered at six local deaf clubs in Flanders in 2014 to share perspectives about the future and formulate proposals for policymaking. This initiative, Flemish Deaf Parliament, serves as a platform of deliberative democracy developed through cooperation between Ghent University and the Flemish…

Sustainability in Australia, past, present and future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sligar, J.

2001-01-01

Over the last 50 years Australia has generally maintained adequate energy supplies to its population in an increasingly efficient and sustainable manner It has also been able to help sustain other economies in supplying energy resources of coal, gas and uranium. This provides 20% of Australia's export income, contributing to the quality of life experienced by Australians.Presently the reserve margin in the electricity power system is adequate and, with the exception of oil, ample local energy resources are available. Over the same period the doubling in energy generation efficiency has matched the population growth in NSW The same contributions by technology and population can be expected over the next 50 years. The growth in demand has however increased by a factor of about five.Sensible demand management could reduce this to a more acceptable figure over the next 50 years as shown in two possible scenarios. This, coupled with ongoing energy exports will help sustain the quality of life in this economy

Sustainable Skyscrapers: Designing the Net Zero Energy Building of the Future

Science.gov (United States)

Kothari, S.; Bartsch, A.

2016-12-01

Cities of the future will need to increase population density in order to keep up with the rising populations in the limited available land area. In order to provide sufficient power as the population grows, cities must become more energy efficient. Fossil fuels and grid energy will continue to become more expensive as nonrenewable resources deplete. The obvious solution to increase population density while decreasing the reliance on fossil fuels is to build taller skyscrapers that are energy neutral, i.e. self-sustaining. However, current skyscrapers are not energy efficient, and therefore cannot provide a sustainable solution to the problem of increasing population density in the face of depleting energy resources. The design of a net zero energy building that includes both residential and commercial space is presented. Alternative energy systems such as wind turbines, photovoltaic cells, and a waste-to-fuel conversion plant have been incorporated into the design of a 50 story skyscraper that is not reliant on fossil fuels and has a payback time of about six years. Although the current building was designed to be located in San Francisco, simple modifications to the design would allow this building to fit the needs of any city around the world.

Sustainable transportation initiatives in developing countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Figueroa, M.J.

2000-01-01

The primary goal of the workshop was to share experiences of sustainable transport practices from invited medium-sized cities in Latin America and Asia. The purpose was to learn how sustainable mechanisms have been incorporated into national planning and implementation systems. Emphasis was given to understand what concrete mechanism work to promote sustainable transport in the selected projects. The workshop included participation of transport economics and engineers, policy makers and policy-advisors, and key representatives from the transportation government and non-governmental sector in El Salvador. Among participants there were also members from academia, private consultants and international NGOs. The workshop provided a basis for outreach in terms of directly informing participants on the specific experiences brought in by the participating countries. The Workshop set out to address the following main objectives: To demonstrate successful examples of transportation initiatives that show positive sustainable economic, environmental and social benefits in selected developing countries; To provide a forum for discussion of sustainable transport paths; To develop a network for information exchange and capacity building; To gather information on concrete mechanisms to promote sustainable transportation; To demonstrate efficient mechanisms and tools for collection and analysis of data in transport; To create an inventory of success stories and alternative visions for the future. Several institutions collaborated in organising the event: the Intermediate Technology Development Group (ITDG-Sri Lanka), The Peace and Development Research Group from Goeteborg University and institutions within El Salvador: Centro Salvadeoreno de Tecnologia Apropiada (CESTA), and the Climate Change Communication office of the Ministry of Environment in Salvador. This volume contains reports of the presentations and discussions that took place at the workshop in San Salvador. The agenda

Sustainable transportation initiatives in developing countries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Figueroa, M J [ed.

2000-03-01

The primary goal of the workshop was to share experiences of sustainable transport practices from invited medium-sized cities in Latin America and Asia. The purpose was to learn how sustainable mechanisms have been incorporated into national planning and implementation systems. Emphasis was given to understand what concrete mechanism work to promote sustainable transport in the selected projects. The workshop included participation of transport economics and engineers, policy makers and policy-advisors, and key representatives from the transportation government and non-governmental sector in El Salvador. Among participants there were also members from academia, private consultants and international NGOs. The workshop provided a basis for outreach in terms of directly informing participants on the specific experiences brought in by the participating countries. The Workshop set out to address the following main objectives: To demonstrate successful examples of transportation initiatives that show positive sustainable economic, environmental and social benefits in selected developing countries; To provide a forum for discussion of sustainable transport paths; To develop a network for information exchange and capacity building; To gather information on concrete mechanisms to promote sustainable transportation; To demonstrate efficient mechanisms and tools for collection and analysis of data in transport; To create an inventory of success stories and alternative visions for the future. Several institutions collaborated in organising the event: the Intermediate Technology Development Group (ITDG-Sri Lanka), The Peace and Development Research Group from Goeteborg University and institutions within El Salvador: Centro Salvadeoreno de Tecnologia Apropiada (CESTA), and the Climate Change Communication office of the Ministry of Environment in Salvador. This volume contains reports of the presentations and discussions that took place at the workshop in San Salvador. The agenda

Sustainability of Disability-Related Services in Canada and Israel: Will the Real Universal Design Please Stand Up?

Science.gov (United States)

Fichten, Catherine Susan; Heiman, Tali; Havel, Alice; Jorgensen, Mary; Budd, Jillian; King, Laura

2016-01-01

We have examined the sustainability of providing services for students with disabilities in higher education in Canada and Israel. The two countries differ in their approaches: Israel subscribes to the accommodations model of service delivery; Canada, to the universal design approach. Case examples of services to students with disabilities in…

What Kind of Critical University Education for Sustainable Development? A Comparative Study of European Students and Social Representations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Agnieszka Jeziorski

2012-12-01

Full Text Available In the course of the institutional integration of education for sustainable development (ESD, university courses have been going through rapid changes, but this process can be blocked or aided by each country’s peculiar features, whether institutional, financial, cultural or other. This article proposes an examination of the specific socio-educational characteristics of the implementation of ESD based on a study of the social representations of students in three European countries (Germany, France and Poland, and in two types of Master’s level university education. The paper initially focuses on the differences and similarities in the student research groups. It then analyses the representational components in terms of the possible impacts on the implementation of ESD at the university from a critical, citizenship perspective. Despite the differences in the students’ representational structures in the various countries, we can see that, in the three national groups, the social representations of sustainable development are highly focused and have a highly fragmented character. The lack of systematization of the different elements of the representation poses barriers to critical education, although this takes different forms in the different countries.

Mapping the relationship between higher education and sustainable development

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Holm, Claus; Martinsen, Anders

2015-01-01

are in a conflict with each other and with respect to understanding of as well higher education, in casu the curriculum and assessment activity of the university, as sustainable development – and, first of all, it gives rise to very different conditions for future forms of life and learning inside as well......The article presents different approaches to the relationship between higher education and sustainable development. The purpose is firstly to provide an overview of four main approaches to this relationship and these approaches’ key conflicts. Secondly, the purpose is to argue that the approach...... "lifelong learning skills for a resilient life" is beginning to establish itself as part of a main conflict with the approach "necessary knowledge for a secured life". That is to say that these two approaches to the question of the relationship between higher education and sustainable development...

Can engineering solutions really provide a sustainable future?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Boisen, Anja

2014-01-01

Sustainability is a word which is very often (mis)used in various public debates. In engineering, however, it is perhaps easier to define the term, then in other academic fields. We advocate the principle that only those activities, which can be sustained for at least a few centuries using known...

Sustainability Statement and Policy

Science.gov (United States)

Journal of Education for Sustainable Development, 2009

2009-01-01

This article presents nine resources that focus on environmental education and sustainability. These include: (1) "Sustainability Statement and Policy," Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia, Canada, 2009, which is available at http://office.sustainability.dal.ca/Governance; (2) "Climate Literacy: The Essential Principles of Climate…

Future Forests. Sustainable Strategies under Uncertainty and Risk

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2009-07-01

Climate change, globalization, and increased consumption of materials and energy leads to higher pressure on forest resources. The task of intensifying forestry to produce more timber, paper, and energy, while at the same time ensuring ecosystem services, such as biodiversity and recreation, is a complex one. Difficult decisions have to be made if we are to strike a balance between these demands. These decisions have to be supported by scientifically-based land-use strategies to deal with tradeoffs on different scales. The vision of Future Forests is to take a significant step forward in this complicated task. The Program has a long-term perspective (50-100 years) and will consider changes in climate, as well as global and market development as major factors likely to have a strong influence on forest management and forest landscapes in the future. In this context, uncertainties, vulnerability, and the adaptive capacity of social-ecological systems must also be considered. The Program's promise to society is: Future Forests will create knowledge and tools to enable sustainable decisions for the future of one of our most important resources - our forests. To fulfill this promise, the Program has the ambition to constitute a platform where researchers from different disciplines, and practitioners from several sectors, can interact. The program will combine empirical research with modeling, scenario analysis, and synthesis work in order to produce excellent science and applications. Much of the multidisciplinary research performed in the Program will be done in the Component Projects. These research groups will be responsible for producing detailed, high quality scientific results that can both be incorporated into the scenarios and be directly relevant for our stakeholders. The Center for Forest System Analyses and Synthesis (ForSA) will form a unifying force in Future Forests. The main goal for this center is to develop skills in scenario analyses and to

Education for Sustainability: Assessing Pathways to the Future

Science.gov (United States)

Huckle, John

2014-01-01

In this paper John Huckle reflects on the outlook of environmental education based on conferences in 1972 and 1992 regarding the lack of sustainable development being realized. Huckle points "education for sustainability" along a pathway provided by critical theory and pedagogy and uses theory to examine the nature of ecological crisis,…

Moving Towards Sustainable Food Consumption : Identifying Barriers to Sustainable Student Diets

OpenAIRE

Ede, James; Graine, Sophia; Rhodes, Chris

2011-01-01

Adopting more sustainable consumption habits has been identified as a necessary step in the progression towards a sustainable society. In the area of sustainable consumption, personal food behaviour represents a strong leverage point. University students have been identified as a strategic audience; habits established during this transformative period can track forward into later life. This study seeks to identify the barriers inhibiting students from eating more sustainably. Perceived benefi...

Multiple criteria decision making for sustainable energy and transportation systems. Proceedings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ehrgott, Matthias [Auckland Univ. (New Zealand). Dept. of Engineering Science; Naujoks, Boris [Login GmbH, Schwelm (Germany).; Stewart, Theodor J. [Cape Town Univ., Rondebosch (South Africa). Dept. of Statistical Sciences; Wallenius, Jyrki (eds.) [Helsinki School of Economics (Finland). Dept. of Business Technology

2010-07-01

In the twenty-first century the sustainability of energy and transportation systems is on the top of the political agenda in many countries around the world and governments are establishing policies towards a sustainable, low emissions energy future. Environmental impacts of human economic activity necessitate the consideration of conflicting goals in decision making processes to develop sustainable systems. Any sustainable development has to reconcile conflicting economic and environmental objectives and criteria. The science of multiple criteria decision making has a lot to offer in addressing this need. Decision making with multiple (conflicting) criteria is the topic of research that is at the heart of the International Society of Multiple Criteria Decision Making. This book is based on selected papers presented at the societies 19th International Conference, held at The University of Auckland, New Zealand, from 7th to 12th January 2008 under the theme ''MCDM for Sustainable Energy and Transportation Systems''. (orig.)

