Research proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 4

Research proposal - Essay Example The Kingdom is ranked number five in the globe in terms of fiscal freedom with highly secure earnings that have resulted from its stable currency. Further, the economy of the Kingdom is remarkably open to trade and boasts of the lowest mean weighted tariff in the whole MENA area. In order to boost trade further, port handling fees were reduced by the government by half in early 2008. When conducting business with the Arabs, it is likely to meet hard but polite bargaining from people who are experts at it, therefore, one has to be very confident in regards to the contents of contractual agreements (Elashmawi, 2001, p.  180). In the event that there are gaps, the Arabs are good at finding and exploiting them, however, in most of the cases, the Arab businesspersons meet their obligations completely and the experience of doing business with them can be enjoyable and approachable, with the creation of long-lasting trust. Parenthetically, it is rare to find Arabs saying a direct no and this requires that one pays attention and observes in a careful manner (Cullen & Parboteeah, 2014, p.  561). The possible gains of opening and operating a business are numerous but the endeavour is not for the fair hearted. One needs to remember that he or she is not a citizen of the Kingdom and when it reaches a time that he or she has to leave and sell the accumulated interests, t he individual may not have the same amount of time as his or her partner. The key purpose of this study is to amass information concerning the advantages and disadvantages of starting a new business in Saudi Arabia. The study’s objective will also entail proving a detailed review of the activities and requirements that should be met before one starts a new business in Saudi Arabia. The study will dwell especially in the following sub-objectives: The results of this study will be of importance to

Smart Form Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Smart Form - Assignment Example The current approach of using a combined qualitative and quantitative research methodology is not capturing the most elusive aspects of offender’s motivations, their own attitudes. Previous studies indicate that female offenders choose to relapse for associative and belongingness needs while men continually seek to assert dominance and defiance through drug abuse (Pelissier, Jones, 2005). The methodology needs to include an attitudinal scaling component that captures how the women offenders perceive the trigger events and conditions that lead to relapse. Evaluate the weaknesses of your project at this time. Indicate areas to be improved before starting your project and areas that cannot be improved. Give reasons for not redesigning to address any of the limitations identified. The ideal evaluation methodology consists of the use of experimental designs, quasi-experimental, and qualitative evaluations. Because of time constraints in the completion of the change project, this was not feasible. Data was extracted from one organization, and therefore it may be hard to generalize the success of the change project. Also, there was not an adequate sample of participants in the relapse prevention workshops. Other agencies with varying client populations, and mandatory versus voluntary participation could have been included. According to Babbie (2007), the problem of internal validity refers to the possibility that the conclusions drawn from experimental results may not accurately reflect what has gone on in the experiment itself. Sojourners’ Place currently houses 10 women residents, with the remaining beds going to men. There are approximately 50 beds in total at the facility. Data analysis occurs after the completion of data collection. It will be analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively. Quantitative data will include the use of inferential statistics or descriptive statistics while the qualitative data will be analyzed using an inductive

Emotional, Moral and Physical Changes Essay Example for Free

Emotional, Moral and Physical Changes Essay Adolescence is the name given to the period in the life of human beings between the ages of twelve and eighteen years. It is during the period of adolescence that a human being matures from a child to an adult, usually in both the physical as well as psychological sense of the word. That being said, it follows that this is the time in one’s life when one goes through the most numerous and major changes in terms of cognitive, social, physical, emotional and moral development (Turning Points). This article deals with explaining these changes along with relevant examples as well as enumerating options as to and what might be done within an out-of-school care program to accommodate those changes. Adolescence plays a major role in shaping the future of individuals as the decisions and choices that they make while steering through this phase in life are critical in shaping the people that they become in the future (Turning Points). This leads to the conclusion that this developmental stage is the most critical to the development of the individual going through it as well as the larger society that he or she is a part of. Subsequently, growing adolescents have unique learning needs as each person is different and unique from the other, not only in terms of physical appearance such as their face or body but also in terms of their psychological personality. Each person has different strengths, weaknesses, abilities, disabilities, talents and learning potential which needs due attention, especially during this growing stage. The academic years of adolescence are centered on middle school and thus middle schools should ideally be required to provide a secure and compassionate environment so as to develop the talents and strengths of, teach optimal usage of weaknesses and value each individual adolescent that they work for. In the following paragraphs, we will proceed to analyze the changes that adolescents go through. It is critical to note that all adolescents do not grow or learn at the same rate, neither physically nor psychologically. Due to irregular hormonal, body and mental growth, they become â€Å"vulnerable and self-conscious, and often experience unpredictable mood swings† (Turning Points). These changes also affect the way they perceive their surroundings, making them sensitive to and conscious of the implications of their