Vol. 3, No. 4 (2015): Regular Issue

Mobile phone sales and stocks showed an exponential growth in the past years globally and the annual number of mobile phones produced surpassed one billion in 2007. This soaring growth of related e-waste deserves sufficient attentions paid to it regionally and globally, since 40% of its total weight is made from metallic, of which 12 elements are identified to be highly hazardous. Different methods from different part of the world have been used to estimate the obsolete mobile phones but none has developed a dynamic model and handled the discrepancy resulting from improper approach and error in the input data. This study aimed to develop a comprehensive dynamic system model for simulating the dynamism of e-waste production from mobile phone specifically for African developing countries and to prevail over the previous errors. The logistic model method combined with Stella program were used to carry out this study. Then the simulation for Rwanda was conducted and compared with others countries’ results as model testing and validation. The results showed that Rwanda produced about 1.5 million obsolete mobile phones with 125 tons of waste in 2014 and e-waste production peak would appear in 2017. It is expected to reach 4.2 million obsoletes with 352 tons by 2020 along with environmental impact intensity of 21 times of 2005. Moreover, e-waste management policy for developing countries specifically for Rwanda has been suggested to reduce environmental impact up to 40% in 2020 and to 73% in 2030. The present study figured out the dynamism characteristic and outflow of the system design. It is concluded through the model testing and validation that the present dynamic model is competent and could deal with mobile phone e-waste production.

Mobile phone sales and stocks showed an exponential growth in the past years globally and the annual number of mobile phones produced surpassed one billion in 2007. This soaring growth of related e-waste deserves sufficient attentions paid to it regionally and globally, since 40% of its total weight is made from metallic, of which 12 elements are identified to be highly hazardous. Different methods from different part of the world have been used to estimate the obsolete mobile phones but none has developed a dynamic model and handled the discrepancy resulting from improper approach and error in the input data. This study aimed to develop a comprehensive dynamic system model for simulating the dynamism of e-waste production from mobile phone specifically for African developing countries and to prevail over the previous errors. The logistic model method combined with Stella program were used to carry out this study. Then the simulation for Rwanda was conducted and compared with others countries’ results as model testing and validation. The results showed that Rwanda produced about 1.5 million obsolete mobile phones with 125 tons of waste in 2014 and e-waste production peak would appear in 2017. It is expected to reach 4.2 million obsoletes with 352 tons by 2020 along with environmental impact intensity of 21 times of 2005. Moreover, e-waste management policy for developing countries specifically for Rwanda has been suggested to reduce environmental impact up to 40% in 2020 and to 73% in 2030. The present study figured out the dynamism characteristic and outflow of the system design. It is concluded through the model testing and validation that the present dynamic model is competent and could deal with mobile phone e-waste production.

The EAMPA project is a research programme focused on the implementation of an environmental accounting system for all the 29 Italian Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). The main goal of such a system is the calculation of the ecological and economic value of the MPAs, with particular reference to the ecosystem services generated in each protected area. Environmental and economic costs as well as the impacts related to human activities in the MPAs will be also assessed. Finally, an overall balance and the assessment of net benefits will be calculated. To reach this goal, a multicriteria environmental accounting system will be implemented following a standardized protocol of assessment. The outcomes of the project will be managed through an operational WebGIS platform capable of spreading user-friendly information to local managers, policy makers, and other stakeholders. The environmental accounting system will be structured to be updatable over time, thus representing a useful tool for the management of the MPAs in the years to come. Moreover, the research programme represents a unique opportunity to establish a collaborative network among all Italian MPAs. Finally, the outcomes of the project will be also functional to other important and timely processes dealing with the study and protection of European marine ecosystems, such as the Marine Strategy Framework Directive.

