EcoCity, Green Technology, Sustainability Powerpoint Slides

1. WEEK 2: A Design for Change PART 1

2. Sustainability • Sustainability is the long-term viability of a community, set of social institutions, or societal practice. In general, sustainability is understood as a form of intergenerational ethics in which the environmental and economic actions taken by present persons do not diminish the opportunities of future persons to enjoy similar levels of wealth, utility, or welfare. • The idea of sustainability rose to prominence with the modern environmental movement, which rebuked the unsustainable character of contemporary societies where patterns of resource use, growth, and consumption threatened the integrity of ecosystems and the well-being of future generations. • Sustainability is presented as an alternative to short-term and wasteful behaviours. It can serve as a standard against which existing institutions are to be judged and as an objective toward which society should move. Sustainability also implies an interrogation of existing modes of social organization to determine the extent to which they encourage destructive practices as well as a conscious effort to transform the status quo so as to promote the development of more- sustainable activities.

3. Forms of sustainability • Sustainability is at the core of concepts such as sustainable yield, sustainable society, and sustainable development. The term sustainable yield refers to the harvest of a specific (self-renewing) natural resource—for example, timber or fish. Such a yield is one that can be maintained indefinitely because it can be supported by the regenerative capacities of the underlying natural system. A sustainable society is one that has learned to live within the boundaries established by ecological limits. It can be maintained as a collective and ongoing entity because practices that imposed excessive burdens upon the environment have been reformed or abolished. Sustainable development is a process of social advancement that accommodates the needs of current and future generations and that successfully integrates economic, social, and environmental considerations in decision making. • Sustainability often serves as a synonym for sustainable development. On other occasions, it is associated more exclusively with environmental constraints or environmental performance, and the expression environmental sustainability is used to emphasize that point. Parallel references can be found to the terms social sustainability, economic sustainability, and cultural sustainability, which allude to threats to long-term well-being in each of those domains. • Local sustainability emphasizes the importance of place. Corporate sustainability is another common usage, which relates both to the survivability of the individual corporation and to the contribution that corporations can make to the broader sustainability agenda. Businesses should pay attention to social performance and environmental performance as well as to financial returns. The notion of corporate sustainability is also connected to debates about reforming corporate governance, encouraging corporate responsibility, and designing alternative (sustainable, green, or ethical) investment vehicles.

4. How to create a sustainable future • While numerous practices are cited as threats to sustainability, such as political corruption, social inequality, the arms race, and profligate government expenditures, environmental issues remain at the heart of the discussion. Of course, what is conducive to environmental sustainability remains a matter of intense debate. • Approaches range from a moderate “greening” of current social institutions to a radical transformation of the global political and economic order. A gradual adjustment toward sustainability relies on governmental initiatives to orient production and consumption into less environmentally destructive channels. That implies a reengineering of industrial and agricultural processes, a transformation of land-use practices, and a shift in household consumption. • Potentially renewable resources should be managed to conserve their long-term viability; nonrenewable resources should be extracted at rates that allow an ordered transition to alternatives; emission of waste and toxic substances must remain within the assimilative capacities of natural systems; and more-vigorous measures must be taken to preserve species, habitats, and ecosystems. Managing long-term environmental issues such as climate change and the loss of biodiversity is of critical importance to efforts to achieve sustainability.

5. Governments can deploy an array of policy tools to effect such changes, including regulation, fiscal instruments, negotiated agreements, and informational tools. Yet many problems resist solution because the offending (unsustainable) practices are often linked to deeply entrenched practices and constraints and supported by established definitions of values and interests. • There are also a number of radical takes on sustainability. For some environmentalists, true sustainability is possible only in small-scale communities, where humans can live in close contact with natural processes and rhythms. According to that view, the catastrophic practices of industrial civilization must give way to a different mode of living where humans “walk lightly” on the planet, harmonizing their activities with natural cycles. While other radical environmentalists may accept a high-tech postindustrial civilization, for them too there must be a clear break with existing economic practices and power structures.

