Maslow Hierarchy Speech

Topic: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Specific Purpose: The purpose is to allow the audience to understand how true happiness, or self-actualization, can be achieved. Introduction Attention Materials: Many times I have wondered what is true happiness. Is there such thing as true happiness? Can it even be attained if there is such a thing? Is it more of fulfilling desires, or satisfying psychological needs? Every person attempts to realize happiness in its fullest essence. It seems like today people are too busy trying to get rich. Nowadays it is believed that happiness lies in that new mansion, or a nice Ferrari.People are mistakingly assuming that wealth will bring to them a personal significance in which they will achieve happiness. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs actually limits the relationship between happiness and material possessions. Abraham Harold Maslow is a humanist psychologist who taught at Brandeis University, Brooklyn College, New School for Social Research and Columbia University. He stressed the importance of focusing on the positive qualities in people, as opposed to treating them as a â€Å"bag of symptoms. † It is believed that happiness, or self-actualization as Abraham Maslow calls it, is more of a mental and psychological thing.If you’re a psychology major you probably heard the term a couple of times, but I’d like to expand a little more about it. Thesis Statement: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs explains that happiness is achieved through a series of steps. Preview: We will look through the steps suggested by Abraham Maslow in order to achieve true happiness. (First, lets talk about the first step of the hierarchy, the most basic of human needs. ) Body I. Maslow’s Hierarchy consists of five levels. A. Physiological needs, which are basic human needs such as hunger, thirst, and avoidance of pain. . For the most part, physiological needs are obvious – they are the literal requirements for human survival. If these requirements are not met, the human body simply cannot continue to function. 2. Physiological needs are the most prepotent of all the other needs. Therefore, the human that lacks food, love, esteem, or safety would consider the food the most important. B. Safety needs, such as the need for secure housing and protection from weather. 1. With their physical needs relatively satisfied, the individual's safety needs take precedence and dominate behavior. 2.In the absence of physical safety – due to war, natural disaster, or, in cases of family violence, childhood abuse, etc. – people experience post-traumatic stress disorder. 3. This level is more likely to be found in children because they have a greater need to feel safe. C. Love and Belongingness, such as emotional intimacy, friendships, and social connections. 1. After physiological and safety needs are fulfilled, the third layer of human needs are interpersonal and involve feelings of belongingness . 2. People have an emotional need that they need to fulfill, and without this there will be a gap in the persons psychological wellbeing.D. Esteem Needs, such as the need for the respect of one’s peers, status, or approval. 1. All humans have a need to be respected and to have self-esteem and self-respect. 2. People need to engage themselves to gain recognition and have an activity or activities that give the person a sense of contribution, to feel self-valued, be it in a profession or hobby. E. Last, but not least, Self-Actualization, which is the fulfillment of ones individual potential. 1. Since no two people are exactly alike, the drive for self-actualization leads people in different directions. . For some, self-actualization may mean creating works of art; for others, striving on the playing field, in the classroom, or in the corporate setting. 3. Not all of us climb to the top of the hierarchy; we don’t all achieve self-actualization. II. However, our needs may not be ordered in a fixed manner, as Maslow would suggest. A. An artist might go for days with little if any nourishment in order to complete a new work. B. People may limit constrain their social life to focus their energies on seeking status or prestige in their careers. C.Maslow might counter that eventually the emptiness of their emotional lives would motivate them to fill the gap. D. Despite its limitations, Maslow’s model leads us to recognize that human behavior is motivated by higher pursuits as well as satisfaction of basic needs. (Transition: Now what does this all mean? ) III. This means that in order to actually attain happiness, a person must achieve psychological, as well as physical needs to the fullest extent of their capabilities. A. Most of us college students are in the Esteem level. 1. We all have our group of friends that we meet up with after class, or on the weekends. . And we are working on this college degree, which would one day hopefully lead us to a satisfying career. 3. What are we here for? We are here to gain prestige and achieve as much as we can to prove to others and ourselves that we are fulfilling our potential. B. When we get that position we are looking for or have a job that brings status as well as stability to our lives, then we can move on to achieving the highest level of happiness. 1. After you start a family and have a stable career to support your family with, you can begin to look for the next level of the hierarchy. 2.That next level of hierarchy is actually realizing that you are at that level. 3. Looking back at your life realizing that you have all the other levels satisfied brings peace to your mind. 4. Bringing yourself to the highest level you can as a human being, or fulfilling your potential is what brings you that ultimate happiness. 5. Knowing that you did the most you can, as a human being will allow you relax and achieve that happiness. 6. After all, all this work and efforts your putting into school is really just in order to reach a point in life where you are satisfied with what you have done.

Africa Essay

Between 600-1450, Africa went from governments with increased wealth from trade with varying religious traditions, also with some beliefs of polytheism; to governments with extensive powerful bureaucracies with many people converting to Islam. the more advanced forms of government ,trade and local traditions however, remained constant. Prior to the introduction of Islam as a religion, there were various belief systems with animistic beliefs. There was also some polytheism as well as monotheism. all the traditional religions remained, although Islam became the more prominent religion. Islam became an important religion because of trade and umayyad conquest out of the middle East into North Africa . Islam also became the more important religion because of the Kings of Ghana and later Mali, who had converted because it benefited them in that they got more money. The conversion of authority figures influenced people to convert, as well as they were convinced by an authority figure . The introduction of Islam and the connection to trade routes in the Dar-Al-Islam marked a turning point for Africa. During this time, after the fall of Rome, the power vacuum then led to the Umayyad conquest out of the middle East into North Africa.Also West Africa’s connection to Northern Africa via Trans-Saharan trade by Berber nomads allowed for the spread o9f islam to sub-saharan Africa. Trade and conquest brought Islam to North Africa, making it a slow ,but widely growing religion in Africa at the time. After the introduction of islam and the connection of trade routes in the Dar-al-Islam, political changes were prominent within africa. The Qur’an also promotes trade as a blessing to humanity, so trade had increased steadily. Because of the increasing trade, organized governments increased considerably. Increased Trans-Saharan trade of gold for salt led to the need to regulate trade. it also led to increased wealth. the increased wealth in turn led to a more powerful government with an extensive bureaucracy and also led to the government controlling and taxing their trade routes. the kingdom of ghana fell and became the Empire of Mali which had control over the greater region. The kingdom of Ghana went from governments to stateless societies. Although africa went through many changes, there were still some continuities. for example, although people converted to Islam, it was a very slow process and initially it was only the kings and merchants were converting because it benefited them; local traditions were still prominent because of thousands of years of the local animistic beliefs being passed down. Most people still practiced animistic worship and rituals. Another continuity would be the advances in government. There were still many advancements in government because of the steady increases in population and the need for regulation. Another continuity would be how trade is constant throughout the area. This is because it is needed to increase wealth and grow the economy to increase the population.

On Just and Unjust War Essay

The general thesis of the article titled â€Å"On Just and Unjust War† was in using a recorded panel discussion that addressed how and whether or not one can distinguish between what is a just war versus what would be the considerations involved for a war to be considered an unjust war. The panel discussion was part of a conference entitled â€Å"War, Evil, the End of History, and America Now† that was presented at Skidmore College in the state of New York in March of 2006. The author begins developing the argument by discussing the five criteria that one should use when considering the occasion for war. I felt that the theoretical approach used in the article was excellent. Instead of pulling ideas out of the sky as their theoretical basis, the panel generally focused on theoretical examples that had already occurred in one form or another in current or past history and focused on these. Because there were a variety of viewpoints represented, the input was relatable and spanned a variety of approaches. This New York panel touched on a variety of ethical theoretical considerations and principles of the Just War Debate. One discussion was in regards one determines â€Å"unjust aggression† or â€Å"unjust threats. Another consideration presented was the obligation to protect the innocent, while at the same time clarifying that â€Å"the innocent need not be morally innocent† (Session 4, 2008 p. 209). The ethical consideration of other ways to deal with the situation before resorting to war is included in the panel discussion as was pre-determining some probability of success in advance of war was included. The point was made that â€Å"if you accept the framework of the just war tradition, you have to accept as a starting point that the war can be an instrument of justice† (Session 4, 2008, p. 09). I felt this was the most insightful consideration stated in the discussion to identify why the subject of â€Å"A Just War† is even worth approaching. In discussing pacifism and neo-consequentialism, the point was made that pacifists â€Å"start with the notion that all we control is our own behavior and our own will. People will die; I will not kill† (Session 4, 2008, p. 210). It was discussed how pacifists don’t want to have to take responsibility for any deaths because they cannot guess the consequences. My beliefs may not be the same but it made stimulating discussion. One of the advantages of bringing people together on a panel upon discussing subjects like â€Å"Just War† is that you readily get different ethical theoretical interpretations on the subject being approached. Because we each have different perspectives varying upon our environments, our education, our life experiences, this creates a diversity of ethical interpretations. One comment made by Jean Elshtain was how peace is a slippery concept. â€Å"I daresay no one would contend that the Iraqi people were somehow at peace under the rule of Saddam Hussein and the Baathists† (Session 4, 2008, p. 09). She makes this comment to strengthen the fact that peace is not simply an absence of war because the veil of peace can â€Å"cover up and promote illusion† (Session 4, 2008, p. 209). It is discussed that even the most absolute pacifists can sometimes see war being used as an instrument of justice. The movie â€Å"Glory† was used as an ethical consideration in â€Å"Just War† on how it identified the struggle African-Americans had in convincing Lincoln that African-Americans should be included in fighting for their own freedom. The quote was made, â€Å"I’ll die standing like a man rather than on my knees like a slave† (Session 4, 2008, p. 210). In the time given for this assembly and considering the amount of people represented, I feel there was ample empirical evidence included in the discussion. You have the military persons relating their real life experience to the â€Å"Just War† concept, you have those that consciously abstain from war and other perspectives in between all rendering their thoughts on the considerations of â€Å"Just War. † This discussion made the information far easier to relate to then one person writing an article with resources. It was like making an article 3-Dimensional. When the panel discussed our current war, it was brought up that our government failed the â€Å"Just War† test on every point. We didn’t go in having a probability of success, we didn’t engage in good faith efforts to avoid the war, we didn’t give enough thought to engage in war as a last resort, etc. In discussing the Just War, Michael Massing used Iraq as an example of what all should be considered in the cost of a â€Å"Just War. Not only civilian casualties, but also instability creatd in the region, additional terrorism, damage to the US image in the world. In short we failed in the â€Å"Just War† appraisal with the American intervention. This article based on a panel discussion absolutely makes a contribution to the further understanding of the â€Å"Just War† debate along with important themes in the â€Å"Just War† debate. The discussion was represented in such a way to make the information livelier, engaging and easy to digest. We are taught of the different learning styles as we go through the education system. I found that hearing a variety of perspectives represented by using a discussion panel is always stronger in my understanding of a subject. Each individual relays information differently so that the odds are increased that they can relate to a wider audience since a variety of teaching styles are represented. I found the article â€Å"On Just and Unjust War† to be very clearly written and very relatable. This was an article I would enjoy reading whether it was an assignment or more importantly, if it were not. The variety of voices represented in the panel discussion were able to add a human element to the facts. Because personal experiences are interwoven through the article along with the invaluable information and discussion, this helps the reader in understanding the points made throughout the article. Another element of this article which would go under the â€Å"strengths† column would be that the panel consisted of those who had already been active in some wars, those who had made a conscious decision not to participate in war and every viewpoint in between. One of the reasons I felt this was an excellent article was that I read it multiple times because I enjoyed it whereas other articles I read multiple times to merely understand them. The panel did such a clear and excellent job of presenting the information that upon completing the article, I could relate to both sides of opinions on the â€Å"Just and Unjust War† debate. I consider myself to be an open-minded person but I did go into reading this article with one opinion and completed the article with a broader understanding of the whole. Although it’s simpler and easier to look at things as black and white or right and wrong, through the process of understanding, we often discover there are no extremes, no positives without the negatives. So basically I come away from this reading with a better understanding of the gray.

