In all human civilizations building and constructions were central components in human life with continuous struggle for sustainable comfort living in harmony with nature. As the concept of sustainability did not exist in the same way as we know it today, ancient solutions were based on practical use of naturally available materials in combination with the sun as source of heat and thermal energy. Climate/weather conditions played major rules in building and construction and people adapted living to their environment.

The Egyptian Pyramids, temples and living rooms were built more than 4500 years ago with zero energy consumption, zero carbon dioxide emissions and no toxic waste. How the Pyramids and those buildings were built is still matter of speculation and debate. According to historical data ancient Egyptians built the Giza Pyramids; Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure in a span of 85 years in the 26th century BC. How such sustainable technology was mastered is still a mystery what regards saving energy, water and environment.
Most of current problems today are related to implementation and use of technologies whether or not suitable for the environments. Because of this, the conform of modern technology comes with very high price in terms of economy, environment and above all an enormous loss of cultural and locally based building codes that developed throughout several generations. Only, in few cases where enough resources and investments exist there are successful examples, however it remains to see how such solution can be expanded on larger scales. The “world’s first carbon neutral zero-waste city” is slowly becoming a reality of epic proportions. The prototypical sustainable city, Masdar, is currently under construction twenty miles outside of Abu Dhabi. When finished, the city will be powered entirely by renewable energy, making it one of the world’s most sustainable urban developments. The city has its own sustainability-driven research center, which is devoted to the development of alternative energy (http://youtu.be/FyghLnbp20U).

Among most recent advances in building material is a new type of cement that is based on Pozzolan, which can be found in nature from volcanic deposits. Also, industrial waste from iron and power plans can be recycled and used in producing green cement. Green cements, as compared to OPC “ordinary Portland cement”, are very energy and water saving, environmentally much more friendly with no waste remains and no emissions of GHG. Also, have enormous advantages especially what regards production cost, mechanical properties, duration and maintainance. Modern technology can produce sustainable building materials, green cement, for erection of complicated structures that have excellent durability but in much much faster time as compared to ancient civilizations. Currently, the best possible sustainable building materials can bring about energy saving of more that 90% with very near zero carbon dioxide emission and zero waste remains.

To understand the importance of Pozzolan in modern technologies for production of green cement one has to back 2000 years ago. The Romans at that time started making concrete but it wasn’t quite like today’s concrete. They had a different formula that resulted in not as strong as our modern concrete. Yet structures like the Pantheon and the Colosseum have survived for centuries, often with little to no maintenance. Geologists, archaeologists and engineers have arrived a key component in the Roman’s concrete: volcanic ash. Usually,  three parts volcanic ash were mixed to one part lime, according to Vitruvius, first-century B.C. architect and engineer. Modern research shows that the very secret of durability of the buildings of the Roman Empire was due to the chemical composition of concretes made with Pozzolan, i.e. the ash’s unique mix of minerals appears to have helped concrete to withstand chemical decay and damage. For information (http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-secrets-of-ancient-romes-buildings-234992/).

In all human civilizations building and constructions were central components in human life with continuous struggle for sustainable comfort living in harmony with nature. We give here only some few examples. As the concept of sustainability did not exist in the same way as we know it today, ancient solutions were based on practical use of naturally available materials in combination with the sun as source of heat, the wind as source of mechanical and thermal energy. Climate/weather conditions played major rules in building and construction and people adapted their living to the environment.

The Egyptian Pyramids, temples and living rooms were built more than 4500 years ago with zero energy consumption, zero carbon dioxide emissions and no toxic waste. How the Pyramids and those buildings were built is still matter of speculation and debate. According to historical data ancient Egyptians built the Giza Pyramids; Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure in a span of 85 years in the 26th century BC. How such sustainable technology was mastered is still a mystery what regards saving energy, water and environment.

Traditionally other cultures have always adapted sustainable and eco-friendly methods, e.g. Indian architecture, designing and planning, in constructions. Living in harmony with nature has been an integral part of Indian culture, e.g. what regards waste disposal, light and temperature control, use of local materials, kitchen gardens and low carbon print.

