Sustainable Concrete Environmental Studies Coursework

Sustainable Concrete Environmental Studies - Coursework Example This industry has been identified as causing massive environmental damages within the production area. The materials used like cement produce a lot of dust and, therefore, contribute greatly to this pollution. Gore & Steffen (2008) states that with the current issues of climate change and global warming, this industry are faced with a surmountable task of alienating itself from the effects of climate change. This raises the issue of ‘going green’ – manufacturing using eco-friendly procedures and operations. Challenges Industrialization in the recent years shows an immense impact on the environment. There have been some positive effects as well as negative ones. The negative effects of industrialization on the environment continue to cause the players within the industry acclaimed nightmares. In the manufacturing industry, top among the environmental concerns has been the emission of greenhouse gases. These gases have been identified as a leading cause of pollution to the ozone layer. The effects of these emissions have become evident around the globe with adverse effects of global warming becoming a reality as time progresses (Edward, 2006). Immense pressure continues to pile for manufacturers to adopt manufacturing methods showing low levels of carbon emissions. Concrete manufacturing industry also faces the challenge of dust which causes chest infections while contributing to environmental degradation. The adoption of sustainable manufacturing processes seems to be an invention in the right direction. A relative pollution reduction level has been achieved by the industry players who have adopted the culture of sustainable manufacturing. Sustainable manufacturing can be defined as the new way of doing business in the manufacturing industry (Frank-Martin and Peattie, 2009). It ensures that, while organizations adopt new environment friendly sources of energy, competitiveness is maintained by the business. Most manufacturers do this by improv ing their processes and products as well. The process of production poses a bigger challenge to the environment than the product. The method most manufactures have adopted to achieve sustainable manufacturing has been the use of 3Rs (reduce, recycle reuse). This method aims at reducing emission of wastes, finding uses for the waste products and recycling any manufactured item which can be recycled. The challenges posed by this approach are still enormous. The company would make a shift into manufacturing using sustainable production methods. It aims at reducing the amount of emission it delivers to the environment. Dust produced by concrete manufacturing plant needs to be controlled. Through the control of the amount of dust emitted, the company shall be able to achieve environmentally sustainable production level. This level can be marked by reduced emissions and pollution from a single plant. The company can install air compression facilities on the machines used for production. T hese facilities shall ensure the machine produces smaller amounts of air into the environment. The air produced by machines has been identified as what blows dust into the environment. Through compression, the level of dust emission shall be reduced leading to reduced dust pollution from the plant as a whole. In the UK construction and demolitions, have been identified as the two biggest waste streams. The impact of this has a direct impact on the concrete production industry. Managing this waste would significantly

Business Article review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Business Article review - Essay Example The Department of Labor reported that unit labor costs increased by 1.4% while inflation-adjusted compensation rose to only 0.4 %. The higher rate of increases in productivity relative to the mount in hourly wage indicates that "companies are still able to keep a significant share of productivity gains for themselves and their investors." An implication of this is that companies are able to keep a larger share of their revenue as gross profits which can dampen the possibility of inflation as they allow companies to absorb more costs. However, the article also recognized that as companies have strong pricing power, they are hesitant in absorbing higher input costs but are inclined to pass these costs to consumers. The decline in the number of unemployed is indicative of a strong job market (Whitehouse). The article revealed the interrelation of different macroeconomic variables in the society as well as showed how the economic climate affects the position and decision making of business entities. The concepts such as inflation, productivity, and employment levels which are presently tackled in the class and their relationships are more elucidated and understood in the business article. Theoretically, labor productivity and wages are closely li