A Look at Juvenile Deliquency Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

A Look at Juvenile Deliquency - Research Paper Example Juvenile delinquency, its causes, best strategies and interventions designed to stop juvenile delinquency and other such issues will be discussed in this paper. Around late 1800’s, the juvenile justice system was formed to amend the policies about the youth crimes. That time was crucial since the law has to protect the youth rights as well as provide a certain system of justice. By the time when the most of the world reformed socially, the juvenile justice system was also reformed (Brown, 1998). Before the progressive era, there was no law that separated a child from an adult. A child with an age of more than seven and an adult were imprisoned in a same cell. Nevertheless, as the society progressed, the social and political views towards the youth and child offenders changed. The contribution of psychologists and their researches during 1800 and 1900 helped the society to change their view regarding juvenile delinquents. Some reformers who disliked punishing the children tried to rehabilitate the children. New York house of refuge was build for the purpose of rehabilitation in 1824. In 1899, the policies about the youth imprisonment also reformed and some states started youth rehabilitation programs. Youth and adult offenders are not considered the same and different laws were there for youth offenders (Eadie & Morley, 2003). In 1960’s, a separate juvenile court listens all the matters related to the persons which have an age of more than eighteen years (Mulvey, Arthur & Reppucci, 1997). During the same period, the Supreme Court stressed upon the legal rights of youth and stressed upon the right to obtain charges notice, to receive legal advice, to obtain copy of the reports, records and trials, to legally appeal to review the decision of the lower court and to argue (Brown, 1998). The juvenile justice system emphasized on not to punish a child and young people but to correct the situation. To prevent children and young offenders from being involv ed in any crime, an act was passed in 1968. From 1968 to 1974, United States moved towards a more modern society that had a system to prevent juvenile delinquency. The act to prevent the youth offenders had a â€Å"National institute to juvenile justice and crime prevention† and â€Å"Runaway Youth Program† (Ryan & Lane, 1997). During 1980’s and 1990’s, there was an increase in the juvenile crime. The juvenile justice system was amended and for some cruel crimes, juveniles were treated as adults. Since then, there is a distinct decrease in the juvenile crime. In late 1990’s, the number of violent juvenile crimes increased but juvenile crimes is under control today (Regoli & Hewitt, 2006). The policies and laws are still concerned. Juvenile delinquency effect a number of people attached with juveniles. These people are close relations, the affecters of crime and society as a whole. Therefore, it can be said that juvenile delinquency is a threat for the whole society and everyone present in a society is a stakeholder. The most affected people are the close relations of the juveniles involved in any kind of crime (Regoli & Hewitt, 2006). There are many causes of juvenile delinquency and can be found at all social levels. One of the causes of juveniles to become criminal is their economic

Genealogy of Morality By Friedrich Nietzsche Essay

Genealogy of Morality By Friedrich Nietzsche - Essay Example This following quotes further supports my opinion: â€Å" ‘pure one’ is†¦merely a man who washes himself, who forbids himself certain foods that produce skin ailments, who does not sleep with the dirty women of the lower strata, who has an aversion to blood† 4, â€Å"†¦the concept ‘good’ is essentially identical with the concept ‘useful’† 2 â€Å"...they designate themselves simply by their superiority in power or by the most clearly visible signs of this superiority†3 . With how â€Å"useful† politicians had been to the society, the public undoubtedly sees them as good people and their well-painted reputations have earned them the label of â€Å"pure one†. All these vested superiorities, will earn them more supremacy and help them continue with their propaganda and declare themselves as the â€Å"good† people. An equivalence is provided by the creditor's receiving, in place of a literal compen sation for an injury, a recompense in the form of a kind of pleasure—the pleasure of being allowed to vent his power freely upon one who is powerless, the voluptuous pleasure of doing evil for the pleasure of doing it.. the enjoyment of violation 5.I do not believe that having someone who owes you something wins you any right to vent power over that person. Violation can never be justified by the pleasure a creditor gets from taking advantage or venting power over someone, particularly the debtor. Any form of abuse over someone should never be tolerated. The debtor is obliged to pay but it does entail having to take in any form of physical harm. First of all, it is going to be a violation of human rights. Although the next quote is applicable to some societies, there are certain human laws that defy the author's idea and, in opposition, vie to protect human rights in other communities: In "punishing" the debtor, the creditor participates in a right of the masters: at last he, too, may experience for once the exalted sensation of being allowed to despise and mistreat someone as "beneath him" or at least, if the actual power and administration of punishment has already passed to the "authorities," to see him despised and mistreated. The compensation, then, consists in a warrant for and title to cruelty 5. It was here, too, that that uncanny intertwining of the ideas "guilt and suffering" was first effected-and by now they may well be inseparable 6. With this inseparability, the incorrectness, if not immorality, of using pleasure as a justification for violating someone becomes even more visible and disagreeable. It was never proper to hurt anyone. Even statements like the following coul d raise eyebrows. On the contrary, let me declare expressly that in the days when mankind was not yet ashamed of its cruelty, life on earth was more cheerful than it is now that pessimists exist. 7

Visual rhetoric paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Visual rhetoric paper - Essay Example This can be done by direct action - force, threats, bribes, for example - or it can be done by the use of "signs", of which the most important are words in speech or writing" (Kennedy, 3) As we may notice, this definition doesn't exclude the possibility of using other types of signs than those commonly used, the linguistic signs. On the contrary, it implies the fact that rhetoric uses more than a system of signs. Newer approaches on rhetoric, as well as the broader definition of rhetoric as "the totality of connotators" (Barthes, 38) - connotators being the signifiers of connotation that correspond to the general ideology - place the image at the centre of a system of signs. Image is seen as able of conveying meaning and expressing ideas as well as having a persuasive function. Advertising images are the best illustration of the second function. They don't just denote, but they have very much to do with the connotation function. An image showing a mother and a little child sleeping peacefully, and a bottle of milk on the table near the bed, is meant to suggest that the peace of their sleep is a result of their drinking the respective brand of milk that contains everything necessary both to the adult and to the child's health. And it is meant, of course, to persuade us buy the respective brand of milk. ... Art has always been seen as more than a representation of reality. With its images, it's more difficult indeed to identify the message or the meaning, but there is no doubt, a message or a meaning is present. In fact, there is always more than one meaning attached to an image and that makes it almost impossible for us to exhaust the interpretations of a work of art. Richard Wendorf's opinion, quoted in Defining Visual Rhetorics, is that "writers and painters have always been fascinated by the relations that serve to join words and images." (Hill and Helmers, 63) More than being preoccupied with making a connection between the written and the visual work in arts, researchers in the field of visual rhetoric are concerned with showing how the work of art itself carries meaning.In painting, images become the replacement of language. The elements of the image and the way they are placed together in order to make up the painting may be seen as similar to the way in which words are chosen and arranged in a sentence or in a text in order to convey meaning or to determine change in the surrounding environment. Only that the meaning you find in the painting is more varied than in the case when linguistic signs are used. Ernst Gombrich expressed the following: "looking at a picture can take a good deal of time", as it involves "scanning, remembering, antic ipating, correcting and confirming impressions." (Hill and Helmers, 65) So, the viewer's interpretation gives the meaning of the image. Meaning is constructed or it may be said that it is chosen from a wide variety of latent meanings which are only activated through the viewer's acting upon them. And the meaning

Critical Analysis for Surveyor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Critical Analysis for Surveyor - Essay Example Below is a small account of what nominated sub-contract is and why employers increasingly prefer domestic subcontract to nominated sub-contract. . Of late the preference to nominated sub-contractors has been on the decline because of the main contractor’s reduced liability. In JCT 98 form of contract, clause 25 provides for an extension of time owing to delay on the part of the sub-contractor. The architect is required to substitute the existing defaulting nominated sub-contractor by a new nominated sub-contractor. Main contractor is not liable for the failure of the design supplied by the nominated sub-contractor under clause 35. Delay is usually caused by the nominated sub-contractor’s late information. Generally, before appointment of the main contractor, nomination of sub-contractor is necessary to enable the architect to prepare full working drawings and other matters connected to building design. This facilitates cost savings at the tender stage since the specialist would prepare one tender on a standard set of conditions. JCT 80 introduced main documentation for nomination of the subcontractor. NSC/1: JCT Standard Form of Nominated Sub-Contract Tender and Agreement is used to call for tenders from potential nominated sub-contractors. This form actually gives sub-contractor specifications and terms and condition to facilitate submission of his tender and later agree with main contractor as regards programme and attendance details. NSC/2: This form called JCT Standard Form of Employer/Nominated Sub-contractor Agreement detailing the obligations of the Sub-Contractor so as to bind him to work with skill and care while under contract with the main contractor. However, the main contractor and the architect are not parties to this contract used as a warranty to protect client’s interests. On the other hand, the client is

The Fall of Rome Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Fall of Rome - Research Paper Example This researcher paper "The Fall of Rome" analyzes the key causes that triggered the fall of Rome. The destructive effect of nomad tribes’ invasions has been discussed as one of the most significant reasons of Rome’s decay. This point of view is adopted by Ward-Perkins who claims a sort of military crisis caused by the invasion of people from Asia to have triggered the fall (Ward-Perkins). Having conquered the territory of the Black Sea region be the beginning of the 3rd century, the unions of Goths launched the military campaign against the Roman Empire. The first battle between Romans and Goths took place in 378 bringing overwhelming defeat to the Roman army and death to the emperor. After a pause lasting about 50 years, the tribes besieged Rome. Although the capital suffered raging hunger and diseases, Roman refused to surrender or accept Alaric’s proposals (Alaric was the head of the Goth army). Unfortunately, despite desperate attempts to hold the line, the e nemy had managed to gain control over Rome – it was for the first time in the history of this glorious empire that barbaric tribes had captured this city. Later, Vandals became the ones to deliver the final blow to the capital of the Western Roman Empire, killing an immense amount of citizens and enslaving the survivors. It is reasonable to add, that the name of this tribe has turned into a common noun for villains and destroyers as a result of the atrocities the conquerors committed in Rome. However, it was Guns who led the Western Roman Empire to the complete collapse.