The EAMPA project is a research programme focused on the implementation of an environmental accounting system for all the 29 Italian Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). The main goal of such a system is the calculation of the ecological and economic value of the MPAs, with particular reference to the ecosystem services generated in each protected area. Environmental and economic costs as well as the impacts related to human activities in the MPAs will be also assessed. Finally, an overall balance and the assessment of net benefits will be calculated. To reach this goal, a multicriteria environmental accounting system will be implemented following a standardized protocol of assessment. The outcomes of the project will be managed through an operational WebGIS platform capable of spreading user-friendly information to local managers, policy makers, and other stakeholders. The environmental accounting system will be structured to be updatable over time, thus representing a useful tool for the management of the MPAs in the years to come. Moreover, the research programme represents a unique opportunity to establish a collaborative network among all Italian MPAs. Finally, the outcomes of the project will be also functional to other important and timely processes dealing with the study and protection of European marine ecosystems, such as the Marine Strategy Framework Directive.

Freight cars as coal transport carriers play a crucial role throughout Shenhua green logistics chain. With the rational distribution of transport capacity, the efficient organization of transport, the constant improvement of equipment, the optimization of maintenance and the digitization, the railway wagon management of Shenhua has become a key strategy to achieve clean energy development. The capacity of Shenhua railway freight volume has now reached 3.46 tons by rational distribution of wagon flow according to different vehicle types. The fixed marshalling and fixed train number on Shenhua railway is not only greatly reduces the operation of detaining, placing-in and taking-out cars as well as the wagon turnaround time. The operation procedures and time standards of cargo loading and unloading at the stations of Shenhua railway had been established. These standards have been optimized and improved in the wagon management work, and have improved the efficiency of vehicles use. After the Zhuan 8A bogie transformation, the train running speed of the empty car increased from 70km to 80km. Compared with C80, the capacity of KM98 could be increased by 20%, the efficiency of port loading and unloading could be increased 2 to 5 times, the energy consumption of unloading could be decreased more than 80%. By optimizing the distribution of railway freight car repair and maintenance equipment, the current annual Shenhua shop repair capacity has reached 6000 compared to the designed capacity of 5000 cars per year; and the current annual Shenhua depot repair capacity has reached 36800 compared to the designed capacity of repair of 34200 cars per year.

Freight cars as coal transport carriers play a crucial role throughout Shenhua green logistics chain. With the rational distribution of transport capacity, the efficient organization of transport, the constant improvement of equipment, the optimization of maintenance and the digitization, the railway wagon management of Shenhua has become a key strategy to achieve clean energy development. The capacity of Shenhua railway freight volume has now reached 3.46 tons by rational distribution of wagon flow according to different vehicle types. The fixed marshalling and fixed train number on Shenhua railway is not only greatly reduces the operation of detaining, placing-in and taking-out cars as well as the wagon turnaround time. The operation procedures and time standards of cargo loading and unloading at the stations of Shenhua railway had been established. These standards have been optimized and improved in the wagon management work, and have improved the efficiency of vehicles use. After the Zhuan 8A bogie transformation, the train running speed of the empty car increased from 70km to 80km. Compared with C80, the capacity of KM98 could be increased by 20%, the efficiency of port loading and unloading could be increased 2 to 5 times, the energy consumption of unloading could be decreased more than 80%. By optimizing the distribution of railway freight car repair and maintenance equipment, the current annual Shenhua shop repair capacity has reached 6000 compared to the designed capacity of 5000 cars per year; and the current annual Shenhua depot repair capacity has reached 36800 compared to the designed capacity of repair of 34200 cars per year.

Biosand filter basically applies a system of sand, gravels and biologically active microorganisms to remove unwanted substances from drinking water. Field trials of the biosand filter for domestic water treatment in rural communities have shown remarkable health gains from its application. As such, there are calls to scale up its application in developing countries. This study investigated factors that may influence the acceptability of the biosand filter at the household level in rural communities in Ghana. The study further applied lifecycle environmental and cost assessments to analyse the eco-efficiency potential of the biosand filter and examined prospects of leveraging this potential for green business development. The key demographic and socio-economic indicators of biosand filter acceptability related to gender, age, education and wealth. Females showed greater interest in the biosand filter, while discrete increase in age, relative advancement in education and economic status of respondents may each increase the prospects of purchasing biosand filter. Compared to local sachet water production, which was considered as a quasialternative to the biosand filter, it was established that the latter has superior eco-efficiency, provided quite comparable profitability and potentially viable for eco-business development. The information yielded by this study is useful for scaling up considerations of the biosand filter technology in Ghana and other West African countries.

