The potential benefits of dietary shift in China: Synergies among acceptability, health, and environmental sustainability

This case study used anthropological and culture concept methodologies to evaluate the perceptions of sustainable coffee production of the K’Ho ethnic minority in Di Linh district, Lâm Đồng province in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. Sustainable production is a means of mitigating the increasing impacts of climate change upon the region. The Central Highlands is a major coffee production hub and Di Linh is the largest coffee growing region of Lâm Đồng province. The case study included in-depth interviews with farmers based on open-ended questions and a questionnaire about sustainable coffee indicators. The survey invited farmers to quantify the current status of their social, economic, and environmental sustainability. Our study revealed that the unique, government sponsored development of coffee farms led to fast production rates and quick economic prosperity. But, it also resulted in a prolonged monoculture system of coffee production and high chemical use; causing farm productivity to decline and social, economic, and environmental vulnerability to increase. The K’Ho farmers in a small village are noticing the devastating long-term effects of agrochemicals, but have had some initial success exploring the potential benefits of reverting to traditional farming methods.

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Governing the City of Flows: How Urban Metabolism Approaches May Strengthen Accountability in Strategic Planning

Urban Planning ◽

10.17645/up.v4i1.1750 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

pp. 187-199 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Cathrin Zengerling

Keyword(s):

New York ◽

Strategic Planning ◽

Environmental Sustainability ◽

Environmental Flows ◽

Resource Planning ◽

Urban Metabolism ◽

Political Agenda ◽

Potential Benefits ◽

The One

The article aims to provide an initial insight into if and how urban metabolism perspectives and approaches may strengthen accountability in urban environmental strategic planning. It argues that many of the challenges in governing urban environmental flows successfully result from accountability gaps in strategic planning. The aim of the research is to test the assumption that urban metabolism perspectives and approaches strengthen accountability in urban environmental strategic planning. Applying a four-pillar accountability analysis to the strategic climate and resource plans of New York and Zurich, two cities which put environmental sustainability high on their political agenda, the study traces the role of urban metabolism perspectives and approaches and discusses the benefits these may have for accountable strategic planning with a focus on carbon and material flows. The interim results show on the one hand that implicit urban metabolism approaches are vital for both cities’ strategic planning and that they contribute to strengthened accountability in all four pillars of the analysis: responsibility, transparency, assessment and participation. On the other hand, the analysis highlights further potential benefits of urban metabolism perspectives and approaches in urban strategic climate and resource planning.

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State-of-the-art in product-service systems

Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers Part B Journal of Engineering Manufacture ◽

10.1243/09544054jem858 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 221 (10) ◽

pp. 1543-1552 ◽

Cited By ~ 974

Author(s):

T S Baines ◽

H W Lightfoot ◽

S Evans ◽

A Neely ◽

R Greenough ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Environmental Sustainability ◽

Service System ◽

State Of The Art ◽

Future Research ◽

Review Of Literature ◽

Barriers To Adoption ◽

Product Service System ◽

Product Service ◽

Potential Benefits ◽

Product Service Systems

A Product-Service System (PSS) is an integrated combination of products and services. This Western concept embraces a service-led competitive strategy, environmental sustainability, and the basis to differentiate from competitors who simply offer lower priced products. This paper aims to report the state-of-the-art of PSS research by presenting a clinical review of literature currently available on this topic. The literature is classified and the major outcomes of each study are addressed and analysed. On this basis, this paper defines the PSS concept, reports on its origin and features, gives examples of applications along with potential benefits and barriers to adoption, summarizes available tools and methodologies, and identifies future research challenges.