actions to the world at large. Cognitive changes occur at varying rates among adolescents and they usually begin to develop the ability of carrying out abstract thought processes as opposed to only concrete ones as is the usual case n the pre-adolescence years. More important to realize is the fact that this cognitive progression is neither predictable nor dominated by any sense of orderliness. The social aspect of development during adolescence is generally headed by the premise that individuals seek social acceptance from their peers, who assume the role of strong influencers during the years of adolescence. This, combined with the fact that young adolescents become increasingly aware of their bodies and physical appearance make it even more difficult for them to face the changes within themselves and those that they perceive in the world around them. Emotionally, the young adolescent is challenged by the changes he or she is going through making the simplest of daily life occurrences the most challenging of circumstances. On top of this, adolescents become susceptible to taking bold initiatives on grounds of morality as they begin to feel a heightened sense of compassion and concern for the their surrounding environments. The following table present examples of changes in each of the areas outlined above pre-pubescent and pubescent adolescents along with out-of-school steps that could be taken to care for their developmental needs. Problems of Pre-Pubescent Adolescent Learners Area of Change Example Out-of-School Care Cognitive Change A Caucasian pre-pubescent girl begins to question her acquaintances’ prejudice against African Americans Encouraging cross racial relationships and respecting diversity through mentors. Social Change A boy is mentally disturbed about being shorter in height then his class mates. Parents are encouraged to have discussions with the boy about his concern and teach him to look beyond physical appearances, both in himself and in others around him. Emotional Change An adolescent has lately taken to slamming doors after arguments with his parents which have become a usual occurrence at home. Workshops are arranged for parents to handle the emotional changes in their child, where parents share and learn from each others’ experiences. Moral Change A Christian girl is contemplating running away from home in protest against her parents’ prejudice against her Muslim best friend. A mentor is assigned to each adolescent who acts as confidante , predicts the coming problem and deals with the mater accordingly Physical Change A girl becomes aware of her changing body and starts avoiding going out. Mentors and parents are encouraged to take their charges out, have open discussions and take them shopping for their changing needs. Problems of Pubescent Adolescent Learners Area of Change Example Out-of-School Care Cognitive Change As opposed to her parents’ objections, a pubescent girl feels that there is nothing wrong with having affectionate feelings for a boy. Mentors explain to young girls that parents are only human and bound to be unreasonable and that they should consider that teenage crushes are not true love. Social Change A girl starts making friends with teenagers much older then her, whose habits include drug and alcohol abuse. Workshops are arranged for parents to handle the emotional changes in their child, where parents share and learn from each others’ experiences. Parents would then realize that the girl feels misunderstood and is trying to fit in and become acceptable to her peers. Emotional Change A boy starts feeling that he is not wanted by anyone and starts avoiding company. Parents are encouraged to have discussions with the boy about his concern and teach him to look beyond physical appearances, both in himself and in others around him. Moral Change A girl takes up smoking under the premise of that she be allowed to make and learn from her own mistakes. Mentors help in making the girl realize that there are more effective ways to channelize the strength of her morals and discuss relevant examples. Physical Change A girl is aware that she needs certain garments but is too embarrassed to purchase them on her own. Mentors and parents are encouraged to take their charges out, have open discussions, take them shopping for their changing needs and volunteer to shop for things they are uncomfortable to buy themselves until they learn that they have nothing to be ashamed of. Bibliography Turning Points, Transforming Middle Schools: At the Turning Point, the Young Adolescent Learner. Retrieved January 16, 2007, from http://www. turningpts. org/pdf/YALGuide2. pdf

Environmental Impact Assessment Programs and Regulations

Environmental Impact Assessment Programs and Regulations Introduction This chapter will provide a review of the development process of Environmental Impact Assessment Programs (EIAP) for buildings for different countries and different regions of the world as a reflection on the continuing evolution of building environmental assessment tools. This chapter includes two sections: the first section will present the initial structure and types for EIAP and will also compare some programs on their categories and weighting systems to anticipate the directions of future developments for building environmental assessment programs. Understanding how EIAP for buildings developed over the past 20 years is the main outcome of this chapter as it will provide evidence for the research hypothesis and justifications for the methodologies undertaken in this research. Objectives The main aim of this chapter is to review the development process of EIAP for buildings; its categories, weighting systems and methodologies used in developing these programs. It will serve as a starting point in developing an evaluation tool especially designed for the Egyptian environment. To achieve this aim some objectives have been adopted: Review and compare different types of EIAP for buildings from variety of regions, emphasizing on their categories of assessment, weighting systems and their latest developments. Investigate the future development direction for EIAP for buildings. The development of EIAP for buildings Building sector contribute significantly to energy consumption all over the world. It is responsible for 38% of the world primary energy consumption and the CO2 emission resulting from these huge levels of consumption, as shown in Figure 2-1 (BP Statistical Review of World Energy, 2008, International