HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN BUSINESS CONTEXT Essay

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN BUSINESS CONTEXT - Essay Example It shows that the entire process starts from the time the employee is recruited, though it is a long procedure and the organization tries to be as fair as they can in selecting employees, but there is no guarantee that the employee would keep the job, so from this view the redundancy threat starts taking place in the mind of the employee, only a strong bond with the organization can keep this fear out of employee’s mind. The human resource department in any organization of this world has gained most importance in the modern era, it is because of the fact that what ever an organization achieves, it achieves on behalf of human resources, today human resource gains the utmost importance in every field simply because of the growing demands of the world, there is an entire process used in organization for employees, which includes all the happenings from their selection to retirement or redundancy. The employment is always related to the well being of the economy, if an economy is having job saturation and the employment cycle is not working well than it automatically makes an economy weaker and unstable, as a consequence other related factors are also affected, such as GDP/GNP, so in order to keep an economy healthy the working of the employment cycle should be proper and the various sectors running a country’s economy should keep in view those important things that can disturb the economy of that country. The entire unemployment process starts from the point when the disturbance is caused in the society, which in the case of Europe was the beginning of the nineteenth century when the industrial sector gained popularity and concepts of trading started getting prominent, in that time the employment and unemployment had taken place, the growing number of policies and rules were also causing unemployment, it had almost discouraged every person from the working class, because they had no surety of their current job, it was becoming a problem, but

Gay male culture Essay Example for Free

Gay male culture Essay American culture has focused much more heavily on gay men than on other members of the LGBT community. This may be due to larger numbers of men than women and it may also be due to gay men having more resources available to them to justify, explore and perform their sexuality. The western culture as a whole still sees men and male experience as the central experience in culture, even if the men in question are transgressing established gender norms. Gay culture relies upon secret symbols and codes woven into an overall straight context. The association of gay men with opera, ballet, professional sports, , musical theater, the Golden Age of Hollywood, and interior design began with wealthy homosexual men using the straight themes of these media to send their own signals. In the Marilyn Monroe film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, a musical [filmfreakcentral. net] number features a woman singing while muscled men in revealing costumes dance around her. The mens costumes were designed by a man, the dance was choreographed by a man, and the dancers seem more interested in each other than in the female star, but her reassuring presence gets the sequence past the censors and fits it into an overall heterocentric theme. Today gay male culture is publicly acknowledged. Celebrities such as Liza Minnelli spent [topix. net] a significant amount of their social time with urban gay men, who were now popularly viewed as sophisticated and stylish by the jet set. Celebrities themselves were open about their relationships. Gay men cant be identified by the way they look or what kind of music they like. There are gay men in every field and all sorts of fashions and music. Lesbian culture A lesbian is a woman who is romantically and sexually attracted only to other women. The history of lesbian culture over the last half-century has been linked to the evolution of feminism. Older stereotypes of lesbian women stressed a dichotomy between women who adhered to stereotypical male gender stereotypes (butch) and stereotypical female gender stereotypes (femme), and that typical lesbian couples consisted of butch/femme couples. Today, some lesbian women adhere to being either butch or femme, but these categories are much less rigid and there is no express expectation that a lesbian couple be butch/femme. There is a sub-culture within the lesbian community called Aristasia, where lesbians in the community adhere to exaggerated levels of femininity. In this culture, there are two genders, blonde and brunette, although they are unrelated to actual hair color. Brunettes are femme, yet blondes are even more so. Also notable are diesel dykes, extremely butch women who use male forms of dress and behavior, and who often work as truck drivers. Lipstick lesbian refers to feminine women who are attracted only to other feminine women. Bisexual culture In modern western culture Bisexual people are in the peculiar situation of receiving hatred or distrust [Lunde 1990] or even outright denial of their existence from some elements of both the straight and lesbian and gay populations. There is of course some element of general anti-LGBT feeling, but some people insist that bisexual people are unsure of their true feelings, that they are experimenting or going through a phase and that they eventually will or should decide or discover which (singular) sex they are sexually attracted to. One popular misconception is that [Lunde 1990] bisexuals find all humans sexually attractive. That is no truer than the idea that, say, all straight men would find all women sexually attractive. More people of all kinds are becoming aware that there are some people who find attractive sexual partners among both men and women sometimes equally, sometimes favoring one sex in particular . Distinctions exist between sexual orientation (attraction, inclination, preference, or desire), gender identity (self-identification or self-concept) and sexual behavior (the sex of ones actual sexual partners). For example, someone who may find people of either sex attractive might in practice have relationships only with people of one particular sex. Many bisexual people consider themselves to be part of the LGBT or Queer community [Barris, 2007]. In an effort to create both more visibility, and a symbol for the bisexual community to gather behind, Michael Page created the bisexual pride flag. The bisexual flag, which has a pink or red stripe at the top for homosexuality, a blue one on the bottom for heterosexuality and a purple one in the middle to represent bisexuality, as purple is from the combination of red and blue [Lunde 1990]. Transgender culture The study of transgender culture is complicated by the many and various ways in which cultures deal with gender [hrc. org]. For example, in many cultures, people who are attracted to people of the same sex — that is those who in contemporary Western culture would identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual — are classed as a third gender, together with people who would in the West be classified as transgender or transsexual. Also in the contemporary West, there are usually [hrc.org] several different groups of transgender and transsexual people, some of which are extremely exclusive, like groups only for transsexual women who explicitly want sex reassignment surgery or male, heterosexual only cross-dressers. Transmens groups are often, but not always, more inclusive. Groups aiming at all transgender people, both transmen and transwomen, have in most cases appeared only in the last few years. Some transgender or transsexual women and men however do not classify as being part of any specific trans culture. However there is a distinction between transgender and transsexual people who make their past known to others . Some wish to live according to their gender identity and not reveal this past, stating that they should be able to live in their true gender role in a normal way, and be in control of whom they choose to tell their past to. Epistemology of the closet. The expression being in the closet is used to describe keeping secret ones sexual behavior or orientation, most commonly homosexuality or bisexuality, but also including the gender identity of transgender and transsexual people [branconolilas.no. sapo. pt]. Being in the closet is more than being private, it is a life-shaping pattern of concealment where gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender individuals hide their sexuality/gender-identity in the most important areas of life, with family, friends, and at work. Individuals may marry or avoid certain jobs in order to avoid suspicion and exposure. Some will even claim to be heterosexual when asked directly. It is the power of the closet to shape the core of an individuals life that has made homosexuality into a significant personal, social, and political drama in twentieth-century America. (Seidman 2003, p. 25). Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick, in her book Epistemology of the closet, majorly focuses on male homosexuality. She is also an intellectual who is interested in gay and lesbian studies, queer studies, gender studies, and feminism. Sedgwick (Seidman 2003, p. 25) â€Å"proposes that many of the major thoughts and knowledge in twentieth-century Western culture as a whole are structured—indeed fractured—by the now endemic crisis of homo/heterosexual definition, indicatively male, dating from the end of the nineteenth century†. Incoherent ideas about homosexuality inform the way men are acculturated in the modern West, and (Seidman 2003, p. 25) since this is so, this incoherence has come to mark society generally. Incoherence characterizes the attitude toward homosexuality in the West and is beyond debate. examples, are gay men ridiculous figures of fun or are they sexual monsters who prey on young children? ; is the homosexual a limp-wrested effeminate unsuited for the armed forces, or the lothario of the showers who will gaze upon and/or rape his fellow servicemen? ; Is sexuality an orientation or is it a choice?; are homosexuals born or are they made? ; essentialism or social constructionism? ; nature/nurture?. These are all part of the effect of this crisis in modern sexual definition. Sedgwick believes that it is impossible to adjudicate between these (Seidman 2003, p. 25). In describing in general terms the mass of contradictions that adhere to homosexuality, she proposes that one consider it in terms of an opposition between a minoritizing view and a universalizing one. A minoritizing view takes the position that homosexuality is of primary importance to a relatively small group of actual homosexuals. A universalizing view takes the position that homosexuality is of importance to persons across a wide range of sexualities. Under the universalizing view, one can put nurture, social-construction, choice and a warrant for social â€Å"engineering† to eradicate homosexuality(Seidman 2003, p. 25). Sedgwick says that the current debate in queer theory, between â€Å"constructivist† and â€Å"essentialist† understandings of homosexuality is the most recent link(Seidman 2003, p. 25). She goes on to conclude that the continuation of this debate is itself the most important feature of recent understandings of sex. The aim of the book is to explore the incoherent dispensation under which we now live. Through an examination of a number of mostly late nineteenth century literary and philosophical works, including (Seidman 2003, p. 25). Melvilles BILLY BUDD, Wildes THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY, various works of Nietzsche, James THE BEAST IN THE JUNGLE, Thackerays LOVEL THE WIDOWER, and Prousts REMEMBRANCE OF THINGS PAST, Sedgwick discovers a number of pairs of opposing terms (binarisms) which she then shows to be inconsistent with and dependent upon each other. I found it fascinating to follow her explication of the ways in which these terms were related. Among the pairings that she assembles and dissects for our consideration are secrecy/disclosure, private/public, masculine/feminine, majority/minority, innocence/initiation, natural/artificial, new/old, growth/decadence, urbane/provincial, health/illness, same/different, cognition/paranoia, art/kitsch, sincerity/sentimentality, and voluntarity/addiction (Seidman 2003, p.25). She asserts that a true understanding of the force of the opposition of these terms must be grounded in the realization and acceptance that the content of all of these terms was determined around the turn of the century amid and through anxious questioning over who and what was homosexual. These opposing terms, all of which operate today, therefore have a residue of the homo/hetero definitional crisis(Seidman 2003, p. 25). In addition, Sedgwick perhaps delivers the coup de grace(Seidman 2003, p. 25), if such was needed, to sleek, masculine, modernist objective criticism. She demonstrates that modernist criticism finds its genesis in the homo/hetero definitional crisis and both its flight into and prizing of abstraction is a direct reflection of its homophobia.

Development of Sustainable Water Management System

Development of Sustainable Water Management System 1.0 Introduction A regeneration project close to Bedford will see the construction of a hotel and a school, with both intended to be sustainable. Hunt et al. (2006) judge a developments sustainability based upon its impact upon the local environment, its cost effectiveness, both during and after construction, and also its impact upon society. These factors tend to relate, to varying degrees on different projects, to how sustainable the developments water usage is. Taking this into account, those designing and building the school and the hotel have put considerable time and effort into ensuring that the projects water management setup is from the very top of the line. The following report focuses on the design and implementation of the regeneration projects water management system, calculating the respective quantities of water required for the school and for the hospital to run effectively and evaluating the alternative green solutions available to ensure efficient use of water in the two buildings. Among the green technologies looked at, consideration will be given to collection, storage and usage of rainwater to supplement the water supply sourced from utilities companies. Recycled grey water will also be discussed as a possible means of saving water. Lastly, the report will look into methods of conserving water, explaining how they would be implemented and how effective they would be if utilised on this particular project. 2.0 Description of the Regeneration Project The school that is being constructed will be co-ed and will enrol up to 150 students, catering to children between the ages of six and twelve years old. The school will have a staff of sixteen: eight on full-time contracts, two providing maintenance services and the rest working on a part-time basis. The hotel that is being built will consist of fifty double-rooms and will take on four members of staff on a full-time basis. The schools roof will be made from pitched tiles, taking up approximately 385 m ­2, and approximately 600 m2 of smooth surface. The hotels roof will also be made from pitched tiles, but with no smooth surface. It will take up approximately 1,200 m2. 3.0 Estimating water requirements for the school and the hotel In order to come up with a water strategy, the water requirements of the two buildings must first be approximated. Bradford (2007) notes that for different kinds of end users, there are a variety of purposes that water can be used for, giving the example of the dissimilarity in the water usage patterns of domestic users compared with agricultural users. 3.1 Water requirements for the school The figures in Table 3.1 calculate the schools overall water consumption as being at 720 m3/year. Figure 3.1 breaks down the schools water consumption categorically, displaying the main uses to which water is put in terms of quantity. Flushing toilets takes up the largest proportion (36%) of water consumption (see Figure 3.1). 3.2 Water requirements for the hotel Hunt et al. (2006) note that there is great variation in the use of water at hotels. What consumption patterns there are tend to relate to water usage by the hotels guests, the presence or absence of a hotel swimming pool and the hotels star rating. As there is insufficient data regarding the hotels star rating and water consumption, a water usage estimate of 30 m3/bed space/year is made, as this is displayed in Table 3.2 (Waggett and Arotsky, 2006) to be the typical consumption in hotels without a rating that do not have swimming pools. With the average requirement of water estimated at 30 m3/bed space/year and with a total of fifty double-rooms, total demand can be approximated to be = 30*50*2 = 3000 m3. Hotels use their water supply for bathing, flushing toilets, drinking, cooking, cleaning and gardening. With no data available which can be used to break down water usage into its constituent elements, this is estimated using average UK domestic use (see Figure 3.2) and modified UK hotel use, based on single occupants (see Figure 3.2). 4.0 Non-potable water supply options for the school and the hotel Hastings (2006) differentiates between water that is fit for drinking, known as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"potable water, and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"non-potable water which, while it is not fit for ingestion, may still be utilised to flush toilets, for cleaning vehicles, buildings or clothes (in washing machines) or to irrigate land. While all non-potable water fails to meet the minimum required standards for drinking water, Hastings makes a further distinction between treated non-potable water, known as green water, and untreated non-potable water, referred to as grey water. 4.1 Rainwater harvesting (RH) The EA (2003) notes that rainwater collection may occur by gathering the water from roofs or from hard surfaces such as roads using down pipes (see Figure A-1 in the Appendix). The rainwater gathered can be utilised for any number of non-potable water uses. An approximation will be made here of the expected rainwater harvest from the two buildings being constructed. The rainwater harvests quality varies with elements from outside, like the amount of leaves or bird droppings contaminating the harvest. The impact of these elements can be lessened with the use of a protective filter to cover the rainwater outlet (Cornwall Energy Efficiency Advice Centre, 2007). The EA (2003) also notes that rainwater is of a good enough standard to not need treatment after it has been collected, before it can be used. The gathered water will be kept in an over-ground plastic tank, with its placement selected so as to minimise bacteria growth in hot weather, while also minimising frost when the weather is cold. Line filters will also be put in place. With the right choice of filter and of placement, bad smells and water discolouration can be lessened. 4.1.1 Determination of the quantity of gatherable rainwater for the hotel and The school Accurately calculating the best quantity of gatherable rainwater for the two buildings calls for a plan of the roofs catchment areas and also for rainfall data relating to the local area (see Figure 4.1) (covering the previous 20 years) It is not possible to gather all of the rain that falls on the buildings and transfer it to the plastic container in its entirety. Usually, rainfall harvests lose something in the region of 10%-60% of the water, varying with the kind of roof in question, the drainage coefficient of the material it has been made from (see Table 1) and the filter efficiency: always à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“0.9à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬?. It is also possible to lose rainwater if the container it collects in overflows due to heavy rainfall or low water usage (ibid, 2003). Table 4.1: Drainage coefficient for different roof types Roof type Runoff coefficient Pitched roof tiles 0.75 0.9 Flat roof with smooth tiles 0.5 Flat roof with gravel layer 0.4 0.5 (Source: EA, 2003) Based on the aforementioned data, it is possible to work out the potential rainfall harvest in a particular location by inputting the data into this formula (EA, 2008): Q = AAR x TCA x RC x FC where Q = Annual Gatherable Rainfall (litres) AAR = Annual Average Rainfall (mm/yr) TCA = Total Catchment Area (m2) RC = Runoff Coefficient FC = Filter Coefficient 1. For the school As, logically, a larger roof will allow for the collection of a greater quantity of rainwater, it is important to be aware of the roof area. The roof surface areas and their construction materials are: Pitched roof tiles 600 m2 Flat roof (smooth surface) 385 m2 According to Table 4.1, the minimum possible RC for pitched roof tiles is 0.75, while the RC for smooth surface roofs is 0.5 AAR = Annual Average Rainfall (mm/yr) =à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ Average Rainfall (mm) for the 12 Month period illustrated by Figure 4.1 = 573mm The Annual Collectable Rainfall (litres), Q = ((600 m2 X (573 mm) X 0.75) + (385 m2 X (573 mm) X 0.5)) X 0.9 = 331,337.25 litres per annum. = 331.34 m3 per annum. This is a lower value than that of the predicted total annual water demand for the school. 2. For the hotel The hotels roof area is 1,200 m2, entirely made from pitched roof tiles. Q = 1,200 X 573 X 0.75 X 0.9 = 464,130 litres per annum = 464.13 m3per annum. This value also falls below predicted annual water demand for the hotel. Table A-1 (see Appendix A) approximates the monthly rainfall harvest for the two buildings, using the aforementioned equation and using the RC of pitched roof tiles. The figures for the predicted rainfall harvest and the predicted water requirements point to a shortfall in the ability of the rainwater to fulfil the projects water requirements. However, the rainwater may still play a significant role, perhaps covering the two buildings toilet flushing needs, for instance. 