Monitored natural attenuation forum: State of the practice—Highlights from a breakfast discussion

The Monitored Natural Attenuation (MNA) Forum is published as a column in each issue of Remediation. The format typically includes one or two questions related to MNA with responses from several MNA Panel members. This column highlights MNA topics discussed at a breakfast held in support of the MNA Forum. It includes thoughts from various MNA Panel members and other environmental professionals who attended the breakfast on the “state of the practice.” © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Phenols and flavonoids in Aleppo pine needles as bioindicators of air pollution

The aim of the present study is to assess whether certain ecophysiological responses (contents of total phenols, total proanthocyanidins, and total and simple flavonols), in the needles of Aleppo pines (Pinus halepensis Mill.) may be valid bioindicators for the assessment of the air quality. Samples were taken at five natural sites polluted by various pollutants (NO, NO2, other NOx, SO2, and O3). The results show a decrease in total phenol concentrations with levels of nitrogen oxide pollutions (significant negative correlations between the total phenol concentrations and concentrations of NO, NO2, and other NOx). Total flavonoids (total flavonols and proanthocyanidins) are useful bioindicators for ozone pollution (significant negative correlations between total proanthocyanidins and the concentrations of ozone and significant positive correlations between total flavonols and the ozone pollution). Sulfur dioxide pollution is distinguished by low concentrations in quercetin, isorhamnetin, and kaempferol (significant negative correlations between these simple flavonols and the concentrations of SO2). This work confirms the strong interest of using the phenolic compounds of Pinus halepensis as biological indicators of air quality.     

Comparison of two fatal occupational injury surveillance systems in the United States

INTRODUCTION: Using different methods, two national systems compile fatal occupational injury data in the United States: the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) National Traumatic Occupational Fatalities (NTOF) surveillance system, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI). The NTOF uses only death certificates, while CFOI uses multiple sources for case ascertainment. METHODS: Through overall and case-by-case comparisons, this study compares these systems and evaluates counts for the nation and by state for worker and case characteristics. RESULTS: From 1992 through 1994, NTOF reported an average of 84% of the number of traumatic occupational fatalities reported in CFOI. This percentage changed somewhat when a case-by-case comparison was conducted--88% of the NTOF cases were matched directly to the CFOI cases. Although CFOI captured a larger number of fatalities annually, the additional fatalities did not follow a discernable pattern. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: By understanding the distribution of fatalities, targeted efforts to reduce them will benefit all industries.     

Interactive effects of impression management and organizational politics on job performance

The purpose of this research was to explore the interactive effect of organizational politics and impression management on supervisor ratings of employee performance. We hypothesized that the negative relationship between organizational politics and supervisor‐rated performance is weaker among employees who are high in impression management than among those low in impression management. Data were collected from a matched sample of 112 white‐collar employees and their supervisors. Results indicated that the interaction of organizational politics and impression management explained a significant incremental amount of variance in supervisor ratings of employee performance. These findings demonstrated that the extent to which an individual engaged in impression management in a non‐political atmosphere may have been a key component to receiving favorable performance ratings. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Engineered nanoparticles: safer substitutes for toxic materials, or a new hazard?

Nanotechnology has the potential for the development of new materials and processes that can substitute for toxic materials now used in industry. Excitement over this possibility is tempered, however, by the potential adverse environmental health and safety aspects of the new nanomaterials. Although a few examples from the literature are encouraging, e.g., wire and cable insulation, great care must be taken to perform complete alternatives assessment evaluations of any new nanotechnology-enabled product before its adoption.     

Linking corporate climate adaptation strategies with resilience thinking

Within modern society, business organizations have a co-evolutionary relationship with society and ecosystems. Business organizations face highly diverse risks which they have to recognize, reflect on and handle. Climate change and its impacts clarify the need for managing overall system risk. Research has shown that climate vulnerability of business organizations in the German food industry is characterized by impacts that, in particular, affect business organizations indirectly. Indirect climate change caused impacts are complex, uncertain and characterized by a high degree of unpredictability. They focus on the derived social, ecological, economic and cultural consequences of the direct physical impacts from a worldwide perspective. This paper shows that introducing resilience thinking helps to identify strategic risks and opportunities coping with climate change caused impacts in sense of corporate climate adaptation strategies. Furthermore, it is shown from a strategic management perspective that mitigation is a profound element of long term adaptation strategies.     

