Asia families seeking to plug sustainability advice gap

Ruminant production systems have been facing the sustainability challenge, namely, how to maintain or even increase production while reducing their environmental footprint, and improving social acceptability. One currently discussed option is to encourage farmers to follow agroecological principles, that is, to take advantage of ecological processes to reduce inputs and farm wastes, while preserving natural resources, and using this diversity to increase system resilience. However, these principles need to be made more practical. Here, we present the procedure undertaken for the collaborative construction of an agroecological diagnostic grid for dairy systems with a focus on the mountain farming relying on the use of semi-natural grasslands.

Sustainability factors are critical to successful project outcomes in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry, from exceeding performance requirements to improving cost control. Building design and construction stakeholders are faced with global challenges regarding limited resources and the impact of development on the surrounding environment. This panel will explore where responsibility for sustainability outcomes lies as we experience the convergence of design, engineering, and construction teams in common data environments. We will discuss the state of the industry in terms of solution maturity for advanced building insights on topics such as embodied carbon, resiliency, and materiality. We will also seek to understand key workflows that meet financial project goals while addressing environmental concerns and uncovering sustainability outcomes at the intersection of performance and ethics.