Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Environmental auditing Australia Evaluation'

Bibliography: leaves 84-86. Shows how environmental education could be incorporated within the current South Australian secondary school structures and critically evaluates current programs. Investigates a different frame work (International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program), as a means for overcoming some of the limitations for environmental education presented by the current DETE framework; and, student perceptions of what makes a successful environmental education program.

It has been well established that air pollution is associated with health impacts. This study investigated the relationship between exposure to air pollutants and potential biomarkers of health effects. The research project was conducted in 2 separate study locations and cohorts. Study 1: An Evaluation of Children’s Exposures to Respirable Particulates, Environmental PM2.5, PAHs and Metal Compounds in The South West of Western Australia. A cross sectional study to evaluate the exposures of children (n=18), and controls (n=15) to respirable particulates PAHs and metal compounds in the South West of Australia during 2011. Ambient particulate matter (PM2.5) samples were found to be significantly higher in Collie as compared to Dalyellup. However, personal PM2.5 concentrations between locations were not significantly different and both PAH and heavy metals were below the levels of detection. Urinary levels of 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHpy) were below the level of detection. Copper, selenium and nickel were present in urine samples and these were not significantly different between locations, nor was there any correlation with residential areas within study locations. Urinary nickel concentrations were higher than expected for nonoccupational cohorts and although statistically insignificant, mean values of urinary nickel were highest for homes using gas as a fuel source. These data endorse current views that the reconstruction of PM2.5 exposures and related respiratory health effects based simply on the mass of airborne particulate matter alone is not sufficient in providing an insight to the respiratory health of susceptible subgroups such as children. The presence of certain urinary heavy metals suggests possible accumulation in participants via alternative routes of entry, probably a dietary source. Studies that rely purely on data accrued from ambient PM2.5 mass, and/or general health data might not detect or underestimate significant relationships between certain components of PM2.5. Study 2: Urinary levels of malondialdehyde and 8-deoxyguanosine as biomarkers of oxidative DNA damage induced by exposure to nickel and cobalt in metal refinery workers. Metal mining and refinery workers in Australia have the potential to be occupationally exposed to quantities of heavy metals that may be associated with health impacts affecting major organ and immune systems. Current regulatory and internal company policies and guidelines require regular monitoring of occupational exposures of employees through a combination of air borne sampling as well as biological monitoring for heavy metals. Toxic levels of heavy metals accumulated in the body have been shown to elicit inflammatory responses linked to exacerbated health effects impacting the respiratory, cardiovascular and nervous systems. There are many studies that have established a significant link between heavy metal exposure and increased oxidative stress. In light of these observations, this study investigated urinary levels of nickel (Ni) and cobalt (Co) and Malondialdehyde (MDA) and 8-hydroxy-2’deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) which are oxidative stress markers indicative of cellular and DNA damage. A positive correlation between urinary Ni and Co exposure and oxidative stress markers among refinery workers was established. This finding has implications for occupational health management as individual responses to exposures can now be identified. In addition to implementing a global mean air borne exposure standard, individual variation and sensitivity can be accommodated through the use of urinary oxidative stress markers

Bibiography: leaves 91-96. The Timor Gap area is managed jointly by Australia and Indonesia through the Treaty of Timor Gap (1989). The Zone of Cooperation area A 's main activity is oil exploration and exploitation. The main concern of the research is the provisions for environmental protection and the procedure of environmental impact assessment in the Treaty.

Multimetric ecological condition assessment has become an important biodiversity management tool. This study was the first to examine the reliability of these ecological surrogates across variable environments, and the implications for surrogate efficacy. It was demonstrated that through strategic application and design of the multimetric ecological condition index, the effects of environmental gradients and disturbance regimes can be mitigated, and that ecological condition assessment may serve as a scientifically rigorous approach for conservation planning.