Environmentally conscious buildings have been around for much longer than the public debut of our modern environmental crisis. Since the early 19th century, residents of Yazd, Iran, have been using wind as an alternative energy source to cool their homes on warm summer days. A ‘windcatcher’ is an ancient Persian architectural element used in various central and southeastern towns and cities in Iran, where the majority of the ecological fabric are made up of deserts. In deserts, the temperature varies greatly between day and night, with windcatchers becoming essential for keeping homes at a consistently comfortable temperature. Also, for the region located in northeast Iran at the foot of Mount Sahand, the mound-like homes are carved from volcanic rock, meaning that most of the materials needed to construct them were already located on site. Technically, the dwellings aren’t true underground homes since a portion of them sits above ground, but since much of the living space is buried, inhabitants can expect cooler temperatures during the day without having to jack up the air conditioning (and saving a lot of energy). Similar volcanic structures with carved homes/villages exist also in Turkey.

In certain parts of the world, wood was always a popular building material, e.g. in Scadinavia. Yet the use of wood is seldom seen amongst the modern or classic constructions. Due to a series of destructive fires in the 15th century, the use of timber as an architectural material was banned for sometime. Danish non-profit organization Realdania Byg commissioned Vandkunsten architecture studio to design a holiday house that combines the most up-to-date construction techniques with local traditional materials. The architects designed and built a traditional house clad in seaweed—a material that was once used in hundreds of homes on then Danish island of Læsø, of which only 20 remain today.

Most of current problems today is that people implement and use technologies whether or not suitable for their environments. Because of this the conform of modern technology comes with very high price in terms of economy, environment and above the enormous loss of cultural and locally based building codes that developed throughout several generations. Only, in few cases where enough resources and investments exist there are successful examples, however it remains to see how such solutions can be expanded on larger scales. The “world’s first carbon neutral zero-waste city” is slowly becoming a reality of epic proportions. The prototypical sustainable city, Masdar, is currently under construction twenty miles outside of Abu Dhabi. When finished, the city will be powered entirely by renewable energy, making it one of the world’s most sustainable urban developments. The city has its own sustainability-driven research center, which is devoted to the development of alternative energy (http://youtu.be/FyghLnbp20U).

Among most recent advances in building material is a new type of cement that is based on Pozzolan, which can be found in nature from volcanic deposits. Also, industrial waste from iron and power plans can be recycled and used in producing green cement. Green cements, as compared to OPC “ordinary Portland cement”, are very energy and water saving, environmentally much more friendly with no waste remains and no emissions of GHG. Also, have enormous advantages especially what regards production cost, mechanical properties, duration and maintainance. Modern technology can produce sustainable building materials for erection of complicated structures that have excellent durability but in much much faster time as compared to ancient civilizations. Currently, the best possible sustainable building materials can bring about energy saving of more that 90% with very near zero carbon dioxide emission and zero waste remians.

Additional new comers in green cement era is effective production and construction through automation and 3D Printing technologies (http://inhabitat.com/3d-printed-quake-column-draws-on-ancient-incan-building-techniques-to-withstand-earthquakes/). Architecture is tapping into 3D printing technology in a major way through the production of building elements and structural components. Recent developments have also begun to work on creating seismically resistant structures. California-based architecture firm Emerging Objects has developed a design called the Quake Column, which draws on the ancient Incan building technique known as “ashlar” and merges it with modern technology.

GCC countries (Gulf Cooperation Council) are moving faster to SuperGreen solutions in building and construction projects.

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) and the Emirates Green Building Council are strengthening cooperation for supporting a green economy in Dubai and the sustainable development of the Emirate. All future trends support the Green Economy for Sustainable Development initiative, launched by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

Follow the news:

http://www.albawaba.com/print/business/pr/dewa-and-emirates-green-building-council-discuss-promoting-green-economy-695944

With increasing worldwide population and predictions that 75% of the world population will be living in cities by the year 2050, building towards the sky can be unavoidable necessity. That would require more durable constructions and materials with appropriate building and architecture solutions. Future  Cities would require management policies with balanced policies consumption/waste versus protection/conservation of nature in accepted social context. Http://sustain-earth.com

Among the consequences of economy driven policies in ASEAN countries is the increasing economic gaps between countries in the region. For sustainable large-scale and long-term socio-economic developments it is vital to promote less developed countries as well. Shift from commercially driven agriculture to new technologies where the regional natural resources are not only used sufficiently but, also, sustainably managed in a manner that respect traditional systems of the rural areas. 

