Dynamic Strategies
Exploring the Potential of Cow Dung-Based Bricks: A Sustainable Solution for Eco-friendly Housing
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Namrata Agrahari
There is a need to strike a balance between progress and environmental concerns. Research for environmentally friendly technologies should take the front stage. Discussion should address the challenge of meeting housing demand while ensuring eco-friendly quality housing. A cow dung-based brick is an example of sustainable building material with multiple benefits and low carbon footprint. Need to focus on the importance of promoting reuse of renewable resources like cow dung to preserve the ecosystem. Thermal insulation and durability are additional benefits of cow dung bricks. This paper provides a scientific assessment of cow-dung based bricks, an increase in the optimum compressive strength over the time due to the presence of lime. Using a compression testing machine and the conventional test procedures for burnt clay bricks, sixty specimens of cow dung bricks in twenty distinct combinations were tested. The cow dung bricks were found to lack a clear yield point and brittle failure pattern in contrast to the burnt clay bricks. Based on the outcomes of the tests, the following combinations proved to be most effective: 50% clay and 50% cow dung, 50% clay and 45% clay and 5% lime, 50% cow dung and 40% clay and 10% lime,50% cow dung and 35% clay and 15% lime, and 60% clay and 25% lime. Once the ideal ratio of clay, lime, and cow dung has been established best combinations give more strength over time. The ideal ratio of the components based on thermal efficiency factors will be determined by additional testing.
Indigenous Peoples´ Environmental Justice as Decolonisation of Economics.: The Prior Consultation, Labour and Local Cooperation in Colombia as a Perspective of Well-being View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Ricardo Gomez
The global overheat have called the attention over fragility of the mankind. This statement suggests that the very idea of economics has been unable to conciliate preservation of natural resources and sustainability of life. Indigenous people try to work hand in hand with alternative processes of production and consumption that are ecosystems sustainable. In this regard the idea of environmental justice under the conceptions of indigenous peoples will be very useful to this aim. Having this in mind, the argument of this paper shows that the understanding of life for the Awá group suggest an idea of environmental-justice as an alternative way to conventional economic processes. In order to show these relations, I explain the PC process implemented in the case of the Awá indigenous community. In fact, the protection of environmental justice embodied in indigenous ethnic ways has become a cultural right that, on the one hand, is fundamental for the existence of the indigenous communities and, on the other, must be protected since it represents a way to overcome the occidental idea of progress. Put it otherwise, the conventional idea of development implies a paradox. Western economic modernity, in order to create more growth and wealth, requires the destruction sociocultural capital and, therefore, becomes a universal and neo-colonial project in the name of political economy. The notions of well-being and cosmovision incorporated in the Awá community´s perspective of justice indeed have plenty to say about the imbroglio bringing by this paradox.
The Role of Natural Infrastructure in Protecting Urban Cultural Resources in Baltimore, Maryland View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Bria Pope
This research project evaluates how natural infrastructure, such as wetlands and oyster reefs, protect significant cultural sites in Baltimore, Maryland from the impacts of climate change and coastal erosion. Spatial data on natural and built infrastructure, as well as cultural resources, were compiled and analyzed using GIS mapping. The results indicate that wetlands provide the most protection, with 41.06% of cultural resources located within 200 meters. In contrast, contemporary oyster infrastructure only protects 0.48% of historical resources in the same proximity, highlighting the loss of this important natural buffer. The analysis also reveals concentrations of cultural resources and natural infrastructure across the region, informing opportunities to integrate environmental restoration and cultural preservation efforts. This project lays the groundwork for future research to enhance community resilience strategies and environmental policy.
Rewilding Cities: Challenging Our Instincts, Saving the Planet
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Jeronimo Mejia
Urban development has distanced cities from nature, prioritizing aesthetics and convenience over environmental sustainability. This session explores how urban planning shaped by our prehistoric instincts and consumer-driven tendencies has led to unsustainable, hard-surfaced environments. We examine the limitations of conventional practices, discuss the ecological and economic benefits of managing existing urban infrastructure, and consider innovative approaches to integrate nature back into our cities. We explore strategies to rethink urban spaces, focusing on overlapping planning interests and integrating natural systems into existing cityscapes. Attendees will discover innovative approaches to creating biodiverse environments using facades, rooftops, and porous landscapes that serve both people and wildlife. Practical examples will illustrate how simple design adjustments, such as openings for small animals or facades designed for plant growth, can transform urban areas into ecosystems. This session also emphasizes the importance of sustainable materials like recycled plastics and corten steel, offering insights into their advantages, limitations, and role in a closed-loop economy. Participants will learn how to balance environmental needs with functional urban design, ensuring cities work for both their inhabitants and the broader ecosystem. Together, we’ll challenge traditional construction practices and embrace a future where flora, fauna, and humans coexist harmoniously in rewilded cities.