Fostering sustainable energy entrepreneurship among students : the Business Oriented Technological System Analysis (BOTSA) program at Eindhoven University of Technology

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wijnker, M.A.S.G.; Kasteren, van Han; Romijn, H.A.

2015-01-01

The Business Oriented Technological System Analysis (BOTSA) program is a new teaching and learning concept developed by Eindhoven University of Technology (the Netherlands) with participation from innovative companies in renewable energy. It is designed to stimulate sustainable entrepreneurship

Sustainable solutions: developing products and services for the future

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Charter, Martin; Tischner, Ursula

2001-01-01

... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Martin Charter, The Centre for Sustainable Design, UK, and Ursula Tischner, econcept, Germany part 1: 1. Background to Sustainable Consumption and Production...

Sustainability in nursing: a concept analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Anåker, Anna; Elf, Marie

2014-01-01

Aim The aim of this study was to describe, explore and explain the concept of sustainability in nursing. Background Although researchers in nursing and medicine have emphasised the issue of sustainability and health, the concept of sustainability in nursing is undefined and poorly researched. A need exists for theoretical and empirical studies of sustainability in nursing. Design Concept analysis as developed by Walker and Avant. Method Data were derived from dictionaries, international healthcare organisations and literature searches in the CINAHL and MEDLINE databases. Inclusive years for the search ranged from 1990 to 2012. A total of fourteen articles were found that referred to sustainability in nursing. Results Sustainability in nursing involves six defining attributes: ecology, environment, future, globalism, holism and maintenance. Antecedents of sustainability require climate change, environmental impact and awareness, confidence in the future, responsibility and a willingness to change. Consequences of sustainability in nursing include education in the areas of ecology, environment and sustainable development as well as sustainability as a part of nursing academic programs and in the description of the academic subject of nursing. Sustainability should also be part of national and international healthcare organisations. The concept was clarified herein by giving it a definition. Conclusion Sustainability in nursing was explored and found to contribute to sustainable development, with the ultimate goal of maintaining an environment that does not harm current and future generations′ opportunities for good health. This concept analysis provides recommendations for the healthcare sector to incorporate sustainability and provides recommendations for future research. PMID:24602178

Seeing the World Anew: Educating for a Just and Sustainable Future--New Perspectives for a Catholic Curriculum

Science.gov (United States)

Riley, Maria; Danner-McDonald, Kerry

2013-01-01

This article uses three value constructs, Catholic social thought (CST), feminist political economy (FPE) and ecological economics (Eco-Econ) to critique current mainstream economics. Insights from these values open a way to seeing and creating a just, sustainable future. Within this value framework we propose the integration of these themes in…

Stabilizing Sustainability

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Reitan Andersen, Kirsti

The publication of the Brundtland Report in 1987 put the topic of sustainable development on the political and corporate agenda. Defining sustainable development as “a development that meets the needs of the future without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs......” (WCED, 1987, p. 43), the Report also put a positive spin on the issue of sustainability by upholding capitalist beliefs in the possibility of infinite growth in a world of finite resources. While growth has delivered benefits, however, it has done so unequally and unsustainably. This thesis focuses...... on the textile and fashion industry, one of the world’s most polluting industries and an industry to some degree notorious for leading the ‘race to the bottom’ in global labour standards. Despite being faced with increasing demands to practise sustainability, most textile and fashion companies continue to fail...

BUSINESS DEPARTMENTS OF STATE UNIVERSITIES IN TURKEY: LAST FIVE YEARS, CURRENT SITUATION AND FORECASTING FOR THEIR FUTURE

OpenAIRE

Paylar, Onder Ziya; Oturakci, Murat

2015-01-01

In recent years, when increasing numbers of universities all across the country and accordingly increasing the number of university faculties and departments and rising unemployment rate considered together, a threatening phase will arise about future of some departments in higher education. This future concern has become a common issue intensely in business departments.  In the first part of the study, preference percentages, placements of success, minimum and maximum scores and filling rate...

Current and future sustainable biofuels; Dagens och framtidens haallbara biodrivmedel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boerjesson, Paal [Lunds Univ., Lund (Sweden); Lundgren, Joakim [Luleaa Univ. of Technology Bio4Energy, Luleaa (Sweden); Ahlgren, Serina [Sveriges Lantbruksuniv., Uppsala (Sweden)

2013-07-01

This report has been prepared as a background paper for the government study of Fossil-Free Vehicle traffic (FFF investigation). The purpose of this study is to describe and summarize the current knowledge on the production of biofuels and linkages to sustainability issues such as energy and land efficiency, GHG performance and costs. The report includes both existing and future fuel systems under development and based on different raw materials and production processes. The study has primarily a Swedish perspective, but with international outlooks. The report's analysis of energy efficiency, GHG performance and production costs are based on system analysis and a life-cycle perspective. The focus is on the production chain up to produced fuel (well-to-tank). Results are based on current research and production chains and is based primarily on standardized LCA and for some systems also on industrial systems analysis.

Current and future sustainable biofuels; Dagens och framtidens haallbara biodrivmedel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boerjesson, Paal [Lunds Univ., Lund (Sweden); Lundgren, Joakim [Luleaa Univ. of Technology Bio4Energy, Luleaa (Sweden); Ahlgren, Serina [Sveriges Lantbruksuniv., Uppsala (Sweden)

2013-07-01

This report has been prepared as a background paper for the government study of Fossil-Free Vehicle traffic (FFF investigation). The purpose of this study is to describe and summarize the current knowledge on the production of biofuels and linkages to sustainability issues such as energy and land efficiency, GHG performance and costs. The report includes both existing and future fuel systems under development and based on different raw materials and production processes. The study has primarily a Swedish perspective, but with international outlooks. The report's analysis of energy efficiency, GHG performance and production costs are based on system analysis and a life-cycle perspective. The focus is on the production chain up to produced fuel (well-to-tank). Results are based on current research and production chains and is based primarily on standardized LCA and for some systems also on industrial systems analysis.

Modeling tidal freshwater marsh sustainability in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta under a broad suite of potential future scenarios

Science.gov (United States)

Swanson, Kathleen M.; Drexler, Judith Z.; Fuller, Christopher C.; Schoellhamer, David H.

2015-01-01

In this paper, we report on the adaptation and application of a one-dimensional marsh surface elevation model, the Wetland Accretion Rate Model of Ecosystem Resilience (WARMER), to explore the conditions that lead to sustainable tidal freshwater marshes in the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta. We defined marsh accretion parameters to encapsulate the range of observed values over historic and modern time-scales based on measurements from four marshes in high and low energy fluvial environments as well as possible future trends in sediment supply and mean sea level. A sensitivity analysis of 450 simulations was conducted encompassing a range of eScholarship provides open access, scholarly publishing services to the University of California and delivers a dynamic research platform to scholars worldwide. porosity values, initial elevations, organic and inorganic matter accumulation rates, and sea-level rise rates. For the range of inputs considered, the magnitude of SLR over the next century was the primary driver of marsh surface elevation change. Sediment supply was the secondary control. More than 84% of the scenarios resulted in sustainable marshes with 88 cm of SLR by 2100, but only 32% and 11% of the scenarios resulted in surviving marshes when SLR was increased to 133 cm and 179 cm, respectively. Marshes situated in high-energy zones were marginally more resilient than those in low-energy zones because of their higher inorganic sediment supply. Overall, the results from this modeling exercise suggest that marshes at the upstream reaches of the Delta—where SLR may be attenuated—and high energy marshes along major channels with high inorganic sediment accumulation rates will be more resilient to global SLR in excess of 88 cm over the next century than their downstream and low-energy counterparts. However, considerable uncertainties exist in the projected rates of sea-level rise and sediment avail-ability. In addition, more research is needed to constrain future

Road safety in a globalised and more sustainable world: current issues and future challenges.

Science.gov (United States)

Daniels, Stijn; Risser, Ralf

2014-01-01

Although many countries have had considerable success in reducing traffic injuries over recent decades, there are still some fundamental problems in this area. At the same time, there is increasing focus on road safety research and policy development in the context of globalisation, sustainability, liveability and health. This special section presents a selection of papers that were presented at the annual ICTCT workshop held on the 8th and 9th of November 2012 in Hasselt, Belgium, and accepted for publication in Accident Analysis and Prevention following the journal's reviewing procedure. The aim of the ICTCT workshop was to analyse road safety facts, data and visions for the future in the wider context of current issues and future challenges in road safety. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Soil protection for a sustainable future

NARCIS (Netherlands)

O'Sullivan, L.; Bampa, F.; Knights, K.; Creamer, R.E.

2017-01-01

The increased recognition of the importance of soil is reflected in the UN Post-2015 Development Agenda with sustainable development goals that directly and indirectly relate to soil quality and protection. Despite a lack of legally binding legislation for soil protection, the European Commission

DOD Future Energy Resources. Proceedings of Workshops Held at the National Defense University

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

2003-01-01

.... In response to concerns about U.S. and global depletion of cheap petroleum resources and the particular impact of this on future DOD energy resource needs, a series of workshops were held during 2002 and 2003 at National Defense University...

Sustainable Transition

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Ole Erik; Søndergård, Bent

2014-01-01

of agendas/vision, technologies, actors and institutions in the emergent design of an urban mobility system based on an electric car sharing system. Why. Designing for sustainability is a fundamental challenge for future design practices; designers have to obtain an ability to contribute to sustainable...

Planning for sustainable tourism in southern Pulau Banggi: an assessment of biophysical conditions and their implications for future tourism development.

Science.gov (United States)

Teh, Lydia; Cabanban, Annadel S

2007-12-01

A priori assessments of a site's biophysical and socio-economic capacity for accommodating tourism are less common than tourism impact studies. A priori evaluations can provide a contextual understanding of ecological, economic and socio-cultural forces, which shape the prospects for sustainable tourism development at the host destination, and can avert adverse impacts of tourism. We conduct an a priori assessment of the biophysical environment of Pulau Banggi, in the Malaysian state of Sabah for sustainable tourism development. We characterise baseline conditions of the island's marine biodiversity, seasonality, and infrastructure. We then evaluate how existing biophysical conditions will influence options for sustainable tourism development. In particular, we suggest conditions, if there are any, which constitute a limit to future tourism development in terms of compatibility for recreation and resilience to visitor impacts. We find that the biggest constraint is the lack of adequate water and sanitation infrastructure. Blast fishing, although occurring less than once per hour, can potentially destroy the major attraction for tourists. We conclude that while Pulau Banggi possesses natural qualities that are attractive for ecotourism, financial and institutional support must be made available to provide facilities and services that will enable local participation in environmental protection and enhance prospects for future sustainable tourism.

Community Health Global Network and Sustainable Development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rebekah Young

2016-01-01

Full Text Available With the achievements, failures and passing of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG, the world has turned its eyes to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG, designed to foster sustainable social, economic and environmental development over the next 15 years.(1 Community-led initiatives are increasingly being recognised as playing a key role in realising sustainable community development and in the aspirations of universal healthcare.(2 In many parts of the world, faith-based organisations are some of the main players in community-led development and health care.(3 Community Health Global Network (CHGN creates links between organisations, with the purpose being to encourage communities to recognise their assets and abilities, identify shared concerns and discover solutions together, in order to define and lead their futures in sustainable ways.(4 CHGN has facilitated the development of collaborative groups of health and development initiatives called ‘Clusters’ in several countries including India, Bangladesh, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia and Myanmar. In March 2016 these Clusters met together in an International Forum, to share learnings, experiences, challenges, achievements and to encourage one another. Discussions held throughout the forum suggest that the CHGN model is helping to promote effective, sustainable development and health care provision on both a local and a global scale.

