Environmental Sustainability - Essay Example

ENERGY EFFICIENT DESIGN (Student Name) (Institution) (Course No) (Instructor) (Date) Introduction One of the issues raising debates in developmental issues today is environmental sustainability. There is the need for developers and engineers to ensure that the designs of the structures that they build are environmentally sustainable. Environmentally sustainable design refers to the development of physical objects, services and built environment that conform to the principles of economic, social and environmental sustainability. The construction and design of buildings can have significant direct and indirect impacts on the environment. These can pose serious threats to people and the economies of countries at large. The inclusion of environmentally sustainable designs in the construction of new buildings or in the refurbishment of old buildings reduces the operational costs and adverse environmental impacts. Additionally, it helps in increasing building resilience. The incorporation of environmentally sustainable designs entails the development of green buildings and incorporation of energy efficient mechanisms. This paper discusses environmentally sustainable designs in relation to climate change and global warming, sustainability and environmental sustainability, energy efficient design and team work. Climate Change and Global Warming Global warming refers to the increase in the average global temperatures caused by the increased concentration of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The warming of the planet results from both natural and anthropogenic activities. However, anthropogenic activities add extra amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, resulting in global warming and eventual climatic changes. Although climate change and global warming are serious environmental problems affecting the world today, poor communication of information regarding their impacts hinder decision making at all levels. Some communities still deny the existence of scientific proofs of climate change despite the research that has been carried out globally. This calls for the incorporation of psychology in climate science. Such approaches are important in increasing awareness about climate change to communities hence development of better designs to combat climate change. One of the ways through which environmentally sustainable designs can help in reducing climate change and global warming is by promoting energy efficiency. Of important consideration is the fact that buildings have long life spans and the actions taken today are likely to affect the environment for several generations. Energy uses in buildings are lighting, heating and cooling. Sustainable designs incorporate the use of renewable energy such as solar and wind energy. This reduces the use of energy from unsustainable sources such as coal and nuclear plants that contribute significant amounts of GHGs to the atmosphere (Mathez &Smerdon, 2009, p. 15-75). Additionally, designing buildings for reuse is also important in reducing their impacts on climate change and global warming. Designing buildings for reuse incorporates flexibility where a building can have several uses that allow for reconfiguration if the needs change in future. This kind of design is important in reducing the need for demolition of old buildings and construction of new ones. The result is reduced use of construction resources and energy, hence efficiency. Sustainability and Environmental Sustainability Sustainability refers to the ability of biological systems to remain diverse and productive over long periods of time. Biological systems are considered as sustainable when they can endure both natural and anthropogenic changes. At the core of sustainability is the concept of sustainable development. According to the Brundtland report to the World Commission on Environment and Development, sustainable development refers to development which meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (Blackburn, 2007, p. 1-17). Sustainable development incorporates three pillars namely; social, economic and environmental sustainability. Environmental sustainability refers to the ability to maintain the valued qualities in the physical environment.it is a condition of interconnectedness, valance and resilience that allows the human society to meet their needs without exceeding the capacity of the ecosystems to regenerate the services required to provide those needs (Vezzoli & Manzini, 2008, p. 3-6). Therefore, environmental sustainability programs encompass actions to reduce the extraction of resources, reusing and recycling of materials, redesigning production processes to reduce the release of toxic gases and using renewable energy sources that are environment friendly. Environmental sustainability is an important consideration in the building designs since it helps in reducing the adverse effects of the building to the environment. It involves such activities as; reducing material sourcing by modifying the use of buildings, using renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power that have less impact on the environment, identification and preservation of the existing ecosystems as well as minimizing waste production. Energy Efficient Design Energy efficiency is important in the construction of buildings since it helps in reducing the environmental impacts of buildings as well as the economic costs of operation. The energy efficiency design (EED) is an approach used in organizations to design, construct and manage buildings with minimum energy use. The energy efficient design helps in improving energy efficiency in buildings by reducing wastage of energy and incorporating the use of renewable energy use in buildings as well as reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Today, many industries in the building and construction sector incorporate energy efficient design to help them conform to the required environmental regulations. The energy efficient design process include analysis of the plant design, identification of alternative processes and implementation of the best technology (Khazaii, 2016, p. 23-45). Since the energy efficient designs of buildings must fit together with the other building requirements, it is important for the building engineers to develop computer models and software designs at the initial stages of construction. The computer models can be used in the early stages to help in the analysis of cost effectiveness and efficiency of proposed designs. The detailed simulation results are then used in the building process through the value engineering phase to ensure efficient performance of buildings. Energy efficient designs integrate load reduction as well as renewable energy sources. The low energy building designs result in the reduction in the use of energy generated from fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas which produce carbon dioxide and methane, hence, environmentally unsustainable. Energy efficient designs, therefore, help in the reduction of resource consumption, save energy and reduce environmental pollution. Team Work Team work refers to the process of working together in a group to achieve the goals of an organization. In organizations, teams comprise individuals with different set of skills, working together with the aim of achieving a goal and hold themselves mutually accountable for achieving the goal. In organizations, teams develop a similar identity and work together towards the realization of the organization’s goals. Working together and pooling experience through teams is essential for achieving shared goals in organizations. The effectiveness of a team depends on the team leadership and communication. As indicated in activity 2, team leaders have the responsibility of ensuring that the team members work together to achieve the desired goals by helping the teams to develop a clear vision, creating an environment that promotes trust, openness and mutual respect as well as devising work plans for the team members. Effective communication, on the other hand, helps team members to anticipate what they expect and express their ideas clearly. The other characteristics of effective team work are responsibility and accountability. Effective teamwork is important in the development of energy efficient buildings. This is because of the complexity of the designs which conform to economic, social and environmental regulations. When engineers work as a team to deliver sustainable energy designs, a synergy is created where the sum is better than one. Additionally, apart from the overall knowledge attained through team work, each individual is capable of learning other ways of developing sustainable energy designs due to the wide range of ideas. Another importance of teamwork in developing energy efficient designs is increased creativity hence better innovations. According to the recent research, it is easy for people to work together in teams than to work in isolation or compete against each other (West, 2012, p. 13). This helps in creating an environment where the team members can exchange ideas about efficient and cost effective designs while considering environmental and social impacts. Furthermore, team work supports a more empowered way of working and removing constraints that may prevent some of the team members from performing their tasks efficiently. Conclusion With regards to the above discussion, it is evident that the development of energy efficient buildings can facilitate reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. This is due to the reduction in the use of inefficient energy sources such as fossil fuels. Additionally energy efficient design reduce energy wastage and promote conservation of ecosystems. This is especially through designs such as landscaping that ensure biological conservation, maintenance of the geographical terrain of a given land, water resource conservation as well as conservation of biological diversity. Apart from ensuring energy efficiency, sustainable buildings play an important role in environmental conservation through reduced sourcing of raw materials. This is because sustainability involves construction of buildings that can be modified into other uses when the need arises. This reduces the sourcing of materials that would otherwise be used in constructing new buildings, hence cost effective. It is, therefore, important for the building and construction engineers to develop building designs that are environmentally sound and economically sustainable to be able to attain competitive advantage in today’s world where environmental awareness is key in developmental activities. References Blackburn, W. R. (2007). The sustainability handbook: the complete management guide to achieving social, economic and environmental responsibility. London, Earthscan, p. 1-17. Khazaii, J. (2016). Energy-efficient HVAC design. [S.l.], Springer International Pu, p. 23-45. Mathez, E. A., & Smerdon, J. E. (2009). Climate change: the science of global warming and our energy future. New York, Columbia University Press, p. 15-75. Vezzoli, C., & Manzini, E. (2008). Design for environmental sustainability. [Berlin], Springer, p. 3-6. West, M. A. (2012). Effective teamwork: practical lessons from organizational research. Chichester, West Sussex, John Wiley & Sons, p. 13. Read More

