and report on their own environment, and thus become the first line of defence against flooding. Recent events in England, Central europe and elsewhere have underlined once again the human and economic costs of flooding.
and adapt to the effects of climate change is therefore one of the challenges of our time.
Businesses stand to benefit hugely from being able to apply developed technology to such an important issue. he long term impact of this project will be the development of a new way of understanding the environment;
#Developing high-efficiency lasers to manufacture solar panels As the world continues its efforts to combat climate change
a process that can take days and wastes valuable time, often leaving those working in asbestos-laden buildings at risk of exposure.
emergency services, asbestos removal and hazardous waste sites. ith ALERT tool, we can give 30 million European workers a means of detecting asbestos the moment it is disturbed,
and materials more effectively without harming the environment, while observing the legislation. t a cost-efficient, durable,
then we can imagine robots that will be capable to work alone in dangerous environments, such as nuclear objects or space.
The next step for the project will be to verify their operation in environments with large-scale structures. he end result of this combination of technologies in an integrated robotic system will be a highly versatile system,
COOL-Coverings focused on the so-called building envelope the outer part of the building that protects it from wind and weather and houses the interior environment and the construction components that shape it.
In addition to cutting energy consumption and increasing indoor comfort, the team also aimed to mitigate the appearance of urban heat islands.
when heat accumulates in materials composing the built environment, adds to the difficulty of cooling down sun-kissed cities.
They are vital to modern commerce but troublesome for the environment. European industrial researchers set out to turn these power-hungry machines into a green technology of the future.
The trademarked-Texcooler they developed can chill a standard-sized beverage in under a minute.
This places a huge burden on power grids and the environment and does not appear to be slowing.
Game-changing green technology like this could have a direct impact on the EU 2020 commitment to reducing energy use and greenhouse gas emissions while improving overall energy security,
hese patents were filed worldwide because of the massive appeal and environmental benefits of this green technology. The Rapidcool project will be significantly beneficial to all SMES involved.
which has played a significant part in making this global effort a tremendous success. The main findings of the project COGS('Collaborative Oncological Gene-Environment Study')have been published in a special issue on genetic risk factors
at the UK Environment Agency said: oston has some good sea defences, but theye not high enough.
and across the world to protect vulnerable cities from the imminent effects of climate change. Project details Project acronym:
because they have to comply with waste legislation. any packaging companies are trying to turn to greener solutions,
Also, the reuse of an existing waste product lowers the carbon footprint, she adds. e have finished the research and development,
Most inspections are carried out with conventional ultrasonic testing that requires frequent changes of the probes in a high radiation environment,
#Improved tsunami alert system through international partnerships Tsunamis are not very frequent events, but they can have a terrible impact on human life and on the economy of a country.
They occur as a result of earthquakes, usually at the bottom of the sea. But at present such earthquakes cannot be foreseen.
Quick responses are therefore vital. sunamis travel very quickly and occur relatively near the shore.
It may be only a matter of 15-20 minutes after the earthquake that the wave hits the shore,
which detects tsunamis as early as possible and allows emergency agencies to improve their responses.
The system positions sensors at sea and on the coast to pick up earthquakes and to determine the size of the tsunami waves that they are likely to produce
and where they will strike on the coastline. DEWS processes this data and provides authorities with all the relevant information needed for making a decision on the type of public warning messages that are required.
as well as the National Earthquake Information Centre in Jakarta. With the support of local staff DEWS was installed successfully at BMKG for evaluation
and secure test environment. The system not only provides faster warning, but it also gives authorities more information than has been available to date. t is up to the authorities
And, only a small portion of solid waste is being recycled or composted. These trends are having effects across society and the economy
and protect the environment, "said CNRS researcher Elise Noujeim.""But recently, sensitivity toward the environment has been growing.
A new generation is becoming aware about issues such as energy and recycling. And as a country, we are trying to do as much as possible."
"The main objective of the INCAM project is strengthening CNRS'capacities and expanding staff training and education all directed toward transforming the institute into a centre of excellence.
INCAM's research will assess the current condition of natural resources, support sustainable development, and improve integrated resource management with special attention on coastal and marine ecosystems.
The environment will not be the only beneficiary of INCAM. CNRS staff members will attend training sessions at EU research institutes
Yet Nanobond has shown the superbugs can be beaten. e proved that even in bacteria rich environments,
it does not leach out into the environment. Nor does it attack good microorganisms on the skin that help protect people.