Sustainability Assessment of Higher Education Institutions in Saudi Arabia

OpenAIRE

Habib M. Alshuwaikhat; Yusuf A. Adenle; Bilal Saghir

2016-01-01

Universities are paramount change drivers in bringing about a culture of sustainability in society by setting themselves up as models and nurseries for sustainable development. Thus, assessment of sustainability integration within universities is key to their impact on sustainable development. This study conducted an assessment of different public sector universities of Saudi Arabia based on five components: (i) Teaching and Curriculum; (ii) Research and Scholarship; (iii) Campus Operations; ...

Relations between Self Regulation, Future Time Perspective and the Delay of Gratification in University Students

Science.gov (United States)

Avci, Suleyman

2013-01-01

The present study was conducted on 508 (331 female, 144 male) first grade university students in order to investigate the relations between self regulation, the future time perspectives, and the delay of gratification in the academic field. A future time perspective scale, an academic delay of gratification scale and a motivational strategies for…

Sustainable wine supply chain and entrepreneurship. The exploitation of by-products in a waste management process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

George Malindretos

2017-05-01

Full Text Available The sustainability issue has been acknowledged as a universal contemporary challenge within an entirely new, unprecedented and irreversible global economic, social, cultural and physical contemporary environment. Critical role plays the interdisciplinary Supply Chain Management (SCM and its advance to sustainable SCM and more recently to green SCM. The field of sustainability in the wine industry appears as a breeding ground for the development of multidisciplinary collaborations, as well as for the application of innovative practices in the framework of entrepreneurship, in both forward and reverse agrifood chains. In such a context, this paper studies the exploitation of the opportunities derived from the wine production and waste management, within the totally new business, economic, social and physical environment. More specifically, it presents a start-up business plan conducted by Agricultural University in collaboration with the Harokopio University of Athens, Greece; it regards a wine waste management company in the island of Crete, Greece, highlighting the transformation of challenges to opportunities for innovation to more efficient use of by-products and wastes. It is noticed that this industry has shown historically exceptional innovative capability and flexibility, for climate privileged quality products in East Mediterranean region. The conclusions and recommendations drawn in this study, provide useful insights and directions for future research that are expected to enrich the available knowhow in the wine industry which is particularly suitable for research on sustainability and in any way, must proceed to commitment for protecting the environment. The empirical case study in the island of Crete is expected to facilitate the attempts to transform the crisis to continuing sustainability performance of wine industry under contemporary world market conditions, along with potential broader managerial implications towards

The DataTools Professional Development Program: Sustainability via a University Partnership

Science.gov (United States)

Haddad, N.; Ledley, T. S.; McAuliffe, C. A.; Reider, D.

2009-12-01

The DataTools professional development program (http://serc.carleton.edu/eet/msdatatools), offered by TERC, helps teachers integrate technology, scientific data, and inquiry into their middle and high school curricula. It leverages the resources and techniques of the Earth Exploration Toolbook (http://serc.carleton.edu/eet), an online collection of investigations that promotes the use of technology and scientific data in the context of studying the earth system. Over the course of the year-long program, teachers develop skills and a pedagogy of inquiry through a combination of on-line and face-to-face professional development and a significant amount of peer support. They learn to use information technologies that support the visualization and analysis of numerical, geospatial, and image data. DataTools was funded by NSF’s ITEST program to operate for three years. During year two we started to investigate the possibility of transforming the program into a graduate-level course at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth (UMD). The first step in that process was partnering with UMD to offer the third year of the NSF-funded program as a 3-credit graduate course on a 1-year trial basis. Our UMD partner participated in advertising the program to teachers in its network, provided classroom space at UMD for the face-to-face meetings and summer workshop, and offered three graduate credits to teachers who successfully completed the program. TERC staff continued to provide the professional development. The formation of the School for Education, Public Policy, and Civic Engagement at UMD, and the new STEM Department within that school appear to be favoring the transformation of this NSF-funded program into a sustainable graduate level course for in-service teachers. A key element to developing a sustainable course at a large university is to position it in a way that can service the largest number of students. In addition to the tremendous need of science professional

Viewing the Future of University Research Libraries through the Perspectives of Scenarios

Science.gov (United States)

Cawthorne, Jon Edward

2013-01-01

This research highlights the scenarios that might serve as a strategic vision to describe a future beyond the current library, one which both guides provosts and creates a map for the transformation of human resources and technology in the university research libraries. The scenarios offer managerial leaders an opportunity to envision new roles…

Nuclear energy for sustainable Hydrogen production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gyoshev, G.

2004-01-01

There is general agreement that hydrogen as an universal energy carrier could play increasingly important role in energy future as part of a set of solutions to a variety of energy and environmental problems. Given its abundant nature, hydrogen has been an important raw material in the organic chemical industry. At recent years strong competition has emerged between nations as diverse as the U.S., Japan, Germany, China and Iceland in the race to commercialize hydrogen energy vehicles in the beginning of 21st Century. Any form of energy - fossil, renewable or nuclear - can be used to generate hydrogen. The hydrogen production by nuclear electricity is considered as a sustainable method. By our presentation we are trying to evaluate possibilities for sustainable hydrogen production by nuclear energy at near, medium and long term on EC strategic documents basis. The main EC documents enter water electrolysis by nuclear electricity as only sustainable technology for hydrogen production in early stage of hydrogen economy. In long term as sustainable method is considered the splitting of water by thermochemical technology using heat from high temperature reactors too. We consider that at medium stage of hydrogen economy it is possible to optimize the sustainable hydrogen production by high temperature and high pressure water electrolysis by using a nuclear-solar energy system. (author)

Nuclear technology for a sustainable future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2012-06-01

The IAEA helps its Member States to use nuclear technology for a broad range of applications, from generating electricity to increasing food production, from fighting cancer to managing fresh water resources and protecting the world's seas and oceans. Despite the Fukushima Daiichi accident in March 2011, nuclear power will remain an important option for many countries. Use of nuclear power will continue to grow in the next few decades, although growth will be slower than was anticipated before the accident. The factors contributing to the continuing interest in nuclear power include increasing global demand for energy, as well as concerns about climate change, volatile fossil fuel prices and security of energy supply. It will be difficult for the world to achieve the twin goals of ensuring sustainable energy supplies and curbing greenhouse gases without nuclear power. It is up to each country to choose its optimal energy mix. The IAEA helps countries which opt for nuclear power to use it safely and securely. Every day, millions of people throughout the world benefit from the use of nuclear technology. The IAEA helps to make these benefits available to developing countries through its extensive Technical Cooperation programme. For instance, we provide assistance in areas such as human health (through our Programme of Action for Cancer Therapy), animal health (we were active partners in the successful global campaign to eradicate the deadly cattle disease rinderpest), food, water and the environment. The IAEA contributes to the development of global policies to address the energy, food, water and environmental challenges the world faces. We look forward to helping to make Rio+20 a success. This brochure provides an overview of the many ways in which nuclear technology is contributing to building the future we want.

Sustainability in nursing: a concept analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Anåker, Anna; Elf, Marie

2014-06-01

The aim of this study was to describe, explore and explain the concept of sustainability in nursing. Although researchers in nursing and medicine have emphasised the issue of sustainability and health, the concept of sustainability in nursing is undefined and poorly researched. A need exists for theoretical and empirical studies of sustainability in nursing. Concept analysis as developed by Walker and Avant. Data were derived from dictionaries, international healthcare organisations and literature searches in the CINAHL and MEDLINE databases. Inclusive years for the search ranged from 1990 to 2012. A total of fourteen articles were found that referred to sustainability in nursing. Sustainability in nursing involves six defining attributes: ecology, environment, future, globalism, holism and maintenance. Antecedents of sustainability require climate change, environmental impact and awareness, confidence in the future, responsibility and a willingness to change. Consequences of sustainability in nursing include education in the areas of ecology, environment and sustainable development as well as sustainability as a part of nursing academic programs and in the description of the academic subject of nursing. Sustainability should also be part of national and international healthcare organisations. The concept was clarified herein by giving it a definition. Sustainability in nursing was explored and found to contribute to sustainable development, with the ultimate goal of maintaining an environment that does not harm current and future generations' opportunities for good health. This concept analysis provides recommendations for the healthcare sector to incorporate sustainability and provides recommendations for future research. © 2014 The Authors. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Nordic College of Caring Science.

The sustainability of new programs and innovations: a review of the empirical literature and recommendations for future research

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wiltsey Stirman Shannon

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The introduction of evidence-based programs and practices into healthcare settings has been the subject of an increasing amount of research in recent years. While a number of studies have examined initial implementation efforts, less research has been conducted to determine what happens beyond that point. There is increasing recognition that the extent to which new programs are sustained is influenced by many different factors and that more needs to be known about just what these factors are and how they interact. To understand the current state of the research literature on sustainability, our team took stock of what is currently known in this area and identified areas in which further research would be particularly helpful. This paper reviews the methods that have been used, the types of outcomes that have been measured and reported, findings from studies that reported long-term implementation outcomes, and factors that have been identified as potential influences on the sustained use of new practices, programs, or interventions. We conclude with recommendations and considerations for future research. Methods Two coders identified 125 studies on sustainability that met eligibility criteria. An initial coding scheme was developed based on constructs identified in previous literature on implementation. Additional codes were generated deductively. Related constructs among factors were identified by consensus and collapsed under the general categories. Studies that described the extent to which programs or innovations were sustained were also categorized and summarized. Results Although "sustainability" was the term most commonly used in the literature to refer to what happened after initial implementation, not all the studies that were reviewed actually presented working definitions of the term. Most study designs were retrospective and naturalistic. Approximately half of the studies relied on self-reports to assess

The sustainability of new programs and innovations: a review of the empirical literature and recommendations for future research

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-01

Background The introduction of evidence-based programs and practices into healthcare settings has been the subject of an increasing amount of research in recent years. While a number of studies have examined initial implementation efforts, less research has been conducted to determine what happens beyond that point. There is increasing recognition that the extent to which new programs are sustained is influenced by many different factors and that more needs to be known about just what these factors are and how they interact. To understand the current state of the research literature on sustainability, our team took stock of what is currently known in this area and identified areas in which further research would be particularly helpful. This paper reviews the methods that have been used, the types of outcomes that have been measured and reported, findings from studies that reported long-term implementation outcomes, and factors that have been identified as potential influences on the sustained use of new practices, programs, or interventions. We conclude with recommendations and considerations for future research. Methods Two coders identified 125 studies on sustainability that met eligibility criteria. An initial coding scheme was developed based on constructs identified in previous literature on implementation. Additional codes were generated deductively. Related constructs among factors were identified by consensus and collapsed under the general categories. Studies that described the extent to which programs or innovations were sustained were also categorized and summarized. Results Although "sustainability" was the term most commonly used in the literature to refer to what happened after initial implementation, not all the studies that were reviewed actually presented working definitions of the term. Most study designs were retrospective and naturalistic. Approximately half of the studies relied on self-reports to assess sustainability or elements that

Sustainability, Innovation, and the Future of Environmental Protection

Science.gov (United States)

2010-09-01

Sustainability, & chemical product design Coffee decaffeination using methylene chloride Coffee decaffeination using CO2 (not a “solvent” by FDA) Coffee beans ...contin.) • Materials sustainability – Trace metals • Security of supply chain • Appropriate selection and use • Mass balance on use, reuse, and...Design • Transdisciplinary Collaboration and Integrative Systems • Innovation and Catalysis Scientific Values for the Path Forward 17 Office of

The State of Sustainability Reporting at Canadian Universities

Science.gov (United States)

Fonseca, Alberto; Macdonald, Amanda; Dandy, Emily; Valenti, Paul

2011-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe the state of sustainability reporting in Canada's higher education sector, while understanding who is reporting on sustainability performance, how is information being reported, and what is being reported. Design/methodology/approach: A framework with ten categories and 56 indicators based on the…

Sustainable energy development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Afgan, N.; Al Gobaisi, D.; Carvalho, M.; Cumo, M.

