Journal of Sustainable Development Studies

Journal of Sustainable Development Studies is a peer-reviewed journal that publishes papers in all aspects of sustainable development, including: Environmental sustainability, Economic sustainability, Social and cultural sustainability.

Journal Homepage Image

Vol 14 (2021)

Table of Contents

Articles

A Planning Framework for Municipal Solid Waste Disposal Decision-Making PDF
Patrick Aaniamenga Bowan

This study presents a framework for sustainable planning and decision-making for municipal solid waste (MSW) disposal in the context of developing countries. The framework was developed through a detailed study of MSW disposal in Ghana, using the Wa Municipality as a case study. The methodology and research design for the study was a descriptive and interpretive case study that was analysed through both qualitative and quantitative research methods. The developed framework consists of three main pillars of solid waste management (SWM) elements: MSW generation and characteristics, the baseline scenario of MSW disposal, and MSW disposal environmental performance. The framework can assist waste management decision-makers to take the guesswork out of decisions for waste management planning in developing countries, as the framework incorporates a better picture of how a current waste management system works and what effects changes could have, through an integrated environmental performance evaluation. Furthermore, the application of the framework has the potential to increase the level of decision-makers’ awareness of the environmental burdens of MSW disposal and possibly lead to the reduction of the future undesirable environmental effects of MSW disposal in some developing countries.

Awareness and Application of Green Building Concepts by Construction Industry Stakeholders of Sub-Saharan African Countries PDF
Lee Felix Anzagira, Daniel Y. Duah, Edward Badu
The notoriety of the construction industry regarding its impacts on the environment has brought to limelight the need for green buildings (GB). GB practices have become topical as the best vehicle for addressing these negative impacts by reducing CO2 emissions, minimising water and energy consumption amongst other benefits. Ignorance of the implementation of green building concepts (GBCs) in developing countries like Ghana accounts for a very slow pace of uptake as opposed to the developed country counterparts. This paper investigates the awareness and application of GBCs among Ghana Construction Industry (GCI) stakeholders. The data for the study was elicited via questionnaire survey of 292 stakeholders. The results indicate 88.4% of the respondents have previous knowledge of GBC with 69.2% of them indicating GB is environmentally friendly. The study revealed GCI stakeholders’ awareness of GBC is high with energy efficiency and indoor environmental quality recording the highest awareness rates of 97.6% and 93.8% respectively. The extent of application of GBCs in Ghana is moderate with energy efficiency and indoor environmental quality highest with relative importance indices of 0.680 and 0.660 respectively. It found the One Airport Square building, Accra is the most popular GB in Ghana. The internet is the most effective medium of disseminating and creating awareness of GB. The findings of this study is useful for stakeholders desirous to improving the momentum of GB uptake in the GCI. This study adds to the body of knowledge as the first study on GB in Ghana context involving all major stakeholders.



Copyright © 2020 Infinity Press. All rights reserved.