Topic #1: Introduction to Sustainability

Transcription

1 Topic #1: Introduction to Sustainability Defini,ons Concepts Sustainable living CE 4155/5515: Sustainable Design and Construction Dr. Andrea Schokker What is your defini,on of sustainability? What do you really think about the green movement or sustainability? What do you do in your everyday life that you consider a way to be contribu,ng to sustainability? Why the focus on sustainability in recent years? Will it pass? What would influence it? Global warming? 1

2 Commonly used defini,on: meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future genera,ons to meet their own needs From the Brundtland* Commission: Our Common Future h-p:// brundtland.php *was convened in 1983 by the United Na,ons as the World Commission on Environment and Development with chair Gro Harlam Brundtland (Norway) The Three Pillars of Sustainability Sustainability includes impact on society, environment, and economy a.k.a., the triple bo]om line Name some green topics and let s plot them on the Venn diagram ie, car fuel: - gas - biodiesel - hydrogen Energy: - solar - wind - nuclear Others? Economy Environment Society 2

3 Other views Stacked Venn: Environment is the star,ng assump,on more in line with the green view However, in ALL cases, all 3 pillars are required for sustainable development Consider sustainable development can this be achieved? Or can we just move toward it? Other views Environment Society Economy 3

4 Other views The Concept of Sustainability You need to understand sustainability as a concept in order to properly incorporate it in building design Start with how applies to everyday life Embrace it (at least some of it) If you don t do this, you are simply gefng points (LEED) and will tend to design a green washed building (or make green washed choices in life) Cardboard bridge (Japan) not so good in the wet season 4

5 The 7 Greenwashing sins From TerraChoice 2007 and 2009 reports The 7 Greenwashing Sins Sin of the Hidden Trade- Off: e.g. "Energy- efficient" electronics that contain hazardous materials. 998 products and 57% of all environmental claims commi]ed this Sin. Sin of No Proof: e.g. Shampoos claiming to be "cer,fied organic", but with no verifiable cer,fica,on. 454 products and 26% of environmental claims commi]ed this Sin. Sin of Vagueness: e.g. Products claiming to be 100% natural when many naturally occurring substances are hazardous, like arsenic and formaldehyde. Seen in 196 products or 11% of environmental claims. Sin of Irrelevance: e.g. Products claiming to be CFC- free, even though CFCs were banned 20 years ago. This Sin was seen in 78 products and 4% of environmental claims. Sin of Fibbing: e.g. Products falsely claiming to be cer,fied by an interna,onally recognized environmental standard like Energy Star or Green Seal. Found in 10 products or less than 1% of environmental claims. Sin of Lesser of Two Evils: e.g. Organic cigare]es or "environmentally friendly" pes,cides, This occurred in 17 products or 1% of environmental claims. The Sin of Worshiping False Labels: e.g., commi]ed by a product that, through either words or images, gives the impression of third- party endorsement where no such endorsement actually exists; in other words, fake labels 5

6 Pillar 1: Environment Most commonly cited environmental issues for life cycle assessment Global warming Acidifica,on Smog Ozone layer deple,on Eutrophica,on Eco- and human- toxicological pollutants Habitat destruc,on Deser,fica,on Land use Deple,on of minerals and fossil fuels From ISO (Interna,onal Standards Organiza,on) 2006 for life cycle assessment Global Warming / Climate Change Thoughts? Hoax, fake data? Or reality? Have you read any scien,fic reports (not mainstream media)? 6

7 Global Warming / Climate Change Synthesis Report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), 2007 Encompasses summary from 3 working groups covering a wide variety of special,es 40 on the core wri,ng team Clear presenta,on of data, data analysis, uncertainty EPA site on climate change Good basics 7

8 Arc,c Ice Cap IPCC 2007 Report Organiza,on Topic 1: observed changes in climate and effects on natural and human systems, regardless of their causes Topic 2: assesses the causes of the observed changes Topic 3: projec,ons of future climate change and related impacts under different scenarios Topic 4: adapta,on and mi,ga,on op,ons over the next few decades Topic 5: adapta,on and mi,ga,on from a longer- term perspec,ve Topic 6: major robust findings and remaining key uncertain,es in the assessment 8

9 What s Known The atmospheric buildup of CO2 and other greenhouse gases is largely the result of human ac,vi,es such as the burning of fossil fuels. An unequivocal warming trend of about 1.0 to 1.7 F occurred from Warming occurred in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, and over the oceans The major greenhouse gases emi]ed by human ac,vi,es remain in the atmosphere for periods ranging from decades to centuries. It is therefore virtually certain that atmospheric concentra,ons of greenhouse gases will con,nue to rise over the next few decades. Increasing greenhouse gas concentra,ons tend to warm the planet. IPCC Projec,ons projected temperature rise for the 21st century ranges from 1.1 to 6.4 C sea level rise of 0.18 to 0.59 m even the more conserva,ve projec,ons will have overall nega,ve impacts on water and food availability the ecosystem (with high rates of species ex,nc,on) coastal flooding human health extreme weather events heat waves, droughts, and floods are projected to become more recurrent. 9

