The number of local energy initiatives in the Netherlands is rising. The so called ‘Buurkrachtbuurten’ are contributing to this growth. ‘Buurkracht’ is a non-profit organisation aiming to support neighbourhoods in their attempts to reduce energy consumption. Their goal is save as much energy as possible …

The development of the World Wide Web, the emergence of social media and Big Data have led to a rising amount of data. Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) affect the environment in various ways. Their energy consumption is growing exponentially, with and without the use of ‘green’ energy. …

Global awareness on energy consumption and the environmental impacts of fossil fuels boost actions and create more supportive policies towards sustainable energy systems, in the last energy outlook, by the International Energy Agency, it was forecasted totals of 3600 GW from 2016 to 2040 of global deployment …

Sustainable consumption is interlinked with sustainable production. This chapter will introduce the closed-loop production, the circular economy, the steady state economy, and Cradle to Cradle (C2C) models of production. It will reflect on the key blockages to a meaningful sustainable production and …

According to the critics of conventional sustainability models, particularly within the business context, it is questionable whether the objective of balancing the social, economic and environmental triad is feasible, and whether human equality and prosperity (as well as population growth) can be achieved …

In PowerMatching City, the leading Dutch smart grid project, 40 households participated in a field laboratory designed for sustainable living. The participating households were equipped with various decentralized energy sources (PV and micro combined heat-power units), hybrid heat pumps, smart appliances, …

SummaryThe built environment accounts for 40% of the total energy consumption and over 38% of the totalcarbon dioxide emissions. Fortunately, the role of environmental sustainability has increased in thereal estate sector but unfortunately it is falling behind on implementing sustainability policies.Therefor …

There are many different uses of the term sustainability as well as its derivatives, such as social sustainability, environmental sustainability, sustainable development, sustainable living, sustainable future, and many others. Literally, the word sustainability means the capacity to support, maintain …

Stricter environmental policies, increased energy prices and depletion of resources are forcing industries to look for bio-based and low carbon footprint products. For industries, flax is interesting resource since it is light, strong, environmental friendly and renewable. From flax plant to fiber products …

Philips strives to make the world healthier and more sustainable through innovation, in both advanced and emerging markets. There are major differences between these worlds, also in healthcare. This is mainly the result of the limited resources in the emerging countries and the lack of availability of …