The effects of indoor and outdoor air pollutants on workers’ productivity in office building

In the idal filter and the other by a traditional one. Two methods were applied to evaluate and compare those scenarios; the Cost Benefit Analysis and the Monte Carlo Simulation. From a financial point of view, the investment and management costs of the filters were considered. Instead, the annual benefits included increasing productivity and reducing days of absence from work due to illness. The results confirmed the energy and socioeconomic efficiency of the antibacterial filter; it can be considered a solution to achieve the best income. 1 present-day society, people spend about 80% of their time inside buildings, and specifically 30-40% in workplaces. From this evidence, the indoor environmental quality needs to be investigated, and in particular, the possible sources of indoor-outdoor pollutants and their impact on the human health, comfort and productivity. First, through an examination of the indoor sources of pollution, the research analysed the main substances that affect indoor air quality in an office. Second, the pollution of external origin and its effects on the performance of employees were taken into consideration. Two scenarios were designed for a Heating Ventilation Air Conditioning (HVAC) system in an office building; one by the installation of a bio

Effects on energy savings and occupant health of an antibacterial filter

The outdoor air pollution and the insufficient hygiene of HVAC systems often result in low indoor air quality. The World Health Organization estimated that 50% of indoor biological contamination comes from the air-handling system; the air filters are sources of pollution due to the accumulation and proliferation of bacteria on the surface. Furthermore, the presence of indoor contaminants can have a negative impact on the health and well-being of the occupants, who spend about 80% of their time indoors. To guarantee a better indoor air quality and a lower health risks, a new concept of biocidal filtration has been introduced. The present paper shows the results of a literature review aimed at exploring how to integrate the health effects on building occupants into the economic benefits of an antibacterial filter. The research focuses on costs and benefits produced by the application of an antibacterial filter, comparing it with a traditional one. Two methods were applied for the assessment; the Cost Benefit Analysis and the Monte Carlo Simulation. The results suggested the goodness of the economic investment on biocidal filter and showed how it allows to achieve benefits in term of energy savings and health for the different analysed case studie

Rigorous monitoring is necessary to guide food system transformation in the countdown to the 2030 global goals

Food systems that support healthy diets in sustainable, resilient, just, and equitable ways can engender progress in eradicating poverty and malnutrition; protecting human rights; and restoring natural resources. Food system activities have contributed to great gains for humanity but have also led to significant challenges, including hunger, poor diet quality, inequity, and threats to nature. While it is recognized that food systems are central to multiple global commitments and goals, including the Sustainable Development Goals, current trajectories are not aligned to meet these objectives. As mounting crises further stress food systems, the consequences of inaction are clear. The goal of food system transformation is to generate a future where all people have access to healthy diets, which are produced in sustainable and resilient ways that restore nature and deliver just, equitable livelihoods. A rigorous, science-based monitoring framework can support evidence-based policymaking and the work of those who hold key actors accountable in this transformation process. Monitoring can illustrate current performance, facilitate comparisons across geographies and over time, and track progress. We propose a framework centered around five thematic areas related to (1) diets, nutrition, and health; (2) environment and climate; and (3) livelihoods, poverty, and equity; (4) governance; and (5) resilience and sustainability. We hope to call attention to the need to monitor food systems globally to inform decisions and support accountability for better governance of food systems as part of the transformation process. Transformation is possible in the next decade, but rigorous evidence is needed in the countdown to the 2030 SDG global goals

The state of food systems worldwide in the countdown to 2030

This Analysis presents a recently developed food system indicator framework and holistic monitoring architecture to track food system transformation towards global development, health and sustainability goals. Five themes are considered: (1) diets, nutrition and health; (2) environment, natural resources and production; (3) livelihoods, poverty and equity; (4) governance; and (5) resilience. Each theme is divided into three to five indicator domains, and indicators were selected to reflect each domain through a consultative process. In total, 50 indicators were selected, with at least one indicator available for every domain. Harmonized data of these 50 indicators provide a baseline assessment of the world’s food systems. We show that every country can claim positive outcomes in some parts of food systems, but none are among the highest ranked across all domains. Furthermore, some indicators are independent of national income, and each highlights a specific aspiration for healthy, sustainable and just food systems. The Food Systems Countdown Initiative will track food systems annually to U. Rashid Sumaila, Maximo Torero Cullen, Francesco N. Tubiello, Jose-Luis Vivero-Pol, Patrick Webb & Keith Wieb

