Sustainability Mattersis a compilation of some of the best research papers by students from the National University of Singapore's inter-disciplinary graduate programme in environmental studies, the MSc in Environmental Management [MEM]. This collection is for the period 2009/10 to 2011/12.

As the period covers 3 academic years, the papers have been split into two volumes: Sustainability Matters: Asia's Green Challenges, and Sustainability Matters: Asia's Energy Concerns, Green Policies and Environmental Advocacy. These two volumes are the third and fourth compilation by the programme, and respectively comprise sixteen and fourteen of the best research papers completed during this period. The papers have been edited for brevity. These papers analyze the many challenges to effective environmental management in the context of different countries including India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, China, Hong Kong, Nepal, Singapore, and Thailand, and propose insightful solutions.

The first compilation, Sustainability Matters: Environmental Management in Asia, was published in 2010 (World Scientific) and comprised the best papers from 2001/2 to 2006/7. The second, Sustainability Matters: Challenges and Opportunities in Environmental Management in Asia was published in 2011 (Pearson), and comprised the best papers from 2007/8 to 2008/09.

Contents: Volume 1:Air Pollution:Development of Urban Traffic Pollution Control Strategies in Asian Cities: A Case Study from Chennai, India (Ashwinkumar Dakshinamurthi and Rajasekhar Balasubramanian)Assessment and Abatement Measures for Vehicular Air Pollution in Colombo, Sri Lanka (Chamila Weerathunghe and Rajasekhar Balasubramanian)Waste Management:Recycling in Singapore the Singapore Model: Strategies and Ways to Improve (Tan Puay Cheow and Lye Lin Heng)Municipal Solid Waste Management in Southeast Asian Cities: The Next Steps (Boey Yinyin Edris and Rick Reidinger)Lessons for Integrated District-Level Food Waste Recycling Programs: A Review of Eight International Cases (Amireeta Rawlani and Kua Harn Wei)Singapore's Municipal Solid Waste Management: A Sustainable Model (Wendy Wong Shih Ling and Rick Reidinger)Utilization of Landfill Gas as a Renewable Source of Energy in India (Subhashini Kashinath and Zhou Zhi George)The Potential Role of Water Hyacinth in Wastewater Treatment in Nepal (Ram Bahadur Singh Maharjan and Chou Loke Ming)Improving Leachate Water Quality using a Wetland Treatment System in Lorong Halus — A Pilot Study (Christian Budiman and Ting Yen-Ping)Life Cycle Assessment of an Urban Waste Refinery (Celia Chua Bee Hong and Kua Harn-Wei) A Study of the 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle)Programs in Primary Schools, Singapore (Kelly Yong Kim-Lian and Victor R Savage)Urban Studies:Assessing Skywalk Systems as a Response to High Density Living in Hong Kong (Patricia Woo and Malone-Lee Lai Choo)The Management of Visitor Pressure on Coastal Parks of Singapore (Karen Lim Hui Khian and Chou Loke Ming)Sustainability in Singapore: An Ecological Footprint Perspective (Xin Jing Jing and Victor R Savage)Seagrasses in Singapore: Current Status and Long-Term Management Plans (Michelle Chng Wei Ping and Chou Loke Ming)The Singapore's Bus System: An Analysis of Commuters' Satisfaction and Potential Improvements (Jan Martin Hecker and Lee Der Horng)An Assessment of Sustainable Cities (May Yadana Aung and Chou Loke-Ming)Urban Greenery as a Mitigation Strategy for Urban Heat Island Effect in High Density Commercial Districts of Dhaka (Nabanita Islam and Wong Nyuk-Hien)The Potential for Residential Water Conservation in Dhaka, Bangladesh (Sonia F Hoque, Asanga Gunawansa and Md. Mafizur Rahman)Planned Housing Environments and Children's Outdoor Play: Is Child-Friendliness Possible? (Md Rashed Bhuyan and Tracey Skelton)Green Business:Empowering the Bottom of the Pyramid: Government, Business, and Solar Power in India (Carrie Wallace Candeto and Audrey Chia)Charting a Greener Course in Shipping: Incorporating Environmental Performance Indicators in a Tanker Pool System (Jean Chia E Ming and Audrey Chia)Environmental Practices of Indian Business Process Outsourcing: A Study of Two Companies (Sweta Sorab and Mark Goh)Green Business Strategies in the Precision Engineering Industry in Singapore (Gan Chin-Yean and Audrey Chua)The Second Green Revolution: A Review of the Challenges and Prospects (Leong Li-Sun and Victor R Savage)Towards Broader Implementation of Corporate Sustainability and Sustainability Reporting in the Construction Industry in Singapore (Kaia Margit Davis Tan and Audrey Chia)Volume 2:Biodiversity:The Impact of Community Forestry on Biodiversity Conservation in Nepal (Ishwari Prasad Poudel and Chou Loke-Ming)Waste Management:Improving Leachate Water Quality Using a Wetland Treatment System in Lorong Halus — A Pilot Study (Christian Budiman and Ting Yen-Ping)Life Cycle Assessment of an Urban Waste Refinery (Celia Chua Bee-Hong and Kua Harn-Wei)A Study of the 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) Programs in Primary Schools, Singapore (Kelly Yong Kim-Lian and Victor R Savage)Urban Studies:An Assessment of Sustainable Cities (May Yadana Aung and Chou Loke-Ming)Urban Greenery as a Mitigation Strategy for Urban Heat Island Effect in High Density Commercial Districts of Dhaka, Bangladesh (Nabanita Islam and Wong Nyuk-Hien) The Potential for Residential Water Conservation in Dhaka, Bangladesh (Sonia F Hoque, Asanga Gunawansa and Md Mafizur Rahman)Planned Housing Environments and Children's Outdoor Play: Is Child-Friendliness Possible? (Md Rashed Bhuyan and Tracey Skelton)Energy and Climate Change:Wind: The Alternative Source of Power for Singapore After Solar Energy? (Chew Keng-Hui and Lanry Yung)The Economics of Wind Energy (Alan Yau Wai-Hoo and Benjamin K Sovacool)Print Media and Climate Change: A Comparison of the 1992 Rio Summit and the 2009 Copenhagen Conference (Davina Loh and Victor R Savage)Green Business:Green Business Strategies in the Precision Engineering Industry in Singapore (Gan Chin-Yean and Audrey Chia)The Second Green Revolution: A Review of the Challenges and Prospects (Leong Li-Sun and Victor R Savage)Towards Broader Implementation of Corporate Sustainability and Sustainability Reporting in the Construction Industry in Singapore (Kaia Margit Davis-Tan and Audrey Chia)Readership: Graduate students, academics and researchers in environmental management/science.

Lye Lin-Heng