scholarly journals Environmental Impact of Meals: How Big Is the Carbon Footprint in the School Canteens?

Foods ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 193
Author(s):  
Mirco Volanti ◽  
Francesco Arfelli ◽  
Esmeralda Neri ◽  
Aurora Saliani ◽  
Fabrizio Passarini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Carbon Footprint ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Energy Content ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Food Services ◽  
Resource Exploitation ◽  
Negative Externalities ◽  
Life Cycle Assessment Methodology

The inhabitants of the world are expected to grow by two billion in the next two decades; as population increases, food demand rises too, leading to more intensive resource exploitation and greater negative externalities related to food production. In this paper the environmental impact of meals provided in school canteens are analysed through the Life Cycle Assessment methodology, in order to evaluate the GHGs emissions released by food production. Meals, and not just individual foods, have been considered so as to include in the analysis the nutritional aspects on which meals are based. Results shows that meat, fish and dairy products are the most impacting in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, with values that shift from 31.7 and 24.1 kg CO2 eq for butter and veal, to 2.37 kg CO2 eq for the octopus, while vegetables, legumes, fruit and cereals are less carbon intensive (average of 3.71 kg CO2 eq for the considered vegetables). When the environmental impact is related to the food energy, the best option are first courses because they combine a low carbon footprint with a high energy content. The results of the work can be used both by the consumer, who can base the meal choice on environmental impact information, and by food services, who can adjust menus to achieve a more sustainable production.

scholarly journals Accounting for Carbon Footprint Flows in Wine Production Process. Case Study in Spanish Winery

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (23) ◽  
pp. 8381
Author(s):  
Miguel Marco-Fondevila ◽  
José M. Moneva ◽  
Fernando Llena-Macarulla
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Production Process ◽  
Carbon Footprint ◽  
Value Chain ◽  
Corporate Image ◽  
Accounting System ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Wine Production

Companies are gradually becoming conscious about the necessity of reducing their environmental impact and adopting low-carbon strategies in order to cope with increasing institutional and social demands. However, remaining competitive while reducing the environmental impact and improving the corporate image requires adopting sophisticated mechanisms boosting eco-efficiency and keeping costs tight. Material Flows Cost Accounting (MFCA) is an instrument that allows the monitoring of, measurement of, and accounting for physical and monetary processes along the production process. If extended to the supply chain, and applied to the energy usage and CO2 emissions, it allows one to account for the Carbon Footprint (CF) of a company and its products at any given stage of the value chain. The current paper presents a case study developed under the framework of a three-year project to introduce an energy use and carbon emissions monitoring and accounting system in a large winery company in Spain, based on the MFCA approach and CF accountability. Including the supply chain of the company and the whole farming cycle of its main input, the case study presents the method and phases adopted to implement the project, its direct and indirect results and outcomes, and the conclusions that can be extracted, which may be inspirational for practitioners and scholars envisaging similar projects.

scholarly journals Carbon footprint of lentil in old Brahmaputra floodplain soil

2016 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 162-167
Author(s):  
ME Haq ◽  
MA Kader ◽  
S Farhan
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Footprint ◽  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Production Capacity ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Floodplain Soil ◽  
Science Field

Crop production has contributed significantly to global carbon footprint (CF). Characterizing the carbon footprint of agricultural production offers key information for achieving low carbon agriculture. Bangladesh has struggled for long and worked hard for increasing food production capacity for its large growing population. It is necessary to choose the crops and management practices which have low CF to maintain a win-win situation between food production and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. However, the CF of Bangladesh’s crop production has not yet been assessed. Therefore, this study was conducted to estimate the CF of lentil as one of the major legumes cultivated in Bangladesh. The crop was cultivated at the Soil Science Field Laboratory of Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) Farm, Mymensingh i.e. Agro-ecological zone (AEZ 9) during November, 2013 to April, 2014 by following standard management practices. The Carbon footprint was calculated by using the collected emission factors from literature as default values for each input and operation used for the production of crops as per guideline of ISO (2006) and IPCC (2006). The GHG emissions in the crop fields are taken from the studies of Pathak and Aggarwal (2012). The yield of lentil was 0.90 t ha-1 with a CF of 406 kg CO2-equivalentst-1 of lentil. Direct and indirect GHG emissions singly contributed the half of CF accounting 52.54% of total CF. The contribution of fertilizer, irrigation, machinery and labor inputs to the overall carbon footprint were 23.16%, 15.97%, 1.26% and 7.06%, respectively. Among the fertilizers, nitrogenous fertilizer was dominant and singly contributed to 70% of fertilizer CF. However, for developing best management practices for climate change mitigation in crop production of Bangladesh, further studies of soil and regional specific CFs of lentil are needed.Progressive Agriculture 27 (2): 162-167, 2016

The Provincial Carbon Footprint and Trade

2012 ◽  
Vol 524-527 ◽  
pp. 3514-3518 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan Wang ◽  
Na Li
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Footprint ◽  
Carbon Emissions ◽  
Industrial Development ◽  
Manufacturing Industry ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Manufacturing Industries ◽  
Total Carbon ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Demand Structure ◽  
High Energy Consumption

