Overcoming barriers to sustainability by combining conceptual,visual, and networking systems

Sustainability challenges rarely align with the conventional boundaries of our disciplines, institutions and means of communication. To address these challenges amid real-world complexity, we need to think holistically and collaborate across disciplines. In this paper, we synthesise three themes: (1) more integrated conceptual frameworks; (2) digital visual communication which provides fluid expression of complex ideas and perceptions; and (3) online networks which can empower sustainability initiatives and communicate them across social and institutional barriers at a global scale. Each of these tools can help to overcome persistent barriers to sustainability. When used together, they provide a strategic basis for the design of digital collaboration platforms for addressing sustainability challenges. Using design thinking, we developed a Synergy Map which identifies relationships among a number of barriers to sustainability and conceptual and digital tools which help to address them. The Map identifies the potential for synthesising these tools into effective digital artefacts. We provide several examples and identify characteristics of particular value for overcoming barriers to sustainability. Combining new theoretical developments in sustainability sciences with recent advances in communication and networking technologies offers substantial potential for advancing sustainability on multiple fronts.     

Integrating design thinking with sustainability science: a Research through Design approach

Design disciplines have a long history of creating well-integrated solutions to challenges which are complex, uncertain and contested by multiple stakeholders. Society faces similar challenges in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals, so design methods hold much potential. While principles of good design are well established, there has been limited integration of design thinking with sustainability science. To advance this integration, we examine the process of designing MetaMAP: an interactive graphic tool for collaborating to understand social–ecological systems and design well-integrated solutions. MetaMAP was created using Research through Design methods which integrate creative and scientific thinking. By applying design thinking, researchers and practitioners from different backgrounds undertook multiple cycles of problem framing, solution development, testing and reflection. The testing was highly collaborative involving over 150 people from diverse disciplines in workshops, case studies, interviews and critique. Reflecting on this process, we discuss design principles and opportunities for integrating design thinking with sustainability science to help achieve Sustainable Development Goals.     

美国环保局拟与工商界开展清洁技术合作

美国环境保护局拟推出一项与美国工商界合作扶持美国技术出口的战略.这项举措是针对人们日益关注促进新的、更高效的和环境上安全的可持续发展技术的需要而设计的.在一份给国会的报告<环保局促进美国环境出口的战略>中,该局提出了一项关于传播环境无害的环境保护技术的计划.这种战略的一种附加效益是要增加美国工商界的商业机会.     

Artificial sweat enhances dermal transfer of chlorpyrifos from treated nylon carpet fibers

The dermal transfer and absorption of 14C-ring-chlorpyrifos from nylon carpet fibers was measured in skin penetration-evaporation cells with excised pig skin. Prior to application, synthetic sweat was applied to skin in half of the cells. Radioactivity was measured in receptor fluid, dermis, epidermis, tape stripping samples, and vapor trap samples during a 24-h period. The sum of radiolabel recovered from the dermis and receptor fluid represented the absorbed dose. There was no significant difference (p > 0.05) in percutaneous absorption between cells that received the synthetic sweat application and "dry" cells (1.3 +/- 0.3% of applied dose). There was significantly more (p < 0.05) radiolabel recovered from tape stripping (5.4 +/- 2.1 vs. 2.8 +/- 0.6%) and in the epidermis (4.5 +/- 0.8 vs. 3.1 +/- 0.3%) from cells that received the synthetic sweat application, which indicated synthetic sweat facilitated transfer of chlorpyrifos from a treated substrate to the skin surface. The measured value for percutaneous absorption of chlorpyrifos agreed with the value predicted from an empirical model previously developed for nitro compound-containing soil.     

Spatial, temporal, and interspecies patterns in fine particulate matter in Texas

The Big Bend Regional Aerosol and Visibility Observational (BRAVO) field study was conducted from July to October 1999 and was followed by several years of modeling and data analyses to examine the causes of haze at Big Bend National Park TX (BBNP). During BRAVO, daily speciated fine (diameter <2.5 microm) particulate concentrations were measured at 37 sites throughout Texas. At the primary receptor site, K-Bar Ranch, there were many additional measurements including a "high-sensitivity" version of the 24-hr fine particulate elemental data. The spatial, temporal, and interspecies patterns in these data are examined here to qualitatively investigate source regions and source types influencing the fine particulate concentrations in Texas with an emphasis on sources of sulfates, the largest contributor to fine mass and light extinction. Peak values of particulate sulfur (S) varied spatially and seasonally. Maximum S was in Northeast Texas during the summer, whereas peak S at BBNP was in the fall. Sulfate acidity at BBNP also varied by month. Sources of Se were evident in Northeast Texas and from the Carbón I and II plants. High S episodes at BBNP during BRAVO had several different trace element characteristics. Carbon concentrations at BBNP during BRAVO were probably mostly urban-related, with arrival from the Houston area likely. The Houston artificial tracer released during the second half of BRAVO was highly correlated with some carbon fractions. There was evidence of the influence of African dust at sites throughout Texas during the summer. Patterns in several trace elements were also examined. Vanadium was associated with air masses from Mexico. Lead concentrations in southern Texas have dropped dramatically over the past several years.     

