This book brings together the work of researchers in Eastern and Western Europe, who analyze competitiveness, social exclusion and sustainability from a range of perspectives. It examines the key challenges faced by the EU in its efforts to establish a socially inclusive and greener path to growth and develops policy recommendations to simultaneously achieve the EU 2020 agenda's long-term goals and address the current economic crisis in Europe.

This book adds a new dimension to the sustainability assessment of food waste reduction and valorisation: policy analysis. Featuring a transdisciplinary analysis by key experts in the field, it identifies the drivers of change in food-waste reduction and valorisation technologies by looking, for example, at the regulatory framework and at policy actions undertaken by local and global actors. The book explores the development of regulations and policies for food-waste prevention, management, and valorisation at a global as well as European Union level. It also discusses the notion of food waste in legal terms and investigates the effects of the lack of a standard, universal definition of food waste on the efficient use of by-products, promising processes and products for technological and commercial exploitation. Utilising mathematical mapping methods to assess food consumption impacts and providing supply chain models that allow the testing of consumption scenarios, the book goes on to discuss a series of emerging technologies (tested at lab scale and/ or pilot scale) and opportunities for the valorisation of food waste.

Ground water resources are receiving global attention, as human population growth and development cause significant changes to the earth system. It plays a major role in ensuring livelihood security in many parts of South Asia and its contribution to poverty alleviation is substantial. The complex nature of ground water problems in the Indian Sub-continent requires a precise delineation of the ground water regimes in different hydro geological settings and socio-economic conditions and is a primary necessity for sustainable and equitable management. Strategies to respond to ground water over-exploitation and deteriorating water quality must be based on a new approach. Practical policies and various solution options urgently need to be formulated and implemented to prevent the development problems. There is pressing need to evolve workable methods and approaches based on modern scientific researches on ground water resources, as well as to build a social framework including community participation at all levels for a ground water development system. The community participation in water pumping policies, incentives of efficient use, affordability of low income users and other vulnerable groups, water awareness are prime factors for success of any ground water based water supply project.

Implementation of technology into social and economic developments have provided key strengths in improving competitiveness and meeting the demands of modern society for life and the economy; including adapting to green development as a means to confront the economic crisis. E-Innovation for Sustainable Development of Rural Resources During Global Economic Crisis brings together a multidisciplinary exchange of knowledge on the application of electronic and mobile innovations towards the sustainable development of the economy. Providing an opportunity to identify effective e-innovation and successful practices, this book is essential for researchers, students, rural developers, and academics in the fields of economics, sustainable development, informatics, and the environment.

This volumes consists of 59 peer-reviewed papers, presented at the International Conference on Sustainable Design and Manufacturing (SDM-16) held in Chania, Crete Greece in April 2016. Leading-edge research into sustainable design and manufacturing aims to enable the manufacturing industry to grow by adopting more advanced technologies, and at the same time improve its sustainability by reducing its environmental impact. SDM-16 covers a wide range of topics from sustainable product design and service innovation, sustainable process and technology for the manufacturing of sustainable products, sustainable manufacturing systems and enterprises, decision support for sustainability, and the study of societal impact of sustainability including research for circular economy. Application areas are wide and varied. The book will provide an excellent overview of the latest research and development in the area of Sustainable Design and Manufacturing.

Based on the work of Poly5, or the Mediterranean Corridor, mega-transport infrastructure project, this ground-breaking reference explains how and why traditional top-down government-defined transport planning policies are failing, due to their tendency to eschew acknowledgement of profoundly multifarious local and regional issues. The authors use cognitive reports from the Mediterranean Corridor experience as a learning platform, unpacking the tangled sources of the challenges faced to find firm ground from which to embark upon future projects. They propose the replacement of the current fragmented and unbalanced implementation efforts across various territories with a bottom-up, holistic, inclusive approach in which individual territories and regions have buy-in from the outset, a chance to bring their strengths to bear on the broader infrastructural planning, an ongoing communication channel to report and tackle difficulties and clear, strategic directives to drive sustainable future growth of environmentally desirable and practical mega-transport systems.