However, urbanisation, extensive irrigation and variations in rainfall patterns due to global climate change have led to serious water scarcity in many areas of the world.
Areas under increasing pressure from water scarcity, particularly in the summer months, include small cities and islands along the coasts of Spain, Greece and Italy
According to the European environment agency (EEA), 16 to 44 million additional people will suffer water scarcity in Southern Europe by 2070.
The EU has taken a leading role in tackling water scarcity both on a European and global scale.
the Refresh approach is more cost effective than using tanker ships where fresh water is priced around EUR 14/m3 or huge infrastructures, such as pipelines or desalination plants.
while CO2 EMISSIONS will be lower thanks to efficient transport options. e have received considerable interest from stakeholders in the Mediterranean and Persian gulf area,
material waste is reduced considerably and the process has low to zero harmful emissions. Large-scale aerospace parts can
and recycling are key to securing a smooth transition into the mass production phase of PEF bottles.
It is owned a wholly subsidiary of Holland Environment Group which has been developing ground and groundwater solutions since the mid-80s.
Soil contamination was a serious issue in The netherlands during the 1980s and that's when we started developing innovative techniques he explains.
however, recent developments have led to a renewed interest in the technology, with the ultimate goal of significantly reducing CO2 EMISSIONS via capture.
#Converting waste rubber into quality products Pioneering new research is set to upset the standard paradigm of downcycling,
Downcycling is the process of transforming waste materials things we would throw away into another product of lesser quality,
Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy technology UMSICHT in Oberhausen have succeeded now in optimising the recycling of rubber waste materials.
The crushing of rubber waste is more environmentally friendly and resource-efficient than producing new rubber products an important aspect in view of the rising costs of energy and raw materials.'
and thus save lives, prevent environmental disasters and recover valuable cargo a European union (EU) funded research project has developed a unique emergency-response system with vast potential.
recycling almost appears to be like some kind of alchemy, that medieval art which sought to transform base metals into gold.
Recycling plastics has many environmental and economic advantages. With dwindling global supplies of oil, recycling offers a powerful means of reducing the amount of petroleum (currently standing at around 8%of global production) required to manufacture plastics, the production
Plastic waste, which has a tendency to spread to even the remotest environments, can take centuries to decompose,
and is potentially harmful to the environment, human health and wildlife. Although reducing the amount of disposable plastic products manufactured offers the most sustainable way forward,
recycling is also a powerful tool. But recycling faces many challenges. The complex structure of plastic polymers makes the mixing of different plastics difficult
or can result in weaker materials, and requires greater amounts of energy in the production process.
The upshot of this is that a lower proportion of plastic waste is recycled compared with other materials:
21.3%in the EU against 80%of newspapers. However, it should be pointed out that Europe also uses plastic waste as an energy source,
and so, together, energy recovery and recycling use up more than half of the Union's plastic waste. Going with the flow The variability in the quality of inputs also leads to major fluctuations in the viscosity,
i e. the'thickness'of the melted raw materials as they flow through the production process, requiring constant adjustment to the temperature
resulting in significant waste. The EU-funded project'Sensor-base ultrasonic viscosity control for the extrusion of recycled plastics'(Ultravisc) has broken the mould
The two-year project sought to improve the recycling of post-consumer plastic waste by compensating for impurities
"Ultrasonic technology had never been integrated into recycling technology before, so building the ultrasonic modulator was a big challenge,
Recycling for all Ultravisc is an intelligent and fully automated process.""Because the knowledge is built into the system,
This advance has the potential to open up plastic recycling to a wider group of actors, and not just highly specialised companies.
thereby boosting the overall efficiency of the recycling process.""Ultravisc also allows you to use recycled products in places where it was not previously possible,
thereby improving the environmental friendliness of the recycling process, "Dr Beaney adds. The project participants are exploring how best to commercialise the technology
Ultravisc is expected to reduce waste by about 2%,down time by around 5, %and lower energy consumption by 5%when used on extruders.
environment, safety and congestion. With the vehicles drafting a few metres behind each other, SARTRE short for"Safe Road trains for the Environment"can cut fuel consumption by up to 20%.
%Because the sensor-based system reacts faster than people who are the cause of 87%of traffic accidents SARTRE provides safety benefits.
