Search results for "Sustainable development"
showing 10 items of 638 documents
Tax benefits for the energy requalification of Italian real estate assets
2020
The need for energy-efficient buildings has emerged since the onset of the first energy crises in the 1970s. It's in this decade that the concepts of sustainable development and energy saving have been introduced in the construction sector. Currently, the greatest energy saving potential for buildings does not lie in new buildings, but in the energy redevelopment of existing buildings. In order to promote interventions for building restoration, which are often costly and not economically convenient, Italian legislation has made a series of economic incentives available to the sector. This work reviews the main incentive systems for the energy requalification of buildings.
Sustainable Development and Transition Management: A New Approach for European Peripheral Areas
2020
This paper on Europe as a sustainable economy and its policy for peripheral areas contributes to the analysis on the relationship between Transition Management and new approaches to regional development. It follows that regions are different ecosystems which require not only conventional macroeconomic visions for development processes, but also a precise spatial approach based on different levels of geographical aggregation. The physical environment, therefore, becomes a useful element not only to analyze the transition mechanisms, but also as a constitutive part of economic, social and environmental changes in the short, medium, and long term. A number of interesting aspects are examined a…
Ultrasound Processing: A Sustainable Alternative
2021
Abstract The UN’s 2030 program for sustainable development, and the society growing demand of greener alternatives, encourage global food industry to develop affordable, safe, effective, innovative, and ecologically processing technologies. Among them, ultrasound technique links with green chemistry and eco-friendly characteristics. This technology does not involve chemical solvents, being a sustainable alternative to industry. Moreover, it minimally affects sensorial and health promoting attributes of food products. Comparing with conventional processes, ultrasound provides some benefits to achieve sustainability goals, it reduces the processing time and cost, simplifies the manipulation, …
Resource recovery from food waste via biological processes
2021
Abstract The need for sustainable development is driving a major focus shift in the biowaste treatment sector. While traditional practices such as landfilling are progressively being banned/penalized due to their obvious environmental impacts and prevention policies are being implemented, the potential of food waste (FW) as a resource is being increasingly recognized. The immense amounts of FW produced worldwide—and its overall characteristics—make it a promising candidate for resource recovery if collected separately, a practice that is gaining popularity. This chapter aims at giving a general overview of the different processes that are being developed/implemented for resource recovery fr…
Do board characteristics affect environmental performance? A study of EU firms
2019
This paper explores the relationship between board characteristics and environmental performance. We adopt a triple perspective of environmental performance, focussing on emissions (waste and CO2), resource consumption (water and energy), and the implementation of environmental initiatives. The sample comprises 644 nonfinancial European Union–based companies. The data cover the period 2002 to 2017. The results confirm that gender diversity and the existence of a corporate social responsibility committee are positively associated with the firms' environmental performance. This finding is consistent with the view that the educational background, talent, and experience of women help promote su…
Learning by doing. Case study: Education for sustainable development at the University of Latvia
2019
Junction of possibilities offered by European research programmes in the tertiary education and technology enhanced learning open up new borders for students and young researchers; especially for the ones from institutions with less strong collaboration links to Western-Europe and overseas. University of Latvia has undertaken the challenge of designing master’s programme on education for sustainable development called ‘Natural Sciences, Global Change and Technologies for Sustainable Development’ combined with application of digital learning tools. Teaching staff was formed form several faculties of the University of Latvia, other universities, respective companies as well as foreign partner…
Diffusion of innovative agricultural production systems for sustainable development of small islands: A methodological approach based on the science …
1992
In order to develop small islands, not only must a vital agricultural system be maintained, but the range of opportunities for tourism must be increased with respect to both the seaside and the environmental features of the rural landscape. As an alternative to the traditional and economically declining ones, many innovative production processes can be identified, but their success depends on their interaction with the physical, biological, economic and social environment. In order to identify the main nodes and the most critical interactions, so as to increase the probability of success of a new productive process, a methodological approach based on the science of complexity is proposed fo…
Societal premises for sustainable development in large southern cities
2005
Abstract This article examines considerations related to the societal premises of a ‘sustainable city’ in the context of large southern cities. The article also reviews some alternative concepts to ‘sustainable city’ such as ‘eco-city’ and ‘ecological city’ and examines their suitability in the South. The article proposes that the greatest challenge of environmental urban development in the South is not necessarily the lack of environmental services and infrastructure, but the societal structures reproducing unequal distribution and malfunctioning of these services. The authors’ empirical evidence and personal experience from Lagos, New Delhi, Cairo and Manila is presented to elaborate the …
Integrating Holistic Marketing into the Stakeholder Management Approach
2016
The context of globalization and the growing pressures toward sustainable development are nowadays forcing firms to deal with a paradoxical situation: while undeniable engines and major beneficiaries of globalization, businesses are also sources for significant negative externalities that impact on the dynamics of the global system. In these circumstances, the sustainable business should not only represent a major strategic challenge but must also become an effective strategic solution. This is the transformational shift we are advocating for in this chapter, by the instrumentality of a strategic model that integrates holistic marketing into the stakeholder management approach. Based on an …
An institutional capital approach to sustainable development
2008
PurposeThe paper aims to outline and analyse some important elements of institutional capital and their potential effect on sustainable development.Design/methodology/approachThe paper presents four elements of institutional capital: public domain, institutional strength, good governance, and institutional equilibrium. The choice of these elements and the analysis of their economic, social and environmental impacts are based on literature study and interpretation and extension of existing analyses which rather focus on either economic or environmental issues.FindingsThe main argument of the paper is that institutional capital is a fundament of sustainable development, and that a lack of suc…