Commercialization always has some draw-backs as well, e.g. depletion soil fertility, and excessive use of chemical fertilizer, herbicides and pesticides with long-term impacts and threats on ecosystems in different ways. Strategies need to be implemented to create sustainable and profitable farming systems that realize the existence of vital rural societies in tact with the natural functioning and metabolism of natural eco-systems and in harmony with existing biodiversity.
https://www.jircas.affrc.go.jp/english/program/proC_1.html

For humans safety and security are not options in life but they are basic necessities. We love things when they are good, i.e. have add-value, being safe and secure for us. We hate things when they are bad.

However, it is always a dilemma for us and a continuous challenge everyday, everywhere, to know and to judge when things are good or not? In modern times, these issues are being amplified and the threats facing us have been accelerating and expanding enormously. This is not per se because science is unable to provide the best possible answers and solutions. Science is only an instruments that we can shape, reshape, form and reform as well as to refine for our benefits and welfare of humans. Meanwhile, it is a paradox to judge how science is being used by industries, and how it impacts on the complex chain of market interactions and the communication between politicians, entrepreneurs, stakeholders and the users in general.

Without hesitation Information Communication Technology “ICT” is establishing itself more and more as essential and imperative technology of enormous impacts on everyday life everywhere. Uses and applications will continue to increase and even accelerate with further expansion and propagation in all aspects of our everyday life needs. The so-called “wireless appliances” are penetrating more and more deep in our lives. The debate on whether or not wireless technology (http://www.online-edge.co.uk/wireless-security.html) is safe for all of us, including all ages, and under all conditions and circumstances is becoming more and more intensive and contradicting. Are all threats related directly to levels of electromagnetics radiation? or are the threats indirectly related to how wireless tools are being used or the way how we perceive, respond and use ICT in our lives. In this context, there is an increasing mistrust somewhere in the chain of communication science-technology-industry-entrepreneurship-market-politics-users.

Dr. Olle Johansson, M.D., Stockholm Sweden, world famous for being responsible for awarding the Nobel Prize in medicine, has studied the effects of mobile phones, Wifi etc on humans since over 20 years. He finds that the brain tumor issue is a minor thing compared to many other harmful effects including genetic damage, sleep disturbances, reduced learning capacity, concentration difficulties and psychological problems. Professor Johansson is also critical about the politicians taking risks with the whole population in spite of repeated earnest warnings from scientists. He points out that the level of eclectromagnetic exposure that humans are exposed to is huge compared with what has been there for very long periods of time. The question for science is why do we do research? Why sometines the research is acceptable by politicians and sometimes not? In this case, if radiation from wireless tools is not dangerous, then a large number of high quality scientific papers reporting harmful effects of the radiation hazards must be wrong, but it is highly unlikely. 

Here are the detail: (http://www.psrast.org/mobileng/mobilstarteng.htm) see also (http://www.takebackyourpower.net/news/2014/10/23/experts-and-doctors-warn-pregnant-women-and-children-wireless/).

Sustainability has been part of the human awareness since the birth of the ancient man on planet Earth. The instinct for survival and wellbeing has never been crystallized in well-structured components for building up webs of instrumental coordinated solutions until the 1980s with the introduction of the most widely quoted and used definition of sustainability. An imperative and collective need put forward by the Brundtland Commission of the United Nations in 1987: “sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” 

The Earth is a unique planet in our universe with complex functioning structure of systems that support the evolution of complex webs of metabolic processes for sustaining all living forms on Earth.

 The man has always struggled for his survival on earth and in particular to get access to and to secure affordable food resources not only for himself but for the new comers as well.

