Delivering sustainability therapy in sustainable development projects

This paper explores the apparent contradiction between the 'linearity' of most Sustainable Development projects, with time-bound and defined outputs achieved at a fixed cost, and an implied 'circularity' of the theory whereby there is no 'end'. Projects usually have clear parameters within which they are implemented, and the inclusion of elements such as the need for accountability, measurable impact and 'value for money' have grown in importance. It could be argued that we live in a 'projectified' and therefore linear world. The paper explores the potential contradiction between 'linearity' and 'circularity', and suggests that one way around this is to frame the project within a form of the Kolb Learning Cycle heuristic. This will facilitate a rationalisation from those implementing the sustainable development project as to why decisions are being made and for whom. If these questions are opened up to the project stakeholders, including beneficiaries, then the Kolb cycle could encourage learning and understanding by all involved. It could also provide Sustainability Therapy to those trapped in processes, which they find orthogonal to their own perceptions. It is suggested that such learning, therapy and reflective practice should be a valid output of the sustainable development project, although typically the focus is only upon the final outputs and how they feed into policy. Ironically funders would be well advised to take a broader perspective in order to achieve true 'value for money' within such projects, even if learning is not an easily measurable or tangible outcome. These points are explored within the context of the wider literature and experience with a sustainable development project undertaken in Malta.     

Research priorities for managing the impacts and dependencies of business upon food,energy, water and the environment

Delivering access to sufficient food, energy and water resources to ensure human wellbeing is a major concern for governments worldwide. However, it is crucial to account for the ‘nexus’ of interactions between these natural resources and the consequent implications for human wellbeing. The private sector has a critical role in driving positive change towards more sustainable nexus management and could reap considerable benefits from collaboration with researchers to devise solutions to some of the foremost sustainability challenges of today. Yet opportunities are missed because the private sector is rarely involved in the formulation of deliverable research priorities. We convened senior research scientists and influential business leaders to collaboratively identify the top forty questions that, if answered, would best help companies understand and manage their food-energy-water-environment nexus dependencies and impacts. Codification of the top order nexus themes highlighted research priorities around development of pragmatic yet credible tools that allow businesses to incorporate nexus interactions into their decision-making; demonstration of the business case for more sustainable nexus management; identification of the most effective levers for behaviour change; and understanding incentives or circumstances that allow individuals and businesses to take a leadership stance. Greater investment in the complex but productive relations between the private sector and research community will create deeper and more meaningful collaboration and cooperation.     

The effect of aged litter materials on polyatomic ion concentrations in fractionated suspended particulate matter from a broiler house

Inorganic emissions from livestock production and subsequent deposition of these ions can be a major source of pollution, causing nitrogen enrichment, eutrophication, acidification of soils and surface waters, and aerosol formation. In the poultry house, ammonia and hydrogen sulfide emissions can also adversely affect the health, performance, and welfare of both animals and human operators. The persistence and long life expectancy of ammonia, odors and toxic pollutants from poultry houses may be due to the ability of suspended particulate matter (SPM) to serve as carriers for odorous compounds such as ammonium ions and other inorganic compounds (e.g., phosphate, sulfate, nitrate, etc.). SPM is generated from the feed, animal manure, and the birds themselves. A large portion of odor associated with exhaust air from poultry houses is SPM that has absorbed odors from within the houses. Understanding the fate and transport processes of ammonia and other inorganic emissions in poultry houses is a necessary first step in utilizing the appropriate abatement strategies. In this study, the examination and characterization of ammonium ions, major components of odors and toxic gases from poultry operations, and other ions in suspended particulate matter in a broiler house were carried out using particle trap impactors. The SPM from the particle trap impactors was extracted and analyzed for its ionic species using ion chromatography (IC). The results showed concentrations of polyatomic ions in suspended particulate matter were found to increase with successive flocks and were highly concentrated in the larger size particulate matter. In addition, the ions concentrations appeared to reach a maximum at the middle of flock age (around the fourth week), tapering off toward the end in a given flock (possibly due to ventilation rates to cool off larger birds). Thus, it can be inferred that aged of bedding materials affects the ionic concentrations in aerosol particulate matter more than the age of the birds.