Critical Essay on the Theme of Gender Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Critical on the Theme of Gender - Essay Example Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice explores the theme of gender among other themes displayed through the storyline. The book is an expose of injustices that surrounded gender and had a basis on gender-based violence and conflicts in the XIX century society. The theme of gender is mainly related to that of women and marriage that is explicit in the novel. The demeaning of the female gender is a sure way that the theme comes out in the novel. Austen depicts the gender theme in the book through appreciated criticality and keenness in bringing out the sad states in the face of gender matters in the society. Charlotte Lucas is among the female characters in the novel. Her life is a complete depiction of the grim faces and opposite directions of marriages. She is a foil of other characters as Elizabeth.Mr. Benett has little regard for women in society. She has little appreciation for the role played by her daughters and views them with little consideration. Charlotte rarely made eff orts to get a husband whom she loves and appreciates. Her main source of interest in men emanates from the need and desire to exploit her partners financially. Her relationships with men include that with characters as Mr. Collins. Elizabeth remains doubtful of the happiness of Charlotte in life. The action by Charlotte in the novel reveals the theme of gender in marriages and women. Exploitation of men by women is evident in the novel; this forms a focus point in addressing gender as a theme in the novel. This shows the extent of little regard that one side of gender has for the other and the tendency to take advantage of the counterpart gender. Jane Bennet is a victim of betrayal by friends including Caroline Bingley. The two belong to the same sex. The instance of hurt of a friend of the same sex is a veritable tribulation involving gender violence. The essay depicts the manner in which people of similar gender offer little trust among themselves, in this case women. Caroline fai ls to trust humble, selfless Bennet. The trust and protection that Bennet offers to people, even of similar sex, despite Elizabeth’s claims over their faults, receives utmost disregard. A true picture of gender conflict comes out through such experiences, outlined in history. It is satirical from this point of view and Austen employs the satire to depict the extent to which women fail to play a leading role in eliminating such gender related conflicts in the society. Exploitation of women and the girl child in the society is evident in Austen’s novel. Instance as the entailment of the estate that belonged to the Benetts from the daughters is a clear demonstration of the society’s disregard for women and the girl child. The daughters remained vulnerable with little finances to support a living. This was a terrific injustice to the daughters. The situation dictated an undesirable lifestyle for the girls. Through her unveiling of such instances, Austen takes a stan d that renders women as equal to men in the society. In this view, women are intelligent and of high capability as men in the society. The inferior status of women in the society, according to Austen, is a form of injustice and, therefore, unprincipled. Elizabeth leads a happy life of contentment throughout the novel. She is bold and intelligent, and with lucid wittiness. She can embrace high abilities of perception. She

Internal Control Over Financial Reporting Essay

Internal Control Over Financial Reporting - Essay Example The editing paper "Internal Control Over Financial Reporting" talks about the internal control over financial reporting and performing an integrated audit of Ford Motor Company and Toyota Motor Corporation. According to the Securities and Exchange Commission, disclosure procedures and controls includes those procedures and controls put in place to ensure that the information required to be availed in financial reports is processed, recorded, summarized and reported within the required timeframe as stipulated in the SEC rules. These procedures and control policy have an organized framework that enables an issuer to disclose the information required in the Exchange Act reports. The accumulated report is presented to the management of the issuer who include financial and principal executive officers within an appropriate time limit that enable implementation old decisions on the required disclosures. Despite their differences, internal controls and disclosure control overlap over financial reporting. Therefore, inherent limitations are those unintentional errors or intentional misstatements that may reflect in financial reports despite proper design and monitoring process. Comments on these limitations on financial report and statements aim at highlighting the impossibility of a 100% assurance control system, and that the information in the statements is material-error free. And the assurance that internal control does not contain any material weaknesses is essential to a management team.

Commercial Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Commercial - Essay Example According to Sale of Goods Act 1979, under Section 18, if the contract is unconditional the property in the goods passes to the buyer when the contract is made immaterial of the time of payment or delivery. Kevin has given his assent for unconditional appropriation of the aquarium to the contract. As part of the deal, Jackie agreed to dismantle the aquarium, package it for transit and arrange for it to be sent to Kevin’s premises. Under Section 32 (1) of the Act, if the seller is required to send the goods, delivery of goods to a career whether named by the buyer or not for transmission to the buyer is deemed to be delivery in performance of the contract, unless there is evidence to the contrary. However this is subject to Section 32 (2) which stipulates unless otherwise authorized by the buyer, the seller must make such contract with the carrier on behalf of the buyer as may be reasonable, having regard to the nature of the goods and the other circumstances of the case. It is not clearly stated whether the aquarium has been insured. If the consignment has been insured Kevin can claim compensation from the insurance company. If Jackie has failed to insure the aquarium as a prudent buyer would have done, then the buyer may decline to treat the delivery to carrier as a delivery to him, or hold Jackie responsible in damages under the normal circumstances. However, the statement â€Å"As part of the deal, Jackie agreed to dismantle the aquarium, package it for transit and arrange for it to be sent to Kevin’s premises by the end of the week† indicates that Jackie has complied with the instructions of Kevin and done as he has been authorised. Advice: Jackie has made delivery according to the contractual terms. He cannot he held responsible in damages or loss. 2. Sale of canary feed to Leah Facts of the case: On Thursday morning Leah placed an order for 75 bags of canary feed for despatch on Monday. The order was accepted and the payment to be mad e within 10 days of despatch. On Thursday evening, Jackie discovered that some of her stock records were incorrect and that there were in fact just 25 bags of canary feed. Jackie has now contacted Leah to cancel the contract. Analysis: The contract was based on valid offer, acceptance and consideration. The agreement was legally binding as there were intentions on the part of Jackie and Leah to create legal relations. The offer cannot be considered ‘invitation to treat’. Therefore, Jackie has the duty to deliver canary feed. Otherwise, she is liable for action in damages for non delivery under section 51.

The title character of The Great Gatsby Essay Example for Free

The title character of The Great Gatsby Essay How far do you agree with Nick’s view that Gatsby is â€Å"worth the whole damn bunch put together†? The title character of The Great Gatsby is a young man, around thirty years old, who rose from an impoverished childhood in rural North Dakota to become fabulously wealthy. Indeed, Gatsby has become famous around New York for the elaborate parties held every weekend at his mansion, ostentatious spectacles to which people long to be invited. And yet, Nick Carraway’s description of the protagonist asserts that Gatsby seems curiously out of place among the ‘whole damn bunch’ which inhabits this lavish, showy world. Indeed, despite the aura of criminality surrounding his occupation, his love and loyalty to Daisy Buchanan and ultimately his capacity to dream, set him apart from the other inhabitants of East Egg and West Egg. A key criticism made in Nick’s first person, self-aware and retrospective narration is that the ‘whole damn bunch’ entertained by Gatsby lives in extravagance. In Chapter Three, comparative adjectives and adverbs imply that the parties they attend grow ever increasingly lavish; the narrator expresses how ‘laughter is easier’, an ‘opera of voices pitches a key higher’ and ‘groups change more quickly’. In fact, the sheer scale of the operation required to keep them excited is emphasised by details that Nick gives, including ‘a machine in the kitchen which could extract the juice of two hundred oranges in half an hour if a little button was pressed two hundred times by a butler’s thumb.’ But the ‘vacuous bursts of laughter’ and the dancing ‘in eternal graceless circles’ lend a degree of artificiality to the proceedings. Indeed, the tone of the narration reveals another major shortcoming, suggesting that this outward show of wealth by the inhabitants of West Egg and East Egg is used to cover up their inner corruption and moral decay. This decadence is first exemplified by the length of the parties held by Gatsby. Although the statement does hold some truth as the contrast between Gatsby and Tom Buchanan. From chapter one, we begin to understand that the relationship between Tom and Daisy is purely superficial, a relationship that seemed to be based on show and wealth. In this chapter, we learn from  Jordan that Tom has been seeing another woman in New York, and Toms attitude toward Daisy does not adopt the most loving manner. Instead of allowing his wife to join in on the conversation or take interest in what she talks of, he is more concerned about the extremist book hes been reading and discussing its racist views The idea is if we dont look out the white race will be will be utterly submerged. This greatly contrasts with Gatsby. He is compassionate toward Daisy unlike Tom who treats her only as a possession, and his determination in refusing to give up on her and this dream world he has created for the two of them. Even in chapter seven when Daisy runs over Myrtle, Gatsby takes the blame himself just to protect her Nick asks, Was Daisy driving? to which Gatsby responds, Yes but of course Ill say I was. By this time Gatsby has already abandoned his elaborate parties, which only existed as a way to lure in the one he so yearned for, which counteracts the argument that he was purely covetous and materialistic. He even shouts at Tom in chapter seven, She only married you because I was poor and she was tired of waiting for me, which illustrates how all the effort and his immersion in illegal business was all to build up an Empire big enough and grand enough for Daisy, and also demonstrates how money-orientated and trivial Daisy is. In comparison to Daisy, it may well be said he was worth a lot more than her. Towards the end of the book she and Tom both pack up and move on, recoiling back into all their money and hiding away from the upset and destruction they had both caused. Another reason Gatsby stands for something greater than the other characters is the fact that he died with love still in his heart and a dream to aspire to. He did not die bitter and anguished over the fact he could not have Daisy, over the fact that his whole life had been created with her at the centre, and all for nothing. Gatsby died only with a taste on his tongue of what life could be like with Daisy, of what it would feel like to have her as his own, but this seemed to console him enough to know he was dying a happier and better man. He refused to give in until the very end, when Nick suggests that Gatsby ought to go away, Gatsby is almost in shock when he responds, Go away now, old sport? He could not bear to tear himself away  after how far he had come, how far he had gotten to Daisy being his. And despite his loves own selfishness and shallow ways, he dies still with that green glow of hope in his heart. Gatsby is worth the whole damn bunch put together because he died with love. I agree with this statement completely as despite his involvement in bootlegging and how his life was built around lies, Gatsby stands for something in which the other characters lack. I believe he stands for hope, for love and for dreams. This is shows through his adoration of Daisy and his determination to never give up on her.

