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One of the major conflicts of the era that is not often highlighted for public debate is whether we want an economy that privatizes government services and public resources and continues to concentrate wealth; or whether we want to develop an economic democracy that invests in the public interest and creates shared prosperity. Journalist Ted Koppel summarized the privatization trend: "We are privatizing ourselves into one disaster after another…. We've privatized a lot of what our military is doing. We've privatized a lot of what our intelligence agencies are doing. We've privatized our very prison system in many parts of the country. We're privatizing the health system within those prisons. And it's not working well." RELATED SITES: http://thecrownmanag.livejournal.com/ https://groups.diigo.com/group/the-capital-crown-management/

The environment is the complex set of physical, geographic, biological, social, cultural and political conditions that surround an individual or organism and that determine its form and the nature of its survival. The environment influences how people live and how societies. For that reason, people, progress, economic development and environment are closely linked. More Info: http://crowncapitaleco.tumblr.com/ Environmental economics is a sub-field of economics concerned with environmental issues. Environmental economics undertakes theoretical studies of the economics effects on natural or local environmental policies around the world, particular issues include the costs and benefits of alternative environmental policies to deal with air pollution, water quality, toxic substance, solid waste, and global warming (National Bureau of Economic Research). Environmental issues in Pakistan threaten the population's health and have been disturbing the balance between economic development and environmental protection. The environmental conditions in Pakistan are a matter of great concern. A number of serious environmental problems present in our country, which are of great ecological concern in terms of sustainable economic future. These are water pollution from raw sewage, industrial, limited natural fresh water resources, solid erosion, pesticide misuse, deforestation, desertification and urban pollution. Environment has never been matter of concern for Pakistan and the tendency goes further chronic as all mainstream political parties, bracing for participation in the forthcoming polls, have placed environment issues at the bottom of their draft manifestos. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), adopted in 1992 and entered into force in 1994 and as a result the adoption of Kyoto Protocol initially in 1997 (which later entered into force on February 16, 2005) has dubbed it necessary for all to have more vibrant climate change policies at

By Kim Brinck & Susanne Wellington Hansen Again and again we hear the message that resources are scarce, and that we have to ensure that they are not lost in our waste. Explanations as to which resources we are talking about and how we avoid wasting them, however, are in short supply. Waste may contain many different resources depending on origin and prior use. The resources of waste may be considered a material resource, an energy resource or a nutrient resource, and typically a waste fraction will comprise a mixture of these in varying quantities. When evaluated from a materials and nutrients point of view, however, many waste fractions do not contain any significant recyclable resources without them first being subjected to thorough sorting and cleaning processes - processes which both economically and in terms of energy are very costly. At modern waste to energy facilities with combined heat and power production a highly efficient recovery of the most important resource of these waste fractions - energy - can be ensured. When material resources are recycled, an actual environmental benefit only occurs if it results in savings of virgin materials. Similarly, for it to be an environmental benefit, the recovery of energy has to supplant other energy production whereby the consumption of fuels and/or materials is spared. Despite global efforts to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels by developing alternative renewable energy production, the production of both power and district heating, will in the coming 20 years continue to be broadly based on the use of fossil fuels. This is why the utilisation of the energy resource present in waste both saves the consumption of fossil fuels and the emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs). Even though many European countries are planning a conversion of their energy production from being fossil fuel based to being biofuel based, energy recovery from waste will continue to be an environmental benefit as it will save bio resources, w

During a region-wide blackout in 2011, the lights at the University of California, San Diego, stayed on. Thanks to its campus microgrid, UCSD has achieved near self-sufficiency in energy generation and distribution, lowered energy costs, made energy provision more reliable, and proven that computerized management can easily integrate new sources of energy-like solar panels-into a utility grid. "It's almost like plug and play. You decide what you want to feed in in terms of alternative energy sources, and as long as you put in this advanced micro-grid that can manage [energy] and modulate when you use it, it becomes a very effective tool," says Gary Matthews, vice chancellor for resource management and planning. The UC-San Diego microgrid has evolved over time. When the campus was under construction in the 1960s, university leaders decided to manage buildings as a system, rather than connecting them individually to the local power grid. About 12 years ago, the university added a cogeneration plant. Today, some 200 energy meters monitor energy in individual buildings, and a computerized management system allows facilities staff to fine-tune energy delivery depending on use patterns. Researchers and corporations are closely watching the electric grid, which has become a living demonstration of how to manage a diverse energy mix that includes solar panels, fuels cells and electric car charging stations. The microgrid saves hundreds of thousands of dollars each month, according to the university, and protects laboratory and hospital space from the threat of power outages. Although it's expensive to install an energy management system this comprehensive, utility companies nationwide are starting to invest in household 'smart' meters they hope will make energy delivery more responsive to demand. Group Related: http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Crown-Eco-Management-4661507