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Articles on Sustainability

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Even pocket parks in cities (Duane Park in Lower Manhattan, pictured here) can shelter wildlife. Read below for ideas about urban biodiversity and other green innovations. Aude

Creating a sustainable future: 5 essential reads

Trump administration rollbacks dominated news about the environment in 2017 – but beyond Washington D.C., many researchers are developing innovative visions for a greener future.
The old Pratt Street power plant in Baltimore in the US is now home to commercial uses. But the heritage preservation is compromised by advertising that is not sympathetic to the building style and design. Wikimedia Commons

Sustainable re-use and recycling work for heritage buildings and places too

Adaptively re-using buildings can preserve heritage while enabling new uses that help make cities more liveable and sustainable.
The Tower of London has altered greatly in its 900-year history as a castle, home, museum, prison and tourist attraction. Claudio Divizia/Shutterstock

Heritage building preservation vs sustainability? Conflict isn’t inevitable

When talking about heritage, we need to be clear about our definitions and our objectives for each building. Then we can work on achieving the optimum balance of heritage and sustainability.
Canada’s pension plans are failing to divest of fossil fuels. But today’s pensioners, and those of the future, will benefit from pension plans choosing ethical and sustainable investments. (Shutterstock)

Why Canadian pension plans must divest of fossil fuel investments

Canada’s biggest pension plans are failing to divest of fossil fuels. Climate change demands pension plans start to invest in sustainable industries that benefit Canadians.
A medium-size passenger jet burns roughly 750 gallons of fuel per hour. www.shutterstock.com

Jet fuel from sugarcane? It’s not a flight of fancy

Scientists have engineered sugarcane to increase its oil content and are developing renewable jet aircraft fuel from the oil. The engineered sugarcane could become a valuable energy crop.
The intensity of heavy downpours in Houston has increased dramatically since the 1950s, leading some people to argue the city’s disaster planning and infrastructure are not up-to-date. AP Photo/David J. Phillip

Can cities get smarter about extreme weather?

It’s not just about rebuilding infrastructure after storms: Cities need to systematically rethink their knowledge systems which are at the heart of urban resilience.
We need to look behind the sharing economy’s apparently informal, casual intent to consider the impacts on people’s lives. Montri Nipitvittaya/Shutterstock

Sharing economy sounds caring, but let’s put it to the ethical city test

In cities dominated by globalised market forces, how can we achieve social equity and justice? For any sharing economy idea, we need to ask what will it do to fix the big problems confronting us all.
Since 1800, the world’s population has multiplied eight times. Shutterstock

8 billion people in 2022: is the Earth overpopulated?

The world’s population has reached 8 billion and is expected to climb to nearly 10 billion by 2050. Why will population growth inevitably continue? Should we try to reduce or stop this growth?
Family time. Pawel Kuczynski

Imagining a better world: the art of degrowth

To fix the world’s ecological crises we’ll have to make some tough choices, particularly living with less stuff. Art can play an essential role in imagining and communicating a more sustainable future.
The Victorian government has a new proposal to ban plastic bags. What is it missing? suvajit/pixabay

Victoria’s plastic bag ban: a good start, but we can do more

Victoria’s proposed ban on single-use plastic bags is a step forward, but what about all the other unnecessary packaging? A truly effective waste policy should offer a comprehensive plan for packaging.
An outstanding example of sustainable residential building, Breathe Architecture’s The Commons apartments in Melbourne won a 2014 National Architecture Award. Image courtesy of Australian Institute of Architects

Sustainable cities? Australia’s building and planning rules stand in the way of getting there

New South Wales is the only state that has made meaningful progress on legislation and enforcement of standards capable of creating a sustainable built environment.

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