Properties of Prunus Persica Linn

Properties of Prunus Persica Linn Review on Phytochemical and Pharmacological Properties of Prunus persica Linn. Monika Rana *1, Deepak Kashyap2, Atul Kabra3 ABSTRACT Prunus persica Linn. Batsch (Family: Rosaceae), commonly known as Peach tree in English and Aru in Hindi, is native to Persia, China and also distributed in Australia, India and USA. Traditionally, the plant used in the treatment of constipation, laryngitis, menostasis, dermopathy and contusion. The major phytoconstituents reported in the plant include amygdalin, prunasin, persicaside, ÃŽ ²-sitosterol, quercetin etc. Pharmacological studies reported in this plant are antiallergic, anti-inflammatory, antiphotoaging, antitumor and spasmogenic effects. This review provides valuable information on phytochemical, pharmacological and traditional properties of the Prunus persica which will help the researcher for further studies. Keywords: Prunus persica Linn.; phytochemical; pharmacological; amygdalin. INTRODUCTION According to the World Health Organization, more than 80% of the world’s population mostly in poor and less developed countries depend on plant-based medicines for their primary health care needs.[1] About 35,000 plant species are being used in various human cultures around the world for medicinal purposes.[2] About 170 active compounds currently isolated from higher plants are widely used in modern medicine. Even today, approximately 80 % of such compounds depict a positive correlation between their modern therapeutic use and the traditional use of the plants from which they are derived. At least 7,000 medicinal compounds in the modern pharmacopoeia are derived from plants.[3,4] Prunus persica Linn. Batsch (Family: Rosaceae), commonly known as Peach tree in English and Aru in Hindi, is native to Persia, China and also distributed in Australia and USA. In India, it is cultivated only in the Himachal Pradesh, Kashmir and Uttar Pradesh.[5-7] Traditionally, the plant used in the treatment of constipation, laryngitis, menostasis, dermopathy and contusion.[8] Synonymns P. persica Linn. is also known by other names i.e. Pygeum persica Linn., Amygdalus persica Linn.[5] Vernacular Names P. persica Linn. has various vernacular names[6,8,10] as mentioned in Table 1. Table 1. Various vernacular names of Prunus persica Linn. BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION The peach is a small, deciduous and glabrous tree which grows upto 6m in height (Figure 1). The leaves of the plant are simple, alternate, long-lanceolate, serrulate, 8-15 cm long, 15-35 mm wide, petioles 1-1.5 cm, with glands and small stipules. The flowers of the peach are 1-2 cm in diameter, bisexual, pink, sepals pubescent on exterior, sepals and petals 5, stamens many, inserted with the petals on the calyx tube, pistil1, with 2 ovules. The fruit of the plant is 1-5 cm in diameter, tomentulose, drupe, with a fleshy outer layer surrounding a hard stone containing the seed, the stone deeply sculptured in the month of April- May. The fruit is matured in the season of August- September.[8] Figure 1: Plant of Prunus persica Figure 2: Fruit of Prunus persica Geographical Distribution Prunus persica is native to China and Persia. This plant is also cultivated in USA, New Zealand, Australia and Temperate Asia. In India, it is cultivated in Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Utttar Pradesh, and to a limited extend in Nilgiris. The plant is also distributed in the Pakistan, Japan and in the Deccan Region.[5-7] Ethnomedicinal Use The leaves of the plant are used as anthelmintic, insecticidal, laxative, sedative and vermicidal and also in the treatment of piles, leucoderma, and whooping cough. The fruit is used as an aperients, aphrodisiac, antipyretic, antiscorbtic, brain tonic, demulcent, mouth freshener, stomachic and useful in thirst, biliousness and â€Å"kapha†. [5,6,10] The oil from the seeds is abortifacient, good in piles, deafness, earache, stomach troubles of children.[10] The flowers are used as an anthelmintic and purgative.[7] CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS Prunus persica Linn. contains cyanogenetic glycosides, namely, amygdalin and prunasin[11,12] as the major constituents isolated from the seeds along with the glycerides,[13,14], sterols[15] and emulsin[16]. Rho et al. (2007) reported a new alkaloidal compound, persicaside, isolated from methanol soluble extract of the seed.[17] The stem bark of the plant contains 6-hydroxy 4-methoxy 2-O-ÃŽ ²-D-glucopyranoside, Crysophenol 8-O-ÃŽ ²-D-glactopyranoside, ÃŽ ²-sitosterol and Quercetin[18]. The leaves of the plant contains the caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, p-coumaric acid, kaempferol, quercetin, quercetin-3-glycoside, quercetin-3-rhamnoside, quinic acid, tannin, urosolic acid and zeaxanthin[19]. The essential oil from the plant contains the 130 compounds, the most important of which are benzaldehyde, limonene, 1-methylethylhydrazine, 4-ethenyl-1,4-dimethyl cyclohexene and 3-carene.[21] Fixed oil, called persic oil extracted from the seeds contains ÃŽ ²-sitosterol, and squalene [Figure 2] .[7] Figure 2. Various chemical constituents present in Prunus persica Linn. Traditional Uses About  ½ teaspoon of young leaves, pounded and mixed with water, is given twice daily after meal in dysentery. The leaves warmed over fire are rubbed against insect bite and pain in eyes. The pounded young leaves are applied on wounds for killing the wound worms in case of animals such as cow and mithun.[21] The paste of the plant along the table salt and water is applied on affected skin twice a day to kill germs in wounds and fungal infection.[22] The powdered seeds is mixed with water and usually applied on hands as vulnerary during winters.[23] The fruits of the peach is used in the treatment of damaged hair.[24] Therapeutic uses The plant is used to remove maggots from wounds and also used as demulcent and lubricant.[25,7] Crushed leaves are used to stain palms and feet, in wound healing, burning sensation, colouring palms and feet.[26] The oil extracted from seeds is applied externally for massaging in rheumatism.[27] Veterinary uses The plant leaves are used as a anthelmintic in traditional veterinary practices for the treatment of helminthosis in animals.[28,29] Non-medicinal Uses The fruits of the plant are edible, leaves serve as fodder and stem as firewood.[23] Root bark is used as a dye.[30] PHARMACOLOGICAL ACTIVITIES Anti-inflammatory activity Prunus persica Linn. possessed anti-inflammatory activitiy against rat osteoblast sarcoma cells whereas in carregenan induced paw edema it showed anti-inflammatory activity at a dose of 250 mg/kg. .[17,18,31] Antiallergic activity The ethanolic extract of the plant inhibits mast cell-mediated allergic inflammatory reaction by controlling calcium influx and NF-jB signaling.[32] Antiphotoaging effect The plant possesses the anti-photoaging effect which was assessed by DPPH, Western blot and reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction analysis. A compound named 2-methoxy-5-(2-methyl propyl) pryazine isolated from the peach was responsible for this activity.[33] Antitumor activity The cyanogenic glycosides, amygdalin and prunasin, isolated from Prunus persica seeds, significantly inhibited the Epstein-Barr virus early antigen activation induced by tumor promoter and showed anti-tumor activity.[12] Protection against skin carcinogenesis The Ku-35 extract of the plant showed protection against UV-induced DNA damage and carcinogenesis when applied topically.[34] Protection against UV-induced skin damage The protective effects of the flower extract of the plant (KU-35) were evaluated against solar ultraviolet (UV)-induced skin damage using in vivo models of UVB-induced erythema in guinea pigs and ear edema in ICR mice. Ku-35, a new cosmetic ingredient, showed protection from UVB-induced skin damage by topical application.[35] Spasmogenic effect The aqueous extract of peach leaves caused a dose-dependent spasmogenic effect at the dose range of 1–10 mg/ml in isolated guinea pig ileum.[36] REFERENCES WHO. IUCN and WWF: Guidelines on the conservation of medicinal plants, IUCN Gland, Switzerland 1993; 1:4-6 WHO. Quality control guidelines for medicinal plant materials. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2008. Fabricant DS, Farnsworth NR. The Value of Plants Used in Traditional Medicine for Drug Discovery. Environ Health Perspect 2001;109: 69-75. Harvey A. The place of natural products in drug discovery. Drug Plus Int. 2004; 3: 6-8. Nadkarni KM. Indian Materia Medica, Ist Vol., Bombay, India: Popular Prakashan; 1976: 1036-37. Pulliah T. Encyclopedia of World Medicinal Plants. India: Regency; 2006: 1620-1621. Bhattacharjee SK. Hand Book of Aromatic Plants, 1st ed., Jodhpur, India: Popular Offset Service Pvt. Ltd; 2000:119–471 WHO. Medicinal Plants in The Republic Of Korea. Manila: World Health Organization; 1998. The Wealth of India (Raw Material), New Delhi: Council of Industrial and scientific Research; 2005; 8: 274-79. Kirtikar KR, Basu BD. Indian medicinal plants with illustrations. Dehradun, India: Oriental Enterprises; 2003: 1334-37. Fukuda T, Ito H, Mukainaka T, Tokuda H, Nishino H, Yoshida T. Anti- tumor promoting effect of glycosides from Prunus persica seeds. Biol. Pharm. Bull. 2003; 26(2): 271-273. Ministry of Health and Welfare, â€Å"The Japanese Pharmacopoeia 14th Edition,† ed. by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Tokyo, Japan; 2001:803-806. Takenaga A, Ito S, Tsuyuki H, Nippon Shokuhin Kogyo Gakkaishi 1982; 29:724-729. Kosuge T, Ishida H, Ishii M. Chem. Pharm. Bull. 1985; 33:1496-1498. Morishige H, Ida Y, Shoji J. Shoyakugaku Zasshi 1983; 37: 46-51. Fujisaki M, Ishizawa K. Symposia on Enzyme Chem. 1952; 7: 95. Rho JR, Jun CS, Ha YA, Yoo MJ, Cui MX, Baek HS, et al. Isolation and Characterization of a New Alkaloid from the Seed of Prunus persica L. and its anti-inflammatory activity. Bull. Korean Chem. Soc. 2007; 28 (8):1289. Raturi R, Sati SC, Singh H, Sati MD, Bahuguna P, Badoni PP et al. Chemical examination and anti-inflammatoty activity of Prunus Persica stem bark. Int. J. Pharm. Sci. 2011; 3 (5):315-317. Duke JA. Handbook of Phytochemical Constituents of GRAS Herbs and Other Economic Plants. Florida: CRC Press; 1992:488-490. Hekai R, Weiliang J, Xianglong S. Study on chemical components of the essential oils from Prunus persica and P. davidiana. Chinese Tradit. Patent Med. 1992; 14: 33-34. RC Srivastava Nyishi Community. Traditional knowledge of Nyishi (Daffla) tribe of Arunachal Pradesh. Indian J. Tradit. Know. 2007; 9 (1):26- 37. Abbasi AM, Kham MA, Ahmed M, Zafar M. Herbal medicine used to cure various ailments by the inhabitants of Abbottabad district, North West Frontier Province, Pakistan. Indian J. Tradit. Know. 2010; 9(1):175-183. Hussain F, Shah SM, Sher H. Traditional Resource Evaluation of Some Plants Of Mastuj, District Chitral, Pakistan. Pak J. Bot. 2007; 39(2):3339-54. Nidal A. Jaradat. Medical Plants Utilized in Palestinian Folk Medicine for Treatment of Diabetes Mellitus and Cardiac diseases. J. Al-Aqsa Unv. 2005;9:1-28. Singh VK, Ali ZA, Siddiqui MK. Folk medicinal plants of the Garhwal and Kumaon forests of Uttar Pradesh, India. Hamd Med. 1997;40:35-47. Abbasi AM, Khan MA, Ahmad M, Zafar M, Jahan S, Sultana S. Ethnopharmacological application of medicinal plants to cure skin diseases and in folk cosmetics among the tribal communities of North-West Frontier Province, Pakistan. J. Ethnopharmacol. 2010;128:322-335. Sharma J, Painuli RM. Plants used for the treatment of Rheumatism by the Bhoxba tribe of District Dehradun, Uttarkhand, India. Int. J. Med. Arom. Plants 2011;1:28-32. Hussain A, Khan MN, Iqbal Z, Sajid MS. An account of the botanical anthelmintics used in traditional veterinary practices in Sahiwal district of Punjab, Pakistan. J. Ethnopharmacol. 2008;119:185-190. Akhtar, MS. Anthelmintic evaluation of indigenous medicinal plants for veterinary usage-final research report (1983–1988). Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan.1988. The Useful Plants of India, Fifth Reprint. New Delhi: NISCAIR; 2006:496. Deb L, Tripathi A, Bhowmik D, Dutta AS, Kumar KPS. Anti-inflammatory activity of N-Butanol Fraction Of Prunus Persica L aqueous extract. The Pharma Res. 2010; 4:74-78. Shin TY, Park SB, Yoo JS, Kim IK, Lee HS, Kwond TK, et al. Anti-allergic inflammatory activity of the fruit of Prunus persica: Role of calcium and NF-jB. Food Chem. Toxicol. 2010; 48: 2797–2802. Han S, Park KK, Chung WY, Lee SK, Kim J, Hwang JK. Antiphotoaging effect of 2- methoxy-5-(2-methyl propyl) pyrazine isolated from peach (Prunus persica (L) Batsch). Food Sci. Biotechnol. 2010;19(6):1667-1671. Heoa MY, Kima SH, Yang HE, Lee SH, Jo BK, Kima HP. Protection against ultraviolet B and C-induced DNA damage and skin carcinogenesis by the flowers of Prunus persica extract. Mutat Res. 2001;496:47-59. Kim YH, Yang HE, Park BK, Heo MY, Jo BK, Kim HP et al. The extract of the flowers of Prunus persica, a new cosmetic ingredient, protects against solar ultraviolet-induced skin damage in vivo. J. Cosmet Sci. 2002;53:27-34. Gilani AH, Aziz N, Ali SM, Saeed M. Pharmacological basis for the use of peach leaves in constipation. J Ethnopharmacol. 2000;73:87-93.

