餐饮废油均相法制取生物柴油研究进展

阐述了餐饮废油(WCO)制备生物柴油的均相催化方法,介绍了餐饮废油生物柴油的特性和排放性能,并展望了生物柴油生产的发展趋势.     

城市能源利用与环境保护的综合管理初探

能源短缺和环境污染已成为中国推行全面协调可持续发展的重要制约因素,作为能源消耗的主体和环境污染的控制重点,在城市层面推动能源发展战略的转变和强化环境保护是发展的基本要求.鉴于能源与环境之间的高度关联性,在管理方面要求对能源发展和环境保护进行统筹考虑和综合管理,充分强调能源经济效率和环境制约因素在能源发展中的作用.通过制定合理的产业能效标准和排放绩效标准,为城市经济、能源和环境的可持续性发展提供科学性、系统性决策支持.     

Photovoltaic-thermal (PV/t) panel to minimize electrical and air conditioning energy consumption of a typical office in Beirut

A combined photovoltaic–thermal (PV/t) panel is proposed to produce simultaneously electricity and heat from one integrated unit. The unit utilizes effectively the solar energy through achieving higher PV electrical efficiency and using the thermal energy for heating applications. To predict the performance of the PV/t at a given environmental conditions, a transient mathematical model was developed. The model was integrated in a heating application for a typical office space in the city of Beirut to provide the office needs for electricity, heating during winter season, and dehumidification and evaporative cooling during the summer season. To minimize the yearly office energy (electrical and heat) needs, the PV/t panel cooling air flow rate and the dehumidification regeneration temperature were determined for opimal unit operation. Thermal energy savings of up to 85% in winter and 71% in summer were achived compared to conventional systems at a payback period of 8 years for the panels.     

Anticipated Performance Index of some tree species considered for green belt development in and around an urban area: a case study of Varanasi city, India

It is well established that trees help to reduce air pollution, and there is a growing impetus for green belt expansion in urban areas. Identification of suitable plant species for green belts is very important. In the present study, the Air Pollution Tolerance Index (APTI) of many plant species has been evaluated by analyzing important biochemical parameters. The Anticipated Performance Index (API) of these plant species was also calculated by considering their APTI values together with other socio-economic and biological parameters. Based on these two indices, the most suitable plant species for green belt development in urban areas were identified and recommended for long-term air pollution management.     

基于平衡计分卡的大气环境监测数据共享网站绩效评估研究

基于平衡计分卡原理,结合网站特点,建立了大气环境监测数据共享网站绩效评估模型。以共享网站的战略愿景为模型框架的中心,以财务、顾客、内部程序、学习与成长等4个基本维度为一级指标,构建了绩效评估指标体系,并采用层次分析法确定了各指标的权重。利用该模型对长三角区域空气质量预测预报系统和宁波市空气质量预报预警平台的大气数据共享模块进行实证研究,绩效评估结果均为良好。     

Environmental Comedy: No Impact Man and the Performance of Green Identity

“No Impact Man” (NIM) Colin Beavan attracted international media attention and a good deal of criticism for his year-long experiment attempting to live making zero net impact on the environment. Whereas Beavan's critics dismissed the project as a mere publicity stunt, this essay reads the NIM blog, book, and documentary film as a compelling performance of green identity in the comic frame. This performance—which links private consumption to ecology and community, and emphasizes flaws, foibles, humor and humility—offers an appealing invitation to engage in both individual and collective action. I argue that comedy is a useful rhetorical tool for addressing global warming, as it enables us to see ourselves not as helpless victims in a tragic doomsday scenario, but as imperfect actors who are both guilty contributors to the problem and agents responsible for its amelioration.     

A coastal cliff management district for protection of eroding high relief coasts

Ensuring that new buildings do not interfere with the recreational and protective functions of the natural system and that the buildings will be useful long enough to protect the investment are among long-term solutions to coastal erosion. We propose that coastal cliff management districts be established for management of eroding high relief shorelines. Such districts would include an imminent failure zone, in which bluff retreat is possible at any time; a migration zone, which allows for long-term shoreline retreat; and a stability control zone in which activities affecting bluff erosion are restricted. Procedures are described for delineating these zones based on geomorphic criteria. If these land use controls are implemented, some shorefront development can be accommodated while retaining valuable characteristics of the natural system.     

CSHM: Web-based safety and health monitoring system for construction management

INTRODUCTION: This paper describes a web-based system for monitoring and assessing construction safety and health performance, entitled the Construction Safety and Health Monitoring (CSHM) system. METHOD: The design and development of CSHM is an integration of internet and database systems, with the intent to create a total automated safety and health management tool. A list of safety and health performance parameters was devised for the management of safety and health in construction. A conceptual framework of the four key components of CSHM is presented: (a) Web-based Interface (templates); (b) Knowledge Base; (c) Output Data; and (d) Benchmark Group. RESULTS: The combined effect of these components results in a system that enables speedy performance assessment of safety and health activities on construction sites. With the CSHM's built-in functions, important management decisions can theoretically be made and corrective actions can be taken before potential hazards turn into fatal or injurious occupational accidents. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: As such, the CSHM system will accelerate the monitoring and assessing of performance safety and health management tasks.     

Evaluating the impacts of global environmental assessments

There are currently no widely accepted procedures for comparing the performance of global environmental assessments (GEAs) and this may be a barrier to improving their methodology. To encourage greater self-reflection within the GEA community, it is proposed to introduce consistent evaluation approaches. Two elements from current evaluation practice are reviewed here that could be particularly useful for evaluating GEAs. The first are logic models which provide a transparent visual mapping of how activities in a GEA are intended to have impacts on policies. The second are performance metrics. It is proposed that GEAs adopt two kinds of metrics: (i) A common generic set for use in all GEAs to provide a basis for comparing the performance of GEAs, and (ii) a specific set of measureable metrics for each particular GEA derived from/linked to the generic set. Although many issues arise in applying these and other elements from evaluation theory and practice to GEAs, the potential benefits are greater comparability of GEA performance and new knowledge about how to improve them. This Short Communication is part of a Special Issue on solution-oriented GEAs.     

It’s All in the Numbers: Acreage Tallies and Environmental Program Evaluation

Increasingly, performance measurement is being used to hold federal agencies accountable, represent environmental progress, and evaluate the effectiveness of environmental programs. The need to track measurable outputs has created a tendency to present programmatic progress solely by quantifiable data, despite the inherent complexity of natural resource management. Wetlands and fire management programs are two specific environmental arenas that have come to overemphasize the tracking of acreage numbers to validate existing policy direction. In both of these arenas, we find the definition and categorization of "countable" acres to be inconsistent and unreliable. We explore this systemic flaw for both wetlands and fire programs and describe its implications for environmental policy and natural resource management more broadly. We conclude with recommendations for improved performance measurement in these arenas.