An Ecologically Oriented Operation Strategy for a Multi-Reservoir System: A Case Study of the Middle and Lower Han River Basin,China

Constructing and operating a multi-reservoir system changes the natural flow regime of rivers, and thus imposes adverse impacts on riverine ecosystems. To balance human needs with ecosystem needs, this study proposes an ecologically oriented operation strategy for a multi-reservoir system that integrates environmental flow requirements into the joint operation of a multi-reservoir system in order to maintain different ecological functions throughout the river. This strategy is a combination of a regular optimal operation scheme and a series of real-time ecological operation schemes. During time periods when the incompatibilities between human water needs and ecosystem needs for environmental flows are relatively small, the regular optimal operation scheme is implemented in order to maximize multiple human water-use benefits under the constraints of a minimum water-release policy. During time periods when reservoir-induced hydrological alteration imposes significant negative impacts on the river’s key ecological functions, real-time ecological operation schemes are implemented in order to modify the outflow from reservoirs to meet the environmental flow requirements of these functions. The practical use of this strategy is demonstrated for the simulation operation of a large-scale multi-reservoir system which located in the middle and lower Han River Basin in China. The results indicate that the real-time ecological operation schemes ensure the environmental flow requirements of the river’s key ecological functions, and that adverse impacts on human water-use benefits can be compensated for by the regular optimal operation scheme. The ecologically oriented operation strategy for a multi-reservoir system that is proposed in this study enriches the theoretical application of the multi-reservoir system joint operation which considers environmental flow requirements.     

社会属性视角的城市公共设施创新设计

目的 探究公共设施在社会属性视角下的创新设计思路及具体措施。方法 从公共设施的具体定义和内容着手,结合现代城市的社会属性定义与分类,总结其中的可持续化、社会审美、生活需求、社会公平等方面的突出特征,并以此为基础,深入公共设施设计内部,从与这些突出特征相关的设计方向,分生态化设计、通用化设计、交互性设计和信息化设计等方面进行探究,同时列举相关案例对设计构思进行验证与实践,探索优化设计后的公共设施对现代城市的推进和对社会属性的尊重与发展方面的影响。结论 城市社会属性的变化与发展,对公共设施设计方法提出了更高的要求,从满足可持续化需求、大众审美及人类生活角度进行了全新的设计实践,实现了功能与精神的结合,促进了城市功能的完善,创造了符合现代城市的公共设施。     

生态美学视角下城市公共设施设计研究

目的 探索符合生态美学的城市公共设施设计策略。方法 从生态美学视角出发,提出符合生态美学的公共设施的生态特征和设计原则,并从实用性、可持续性和可识别性3个方面来探讨城市公共设施设计策略。结论 符合生态美学理念的城市公共设施具有可循环再生、可重复使用、材料节约化以及设计简洁化4个特点。因地制宜、和谐共生、文脉延续和兼顾美观是生态美学下公共设施设计的4个原则。实用性是公共设施设计的基础,可从功能实用和生态实用2方面实现。可持续性是城市公共设施设计的重点,可以通过自然生态材料的选择、对自然生态能源的利用以及与自然生态环境的共存方式上实现。可识别性是空间公共设施设计的亮点,其包含了对当地自然景观和历史人文景观的因势利导和古为今用,实现本土文化的可识别性,不仅有利于城市自然生态和谐,也有利于民众对城市产生认同感和归属感。     

Defining and measuring macroeconomic sustainability—the sustainable economy indices

Throughout this paper, a set of indices for the measurement of the sustainability of national and regional economic systems is developed. The basic concept for the development of the indices sees economic sustainability co-determined by the natural and social environment of economic activity as well as by the operational principles of economic systems which are found in actions of payment. Accordingly, indices of economic sustainability for the interfaces between economic systems and their social (Consumption Surplus) and natural environment (Ecological Sustainability) as well as for the exchange of money between economic subsystems (Solvency) are developed. Together with auxiliary indices, a set of indices for the measurement of the sustainability of national and regional economic systems is developed. The calculation of the indices is based on an extended version of Supply and Use Tables Including Environmental Accounts. The extended SUTEA contains accounts for the ecological valuation of flows of resources and residuals as well as a novel classification of economic activity (survivability, production and consumption surplus).     

