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Following the extensive use of sustainability rating tools for buildings, similar tools for civil infrastructure have emerged. This study presents four industry-based infrastructure sustainability rating tools – Ceequal, Envision, Infrastructure Sustainability and Greenroads – and analyses how they assess and recognise performance. While other studies have examined the content and coverage of such tools, this study focuses on tool application – assessing a significant New Zealand-based state highway project by using each tool and comparing the results. The study explores biases within the tools and examines how each tool assesses and rewards projects and encourages project teams. The results show clear differences in the scores and award levels achieved from the same project practices and outcomes, thus encouraging infrastructure owners and tool users to challenge rating tool benchmarks and labels for sustainability. These findings highlight the dangers of direct comparisons across rating tools and the need for greater transparency in project-level sustainability reporting.

Sustainability consideration in designing, constructing, and operating civil infrastructure requires substantive action and yet progress is slow. This research examines the impact third-party infrastructure sustainability rating tools—specifically CEEQUAL, Envision, Greenroads, and Infrastructure Sustainability—have beyond individual project certification and considers their role in driving wider industry change. In this empirical study, engineering and sustainability professionals (n = 63) assess and describe their experience in using rating tools outside of formal certification and also the impact of tool use on their own practice and the practices of their home organizations. The study found that 77% of experienced users and 59% of infrastructure owners used the tools for purposes other than formal project certification. The research attests that rating tool use and indeed their very existence has a strong influence on sustainability awareness and practice within the infrastructure industry, providing interpretation of sustainability matters in ways that resonate with industry norms. The rating tools impact on individuals and their professional and personal practice, on the policies and practices of infrastructure-related organizations, and more widely on other industry stakeholders. The findings can be used to increase the value gained from sustainability rating tool use and to better understand the role such tools play in creating cultural change within the industry.

Projects aiming to solve socially-relevant complex problems in general and sustainability related projects in particular are increasingly approached as transdisciplinary research projects. Reviewing and integrating literature and theory across a broad range of disciplines is identified as one of the main quality criteria for transdisciplinary research. Such broad preparation, however, is a major challenge, especially for individual researchers. Even though this challenge has been acknowledged, no systematic way of approaching it has been proposed so far. This paper presents a heuristic tool developed to help individual researchers undertaking transdisciplinary projects in systematic structuring and prioritization of the literature review/reporting process. Using this tool, the transdisciplinary researcher undertakes an iterative, reflective enquiry throughout the research project to identify several literature review filters. A PhD research project, which investigated system innovation for sustainability at product development level, is used as a case study to illustrate the use of the tool. The findings of the case study provided suggestive evidence that the tool addresses the emerging need for a systematic way of reviewing and reporting of literature in transdisciplinary research undertaken by individual researchers effectively.

It is commonly accepted that, in order to achieve sustainability, there is a need for societal transformation, which requires institutional, social/cultural, organizational and technological change. This societal transformation will involve all aspects of society co-evolving toward and aligning with sustainability goals and is defined as sustainability transition or system innovation for sustainability. However, neither the theory nor the operational approaches currently based on this emerging theory address how to link macro-level innovation within society to the micro-level innovation by companies. This paper presents a scenario method developed and tested for the use of product development teams. The scenario method uses both explorative and backcasting scenarios to link activities/decisions at the product development (micro-innovation) level in companies with the transformation which needs to take place at the societal (macro-innovation) level to achieve sustainability. Workshops were used to develop scenario maps for innovation pathways, leading to sustainable future visions. The method was evaluated by carrying out expert consultations and workshops with product development teams. The evaluation results demonstrated that the scenario method is a viable method to aid companies in aligning their innovation efforts with short, medium and long-term sustainability requirements and identified outstanding issues for further development of the scenario method.

Over 50% of the global population now lives in urban areas. Over the past century, urban areas have expanded at a greater rate than population growth, increasing requirements for resources and producing greater impacts on the natural environment. Urban societies have also changed, with a greater diversity of cultures, high population densities, and rising demand for services, resulting in an increasing complexity of human urban systems. Urban systems influence and are influenced by infrastructure systems, which affect the design and management of the built, social, and natural environments, including future infrastructure decisions.

During periods of low load (weekends and holidays) the Mangere wastewater treatment plant effluent has breached the summer consent conditions for total nitrogen. The purpose of this research was to determine if an internal recycle would improve nitrogen removal in the anoxic/aerobic activated sludge reactors sufficient to meet the summer resource consent standard. The recycle returned nitrate rich mixed liquor from the downstream aerobic zone back to the initial anoxic zone, thus potentially improving denitrification. A full scale trial showed that installation of the internal recycle on each RC would have satisfied the resource consent for total nitrogen in most cases over the three summer resource consent periods since the upgrade. However, further modifications of the internal recycle would be required to ensure that consent conditions were satisfied at all times and to improve the consistency of the results.