Energy Agency (IEA) Statistics Division, 2008). A lot of experts believe that the building sector in the world could help reducing 1.8 billion tones of CO2 before Kyoto target in 2012 (World Business Council for Sustainable Development 2009 report). According to the UNEP 2007: significant gains can be made in efforts to combat global warming by reducing energy use and improving energy efficiency in buildings. There are number of ways that a building could affect its surrounding environment on its life time. During different stages; row materials, construction, operation and demolition, also, through different components, buildings could have a huge impact on the environment (UNEP 2007). For example: soil pollution, emissions into the air, water spills, waste generation, resource consumption, local impacts, impacts associated with transportation and effects on biodiversity (Gangolells M, et al., 2009). In addition to the previous environmental impacts, buildings affect peoples health directly. As (Theodore 1996 ) reported, there are a lot of health problems that could be linked to buildings directly especially to poor indoor quality i.e. the sick building syndrome. According to (UNEP 2007) it has long been established that to achieve an energy-efficient world, governments, businesses and individuals must transform the building sector. One of the approaches that have been adopted to address the building sector effects on the environment were developing programs to assess buildings performance. Environmental impact assessment programs (EIAP) for buildings were originally conceived as guidance to recognize best practice, promote green buildings and to provide a unified and coherent base for buildings to be compared on. Recent studies showed that EIAP have been a key factor in improving buildings design as well (pennenvironment pdf). This movement towards sustainable and green buildings has been growing rabidly since the second half of the 80s leading to the development of various methods for evaluating the environmental performance of buildings (Cole, Yudelson and Fedrizzi, 2008). The number of EIAP for buildings has increased significantly in the past two decades, as shown in Figure 2-2. From 4 programs in the 80s to more than 25 program now actively used worldwide. This increase in the number of EIAP for buildings or the revolution as Yudelson describe it, will likely continue over the next few years (Cole, , Yudelson). In countries all over the world -especially the developed countries- there is a growing interest in understanding how to reduce the building sector impacts on the environment. This is partially manifested in continues development of EIAP for buildings, either by introducing new assessment tools, or by developing and refining the existing ones. In recent years, the market for evaluating building performance was increasing, with clients demanding buildings that meet the highest efficiency standards and have minimum effects on the environment (U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), 2005). The time line progress for the environmental programs Environmental buildings or green buildings from the market point of view could potentially save money on energy bills, cut global warming pollution and help to secure future energy. Therefore there are growing demands for building classified as green or environmentally friendly. Another aspect that confirm the current success of EIAP for building is that a lot of conferences have been and still are held for the environmental impacts of buildings and the best way to develop and assess it (Cole, -, Yudelson). EIAP are now considered a driving force to develop buildings industry. EIAP were first conceived as a mean to quantify the success of a building in achieving reduced impacts on the environment during its life time. They were also developed to comply with standards from organizations like ANSI, ISO, ASHARE, ASTM and CEN. The structure and components of EIAP are always changing to cope with the latest editions in building standards. These changes include; categories of assessment, credits weighting, impacts calculation, cost efficiency and simulation techniques. EIAP assess buildings either on performance bases on prescriptive bases. They were initially developed as voluntary (cole,) but with the higher demands from the market some programs are mandatory in some parts of the world now for example-. Some organizations and local authorities now demand a certain qualification to be attained by the building in order to be authorized. For example EIAP were first designed to assess certain aspects of buildings mostly energy, water and material use. They were also firstly designed for certain types of buildings. New developments to EIAP for buildings included expanding the assessment categories to include every stage and component of a building during its life time. The new generations of programs are moving towards a more comprehensive view of assessment rather than it being for only one type of buildings or one aspect of building elements. New additions to BREAM 2008 and LEED 2009 included the introduction of new versions to assess new types of building (ref for Leed and bream websites). EIAP also assess buildings in different stages; designing, construction, operation and demolish. With number of these programs being in use for several years spotting the developments directions for EIAP for buildings could be recognized and analyzed. In the first generation of EIAP like and , assessments were usually made by a qualified third party. In recent years web based assessment have been introduced, for example in - and LEED V3 2009 (ref for Leed and bream websites). This came as a reaction to the market demand for an easy to use initial assessment. EIAP outcomes are a certificate grade (,), a report () or a to acknowledge the grade of a building in achieving its environmental targets. Recent additions to EIAP for building included the introduction of an outstanding rate for outstanding innovations in green building as in in LEED and -in BREAM (ref for Leed and bream websites). This comes as a result of the current need on the market for green buildings to achieve the highest the huge competition. The success of EIAP in reshaping the building industry is undeniable. In recent years, EIAP have been playing a big role in moving the building industry into a more environment conscious directions, as presented in (Cole, 2003): ..There is little doubt that building