The Power of Innovation and Strategic Sustainability Positioning: A Survey of the Mining Sector in Brazil

This study investigates the relationship between the power of innovation and the sustainability strategies of companies involved in the minerals extraction sector in Brazil. The study included companies associated with the Brazilian Mining Institute, and it used research surveys to gather data. Analysis of the survey data revealed that companies with highly intensive characteristics in regard to innovation and environmental activities (environmental management activities) also display offensive, or proactive, strategies for pursuing sustainability.     

Ecological Sustainability in Greek Agriculture: An Application of Energy Flow Approach

This study uses an energy flow approach to investigate the ecological sustainability of Greek agriculture. The approach is based on the analysis of ratios of energy output and energy input over a long period of time. Structural changes in land use in Greek agriculture were observed over the period 1961–98. There was an increasing trend in consumption of energy input in Greek agriculture throughout the period 1961 to 1998 as a result of diffusion of capital intensive technology. High growth in the production of energy output of cereals and vegetables was observed during the same period. The total energy output flow had a sharp increasing trend during 1961 to 1991, thereafter it declined slightly until 1998. The ratio analysis showed that the Greek agricultural system is ecologically sustainable as the energy output exceeded the amount of conventional energy required to produce it.     

赤水河流域仁怀市生态保护态度与行为研究

通过调查问卷的形式探索了仁怀市赤水河两岸的村民在生态保护中的态度与行为。结果表明:沿赤水河两岸居住的部分村民的环保意识相对较低,居民的环保意识与所受教育程度有关,且居民了解环保知识的渠道单一,需要加强多渠道宣传;居民的日常生活和农耕对赤水河的污染较小,周围酒厂及小工厂的污染"贡献"较大。当地环保部门应该加强宣传,提高两岸居民的环保知识水平,减少生活污染,严格控制企业污染排放,减少工业污染,从而维护赤水河流域生态安全。     

Commercial Medicinal Plant Extraction in the Hills of Nepal: Local Management System and Ecological Sustainability

This paper presents a case study from Jumla District, Nepal, investigating local management systems and ecological sustainability of commercial collection of a medicinal plant, spikenard (Nardostachys grandiflora DC, Valerianaceae), growing in alpine meadows. Interviews were undertaken with local collectors, traders, and district forest office staff, and the dynamics of people–plant interactions are analyzed using the Oakerson model. In all, 110 sample plots 1m square were laid out in three areas with differing collection and grazing pressures for recording of floristic composition and abundance of spikenard root biomass. Comparisons show significantly more root biomass in uncollected than collected areas with local management and the interpretation of differences in abundance is discussed. The combination of qualitative and quantitative investigations can provide a framework for the study of people–plant interactions, and this study can serve as first step in a compilation of cases to create a more detailed picture of local management systems of Nepali nontimber forest products in general and commercially collected medicinal and aromatic plants in particular.     

Enhancing Justice and Sustainability at the Local Level: Affordable Policies for Urban Governments

There are creative, affordable ways to address community development and also achieve goals of environmental sustainability. Approximately thirty case studies, based on interviews and usually also site visits, were completed during 2005. The case studies examined community gardening and urban agriculture, the greening of publicly controlled urban electricity and bus agencies, reuse centers and local business associations in the United States. Policy recommendations for city governments that emerged from the case studies are summarized here. There are many opportunities for financially pressed cities to assist the development of 'just sustainability' projects with minimal financial commitments. They can do so by rechannelling the purchasing decisions of public agencies, building partnerships with community organizations and developing the small business sector.     

Enhancing Justice and Sustainability at the Local Level: Affordable Policies for Urban Governments*

Abstract

There are creative, affordable ways to address community development and also achieve goals of environmental sustainability. Approximately thirty case studies, based on interviews and usually also site visits, were completed during 2005. The case studies examined community gardening and urban agriculture, the greening of publicly controlled urban electricity and bus agencies, reuse centers and local business associations in the United States. Policy recommendations for city governments that emerged from the case studies are summarized here. There are many opportunities for financially pressed cities to assist the development of ‘just sustainability’ projects with minimal financial commitments. They can do so by rechannelling the purchasing decisions of public agencies, building partnerships with community organizations and developing the small business sector.     

生态旅游者生态行为的意识层次

在界定生态旅游者概念的基础上,从生态旅游者的生态行为意识角度出发,将其划分为自在、自觉、自为三个层次,并根据实践的需要探讨了提升生态行为意识层次的几个措施:制订生态旅游者的行为准则、实施生态伦理教育和进行生态行为引导.     

生态文明建设水平与产业结构高级化评价及其关系研究——以辽宁省为例

实现产业生态化是生态文明建设的重要途径,促进生态文明建设的产业结构是节约能源资源和保护生态环境的产业结构.选取改进的熵值法,从经济、环境、社会和生态四个方面评价了辽宁省1997-2011年的生态文明建设水平,利用基于Moore指数构造的产业结构高级化指数评价了产业结构高级化水平,并对辽宁省生态文明建设水平与产业结构高级化协整关系进行了实证分析.结果表明,1997-2011年间,辽宁省生态文明建设水平与产业高级化水平在波动中不断提高,两者存在长期均衡关系.     

