The Scholars\u27 Initiative

The Scholars’ Initiative addresses the need to break the cycle of nationalist discourse that perpetuates divisions between ethnic groups by (1) creating a common narrative that discredits proprietary myths, while validating “inconvenient facts” that must be acknowledged before mutual recognition and reconciliation can begin, and (2) enlisting regional media and political leaders to acknowledge (and hopefully) endorse) the existence of a common account co-authored by their own scholars

Life cycle assessment interpretation and improvement of the Sicilian artichokes production

This paper presents the results obtained from the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of the production of Sicilian artichokes (Cynara scolymus) with the aim of reducing impacts, interpreting the results, suggesting possible improvements and enriching the sustainability knowledge already existing in the agro food field. Artichokes represent one of the excellent Italian agricultural products even if still not well-known and not appreciated despite their nutritional and functional quality. According to FAOSTAT (2013) data, Italy is the world leader in artichokes production, grown mainly in the central and southern regions of Italy, in particular in Sicily, Apulia and Sardinia. In particular, among all the Italian regions, Sicily, which is highly suited for this type of cultivation, is ranked first in terms of quantity produced: the reason for this lies in the excellent combination of climate and geological conformation of the soils. The study was conducted in accordance with the ISO standards 14040 and 14044 (2006), with the functional unit of 1 ha of land and, as the system boundaries being the phases of: pre-implantation preparation of the field; artichoke implantation; and harvesting. The most impacting phases are those related with the consumption of fuel and fertilizers as well as with the use of the PVC pipes for irrigation. Possible improvements could be the use of methanol instead of the naphtha (reduction of the total damage of about 13%) and the possibility of recycling the PVC pipes once the field is dismantled (furthermore reduction of the damage of about 3%)

Environmental assessment of the citrus fruit production in Sicily using LCA

Citrus production is one of the most important sectors of the Sicilian agriculture. In particular, Sicilian orange production is of the best quality producing mainly pigmented or blood oranges (cvv. Tarocco, Moro and Sanguinello). No other region in the Mediterranean area or on the American Continent produces, on a large scale, blood oranges

The Transitional Empire

The Habsburg monarchy was conceived in 1527 as a borderland when the Ottoman march into the Pannonian plain united the Austrian, Bohemian and Hungarian lands. The latter’s vulnerability encouraged a consensual relationship between the Habsburg court and domestic elites that positioned Hungary’s political system between “western” European absolutism and the anarchical “royal republicanism” of Poland. The Habsburg claim to the entire kingdom helped sustain the vision of a united patrimony, ultimately realized following the triumph over the Ottomans and definitively confirmed in 1867. The combination of Hungary’s borderline character and competing jurisdictions contributed to political instability during the 16th and 17th centuries. Only after the Habsburgs had pushed the Ottomans from the Hungarian plain, did the frontier begin a more conventional evolution. In a move that was a clear break with previous frontier arrangements, the Habsburgs and Ottomans clearly separated their territorial jurisdiction by drawing and demarcating the boundary that pacified the frontier regime more in keeping with general developments in Europe. Outer borders gradually assumed new functions. The permanent sanitary cordon that the Hasburgs established in 1728 along its entire length remained an unparalleled public health institution, effectively blocking the spread of plague from the Ottoman Balkans. In addition, it served as a migration control institution, signaling the ongoing transition to a modern international frontier, which would have been unimaginable without its mobility control function. This spacial transformation encouraged the kingdom’s recovery and re-population, as well as its transition from a “borderland” into the “heart of Europe”. The simultaneous colonization of Hungary from the west and southeast stimulated its economic and demographic recovery, while compounding its linguistic and ethnic diversity, particularly in border areas, thereby contributing to its dissolution in the age of nationalism

LCA as a tool for the environmental assessment of a pre-cast concrete shed : part 1 : Input data inventory analysis

The buildings and construction sector is one the most important economic sectors all over the world but, at the same time, one of the most pollutant emitting and resource demanding. This study focuses on the analysis of the entire main input inventory data used for assessing the environmental impacts linked to the life cycle of a pre-cast concrete shed: great importance was given to the use of on-site collected specific data which was carefully verified for assuring its quality and reliability. The study was conducted in accordance with the ISO standards 14040 and 14044 (2006), with the aim of qualifying and quantifying the resources, the materials and the energy demand for the shed construction, use and end of life phases. The study results show that for the four phases taken into account in the system boundaries (production of the raw materials, construction of the shed, use of the shed and end-of-life of the shed) the most inventories are in the shed construction phase because of the huge amount of materials, fuels and resources such as concrete, steel, electrical energy and water. Other inventories are related: to the use phase, for the huge consumption of electrical energy for indoor heating and cooling; to the maintenance phase, for the number of units, such as fixtures and power plant, which are to be replaced; and to the end-of-life phase for the number of data needed for modelling the shed disassembly