environmental assessment methods have contributed enormously to furthering the promotion of higher environmental expectations, and are directly and indirectly influencing the performance of buildings. This current success of EIAP for buildings is considered one of the -in the world (usgreen building council). This success derives from the ability of these programs to offers a common ground for designers, governments and buildings owners, to assess building performance and be recognized for good practice. This chapter will focus on certification programs that deal with evaluation and assessment of buildings to serve as a starting point in developing a specific program aimed at the Egyptian environment needs. From the author view Types of Building Assessment Methods EIAP for buildings could be divided to two types according to what they assess in a building. The first type assesses one or more of the building aspects to find out how it will affect the environment and how well the buildings elements will score against environmental standards, for example on energy efficiency or materials choice. Programs like R-2000 and ENERGY STAR assess mainly building energy efficiency (R-2000, 2007, ENERGY STAR, 2009). These types of assessment methods sometimes are specifically designed for a certain type of buildings like P-mark for prefabricated houses and GreenCalc for Dutch office buildings (Technical Research Institute of Sweden, 2009, GreenCalc, 2009). Also for some programs the assessment is done to only one stage of a building, for example ATHENA for design stage only and NovoClimat for after operation stage only (ATHENA, 2009, Natural Resources Canada, 2009). The assessed buildings either pass the assessment and given a certificate or a qualificatio n grade, or fail to qualify and be given guidance on how to improve the assessed element of their building. The second type of EIAP assesses building as a whole against a set of categories to find out the building total impacts on the environment. These types of programs always include a wide range of categories of assessment ranging from site design and energy efficiency to water usage and recycling management. They also cover different building types with specific consideration for each type, for example in BREEAM, LEEDS and HK-BEAM there are specific versions to assess homes, schools, retail and healthcare. These programs assess a building on different stages; design, construction, operation, maintenance and demolition stage in some programs. Usually a certificate or a qualification grade is awarded to the assessed building to define its standard. Table 2-1 presents EIAP that will be reviewed in this study. Developed in Canada in 1982 the R-2000 is a voluntary program encouraging builders to build energy-efficient houses that are environmentally friendly and healthy. It includes an energy efficiency standard for new houses that is continuously updated. It also includes comprehensive training and education courses for builders. The R-2000 standard assesses energy consumption performance for a house through a series of technical requirements: (minimum envelope requirements, ventilation system requirements, combustion system requirements, energy performance target, lights and appliances, indoor air quality and environmental features/eco-management) (Natural resources Canada, 2009, R-2000, 2007). During the first few years of application the R-2000 program didnt attract the anticipated Canadian building practice (Horvat et al., 2005, Adair, 1996), this was due to: Copying R-2000 homes by uncertified builders that lead to a failure of real application of the program standards. Being more expensive (6-10%) to build R-2000 home in comparison to regular building. Being flexible is what helped the R-2000 (2005 edition) program stay in the current market and being able to be applied to any type of homes. Another advantage is producing homes with 30%-40% energy savings (R-2000, 2007, Horvat et al., 2005). P-mark system (Sweden, 1989) P-mark came as a reaction to the manufacturers of prefabricated houses in Sweden need for an assessment program that assures the market of the quality of their houses. P-mark is a voluntary program. It was developed for design and after construction stages. P-mark authorities use the method of unannounced inspections to assure quality control procedures after operation. 5% of the finished houses is inspected and measured annually. The inspections are on performance bases for the finished homes on air-tightness of the building envelope, air exchange rates, air-tightness of ducts, sound pressure levels and heat requirement, to verify compliance with P-mark requirements P-mark certificate is considered a form of quality assurance in Sweden (Technical Research Institute of Sweden, 2009, Horvat et al., 2005, Swedish Institute for Technical Approval in Construction SITAC, 2007, website) One advantage to the application P-mark was that it has helped the Sweden market in reducing complaints from people about the failure of prefabricated homes (Anneling, 1998). The upgrades that have been made to the P-mark in recent years involved improving the assessment categories to include: 1) Testing for ventilation, air-tightness of houses and ventilation ducts, 2) Inspection for HVAC performance, water-tightness of the kitchen or toilet (Technical Research Institute of Sweden, 2009). The Building Environmental Performance Assessment Criteria (BEPAC) is a voluntary EIAP specifically for commercial buildings. It assesses the building on five categories: energy use, indoor environment, ozone protection, resource conservation, and transportation. BEPAC was Canadas first non-residential environmental assessment tool and has influenced a lot of the programs that followed for example: BREEAM Canada, GBTool, C-2000 and GreenGlobes. On its first version it used an experienced third party to undertake the assessment. As a reaction to concerns regarding the costs of using an expensive third party to carry out the assessment in BEPAC; the self-assessment version of BEPAC was developed. It allows facility staff to evaluate their own buildings. It contains a program for user training. This new addition has been criticized as the facility staff might be not experienced enough to carry out an assessment. BEBAC label consistency has been questioned and this led to the assessment not being used much in the Canadian market (SDIC, 2009, Marshall, 2008, DEH, 2000, Bond, 1999). Eco-profile (Norway, 