Meeting Energy Demands of the Growing Population

Meeting Energy Demands of the Growing Population Literature review Nowadays, an important factor for economic and social development is energy sufficiency. Energy is the fuel of growth. Scientists predictions show that by the year 2050, energy demand will increase significantly due to the fact of the increasing population of the earth and that more buildings are going to be constructed. (Ref: Facts and trends, energy and climate, world business). A lot of predictions are published about how fast the population, the economy and the energy consumption of the world will increase in the years and decades to come. In reference to the matter of growth, development and energy demand, most of the predictions were wrongly made. Most predictions are reciprocally dependant on each other, and each one relies on many other factors. However, the only prediction that can be securely made is for the population and that the growth will be larger in the less development countries than the developed countries. (UNITED NATIONS) Developed countries are managing to improve the living conditions and decrease the death rates, but at the same time the birth rates have been decreasing at about the same rate over the last century. By this way the population growth is around 0.4% per year, in the industrialized world. On the other hand, less developed countries are managing their development and as a result have increased birth rates and decreased death rates. Consequently, their average population growth has increased from about 1% per year, from fifty years ago to about 2.1% per year today. At the moment, the worlds population is increasing at an annual rate of 1,7%, whereas the population in developed countries is around 1,2 billion (25% of the total) and in less developed countries is around 4 billion (75% of total world population). (United Nations) Population increases are directly connected with the energy demand and the building sector. It is therefore essential to develop new energy technologies on a massive scale for everyone to be able to survive on this planet. Ordinary buildings are unable to contribute to these essential needs, and cover the gush of the energy demand which is going to follow over the next decade. Energy use and climate impacts Power plants use fossil fuels for their energy productions and therefore this way cover the energy demands of the people. As a consequence though, from the burning of the fossil fuels, green house gases are produced and emitted into the atmosphere. As mentioned in the introduction, these anthropogenic activities have a significant contribution to the green house effect and the climate changes. Generally, in reference to the climate changes issues, scientists opinions are split into two. On the one hand, it is believed that the changes are part of the earths life and it is something normal which has been accelerated by our human activities and there is a possibility to stabilize the climate changes. On the other hand, it is believed that these changes are not normal and are going to make the world uninhabitable. For this reason, fast and immediate actions should be taken by all countries, targeting to reduce the energy demands and green house gases. It is almost definite that any of these actions will have a deep impact on the economy of each country. Many people believe that energy saving, means diminishing the current quality of living and reducing economy activity. In addition, economists believe that without economic growth, investments on technology will be reduced as it will difficult to confront climate changes. On the other hand, scientists argue that technological development is the key to the solution in reference to the climate changes problem. The truth is that, any solution in reference to climate changes will need an effort from everyone and investments on technological research and development, giving us this way a chance for a better future! IPCCs fourth assessment report further concluded that the building sector is not only the largest potential for significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but also that this potential is relatively independent of the cost per ton of CO2 eqv. achieved. With proven and commercially available technologies, the energy consumption in both new and old buildings can be cut by an estimated 30-50 percent without significantly increasing investment costs. Energy savings can be achieved through a range of measures including smart design, improved insulation, low-energy appliances, high efficiency ventilation and heating/cooling systems, and conservation behaviour from the buildings users. (Reference- IPCCs fourth assessment report) Summarising the above it is obvious that the population growth, economic development, human habits, way of living and environmental restrictions influence the energy demand around the world. Scientists and in general, the governments who are trying to give solutions to the big problem of the growing energy demands and its consequences, have to take into account all of these factors. Reshaping the energy future It is necessary for all countries to reshape the future of energy, as all scientific researches show. The actual word reshape, includes new innovation technologies and sources which are going to contribute to the energy needs of the world. It is necessary to find new paths which are further environmental friendly and will permit a better future. A lower carbon world is feasible in the next decade even during the next few years, if all countries can realize that significant changes that should be done. This especially applies to the developed countries as they have to reconsider and find a link between the quality of life and their energy consumption. It is necessary for everyone to understand that a high standard of living does not demand a high consumption of energy and to adapt to the new energy sources. The good news is that small changes in the energy scenery are now visible as many have started to be influenced. For example, the raised use of gas, the use of renewable energy on buildings, everyday life and high efficiency cars are some of the small steps that have been offered to people due to technological development. As figure three shows, the IPCC scenarios (A1B-AIM and B2-AIM) were based on the new technological achievements in the energy sector. It is definite that this evolution is not enough for our earths climate but the two scenarios predict a possible CO2 stabilization. Finally, efforts to create an energy efficient world are starting, in reference to low carbon technologies and effective measures. (Reference-world business facts and trends on climate change) As stated in the report of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) a lower carbon world would require a marked shift in the energy/development relationship, such as similar development levels to be achieved with an average of 30% less energy use. Both energy conservation through behavioural changes and energy efficiency via technology plays a role. Such a trend is a feature of the IPCC B1 storyline, which sees a future with a globally coherent approach to sustainable development. It describes a fast-changing and convergent world toward a service and information economy, with reductions in material intensity and the introduction of clean and resource efficient technologies. The scenario leads to relatively low GHG emissions, even without explicit interventions to manage climate change.'(Reference Energy and climate change, world business) A Sustainable World Energy Perspective An important key to the worlds energy problem is sustainable development. Sustainability includes the economic and technological development, which respect and protect the environment. Searching literature for an exact definition of sustainable development, guided us to the The Brundtland Report of the UN World Commission on Environment and Development. In this report a definition of sustainable development, is given: Humanity has the ability to make development sustainable – to ensure that it meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs However it is difficult to find exact definitions which represent the sustainable development accurately, due to the fact that it is an idea which involves too many parameters. (Reference Engineering_for_Sustainable_Development) It is amazing to see how the sustainable development concept, stays on important issues of discussion even with the passing of tweedy years from the Brundtland report. In this concept, development faces three important paths: the economic, the social and the environmental (figure 4). If governments want to meet these targets it is necessary to carry out innovative technologies and a socio-economic approach. Nevertheless, sustainable development is not the only problem and therefore it is always important to consider the three major paths. Protection of the environment, economic success and improvement of social conditions, will be the achievements of a flourishing sustainable development. These three paths are linked together for a sustainable development and their integration must be equal without any compromises. The goal of sustainable development is, to point out the importance of the environment to the public who are now alive and for the coming generations. It is important for everyone to understand that our existence depends on the global environment and every decision of this generation is going to affect the lives of our future generations. Thus for this goal to be achievable, it is necessary to take measures for low green house emissions, use renewable sources and improve the energy consumption of our current lives. Governments and engineers are searching for the best way to come within reach of this goal as it is very difficult for developed and developing countries to achieve it. Presently, the building sectors involvement is essential because of its deep impact on energy consumption, its significant emissions and its use of huge natural sources. The buildings that currently exist will continue to exist, for more than 30 years and therefore this influences the lives of future generations. A sustainable approach of this sector is necessary due to its rapid growth. The new approach for the buildings sector will include buildings which will need less energy to operate, produce low carbon emissions, use environmental friendly materials and produce their own energy from renewable sources. It is almost definite that the sustainable green development of the building sector will help countries accomplish the targets of the Kyoto Protocol, whilst also guarantee at the same time, the future for coming generations. Evolution of the buildings and the opportunity for change. As believed by many, buildings are our third skin and this plays an important role for humans to survive. From the beginning of human history, humans always aimed to try and protect themselves from all weather conditions and all changes, developing due to this, different kinds of shelters. Over the years, humans adapted and managed to survive all the different changes that have happened on earth. The question now, is what will happen whilst we are facing the rapid climate changes and what will be the future consequences? Hundreds of thousands year ago, people moved from place to place and tried to create the best conditions to live in. Depending on the place, whether hot or cold, humans developed different kind of shelters to protect themselves from the heat of the sun in the deserts, or the cold of the northern climates. Studies of these people movements over the years, shows us a big variety of shelters and developments of different ways in order to face the climate conditions. Other factors, which determine the humans survival techniques in extreme conditions from the past, like the lower attitude of the Arctic Circle, were the design of the buildings, the quality of clothes and the behavioural adaptations, like changing posture, activity level sand choosing the most comfortable space to occupy, by moving around rooms and buildings and landscapes; and then of course the use of energy from the burning of fossil fuels or the careful use of stored energy in heat or cold stores. (Adapting building cities for climate change) Another extraordinary point from past decades is the energy issue. People mainly used coal, wood and water to provide themselves with enough energy, whether in a passive or active manner and covered in this way, their need for heating or cooling. By taking advantage of the natural and available energy resources, humans managed to develop houses which were ready for all extreme weather conditions. All these extreme weather conditions made humans innovate new approaches for buildings, and provide them with a more comfortable life. An interesting approach of surviving all the climate changes is to move to different areas at the respective time of the year, which is when they are comfortable, and to leave them again when they are not – to migrate. (Adapting building cities for climate change) This approach is an impossible one to apply, in the modern way of life and the new cities. Nevertheless what could be extracted from the past is the expertise of the ancient people and the way they faced the climate changes. In our day and age, engineers and scientists use the knowledge from the past whilst at the same time search for new innovative approaches for the buildings. The evolution of the buildings sector involves the innovation of new technologies whilst the same time, protecting the environment and its natural sources. It is not just a matter of how to build or what to build but it is also a matter to make the buildings adaptable to the new challenges of the climate changes and energy efficient. This evolution is directly connected with the world surviving because buildings are part of the global environment which at the moment is in danger. As written in the book titled Adapting Buildings and Cities for Climate Change the risk of not surviving in a particular building type and region will be largely dependent on the nature of that building and on how much the climate changes. Both are crucial in the challenge of designing buildings today in which people can be comfortable in 50 years time. At the point where the evolution of the building sectors began, there are great opportunities to change the current negative predictions of the climate changes. Significant reductions on energy consumption, better design, adequate technology and appropriate behaviours are some of the keys points which could accomplish the transformation of the buildings sector (figure 7). This transformation needs the participation and contribution from the businesses, the markets, the politicians and engineers. All together, they must act right away because the use of renewable sources is slowly growing and the energy demand is rapidly increasing, setting this way, tight deadlines in order to transform the sector. As it is mentioned in the Energy Efficiency, Buildings report and the IPPC 4th Assessment report, Residential and commercial buildings, action is essential as part of the worlds response to climate change because energy use in buildings is 30-40% of final energy consumption and carbon diox ide emissions in most countries. (Reference- Energy Efficiency in the Buildings report and the IPPC 4th Assessment report, Residential and commercial buildings) There are many opportunities to transform the buildings sector into the new era, as well as being feasible and applicable for old and new buildings. Significant energy reductions can be achieved by using new technologies, e.g. energy efficiency appliances, low consumption cooling systems etc, use of renewable sources, better design and operation and use of environmental friendly materials. Using these methods it will be possible to reduce the energy demand of up to two-thirds. Low-energy buildings must become the norm rather than the novelty project. (Reference- Energy Efficiency in the Buildings report) Beyond the opportunities given to change the buildings sector and stabilize the climate changes, this transformation will additionally contribute to the economy growth by giving new opportunities for jobs and businesses. (Reference- Energy Efficiency in the Buildings report)As already mentioned, the transformation will only succeed in the case where, building energy becomes a high priority to the governments and businesses leaderships, whilst cooperation between engineers, businesses and authorities is also established in reference to this issue.