NEWSBITS |
EcoEng Newsletter 1, April 2002 |
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Note by the editors:
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This section of the newsletter relies heavily on your input. If you feel that your topic, project, book or conference should be covered in this section, please don't hesitate to contact me.
Andreas Schönborn, |
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Book: |
Ecological Sanitation - Conference Report |
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as. An excellent report about the Nanning conference and a good review about the state of the art in ecological sanitation. Highly recommendable for all interested in the field. Anyone who is interested to review this book is invited to contact the editor ( |
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Book: |
Greener Manufacturing and Operations: from Design to Delivery and back |
| Edited by Joseph Sarkis, Clark University, USA 387 pp | 234 x 156 mm | Hardback ISBN 1 874719 42 X | £40.00 US$75.00 To place an order for this title or to view both the ‘Foreword’ by Roger E. Kasperson, Executive Director, Stockholm Environment Institute and Chapter 3 ‘Management of pollution prevention: Integrating environmental technologies in manufacturing’ by Neil Jones, INSEAD, France, and Robert D. Klassen, University of Western Ontario, Canada online, please visit the Greenleaf website at: [Source: Email from research@greenleaf-publishing.com, Nov. 15, 2001] Anyone who is interested to review this book is invited to contact the editor ( |
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Book: |
Design + Environment |
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A Global Guide to Designing Greener Goods. Helen Lewis and John Gertsakis, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia with Tim Grant and Nicola Morelli, RMIT University, Australia and Andrew Sweatman, Environmental and Occupational Risk Management, USA. Foreword by Graham Cavanagh-Downs, Fuji Xerox, Australia 200pp, 234 x 156mm, Paperback, ISBN 1 874719 43 8, £19.95, US$40.00 To place an order for this title or to view the Introduction online, please visit the Greenleaf website at: [Source: Email from research@greenleaf-publishing.com, Nov. 15, 2001] Anyone who is interested to review this book is invited to contact the editor ( |
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China: |
Full conference papers of the 1st International Conference on Ecological Sanitation in Nanning now available online |
| A broad array of projects, scientific and political activities and approaches were presented during the very successful conference in Nanning, China, in November, 2001. Over 60 of the reports can now be viewed on the post-conference Internet dialogue website.
URL: http://www.ias.unu.edu/proceedings/icibs/ecosan/abstracts.html [Source: Ecosan Newsletter No.4, March 2002] |
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Germany: |
GTZ Ecosan Project Offers Traineeships |
| The GTZ Ecosan team writes:
"Students and recent graduates interested in learning more about ecosan and looking behind the scenes of our project within an international organization for development cooperation can work with us at the GTZ head office in Eschborn, Germany for three months. So do not hesitate to send in your application (next starting date: May 2002). Basic requirements: fluent written and spoken German and English, studies or recent degree in rural water management, civil engineering, ecology or similar subjects - and a strong interest in ecosan, of course...:) " [Source: Ecosan Newsletter No. 4, March 2002] |
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Iceland: |
An Energy Revolution from the North |
| as. Okay, this isn't really hot news, but still of considerable interest to Ecological Engineers: Iceland wants to become the first nation worldwide to build its economy ob hydrogen. The plan is to first start running busses with hydrogen, then later add cars, trucks and ships. If everything goes well, Iceland will then start to export hydrogen to the rest of Europe.
Energy source for the hydrogen production will be the almost unlimited resources of geothermal power Iceland sits on. By using hydrogen, Iceland wants to become independent from fossile energy. Two interesting sources on the web:
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India: |
Environmental News Service |
as. The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) (New Delhi, India) publishes a fortnightly news bulletin for all interested in environmental issues and sustainable development initiatives. The bulletin features topics such as
There is also a CSE website that carries the science and environment fortnightly "Down To Earth", a daily environment news flash by subject categories, a catalogue of books and publications, and all of their recent press releases. CSE also gives regular updates about all of their campaigns like vehicular pollution, climate change, biodiversity, water resources, wildlife, forests, environment education etc. The online library of books, journals, images and videos is searchable through a thesaurus of environmental keyword at http://data.cseindia.org . [Source: CSE News Bulletin, Apr. 2, 2002 ] |
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Norway: |
Ecological Engineering online course (in Norwegian) |
| as. An online course is available at Narvik University ("Høgskolen i Narvik") with topics covering ecological methods for wastewater treatment. It is in Norwegian language, and open for anyone who pays 5000 NKR (625 Euro). Passing the exame by the end of the course gives a credit (2 norwegian points which equals 1/10 of a years work).
