Strategic sustainable development in the UK construction industry, through the Framework of Strategic Sustainable Development, using Building Information Modelling

The UK Government has set out ambitious plans for all new domestic and commercial buildings to be zero carbon rated by 2016 and 2020 respectively. These are some of the most progressive environmental targets for the built environment in the western world. There are also sustainability principles (SP) that need to be addressed by the UK construction industry, particularly negative impacts such as waste and pollution. Currently, 100 million tonnes of construction waste, including 13 million tonnes of unused materials, is generated each year, with only 20% currently capable of being recycled. The majority of this waste ends up in landfill, contributing to further pollution of the biosphere. The literature suggests that these negative impacts result from a variety of causes, including ineffective leadership, ingrained cultures, outdated technologies and poor logistics. There are a number of innovative projects within the UK, particularly at a local level, that pose the question as to whether bottom up approaches may be more successful than top down policies, as set by national and local government. This paper presents a case study demonstrating the former approach within the construction industry. Research and consultancy has been undertaken collaboratively between industry, academia and professional practice in the production of 15 individually designed sustainable dwellings in the North East of England. This project has employed Building Information Modelling (BIM) as a new collaborative working platform, aligned to the Modern Method of Construction (MMC). By situating this inquiry within an authentic case study it has highlighted currently ineffective strategies, policies and leadership which have prevented full exploitation of the potential of BIM and MMC towards sustainable production. This inquiry supports the integration of the Framework of Sustainable Strategic Development (FSSD) into construction procurement, as a method for implementing bottom up leadership in a value driven project

Barriers to evidence use for sustainability: Insights from pesticide policy and practice.

Calls for supporting sustainability through more and better research rest on an incomplete understanding of scientific evidence use. We argue that a variety of barriers to a transformative impact of evidence arises from diverse actor motivations within different stages of evidence use. We abductively specify this variety in policy and practice arenas for three actor motivations (truth-seeking, sense-making, and utility-maximizing) and five stages (evidence production, uptake, influence on decisions, effects on sustainability outcomes, and feedback from outcome evaluations). Our interdisciplinary synthesis focuses on the sustainability challenge of reducing environmental and human health risks of agricultural pesticides. It identifies barriers resulting from (1) truth-seekers' desire to reduce uncertainty that is complicated by evidence gaps, (2) sense-makers' evidence needs that differ from the type of evidence available, and (3) utility-maximizers' interests that guide strategic evidence use. We outline context-specific research-policy-practice measures to increase evidence use for sustainable transformation in pesticides and beyond

Barriers to evidence use for sustainability: Insights from pesticide policy and practice

Calls for supporting sustainability through more and better research rest on an incomplete understanding of scientific evidence use. We argue that a variety of barriers to a transformative impact of evidence arises from diverse actor motivations within different stages of evidence use. We abductively specify this variety in policy and practice arenas for three actor motivations (truth-seeking, sense-making, and utility-maximizing) and five stages (evidence production, uptake, influence on decisions, effects on sustainability outcomes, and feedback from outcome evaluations). Our interdisciplinary synthesis focuses on the sustainability challenge of reducing environmental and human health risks of agricultural pesticides. It identifies barriers resulting from (1) truth-seekers’ desire to reduce uncertainty that is complicated by evidence gaps, (2) sense-makers’ evidence needs that differ from the type of evidence available, and (3) utility-maximizers’ interests that guide strategic evidence use. We outline context-specific research–policy–practice measures to increase evidence use for sustainable transformation in pesticides and beyond

End-of-life care for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people

There is little understanding in Australia of the special issues faced by gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people in end-of-life care and advance care planning. This exploratory study aimed to achieve an initial understanding of these issues to inform the development of a larger study involving gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender service users. Consultations were carried out with 19 service providers and 6 gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community members in the Northern Rivers and metropolitan Sydney areas of New South Wales, Australia. Participants reported barriers to health care service access due to discrimination, inappropriate care and lack of knowledge among both consumers and health care workers of legal rights at the end of life. While advance care planning can assist with improving end-of-life care, respondents reported a number of obstacles. These included a lack of knowledge and absence of perceived need and the additional obstacle of social isolation, leading to difficulties identifying alternative decision-makers. The study highlighted the need for education for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people and health and aged care providers on existing legal provisions to prevent discrimination in end-of-life care

Hawaii Geothermal Resource Assessment Program, direct heat resource assessment interim report, February 1, 1979 to January 31, 1980

During 1979 reconnaissance field surveys were conducted on the islands of Hawaii, Maui, and Oahu with the objective of confirming groundwater chemical data and geophysical data compiled during the preliminary regional assessment of Phase I of the Direct Heat Resource Assessment Program. The exploration techniques applied include (1) groundwater chemistry, (2) mercury-radon surveys, (3) isotopic composition of groundwaters, (4) time domain electromagnetics, and (5) Schlumberger resistivity surveys. The results of these surveys can be classified as follows: (1) Hawaii: Kailua-Kona, strong geochemical anomalies; Kawaihae, strong geophysical anomalies, moderate to strong geochemical anomalies; Hualalai northwest rift, weak geochemical and moderate geophysical anomalies; South Point, moderate to weak geophysical anomalies; Hualalai southeast rift, weak geophysical anomalies; Keaau, weak geophysical and geochemical anomalies; (2) Maui: Haiku-Paia, strong geochemical anomalies; Olowalu-Ukamehame canyons, moderate to strong geochemical and geophysical anomalies; Lahaina, weak geochemical and geophysical anomalies; (3) Oahu: Lualualei, moderate to strong geochemical and geophysical anomalies; Waimanalo-Maunawili, insufficient data.Work performed under Contract DE-AS03-ET7927023

Preliminary geothermal assessment surveys for the State of Hawaii

Transactions, Geothermal Resources Council, Volume 4"The Geothermal Resource Assessment Program of the Hawaii Institute of Geophysics has conducted a series of geochemical and geophysical surveys in ten separate locations within the State of Hawaii in an effort to identify and assess potential geothermal areas throughout the state. The techniques applied include groundwater chemistry and temperatures, soil mercury surveys, ground radon emanometry, time-domain electromagnetic surveys and Schlumberger resistivity soundings. Although geochemical and geophysical anomalies were identified in nearly all the survey sites, those areas which show most promise, based on presently available data, for a geothermal resource are as follows: Puna, Kailua Kona, and Kawaihae on the island of Hawaii; Haiku-Paia and Olowalu-Ukumehame canyons on Maui; and Lualualei Valley on Oahu. Further surveys are planned for most of these areas in order to further define the nature of the thermal resource present.

Barriers to evidence use for sustainability: Insights from pesticide policy and practice

Calls for supporting sustainability through more and better research rest on an incomplete understanding of scientific evidence use. We argue that a variety of barriers to a transformative impact of evidence arises from diverse actor motivations within different stages of evidence use. We abductively specify this variety in policy and practice arenas for three actor motivations (truth-seeking, sense-making, and utility-maximizing) and five stages (evidence production, uptake, influence on decisions, effects on sustainability outcomes, and feedback from outcome evaluations). Our interdisciplinary synthesis focuses on the sustainability challenge of reducing environmental and human health risks of agricultural pesticides. It identifies barriers resulting from (1) truth-seekers’ desire to reduce uncertainty that is complicated by evidence gaps, (2) sense-makers’ evidence needs that differ from the type of evidence available, and (3) utility-maximizers’ interests that guide strategic evidence use. We outline context-specific research–policy–practice measures to increase evidence use for sustainable transformation in pesticides and beyond.ISSN:0044-7447ISSN:1654-720