This article explores the role of future studies in developing sustainable technologies within a co-evolutionary context. In the first section, it clarifies briefly the definition of sustainable development, complexity and co-evolution, in order to establish the frame within which the theoretical exploration will be carried out. The second section provides information about characteristics of sustainable technology development, which requires a radical shift from the current technological paradigm. Other types of innovations in institutional, social and organisational domains, which co-exist with or precede technological innovations, and influence of these on sustainable technology development, are clarified also in this section. The third section reveals the relationship between technology development and future studies. This relationship is projected onto sustainable technology development and the need for radical innovations. Foresighting–backcasting approach is presented as a meta-tool to facilitate t...

High-pressure (HP) CO 2 treatment was applied to disinfect a fabric which is frequently used in hospitals. The physical properties of the treated textile were evaluated and found not to be negatively influenced. Subsequently, the significance of the main parameters influencing the disinfection process were determined using multi-factor analysis of variance. Efficacy of the developed technique was demonstrated and optimised for Gram-negative Escherichia coli and Gram-positive Micrococcus luteus . Water addition was found to be crucial for the reduction of both bacteria species. Complete inactivation was achieved at temperatures as low as 20 °C for E. coli and 65 °C for M. luteus , respectively. The effective pressure required for the disinfection was only 50 bar. Finally, based on the experimentally revealed results, an empirical non-linear model was developed describing the inactivation of E. coli and M. luteus in the low-temperature process using highly compressed liquid, gaseous or supercritical CO 2 .

Sustainable development is a fundamentally different challenge for the engineering profession, and engineers must evolve to meet this challenge. Unfortunately, the profession is caught in a number of difficult Catch-22 situations, which constrain the ability of engineers to tackle sustainability issues in their work. These situations can be described as: the problem of existing paradigms of development; the problem of scope; the problem of framing versus solving; the problem of context; and the problem of conventional education. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of these problems and suggests what could be done to overcome them. Engineers must understand the concept of sustainability and its implications, as well as the urgency to start making the necessary changes now. Engineers must also adopt new ways of thinking and become leaders of change. To do this, they must be given the tools they need to see and address the barriers to their efforts.

As part of an on-going programme to consider the current waste management and pollution prevention framework in New Zealand, the Ministry for the Environment, in collaboration with Auckland Regional Council and Zero Waste New Zealand, requested the author to undertake a survey of organisations involved in the waste management industry. The objective of the survey was to gain information about the pollution prevention and waste management issues organisations perceive they are facing as an important input to a review of the current policy and regulatory framework for waste management and pollution prevention in New Zealand. The issues raised by respondents included concerns regarding national policy, particularly the lack of waste management policy and co-ordination; the lack of hazardous waste management; concerns regarding local policy, particularly with regard to consistency and waste minimisation, including lack of incentives and markets for recycled materials, the cost of recycling and the lack of cleaner production efforts. In comparison with UK and Pennsylvania programmes, the New Zealand waste management and pollution prevention programme was found to be vague, lacking in direction and funding and would not succeed in reducing waste production or effectively managing waste. Clear goals and timeframes need to be established, duties and responsibilities of national and local governments and industry clarified and funding needs to be allocated in order to produce an effective waste management framework in New Zealand.

Although there are a number of expert systems available which are designed to assist in resolving environmental problems, there is still a need for a system which would assist managers in determining waste management options for all types of wastes from one or more industrial plants, giving priority to sustainable use of resources, reuse and recycling. A prototype model was developed to determine the potentials for reuse and recycling of waste materials, to select the treatments needed to recycle waste materials or for treatment before disposal, and to determine potentials for co-treatment of wastes. A knowledge-based decision support system was then designed using this model. This paper describes the prototype model, the developed knowledge-based decision support system, the input and storage of data within the system and the inference engine developed for the system to determine the treatment options for the wastes. Options for sorting and selecting treatment trains are described, along with a discussion of the limitations of the approach and future developments needed for the system.

