Book reviews

Our Stolen Future. How man-made chemicals are threatening our fertility, intelligence and survival. T. Colborn, J. P. Myers & D. Dumanoski, 1996, Boston, Little, Brown, 306 pp. ISBN 0 316 87546, £18.99

Environmental Sociology: a social constructionist perspective. John Hannigan, 1995, London, Routledge, ISBN 0 415 112 559, £12.99

Citizen Science: a study of people, expertise and sustainable development. Alan Irwin, 1995, London, Routledge, ISBN 0 415 130 107, £13.99

The True Costs of Road Transport. David Maddison, David Pearce, Olof Johansson, Edward Calthrop, Todd Litman & Eric Verhoef, 1996, London, Earthscan, 242 pp. ISBN 185 383 2685, £10.95

Car Dependence: a report for the RAC Foundation for Motoring and the Environment. RAC Foundation for Motoring and the Environment, 1995, London, 154 pp. ISBN 086211355 5

Local Sustainability: turning sustainable development into practical action in our communities. Roger Few (Ed.), Leicester Environment City Trust, 1996, Leicester, Environ Trust, 100 pp., £28.00, [Available from: Environ Parkfield, Western Park, Leicester, LE3 6HX, UK]

Successful Environment Management in a Week. Mark Yoxon, 1996, London, Hodder & Stoughton, 96 pp. ISBN 0 340 66374 X, £6.99

Principles of Environmental and Resource Economics. H. Folmer, H. Landis Gabel & H. Opschoor (Eds), 1995, Aldershot, Edward Elgar, 512 pp. ISBN 1 85898 224 3, £85.00

The Contingent Valuation of Environmental Resources: methodological issues and research needs. David Bjornstad & James R. Khan (Eds), 1996, Cheltenham, UK and Brookfield USA, Edward Elgar, ISBN 1 858983215

Towards Sustainability. Peter Martin & Colin Hutchinson, 1996, London, Office for Public Management, £5.45

Conservation and the Consumer: understanding environmental concern. Paul Hackett, 1995, London, Routledge, 229 pp. ISBN 0 415 08096 7, £45.00     

Audits and root cause analysis

Many current audit programs are very good at determining the compliance issues at a site, but are less successful in developing long-term compliance solutions. One method for addressing these issues is the use of root cause analysis techniques. These techniques allow the facility to identify and focus on permanent solutions to compliance issues. The authors note the following: Conducting a root cause analysis is not a substantial burden on the audit team or the facility. Most information is already collected during the audit, but is not being used. Looking at the overview pattern of the root cause analysis can provide a picture of the maturity of your audit program. Pareto charts are excellent methods to convey the results of your analysis. They show both the trends of analysis and help highlight the most significant root causes.     

Revised emergency vacuum relief device sizing for atmospheric distillation systems

Conventional vacuum relief methodologies are usually protective responses; that is, they accomplish their purpose by substitution of an inert gas (usually nitrogen) for the process gases removed by an external vacuum source, or for condensable vapour collapsed by an internal process mechanism (e.g. condensation). While this approach is theoretically possible for all potential vacuum scenarios, it becomes practically impossible to implement for installations where a rapid phase change can impart near-instantaneous system pressure reductions. The procedure outlined in this paper takes a preventive approach: eliminate the source of vacuum generation before the safe lower system pressure limit is reached. For distillation and other refluxing systems, this vacuum source is usually the main overhead condenser, which is designed to collapse large volumes of condensable vapour. To eliminate the vacuum source requires elimination of the system's ability to rapidly condense vapour. This goal is accomplished by introduction of inert gas directly into the condensing system to ‘blanket’ the heat transfer surface and stop condensation. The procedure determines the rate, amount and location for introduction of inert gas. The required design data include: (i) system starting pressure, (ii) maximum allowable system vacuum, (iii) volume of the condensing system, and (iv) normal system condensing rate. By determining the rate at which the condenser removes vapour volume from the system, and designing an inert gas delivery system to meet or exceed this rate, the vacuum generation potential of the system is effectively eliminated using a much smaller quantity of inert gas than with the more traditional volume substitution methods.     

International education and sustainable development: an American experience in Bangkok,Venice and Guayaquil

Worcester Polytechnic Institute's (WPI) unique academic plan enables students to study sustainable development and the environment as part of an international educational experience. As a technological university, WPI requires students to complete an interdisciplinary project on the interaction of science or technology and society. This paper describes the environmental projects completed by WPI students, in Bangkok, Venice and Guayaquil. The lessons from WPI's experience provide a model for environmental education at other institutions. These interdisciplinary projects not only promote environmental awareness among students, but they also provide tangible assistance to regions which are developing strategies for sustainable development.     

