...Urban Sustainability Sci – 275 10-10-14 Instructor: Karen Marasigan By: Tyler Vesneski The program that I chose to implement into my hometown is “How to Build a Cooler City.” “From 1878 to 2005, Los Angeles temperatures rose 4 degrees on average, climbing from around 62 degrees to 66 degrees.” Urban areas such as Downtown Los Angeles are likely to rise 4 to 4.5 degrees within the next 10 years. My goal is to cut the cost of electric energy and make the city of Los Angeles a much cooler place. The first challenge I will have is to go to city council and try to get them to back up my project and me. The next step would be to get a budget from the city and start working. I can lower the temperature of Los Angeles by implementing green roofs across the city and in particular downtown Los Angeles. The other is to lay down permeable material throughout alleyways and select streets. Both of these solutions have been used in Chicago to help lower the physical temperature of the city. For example the City Hall building in Chicago is half a regular black top roof and the other half a green roof. When measuring the temperature the black topside of the roof was about 160 degrees Fahrenheit, when on the other side of the same building, the green roof side, and the temperature dropped to about 80 degrees Fahrenheit. That is an 80-degree difference. The reason the roofing is such an issue is because all that heat is trapped on top of the building and then moves into the building...
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...With reference to either Waste management in urban areas or Transport management in urban areas, discuss the extent to which sustainability can be achieved. Answer 1 (Transport) Sustainable management in urban areas is a constant theme for urban areas in both LEDCs and MEDCs. This essay will be based on whether transport management can be achieved sustainably and whether or not it is only transport management that can achieve sustainability or other aspects such as improved housing, preventing urban sprawl and protecting the environment also add to the possibility of achieving sustainability. Transport management in urban areas is approached differently in both LEDCs and MEDCs. However the problems as a result of increased congestion in cities are similar. Some of those problems include deliveries being late, causing businesses to slow down and therefore the economy of the area; increased car ownership and therefore congestion releases a lot of pollutants such as carbon dioxide and sulphur dioxide into the atmosphere. These cause problems such as acid rain when sulphur dioxide combines with water vapour forming sulphuric acid and carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas so increased levels add to the greenhouse effect and therefore global warming. Increased car ownership also lacks sustainability in terms of natural resource use so managing this transport in cities is important. In MEDCs the problem of obesity is rife with one in four adults in the UK that are obese and 10% of children...
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...Urban sustainability is the idea that an urban area can be organised without excessive reliance on the surrounding countryside and be able to power itself with renewable sources of energy. The aim of this is to create the smallest possible environmental footprint and to produce the lowest quantity of pollution possible, to efficiently use land, compost used materials, recycle it or convert waste-to-energy, and to make the urban area overall contribution to climate change minimal. Therefore allowing the next generations and future generations to have the required resources without compromising them. It is estimated that over 50% of the world’s population now lives in urban areas and that this will rise to 70% by 2050. Such a change will influence urban sustainability even more. One major area in sustainability for urban areas is the environment. Waste management is a very important aspect for urban areas as not only is the amount of waste increase as the population of urban areas increases. Within the UK the average person produces 517kg of household waste every year but luckily waste disposal in the UK is fairly efficient. However many other countries are more efficient in waste management and recycling such as Germany 48% and Switzerland 52%. Resources need to be managed rather than disposed of as landfills are the least sustainable option and cost money to manage. The best way on managing waste in urban areas is to try and reduce, reuse and recycling. Businesses are being...