After and during the industrial revolutions, the focus of humans was directed mostly on technical issues to free mankind from manual work, to find resources and technology for  basic necessities through mechanical and machinery work. The Man realized the role of science and technology for his wellbeing and since the nineteen and twenty centuries the advances in science and technology emerged more and more to be the only inevitable route for improving the living conditions. This didn’t come for free and price and costs for humans started to be huge with clear finger-print on the accelerating divergence of the three basic drivering wheels of sustainability: economy, environment and social drivers. 

Economic interests resulted in increasing consumption of natural resources with severe impacts on degradation of the environment because of increasing waste and pollution, and piling up of social defects in particular the remarkable failure in erasing global poverty. These along with enormous indicators of the declining natural resources as being defined by the so-called resource “peaks”.
 

The divergence and fragmentation of these drivers and spheres brought considerable, and yet, accelerating threat for the survival of humans.  The net result of what humans achieved in science, technology, policies and politics were in direct conflict with not only the search for wellbeing but also the very basic needs for survival.

The major spheres of the functioning and metabolism of all life forms on earth were  brought out of their natural equilibrium, e.g. the atmosphere with an increasing temperature because of global warming.

Global warming and accelerating production of waste and pollution have caused enormous damage on the hydrophere with irreversible effects on the ecological resources where humans are dependent on, e.g. fish.

The growing human population still induces additional challenges for achieving the goals for global sustainability developments.

The era of sustainable developments has already started but it is still in its infancy and the needs of the necessary knowledge are enormous in particular what regards building the underlying science and technology as well as the associated management policies in all sectors and on all levels.

For more information on sustainability visit: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainability

Http://sustain-earth.com” is an integrated coherent platform for Applied sustainability. Interests and efforts put by its coordinator and manager of started already through a simple experiment at the age of fourteen. As a young student, at Abo-Tyg/Assiut secondary school, starting to learn chemistry I bought a small amount of hydrochloric acid from my pocket money. I added the acid to a soil sample from the garden, it was a violent reaction in the test tube with evolution of gases. An exciting experiment where drew my attention with the conclusion that there must be geochemical reactions taking place in the environment. This in addition to continuous observations from summer holidays that I spent at the village of my grandfather, Cairo’s Waraa. Some local industries, farmers and poor people of the village, as is the case for many other villages on the Nile, used or you may say “abused” the water of the Nile to do their household needs, e.g. cleaning, washing animal and the removal of waste in general. These events and my experience of the continuous lack of water in the very arid environments prevailing in southern parts of Egypt as it rains one per decade etched an enormous early interest that caused gearing my early geology, chemistry and physics university education towards research on environmental waste, pollution and their impacts on global aquatic systems.

This resulted in an academic career in Environmental Physics a discipline that I created myself with further created further work in Applied Sustainability.

University education around the world is undergoing tectonic shifts by being more and more dependent on the Internet. Data given below illustrate the incredible impacts of the Internet on higher education. Such trends will even continue to expand more and more in the near future especially with consideration that ICT will not only mean communication between individuals and humans but would expand connecting machines to each others and to humans as well. With the expansion of modern ICT technology in terms of solutions, applications, infra-structures and architecture students would not need to be physically available on the campus as much as before. On-line services will continue to expand in terms of content and quality. However, it is not clear how ICT will influence the over-all economic costs of the educational services.
http://www.edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2012/07/incredible-impact-internet-higher-education-infographic

Water and nutrients are essentials for the evolution and sustainability of life on earth. The magic, secrets and drivers of life on earth are not human inventions. Human innovation is merely restricted to accelerating the natural metabolic processes on earth, e.g. production of food in agriculture, animal husbandry and fisheries, beyond natural rates and limits. The growing global population and the underlying industrial and economic systems continue to fuel the so-called human innovation towards a never ending spiral for more and more unsustainable consumption of the natural resources.

