• Energy Research
• Closed Access close
• 12. Responsible consumption close
• 4. Education close
• Western Sydney University close

AbstractDespite being a major site of recent population growth and, arguably, a key arena for sustainability concerns, the rural‐urban fringe has received relatively little attention in the literature concerning Australian cities and urban policy. To address this shortcoming the authors review post‐World War II efforts to plan the rural‐urban fringes of Sydney and Adelaide and find a number of issues for contemporary policy‐makers. First, the fringe is becoming increasingly complex due to multi‐faceted demographic change, a broadening economic base and demands for better environmental management, all within the context of an evolving understanding of sustainability. Second, water resource management, partly under the auspices of integrated natural resource management, is assuming a much higher priority than in early fringe planning endeavours, which emphasised urban containment, agricultural land protection and landscape conservation. Third, and partly as a consequence of this shift of priorities, there is also evidence of changes to the nature and focus of policy tools used in the fringe, with land management concerns now cutting across traditional land use planning. Finally, and fundamentally, these observations raise questions about how future governance of the fringe should be organised. Together these four themes pose an enthralling series of challenges for policy‐makers for which much more research and discussion are needed.

The sustainable development goals (SDGs) provide an integrated, evidence-based framework of targets and indicators to support national planning and reporting. For countries to begin implementation of the SDGs, it is critical to build the evidence base for action. The integrated nature of the SDG targets mean that progress towards one target is also linked through complex feedbacks to other targets, placing demands on science and research to support national implementation. A range of different tools and approaches are recommended by experts, and an emerging challenge is to coherently apply and combine these different approaches to support decision-making. This study makes a significant contribution to filling this knowledge gap, adopting a novel integrated assessment approach to support the prioritisation of SDG targets through a case study for 22 countries in the Arab region. The research adopts a multi-criteria analysis decision framework which assesses and prioritises SDG targets based upon their ‘level of urgency’, ‘systemic impact’, and ‘policy gap’. A range of complementary evidence- and science-based approaches are applied within the assessment framework, including baseline assessment and benchmarking of indicators, systems and network analysis of target interlinkages, and mapping of policy alignment and gaps. The study highlights the strengths and weaknesses of each of these analytical approaches, and demonstrates how they can be rapidly combined and applied.

Abstract More than 26.8 billion tonnes of normal concrete is used globally every year, which in turn creates an overwhelming amount of construction and demolition waste. Although recycled aggregate is well recognised as a sustainable material that offers solutions to this problem, it is regarded as inferior to natural aggregate in terms of its structural properties. By adding steel fibre to recycled aggregate, a structurally sound material can be obtained. But the cost effectiveness of the optimum combination, when compared to natural aggregate, is unknown. This research aims to analyse the cost effectiveness of recycled aggregate and steel fibre in its optimum combination for a secondary beam. Firstly, an experimental study was conducted to determine the optimum combination, which was followed by a cost benefit analysis to discover the direct/indirect costs and benefits of recycled aggregate. Interviews were undertaken with practitioners of six recycling plants in Sydney. The optimum combination found through the experiment was 30% recycled aggregate replacement with the addition of 0.6% steel fibre. The cost benefit analysis showed that the savings per beam due to recycled aggregate replacement was nearly 2.5 times high when compared to the cost increase due to steel fibre addition in the considered typical beam design. These results confirmed that the additional cost increase of utilising steel fibre could be offset considerably by the quantified sustainable benefits of recycled aggregate in the optimum mixture. The research reported in the paper is scientifically significant due to the introduction of a new structural material, which has considerable sustainable and cost benefits. This study offers recommendations for all parties concerned in recycled aggregate processes such as policy makers, recycling facilities, builders, clients and designers to promote this new material.

Sustainability has become an increasingly used term, but what does it mean in terms of practice. This research will look at the harvesting of captured stormwater for the irrigation of urban playing fields and what the implications are for catchment hydrology, local community, and local council. This research aims to identify, understand and determine the catchment conditions that may hinder the stormwater quality and quantity for capture and reuse, as well as determining whether the stormwater harvesting will be sustainable. Research methods for this project will include systemic analysis in order to further investigate the assumptions being made in the study. Manly Golf Club has relied on groundwater extraction supplemented by potable supplies for irrigation, however potable supplies are no longer available. It has been proposed to provide irrigation supplies from stormwater via onsite storage and groundwater recharge. Monitored stormwater entering the Golf Course from the adjacent Cemetery Creek sub-catchment for pollutants, have indicated that it may be suitable for irrigation with treatment and may reduce problems generated by overuse of groundwater. The proposal will provide environmental benefit through reduced pollution loads being discharged directly to receiving waters and cessation of use of potable supplies by the Club. Social and economic benefits are expected to be gained and will be monitored as part of an ongoing research program.