4.1.2 Sizing the storage tank in the RH system for the two buildings The EA (2003) notes that the storage tanks purchase price is the most expensive element of setting up the RH system and so deciding upon the right size for it is very important. The biggest tank will not necessarily be the most efficient in the long run and so it is important to work out the optimal size, so that the buildings can harvest sufficient rainwater without overspending. The quantity of water that is kept in the tank should ideally approach the quantity that is required to service the two buildings. The choice of tank must account for price, size and a minimum of two water overflows each year, in order to get rid of unwanted objects in the tank-water. The project planners may also want to invest in a first flush device (Well, 2003) to ensure that the initial water flow, which will contain debris that has collected on the roof, does not enter the tank, keeping its contents relatively clean. The makers and retailers of the rainfall harvest setup will have means of determining the best tank size for the project. In fact, some of them have applications available for visitors to their websites to work out the optimum size for their needs (e.g. Klargesters Envireau products, available at www.klargester.com) and these are handy for making an initial estimate of how much they need to spend. It is best for the planners to go on to discuss this choice with experts in this area. Figure 4.2: Water balance for approximation of rainwater storage capacity The EA (2003) notes that the capacity needed will vary according to elements including rainfall patterns, catchment areas, demand patterns, retention time, cost of parts and the cost of and access to alternative supplies. The Development Technology Unit (2008) also states that the level of capacity needed will be based upon several elements, such as weather and rain data, roof surface area, RC and data regarding the number of consumers and the amount of water they use on average. It goes on to suggest several means of setting the size of system parts: Method 1 the demand-side approach (see Appendix A). Method 2 calculating the size of the tank based on elements such as storage capacity, overflow and drainage (the supply-side approach) (see Appendix A). Method 3 computer model (see Appendix A). The methods differ in terms of how sophisticated and how complex they are. Some of them can easily be undertaken by people without specialist knowledge, whereas some need specialists familiar with complicated software. The major elements contributing to the method selected include: the size and the complexity of the system and its parts the availability of the components that are necessary to operate using a specific method (e.g. computers) the required skills and technical knowledge/training among the practitioners/designers. Also, according to the EA (2008), tank size tends to be based upon either the capacity required for 18 days or a 5% share of the annual yield (whichever of the two is lower). This method will be combined with the supply-side method to determine the tank capacity for this project (see Appendix A). 1. Calculating the optimal tank size based upon the predicted rain yield: The EA (2003) formula for working out the best tank capacity for the rainfall harvest setup is as follows: Tank capacity (litres) = Roof area (m2) x drainage factor x filter efficiency x annual rainfall (mm) x 0.05 For the school Optimal tank capacity (litres) = (600* 0.75* 0.9* 573 mm*0.05) + (385*0.5* 0.9* 573 mm*0.05) = 16566.86 litres = 16.57 m3 For the hotel Optimal tank capacity (litres) = (1,200* 0.75* 0.9* 573 mm*0.05) = 23206.5 litres = 23.21 m3 2. Calculating the optimal tank capacity using the idea of holding 18days- worth of demand: Collection tank volume = days storage x average daily demand For the school The à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"Estimating water demands for the hotel and school section and the figures in Chapter 3 show that the overall quantity of water used to flush toilets, irrigate soil and clean is 612 m3 per annum for the school building. This exceeds the estimated annual rainfall harvest. This being the case, the RH tank will provide water for flushing toilet, with the tank storage for 18 days equalling: (268 m3/365 days)*(18 days) = 13.22 m3 For the hotel According to the figures in Chapter 3, the overall average water requirement at the hotel is 3000 m3. The quantity used to flush toilets, irrigate soil and clean amounts to roughly 53% of the hotels water requirement: roughly 1590 m2 per annum. This requirement cannot be covered in total by the RH alone. This being the case, the RH will be limited to cleaning and/or irrigating or to flushing toilets. Even within these limitations, there may not be sufficient rainwater for these tasks. Using the average daily requirement for toilet flushing: the tank storage = (3000 x 0.35) m3/365days x 18 = 51.79 m3 Using the average daily requirement for cleaning or irrigating: the tank storage = (3000 x (0.12 + 0.06)) m3/365days x 18 = 26.63 m3 Using the aforementioned EA (2003) data, a smaller size is optimal. This being the case, if the RH is used to flush toilets, the respective tank sizes for the hotel and the school are going to be 23 m3 and 14 m3. If the method of estimation used is the supply-side method (i.e. it is based upon capacity, overflow and drainage (see the tdix A)), the the optimal respective tank sizes for the hotel and the school will be 35 m3recomm3 m3 and 35 m3ing for these figures is represented bycalculations ad A-3 (seein Appendix A)The selection ultimately made may depend on a combination of these methods of calculation, as well as the price of the tankAfter this, th 4.2 Grey water recycling at the school and the hotel Metcalf and Eddy (1991) refer to two kinds of wastewater. These are grey and black wastewater. Black water has been flushed down toilets, passed through the drainage system and on to treatment plants. Black water is contaminated with more pollutants than grey water. Grey water accounts for all of the wastewater which has not been used to flush toilets (EA, 2003). It can be treated and then reused for flushing toilets or irrigating soil (Metcalf and Eddy, 1991). Both Waggett (2004) and the EA (2008) refer to grey water from washing machines, kitchen sinks and dishwashers as black wastewater, as it is heavily contaminated and can contain large amounts of grease and food particles. Figures 3.1 and 3.3 illustrate that the two buildings will produce grey water at the levels of 55% at the hotel and 32% at the school, 32% and al. (2007) nostate thatis typeg is treated usingrequires biologicalnt systems,by followed by sand filters andts, as the water is heavily contaminatedion because of the high levels treatmeused to flush toilets or irrigate soilThis treated water can be used for toilet flushing and grounwash basins were be colltic decreasing would occur. Collecteequires a physting oninfected sandsith disinfection and membranes suct et al, 2006). This treated watd to flushfor toilets flushing. Figure 4.3: Schematic of the grey water recycling system to be installed (Source: Birks et al., 2001) Grey water is of lower quality than harvested rainwater and always needs treatment before it is used; There areinotgenerally recognised official aegulations regarding grey waters standard of cleanliness before it can be reusedtoPidou et al., 2007) and individual nations decide upon their own minimum quality requirements. Fs it stands, the UK has no official regulations regarding wastewater usageUnfy wain ). Waggett (2004) nostates thahis lack of legislation is a limiting factor to grey and rainwater usage.one of the eyd rainf standards have been put forward by a number of organisations, complicating matters for those wishing to make use of these green solutionsThis makes a sufficient specificationt the subject have found that project planners should ideally set up The majority of the studies available conclude that it is best to operat level of of a health risk exists and what forms of water treatment they should make herefore, the level of treatment required. There are some highly d etailed research papdocor the water quality standards for non-potable water re and greywatergrey water) wn in Appendix B. For the project under consideration here, it would probably be best to gather and treat grey water for use in toilet flushingf Figures 3.2 and 3.3 display the grey water percentages from showers, baths and hand basins as being 28% for the hotel and 2% for the schools As the school produces relatively little grey water, it is probably best not to bother recycling it in the case of this building, for cost effectiveness purposesTrn the scrin it. He hotel pr a significant quantity of grey water, which will be worth reusing. According toTherefore, economically only the greywbe ey water is generallyeopriate technology for community buildings such as schools, libraries, places of worship and community centresà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬?. The health risks associated with This is because of the potential concerns wither, parthildren are likely to be presresponsible for this. cleanliness especially where children are exposed to the water and little greywatergrey watinn technology would no ve in the case ft According to Waggett (2004), non-potable (grey or RH) water can be utilised for sub-surface irrigation, as long as no spray mechanisms are involved. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Direct reuseà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? is another option in areas like laundries (e.g. reusing water from the final rinse for the next washs first rinse). This application may be included in the hotels design and implemented during construction, though many hotels outsource their clothes cleaning services. recycling shows the methodology for the design of the grey water recycling system. The hotels grey water will provide 80% of its total water requirement for flushing toilets (28% grey water compared to 35% needed for flushing), with potable water or rainwater automatically supplementing the produced rrecyclin collectio only at 2s insufficient tof theile (see Figure 4.1). recycling004) noteshows thatandit is possible wateh be used in one water setup, and while this increases the quantity of water collected from that which could be expected from a simple RH system, it creates a need for a larger tank to store all of the water and for a greater quantity of chemicals with which to treat the water, both of which will be costly for the projectand rainwater in the same watys 5.0 Discussion and quantification of options for water conservation at the development site Braithwaite (2006) posits that all developments that aim to be sustainable need to contribute positively to society, be sympathetic to their local environment and ensure that they are cost effective. These factors are referred to as the pillars of sustainable development (Hunt and Rogers, 2005). This part of the report evaluates the potential methods for decreasing the buildings water requirements in terms of their impact upon the aforementioned pillars of sustainable development. The cost effectiveness of the options If less water is required, then less money will be spent on sewage treatment and savings will also be made in terms of spending on water (Otterpohl, 2006). The savings on water will not necessarily be very large, as