"House Rating Schemes" provides information to students, architects and researchers in the field of the built environment. It reviews current House Rating Schemes (HRS) used in different countries and investigates how these schemes assess the thermal performance of a house. It challenges the way that these schemes assess building energy efficiency and their inability to evaluate free running buildings which do not need an energy load for heating and cooling indoor environments. Finally, the book proposes a new index and method for HRS in which the efficiency of a house design can be evaluated with reference to its thermal performance in both free running and conditioned operation modes. The book deals with various approaches and methods for rating buildings on the basis of different indexes, with implications for both energy efficiency and thermal comfort. It also guides readers through a computer simulation program for developing a rating system that evaluates and ranks building energy efficiency.

This unique reference gathers numerous new studies examining specific, prominent high-rise buildings around the world. Each nuanced study included undertakes the following pivotal considerations: environmental impacts; safety & social acceptability; energy consumption and comfort; planning contexts within the urban zone; physical footprint and size; services and risks; and a careful assessment of advantages and challenges. Architects and engineers exploring and optimizing sustainable building practices, energy managers, municipal and private project planners, as well as students will find edification and inspiration in the analysis provided by esteemed practitioners and professors within this fascinating volume.

The book identifies the specific ethical aspects of sustainability and develops ethical tools to analyze them. It also provides a methodological framework to integrate ethical and scientific analyses of sustainability issues, and explores the notion of a new type of self-reflective inter- and transdisciplinary sustainability research. With this, the book aims to strengthen the overall ability of academics to contribute to the analysis and solution of sustainability issues in an inclusive and integrated way.

In order to be sustainable, a civilization must maintain the balance between 'mind' and 'matter' and between the egocentric 'I' and 'the others'. This book investigates how new institutional arrangements in politics, economy and finance can resolve the current crisis of social values by restoring this delicate balance between opposing forces.

This book is based on the findings of a long-term (2000-2014) interdisciplinary research project of the University of Hohenheim in collaboration with several universities in Thailand and Vietnam. Titled Sustainable Land Use and Rural Development in Mountainous Areas in Southeast Asia, or the Uplands Program, the project aims to contribute through agricultural research to the conservation of natural resources and the improvement of living conditions of the rural population in the mountainous regions of Southeast Asia. Having three objectives the book first aims to give an interdisciplinary account of the drivers, consequences and challenges of ongoing changes in mountainous areas of Southeast Asia. Second, the book describes how innovation processes can contribute to addressing these challenges and third, how knowledge creation to support change in policies and institutions can assist in sustainably develop mountain areas and people's livelihoods.

This book explores the role of in silico deployment in connection with modulation techniques for improving sustainability and competitiveness in the agri-food sector; pharmacokinetics and molecular docking studies of plant-derived natural compounds; and their potential anti-neurodegenerative activity. It also investigates biochemical pathways for bacterial metabolite synthesis, fungal diversity and plant-fungi interaction in plant diseases, methods for predicting disease-resistant candidate genes in plants, and genes-to-metabolites and metabolites-to-genes approaches for predicting biosynthetic pathways in microbes for natural product discovery. The respective chapters elaborate on the use of in situ methods to study biochemical pathways for bacterial metabolite synthesis; tools for plant metabolites in defence; plant secondary metabolites in defence; plant growth metabolites; characterisation of plant metabolites; and identification of plant derived metabolites in the context of plant defence. The book offers an unprecedented resource, highlighting state-of-the-art research work that will greatly benefit researchers and students alike, not only in the field of agriculture but also in many disciplines in the life sciences and plant sciences.

One way to reduce the greenhouse gas from IT is green computing, which is the practice of designing, manufacturing, using, and disposing of computers, servers, and associated subsystems for reducing the use of hazardous materials, maximizing energy efficiency, and promoting the recyclability or biodegradability of products. Sustainable ICTs and Management Systems for Green Computing focuses on information technology using sustainable green computing to reduce energy and resources used. While there are a wide variety of green computing topics, this book is a collection of IT articles using green computing techniques that will provide timely, important technologies and methods of green computing to IT workers, students, and researchers alike.