Contact: [Source: Email by Hanne Giæver, Jan. 14, 2002] |
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Switzerland: |
Typha Facility inaugurated |
| as. On March 1, 2002, a combined sewer-overflow-retention and Typha production site was inaugurated in Geuensee, Switzerland. On this occasion, a workshop was held on various aspects of Typha cultivation and utilization, including operation and maintenance, water management issues, ecology, harvesting, market situation and marketing.
The costs of the 2'960 m2 sized Typha site were given at 30'000 Swiss Francs (about 20'400 Euro) and were estimated to be 10 times lower than its counterpart in concrete. The site can take up 2'450 m3 or half an hour of peak flow during a storm. It has been planted with Typha seeds this spring. Contact to planner: Rolf Heinisch, heinisch@schattweid.ch |
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Switzerland: |
Global Knowledge Partnership |
| as. The latest UN report on human development sees a great potential in new information technologies for battling poverty. Today, 79% of internet users live in countries that make up 14% of world's population.
Global Knowledge Partnership is a network to increase the use of information technologies in the developing world. Switzerland has taken on the presidency of this network and will also house the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in 2003. URL: http://www.globalknowledge.org/ [Source: Wendekreis, Swiss periodical, 10/2001] |
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Switzerland: |
News from the "Novaquatis" Project |
| as. The Swiss Novaquatis project is making headways. The first four so called "NoMix" toilets have been installed at a pilot site in Zurich, in November 2001 and sampling has already been started. A second pilot project is going to be started in a trade school for young adults in the city of Basel. Its aim is to test different NoMix toilets and urinals and evaluate technical aspects of urine separation. Additionally, it will be accompanied by a cultural psychological investigation.
A number of diploma theses have been conducted, e.g. on the following topics:
Two workpackages regrettably had to be discontinued for lack of funding: "Urine in farming" and "Production of organic fertiliser". For more information on Novaquatis please contact Mrs. Judith Lienert, judit.lienert@eawag.ch [Source: NOVAQUATIS newsletter March 2002 ] |
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USA: |
AEES Meeting in Vermont |
| cs. The American Ecological Engineering Society (AEES) annual meeting will be held April 28 to 30 in Burlington, Vermont. Hosted by the University of Vermont's Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, the meeting will address "Ecological Engineering: Implementing the Profession."
From "Seeds of Change: Dispersal and Colonization in Ecologically Engineered Wetlands" to "Particle Transport and Boundary Layer Modification Over a Bed of Zebra Mussels," presentations will focus heavily on restoration and remediation, as well as other aspects of this broad field. Cost is $75 to attend all three days. To register, contact Professor Cully Hession at hession@emba.uvm.edu or telephone 802-656-1953. For more information, see the meeting's website: http://www.emba.uvm.edu/~hession/aees2002. |
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USA: |
Soilless Aquaponics Facility in California |
| as. At Kirby Peak Ranch (Mariposa, California, USA), a greenhouse structure of nearly 1/2 acre (= 2'000 m2) has been built that, houses plant and fish culture systems. In the hydroponic and aquaponic plant production systems they cultivate beefsteak tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, lettuces, strawberries, culinary herbs, edible flowers, cucumbers, peppers and nearly any other garden crop, all grown without soil. The fish tanks are home to hybrid carp, largemouth bass, sturgeon and koi.
Hydroponics is growing plants in a water and nutrient solution, without soil. Aquaponics is a combination of hydroponics with fish farming. "The plant and fish culture systems, the encompassing greenhouse and all related structures are designed with low-energy consumption, efficiency, expandability and practicality in mind. While the facility will be a showplace demonstrating numerous plant and fish growing systems, each component is designed to be profitable on its own. Additionally, recycling of nutrients, waste and all by-products of the operation are incorporated in the design." The owners call this "the 21st century means of growing food". URL: http://www.kirbypeakranch.com/ [Source: Email from Rebecca Nelson <nelson@aquaponics.com> to IBS-GEN, and website ] |
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USA: |
RMI Looking for Decentralized Community Wastewater Treatment Concepts for Study |
| Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) is researching how communities should evaluate and choose between conventional centralized and alternative decentralized options for providing wastewater services. The project, funded by the U.S. EPA and the National Decentralized Water Resources Capacity Development Project, will produce a major report summarizing what is known about the economic benefits and costs of decentralized wastewater systems and available tools for valuing those benefits and costs.
