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Companies now face federal sewage disposal fine

Companies now face federal sewage disposal fine | Sustain Our Earth | Scoop.it
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Two companies fined more than half a million dollars by the state of North Dakota for improperly dumping sewage in the western oil patch have reached an agreement with federal prosecutors to pay more fines.
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Rescooped by SustainOurEarth from landscape architecture & sustainability
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Data Farming: Demonstrating the Benefits of Urban Agriculture [INFOGRAPHIC]

Data Farming: Demonstrating the Benefits of Urban Agriculture [INFOGRAPHIC] | Sustain Our Earth | Scoop.it

Design Trust put together a metrics framework that measured the associated activities of urban agriculture with the known benefits derived from various studies to convince city officials of urban farming's positive impact.

 

Transforming underutilized land into productive urban farms was one of the many topics which were presented at the recent Kansas City Design Week.  Jerome Chou, past Director of Programs at the Design Trust for Public Space, presented his unique experience with the implementation of the Five Boroughs Farm in New York City and the impact that urban agriculture can have on low-income areas of a city.

Chou pointed out that having the land available for an urban farm is only half of the battle. The other half involves changing local zoning laws, influencing political opinion, garnering economic support, and proving the project will have a net benefit to a community...


Via Lauren Moss, landscape architecture &sustainability
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Smart Cities + Green Megaprojects of the Future

Smart Cities + Green Megaprojects of the Future | Sustain Our Earth | Scoop.it

For many years, architects and city planners from around the world have been trying to create the green ideal: an entire city built to strict environmental standards- highly functional while still retaining aesthetic value.

 

Here’s a look at some green building and community design that caught our attention in recent months and may (or may not) become reality in the next several years. Their physical footprints may be large, but by using features such as wind power, solar, rainwater recycling and advanced air quality controls, their carbon footprints don't have to be...


Via Lauren Moss, Digital Sustainability
Mercor's curator insight, January 2, 6:33 AM

Rescooped by Digital Sustainability from green streets onto Digital Sustainability

Norm Miller's curator insight, January 2, 4:32 PM

This is going beyond Mazdar in Dubai.  The reality is that we need to transform existing cities since starting from scratch is rare.  We need to retrofit cities more than build new ones, but still it is interesting.

Papagaio No Brasil's curator insight, March 4, 6:31 AM

 

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Rescooped by SustainOurEarth from Environmental and Human Sustainability in Design
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Bioclimatic House in the Canary Islands, Spain

Bioclimatic House in the Canary Islands, Spain | Sustain Our Earth | Scoop.it

This bioclimatic house, by Estudio José Luis Rodríguez, is a self-sufficient structure integrated into the terrain of the Canary Islands, a landscape characterized by a continuous terracing of the extreme topography.

 

In response to this site, the design features a basalt stone wall that supports a light structure of plywood, galvanized steel walls and glass.

The building's orientation is determined by solar radiation; photovoltaic panels produce electricity, in order to achieve zero carbon emissions. The living area is connected to the outside with a space that is protected from sun and wind, while a wall located in the sleeping area to the north has a high thermal mass for passive temperature control.

The design also aims to reduce its ecological footprint on the use of materials and construction systems by using local materials (basalt wall insulation covered with volcanic lapilli, for example), environmentally certified materials and no harmful elements, such as VOC compounds in synthetic paints and varnishes.

 

View more images of this unique, contextural and contemporary green project at the link to ArchDaily's feature...


Via Lauren Moss, Susan Davis Cushing
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Portland International Jetport wins LEED Gold certification

Portland International Jetport wins LEED Gold certification | Sustain Our Earth | Scoop.it

Designed by Gensler, the expansion invoved construction of a new 160,000 square foot terminal, expanded security checkpoints and a sky bridge between the terminal and parking.

The design of the new terminal roots its inspiration to the natural beauty and resources of Maine. The terminal has extensively used timber, which is a rare element in airport architecture. The facility was built to embrace several sustainable elements, which consist of natural daylighting, FSC-certified glue laminated structural timbers, and low-maintenance, polished concrete floors.


Via Lauren Moss, Digital Sustainability
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Wooden Skyscrapers: A New Level of Sustainability?

Wooden Skyscrapers: A New Level of Sustainability? | Sustain Our Earth | Scoop.it

A new breed of high-rise architecture is in the process of being born, thanks to the collaborative efforts of modern design pioneers. Envisioned as the best sustainable option for meeting world housing demands and decreasing global carbon emissions, wooden mega-structures are now one step closer to becoming a reality.


“Big Wood,” a conceptual project to the eVolo 2013 Skyscraper Competition, builds on the premise that wood, when harvested responsibly, is one of the best tools architects and engineers have for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and creating healthy communities. Aspiring to become one of the greenest skyscrapers in the world, Big Wood challenges the way we build our cities and promotes timber as a reliable platform to support tomorrow’s office and residential towers...


Via Lauren Moss
Linda Alexander's curator insight, April 20, 4:47 PM

Whoa..Chicago!

Geovanni's curator insight, May 8, 9:32 AM

Fascinating place. Must of been a lot of wood to be created.

Bubba Muntzer's comment, May 13, 11:44 AM
It takes around 30 years for a seedling to grow into the kind of wood that can be used in construction. A little maintenance is required during that period. Meanwhile it's soaking up CO2 and making oxygen. The only industrial processes required are to cut it down and cut it into boards and 2 x 4s. If you stagger your planting you have an endless supply.
Rescooped by SustainOurEarth from Fighting for A Sustainable Planet: News and Resources
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Infographic: Companies unprepared to address resource scarcities

Infographic:  Companies unprepared to address resource scarcities | Sustain Our Earth | Scoop.it

New research shows that many businesses around the world won’t start planning until 2018. Is this too late?

Despite widespread warnings of resource scarcity over the next few decades, a significant proportion of global businesses are not prepared to address the predicted shortfall, according to new research by Carbon Trust.
The U.K.-based organization’s survey of 475 executives in the U.S., Brazil, China, Korea and the U.K. revealed while a majority acknowledged that their companies would have to charge more for their products and services as a result of resource constraints, 43 percent are not monitoring risks posed by incidents such as energy price increases and environmental disasters. Over 50 percent have not developed goals to reduce their company’s consumption of water, waste production or carbon emissions...

View the Carbon Trust infographic for more details on the survey.


Via Lauren Moss, Susan Davis Cushing
Duane Craig's curator insight, December 20, 2012 11:19 AM

And, the construction sector is woefully unprepared...

Jim Gramata's curator insight, December 21, 2012 10:37 PM

The earth is bounded and its resources finite. Hopefully it will be a proactive and not reactive decision to do what is critical to the sustainability of the earth. Spread the word....

Mercor's curator insight, January 31, 9:50 AM

Scooped by Lauren Moss

Rescooped by SustainOurEarth from Sustainability Pragmatika
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Renewables: Australia's a land of plenty

Renewables: Australia's a land of plenty | Sustain Our Earth | Scoop.it
Renewables: Australia's a land of plenty...

 

" “There has never been a scientific question as to whether renewable energy could provide 100 per cent of Australia's energy needs,” said Mr Want, who is also chief executive of energy developer Vast Solar.

 

“The question is whether we as a society and as a nation see value in harnessing that resource — for domestic use and for export — and whether we are prepared to demand of our leaders that they design policies to achieve those ends.” "

 

 


Via Arno Neumann
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