1995) Eco-Profile is a simple environmental assessment method which was developed to be easy to use to encourage the uptake of the scheme. It assesses life cycle effects of a building on external environment, resources and indoor climate (Boonstra and Pettersen, 2003, Strand and Fossdal, 2003). The program uses 82 parameters to assess the building performance and then given a grade. The grading scale is: 1 for Low environmental impact, 2 for Medium impacts and 3 for Greater impact (Strand and Fossdal, 2003). Eco-Profile is not currently used in the Norwegian market. It has not been marketed since 2002 due to funding limitations with the Norwegian Building Research Institute. Even though more than 60 commercial buildings have been assessed by this program in 2000-2001 it is not considered a successful one as it didnt continue, as presented in (Boonstra and Pettersen, 2003): so far Eco-profile cannot be said to have been a success Some of the suggested improvement for the program included simplifying the program by presenting one index instead of three and reducing the number of the assessed parameters. Another direction for improvement will have to include updating the weighting of parameters. (Boonstra and Pettersen, 2003, Strand and Fossdal, 2003) (Andresen, 2005, Krishnan Gowri, 2004., Hasegawa, 2003, G. Assefa et al., 2007). GreenCalc (The Netherlands, 1997) GreenCalc is an assessment program for Dutch buildings especially commercial and industrial. It uses computer tool to calculate the buildings environmental load in terms of cost. It is divided into four modules: 1) material module: choice of materials, quantities and insulating values. 2) Energy module: energy consumption in operation phase (use of building, air-conditioning, ventilation and lighting. 3) Water usage: water consumption in the operation phase (facilities, sanitary facilities and rainwater). 4) Mobility: accessibility from home to work place; location, public transport and own transport. Assessment is performed in comparison to a benchmark building designed to 1990s standards. The benchmark for environmental index for 1990s building is 100 and current building is 150-300. The program predicts that buildings in 2050 will achieve environmental index of 2000 (Seo et al., 2005, GreenCalc, 2009). The latest version of the program GreenCalc+ has tried to cope with the highly developed market of green buildings. It included expanded simulation modeling with the designer being able to evaluate the effects of better insulation, glazing, efficient lighting systems, and solar energy systems as design options. It updated its energy consumption prediction method to be able to calculate the Energy Performance Norm option (GreenCalc, 2009). ENERGY STAR (US, 2000) ENERGY STAR is a program to improve the energy efficiency of buildings. It is operated by the US Environmental Protection Agency and the US Department of Energy. It assesses products as well as buildings, for example; lighting fixtures, home electronics, office equipment, heating and cooling equipment. The building certificate is for residential (single/multi-family and renovated houses) and commercial buildings (ENERGY STAR, 2009, Horvat et al, 2005). Criticisms to ENERGY STAR buildings came from it being more expensive than other conventional buildings especially on design and material aspects. Studies proved that these costs are accepted because the building save on running costs (i.e., the HVAC system) (Tanmay Tathagat 2007, Horvat et al, 2005). In recent development to the program and as a reaction to meet the escalating demands for energy savings, modifications have been applied to its minimum energy saving requirements. Initially in 2000 the ENERGY STAR label required a building to be at least 30% more energy efficient (heating, cooling and water heating) than a comparable one built to the 1993 Model Energy Code. Also the building should be 15% more efficient than the state energy code. New modification in 2007 demanded that a building must be at least 15% more energy efficient than homes built to the 2004 International Residential Code IRC (ENERGY STAR, 2009). (Roosa, 2007, Greg K and Capital E, 2003). (Yudelson and Fedrizzi, 2008b, Greg K and Capital E, 2003, ENERGY STAR, 2009). 2.5.1.7 NovoClimat (Canada, Quà ©bec, 2000) NovoClimat was initially conceived to allow Quebec builders to increase the energy efficiency of their homes. It was developed by the Quebec Agency for Energy Efficiency (Natural Resources Canada, 2009, Horvat et al., 2005). The assessment is done to the building in construction stage and after completion. A typical Novoclimat home will score EnerGuide rating of between 78 and 80 (http://www.ottawasnewesthomes.com/novoclimat-for-gatineau-new-homes.php, http://www.aee.gouv.qc.ca/en/my-home/novoclimat/). It is a voluntary program inspired by Canadas National Model Energy Code. What makes this program different is the fact that it connects energy efficiency and air-tightness to the durability of the building envelope. The new Novoclimat 2007 aimed directly to quantify the effects it makes to a building, by setting a goal to improve a buildings energy performance by a minimum of 25% (Efficient Energy Agency, 2008, Natural Resources Canada, 2009). http://www.ottawasnewesthomes.com/novoclimat-for-gatineau-new-homes.php http://www.aee.gouv.qc.ca/en/my-home/novoclimat/ (Salomon and Nigel, 2006, Robert C, 2003, Natural Resources Canada, 2009, Horvat et al., 2005). 2.5.1.8 ATHENA (Canada, 2000) Athena is North American software for Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for buildings. It assesses industrial, institutional, office, multi-unit/single family residential homes and also assesses both new buildings and renovations to existing buildings. It is for design stage only to help in deciding which materials to use as it recognizes more than 90 materials and simulates over 1,200 different assembly combinations (structural and envelope). According to ATHENA institute 2009, this software takes into account the environmental effects of: material manufacturing, (including resource extraction and recycled content), related transportation, on-site construction, regional variation in energy use and other factors, building type and assumed lifespan, maintenance, repair and replacement effects, demolition and disposal, operating energy emissions and pre-combustion effects, embodied primary energy use, global warming potential, solid waste emissions, pollutants to air, pollutants