When the granules are saturated they can be buried safely in the ground as inert waste. Behind the development is led by a consortium Loufakis Chemicals SA in association with three SMES involved in water engineering,
lighter, fuel efficient vehicles mean less overall steel use and ultimately less fuel consumption (by some estimates, up to 0. 2 litres per 100 km) and carbon emissions.
However, reheating is an energy-intensive process where the costly energy consumption of furnaces is of increasing concern as it also impacts on the environment and indeed, the profitability of steel mills.
"The project team developed an innovative flame analysis system capable of detecting burner operating parameters such as firing rate, excess air levels and pollutant emissions,
Landslides and ground subsidence are serious problems across Europe and their costs are underestimated largely, according to Fausto Guzzetti of Italy National Research Council,
Examples include landslides riverbank erosion and melting permafrost; and the human contribution can arise from activities such as mining, large construction works or water extraction for irrigation.
representing a wide range of environments and types of ground deformation. They produced accurate deformation
slow-moving rock slides and ground subsidence owing to overexploitation of aquifers in Italy and Spain;
Demand for DORIS Landslides are natural events that shape landscapes. However, they come with a huge cost, both social and economic.
In Italy alone, landslides have caused over 5000 deaths and displaced more than 150 000 people during the last 50 years, at an estimated economic cost of#2 billion annually.
Thanks to the project, civil protection authorities and landslide investigators have access to information that was simply not available previously,
COMET has come up with an integrated programming and simulation environment (PSIR), as developed by partner Delcam,
and waste treatments, such as incineration. In addition, because many of these materials are derived plastics from fossil fuels, they also increase the impact on climate change.
With the above in mind, a European research project has developed new environmentally friendly materials that can replace oil-based plastic films used in packaging for food
but have a much lower environmental impact. Flexpakrenew began in September 2008 and received#3. 28 million in funding under the EU's Seventh Research Framework Programme (FP7.
"We used life-cycle assessment techniques to look at the impacts on the environment throughout the production, use and disposal of the new materials.
In addition, the project paid special attention to product life cycle and thorough sustainability assessment to prove environmental economic and social performance and potential for up-scaling from laboratory to pilot scale.
Due to the high amount of materials the flexible packaging industry uses, the progress made in this project has the potential to make a significant improvement to overall sustainability.
The development of the new packaging products for a global market will make an important contribution towards the reduction of the dependency of the packaging sector on petroleum resources and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
although climate change has made it more aggressive recently, Tóth says.""In Slovakia, in particular, many field plots are infested,
and each one is using slightly different plant's language to communicate with surrounding environment emitting more than 200 different volatile organic compounds,
and Environment (includingclimate change. Established in 2010 and due to continue until2014 the project is focused on developing ahighly integrated multipurpose refinery.
Global agriculture wastes 60%,or 1 500 trillion litres, of the 2, 500 trillion litres of water it uses each year, according to the WWF.
The waste is mainly down to inefficient irrigation systems. But better managed, it could mean more water resources for other basics like drinking, hygiene and cooking.
while being flexible and robust enough to survive in farm environments, says John Olaherty, the technical director of Ireland Limerick-based National Microelectronics Applications Centre (MAC),
Virtual reality reproduces the surrounding environment, but it offers no rewards system. Our aim was to motivate patients to know their body and mind better.
The community of imaging scientists working on Alzheimer's disease need new powerful environments to perform experiments on such datasets.
The neugrid Grid-based e-infrastructure aims building a research environment where a large clinical and image dataset that is being collected Europe-wide can be exploited by a large neuroscience community through the application of sophisticated brain analysis algorithms.
and storage (CCS) technology has the potential to help the European union (EU) significantly cut its greenhouse gas emissions.
However, efficient and reliable pre-combustion capture technologies that can reduce carbon dioxide (CO2 EMISSIONS from fossil fuel power plants at low cost are still missing.
helping achieve the EU 2020 target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30%.%The new solutions developed by the DECARBIT team could also see the use of CCS technologies in other energy-intensive industries.
%which is better for people health and for the environment. The team initially tested the eave tubes in 2013 in large outdoor cages in Tanzania.
BIOCOUP will also help to make a significant contribution to the reduction of CO2 EMISSIONS in the transportation sector through the efficient utilisation of biomass material.