UK water prices are not high. The savings made by implementing the green technologies would need to be set against the cost of their implementation in order to work out how long it would take for them to financially justify the expenditure. The necessary predictions of expected usage would be difficult to make, particularly for the school building, which would have very low usage during holiday periods. In the case of the school, grey water would probably not be cost effective (as discussed earlier) and would probably need a very long time to make sufficient savings to cover is not co2003) estimate a 30% saving on water expenditure is needed to justify investment in the reuse of grey water and it is unlikely that this would be achieved at the schoolMoreover, at the se kitchen eyecyclis Grey water would, however, be cost effective in hotels; especially big hotels with en-suite accommodation, as customers would consume large quantities of water systems afihite bathrooms and powerful showers an expected part of modern hotels, water consumption is actually higher in the newer establishments, making recycling of non-potable water even more relevantUnlike the majoritutilise treated grey water for toilet flushing when it is busy and revert to its main supply when there are few customer, in order to avoid keeping the grey water in their tank for extended periods. This is common practice in countries with low rainfallrefore, greywatergrey water is The extra setup required to circulate the treated grey water around the hotel would need significant expenditure from those funding the project and this would have to be given serious thought before deciding whether it would pay off in the long term. Rain harvesting setups are fairly commonplace at UK schools, as the water is considered to be fairly clean and the running costs are not too. With a lot of water used for toilet flushing, there would be a need for a big tank at the school, which could lead to a big saving over. To carry out a similar harvesting operation, the hotel would require both a large harvesting area (on the roof) and sufficient room to keep the tank. This would probably not be workable for most hotels. Establishments with swimming pools might consider harvesting and treating water to use in their pool. Social costs The costs to society of these solutions would take the form of problems with their acceptability and/or their reliability (Hunt et al., 2006) (see Appendix C). Environmental costs Braithwaite (2006) views sustainability and environmental protection as being more or less the same thing, with an emphasis upon ensuring that the construction and the running of the buildings is not damaging to the local area going forward. To ensure this does not happen, evaluation of the likely negative externalities of the technologies put forward is needed. Water sustainability for the project might be measured in terms of factors such as impact on the climate, biological diversity and resource depletion. While all of these factors have an environmental aspect to them, climate effects can also create problems in economic terms as well as problems for society in general (Hunt et al., 2006). The recommended technologies need to be beneficial in terms of future sustainability, with emphasis placed on decreasing both the quantity of water that is wasted and the quantity that is obtained from the mains source. Integrated costs On most projects, planners would tend to opt for familiar solutions that are known to be effective over new ones which they might perceive as inherently risky and this might be a factor in the selection made here, particularly in the case of the school, given consideration of the involvement of children (Hunt et al., 2006). As well as the interests of the planners and developers, it is important perhaps most important to give consideration to how the solutions would impact upon the people ultimately using the facilities being discussed. With no official standards for the condition required of non-potable water before it can be used, careful planning is needed to make certain that no errors are made that could potentially cause harm to customers or students. Hotels often take the precaution of labelling water sources such as sinks that provide non-potable water. Another precaution, which might be made use of at the school, would be to use quality gpes (EA, 2008). Prior to selecting one of the options, the projects planners should assess how efficient they are by looking into both how secure and how durable their supply of water will be (Hunt et al., 2006). With the rainfall system being wholly reliant upon the weather, this is quite an insecure option, as unexpectedly dry weather will significantly harm the effectiveness of the solution. This might put off the planners, particularly in the case of the hotel, with grey water reuse preferred due to its greater regularity of supply, regardless of the changing seasons, climate or weather patterns recyclingal., 2006). Therefore 6.0 Conclusions and recommendations The report posits an approach to setting up a sustainable system for managing water at a brownfield development site where a hotel and a school are being constructed. The buildings water requirements are approximated from information provided from the exercise paper and CIRIA report no. C657. The report also considers two alternatives for green technologies to help ensure that the buildings have a sustainable water supply, namely the harvesting of rainfall and the reuse of grey water from the buildings recyclinglutions would both provide non-potable water, with the rainwater of a higher standard than the grey water, which would require treatment before it could be reintroduced to the water system, even for uses not involving human ingestion supplied from thes or regulations regarding RH or grey water quality in the United Kingdom, it would be best to utilise the water for functions such as sub-surface irrigation or flushingAs there are not agreed wateould provide sufficient water to fully supply these functions, but could still significantly supplement the water provided by the mains supplyIn addition, that all these uses can not be fully coven to analyse poteo, there iscription in order to identify the methods of qurnservation at the school and the hotel, ultimately recommending that. water produced by grey water treatment and RH should be utilised for toilet flushing, so as to make savings on water costs and sewage fees. the RH setup is better suited to the school in terms of sustainability, cost effectiveness and viability than the grey water reuse setup and should be implemented at the school with no grey water treatment operation introduced. grey water and RH setups should be implemented for the hotel, either in a combined system or separately, so as to make savings and improve the hotels water sustainability by supplying the establishments toilet flushing function. water costs and sewage fees are fairly cheap, whereas the costs of implementing either of the suggested green solutions are significantly higher, meaning that these technologies are not commonplace in the UK recyclingthe current situation, population growth and environmental changes are likely to create greater water scarcity and make these approaches to the provision of non-potable water far more common, with governments legislating in their support. However, the growi there is a need for the EA, the government or another relevant organisation to set up official regulations for non-potable water quality in the UK. Development of Sustainable Water Management System Development of Sustainable Water Management System 1.0 Introduction A regeneration project close to Bedford will see the construction of a hotel and a school, with both intended to be sustainable. Hunt et al. (2006) judge a developments sustainability based upon its impact upon the local environment, its cost effectiveness, both during and after construction, and also its impact upon society. These factors tend to relate, to varying degrees on different projects, to how sustainable the developments water usage is. Taking this into account, those designing and building the school and the hotel have put considerable time and effort into ensuring that the projects water management setup is from the very top of the line. The following report focuses on the design and implementation of the regeneration projects water management system, calculating the respective quantities of water required for the school and for the hospital to run effectively and evaluating the alternative green solutions available to ensure efficient use of water in the two buildings. Among the green technologies looked at, consideration will be given to collection, storage and usage of rainwater to supplement the water supply sourced from utilities companies. Recycled grey water will also be discussed as a possible means of saving water. Lastly, the report will look into methods of conserving water, explaining how they would be implemented and how effective they would be if utilised on this particular project. 2.0 Description of the Regeneration Project The school that is being constructed will be co-ed and will enrol up to 150 students, catering to children between the ages of six and twelve years old. The school will have a staff of sixteen: eight on full-time contracts, two providing maintenance services and the rest working on a part-time basis. The hotel that is being built will consist of fifty double-rooms and will take on four members of staff on a full-time basis. The schools roof will be made from pitched tiles, taking up approximately 385 m ­2, and approximately 600 m2 of smooth surface. The hotels roof will also be made from pitched tiles, but with no smooth surface. It will take up approximately 1,200 m2. 3.0 Estimating water requirements for the school and the hotel In order to come up with a water strategy, the water requirements of the two buildings must first be approximated. Bradford (2007) notes that for different kinds of end users, there are a variety of purposes that water can be used for, giving the example of the dissimilarity in the water usage patterns of domestic users compared with agricultural users. 