A GHG Metric Methodology to Assess Onsite Buildings Non-Potable Water System for Outdoor Landscape Use

This paper documents a water:energy greenhouse gas (GHG) metric methodology for a decentralized non-potable water system that was developed as part of a Professional Doctorate in Engineering (DEng) research project by the first author. The project identified the need to investigate the challenges in changing the use of potable water to recycled water for landscape irrigation (LI) and for water features (WFs) at a medical facility case study (MFCS) in Abu Dhabi (AD) (the capital city of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The drivers for the research project were based on the need for AD to decrease desalinated potable water as well as reduce the environmental impact and operational costs associated with the processing and use of desalinated water. Thus, the aim of the research discussed and presented in this paper was to measure the impact of using recycled and onsite non-potable water sources at the MFCS to alleviate the use of desalinated potable water and reduce associated energy consumption, operational costs, and GHG emissions (latterly in terms of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e), for LI and WFs. The analysis of three case scenarios at the MFCS compared different approaches to alleviate energy use, costs, and GHG impacts for the use of recycled water in LI and WFs against a baseline. The findings led to a proposed sustainable water conservation and reuse (SWC) strategy, which helped save 50% desalinated potable water for LI use by soil improvement, building water system audits, and alternate non-potable water reuse. The recommendations for this paper are to develop a SWC strategy forming the basis for a water protocol by the competent authority for regional medical facilities including an assessment methodology for building decentralized non-potable water systems to measure their energy, GHG emissions and financial impact

The use of polymer stabilised earth foundations for rammed earth construction

This paper presents a case study as part of a Professional Doctorate research project discussing an ecological approach to housing in South Africa, where polymer stabilised earth foundations have been used to support single story rammed earth walls, in a house in South Africa. Rammed earth was chosen as a construction method for its low embodied energy and thermal mass characteristics. The subsurface strata upon which the house was built comprised of clayey, gravely, sandy soils that have resulted as a result of decomposition of granitic rocks. In order to ensure solid founding conditions the foundations were excavated to a depth of one and a half metres before the excavated material was stabilised and backfilled. The material was stabilised to 600 mm below top of floor level with 2% Portland cement and above that with a 5% polymer bitumen mixture reinforced with horizontal steel reinforcing rods. This foundation avoids the use of reinforced concrete and as a result a significantly smaller carbon footprint, while fulfilling the functional requirements of supporting the building and preventing rising damp. The polymer has, as it major component is bitumen emulsion, provided a waterproof layer. Rammed earth walls of 500 mm thickness were constructed on the foundation up to 4.2 meters in height and initial observations suggest that the foundations are satisfactory with no settlement or cracking detected

Evaluation of a Landscape Irrigation Management Strategy to Support Abu Dhabi Update Its Water-Related Standards

This chapter discusses an landscape irrigation (LI) strategy to enable 100% non-potable water reuse through soil improvement, thereby reducing the environmental impacts. The case study site is a medical facility including 33,257 m2 of landscaping in Abu Dhabi (AD), the capital of the United Arab Emirates. The aim of this research is to increase net-carbon sinks, a pillar of decarbonization, as the basis for a proposed protocol to implement soil improvement techniques for the landscape architecture/agriculture industries. The interventions, based on AD soil and water recycling standards, included three different soil additives in 2016 and 2017, together with the calculation and implementation of a suitable irrigation rate to establish LI demand and reduce a five-month shortfall in air-conditioning condensate water supply. The intervention results show the case study irrigation rate was 50% less after soil improvement than the AD Municipality irrigation standard and that the LI condensate water deficit decreased by 8046 m3, a 42% reduction. The research demonstrates that carbon sinks can be increased through improved soil management; this highlights the need to update AD’s water-related standards to help the city achieve its 2030 target of a 22% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions

Integrated approach to malaria prevention at household level in rural communities in Wakiso district, Uganda: impact evaluation of a pilot project

Background: The integrated approach to malaria prevention, which advocates for the use of several malaria prevention methods at households, is being explored to complement other existing strategies. We implemented a pilot project that promoted the integrated approach to malaria prevention in two rural communities in Wakiso district, Uganda. Objectives: This paper presents the impact evaluation findings of the project carried out 2 years after implementation with a focus on changes in knowledge and practices on malaria prevention. Methods: The project evaluation was cross-sectional in design and employed both quantitative and qualitative data collection methods. The quantitative survey was conducted among 540 households (household heads being participants) while the qualitative component involved 4 focus group discussions among community health workers (CHWs). Chi-square test was used to compare quantitative results from the evaluation with those of the baseline while thematic analysis was employed for qualitative data. Results: There was a statistically significant positive change in malaria prevention practices in the evaluation compared with the baseline regarding indoor residual spraying (χ2 = 7.9, p = 0.019), mosquito screening of windows and ventilators (χ2 = 62.3, p = 0.001), and closing windows of houses before 6:00 pm (χ2 = 60.2, p < 0.001). The CHWs trained during the project were found to be highly knowledgeable on the various malaria prevention methods in the integrated approach, and continued to promote their use in the community. Conclusion: Findings of the impact evaluation give promise that utilisation of integrated malaria prevention can be enhanced if use of multiple methods is promoted in communities

