scholarly journals Quantifying the Environmental and Economic Performance of Remote Communities

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamie Filer ◽  
Steven Schuldt

Remote communities such as oil production sites, post-disaster housing camps, and military forwardoperating bases (FOB) are often detached from established infrastructure grids, requiring a constantresupply of resources. In one instance, a 600-person FOB required 22 trucks per day to delivernecessary fuel and water and remove generated wastes. This logistical burden produces negativeenvironmental impacts and increases operational costs. To minimize these consequences,construction planners can implement sustainability measures such as renewable energy systems,improved waste management practices, and energy-efficient equipment. However, integration ofsuch upgrades can increase construction costs, presenting the need for a tool that identifies tradeoffsamong conflicting criteria. To assist planners in these efforts, this paper presents the development ofa novel remote site sustainability assessment model capable of quantifying the environmental andeconomic performance of a set of infrastructure alternatives. Through field data and literatureestimates, a hypothetical FOB is designed and evaluated to demonstrate the model’s distinctivecapability to accurately and efficiently assess construction alternatives. The proposed model willenable construction planners to maximize the sustainability of remote communities, creating sitesthat are more self-sufficient with reduced environmental impacts.Keywords: Sustainability, infrastructure, remote communities

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 2208 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamie E. Filer ◽  
Justin D. Delorit ◽  
Andrew J. Hoisington ◽  
Steven J. Schuldt

Remote communities such as rural villages, post-disaster housing camps, and military forward operating bases are often located in remote and hostile areas with limited or no access to established infrastructure grids. Operating these communities with conventional assets requires constant resupply, which yields a significant logistical burden, creates negative environmental impacts, and increases costs. For example, a 2000-member isolated village in northern Canada relying on diesel generators required 8.6 million USD of fuel per year and emitted 8500 tons of carbon dioxide. Remote community planners can mitigate these negative impacts by selecting sustainable technologies that minimize resource consumption and emissions. However, the alternatives often come at a higher procurement cost and mobilization requirement. To assist planners with this challenging task, this paper presents the development of a novel infrastructure sustainability assessment model capable of generating optimal tradeoffs between minimizing environmental impacts and minimizing life-cycle costs over the community’s anticipated lifespan. Model performance was evaluated using a case study of a hypothetical 500-person remote military base with 864 feasible infrastructure portfolios and 48 procedural portfolios. The case study results demonstrated the model’s novel capability to assist planners in identifying optimal combinations of infrastructure alternatives that minimize negative sustainability impacts, leading to remote communities that are more self-sufficient with reduced emissions and costs.


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 938-952 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elham Ebrahimi Sarindizaj ◽  
Mahdi Zarghami

Abstract During the last decade, Urmia Lake has lost most of its surface area. As a result, finding management practices to restore the sustainable ecological status of Urmia Lake, the world's second largest hyper-saline lake, is imperative. In this study, the sustainability of different plans under climate change was assessed using system dynamics. The plans were evaluated with respect to sustainability criteria including reliability, resiliency, and vulnerability measures. According to the results due to different management practices, on average, water consumption should be reduced by at least 30% to restore the lake. The results revealed that only hybrid plans which incorporate multiple management practices, instead of focusing on just one approach, can be influential. Among the hybrid plans, that of increasing irrigation efficiency, reducing cultivated area, changing crop pattern, and inter-basin water transfer was identified as the most sustainable plan. About eight years after applying this plan, the lake will achieve its ecological level and will remain sustainable. Considering comprehensive factors, the proposed model can help watershed managers to take the necessary measures to restore this vital ecosystem. The results of this study can be applied to water resources systems with the same problem, especially those in semi-arid regions with multidisciplinary aspects.


2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauro Osiro ◽  
Rodrigo Antônio de Morais Barros Vieira da Costa ◽  
Francisco Rodrigues Lima Junior

abstract: In the last years, the participation of suppliers in the development, production, and distribution of products has increased. In this way, the sustainability of an organization depends more and more on these partners. The supplier sustainability assessment must be based on the economic, environmental and social tripod called the triple bottom line (TBL). Due to the recent adoption of qualitative metrics related to environmental and social issues in business management, models that deal with qualitative assessments based on experts’ judgments have been required. This paper proposes a supplier sustainability assessment model based on fuzzy 2-tuple linguistic representation using TBL criteria. A pilot application involving the evaluation of 11 suppliers using 13 criteria was carried out in a company that manufactures agricultural products. The application results indicate that supplier 8 presents the higher performance. The criteria evaluated as the most relevant are delivery schedule and product quality. Due to the use of fuzzy 2-tuple representation, the proposed model presents some advantages over the previous similar models, such as the ability to model quantitative and qualitative criteria as well as categorize the supplier's overall performance into groups defined by fuzzy linguistic terms.