If Farming Systems Research is to truly embrace sustainability as the overall context of its mission, then the inclusion of ethics (and especially systemic ethics) is an imperative. There are matters of responsibilities of producers to the ecological integrity of the land that they farm as well as to the manner by which they use resources. There are matters of equity and fairness and trustworthiness to the consumers of their products, and matters of the well-being of animals under their care. There are, furthermore, particular responsibilities that farming systems researchers have to the way that they conduct their scientific inquiries and develop and promote the types of technologies that they help to generate. These issues raise questions that call upon consideration of rights and wrongs, of means as well as ends, of good and evil, and of what it is to be virtuous. These are ethical questions about what ‘should be done’ with respect to the further development of farming systems that ought to condition the answers to questions about what ‘could be done’. This chapter will discuss the significance of the moral/ethical dimensions of agriculture and farming, as well as of agricultural sciences. It will show how the implementation of the principles of sustainability ethics ‘ought to’ shape Farming Systems Research.

Abstract It is now established that energy use in buildings is a significant source of global greenhouse gas emissions and that abatement by the building sector can provide significant social, economic and environmental benefits. This paper examines the application of socio-technical transition theory to the building sector with Australian energy policy as a case study. The relatively high level of local building construction offers significant opportunities for market transition with appropriate policy settings so this national case has international implications. Evolution of building energy efficiency standards through the Australian National Construction Code is scrutinized by benchmarking the building energy code against international best practice. The benchmarking underscores the contribution high performance energy efficient buildings could make to a low carbon transition with appropriate policy settings. Specifically government intervention in the building sector through direct regulation was shown to have substantial potential to effect this transition. Nevertheless, such intervention has proven to be politically controversial in Australia. The paper provides a twofold contribution to research in the domain of building energy policy. Firstly, by making the connection between transition theory and the role of building energy codes; secondly, by demonstrating the practical application and utility of a structured building code benchmarking process.

Abstract Biodiesel is a renewable and sustainable alternative fossil fuel that is derived from vegetable oils and animal fats. This study investigates the production, characterization, and effect of biodiesel blends from two prominent feedstocks, namely, palm and coconut (PB30 and CB30), on engines. To aggregate the advantages of high ignition quality of palm and high oxygen content of coconut, combined blend of this two biodiesels (PB15CB15) is examined to evaluate its effect on engine performance and emission characteristics. Biodiesels are produced using the alkali catalyzed transesterification process. Various physicochemical properties are measured and compared with the ASTM D6751 standard. A 10 kW, horizontal, single-cylinder, four-stroke, and direct-injection diesel engine is employed under a full load and varying speed conditions. Biodiesel blends produce a low brake torque and high brake-specific fuel consumption (BSFC). However, all emissions, except for NOx, are significantly reduced. PB15CB15 improves brake torque and power output while reducing BSFC and NOx emissions when compared with CB30. Meanwhile, compared with PB30, PB15CB15 reduces CO and HC emissions while improving brake thermal efficiency. The experimental analysis reveals that the combined blend of palm and coconut oil shows superior performance and emission over individual coconut and palm biodiesel blends.

During the last decade, positive behavior interventions have resulted in improvement of school behavior and academic gains in a range of school settings worldwide. Recent studies identify sustainability of current positive behavior intervention programs as a major concern. The purpose of this article is to identify future direction for effective implementation of positive behavior interventions based on a comprehensive review of the current status of positive behavior interventions in terms of sustainability. The review will also examine implementation fidelity, as a factor that impacts upon sustainability. Literature reviewed in this study demonstrates that administrator support and professional development were the most frequently cited influential factors in previous research on sustainability of positive behavior interventions. In particular, the review highlights the significance of implementation fidelity at the classroom level for sustaining positive outcomes of positive behavior interventions over time. It is argued that in order to sustain positive effects of positive behavior intervention, future implementation efforts need to emphasize administrator support for the school team, ongoing high-quality professional development, and technical assistance. Moreover, a focus on coaching classroom-level implementation fidelity is of significant importance, as is the development and validation of evaluation tools for sustainability based on large-scale longitudinal international studies and more in-depth qualitative investigations.

Improved building energy efficiency has been shown to contribute substantially to global greenhouse gas abatement objectives. Realisation of these benefits depends on the deployment of appropriate policy instruments. Building energy codes have the potential to deliver economic, environmental, societal and other strategic benefits. Australia’s high per capita greenhouse emissions and rates of building construction provide a national case study in climate policy development. Insights into reform of Australia’s National Construction Code also provide evidence-based analysis of the efficacy of market-based energy efficiency measures, demonstrating that building energy codes are a cost-effective greenhouse emission reduction instrument and also that market failures inhibit the effectiveness of conventional economic instruments in reducing building sector greenhouse emissions. Although building energy codes do provide a potentially transformative intervention in the property market, their effectiveness is bedevilled by problems with enforcement and stakeholder behaviour in service. Addressing these impediments calls for targeted policy packages to bridge identified gaps between presumptive building performance objectives and outcomes actually observed in practice.