Eco-efficiency and dairy processing

The dairy industry is a global industry that provides significant nutritional benefit to many cultures. in australia the industry is especially important economically, being a large export earner, as well as a vital domestic sector. in recent years the sector has come under increased competitive pressure and has restructured to cope with the changes. the industry recently undertook an eco-efficiency project to investigate where business and environmental improvements might be found. the project involved collecting and collating previous project data and surveying 38 companies in different dairy operations, from market milk to dried products. after the survey, 10 sites in two states were visited to discuss eco-efficiency issues in detail with key players. From the surveys, visits and data compilation, a comprehensive manual was prepared to help interested companies find relevant eco-efficiency data easily and assist them in the implementation process. ten fact sheets were also produced covering the topics of water management, water recycling and re-use, refrigeration optimisation, boiler optimisation, biogas, the use of treated wastewater, yield optimisation and product recovery, optimisation of ciP systems, chemical use and membranes the project highlighted the large amount of technical and engineering expertise within the sector that could result in eco-efficiency outcomes and also identified the opportunities that exist for changes to occur in some operations to save energy, input raw materials and water.

Uma Nova Abordagem à Joalharia Tradicional Portuguesa numa Perspetiva do Eco Design

O design de joias apresenta grandes possibilidades de inserção no mercado atual, devido à grande procura por parte do consumidor, de um acessório que seja revelador de um significado especial e que esteja em perfeita sintonia com as mais recentes tendências do mercado. O Designer de joias além das tendências, necessita conhecer em profundidade as distintas técnicas de produção, os diferentes materiais, para assim responder aos mais variados requisitos. Deve ainda revelar a sua marca pessoal, demonstrando assim a sua criatividade e o domínio dos processos exigidos para a produção de joias. A joia sendo um artefacto que utiliza como referência o corpo e que além disso, reflete o tempo em que foi concebido, é um objeto pessoal que carrega uma mensagem simbólica e emocional. Deste modo, tendo como ponto de partida a simbiose da Joalharia Tradicional Portuguesa e o Traje Popular, anterior ao séc. XX, foi nossa intenção desenvolver este estudo, visando a compreensão da simbologia e função destas duas áreas, bem como, compreender o seu papel perante a sociedade, no que diz respeito aos materiais e técnicas utilizados no período anterior ao Séc. XX comparativamente com o que se produz na nossa contemporaneidade. Ambiciona-se nesta dissertação, desenvolver um projeto ecológico na joalharia, guiado pelos princípios do eco design e pela tecnologia da prototipagem rápida. É nossa intenção demostrar que esta junção potencia a inserção de novas técnicas, como a prototipagem rápida na confeção de novos conceitos na joalharia, desta vez, idealizados para uma abordagem contemporânea

Public libraries, citizens and the post democracy

This essay explores the relationship between the development of public libraries in the context of an increasingly market-dominated economy and marketised society. It argues that although neo-liberalism as a policy goal and practice has taken different forms over time, there are common themes in terms of its emphasis on market values, privatisation, and the support of measures that reduce the role of public funding and the state in the provision of public services. This has led some commentators to express concerns that the meaning and practice of citizenship and democracy is being transformed, managed or otherwise diminished. These concerns are compounded by changes effected by new digital technology. Imbricated with this issue are debates surrounding the future of the public library, and attempts by librarians and others to reinvent and reimagine its purpose. With reference to some innovative initiatives in the USA and Scandinavia, it is suggested that public libraries, through their service and spatial rearticulation, can conceivably help strengthen and revitalise public democracy and the public sphere.

Citizens, consumers and stakeholders in European health policy

In this chapter we track emerging issues in public participation and involvement in European policymaking. We focus on the politics, legitimacy and accountability of different actors as well as exploring how European participation processes relate to globalization in general and global and regional governance in particular. Health policies tend to be understood as national or even local, yet they are often shaped and defined by regulatory decisions and policies that are determined globally and regionally.

Power industry restructuring and eco-efficiency changes:a new slacks-based model in Malmquist-Luenberger Index measurement

Measuring variations in efficiency and its extension, eco-efficiency, during a restructuring period in different industries has always been a point of interest for regulators and policy makers. This paper assesses the impacts of restructuring of procurement in the Iranian power industry on the performance of power plants. We introduce a new slacks-based model for Malmquist-Luenberger (ML) Index measurement and apply it to the power plants to calculate the efficiency, eco-efficiency, and technological changes over the 8-year period (2003-2010) of restructuring in the power industry. The results reveal that although the restructuring had different effects on the individual power plants, the overall growth in the eco-efficiency of the sector was mainly due to advances in pure technology. We also assess the correlation between efficiency and eco-efficiency of the power plants, which indicates a close relationship between these two steps, thus lending support to the incorporation of environmental factors in efficiency analysis. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd.