Green Infrastructure Implementation - Term Paper Example

Grey and Green Infrastructure Name Institution Course Date Executive Summary This report analyses green infrastructure for sustainable development as a network of beneficial ecosystems that ensures maintenance and restoration of the ecosystem. The report further entails incorporation of social, environmental and economic objectives which are necessary for sustainable development. Sustainable development is influenced by a number of factors including management attitude and perception, social and financial factors and government policy. Report further details that green infrastructure as compared to grey infrasctructure is connected to many environmental, economic and social benefits in todays world. Many countries and companies have yielded benefits from green infrastructure implementation. The report also gives some examples of the benefits which include improved air quality, improved land value, enhanced groundwater recharge and enhanced human health among others. Table of Contents Executive Summary 2 Table of Contents 3 Factors Influencing Sustainable Developments 4 Management 4 Government Policy 5 Social Factors 5 Economic and Financial Factors 5 Benefits of Green Infrastructure to the Environment 5 Enhanced Groundwater Recharge 6 Reduced Demand for Energy and Urban Heat Island Justification 6 Improved Air Quality 6 Improved Human Health 7 Increased Land Value 7 Green Infrastructure Case Studies 7 Dow: Phytoremediation for Groundwater Decontamination 8 Shell: Produced Water Treatment using Reed Beds 8 Literature: Green Roofs for Energy Saving 9 Difficulties Facing Green Building Projects 9 Green Education 9 Resistance to Change 10 Lack of Integrated Design 10 Rural and Urban Sustainable Development Issues 10 EU Legislation Supporting Green Infrastructure 11 Conclusion 11 Introduction Green Infrastructure investments are characterized by high level of return over a long period, provide employment opportunities and are cost effective and are used as a complementary to grey infrastructure. It is beneficial to both people and the environment. Sustainable development is a global challenge to managing change (Bansal and Roth, 2000). Integration of social, environmental and economic objectives is required in achieving sustainable development (Bansal and Roth, 2000). Green infrastructure for sustainable development is a network of beneficial ecosystems that ensures maintenance and restoration of the ecosystem (Low, Tang and Medhekar, 2012). Natural benefits such as flood prevention, clean air, carbon storage etc. are delivered to people. Green infrastructure should be managed since it is capable of offering numerous benefits. The main purpose of this report is to explore the factors influencing sustainable development. It will also detail out some benefits of green infrastructure and offer case studies concerning the same. Finally, it will highlight the difficulties of implementing green infrastructure policies and the legislation that supports it. Factors Influencing Sustainable Developments There are numerous factors influencing sustainable development. They are mentioned below; Management Management’s attitude and perception about the sustainability development is one key factor that influences sustainable development policies and strategies (Holliday, Schmidheiny and Watts, 2002). Research suggest that there is a social orientation of social corporate sustainable and concepts from management point of view. Leaders of companies and organisations with a well-articulated guiding principles and a higher motivation level are more eager to take part in sustainable development (Holliday, Schmidheiny and Watts, 2002). Government Policy Centralization of government tends to affect sustainability strategies. In a centralized government, everything that happens in a given country must receive authorisation from the government. This has been seen to occur mostly in developing countries. This affects the implementation of this development. In addition, limited economic, social and environmental strategy for policies, projects and laws may interfere with implementation of sustainable development (Bell et al., 2008). Social Factors Population growth coupled with unsustainability consumption patterns among people present a social challenge to achieving sustainable development. Absent of a fundamental change with regard to human behaviour will make sustainability development hard to achieve (Holliday, Schmidheiny and Watts, 2002). Other social factors affecting sustainability development include marginalisation of the poor and limited awareness among people about sustainability. Economic and Financial Factors Dominating development framework focuses on economic growth rather than environmental limits and people’s welfare. The worldview of treating the environment as a segment of the economy affects sustainability development (Holliday, Schmidheiny and Watts, 2002). In addition, sustainability development require substantial amount of capital in order to be implemented. Issues such as corruption and lack of enough capital may affect sustainability development. Benefits of Green Infrastructure to the Environment Green infrastructure is connected with various environmental, human health as well as economic benefits. These privileges go together with each other. These gains are most at times emphasized in both urban and sub-urban regions where green space is little whereas the harm to the environment is massive. Therefore, these benefits of green infrastructure to the environment include: Enhanced Groundwater Recharge Green infrastructure brings about natural and environment friendly infiltration capabilities which enhance the rate at which ground water within the aquifers are restored or replenished (American Rivers, 2012). This is very important because aquifers produce groundwater which makes about 40% of the water required to maintain the rates of normal base flow in our rivers. In addition, improved groundwater recharge can increase the supply of fresh water to