to water and natural resource use. ATHENA (4) Impact Estimator, is the newest version of the program and was released in 2009. As most of the new generation of EIAP, ATHENA (4) newest edition included improving simulation modeling. The software will help designers choose a design from up to five design scenarios. It is also more flexible in handling data flows with more impact measures. Another new feature is the ability to choose new regions to assess (ATHENA, 2009). Eco-Quantum (The Netherlands, 1998) Eco-Quantum is a LCA based computer tool. It starts by entering building data, then the calculation section and finally the output results. It has two versions; one for offices and the other for domestic buildings. It calculates the environmental effects during the entire life span of a building. This includes the impact of energy, the maintenance during the use phase and the differences in the durability of parts of the construction related to the life span of the building. The program has an advantage of being easy to use. As a reaction to the evolving market for environmental assessment, Eco-Quantum V3 latest additives included improving assessment categories. Not only it assess materials and energy flow, it now also takes into account the possibility for selective demolition, recycling, ozone depletion, human toxicity and product reuse ((Kortman, 1999, Breedveld, 2007 Forsberga Malmborgc , 2004, ISPRA, 2009). MAK refernce BEAT (Denmark, 2001) The Building Environmental Assessment Tool (BEAT) is a LCA based tool. BEAT is a relation database designed using Microsoft Access. The user must supply: type of building, estimated lifetime of the building, geometry of the building, number of floors above/below ground, roof pitch, number of windows in the building, % of facade area covered by windows and natural or mechanical ventilation. BEAT assessment is for design stage only. It can be used both for supporting the general design choices early in the design phase, and later for supporting the more detailed design choices. The total environmental effects are the sum of multiplying the environmental effect by a weighting factor. Motivated by both the increased requirements to the energy performance of buildings and the recent developments for simulation tools for building assessment, the Danish Building Research Institute (SBi) is studying a project to develop BEAT. It is studying how to facilitate the use of BEAT by integrating it into new simulation software called BSim. This will allows both energy and environmental assessments to be performed in one operation. The new program is expected to be flexible in respect to the anticipated Canadian Environment Network (CEN) requirements. Early signs of the anticipated merge suggest that it is useful to support decision during design phase (Pedersen, F., Hansen, K., Wittchen, K. B., Grau, K., Johnsen, K. (2008). Combining building thermal simulation methods and LCA methods. In C. Rode, Proceedings of the 8th Symposium on Building Physics in the Nordic Countries: Nordic Symposium on Building Physics 2008, NSB2008, Copenhagen, June 16-18, 2008, Vol. 2 (pp. 605-611 ). Lyngby: DTU.(The Danish Building Research Institute, 2007). LCAid (Australia, 2001) LCAid is the Environmental Life Cycle Assessment Design Aid software package developed by department of public works and services categories. It is to identify the largest impacts over the building life cycle. It is user friendly decision making tool used to evaluate the environmental performance of design options over its life span. The program inputs are: raw materials, building product manufacture, energy, and water. Outputs include: resource extraction, emissions to air, water, land and waste, demolition reuse, recycling and disposal. The software outputs identify the areas that have the greatest impact on the environment so it could be reduced by other solutions. LCAid improvements included to separates the environmental impacts within each indicator into four stages; construction, operation, maintenance and demolition (Eldridge, 2002, Graham, P. 2000). Green Globes (Canada, 2000) Green Globes is a system to manage the assessment of environmental designs. It is an online assessment for green buildings. The system requires the client (i.e. property manager, owners of commercial and multi-residential buildings) to complete an online confidential questionnaire at design stage. Another stage of the assessment is an online report from a third-party at the construction stage. The categories of assessment for green Globes are: site, energy, water, emissions and indoor environment. It was developed based on BREEAM/Green Leaf as their upgrade or as their web-based tool. It was much anticipated and there was an immediate uptake to it with more than 100 users registered for existing building assessments only in 2002. One of the reasons for the huge uptake could have been that the program was filling the gap for an online assessment method that is related to BREEAM. To be certified a building will have to achieve at least 35% of the total number of 1,000 points. New editi on of Green Globes are in the line of developing the program to consider the building surrounding environment and not only the building itself. The new tool for Continual Improvement of Existing Buildings (CIEB) will look at aspects such as resident transportation opportunities (ECD, 2009, Boonstra Pettersen, 2003, Green Globes (2009). BEES (US, 2002) Building for Environmental and Economic Sustainability (BEES) is a program to help making an environmental but cost effective building. BEES measures the life time effects of the building and its components. The categories of assessment are in terms of: Global warming, Acidification, Eutrophication, Resource Depletion, Indoor Air Quality, Solid Waste, First Cost and Future Cost. The software strength comes from the extensive assessment for economic performance of a building using the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard. It produces results for environmental performance and economic performance and an overall performance as shown in Figure 2-9. All stages of buildings construction are analyzed from the row material manufacture and transportation to the waste management. The program is constantly developing by adding assessment categories and new materials to the software database in order to keep up to date with the latest editions in the green designs. BEES 4.0 function to the newest data from U.S. EPA and