/ To understand the total impact of humans on the carbon cycle, themodeling and quantifying of the transfer of carbon from terrestrial pools tothe atmosphere is becoming more critical. Using previously published data,this research sought to assess the change in carbon pools caused by humans inthe Lower Fraser Basin (LFB) in British Columbia, Canada, since 1827 anddefine the long-term, regional contribution of carbon to the atmosphere. Theresults indicate that there has been a transfer of 270 Mt of carbon frombiomass pools in the LFB to other pools, primarily the atmosphere. The majorlosses of biomass carbon have been from logged forests (42%), wetlands(14%), and soils (43%). Approximately 48% of the forestbiomass, almost 20% of the carbon of the LFB, lies within old-growthforest, which covers only 19% of the study area. Landfills are nowbecoming a major sink of carbon, containing 5% of the biomass carbonin the LFB, while biomass carbon in buildings, urban vegetation, mammals, andagriculture is negligible. Approximately 26% of logged forest biomasswould still be in a terrestrial biomass pool, leaving 238 Mt of carbon thathas been released to the atmosphere. On an area basis, this is 29 times theaverage global emissions of carbon, providing an indication of the pastcontributions of developed countries such as Canada to global warming andpossible contributions from further clearing of rainforest in both tropicaland temperate regions.KEY WORDS: Carbon pools; Global warming; Carbon release to atmosphere;Greenhouse effect

/ European settlement began in the Lower Fraser Basin (LFB) inwestern British Columbia in 1827 and has impacted the basin ecosystem in anumber of ways, especially affecting the vegetation. Using previouslypublished data, air photos, and other historical material for the area,estimates of land cover were made for the years prior to 1827 and for 1930and 1990. The area of coniferous forest changed from 71% prior to 1827to 50% in 1930 to 54% in 1990. However, prior to 1827, only27% of the forest would have been immature (120 years old), while40% would have been immature in 1930 and 73% of the forest wasimmature in 1990. The amount of wetland area decreased from 10% to1% of the study area while urban and agricultural area increased to26% of the study area by 1990. The changes in land cover have hadadverse effects on soil, water, and air quality; aquatic life; and plant andanimal populations. Estimates of changes in net primary production andorganic soil carbon suggest a decline over the past 170 years, although thelatter rate of decrease has slowed since 1930. As human populations in theLower Fraser Basin continue to increase, the quality of air, water, and soilwill continue to decline unless measures are taken.KEY WORDS: Human impact; Land cover; Net primary productivity; Organiccarbon in soil

The transition to sustainability requires not only an understanding of the risks that society is facing but the development of pathways that will enable the shift towards sustainability. Such risks include not only resources and global warming but also established economic models and social ethics and values. This paper identifies how the risks facing global societies are being addressed, and outlines methods that are being used to identify and create dialogues with stakeholders. Cities, due to their direct role in ensuring that the needs of their communities are met, are providing leading visions and strategies in achieving sustainability in collaboration with other cities and with companies. Models for identifying stakeholders and enabling multiple perspectives to be integrated into discussions have been developed and are being put into practice. These are being enhanced through use of computer models, geographic information systems, mind mapping and matrix tools to develop visions and strategies for sustainable cities.

Currently, there are numerous indicators (single and composite) for measuring impacts in the three pillars, though current thinking emphasises the need for system thinking rather than the reductionist concept of pillars. Most existing indices/methods measure single aspects of sustainability and the more integrated indicators are aimed at national or global level assessments. A review of existing indicators, methods and models within the context of complex system sustainability showed that no single existing index, method or model was able to assess sustainability of complex systems. Most fail to account for complex system characteristics, such as system dynamics, interconnections and interdependencies of system components, a system’s ability to learn and remember, emergence of novel behaviours, co-evolution, etc. This paper presents the methodology used to develop a new model for assessing sustainability of complex systems based on risk.

The teaching of sustainability to engineers will follow similar paths to that of environmental engineering. There is a strong feeling that environmental engineering is a discipline unto itself, requiring knowledge of chemistry, physics, biology, hydrology, toxicology, modelling and law. However, environmental engineering can also be encompassed within other disciplines; for example, solar and wind power are often taught in electrical or mechanical engineering; pollution control is taught in chemical engineering; and recycling technologies are taught in both chemical and mechanical engineering. The understanding of sustainability engineering, however, requires a greater maturity than that of most engineering disciplines. Although the basics of this concept can be understood by anyone, the ability to understand the complex systems which exist within the environment and society as well as the constraints on those systems is only beginning to emerge at the fourth year or graduate level. Moreover, the elements necessary to achieve sustainability are derived from all aspects of engineering and, like environmental engineering, all engineering disciplines have strong roles to play in achieving sustainability. However, there is also a fundamental discourse that can be taught as a discipline in sustainability engineering. Discusses aspects of such a programme and outlines the requirements for educating engineers in sustainability.