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A Sustainable Approach for the Refurbishment Process of Vernacular Heritage: The Sesga House Case Study (Valencia, Spain)

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13179800 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (17) ◽

pp. 9800

Author(s):

Camilla Mileto ◽

Fernando Vegas ◽

Carmen Llatas ◽

Bernardette Soust-Verdaguer

Keyword(s):

Environmental Sustainability ◽

Cultural Landscape ◽

Vernacular Architecture ◽

Existing Building ◽

Construction Techniques ◽

Potential Benefits ◽

New Construction ◽

Local Construction ◽

Industrial Materials

The refurbishment of traditional vernacular architecture is currently of interest for the conservation of heritage, historic landscape and cultural landscape, as well as for its potential benefits in the field of environmental sustainability. The carefully selected materials and techniques used in the refurbishment of a traditional dwelling in Sesga (Valencia, Spain) maintain the local construction techniques while causing the least possible environmental impact, saving on transport and transformation and construction energy. This article uses LCA to showcase this contribution, examining three scenarios: the first option is the refurbishment of the case study using natural traditional materials and techniques; the second presents a hypothetical refurbishment using widely used industrial materials; and a third option looks at the demolition of the existing building and the addition of a new construction with widely used industrial materials. This comparison has shown where and why the first option is, broadly speaking, the most sustainable option in environmental, sociocultural and socioeconomic terms.

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The Circular Benefits of Participation in Nature-Based Solutions

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13084344 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (8) ◽

pp. 4344

Author(s):

Macarena L. Cárdenas ◽

Vanessa Wilde ◽

Alex Hagen-Zanker ◽

Isabel Seifert-Dähnn ◽

Michael G. Hutchins ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Citizen Science ◽

Environmental Sustainability ◽

Green Infrastructure ◽

Spatial Scales ◽

Learning Experience ◽

Local Environment ◽

Environmentally Sustainable ◽

Passive Learning ◽

Direct Benefits ◽

Potential Benefits

Nature-based solutions (NbS) provide direct benefits to people who live in areas where these approaches are present. The degree of direct benefits (thermal comfort, reduced flood risk, and mental health) varies across temporal and spatial scales, and it can be modelled and quantified. Less clear are the indirect benefits related to opportunities to learn about the environment and its influence on personal behaviour and action. The present study, based on survey data from 1955 participants across 17 cities worldwide, addressed whether participation in NbS through two types of interactions (a passive learning experience about NbS and a more active experience based on Citizen Science) stimulates motivation and willingness to be more environmentally sustainable. Over 75% of participants improved their understanding of environmental sustainability and were highly motivated and more confident in their ability to improve sustainability in their local environment/nature. Similar percentage improvements arose from both types of activity across all cities. Those NbS that had elements of both blue and green infrastructure rated higher than those that had predominantly green NbS. Interestingly, a large percentage of the participants did not live near the NbS that were the focus of these activities. This indicated that expected spatial limitations between benefit and recipient may be overcome when dedicated programmes involve people in learning or monitoring NbS. Therefore, opportunities have arisen to expand inclusion from the immediately local to the larger community through participation and Citizen Science, with potential benefits to social cohesion and urban sustainability.

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Teletinnitus Program at the VA Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System

Perspectives on Telepractice ◽

10.1044/teles4.1.23 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

pp. 23-29

Author(s):

Constance Hilory Tomberlin

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Patient Satisfaction ◽

Patient Care ◽

Health Care System ◽

Gulf Coast ◽

New Technology ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Veterans Health ◽

Potential Benefits ◽

Care System

There are a multitude of reasons that a teletinnitus program can be beneficial, not only to the patients, but also within the hospital and audiology department. The ability to use technology for the purpose of tinnitus management allows for improved appointment access for all patients, especially those who live at a distance, has been shown to be more cost effective when the patients travel is otherwise monetarily compensated, and allows for multiple patient's to be seen in the same time slots, allowing for greater access to the clinic for the patients wishing to be seen in-house. There is also the patient's excitement in being part of a new technology-based program. The Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System (GCVHCS) saw the potential benefits of incorporating a teletinnitus program and began implementation in 2013. There were a few hurdles to work through during the beginning organizational process and the initial execution of the program. Since the establishment of the Teletinnitus program, the GCVHCS has seen an enhancement in patient care, reduction in travel compensation, improvement in clinic utilization, clinic availability, the genuine excitement of the use of a new healthcare media amongst staff and patients, and overall patient satisfaction.

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