The report will incorporate case study research. The case studies will examine how communities consider and value the benefits and costs of wastewater facility options (onsite, cluster, and centralized) in dollar and other terms, and examine the driving issues, motivations, thought processes and decision-making methods of stakeholders relative to choices of wastewater system scale. RMI will develop 10 cases studies covering 7 specific topics that have received little or no attention in the literature to date. Specifically, the case studies will address the following topics:
The case study topics are described in further detail below. We expect that many of the 10 community case studies will address multiple topics. We will research how each community evaluated the topical issue in the wastewater facility decision-making process, or in some cases how the issue has come up after wastewater facility decisions were made. The research will take place spring and summer of 2002. Methods will include phone and field interviews with wastewater facility decision-makers and community stakeholders. Please help by suggesting communities RMI should consider for this research. Our preferences for community types are as follows:
Please contact Jeremy Magliaro at RMI with all suggestions, recommendations, or other relevant information: email: jmagliaro@rmi.org phone: (303) 245-1003 fax: (303) 447-1151 mailing address: Rocky Mountain Institute, 1823 Folsom St. #205, Boulder CO 80302 USA Descriptions of this project can be downloaded from the Rocky Mountain Institute "water library" at http://www.rmi.org/sitepages/pid172.asp ("Valuing Decentralized Technologies for Water Quality Protection" and "Case Studies of Economic Analysis and Community Decision-Making for Decentralized Wastewater Systems") [Source: Jeremy Magliaro, email, received March 11, 2002] |
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WWW: |
Typha spec. - Many Ways of using it... |
| as. The newly created website http://www.typha.net wants to promote the exploitation of Typha spec. as renewable resource. You can find there a variety of resources on Typha, its chemical and physical properties, potential uses of this plant, existing studies and a good collection of links.
The website would definitely benefit from a greater audience (three messages in a discussion forum in half a year is not really much), so please go, have a look and appreciate. [Source: Email by Reinhard Henning, January 2002] |
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WWW: |
The Jatropha System - Reuse of a Fascinating Plant |
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as. The "Jatropha system" is said, so the author of the resoective website, to "create a positive reciprocity between raw material / energy production and environment / food production. i.e. the more energy Jatropha hedges produce, the more food crops are protected from animals and erosion. Also additional income is created, mainly for women". "The Plant (Jatropha curcas L.) is a shrub or small tree which is planted in Mali as a living fence to protect gardens and fields from animals. It produces small seeds which contain 30 % of a nonedible oil. The Products are oil, press-cake and the sediment of oil purification. The oil can be used as fuel in pre-combustion chamber engines and as lubrificant, oil and sediment for soap production and the press cake as good organic fertilizer. The oil contains also an insecticide." "The Oil Extraction can be done with hand- or engine driven expellers. These are simple machines, which can be operated on village level and built within the country." [Source: Email by Reinhard Henning, January 2002 and Jatropha website] |
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WWW: |
Virtual Water Forum |
| (We are distributing this message for the rainwater community. The Editors)
TO ALL THOSE INTERESTED IN RAINWATER HARVESTING/CATCHMENT Paradoxically, in a time of globalisation simple and small-scale solutions - also in the water sector - become increasingly essential. The complexity of the element "water" for human life corresponds to the demand for technically simple, flexible and people-oriented solutions.
The RAINWATER SECTION OF THE VIRTUAL WATER FORUM will mainly focus on the post-construction stage of implementation and deal with questions like this.Terms of references are provided to submit case studies, and importantcontributors from the previous rainwater conferences will be directly askedto complete them. We are looking forward to meeting and exchanging ideas with all of you at http://www.worldwaterforum.org Once you have opened this website, please continue with
With kind regards, [Source: Email by Ines Rieder, April 2002] |
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© 2002, International Ecological Engineering Society, Wolhusen, Switzerland |
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Conference Report - First International Conference on Ecological Sanitation