Reconciliation and interpretation of Big Bend National Park particulate sulfur source apportionment: results from the Big Bend Regional Aerosol and Visibility Observational Study--part I

The Big Bend Regional Aerosol and Visibility Observational (BRAVO) study was an intensive monitoring study from July through October 1999 followed by extensive assessments to determine the causes and sources of haze in Big Bend National Park, located in Southwestern Texas. Particulate sulfate compounds are the largest contributor of haze at Big Bend, and chemical transport models (CTMs) and receptor models were used to apportion the sulfate concentrations at Big Bend to North American source regions and the Carbón power plants, located 225 km southeast of Big Bend in Mexico. Initial source attribution methods had contributions that varied by a factor of > or =2. The evaluation and comparison of methods identified opposing biases between the CTMs and receptor models, indicating that the ensemble of results bounds the true source attribution results. The reconciliation of these differences led to the development of a hybrid receptor model merging the CTM results and air quality data, which allowed a nearly daily source apportionment of the sulfate at Big Bend during the BRAVO study. The best estimates from the reconciliation process resulted in sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions from U.S. and Mexican sources contributing approximately 55% and 38%, respectively, of sulfate at Big Bend. The distribution among U.S. source regions was Texas, 16%; the Eastern United States, 30%; and the Western United States, 9%. The Carbón facilities contributed 19%, making them the largest single contributing facility. Sources in Mexico contributed to the sulfate at Big Bend on most days, whereas contributions from Texas and Eastern U.S. sources were episodic, with their largest contributions during Big Bend sulfate episodes. On the 20% of the days with the highest sulfate concentrations, U.S. and Mexican sources contributed approximately 71% and 26% of the sulfate, respectively. However, on the 20% of days with the lowest sulfate concentrations, Mexico contributed 48% compared with 40% for the United States.     

An assessment of endocrine disrupting activity changes during wastewater treatment through the use of bioassays and chemical measurements.

The objective of this study was to assess the removal efficiencies of secondary wastewater treatment processes for compounds causing endocrine disrupting activity. The study used bioassays and chemical measurements, such as gas chromatography with mass spectrometry and enzyme immunosorbent assays. A total of seven full-scale water reclamation facilities using different unit operations and two pilot-scale membrane bioreactors were examined. Findings of this study imply that estrogenic disrupting activity in primary effluent is mainly caused by two steroidal hormones (17beta-estradiol and estriol) and, to a lesser extent, by synthetic chemicals, such as bisphenol A, 4-nonylphenol, and 4-tert-octylphenol. During secondary treatment, steroidal hormones were removed to a higher degree than nonylphenol and bisphenol A. The total estrogenic activity was removed by an average of 96%. The remaining concentrations of targeted steroids in secondary effluents, except for estriol, still had the potential to elicit a positive response in the human breast cell cancer assay. For the majority of facilities, the remaining activity was likely attributed to residual concentrations of two steroidal hormones (17beta-estradiol and estriol).     

The relationship between surface adsorption and the hydrolysis of amitraz in anionic surfactant solutions

The adsorption of amitraz to various adsorbents was studied in terms of the amount and rate of adsorption and the effect that adsorption had on the stability of amitraz in an aqueous environment. Adsorption results showed that in terms of their ability to adsorb amitraz from solution the adsorbents tested in this study can be ordered as follows: coarse carbon > cation exchange resin > or = anion exchange resin > fine carbon. Amitraz was not adsorbed on sand and potassium oxihumate. Adding sodium lauryl sulfate and potassium oxihumate to aqueous suspensions of suspended adsorbents containing adsorbed amitraz showed that both these anionic surfactants significantly increased the hydrolysis rate because the half-lives for amitraz was reduced from 27 days for a suspension to only 8 hours for amitraz adsorbed to a cation exchange resin and suspended in an aqueous buffer pH 5.8 containing 0.5% of the anionic surfactant sodium lauryl sulfate and 12 hours when 1% potassium oxihumate was added.     

Source contributions to the mutagenicity of urban particulate air pollution

Using organic compounds as tracers, a chemical mass balance model was employed to investigate the relationship between the mutagenicity of the urban organic aerosol sources and the mutagenicity of the atmospheric samples. The fine particle organic mass concentration present in the 1993 annual average Los Angeles-area composite sample was apportioned among eight emission source types. The largest source contributions to fine particulate organic compound mass concentration were identified as smoke from meat cooking, diesel-powered vehicle exhaust, wood smoke, and paved road dust. However, the largest source contributions to the mutagenicity of the atmospheric sample were natural gas combustion and diesel-powered vehicles. In both the human cell and bacterial assay systems, the combined mutagenicity of the composite of primary source effluents predicted to be present in the atmosphere was statistically indistinguishable from the mutagenicity of the actual atmospheric sample composite. Known primary emissions sources appear to be capable of emitting mutagenic organic matter to the urban atmosphere in amounts sufficient to account for the observed mutagenicity of the ambient samples. The error bounds on this analysis, however, are wide enough to admit to the possible importance of additional mutagenic organics that are formed by atmospheric reaction (e.g., 2-nitrofluoranthene has been identified as an important human cell mutagen in the atmospheric composite studied here, accounting for approximately 1% of the total sample mutagenic potency).