This thesis describes the construction of a mobile Insect Monitoring Radars (IMR) and investigations of: the reliability of IMRs for observing insect migration in inland Australia; possible biases in IMR migration estimates; the relation between an insect???s size and its radar properties; radar discrimination between insect species; the effect of weather on the migrations of Australian plague locusts and of moths; the scale of these migrations; and here IMRs are best located. The principles of entomological radar design, and the main features of insect migration in inland Australia, are reviewed. The main procedures used in the study are: calculation of radar performance and of insect radar cross sections (RCSs); reanalysis of a laboratory RCS dataset; statistical analysis of a fouryear dataset of IMR and weather observations; and a field campaign using both two existing fixed IMRs and the new mobile unit. Statistical techniques used include correlation, multiple regression, discriminant analysis, and principal components analysis. The original results of this work include design details of the mobile IMR, extension of radar performance calculations to IMRs and evaluation of flight speed biases, a holistic approach to IMR design, the relation of insect RCS magnitudes and polarization patterns to morphological variables, an estimate of the accuracy of the retrieved parameters, evaluations of three approaches (oneparameter, theory-based, and a novel two-stage method) to target identification, and verification of inferred target identities using results from nearby light traps. Possible sites for future IMRs are identified. The major conclusions are that: a mobile IMR can be built with a performance equal to that of a fixed IMR but at half the cost; significant biases in the signal processing results arise from insect speed; locusts and moths can be distinguished if all RCS parameters are used; IMRs can be designed to match particular requirements; weather has a significant effect on insect migration, the best single predictor of insect numbers being temperature; moonlight has no effect; the spatial correlation of migration properties falls to 50% at a separation of 300 km; and migrating insects can be carried by the wind for 500 km in a single night

The principal research question addressed in this thesis is how the effectiveness of an environmental legal system can best be evaluated. A legal system is effective if it is achieving or likely to achieve its objectives. For an environmental legal system this means achieving sustainable development. The hypothesis tested in relation to this research question is that the pressure-state-response ("PSR") method of State of the Environment ("SoE") Reporting provides the best available framework for evaluating the effectiveness of an environmental legal system. A subsidiary research question addressed in this thesis is whether the environmental legal system protecting the Great Barrier Reef ("GBR") in north-eastern Australia is likely to achieve sustainable development of it. The hypothesis tested in relation to this research question is that the environmental legal system protecting the GBR is likely to achieve sustainable development of the GBR. The principal method used to address these research questions and test the hypotheses is a case study of the effectiveness of the laws protecting the GBR. Particular emphasis is given in the case study to climate change both because it is now recognised as the major threat to the GBR and is a topic of significant international and national interest. This thesis is intended to contribute, in particular, to the current public and policy debate on responding effectively to climate change by using the GBR as a yardstick against which to measure "dangerous climate change" and, conversely, acceptable climate change. There are five major findings of the research. First, most of the legal writing regarding environmental legal systems is descriptive, explanatory and interpretative rather than evaluative. Second, most legal writers who attempt to evaluate the effectiveness of part or the whole of an environmental legal system implicitly use the PSR method and refer to pressures, conditions, and responses but do not acknowledge this conceptual framework. Third, the best available conceptual and analytical framework for evaluating the effectiveness of an environmental legal system is the PSR method. It is the simplest, most systematic, comprehensive and meaningful framework with the greatest predictive power for evaluating the effectiveness of the total social and legal response to human-induced environmental degradation currently available. Fourth, current practice in SoE reporting, at least in relation to the GBR, is largely descriptive and rarely evaluates the effectiveness of the response. The fifth major finding of this research is that, while there are many effective parts of the response to pressures on the GBR, the current environmental legal system is not likely to be effective in preventing climate change from causing very serious damage to the GBR. Based on what we know at this point in time, particularly the technology that is currently available and current greenhouse gas emissions, the impacts of climate change appear likely to swamp the many good aspects of the legal system protecting the GBR. Atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide in 2005 were approximately 379 parts per million ("ppm") and rising by 2 ppm per year. Including the effect of other greenhouse gases such as methane, the total concentration of atmospheric greenhouse gases was around 455 ppm carbon dioxide equivalents ("CO2-eq") in 2005, although the cooling effect of aerosols and landuse changes reduced the net effect to around 375 ppm CO2-eq. Limiting the total increase in mean global temperature to approximately 1°C requires stabilization of atmospheric greenhouse gases and aerosols around 350 ppm CO2-eq. Increasing the net effect of greenhouse gases and aerosols to 450-550 ppm CO2-eq is expected to result in a 2-3°C rise in mean surface temperatures. There are currently no international or national legal constraints to hold greenhouse gas concentrations beneath these levels and they appear likely to be exceeded. These increases in mean global temperatures are expected to severely degrade the GBR by 2030-2040. Even the targets being set by the new Australian Government of reducing Australia's greenhouse gas emissions by 60% by 2050 appear insufficient to protect the GBR. If a 60% reduction in emissions can be achieved globally by 2050 a rise in mean global temperature of around 2.4°C is expected. This indicates the environmental legal system protecting the GBR is not likely to be effective in relation to climate change and, therefore, is failing to reach its objective of sustainable development. Three major recommendations arise from the research. First, legal writers attempting to evaluate the effectiveness of the whole or part of an environmental legal system should use and acknowledge the PSR method. Second, SoE reports should include a stand-alone chapter evaluating the effectiveness of the response. Third, the environmental legal system protecting the GBR should take strong and comprehensive measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions if the objective of sustainable development is to be achieved. Such measures should include setting policy targets for stabilizing atmospheric greenhouse gas and aerosol concentrations around 350 ppm CO2-eq to limit increases in mean global temperature to 1°C. Policy targets of stabilizing atmospheric greenhouse gases and aerosols at 450-550 ppm CO2-eq to limit increases in mean global temperatures to 2-3°C are likely to be too high to avoid severe impacts of coral bleaching to the GBR.

The principal research question addressed in this thesis is how the effectiveness of an environmental legal system can best be evaluated. A legal system is effective if it is achieving or likely to achieve its objectives. For an environmental legal system this means achieving sustainable development. The hypothesis tested in relation to this research question is that the pressure-state-response ("PSR") method of State of the Environment ("SoE") Reporting provides the best available framework for evaluating the effectiveness of an environmental legal system. A subsidiary research question addressed in this thesis is whether the environmental legal system protecting the Great Barrier Reef ("GBR") in north-eastern Australia is likely to achieve sustainable development of it. The hypothesis tested in relation to this research question is that the environmental legal system protecting the GBR is likely to achieve sustainable development of the GBR. The principal method used to address these research questions and test the hypotheses is a case study of the effectiveness of the laws protecting the GBR. Particular emphasis is given in the case study to climate change both because it is now recognised as the major threat to the GBR and is a topic of significant international and national interest. This thesis is intended to contribute, in particular, to the current public and policy debate on responding effectively to climate change by using the GBR as a yardstick against which to measure "dangerous climate change" and, conversely, acceptable climate change. There are five major findings of the research. First, most of the legal writing regarding environmental legal systems is descriptive, explanatory and interpretative rather than evaluative. Second, most legal writers who attempt to evaluate the effectiveness of part or the whole of an environmental legal system implicitly use the PSR method and refer to pressures, conditions, and responses but do not acknowledge this conceptual framework. Third, the best available conceptual and analytical framework for evaluating the effectiveness of an environmental legal system is the PSR method. It is the simplest, most systematic, comprehensive and meaningful framework with the greatest predictive power for evaluating the effectiveness of the total social and legal response to human-induced environmental degradation currently available. Fourth, current practice in SoE reporting, at least in relation to the GBR, is largely descriptive and rarely evaluates the effectiveness of the response. The fifth major finding of this research is that, while there are many effective parts of the response to pressures on the GBR, the current environmental legal system is not likely to be effective in preventing climate change from causing very serious damage to the GBR. Based on what we know at this point in time, particularly the technology that is currently available and current greenhouse gas emissions, the impacts of climate change appear likely to swamp the many good aspects of the legal system protecting the GBR. Atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide in 2005 were approximately 379 parts per million ("ppm") and rising by 2 ppm per year. Including the effect of other greenhouse gases such as methane, the total concentration of atmospheric greenhouse gases was around 455 ppm carbon dioxide equivalents ("CO2-eq") in 2005, although the cooling effect of aerosols and landuse changes reduced the net effect to around 375 ppm CO2-eq. Limiting the total increase in mean global temperature to approximately 1°C requires stabilization of atmospheric greenhouse gases and aerosols around 350 ppm CO2-eq. Increasing the net effect of greenhouse gases and aerosols to 450-550 ppm CO2-eq is expected to result in a 2-3°C rise in mean surface temperatures. There are currently no international or national legal constraints to hold greenhouse gas concentrations beneath these levels and they appear likely to be exceeded. These increases in mean global temperatures are expected to severely degrade the GBR by 2030-2040. Even the targets being set by the new Australian Government of reducing Australia's greenhouse gas emissions by 60% by 2050 appear insufficient to protect the GBR. If a 60% reduction in emissions can be achieved globally by 2050 a rise in mean global temperature of around 2.4°C is expected. This indicates the environmental legal system protecting the GBR is not likely to be effective in relation to climate change and, therefore, is failing to reach its objective of sustainable development. Three major recommendations arise from the research. First, legal writers attempting to evaluate the effectiveness of the whole or part of an environmental legal system should use and acknowledge the PSR method. Second, SoE reports should include a stand-alone chapter evaluating the effectiveness of the response. Third, the environmental legal system protecting the GBR should take strong and comprehensive measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions if the objective of sustainable development is to be achieved. Such measures should include setting policy targets for stabilizing atmospheric greenhouse gas and aerosol concentrations around 350 ppm CO2-eq to limit increases in mean global temperature to 1°C. Policy targets of stabilizing atmospheric greenhouse gases and aerosols at 450-550 ppm CO2-eq to limit increases in mean global temperatures to 2-3°C are likely to be too high to avoid severe impacts of coral bleaching to the GBR.