Sustainability and Environmental Sustainability Sustainability refers to the ability of biological systems to remain diverse and productive over long periods of time. Biological systems are considered as sustainable when they can endure both natural and anthropogenic changes. At the core of sustainability is the concept of sustainable development. According to the Brundtland report to the World Commission on Environment and Development, sustainable development refers to development which meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (Blackburn, 2007, p. 1-17). Sustainable development incorporates three pillars namely; social, economic and environmental sustainability.

Environmental sustainability refers to the ability to maintain the valued qualities in the physical environment.it is a condition of interconnectedness, valance and resilience that allows the human society to meet their needs without exceeding the capacity of the ecosystems to regenerate the services required to provide those needs (Vezzoli & Manzini, 2008, p. 3-6). Therefore, environmental sustainability programs encompass actions to reduce the extraction of resources, reusing and recycling of materials, redesigning production processes to reduce the release of toxic gases and using renewable energy sources that are environment friendly.

Environmental sustainability is an important consideration in the building designs since it helps in reducing the adverse effects of the building to the environment. It involves such activities as; reducing material sourcing by modifying the use of buildings, using renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power that have less impact on the environment, identification and preservation of the existing ecosystems as well as minimizing waste production. Energy Efficient Design Energy efficiency is important in the construction of buildings since it helps in reducing the environmental impacts of buildings as well as the economic costs of operation.

The energy efficiency design (EED) is an approach used in organizations to design, construct and manage buildings with minimum energy use. The energy efficient design helps in improving energy efficiency in buildings by reducing wastage of energy and incorporating the use of renewable energy use in buildings as well as reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Today, many industries in the building and construction sector incorporate energy efficient design to help them conform to the required environmental regulations.

The energy efficient design process include analysis of the plant design, identification of alternative processes and implementation of the best technology (Khazaii, 2016, p. 23-45). Since the energy efficient designs of buildings must fit together with the other building requirements, it is important for the building engineers to develop computer models and software designs at the initial stages of construction. The computer models can be used in the early stages to help in the analysis of cost effectiveness and efficiency of proposed designs.

The detailed simulation results are then used in the building process through the value engineering phase to ensure efficient performance of buildings. Energy efficient designs integrate load reduction as well as renewable energy sources. The low energy building designs result in the reduction in the use of energy generated from fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas which produce carbon dioxide and methane, hence, environmentally unsustainable. Energy efficient designs, therefore, help in the reduction of resource consumption, save energy and reduce environmental pollution.

Team Work Team work refers to the process of working together in a group to achieve the goals of an organization. In organizations, teams comprise individuals with different set of skills, working together with the aim of achieving a goal and hold themselves mutually accountable for achieving the goal.

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