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...Term Paper #3: Urban Sustainability GEOG330 Due: December 11, 2015 I am analyzing College Park, Maryland. College Park is a city in Prince George’s County, Maryland that is occupied by more than 31,000 residents. (College Park MD, Welcome To College Park Intro Paragraph) Majority of the economy in College Park is fueled by the jobs offered through the University of Maryland, College Park (UMD). This university host over 13,000 employees, making them the biggest employer in the city. University of Maryland, University College is the second biggest employer, providing work for 2,790 employees. The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Koppen Climate Classification system, College Park has a humid subtropical climate. (Climate, Climate: College Park) I currently live in Lanham, MD, which is about 12 miles away from College Park. As a kid, I always passed by the city and always dreamed about going to the University of Maryland. I attended multiple basketball and football games as a kid, and attended programs that occurred on campus. As a close residing area, College Park is considered home to me. I’ve lived in this area all my life. When my parents moved from Nigeria to the United States, they chose to live in this area because of the lack of extreme weather and excellent higher-level education system provided in the area. I would love to stay here after graduation, but I will go wherever my occupation...
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...State of Australian Cities Conference 2015 Sustainability at the Australian local government level: Is there room for Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA)? Umberto Baresi1, Karen J. Vella2, and Neil G. Sipe1 School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management, The University of Queensland 2 School of Civil Engineering and Built Environment, Queensland University of Technology 1 Abstract: Recent calls in Australia have addressed the need for better integration of planning processes. The consequent effort made by the government has been, and still is, reshaping the way urban and regional planning and sustainability are managed. Focusing on planning practices at the local and regional levels, we investigate how environmental sustainability is pursued from an institutional perspective. Specifically, we analyse the way that planning in Australian cities aims to achieve sustainable strategies and reflect on the relationship with ‘Strategic Environmental Assessment’. This paper has four goals. First, sustainable planning practices at the local and regional levels are analysed considering the legislative and organizational frameworks of each state. The goal is to identify, through an analysis of planning documents, how much discretion is given to local councils to address sustainable strategies. Second, we focus on two regions and four cities in Queensland, to outline strengths and weaknesses of current legislative and practical frameworks. We use analytical criteria from...
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...and lead a more eco-friendly lifestyle. We have learned that the actions we take today will affect us tomorrow. If we take the time to take care of our earth, our quality of life can be improved. Recycling affects the species that live on the planet. For animals to thrive on our planet we must have a clean environment with little waste. Everyone has seen the pictures of the animals that experience deformities due to being stuck in plastic rings. Biodiversity is essential for the functioning and sustainability of an ecosystem. Different species play specific functions, and changes in species composition, species richness, and functional type affect the efficiency with which resources are processed within an ecosystem. This project reminds us that we can all be doing our part by recycling and taking action to help reduce waste. Q: What did you do? – be very specific – include plant names, soil types, names of groups and individuals A: I visited Kathleen Grady at the Office of sustainability and learned of the expansion of Temple’s recycling program. I was assigned the task of traveling to the different schools on Temple’s campus to hand out flyers and magnets that helps spread the awareness of the program expansion. I gave people in faculty office these messages so they could be hung accordingly. Temple expanded its recycling program so that members of the university community can now recycle mixed plastics, Nos. 1-7. Examples of newly accepted items include yogurt cups, clamshell...
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...Architecture and the Environment Architecture is an art and above others, combines expression, technology, and the satisfaction of human needs into the structures that are designed and built (Moore, 1979). Physical structures tend to have a significant effect on human behavior based on its design. As people began to spend more time inside, it is valuable to design structures that integrate features from the natural environment and structural landscape features in the man-made environment (Joye, 2007). It is important to understand the full aspect of how architecture affects humans, controls behavior, and supports sustainable development. Researchers often suggest that the design of residential and commercial space has pervasive effects on its inhabitants and is an important consideration in architectural design. Physical Structure and the Effects on Human Behavior Architecture as an art is a symbolic and intentional design that seems to reflect the psychology of its designers regardless of time, culture, and perhaps even gender. The space, form, and light are main elements generally incorporated purposely or unconsciously for aesthetic and practical reasons that give the creations meaning, purpose, and stability among an ever changing physical universe (Papow, 2000). Some people perceive architecture as functional and all designs are not esthetically pleasing, similar to the effect of any other art form. Architecture also can be an expression of cultural pride, societal...
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...Sustainability Media Journal 111857253 Xuxu Miao The concept of sustainable development spread first into the mainstream in the 1980s. These years, driven by internal and external factors, many corporations are beginning to integrate sustainability into their business models to gain competitive advantage in today’s market. This essay will introduce what forces the corporation to become sustainable and what corporation can do to achieve sustainability while listing an example of an ideal corporation in this term. Both of the external and internal drivers accelerate transformation towards sustainability for corporation. The worsening environment in China is prominent power for moving to sustainability currently. The push to clean up the country's air, land and water has forced company to transform its developing model. Though China has become the world's second- largest economy, it is still in the lower part of the world's industry chain and has a lot of industries with excessive energy consumption and high pollution. Due to social and economic factors, Hebei provincial government in January this year has banned approvals of new steel, cement, glass and nonferrous metal plants-these industries are both environment killers and economic drivers in Hebin (Jin Haixing 2014). It can be seen that these industries have to change their way of operation, which can add the most value with the least use of resources and pollution. Meanwhile, increasing public awareness of sustainability...
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...and fauna. The challenge now ahead of mankind is to focus on sustainable development and fight against issues like global warming and delayed rainfalls. Both the renewable and nonrenewable resources are under the threat of depletion. Issues like growing human population, deforestation, acute fuel shortage, and food production crisis drives our attention to sustainable development. The concept of sustainable development is making rounds ever since its inception in 1987. This paper proposes to build a conceptual model that relates social system and ecosystem with social, economic and environmental factors so as to build a System Dynamics model highlighting sustainable development. Keywords: Social Sustainability, Ecological Sustainability, Economic Sustainability, Environmental Sustainability, System Dynamics. Introduction: Sterman (2012) states that human civilization is unsustainable and is deteriorating rapidly. Fast paced life, desire for wealth creation, and rapid urbanization have...
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...into a company that is a pioneer in development and sustainability, and a global leader in the development, production and management of renewable energy, water and infrastructure with the minimum environmental impact. This achievement would not have been possible without ACCIONA’s pioneering background. It was created by the first merger in Spain’s construction industry and, in the 1990s, it was the first non-utility to move into renewable energy. ACCIONA is the construction company that has most successfully diversified followed by a process of concentration. Sustainability is a core axis of its strategy, and energy, infrastructure and water are the vectors of future growth. In 2004, José Manuel Entrecanales was appointed Chairman, and he spearheads the Company’s transition towards these three pillars of growth. In 2005, ACCIONA strengthened its position using an innovative strategy based on orienting those businesses towards sustainable development, with a strong international approach. This sweeping transformation was also possible thanks to the enormous investment effort and social commitment as a creator of quality employment. In addition to its ten key markets, ACCIONA operates in a total of 32 countries; it has over 35,000 employees and obtained more than 12.7 billion euros in revenues in 2008. acciona completed its transformation into a pioneering company in sustainable development 6 AccionA Sustainability Report 2008 Company profile Transformation of...
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...In ecology, sustainability is how biological systems remain diverse and productive. Long-lived and healthy wetlands and forests are examples of sustainable biological systems. In more general terms, sustainability is the endurance of systems and processes. The organizing principle for sustainability, is sustainable development, which includes the four interconnected domains, ecology, economics, politics and culture.[1] Sustainability science is the study of sustainable development and environmental science. Healthy ecosystems and environments are necessary to the survival of humans and other organisms. Ways of reducing negative human impact are environmentally-friendly chemical engineering, environmental resources management and environmental protection. Information is gained from green chemistry, earth science, environmental science and conservation biology. Ecological economics studies the fields of academic research that aim to address human economies and natural ecosystems. Moving towards sustainability is also a social challenge that entails international and national law, urban planning and transport, local and individual lifestyles and ethical consumerism. Ways of living more sustainably can take many forms from reorganising living conditions (e.g., ecovillages, eco-municipalities and sustainable cities), reappraising economic sectors (permaculture, green building, sustainable agriculture), or work practices (sustainable architecture), using science to develop new...