Based on the data of provincial input-output model and the carbon footprint model, the analysis is focused on provincial carbon footprint and the space transfer of carbon emissions. The results have shown that: (1) There are significant differences of provincial total carbon footprint amounts: resource-rich provinces have high total carbon footprint amounts, followed by processing and manufacturing provinces and municipalities; Regions with high energy efficiency have low carbon footprint amounts, so does southwestern region where economic and industrial development level is relatively low. (2) The provincial differences of carbon footprint per capita are related to demand structure: the amounts of carbon footprint are high in provinces with higher demand of consumption and investment, especially those provinces with strong demand for construction and processing industries. The amounts of carbon footprint are low in provinces which are non-resource-based, have limited investment and construction, and its economic structure is not dominated by processing and manufacturing. (3) Interprovincial trades have a significant impact on carbon footprint and carbon emissions. Provinces with well developed infrastructure have net CO2 emissions flow-in that are directly induced by high energy consumption products; southwestern region, where processing and manufacturing industry is relatively less-developed, has main CO2 emission flow-in, which are induced by the demand of processing and manufacturing industries; resource-intensive provinces and provinces with well-developed processing and manufacturing industries have net CO2 emission flow-out, which are induced by interprovincial trades.

scholarly journals A Design-led FEWW Nexus Approach for Qatar University

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theodora Karanisa ◽  
Ahmed Ouammi ◽  
Helmi Hamdi ◽  
Imen Saadaoui ◽  
Noora Fetais ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Footprint ◽  
Food Waste ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Animal Feed ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Design Development ◽  
Food Energy

Demographic explosion, climate change, urbanization, change of life quality, and food demand have put extra pressure on Food, Energy, Water, and Waste (FEWW) resources.A special focus has been placed on university campuses as they are representative urban communities with a substantial need for food, energy, and water and they generate waste. Furthermore, universities can be models for the community as they can apply and disseminate new ideas. The case study of the Qatar University via the Doha Living Lab (DLL) generates ideas and gives solutions to the FEWW Nexus through urban agriculture practices adopted to the climatic conditions of Qatar. The DLL follows the M-NEX Design method consisting of three steps: Design Development, Design Evaluation, and Implementation by engaging stakeholders and the local community. The areas of the DLL increase food production on the campus while minimizing the use of energy and water, enhance biodiversity as well as soil quality by valorizing food waste. The carbon footprint of DLL is reduced by 2% when the same quantity of food is produced locally than imported. This applies when 75% of the energy needs come from renewable sources, 75% of the needed animal feed comes from bio waste, and finally, when novel greenhouse technologies are utilized with low energy consumption. According to the research results, the FEWW Nexus and food production on campus can be sustainable in terms of low carbon footprint with minimal resource use, use of renewable energy sources, and food waste valorization.

scholarly journals Using Life Cycle Assessment methodology to minimize the environmental impact of dryers

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angélique Léonard ◽  
S. Gerbinet
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Design Strategies ◽  
Life Cycle Assessment Methodology ◽  
Industrial Energy ◽  
Energy Consuming

Drying is known as a high energy consuming unit operation, representing between 12 to 25% of the global industrial energy consumption in developed countries. Consequently, drying contributes to several environmental impacts mainly associated to its heat or electricity requirements. One can cite global warming, emission of particles, acidification, photochemical ozone formation, … Based on a literature review and some dedicated case studies, this work will illustrate how Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) can be used to evaluate the environmental impacts associated to a drying operation. The results will be presended in a way to indicate some eco-design strategies for dryers. Keywords: drying; eco-design; Life cycle assessment; environmental impact.

EXPRESS: Sustainable by Design: Choice Architecture and the Carbon Footprint of Grocery Shopping

2021 ◽  
pp. 074391562110088
Author(s):  
Luca Panzone ◽  
Alistair Ulph ◽  
Denis Hilton ◽  
Ilse Gortemaker ◽  
Ibrahim Tajudeen
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Footprint ◽  
Carbon Tax ◽  
Food Products ◽  
Grocery Shopping ◽  
Choice Architecture ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Policy Objective ◽  
Carbon Footprints ◽  
Design Choice ◽  
Goal Priming

