Carbon-Negative Policies by Reusing Waste Wood as Material and Energy Resources for Mitigating Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Taiwan

Carbon-negative policies for mitigating the emissions of greenhouse gas (GHG) from the energy sector are becoming more urgent and important. Therefore, the environmental policies and regulatory promotion for reusing waste wood as a carbon-negative resource in Taiwan were discussed in this work, which focused on mitigating the emissions of GHG from the energy industries and the manufacturing and construction industries. Considering the official GHG inventory report, the trend analysis of GHG emissions from the energy and the manufacturing and construction industries was addressed first. In addition, this study placed emphasis on the environmental policies and regulatory measures for the material and energy resources from waste wood according to the promulgation of the relevant acts. It was found that the total GHG emissions from the energy and the manufacturing and construction industries accounted for over 80% of net GHG emissions in 2018. In review of the resource recycling and circular economy, lignocellulose-based (or bamboo-based) char, ecological building material, and wood-to-biofuel pathways (e.g., solid recovered fuel) were discussed in this work because they have been promoted by the central competent authorities of the Council of Agriculture (COA), the Ministry of Interior (MOI), and the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA), respectively. In order to achieve the sustainable development goals (SDGs) in Taiwan, carbon-negative policies for reusing waste wood as material and energy resources will play an important role in the mitigation of GHG emissions.

Bamboo as a Unique Ecological Building Material of the XXI Century: Bamboo Description, Bamboo Physical and Mechanical Properties Studies

The description of bamboo varieties is given, the material structure and the application scope are considered. The characteristics of the advantages and disadvantages of bamboo as a structural building material are given. The results of determining the mechanical properties of bamboo are investigated. The normative documents (ISO standards) regulating the use of bamboo in construction are presented. There has been a lag in the operating instructions production for bamboo use in construction. The researchers who studied the bamboo properties and nodal junctures of bamboo rods, as well as the architects and designers of original bamboo structures are indicated.

Ready for change? Interlinkages of traditional and novel practices through permaculture

This paper is based on ongoing participatory action research in Latvia since 2016. The research was initially developed within the Marie Curie Innovative Training Network SUSPLACE and is further advanced by the Latvian Council of Science funded project ‘Ready for change? Sustainable management of common natural resources (RFC)’. By using this approach, the researchers aim to, firstly, synthesise natural, climate science and economic systems evidence of the immense transformations required towards regeneration and, secondly, engage in active knowledge brokerage and societal change advancement. Authors encourage to limit the application of the abused term ‘sustainable’ as it has rather meant to ‘sustain the unsustainable’ across the last decades and to follow the logic of ‘regeneration’ instead. The bridging of practices with the permaculture movement can be summarised in three broad groups of regenerative transformations to develop resilience against environmental breakdown – firstly, organic growing or gardening, secondly, ecological building, and thirdly, ecological lifestyle practices. These examples are arising both from particular collaborations with the selected permaculture homesteads as well as from the general environmental and social activism in Latvia. A common expression claims that ‘everything new is well forgotten old’. It resonates very well with the permaculture ethics and movement emphasising not forgetting yet critically assessing the long-developed skills and practices. This paper demonstrates that in addition to the challenging global aims, on the local level the success of permaculture depends on its ability to be deeply embedded in localities and revive cultural, local practices that people feel a connection to.

Smart Skin. Individualising the form of an ecological building

Contemporary ecological buildings have no formal attributes that distinguish them from "standard" architecture. What is more - due to the requirements of the construction law regarding energy efficiency, currently designed buildings almost always are equipped with technologies or elements that could be described as "green" or "health promoting". The aim of the article is to check whether this thesis is indeed true. The subject of the analysis are facades - the element with the greatest impact on the shape of the building. The innovative functions fulfilled by these structures were analysed. The examples - depending on the function performed - were divided into groups: energy production, pollution absorption, thermal energy storage, response to environmental conditions and the use of recycled materials. Relatively common and experimental technologies were considered. One of the tasks of the article is an attempt to determine whether, in relation to the mentioned technologies, it is possible to assess their direct impact on the health of the inhabitants. Final conclusions were drawn on the basis of a comparison of the characteristic parameters and the environmental impact of smart skin façades.

Building the fashion’s future: How turn textiles’ wastes into ecological building products

The textile system is one of the most influential production activities at a global level from an environmental point of view, both in relation to the processes that characterize the supply chain and in relation to pre and post-consumer waste. It produces million tons of global greenhouse gas emissions per year and it consumes millions of litres of water; it uses million tons of chemical products. Furthermore, millions of tons of special textile wastes are yearly landfilled in upstream process as well as in downstream process. Less of 1% of materials used to produce clothes becomes part of a closed-loop recycling and less of 2% are recycled in other industrial activities. Changing the textile industrial linear model in a circular one according to Systemic Design principles is advisable, starting from wastes and by-products. As proved in the working paper wastes, due to their properties, can assumed as inputs of new production systems. Particularly the scientific contribution deals with some research activities carried out within a project titled EDILTEX - Innovation for reusing in textile companies. The achievements are described, showing that construction and fashion are fields only apparently far from each other. They can - on the contrary - developing powerful synergies and products with interesting technological and physical performances.

Environmental Engineering based Supervision System Design for Highway Construction

Ecological building oversight assumes a significant part during parkway development. There are a great deal of key segments associated with ecological oversight, for example, how to improve the work successfully and productively. In light of distant detecting and Geographic Information System (GIS), this paper presents a plan for natural building oversight framework as far as ecological observing innovation, incorporated administration and public association. The primary segments in the framework incorporate automated aeronautical vehicle based condition screen and condition the board information base and condition observing subsystem.