Sustainable Construction Technologies: Life Cycle Assessment.

The building and construction industry has become the focus of environmental impact reduction in the aftermath of the global resolution to reduce its adverse effect and make the built environment more sustainable. This chapter examines the place of materials in sustainable building construction generally and from the perspective of life cycle assessment and reduction of environmental impact. Hence, specific approaches to sustainable construction from the perspective of materials such as improved material production processes, recycling, materials substitution, innovative construction methods, deconstruction, use of innovative materials, and use of eco-friendly materials are explained from the life cycle impact perspective. The implications of the approaches for improved uptake of sustainable construction practices are also examined with particular reference to the role of policy framework and legislatio

Integration of the environmental management aspect in the optimization of the design and planning of energy systems

The increasing concerns regarding the environmental pollution derived from anthropogenic activities, such as the use of fossil fuels for power generation, has driven many interested parties to seek different alternatives, e.g. use of renewable energy sources, use of “cleaner” fuels and use of more effective technologies, in order to minimize and control the quantity of emissions that are produced during the life cycle of conventional energy sources. In addition to these alternatives, the use of an integrated procedure in which the environmental aspect will be taken into account during the design and planning of energy systems could provide a basis on which emissions reduction will be dealt with a life cycle approach. The work presented in this paper focuses on the examination of the possibilities of integrating the environmental aspects in the preliminary phase of the conventional design and planning of energy systems in conjunction with other parameters, such as financial cost, availability, capacity, location, etc. The integration of the environmental parameter to the design is carried out within a context where Eco-design concepts are applied. Due to the multi-parameter nature of the design procedure, the tools that are used are Life Cycle Analysis and Multi-criteria Analysis. The proposed optimization model examines and identifies optimum available options of the use of different energy sources and technologies for the production of electricity and/or heat by minimizing both the financial cost and the environmental impacts, with regard to a multiple objective optimization subject to a set of specific constraints. Implementation of the proposed model in the form of a case study for the island of Rhodes in Greece revealed that an optimized solution both cost and environmental-wise, would be an almost balanced participation of renewables and non-renewable energy sources in the energy mix

Impaired reproduction in three-spined sticklebacks exposed to ethinyl estradiol as juveniles

To investigate the population-level effects of exposure to environmental endocrine disrupters, a mesocosm-scale study was carried out in which the reproductive performance of groups of free-spawning three-spined sticklebacks, Gasterosteus aculeatus, exposed as juveniles to a model estrogen, was assessed. Juvenile sticklebacks were exposed to ethinyl estradiol (EE2) at measured concentrations of (mean ± SEM) 1.75 ± 0.37 ng L–1 and 27.7 ± 1.08 ng L–1 for 4 wk posthatch and then reared thereafter in pristine lake water until they reached adulthood. Exposure to the higher EE2 concentration resulted in the occurrence of ovotestis among males, whereas no gonadal abnormalities were evident among males exposed to the lower concentration of EE2. In addition, when spawning was allowed in the mesocosm environment, fewer nests were built per male, and fewer eggs were deposited per nest, in the group exposed to 27.7 ng L–1. Males from this group also exhibited a less intense nuptial coloration than control males. In the group exposed to 1.75 ng L–1 EE2 posthatch, significantly fewer nests were built than in the control group. These results demonstrate that the timing of exposure to estrogenic contaminants, in developmental terms, is critically important. Short-term exposure to estrogens as juveniles can clearly influence reproductive performance as adults, despite all growth and development subsequent to the exposure period taking place in an estrogen-free environment. In addition, these results suggest that reproductive dysfunction can occur even in fish with no gross abnormalities in gonadal structure. This suggests that the absence of gonadal intersex is not a reliable indicator of the reproductive potential, or estrogen-exposure history, of fish populations or the only important factor involved in compromising the reproduction of estrogen-exposed fish