The construction sector represents one of the most significant contributors to global waste produ... more The construction sector represents one of the most significant contributors to global waste production and is responsible for over 30% of the waste that ends up in landfill. Sending construction waste to landfill results in a broad range of environmental consequences including: degradation of land, habitat destruction, contamination of soil and groundwater, and release of methane. There is a growing awareness of the need to divert construction and demolition (C&D) waste from landfill for reuse or recycling. This helps maximise the value of the resources embodied in these materials and reduce the demand for virgin raw materials and the associated environment effects resulting from their extraction, processing and manufacture. However, diversion of C&D waste to reuse or recycling in remote communities can be difficult and costly. This poses a significant challenge for improving the environmental performance of construction waste management in these communities. A housing refurbishment project in Alice Springs, a remote town in central Australia, was used to identify the barriers associated with improving the environmental performance of construction waste management in remote communities. This study considers the materials removed as part of the demolition phase of the project. Material types and quantities were documented and on-site and off-site waste management practices observed. Reasons for waste management decisions were recorded. The study identified a range of barriers to improving the environmental performance of construction waste management in remote communities. These include cost and time associated with on-site waste management, industry culture, lack of education, competing project priorities, and lack of financial incentive. Greater incentives to encourage the diversion of C&D waste from landfill are needed, in particular. This and other strategies for improving construction waste management practices in remote communities must be targeted at the context of individual communities though, due to their unique characteristics.
ABSTRACT: Increasing physical activity is a crucial preventive strategy to develop young children... more ABSTRACT: Increasing physical activity is a crucial preventive strategy to develop young children's health habits across their lifespan. Participation in physical activity, particularly among children, not only reduces obesity but also contributes to the prevention of chronic diseases. One way of establishing early habits of physical activity is by increasing active play in preschool children. Limited evidence exists at the preschool level on young children's use of preschool playgrounds, and even less on seasonal variation of play. This pilot study aimed to map activity levels of three to five-year olds in a preschool playground in order to identify physical activity levels undertaken in the outdoor play areas and how these physical activities varied across seasons. The findings indicate a variation in play patterns and activity levels in different seasons and highlight the need for a larger research study that examines this phenomenon in more diverse contexts. More importantly, the findings suggest the need for appropriate methodologies that can best capture data for examining the relationship between the physical environment of preschool playgrounds and improved physical activity outcomes in young children.
As the use of solar systems as an alternate source of energy increases, so too does the volume of... more As the use of solar systems as an alternate source of energy increases, so too does the volume of waste from decommissioned systems. While several options have been suggested as solutions for the end of life of solar systems in terms of their component elements in urban regions, there is little discussion of managing waste arising in regional areas where volumes are often below necessary thresholds. This paper discusses why solar energy systems in Australia’s Northern Territory are being removed and how they are disposed of. Results suggest that there are several social and economic reasons for their removal, as it is not just a matter of failure to generate electric power. Since solar energy generation waste is a new problem, there are few or no social mechanisms in place to manage this waste. The results of this study highlight the need for addressing this gap. This paper inquires into, and attempts to formulate an early definition of this newly emergent social problem, conceptual...
... 17 Kirtee Shah, "Agenda 21 for Sustainable Contruction in Developing Countries -... more ... 17 Kirtee Shah, "Agenda 21 for Sustainable Contruction in Developing Countries - the Indian ... 20 David Lloyd Jones, Architecture and the Environment: Bioclimatic Building Design (London ... 27 Wilfried Wang, "Sustainability Is a Cultural Problem," Harvard Design Magazine 18, no ...
Construction and demolition (C&D) waste is a critical issue nationally where it forms more than o... more Construction and demolition (C&D) waste is a critical issue nationally where it forms more than one third of the total waste generated. Several town councils and other regulatory authorities have developed policies towards construction and demolition material recovery and resource efficiency. However the situation with C&D waste is very different in the Northern Territory, especially in remote regional centres such as Alice Springs. Whereas metropolitan centres are now able to recycle 40% of the C&D waste, Alice Springs only manages to salvage 2%. This paper argues that there is need for context specific approaches to construction and demolition waste management in remote regional centres because of barriers arising out of the physicality of the location. To this extent, This paper aims to identify the current building waste streams in Alice Springs as well as understand the stakeholders’ behaviour towards reducing building waste.