6. Theorizing sustainability • Discussion of sustainability within academia has ranged across many perspectives. Economic analysts have sometimes defined the concept in terms of nondeclining per capita income flows over time, or long-term economic growth, with minimal environmental impacts and debated how to maintain the capital endowments needed to sustain those income flows. Controversy over the substitutability of natural and human-made capital has divided proponents of weak and strong sustainability: the former argue that the two types of capital are largely interchangeable, whereas the latter insist that natural capital is increasingly the scarcest factor of production. In addition, ecosystem services, such as the provision of clean water or crop pollination, are often undervalued aspects of natural capital that should be incorporated into economic discussions of sustainability. • Ecologists and systems theorists have tended to approach sustainability in terms of physical interdependencies, energy flows, and population dynamics. They have emphasized the design features that suit social systems for long-term survival, including robustness, resiliency, redundancy, and adaptability. For their part, political analysts have focused on the ideological and normative implications of sustainability, on the character of green political projects, and on the public policy implications.

7. 01 EcoCity Sustainable Cities Research

8. Phenomena How can we develop an environmentally friendly city? Outcome EQ I Can: Explain how a sustainable city minimizes the environmental impact of its citizens. What do you need to consider when designing a city to reduce its environmental impact?

9. GREEN TECHNOLOGIES https://www.green-technology.org/ • The field of “green technology” encompasses a continuously evolving group of methods and materials, from techniques for generating energy to non-toxic cleaning products. • The present expectation is that this field will bring innovation and changes in daily life of similar magnitude to the “information technology” explosion over the last two decades. In these early stages, it is impossible to predict what “green technology” may eventually encompass. The goals that inform developments in this rapidly growing field include: • Sustainability – meeting the needs of society in ways that can continue indefinitely into the future without damaging or depleting natural resources. In short, meeting present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. • “Cradle to cradle” design – ending the “cradle to grave” cycle of manufactured products, by creating products that can be fully reclaimed or re-used. • Source reduction – reducing waste and pollution by changing patterns of production and consumption. • Innovation – developing alternatives to technologies – whether fossil fuel or chemical intensive agriculture – that have been demonstrated to damage health and the environment. • Viability – creating a center of economic activity around technologies and products that benefit the environment, speeding their implementation and creating new careers that truly protect the planet.

10. Examples of green technology subject areas: EnergyPerhaps the most urgent issue for green technology, this includes the development of alternative fuels, new means of generating energy and energy efficiency. Green buildingGreen building encompasses everything from the choice of building materials to where a building is located. Environmentally preferred purchasingThis government innovation involves the search for products whose contents and methods of production have the smallest possible impact on the environment, and mandates that these be the preferred products for government purchasing. Green chemistryThe invention, design and application of chemical products and processes to reduce or to eliminate the use and generation of hazardous substances. Green nanotechnologyNanotechnology involves the manipulation of materials at the scale of the nanometer, one billionth of a meter. Some scientists believe that mastery of this subject is forthcoming that will transform the way that everything in the world is manufactured. “Green nanotechnology” is the application of green chemistry and green engineering principles to this field.

11. Where is most of the pollution? • Air pollution is the most devastating type as it linked to lung cancer and pneumonia, then water pollution comes in the second and soilcontamination/pollution comes in third. • Mobile, stationary, area, and natural sources all emit pollution into the air. Mobile sources, especially automobiles account for more than half of all the air pollution in the United States. • According to the State of Global Air 2019 report, air pollution was the 5th highest mortality risk factor in 2017 globally. One of the components of outdoor (ambient) air pollution is PM2.5, particulate matter measuring less than 2.5 micrometers in aerodynamic diameter (for context, one strand of human hair has an average diameter of 70 micrometers). These particles are capable of penetrating deep into the respiratory tract and causing severe health damage. • The World Health Organization’s (WHO) Air Quality Guideline states that long-term exposure for those living above an annual average PM2.5 concentration of 10 μg/m3 (micrograms per cubic meter) are at higher risk of cardiopulmonary and lung cancer mortality.  • Globally, 91% of the world population is exposed to unhealthy levels of pollution. (above 10 μg/m3). • More than half of the global population (4 billion) is exposed to very low quality air (PM2.5 concentration greater than 35 μg/m3). The majority live in India and China.