( Reference- Energy Efficiency in the Buildings report) Buildings types: characteristics and profiles Around the world, a vast variety of different types of buildings can be found, and each different type covers multiple and different needs. It is therefore essential at this point, to present the different types of buildings, as this report will focus on the buildings sector and the energy demands. Despite the fact that in the literature review, it is possible to find a plethora of terminology of the building types, nevertheless the general idea of this separation, of the buildings into categories is the same. Usually the separation of the buildings is a result of its use. It is very important to additionally mention at this point, that in most countries, many of the buildings were built before any energy regulation and these buildings will be around for at least the next 40 years. As figure 8 shows, in Europe, 50% of the buildings were built before 1975. Residential Buildings Residential buildings are commonly found all over the world. However, big and small differences can be found in all of them depending on the climate varieties of each country. For example, in hot climates the important need is for cooling and keeping the temperatures comfortable all over the house. This is achieved by the use of control systems, high insulation materials, shading systems and double or triple glazing. Additionally, this way, the energy demands and cost stays under control. In addition, a high use of passive or active solar systems is found in these hot climate countries. On the other hand, buildings in the cold climates have different needs to achieve temperature comfort. In these climates, the need for heating is essential but this is directly related with other parameters, such as low emissivity windows, good insulation materials and good design. It is very important in these climates, whilst designing, to consider the thermal mass of the building, as this may contr ibute during the night to the heating. (Low-Energy Building Design Guidelines) Where residential buildings are concerned, it is easy to use renewable sources and cover the energy needs of a house because the demand is not so big. For example, photovoltaic systems can be used as the main source of energy, minimizing the CO2 emissions and the operation costs of the building. Non-Residential Buildings Non-Residential Buildings are also commonly located all over the world. In contrast with the Residential buildings, these kinds are appropriate for extreme hot or cold climates, without any access to utilities. As it is described in the Low-Energy Building Design Guidelines report of the U.S. Department of Energy these building types have a natural connection with the outdoors; and the structures present an opportunity to interpret the resource-conservation mission of the agency to the visiting public. These structures typically combine a need for window area, massive construction, and a tolerance for temperature swings—all of which are highly compatible with low-energy building design. Day lighting is another key strategy for deployment in these building types. (Low-Energy Building Design Guidelines) However, the energy balance of a Non-Residential building is almost independent, from lighting and internal gain. A great opportunity on these kinds of buildings, is to apply the low energy methods and design, due to the fact that such buildings have low energy consumption. A visitor centre is a good example, of this kind of building, and usually they have big budgets allowing the choice of high tech materials and technologies. (Low-Energy Building Design Guidelines) Urban Office Buildings Urban office buildings are usually located in the city centres because these buildings offer public services, to the people. As known, urbanization in most countries carries negative consequences for the city centres, for example, expensive land prices. Due to this fact, the design and use of these buildings must be compact and offer the maximum possible. The use of the building is generally defined by the services that are offered, and the space is then separated into offices and support facilities. (Low-Energy Building Design Guidelines) Quite frequently, another characteristic of office buildings is their old style, as well as other restrictions, due to the fact that many countries conserve the old buildings in the city centres. Thus the changes for energy conservation or better energy performance on these buildings are limited and therefore it is difficult to apply low energy strategies. In addition, the development of the surrounding area and the high tower new buildings are an important factor, which influence the energy performance of an office building due to the shade provided. (Low-Energy Building Design Guidelines) On the other hand, new urban office buildings have a great opportunity to save energy as new technologies and design can be afforded and are significant potentials. Another point which helps low energy designs to be applied on office buildings is the wide use of curtain walls, mainly in most of the downtown buildings. The problems which can occur from the use of this kind of buildings is lack of thermal comfort, lack of orientation and the overuse of glass enhance low energy buildings design. New approaches on the office buildings, has started to be applied and they are getting transformed into high technology buildings, which offer better services to the people who work there. A key factor of successful low energy office buildings is the placement of the private office at the back side of the building. As a result of this design, the artificial lighting will be reduced as natural lights are directed further into the buildings. This will have a significant impact not only for energy demands but also to the HVAC systems. Nevertheless, Urban Office Buildings demand a careful design which takes into account the climate, the orientation, the facade design, the HVAC, shading from the surrounding buildings and the complex interactions amongst lighting. (Low-Energy Building Design Guidelines) All the above types of buildings constitute the common categories that serve the different human needs. However, there are many subcategories which are adapted specifically for each different climate and different needs. Energy impacts of the buildings The energy impacts of a building, is a very important factor to consider, in order to succeed with the design of low energy buildings. The different types of buildings and the differences between their energy demands, is the key for the development of zero energy buildings. As mentioned before, each type of building is designed for a specific use and to cover different needs. Starting with the residential buildings, studies show us, greater energy consumption than the commercial buildings. The report includes six different regions which are Brazil, China, Europe, India, Japan and the United States. During this report the residential sector is divided into two categories, consisting of the single family and the multi-family buildings, this way being able to focus on the energy performance for each case. (Reference- energy efficiency in buildings –market) Consumption Survey; Federcasa, Italian Housing Federation (2006), Housing Statistics of the European Union 2005/2006; Statistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (2003), 2003 Housing and Land Survey (Japan); EEB core group research) (Reference- energy efficiency in buildings –market) As the above figure shows (figure 9), single family buildings are more common in Brazil, India and the United States, in contrast with China, Europe and Japan where the single family buildings are at the same level as multifamily buildings. It is possible that in a few years, this global scenery will change and more multifamily buildings will be required, due to an increasing population of the earth and the growing urbanization in big countries. On the other hand, the development of the countries and economies will allow more people to get richer and own a single family house. (Reference- energy efficiency in buildings –market) Generally, the residential buildings tend to increase the energy demands all over the world. Unfortunately, the modern way of life includes extra comforts which are offered by the high technological appliances and the bigger buildings. As the quality of life increases, the energy consumption grows and more natural sources are needed to cover these human needs. Nevertheless, the energy demand is changing from country to country, as the climate and economy growth, are affecting peoples habits. (Figure 10) The above graph shows us that in six different regions, the economic growth and the climates have different impacts on the energy consumption of each country. For example, space heating is essential in Europe and China, in contrast with Japan and India where the use is low. Additionally in Japan, water heating is very important, whilst in other countries not so much. Another important point to notice on this graph, is cooking in India, as many areas do not have access to electricity therefore their main energy use, is cooking. (Reference- energy efficiency in buildings –market) Amongst the residential buildings, one big subcategory is the single family buildings. (Figure 11) All around the world, single family buildings have the greatest impact on energy consumption and CO2 emissions. In the developed countries, people tend to consume more energy at their homes, as they demand more comfort and have bigger spaces, better heating and cooling systems, artificial lighting and use more appliances. For example, whereas in Japan people tend to heat only one of the rooms instead of the whole house, but in Europe they tend to install central heating systems and heat the whole building. All these factors reflect the changes of peoples behaviour, as they become wealthier from the economic growth. It is a fact, that as more people will become wealthier the demand for single family homes will also increase, and the demand will then be greater than today, therefore increasing the energy consumptions. (Reference- energy efficiency in buildings –market) The issue of reducing consumption in single family buildings is not so simple. In general, all countries encounter serious barriers when it comes to taking effective measures for lower energy consumption. In Europe, many of the buildings that already exist, have an enormous challenge to retrofit these old buildings and apply low energy building principles. Definitely, these changes will cost money and everyone is interested in getting financial backing from the governments. Another issue at hand is to raise awareness, about all the changes that everyone needs to know about, especially with regards to the green technology and the proposed energy solutions which will cover their needs, and be easy to install. Unfortunately until now, the lack of information and financial measures has not helped the development of green technologies and designs for single family houses. The World Business Council for Sustainable Development mention that there are two key barriers to transforming what is currently a refurbishment market into an energy-efficient market: the first one is that people do not know where to find the relevant information on options, prices and suppliers; there are no one-stop shops for retrofitting and the second one is that homeowners base decisions largely on the first cost rather than overall financial returns. (Reference- energy efficiency in buildings –market) In developing countries, the biggest problem is the lack of regulations and mechanisms which would then force the people and the market to change. For example, in China the building codes are not effectively applied and in Brazil, 75% of the single homes are illegally built. In addition, developing countries as mentioned before have different needs to the developed countries, so the need to provide houses is more essential that the need to reduce energy consumption. (Reference- energy efficiency in buildings –market) In Japan and the US, the growing population is followed by high rates of constructions. This rapid development of the market causes huge problems to also then apply the green principles on a big scale. Another major problem in these countries is the big differences between the submarket which block, in some ways, the measures of low energy design. The key to the solution in these countries is strengthening their regulations, by giving more information to the public and changing their behaviour. (Reference- energy efficiency in buildings –market) In the cases of the multifamily buildings, which belong in Residential buildings sector, another approach is necessary for energy efficiency. These types of buildings are commonly located in cities where the urbanization problems are huge. In Europe, the US and Japan these buildings vary from very small to luxury apartments, so the energy demand is also varied. As referred to before, many of the buildings in the centre of the towns were built many years ago, so to achieve energy efficiency and apply the low energy principle is a great issue. In developing countries, incomes influence the preference for bigger houses and more energy consumption, therefore making a multifamily building a key factor for lower energy demand. (Reference- energy efficiency in buildings –market) Still, comparing single family homes with apartments, obviously the energy needs in an apartment are less due to their small size and space and lower exterior wall area. Looking at the example of the US (figure 12), apartments use almost half the heating energy and lighting energy than a single family house. In general, the energy profile of a single family house is much higher than that of the multifamily building. It is almost definite, that due to the increasing population the living standards in developing countries are growing fast which influences the energy demand. (Reference- energy efficiency in buildings –market) The office sector in most countries has a significant impact on the energy consumption. These kinds of buildings belong to the commercial buildings sector and they are one of the biggest categories, as they use large amounts of space and energy! The actual buildings, depending on their use, can be found having a great variety, which are from small single buildings to skyscrapers. Usually though, due to the rapid world development which demands more public services, the office buildings are newer rather than older buildings. In China, where technological developments and services increase rapidly, the office sectors are growing rapidly. Additionally, the technological developments influence and change ones working life as with new high technology, it is easier for some people to work from their homes. The results of these new trends, is the reduction of the floor space needed per person, having fewer large offices and more flexible space. All these factors influence the energy consump tion of an office building. Some other factors that affect the energy demand in office buildings are the same ones as the ones for