have more than 200 building products in its database (BEES, 2007, Lippiatt, et.al., 2002). Programs that assess the whole building. BREEAM (UK, 1990) The Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM), initiated as a tool for assessing the environmental performance of a building. BREEAM assessment is divided into 9 categories: Management, Health Comfort, Energy, Transport, Water, Materials, Land Use, Ecology and Pollution. It was initially started as a questionnaire based tool. These questionnaires were designed for each stage of a building from design to post-operation. The actual credits were given to a building only on two stages: concept design stage and the preparation of construction stage. One criticism for BREEAM was that finished buildings sometimes differ from the design. This has been addressed in the latest version of BREEAM (2008) by introducing a post construction assessment. This assessment will ensure that all the specifications stated in the design are carried out in the actual building (BREEAM, 2009, BERR, 2008, Howe, 2008). Another criticism for BREEAM was that design teams used to cop y whole paragraphs of the checklists provided by BREEAM and put it in the design specification to get the credits from the assessor. Also a lot of credits could have been obtained from number of very small additives to the design (for example parking sheds). These credits will help buildings in getting a high rating without necessarily being green as a whole. In BREEAM 2008 mandatory credits was introduced to address this problem. These credits will ensure a minimum application of a holistic view of green concept in the rated buildings. Also by making the Code for Sustainable Homes and BREEAM or equivalent mandatory in April 2008, this will secure sustainable measures in larger developments (BREEAM, 2009, BERR, 2008, Howe, 2008, Glasson et al., 2005). BREEAM initially didnt include benchmarks for number of criteria; it used to make reference to them. This was designed to help BREEAM being flexible. In BREEAM 2008 a lot of credits have been expanded especially setting benchmarks for CO2 emissions to align with the new Environmental Performance Certificate (EPC). BREEAM assess new and existing building for deferent types of buildings: Courts, homes, Industrial buildings, Multi-Residential, Prisons, Offices, Retail and Education. Latest developments in BREEAM 2008 included expanding the assessed building types to include BREEAM Healthcare and BREEAM Further Education. As a reaction to the evolving market of green buildings and the urge to use the highest environmental developments in buildings industry; a new rating level (BREEAM outstanding) has been introduced in 2008. This will enable innovative designs to be recognized for being leaders in their domain (BREEAM, 2009). HK-BEAM ( Hong Kong, 1996) The Hong Kong Building Environmental Assessment Method (HK-BEAM) is a voluntary environmental assessment program for buildings. It was originally developed by Real Estate Development Agency but it is owned now by BEAM Society. The program main assessment categories are: site, materials, energy, water, indoor environment and innovative aspects and its award classifications are Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze. It was the first program to finalize its assessment only when the building is completed. HK-BEAM is updating periodically to keep up with the industry standards and regulations. New versions were released on 1999, 2003 and 2005. The latest version HK-BEAM 4/04 has a lot of modifications to respond to the developing market of green buildings. BEAM 2004 highlighted the increasing importance of Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ); by making it necessary to obtain minimum credit for it in order to be eligible for a grade. The grade awarded is based on percentage of applicable credi ts gained both for IEQ and overall assessment. BEAM is considered a very successful assessment tool. Though being voluntary program, in 2003, over

Jurassic Park :: essays research papers

The Question of Control as Presented in Jurassic Park According to Arnold Pacey How could one describe the relationship between humans and nature? Perhaps it is one of control, a constant struggle between the power of the elements and the sophistication of human mechanization. Could it be one of symbiosis, where man and nature coexist in relative peace? Are we, as a species, simply a part of nature’s constantly changing realm? This issue is one that philosophers have debated for centuries. Where does mankind fit into the vast network of interacting environments and beings called nature? From the beginning of time, we have attempted to set ourselves apart from the rest of Earth’s creatures. Given the ability to reason, and to feel, and most importantly, to choose, we find ourselves with "the impulse to master and manipulate elemental force" (Pacey 86). We must fight, we must advance, and we must control all these elements of the natural world. But just how much of that world do we control? Surely people attempt and perceive control over nature, but do they succeed? The question of control, over nature in specific, is one of the prevalent themes that runs through Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park. This novel is set on a small island off the coast of Costa Rica called Isla Nubar. On this island, construction of a new, virtuostic, state of the art park is almost complete, when a gathered team of paleontologists, businessmen, and a mathematician arrive to approve of the park opening. All seems well until the "experts" lose control of the park, leaving the main attractions, genetically engineered dinosaurs, free to roam and hunt. This loss of control further contributes to the downward spiral the park experiences, resulting in numerous deaths. How, one might ask, could a team of technicians and experts let something like this happen? The answer is simple. They over-estimated their perceived sense of control over one of the world’s most unpredictable forces†¦ nature. The theme of man’s perceived control over nature is one that Crichton has masterfully incorporated into his novel. The actions of the park experts present to the reader the false idea "that the proper role of man is mastery over nature" (Pacey 65). Mankind has always attempted to achieve this mastery, and the construction of Jurassic Park is a perfect example. Crichton uses the character of Ian Malcolm to constantly present this theme.

