This book explores contemporary developments in outdoor learning, where the outdoors is seen as the context rather than the subject of learning. Ranging from pathfinder pieces written by practitioners to rigorous research-based pieces of work, the book explores the growing interest in animals as the basis for wider learning strategies as well as drawing together a wide range of outdoor learning approaches for all ages. Within these two discrete sections the contributors, who are drawn from a wide range of practitioners, academics and researchers, describe and analyse innovative approaches that address the need to explore alternatives to current test-based approaches to education in the western world. The whole offers a contemporary, informative, alternative approach to outdoor learning for teachers, practitioners and students.

Consumption and lifestyles in the world's richest countries are a significant cause of global environmental problems. Consumerism is increasingly recognized as a major drain on global resources and the search for sustainable consumption is emerging as a key policy issue. In this text, Joseph Murphy and Maurie Cohen have brought together an internationally recognized group of authors who critically examine this key area of policy debate. Through papers by Jouni Paavola, David Goodman, Michael Redclift, Elizabeth Shove and other authors, "Exploring Sustainable Consumption" addresses issues including food and water consumption, green consumerism, the consumption of space, the role of technology and the pursuit of sustainable lifestyles. It criticizes naive proposals that emphasize technological optimism and a limited understanding of consumption practices. The authors locate sustainable consumption within the history of debates about the environmental impact of modern societies and examine how governments and others are approaching this issue. Each contributor examines consumption-environment relationships from his or her own disciplinary perspective. This literature is then used to outline approaches to policy and action.

This book delves into corporate governance, sustainability, and information systems related to the aviation sector. Due to globalization and rise in cross-border business, the aviation sector has become an essential means of transport. However, the industry has tremendous impact on social, economic, and natural environments and carries significant risks. The book explores such issues plaguing the aviation sector under three key areas: CSR and sustainability, information systems and risk management, and corporate governance and accountability in the airline industry. The book concludes with an analysis of the impact of COVID-19 crisis on the industry and ways to respond and recover from the effects of the pandemic.

In recent years, a greater level of integration of the world economy and an opening of national markets to trade has impacted virtually all areas of society. The process of globalization has the potential to generate long-term benefits for developing countries, including enhanced technology and knowledge transfers and new fina- ing options supporting agricultural and economic development. However, risks of political and economic instability, increased inequality, and losses in agricultural income and production for countries that subsidize their agricultural and other e- nomic sectors threaten to offset potential benefits. Globalization can also have a profound impact on the water sector - in terms of allocation and use of water - and thus on food security as well. Other global change processes, particularly climate change, are also likely to have far-reaching impacts on water and food security, and societies around the world. To discuss these issues in-depth, the International Food Policy Research Institute, the Third World Centre for Water Management, Mexico, and the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE), Costa Rica, held a three-day International Conference on "Globalization and Trade: Implications for Water and Food Security," at CATIE's Turrialba, Costa Rica, headquarters under the auspices of the CGIAR Challenge Program on Water and Food in 2005. The workshop set out to identify the major risks and emerging issues facing developing countries related to global economic and environmental change impacts on water and food security.

Productivity growth has been slowing down globally in recent years in light of heightened economic crises and geopolitical tensions. This book puts the issue of low productivity growth in small countries under a microscope, exploring Jamaica's productivity challenges in its quest to achieve its United Nation Sustainable Developmental Goals. Overall, this book provides useful examples of handicaps that small countries face and proposes different approaches in finding plausible solutions to their overarching productivity challenges. This study provides useful lessons to other countries, as well, which would like to transition from developing to developed and to better the lives of their citizens.

Many of us want to increase our self-sufficiency, but few have access to the ideal five sunny, gently sloping acres of rich, loamy, well-drained soil. Jenni Blackmore presents a highly entertaining, personal account of how permaculture can be practiced in adverse conditions, allowing anyone to learn to live more sustainably in a less-than-perfect world. With a rallying cry of "If we can do it, you can too," she distills the wisdom of twenty years of trial and error into a valuable teaching tool. The perfect antidote to dense, high-level technical manuals, Permaculture for the Rest of Us presents the fundamental principles of this sometimes confusing concept in a humorous, reader-friendly way. Each chapter focuses on a specific method or technique, interspersing straightforward explanations with the author's own experiences. Learn how to successfully retrofit even the smallest homestead using skills such as: No-till vs. till gardening, composting, and soil-building Natural pest control and integrating small livestock Basic greenhouse construction Harvesting, preservation, and more Ideal for urban dreamers, suburbanites and country-dwellers alike, this inspirational and instructional "encouragement manual" is packed with vibrant photographs documenting the author's journey from adversity to abundance. Jenni Blackmore is a farmer, artist, writer and certified Permaculture Design Consultant who built her house on a rocky, windswept island off the coast of Nova Scotia almost twenty-five years ago and has been stumbling along the road to self-sufficient living ever since. A successful micro-farmer, she produces most of her family's meat, eggs, fruit, and vegetables, in spite of often-challenging conditions.