12. South Asia had the highest levels of PM2.5 in 2017 compared with other regions. Major ambient air pollution causes, as listed in the State of the Air 2019 Report include emissions from vehicles, power plants that burn coal, industrial emissions, and many other human and natural sources. Mean exposure to air pollution is also particularly high in the Middle East and North Africa, due partly to dust from the Sahara Desert.

13. Globally, the top ten countries with the highest mean exposure to ambient pollution include Nepal (more than double the world average) and India in South Asia; Niger, Cameroon, Nigeria, and Chad in Sub-Saharan Africa; and Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Bahrain in the Middle East and North Africa region.

14. How are cities reducing their environmental impact? 1. Making buildings efficient - Buildings are the biggest sources of greenhouse gas emissions within cities because of the energy that’s required for electricity, heating, and water. Throughout the world, cities are investing in efficiency measures to make building more sustainable. For example, implementing smart heating and cooling systems can allow buildings to adapt the temperature depending on how many people are in the building and other variables, with the net effect of reducing energy consumption. Installing solar panels along a building’s exterior and investing in heat pumps are another way to reduce outside energy needs. Easy fixes like improving window insulation and installing LED light bulbs can drastically cut down on energy consumption. China is arguably the leader in building efficiency, with a national mandate to make 50% of all buildings green certified by 2030.   2. Going beyond cars - Cities feel the effects of vehicle emissions more acutely than the rest of the world — all the fumes lead to air pollution that significantly reduces quality of life. And so cities from Paris to New Delhi are gradually phasing out cars, calling for either electric vehicles, bikes, or better mass transit. For example, Copenhagen’s “bicycle superhighway” has reduced carbon emissions and pollution and improved public health. Barcelona, meanwhile, has created large zones that are car free, with the intent of expanding the areas to cover the entire city.

15. 3. Improving public transit - By investing in high-speed rails, electric bus networks, and modernized subways, cities are able to both improve efficiency and cut down on pollution. In Ethiopia, the first fully electric train system in Africa came online last year to connect major cities such as Addis Ababa and Djibouti.  At least 25 European citieshad plans for electric bus systems by 2020. Many cities clusters around the world have enacted or are exploring options for high-speed rails to create economic corridors that are sustainable.    4. Creating sustainable roofs - As cities expand, natural green space gives way to concrete, asphalt, glass, steel, and tar. This transition from a natural to a built environment creates the “urban heat island effect,” when buildings, streets, and other surfaces absorb and radiate the sunlight, rather than reflect it or use it for energy, causing the local environment to heat up by several degrees. In the summer, especially, this temperature increase can cause health problems and leads people to use more energy to cool their homes. One way to mitigate this is to target the surfaces that are most exposed to the sunlight: rooftops. Roofs painted white reflect the sunlight, cooling surfaces by as much as 54 degrees Fahrenheit, and bringing temperatures in the surrounding area down.  Rooftop gardens are even more effective because they bring the temperature down, provide shade, clean the air, and don’t just bounce sunlight back into the atmosphere, which could potentially disrupt precipitation patterns, and also retain heat in the wintertime, bringing heating bills down. Solar rooftops are even better — they cool the roof and capture the sun’s light for energy.  