THE CRITICAL ROLE OF “UNUSED” RESOURCES1

ABSTRACT: The uneven temporal and spatial distribution of water on the Earth suggests an important role for the portion of the resource that is not directly used by humans. By extension, an important underlying theory about world-wide resource distribution and function is inferred. Policies that control resource preservation and development need to take this theory into account. Some examples for the water resource are presented.     

Environmental gradients in northwest freshwater wetlands

Wetland environmental characteristics are examined to determine their spatial and temporal relationships. Two very different Oregon freshwater wetlands provided a range of wetland types. Results are evaluated to determine the possible use of environmental characteristics in defining wetlands and their boundaries. Representative physical, hydrological, and edaphic properties were periodically measured in microplots along upland/wetland transects. A multivariate approach is stressed in the data analysis; correlation, cluster analysis, and principal components analyses were used. The results indicate the environmental characteristics change in a quantifiable manner both spatially and temporally. The controlling mechanism is moisture, spatially in terms of the upland/wetland transect and temporally with respect to seasonal response. These changes do not correlate well with vegetation. Several hypotheses are offered as an explanation. Correlation within environmental characteristics is variable but definite patterns are discernible. These data suggest both single and combinations of environmental characteristics that could serve as keys in wetland identification and boundary determination. However, before extensive use is made of this information additional long-term monitoring of wetland environmental characteristics will be required.     

ISOLATION AND DETECTION OF GIARDIA CYSTS FROM WATER USING DIRECT IMMUNOFLUORESCENCE1

ABSTRACT: A water-sampling apparatus used for the isolation and detection of Giardia cysts in water has been designed and tested. The sampling apparatus uses one of a variety of pumps or waterline pressure to move water through a filter. Two of the optional pumps are lightweight enough to make the apparatus portable and thus suitable for sampling in remote areas. This technique of sample processing produces good cyst recovery in much less time than is required with previously established methods. Giardia cysts are identified using direct immunofluorescence.     

Potential conflict between the coal and arable land resources in australia: A case for corporate responsiveness

Background information on possible surface-coal-mining operations in arable agricultural areas in Australia is provided. The major co-occurrence of the coal and arable land resources was in the Darling Downs region of Queensland and the Liverpool Plains region of New South Wales; however, coal development will probably only occur in the former region over the next decade. Analysis of the situation in the Darling Downs region, which consists of 11 Shires, found five companies conducting prefeasibility projects for surface-coal development and the size of exploration areas concerned far exceeding final mined-land disturbance estimates. Most of the land included in the prefeasibility studies was classified as arable with moderate crop restrictions requiring intensive management (classes II–IV). The total area of land that may be disturbed at some time in the future was less than 2% of the arable land in the Shires concerned. Project mutual exclusivity and ongoing rehabilitation of disturbed areas further reduce arable land out of production at any one time. It is suggested that, if self-regulation by the coal industry in Australia on rehabilitation issues is to remain a viable option in these areas, an understanding between the corporate and public sectors on the extent and limitations of its responsibilities must be obtained. The current development of a National Conservation Strategy for Australia should assist this to proceed. Research on various rehabilitation issues may be required prior to project commitment to ensure the responsibilities identified are realizable. Integrative problem-solving, incorporating audit procedures, was suggested as a suitable method to achieve these aims and corporate responsiveness was seen as a necessary first step.     

Identification of critical areas on forest lands for control of nonpoint sources of pollution

Most nonpoint source pollution problems on forest lands can be controlled by careful planning and management of specific critical areas. Critical areas include sites with high mass and surface erosion hazards, overland flow areas, and the riparian zone. Some guides for identifying critical areas are presented along with examples of land-use constraints that might be applied.     

BEDROCK CONTROLS ON STREAM CHANNEL ENLARGEMENT WITH URBANIZATION,NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS1

Loss due to channel erosion in the Dallas, Texas, area is estimated to approach one-half million dollars in the last several years. Hydrogeomorphic analysis of natural and urban chalk and shale watersheds was performed in the central Texas area on watersheds ranging in size from 0.5 to 10 square miles in an effort to more adequately predict channel enlargement due to urbanization. Chalk watersheds were found to have greater drainage density, greater channel slope, lower sinuosity, and greater discharge per unit area than similar sized shale watersheds under natural conditions. With subsequent urbanization of the watersheds, chalk channel enlargement was from 12 to 67 percent greater than shale channel enlargement for similar sized watersheds. Greater enlargement in chalk channels is attributed to greater channel velocities and unit tractive force. Vegetation seems to play a significant role in influencing channel adjustments to the new flow regimes brought on by urbanization. Channel response to urbanization is documented and specific nonstructural guidelines are proposed which could reduce structural loss along urban stream channels.