1998-01-01

It is shown that present energy strategy requires adaptation of new criterions to be followed in the future energy system development. No doubt that there is a link between energy consumption and environment capacity reduction. This is an alarming sign, which recently has become the leading theme for our near and distant future. Modern engineering science has to be oriented to those areas which may directly assist in our future energy planning. In this respect, it is demanding need that our attention be oriented to the global aspect og the energy development. Modern technology will help to adopt essential principles of the sustainable energy development. With the appropriate renewable energy resources introduction in our energy future and with the increase of safety of nuclear energy, it will be possible to comply with the main principles to be adapted in the sustainable energy strategy. in order to promote the sustainable energy development the respective education system is required. It was recognized that the present energy education system can not meet future demand for the knowledge dissemination. It was shown that the potential option for the future education system is the distance learning with multimedia telematic system. (authors). 46 refs, 14 figs, 1 tab

18th and 19th Workshop on Sustained Simulation Performance

CERN Document Server

Bez, Wolfgang; Focht, Erich; Kobayashi, Hiroaki; Patel, Nisarg

2015-01-01

This book presents the state of the art in high-performance computing and simulation on modern supercomputer architectures. It covers trends in hardware and software development in general and the future of high-performance systems and heterogeneous architectures in particular. The application-related contributions cover computational fluid dynamics, material science, medical applications and climate research; innovative fields such as coupled multi-physics and multi-scale simulations are highlighted. All papers were chosen from presentations given at the 18th Workshop on Sustained Simulation Performance held at the HLRS, University of Stuttgart, Germany in October 2013 and subsequent Workshop of the same name held at Tohoku University in March 2014.  

Interpreting sustainable development

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

1998-01-01

Over the past decade, the term" sustainable development"has emerged as the principal concept in the development field. The concept emerged in the 1970s and was first promoted in the international environmental and development communities with the publication of the " world conservation strategy"(1980). It was popularized by the Brundtland report, " Our common future"(1987). The Brundtland Commission defined sustainable development as " development which meets the needs of the present, without compromising the sustainability of future generation to meet their own needs". The Earth Summit(1992) established "sustainable development" as the most important policy of the 21st century. Since then, the relationship between development and environment has been widely discussed and sustainabale development is now an important part of the vocabulary of environmental policy research and analysis. In this paper, we begin by tracing the evolution of the concept of sustainable development. Definitions of sustainable development in ecology, economics and sociology are then explored and discussed. This paper also examine the contribution that a broadly-based concept of sustainable development can make: as a goal, an attitude and as a guiding principle for integrating economic development and environmental protection.

Universal Design and Social Sustainability in the City: The Case Study of Tehran Iran.

Science.gov (United States)

Eslami, Lida; Mahmoudi, Mohammad Mehdi

2016-01-01

Following the proposal of Universal Design in 1974, a public society was founded in Iran in 1981, in order to aid the disabled victims of the Iran-Iraq war. Official authorities have also made legislation on this topic. During the last three decades many efforts have been made to apply this concept in public spaces. Unfortunately these have not succeeded. It means despite the existence of inherent rules and regulations and the general will to apply the principles of Universal Design in Tehran, urban spaces are still an improper environment for the independent presence and movement of people with disabilities. This problem is considered a serious threat for social sustainability in Tehran. The main goal of this research is finding solutions for increasing social interaction and greater participation of people with disabilities in public spaces by applying Universal Design. The research is seeking to answer these questions: What is causing inefficiency in the regulation of Universal Design in Tehran? Why is social participation by people with disabilities limited in Tehran? Which factors are contributing to Universal Design in Tehran? The research is based on applied theory, field research methods and a mixed qualitative-quantitative approach. In addition, and the results include both empirical and functional solutions. The consequences show that many of problems are rooted in cultural issues. The people must attend to disability as a public concern which can involve everybody. They must comprehend that all the members of the society, regardless of their physical condition, have the right to use public facilities independently. The second problem is related to lack of any integrated approach to applying Universal Design. This research proposes some solutions such as preparation a Universal Design master plan, an integrated approach for implementation project in all organizations, and public education for improving citizens' knowledge about Universal Design.

The effect of natural resources on a sustainable development policy: The approach of non-sustainable externalities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schilling, Markus; Chiang Lichun

2011-01-01

The debate about the importance of non-renewable resources for economic development between optimists and pessimists shows that the extensive depletion of non-renewable resources, particularly oil, along with a higher level of consumption could have a significant impact on the economic development of future generations. Based on this debate, this paper proposes criteria under which the depletion of non-renewable resources would create excess costs for future generations. Therefore, this paper aims to answer the question 'What will be the impact of the depletion of non-renewable resources on sustainable economic development?' Accordingly, a sustainable development policy appears feasible by minimizing non-sustainable externalities which derive from future externalities that weigh the benefits from a previous employment of natural resources. The research based on qualitative analysis clarifies the reasons for and the extents of taking sustainability into account as well as points to difficulties of implementing policies to time the transition towards a sustainable economic development. Finally, the research shows the implications of this approach for environmental degradation, the depletion of non-renewable resources and energy production. - Research Highlights: →Economic development will more or less smoothly switch to the use of renewable substitutes. →The transition towards a sustainable use of resources may inherit costs for future generations. →Non-sustainable externalities show the future costs of excessive resource depletion. →The approach aims to take the long-term global effects of resource substitution into account.

Spatial Estimation and Visualization of CO2 Emissions for Campus Sustainability: The Case of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST, Saudi Arabia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yusuf A. Adenle

2017-11-01

Full Text Available A total of 21 metric tons of CO2 per person in terms of per capita emissions from consumption of energy was recorded in Saudi Arabia in 2011 and forecasts have shown that this emission of CO2 is increasing. This poses the threat of climate change and global warming and therefore the need for the sustainability of the country. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Vision for 2030 addresses environmental sustainability that includes a reduction in CO2 emissions as well as diversified economic growth. Universities have been regarded as institutions with significant responsibilities to resolve the issues of sustainability as well as serve as role model to society by implementing a sustainability plan. This study established a spatial evaluation, estimation, and visualization of the CO2 emissions of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST, Saudi Arabia. The data required for this study were collected from the overall coverage of the university campus buildings by transforming raster data from the satellite image to vector data in the form of polygons, and then multiplying the area by the number of floors of the individual building. ArcGIS 10.3® (ESRI, Redlands, CA, USA software was used for this campus CO2 emissions evaluation and visualization. The overall estimate of the CO2 emissions for the university campus was 127.7-tons CO2 equivalent. The lowest emission was 0.02-tons CO2 equivalent while the maximum value was 20.9-tons of CO2 equivalent. By this ArcGIS-based evaluation, it is evident that geographically integrated model for campus estimation and visualization of CO2 emissions provides the information for decision makers to develop viable strategies for achieving a higher standard in overall campus sustainability and addressing the issue of climate change.

Education for sustainable development. Just do it : guide to designing education for sustainable development

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Frijters, S.

Sustainable development has become a crucial part of our modern society and our education. Sustainability is a complex concept. After all, what is considered sustainable to us now may not necessarily be so in the future. We need to continually review our judgments with regards to sustainability.

Large micro-mirror arrays: key components in future space instruments for Universe and Earth Observation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zamkotsian Frederic

2015-01-01

Full Text Available In future space missions for Universe and Earth Observation, scientific return could be optimized using MOEMS devices. Micro-mirror arrays are used for designing new generation of instruments, multi-object spectrographs in Universe Observation and programmable wide field spectrographs in Earth Observation. Mock-ups have been designed and built for both applications and they show very promising results.

UNESCO World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development: Learning Today for a Sustainable Future

Science.gov (United States)

Journal of Education for Sustainable Development, 2012

2012-01-01

The UNESCO World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) will be co-organised in 2014 by UNESCO and the Government of Japan on the occasion of the end of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. It has the following objectives: (1) Celebrating a decade of action; (2) Reorienting education to build a better future…

Nuclear power and sustainable development. Maintaining and increasing the overall assets available to future generations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2002-01-01

A central goal of sustainable development is to maintain or increase the overall assets available to future generations, while minimizing consumption of finite resources and not exceeding the carrying capacities of ecosystems. The development of nuclear power broadens the natural resource base usable for energy production, increases human and man-made capital, and, when safely handled, has little impact on ecosystems. Energy is essential for sustainable development. With continuing population and economic growth, and increasing needs in the developing world, substantially greater energy demand is a given, even taking into account continuing and accelerated energy efficiency and intensity improvements. Today, nuclear power is mostly utilized in industrialized countries that have the necessary technological, institutional and financial resources. Many of the industrialized countries that are able and willing to use nuclear power are also large energy consumers. Nuclear power currently generates 16% of the world's electricity. It produces virtually no sulfur dioxide, particulates, nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds or greenhouse gases. Globally, nuclear power currently avoids approximately 600 million tonnes of carbon emissions annually, about the same as hydropower. The 600 MtC avoided by nuclear power equals 8% of current global greenhouse gases emissions. In the OECD countries, nuclear power has for 35 years accounted for most of the reduction in the carbon intensity per unit of delivered energy. Existing operating nuclear power plants (NPPs) for which initial capital investments are largely depreciated are also often the most cost-effective way to reduce carbon emissions from electricity generation. In fact in the United States in 2000, NPPs were the most cost-effective way to generate electricity, irrespective of avoided carbon emissions. In other countries the advantages of existing nuclear generating stations are also increasingly recognized. Interest

Global Consciousness and Pillars of Sustainable Development: A Study on Self-Perceptions of the First-Year University Students

Science.gov (United States)

Savelyeva, Tamara; Douglas, William

2017-01-01

Purpose: This paper aims to provide data on the self-perceived state of sustainability consciousness of first-year Hong Kong students. Design/methodology/approach: Within a mixed-method research design framework, the authors conducted 787 questionnaires and collected 989 reflective narratives of first-year students of a university in Hong Kong,…

Using Sustainability Metrics and Indicators to Design Sustainable Supply Chains

Science.gov (United States)

Sustainability is widely associated with the statement from the World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987: “… development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs…” Hence, sustainability is abo...