A game theory based approach for emergy analysis of industrial ecosystem under uncertainty

A well-designed and operated industrial ecological system should be able to utilize effectively the generated wastes from one member as the feed to another member. Nevertheless, due to heavy interactions among the member entities, particularly with various uncertainties, the coordinative material and energy reuse is a very complex task. In this paper, the issues of optimal operation of an industrial ecosystem under uncertainty are addressed. A game theory based approach is then introduced to derive an economically and environmentally optimal status of an industrial ecosystem. The effectiveness of the approach is demonstrated by tackling a case study problem, where the Nash Equilibrium for the profit payoff and sustainability payoff of the member entities is identified. The possible conflicts of the profit and sustainability objectives of the member entities in the ecosystem are resolved.     

Model-based approach to study the impact of biofuels on the sustainability of an ecological system

The importance and complexity of sustainability have been well recognized and a formal study of sustainability based on system theory approaches is imperative as many of the relationships between various components of the ecosystem could be nonlinear, intertwined and non-intuitive. A mathematical model capable of yielding qualitative inferences can serve as an important tool for policy makers as it can be simulated under various important scenarios and also help in evaluating different strategies and technologies. In this article, we consider a simplified ecological food web which comprises a macro-economic system, an industrial production sector, an energy generation sector, and elements of a human society along with a rudimentary legal system. The energy sector is designed to supply energy to the other components of the ecosystem either by using a finite, non-renewable energy source or by a combination of non-renewable source and biomass. Many of the components of the ecosystem depend directly or indirectly on the biomass used for energy production. Subsequently, this model is used to study the impact of using biomass for the production of energy on the sustainability of other components of ecosystem. We have also simulated the model under two commonly foreseen scenarios of population explosion and consumption increase to understand the effect of using biomass for the production of energy on the sustainability of the various components of the system.     

探索生态水利工程学

人类社会与生态系统对于河流都具有高度的依赖性,人类应该与生态系统共享水资源。水利工程是 对河流生态系统的胁迫因子之一。需要建立新的准则和开发新的技术方法,使水利工程在满足人类社会需求的 同时,兼顾河流生态系统健康和可持续性的需求,构建与生态友好的水利工程技术体系。     

Biomimetics

The well-organised multifunctional structures, systems and biogenic materials found in nature have attracted the interest of scientists working in many disciplines. The efforts have resulted in the development of a new and rapidly growing field of scientific effort called biomimetics. In this article we present a few natural materials and systems and explore how ideas from nature are being interpreted and modified to suit efforts aimed at designing better machines and synthesising newer materials.     

Sustainability indicators for anticipating the fickleness of human–environmental interaction

The development of environmental indicators is dominated by the so-called pressure–state–response (PSR) model. The PSR contains a set of indicators measuring anthropogenic pressure (P) on the environment, the state (S) of the environment resulting from such pressure, and the societal response (R) to ease the pressure. The strength of the PSR is its acknowledgement of the causal relationship between the state of the environment and human activity. Its major weakness, however, is the lack of sophistication of the mathematical and cognitive models representing the causal relationship. As a result, current indicator systems based on the PSR fail to take into account contingencies in human–environmental interaction that make the future state of the system difficult to ascertain. Recognizing the fickleness of human beings and nature will result in very different indicators from those traditionally developed. In particular, the article identifies the following important areas of indicator development: (1) indicators of ecosystem impacts of production, which measure changes in production outputs and environmentally significant inputs; (2) indicators of bounded carrying capacity, which utilize alternative scenarios of human–environmental interaction to specify the ecosystem-specific limits that societies might impose on industrial production; (3) indicators of congruence between ecosystems, institutions and production, which measure the agreement between the functions of an ecosystem and the institutional rules governing its management; and (4) indicators of technological and institutional path dependence, which observe and potentially strengthen lock-ins in human–environmental interaction. These development challenges imply that sustainability indicators should be considered more as vehicles for improving communication between different communities of experts on the sustainability of a particular system of human–environmental interaction, and less as universal measures of sustainability.     

生态视域下桂北壮族用具的设计与审美研究

目的探析桂北壮族传统日常生活用具的设计及其审美表征,了解壮族造物观念与思想。方法从生态学视野出发,通过具体典型案例分析这些传统用具的原生态设计理念,从材料、工艺、结构、功能使用、艺术审美和文化价值取向等多角度进行展开。结论典型的桂北壮族传统用具始终遵循依法自然的原生态设计思想理念,讲究功能上的方便实用,体现出朴素自然的艺术审美,并将理想与情感巧妙地寄情于物,体现了内容与形式,人与自然高度的和谐统一。     