What's more, UNESCO-IHE tests indicate the resulting arsenic-covered sand will percolate (leach naturally) back into the environment,
training and capacity building in organisations, knowledge centres and other institutions active in the fields of water, the environment and infrastructure, with emphasis on developing countries and countries in transition.
energy security and turning possibly a greenhouse gas into a useful resource. Researchers have demonstrated for the first time successfully the entire production chain for renewable kerosene,
This is because controlled experiments often involve inaccessible or hostile environments such as the combustion of hazardous waste.
These atural barriershave so far prevented scientists from gaining deeper knowledge that could be used to improve design and production processes.
"The site is being transitioned onto a"new safe environment "and is expected to resume service in coming days,
#Factory Dairy farms on the Rise in Asia The expansion of industrial dairy farms in Asia could lead to severe consequences for the environment, public health, animal welfare and rural economies, according to a policy paper by Brighter Green.
they also create high levels of waste and pollution, according to the paper. Factory farms can contaminate local soil
and water supplies and produce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change, the paper says. Brighter Green, the organization behind the paper, wants policymakers to take notice of the consequences of dairy CAFOS
pollution and promote sustainable agriculture. While these negative effects are known, the impact of this trend in Asia is undocumented still largely,
Meanwhile, the US dairy industry has improved its sustainability, according to research published last year in the Journal of Dairy Science.
Researchers analyzed the sustainability of the US dairy industry from 1944 to 2012 and found advances in genetics
#GE HP Walmart Play Regulator in Their Own Supply Chains Where regulation of environmental impacts is weak,
The company was a founding partner of the Environment Health and Safety Academy, launched in China Guangdong Province in 2009.
Walmart approach has centered on its Sustainability Index, launched in 2009 and since expanded to 700 product categories and 5, 000 suppliers up from the 200 categories and 1, 000 suppliers announced last September.
The Walmart Foundation gave a $2 million grant to launch The Sustainability Consortium in China as part of a number of supply chain initiatives it announced in 2012.
and product transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions intensity 20 percent by 2020, compared to 2010. It said was the first IT company to set a supply chain emissions goal.
Walmart and HP are innovating new approaches to managing the environmental impacts of their supply chains
In a letter coordinated by the nonprofit sustainability advocacy organization, Ceres, 223 companies including industry giants such as Ikea,
climate change poses real financial risks and substantial economic opportunities and we must act now. The letter was sent to the EPA, the Obama Administration,
has helped its commercial real estate clients reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 12 million metric tons while saving them $2. 5 billion in energy costs over the past seven years.
a business-led call to action that urges federal and state policymakers to seize the economic opportunity of addressing climate change e
#Levi s M&s Other Brands Pledge Zero-Deforestation Fashion LLEVI Strauss & Co.,Marks & spencer, Portico Brands and ASOS have joined Canopy Fashion Loved by Forests initiative,
or contribute to deforestation. Most rayon, viscose, modal, lyocell and other trademarked cellulosic fabrics start their journey as trees.
#Google Facebook Others Launch Sustainability Platform Unilever Coca-cola Google Facebook Nike Pepsico and dozens of other major companies and nonprofits have launched a digital sustainability platform
intended to drive conversation and action on sustainability. The companies say the nonprofit editorial platform called Collectively aims to#make sustainable living the new normal.#
#Collectively brings together global sustainability nonprofit Forum of the Future with some of the biggest companies in the world.
Collectively represents a new approach to the way businesses engage consumers on sustainability according to the coalition.
and climate policy for European union states a
#NYC's 10-Year Plan Sets New Standards for Other Cities Last week, the day after the eople Climate Marchand right before the United Nationsclimate Summit, New york city
Mayor de Blasio announced that the City is committing to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent over 2005 levels by the year 2050.
in order to dramatically reduce the city contributions to climate change, while spurring major cost savings and creating thousands of new jobs for those who need them most.
with currently approximately three quarters of the city greenhouse gas output stemming from energy expended to heat,
In addition to the plan leading to considerable carbon emission reductions in the order of 3. 4 million metric tons a year by 2025, the resulting upgrades should help protect many lower-income citizens from rising utility bills
#Hospital Sustainability Spending on the Rise Fifty-four percent of global health care professionals say their hospitals currently incorporate sustainability into purchasing decisions
and 80 percent expect that to be the case in two years according to a Harris Poll commissioned by Johnson & johnson. The global findings are similar to those of US health care providers where 52 percent say their hospitals currently incorporate sustainability into purchasing
According to respondents their hospitals have plans in place for minimizing environmental impact when using or disposing of medical products.