Implications: In the poultry house, toxic gas emissions can adversely affect the health, performance, and welfare of both animals and human operators. The persistence of these toxic pollutants from poultry houses may be due to the ability of suspended particulate matter (SPM) to serve as carriers for these compounds (inorganic ions). Our study showed that polyatomic ions in suspended particulate matter were found to increase with successive flocks and were highly concentrated in the larger size SPM. Understanding the effect of management practices on poultry air emissions will lead to innovative best management practices to safeguard the health and welfare of the animals as well as those of the poultry operators, along with reducing the impact of potential air pollution on the environment.     

Using the land transformation model to forecast vacant land

Growing or shrinking cities can experience increases in vacant land. As urban populations and boundaries fluctuate, holes can open in once tight urban areas. Many cities chase growth-oriented approaches to dealing with vacancies. It is critical to understand land-use alteration to accurately predict transformations of physical change in order to make better informed decisions about this phenomenon. This research utilizes the land transformation model (LTM), an artificial neural networking mechanism in Geographic Information Systems, to forecast vacant land. Variable influence on vacant land prediction and accuracy of the LTM is assessed by comparing input factors and patterns, using time-series data from 1990 to 2010 in Fort Worth, Texas, USA. Results indicate that the LTM can be useful in simulating vacant land-use changes but more precise mechanisms are necessary to increase accuracy. This will allow for more proactive decisions to better regulate the process of urban decline and regeneration.     

Time and cost characterisation of emissions from non-road diesel equipment for infrastructure projects

The construction process contributes to pollutant emissions, particularly through the operation of diesel- and gasoline-powered equipment. In the past decade, a series of investigations were undertaken to quantify these emissions for a variety of non-road construction equipment performing different activities and undergoing different duty cycles, and a model to estimate quantities of six types of pollutant was developed. This paper uses that model to estimate emissions for four street and utility construction projects which no one has done previously. We combined information from company records with standard construction industry manuals to estimate total emissions for the projects and to examine the pollution patterns and magnitudes. The street construction projects all had similar emission profiles with a large peak at the beginning and a steady output of emissions throughout the duration of the project. For example, in two of the projects studied, half of all CO₂ emissions were produced before the projects were 40% completed. Results showed that demolition and earthwork are the activities with the largest contribution. The equipment types with the largest contribution are backhoes, front-end loaders, bulldozers and trenchers. Trenchers, for example, produced 30% of all emissions on the projects on which they were used.     

Risk and system integrity concepts for safety-related control systems

This paper provides an overview of the concepts of “risk” and “safety-integrity” in relation to safety-related electrical/electronic/programmable electronic systems. The paper is an abridged version of Annex A of the emerging International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) Standard; “Functional safety of electrical/electronic/programmable electronic systems”. Although based on Annex A, the authors have deviated in a few instances, from the strict wording of Annex A in order to more properly represent their own views. Where this occurs, a note in the text has been added to alert the reader of the deviation. The concepts of risk (including tolerable risk; safety integrity; safety-related system; System and Software Integrity Levels) are discussed.     

Radionuclide transport above a near-surface water table: III. Soil migration and crop uptake of three gamma-emitting radionuclides, 1990 to 1993

This paper summarizes the vertical distributions of 22Na, 137Cs, and 60Co above controlled water tables in deep and shallow lysimeters during a four-year experiment. The activity concentration profiles were all determined at the time of harvest of a winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L. cv. Pastiche) crop. Activity concentrations in different crop tissues were determined and crop uptake expressed as both an inventory ratio (IR) and a transfer factor (TFw), weighted to account for root and radionuclide distributions within the soil profile. Experimental variates were subjected to analysis of variance to determine the single and combined effects of the soil depth and the year of the experiment on the results obtained. Each radionuclide showed significant variations in activity concentration with soil depth, but the significance of these variations from year to year was dependent on radionuclide. A distinction in the behavior of weakly sorbed (22Na) and more highly sorbed (137Cs and 60Co) radionuclides was observed. The former exhibited significant variations in its distribution in the soil profile from year-to-year whereas the latter did not. Relatively high TF, values for 22Na were maintained throughout the experiment, whereas for 137Cs and 60Co, the highest TFw values were recorded in 1990 followed by a significant decline in 1991, with TFw remaining low in 1992 and 1993. The TFw values were, in general, significantly higher for deep lysimeters than for shallow lysimeters. This is thought to provide evidence of enhanced radionuclide absorption by the relatively small fraction of roots in the vicinity of the deeper water table.