Renovating to improve energy efficiency of historic buildings while also preserving them for the future is not easy. Petra Eriksson in a collaboration between the University of Gothenburg and Uppsala University did her doctoral thesis presented a method taking a holistic approach to the assessment of both potential energy savings and management of the buildings' … Continue reading How can historic buildings become more energy efficient while conserving their heritage values?
Category: Sustainable development
New EEA assessments on urban environmental change
European cities have the potential to lead the way towards green, sustainable future, according to two assessments on urban environmental change, published by the European Environment Agency (EEA) recently. Cities play pivotal roles in shifting to green, sustainable future Cities face huge challenges in trying to shift to a greener future in the wake … Continue reading New EEA assessments on urban environmental change
Sustainability in the building industry gaining momentum in the US
Ben Ikenson writes on the Washington Post website discussing developments to ensure buildings in the US become more sustainable. Are you seeing the same developments in your country? 'Cool’ roofs, cooler designs as the building industry embraces energy sustainability The southwestern New Mexico town of Columbus, site of a 1916 raid by Pancho Villa, … Continue reading Sustainability in the building industry gaining momentum in the US
Human development is not only a matter of economic justice but also climate justice
Marta Baltruszewicz, Postgraduate Researcher, School of Earth and Environment at University of Leeds raises some important issues in an article on The Conversation website, showing that there is an important counter-intuitive finding showing that lower levels of deprivation were linked to lower levels of energy demand, not higher levels. Reducing poverty can actually lower … Continue reading Human development is not only a matter of economic justice but also climate justice
Many buildings could be transformed or redeployed through adaptive reuse for much-needed housing
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the way we use buildings has changed. Many have been working from home. Shops and other buildings have closed or become unused for one reason or another. Norman Day, Lecturer in Architecture, Practice and Design, At Australia’s Swinburne University of Technology writes on The Conversation website about how these buildings can … Continue reading Many buildings could be transformed or redeployed through adaptive reuse for much-needed housing
It’s time for another generation of cooling equipment that is much gentler on the climate system
Scott Denning, Professor of Atmospheric Science at Colorado State University writes on The Conversation website about efforts in the US to eliminate hydrofluorocarbons used as coolants in refrigerators, air conditioners and heat pumps. How cleaning up coolants can cool the climate – why HFCs are getting phased out from refrigerators and air conditioners The U.S. … Continue reading It’s time for another generation of cooling equipment that is much gentler on the climate system
The environmental impact of jeans and what can be done to improve sustainability
Jeans are a fashion staple but also an environmental headache. To resolve this dilemma, the industry has become a melting pot of solutions. Thomas Gordon-Martin discusses latest developments in an article on the Deutsche Welle website. Cleaning denim's reputation, one pair of jeans at a time Every time you buy a new pair of jeans, it's like turning … Continue reading The environmental impact of jeans and what can be done to improve sustainability
European Commission updates its EU industrial strategy
This week the European Commission updated the EU Industrial Strategy to ensure that its industrial ambition takes full account of the new circumstances following the COVID-19 crisis and helps to drive the transformation to a more sustainable, digital, resilient and globally competitive economy. It shows support for industrial sectors that are strategic to the European … Continue reading European Commission updates its EU industrial strategy
Sustainability criteria making it challenging for consumers and investors to make fully informed decisions
Rumina Dhalla and Felix Arndt from the University of Guelph in Canada write on The Conversation website about the confusion over what makes a company sustainable. Sustainability rankings don't always identify sustainable companies British American Tobacco (famous for cigarettes), Coca-Cola (world-renowned for its sugary soft drinks) and Glencore (a British/Swiss mining company) were recently … Continue reading Sustainability criteria making it challenging for consumers and investors to make fully informed decisions
COVID-19 has helped researchers better understand the relationship between economic activity and the environment
Although COVID-19 itself, and the associated containment measures, have had tragic consequences for societies, it also serves as an unprecedented natural experiment that helps us to better understand the relationship between economic activity and the environment. Frederik Noack, Assistant Professor, environmental economics, University of British Columbia; Dominic Rohner, Professor of Economics, Université de Lausanne; and … Continue reading COVID-19 has helped researchers better understand the relationship between economic activity and the environment
Energy in Demand - Sustainable Energy - Rod Janssen 