Social aspect of sustainable packaging

Sustainability is one of the ‘buzz’ words that is highly discussed in the area of packaging nowadays. For many product manufacturing business, incorporation of sustainability principles into their business practice can only be visualized by others in the end product through packaging. Besides the criteria, underlying concepts and principles, most discussions towards achieving goals for sustainable packaging are focused on details of models and practices adopted by the industry, and the effectiveness and practicality of these practices in balancing the economic profits and environmental benefits. While the economic and environmental bases of packaging sustainability have been examined and discussed in great detail, the same is not true of social consideration. Although the success of sustainable packaging development actually relies on both technological development and social considerations, many of the social aspects of sustainable packaging are often overlooked. Although many companies have been putting the efforts and initiatives to elevate sustainability from an abstract goal into an immediate priority, relatively little is known about the consumers' insights of packaging sustainability. Recognizing the consumers as the final arbiter of the success of sustainable packaging, this paper will explore consumers' perceptions on the sustainable packaging concept, their perceptions of the impact to the environment and discuss factors that drive consumers' preferences and purchase decision. Discussion and information gathered in this paper is aimed to stimulate understanding on the importance of the social dimension of packaging sustainability and its role in supporting the efforts to improve sustainability practice. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

基于乡村生态振兴的奔牛古镇老街更新设计研究

在乡村振兴背景之下，以生态发展为主要突破口，将乡村的经济、文化、社会和生态等领域融合发展成为乡村建设的重要目标，促进乡村整体协调发展。以奔牛老街作为研究对象，对其历史和生态资源现状进行分析，发掘奔牛老街生态空间与地域人文的内在联系。同时从乡村振兴战略的要求和原则出发，以自然生态维度、经济生态维度、社会生态维度、文化生态维度和精神生态维度的五个维度进行生态空间更新；五个维度形成相互交融、相辅相成的五大子系统，构成一个不可分割的村镇生态系统。对传统生态进行系统地探索，从而更好地开发传统生态文化，实现奔牛老街传统生态资源价值的转化，提升乡村多元价值。以期为乡村建设提供另一种思考角度。     

Intelligent automation implementation and corporate sustainability performance: The enabling role of corporate social responsibility strategy

Although Intelligent Automation (IA) represents the future of business automation, the organizational implementation and sustainability performance of this emerging technological innovation is vastly understudied. Understanding the implications of IA for sustainability is critical since leveraging these technologies shapes operations and policies that can promote sustainable digitalization and automation practices. We study how firms' technological, organizational, environmental, and human resource contexts impact IA implementation. The study further explains how IA may associate with the firm's triple bottom line while accounting for the moderating role of corporate social responsibility strategy. The study surveyed 207 multinational firms in 2022 and used partial least square-structural equation modeling to test the hypothesized relationships. Results showed that IA implementation is mainly determined by the characteristics of the firm's internal environment, such as absorptive capacity, employee socio-behavioral concerns, and social capital competency. IA may offer valuable opportunities for boosting the firm's economic and environmental sustainability performance. Nonetheless, IA is a double-edged sword for social sustainability, harming social values in implementing firms with informal corporate social sustainability strategies. Conversely, firms with formal corporate social sustainability strategy have a significantly higher opportunity to transform the value of IA into social sustainability performance. Findings are expected to assist managers and decision-makers with streamlining an impartial and sustainable transition of organizations toward automation.     

Do we really need the debate on the natural ecosystem metaphor in technology management and sustainable development literature?

Abstract In recent literature on sustainable development, several authors use the natural ecosystem metaphor in economic systems and technological systems. Others are very critical arguing that the source or the base system of the metaphor, the natural ecosystem, is described or interpreted in a wrong and inaccurate way when the metaphor is used. The objective of this paper is to analyse the literature and show the risks in this kind of critique directed at the misuse of the metaphor. The paper argues that this kind of critique of the metaphor should not become the main focus in sustainable development conceptual research as it can misguide our efforts and put at risk the emergence of real contributions to sustainable development.     

科技、人文与标准--论标准化理论探索与人才培养的基础

从标准化学科理论与方法观察世界,发现自然界与人文社会均有大量固有规则的存在即自然标准;挖掘这些标准并转换其为我们服务的目的标准,是遵守这些自然规律、和谐自然界与人类社会的关键所在。从该视角审视社会运动,就会发现,科学、技术、人文与标准的关系,是人类进步中互相依存、互为借鉴、共同发展的有机格局关系,即认知自然、和谐天地人系统的又一通道。由此看出,标准化学科是系统科学的组分,突出的是关键与综合,需要的是简化与协调。相比于其他学科,标准化突出了横断性。因此,研究标准化理论、打造标准化学科、建立标准化人才培养体系,是经济发展、人类更加文明的重要表现。     

Biosolids management with net-zero CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> emissions: a techno-ecological synergy design