International journal of environmental research and public health, Feb 4, 2017
Preterm birth (born before 37 completed weeks of gestation) is one of the leading causes of death... more Preterm birth (born before 37 completed weeks of gestation) is one of the leading causes of death among children under 5 years of age. Several recent studies have examined the association between extreme temperature and preterm births, but there have been almost no such studies in arid Australia. In this paper, we explore the potential association between exposures to extreme temperatures during the last 3 weeks of pregnancy in a Central Australian town. An immediate effect of temperature exposure is observed with an increased relative risk of 1%-2% when the maximum temperature exceeded the 90th percentile of the summer season maximum temperature data. Delayed effects are also observed closer to 3 weeks before delivery when the relative risks tend to increase exponentially. Immediate risks to preterm birth are also observed for cold temperature exposures (0 to -6 °C), with an increased relative risk of up to 10%. In the future, Central Australia will face more hot days and less cold...
International journal of environmental research and public health, Feb 4, 2017
Preterm birth (born before 37 completed weeks of gestation) is one of the leading causes of death... more Preterm birth (born before 37 completed weeks of gestation) is one of the leading causes of death among children under 5 years of age. Several recent studies have examined the association between extreme temperature and preterm births, but there have been almost no such studies in arid Australia. In this paper, we explore the potential association between exposures to extreme temperatures during the last 3 weeks of pregnancy in a Central Australian town. An immediate effect of temperature exposure is observed with an increased relative risk of 1%-2% when the maximum temperature exceeded the 90th percentile of the summer season maximum temperature data. Delayed effects are also observed closer to 3 weeks before delivery when the relative risks tend to increase exponentially. Immediate risks to preterm birth are also observed for cold temperature exposures (0 to -6 °C), with an increased relative risk of up to 10%. In the future, Central Australia will face more hot days and less cold...
The construction sector represents one of the most significant contributors to global waste produ... more The construction sector represents one of the most significant contributors to global waste production and is responsible for over 30% of the waste that ends up in landfill. Sending construction waste to landfill results in a broad range of environmental consequences including: degradation of land, habitat destruction, contamination of soil and groundwater, and release of methane. There is a growing awareness of the need to divert construction and demolition (C&D) waste from landfill for reuse or recycling. This helps maximise the value of the resources embodied in these materials and reduce the demand for virgin raw materials and the associated environment effects resulting from their extraction, processing and manufacture. However, diversion of C&D waste to reuse or recycling in remote communities can be difficult and costly. This poses a significant challenge for improving the environmental performance of construction waste management in these communities. A housing refurbishment project in Alice Springs, a remote town in central Australia, was used to identify the barriers associated with improving the environmental performance of construction waste management in remote communities. This study considers the materials removed as part of the demolition phase of the project. Material types and quantities were documented and on-site and off-site waste management practices observed. Reasons for waste management decisions were recorded. The study identified a range of barriers to improving the environmental performance of construction waste management in remote communities. These include cost and time associated with on-site waste management, industry culture, lack of education, competing project priorities, and lack of financial incentive. Greater incentives to encourage the diversion of C&D waste from landfill are needed, in particular. This and other strategies for improving construction waste management practices in remote communities must be targeted at the context of individual communities though, due to their unique characteristics.
ABSTRACT: Increasing physical activity is a crucial preventive strategy to develop young children... more ABSTRACT: Increasing physical activity is a crucial preventive strategy to develop young children's health habits across their lifespan. Participation in physical activity, particularly among children, not only reduces obesity but also contributes to the prevention of chronic diseases. One way of establishing early habits of physical activity is by increasing active play in preschool children. Limited evidence exists at the preschool level on young children's use of preschool playgrounds, and even less on seasonal variation of play. This pilot study aimed to map activity levels of three to five-year olds in a preschool playground in order to identify physical activity levels undertaken in the outdoor play areas and how these physical activities varied across seasons. The findings indicate a variation in play patterns and activity levels in different seasons and highlight the need for a larger research study that examines this phenomenon in more diverse contexts. More importantly, the findings suggest the need for appropriate methodologies that can best capture data for examining the relationship between the physical environment of preschool playgrounds and improved physical activity outcomes in young children.