16. 5. Expanding green spaces - planting trees throughout neighborhoods and expanding parks can reduce the urban heat island effect, clean the air, and absorb greenhouse gas emissions. Singapore, for instance, is one of the densest city-states in the world, yet its model of urban planning is unique for its emphasis on green spaces. The city has set aside 250 acres of real estate for an urban garden to act as the city’s lungs, created one of the largest freshwater urban reservoirs in the world, and planted more than 3 million trees throughout its neighborhoods. Latin American cities have the highest ratio of green space to population, according to Siemens, while Vancouver mandated that no resident should live more than five minutes walking distance away from a public park. 6. Transforming the global energy grid - One way that cities are transforming the energy system is by shedding it entirely and starting anew. Initiatives like community solar and wind farms allow cities to completely bypass the traditional energy system grid with localized energy production. Beyond that, cities can lobby to get utilities and governments to invest in large scale projects for renewable energy. In the US, for instance, many cities have pledged to go 100% renewable by 2050, spurring utilities companies to abandon plans for coal plants because they perceive it to no longer be viable.

17. 7. Banning plastic - Between 1950 and 2015, 8.3 billion metric tons of plastic were produced, which is equal in mass to 1 billion elephants. The vast majority of this plastic isn’t recycled. It ends up in landfills, oceans, green spaces, and elsewhere, where it pollutes ecosystems, harms animals, and contaminates drinking water. For many governments around the world, the convenience of plastic no longer seems worth the environmental consequences. So efforts to ban plastic are taking off, largely driven by initiatives in cities. From Seattle to London to New Delhi, ordinances for banning plastic are gaining public support and leading to national bans and corporate reform. 8. Modernizing waste treatment - Through the combination of population density and commerce, cities produce most of the world’s waste and often fail to properly manage it. New York, for example, ships a significant portion of its waste to China; Cairo has a garbage city; and Lebanon nearly collapsed because of dysfunctional garbage collection. This isn’t just a matter of cleanliness. Garbage is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions. In Songdo, South Korea, garbage collection is controlled by an automated, underground system. Rather than have trucks ride around and sort trash (emitting carbon in the process), a person’s trash is sucked up by underground pipes and then is automatically sorted to be recycled, buried, or burned for energy. Fortaleza, Brazil, has invested in carbon capture systems to prevent methane from rotting organic matter in landfills from reaching the atmosphere.  New York plans to sendzero waste to landfills by 2030.

18. How cities are incorporating green technologies? • Solar-Powered Supertrees- A spectacular grove of solar trees is rooted along Marina Bay in Singapore as part of the 250-acre (101 hectares) Gardens by the Bay city park. Called Supertrees, they behave as vertical gardens - generating solar power, acting as exhaust air towers for nearby conservatories, and collecting rainwater on this island in Southeast Asia, just south of the Malay Peninsula. • To generate electricity, 11 of the supertrees are fitted with solar photovoltaic systems that convert sunlight into energy to provide lighting and water technology within the conservatories below. The Supertrees are tree-like structures 80 to 160 feet (25 to 50 meters) tall, that are a fusion of the environment, creativity, and technology. • They support gardens of flowering climbers, orchids, and ferns, with canopies that provide shade and shelter in the equatorial climate. Some of the Supertrees harvest rainwater and solar energy, and some are integrated with the conservatories to serve as air intake and exhaust towers that help mitigate ambient temperatures by absorbing and dispersing heat. • The Supertrees even support a restaurant at the top of the tallest tree, as well as a 128-meter-long aerial walkway experience connecting several trees 22 meters above the ground.

19. Solar Cycle Lanes - Krommenie, a city in the province of North Holland, was the first in the world to introduce a power-producing bike path. Opened in 2014, the 236-foot SolaRoad was a prototype for potential solar-harnessing highways. It was made of concrete panels containing solar cells covered by a centimeter of glass. Due to damage to the glass, it was closed to the public in 2020. • A bike path near Amsterdam was equipped with solar panels in 2016, and in 2020, the Dutch province of Utrecht announced that it, too, would begin laying solar panels on an already-established bike lane in the municipality of Rhenen. • Thiscool bike path in a town called Pruszków. The path is made of a light-emitting material that charges in the sun and can glow for up to 10 hours in the dark, bathing cyclists in a calming blue glow. The lane uses luminophores – chemicals that “ingest” light – to keep the bike path nicely lit at night.  • The company that made it, TPA sp. z o.o is an engineering firm focused on future tech. They expect this sort of road to be useful in larger projects – highways, say – but for now they’re limiting it to bike paths until they can test the material in the wild.