10 Smog Increased with warming Ill effects on health, agriculture, eco systems Ocean Acidifica,on Lowered ph due to increased CO 2 dissolved in the oceans, releasing hydrogen ions (H + ). Result: effects on organisms spanning the food chain Ozone Layer Deple,on The layer of O 3 (ozone) in the earth s atmosphere that absorbs high frequency ultraviolet light from the sun (and thus protects life on earth from poten,al damage from this light) CFC destruc,on of ozone discovered in the early 1970 s ozone layer destruc,on verified in 1984 Also contributes to climate change CFC s considered miracle agents for nearly 50 years; wide use of aerosols, for refrigerants, etc. 10

11 9/20/11 Eutrophica,on Nutrient enrichment of water bodies that changes the aqua,c ecosystem Accelerates due to runoff with phosphates and nitrates Impacts: Florida Decreased biodiversity Changes in species composi,on/dominance Toxicity Harmful algae blooms India Pollutants Synthe,c chemicals Waste Colorado Habitat Destruc,on Harves,ng of resources Clearing land Invasive species Can result in rapid species ex,nc,on 11

12 Deser,fica,on Drought Poor land management Hard to recover Ghana China Land Use Conserva,on of open space Farm or city living? Which is more sustainable? Land management prac,ces for agriculture (dust bowl) Deple,on of natural resources Minerals Fossil fuels à energy dependency Water Reduce Reuse Recycle Reduce minimizing waste through reduc,on of resource use (virgin, reused, and recycled) and energy during construc,on Reuse using again in basically the same form for the same purpose or for a new purpose Recycle breaking down the material into components to form a new component or use 12

13 Resources Food Water Energy Supply is not infinite and popula,on is rising Popula,on Growth Limits to Growth, The Club of Rome, 1972 This complete explosion was tempered by lower birth rates 13

14 Popula,on: did you know Popula,on decline in the developed countries with aging popula,on Fewer people and many fewer of working age In the next 20 years, 80% of the popula,on growth will be in sub- saharan Africa and southern Asia Very high young popula,on (large death rate in working age people due to AIDS 0-14 year olds currently comprise 40% of the popula,on) Migra,on to ci,es in search of jobs and services 70% in ci,es by 2050 From the Global Strategy Ins,tute (the Seven Revolu,ons) 14

15 Resources: did you know There will be 611 million motor vehicles in India by There are 254 million cars on American roads today. By 2050, India s demand for water will exceed all sources of supply. Less than 1 percent of the world s fresh water (0.007% of all water on earth) is directly available for human use billion people do not have enough to eat - more than the combined popula,on of the United States, Canada, and the European Union. China will triple its coal- fired electricity produc,on by 2030 and will account for more than half of the increase in the world s coal- fired electricity genera,on. The 2005 Millennium Ecosystem Assessment es,mates that 5 to 20 percent of global freshwater use exceeds long- term sustainable supply. Agricultural applica,ons raise even greater concern as an es,mated 15 to 35 percent of irriga,on withdrawals are in excess of sustainable limits. 998 million people, represen,ng 30 percent of all urban dwellers, live in slums where they lack access to basic clean water and sanita,on facili,es. From the Global Strategy Ins,tute (the Seven Revolu,ons) Energy Non- renewable Coal Oil Natural gas Nuclear? Not technically renewable, but basically as sustainable as some of the renewable ones Renewable Solar Wind Biomass Hydrogen Geothermal Ocean Hydropower From the Na,onal Renewable Energy Laboratory 15

16 Solar Energy Solar power Uses concentra,on of sun s heat to boil water for steam genera,on Photovoltaic systems (solar cell) Produce energy directly from sunlight Solar hot water Hea,ng water for direct use Passive solar Hea,ng buildings (and providing dayligh,ng) Silicon- based the silicon generates electricity when heated Can be tradi,onal arrays or thin film applica,ons Combine with thermal mass, natural ven,la,on, use of light or dark surfaces Pillar 2: Society Security & safety Urban planning Transporta,on Na,onal law Global ci,zenship Local community Human rights Poverty Moral and ethical issues 16

17 Pillar 3: Economy Durability and longevity Up- front cost vs. life cycle cost Local economy Job crea,on Pantheon Rome 126 A.D. First Assignment The Egloo??? Make a change in your life/behavior/etc that will make your lifestyle more sustainable as defined by the Bruntland Commission Use the links from lecture to inves,gate sustainability Use Google to look through the numerous websites on sustainable living Don t forget to filter and watch for greenwashing I have books available on sustainable living that you are welcome to borrow Choose something that will be a challenge for you, but that you can con,nue to do axer this class ends (ie, make it sustainable for you!) Keep a log of the experience (one entry per week minimum a couple of sentences is fine) and be prepared to discuss in class 17