3.1 Water requirements for the school The figures in Table 3.1 calculate the schools overall water consumption as being at 720 m3/year. Figure 3.1 breaks down the schools water consumption categorically, displaying the main uses to which water is put in terms of quantity. Flushing toilets takes up the largest proportion (36%) of water consumption (see Figure 3.1). 3.2 Water requirements for the hotel Hunt et al. (2006) note that there is great variation in the use of water at hotels. What consumption patterns there are tend to relate to water usage by the hotels guests, the presence or absence of a hotel swimming pool and the hotels star rating. As there is insufficient data regarding the hotels star rating and water consumption, a water usage estimate of 30 m3/bed space/year is made, as this is displayed in Table 3.2 (Waggett and Arotsky, 2006) to be the typical consumption in hotels without a rating that do not have swimming pools. With the average requirement of water estimated at 30 m3/bed space/year and with a total of fifty double-rooms, total demand can be approximated to be = 30*50*2 = 3000 m3. Hotels use their water supply for bathing, flushing toilets, drinking, cooking, cleaning and gardening. With no data available which can be used to break down water usage into its constituent elements, this is estimated using average UK domestic use (see Figure 3.2) and modified UK hotel use, based on single occupants (see Figure 3.2). 4.0 Non-potable water supply options for the school and the hotel Hastings (2006) differentiates between water that is fit for drinking, known as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"potable water, and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"non-potable water which, while it is not fit for ingestion, may still be utilised to flush toilets, for cleaning vehicles, buildings or clothes (in washing machines) or to irrigate land. While all non-potable water fails to meet the minimum required standards for drinking water, Hastings makes a further distinction between treated non-potable water, known as green water, and untreated non-potable water, referred to as grey water. 4.1 Rainwater harvesting (RH) The EA (2003) notes that rainwater collection may occur by gathering the water from roofs or from hard surfaces such as roads using down pipes (see Figure A-1 in the Appendix). The rainwater gathered can be utilised for any number of non-potable water uses. An approximation will be made here of the expected rainwater harvest from the two buildings being constructed. The rainwater harvests quality varies with elements from outside, like the amount of leaves or bird droppings contaminating the harvest. The impact of these elements can be lessened with the use of a protective filter to cover the rainwater outlet (Cornwall Energy Efficiency Advice Centre, 2007). The EA (2003) also notes that rainwater is of a good enough standard to not need treatment after it has been collected, before it can be used. The gathered water will be kept in an over-ground plastic tank, with its placement selected so as to minimise bacteria growth in hot weather, while also minimising frost when the weather is cold. Line filters will also be put in place. With the right choice of filter and of placement, bad smells and water discolouration can be lessened. 4.1.1 Determination of the quantity of gatherable rainwater for the hotel and The school Accurately calculating the best quantity of gatherable rainwater for the two buildings calls for a plan of the roofs catchment areas and also for rainfall data relating to the local area (see Figure 4.1) (covering the previous 20 years) It is not possible to gather all of the rain that falls on the buildings and transfer it to the plastic container in its entirety. Usually, rainfall harvests lose something in the region of 10%-60% of the water, varying with the kind of roof in question, the drainage coefficient of the material it has been made from (see Table 1) and the filter efficiency: always à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“0.9à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬?. It is also possible to lose rainwater if the container it collects in overflows due to heavy rainfall or low water usage (ibid, 2003). Table 4.1: Drainage coefficient for different roof types Roof type Runoff coefficient Pitched roof tiles 0.75 0.9 Flat roof with smooth tiles 0.5 Flat roof with gravel layer 0.4 0.5 (Source: EA, 2003) Based on the aforementioned data, it is possible to work out the potential rainfall harvest in a particular location by inputting the data into this formula (EA, 2008): Q = AAR x TCA x RC x FC where Q = Annual Gatherable Rainfall (litres) AAR = Annual Average Rainfall (mm/yr) TCA = Total Catchment Area (m2) RC = Runoff Coefficient FC = Filter Coefficient 1. For the school As, logically, a larger roof will allow for the collection of a greater quantity of rainwater, it is important to be aware of the roof area. The roof surface areas and their construction materials are: Pitched roof tiles 600 m2 Flat roof (smooth surface) 385 m2 According to Table 4.1, the minimum possible RC for pitched roof tiles is 0.75, while the RC for smooth surface roofs is 0.5 AAR = Annual Average Rainfall (mm/yr) =à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ Average Rainfall (mm) for the 12 Month period illustrated by Figure 4.1 = 573mm The Annual Collectable Rainfall (litres), Q = ((600 m2 X (573 mm) X 0.75) + (385 m2 X (573 mm) X 0.5)) X 0.9 = 331,337.25 litres per annum. = 331.34 m3 per annum. This is a lower value than that of the predicted total annual water demand for the school. 2. For the hotel The hotels roof area is 1,200 m2, entirely made from pitched roof tiles. Q = 1,200 X 573 X 0.75 X 0.9 = 464,130 litres per annum = 464.13 m3per annum. This value also falls below predicted annual water demand for the hotel. Table A-1 (see Appendix A) approximates the monthly rainfall harvest for the two buildings, using the aforementioned equation and using the RC of pitched roof tiles. The figures for the predicted rainfall harvest and the predicted water requirements point to a shortfall in the ability of the rainwater to fulfil the projects water requirements. However, the rainwater may still play a significant role, perhaps covering the two buildings toilet flushing needs, for instance. 4.1.2 Sizing the storage tank in the RH system for the two buildings The EA (2003) notes that the storage tanks purchase price is the most expensive element of setting up the RH system and so deciding upon the right size for it is very important. The biggest tank will not necessarily be the most efficient in the long run and so it is important to work out the optimal size, so that the buildings can harvest sufficient rainwater without overspending. The quantity of water that is kept in the tank should ideally approach the quantity that is required to service the two buildings. The choice of tank must account for price, size and a minimum of two water overflows each year, in order to get rid of unwanted objects in the tank-water. The project planners may also want to invest in a first flush device (Well, 2003) to ensure that the initial water flow, which will contain debris that has collected on the roof, does not enter the tank, keeping its contents relatively clean. The makers and retailers of the rainfall harvest setup will have means of determining the best tank size for the project. In fact, some of them have applications available for visitors to their websites to work out the optimum size for their needs (e.g. Klargesters Envireau products, available at www.klargester.com) and these are handy for making an initial estimate of how much they need to spend. It is best for the planners to go on to discuss this choice with experts in this area. Figure 4.2: Water balance for approximation of rainwater storage capacity The EA (2003) notes that the capacity needed will vary according to elements including rainfall patterns, catchment areas, demand patterns, retention time, cost of parts and the cost of and access to alternative supplies. The Development Technology Unit (2008) also states that the level of capacity needed will be based upon several elements, such as weather and rain data, roof surface area, RC and data regarding the number of consumers and the amount of water they use on average. It goes on to suggest several means of setting the size of system parts: Method 1 the demand-side approach (see Appendix A). Method 2 calculating the size of the tank based on elements such as storage capacity, overflow and drainage (the supply-side approach) (see Appendix A). Method 3 computer model (see Appendix A). The methods differ in terms of how sophisticated and how complex they are. Some of them can easily be undertaken by people without specialist knowledge, whereas some need specialists familiar with complicated software. The major elements contributing to the method selected include: the size and the complexity of the system and its parts the availability of the components that are necessary to operate using a specific method (e.g. computers) the required skills and technical knowledge/training among the practitioners/designers. Also, according to the EA (2008), tank size tends to be based upon either the capacity required for 18 days or a 5% share of the annual yield (whichever of the two is lower). This method will be combined with the supply-side method to determine the tank capacity for this project (see Appendix A). 