"The Economics of a Disaster" represents a major contribution to the understanding of the economics of liability and damages. It is based on the assumption that if people know they can be held responsible for some or all of the costs or damages sustained in an environmental accident, they will change their behavior to make the accident less likely to occur or to reduce the damages should it occur. The work develops a framework to examine and measure changes in market conditions after a disaster, showing the kinds of information that need to be collected and analyzed. Based on the Exxon Valdez case, this work provides an interesting framework for practitioners, specialists, and scholars in the fields of business, economics, law, and environmental studies.

Sustainable Beauty is an inspirational and practical guide to living a more eco-conscious lifestyle and maintaining a low-waste beauty routine. Vegan, cruelty-free, 'clean', organic, non-GM, zero-waste, not to mention palm oil, silicones and micro-plastics - where do you start when it comes to creating a sustainable beauty routine? There are thousands of products claiming to be better for the environment and your skin, but they also come with a hefty price tag. So what can we actually do to make a difference? This book provides the small steps everyone can take to make a big difference at home. Justine Jenkins, an holistic and sustainable make-up artist & consultant, guides you through - breaking down the issues and explaining how we can mitigate them at home. With easy tutorials to follow - from simplifying your beauty routine and product label literacy through to recipes for DIY hydrating serums and superfood face masks - Jenkins shows you how small changes in habit can result in a more sustainable beauty routine that doesn't break the bank. Did you know that... More than 120 billion units of packaging are produced in the global cosmetics industry annually. If refillable containers were used for cosmetics, as much as 70% of carbon emissions associated with the beauty industry could be eliminated. An estimated 70% of beauty products contain a palm oil derivative, the production of which is believed to be responsible for 8% of the world's deforestation between 1990 and 2008. With this book you can... Take your first steps in creating an eco-smart dresser: learn how to read a label, and find out what natural ingredients you'll need to make your own recipes such as making your own deodorant and body butter. Make essential, nature-based cosmetics: minimize your make-up drawer and master both the application and creation of your new go-to beauty products, from multipurpose lip balms to the perfect eyeliner flick. Simplify your skincare and body routines: from cleansing and toning to rejuvenating and conditioning, discover your body's needs from head to toe and the secret to beautiful skin, body, hands and nails. Get luxurious hair with low-waste practices: from hair masks to healing rinses, remedying, maintaining and styling shiny, healthy hair has never been easier with Jenkins' savvy recipes, hacks and tutorials. Other titles in the Sustainable Living series include: Sustainable Home, Sustainable Travel, Sustainable Garden.

This book uses electricity-sector reforms to question some of the preconceived ideas concerning the MENA region and to provide a broader analysis of related political economy issues. It presents potential further developments of MENA's electricity-sector reforms, taking into consideration the region's unique constraints and opportunities, and discusses the practical limits of reform and deregulation. Specifically, it examines the relationship between reforms and oil prices from a new perspective and presents alternatives to the Single Buyer Model. Complementing existing research on electricity-sector reforms in other emerging markets, the book provides a new analytical framework for assessing reforms that can be easily applied to other markets and sectors.

This book includes papers presented at the 6th Arte-Polis International Conference. The theme of the conference was "Imagining Experiences: Creative Tourism and the Making of Place", and the book brings together studies based on lessons-learned, research and critical reviews related to creative tourism and reflections on placemaking. Covering a broad range of topics, including cultural and experiential perceptions of landscape, sustainable design, urban and rural planning, traditional and vernacular environment, public realm, thematic tourism, as well as heritage preservation and management, it discusses how issues of tourism shape our understanding of and discourse on architecture and landscapes. The book serves as an invitation to more participatory and polyphonic dialogues in the field of architecture, art and planning.

The research and its outcomes presented here focuses on tropospheric or ground level ozone, in particular due to its surfacing as a major threat to crop productivity around the world. This book presents the ozone concentration data for a variety of geographical regions, examines the factors responsible for its increasing concentrations and its potential effects on physiological and biochemical responses culminating in crop productivity losses which, in turn may pose a serious threat to global food security. Beside this, certain ameliorative measures that could be adopted to assess ozone injury in plants are also discussed. Global climate change scenarios predict a significant increase in future tropospheric ozone concentration. Particular attention is therefore given to evaluate the effect of global climate change on ozone concentrations. Readers will also discover how yield losses due to ozone are related to changes in the socio-economic conditions of the society, especially in South Asian regions. Students and researchers studying crop and soil science, environmental scientists, risk assessment professionals and policy makers will find this book of interest.