The traditional knowledge and the sustainable development - A distant world as much in the past as in the future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carmona Maya, Sergio Ivan

2000-01-01

In this text, is discussed about of the traditional knowledge and the sustainable development. The central invitation is to meditate about the consistency of a speech that manipulates the call traditional knowledge as an instrument of legitimating of a development system that seeks to fill the current necessities as the sustainable, by means of the use of the natural resources in a careful way, technique, rational and balanced, for not to deteriorate them or to drain them, without committing the capacity that the future generations can satisfy their own necessities

Healthy and sustainable diets: Community concern about the effect of the future food environments and support for government regulating sustainable food supplies in Western Australia.

Science.gov (United States)

Harray, Amelia J; Meng, Xingqiong; Kerr, Deborah A; Pollard, Christina M

2018-06-01

To determine the level of community concern about future food supplies and perception of the importance placed on government regulation over the supply of environmentally friendly food and identify dietary and other factors associated with these beliefs in Western Australia. Data from the 2009 and 2012 Nutrition Monitoring Survey Series computer-assisted telephone interviews were pooled. Level of concern about the effect of the environment on future food supplies and importance of government regulating the supply of environmentally friendly food were measured. Multivariate regression analysed potential associations with sociodemographic variables, dietary health consciousness, weight status and self-reported intake of eight foods consistent with a sustainable diet. Western Australia. Community-dwelling adults aged 18-64 years (n = 2832). Seventy nine per cent of Western Australians were 'quite' or 'very' concerned about the effect of the environment on future food supplies. Respondents who paid less attention to the health aspects of their diet were less likely than those who were health conscious ('quite' or 'very' concerned) (OR = 0.53, 95% CI [0.35, 0.8] and 0.38 [0.17, 0.81] respectively). The majority of respondents (85.3%) thought it was 'quite' or 'very' important that government had regulatory control over an environmentally friendly food supply. Females were more likely than males to rate regulatory control as 'quite' or 'very' important' (OR = 1.63, 95% CI [1.09, 2.44], p = .02). Multiple regression modeling found that no other factors predicted concern or importance. There is a high level of community concern about the impact of the environment on future food supplies and most people believe it is important that the government regulates the issue. These attitudes dominate regardless of sociodemographic characteristics, weight status or sustainable dietary behaviours. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sustainable flood risk management – What is sustainable?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørup, Hjalte Jomo Danielsen; Brudler, Sarah; Lerer, Sara Maria

2016-01-01

Sustainable flood risk management has to be achieved since flood protection is a fundamental societal service that we must deliver. Based on the discourse within the fields of risk management and sustainable urban water management, we discuss the necessity of assessing the sustainability of flood...... risk management, and propose an evaluation framework for doing so. We argue that it is necessary to include quantitative sustainability measures in flood risk management in order to exclude unsustainable solutions. Furthermore, we use the concept of absolute sustainability to discuss the prospects...... of maintaining current service levels without compromising future generation’s entitlement of services. Discussions on the sustainability of different overall flood risk schemes must take place. Fundamental changes in the approaches will require fundamental changes in the mind-sets of practitioners as well...

Sustainable winegrowing: current perspectives

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mariani A

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Angela Mariani,1 Antonella Vastola2 1Department of Economic and Legal Studies, University Parthenope, Naples, 2School of Agricultural, Forestry, Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Basilicata, Potenza, Italy Abstract: The winegrowing sector worldwide is strongly committed to improving environmental and social sustainability. The aim of this work, based on a literature review, is to highlight current sustainability perspectives and the related main issues. There is a broad consensus that the challenge to achieve a greater spread of sustainable practices is to enhance environmental and social sustainability while maintaining economic viability. From the producers' point of view, the priority is to bridge the still substantial knowledge gaps in terms of perceived environmental benefits, economic benefits, and costs. Thus, an increased research effort focusing on the costs and benefits of different winegrowing practices and technical assistance with implementation might support their diffusion. Moreover, targeted marketing strategies are needed to: enhance consumers' involvement and their attitude toward sustainable wine; improve understanding and use of sustainable labels and claims; and raise awareness of some environmental credentials of wine packaging, mainly with reference to lightweight glass bottles. Keywords: winegrower, sustainability, wine, consumer, marketing strategies

Radiochemistry Education at Washington State University: Sustaining Academic Radiochemistry for the Nation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clark, Sue B.; Nash, Ken; Benny, Paul; Clark, Aurora; Wall, Nathalie; Wall, Don; Yoo, Choong-Shik

2009-01-01

Since 2002, Washington State University has been building radiochemistry as a component of its overall chemistry program. Using an aggressive hiring strategy and leveraged funds from the state of Washington and federal agencies, six radiochemistry faculty members have been added to give a total of seven radiochemists out of a department of twenty-five faculty members. These faculty members contribute to a diverse curriculum in radiochemistry, and the Chemistry Department now enjoys a significant increase in the number of trainees, the quantity of research expenditures, and the volume and quality of peer-reviewed scientific literature generated by the radiochemistry faculty and the trainees. These three factors are essential for sustaining the radiochemistry education and research program at any academic institution.

How can health remain central post-2015 in a sustainable development paradigm?

Science.gov (United States)

Hill, Peter S; Buse, Kent; Brolan, Claire E; Ooms, Gorik

2014-04-03

In two years, the uncompleted tasks of the Millennium Development Goals will be merged with the agenda articulated in the 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development. This process will seek to integrate economic development (including the elimination of extreme poverty), social inclusion, environmental sustainability, and good governance into a combined sustainable development agenda. The first phase of consultation for the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals reached completion in the May 2013 report to the Secretary-General of the High-Level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda. Health did well out of the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) process, but the global context and framing of the new agenda is substantially different, and health advocates cannot automatically assume the same prominence. This paper argues that to remain central to continuing negotiations and the future implementation, four strategic shifts are urgently required. Advocates need to reframe health from the poverty reduction focus of the MDGs to embrace the social sustainability paradigm that underpins the new goals. Second, health advocates need to speak--and listen--to the whole sustainable development agenda, and assert health in every theme and every relevant policy, something that is not yet happening in current thematic debates. Third, we need to construct goals that will be truly "universal", that will engage every nation--a significant re-orientation from the focus on low-income countries of the MDGs. And finally, health advocates need to overtly explore what global governance structures will be needed to finance and implement these universal Sustainable Development Goals.

Prediction of future urban growth using CA-Markov for urban sustainability planning of Banda Aceh, Indonesia

Science.gov (United States)

Achmad, A.; Irwansyah, M.; Ramli, I.

2018-03-01

Banda Aceh experienced rapid growth, both physically, socially, and economically, after the Tsunami that devastated it the end of December in 2004. Hence policy controls are needed to direct the pattern of urban growth to achieve sustainable development for the future. The purpose of this paper is to generate a growth model for Banda Aceh using the CA-Markov process. By knowing the changes in land use between 2005 and 2009 from the results of previous research, simulations for 2013, 2019 and 2029 using the application of Idrisi@Selva. CA-Markov models were prepared to determine the quantity of changes. The simulation results showed that, after the Tsunami, the City of Banda Aceh tended to grow towards the coast. For the control of the LUC, the Banda Aceh City government needs to prepare comprehensive and detailed maps and inventory of LUC for the city to provide basic data and information needed for monitoring and evaluation that can be done effectively and efficiently. An institution for monitoring and evaluation of the urban landscape and the LUC should be formed immediately. This institution could consist of representatives from government, academia, community leaders, the private sector and other experts. The findings from this study can be used to start the monitoring and evaluation of future urban growth. Especially for the coastal areas, the local government should immediately prepare special spatial coastal area plans to control growth in those areas and to ensure that the economic benefits from disaster mitigation and coastal protection are preserved. For the development of the city in the future, it is necessary to achieve a balance between economic development, and social welfare with environmental protection and disaster mitigation. iIt will become a big challenge to achieve sustainable development for the future.

Education for sustainability – a prerequisite for post-crisis economic competitiveness with possible inference for Romania

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Camelia Iuliana LUNGU

2013-10-01

Full Text Available The need to integrate sustainability among the skills of specialists in economics and its accreditation for the university curricula was recognized in academic literature for over twenty years. Based on literature review the study outlines the idea that although there is significant interest in the concept of sustainability for economic education, particularly for the accounting domain, as demonstrated by the wide range of topics dealt with in a number of high quality journals, the dispersion is extremely high, the subjects are not treated consistently and the research impact is not reflected in practice. The paper presents then a documentary based research on the deepening the subjects included in the curricula of master's programs in a number of European universities, central or collateral dealing with aspects of sustainability. In the last part of the article a study is depicted in order to present a picture of the possible involvement of Romanian students, graduated of economic studies, regarding the aspects of sustainability (environment, society and corporate responsibility, impacting the future evolution of the Romanian economy.

Advanced Power Converter for Universal and Flexible Power Management in Future Electricity Network

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Iov, Florin; Blaabjerg, Frede; Bassett, R.

2007-01-01

converters for grid connection of renewable sources will be needed. These power converters must be able to provide intelligent power management as well as ancillary services. This paper presents the overall structure and the control aspects of an advanced power converter for universal and flexible power......More "green" power provided by Distributed Generation will enter into the European electricity network in the near future. In order to control the power flow and to ensure proper and secure operation of this future grid, with an increased level of the renewable power, new power electronic...

Sustainable desalination using ocean thermocline energy

KAUST Repository

Ng, Kim Choon

2017-09-22

The conventional desalination processes are not only energy intensive but also environment un-friendly. They are operating far from thermodynamic limit, 10–12%, making them un-sustainable for future water supplies. An innovative desalination processes are required to meet future sustainable desalination goal and COP21 goal. In this paper, we proposed a multi-effect desalination system operated with ocean thermocline energy, thermal energy harnessed from seawater temperature gradient. It can exploit low temperature differential between surface hot water temperature and deep-sea cold-water temperature to produce fresh water. Detailed theoretical model was developed and simulation was conducted in FORTRAN using international mathematical and statistical library (IMSL). We presented four different cases with deep-sea cold water temperature varies from 5 to 13°C and MED stages varies from 3 to 6. It shows that the proposed cycle can achieve highest level of universal performance ratio, UPR = 158, achieving about 18.8% of the ideal limit. With the major energy input emanated from the renewable solar, the proposed cycle is truly a “green desalination” method of low global warming potential (GWP), best suited for tropical coastal shores having bathymetry depths up to 300m or more.

[Ecology and health in Chile: present and future development].

Science.gov (United States)

Oyarzún, M

1997-09-01

In response to the progressive environmental deterioration, the Ecological Society of America has made a proposal, called "Sustainable Biosphere Initiative", to do research, teaching and decision making processes on biodiversity, global change and the effects of human activities on environment. The goal of appropriate environmental protection and welfare for mankind includes health and quality of life. Presently, Chile faces a number of environmental problems such as pollution, excessive urban growth, loss of agricultural areas, disposal of solid waste and species extinction. The lack of education and information in Chile, on these problems, is worrisome. The role of universities to overcome this deficit should be crucial in the future sustainable development of Chile.

Sustainable development. First part

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Colombo, U.; Lanzavecchia, G.; Berrini, M; Zambrini, M.; Bologna, G.; Carraro, C.; Hinterberger, F.; Mastino, G.; Federico, A.; Gaudioso, D.; Luise, A.; Mauro, F.; Padovani, L.; Federico, A.