1. Calculating the optimal tank size based upon the predicted rain yield: The EA (2003) formula for working out the best tank capacity for the rainfall harvest setup is as follows: Tank capacity (litres) = Roof area (m2) x drainage factor x filter efficiency x annual rainfall (mm) x 0.05 For the school Optimal tank capacity (litres) = (600* 0.75* 0.9* 573 mm*0.05) + (385*0.5* 0.9* 573 mm*0.05) = 16566.86 litres = 16.57 m3 For the hotel Optimal tank capacity (litres) = (1,200* 0.75* 0.9* 573 mm*0.05) = 23206.5 litres = 23.21 m3 2. Calculating the optimal tank capacity using the idea of holding 18days- worth of demand: Collection tank volume = days storage x average daily demand For the school The à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"Estimating water demands for the hotel and school section and the figures in Chapter 3 show that the overall quantity of water used to flush toilets, irrigate soil and clean is 612 m3 per annum for the school building. This exceeds the estimated annual rainfall harvest. This being the case, the RH tank will provide water for flushing toilet, with the tank storage for 18 days equalling: (268 m3/365 days)*(18 days) = 13.22 m3 For the hotel According to the figures in Chapter 3, the overall average water requirement at the hotel is 3000 m3. The quantity used to flush toilets, irrigate soil and clean amounts to roughly 53% of the hotels water requirement: roughly 1590 m2 per annum. This requirement cannot be covered in total by the RH alone. This being the case, the RH will be limited to cleaning and/or irrigating or to flushing toilets. Even within these limitations, there may not be sufficient rainwater for these tasks. Using the average daily requirement for toilet flushing: the tank storage = (3000 x 0.35) m3/365days x 18 = 51.79 m3 Using the average daily requirement for cleaning or irrigating: the tank storage = (3000 x (0.12 + 0.06)) m3/365days x 18 = 26.63 m3 Using the aforementioned EA (2003) data, a smaller size is optimal. This being the case, if the RH is used to flush toilets, the respective tank sizes for the hotel and the school are going to be 23 m3 and 14 m3. If the method of estimation used is the supply-side method (i.e. it is based upon capacity, overflow and drainage (see the tdix A)), the the optimal respective tank sizes for the hotel and the school will be 35 m3recomm3 m3 and 35 m3ing for these figures is represented bycalculations ad A-3 (seein Appendix A)The selection ultimately made may depend on a combination of these methods of calculation, as well as the price of the tankAfter this, th 4.2 Grey water recycling at the school and the hotel Metcalf and Eddy (1991) refer to two kinds of wastewater. These are grey and black wastewater. Black water has been flushed down toilets, passed through the drainage system and on to treatment plants. Black water is contaminated with more pollutants than grey water. Grey water accounts for all of the wastewater which has not been used to flush toilets (EA, 2003). It can be treated and then reused for flushing toilets or irrigating soil (Metcalf and Eddy, 1991). Both Waggett (2004) and the EA (2008) refer to grey water from washing machines, kitchen sinks and dishwashers as black wastewater, as it is heavily contaminated and can contain large amounts of grease and food particles. Figures 3.1 and 3.3 illustrate that the two buildings will produce grey water at the levels of 55% at the hotel and 32% at the school, 32% and al. (2007) nostate thatis typeg is treated usingrequires biologicalnt systems,by followed by sand filters andts, as the water is heavily contaminatedion because of the high levels treatmeused to flush toilets or irrigate soilThis treated water can be used for toilet flushing and grounwash basins were be colltic decreasing would occur. Collecteequires a physting oninfected sandsith disinfection and membranes suct et al, 2006). This treated watd to flushfor toilets flushing. Figure 4.3: Schematic of the grey water recycling system to be installed (Source: Birks et al., 2001) Grey water is of lower quality than harvested rainwater and always needs treatment before it is used; There areinotgenerally recognised official aegulations regarding grey waters standard of cleanliness before it can be reusedtoPidou et al., 2007) and individual nations decide upon their own minimum quality requirements. Fs it stands, the UK has no official regulations regarding wastewater usageUnfy wain ). Waggett (2004) nostates thahis lack of legislation is a limiting factor to grey and rainwater usage.one of the eyd rainf standards have been put forward by a number of organisations, complicating matters for those wishing to make use of these green solutionsThis makes a sufficient specificationt the subject have found that project planners should ideally set up The majority of the studies available conclude that it is best to operat level of of a health risk exists and what forms of water treatment they should make herefore, the level of treatment required. There are some highly d etailed research papdocor the water quality standards for non-potable water re and greywatergrey water) wn in Appendix B. For the project under consideration here, it would probably be best to gather and treat grey water for use in toilet flushingf Figures 3.2 and 3.3 display the grey water percentages from showers, baths and hand basins as being 28% for the hotel and 2% for the schools As the school produces relatively little grey water, it is probably best not to bother recycling it in the case of this building, for cost effectiveness purposesTrn the scrin it. He hotel pr a significant quantity of grey water, which will be worth reusing. According toTherefore, economically only the greywbe ey water is generallyeopriate technology for community buildings such as schools, libraries, places of worship and community centresà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬?. The health risks associated with This is because of the potential concerns wither, parthildren are likely to be presresponsible for this. cleanliness especially where children are exposed to the water and little greywatergrey watinn technology would no ve in the case ft According to Waggett (2004), non-potable (grey or RH) water can be utilised for sub-surface irrigation, as long as no spray mechanisms are involved. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Direct reuseà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? is another option in areas like laundries (e.g. reusing water from the final rinse for the next washs first rinse). This application may be included in the hotels design and implemented during construction, though many hotels outsource their clothes cleaning services. recycling shows the methodology for the design of the grey water recycling system. The hotels grey water will provide 80% of its total water requirement for flushing toilets (28% grey water compared to 35% needed for flushing), with potable water or rainwater automatically supplementing the produced rrecyclin collectio only at 2s insufficient tof theile (see Figure 4.1). recycling004) noteshows thatandit is possible wateh be used in one water setup, and while this increases the quantity of water collected from that which could be expected from a simple RH system, it creates a need for a larger tank to store all of the water and for a greater quantity of chemicals with which to treat the water, both of which will be costly for the projectand rainwater in the same watys 5.0 Discussion and quantification of options for water conservation at the development site Braithwaite (2006) posits that all developments that aim to be sustainable need to contribute positively to society, be sympathetic to their local environment and ensure that they are cost effective. These factors are referred to as the pillars of sustainable development (Hunt and Rogers, 2005). This part of the report evaluates the potential methods for decreasing the buildings water requirements in terms of their impact upon the aforementioned pillars of sustainable development. The cost effectiveness of the options If less water is required, then less money will be spent on sewage treatment and savings will also be made in terms of spending on water (Otterpohl, 2006). The savings on water will not necessarily be very large, as UK water prices are not high. The savings made by implementing the green technologies would need to be set against the cost of their implementation in order to work out how long it would take for them to financially justify the expenditure. The necessary predictions of expected usage would be difficult to make, particularly for the school building, which would have very low usage during holiday periods. In the case of the school, grey water would probably not be cost effective (as discussed earlier) and would probably need a very long time to make sufficient savings to cover is not co2003) estimate a 30% saving on water expenditure is needed to justify investment in the reuse of grey water and it is unlikely that this would be achieved at the schoolMoreover, at the se kitchen eyecyclis Grey water would, however, be cost effective in hotels; especially big hotels with en-suite accommodation, as customers would consume large quantities of water systems afihite bathrooms and powerful showers an expected part of modern hotels, water consumption is actually higher in the newer establishments, making recycling of non-potable water even more relevantUnlike the majoritutilise treated grey water for toilet flushing when it is busy and revert to its main supply when there are few customer, in order to avoid keeping the grey water in their tank for extended periods. This is common practice in countries with low rainfallrefore, greywatergrey water is The extra setup required to circulate the treated grey water around the hotel would need significant expenditure from those funding the project and this would have to be given serious thought before deciding whether it would pay off in the long term. Rain harvesting setups are fairly commonplace at UK schools, as the water is considered to be fairly clean and the running costs are not too. With a lot of water used for toilet flushing, there would be a need for a big tank at the school, which could lead to a big saving over. To carry out a similar harvesting operation, the hotel would require both a large harvesting area (on the roof) and sufficient room to keep the tank. This would probably not be workable for most hotels. Establishments with swimming pools might consider harvesting and treating water to use in their pool. Social costs The costs to society of these solutions would take the form of problems with their acceptability and/or their reliability (Hunt et al., 2006) (see Appendix C). Environmental costs Braithwaite (2006) views sustainability and environmental protection as being more or less the same thing, with an emphasis upon ensuring that the construction and the running of the buildings is not damaging to the local area going