Simulated annealing algorithm for facility layout problem with fixed machines and multiple process routes

[ENG] A good placement of facilities contributes to the overall efficiency of operations and may reduce the total operating expenses up to 50%. Due to the variety of considerations found in the articles, researchers do not agree about a common and exact definition of layout problems. In a general perspective, the researches on facilities location problem available in the literature are classified in two categories. In the first category it is assumed that the locations are known in advance and the problem is to assign facilities to different locations. In second category it is assumed that locations are not known preferment and must be determined in a continuous area. The problem studied in this paper refers to the first category

Future sustainability scenarios for universities: moving beyond the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development

As achievements of the completed United Nations Decade (2005–2014) of Education for Sustainable Development are contemplated globally, along with potential steps forward for the future, Member States have urged that this decade continue after 2014 through “The Future We Want”; the outcome document of the 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development. More recently, commitments to furthering the advancement of sustainable development through education have also been re-enforced in the recently adopted post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals. This study systematically analyzed the implications of sustainable development trends and future directions universities might take under a potential second decade (2015–2024). For this purpose, a model for generating “trend-based scenarios” is proposed, based upon a combination of various futures studies methods. Results suggest that the advancement of sustainability through societal collaboration and various functions such as education, research and outreach will increasingly constitute a core mission for universities. Projecting this trend out into the following decade, the authors frame possible future orientations through three unique scenarios; namely, a socially-, environmentally- and economically-oriented university. Pursuit of sustainable development through each of these would see unique and fundamental changes. These would affect the principle university mission, focus areas, emphasized disciplines, view of Education for Sustainable Development, core external partners, projects and outputs with external stakeholders, geographical focus, and main functions involved. The authors then examine how one or more of these scenarios might be actualized through various external and internal policy and incentive measures. The depiction of these three scenarios, along with potential measures to guide universities to either of these, provides scholars, university leaders and government policy makers with some conceptual and practical instruments to consider strategically how any of these futures might be realized

Low-carbon transition through a duty to divest: Back to the future, ahead to the past

PeerReviewe

Towards an orientation of higher education in the post Rio+20 process: How is the game changing?

The purpose of this paper is to identify and assess the implications of sustainable development for the future orientation of higher education, especially after the 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio + 20). A qualitative trend analysis is being used for this purpose, in the context of which three macro trends are combined: (1) higher education that has been developed via five periods; (2) sustainable development that has evolved through three stages; and (3) the nexus between sustainable development and higher education which has strengthened through three phases. The simultaneous analysis of the macro trends regarding their possible interactive effects (through an expert panel discussion) demonstrates that higher education and universities under the influence of sustainable development elements are entering into a new era in which the function of “higher education for sustainable development” could be interpreted as the seeds of a newly emerging mission for universities. In this regard, it is expected that the concept of “sustainable university” is likely to become more common to meet the emerging mission. Consistent with the Rio + 20 outcomes, the authors analyzed the concept of “sustainable university” and identified the fact that it is practically divided into three interrelated and complementary categories, namely social-, environmental-, and economic-oriented university in pursuit of actualizing sustainable development

Heading towards an unsustainable world: some of the implications of not achieving the SDGs

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were conceived at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, held in Rio de Janeiro in 2012 (Rio + 20), and adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in September 2015. They are part of a larger framework, namely the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Since then, many countries round the world have been engaging in respect of their implementation. The slow progress seen in the implementation of the SDGs, is in contrast with the many negative implications of not implementing them. This paper outlines the relevance of the SDGs, the barriers currently seen in respect of their implementation and outlines what is at stake, if they are not duly implemented. To accomplish this, a thorough literature review of contributions published in the field of SDGs in English between the years 2012–2020 was performed

Implementing Innovation on Environmental Sustainability at Universities Around the World

Innovation is known to be an important and influential factor in fostering sustainable development. Yet, there is a paucity of literature on the extent to which universities are successfully implementing innovation in this field. This paper addresses this gap, by examining the role of innovation in the field of environmental sustainability in universities, and by reporting on the results of an international study, in which examples of successful experiences and good practice were identified. The paper outlines the lessons learned from such examples, with the aim of motivating other universities to engage in this rapidly-growing field

Policy Mixes for Accelerating Zero-emission Vehicle Transition: Experiences in Quebec, British Columbia and Ontario

Many jurisdictions have adopted different policies to accelerate Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) transition. This study identifies, categorizes, and analyzes, through document analysis and expert interviews, various policies influencing the light-duty ZEV transition in the three-leading provinces in Canada, i.e., Quebec, British Columbia, and Ontario. To this end, two analytical frameworks are employed. The first one is used to categorize identified policies into four main categories, namely demand-side, infrastructure, supply-side, and institutional. The second analytical framework is applied to emphasize the ZEV transition from the creative destruction approach to discussing how provincial policies might influence socio-technical elements around the incumbent regime and the emergent niche. Findings show that the three provinces have collectively employed similar policy mixes. However, closer inspection of their specific policy instruments, policy strength, policy continuity, ambitions to phase out internal combustion engine vehicles, and transition to electric mobility along with their socio-political conditions show differences across the provinces.M.A.S