Heleen van Leur, Utrecht University
| Travel expenses to New Zealand related to master research internship on integrating ecosystem services into the built environment. The built environment causes more than a third of global greenhouse gas emissions. With the current climate problems it is clear that something has to change. Currently, buildings are still often seen as separate objects, while buildings are also part of a complex system that forms our living environment. To make our urban environment cleaner and more social, we can take inspiration from ecosystems. Ecosystems are the perfect example of sustainable organization. One way to make buildings function more like ecosystems is to use the framework of ecosystem services. Ecosystem services are the benefits that people and other organisms receive from ecosystems. For example, a tree creates habitats for other animals, but also produces food and has a cooling effect on the local climate. During my internship, I want to look at how a building can also produce these types of ecosystem services, and thus have a positive effect on the climate and living environment. |