University research for sustainable development: definition and characteristics explored

University research is pivotal for sustainable development, but to succeed, new ways of conducting research are needed. Only recently has the field of “sustainability and higher education” (SHE) started to deal with the issue. In this paper we define “university research for sustainable development” comprehensively as “all research conducted within the institutional context of a university that contributes to sustainable development”, and propose a set of twenty two preliminary characteristics of this concept. We provide foundational information in particular for various university stakeholders, and those of higher education in general, considering the (re)orientation of research towards sustainable development and offer a beginning of dialogue on the subject, within SHE.     

矿业特色环境专业创新人才培养模式的探索

培养创新型的环境工程专业培养人才是目前高等学校环境工程教育工作者面临的一个重要课题。近年来中国环境专业的招生规模在逐渐加大,面对着高等教育的日益大众化,环境工程领域的学生近年来面临的就业压力也在不断增大,大学的培养观念和能力面临着挑战。高等院校作为环境工程技术人才的培养基地,如何适应国家发展的需要,培养具有创新性能力的的环境工程专业人才是非常必要的。本文介绍了中国矿业大学(北京)近年来在进行矿业特色环境专业创新人才培养方面的做法,以期对现阶段环境工程专业的建设提供一定的借鉴意义。     

高校开设环境教育公共必修课探究

在高校中开设环境教育公共必修课,培养大学生的环境意识,提高环境素质,是实现可持续发展的一个重要措施。本文阐述了环境教育的内涵,论述了国内外高校环境教育的发展概况,分析了高校开设环境教育公共必修课的必要性。以济南市为例,对高校学生和教师分别进行了问卷调查,从学生的环境意识和环境行为、学校开设环境教育公共必修课的现状、师生对环境教育公共必修课的态度等方面进行了调查。结合调查结果。总结出中国高校环境教育公共必修课建设存在的主要问题,如高校对环境教育的重视不足、环境教育课程体系不合理、教学形式单一、师资力量薄弱等,并借鉴国外环境教育的经验,提出完善高校环境教育公共必修课的建议和措施。     

Issues related to including forestry-based offsets in a GHG emissions trading system

Including the forestry sector as a mitigation option is critical to successful implementation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Since emissions trading and other related economic instruments are likely to be used to meet the treaty's goals, integrating carbon credits from the forestry sector in an emissions trading system and into the Clean Development Mechanism and Joint Implementation is necessary if the GHG mitigation potential of the forestry sector is to be fully realized.Some of the concepts presented in this paper build on a discussion paper prepared for the Australian Greenhouse Challenge Office, preparatory to a sinks workbook. The sinks workbook is designed to help Australian companies measure carbon sequestration from projects undertaken to fulfill their pledges as part of the Australian government's voluntary Greenhouse Challenge initiative. The ideas presented in the original discussion paper (as well as in this paper) were intended to stimulate discussion and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Australian government.This paper outlines some of the methodological questions raised in determining how to generate credits from forestry projects in the context of the Clean Development Mechanism, Joint Implementation and national emissions trading programs. These include baseline determination, which carbon pools to count, leakage issues, carbon accounting methods and the fate of wood products.     

Restructuring teacher education for sustainability: student involvement through a “strengths model”

In responding to the demand for major review of teacher education to meet the needs and challenges of the twenty-first century, the Faculty of Education at Griffith University in Queensland, Australia is in the throes of a major review of its primary teacher education program. This review is taking place in the midst of University wide debate on the nature and scope of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). While consensus exists of the importance of ESD, debate continues regarding programs, policies, and practices.Education staff members feel strongly that new programs should encompass knowledge, issues, perspectives, skills, and values central to ESD, but remain uncertain about how this could best be achieved. The “strengths model” where every discipline and every staff member and student can contribute is being utilised by the working parties and is likely to be adopted as a means of ESD.To determine a benchmark for inclusion of components of ESD, and as one stage of including students in the decision-making process, a survey was conducted in February 2004 that sought to determine general environmental attitudes, specific practices and perceptions of a need to change.The survey indicated that a large portion of the students enrolled in preservice teacher education at this University were very concerned about environmental issues and felt that their preparation as teachers should include aspects of teaching about sustainability. The survey also indicated however, that the knowledge base regarding environmental issues was minimal and insight into the social, cultural and economic complexities of ESD was quite superficial. Students openly expressed a lack of confidence in their ability to make wise decisions or take appropriate action.This paper describes the context and strategies of the current restructure/reorientation of the preservice teacher program, highlighting the current and potential impacts of student involvement in the process.     

