Sustainability: Planning's Redemption or Curse?
For many, the planning profession lost direction, credibility and apparent societal value during the last quarter of the twentieth century. Recently, this loss has been partially offset by an increased concern about planning for the environment. For both planners and many members of wider society, 'sustainability' has become the defining term to denote these wider environmental concerns and their appropriate responses. The striving for sustainability is now a defining principle of good planning practice. It provides an ideal for which to aim towards, even if its achievement, not to mention any universally shared and concise definition of how to achieve it, consistently appears to be located somewhere over the horizon. More importantly, this ideal of a sustainable future, understandably, has wide public support. The Deceptive Use of "Sustainability" for Non-Sustainable Ends Economic Growth Policies Ignore Environment and Equity Re-Examining the Role of Planners
Cost Estimating
by Bill Manfredonia, CPE, Cost Calculations, Inc. / Joseph P. Majewski, FCPE, P.E., JPM Construction Consultants, Inc. / Joseph J. Perryman, Donnell Consultants, Inc. Last updated: 05-28-2010 Introduction Accurately forecasting the cost of future projects is vital to the survival of any business or organization contemplating future construction. There were about 198,000 cost estimators in 1994 according to the U.S. Construction cost estimators can be contractually hired in many different ways. It is very important to have the cost estimator involved right from the start of the project to ensure that the project budget reflects the decisions made by the rest of the project team throughout the integrated design process. Description A. Ethics: The practice of construction estimating is a highly technical and professional discipline. B. C. As a project is proposed and then developed, the estimate preparation and information will change based on the needs of the Owner/Client/Designer. D. Tools
15 houseplants for improving indoor air quality - English Ivy
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11 Incredible Living Walls | Chemically Green
The idea of a living wall conjures up all sorts of images, but in reality it is nothing more than a wall completely covered in vegetation. In order to create a living wall pre-vegetated or fabric panels containing plastic containers, or geotextiles, as well as irrigation systems and vegetation are attached to the wall or supporting structure. This form of urban gardening is often designed as an art form to decorate buildings in cities and has been hailed as one way to make cities more enjoyable, healthier and ultimately greener places. 1. One of the best loved vertical gardens inhabits the walls of the Musee du Quai Branly in Paris. 2. This 714 foot structure in downtown Toronto, Canada is a superb example of how living walls and vertical gardens can actually be profitable as well as beautiful. 3. Another amazing living wall design created by Patrick Blanc, the CaixaForum museum has become a popular tourist attraction largely thanks to this creation. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.
Dr. Albert Bartlett's "Laws of Sustainability"
At the Denver ASPO conference, I had the good fortune to meet Dr. Albert Bartlett. Afterward, Dr. Bartlett e-mailed me some material he had written over the years. The "Laws of Sustainability" were included in this material. The Laws that follow are offered to define the term "sustainability." These Laws are believed to hold rigorously. The list is but a single compilation, and hence may be incomplete. First Law: Population growth and / or growth in the rates of consumption of resources cannot be sustained. A) A population growth rate less than or equal to zero and declining rates of consumption of resources are a necessary, but not a sufficient, condition for a sustainable society. Second Law: In a society with a growing population and / or growing rates of consumption of resources, the larger the population, and / or the larger the rates of consumption of resources, the more difficult it will be to transform the society to the condition of sustainability. Hubbert, M.K., (1972) U.S.
Cradle-to-cradle design - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - Waterfox
Cradle to Cradle design (also referred to as Cradle to Cradle, C2C, cradle 2 cradle, or regenerative design) is a biomimetic approach to the design of products and systems. It models human industry on nature's processes viewing materials as nutrients circulating in healthy, safe metabolisms. It suggests that industry must protect and enrich ecosystems and nature's biological metabolism while also maintaining a safe, productive technical metabolism for the high-quality use and circulation of organic and technical nutrients.[1] Put simply, it is a holistic economic, industrial and social framework that seeks to create systems that are not only efficient but also essentially waste free.[2] The model in its broadest sense is not limited to industrial design and manufacturing; it can be applied to many aspects of human civilization such as urban environments, buildings, economics and social systems. Introduction[edit] Biological and Technical Cycles Biological and technical cycle Health[edit]
Life-cycle assessment - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - Waterfox
Life-cycle assessment (LCA, also known as life-cycle analysis, ecobalance, and cradle-to-grave analysis)[1] is a technique to assess environmental impacts associated with all the stages of a product's life from-cradle-to-grave (i.e., from raw material extraction through materials processing, manufacture, distribution, use, repair and maintenance, and disposal or recycling). LCAs can help avoid a narrow outlook on environmental concerns by: Compiling an inventory of relevant energy and material inputs and environmental releases;Evaluating the potential impacts associated with identified inputs and releases;Interpreting the results to help make a more informed decision.[2] Life Cycle Assessment Overview Goals and purpose[edit] The goal of LCA is to compare the full range of environmental effects assignable to products and services in order to improve processes, support policy and provide a sound basis for informed decisions.[3] There are two main types of LCA. Four main phases[edit]
Beyond Green Roofs: 15 Vertically Vegetated Buildings | WebEcoist - Waterfox
Vertical gardens bring lush, verdant life to even the coldest and barest of surfaces, both indoors and out. These ‘living walls’ are a big part of the future of green design and technology – they increase interior humidity, purify the air and provide a much-needed touch of nature in spare, angular urban spaces like airports, museums and shopping centers. From skyscraper farms to vertical parks, here are 15 green buildings with stunning vertical greenery, from 6-story elevator shafts to subterranean restaurants. Edificio Consorcio, Santiago, Chile (images via: Plataforma Arquitectura) The Concorcio Building in Santiago, Chile is one of the world’s most eco-friendly office complexes. Bardessono Hotel Vertical Tillandsia Garden (images via: Land + Living) Not all vertical gardens even need soil or irrigation at all. Urban Plant (images via: World Architecture) This architectural design proposal called ‘Urban Plant’ envisions a new way to deal with producing food for urban city dwellers.