This path-breaking book focuses on the theory and practice of economic development as viewed from the perspective of sustainability, and the implications of sustainability for development policy. It demonstrates how various indicators can be developed and used to determine whether or not an economy is on a sustainable path of development. The book is concerned with measuring sustainability in a macroeconomic context so that decision makers are more aware of the real trends in the economy and the way in which their policies may affect these trends. The discussion on such measurement includes: the physical indicators of sustainability, resource and environmental accounting, savings and the empirical measurement of sustainable development, international trade and unsustainable development, ecological indicators, income distribution and social needs, and the assessment of structural adjustment policies and their implications for sustainable development. The authors conclude that the first step towards sustainable development is for a greater awareness of the effects of development on the environment, and the environment on human well-being. Measuring Sustainable Development will be particularly welcomed by policymakers and practitioners as well as researchers, academics and students of development economics and environmental economics.

This volume builds upon the 2019 International Bamboo Construction Competition (IBCC 2019) from the Concepts to the Realized Pavilions. Several designed projects are described, and particular attention is devoted to the realized prototypes. It also presents the Bamboo Eye, an important example of architecture realized by INBAR for the 2019 Beijing Horticultural Expo. As such, the volume provides an overview of the use of bamboo poles and engineered bamboo products for temporary and normal constructions, and represents a compact review of the applications of bamboo poles and/or engineered bamboo products in the construction industry. This book will be of interest for researchers, architects and structural engineers in field of bamboo constructions.

Planetary health involves complex spatial-temporal interactions among agents, hosts, and earth environment. Due to rapid technical development of geomatics, including geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing (RS) in the era of big data analytics, therefore, earth data analytics has become one of the important approaches for monitoring earth surface process and measuring of the effects of environment changes on all humans and other living organisms on earth. Various methods in earth data analytics, including spatial-temporal statistics, spatial evolutionary algorithms, remote sensing image analysis, wireless geo-sensors, and location-based analytics, are an emerging discipline in understanding complex interactions in planetary health. This edited book provides a broad focus on methodological theories of earth data analytics and their applications to measuring the process of planetary health, with the goal to build scientific understanding on how geospatial analytics can provide valuable insights in measuring environmental risks in Southeast Asian regions. It is collection of selected papers covering both theoretical and empirical studies focusing on topics relevant to spatial perspectives on planetary health and environmental exposure studies. The book is written for senior undergraduates, graduate students, lecturers, and researchers in applications of geospatial technologies for public health and environmental studies.

Textile industry wastewater contains toxic dyes as well as heavy metals and many other persistent organic compounds which are difficult to biodegrade using conventional biological methods. Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs) are one of the best alternatives for the effective degradation of such compounds. This Volume 2 starts with homogeneous and heterogeneous Fenton processes and reviews the application and variables that affect the process. It then discusses plasma technology- an emerging method in terms of its chemistry, treatment set-up, limitations, etc. The positive performance of carbon tetrachloride in process intensification of dye degradation is presented. The other chapters include topics such as sonoenzymatic treatment processes, electroflocculation versus textile wastewater, combination of photocatalysis and membrane Separation, and enhancement of anaerobic digestion and photodegradation through adsorption.

This open access book seeks to understand why we consume as we do, how consumption changes, and why we keep consuming more and more, despite the visible damage we are doing to the planet. The chapters cover both the stubbornness of unsustainable consumption patterns in affluent societies and the drivers of rapidly increasing consumption in emerging economies. They focus on consumption patterns with the largest environmental footprints, including energy, housing, and mobility and engage in sophisticated ways with the theoretical frontiers of the field of consumption research, in particular on the 'practice turn' that has come to dominate the field in recent decades. This book maps out what we know about consumption, questions what we take for granted, and points us in new directions for better understanding-and changing-unsustainable consumption patterns.

This book illustrates how sustainability, information technologies, and envisioning the future can be effectively woven into an integrated educational experience. By understanding what it takes to build a sustainable community, students will develop the skills needed to engage successfully in a sustainable society. Using the real world as their classroom, they will participate in gathering and analyzing data, clarifying values, listening, speaking, thinking creatively, and making decisions about their community.

