Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
was envisaged that ERM graduates would contribute to ensuring a more sustain-
able environment.
1.2 Aim of this Volume
A decade after the ERM programme was initiated at BTU, an alumni conference
was held in October 2008. It had two objectives: 1) Facilitate networking among
ERM alumni and, 2) Distil experiences, challenges and perspectives of alumni in
applying their knowledge and skills. Subsequently, this volume has two aims: 1)
Expose some of the research outputs of BTU ERM alumni and, 2) Present per-
spectives and critical questions of alumni as agents of change in ERM, focusing in
what they perceive as limits to ERM application. Whilst the former contribution is
a snap window to showcase research applications of BTU ERM alumni, the latter
is more novel. This is because it is questioning how agents of ERM interact with
phenomena and other actors within the arena in which ERM is practiced. This
represents a level of awareness and perception that is often lacking, as agents of
ERM have traditionally been subsumed into the existing and dominant perspec-
tives, without significant scrutiny of their roles and reality (see Huber 2008;
Davidson and Frickel 2004). Dominant perspectives in this case refer to the pre-
vailing knowledge, attitudes and practices held within ERM working and re-
searching environments.
Through these two aims, the editors hope not only to distribute output from
ERM alumni, but also to start an earnest debate into the agency of ERM actors in
managing the environment and its resources. In this context, it is assumed that sys-
tematic research interest will develop in the field of unpacking the fundamentals,
constraints and driving forces that determine the application and subsequent effec-
tiveness of ERM agents. The research results can provide empirical bases on
which ERM study programmes and/or working environments can be problema-
tised and/or reviewed in order to more effectively deliver the objectives of ERM.
The intended audience of this volume is wide and includes not just potential ERM
students who want to understand how ERM is being applied but also targets teach-
ers of ERM who want to understand the roles and perceptions of ERM alumni at
work. The volume is also relevant to researchers who can take up the challenge of
unpacking the constraints and limitations that may inhibit the effectiveness of
ERM agents. This is important if ERM graduates are to be re-tooled as more ef-
fective agents of change towards sustainable stewardship of the environment and
its natural resources.
1.3 Outline of this Volume
This volume brings together twenty-one ERM-related chapters with 17 (81%) of
them focusing on various issues of energy e.g. innovative technologies, wind, so-
Search WWH ::
Custom Search