Title page, table of contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University of Adelaide Library.
The objectives of this study were: to understand the process of environmental disclosures operating within a conservation organisation; to identify the nature of and rationales for particular environmental disclosures made by the organisation; and to observe the development of the environmental disclosure policy, media and content of the organisation as it underwent significant change. The investigative approach adopted in the study identified a level of complexity associated with the process of disclosure that would otherwise remained concealed.
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Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Commerce, 2007

The objectives of this study were: to understand the process of environmental disclosures operating within a conservation organisation; to identify the nature of and rationales for particular environmental disclosures made by the organisation; and to observe the development of the environmental disclosure policy, media and content of the organisation as it underwent significant change. The investigative approach adopted in the study identified a level of complexity associated with the process of disclosure that would otherwise remained concealed.
Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Commerce, 2007

Title page, abstract and table of contents only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University of Adelaide Library.
Australia is one of the few countries to have legislative provisions for EIA monitoring and auditing, yet monitoring and auditing remain weak or neglected within the EIA process. This study identifies four major areas for analysis and evaluation of current procedures and practices of EIA monitoring and auditing in three Australian jurisdictions: institutional arrangements; public accountablity, transparency and community involvement; approaches and techniques; and resources and capacity. Case studies involving EIA projects and surveys and interviews with EIA practitioners were conducted in South Australia, Western Australia and New South Wales.
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Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Social Sciences, 2007

Australia is one of the few countries to have legislative provisions for EIA monitoring and auditing, yet monitoring and auditing remain weak or neglected within the EIA process. This study identifies four major areas for analysis and evaluation of current procedures and practices of EIA monitoring and auditing in three Australian jurisdictions: institutional arrangements; public accountablity, transparency and community involvement; approaches and techniques; and resources and capacity. Case studies involving EIA projects and surveys and interviews with EIA practitioners were conducted in South Australia, Western Australia and New South Wales.
Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Social Sciences, 2007

Title page, table of contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University of Adelaide Library.
This study area for this research is characterised by a regional anticline plunging to the east-south-east with large-scale internal architecture comprising transgressive, retrogradationally stacked stratigraphy that dips gently landward and is unconformably truncated by overlying sealing units. The primary reservoir/aquifer targets for CO₂ injection are palaeo-shoreline parallel nearshore sandstone bodies characterised by high porosity and permeability and good interconnectivity. The key regional sealing unit is the Lakes Entrance Formation, which consists of mudstone and marl capable of sealing large columns of CO₂. The proposed stategy for CO₂ geosequestration is to inject CO₂ outside four-way structural closure to allow up-dip fluid migration to the north then west governed by the structure of regional sealing units. Probabilistic estimates of CO₂ capacity utilising the proposed strategy indicate that 1395-2575 Mtonnes could be sequestered.
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Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, Australian School of Petroleum, 2007

Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Technology: Department of Chemical Engineering, Durban University of Technology, 2007.
The metal finishing industry has been rated among the most polluting industries worldwide. This industry has traditionally been responsible for the release of heavy metals such as chrome, nickel, tin, copper etc into the environment. The application of cleaner production systems to a range of industries, including the metal finishing industry has provided significant financial and environmental benefits. An example of a successful application cleaner production in the metal finishing industry is the reduction in the typical water consumption from 400 1/m² to less than 10 1/m² of plated product. The successful application of cleaner production to the mental finishing industry has encountered many barriers. These barriers include the need for a highly skilled cleaner production auditor and the need for rigorous plant data to effectively quantify the cleaner production potential of the company under consideration. This study focuses on providing an alternate user-friendly audit system for the implementation of cleaner production in the mental finishing industry. The audit system proposed eliminates the need for the need for both a technical auditor and rigid plant data. The proposed system functions solely on plant operator inputs. The operator’s knowledge is harnessed and used to conduct an efficient and effective cleaner production audit. The research is based on expert knowledge, which was gained by conducting audits on some 25 companies using traditional auditing tools. This company audits were used to construct a database of data that was used in the verification of the models developed in this study. The audit is separated into different focus components. The first system developed was based on fuzzy logic multi variable decision-making. For this system the plant was categorized into different sections and appropriate fuzzy ratings were allocated based on experience. Once the allocations were completed multi variable decision analysis was used to determine the individual variable impact. The output was compared and regressed to the database equivalent. Operator inputs can then be used to determine the individual category outputs for the cleaner for the production rating for the company under consideration. The second part of this study entails the development of mathematical models for the quantification of chemical and water consumptions. This was based on the present and ideal (cleaner production) plant configuration. Cleaner production operations are compared to present operations and potential savings quantified. Mathematical models were developed based on pilot scale experiments for the acid, degreaser and zinc plating process. The pilot experiments were carried out on a PLC controlled pilot plant. These models were developed form factorial experimentation on the variables of each of the plating processes. The models developed aid in the prediction of the relevant optimum consumptions. The key challenge in traditional evaluation systems has been the quantification of the plant production. The most effective measure of production is by means of the surface area plated. In this study a novel approach using the modeled acid consumption is proposed. It was assumed that the operator inputs for the above models would not be precise. The models developed allowed for input variations. These variations were incorporated into the model using the Monte Carlo technique. The entire cleaner production evaluation system proposed is based on an operator questionnaire, which is completed in visual basic. The mathematical model was incorporated into the visual basic model. For the purpose of model verification the mathematical models were programmed and tested using the engineering mathematical software, Mat Lab. The combined fuzzy logic and mathematical models prove to be a highly effective means of completing the cleaner production evaluation in minimal time and with minimal resources. A comparative case study was conducted at a local metal finishing company. The case study compares the input requirements and outputs from the traditional systems with the system proposed in this study. The traditional model requires 245 inputs whilst the model proposed in this study is based on 56 inputs. The data requirements for the model proposed in this study is obtained from a plant operator in less than one hour whilst previous models required high level expertise over a period of up to two weeks. The quality of outputs from the model proposed is found to be very comparable to previous models. The model is actually found to be superior to previous models with regards predicting operational variations, water usages, chemical usages and bath chemical evolution. The research has highlighted the potential to apply fuzzy-mathematical hybrid systems for cleaner production evaluation. The two limitations of the research were found to be the usage of a linear experimental design for model development and the availability of Mat Lab software for future application. These issues can be addressed as future work. It is recommended that a non-linear model be developed for the individual processes so as to obtain more detailed process models.