Meeting Energy Demands of the Growing Population Meeting Energy Demands of the Growing Population Literature review Nowadays, an important factor for economic and social development is energy sufficiency. Energy is the fuel of growth. Scientists predictions show that by the year 2050, energy demand will increase significantly due to the fact of the increasing population of the earth and that more buildings are going to be constructed. (Ref: Facts and trends, energy and climate, world business). A lot of predictions are published about how fast the population, the economy and the energy consumption of the world will increase in the years and decades to come. In reference to the matter of growth, development and energy demand, most of the predictions were wrongly made. Most predictions are reciprocally dependant on each other, and each one relies on many other factors. However, the only prediction that can be securely made is for the population and that the growth will be larger in the less development countries than the developed countries. (UNITED NATIONS) Developed countries are managing to improve the living conditions and decrease the death rates, but at the same time the birth rates have been decreasing at about the same rate over the last century. By this way the population growth is around 0.4% per year, in the industrialized world. On the other hand, less developed countries are managing their development and as a result have increased birth rates and decreased death rates. Consequently, their average population growth has increased from about 1% per year, from fifty years ago to about 2.1% per year today. At the moment, the worlds population is increasing at an annual rate of 1,7%, whereas the population in developed countries is around 1,2 billion (25% of the total) and in less developed countries is around 4 billion (75% of total world population). (United Nations) Population increases are directly connected with the energy demand and the building sector. It is therefore essential to develop new energy technologies on a massive scale for everyone to be able to survive on this planet. Ordinary buildings are unable to contribute to these essential needs, and cover the gush of the energy demand which is going to follow over the next decade. Energy use and climate impacts Power plants use fossil fuels for their energy productions and therefore this way cover the energy demands of the people. As a consequence though, from the burning of the fossil fuels, green house gases are produced and emitted into the atmosphere. As mentioned in the introduction, these anthropogenic activities have a significant contribution to the green house effect and the climate changes. Generally, in reference to the climate changes issues, scientists opinions are split into two. On the one hand, it is believed that the changes are part of the earths life and it is something normal which has been accelerated by our human activities and there is a possibility to stabilize the climate changes. On the other hand, it is believed that these changes are not normal and are going to make the world uninhabitable. For this reason, fast and immediate actions should be taken by all countries, targeting to reduce the energy demands and green house gases. It is almost definite that any of these actions will have a deep impact on the economy of each country. Many people believe that energy saving, means diminishing the current quality of living and reducing economy activity. In addition, economists believe that without economic growth, investments on technology will be reduced as it will difficult to confront climate changes. On the other hand, scientists argue that technological development is the key to the solution in reference to the climate changes problem. The truth is that, any solution in reference to climate changes will need an effort from everyone and investments on technological research and development, giving us this way a chance for a better future! IPCCs fourth assessment report further concluded that the building sector is not only the largest potential for significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but also that this potential is relatively independent of the cost per ton of CO2 eqv. achieved. With proven and commercially available technologies, the energy consumption in both new and old buildings can be cut by an estimated 30-50 percent without significantly increasing investment costs. Energy savings can be achieved through a range of measures including smart design, improved insulation, low-energy appliances, high efficiency ventilation and heating/cooling systems, and conservation behaviour from the buildings users. (Reference- IPCCs fourth assessment report) Summarising the above it is obvious that the population growth, economic development, human habits, way of living and environmental restrictions influence the energy demand around the world. Scientists and in general, the governments who are trying to give solutions to the big problem of the growing energy demands and its consequences, have to take into account all of these factors. Reshaping the energy future It is necessary for all countries to reshape the future of energy, as all scientific researches show. The actual word reshape, includes new innovation technologies and sources which are going to contribute to the energy needs of the world. It is necessary to find new paths which are further environmental friendly and will permit a better future. A lower carbon world is feasible in the next decade even during the next few years, if all countries can realize that significant changes that should be done. This especially applies to the developed countries as they have to reconsider and find a link between the quality of life and their energy consumption. It is necessary for everyone to understand that a high standard of living does not demand a high consumption of energy and to adapt to the new energy sources. The good news is that small changes in the energy scenery are now visible as many have started to be influenced. For example, the raised use of gas, the use of renewable energy on buildings, everyday life and high efficiency cars are some of the small steps that have been offered to people due to technological development. As figure three shows, the IPCC scenarios (A1B-AIM and B2-AIM) were based on the new technological achievements in the energy sector. It is definite that this evolution is not enough for our earths climate but the two scenarios predict a possible CO2 stabilization. Finally, efforts to create an energy efficient world are starting, in reference to low carbon technologies and effective measures. (Reference-world business facts and trends on climate change) As stated in the report of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) a lower carbon world would require a marked shift in the energy/development relationship, such as similar development levels to be achieved with an average of 30% less energy use. Both energy conservation through behavioural changes and energy efficiency via technology plays a role. Such a trend is a feature of the IPCC B1 storyline, which sees a future with a globally coherent approach to sustainable development. It describes a fast-changing and convergent world toward a service and information economy, with reductions in material intensity and the introduction of clean and resource efficient technologies. The scenario leads to relatively low GHG emissions, even without explicit interventions to manage climate change.'(Reference Energy and climate change, world business) A Sustainable World Energy Perspective An important key to the worlds energy problem is sustainable development. Sustainability includes the economic and technological development, which respect and protect the environment. Searching literature for an exact definition of sustainable development, guided us to the The Brundtland Report of the UN World Commission on Environment and Development. In this report a definition of sustainable development, is given: Humanity has the ability to make development sustainable – to ensure that it meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs However it is difficult to find exact definitions which represent the sustainable development accurately, due to the fact that it is an idea which involves too many parameters. (Reference Engineering_for_Sustainable_Development) It is amazing to see how the sustainable development concept, stays on important issues of discussion even with the passing of tweedy years from the Brundtland report. In this concept, development faces three important paths: the economic, the social and the environmental (figure 4). If governments want to meet these targets it is necessary to carry out innovative technologies and a socio-economic approach. Nevertheless, sustainable development is not the only problem and therefore it is always important to consider the three major paths. Protection of the environment, economic success and improvement of social conditions, will be the achievements of a flourishing sustainable development. These three paths are linked together for a sustainable development and their integration must be equal without any compromises. The goal of sustainable development is, to point out the importance of the environment to the public who are now alive and for the coming generations. It is important for everyone to understand that our existence depends on the global environment and every decision of this generation is going to affect the lives of our future generations. Thus for this goal to be achievable, it is necessary to take measures for low green house emissions, use renewable sources and improve the energy consumption of our current lives. Governments and engineers are searching for the best way to come within reach of this goal as it is very difficult for developed and developing countries to achieve it. Presently, the building sectors involvement is essential because of its deep impact on energy consumption, its significant emissions and its use of huge natural sources. The buildings that currently exist will continue to exist, for more than 30 years and therefore this influences the lives of future generations. A sustainable approach of this sector is necessary due to its rapid growth. The new approach for the buildings sector will include buildings which will need less energy to operate, produce low carbon emissions, use environmental friendly materials and produce their own energy from renewable sources. It is almost definite that the sustainable green development of the building sector will help countries accomplish the targets of the Kyoto Protocol, whilst also guarantee at the same time, the future for coming generations. Evolution of the buildings and the opportunity for change. As believed by many, buildings are our third skin and this plays an important role for humans to survive. From the beginning of human history, humans always aimed to try and protect themselves from all weather conditions and all changes, developing due to this, different kinds of shelters. Over the years, humans adapted and managed to survive all the different changes that have happened on earth. The question now, is what will happen whilst we are facing the rapid climate changes and what will be the future consequences? Hundreds of thousands year ago, people moved from place to place and tried to create the best conditions to live in. Depending on the place, whether hot or cold, humans developed different kind of shelters to protect themselves from the heat of the sun in the deserts, or the cold of the northern climates. Studies of these people movements over the years, shows us a big variety of shelters and developments of different ways in order to face the climate conditions. Other factors, which determine the humans survival techniques in extreme conditions from the past, like the lower attitude of the Arctic Circle, were the design of the buildings, the quality of clothes and the behavioural adaptations, like changing posture, activity level sand choosing the most comfortable space to occupy, by moving around rooms and buildings and landscapes; and then of course the use of energy from the burning of fossil fuels or the careful use of stored energy in heat or cold stores. (Adapting building cities for climate change) Another extraordinary point from past decades is the energy issue. People mainly used coal, wood and water to provide themselves with enough energy, whether in a passive or active manner and covered in this way, their need for heating or cooling. By taking advantage of the natural and available energy resources, humans managed to develop houses which were ready for all extreme weather conditions. All these extreme weather conditions made humans innovate new approaches for buildings, and provide them with a more comfortable life. An interesting approach of surviving all the climate changes is to move to different areas at the respective time of the year, which is when they are comfortable, and to leave them again when they are not – to migrate. (Adapting building cities for climate change) This approach is an impossible one to apply, in the modern way of life and the new cities. Nevertheless what could be extracted from the past is the expertise of the ancient people and the way they faced the climate changes. In our day and age, engineers and scientists use the knowledge from the past whilst at the same time search for new innovative approaches for the buildings. The evolution of the buildings sector involves the innovation of new technologies whilst the same time, protecting the environment and its natural sources. It is not just a matter of how to build or what to build but it is also a matter to make the buildings adaptable to the new challenges of the climate changes and energy efficient. This evolution is directly connected with the world surviving because buildings are part of the global environment which at the moment is in danger. As written in the book titled Adapting Buildings and Cities for Climate Change the risk of not surviving in a particular building type and region will be largely dependent on the nature of that building and on how much the climate changes. Both are crucial in the challenge of designing buildings today in which people can be comfortable in 50 years time. At the point where the evolution of the building sectors began, there are great opportunities to change the current negative predictions of the climate changes. Significant reductions on energy consumption, better design, adequate technology and appropriate behaviours are some of the keys points which could accomplish the transformation of the buildings sector (figure 7). This transformation needs the participation and contribution from the businesses, the markets, the politicians and engineers. All together, they must act right away because the use of renewable sources is slowly growing and the energy demand is rapidly increasing, setting this way, tight deadlines in order to transform the sector. As it is mentioned in the Energy Efficiency, Buildings report and the IPPC 4th Assessment report, Residential and commercial buildings, action is essential as part of the worlds response to climate change because energy use in buildings is 30-40% of final energy consumption and carbon diox ide emissions in most countries. (Reference- Energy Efficiency in the Buildings report and the IPPC 4th Assessment report, Residential and commercial buildings) There are many opportunities to transform the buildings sector into the new era, as well as being feasible and applicable for old and new buildings. Significant energy reductions can be achieved by using new technologies, e.g. energy efficiency appliances, low consumption cooling systems etc, use of renewable sources, better design and operation and use of environmental friendly materials. Using these methods it will be possible to reduce the energy demand of up to two-thirds. Low-energy buildings must become the norm rather than the novelty project. (Reference- Energy Efficiency in the Buildings report) Beyond the opportunities given to change the buildings sector and stabilize the climate changes, this transformation will additionally contribute to the economy growth by giving new opportunities for jobs and businesses. (Reference- Energy Efficiency in the Buildings report)As already mentioned, the transformation will only succeed in the case where, building energy becomes a high priority to the governments and businesses leaderships, whilst cooperation between engineers, businesses and authorities is also established in reference to this issue.