Environmental Issues

1. Environmental Issues By Jayne Forbes

2. Climate change

3. Biodiversity - Deforestation

4. Animals

5. Air-miles - Roses from Kenya

6. Flying and Tourism

7. Waste of resources

8. Sustainable Organisational Behaviour • Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Policy • Green Audit • Green Policy • Objectives to include human rights and environmental criteria. • Issue ethical shares. • Source locally • Pay decent wages and provide good working conditions. • High levels of health and safety • Carbon offset?

9. Precautionary Principle • Action must be taken to avoid harm, or the threat of harm before it occurs, even when firm evidence of cause and effect relationships is unavailable. • Since all processes, materials and systems have environmental impacts, they must be regulated accordingly until sufficient evidence becomes available that there is no risk to the ecosystem. • High quality scientific information should form a central component for early detection of environmental threats. • A progressive, ever improving approach , which reduces environmental impacts should be adopted by all mega events (Olympics)

10. Sustainable Development Brundtland Commission (1983): • Development that "meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. • “We do not inherit the world from our parents, but borrow it from our children” IUCN (2006)

11. Sustainable Buildings and Construction: • Issues to be addressed: • Design, aesthetics • Sustainable architecture • Eco friendly checklist • Vegetation • Light • Energy conservation • Energy source • Water • Waste

12. Aesthetics: Roger Stephens’ Graduate Centre, Leeds Univ.London MetropolitanGraduate centre.Libeskind

13. Car park at a supermarket in Niagara

15. Design: Le Corbusier Modernist architect, 1923, Perceived as the architectural pioneer of the twentieth century whose genius lay in his ideals

16. Sustainable architecture The building of shelter consumes one-sixth of the world's fresh water supply, one quarter of its wood harvest, and two-fifths of its fossil fuels and manufactured materials

17. Quality of Environmental Space Is it • Subjective • Personal, • Cultural, • Universal? Eg Colour Favourite colour but: • red speeds the metabolism • blue slows it down Different colours stimulate different glands yellow – thyroid. Green – the colour of balance.

18. Buildings – Design Biodegradable Buildings Earth Stone Straw Wood

19. Eco-friendly checklist • Recycled and renewable materials • Low-embodied energy materials • Harvested timber • Water catchment systems • Low maintenance • Recycling of buildings • Reduction of ozone depleting and other chemicals • Preservation of natural environment • Energy efficiency • Solar orientation • Access to public transport • Bed-zed

20. Vegetation • Improves air quality • Humidity regulation • Ion breeding • Dust absorption • Smell masking • Softens harsh shapes • Aesthetic qualities

21. Roofsand walls • To protect • But Green Rooves can: • Absorb airborne toxins • Redress oxygen, ion and humidity imbalances • Reduce rainwater overload of drains • Look good.

22. Light Abundant, natural light A vertical farm Interior lighting, in a club

23. Energy Conservation • Insulation and draft proofing • Size of building • Orientation to the sun • Windows on South side

24. Energy Conservation cont’d • Reduce temperature by one degree (or more) • Only heat/cool rooms in use, switch off after use. • Switch off the technology if not needed.

25. Energy source Renewable: Collective • HEP • Wind • Tide • Solar • CHP Individual • Solar panels: PV or solar water heating. • Water • Ground source • Wood chip burner

26. Water A valuable, scarce resource. • Clean water • Sustainable water: • Recycle, reuse • Reduce use • Collect • Don't waste

27. Water • Showers, not baths • Reuse – eg bath/shower, kitchen water in the garden • Reduce use signs • Water collectors • Water meter • Aerators on taps • Water saving head on shower • Low flush/dual flush toilet • Don’t use bottled water

28. Waste disposal: Reduce Recycle Reuse Repair

29. Waste cont’d • Food - compost • Glass bottles and jars • Plates, glasses, cutlery – reusable, not disposable. • Aluminium and steel cans • Plastic containers, newspapers • Office paper • other

30. Paperless events • Every 1000 forms printed is equal to a 17 kg carbon dioxide footprint in our atmosphere • The world average paper consumption per person is an estimated 56 kgs of paper each year. Approximately 28% of this is used in printing documents. • Every year, more than 1.1 billion trees are cut down in order to satisfy office printing needs around the world. • Reducing worldwide paper usage by 10% would save over 100 million trees, 100 million metric tons of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and £2.5 billion in paper costs. http://www.greenpdf.com

31. Food The thirty times increase in food production in last 100 years is due to massive increases in inputs of energy. Peasant farming input energy to output energy 40:1. Now mechanised 1.3:1. It takes 3 units of fossil fuel energy to produce 1 unit of grain protein. For beef or lamb protein it takes 50 units of energy.

32. Reducing Food waste • Portion control • Procurement policy: • local food, • fair trade • sustainable sources of meat and fish • Packaging • Planning of menus to reduce waste • Reuse • Waste

33. Transport Consider: • Cars, parking • Public transport: rail, tube, buses, coaches • Cycling, walking

34. The Office • Computers, screens, printers – switch off • Printer cartridges (40 million sold in Europe, 75% go to landfill, takes 1 litre of oil, aluminium and steel to produce), are usually refillable. Or recycle. • Paper – reduce, recycle, reuse. Don’t print unless necessary. • Travel – use virtual technology. Sustainable travel plans.

35. Further reading • http://www.globalurban.org/GUDMag06Vol2Iss1/Roper.htm • Agreenerfestival.com • The Green Meetings Industry Council • Bowden,C, Allen,J et al Events Management • Getz,D Events Studies:Theory, Research and Policy for Planned Events