forward. To ensure this does not happen, evaluation of the likely negative externalities of the technologies put forward is needed. Water sustainability for the project might be measured in terms of factors such as impact on the climate, biological diversity and resource depletion. While all of these factors have an environmental aspect to them, climate effects can also create problems in economic terms as well as problems for society in general (Hunt et al., 2006). The recommended technologies need to be beneficial in terms of future sustainability, with emphasis placed on decreasing both the quantity of water that is wasted and the quantity that is obtained from the mains source. Integrated costs On most projects, planners would tend to opt for familiar solutions that are known to be effective over new ones which they might perceive as inherently risky and this might be a factor in the selection made here, particularly in the case of the school, given consideration of the involvement of children (Hunt et al., 2006). As well as the interests of the planners and developers, it is important perhaps most important to give consideration to how the solutions would impact upon the people ultimately using the facilities being discussed. With no official standards for the condition required of non-potable water before it can be used, careful planning is needed to make certain that no errors are made that could potentially cause harm to customers or students. Hotels often take the precaution of labelling water sources such as sinks that provide non-potable water. Another precaution, which might be made use of at the school, would be to use quality gpes (EA, 2008). Prior to selecting one of the options, the projects planners should assess how efficient they are by looking into both how secure and how durable their supply of water will be (Hunt et al., 2006). With the rainfall system being wholly reliant upon the weather, this is quite an insecure option, as unexpectedly dry weather will significantly harm the effectiveness of the solution. This might put off the planners, particularly in the case of the hotel, with grey water reuse preferred due to its greater regularity of supply, regardless of the changing seasons, climate or weather patterns recyclingal., 2006). Therefore 6.0 Conclusions and recommendations The report posits an approach to setting up a sustainable system for managing water at a brownfield development site where a hotel and a school are being constructed. The buildings water requirements are approximated from information provided from the exercise paper and CIRIA report no. C657. The report also considers two alternatives for green technologies to help ensure that the buildings have a sustainable water supply, namely the harvesting of rainfall and the reuse of grey water from the buildings recyclinglutions would both provide non-potable water, with the rainwater of a higher standard than the grey water, which would require treatment before it could be reintroduced to the water system, even for uses not involving human ingestion supplied from thes or regulations regarding RH or grey water quality in the United Kingdom, it would be best to utilise the water for functions such as sub-surface irrigation or flushingAs there are not agreed wateould provide sufficient water to fully supply these functions, but could still significantly supplement the water provided by the mains supplyIn addition, that all these uses can not be fully coven to analyse poteo, there iscription in order to identify the methods of qurnservation at the school and the hotel, ultimately recommending that. water produced by grey water treatment and RH should be utilised for toilet flushing, so as to make savings on water costs and sewage fees. the RH setup is better suited to the school in terms of sustainability, cost effectiveness and viability than the grey water reuse setup and should be implemented at the school with no grey water treatment operation introduced. grey water and RH setups should be implemented for the hotel, either in a combined system or separately, so as to make savings and improve the hotels water sustainability by supplying the establishments toilet flushing function. water costs and sewage fees are fairly cheap, whereas the costs of implementing either of the suggested green solutions are significantly higher, meaning that these technologies are not commonplace in the UK recyclingthe current situation, population growth and environmental changes are likely to create greater water scarcity and make these approaches to the provision of non-potable water far more common, with governments legislating in their support. However, the growi there is a need for the EA, the government or another relevant organisation to set up official regulations for non-potable water quality in the UK.

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A computer is a general purpose device that can be programmed to carry out a set of arithmetic or logical operations. Since a sequence of operations can be readily changed, the computer can solve more than one kind of problem. Conventionally, a computer consists of at least one processing element, typically a central processing unit and some form of memory. The processing element carries out arithmetic and logic operations, and a sequencing and control unit that can change the order of operations based on stored information. Peripheral devices allow information to be retrieved from an external source, and the result of operations saved and retrieved. In World War II, mechanical analog computers were used for specialized military applications. During this time the first electronic digital computers were developed. Originally they were the size of a large room, consuming as much power as several hundred modern personal computers . Modern computers based on integrated circuits are millions to billions of times more capable than the early machines, and occupy a fraction of the space. Simple computers are small enough to fit into mobile devices, and mobile computers can be powered by small batteries. Personal computers in their various forms are icons of the Information Age and are what most people think of as â€Å"computers.† However, the embedded computers found in many devices from MP3 players to fighter aircraft and from toys to industrial robots are the most numerous. History of computing Etymology The first recorded use of the word â€Å"computer† was in 1613 in a book called â€Å"The yong mans gleanings† by English writer Richard Braithwait I haue read the truest computer of Times, and the best Arithmetician that euer breathed, and he... ...e working at Bell Labs in November 1937, Stibitz invented and built a relay-based calculator he dubbed the â€Å"Model K†, which was the first to use binary circuits to perform an arithmetic operation. Later models added greater sophistication including complex arithmetic and programmability. The Atanasoff–Berry Computer was the world's first electronic digital computer, albeit not programmable. Atanasoff is considered to be one of the fathers of the computer. Conceived in 1937 by Iowa State College physics professor John Atanasoff, and built with the assistance of graduate student Clifford Berry, the machine was not programmable, being designed only to solve systems of linear equations. The computer did employ parallel computation. A 1973 court ruling in a patent dispute found that the patent for the 1946 ENIAC computer derived from the Atanasoff–Berry Computer. The fir

Article summary example Essay

Will Rasmussen in the article â€Å"Egypt fights to stem rapid population growth,† writes about Egypt’s dilemma of trying to stop a vastly growing population. Egypt’s population doubled since President Hosni Mubarak took office in 1981 and it’s likely to double to 160 million by 2050. The nation’s growth has been quite high, in recent years the fertility rate is about 3.1 children per woman in contrast to the United States’ 2.1. Most of the country’s 82 million people compressed in urban areas near the Nile River where some districts host 41k people per square kilometer in comparison to the city of Manhattan that holds 27k people per square kilometer. The state’s officials are having a difficult time trying to find solution to the so called â€Å"pressing problem† as journalist and former member of parliament states â€Å"The population explosion is a crisis the government doesn’t know how to handle.† Presid ent Mubarak spoke once in a government sponsored conference about the population increase saying, â€Å"cutting the population growth was urgent.† However, Mubarak doesn’t mention an exact number of children on the other hand the government prefers a family of two. The country’s urgent problem presents many concerns, one of which is the economy. The nation’s financial system is frail as estimated recently to be 7 percent and unfortunately has not been steady enough to construct a middle class. Such economy can’t support a large population whose one fifth is living on less than a 1$ a day. Additionally, Egypt does not processes many resources as it depends heavily on the water from the Nile and imported goods. Many are concerned about the general welfare of the people as Magued Osman, chairman of the cabinet’s Information and Decision Support Center states â€Å"The consequences are areal deterioration in the quality of life and in agriculture land per person.† Furthermore, the government has tried to use incentives to modify the nation’s â€Å"behavior†. A few measures taken to restrict large families maternity benefits that sparked protests. Egypt is not going to legalize abortion which helped Tunisia bring down fertility rate and vasectomy is  barely heard of in the state . Egypt being a predominantly Muslim country, and generally the religion allows contraception. However many Egyptian people oppose the idea of limiting the number of kids to a family. A few believe having a large family is a source of economic strength. Others deem it not for the states or government to decide on such a matter as they say it is up to the creator. Work Cited Rasmussen, Will. â€Å"Egypt Fights to Stem Rapid Population Growth.† The New York Times.The New York Times., n.d. Web. 2 Nov. 2012. .