Bye Bye Brazil :: essays research papers

Summary I really enjoyed watching the film Bye, Bye Brazil. I found it to be amusing as well as heartbreaking. I loved Gypsy Lorde. His character had the charisma bordering that of a male chauvinist pig to that of a gentleman. I liked the way the director used symbolic images to get his point across to the audience. I think if I had not done research on the Internet for most of our assignments as well as reading the textbook, I would have found the movie very educational. I had no questions after watching the film. However, it did make me realize how the majority of cultures will assimilate during the process of change, losing a little if not the majority of their traditions that were establish decades ago. Bye, Bye Brazil (1980), a film by Carlos Diegues, tells a story about the struggle of two couples trying to find their dreams in a country, Brazil, that is being overcome by social changes and undergoing massive technological transformations. United by their dreams, the couples travel through the backlands of Brazil in a truck, to seek places where they can not only make a living, but also find their dreams. The insights gained in the course of the journey are insights of both acceptance and change. The main character, the accordionist Cico, starts by joining the Carnival Rolidei as means of breaking out of his suffocating town, and from his pre-determined course of life. The character Gypsy Lorde is portrayed as an ambitious and cynical manager without scruples who is reluctant to see the changes around him. Salome, Gypsy Lorde companion, is as cynical as he, but transmits an air of quiet resignation to the fact that things are changing, whether they like it or not. The fourth character Dasdo, Cico’s wife, is very plain looking compared to Salome, very quiet, and passive. Like Salome, Dasdo also quietly resigns to the fact things are changing but she also tries to give an array of hope that the Carnival will survive and prosper. Bye, Bye Brazil unites in its characters and situations the same elements, which are part of the many processes that are transforming Brazil. The carnival travels from poor town to another. You can see the surprise and disgust of the characters as they move from one part of Brazil to another. Finding that either the young have left behind their old for modernization or that the town people have been captivated by the magic and illusions presented by television.

History †French Revolution Essay

I truly believe it was the collective effect of all the causes of the French Revolution that finally caused the people to rise up. In 1789 the people of France were suffering under the rule of Louis XVI, who used the countries money to provide him and his family the most luxurious life imaginable, while the people starved. The political regime of the time was a absolute monarchy (regime in which the country is ruled by a King or Queen, who inherit this position and has absolute power), but in theory there was a form of parliament, Estates General that consisted of elected representatives. This group of people could only meet if the King allowed or requested the meeting and in the 175 years of the parliament’s existence there had not been a single meeting. This fact frustrated the people because the King did not take their opinion and needs in consideration. Louis XVI would do as he pleased, a clear example of that was placing people in jail for no absolute reason except maybe his dislike for them. During the 18th century France was in a number of wars leaving the country with a lot of debts. In 1780’s the country had to borrow more money simply to pay interest (the amount of money paid on the money borrowed) on their debts. The royal family had a lifestyle the country could not support because only the lower classes were taxed, the peasants (people who worked on the land), while the higher classes, clergy (the religious leaders, individuals that worked for the roman catholic church, ex: priests) and the nobles (entities with a high social rank, ex: Ladies and Lords) did not pay tax at all. In other words the tax system needed a urgent reform (improvement). The social structure was horribly unfair. It was divided in three groups that were called â€Å"Estates†. The first estate was the Clergy, the people who belong to this estate worked for the Roman Catholic Church, which was at the time the main religion in France. At this specific stage in time the church owned a lot of land and most of their high officials were extremely wealthy. The Nobles formed the second estate. They were given many special rights and privileges. The third estate was made up of 98% of the people. This estate was where all the peasants, middle class traders and all kinds of professionals (ex. Lawyers). They paid heavy tax and had absolutely no privileges at all. Above all the estates was the King and his family with the absolute power. â€Å"It was the collective effect of all the causes of the French Revolution that finally caused the people to rise up. † History Essay Lara Ismael Nogueira Martha  For many centuries people in the whole of Europe accepted the authority of both their Kings and the Roman Catholic Church, a clear example of that was the â€Å"Divine Right of Kings† (this concept simply means that people believed their Kings and Queens were a representation of God and had to be respected and adored as such). Finally during the 18th century many philosophers started questioning these ideas. These period was called the Age of Enlightenment because the people began to question the old ways, led by the church, and created their own. Science had great advances during these times because everything was new, there was something to be discovered everyday†¦ it was at this point that Theocentrism (God in the center of the universe) was put aside and gave room for a complete new way of thinking and living, Anthropocentrism (man in the center of the universe). Diderot was a clear example of a philosopher that question the church and made his opinion well known. He was the leader of a group made up of philosophers that called themselves the â€Å"Encyclopaedists†, they’re goal was to write a series of books called â€Å"Encyclopaedia† (books that contained all existing knowledge). As they began to write the books they became more and more aware of the situation in France. They made their books public, therefore everyone could read them, this act helped spread the revolutionary ideas more than they already were. As the popularity of the Encyclopaedia grew so did the need for individual opinions. Another great example was Rousseau he was the true star, known as the father of democracy, he believed in equality among the people, and wrote about rules that weren’t based or chosen by God but by the people. This was the basic principles of democracy. In May of 1789 the representatives formed the National Assembly and met outside Paris against the Kings will and started a process of reform. They vowed to continue working until they had drawn up a new constitution for the country. However the process was very slow and the people of Paris grew impatient, the bread prices were constantly rising and the unemployment rate grew. On the 14th of July of 1789 angry people invaded the Bastille, killed the governor also some of the soldiers who tried to stop them and freed prisoners. When the news of the takeover reached other parts of France the ordinary people revolted and just like that the revolution started. â€Å"It was the collective effect of all the causes of the French Revolution that finally caused the people to rise up. † History Essay Lara Ismael Nogueira Martha In conclusion all this events such as the rise of bread prices and the unemployment rate in the country, the lack of interest the King showed for his people’s needs and the unfairness between classes made the people of France stand up for all they believed they deserved and needed.