both private and public consumers (CNT, 2011). Therefore, green infrastructure has greater benefits to the environment than grey technology. Reduced Demand for Energy and Urban Heat Island Justification In the urban areas, most of the natural land cover that was in existent have been completely replaced by grey dense pavement and buildings. Grey infrastructure has resulted to the displacement of trees and vegetation therefore reducing the cooling effects they produce to the environment. Moreover, skyscrapers and narrow streets hold waste heat emitted by vehicles which increases urban heat (CNT, 2011). Therefore, green infrastructure encourages utilization of more space for vegetation and trees providing mitigation for impacts related to urban heat islands. It also helps reduce energy demands. For instance, green roofs can lower the demand for energy like air conditioning therefore reduces the demand for energy. Improved Air Quality Green infrastructure enables the utilization of trees in urban landscape. Presence of vegetation in an urban landscape encourages circulation of air in the environment which plays a major role in improving the quality of air. Green plants take in various pollutants present in the atmosphere via their leaves as well as contact removal (American Rivers, 2012). Therefore, green infrastructure with widespread vegetation can cool the atmosphere. In addition, it can even slow down the reactions that are dependent of temperature which are responsible of ground-level pollution through smog. Improved Human Health From previous researches and studies, there is a direct relation of green infrastructure and good human health. Since trees and vegetation are fundamental elements of green infrastructure, they portray a positive effect to human health. Researches have related presence of green infrastructure with a reduction in the rate of criminal activities, strong sense of community and also improved human performances (CNT, 2011). Moreover, it has been connected with minimization of symptoms related to attention deficit disorder. Increased Land Value A number of case studies have shown that green infrastructure can substantially increase the value of ones’ property. For instance, in Philadelphia, an initiative that oversaw the conversion of abandoned lots into “clean and green” landscape led to a financial effect that surpassed expectations. The improvement done to the vacant land resulted to an increase in value of the surrounding housing. A $4 million gain was as a result of planting trees and vegetation whereas the remaining $12 million was through the improvement of the lot (CNT, 2011). Green Infrastructure Case Studies There are some case studies that have been done indicating the benefits of green infrastructure and how it impacts the environment. They include; Dow: Phytoremediation for Groundwater Decontamination; Shell: Produced Water Treatment using Reed Beds and Literature: Green Roofs for Energy Saving to mention a few. Dow: Phytoremediation for Groundwater Decontamination The Dow Chemical Company has engineered the utilization of green plants to get rid of contaminants present in soil and groundwater. This system has the capability of degrading, extracting as well as controlling the contamination of the groundwater (EPA, 2010). Dow Chemical Company has established one a specific installation which was finished at the Dow Sarnia facility. The objectives of phytoremediation was to substitute the existing recovery and treatment scheme with a remediation system which is more cost-effective and that fully conforms with the requirements of the environment and minimizing the cost of managing the site (CNT, 2011). This project benefited the environment in multiple ways which included; no need for electric energy reducing the demand for energy; minimized hours of operation; significant decrease in the cost of maintenance as compared to pump and no need of transporting waste water off the site by use of trucks. Shell: Produced Water Treatment using Reed Beds Petroleum Development Oman LLC together with Shell Petroleum Company came up with a concept which would minimize or get rid of power consumption as well as carbon dioxide emission linked with operation of instruments for deep well disposal (EPA, 2010). They used reeds as filters which separate oil from water as a method of water treatment. They designed the facility to treat about 95,000 m3 of water daily. This project has brought about sustainability of the environment along with a number of benefits. It has reduced the cost of capital as compared to the conventional water treatment facilities. It has also reduced the emission of carbon dioxide into the environment by approximately 98% due to elimination of electric powered systems (Kazmierczak and Carter, 2010). Literature: Green Roofs for Energy Saving Basel, Switzerland has one of the largest roofing areas covered by green vegetation. Since 2002, the government of Switzerland enforced building regulations which encouraged the use of green roofs because they were driven by energy saving as their initial goal (Kazmierczak and Carter, 2010). Green roofs minimize the energy needed to either cool or heat a building. This project of green roofs was earlier funded by Basel in order to kindle awareness and interests. It has been noted that green roofs deliver a climate change adaptation by reducing water runoff as well as reducing temperatures in urban areas (Kazmierczak and Carter, 2010). This project has resulted to a number of benefits. It has led to energy saving for building owners. In addition, it has led to energy saving within the municipality to about 3.1-4+ giga watts hour per year. Also, it has created a habitat for endangered species and finally, it has benefited the country by giving it a national and global recognition in terms of sustainability of the environment (EPA, 2010). Difficulties Facing Green Building Projects Green Education When children are born and raised in green and healthier environment, they tend to naturally develop some aspects of environmental