Measuring and Modeling Food Losses

Within the context of Sustainable Development Goals, progress towards Target 12.3 can be measured and monitored with the Food Loss Index. A major challenge is the lack of data, which dictated many methodology decisions. Therefore, the objective of this work is to present a possible improvement to the modeling approach used by the Food and Agricultural Organization in estimating the annual percentage of food losses by country and commodity. Our proposal combines robust statistical techniques with the strict adherence to the rules of the official statistics. In particular, the case study focuses on cereal crops, which currently have the highest (yet incomplete) data coverage and allow for more ambitious modeling choices. Cereal data is available in 66 countries and 14 different cereal commodities from 1991 to 2014. We use the annual food loss as response variable, expressed as percentage over production, by country and cereal commodity. The estimation work is twofold: it aims at selecting the most important factors explaining losses worldwide, comparing two Bayesian model selection approaches, and then at predicting losses with a Beta regression model in a fully Bayesian framework

METHODOLOGICAL PROPOSAL FOR MONITORING SDG TARGET 12.3. SUB-INDICATOR 12.3.1.A THE FOOD LOSS INDEX DESIGN, DATA COLLECTION METHODS AND CHALLENGES

The Sustainable Development target 12.3 states “By 2030, to halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses.” The defined target distinguishes the supply side of the food chain from the retail and consumption stages, and sets different objectives: an unspecified reduction of food losses and a 50% reduction of food waste. The measurement methods differ greatly for the production and consumption stages and methodological development has taken two separate paths accordingly. For these reasons, the custodian agencies, FAO and UNEP, recommend that an additional sub-indicator 12.3.1.b on Food Waste be formally considered for the 2020 comprehensive review of the Global Indicator Framework. By acknowledging that an additional sub-indicator can only be approved in 2020, FAO and UNEP recommend that in the meanwhile the target be monitored with two separate sub-indicators 12.3.1.a Food Loss Index and 12.3.1.b Food Waste Index and that these be considered for upgrade separately. In this light, the FAO developed a Food Loss Index (FLI) monitoring Food Losses on a global level for a basket of key commodities in the food systems, including crops, livestock, and fisheries products. The index focuses on the supply stages of food chains and measures changes in percentage losses over time. The purpose of the index is to allow for policy makers to look at the positive and negative trends in food loss compared to a baseline year, in order to improve the food supply system efficiency against food losses. This paper delves into the rationale of the index design and then presents the various elements of the methodology. The paper starts with the definitional framework and scope of the index, it illustrates the rationale for estimating losses as the percentage of food quantities removed from the supply chain. It illustrates the commodities basket, their selection criteria, the compilation of the index weights and the steps for calculating the index. The final section of the paper summarizes FAO’s two pronged approach to food loss data. The long-term approach is to support countries in collecting food loss data using the Global Strategy Guidelines and recommendations to develop loss surveys along the value chain. The second approach, applicable in the short term, is to assist countries in estimating food losses using model-based estimates within the Food Balance Sheets framework to fill the data gaps. For this, a high level description of the loss imputation model developed by FAO and used at international level will be provided

Energy and Economic Evaluation of Thermal Comfort. The Case Study of the Hotel Residence L’Orologio

Nowadays, there is a need for reducing building’s energy consumption while preserving a comfortable and healthy indoor environment. After a detailed analysis of the literature in the domain of indoor environmental quality, occupant well-being, health and productivity, the paper explores the relationships between energy retrofit, interventions, indoor comfort and economic benefits and it proposes a real application concerning the case study of a hotel in Turin (Italy). The simulation was carried out through a Cost-Benefit Analysis that allowed to monetize and optimize the economic benefits, in terms of clients’ thermal comfort and employees’ productivity, while preserving the heating energy costs

The state of food systems worldwide in the countdown to 2030

This Analysis presents a recently developed food system indicator framework and holistic monitoring architecture to track food system transformation towards global development, health and sustainability goals. Five themes are considered: (1) diets, nutrition and health; (2) environment, natural resources and production; (3) livelihoods, poverty and equity; (4) governance; and (5) resilience. Each theme is divided into three to five indicator domains, and indicators were selected to reflect each domain through a consultative process. In total, 50 indicators were selected, with at least one indicator available for every domain. Harmonized data of these 50 indicators provide a baseline assessment of the world’s food systems. We show that every country can claim positive outcomes in some parts of food systems, but none are among the highest ranked across all domains. Furthermore, some indicators are independent of