In the present scenario, green technologies are playing significant role in changing the course of nation's economic growth towards sustainability and providing an alternative socio-economic model that will enable present and future generations to live in a clean and healthy environment, in harmony with nature. Green technology, which is also known as clean technology, refers to the development and extension of processes, practices, and applications that improve or replace the existing technologies facilitating society to meet their own needs while substantially decreasing the impact of human on the planet, and reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities. The concepts of Green Technologies, if endorsed and pervaded into the lives of all societies, will facilitate the aim of the Millennium Development Goals of keeping the environment intact and improve it for the civilization to survive. Green Technologies and Environmental Sustainability is focused on the goals of green technologies which are becoming increasingly important for ensuring sustainability. This book provides different perspectives of green technology in sectors like energy, agriculture, waste management and economics and contains recent advancements made towards sustainable development in the field of bioenergy, nanotechnology, green chemistry, bioremediation, degraded land reclamation. This book is written for a large and broad readership, including researchers, scientists, academicians and readers from diverse backgrounds across various fields such as nanotechnology, chemistry, agriculture, environmental science, water engineering, waste management and energy. It could also serve as a reference book for graduates and post-graduate students, faculties, environmentalist and industrial personnel who are working in the area of green technologies.

"This book Schooling for Sustainable Development: A Focus on Australia, New Zealand and the Oceanic Region, is the product of passionate interests of teachers, scholars and researchers located in diverse parts of the Australasian region. Working with their colleagues within local contexts they have conducted research and gathered together information for practitioners and students interested in learning more about sustainable lifestyle practices. Some of the work has taken place in remote locations and some has been in within the confines of major cities. The Australasian Region brings together people and cultures that link traditional economies to global networks and lifestyles. Diverse terrain, politics and responses typify the region. Close to Asia there are lingering ties with old European ways and cultural beliefs. The major economies of Australia and New Zealand provide the lead with development practices for lesser economies such as Papua New Guinea, Fiji and the many island nations scattered throughout the South Pacific. This complexity is not easily represented. Key issues relate to land ownership, mobilities within the region and the gradual dissemination of knowledge, skills and wealth. The book will provide both reference material and interesting reading for teachers, researchers and practitioners in interested in community based perspectives on sustainability. We have learnt from each other and hope that others will benefit from our efforts."

This book introduces systematically the cryospheric science, covering the formation, development, evolution, and research methods of each component of the cryosphere, the interaction between the cryosphere and the other spheres of the climate system and the anthroposphere, and the hot topics of social and economic sustainable development and geopolitics. The authors are world-renowned experts and scientists working in the related fields. They have a deep understanding and accurate grasp of the basic theory, evolution mechanism, and international frontiers of the cryosphere, as well as rich teaching experience, which makes this book suitable also as textbook for graduate students. It is also the first book that introduces the knowledge of cryospheric science systematically. In addition to theoretical knowledge, the book also introduces field work and experimental analysis. It should be of interests for the scholars and graduate student working in the fields of geography, hydrology, geology, geomorphology, atmosphere, ecology, environment, oceanography, and regional economic and social sustainable development.

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 monograph presents a reliable methodology for characterising the energy and eco-efficiency of unit manufacturing processes. The Specific Energy Consumption, SEC, will be identified as the key indicator for the energy efficiency of unit processes. An empirical approach will be validated on different machine tools and manufacturing processes to depict the relationship between process parameters and energy consumptions. Statistical results and additional validation runs will corroborate the high level of accuracy in predicting the energy consumption. In relation to the eco-efficiency, the value and the associated environmental impacts of manufacturing processes will also be discussed. The interrelationship between process parameters, process value and the associated environmental impact will be integrated in the evaluation of eco-efficiency. The book concludes with a further investigation of the results in order to develop strategies for further efficiency improvement. The target audience primarily comprises researchers and experts in the field, but the book may also be beneficial for graduate students.

