Eco-design in the framework of integrated product policy (PPI)

The constant increase of product consumption in Europe is creating global impacts on the environment that originate from the stages of its life cycle. For this reason, the European Union is trying to encourage eco-products, given that it has been detected that the main decisions on environmental effects are made in the design stage. The strategic document elaborated by the European Commission in order to favour this change is called The Green book on IPP, which aims to promote eco-design, buying green products and internalising environmental costs. The IPP will allow the policies on the improvement of environmental products to be harmonised as well as helping to put the concept of sustainable development into practise

El ecodiseño en el marco de la política de productos integrada (PPI)

El aumento constante del consumo de productos en Europa está generando impactos ambientales globales procedentes de las etapas de su ciclo de vida. Por este motivo la UE quiere favorecer los ecoproductos, ya que se ha detectado que las principales decisiones de los efectos ambientales se adoptan en la etapa del diseño. El documento estratégico de la Comisión Europea para favorecer este cambio es el Libro verde de la PPI, que pretendre promocionar el ecodiseño, la compra verde y la internalización de los costes ambientales. La PPI permitirá una armonización de las políticas sobre mejora ambiental de productos y ayudará a poner en práctica el concepto de desarrollo sostenible

L'ecodisseny en el marc de la política de productes integrada (PPI)

L'augment constant del consum de productes a Europa està generant impactes ambientals globals procedents de les etapes del seu cicle de vida. És per aquest motiu que la UE vol afavorir els ecoproductes, ja que s'ha detectat que les principals decisions dels efectes ambientals s'adopten en l'etapa de disseny. El document estratègic de la Comissió Europea per afavorir aquest canvi és el llibre verd del PPI, que pretén promocionar l'ecodisseny, la compra verda i la internalització dels costos ambientals. La PPI permetrà una harmonització de les polítiques sobre millora ambiental de productes i ajudarà a posar en pràctica el concepte de desenvolupament sostenible

Ecodiseño estrategia clave para la ecoinnovación de productos y servicios

El ecodiseño se puede definir: “acciones orientadas a la mejora ambiental del producto en la etapa inicial de diseño, mediante la mejora de la función, selección de materiales menos impactantes, aplicación de procesos alternativos, mejora en el transporte y en el uso, y minimización de los impactos en la etapa final de tratamiento”. (RIERADEVALL, 1999. Para favorecer su implantación es necesario un cambio de visión hacia el producto-sistema, la creación de un equipo interdisciplinar formado por asesores externos de ecodiseño (ambientó logos, diseñadores) y representantes de los departamentos de la empresa (marketing, producción, logística, dirección...) y desarrollo de proyectos de mejora del producto mediante el uso de herramientas ambientales cualitativas (VEA valoración estratégica ambiental) y/ o cuantitativas (ACV)

Ecodiseño estrategia clave para la ecoinnovación de productos y servicios

Sin resume

Ecodiseño estrategia clave para la ecoinnovación de productos y servicios

Sin resume

Environmental performance of rainwater harvesting strategies in Mediterranean buildings

Purpose: The rapid urbanization and the constant expansion of urban areas during the last decades have locally led to increasing water shortage. Rainwater harvesting (RWH) systems have the potential to be an important contributor to urban water self-sufficiency. The goal of this study was to select an environmentally optimal RWH strategy in newly constructed residential buildings linked to rainwater demand for laundry under Mediterranean climatic conditions, without accounting for water from the mains. Methods: Different strategies were environmentally assessed for the design and use of RWH infrastructures in residential apartment blocks in Mediterranean climates. The harvested rainwater was used for laundry in all strategies. These strategies accounted for (i) tank location (i.e., tank distributed over the roof and underground tank), (ii) building height considering the number of stories (i.e., 6, 9, 12, and 15), and (iii) distribution strategy (i.e., shared laundry, supply to the nearest apartments, and distribution throughout the building). The RWH systems consisted of the catchment, storage, and distribution stages, and the structural and hydraulic calculations were based on Mediterranean conditions. The quantification of the environmental performance of each strategy (e.g., CO2eq. emissions) was performed in accordance with the life cycle assessment methodology. Results and discussion: According to the environmental assessment, the tank location and distribution strategy chosen were the most important variables in the optimization of RWH systems. Roof tank strategies present fewer impacts than their underground tank equivalents because they enhance energy and material savings, and their reinforcement requirements can be accounted for within the safety factors of the building structure without the tank. Among roof tanks and depending on the height, a distribution strategy that concentrates demand in a laundry room was the preferable option, resulting in reductions from 25 to 54 % in most of the selected impact categories compared to distribution throughout the building. Conclusions: These results may set new urban planning standards for the design and construction of buildings from the perspective of sustainable water management. In this sense, a behavioral change regarding demand should be promoted in compact, dense urban settlements.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Comportamiento térmico de un invernadero integrado en azotea en una ciudad mediterránea : resultados preliminares