( Reference- Energy Efficiency in the Buildings report) Buildings types: characteristics and profiles Around the world, a vast variety of different types of buildings can be found, and each different type covers multiple and different needs. It is therefore essential at this point, to present the different types of buildings, as this report will focus on the buildings sector and the energy demands. Despite the fact that in the literature review, it is possible to find a plethora of terminology of the building types, nevertheless the general idea of this separation, of the buildings into categories is the same. Usually the separation of the buildings is a result of its use. It is very important to additionally mention at this point, that in most countries, many of the buildings were built before any energy regulation and these buildings will be around for at least the next 40 years. As figure 8 shows, in Europe, 50% of the buildings were built before 1975. Residential Buildings Residential buildings are commonly found all over the world. However, big and small differences can be found in all of them depending on the climate varieties of each country. For example, in hot climates the important need is for cooling and keeping the temperatures comfortable all over the house. This is achieved by the use of control systems, high insulation materials, shading systems and double or triple glazing. Additionally, this way, the energy demands and cost stays under control. In addition, a high use of passive or active solar systems is found in these hot climate countries. On the other hand, buildings in the cold climates have different needs to achieve temperature comfort. In these climates, the need for heating is essential but this is directly related with other parameters, such as low emissivity windows, good insulation materials and good design. It is very important in these climates, whilst designing, to consider the thermal mass of the building, as this may contr ibute during the night to the heating. (Low-Energy Building Design Guidelines) Where residential buildings are concerned, it is easy to use renewable sources and cover the energy needs of a house because the demand is not so big. For example, photovoltaic systems can be used as the main source of energy, minimizing the CO2 emissions and the operation costs of the building. Non-Residential Buildings Non-Residential Buildings are also commonly located all over the world. In contrast with the Residential buildings, these kinds are appropriate for extreme hot or cold climates, without any access to utilities. As it is described in the Low-Energy Building Design Guidelines report of the U.S. Department of Energy these building types have a natural connection with the outdoors; and the structures present an opportunity to interpret the resource-conservation mission of the agency to the visiting public. These structures typically combine a need for window area, massive construction, and a tolerance for temperature swings—all of which are highly compatible with low-energy building design. Day lighting is another key strategy for deployment in these building types. (Low-Energy Building Design Guidelines) However, the energy balance of a Non-Residential building is almost independent, from lighting and internal gain. A great opportunity on these kinds of buildings, is to apply the low energy methods and design, due to the fact that such buildings have low energy consumption. A visitor centre is a good example, of this kind of building, and usually they have big budgets allowing the choice of high tech materials and technologies. (Low-Energy Building Design Guidelines) Urban Office Buildings Urban office buildings are usually located in the city centres because these buildings offer public services, to the people. As known, urbanization in most countries carries negative consequences for the city centres, for example, expensive land prices. Due to this fact, the design and use of these buildings must be compact and offer the maximum possible. The use of the building is generally defined by the services that are offered, and the space is then separated into offices and support facilities. (Low-Energy Building Design Guidelines) Quite frequently, another characteristic of office buildings is their old style, as well as other restrictions, due to the fact that many countries conserve the old buildings in the city centres. Thus the changes for energy conservation or better energy performance on these buildings are limited and therefore it is difficult to apply low energy strategies. In addition, the development of the surrounding area and the high tower new buildings are an important factor, which influence the energy performance of an office building due to the shade provided. (Low-Energy Building Design Guidelines) On the other hand, new urban office buildings have a great opportunity to save energy as new technologies and design can be afforded and are significant potentials. Another point which helps low energy designs to be applied on office buildings is the wide use of curtain walls, mainly in most of the downtown buildings. The problems which can occur from the use of this kind of buildings is lack of thermal comfort, lack of orientation and the overuse of glass enhance low energy buildings design. New approaches on the office buildings, has started to be applied and they are getting transformed into high technology buildings, which offer better services to the people who work there. A key factor of successful low energy office buildings is the placement of the private office at the back side of the building. As a result of this design, the artificial lighting will be reduced as natural lights are directed further into the buildings. This will have a significant impact not only for energy demands but also to the HVAC systems. Nevertheless, Urban Office Buildings demand a careful design which takes into account the climate, the orientation, the facade design, the HVAC, shading from the surrounding buildings and the complex interactions amongst lighting. (Low-Energy Building Design Guidelines) All the above types of buildings constitute the common categories that serve the different human needs. However, there are many subcategories which are adapted specifically for each different climate and different needs. Energy impacts of the buildings The energy impacts of a building, is a very important factor to consider, in order to succeed with the design of low energy buildings. The different types of buildings and the differences between their energy demands, is the key for the development of zero energy buildings. As mentioned before, each type of building is designed for a specific use and to cover different needs. Starting with the residential buildings, studies show us, greater energy consumption than the commercial buildings. The report includes six different regions which are Brazil, China, Europe, India, Japan and the United States. During this report the residential sector is divided into two categories, consisting of the single family and the multi-family buildings, this way being able to focus on the energy performance for each case. (Reference- energy efficiency in buildings –market) Consumption Survey; Federcasa, Italian Housing Federation (2006), Housing Statistics of the European Union 2005/2006; Statistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (2003), 2003 Housing and Land Survey (Japan); EEB core group research) (Reference- energy efficiency in buildings –market) As the above figure shows (figure 9), single family buildings are more common in Brazil, India and the United States, in contrast with China, Europe and Japan where the single family buildings are at the same level as multifamily buildings. It is possible that in a few years, this global scenery will change and more multifamily buildings will be required, due to an increasing population of the earth and the growing urbanization in big countries. On the other hand, the development of the countries and economies will allow more people to get richer and own a single family house. (Reference- energy efficiency in buildings –market) Generally, the residential buildings tend to increase the energy demands all over the world. Unfortunately, the modern way of life includes extra comforts which are offered by the high technological appliances and the bigger buildings. As the quality of life increases, the energy consumption grows and more natural sources are needed to cover these human needs. Nevertheless, the energy demand is changing from country to country, as the climate and economy growth, are affecting peoples habits. (Figure 10) The above graph shows us that in six different regions, the economic growth and the climates have different impacts on the energy consumption of each country. For example, space heating is essential in Europe and China, in contrast with Japan and India where the use is low. Additionally in Japan, water heating is very important, whilst in other countries not so much. Another important point to notice on this graph, is cooking in India, as many areas do not have access to electricity therefore their main energy use, is cooking. (Reference- energy efficiency in buildings –market) Amongst the residential buildings, one big subcategory is the single family buildings. (Figure 11) All around the world, single family buildings have the greatest impact on energy consumption and CO2 emissions. In the developed countries, people tend to consume more energy at their homes, as they demand more comfort and have bigger spaces, better heating and cooling systems, artificial lighting and use more appliances. For example, whereas in Japan people tend to heat only one of the rooms instead of the whole house, but in Europe they tend to install central heating systems and heat the whole building. All these factors reflect the changes of peoples behaviour, as they become wealthier from the economic growth. It is a fact, that as more people will become wealthier the demand for single family homes will also increase, and the demand will then be greater than today, therefore increasing the energy consumptions. (Reference- energy efficiency in buildings –market) The issue of reducing consumption in single family buildings is not so simple. In general, all countries encounter serious barriers when it comes to taking effective measures for lower energy consumption. In Europe, many of the buildings that already exist, have an enormous challenge to retrofit these old buildings and apply low energy building principles. Definitely, these changes will cost money and everyone is interested in getting financial backing from the governments. Another issue at hand is to raise awareness, about all the changes that everyone needs to know about, especially with regards to the green technology and the proposed energy solutions which will cover their needs, and be easy to install. Unfortunately until now, the lack of information and financial measures has not helped the development of green technologies and designs for single family houses. The World Business Council for Sustainable Development mention that there are two key barriers to transforming what is currently a refurbishment market into an energy-efficient market: the first one is that people do not know where to find the relevant information on options, prices and suppliers; there are no one-stop shops for retrofitting and the second one is that homeowners base decisions largely on the first cost rather than overall financial returns. (Reference- energy efficiency in buildings –market) In developing countries, the biggest problem is the lack of regulations and mechanisms which would then force the people and the market to change. For example, in China the building codes are not effectively applied and in Brazil, 75% of the single homes are illegally built. In addition, developing countries as mentioned before have different needs to the developed countries, so the need to provide houses is more essential that the need to reduce energy consumption. (Reference- energy efficiency in buildings –market) In Japan and the US, the growing population is followed by high rates of constructions. This rapid development of the market causes huge problems to also then apply the green principles on a big scale. Another major problem in these countries is the big differences between the submarket which block, in some ways, the measures of low energy design. The key to the solution in these countries is strengthening their regulations, by giving more information to the public and changing their behaviour. (Reference- energy efficiency in buildings –market) In the cases of the multifamily buildings, which belong in Residential buildings sector, another approach is necessary for energy efficiency. These types of buildings are commonly located in cities where the urbanization problems are huge. In Europe, the US and Japan these buildings vary from very small to luxury apartments, so the energy demand is also varied. As referred to before, many of the buildings in the centre of the towns were built many years ago, so to achieve energy efficiency and apply the low energy principle is a great issue. In developing countries, incomes influence the preference for bigger houses and more energy consumption, therefore making a multifamily building a key factor for lower energy demand. (Reference- energy efficiency in buildings –market) Still, comparing single family homes with apartments, obviously the energy needs in an apartment are less due to their small size and space and lower exterior wall area. Looking at the example of the US (figure 12), apartments use almost half the heating energy and lighting energy than a single family house. In general, the energy profile of a single family house is much higher than that of the multifamily building. It is almost definite, that due to the increasing population the living standards in developing countries are growing fast which influences the energy demand. (Reference- energy efficiency in buildings –market) The office sector in most countries has a significant impact on the energy consumption. These kinds of buildings belong to the commercial buildings sector and they are one of the biggest categories, as they use large amounts of space and energy! The actual buildings, depending on their use, can be found having a great variety, which are from small single buildings to skyscrapers. Usually though, due to the rapid world development which demands more public services, the office buildings are newer rather than older buildings. In China, where technological developments and services increase rapidly, the office sectors are growing rapidly. Additionally, the technological developments influence and change ones working life as with new high technology, it is easier for some people to work from their homes. The results of these new trends, is the reduction of the floor space needed per person, having fewer large offices and more flexible space. All these factors influence the energy consump tion of an office building. Some other factors that affect the energy demand in office buildings are the same ones as the ones for