Humans can not servive on earth without clean water, healthy environment and sustainable food production. However, these requirements can only be fulfilled through sustained production and consumption of energy and natural resources for supporting the basic needs for humans, e.g. housing, education, health, transport and communication. What originally started for the benefits of human developments turned out to major threats for human survival because of increasing waste and pollution from use and abuse of the natural resources.
Humans have interfered in the natural functioning and metabolism of all life forms on earth with negative impacts on essential and global biogeochemical cycles. Examples are: global warming as resulted from malfunctioning of the global carbon-cycle. Degradation in O-cycle (oxygen cycle) is also remarkable because of unfit and polluted air in urbanized living areas, in particular cities as result of expansion of traffic and transport systems and random industrial activities; poor access to oxygen in aquatic systems because of eutrophication in aquatic systems and excessive use of fertilizers on land; enhanced photo-reactions in the atmosphere with the associated negative impacts of tropospheric production of ozone.

Declining reserves of natural phosphorous, are among emerging threats, because of increasing production and use of this limited natural resource with irreversible impacts on P-cycle. Agricultural and industrial nitrogen inputs to the environment currently exceed inputs from natural N fixation. The impacts of anthropogenic N-inputs have significantly altered the global N-cycle over the past century. Global atmospheric N₂O have increased from pre-industrial levels where most of which are due to the agricultural sector.

Human activities have major effects on the global S-cycle. The burning of coal, natural gas and other fossil fuels has greatly increased the amounts of sulphur in the atmosphere,?ocean and depleted the sedimentary rock sink, i.e. instead of being burned at steadily rates. Over most polluted areas there has been a 30-fold increase in sulfate deposition. The enhanced sulphur and nitrogen oxides in the atmosphere is causing negative impacts through acidification of aquatic systems with global negative feedback effects on aquatic life and vegetation.

All in all quality of global land-water resources are under accelerating threats from pollution  and waste.

http://www.flatheadwatershed.org/natural_history/natcycles.shtml 

The emerging economies are like express trains, if you don’t catch one of these trains you will left behind with an old ticket worth nothing.

All of the so-called emerging economies suffer from increasing poverty. The fast developing economies in these countries and regions do not leave enough time for coordinating all the necessary instruments and tools to provide sustainable social-economic infra-structures.

http://www.poverties.org/urban-poverty-in-india.html#gallery[pageGallery]/2/

Education on all levels has been a major focus for attention and recognition around the world especially in the recent decades. It is without hesitation an enormous privilege for anyone of us to get the necessary time and resources required to join education at any level. University, higher education and professional training are becoming key instruments of increasing importance for joining not only the labor market but the global social community in large. Such evolution is a result of four major factors: (1) accelerating motivation and wishes to take part in global social-media and socio-economic debates where safety, security and peace are central components; (2) the emerging global transfer and adaptation to sustainable societies where environment and social issues are becoming major components in shaping and re-shaping world economy; (3) accelerating participation of the population, investors and expertise from the new emerging and growing economies and markets; (4) the growing public awareness of gender issues, the increasing pressures for erasing poverty, integration of marginalized groups and mitigation of increasing social- segregation resulted from religious and ethnic  conflicts. 

Education has enormous power to empower individuals in many aspects. This, also, creates huge pressures on political systems and policy-makers to respond promptly to the non-ending needs of more informed young generations facing a totally new different and demanding future.

However, we should not be naive and ignore the increaing threats, anti-actions and hostile behavior of conservative powers, interests and groups around the world. There are clear demonstrations and evidence for more and more threats from terrorist attacks against education on all levels especially in Africa and the MENA region. Unfortunately, these attacks started to becmore and more organized and coordinated thus making huge pressures for finding collective actions, policies and strategies for productive and sustainable solutions. Kenya, Mali, Nigeria and other countries in the MENA region as well as Pakistan, and even in Europe and the USA are some examples. 

