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| Title | Description | Tags | Download |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vote with your money | Redefining the debate on environmentally responsible behaviour. Focusing on the question 'What are the most effective ways of increasing environmentally responsible behaviour (ERB)?' this paper analyses the effects of the dominant social paradigm, the corporate charters, unsustainable measures of progress (e.g. GDP) and the government's paradoxical version of sustainable development in relation to improved behaviour. | Articles, dominant social paradigm, environment, environmentally responsible behaviour, social change, sustainable development | Vote-with-your-money.doc |
| Can the Hydrogen economy provide a sustainable future? |
Focusing on net energy, calorific values, the manufacture, storage and distribution of hydrogen this essay examines the practicalities of a hydrogen-based energy system and its ability to provide a sustainable future. The realities of cumulative efficiencies and the demands of total sustainability indicate that the development of hydrogen technology may be entirely premature. |
Articles, Efficiency, Energy, hydrogen economy, sustainability | The-hydrogen-economy.doc |
| Advancing Environmental Strategies |
From Compromise to Collaboration in the Design Process |
Articles, collaboration, design process, environment, shared vision | Collaborative-design.doc |
| Natural Materials for Social Change |
Analysis of public attitudes to health indicate that increased awareness of the dangers posed by synthetic materials could further demand for natural alternatives and help prompt social change. As Edward Harland notes 'it is people healthy in body and spirit who are most likely to have the energy, enthusiasm and vision to solve the immense problems facing life on this planet'. |
Articles, Energy, health, materials, nature, social change, vision | Natural-materials.doc |
| Does Environmental Impact Assessment actually promote Sustainability? |
The Rio Declaration calls for EIA to be undertaken for activities that are likely to have a significant adverse impact on the environment but is it actually succeeding in promoting sustainability? This essay discusses the fundamental problems of current assessment and acknowledges the limitations of EIA whilst proposing several means by which to improve on the current system. |
Articles, environment, Environmental Impact Assessment, sustainability, systems | Environmental-Impact-Assess.doc |
| Pernicious Plastics and the Precautionary Principle |
History has shown that several plastics, originally considered completely benign, have since proven harmful to ecosystems, animals and ultimately to human health, demanding their control and in some cases elimination from use. This essay discusses the effects of PVC on human health (including a brief look at dioxins and phthalates) and the unsustainable PVC 'deathline'. It stresses the need for, and debates the practicality of, adopting the precautionary principle to limit the adverse effects of plastics. |
Articles, dioxins, ecosystems, environment, health, phthalates, plastic, precautionary principle | Pernicious-plastics.pdf |
| Water and energy conservation through efficient design |
Using the examples of domestic hot water and space heating this paper discusses the potential of alternative technologies and efficient design. It questions the practicality of current regulations and recommends that in order to seriously improve efficiencies we should: specify maximum rather than minimum standards; reward the design and use of efficient technologies (e.g. via tax breaks) and allow constant feedback in order to make our standards truly efficient themselves. |
Articles, Efficiency, Energy, regulations, Standards, Water | Energy-conserv-via-design.pdf |