This book highlights the processing, characterization and applications of various green composites. Composites are known for their unique properties, which are derived by combining two or more components. This yields properties such as greater strength and rigidity than that of the individual components, as well as reduced weight. To help achieve such outcomes, the book discusses the potential applications of hybrid bio-composites and sisal-fiber-reinforced epoxidized non-edible oil-based epoxy green composites.

This fourth volume on detox fashion focuses on case studies, which are essential to showcase how practical applications have been accomplished, and provide an opportunity for others to (learn about and) adopt the best practices, challenges and practical implications. The book consists of three core chapters: Detoxifying the Supply Chain: Slow Production Networks in South-East European Garment Factories; Detoxifying the Luxury and Fashion Industry: The Case of Market-driving Brands; and Detox My Fashion under Mission 2020-Case Studies from Different Brands.

The book covers the latest development in the biosciences field covering key topics in crop improvement including 'omic approaches to improving sustainable crop production, advancement in marker technology, strategies in genetic manipulation, crop quality and sustainability and plant microbe interaction detailing on proven technologies to address critical issue for agricultural sustainability which are beneficial for researchers and students. The book also includes aspects of preserving crops after harvest as this is a key factor in promoting sustainable crop quality in terms of addressing waste, choosing the appropriate packaging and moving crops through the food and industrial supply chain. An important strategy to overcome the challenges in providing food for the world population in a sustainable manner is through concerted efforts by crop scientists to embrace new technologies in increasing yield, quality and improving food safety while minimizing adverse environmental impact of the agricultural activities. Most of the proven molecular and genetic technologies in crop science have been tested and verified in model plants such as Arabidopsis and tomato. The technologies, when deployed on various plant species of importance for human nutrition and industrial applications, including cereals, vegetables, fruits, herbs, fibre and oil crops, face many challenges, not only due to their longer life cycle but many other physiological and environmental factors affecting yield and quality of plant products. Furthermore, major impacts on crop production due to catastrophic diseases and global climate change needs urgent and innovative solutions. Therefore a systematic approach, employing various leading-edge technologies that enable the functional elucidation of key pathway genes via 'omics tools, genome wide association with desired phenotypes and development of cost effective and practicable molecular tools for selection, is vital. The International Conference on Crop Improvement was held to address these and other pressing issues. This volume summarizes the keynote presentations from the meeting and highlights addition discussions that are critical to crop improvement in a challenging time.

This book provides an overview of cleaner production, including how regulations have evolved, and presents a broad perspective on how it is being developed. Presenting several practical examples and applications of modern clean production technologies, it provides readers with ideas on how to extend these practices to other industry sectors in order to contribute to a better environment in the future. The authors start from the initial concepts of how to implement new cleaner production systems, before collecting recent developments in the area and demonstrating practical ways in which the latest knowledge can be applied. It motivates readers to develop new ideas on how to improve manufacturing systems to save energy and generate less waste, and discusses strategies on how to save, reuse and adapt materials, as well as techniques to reduce the waste and pollution produced. This book serves as a reference resource for industrial management engineers and researchers, and is also of interest to undergraduate and postgraduate students looking for insights into cleaner production in industry.

The realm of sustainable development focuses on the ability to meet the demands of the present, while not compromising the demands of the future. The knowledge of balancing sustainable development goals with high performance is essential. Even more essential is sharing the practices and accomplishments within sustainable development so that it may be spread throughout many organizations and societal functions. The Handbook of Research on Novel Practices and Current Successes in Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals provides valuable insights, challenges, and practices to highlight the key determinants in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. This book presents a complex and thorough theoretical infrastructure concerning the Sustainable Development Goals, challenges and practices, as well as an important set of empirical results that will make a tremendous contribution to the analysis of the key determinants specific to the Sustainable Development Goals. Covering topics such as alternative consumption models, non-profit organizations, and sustainable communities, this is an essential text for academicians, scientists, researchers, students, PhD scholars, post-doctoral students, specialists, practitioners, governmental institutions, and policymakers worldwide.