The most recent of these terrorist attacks is what happened at Garissa University College in Kenya on Thursday 2 April 2015 where 147 students were killed and at least 79 people were wounded. The European University Association invites and encourages all European universities to observe one minute’s silence today, Monday 27 April 2015, 12:00 CET, in remembrance of all those killed and affected by such barbaric attack. This is certainly not enough, sustainable and more effective long-term and large-scale solutions need to be found.

http://agenda.unamur.be/upevent.2015-04-23.4513461659 

Preparing yourself for higher studies and for embarking on new “Career-Development-Plans, e.g. at universities, requires careful planning and robust management plans to meet occasional, and probably frequent  constrains of, tight “time and economy” budgets. In advance preparations of housing, local transportation, how to solve unexpected socially, economically and knowledge related obstacles are essential. To have quick strategies and solutions, of how, who and when, are essential for continuity in your studies and “Career-Development-Plans.

One of the major challenges in our lives is always the same for all of us and converges to making proper decisions in critical transitional periods. Some examples are changing schools in connection with ending one stage of education and embarking on a new and different one; changing destination to study in  a new country with a different culture and language; or even moving into a new city and leaving behind your social network of friends and relatives. Major parts of your security and safety will be freely given up in exchange of new challenges and opportunities. This will mean new risks and threats but unlimited opportunities for major breakthroughs as well. In a society we are always surrounded with devils and engels, so the social game dictates to sort out which is which to survive the critical periods and to create new security and safety shelters.

“Student finance” is a major issue that you need to be prepared for and here are some facts about it (https://lnkd.in/bewFByd). It is also good to get a great deal of real advices from experienced international students, e.g. as the case described here at the University of Michigan. In this case, support and guidance from the International Center, and the Rackham Graduate School, were  provided to ease the cultural transition that generally confornt all international students. Specially what regards adjusting to a new culture, expanding the network of friends and connecting with the international community in large (http://youtu.be/bmTawu5anH8).

  

The Internet and WWW provide enormous inspiration by being inevitable sources and indispensable visual-aided instruments for the transfer of knowledge. Modern ICT has unlimited and far unpredictable benefits not only what regards on-line education but also for more dynamic and effective application of science and technology. H2H “human-to-human” and M2M “machine-to-machine” communication are emerging more and more on their own and in combinations with an ever increasing flora of automation in industry, trade and household applications.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2072572/A-little-drop-magic-One-woman-turns-drops-water-mushrooms-aliens–Spider-Man.html

People around the well have insufficient access to clean water because they do not have the energy resources to get it up, to or at home and to have it clean!

Follow “sustain-earth.com” to be informed and inform on the importance of understanding what water-energy nexus means for giving life to humans.

In the ongoing process of globalization there are organized and coordinated webs and chains of worldwide gangs supported by instrumental legal and illegal interplay of misconduct forming a wide-range of global criminality, forced slavery and severe poverty. It is hard to find words to describe such accelerating trends that keep generating huge number of lost generation and victims. it is, indeed, far beyond what is known as human rights violation (https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Thomas_Pogge/publication/248818301_Severe_Poverty_as_a_Human_Rights_Violation/links/02e7e53435abc5ca8d000000.pdf).

Some examples of everyday products made with slave labor are chocolate, rubber, coffee, tobacco, electronics, diamonds, pornography, shrimps, carpets and palm oil. In the chain of processing these products forced slave labor often involves children (boys and girls) of ages down to four years with inhuman working conditions up to 18 hours a day, and more or less all the year around, with promised money that may never see. Such slave labor, adopted or sold, come from many countries in the so-called developing world, e.g. Ivory Cost, Liberia, Colombia, Dominican republic, Guatemala, Guinea, Honduras, Kazakhstan, Argentina, Brazil, Indonesia, Kenya, Lebanon, Uganda, Mexico, Thai, Philippine, Nigeria,  Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Pakistan, the Middle East and many others. Such slave labor, amounts to 250 000 000 individuals, i.e. quarter of a billion, are lost generations and victims associated with the modern globalization process for serving the export markets such as Europe and the USA. They can suffer hard, cruel conditions and treatments as soldiers, prostitutes, domestic services, agriculture, construction, textile or carpet production. They can be exposed to severe physical and mental violence, chronic and painful damages and diseases, and with guarded threat of death. Many sources claim severe unethical practices even by leading and famous companies such as Marlboro, Apple and Foxconn. (http://youtu.be/nNY2Vl8jUjU).