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...Making the Environment and the People In It Sustainable In the summer of 2015, I was afforded the opportunity to do a six-week program at Howard University. This program, HCOP (Heath Careers and Opportunity Program), allowed me to expand my vision of what it really means to be in the STEM and health fields. On Wednesdays, we would have discussions about the contributions to health disruptions and disparities in our global society. The discussion that stood out to me the most is the one regarding environmental racism. Environmental racism is the systematic disruption of the livelihoods of people due to the environmental risks they face in their communities everyday. This injustice usually affects people of color and those is a lower socio-economic...
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...Given the small land size of Singapore, what are the main urban obstacles facing the citizens? It is because of Singapore’s small land size that we’ve had to reconcile liveability, environmental sustainability, and economic competitiveness more so than many other cities, even as urban density increases with population growth. As a city-state, Singapore has limited resources. The scarcity of land has been and will continue to be a challenge we face, both for our citizens and the government. The small land area is related to other urban challenges such as traffic congestion and maintaining a liveable environment with adequate greenery and a sense of space. The challenge of balancing economic and population growth with liveability and sustainability is multi-faceted. Besides policy and technology innovations, the key is for all stakeholders to work together – government, businesses and the people to engage in positive interactions and collaborate on all fronts in order to overcome the urban obstacles. As many cities globally face increasing urban density, Singapore’s experience in ensuring a liveable and sustainable environment in spite of our population density is very relevant. At the same time, Singapore has much to learn from other cities. This is why platforms such as the World Cities Summit play a crucial role in facilitating necessary sharing and learning. The World Cities Summit from June 1-4 will have more than 130 mayors and city leaders gathering in Singapore, along...
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...What is Environmental Sustainability? | Environmental sustainability is development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.EPA efforts in the area of sustainability practices and approaches include labeling green products and promoting green chemistry and engineering, managing materials rather than creating waste, using green infrastructure to manage storm water runoff, and supporting the sustainable design of urban communities | | Supporting development and conservation strategies that help protect our natural environment and make our communities more attractive, economically stronger, and more socially diverse. * Environmentally Responsible Redevelopment and Reuse (ER3) * Green Buildings * Green Homes * Making Smart Growth Happen * Sustainable and Healthy Communities Research * Sustainable Skylines Air, Climate & Energy Working to reduce atmospheric levels of pollution and greenhouse gases, promote green energy, and adapt to a changing climate. * Air, Climate and Energy Research * Clean Energy * Clean Automotive Technology * Greening EPA * Green Power Partnership * Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) * SmartWay Transport Water Helping to manage, protect, and restore water resources and ecosystems through sustainable management of natural resources. * Green Infrastructure * Safe and Sustainable Water Resources Research...
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...Purpose: * Reaching out to sunrise sectors, untapped markets and underserved sections of the society, engendering an inclusive and sustainable development. Classification: Responsible Banking at Yes Bank is divided into 2 broad categories, 1. Responsible Banking – in thought 2. Responsible Banking – in action Responsible Banking – in thought: This is a strategic unit that undertakes sustainability research and development activities in order weave sustainability principles into the Bank’s long term business strategy and ensure triple bottom line accountability. Responsible Banking – in action: This division comprises strategic business units entrusted to address pertinent social and environmental development issues with financial solutions. These units include: 1. Microfinance Institutions Group 2. Inclusive & Social Banking 3. Agribusiness & Rural Banking 4. Sustainable Investment Banking Inclusive & Social Banking (ISB): Its objective is to reach out to the un-banked and under-banked population (in urban and rural areas) by leveraging on branch network, technology edge and relationship capital in the Public, Private and Social sectors. Working with the guiding principle of Frugal Innovations for Financial Inclusion, ISB is continuously developing innovative business models such as YES SAMPANN and forging partnerships for seamless implementation for the same. Agribusiness & Rural Banking: Its objective is to provide end-to-end...
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