OER: Sustainability: Environmental Business Imperatives

 Another new Open Education Resource (OER) has been made available by the School of Science and Technology, University of Northampton.

Sustainability: Environmental Business Imperatives

http://find.jorum.ac.uk/resources/19120

Author: Professor Margaret Bates
Created: 7 July 2014, by School of Science & Technology and Northampton Business School, The University of Northampton

This video outlines the drivers for resource efficiency for business including raw materials scarcity and economic imperatives. The savings that can be made by more efficient use of raw materials, energy and waste are highlighted. Case study examples are given to show how different sectors have achieved resource efficiency and moved towards a circular model of resource use.

Licence: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

Other OERs

Open Educational Resources: Problem solving 

Open Education Resource: Properties of Ultrasonic Waves

Open Educational Resource: Pollution And Pollutants 

All views are the authors, and may not reflect the views of any organisation the author is connected with in any way.

URB@N Project: Evaluation of the barriers and opportunities for wastes management distance learning courses

The School of Science and Technology, University of Northampton has funding from URB@N for three projects. URB@N stands for ‘Undergraduate Research Bursaries at Northampton’. It is a bursary scheme offering opportunities for current undergraduate students to participate in a pedagogic research project taking place at the university. Details of one of these projects is included here.

Evaluation of the barriers and opportunities for wastes management distance learning courses

Staff Involved:

Terry Tudor

Paul Cox

Nigel Freestone

Louise Maxwell

Ruth Copeland-Phillips

Margaret Bates

Overview:

In recent years there has been increasing emphasis globally on managing the

environment, particularly wastes, in a more sustainable manner. Linked to

this has been a desire to increase the competencies and skills of individuals

in the field of environmental management and more specifically wastes

management. The Department of Environmental and Geographical Sciences,

at the University currently offers a range of environmental management

courses, with a growing provision of distance learning. Indeed, within the

past few months, the Department has been approached by universities in

India, Kenya, Nigeria, Iraq and China, with requests for provision of waste

management course. However, it is not possible to deliver by traditional

classroom based methods in all interested institutions. The Wastes Team is

therefore looking at a range of alternative delivery methods including, but not

limited to, blended learning, flying faculty and distance learning. We wish to

undertake research into the perception and logistics of wastes management

course delivery by distance learning so that we can better meet the student

expectations and enhance their learning experiences. The project’s main

objectives are to:

Examine the key socio-economic, cultural and logistical factors that

might influence the successful uptake of alternative delivery methods in

waste management courses

Identify possible strategies to overcome these factors which would

facilitate an enhanced student experience.

For more information about this project go to Evaluation of the barriers and opportunities for wastes management distance learning courses

More details about URB@N can be found at: http://www.northampton.ac.uk/urban

Science bursary students work with School of Science and Technology

Two students from Rushden Community College and Bishops Stopford Sixth Form, Kettering, have undertaken four week placements with The University of Northampton's School of Science and Technology, by the Nuffield Science Bursaries scheme .

• Ben Durrant (Rushden Community College) has been working on 3D modelling and creative design with the NVision team; NVision is a state-of-the-art facility with specialist services to help companies develop and promote their products using the latest 3D modelling and visualisation capabilities, part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

•  Hayley Stevenson (Bishops Stopford)  has been working with Dr Scott Turner, Senior Lecturer in Computing, and Dr Margaret Bates, Manager of the Centre for Sustainable Wastes Management, on the Junkbots programme. Junkbots is a challenge for schoolchildren to use waste materials to create, and then program, simple robots, and the scheme has reached out to hundreds of children across Northamptonshire. For more detail about what Hayley did see her blog (including videos and pictures of her work):  http://junkbots-hayleystevenson.blogspot.com/

Nuffield Science Bursaries offer up to 1,000 funded places a year, so that students across the UK can get a practical insight into the world of scientific research and development. Northamptonshire had nine places.

For more detail see the full article at: http://www.northampton.ac.uk/news/article/206/science-bursary-students-work-with-3d-modelling-and-robots