This work presents a study of the potential for a "sustainable economy" in Norway. With support from the Research Council of Norway and the Ministries of Finance and the Environment, the research team structured a dialogue between leading economists, environmental NGO's and politicians. The goal of the project was to integrate ecological indicators proposed by a so called "Green Parliament" into the macro-economic models and projections used by the official governmental planning apparatus. The book recounts in detail the structure of the project and the results of the analysis, laying particular weight on the fact that a more sustainable economy is clearly possible without serious disruptions of consumption or welfare. The implications of factoring in more stringent ecological demands for a number of sectors are explored, providing thereby specific parameters and scenarios for a more sustainable economy.

This book presents a unique analysis of the sustainability performance of various renewable energy sources, based on Brazilian case studies. The evaluation also covers the potential held by regions with diverse socioeconomic and environmental characteristics and how they affect the development of each source. Considering that energy is essential to sustaining and improving modern society, the answer to the current energy dilemma lies in the development of a system that comprises multiple renewable, reliable, and sustainable energy sources. Brazil, which has a predominantly renewable electricity grid, has the privilege of being home to a range of different sustainable sources, although most of its electricity comes from hydroelectric power plants. With that in mind, this book has the primary objective of developing a performance evaluation system for important renewable sources in Brazil (solar, wind, and hydro), taking into account different scenarios and investor profiles. The analysis is based on the study of sustainability indicators related to the technical, economic, social and environmental aspects of the evaluated energy systems. As the availability of renewable sources is very location-specific, the scope of this book covers two Brazilian States with distinct characteristics. It makes it possible to determine which renewable energy source is most adequate from a sustainability perspective, and in light of the analyzed scope and investor profile.

This volume analyses the very first community-based enterprise active in the herbal sector in India, the Gram Mooligai Company Limited (GMCL). The analysis presented in this volume demonstrates that the GMCL example provides a unique model of how a community-based enterprise could represent an alternative and promising model for development of local communities. It is an unconventional form of entrepreneurship, in that it is based on regarding collective and individual interests as fundamentally complementary, and viewing communal values and the notion of the common good as essential elements in venture creation.

The textile industry is among the most significant polluters of water owing to the existence of various types of pollution streams generated by printing processes and textile dyeing. The book begins by documenting various types of Poly (vinyl alcohol) PVA-derived adsorbents (gels, fibers, films, composite particles), membranes, and photocatalysts in combination with conventional adsorbents, polymers, carbonaceous and metallic materials and their use in elimination of dyes from contaminated water. It follows by discussing different properties of nanocomposite membranes such as hydrogels, xerogels and aerogels used in this purpose. Also, different polymer - based adsorbents such as ceramic adsorbent, clay, hydrogels, starch, cellulose, chitosan, alginates, etc are presented in this book.

This book develops a fresh perspective on everyday forms of engagement, one that foregrounds the role of objects, technologies and settings in democracy. Examining a range of devices, from smart meters to eco-homes, the book sets out new concepts and methods for analyzing the relations between participation, innovation and the environment.

This text brings together 12 essays on the meaning and implications of sustainable development. The collection assesses the theoretical debate over the concept of sustainable development, and looks at the experiment in applying this practically in Norway to discover how the concept can illuminate practical policy across a wide range of fields. Topics covered include: sustainable development as a global ethics; the concept of need; global and generational equity; the limits of nature; implications for economics; and the role of technology. The editors outline the logic of the approach and draw together the implications of the individual studies for a more focused and consistent application of the concept.

Countries across Africa are rapidly transitioning from rural to urban societies. The UN projects that 60% of people living in Africa will be in urban areas by 2050, with the urban population on the continent tripling over the next 50 years. The challenge of building inclusive and sustainable cities in the context of rapid urbanization is arguably the critical development issue of the 21st Century and creating food secure cities is key to promoting health, prosperity, equity, and ecological sustainability. The expansion of Africa's urban population is taking place largely in secondary cities: these are broadly defined as cities with fewer than half a million people that are not national political or economic centres. The implications of secondary urbanization have recently been described by the Cities Alliance as "a real knowledge gap", requiring much additional research not least because it poses new intellectual challenges for academic researchers and governance challenges for policy-makers. International researchers coming from multiple points of view including food studies, urban studies, and sustainability studies, are starting to heed the call for further research into the implications for food security of rapidly growing secondary cities in Africa. This book will combine this research and feature comparable case studies, intersecting trends, and shed light on broad concepts including governance, sustainability, health, economic development, and inclusivity. This is an open access book.