responsibility which becomes entirely part of them (Varone and Aebischer, 2008). Engineering and architectural education today lacks emphasis on sustainability development. This makes it difficult for sustainability development projects to be implemented (Varone and Aebischer, 2008). Children and the society at large should be encouraged to undertake technical skills that make up part of green infrastructure. Resistance to Change ‘New’ is termed as risky and uncertain. Getting people to embrace change is a challenge especially when capital investment is involved (Pinkse and Dommisse, 2009). Culture and mind-set play a contributing part in green infrastructure practices. People are used to doing things in a certain way, use materials and designs they are familiar with etc. It takes time for people to be convinced to change their way of life. People prefer using grey infrastructure that they are used to instead of green infrastructure (Pinkse and Dommisse, 2009). Lack of Integrated Design Much of today’s construction and building rely heavily on multiple entities which work independently until forced to work together. All these entities should be integrated in order to synergies strategies that bring about greater benefits (Häkkinen and Belloni, 2011). Green cannot be termed as something that can be worked around to earn the maximum points. Establishing and coordinating certain goals from beginning can reduce the operating costs. When environmental issues are solved, it gives the perception that everything added brings about an additional step and thus cost associated with greening an infrastructure is perceived as expensive (Häkkinen and Belloni, 2011). But in real sense, green infrastructure is cost effective. Rural and Urban Sustainable Development Issues More than a half of the population live in urban areas which play a fundamental role in contemporary society (Bansal and Roth, 2000). Aspects involving the environment, society and the economy interact at the urban level and influence the world at large. As cities continue to expand, they put pressure on land, water, energy and resources which eventually can result to environmental issues (Pinkse and Dommisse, 2009). Therefore, sustainability development solutions in urban areas will have potential for managing resource consumption. On the other hand, rural areas are exposed to changes involving agriculture and forestry. Rural areas are abandoned and are characterised by poor infrastructure, lack of light energy, land degradation, lack of quality water etc. Changes in land use coupled with socio-economic developments can lead to sustainable development in the rural areas (Pinkse and Dommisse, 2009). EU Legislation Supporting Green Infrastructure EU has set some goals when it comes to reducing environmental impacts in the construction sector. Buildings are responsible for more than 40% of the total energy consumed and 30% CO2 emitted in EU (EU, 2012). Establishment of green building legislation can reduce the total energy consumption. As a result, the EU has come up with legislation that supports green building (EU, 2012). Energy Performance of Building Directive and Energy Efficiency Directive are the major legislation that supports the green infrastructure in EU. Conclusion Sustainable development is influenced by a number of factors including government policy, financial factors, social factors and management. Green building for sustainable development is considered to have numerous benefits to people and the environment. The benefits include increased land value, improved human health, improved air quality, reduced demand for energy to name a few. However, implementation of green infrastructure projects may encounter some difficulties. Resistance to change, green education and lack of integrated design make the institution of green projects difficult. Green infrastructure in EU is supported by a number of legislation that ensures there is reduction in energy consumption in the construction sector. References American Rivers 2012, Banking on Green Infrastructure: A Look at How Green Infrastructure Can Save Municipalities Money and Provide Economic Benefits Comunity-Wide, Journal of Civil Engineering, p. 112-154. Bansal, P & Roth, K 2000, Why companies go green: A model of ecological responsiveness, Academy of Management Journal, vol. 43, no. 4, p. 717-736. Bell, S., Hamilton, V., Montarzino, A., Rothnie, H., Travlou, P. and Alves, S 2008, Greenspace and quality of life: a critical literature review, Greenspace Scotland, Stirling. CNT 2011, The Value of Green Infrastructure: A Guide to Recognizing Its Economic, Environmental and Social Benefits, Chicago, Center for Neighborhood Technology. EPA 2010, Green Infrastructure Case Studies: Municipal Policies for Managing Stormwater with Green Infrastructure. EPA Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds. Washington, DC: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved from http://www.epa.gov/owow/NPS/lid/gi_case_studies_2010.pdf. EU 2010, EU Green Infrastructure in Construction Sector: European Commission, Retrieved from https://ec.europa.eu/energy/en/topics/energy-efficiency/buildings Häkkinen, T & Belloni, K 2011, Barriers and drivers for sustainable building, Build. Res. Inform., vol. 39, p. 239–255. Holliday, C., Schmidheiny, S, Watts, P 2002, Walking the Talk: The Business Case for Sustainable Development, Greenleaf Publishing, United Kingdom. Kazmierczak, A. and Jeremy Carter 2010, Adaptation to Climate Change Using Green and Blue Infrastructure: A Database of Case Studies Manchester, University of Manchester Low B, Tang Y. and Medhekar M 2012, “Green power electricity, public policy and disjointed incrementalism,” Journal of Business Research, vol. 65, no. 6, pp. 802–806. Pinkse, J & Dommisse, M 2009, Overcoming barriers to sustainability: An explanation of residential builders’ reluctance to adopt clean technologies. Bus. Strat. Environ, vol. 18, p. 515–527. Varone, F & Aebischer, B. 2008, Energy efficiency: The challenges of policy design. Energy Policy, vol. 29, p. 615–629. Read More