1998-01-01

This paper summarizes a collective effort and represents the second edition of: Environment, energy, economy: a sustainable future. In this work are reported various interventions on sustainable development problem [it

On sustainable development problems, also according to the world summit in Johannesburg

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gino Moncada lo Giudice

2002-02-01

Full Text Available In the intervention at the Environment Commission of the Senate on the problems of the sustainable development, following the recent World Summit in Johannesburg, some fundamental points are underpinned: the question is summed up and an exam is made about the results of the Summit and on the meaning of the commitments taken for the future. Indeed, it is universally accepted that, to be considered sustainable, the development must reach a compromise between economical, social and environmental goals, to maximize the present well-being, without challenging the right of future generations to satisfy their own needs. It is also accepted that this cannot be realised without defence for our eco-system and without a simultaneous and well coordinated intervention of all Countries and the participation of all productive and social categories; probably, this should be the true finality of the so much acclaimed “globalisation”.

Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) Web Academy Webinar: Compost from Food Waste: Understanding Soil Chemistry and Soil Biology on a College/University Campus

Science.gov (United States)

This page contains information about the Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) Web Academy Webinar Series titled Compost from Food Waste:Understanding Soil Chemistry and Soil Biology on a College/University Campus

The Impact of the University Culture on the Profesional Motivation of the Future Pedagogues

OpenAIRE

Gunta Kraģe

2013-01-01

Summary The Doctoral thesis by Gunta Kraģe in management science, in the education management sub-branch „The Impact of the University Culture on the Professional Motivation of the Future Pedagogues” has been worked out at the Department of Educational Science, Faculty of Education, Psychology and Art, University of Latvia under the supervision of professor Dr. phys. Andris Grīnfelds from 2006 till 2012. The topicality of the research is determined by the trends in higher education th...

Fur and sustainability

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Skjold, Else; Ræbild, Ulla; Tanderup, Sisse

2016-01-01

interviews and observations at the premises of Kopenhagen Fur, as well as with stakeholders and collaborate partners in Denmark and in China. The definition of sustainability in the report must be seen as related to Design School Kolding's research umbrella of Sustainable Futures - a term chosen to unite...... practices around retail and communication (by Else Skjold, PhD in user studies and business management). On the basis of these four sub-projects, the report concludes the following: Currently, fur is placed very centrally in the moral debates around sustainability, as fur farming highligts environmental...... sustainability within the garment sector at large, and to define its own unique position for the future. With a departure in the the four sub-projects, the report lists a line of recommendations for how it would be possible to develop and revitalise traditional and current practices around fur design...

Future Protein Supply and Demand: Strategies and Factors Influencing a Sustainable Equilibrium

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maeve Henchion

2017-07-01

Full Text Available A growing global population, combined with factors such as changing socio-demographics, will place increased pressure on the world’s resources to provide not only more but also different types of food. Increased demand for animal-based protein in particular is expected to have a negative environmental impact, generating greenhouse gas emissions, requiring more water and more land. Addressing this “perfect storm” will necessitate more sustainable production of existing sources of protein as well as alternative sources for direct human consumption. This paper outlines some potential demand scenarios and provides an overview of selected existing and novel protein sources in terms of their potential to sustainably deliver protein for the future, considering drivers and challenges relating to nutritional, environmental, and technological and market/consumer domains. It concludes that different factors influence the potential of existing and novel sources. Existing protein sources are primarily hindered by their negative environmental impacts with some concerns around health. However, they offer social and economic benefits, and have a high level of consumer acceptance. Furthermore, recent research emphasizes the role of livestock as part of the solution to greenhouse gas emissions, and indicates that animal-based protein has an important role as part of a sustainable diet and as a contributor to food security. Novel proteins require the development of new value chains, and attention to issues such as production costs, food safety, scalability and consumer acceptance. Furthermore, positive environmental impacts cannot be assumed with novel protein sources and care must be taken to ensure that comparisons between novel and existing protein sources are valid. Greater alignment of political forces, and the involvement of wider stakeholders in a governance role, as well as development/commercialization role, is required to address both sources of

Future Protein Supply and Demand: Strategies and Factors Influencing a Sustainable Equilibrium

Science.gov (United States)

Henchion, Maeve; Hayes, Maria; Mullen, Anne Maria; Fenelon, Mark; Tiwari, Brijesh

2017-01-01

A growing global population, combined with factors such as changing socio-demographics, will place increased pressure on the world’s resources to provide not only more but also different types of food. Increased demand for animal-based protein in particular is expected to have a negative environmental impact, generating greenhouse gas emissions, requiring more water and more land. Addressing this “perfect storm” will necessitate more sustainable production of existing sources of protein as well as alternative sources for direct human consumption. This paper outlines some potential demand scenarios and provides an overview of selected existing and novel protein sources in terms of their potential to sustainably deliver protein for the future, considering drivers and challenges relating to nutritional, environmental, and technological and market/consumer domains. It concludes that different factors influence the potential of existing and novel sources. Existing protein sources are primarily hindered by their negative environmental impacts with some concerns around health. However, they offer social and economic benefits, and have a high level of consumer acceptance. Furthermore, recent research emphasizes the role of livestock as part of the solution to greenhouse gas emissions, and indicates that animal-based protein has an important role as part of a sustainable diet and as a contributor to food security. Novel proteins require the development of new value chains, and attention to issues such as production costs, food safety, scalability and consumer acceptance. Furthermore, positive environmental impacts cannot be assumed with novel protein sources and care must be taken to ensure that comparisons between novel and existing protein sources are valid. Greater alignment of political forces, and the involvement of wider stakeholders in a governance role, as well as development/commercialization role, is required to address both sources of protein and ensure

Education activities for environment and sustainability: A Snapshot of eight New South Wales councils

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jade Herriman

2010-07-01

Full Text Available This paper describes in brief the findings of a research project undertaken by the Institute for Sustainable Futures (ISF at the University of Technology, Sydney, Australia. The research was commissioned by and undertaken on behalf of the New South Wales (NSW Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water (DECCW. The aim of the project was to investigate current practices of environmental and sustainability education and engagement within local government in NSW. The research was commissioned by DECCW as the preliminary phase of a larger project that the department is planning to undertake, commencing in 2010.

Correlation between Sustainability Education and Engineering Students' Attitudes towards Sustainability

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Kuok Ho Daniel

2018-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the impacts of a sustainable development course on the beliefs, attitudes and intentions of a cohort of engineering students in a university in Miri, Malaysia, towards sustainability. Design/methodology/approach: Questionnaire survey was conducted among the cohort of students encompassing the…

Curricular Reform: Systems Modeling and Sustainability in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Vermont

Science.gov (United States)

Rizzo, D. M.; Hayden, N. J.; Dewoolkar, M.; Neumann, M.; Lathem, S.

2009-12-01

Researchers at the University of Vermont were awarded a NSF-sponsored Department Level Reform (DLR) grant to incorporate a systems approach to engineering problem solving within the civil and environmental engineering programs. A systems approach challenges students to consider the environmental, social, and economic aspects within engineering solutions. Likewise, sustainability requires a holistic approach to problem solving that includes economic, social and environmental factors. Our reform has taken a multi-pronged approach in two main areas that include implementing: a) a sequence of three systems courses related to environmental and transportation systems that introduce systems thinking, sustainability, and systems analysis and modeling; and b) service-learning (SL) projects as a means of practicing the systems approach. Our SL projects are good examples of inquiry-based learning that allow students to emphasize research and learning in areas of most interest to them. The SL projects address real-world open-ended problems. Activities that enhance IT and soft skills for students are incorporated throughout the curricula. Likewise, sustainability has been a central piece of the reform. We present examples of sustainability in the SL and modeling projects within the systems courses (e.g., students have used STELLA™ systems modeling software to address the impact of different carbon sequestration strategies on global climate change). Sustainability in SL projects include mentoring home schooled children in biomimicry projects, developing ECHO exhibits and the design of green roofs, bioretention ponds and porous pavement solutions. Assessment includes formative and summative methods involving student surveys and focus groups, faculty interviews and observations, and evaluation of student work.

Forest Science and forest policy in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East: Building Bridges to a sustainable future

Science.gov (United States)

Richard W. Guldin; Niels Elers Koch; John A. Parrotta; Christian Gamborg; Bo J. Thorsen

2004-01-01

Making forest policies that help bridge from the current situation to a sustainable future requires sound scientific information. Too often, scientific information is available, yet policy makers do not use it. At a workshop in Denmark, attendees reviewed case studies where forest science influenced forest policies and identified six major reasons for success. Three...

Knowledge Management - A Necessity For The Training Of Future Specialists Of The Sustainable Entreprises

Science.gov (United States)

Rotaru, Ionela Magdalena

2015-09-01

The world we are living in is shaped by what is a reality for years already: globalisation of economy. The lack of borders makes the impact that technology has on society to be a major one. The virtual world so accessible today is not just about new markets, access to cheaper work force, work online but also fierce competition. The common denominator of most efforts in the area of industry is performance. Limits continuously moving willingness to pay for products that delineate the performance delivered be the same range. Here too we can see the role of the education. For example, Landes shows that both knowledge and know-how are the ones that determine how well off societies are. The education of engineers is therefore critical to every nation to ensure the prosperity of its citizens. This paper here intends to approach the educational process of the engineering specific area of knowledge from the management perspective. The training process becomes sustainable in accordance with the requirements of the future: trained specialists for sustainable enterprises.

Early-career experts essential for planetary sustainability

Science.gov (United States)

Lim, Michelle; Lynch, Abigail J.; Fernández-Llamazares, Alvaro; Balint, Lenke; Basher, Zeenatul; Chan, Ivis; Jaureguiberry, Pedro; Mohamed, A.A.A.; Mwampamba, Tuyeni H.; Palomo, Ignacio; Pliscoff, Patricio; Salimov, R.A.; Samakov, Aibek; Selomane, Odirilwe; Shrestha, Uttam B.; Sidorovich, Anna A.

2017-01-01

Early-career experts can play a fundamental role in achieving planetary sustainability by bridging generational divides and developing novel solutions to complex problems. We argue that intergenerational partnerships and interdisciplinary collaboration among early-career experts will enable emerging sustainability leaders to contribute fully to a sustainable future. We review 16 international, interdisciplinary, and sustainability-focused early-career capacity building programs. We conclude that such programs are vital to developing sustainability leaders of the future and that decision-making for sustainability is likely to be best served by strong institutional cultures that promote intergenerational learning and involvement.

The IAEA, nuclear power and sustainable development. Maintaining and increasing the overall assets available to future generations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2001-01-01

In the framework of one of the fundamental objectives of the IAEA mandate to enhance the contribution of nuclear technologies towards meeting the needs of Member States, the present status, all the aspects, and the future of nuclear power are reviewed. The development of nuclear power broadens the natural resource base usable for energy production, increases human and man-made capital, and when safely handled has little impact on ecosystems. This means that it could meet the central goal of sustainable development, considering that it covers maintaining or increasing the overall assets available to future generations, while minimizing consumption of finite resources and not exceeding the carrying capacities of ecosystems

Transportation Sustainability on a University Campus

Science.gov (United States)

Kaplan, David H.

2015-01-01

Purpose: This paper aims to show the present level of sustainable transportation, mainly walking and bicycling, on a large campus in the US Midwest and then analyzes some of the opportunities and impediments in increasing the modal share. Design/methodology/approach: Three types of analysis are used. First, current level of walking and bicycling…

The advent of canine performance science: offering a sustainable future for working dogs.