基于能值生态足迹的海岛可持续性评估——以舟山为例

基于能值理论,结合生态足迹方法,构建能值生态赤字/盈余、渔业足迹强度(D)、社会发展压力指数(I)和经济协调指数(Q)参数评价海岛可持续性,选取典型海岛城市浙江省舟山市作为案例研究。结果显示:2003—2017年舟山能值足迹、能值承载力均呈上升趋势;人均能值生态足迹共增加15.78 hm²,增幅为63.26%;人均能值承载力增加5.20×10² hm²,增幅为82.86%;其中,化石能源用地能值足迹增加最多,社会经济承载力增加最多,而自然承载力却有所下降。能值生态赤字/盈余和经济协调指数不能完全反映区域可持续性,区域渔业足迹强度的不断增加表明当前的渔业经济模式不满足可持续发展要求,社会发展压力指数增大也进一步表明舟山的发展状况偏离了可持续性的轨道。     

牢固树立生态文明观念提升社会生态文明水平

党的十七大报告提出“建设生态文明”,并强调要使“生态文明观念在全社会牢固树立”。如何在全社会牢固树立生态文明观念,是需要我们认真思考的重要问题。本文试就全社会牢固树立生态文明观念的路径选择作一些尝试性的探讨。     

深圳市水资源可持续性研究

水作为人类不可代替的资源在社会经济发展过程中起着至关重要的作用。区域水资源的可持续状况是地区水资源的特征,当前与今后社会经济发展对水资源需要的满足程度。本文详细分析了深圳市当前水资源利用状况,以及由于社会经济高速发展所引发的水资源短缺特征,探讨了深圳市社会、经济高速发展过程中和今后１５年内水资源的可持续性及其调控     

Urban Environmental Sustainability Metrics: A Provisional Set

Designing or transforming urban areas into 'sustainable cities' is becoming an increasingly common vision. It is, however, an unrealizable vision without agreement on how to determine whether a sustainable city vision has been fulfilled. In this paper we define a provisional set of urban environmental sustainability metrics, chosen to cover the spectrum of issues related to urban areas, and to be drawn from data that are customarily available. We devise a display technique to communicate efficiently the results of a metrics evaluation to a variety of stakeholders. The approach is illustrated by applying the metrics set to Vancouver, Canada, an urban area that has expended considerable effort toward achieving its own environmental vision.     

大学生生态文明观建设

对近千名在校大学生有关生态文明政策、思想认识、行为规范等内容进行的问卷调查显示：大学生对生态文明政策存在认识缺乏、观念淡漠,行为时有失范,责任意识不强等问题,与我们党提出的“建设生态文明强国”的战略任务和大学生将承担的社会责任相距甚远。通过对造成大学生生态文明观淡漠的主客观原因分析,提出从重视理论教育入手,强化社会责任意识、健全考核评价机制、优化生态文明环境、重视社会大环境和不断优化融合校园育人环境等对策。     

Water Hyacinth in China: A Sustainability Science-Based Management Framework

The invasion of water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) has resulted in enormous ecological and economic consequences worldwide. Although the spread of this weed in Africa, Australia, and North America has been well documented, its invasion in China is yet to be fully documented. Here we report that since its introduction about seven decades ago, water hyacinth has infested many water bodies across almost half of China’s territory, causing a decline of native biodiversity, alteration of ecosystem services, deterioration of aquatic environments, and spread of diseases affecting human health. Water hyacinth infestations have also led to enormous economic losses in China by impeding water flows, paralyzing navigation, and damaging irrigation and hydroelectricity facilities. To effectively control the rampage of water hyacinth in China, we propose a sustainability science-based management framework that explicitly incorporates principles from landscape ecology and Integrated Pest Management. This framework emphasizes multiple-scale long-term monitoring and research, integration among different control techniques, combination of control with utilization, and landscape-level adaptive management. Sustainability science represents a new, transdisciplinary paradigm that integrates scientific research, technological innovation, and socioeconomic development of particular regions. Our proposed management framework is aimed to broaden the currently dominant biological control-centered view in China and to illustrate how sustainability science can be used to guide the research and management of water hyacinth.     

Exergetic Sustainability Indicators as a Tool in Commercial Aircraft: A Case Study for a Turbofan Engine

This paper focuses on the exergetic sustainability indicators of a medium-range commercial aircraft engine for constant reference environment and ground running conditions. First, a detailed exergy analysis of turbofan engine have been performed based on engine test cell parameters. Starting from the sustainability considerations and the second law of the thermodynamics, the paper presents six exergy-based sustainability indicators. The indicators of the turbofan engine developed here in conjunction with exergetic analysis and sustainable development are exergy efficiency, waste exergy ratio, exergy destruction factor, recoverable exergy rate, environmental effect factor, and exergetic sustainability index. The investigated sustainable indicators have been calculated by using exergy analysis outputs for aircraft ground running condition. Results from this study show that values of exergy efficiency, waste exergy ratio, exergy destruction factor, recoverable exergy rate, environmental effect factor, and exergetic sustainability index of investigated turbofan engine are found to be 0.315, 0.685, 0.408, 0, 2.174, and 0.460, respectively. These parameters are expected to quantify how the turbofan engine and aircraft become more environmentally benign and sustainable.