Globally respondents report their hospitals prioritize sustainability purchasing as follows: About eight in 10 respondents say sustainable products help protect hospital staff
Health care professionals also agree it makes good financial sense for hospitals to go green both in the US (79 percent) and globally (69 percent) and report a strong commitment to sustainability from top hospital management
In regard to purchasing US respondents report the most important sustainability considerations are followed energy efficient devices by recyclable packaging latex free devices products designed for multi-use devices free of heavy metals
and products including recycling content in packaging. The survey results are in line with a 2012 report released by Johnson & johnson
Last year Johnson & johnson launched a recycling campaign on Tumblr with the goal of encouraging consumers to recycle bathroom products instead of throwing them in the trash h
The project known as Smart cities USA is expected to help drive San jos s economic growth foster 25000 cleantech jobs
and create environmental sustainability. The pilot program in San jos is Intel s first smart city implementation in the US.
San jos known as the Capital of Silicon valley is installing a network of sensors to create a sustainability lens that uses Intel technology to measure characteristics such as particulates in the air noise pollution and traffic flow.
Such measurement data will produce meaningful insights that will lead to improvements in air quality noise transportation efficiency environmental sustainability health and energy efficiency.
This project also aligns with the San jos Green Vision a long-term sustainability initiative adopted by the city in 2007 to protect the environment stimulate economic growth
and achieve sustainability. City governments are projected to collectively invest about $41 trillion over the next 20 years to upgrade their infrastructure.
and resource sustainability that can help them meet the demands of escalating population rates. The city of San jos has installed a sensor demonstration platform using Intel Gateway Solutions for the Internet of things with an Intel Quark processor and third-party sensors.
Because biochar can be produced from various waste biomass including agricultural residues this new technology provides an alternative
and engineered types of cartilage get stronger in a low-oxygen environment researchers report. Lab-grown tissues could one day provide new treatments for injured or damaged joints tendons and ligaments.
and his colleagues put the skin cells in an environment that closely mimics the environment of brain cells.
and we figured that his expertise in pneumatics was perfect for the MRI environment and could be combined with the steerable needles
##This changed flora is spread around the ICU environment to other patients through cross-infection##Hurley says.##
But they can##feel##the physical environment around them according to new research. Platelets respond to surfaces with greater stiffness by increasing their stickiness the degree to
##Platelets are smarter than we give them credit for in that they are able to sense the physical characteristics of their environment
Zaveri also studied the release of Tenofovir from the suppositories in a simulated vaginal environment to ensure that the drug will be released once inserted in the body even in the presence of semen.
##Armed with the knowledge of what occurs in the digestive systems of preemies in a controlled environment the researchers next aim to discern what happens in the systems of preemies who don t fare as well particularly those suffering from necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). NEC is a devastating disorder in premature infants that causes tissue death in the lining
The new research suggests that in the brain unique environment, galectin-1 creates an immunosuppressive effect immediately around tumor cells.
In dark environments, for instance, where visual cues are not available localizing events using sound may be critical.
or dispose of its wastes. The malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, is among the world deadliest pathogens. Malaria is spread mainly by the bite of infected mosquitoes
needing only a warm environment and plenty of food to multiply, most species that grow in
Since bacteria often depend on nutrients and signals from the extracellular environment to support growth, the substances from this fluid were used to recreate this environment within the tiny Slipchip compartment key to successfully growing the difficult organism in the lab. After growing a pure culture of the previously unidentified bacterium,
Ismagilov and his colleagues obtained enough genetic material to sequence a high-quality draft genome of the organism.
and linking the data to the residential addresses of approximately 1000 participants in the Northern California-based Childhood Risk of Autism from Genetics and the Environment (CHARGE) Study.
Sherwood s colleague Ryan Baugh an assistant professor of medicine showed that hatching C. elegans eggs in a nutrient-free environment shut down their development completely.
Organisms have to monitor their environment and decide whether or not it is amenable to their development.
But that study took place in a controlled hospital inpatient environment where participants essentially stayed in bed for the whole period
allowing participants to stay in something close to their usual environments, exercise, and eat whatever they want,
But developing a device that could be tested safely in an outpatient environment presented several challenges, first
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