Science.gov (United States)

Cobb, Mia; Branson, Nick; McGreevy, Paul; Lill, Alan; Bennett, Pauleen

2015-01-01

Working and sporting dogs provide an essential contribution to many industries worldwide. The common development, maintenance and disposal of working and sporting dogs can be considered in the same way as other animal production systems. The process of 'production' involves genetic selection, puppy rearing, recruitment and assessment, training, housing and handling, handler education, health and working life end-point management. At present, inefficiencies throughout the production process result in a high failure rate of dogs attaining operational status. This level of wastage would be condemned in other animal production industries for economic reasons and has significant implications for dog welfare, as well as public perceptions of dog-based industries. Standards of acceptable animal use are changing and some historically common uses of animals are no longer publicly acceptable, especially where harm is caused for purposes deemed trivial, or where alternatives exist. Public scrutiny of animal use appears likely to increase and extend to all roles of animals, including working and sporting dogs. Production system processes therefore need to be transparent, traceable and ethically acceptable for animal use to be sustainable into the future. Evidence-based approaches already inform best practice in fields as diverse as agriculture and human athletic performance. This article introduces the nascent discipline of canine performance science, which aims to facilitate optimal product quality and production efficiency, while also assuring evidence-based increments in dog welfare through a process of research and development. Our thesis is that the model of canine performance science offers an objective, transparent and traceable opportunity for industry development in line with community expectations and underpins a sustainable future for working dogs. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Canine Behavior. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The sustainability, a relevant approach for defining the road-map for future nuclear fuel cycles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Poinssot, C.; Bourg, S.; Grandjean, S. [CEA Centre de Macoule, Nuclear Energy Division, Radiochemistry and Processes Department, BP11, F-30207 Bagnols sur Ceze (France); Boullis, B. [CEA Centre de Saclay, Nuclear Energy Division, Innovation and Industrial Support Division, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette (France)

2016-07-01

Developing sustainable energy systems is a key driver for mitigating the global climate change in the framework of COP21 conference commitments. Nuclear energy is strongly concerned by such a perspective and we have developed a thorough approach to define relevant objectives to fulfill in order to meet such a requirement. On this basis nuclear energy systems need to be improved to increase the preservation of uranium natural resource and reduce their environmental footprints. It requires in both cases increasing energetic material recycling based first on the current LWR reactor fleet, in the future on SFR which would allow a much more efficient use of neutrons to consume uranium and produce energy. Furthermore, such reactor type would also allow minor actinides recycling, which would significantly reduce the ultimate waste toxicity and lifetime, and the repository footprint. In this perspective, recycling the actinides is clearly the cornerstone of any sustainable nuclear fuel cycle.

The sustainability, a relevant approach for defining the road-map for future nuclear fuel cycles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Poinssot, C.; Bourg, S.; Grandjean, S.; Boullis, B.

2016-01-01

Developing sustainable energy systems is a key driver for mitigating the global climate change in the framework of COP21 conference commitments. Nuclear energy is strongly concerned by such a perspective and we have developed a thorough approach to define relevant objectives to fulfill in order to meet such a requirement. On this basis nuclear energy systems need to be improved to increase the preservation of uranium natural resource and reduce their environmental footprints. It requires in both cases increasing energetic material recycling based first on the current LWR reactor fleet, in the future on SFR which would allow a much more efficient use of neutrons to consume uranium and produce energy. Furthermore, such reactor type would also allow minor actinides recycling, which would significantly reduce the ultimate waste toxicity and lifetime, and the repository footprint. In this perspective, recycling the actinides is clearly the cornerstone of any sustainable nuclear fuel cycle

The Idea of a University: Rethinking the Malaysian Context

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chang Da Wan

2015-07-01

Full Text Available This article explores the idea of a university with a specific focus in the Malaysian context. We begin the article guided by these questions—“What is a university?” and “What are universities for?”—in examining the historical and conceptual development of universities. This is followed by asking a more specific question—“What are Malaysian universities for?”—in which we discussed the overarching roles of public and private universities in this developing country. Having examined the roles of public and private universities, and taken into context the complexity and challenges surrounding these important societal institutions, we discuss two “experimental” initiatives in Malaysia: the APEX University (Accelerated Program for Excellence focusing on sustainability and the “humanversity”. On the one hand, these initiatives are intended to prepare and transform Malaysian universities to address not only the needs of society today, but critically, of tomorrow. On the other hand, they have implications and contributions to frame our thinking about the future ideas of a university not only in Malaysia, but regionally and globally.

Energy sources for future. Change to a sustainable energy system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morris, C.

2005-01-01

Can Germany give up gasoline and power from coal or nuclear energy and how much does it cost? The book does away with all common misunderstandings due to renewable energy sources and describes a compatible model for a sustainable energy mixing in future. Nevertheless fossil fuels are not denounced but seen as a platform for the advanced system. The author explains first why objections to renewable energy sources base on bad information, and pursues quite an other argumentation as such authors emphasizing the potential of these energy sources. Than he shows in detail the possibility of the optimal energy mixing for biomass, solar power, wind power, geothermal energy, hydropower and energy efficiency. The environment will reward us for this and instead buying expensive resources from foreign countries we will create work places at home. The number of big power plants - taking into account safety risks - will decrease and small units of on-site power generation feeded with this renewable sources will play more and more an important role. (GL) [de

Future Discounting by Slum-Dwelling Youth versus University Students in Rio de Janeiro

Science.gov (United States)

Ramos, Dandara; Victor, Tania; Seidl-de-Moura, Maria Lucia; Daly, Martin

2013-01-01

We compared Future Discounting (FD, preference for smaller, sooner rewards over larger, later ones) by 160 Brazilian youth (16-30 years old; 71 women and 89 men). University students and slum-dwelling (favela) youth were compared. Participants completed a monetary FD task, a scale of youngsters' view of their neighborhood, and self-reported…

Environmental ethics and education for sustainable development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ljubo Mohorič

2011-10-01

Full Text Available The subject of this article – sustainable development and limits to growth within the dominant paradigm of constant eco- nomic growth – is an urgent issue today. Mankind is facing a great dilemma regarding the future, as certain effects of the current anthropocentric and non-sustainable development have become apparent in the environment and nature as well as in the human society. The economic development is, despite occasional economic downturns, a serious threat for the future of all life on the planet, not only human beings. The entropy law is universal; it applies to the entire universe, including the people on the Earth. It has been proved by many research studies that the majority of the effects we can observe in the environment are of anthropogenic origin. It is obvious that humans will have to change their practices to a certain extent and, above all, reconsider their attitude to constant economic growth and the effects (good or bad it entails. The author suggests that a solution to this problems could be in the new ecological ethics, which is intrinsic and no longer anthropocentric, the ethics that will see sustainable (balanced and close to nature development not as a goal in itself but as a means to reach the set goals. We could perhaps shorten the path to acceptance of this kind of ethics, which fosters responsibility towards the environment, people and all living creatures, if we knew how to pass on the experience of older generations to today’s youth by using a suitable educational approach. Luckily, the young generations, who are living with us here and now and sharing the fate of our time and space, are extremely perceptive of the »new« environmental/ecological ethics. To embrace it is more than just our individual right and obligation; we are, as the article states, »authorised« and bound to do so by a number of international treaties.

Thinking globally and acting locally in Mindanao: Supporting the delicate balance of future sustainability in South-East Asian wilderness as well as rural areas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Richards, C

2014-01-01

Although models of future sustainability often talk about effectively balancing economic, social and environmental imperatives or factors, in practice this typically remains an elusive ideal. This paper explores the exemplary possibilities but also dilemmas of a proposed initiative in the resource-rich but under-developed Filippino island province of Mindanao to achieve such a delicate balance in practice. This initiative by Raintrust Sustainable Ventures' proposes to link foreign investment in agricultural development to both the social advancement of local tribal peoples and the protection of large amounts of remaining wilderness areas. Such a case study provides an exemplary basis for discussing the challenge of achieving social and environmental as well as economic domains of 'future sustainability'. The crucial supporting role of information and geospatial technologies in the Raintrust plan will also be discussed

USGCRP's Sustained Assessment Process: Progress to date and future plans

Science.gov (United States)

DeAngelo, B. J.; Reidmiller, D.; Lipschultz, F.; Cloyd, E. T.

2016-12-01

One of the four main objectives of the U.S. Global Change Research Program's (USGCRP's) Strategic Plan is to "Conduct Sustained Assessments", which seeks to build a process that synthesizes and advances the state of scientific knowledge on global change, develops future scenarios and potential impacts, and evaluates how effectively science is being and can be used to inform and support the Nation's response to climate change. To do so, USGCRP strives to establish a standing capacity to conduct national climate assessments with sectoral and regional information to evaluate climate risks and opportunities, and to inform decision-making, especially with regard to resiliency planning and adaptation measures. Building on the success of the 3rd National Climate Assessment (NCA) (2014), we discuss the range of USGCRP activities that embody the sustained assessment concept. Special reports, such as the recent Climate and Human Health Assessment and upcoming Climate Science Special Report, fill gaps in our understanding and provide crucial building blocks for next NCA report (NCA4). To facilitate the use of consistent assumptions across NCA4, new scenario products for climate, population, and land use will be made available through initiatives such as NOAA's Climate Resilience Toolkit. NCA4 will be informed by user engagement to advance the customization of knowledge. The report will strive to advance our ability to quantify various risks, monetize certain impacts, and communicate the benefits (i.e., avoided impacts) of various mitigation pathways. NCAnet (a national network of climate-interested stakeholders) continues to grow and foster collaborations across levels of governance and within civil society. Finally, USGCRP continues to actively engage with other assessment processes, at international, state, city, and tribal levels, to exchange ideas and to facilitate the potential for "linked" assessments across spatial scales.

Sustainable economic structures

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dellink, R.B.; Bennis, M.; Verbruggen, H.

1999-01-01

The paper introduces four scenarios for sustainable economic structures in the Netherlands for 2030. The aim of this paper is to provide possible answers to what a sustainable future might look like in terms of alternative economic structures. To this end, an empirical economy-ecology model is

Assessment of sustainability in the Santa Monica Central Library of the Federal University of Uberlândia/MG

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kelma Patrícia Souza

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Libraries are vital to the social, cultural, and environmental development of the communities where they are located. This paper aimed: to investigate sustainable actions adopted by a reference library in the country; to compare those sustainable actions with actions already developed in Biblioteca Central Santa Mônica - BCMON (Santa Mônica Central Library; to propose actions and projects for BCMON, which will possibly provide library users and staff with an all-embracing, participatory, accessible, and environmentally- minded work and study center. The methodology had a qualitative approach, of exploratory nature, by means of bibliographic gathering, by field research (semi-structured interview, by the analysis of the data identified in bibliographic research and by a survey conducted from the websites of the main Brazilian federal university libraries, regarding sustainable actions and the emphasis on sustainability. It is possible to verify that social and economic sustainability is subtly applied, through the access to information, through social and digital inclusion and the return of the investments received, to the society in the offer of products and services. However, the care for the environment and the practice of environmental education are still neglected. The final product was constructed by an initial proposal with some indications to promote sustainability in BCMOM, which will be based on the dialogue in search of environmental awareness and the participation of the whole staff and communities in a voluntary, democratic, and autonomous way.

Sustainable Design: The Next Industrial Revolution?