As the use of solar systems as an alternate source of energy increases, so too does the volume of... more As the use of solar systems as an alternate source of energy increases, so too does the volume of waste from decommissioned systems. While several options have been suggested as solutions for the end of life of solar systems in terms of their component elements in urban regions, there is little discussion of managing waste arising in regional areas where volumes are often below necessary thresholds. This paper discusses why solar energy systems in Australia’s Northern Territory are being removed and how they are disposed of. Results suggest that there are several social and economic reasons for their removal, as it is not just a matter of failure to generate electric power. Since solar energy generation waste is a new problem, there are few or no social mechanisms in place to manage this waste. The results of this study highlight the need for addressing this gap. This paper inquires into, and attempts to formulate an early definition of this newly emergent social problem, conceptual...
... 17 Kirtee Shah, "Agenda 21 for Sustainable Contruction in Developing Countries -... more ... 17 Kirtee Shah, "Agenda 21 for Sustainable Contruction in Developing Countries - the Indian ... 20 David Lloyd Jones, Architecture and the Environment: Bioclimatic Building Design (London ... 27 Wilfried Wang, "Sustainability Is a Cultural Problem," Harvard Design Magazine 18, no ...
Construction and demolition (C&D) waste is a critical issue nationally where it forms more than o... more Construction and demolition (C&D) waste is a critical issue nationally where it forms more than one third of the total waste generated. Several town councils and other regulatory authorities have developed policies towards construction and demolition material recovery and resource efficiency. However the situation with C&D waste is very different in the Northern Territory, especially in remote regional centres such as Alice Springs. Whereas metropolitan centres are now able to recycle 40% of the C&D waste, Alice Springs only manages to salvage 2%. This paper argues that there is need for context specific approaches to construction and demolition waste management in remote regional centres because of barriers arising out of the physicality of the location. To this extent, This paper aims to identify the current building waste streams in Alice Springs as well as understand the stakeholders’ behaviour towards reducing building waste.
International journal of environmental research and public health, Feb 4, 2017
Preterm birth (born before 37 completed weeks of gestation) is one of the leading causes of death... more Preterm birth (born before 37 completed weeks of gestation) is one of the leading causes of death among children under 5 years of age. Several recent studies have examined the association between extreme temperature and preterm births, but there have been almost no such studies in arid Australia. In this paper, we explore the potential association between exposures to extreme temperatures during the last 3 weeks of pregnancy in a Central Australian town. An immediate effect of temperature exposure is observed with an increased relative risk of 1%-2% when the maximum temperature exceeded the 90th percentile of the summer season maximum temperature data. Delayed effects are also observed closer to 3 weeks before delivery when the relative risks tend to increase exponentially. Immediate risks to preterm birth are also observed for cold temperature exposures (0 to -6 °C), with an increased relative risk of up to 10%. In the future, Central Australia will face more hot days and less cold...
International journal of environmental research and public health, Feb 4, 2017
Preterm birth (born before 37 completed weeks of gestation) is one of the leading causes of death... more Preterm birth (born before 37 completed weeks of gestation) is one of the leading causes of death among children under 5 years of age. Several recent studies have examined the association between extreme temperature and preterm births, but there have been almost no such studies in arid Australia. In this paper, we explore the potential association between exposures to extreme temperatures during the last 3 weeks of pregnancy in a Central Australian town. An immediate effect of temperature exposure is observed with an increased relative risk of 1%-2% when the maximum temperature exceeded the 90th percentile of the summer season maximum temperature data. Delayed effects are also observed closer to 3 weeks before delivery when the relative risks tend to increase exponentially. Immediate risks to preterm birth are also observed for cold temperature exposures (0 to -6 °C), with an increased relative risk of up to 10%. In the future, Central Australia will face more hot days and less cold...
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Peer Reviewed Journal Articles (& Proceedings) by Deepika Mathur
Papers by Deepika Mathur