Forest biorefineries - A business opportunity for the Finnish forest cluster

Bioenergy and biomass-based products offer the greatest new opportunities for diversifying business in the forest cluster. In particular, biorefineries, which can be integrated into the pulp and paper industry, seem to have immense future potential. This article aims to explore the biorefinery concept and related new products and business operations, as well as new business strategies and company models, which are part of the biorefinery value chain. These factors, which contribute to the establishment and success of forest biorefineries, were examined using internet survey responses and compared between Scandinavia, North America and South America. This article looks at the results of the survey - primarily from the Finnish perspective - to help identify competitive advantages upon which successful business operations in the Finnish forest cluster can be built.According to the survey, the outlooks for technical and raw material choices, as well as barriers to biorefinery diffusion, are very similar in all the studied areas. Biorefineries and related energy products are considered the way to sustainably guarantee the forest cluster’s success. An increase in the price of oil motivates the development of forest biorefineries and wood-based biofuels; however, it is obvious that there is a need to revaluate from a fresh perspective the utilisation of wood and the wood-refining chain in the forest cluster.The survey respondents consider wood-based biofuel and chemical production a serious business opportunity for the forest cluster. In Finland, there is a strong confidence in the production of biofuels. However, all the countries included in the study trust in their own national strengths and in their chance to be a leading actor in the forest biorefinery business worldwide. The forest biorefinery business seems to have market potential, and global competition can thus be expected.     

Does the energy labelling system for domestic tumble dryers serve its purpose?

Tumble dryers sold on the market today are labelled according to their energy efficiency. This labelling system has primarily two purposes: to guide buyers to a product with low energy use, lower cost and lower environmental impact and to encourage producers to develop even more energy-efficient products. Tumble dryers are optimized for their maximum capacity, which is used as the standard load for determining the energy label. Three different tumble dryers have been tested with different drying loads. Results indicate that all the tested tumble dryers have significantly lower energy efficiency when drying small loads. In order to encourage the development of tumble dryers with high energy efficiency at drying loads used in ordinary households, the standards for the energy labelling system should be revised.     

Industrial symbiosis and the policy instruments of sustainable consumption and production

Industrial symbioses (ISs) and eco-industrial parks (EIPs) are key concepts of industrial ecology (IE). The aim of ISs and EIPs is to minimise inefficient material and energy use by utilising local by-product and energy flows. Industrial symbioses tend to develop through spontaneous action of economic actors, for gaining of economic benefit, but these systems can be designed and promoted via policy instruments as well. A literature review showed that national programmes for eco-industrial parks can be found in different parts of the world. In the action programmes and other sustainable consumption and production (SCP) policy documents of the EU, on the other hand, industrial symbioses gain less recognition as a path to enhanced sustainable production. In this article, we consider this and also analyse how the evolution and environmental performance of an industrial symbiosis system centred on a Finnish pulp and paper mill have been affected by SCP policy instruments. With regard to the system forming the subject of the case study, and Finnish industrial systems in general, policy instruments have succeeded in reducing emissions but not in systematically encouraging operators toward symbiosis-like activities. All in all, few studies exist on the overall impact of policy instruments promoting design of eco-industrial parks. It is not self-evident that symbiosis-like production systems would be sustainable in every case, as the background assumptions for political promotion of EIPs suggest. We concluded that industrial symbioses should be analysed and developed on a life cycle basis, with documentation of the real environmental benefits due to efficient resource use and decreased emissions in comparison to standalone production. ISs can then bring eco-competitiveness to companies in relation to SCP tools, such as environmental permits, ecolabels, and future product regulation based on the Ecodesign Directive in Europe. Indirect encouragement of symbiosis through land-use regulation and planning, in such a way that material fluxes between companies are possible both in operations and in financial terms, may prove effective. The same holds for waste policies that encourage increased reuse of a company’s waste by other enterprises.