Over the past 10 years, with Australia's urban population ,growth there has been an increasing pressure on land, resource and waste management throughout the States and Territories. Local government, one of the public sectors traditionally responsible for waste services, is being required to take more environmental issues into account in order to develop a sustainable community. The purpose of this study is to investigate current practices of environmental accounting for local government waste management and to explore possible explanations for these environmental accounting practices. This study applies a mixed method design to achieve the research objectives, starting with the case studies of 12 local councils in New South Wales (NSW) Australia, and extending them to a mail survey of all councils in NSW. The case studies allow the researcher to explore the practices of environmental accounting for waste management in a real-life context. The case study findings indicate that contingency theory and institutional theory are most likely to provide insightful explanations for current environmental accounting practices in local government waste management. Contingency theory views organisations as technically devised instruments aiming for effective and efficient control of their work processes. Based on this theory, environmental uncertainty, environmental strategy and task complexity are proposed as explanatory variables. Institutional theory views organisations as social actors and the "carriers" of social structures aiming for legitimacy from a wide range of social institutions. Based on this theory, regulatory pressures, cognitive pressures, community expectations, and inter-professional communication, are proposed as explanatory variables. The mail survey assesses the effectiveness of the two theoretical explanations. The results reveal that the use of environmental accounting in local government waste management is generally moderate rather than little or none as previously suggested. However, the variance in environmental accounting practices in local government waste management is significant. When the scope of environmental accounting information becomes broader, from direct to indirect, from internal to external, lower levels of accounting are found. Among the local councils investigated, accounting for external environmental costs and impacts in waste management has always drawn the least attention. The assessment of theoretical explanations reveals that current environmental accounting practices in local government waste management arc significantly driven by proactive environmental strategics, complex waste operation tasks, a high level of interprofessional communication, and uncertain waste management environments. Task complexity, inter-professional communication, environmental uncertainty, community expectations and environmental strategy are all significantly associated with the level of direct waste flow and activity accounting. However, only environmental strategy, task complexity and inter-professional communication, play a significant role in explaining the levels of accounting for indirect/hidden and external costs and impacts in waste management. It appears that community's environmental expectations and uncertain waste management environments cannot provide a significant incentive for local government to account for indirect/hidden and external environmental costs and impacts. Two institutional factors, regulatory pressures and environmental cognitive pressures do not significantly contribute to any aspect of environmental accounting practices in local government waste management. When testing the effects of type and size of local councils, it is found that urban councils have a significantly higher level of direct waste flow and activity accounting than rural councils, but the differences in the levels of indirect/hidden and external cost and impact accounting are not statistically significant. Size of local councils does not explain any aspect of environmental accounting practices in local government waste management. The results of this thesis indicate that contingency theory provides better explanations for environmental accounting practices in local government waste management than institutional theory. The weaker role of institutional theory explanations implies that the development and institutionalisation of environmental accounting for local government waste management may take a longer time than expected. The explanations for current development of environmental accounting are mainly related to pursuing efficiency and effectiveness of working processes.

There is increasing evidence that external and internal pressures are being placed upon companies to acknowledge, characterise and analyse environmental issues, impacts and costs. It has been argued that companies will increasingly be faced with responsibilities extending outside the factory gate to point of sale and beyond. Companies will need to adopt a life cycle perspective into the decision making framework, to support managements' decisions regarding the environmental impacts and costs of activities and products. The aim of this thesis is to explore the environmental impacts and environmental costs recognition and management within companies in the Australian food packaging supply chain. A grounded theory approach is used to develop propositions from the findings that can be tested in further research. A qualitative case study approach is undertaken using face-to-face interviews with Environmental Managers of twenty-seven companies that operate within the Australian food packaging supply chain.

Despite its contribution to the economy, the resources sector faces growing pressure from stakeholders, including investors and regulators, for managing the environmental impacts of its operations. Being an environmentally sensitive sector, resource sector companies should provide disclosures of their environmental footprint in their annual and/or sustainability reports. However, it is claimed that, given that environmental disclosures in annual and sustainability reports are largely voluntary, the quality of those disclosures are questionable with respect to their relevance and faithful representation. Therefore, the overall objective of this thesis was to explore the quality of environmental disclosures by Australian resources sector companies. This was undertaken through an assessment of quality based on existing reporting frameworks and assessment of investors’ perspectives on the quality of disclosures. Thus, the aim of the project was twofold: first, to identify the extent to which corporate environmental disclosures align with the quality attributes suggested in established regulatory guidelines and frameworks; and second, to obtain investors’ perspectives regarding corporate environmental initiatives and environmental disclosures.