The increase in global temperatures requires substantial reductions in the greenhouse emissions from consumer choices. We use an experimental incentive-compatible online supermarket to analyse the effect of a carbon-based choice architecture, which presents commodities to customers in high, medium and low carbon footprint groups, in reducing the carbon footprints of grocery baskets. We relate this choice architecture to two other policy interventions: a bonus-malus carbon tax on all grocery products; and moral goal priming, using an online banner noting the moral importance of reducing one’s carbon footprint. Participants shopped from their home in an online store containing 612 existing food products and 39 existing non-food products for which we had data on carbon footprint, over three successive weeks, with the interventions occurring in the second and third weeks. Choice architecture reduced carbon footprint significantly in the third week by reducing the proportion of choices made in the high-carbon aisle. The carbon tax reduced carbon footprint in both weeks, primarily by reducing overall spend. The goal priming banner led to a small reduction in carbon footprint in the second week only. Thus, the design of the marketplace plays an important role in achieving the policy objective of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

scholarly journals Microbes: Food for the Future

Foods ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 971
Author(s):  
Matilde Ciani ◽  
Antonio Lippolis ◽  
Federico Fava ◽  
Liliana Rodolfi ◽  
Alberto Niccolai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Production ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Negative Externalities ◽  
Agriculture Soil ◽  
Global Concern ◽  
Food Commodities ◽  
Hydrogen Oxidizing Bacteria

Current projections estimate that in 2050 about 10 billion people will inhabit the earth and food production will need to increase by more than 60%. Food security will therefore represent a matter of global concern not easily tackled with current agriculture practices and curbed by the increasing scarcity of natural resources and climate change. Disrupting technologies are urgently needed to improve the efficiency of the food production system and to reduce the negative externalities of agriculture (soil erosion, desertification, air pollution, water and soil contamination, biodiversity loss, etc.). Among the most innovative technologies, the production of microbial protein (MP) in controlled and intensive systems called “bioreactors” is receiving increasing attention from research and industry. MP has low arable land requirements, does not directly compete with crop-based food commodities, and uses fertilizers with an almost 100% efficiency. This review considers the potential and limitations of four MP sources currently tested at pilot level or sold as food or feed ingredients: hydrogen oxidizing bacteria (HOB), methanotrophs, fungi, and microalgae (cyanobacteria). The environmental impacts (energy, land, water use, and GHG emissions) of these MP sources are compared with those of plant, animal, insect, and cultured meat-based proteins. Prices are reported to address whether MP may compete with traditional protein sources. Microalgae cultivation under artificial light is discussed as a strategy to ensure independence from weather conditions, continuous operation over the year, as well as high-quality biomass. The main challenges to the spreading of MP use are discussed.

scholarly journals Energy Retrofitting Opportunities Using Renewable Materials—Comparative Analysis of the Current Frameworks in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Slovenia

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 603
Author(s):  
Darija Gajić ◽  
Slobodan Peulić ◽  
Tim Mavrič ◽  
Anna Sandak ◽  
Črtomir Tavzes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Primary Energy ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Resource Exploitation ◽  
Renewable Materials ◽  
Building Stock ◽  
Low Carbon Economy ◽  
Eu Member States

Sustainable approaches for retrofitting buildings for energy efficiency are becoming necessary in a time when the building sector is the largest energy consumer. Retrofitting building stock is effective for reducing global energy consumption and decreasing resource exploitation. Less developed EU member states and neighboring developing countries show reluctance towards healthy and renewable materials. Implementation of sustainable materials for energy retrofitting is slowed down due to gaps in legislation and effective strategic programs, availability of bio-based materials, lack of knowledge regarding use and maintenance of renewable products, and marketing lobbies. Use of bio-based materials in refurbishment is important due to their negative or low global warming potential (GWP), low primary energy (PEI) need for production, cost-effective benefits, and recycling/reuse potential. Role of environmentally friendly solutions and low-carbon economy growth is particularly relevant in developing countries, such as Bosnia-Herzegovina, that cannot afford innovative energy recovery systems, yet possess a significant amount of poorly managed building stock. This research aims to analyze frameworks regarding retrofitting of residential buildings in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Slovenia. The analysis tackles indirect causes, studies the legal background, and examines strategic frameworks; thus, it indicates potential barriers for implementation of recommended retrofitting solutions based on renewable materials.

scholarly journals Towards the Hydrogen Economy—A Review of the Parameters That Influence the Efficiency of Alkaline Water Electrolyzers

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (11) ◽  
pp. 3193
Author(s):  
Ana L. Santos ◽  
Maria-João Cebola ◽  
Diogo M. F. Santos
Keyword(s):  
Energy Content ◽  
Water Electrolysis ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Energy Sources ◽  
Alkaline Water Electrolysis ◽  
Alkaline Water ◽  
New Energy ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Cell Components

Environmental issues make the quest for better and cleaner energy sources a priority. Worldwide, researchers and companies are continuously working on this matter, taking one of two approaches: either finding new energy sources or improving the efficiency of existing ones. Hydrogen is a well-known energy carrier due to its high energy content, but a somewhat elusive one for being a gas with low molecular weight. This review examines the current electrolysis processes for obtaining hydrogen, with an emphasis on alkaline water electrolysis. This process is far from being new, but research shows that there is still plenty of room for improvement. The efficiency of an electrolyzer mainly relates to the overpotential and resistances in the cell. This work shows that the path to better electrolyzer efficiency is through the optimization of the cell components and operating conditions. Following a brief introduction to the thermodynamics and kinetics of water electrolysis, the most recent developments on several parameters (e.g., electrocatalysts, electrolyte composition, separator, interelectrode distance) are highlighted.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document