Futures planning, parental expectations and sibling concern for people who have a learning disability

The aim of this questionnaire was to explore the existence of future plans, parental expectation and sibling concern regarding people who have a learning disability. A questionnaire was sent via email to siblings of people who have a learning disability. 21 completed questionnaires were returned and responses were anaylsed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. A full discussion regarding sibling support was reported to have taken place by 12 (57%) of respondents, 7 (33%) stated this discussion had not taken place and 2 (9%) were unsure. 12 (57%) of participants reported no clear future plan however where a plan did exist, 7 (33%) of respondents claimed it was fully agreeable to both them and their parents. 11 (52%) of respondents reported no difference between their wishes regarding their future role and parental wishes. Key themes generated were; satisfaction with services, parental influence, sibling concern about the future, futures planning, the impact of the disabled person upon sibling lives and siblings needs. Further qualitative exploration into the personal wishes, reality and parental expectations for future support of siblings of adults who have a learning disability is required. Keywords: adult siblings, futures planning, learning disability, parental expectatio

Revolutionising how we think about infrastructure

We need broad-scale revolutionary, rather than evolutionary, change if all seven billionpeople on the planet now, and those who follow us, are to have the opportunity to live well

A transdisciplinary perspective on industrial ecology research

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Demonstration of innovative community based water cycle management system. Stage 1: sustainability screening and evaluation

This project is the first stage of a Demonstration of Innovative Decentralised Sewage Treatment Technologies and Management Systems Project. This first stage looks at both the development and application of a sustainability screening and evaluation tool. The tool is used to recommend a sustainable and appropriate technology option for community based wastewater systems. Its use is trialled in one of the Priority Sewage Program (PSP) areas at Galston High School. This site is considered appropriate for the technology demonstration as the soil horizon at the School is representative of the Hawkesbury-Nepean area (which the PSP area covers). That is, it has a clay layer overlaying a shale cap which overlays sandstone. The sustainability screening and evaluation tool was developed to address six key sustainability objectives (3 environmental, 1 technical, 1 social and 1 economic). A star rating system was developed, by which technologies (and technology options) for a specific site could be ranked and compared to determine which was the most sustainable and appropriate for that site. The tool is intended to be compatible with that developed by The Institute for Sustainable Futures and CSIRO in the Sydney Water Corporation Edmondson Park project. The six essential sustainability criteria were embedded in an 8-Step tool. The steps and their application to Galston High School are as follows: 1.Define effluent end-use scenarios. 2.Determine water and nutrient quality requirements for end uses. 3.Narrow selection of water quality requirements for site. 4.Generate and define process combinations to meet end uses. 5.Check minimum performance standards (PASS/FAIL). 6.Check appropriate fit-for-purpose water quality cascade. 7.a) Evaluate and rank technology options according to defined sustainability objectives and criteria. b) Address management issues. 8.Monitor and evaluate the chosen technology against objectives/criteria

Planning for resilient water systems - a water supply and demand investment options assessment framework

The Managing Directors of the four Melbourne water businesses have set out a clear vision for the future role of water in shaping a sustainable, liveable, prosperous and healthy city. The Melbourne Water Supply Demand Strategy (WSDS) is a 50-year strategy to balance the supply of water to meet Melbourne’s consumptive, environmental, industrial and agricultural water needs. The strategy examines long-term future supply augmentations for the city. The last Melbourne WSDS was completed in 2006. The next Melbourne WSDS is due for completion in March 2012, and is one of the key mechanisms through which the Managing Directors’ vision can be achieved. The Institute for Sustainable Futures was contracted by the Smart Water Fund to develop an options assessment framework for the preparation of water supply demand investment strategies, including the forthcoming WSDS, that will meet the MDs’ broad vision. This options assessment framework brief indicates there is now widespread recognition across the Melbourne water businesses that a generational shift is required away from conventional deterministic planning towards more flexible and adaptive planning and management. This shift is being driven by the need to maintain water security in the face of increasing uncertainty in key determinants of water businesses, as well as by increasing determination to broaden the objectives that a water system should meet. For example, the recent dry period highlighted that the role of water in a city is wider than that of a commodity. In addition, feedback from key city stakeholders indicates that there is an opportunity for the water sector to play a larger role in actively shaping the future of our city

Synergy in the city: making the sum of the parts more than the whole

The pressures on existing infrastructures are significant: demand is beginning to outstrip supply; aging infrastructure poorly maintained presents an increasing risk; and rejection of urban sprawl forces increasing population density. At the same time, the drivers for infrastructure are changing. We are beginning to recognise ecological limits to supply, leading to shifting expectations, for example, from 'remove waste' to 'recapture nutrients'. We now know that a sustainable future requires step changes in material use intensity, which has further infrastructure implications. We have witnessed it already in communications. For water and energy, and therefore, for transport also, the step changes are on the horizon. Community expectations are moving too, for example, from separating home and work towards co-locating them