Economia Verde e Sostenibilità

Green Economy and Sustainability

• Green economy aims for human well-being and social equity, significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological deficits. It's a theoretical model of economic development considering the full environmental impact.
• Circular economy resembles the linear model (resource-production-sales-use-waste), but focuses on repair, reuse, recovery, and recycling to prevent waste-related issues.
• Green jobs are roles in sectors like construction that aim to preserve or restore environmental quality, producing environmentally and naturally friendly goods and services.
• Sustainability connects environmental, social, and economic systems. The sub-systems include ecological economics (efficient resources, local development, fair trade), socioeconomics (health and safety), and socio-natural systems (biodiversity, green building).

Sustainability in Construction

• Construction is a significant source of environmental impact (land use/emissions).
• Building sustainability is assessed through multicriteria scoring.
• NGOs often employ a multicriteria assessment approach focusing on environmental criteria (resource savings, pollution reduction, human health protection).
• LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) – US-based voluntary certificate for sustainable buildings, evaluating site sustainability, water management, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, design innovation, and regional priorities. Scores range from 40 to 110 points.
• BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) – voluntary certificate assessing building environmental performance, covering factors like management, health & wellbeing, energy, transport, water, materials, waste, land use, pollution, and innovation.
• WELL Building Standard – evaluates buildings based on the impact on occupants' health and well-being through concepts like air, water, nourishment, light, movement, comfort, sound, materials, mind, and community. Aims to improve occupant well-being for a more productive environment.
• CasaClima - a multicriteria scoring system for energy efficiency certifications. Was initially used only in Bolzano, Italy, but is now applicable elsewhere.
• LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) - examines environmental impacts along a product's entire life cycle, from resource extraction to disposal. Benefits in precision, comparability, and comprehensive scope; drawbacks in complexity and access to data.
• EU Taxonomy - classifies economic activities based on sustainability, with four conditions required for a sustainable activity: positive contribution to EU environmental goals; minimal negative impact on others; respect of defined technical criteria; and social standards. Uses the entire life-cycle approach for full environmental impact evaluation.
• DNSH Criterion – evaluates a project's positive contribution to EU environmental objectives, avoiding negative impacts on others, and respecting minimum social requirements across its life cycle.

Other Environmental Concepts

• Mitigation addresses reducing or preventing emissions (like recycling and renewable energy) and adaptation addresses responding to unavoidable climate change impacts.
• Life Cycle Thinking/Assessment (LCA) is a method for evaluating a product/building over its complete life span, from raw materials to disposal, to determine and reduce environmental impact.
• Minimum Environmental Criteria (MECs) are mandated minimum criteria for government procurement to support eco-friendly choices and circular economy.
• Life Cycle Costing (LCC) - evaluates all costs associated with the life cycle of a product/building, encompassing direct (e.g., purchase, use, maintenance, disposal) and indirect costs (environmental impact).
• Indoor Air Quality – Indoor air quality is investigated regarding potential indoor air contaminants. Sources can be external (atmosphere), human activities (tobacco, cleaning agents or detergents), from building materials and furnishings, or from building systems. Chemicals, physical hazards, and biological agents should be considered.
• Green building materials – certain building materials have minimal environmental impact. The material's entire lifecycle must be considered, in addition to its lifecycle in a specific structure.
• Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) - a document containing factual, comparable, and reliable information on a product's environmental performance. It can be used for lifecycle assessments and evaluating environmental impact.
• Carbon Footprint – expresses the total greenhouse gas emissions from a product or process. A company may manage the carbon through a process called "carbon neutrality".
• ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) criteria – evaluate activities regarding social, environmental, and governance aspects to assess their sustainability.
• Cradle to cradle – imitates natural cycles in industrial models to minimize resource consumption, convert production into more sustainable forms, and create biocompatible materials.

Sustainability in Public Procurement

• Green public procurement (GPP) - a strategy for environmental policies influencing market demand through public procurement of goods and services.
• Environmental minimum criteria (CAMs) - standards to support the purchase of goods and services with lower environmental impact. Includes a description of the goal and how compliance is confirmed.
• Minimum environmental criteria are mandated for public authorities and businesses, aiming to promote a circular economy and sustainability.
• CAMs are addressed in the planning, design, and evaluation stages of the procurement process.

Work Safety and Health

• Work safety and health (OSH) legislation aims to prevent accidents, illnesses (e.g., from materials), and to reduce all work-related injury and illness.
• Employer (including contractors) responsibilities include risk assessment, prevention planning, work equipment, supervision, and training.
• Worker responsibilities include respecting procedures, using safety equipment, and reporting hazards.
• DUVRI (Work Safety and Health plan) – contains risk assessment, prevention, emergency planning, and mitigation measures, related to potential worker/building hazards.
• The responsibility of implementing DUVRI, when required, rests with the project owner.

Waste Management

• Demolitions and constructions produce waste; separation from construction sites is critical for recycling.
• Waste must be appropriately classified and sorted for recycling/reuse/disposal.
• Reuse and recycling materials from demolition reduce resource depletion and waste generation.

Urban Regeneration and Site Remediation

• Urban regeneration and site remediation – refers to the restoration of contaminated sites, including processes, criteria, and procedures for the elimination or reduction of contamination. Procedures for handling site contamination, and the definition of contaminated land.
• Criteria to understand the site's level of contamination.

Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Blockchain

• BIM - digital process for detailed building project information; integrates 3D modelling, scheduling, cost management, and sustainability analysis.
• Blockchain – technology for secure and decentralized information sharing, enabling secure and transparent BIM data management.

Communication

• Communication involves verbal, nonverbal, and paraverbal elements. These elements may clash due to unconscious biases and cultural differences.
• Active Listening, superficial listening, or partial listening can lead to misunderstandings.
• Non-violent Communication is a system of understanding and expressing needs that builds effective relationships. The method focuses on identifying needs and requesting the change needed, not on criticising or blaming others.
• Emotional Intelligence is the ability to understand, manage, and express emotions in oneself and others for greater effectiveness in decision-making. Also includes self-awareness, self-regulation, social skills, empathy, and motivation.