M.Tech. (Architectural Technology)
It is estimated that commercial buildings are responsible for 5.4% of worldwide Green House Gas (GHG) emissions through their construction and on-going operation. In developed countries this figure can go up to 30%. The environmental control industry is one of the large consumers of this energy. Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) contribute approximately 15% of South Africa's current peak electrical demand consumption according to Eskom (the South African electricity utility). The purpose of this dissertation is to analyse and evaluate methods to reduce the energy consumption of the HVAC system in a commercial office building. This encompasses careful building design to reduce heat loads and promote the circulation of fresh air; the use of energy-efficient air-conditioning systems and the incorporation of materials and technology to reduce energy consumption. This will be based upon a case study of the new SANRAL (South African National Roads Agency Limited) head office building in Val-DeGrace, Pretoria. A deductive research approach will be followed. The as-designed Actual Building is modelled with the appropriate energy modelling software and its annual energy usage is obtained. A benchmark based Notional Building complying with SANS 204:2008 criteria of the same size, shape, location and operational schedules as the Actual Building is also modelled and its energy usage results compared to that of the Actual Building. This comparison will determine how energy efficient the Actual Building's HVAC system is compared to a conventional Notional Building. Quantitative data collection is performed by empirical measurement of the energy usage of the as-built Actual Building. The raw data (power usageofthe HVAC system) is measured by Schneider Electric PM9c™ power meters located in the HVAC distribution boards of the building. This raw data are collected by Schneider Electric's ION Enterprise' power management software which has a user friendly interface from where the data can be downloaded. The power management software is connected to an ANDOVEWM Building Management System (BMS). Due to commissioning procedures and the timeframe at hand for the completion of this dissertation measurements could only be taken over a 7 month period. Operational data were measured from July 2011 to March 2012 thus accounting for summer, winter and a seasonal changeover period. The modelled energy usage results of the as-designed Actual Building are compared to the measured energy usage data obtained from the as-built Actual Building. This comparison serves to evaluate the accuracy of the software model...

This study provides the first comprehensive quantitative assessment of Australia's pilot Hunter River Salinity Trading Scheme (PHRSTS). It casts new light on the relative merits of tradable permit system in terms of environmental and cost effectiveness under the PHRSTS, highlighting the potential benefits from an integrated regulatory instrument for management of natural resource and environmental quality. The PHRSTS was introduced by the New South Wales Environmental Protection Authority (NSW EPA) in 1995 to regulate the discharge of saline water from the coal mines and electric power generators into the Hunter River, which was affecting other uses of the River. It was made permanent in 2002, becoming the formalised HRSTS (FHRSTS). Allowing for the total permitted salt discharge to vary dynamically from day to day subject to river flow conditions, and for salt permits be traded among the mines and power generators, the Scheme is widely known as Australia's first active water quality trading program, and still appears to be the only dynamic tradable permits scheme operating in the world. The NSW EPA has claimed that the PHRSTS achieved significant environmental and economic benefits, but until now there has been no rigorous examination of its operational performance. To help fill this gap, this study investigates the origins, evolution and institutional arrangements of the PHRSTS, examines the performance of the salt credits trading market of the PHRSTS and the two credit auctions of the FHRSTS, and evaluates the environmental and economic effectiveness of the PHRSTS. In particular, this study finds that: (1) The credits trading market of the PHRSTS was active in terms of both volume of trading and number of participants, in spite of the high proportion of intra-company trading. The successful bidders in the credit auctions of the FHRSTS were a mix of sellers and buyers on the credit trading market of the PHRSTS. The low, narrowly-spread auction prices suggest that the firms did not value the credits highly and that the differentials in marginal cost of salt control across the participants are not large enough to yield significant savings from the credit trading. (2) The overall salinity objectives of the Hunter River were attained under the PHRSTS. However, the PHRSTS did not significantly improve the river salinity compared to the previous Trickle Discharge management system. The PHRSTS only generated trivial savings in social damage cost. (3) The PHRSTS generated measurable cost savings in the total control cost of saline water to its participants over its entire period. But this was minor in relation to the participants' sales revenues, and the tradability of the discharge permits accounted for only a very small proportion of the control cost savings. Dynamicism, instead oftradability, of the discharge permits was by far the main source of the cost savings. This study therefore concludes that neither the environmental effectiveness nor the economic effectiveness of the PHRSTS is as impressive as that claimed by the NSW EPA. Nevertheless, the valuable experience drawn from the experimental design and operation of the PHRSTS should prove useful for broader water quality management strategies in Australia and elsewhere.

The recent drought in South Eastern Australia and associated water restrictions led to a significant increase in the use of greywater for the watering of lawn and garden areas. There was also an emerging trend for sustainable drought resistant landscaping for which some Australian native plants were suitable. There however was an uncertainty about whether greywater was a useful source of water for plants or whether it could be harmful. This study investigated how two varieties of turf Kikuyu (Pennisetum Clandestinum) and Tall Fescue (Festuca arundinacea), and two varieties of Australian native flowers Scaly Buttons (Leptorhynchos squamatus) and Small Vanilla Lilies (Arthropodium minus) grew when watered with several different types of greywaters sourced from a bathroom shower and a laundry.