Integration, ecological principle

The integration of new metagenomic data related to microbial diversity, and potential for new bioreactor designs based on ecological principles for mixed cultures of multispecies of microbes, represents the greatest potential for developing new bioprocesses and bioproducts for large-scale implementation and production (Shuler... 

It is clear that the idealism set out initially in the principles of organic agriculture has had to be tempered by practical considerations. The standards adopted have to aim for a balance between the desire of consumers for organic products and considerations of ethical and ecological integrity and the practical and financial needs of producers. As a result, synthetic vitamins are now allowed in organic poultry feeds, with some restrictions. 

The pollution prevention principle presupposes that all environmental pressure is potentially harmful. Conservative approaches are necessary to protect the environment because multiple stressors due to the presence of low concentrations of more than one substance or unexpected effects of metabolites (e.g., hormone disruption) can never be excluded. This opinion is in line with the community conditioning hypothesis (Matthews et al. 1996), which states that ecological communities tend to preserve information about every event in their history, including stress by substances. It is also in line with the rivet hypothesis (Ehrlich and Ehrlich 1981), which presupposes that each loss of a species (equivalent to a rivet in the analogy) affects ecosystem integrity to a small extent, and, if too many rivets are lost, the system collapses. 

Einhellig, F. A. 1999. An integrated view of allelochemicals amid multiple stresses. In Inderjit, Dakshini, K. M. M., and Foy, C. F. (Eds.), Principles and practices in plant ecology Allelochemical interactions. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 479-494... 

The new Water Framework Direaive (WFD, Directive 2000/60/EQ marks a change in Community water policy towards a coherent and integrated framework for assessment, monitoring, and management of all surface waters and groundwater based on their ecological and chemical stams. The taigets and principles set out in Directive 91/414/EEC for pesticides were translated into objectives for all waters and will be implemented on a rivet basin scale. With the adoption of the WFD, Community water policy is based firmly on the precautionary principle and the sustainable use of water. 

The framework of Westkamper et al. takes up the principle of sustainable business and the consideration of the entire product life cycle. Its vision is to regard technical products or machines over their entire life cycle (see Fig. 1). In doing so, the provision of consistent data and information on the entire life cycle is of special importance (Westkamper et al. 2000 Niemann 2003). The aim of this kind of life cycle management is an ecological and economic optimization over the entire product life cycle. Therefore, all involved actors must be integrated into the life cycle phase development, production, use, and service, as well as recycling and reuse. 

Three-tier approach University of Surrey Dedicated lectures and tutorials on sustainable development, specific case studies and integration of sustainabUity into the overall curriculum, integration of different sustainability criteria into conventional design approach using life cycle thinking, industrial ecology approach, and appropriate ethical principles... 

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