Carbon dioxide affects charge accumulation in leaves

This work was supported by grants OKKFT (Tt) 222/1988 and 310/1988 from the National Foundation of Technical Development (Hungary). Govindjee was supported by an interdisciplinary McKnight Research Grant to the University of Illinois at Urbana, IL (USA).     

The Awareness,Action and Advancement (AAA) Environmental Management and Reporting System: moving from the household to small and medium-size enterprises

Households have many similarities to small and medium-sized enterprises. They have inputs and outputs, produce services and wastes, have cash flows and related budgeting issues and incorporate a range of management functions. Households also cover the full suite of Triple Bottom Line aspects, i.e., social, environmental and economic. For tertiary education purposes the household has been a focus at Lincoln University for environmental management students to study environmental management systems and sustainability reporting. This paper outlines the educational aims and context for the course of study and demonstrates, through the examination of one student's course work, how there are similarities between SMEs and households and the sort of initiative designed for a household that also might work in SMEs. As part of this demonstration the paper introduces the Awareness, Action and Advancement (AAA) Environmental Management and Reporting System. The AAA system is cyclic, straightforward, marketable and appears to work. As such the principles from this educational exercise might have relevance in SMEs.     

专业课教学中的思想教育探讨

针对我国理工科大学专业课教学工作的特点,本文提出了专业课教学中进行思想政治教育的建议,论述了教师在专业课教学中有效地融大学生的思想政治教育于专业课教学中的方法,以便起到合力育人目的,促进高校专业课教学工作.     

Utilization of prenatal cytogenetic diagnosis in women of advanced maternal age in Australia, 1979–1982

This paper reports the results of a complete national survey to measure utilization rates of prenatal cytogenetic diagnosis (P.C.D.) in women of advanced maternal age in Australia. P.C.D. has been available throughout Australia for the last decade. Every laboratory in Australia providing a P.C.D. service for the years 1979–1982 took part in this study. Utilization rates (both National and State rates) by ages of mothers, are presented. Big interstate differences exist. The 1982 National P.C.D. utilization rate for pregnant women who were 40 years of age and over was 38.8 per cent, and this rate has shown an average annual increase of 9 per cent. In those four States which offered P.C.D. to pregnant women of 35 years or over the median utilization rate was 20 per cent. These Australian rates indicate an under-utilization of P.C.D. services with (in 1982) 50–80 per cent of ‘at risk’ women not being tested. Factors which influence this are discussed.     

ESR study of Fe(III) and Cr(III) hydroxides

The authors would like to thank Dr. A. Relier and B. Spring (University of Zürich) for providing the DSC analysis. This research was supported by the Swiss National Foundation, project no. 2.942-0.88 and by a grant of the Board of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology.     

大学生生态教育现状调查研究

环保教育是全方位的环境保护和可持续发展意识的教育，是全民教育、全程教育和终身教育，大学生的生态教育是大学生素质教育的重要环节。通过对云南大学1000名学生的问卷调查，分析了大学生生态意识的现状并提出大学生生态教育的对策。     

The role of academia in regional sustainability initiatives: Wales

This paper demonstrates the relative non-engagement of universities in regional sustainability initiatives through a case study of Cardiff University in Wales. It is argued that the turbulent and often complicated political and administrative context along with divergent goals and performance targets means that synergies are less readily achieved. A case study of automotive industry alternative technology new cluster development is given to illustrate the arguments. In so doing, the paper presents the view that we need to move beyond mere optimism in order to address fundamental underlying issues.     

Awareness and adoption of cleaner production in small to medium-sized businesses in the Geelong region,Victoria, Australia

A survey was undertaken (August through November, 1998) to determine the extent of the awareness and implementation of cleaner production practices within small to medium-sized businesses in the Geelong region of Victoria, Australia. Information was also gleaned on improvements/benefits gained from the adoption of such practices, reasons for adopting or not adopting cleaner production methods and utilization of educational and assistance schemes. We conclude that the adoption of cleaner production by such businesses is still at a very early stage with much work to be done to raise levels of awareness and to convince these businesses of the potential benefits of cleaner production.     

