Download Free Technological Choices For Sustainability Book in PDF and EPUB Free Download. You can read online Technological Choices For Sustainability and write the review.

This book offers a critical evaluation of current scientific work on defining the issue of sustainability and on measuring progress towards a sustainable state. It aims to provide a common understanding of how progress towards sustainability can be achieved by optimising technological development, environmental impact and socio-economic factors. A further objective is to identify the major trends in methodologies that assist progress towards sustainability.
This book offers a critical evaluation of current scientific work on defining the issue of sustainability and on measuring progress towards a sustainable state. It aims to provide a common understanding of how progress towards sustainability can be achieved by optimising technological development, environmental impact and socio-economic factors. A further objective is to identify the major trends in methodologies that assist progress towards sustainability.
The rise of technology in human culture has changed almost every facet of society. Technology is especially useful regarding sustainable development. These technologies can cause significant greenhouse gas reductions and other benefits in terms of logistics and smart cities. New technology applied in this way can greatly help the human effort to restore the environment. Disruptive Technologies and Eco-Innovation for Sustainable Development provides an in-depth look into the new techniques, strategies, and technologies for achieving environmental sustainability through best business and technology practices. The book covers topics such as eco-innovation, green criteria, Agriculture 4.0, and topics related to logic, philosophy, and history of science and technology from the green/sustainable point of view. It is essential for managers, academicians, scientists, students, and researchers in various government, public, and private sectors.
This book brings together diverse voices from across the field of sustainable human computer interaction (SHCI) to discuss what it means for digital technology to support sustainability and how humans and technology can work together optimally for a more sustainable future. Contemporary digital technologies are hailed by tech companies, governments and academics as leading-edge solutions to the challenges of environmental sustainability; smarter homes, more persuasive technologies, and a robust Internet of Things hold the promise for creating a greener world. Yet, deployments of interactive technologies for such purposes often lead to a paradox: they algorithmically "optimize" heating and lighting of houses without regard to the dynamics of daily life in the home; they can collect and display data that allow us to reflect on energy and emissions, yet the same information can cause us to raise our expectations for comfort and convenience; they might allow us to share best practice for sustainable living through social networking and online communities, yet these same systems further our participation in consumerism and contribute to an ever-greater volume of electronic waste.By acknowledging these paradoxes, this book represents a significant critical inquiry into digital technology’s longer-term impact on ideals of sustainability. Written by an interdisciplinary team of contributors this book will be of great interest to students and scholars of human computer interaction and environmental studies.
This open access book provides insight into the implementation of Life Cycle approaches along the entire business value chain, supporting environmental, social and economic sustainability related to the development of industrial technologies, products, services and policies; and the development and management of smart agricultural systems, smart mobility systems, urban infrastructures and energy for the built environment. The book is based on papers presented at the 8th International Life Cycle Management Conference that took place from September 3-6, 2017 in Luxembourg, and which was organized by the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST) and the University of Luxembourg in the framework of the LCM Conference Series.
Designers of technology have a major responsibility in the current age. Their designs can have tremendous effects on society, in both the short and the long term. In fact, sustainable development itself has all the characteristics of a design project, albeit a vast one. But a failed product design here will be not just be unsuccessful in the market – it will have far-reaching consequences. It is our common responsibility to make the project successful. Technology has played an important role in creating the problems that we now face; but it will also play an important role in solving them. But this does not mean the technological fix will be easy. How do we allocate resources and attention when there are myriad issues under the umbrella of "sustainable development" currently in competition with one another? How do we arrive at precise specifications for the sustainable technologies that are to be developed and, furthermore, reach consensus on these specifications? What if our sustainable technological solutions aggravate other problems or create new ones? And, because sustainable development is all about the long-term consequences of our actions, how do we assess the effects of modifying existing landscapes, infrastructures and patterns of life?How could we be sure in advance that the changes that new technologies bring will make our society more sustainable? These dilemmas and paradoxes are the subject of this provocative book. Sometimes the claim that a technology is sustainable is made in order to make the technology acceptable in the political process, as in the case of nuclear energy production, where the claims of "sustainability" refer to the absence of CO2 emissions. In the case of biofuels, claims of sustainability have led to a "fuel or food" debate, showing that sustainability has counteracting articulations. And the well-known rebound effect is observed when increased resource efficiency can create a stimulus for consumption. What is Sustainable Technology? illustrates that the sustainability impact of a technology is often much more complicated and ambivalent than one might expect. Making improvements to existing designs is not the technological challenge that will lead to real solutions. We mustn't look to change a part of a machine, but rather the machine as a whole – or even the whole system in which it functions. It is these system innovations that have the potential to make a genuine contribution to sustainable development. What is Sustainable Technology? will help all those involved in designing more sustainable technologies in determining their strategies. It does so by presenting case studies of different technologies in contrasting contexts. Each case asks: 1. What articulations of sustainability played a role in the design process? 2. What sustainability effects did this technology lead to? 3. Who was affected, where, and when? 4. Could the designer have foreseen these consequences? 5. How did the designer anticipate them? 6. How was societal interaction dealt with during the design process? Finally, the authors reflect on future options for the sustainable technology designer. They argue that an important first step is an awareness of the multitude of sustainable development challenges that play a role in production, use, recycling and end-of-life disposal. What is Sustainable Technology? will be essential reading for product designers, engineers, material scientists and others involved in the development of sustainable technologies, as well as a wide academic audience interested in the complexities of the sustainable design process.
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.
ÔThere is no debate about the fact that a Òbusiness as usualÓ approach is an environmentally unsustainable one. Given the magnitude of the environmental challenges the world faces today, extensive changes in corporate strategies and significant innovation advances are absolutely necessary if we are to avoid substantial decreases in our quality of living. This set of internationally recognized authors provides some fresh and informative perspectives on this topic along with a path for a more sustainable future.Õ Ð Mark Ferguson, University of South Carolina, US Corporations across the world are becoming increasingly aware of the threat of environmental degradation and the growing importance of sustainable business practices. This raises a vital question: How can for-profit firms (and other profit-conscious enterprises such as government organizations) implement more environmentally friendly policies without sacrificing profitability? This innovative volume tackles that complex question, offering detailed recommendations for making strategic technological choices that are economically advantageous, ecologically sustainable and socially responsible. Expert contributions examine the contextual factors that affect implementation of more sustainable technology and innovation practices, offering a number of empirical methodologies to describe and explain these multidimensional influences. What emerges is a compelling argument in favor of balanced strategies that merge profitability concerns with ecological consciousness, allowing for controlled sustainable development and stable, long-term economic success. Discussion of companies in both developed and emerging countries makes this book useful on a truly global scale. Students and professors of business, management studies and economics will find much to admire in this path-breaking volume. Managers, policymakers and other practitioners will also benefit greatly from this bookÕs timely and insightful recommendations.
Sustainable Construction Technologies: Life-Cycle Assessment provides practitioners with a tool to help them select technologies that are financially advantageous even though they have a higher initial cost. Chapters provide an overview of LCA and how it can be used in conjunction with other indicators to manage construction. Topics covered include indoor environment quality, energy efficiency, transport, water reuse, materials, land use and ecology, and more. The book presents a valuable tool for construction professionals and researchers that want to apply sustainable construction techniques to their projects. Practitioners will find the international case studies and discussions of worldwide regulation and standards particularly useful. - Provides a framework for analyzing sustainable construction technologies and economic viability - Introduces key credit criteria for different sustainable construction technologies - Covers the most relevant construction areas - Includes technologies that can be employed during the process of construction, or to the product of the construction process, i.e. buildings - Analyzes international rating systems and provides supporting case studies