REVIEWS

Imagining and creating a sustainable future

Review of "Sustainable Technology Development", by P. Weaver, L. Jansen, G. van Grootveld, E. van Spiegel, and P. Vergragt, 2000

By Carl Etnier, Norway / USA

The innovative innovation methods used include constructing new social and economic networks around newly defined problems, imagining scenarios of technology in use fifty years in the future, "backcasting" from those scenarios to today, constructive technology assessment, life cycle assessment, and specially protected market niches. These are applied to five case studies: food production and nutrition, transportation and mobility, buildings and urban spaces, water and wastewater, and materials and chemicals.

This book documents an ambitious and important project. Unfortunately, it focusses too much on maintaining present end uses of technologies or increasing social specialization and corporate control of all aspects of life. While the book pays lip service to closing nutrient loops, the array of technologies proposed would have the net effect of mining the soil, especially when, as is suggested, sewage sludge is vitrified before disposal.

Overall, the book unintentionally sketches an unsustainable eco-dystopia. Nonetheless, as an exciting example of what can be done to create and carry out visions of sustainability, Sustainable technology development makes an important contribution.

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Sustainable technology development, by Paul Weaver, Leo Jansen, Geert van Grootveld, Egbert van Spiegel, and Philip Vergragt. 2000. Sheffield, UK: Greenleaf Publishing.GBP35.00/$US65.00

Readers of the EcoEng Newsletter get a discount of 5.00 British Pounds/$US10.00 on this book. Send orders to John Stuart, Greenleaf Publishing, Aizlewood Business Centre, Aizlewood's Mill, Nursery Street, Sheffield S3 8GG, UK, E-mail: john.stuart@greenleaf-publishing.com. Quote 'Reader Discount EcoEng' with your orders.

Note that the publisher charges postage on orders outside of the UK. This would be 3.00 British Pounds/$US5.00 for Europe and GBP5.00 British Pounds/$US10.00 for North America, Australasia and the rest of the world.

Green Urbanism: Learning from European Cities, by Timothy Beatley, 2000

Review by EcoEng Correspondent Amy Lillian Davis, USA

Beatley accomplishes this through comprehensive descriptions of the state of the art in European cities. He targets thirty cities, primarily northern and western European, as the focus is to describe and understand elements within cities that demonstrate a "holistic nature” to their development and management. From the chosen cities, Beatley cites "green” examples from growth management, transportation, and open space, to water, waste management and energy systems. The final chapters focus on public and private governance and economy.

Particularly interesting are the discussions on how projects are advocated, approved and funded. These chapters include everything from marketing and investment strategies to public education and industrial symbiosis. Even though Beatley intended this book for an American audience, the information within Green Urbanism can be applied globally, and used by a range of professionals and academics concerned with the development and management of cities.

The reason Green Urbanism was selected for review is the range of Beatley’s approach. As professionals involved and concerned with sustainable development, we often lack the necessary information to advocate a particular type of development, be it housing, transportation or waste management systems. By providing some examples of the underlying policy and economic forces of implemented projects, Beatley supplies the professional with tools and ideas to advocate sustainable development.

Green Urbanism does have a few shortcomings. Although numerous examples are helpful in understanding the range of opportunity, it is difficult to understand any one project in depth. A more rigorous and congruous description of a few case studies that guides the reader through all the forces, from conception to completion, would help the reader understand the process by which it takes "green urbanism” to happen.

From an ecological engineering perspective, one could claim that some important concepts are missing. However, the overall notion of "ecocyle balancing” is the backbone of the discussion on water and energy systems, and this is the critical lesson for the layperson to take home. Green Urbanism also lacks polished illustrations and images of cited examples. The black and white photos do not illustrate all the beauty or unique qualities of the projects Beatley discusses.

Despite these criticisms, Green Urbanism is currently the most complete source for green policy and development today. Additionally, Beatley’s writing style is both pleasant and informative. Green Urbanism should be read by all professionals and academics who advocate "green” planning, design, development and management of cities.

Beatley, Timothy. 2000. Green Urbanism: Learning from European Cities, Washington D.C., Island Press. ISBN 1-55963-682-3

Full-Scale Urine Diversion and Nutrient Recycling in and Around Stockholm

Review by Carl Etnier, Norway / USA

This R&D project was organized by Stockholm Water, together with two large construction and property management firms. A simultaneous, parallel project has been backed by some of the most influential Swedish institutions in sanitation and other involved sectors, including the Swedish EPA, The Swedish Council for Building Research, VA-FORSK (municipalities’ program for applied sanitation research), and the Federation of Swedish Farmers. This report apparently draws on results from the latter project, as well. Researchers from several leading Swedish universities have carried out most of the research.

This report is informative, easy to understand*, and features a beautiful layout. The stages of the nutrient cycle are illustrated richly with photographs and annotated drawings, and tables and figures summarize many of the conclusions.

The overall conclusion is that the technologies for urine diversion and recycling are mature, ready to use. The toilets used—from B.B. Innovation and Wost Man Ecology—had some problems, but these were all either fixed or easily fixable. Some accretion occurred on the pipes for urine, but it was limited and/or easily removed.

The amount of nutrients captured in these systems was less than expected, and it was shown that more motivated users were successful in capturing a higher percentage of their nutrients. The report contains no detailed explanation of why different levels of capture were obtained. Acceptance of the toilets is high among users, and even those not preselected for interest in these toilets, a great majority said they would be willing to eat food grown with their urine.

Chemical and microbiological tests were performed on the human urine in the storage tanks. The conditions in the storage tank are sufficiently hostile to pathogens that the only treatment required is storage. Depending on temperature and target crop, storage of one to six months is recommended. Urine stored six months or more at 20 °C is thought to be free from pathogens and may be used on any crops, although for foods which will be eaten raw, it is recommended that the urine be spread no later than one month before harvest, and that it be plowed into the soil.

A number of projects for further research are listed. One is on the effects of metabolized medicines in urine. Preliminary study indicates that the health and environmental risks of using urine in agriculture should be small, compared to releasing the urine through treatment plants to aquatic ecosystems, but this requires closer examination. More agricultural studies are called for, particularly to study the effect of chlorides in urine on crops. Long-term studies of the toilets and plumbing are also called for.

This report contains many references to more detailed studies in each of its sections, and concludes with contact information for those institutions which cooperated in the project.

* For those who read Swedish. Work on an English language version is reported to be underway.

For copies of the report, contact:
Byggforskningsrådet
Box 12866
S-112 98 Stockholm, Sweden
Tel: +46 8 617 7300
Fax: +46 8 653 7462
email: bfr@bfr.se