Urban subsurface resources and particularly urban groundwater are vulnerable to environmental impacts, and their rational management is of major importance. In this book a multidisciplinary team of specialists and scientists presents innovative process-oriented approaches to the sustainable use of these resources. The included case studies from northwestern Switzerland describe representative environments and are relevant for urban areas in general. They illustrate the protection of groundwater; river restoration; engineering and hydrogeological questions related to urban infrastructure and management concepts; as well as monitoring, modeling and remediation strategies for contaminated sites; problems caused by karst in urban environments; the use of shallow geothermal energy; and natural hazards such as flood events and earthquakes.

It is demonstrated that modern quantitative earth sciences can contribute significantly in finding solutions concerning the sustainable use of subsurface resources in urban environments.

The book is an invaluable source of information for hydrogeologists, geologists, urban planners, water supply engineers, and environmental agencies.

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Measurements, Indicators, and Research Methods for Sustainability presents a thorough and accessible overview of the ways in which sustainability is charted worldwide. Some articles introduce basic concepts, such as quantitative versus qualitative data or the weak versus strong sustainability debate; others examine how indicators in specific areas (climate change and soil conservation, agriculture, and mining) have been applied (or not) to different regions. Research analysts explain the modes and media through which these measurements are broadcast, stressing the importance of developing methods that can be understood by both experts and ordinary citizens. They also examine the process of monitoring, itself a controversial topic affecting national or international policy, law, rules, and regulations.

This book focuses on the role of subsistence entrepreneurs in creating social and sustainable business opportunities on the global marketplace. Subsistence entrepreneurs use scarce resources to create new business opportunities, often in developing or emerging economies. In addition, subsistence entrepreneurship is increasingly being used as a way to facilitate market entry for small and medium-sized business enterprises that focus on collaborative innovation. The interdisciplinary contributions gathered here will expand readers' understanding of the nature and characteristics of subsistence entrepreneurs, as well as the challenges they face. The central connection between subsistence, sustainability and social entrepreneurship is also explored.

The present customers' consumption models result in an increasing number of used products that need to be collected and reused or disposed. Remanufacturing is a favourable scenario in order to recover the end-of-use products. It allows to capture substantial part of the resources which were used in the primary production at lower cost, providing economic, environmental and social benefits. The book presents the methods, models, case studies for improvement of sustainability in remanufacturing facilities. The focus is on small- and medium-sized enterprises and their challenges to meet resource-efficiency goal.

This book highlights the vital necessity for combining sustainable development processes from different areas, with applications in areas such as science, education and production sectors. These sectors have previously been separated by linguistic and technological barriers. Breaking down these barriers will allow an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary flow of information, leading to greater efficiency, and towards a more real resilient and sustainable economy development. This book fills in the gap in respect of publications addressing aspects of innovation and sustainable development and focuses on a range of areas, such as I. Gradual transition to innovative development; II. Continuity of technology in education, science and industry; III. Convergency directions, interdisciplinary relations in scientific research; IV. Digital technologies for sustainable development; V. Global trends and regional aspects of innovation and traditions in environmental management; VI. International legal regulations and environmental and economic relations among business communities. The publication fosters the global efforts towards taking better advantage of the many opportunities which innovation in specific areas may offer.

The project CLEAN (CO2 Large-Scale Enhanced Gas Recovery in the Altmark Natural Gas Field) provides site specific knowledge for a potential future pilot project. This contributed volume gives an overview and final results of the entire project which is finalized to the end of 2012.