Canada’s Changing Demographics and the Work Force Essay Example

Canada’s Changing Demographics and the Work Force Essay Example Canada’s Changing Demographics and the Work Force Essay Canada’s Changing Demographics and the Work Force Essay What has happened to Canada’s demographics over the past 50 old ages? Over the past 50 old ages. Canada’s demographics have been fluctuating significantly in footings of age and sex construction. During the mid-twentieth century. the population distribution pyramid was owned by the younger people and young person while the elderlies were non as extremely populated. Now. the pyramid does non even resemble a pyramid ; an addition in life anticipation. and a bead in birthrate rates may account for such a drastic and effectual transmutation. and this sudden bead on the charts represents the big cohorts of the babe boomers. who are now get downing to play. possibly even a somewhat harmful. function in the economic work force. In footings of statistics. these alterations represent good the ripening that has taken topographic point in Canada over the past 50 old ages. Between 1956 and 2006. the average age of the Canadian population went from 27. to 38. 8 old ages. an addition of more than 10 old ages over a span of 50 old ages. By 2056. the average age is expected to make 46. 9 old ages. or 20 old ages more than it was in 1956. In footings of demographics in the work force. during the 3rd one-fourth of the 20th century. there were about 8 grownups between 15 and 64 old ages of age in Canada for each individual aged 65 old ages or over. However. the d emographic dependence ratio for seniors in 2006 was merely over 5 individuals aged 15 to 64 old ages for each individual aged 65 old ages and over. This ratio gives an estimate of how many aged individuals there are in relation to the possible pool of workers. During the last 25 old ages. the ratio has bit by bit yet significantly decreased to its current degree. This downward tendency could besides go on into the hereafter. harmonizing to recent population projections by adept analysts. Regardless of the scenario selected. most projections show a continuance of the diminution of this index of population aging. Harmonizing to the projections. in the twelvemonth 2056 there would be merely 2. working-age individuals for each individual aged 65 old ages or over. an even lower ratio than we are covering with at the present minute. The Issue of Age Discrimination Age favoritism is defined. technically. as the thought of curtailing individuals from acquiring hired. promoted. or discriminated. in a place on the footing of age. It involves inauspicious work intervention of an employee based on a category or class that the employee belon gs to – employees over age 40 – instead than on the employee’s single virtue. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 ( ADEA ) protects certain appliers and employees 40 old ages of age and older from favoritism on the footing of age in engaging. publicity. discharge. compensation. or footings. conditions or privileges of employment. In fact. any action that an employer takes that adversely affects a disproportional figure of employees over 40 is besides age favoritism. Assorted different types of age favoritism do be throughout the work force. It would be reasonable to be knowing on one’s rights in footings of age favoritism to guarantee that future struggles as such are avoided. . Denying Employment: Denying 1s rights on hiring and employment based on their current age ( most instances involve the misjudgement of one’s capablenesss due to inexperience and immature age ) 2. Position-Based Employment: When one is already working for a company and is denied another place. possibly a publicity. within the company based on their current age . 3. Salary-Based Employment: While it is sensible to presume that a individual with more experience and instruction will grok a higher wage. even for making about the same work as another individual. there may be instances where that is non applicable. Some instances involve the act of paying more to one individual while another is making about indistinguishable work yet is being paid lupus erythematosus. yet one individual is significantly older or younger than the other. 4. Housing-Based Solutions: This type of age favoritism is different than others. merely because it is non related to employment. Some communities specifically cater to older grownups. but this is an freedom to lodging favoritism allowed under the Housing for Older Persons Act ( HOPA ) . This is true in many retirement communities. for illustration. for which frequently do non let those younger than age 55 old ages to ain belongings or populate at that place. Current myths sing the older work force employees There do be. nevertheless. many myths about the capablenesss of older workers in the field and how efficient they would be if they were to go on working in the work force as they age. One go arounding myth is that older people can non or will non larn new stuff every bit expeditiously as younger people. which is the most outstanding one of the remainder. A few others include the thought that older people are non flexible or adaptable to the work environment. that older people are less productive. and that older workers are more expensive than younger workers. There has been great argument on both sides of these theories. given that although people do accept that older people should non be discriminated against and limited in footings of the work force. there do still be facets in their work wonts and the resources needed to supply for them in the workplace which are less ideal than if younger people were to be hired alternatively. Some issues that may hold to be dealt with throughout the workplace with older people include more wellness protection. more resources to supply for them. and possibly even more preparation to guarantee that they are non slow in groking the accomplishments necessary for the station ( all of these factors besides relate back to thought of more disbursals in general ) . Labour deficit in Canada Figure 1. Statisticss on the recent survey on Canadian labour deficit by state Figure 1. Statisticss on the recent survey on Canadian labour deficit by state Finally. the instance for occupation deficits in Canada became thinner late with the most recent informations demoing vacancies really fell to 200. 000 at the start of the twelvemonth. significance there were 6. 5 unemployed workers trailing each gap. The fresh information is merely the latest index that seems to undersell authorities and concern statements that Canada is confronting a serious accomplishments and labour deficit. Furthermore. given the fact that older citizens are get downing to retire from their places. there is an increased hazard of labour deficits get downing to emerge. Partss of the economic system such as the nutrient and eating house. oil. and public services industries are get downing to confront such issues. and this country of struggle may even go on to turn over the decennaries. possibly even dispersed and spread out to more parts of the economic system. In footings of action against this issue nevertheless. stairss have already been put into consequence by different organisations and the Canadian authorities. Advancement has been made to cut down barriers to work by supplying revenue enhancement inducements for working Canadians and by modifying Employment Insurance and Guaranteed Income Supplement plans to take punishments for working people. Canadian Prime Minister. Steven Harper. responded that there are certain instances in Canada where there are absolute deficits of workers and that he will ensure the plans put in consequence are reformed so they may non be misused in any manner. The authorities has already begun to take action to farther cut down barriers to work for Canadians. given that Canada’s labour deficit is non merely a accomplishments deficit. but a person-shortage that will hold an progressively negative affect on the economic growing and prosperity of all Canadians. The decreasing immature worker to retired elder-ratio should be a clear indicant that a struggle is. and will be outstanding throughout the following twosome old ages or decennaries in Canada’s e conomic system. and that action must be taken every bit expeditiously as possible to avoid a serious job for both our current and future coevalss.