炔雌醇氯化反应的动力学和机制研究

对典型内分泌干扰物炔雌醇(EE2)在模拟饮用水氯化过程中的反应行为进行了深入研究.结果发现,EE2的氯化反应符合二级反应动力学.表观速率常数kapp随pH的变化规律证明EE2分子中的酚环是氯原子攻击的首选位置.EE2的转换是由不同形态的EE2和HClO之间的3个基元反应控制.去质子化的EE2阴离子明显比其中性共轭体更具活性.高效液相色谱/质谱(HPLC/MS)分析表明氯原子可以通过亲电取代反应接到EE2分子中的酚羟基的邻位,先后生成一氯和二氯代EE2,第三个氯原子的取代导致苯环结构的破坏,分子不稳定发生水解.本研究的结果对全面了解EE2在饮用水氯化消毒过程中的反应规律,为评价EE2对人体的潜在暴露提供了依据.     

Cross-cultural education for sustainability: development of an introduction to sustainability course

This paper reports on Ball State University's activities in the area of education for sustainability and current activities to develop an Internet-based Introduction to Sustainability course. As the course will be Internet-based, it will mesh well with and can serve as the introductory course in the sustainability curriculum of Ball State University Land Design Institute's international network of Sustainability Consortia, and can be used in sustainability education programs within the context of other international partnerships. This course will serve as a foundation for that effort and for a broader curriculum that can be delivered across cultures. Ball State University's Clustered Minors in Environmentally Sustainable Practices utilizes three courses to address the social, environmental, and economic aspects of sustainability: environmental ethics; ecology; and environmental economics. The intention is to compose a course comprising elements from all three dimensions. The course will include Internet content and assignments and will exploit the emerging ability for Internet-based teleconferencing for real-time interactions among students and faculty at diverse international sites.     

On the use of expert judgment to characterize uncertainties in the health benefits of regulatory controls of particulate matter

Health benefits assessment is an analytic tool used extensively by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in characterizing the costs and benefits of air quality regulations. In a 2002 review of EPA methods, the U.S. National Research Council (NRC) called on EPA to more fully account for and communicate uncertainties in estimates of the health benefits of air pollution regulations. In particular, the NRC recommended that EPA use expert judgment to quantify uncertainties in cases where empirical estimates are lacking. In response, EPA developed and carried out an expert elicitation (EE) study to quantify uncertainties in the effects of fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) on mortality in the U.S. This work has yielded new estimates of the uncertainty distribution of a key relationship – the concentration–response (C–R) function – used around the world in benefits analyses for air quality regulations. This paper discusses the ways in which the EE results have informed and influenced recent regulatory impact analyses (RIAs) carried out by EPA to characterize and communicate the health benefits of regulations affecting ambient PM_2.5 concentrations. Given the growing importance of PM benefits analysis across the globe, recent developments pioneered by EPA could have widespread relevance.     

北京科技大学校园电能消耗生态足迹研究

生态足迹分析法是一种“强”可持续性进行衡量的手段。研究中以北京科技大学（以下简称北科大）为例,运用统计学中调查方法对2008年校园电能消耗进行调查,并应用生态学中生态足迹成分法模型对其进行分析,通过与北京及全国范围的对比,测度高校校园的可持续状况。结果表明：北科大2008年电能总消耗量为3829万千瓦时。生态足迹为7098．4hm^2,即需要7098．4bm^2的生态生产性土地支持该校的电能消耗,人均生态足迹为0．28hm^2,在忽略外部影响的情况下与北京及全国的电能生态足迹比较,学校的生态占用状况比较乐观。为促进高校节能减排的工作和建设生态和谐校园,并且有针对性地提出了一些切实可行的节能办法,供学校参考。     

Lessons learned concerning impact assessment: pollution prevention technical assistance in Nebraska

After five years of assisting Nebraska businesses, the Partners in Pollution Prevention program at the University of Nebraska contracted with an independent third-party to conduct a survey to determine clients' perceptions on the value of the technical assistance. A second assessment method, reassessment interviews, consisting of site visits by interns, supported many of the findings of the initial survey, allowed for exploration to better understand some initial responses, and collected metrics related to implementation of specific pollution prevention suggestions. A combined approach using more than one evaluation tool may be helpful to other environmental service providers in assessing impact of their programs.