Biomass is a continuously renewed source of energy formed from or by a wide variety of living organisms. Through biochemical and thermochemical processes, it is converted into gaseous, liquid or solid biofuels, which already meet a significant share of the current world energy needs. Because of their contribution to the sustainability of energy supply, reduction of green house gas emissions as well as local employment and energy self-reliance, research interest and activity in enhancing biofuel energy output, efficiency and performance remain strong. The first part of this volume comprises five articles mainly concerned with biomass resource potential and management. More specifically, the reported investigations assess grass and lawn substrates, rapeseed straw and microalgae from Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) reactor effluents as possible sources of biogas, bioethanol and biodiesel, respectively. The emphasis in the subsequent group of eleven articles is on biomass conversion processes, aiming at assessing performance as well as output quality and diversity.Biodiesel, a fluid biofuel produced from biomass with high lipids such as rapeseed oil, sunflowers and soy beans, is the focus of two articles: the first investigates the effect of biodiesel blending with diesel fuel on diesel engine performance and emissions; the second assesses the efficiency of catalytic reforming of biodiesel into a gaseous mixture, used directly as Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) fuel. In the last three articles, the prospects of biofuels as viable sources of energy are examined within European contexts. This volume addresses a significant number of important themes and thus combines subject breadth and density with in-depth study of biomass resourcing and processing as well as the issue of biofuel and renewable energy sustainability.

In 2007, the world's urban population surpassed the number of people living in rural areas and is still growing. The number of city dwellers who do not have access to piped water and rely on groundwater is also increasing. In many Asian cities, groundwater is not only the source of domestic water but also an important resource for industrial development, making better management of groundwater resources essential for sustainable development. Because groundwater is easier to access and costs less than water from piped systems, groundwater abstraction cannot be easily regulated. Policies for groundwater management adopted in Japan and other Asian countries are compared, and technologies for efficient use of groundwater are elucidated. Groundwater contamination is also a serious problem that exacerbates water scarcity in Asian cities. Case studies illustrate the cause and consequences of naturally occurring contaminants such as arsenic and fluoride, and groundwater contamination due to anthropogenic contaminants is described. Also discussed are technologies for treating contaminated groundwater to reduce the health risks of drinking contaminated groundwater.

The Malaga Symposia Series provides an international forum for scientific debate on the progress made in research into karst environments. The 2010 meeting of the 4th International ISKA presents 80 papers in four key areas: karst hydrogeology and investigations, karst landscape and ecosystems, human interaction with karst environments, and engineering geology in karst areas. This book will be a useful edition to the libraries of consultants, scientists, lecturers, and policy makers concerned with the special issues of karst terrains.

The book presents an overview of recent advances in knowledge related to the assessment and management of groundwater resources, giving special attention to the uncertainties related to climate change and variability. While proposing strategies of groundwater management as adaptation, alternative and resilience under the changing environments, this book also discusses new directions and initiatives of hydrological study, in particular on the groundwater. Groundwater is a major source of water across much of the world, and acts as a component of the global water cycle on the Earth. Groundwater has the capacity to balance large swings in precipitation and has the potential to supplement surface-water resources when they are close to the limits of sustainability such as during drought. Although groundwater is pivotal to sustain water supplies, these important resources are vulnerable to increased human activities and the uncertain consequences of climate change. This book presents that groundwater with longer resident time of water circulation can be an alternative water resources and environment in changing climate. Assessments of groundwater services and benefit as well as risk are important for sustainable groundwater uses under the climate change. Groundwater which is one of the leys of adaptation to climate change should be treated as common resources and environment beyond the tragedy of the commons and dilemma of the boundaries. While providing a comprehensive description of hydrogeological characteristics of groundwater systems, the present volume also covers important aspects of legal and institutional contexts required for groundwater resources management as well as social and economic considerations. This publication may contribute to an improved understanding of the impacts of climate change and human activity on groundwater resources, provides useful guidance for policy makers and planners to include groundwater into climate change adaptation schemes and strategies.

This volume discusses the sustainability of Egypt's agriculture and the challenges involved. It provides a comprehensive review and the latest research findings, and covers a variety of topics under the following themes: * Applicability of sustainable agriculture in Egypt * Sustainable agriculture under water scarcity and polluted soil environments * Improved crop productivity using a variety of tried and tested procedures * Biotechnology application for agricultural sustainability and food security * Potentiality of soil-sensing for a more sustainable agricultural environment The volume closes with a summary of the key conclusions and recommendations from all chapters. Together with the companion volume Sustainability of Agricultural Environment in Egypt: Part II, it offers an essential source of information for postgraduate students, researchers, and stakeholders alike.