20. Other Green Inventions 1. Lego car working at compressed air - A twenty year old Romanian boy, Raoul Oaida, builds with LEGO bricks a car totally ecological, that works with compressed air. The car is really working, it goes at a maximum speed of about 16 m/h thanks to a propulsion system, which is equipped, consists of four orbital motors in their turn formed by 256 pistons. It took 20 months time to build this car and more then 500,000 pieces of Lego. Forty people financed the project with a total cost of 60,000 Dollars. Surely this car do not match a commercial project but realize a dream of lots of, young and old, that playing with the Lego bricks and imaged to build a real car that do not make pollution and noise. 2. Ecological umbrella - A new way to save money in the water bills it’s give by this ecological umbrella, that allows to collect rainwater during your walk outside. An upside down umbrella invented in Japan that collects water by a small plastic tube that take the water in a tank to hold under the arm…surely it’s not so comfortable to walk with a tank under the arm, but the idea it’s not so bad!

21. 3. Pedal-Powered Carnival Rides - Cyclecide is an American bicycle club based in San Francisco, California, composed of clowns, altered bikes, and a traveling show called "The Bike Rodeo.“ They take junked bikes, alter them, and weld them into tall bikes, choppers, and other contraptions. Types of rides: Flying Swings - This ride swings 4 people around as 4 people pedal below.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_r1vXLKmjw Ferris Wheel - The two person pedal powered Ferris wheel is quite a thrill to ride and mesmerizing to watch. Feels like a swing that goes all the way over the bar. It uses heavy duty car rotors and intricate bike parts. It also has an extended 3 feet version. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEkWE0-uYAk&t=2s The Dizzy Toy - Two pedalers sit face to face as the world around them becomes a blur.  Requires a 20 foot diameter. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sINr3EcD_lI&feature=emb_logo The Bumble Bee - The Bumble Bee bike ride gives flight to the bicycle. Using a unique flexible drive shaft system, two riders propel themselves in mid air like bees buzzing around a flower.  It has a diameter of approximatley 25 feet and is 12 feet tall. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tW_Wbe-FNE4

22. MICROGRID:A microgrid is a small scale power grid that can operate as a stand-alone, or in conjunction with an areas main power grid. The U.S. Department of Energy sees integrating microgrids into the grid nationwide will create smart cities. They believe the impact of this technology will improve reliability, create more flexibility and increase security of our nation’s electric power system.

23. GREEN • TECHNOLOGIES CLICK TO LEARN MORE https://aacps.discoveryeducation.com/learn/videos/7d1386dd-f336-4244-a15e-4ff8dcd843bd/

24. ECOCITY: A DESIGN FOR CHANGE Sustainable Cities

25. UNIT 4 PROJECT ECO-CITY: Activity 1 - Sustainable Cities CLICK FOR GOOGLE DOC https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Wrt0x-LQ0K1UtDSgvRgsw-izfy1Ja1cGFAtlHF2uyW4/copy http://www.thenatureofcities.com/2014/02/12/hammarby-sjostad-a-new-generation-of-sustainable-urban-eco-districts/ • Stockholm, Sweden • Copenhagen, Denmark • Malmo, Sweden • Vancouver, Canada http://denmark.dk/en/green-living/ http://malmo.se/Nice-to-know-about-Malmo/Sustainable-Malmo-/Nyheter-Sustainable-Malmo/2016-11-15-Sustainable-Malmo-Top-Ten.html http://vancouver.ca/green-vancouver.aspx RESEARCH RESOURCES

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