Biosand filter basically applies a system of sand, gravels and biologically active microorganisms to remove unwanted substances from drinking water. Field trials of the biosand filter for domestic water treatment in rural communities have shown remarkable health gains from its application. As such, there are calls to scale up its application in developing countries. This study investigated factors that may influence the acceptability of the biosand filter at the household level in rural communities in Ghana. The study further applied lifecycle environmental and cost assessments to analyse the eco-efficiency potential of the biosand filter and examined prospects of leveraging this potential for green business development. The key demographic and socio-economic indicators of biosand filter acceptability related to gender, age, education and wealth. Females showed greater interest in the biosand filter, while discrete increase in age, relative advancement in education and economic status of respondents may each increase the prospects of purchasing biosand filter. Compared to local sachet water production, which was considered as a quasialternative to the biosand filter, it was established that the latter has superior eco-efficiency, provided quite comparable profitability and potentially viable for eco-business development. The information yielded by this study is useful for scaling up considerations of the biosand filter technology in Ghana and other West African countries.

Sub-Artic ecosystems have evolved and adapted to extreme environmental condition. Yet, these ecosystems are vulnerable to local and global impacts due to human activities and climate change. In addition, a controversial debate over land use in the Swedish Lapland is still open, involving different stakeholders’ interests and activities. The Abisko National Park (Swedish sub-Arctic Lapland) is one of the Europe’s largest remaining wilderness areas and an important tourist attraction. In this study, an economic valuation of the main ecosystem services (ES) was performed by using the Contingent Valuation (CV) method. The categories of ES generated in the Park were identified and tourists were chosen as main stakeholders in the area. Tourists were then interviewed about their perception on ES and their willingness to pay (WTP) for supporting conservation activities capable of preserving the functionality of the Park to provide different goods and services. Results show that 61% of the respondents were willing to pay for the implementation of adaptation strategies coping with climate change impact. The mean individual WTP were found to be 6.20 € for the provisioning services, 5.69 € for the regulating services, 6.35 € for supporting services, 4.09 € for cultural services, while the total mean WTP per tourist was found to be 22.33 €. In addition, statistically significant correlations between tourists’ perceptions and individual WTP for three ES categories were found. These outcomes could support local decision makers in charge for the implementation of climate change adaptation strategies in the Park. However, it is important to remark that for a more comprehensive assessment of ecosystem services and their role in support of human well-being, the economic valuation should be integrated by a solid biophysical accounting.

Sub-Artic ecosystems have evolved and adapted to extreme environmental condition. Yet, these ecosystems are vulnerable to local and global impacts due to human activities and climate change. In addition, a controversial debate over land use in the Swedish Lapland is still open, involving different stakeholders’ interests and activities. The Abisko National Park (Swedish sub-Arctic Lapland) is one of the Europe’s largest remaining wilderness areas and an important tourist attraction. In this study, an economic valuation of the main ecosystem services (ES) was performed by using the Contingent Valuation (CV) method. The categories of ES generated in the Park were identified and tourists were chosen as main stakeholders in the area. Tourists were then interviewed about their perception on ES and their willingness to pay (WTP) for supporting conservation activities capable of preserving the functionality of the Park to provide different goods and services. Results show that 61% of the respondents were willing to pay for the implementation of adaptation strategies coping with climate change impact. The mean individual WTP were found to be 6.20 € for the provisioning services, 5.69 € for the regulating services, 6.35 € for supporting services, 4.09 € for cultural services, while the total mean WTP per tourist was found to be 22.33 €. In addition, statistically significant correlations between tourists’ perceptions and individual WTP for three ES categories were found. These outcomes could support local decision makers in charge for the implementation of climate change adaptation strategies in the Park. However, it is important to remark that for a more comprehensive assessment of ecosystem services and their role in support of human well-being, the economic valuation should be integrated by a solid biophysical accounting.