Management of biosolids from industrial and municipal wastewater facilities presents multifaceted issues ranging from greenhouse gas emissions, high odor and high treatment costs. Until now, most studies that have focused on identifying the best treatment pathway are based on optimization of technological alternatives and life cycle analysis studies. Such studies aim toward sustainability but ignore the capacity of local ecological systems to provide ecosystem services, thus leading to design solutions that may be sub-optimal due to shifting of impacts outside the boundary, resulting in degradation. This work uses a techno-ecological synergy design methodology to identify optimal strategies for biosolids treatment and disposal, by balancing the supply and demand for carbon sequestration ecosystem service. Both the technological systems that create the ecosystem service demand and ecological systems that supply those services are included within one design framework. Technological alternatives for biosolids management in Central Ohio considered in this work are land filling, land application, incineration and composting. Approaches for supplying the carbon sequestration capacity include forestation, extension of timber cycles and geological sequestration. An additional case where biomass utilization from extension of timber cycle to produce renewable energy is also explored. Results from this study demonstrate that including carbon sequestration ecosystem service explicitly in the design problem leads to solutions where the ecosystem service demand and supply can be balanced, while also being cost-effective. Thus by including ecological systems in the design boundary, the optimal solution space expands to reveal novel solutions that cannot be found by the conventional techno-centric approach.     

“Connectivity” in urban rivers: Conflict and convergence between ecology and design

“Connectivity” is a key concept for riparian and landscape ecologists and hydrologists, who use it as a measure of natural integrity in a river ecosystem. Urban designers and politicians use the same term to promote human access to riverfronts. Effective riverfront restoration requires reconciliation of these opposing definitions. A solution is to draw upon abstract and symbolic sources, or “cognitive connectivity,” to raise awareness of the complexity of urban river ecosystems and to provide cues for appropriate use of those systems. Examples of effective cognitive connectivity include restoration plans with strong pedagogical components, water museums, and artistic interventions that reveal ecological processes (eco-revelatory design). The use of visual and conceptual connectivity offers hope for harnessing human creative energy in the interest of ecosystem integrity.     

Industrial Ecosystems and Food Webs: An Ecological-Based Mass Flow Analysis to Model the Progress of Steel Manufacturing in China

Materials and energy are transferred between natural and industrial systems, providing a standard that can be used to deduce the interactions between these systems. An examination of these flows is an essential part of the conversation on how industry impacts the environment. We propose that biological systems, which embody sustainability, provide methods and principles that can lead to more useful ways to organize industrial activity. Transposing these biological methods to steel manufacturing is manifested through an efficient use of available materials, waste reduction, and decreased energy demand with currently available technology. In this paper, we use ecological metrics to examine the change in structure and flows of materials in the Chinese steel industry over time by means of a systems-based mass flow analysis. Utilizing available data, the results of our analysis indicate that the Chinese steel manufacturing industry has increased its efficiency and sustainable use of resources over time at the unit process level. However, the appropriate organization of the steel production ecosystem remains a work in progress. Our results suggest that through the intelligent placement of cooperative industries, which can utilize the waste generated from steel manufacturing, the future of the Chinese steel industry can better reflect ecosystem maturity and health while minimizing waste.     

Biomimicry in textiles: past,present and potential. An overview

The natural world around us provides excellent examples of functional systems built with a handful of materials. Throughout the millennia, nature has evolved to adapt and develop highly sophisticated methods to solve problems. There are numerous examples of functional surfaces, fibrous structures, structural colours, self-healing, thermal insulation, etc., which offer important lessons for the textile products of the future. This paper provides a general overview of the potential of bioinspired textile structures by highlighting a few specific examples of pertinent, inherently sustainable biological systems. Biomimetic research is a rapidly growing field and its true potential in the development of new and sustainable textiles can only be realized through interdisciplinary research rooted in a holistic understanding of nature.     

Sustainability science: accounting for nonlinear dynamics in policy and social–ecological systems

Resilience is an emergent property of complex systems. Understanding resilience is critical for sustainability science, as linked social–ecological systems and the policy process that governs them have the capacity for nonlinear dynamics. The possibility of nonlinear change in these systems means that there is an inherent degree of uncertainty in social–ecological systems and the policy process. Abrupt, nonlinear change often results in social and/or ecological surprises that create tremendous challenges for environmental management. Thus, it is necessary to improve environmental management via a suite of mechanisms that have the capacity for adaptation. This paper suggests how we can move closer to achieving this goal through an overarching focus, including reformed and new law, adaptive management and adaptive governance, scenario planning, and leading indicators.