2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (7) ◽  
pp. 2216-2229 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henry C. Lau ◽  
Andrew Ip ◽  
CKM Lee ◽  
GTS Ho

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to propose a three-tier assessment model (TAM), aiming to identify and evaluate the competitiveness level of companies. The existing problem is that companies find it difficult to choose a proper model which can be deployed to benchmark with competitors in terms of their competiveness level in the marketplace. Most of the available models are not appropriate or easy to use. The proposed assessment model is able to provide an insight for better planning and preparation so as to gain a better chance of success comparing with their competitors. Most importantly, the proposal model adopts a pragmatic approach and can be implemented without going through tedious mathematical calculations and analysis.Design/methodology/approachTAM embraces three different approaches deployed in various stages of the application process. The first stage is to identify the relevant criteria using hierarchical holographic modeling and the second stage is to assess the associated weightings of these criteria used to rate the potential competitiveness of related companies. The technique used in stage two is known as fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) which is a combination of two well-established methods including fuzzy logic and analytical hierarchical programming. In stage three, a technique known as technique for order preference by similarity to the ideal solution (TOPSIS) is adopted to benchmark the level of competitiveness covering several companies in the same industry.FindingsIn this paper, a case study is conducted in order to validate the feasibility and practicality of the proposed model. Results indicate that TAM can be easily applied in various industrial settings by practitioners in the field for supporting operations management practices.Research limitations/implicationsSignificant amount of work is needed to ensure that the proposed model can be practically deployed in real industrial settings.Practical implicationsThis proposed model is able to capitalize on the benefits of the HMM, FAHP and TOPSIS methods and offset their deficiencies. Most importantly, it can be applied to various industries without complex modification.Originality/valueThis paper suggests a hybrid model to assess competitiveness level embracing three different techniques with the unique feature which is able to provide an insight for better planning and preparation in order to excel competitors. Companies may be able to follow the procedures and steps suggested in the paper to implement the model which is proven to be pragmatic and can be applied in real situations.


2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 5
Author(s):  
Suzy Noviyanti ◽  
Yefta Andi Kus Noegroho ◽  
Jony Oktavian Haryanto ◽  
Lanita Winata

Due to environment protection issue, waste management becomes one of important factors in maintaining organization sustainability. In developed country, a growing number of companies began to integrate the pro environment practices, such as waste management practices, into their business strategy. In contrast, the implementation of waste management practices by business organizations in developing country, like Indonesia, is still rare. Waste generated by industries is greater than the capacity to manage this volume of waste. This poses a problem that leads to improper disposal of waste and pollution. This study aims to design a research model which investigates the relation of institutional environment including cognitive, regulatory, and normative element; manager environmental attitudes, worker environmental attitudes, environmental policy, strategic waste management practices, and financial performance.<br /><br />


Author(s):  
Femi O. Omololu ◽  
Akinmayowa S. Lawal

This paper examines the influence of population growth on waste generation in Lagos metropolis, African’s most populous urban conglomeration. Using both quantitative and qualitative methods, the study analyses the pattern of household waste disposal, collection and transportation in Lagos State. It also examines the public-private partnership strategy adopted in waste management. The findings show that population growth significantly influences waste generation and management in Lagos metropolis. As the population increased, the volume of waste generated also increased in each LGA of Lagos State. The public-private partnership strategy has been effective in managing waste, but the Lagos State Waste Management Authority oversight was adjudged as less than satisfactory. The paper concludes that intervention is needed in terms of educating the growing population of the Lagos metropolis on the best waste management practices. It highlights the need for a more efficient and effective publicprivate partnership collaboration to solve this perennial social problem.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 115
Author(s):  
Wiyaka Wiyaka ◽  
Entika Fani Prastikawati ◽  
AB Prabowo Kusumo Adi

<div><p class="StyleABSTRAKenCambria">The integration of higher-order thinking skills (HOTS) in language learning assessments has become a crucial issue in 21st-century learning. However, not many teachers are aware of the need to incorporate HOTS in assessments due to their insufficient knowledge and the absence of good examples. Further, there is not much research and literature on HOTS-based formative assessment that can be used as references. This research aims to fill the existing gap by providing a model of higher-order thinking skills (HOTS)-based formative assessments for English learning, especially in junior high schools. By employing research and development design, this research describes the validation of the assessment model. The proposed model of assessment may be used as a prototype for assessing language learning.</p></div><p> </p>


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