Science.gov (United States)

Baird, Stephen L.

2008-01-01

An insatiable appetite for energy, a burgeoning world population, and a heightened awareness of climate change are focusing global attention on sustainability, an issue that may very well determine the future course of civilization. The pursuit of a sustainable lifestyle today is of paramount importance for future generations. Achieving…

Web Content Analysis On Sustainable Campus Operation (SCO Initiatives

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Razman Ruzaimah

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is to identify and analyse the current practices implemented in global universities for achieving sustainability throughout campus operations. This study adopted a web content analysis method where 30 international green universities’ websites have been thoroughly examined to identify common initiatives implemented to achieve sustainability through campus operations. The findings are ranked based on the implementation of these initiatives by participating universities. From the websites reviewed, as much as 31 initiatives have been identified as common initiatives frequently implemented by green universities to achieve sustainability in campus operations. It was found that the common initiatives frequently implemented by most of the universities include ‘Provide bin with clearly marked signs to increase the number of recycling items’, and ‘Generate electricity on campus by establishing power generation plants’ with 87% and 83% respectively. This paper fills the gap by presenting the investigation of sustainability initiatives from some of the major green universities internationally. It is suggested that higher education institutions, particularly Malaysian universities, initiate or manage their implementation of sustainable campus operation (SCO initiatives based on the findings of this research.

Sustainability in Science Education? How the Next Generation Science Standards Approach Sustainability, and Why It Matters

Science.gov (United States)

Feinstein, Noah Weeth; Kirchgasler, Kathryn L.

2015-01-01

In this essay, we explore how sustainability is embodied in the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), analyzing how the NGSS explicitly define and implicitly characterize sustainability. We identify three themes (universalism, scientism, and technocentrism) that are common in scientific discourse around sustainability and show how they appear…

Casting a University-Wide Net: Teaching "Sustainability in Germany"

Science.gov (United States)

Ducate, Lara

2016-01-01

Due to the connection between Germany and sustainability studies, German Programs are well poised to offer a course on German history, culture, and sustainability to meet the needs of the next generation of students. Interdisciplinary humanities courses that incorporate critical thinking, problem solving, and collaborative learning will help to…

Anthropology and the “imaginators” of future European universities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wright, Susan

2015-01-01

This article focuses on the site where much anthropological work is conducted—universities—and anthropological approaches to studying their current transformations. Although I work comparatively on the imagining and enactment of universities in Denmark and Britain, here I focus on the recent...... in arts and social sciences, and transfer of public resources to commercial, for-profit higher education companies. I will briefly outline the problems that opponents to these moves are having in imagining an alternative future, let alone organizing themselves to contest current developments....... In conclusion, I will point to the changes in anthropology itself that are incurred when engaging in an ethnography of such a large policy field and when attempting to capture “what the present is producing” (Moore 1987: 727)....

Recent trends in air transport sustainibility

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Benito, A.; Alonso, G.

2016-07-01

The target of this paper is to analyse the main elements of Air Transport sustainability, studying their evolution during the last years and establishing the future prevalent trends, which might be modified by the application of the adequate policies. Air Transport sustainability is considered as integrated by five basic characteristics: physical accessibility, economic affordability, safety, security and environmental impact. Each one of them has its own influence on the development of this transportation mode and all of them are required in order to achieve a sustainable development. After defining the structural elements of the five characteristics and the corresponding quantitative indicators, the paper studies the recent evolution of such indicators and extrapolates the most likely future trends, having taken into account the most relevant limitations presently existent or potentially appearing in the near future. The most important policies being presently studied (future aircraft designs, infrastructure developments, potential safety and security new rules and tentative environmental action programs) are evaluated, considering the potential repercussions on sustainability progress. Some combinations of them are suggested as the most efficient alternatives for preserving the sustainable development of XXI century air transport. (Author)

Developing America's Shale Reserves - Water Strategies For A Sustainable Future (Invited)

Science.gov (United States)

Shephard, L. E.; Oshikanlu, T.

2013-12-01

The development of shale oil and gas reserves over the last several years has had a significant impact on securing America's energy future while making substantial contributions to our nation's economic prosperity. These developments have also raised serious concerns about potential detrimental impacts to our environment (i.e., land, air and water) with much media attention focused on the impacts to our nation's fresh water supply. These concerns are being discussed across the nation often with little or no distinction that the nature of the water issues vary depending on local circumstances (e.g., depth of aquifer and reservoir zone, water demand and availability, availability of discharge wells, regulatory framework, etc.) and regional shale reservoir development strategies (depth of wells, length of laterals, fluid-type used for fracturing, etc.). Growing concerns over long standing drought conditions in some areas and competing demands for water from other sectors (e.g., agriculture, domestic, etc.) add even greater uncertainty relative to fresh water. Water demands for gas and oil wells vary from region to region but nominally range from 10 to 15 acre feet of water (4 to 6 million gallons) for drilling and hydraulic fracturing applications. Flowback water from the hydraulic fracturing process varies and can range from 5 to 40 % of the water used for drilling and 'fracing'. Produced water can be substantial, leading to significant volumes of 'disposed water' where injection wells are available. A science-based systems approach to water lifecycle management that incorporates leading-edge technology development and considers economic and social impacts is critical for the long-term sustainable development of shale reserves. Various water recycling and reuse technologies are being deployed within select regions across the nation with each having limited success depending on region. The efficacy of reuse technology will vary based on produced water quantity and

Current and future sustainable biofuels - Summary; Dagens och framtidens haallbara biodrivmedel - Sammanfattning

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boerjesson, Paal [Lunds Univ., Lund (Sweden); Lundgren, Joakim [Luleaa Tekniska Univ., Luleaa (Sweden); Ahlgren, Serina [Sveriges Lantbruksuniv., Uppsala (Sweden); Nystroem, Ingrid [Swedish Knowledge Centre for Renewable Transportation Fuels, Goeteborg (Sweden); CIT Industriell Energi., Goeteborg (Sweden)

2013-09-01

This report has been prepared as a background paper for the state investigation 'Fossil Free Vehicle Traffic'. The purpose of this study is to describe and summarize the current knowledge on production of biofuels and linkages to sustainability issues such as energy and land efficiency, GHG performance and costs. The report includes both existing and future fuel systems under development and based on different raw materials and production processes. The study has primarily a Swedish perspective, but with international views. The report includes both existing and future fuel systems under development, and based on different raw materials and production processes. The study has primarily a Swedish perspective, but with international views. The report's analysis of energy efficiency, greenhouse gas performance and production costs is based on system analysis and a life-cycle perspective. The focus is on the production chain to the produced fuel (well-to-tank). Results are based on current research and commercial development of the respective chains. They are based primarily from standardized life cycle analysis and, in some production systems, also on industrial systems analysis. These two approaches have some differences in methodology, which are highlighted in the report. In the overview values and results have been compiled to make it possible to compare the results.

Towards sustainable energy planning and management

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Østergaard, Poul Alberg; Sperling, Karl

2014-01-01

Rising energy costs, anthropogenic climate change, and fossil fuel depletion calls for a concerted effort within energy planning to ensure a sustainable energy future. This article presents an overview of global energy trends focusing on energy costs, energy use and carbon dioxide emissions....... Secondly, a review of contemporary work is presented focusing on national energy pathways with cases from Ireland, Denmark and Jordan, spatial issues within sustainable energy planning and policy means to advance a sustainable energy future....

How to achieve a sustainable future for Europe?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Blinc Robert

2008-01-01

Full Text Available According to the Lisbon declaration from 2000 the goal of European Union is to become by 2010 the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-driven economy and by 2025 a sustainable knowledge society. The EU however faces some strong challenges on the road toward these goals and is evidently lagging behind both USA and Japan. Our analysis is based on six dimensions of these challenges, including the economic challenge, the demographic challenge, the scientific challenge, the challenge of higher education, the challenge of European governance and identity/system of values, and the environmental/ecotechnological challenge. We argue that if we are to provide a sustainable secure environment and prosperity for next generations, we have to act now at least with developments in particular in the direction of clean, cheap, and renewable energy sources with an emphasis on basic, curiosity driven research which through scientific breakthroughs, is the only realistic solution to solving world's energy requirements. Such an action could for example facilitate the transition from fossil fuels to solar power in a relatively short time of about two decades, and help EU achieve its declared sustainability targets.

LCA and Sustainability

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Moltesen, Andreas; Bjørn, Anders

2018-01-01

LCA is often presented as a sustainability assessment tool. This chapter analyses the relationship between LCA and sustainability. This is done by first outlining the history of the sustainability concept, which gained momentum with the Brundtland Commission’s report ‘Our Common Future report...... is then demonstrated, and the strategy of LCA to achieving environmental protection, namely to guide the reduction of environmental impacts per delivery of a function, is explained. The attempt to broaden the scope of LCA, beyond environmental protection, by so-called life cycle sustainability assessment (LCSA......) is outlined. Finally, the limitations of LCA in guiding a sustainable development are discussed....

Sustainability Smarts: Best Practices for College Unions and Student Activities

Science.gov (United States)

Stringer, Elizabeth

2008-01-01

Colleges and universities around the world are enacting sustainable initiatives. Some are signing the American College and University President's Climate Committment, while others are being recognized by STARS (Sustainability, Tracking, Assessment, & Rating System). Despite what level of dedication to sustainability an institution might have, it…

Association Euratom - Risø National Laboratory for Sustainable Energy, Technical University of Denmark - Annual Progress Report 2009

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Korsholm, Søren Bang; Michelsen, Poul; Juul Rasmussen, Jens

The programme of the Research Unit of the Fusion Association Euratom - Risø National Laboratory for Sustainable Energy, Technical University of Denmark, covers work in fusion plasma physics and in fusion technology. The fusion plasma physics research focuses on turbulence and transport, and its...... superconductors. Minor activities are system analysis, initiative to involve Danish industry in ITER contracts and public information. A summary is presented of the results obtained in the Research Unit during 2009....

A brighter future: sustainable markets for solar

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luther, Joachim

1997-01-01

At the recent Solar World Congress of the International Solar Energy Society (ISES) in Taejon, Korea, delegates heard how continuing improvement of renewable energy technologies are combining with regulatory changes in energy markets to establish new opportunities for sustainable markets for solar and renewable energy. (author)

Smart Sustainable Islands VS Smart Sustainable Cities

Science.gov (United States)

Pantazis, D. N.; Moussas, V. C.; Murgante, B.; Daverona, A. C.; Stratakis, P.; Vlissidis, N.; Kavadias, A.; Economou, D.; Santimpantakis, K.; Karathanasis, B.; Kyriakopoulou, V.; Gadolou, E.

2017-09-01

This paper has several aims: a) the presentation of a critical analysis of the terms "smart sustainable cities" and "smart sustainable islands" b) the presentation of a number of principles towards to the development methodological framework of concepts and actions, in a form of a manual and actions guide, for the smartification and sustainability of islands. This kind of master plan is divided in thematic sectors (key factors) which concern the insular municipalities c) the creation of an island's smartification and sustainability index d) the first steps towards the creation of a portal for the presentation of our smartification actions manual, together with relative resources, smart applications examples, and, in the near future the first results of our index application in a number of Greek islands and e) the presentation of some proposals of possible actions towards their sustainable development and smartification for the municipalities - islands of Paros and Antiparos in Greece, as case studies.