Feasibility investigation of the Giromill for generation of electrical power. Volume I. Executive summary. Final report, April 1975--April 1976

The feasibility of the Giromill for the cost effective production of electrical energy is studied. Twenty-one different Giromill configurations covering three sizes of Giromill systems (120, 500 and 1500 kW) were analyzed, varying such parameters as rotor solidity, rotor aspect ratio, rated wind velocity, and number of rotor blades. The Giromill system analysis employed the same ground rules being used for conventional windmill analyses to facilitate comparisons between these systems. The results indicate that a Giromill is a very efficient device, and coupled with its relatively simple construction appears quite cost effective when compared to conventional windmills

Cities, social cohesion and the environment: towards a future research agenda

It will be argued in this paper that the problematic of social cohesion is also one of socio-ecological cohesion whereby the urbanisation of nature and its socio-environmentally enabling and disabling conditions are key processes. By viewing the contradictions of the urbanisation process as intrinsically socio-ecological ones, the terrain of social cohesion is shifted both epistemologically and politically. The paper critically examines three contemporary schools of thought that consider in different ways the relationship between cities, social cohesion and the environment. It begins with a critical examination of the notion of urban sustainability. The paper will then move on to consider two approaches that emphasise issues of (in)equality and (in)justice in the urban environment, those of environmental justice and urban political ecology. The final part of the paper pinpoints four areas of research that urban researchers must examine if we are to understand more fully—and act more politically on—the nexus between cities, social cohesion and the environment

Community engagement or community action: choosing not to play the game

Environment movement organisations in Australia have experienced a frustrating honeymoon with deliberative governance. During the last three decades, conservationists have had increasing access to decision-making processes and forums. Since the 1980s, environmental decisions have generally involved public consultation and community engagement. Activist participants in these processes have tended, however, to over-estimate their potential to achieve conservation objectives through deliberative governance. And in many instances, environmental advocates have been coopted, institutionalised and neutralised. This case study of the major and successful campaign to control widespread landclearing in Queensland, Australia, examines failed community engagement. By rejecting both hierarchical, centralised decision-making and the inadequate engagement practices proposed by the state, activist groups mobilised community opinion and action to bring about an historic conservation win

Human behavior and sustainability

Sustainability demands changes in human behavior. To this end, priority areas include reforming formal institutions, strengthening the institutions of civil society, improving citizen engagement, curbing consumption and population growth, addressing social justice issues, and reflecting on value and belief systems. We review existing knowledge across these areas and conclude that the global sustainability deficit is not primarily the result of a lack of academic knowledge. Rather, unsustainable behaviors result from a vicious cycle, where traditional market and state institutions reinforce disincentives for more sustainable behaviors while, at the same time, the institutions of civil society lack momentum to effectively promote fundamental reforms of those institutions. Achieving more sustainable behaviors requires this cycle to be broken. We call on readers to contribute to social change through involvement in initiatives like the Ecological Society of America's Earth Stewardship Initiative or the nascent Millennium Alliance for Humanity & the Biosphere