This book addresses the multidisciplinary aspects of urban planning; a result of the increasing size of cities, the amount of resources and services required and the complexity of modern society.Most of the earth's population live in cities and the process of urbanisation continues generating problems originating from the drift of the population towards them. These problems can be resolved by cities becoming efficient habitats, saving resources in a way that improves the standard of living. The process faces a number of challenges related to reducing pollution, improving main transportation and infrastructure systems and these challenges can contribute to the development of social and economic imbalances and require the development of new solutions.Large cities are probably the most complex mechanisms to manage, nevertheless they represent a productive ground for architects, engineers, city planners, social and political scientists able to conceive new ideas and time them according to technological advances and human requirements.The papers in this book cover such topics as: Appropriate technologies for smart cities; Architectural issues; Case studies - sustainable practices; Cultural quarters and interventions; Disaster and emergency response; Eco-town planning; Environmental management; Landscape planning and design; Planning for resilience; Quality of life; Socio-economic and political considerations; Pedestrians behaviour in different situation of traffic, modelling and safety; Sustainable urban regeneration and public space; City and beach; Sustainability and the built environment; Sustainable energy and the city; The community and the city; Transportation; Urban conservation and regeneration; Urban development and management; Urban infrastructure; Urban metabolism; Urban planning and design; Urban safety and security; Urban strategies; Waterfront development.

This book examines the neighborhoods of New York City to determine to what extent planning in New York addresses Sustainable City Principles (SCPs). Part I looks at the background to planning urban areas in the face of global urban changes. These changes (i.e. population movements and densification of cities) are placing pressures on cities worldwide. Chapter 1 provides a background to these global pressures (i.e. population growth) and their implications. Chapter 2 looks closer at New York planning and introduces Sustainable City Principles (SCPs). Part II introduces nine selected neighborhoods within Manhattan and examines to what extent planning of these neighborhoods addresses the SCPs. For each chapter a neighborhood background is provided and results of the author's field survey are reviewed. Part III examines the selected neighborhoods within Brooklyn to determine to what extent planning of those neighborhoods addresses the SCPs. Part IV examines the last three neighborhoods (in Queens) and addresses the SCPs. Part V examines conclusions reached from examining the nine neighborhoods. These conclusions are used to determine the extent that the City Council (and the community) are addressing SCPs in planning neighborhoods. Finally, lessons learned from these conclusions are assessed for their relevance to planning neighborhoods anywhere in the world.

This book is written by experts from Institute of Urban and Environmental Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and National Climate Center, this book provides an overview of China's effort to implement the Paris Agreement. In addition to measures put in place to reduce runoff in cities, improve flood risk management, promote decarbonization, and combat desertification, the book also addresses issues such as scientific assessment in relation to climate change, the implications of US domestic climate politics for China-US relations, and China's emerging leadership role in the post-Paris age. The volume is a must-read for anybody who wants to understand how China's aggressive climate adaptation policies help shape the country's growing weight in global climate governance.

The book compares different approaches to urban development in Singapore and Seoul over the past decades, by focusing on community participation in the transformation of neighbourhoods and its impact on the built environment and communal life. Singapore and Seoul are known for their rapid economic growth and urbanisation under a strong control of developmental state in the past. However, these cities are at a critical crossroads of societal transformation, where participatory and community-based urban development is gaining importance. This new approach can be seen as a result of a changing relationship between the state and civil society, where an emerging partnership between both aims to overcome the limitations of earlier urban development. The book draws attention to the possibilities and challenges that these cities face while moving towards a more inclusive and socially sustainable post-developmental urbanisation. By applying a comparative perspective to understand the evolving urban paradigms in Singapore and Seoul, this unique and timely book offers insights for scholars, professionals and students interested in contemporary Asian urbanisation and its future trajectories.