The initiative of evaluating products using the supply chain standpoint to help reducing the environmental and socioeconomic impact connected with manufacturing has been recently acknowledged. Yet, there are no studies making an allowance for the various types of small businesses that operate in the sphere of influence of large supply chains to fill gaps or serve consumers with particular needs. These little companies that, in general, have no control over the decisions made along the supply chain have to reconcile their production processes with the decisions taken by the leading companies. This work evaluates a case of induced product change, and its cost regarding the use of environmental resources and energy of a small company working in the Brazilian automotive aftermarket. This approach also looks into an underexplored aspect in the use of emergy accounting in which the studied system is at the end of the production chain, and confirms the thought that actions in the central supply chain may have advantageous effects that can go beyond what was expected by the decision maker. The simulation performed for the period 2014-2025, according to the company's commerce plan, shows that the earlier the products change is completed, the greater would be the profit, the greater the resources and energy savings, and, consequently, the greater ecoefficiency of the business.

The initiative of evaluating products using the supply chain standpoint to help reducing the environmental and socioeconomic impact connected with manufacturing has been recently acknowledged. Yet, there are no studies making an allowance for the various types of small businesses that operate in the sphere of influence of large supply chains to fill gaps or serve consumers with particular needs. These little companies that, in general, have no control over the decisions made along the supply chain have to reconcile their production processes with the decisions taken by the leading companies. This work evaluates a case of induced product change, and its cost regarding the use of environmental resources and energy of a small company working in the Brazilian automotive aftermarket. This approach also looks into an underexplored aspect in the use of emergy accounting in which the studied system is at the end of the production chain, and confirms the thought that actions in the central supply chain may have advantageous effects that can go beyond what was expected by the decision maker. The simulation performed for the period 2014-2025, according to the company's commerce plan, shows that the earlier the products change is completed, the greater would be the profit, the greater the resources and energy savings, and, consequently, the greater ecoefficiency of the business.

Cities are responsible for approximately three-quarters of the world's energy consumption, so they play a major role in energy issues such as economic security and climate change. To contribute to the limited literature on advanced energy research such as UE NET and eco-cities energy systems in China, this research investigates the energy system of Qingdao Eco-park. It explores the efficiency of an emerging energy system, Ubiquitous Energy Internet (simply called UE NET) Technology and its application in eco-cities as the new paradigm shift in energy generation and utilization towards achieving sustainable development. Published data on environment and energy indicators for example carbon emission intensity, energy consumption and the final project proposals of Qingdao Eco-park on the energy potential of UE NET were scientifically analyzed. Results indicate that UE NET technology system has a high power saving potential than any stand-alone energy generation options. Energy awareness enables new sets of interactive energy-saving behaviors where devices control their power state to meet user needs while minimizing energy use (Lanzisera et al., 2014). This assertion does not only support findings of this research in a broader perspective, but specifically calls for “energy-integration” that is not just new but very efficient. To achieve this, including low carbon emission intensity reduction, a rigorous further research on UE NET technology in China with full policy-maker support is highly recommended.

Cities are responsible for approximately three-quarters of the world's energy consumption, so they play a major role in energy issues such as economic security and climate change. To contribute to the limited literature on advanced energy research such as UE NET and eco-cities energy systems in China, this research investigates the energy system of Qingdao Eco-park. It explores the efficiency of an emerging energy system, Ubiquitous Energy Internet (simply called UE NET) Technology and its application in eco-cities as the new paradigm shift in energy generation and utilization towards achieving sustainable development. Published data on environment and energy indicators for example carbon emission intensity, energy consumption and the final project proposals of Qingdao Eco-park on the energy potential of UE NET were scientifically analyzed. Results indicate that UE NET technology system has a high power saving potential than any stand-alone energy generation options. Energy awareness enables new sets of interactive energy-saving behaviors where devices control their power state to meet user needs while minimizing energy use (Lanzisera et al., 2014). This assertion does not only support findings of this research in a broader perspective, but specifically calls for “energy-integration” that is not just new but very efficient. To achieve this, including low carbon emission intensity reduction, a rigorous further research on UE NET technology in China with full policy-maker support is highly recommended.