Developing management guidance for Government funded dwelling retrofit schemes to improve occupant quality of life

This paper discusses a methodology for gathering empirical data on occupant views that live in dwellings retrofitted under the Arbed two scheme in wales, UK, and also the views of stakeholder’s that delivered and managed the retrofit scheme between 2012 and 2014. The analysis of this data is being used to develop guidance for managing government funded dwelling retrofit schemes, contributing to occupant quality of life. The methodology used consists of Causal Loop Diagrams, Theory of Change and IDEFØ mapping to systematically map out relationships between activities extracted from the findings of two case studies, demonstrating key issues for investigation. This multi-tool process has been critical within the process of developing key clusters. The key clusters are fed into the IDEFØ mapping system, from analysing the complex tacit knowledge data in order to produce guidance documents to be used in government funded residential retrofit schemes. This paper will be useful for academics, landlords of housing stock undergoing retrofit measures, scheme managers undertaking large scale residential energy and retrofit upgrades, and government agencies funding retrofit upgrades to dwellings

Ethnic variation in outcome of people hospitalised during the first COVID-19 epidemic wave in Wales (UK):an analysis of national surveillance data using Onomap, a name-based ethnicity classification tool

Objective To identify ethnic differences in proportion positive for SARS-CoV-2, and proportion hospitalised, proportion admitted to intensive care and proportion died in hospital with COVID-19 during the first epidemic wave in Wales.Design Descriptive analysis of 76 503 SARS-CoV-2 tests carried out in Wales to 31 May 2020. Cohort study of 4046 individuals hospitalised with confirmed COVID-19 between 1 March and 31 May. In both analyses, ethnicity was assigned using a name-based classifier.Setting Wales (UK).Primary and secondary outcomes Admission to an intensive care unit following hospitalisation with a positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR test. Death within 28 days of a positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR test.Results Using a name-based ethnicity classifier, we found a higher proportion of black, Asian and ethnic minority people tested for SARS-CoV-2 by PCR tested positive, compared with those classified as white. Hospitalised black, Asian and minority ethnic cases were younger (median age 53 compared with 76 years; p&lt;0.01) and more likely to be admitted to intensive care. Bangladeshi (adjusted OR (aOR): 9.80, 95% CI 1.21 to 79.40) and ‘white – other than British or Irish’ (aOR: 1.99, 95% CI 1.15 to 3.44) ethnic groups were most likely to be admitted to intensive care unit. In Wales, older age (aOR for over 70 years: 10.29, 95% CI 6.78 to 15.64) and male gender (aOR: 1.38, 95% CI 1.19 to 1.59), but not ethnicity, were associated with death in hospitalised patients.Conclusions This study adds to the growing evidence that ethnic minorities are disproportionately affected by COVID-19. During the first COVID-19 epidemic wave in Wales, although ethnic minority populations were less likely to be tested and less likely to be hospitalised, those that did attend hospital were younger and more likely to be admitted to intensive care. Primary, secondary and tertiary COVID-19 prevention should target ethnic minority communities in Wales

Integrated approach to malaria prevention at household level in rural communities in Wakiso district, Uganda: impact evaluation of a pilot project

Background: The integrated approach to malaria prevention, which advocates for the use of several malaria prevention methods at households, is being explored to complement other existing strategies. We implemented a pilot project that promoted the integrated approach to malaria prevention in two rural communities in Wakiso district, Uganda. Objectives: This paper presents the impact evaluation findings of the project carried out 2 years after implementation with a focus on changes in knowledge and practices on malaria prevention. Methods: The project evaluation was cross-sectional in design and employed both quantitative and qualitative data collection methods. The quantitative survey was conducted among 540 households (household heads being participants) while the qualitative component involved 4 focus group discussions among community health workers (CHWs). Chi-square test was used to compare quantitative results from the evaluation with those of the baseline while thematic analysis was employed for qualitative data. Results: There was a statistically significant positive change in malaria prevention practices in the evaluation compared with the baseline regarding indoor residual spraying (\u3c72 = 7.9, p = 0.019), mosquito screening of windows and ventilators (\u3c72 = 62.3, p = 0.001), and closing windows of houses before 6:00 pm (\u3c72 = 60.2, p &lt; 0.001). The CHWs trained during the project were found to be highly knowledgeable on the various malaria prevention methods in the integrated approach, and continued to promote their use in the community. Conclusion: Findings of the impact evaluation give promise that utilisation of integrated malaria prevention can be enhanced if use of multiple methods is promoted in communities