Implementing BioSand Filters in Rural Honduras

Access to clean water for drinking and sanitation is an urgent issue that the world is facing. According to the United Nations (UN), approximately one billion people live in extreme poverty, and almost 2.6 billion people live without the basics of adequate sanitation. Over the past two decades, the BioSand Filter has proven to be an effective and efficient point-of-use device to purify water to a potable level in developing countries. The success of this device is due to its simplicity, use of appropriate technology, and sustainability. This chapter discusses a case study of His Hands Mission International’s work installing these filters in the villages of rural Honduras. It focuses on the implementation, adoption, diffusion, and impacts of these filters, providing insight to the system’s factors of success. These factors provide information that can be utilized to improve the chances for success of similar system implementations around the world.

Promoting Rainwater Harvesting (RWH) in Small Island Developing States (SIDS)

A sustainable development path is critical to most small island developing states, which are often environmentally fragile and have little natural resources. For decades, the small Grenadine islands in the Eastern Caribbean have depended on rainwater harvesting (RWH) for water supply. The RWH systems have improved from the use of household drums and communal cisterns to individual cisterns such that water per capita use at some households is at a similar level to that of developed countries. This improvement was brought about through self-financed projects and the use of local construction know-how. A small project to promote RWH in Green St. Vincent was reviewed to procure an appreciation of the diffusion process. The RWH experiences in these islands as they relate to quality, design, and cost can be relevant to the regional efforts of promoting RWH. The chapter proposes a framework for enhancing the promotion of RWH. The chapter recognizes the importance of RWH in disaster management in the islands.

Diffusion of Renewable Energy Technologies in Rural Communities

Worldwide, over 1.3 billion people lack access to energy. Lack of electricity undermines the provision of basic social services, including education and health, and impedes development of income generating opportunities. Renewable energy technologies provide a viable option to rural electrification and are increasingly recognized for their contribution to rural development, energy security, and climate change mitigation. International non-governmental organizations (NGOs), working in partnerships with local actors, play an important role in the diffusion of renewable energy technologies in developing countries. Based on the exploratory case study of the international NGO Practical Action, this chapter explores the nature and effectiveness of development partnerships for the provision of sustainable energy services in remote off-grid rural communities in Cajamarca, Peru. It emphasizes the importance of building effective partnerships with communities and local government; facilitating community participation and ownership; building capacities for sustainable provision of energy services; and providing affordable and appropriate technological solutions that meet people’s needs.

Towards Sustainable Mining

Early efforts to address sustainability within the mining industry (GMI and ICMM) did not create a common set of protocols by which individual operations could be clearly ranked on their performance. The Mining Association of Canada’s Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM) program provides protocols to address biodiversity, tailings management, crisis management, safety and health, energy/GHGs, and aboriginal/community engagement. The TSM program has been mandatory for MAC members to implement at their Canadian operations since 2004. Progress along these indicators shows how well the industry is doing at addressing sustainability along each concept, and where further progress is still needed.

The Role of Authentic Science Research and Education Outreach in Increasing Community Resilience

Active, multi-dimensional learning is needed to establish higher-level scientific inquiry. Researchers who are engaged in scientific discovery are a valuable resource to communicate the link between science, society, and sustainability. Nontraditional settings like faith-based organizations and hobbies can play an important role in fostering greater scientific understanding. This chapter highlights the role that community structure (social, racial, and economic demographics) plays in developing successful project components by considering various theoretical frameworks to communicate sustainability principles to underserved communities. The researchers in these case studies presented the topics of ocean acidification and healthy soil to inner-city communities in Tampa, FL and Philadelphia, PA by utilizing authentic science research activities. Learners maximized the opportunities to construct new hypotheses and improve decision-making related to environmental stewardship behaviors and food security issues. A secondary but transformative outcome was increased interest in STEM fields among youth in cities with traditionally low performing schools.

Phenomena of Adoption of Wireless Handheld Devices

There has been little empirical research into the adoption of wireless technology in healthcare. Although there is a growing interest dedicated to the analysis of technical and operational aspects of wireless devices, there is little research into factors that would lead to the successful adoption of wireless technology in healthcare. Thorough literature reviews were conducted to synthesise adoption theories in the domain of information systems, and shortcomings in the existing literature were highlighted in the context of wireless technology in healthcare. Syntheses demonstrated that there is a need either to expand the existing body of knowledge, or develop new frameworks to accommodate adoption of wireless technology in healthcare. This study has combined the most prominent variables for adoption, identified in the literature, and data collected through healthcare professionals have, to suggest a new adoption model.

Perception is Reality

Despite the cold weather climate conditions of the Great Lakes region, an increasing number of organizations are growing local food on a year round basis. The utilization of commercial aquaponics has allowed these organizations to grow both fish and produce indoors while creating new jobs and community development opportunities. Research has shown that there are significant challenges to maintaining profitable commercial aquaponics ventures in temperate climates; however, the popularity of the technology in urban agriculture seems to be increasing. In this chapter, the authors use diffusion of innovation theory to explain the adoption of this sustainable development innovation in the face of financial challenges. They find that the perception of relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability, and observability may be explanatory factors in the adoption of commercial aquaponics in the face of financial challenge.

Hydrology and Integrated Water Resource Management for Sustainable Watershed Management in Kenya

Degradation of watersheds and diminishing water resources lead to unsustainable environmental and socio- economic development. The hydrological characteristics are desirable for sustainable water resource exploitation. Hydrological and water resources research were examined in three case watersheds in Kenya leading to the need for integrated water resources management, environmental conservation, and watershed management plans as a result of the major challenges of climate change and variability and uncoordinated watershed resource utilization. Well-managed hydro-meteorological networks at different scales of hydrological systems have been proposed to assess potential for optimal resource use and harmony involving all stakeholders for reduced water stress and future water conflicts. Updates of information and methodologies for watershed management that emphasize collaborative efforts and use of sustainable best practices would require input of various stakeholders including Water Resources Management Authority (WRMA), Basin Authorities, and National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA).

Earth Building Materials, Production, and Construction Techniques

Building materials and construction technology are strongly interrelated with the pillars for sustainable development (e.g. environment, society economy, culture and politics). Earth Building, an 11,000-year-old practice of building using sustainable and earth materials, is practiced worldwide. Earth has been used to construct walls, floors, roofs, and even furniture. Today it is estimated that between 33-50%of the world’s population is housed in earth homes. This chapter reviews the two-year process of earth buildings and earth architecture carried out by the Department of Architecture Faculty of Built Environment and Engineering at National University of Malaysia (UKM). The current research emphasis is on the types, construction methods, and architectural aspects of earth buildings and earth architecture. The current manuscript compares type of earth buildings and their properties and applications based on building materials and architectural aspects in construction.

Assessment of Smallholders’ Barriers to Adopt Sustainable Practices

The significant increase in oil palm areas has led to concerns about the sustainability of the associated farming practices. To address these issues, the Roundtable Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) organization formulated principles and criteria (P&C) for sustainable practices for members of the oil palm industry. Initially, only big companies applied for RSPO’s certificate of sustainable product. However, with the growing proportion of smallholders, they are strongly suggested to get involved. Currently, only a few smallholders have obtained the certificate. One possible reason is that the RSPO P&C might be too complicated for smallholders. Using a descriptive and correlation method, this study found that lack of information, cost of adoption and incompability with the stage of farm development, social values and farming conditions, inadequate managerial skills, and profitability explain the barriers for smallholders to adopt the RSPO’s P&C. These barriers need to be addressed in order to improve the adoption of sustainable practices among oil palm smallholders.