Protecting the environment through public procurement: The case of South Africa

This article deals with the use of the procurement or purchasing power of governments to protect the environment. The focus is on South Africa and the aim is to show that South African organs of state can use procurement as an environmental policy tool to contribute to sustainable development as they have commendably done so to address past discriminatory policies and practices. It is argued that such use does not fall outside the current legislative framework governing procurement and suggestions are made as to how environmental considerations could be incorporated throughout the procurement process, namely the preparatory stage; the drawing up of tender or technical specifications; ensuring the capability or responsibility of contractors; the use of criteria to compare different tenders; and ensuring that eventual performance under a contract is environmentally sound.     

一个水污染严重省的成功治水战略探析——浙江省“五水共治”的成效与今后推进建议

随着经济和社会的发展,浙江省主要河流湖泊的污染现象引起社会关注,针对这个问题,浙江省提出"五水共治"的战略举措。典型案例表明:"五水共治"策略是解决水环境问题、化解水污染与经济社会发展矛盾等的成功策略。建议浙江省继续坚持可持续的长远战略规划,进一步多渠道多角度提升浙江水环境质量,促进浙江省生态文明建设,探索构建"协定水污染排放标准",并且通过水资源有偿使用对水资源使用者进行约束和规范。此外,建议推动政府与环保及金融机构战略合作,设立系列"环保基金"与绿色金融推进机制,使之走向环保产业化道路。     

Synthesis of surface sulfated BiWO with enhanced photocatalytic performance

Sulfated BiWO (SBiWO) was synthesized by an impregnation method to enhance the visible-light-driven photoactivities of BiWO (BiWO). The characterization results verified that sulfate anion mainly anchored on the catalyst surface greatly extended the visible-light-responsive range without destroying the crystal lattice. Moreover, the SBiWO-based photoactivities were evaluated with the removal of Malachite Green (MG) under UV-Vis irradiation emitted from two microwave-powered electrodeless discharge lamps (MPEDL_-2) and under visible light (λ > 420 nm). The results demonstrated that the kinetic constant was increased 2.25 times, varying from 0.1478 (BiWO) to 0.3328 min^-1 (SBiWO-1). Similar results were also obtained for the visible light-driven reaction. Furthermore, radical scavengers such as t-butanol restricted the visible-light induced degradation of MG over BiWO and SBiWO-1. This indicated that the sulfating process increased the generation of reactive oxygen species, which was further verified by molecular probe with salicylic acid. Thus, more blue-shifting at λ = 618 nm was observed over SBiWO. On the basis of the above results, the photocatalytic mechanism over the sulfated catalyst was also discussed.     

绿色消费模式与循环经济相关性的探讨

绿色消费是循环经济在消费领域的具体形式,它要求人们的消费活动必须有利于环境保护、资源利用和人的整体素质的提高。绿色消费模式是人类发展模式的一次历史性转变,是一种人与自然相互协调的消费观,既强调消费的重要作用,又强调消费和再生产其他环节与环境的动态平衡,有利于取得人类社会和自然的协调发展。     

孔雀绿体系流动注射光度法测定水中正磷酸盐

建立了流动注射-孔雀绿-磷钼杂多酸分光光度法测定水中痕量正磷酸盐的方法.优化了试验条件,方法在0 mg/L～0.3 00mg/L线性良好,检出限为0.002 mg/L,准确度和精密度均符合要求,而且快速简便,适用于地表水、地下水、饮用水等清洁水体中正磷酸盐的测定.     

导数同步荧光法测定绿藻叶绿素a浓度

建立了绿藻中叶绿素a的导数同步荧光检测法。该方法快速、简便,不需要复杂的前处理。叶绿素a的线性范围为0.02～125μg/L,检出限为0.25μg/L,回收率为97.0%～103.8%。     

Evaluation of alternative water sources for commercial buildings: A case study in Brisbane,Australia

Commercial buildings are central to cities and contribute significantly to the urban demand for natural resources, including freshwater. Green building benchmarking tools include more efficient water use as key indicator of sustainability. This paper explores options for substituting mains drinking water with an alternative, non-potable water source on a fit for purpose basis. The research findings are based on a monitoring study of a commercial building in Brisbane, Australia that is harvesting rainwater for meeting non-potable water demand. The results demonstrated that the system is only achieving moderate reliability in meeting demand due to operational problems. The case study analysis has highlighted the need to include validation and monitoring to ensure the system is operating as per design intent. The paper also investigates the potential of other local, non-potable water sources for high-rise commercial buildings, in particular air conditioning condensate and groundwater inflow to a basement wet well. The paper concludes by comparing the advantages and disadvantages of different local water sources which highlights the need to undertake a site specific investigation to identify a suitable alternative water source, which considers O&M complexity and the capacity of facilities management.     

Strategies and measures for implementing eco-labelling schemes in Singapore's construction industry

The issue of sustainability in the construction industry is very prominent, as the industry often causes adverse impacts on the environment through its use of large amounts of natural resources and by clearing large areas of their natural habitats. After the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro proposed the use of eco-labels to attain sustainable development, the growth and use of eco-labelling schemes have increased significantly. This study focuses on eco-labelling schemes, particularly the Singapore Green Labelling Scheme (SGLS) and the Singapore Green Building Product Certification Scheme (SGBPCS), and their contributions to the Singapore construction industry. The effectiveness of the schemes and of their drivers is determined through the analysis of survey results from two groups of samples (suppliers and architects) and interviews with some of the key stakeholders involved. It can be observed that the both the supplier and architect groups have some knowledge and awareness of eco-labelling schemes in the Singapore context. However, in terms of implementation, both schemes are only moderately effective in advocating the use and production of eco-labelled building products. It was also found that, out of several factors, “environmental rating” appears to be the only one that significantly influences the decision to use eco-labelled schemes. Furthermore, the results show that SGBPCS was not as heavily promoted in the architect group as in the supplier group. The architects perceived the SGBC advertisements to be less convincing than did the suppliers, and therefore they considered the SGBC's measures to promote the use of eco-labelled materials to be less effective. From the empirical results, strategies and measures are proposed for industry stakeholders to enhance the effectiveness of the eco-labelling schemes in the construction industry.