La agricultura urbana (AU) es considerada una actividad esencial para el desarrollo de las ciudades debido a que promueve la producción local, ayuda a reducir los impactos ambientales del transporte y del embalaje de alimentos y, sobre todo, provee seguridad alimentaria a las poblaciones urbanas y contribuye a la cohesión social. Entre las diversas tipologías en las que se presenta la AU, se encuentran los invernaderos implementados en las azoteas de edificios urbanos (RTG’s, Rooftop Greenhouses), utilizando superficies frecuentemente desaprovechadas y entre ellos los invernaderos integrados en las azoteas (i-RTGs, Integrated Rooftop Greenhouses) que reutilizan los flujos residuales de energía, agua y gases del invernadero o del edificio para mejorar las condiciones ambientales en ambos espacios. Existen numerosos ejemplos de RTG’s con un enfoque comercial y social en E.U.A, Canadá y Japón, en este sentido pero con un enfoque académico el invernadero integrado construido en la azotea del edificio ICTA-ICP (UAB, Barcelona, España, ICTA i-RTG), analiza desde un punto de vista de la sostenibilidad el sistema de producción agrícola en zonas urbanas del Mediterráneo a través de su interconexión con el resto del edificio. El ICTA i-RTG reutiliza el calor residual del edificio, las concentraciones de CO2 y el agua pluvial para reducir sus impactos ambientales. En el marco del proyecto Fertilecity, esta contribución expone los resultados preliminares del comportamiento térmico-energético del ICTA i-RTG durante el año del 2015 en el clima mediterráneo. Para la caracterización del comportamiento energético, las condiciones interiores y exteriores son monitoreadas en términos de temperatura, humedad, radiación solar y otras variables climáticas, mediante diversas sondas e instrumentos uniformemente distribuidos dentro y fuera del edificio. Los resultados preliminares indican que durante el invierno el calor residual del edificio ayuda a mantener las condiciones ideales de temperatura para la productividad del sistema de horticultura, presentando una diferencia promedio de 10 ºC en comparación con las temperaturas registradas fuera del edificio y en invernaderos convencionales. Durante la primavera y el otoño se presentan las condiciones más estables para el cultivo y el verano representa un reto debido a las altas temperaturas exteriores que influyen en el edificio y el invernadero. Estos resultados indican que existe una mejora térmica en relación a los invernaderos convencionales principalmente en invierno y se espera en un futuro cuantificar la minimización del consumo de energía no renovable directa en el ICTA-iRTG.Postprint (published version

Feasibility assessment of rooftop greenhouses in Latin America. The case study of a social neighborhood in Quito, Ecuador

Today, food security has a critical place in the government agendas of developing countries. In Latin American case, urban contexts have been subject to radical transformations in the last decades, most apparently through the expansion of social housing, which may limit or condition access to food for the neediest population. Nowadays, in Latin America, there are numerous cases of urban agriculture. Quito (Ecuador) stands out for the development of urban agriculture through the Participatory Urban Agriculture Project - AGRUPAR; initiative that has led to the implementation of orchards with organic production, raising of small animals, food processing and marketing of surpluses for food-nutrition security. Above all, it has transcended its urban and peri-urban intervention to rural areas, favoring the urban-rural connection. Also, worldwide the urban agriculture is developed in different forms, one of which is through crops protected by a greenhouse on the roofs: Rooftop greenhouse (RTG). This form of UA uses specific substrates for hydroponic crops and has modern irrigation systems often combined with rainwater harvesting and provides a unique opportunity to improve urban agriculture in Quito. The purpose of this study is to identify the implementation potential of rooftop greenhouses in social neighborhoods in Quito. Standard methods to assess the potential use of rooftop greenhouses were adapted to a social neighborhood. The guidelines follow three steps: Step 1: Characterization based on criteria; Step 2: Available surface determination and Step 3: Production, self-sufficiency and self-supply. “La Comuna Santa Clara de San Millán” was selected as study area. The results showed that 33.2% (7.70¿ha) of the neighborhood rooftops had a short-term feasibility to install rooftop greenhouses, with the potential to produce 1,579,140 and 56,720¿kg/year of tomato and lettuce respectively. The research has developed reliable guidelines that prove the feasibility to install rooftop greenhouses in similar large Latin-American cities area.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Potential key factors, policies, and barriers for rooftop agriculture in EU Cities: Barcelona, Berlin, Bologna, and Paris

The main objective of this study is to contribute a framework and to provide an overview of potential key factors, policies, and barriers associated with the integration of rooftop urban agriculture (RUA), building on stakeholders' perspectives in four European cities (Barcelona, Berlin, Bologna, and Paris). The research was developed in two phases, namely, a workshop and a survey of stakeholders involved in RUA from the four cities. Education, environmental, research, technological innovation, food production, and social factors play an important role in implementing RUA. Productive spaces, cultural values, social cohesion, social rural-urban links, and the high cost of urban land are highlighted as factors that “promote” RUA. In contrast, the cost of water and pollution are major contextual factors that constrain RUA. Policies related to food trade and urban planning are those that most limit RUA development. Major architectural and technical barriers related to the limits on building heights, historical buildings, a lack of specific building codes, building design and roof accessibility were identified. The high cost of infrastructure and policies that prohibit RUA product sales emerged as economic constraints. Major differences among the cities studied included the perceived effect of urban policies on RUA diffusion as well as the perceived relevance of economic and pollution factors. This study revealed that extensive dissemination and the development of appropriate information about RUA are needed. The creation of new regulations, as well as modifications to urban and building codes to support RUA, is also envisaged. This approach will consider a more flexible land-use policy that allows agriculture to take place in cities as well as marketing frameworks for RUA products. For future studies, it would be useful to apply the framework developed in this study to a larger sample. A study is also needed to confirm hypothetical differences between cities.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version