The use of basalt aggregates in the production of concrete for the prefabrication industry: environmental impact assessment, interpretation and improvement

This study aims at environmentally assessing the most significant input and output flows related to the production of concrete using basalt aggregates. For this purpose, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was applied according to the ISO 14040:2006 and 14044:2006. All data used were collected on site based on observations during site visits, review of documents and interviews with technical personnel and management. They were processed by using SimaPro 7.3.3, accessing the Ecoinvent v.2.2 database and using the Impact 2002þ method. The LCIA results show that the most impacting phase is the production of the basalt aggregates, with “Human Health” being the most affected damage category because of the emissions to air, of 2.7 kg of particulates (grain size <2.5 mm). In addition to this, the concrete production causes, mainly, the emission, in air, of 465 kg of Carbon Dioxide and the consumption of 37.37 kg of crude oil, per cubic metre of concrete, affecting, the damage categories “Climate Change” and “Resources” also. Regarding “Ecosystem Quality”, the occurred damage is due to the emission to air, of 29.6 g of Aluminium and of 251 mg of Zinc into the soil per cubic metre of concrete. Based on the obtained results, the increase of the amount of water used for particulates removal during the basalt extraction phase was assessed. Furthermore, the alternative use of limestone aggregates was assessed from both technical and environmental perspectives. The analysis developed highlighted a total damage decrease of 67%

Recycled-PET fibre based panels for building thermal insulation : environmental impact and improvement potential assessment for a greener production

A screening of Life Cycle Assessment for the evaluation of the damage arising from the production of 1 kg of recycled Polyethylene Terephthalate (RPET) fibre-based panel for building heat insulation was carried out according to the ISO 14040:2006 and 14044:2006. All data used were collected on site based on observations during site visits, review of documents and interviews with technical personnel and management. These data were processed by using SimaPro 7.3.3, accessing the Ecoinvent v.2.2 database and using the Impact 2002+ method. The study showed damage to be equal to 0.000299 points mostly due to the: 1) PET thermo-bonding fibre supply fromChina bymeans of a freight-equipped intercontinental aircraft; 2) production of bottle-grade granulate PET; 3) mediumvoltage electricity consumption during the manufacturing of RPET fibre panel. Itwas also highlighted that there were environmental benefits due to recycling through mainly avoiding significant emissions and reduced resource consumption. An improvement assessment was carried out to find solutions aimed at reducing the damage coming from the most impacting phases. Furthermore, the environmental impacts due to the production of the analysed RPET fibre-based panelwere compared to other materials with the same insulating function, such as polystyrene foam, rockwool and cork slab. Finally, the environmental benefits of the recycling of PE

Energy and environmental assessment of industrial hemp for building applications : a review

Buildings significantly contribute to global environmental pollution due to consumption of both natural and primary-energy resources as well as to emission of carbon dioxide in their life-cycles. Therefore, to enable construction of more sustainable buildings, it is important and urgent that new low-environmental impact materials are developed, mainly by reducing the use of non-renewable resources. In this regard, the recent advances in the development of natural fibres represent a significant opportunity to produce improved-materials and energy from renewable resources. For this purpose, assessments of energy and environmental performances are needed to support both the design and the production of the aforementioned materials so as to identify solutions for enhanced contribution to global sustainability. In this context, this study presented a review of the papers published so far that have focussed upon the assessment of the environmental and energy impacts related to the use of hemp-based materials for building applications. The reviewed studies aimed at testing and improving hygro-thermal properties and eco-friendliness of these materials so as to enable reduction of both embodied and operational energy, whilst preserving both indoor air quality and comfort. Doing so would enable limiting the use of energy resources and, as a consequence, their impacts to human health and to the environment, so contributing to making buildings healthier and more environmentally sustainable throughout their life-cycles. Based upon the findings of the studies reviewed these materials have strengths and weaknesses and their use is strictly dependent on the given structural situation and on specific requirements of thermal, moisture, fire and sound protection. In particular, all studies concluded that the main strength in the use of hemp-based materials comes from the production phase because of the “green” origin of these materials, mainly associated with the carbon sequestration during plantation growth