This book deals with the dynamics of local-level politics in China and India. China introduced new policies to restructure local politics in 1978. In place of communes, civil society organizations and cooperatives were introduced in villages. More changes came about with the introduction of the Organic Law of the Villagers' Committees of the People's Republic of China in 1998. The new local power structure includes state-sponsored institutions like Villagers Committees and the traditional civil society organizations (CSOs) and non-government organizations (NGOs). As in China, local politics in India undergoes considerable changes during the last few decades. Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) were reformed in 1992 with a constitutional amendment act. CSOs and NGOs were allowed to function. Against this background, the present book is undertaken with the objectives first, to present two different models of local politics and second, to compare the two, finally to focus on the two different models of development. This book will interest scholars of rural governance, rural transformation, and the role of the grassroots CSOs and NGOs in shaping development program and growth in the two large countries in Asia.

This book reports on innovative research and developments in the broad field of transportation. It covers solutions relating to intelligent vehicles and infrastructure, energy and combustion management, vehicle dynamics and engineering, as well as research on railway transport, aerospace technologies, logistics and security. Contributions are based on peer-reviewed papers presented at the 13th international scientific conference "Transbaltica: Transportation Science and Technology", held on September 15-16, 2022, at Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, in Vilnius, Lithuania. All in all, this book offers extensive information on modern transport systems, with a good balance of theory and practice.

This book, based on international collaborative research, presents a state-of-the-art design for "Smart Master Planning" for all metropolises, megacities and meta cities as well as at sub-city zonal and community and neighborhood level. Smart Master Planning accepts that all cities are a smart city in making in a limited way as far as the six components for Smart Cities; namely, smart people, smart economy, smart environment, smart mobility and smart Governance are concerned. Smart Master Planning in any city can only be designed and executed by active roles of Smart People and Smart City Government and is a joint and synchronous effort of E-Democracy, E-Governance and ICT-IOT system in a 24 hour 7-day framework on all activities. In addition to use of Information and Communication Technologies, and Remote Sensing, the design of smart Master Planning utilizes domain specific tools of many aspects of a city to realize the coordinated, effective and efficient planning, management, development and conservation that improve ecological, social, biophysical, psychological and economic well-being in an equitable manner without compromising the sustainability of development ecosystems and stakeholders. This book will present 12 case studies covering more than 12 cities or more cities centered on domain-specific smart planning components. Case studies of Domain Innovations include Urban Land management, Master Planning for Water Management, Comprehensive Master Planning Innovations, Smart Use of Master Plan basics, Integrated Smart Master Planning, and Citizen-Centric Master Planning.

The existence of the human race has created inevitable effects on our surrounding environment. To prevent further harm to the world's ecosystems, it becomes imperative to assess mankind's impact on and create sustainability initiatives to maintain the world's ecosystems. Environmental Sustainability and Climate Change Adaptation Strategies is a pivotal reference source for the latest scholarly material on the scientific, technical, and socio-economic factors related to climate change assessment. Providing a comprehensive overview of perspectives on sustainability protection of environmental resources, this book is ideally designed for policy makers, professionals, government officials, upper-level students, and academics interested in emerging research on climate change.

This open access book is designed as a continuation of the editor's 2019 book Achieving the Paris Climate Agreement Goals. This volume provides an in-depth analysis of industry sectors globally, and its purpose is to present emission reduction targets in 5-year steps (2025 to 2050) for the main twelve finance sectors per the Global Industry Classification System. This scientific analysis aims to support the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment initiative to give sustainability guidance for the global finance industry. The industry sector pathways presented here are based on the latest global and regional 100% renewable energy and non-energy greenhouse gas Representative Concentration Pathways in order to keep climate change significantly under +1.5 C and thereby achieve the Paris Climate Agreement goals. The heart of this book is three chapters presenting the results of industry scenario modelling. These chapters cover twelve industry and service sectors as well as transportation and buildings. The specific energy demand and specific emissions are presented based on the emission accounting concept of "Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3" emission pathways. This methodology has been developed to measure the climate and sustainability index for companies, and this research project expands the methodology to apply it to entire industry sectors. The results presented here are the first overall industry assessments under Scope 1, 2 and 3 from 2020 through 2050. The base for the energy pathways is the scenarios scenarios published in the previous volume. The nonenergy GHG emission scenarios, broken down to agriculture & forestry and industry, are detailed and include all major greenhouse gases and aerosols. The final section of the book presents the main conclusions of the industry pathway development work and recommendations for the finance industry and policy makers. Additionally, future qualitative future investment requirements in specific technologies and measures are presented.