EfdeN Experience

Luiza-Florentina Zăpucioiu

What is EFdeN?

EFdeN is the Romanian team qualified among the 20 finalists of the Solar Decathlon, the most important competition of architecture and integrated technologies worldwide, which took place in 2014 at Versailles. The team includes students from different universities of Bucharest passionate by architecture, engineering, psychology or communication.

What does EFfdeN?
EFdeN team has projected, built, designed, transported 2500 km and match in just 12 days and rematch a solar house, comfortable and sure, smart and energy efficient which is produces it own energy. Shortly- they have made a future house which definitely the environmental lovers and not only they will show interest. Besides this, house produces its own energy needed to hot and cold water, conditioning air, thermic heat, which means 0 costs. The house can produce money because it sends electricity to the national network Romanian legislation will allow this.

What is special about EFdeN house?

The builders transformed the greenhouse effect, which affects all major cities due to the pollution, in a radiator or conditioned air (that depends on  by the season) . Inside is a greenhouse that, after the process of photosynthesis generates heat and light which acts like a heating system, trough the walls made by a special material. The bathroom and kitchen have an efficient system of saving water. The bathroom has a wall of a particular moss that absorbs humidity, and in the kitchen even the pots dryer is projected so as to save water that flows off washed pots on the flowerpots. The furniture and decorations are made of recyclable materials: cardboard, scraps of colored pencils, light bulbs etc. On the rooftop the house has solar panels which produce electricity, but has also panels for heating water. Energy losses are very low because the insulation of walls and materials used are energetically certified.

What are the directions EFdeN project?

EFdeN intends to take up a better place in the ranking competition Solar Decathlon Middle East, which will take place in Dubai and the 2020 year the team wishes to organize a Solar Decathlon edition in Bucharest.

We are so excited for those EFdeN and we whish them good luck in the future.

Experiența EFdeN

Autor: Luiza-Florentina Zăpucioiu

Ce este EFdeN?
EFdeN este echipa României calificată între cele 20 de finaliste ale Solar Decathlon, cea mai importantă competiţie de arhitectură şi tehnologii integrate la nivel mondial, care s-a desfășurat în 2014 la Versailles.


Ce face EFdeN? 

Echipa este formată din studenți din diferite universități din București pasionați de arhitectură, inginerie, psihologie sau comunicare. Echipa EFdeN a proiectat, construit, transportat 2500 km, asamblat în doar 12 zile și reasamblat o locuință solară, confortabilă și sigură, inteligentă și eficientă energetic, care își produce singură energia. Pe scurt, au realizat o locuință a viitorului pentru care cu siguranță, iubitorii de mediu,  și nu numai, vor manifesta interes. Pe lângă faptul că această locuință își produce singură energia necesară pentru apă calda sau rece, aer condiționat sau căldură termică, ceea ce înseamnă 0 costuri, casa poate produce bani, pentru că poate să trimită curent electric la rețeaua națională atunci când legislația din România îi va permite.

Ce este special la casa EFdeN?

Constructorii au transformat efectul de seră, de care suferă toate marile orașe din cauza poluării, într-un calorifer sau în aer condiționat, în funcție de anotimp. În interioul casei se află o seră care, în urma procesului de fotosinteză degajă căldură si are rol de iluminare, fiind pe post de centrală termică, prin pereții realizați dintr-un material special. Baia și bucătăria au un sistem eficient de economisire a apei. În baie există un perete dintr-un mușchi special care absoarbe umezeala, iar în bucătărie până și scurgătorul de vase este proiectat în așa fel încât să economisească apa care se scurge de pe vasele spălate în ghivecele cu flori. Mobilierul și decorațiunile sunt realizate din materiale reciclabile: carton, resturi de creioane colorate, becuri folosite etc. Pe acoperiș casa are panouri solare ce produc energie electrică, dar și panouri pentru încălzirea apei. Pierderile de energie sunt foarte mici pentru că izolația pereților și materialele folosite sunt certificate energetic. 

Care sunt direcțiile proiectului EFdeN?

EFdeN își propune să ocupe un loc cât mai bun în clasamentul competiției Solar Decathlon Middle East, ce va avea loc în Dubai, iar în 2020 își dorește să organizeze o ediţie Solar Decathlon şi în Bucureşti.

Ce ne-a plăcut cel mai mult?

Cel mai mult apreciem inițiativa, creativitatea, respectul și grija față de natură, dar și deschiderea de noi orizonturi pentru români în materie de locuințe și tehnologie a celor de la EFdeN.

The effects of transport activity on the environment

Ioana Mușat and Cristian-Marius Dumitru-Vlădulescu

Abstract

The transport field is a currently irreplaceable sector involved in human development that generates negative impacts on the environmental components. So, it is important to come up with solutions that will reduce environmental damage. The aim of our research is to study the negative effects of the transport activities on the natural environment by inquiring the existing literature, as well as by performing an econometric analysis. We used the Eviews software for testing the correlation and the causality between the number of cars and the greenhouse gas emissions from Romania during 1990 and 2013. The analysis indicated no causality between these two indicators, meaning the atmospheric pollution and the increasing of the cars.

Read the full article here!

Rezumat

Activitatea de transport este un domeniu de neinlocuit in prezent fiind implicat în dezvoltarea umană, care generează un impact negativ asupra factorilor de mediu. Deci, este important să venim cu soluții care vor reduce daunele produse asupra mediului. Scopul cercetării noastre este de a studia efectele negative ale activității de transport asupra mediului natural prin revizuirea literaturii existente, precum și prin efectuarea unei analize econometrice. Am folosit programul Eviews pentru testarea corelației si a cauzalitații dintre numărul de autovehicule și emisiile de gaze cu efect de sera din Romania între anii 1990-2013. Analiza a indicat că nu există cauzalitate între acești doi indicatori, poluarea atmosferică și creșterea numarului mașinilor.

Citiți articolul integral aici!

Interview - The Rector of Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies: We support the students for a successful career!

Written by Sabina Șoiman, Adriana Cheleș and Alexandru-Constantin Gheorghe

The rector of the Bucharest Academy of  Economic Studies, Professor, PhD. Nicolae Istudor, says in an interview for Agrifood and Environmental Economics Club, organized by the Faculty of Agrifood and Environment Economics and coordinated by Associate professor, PhD. Simona Roxana Pătărlăgeanu, that he wants to sustain scientific research, the implication in volunteering and maintaining the institution in the first position on the national level of university.

Prof.phd Nicolae Istudor shows the importance of the implication of students on volunteering for the gaining of experience which contributes to the professional development of each one of them, to inform us the opportunities that rise more and more, in settling collaboration relationship, but also about the series of activities that were introduced.

He says that one of the challenges of the Bucharest Academy Of Economic Studies is to identify the problems that the Romanian economy is dealing have, with other economical organisations and to fundament solutions in the idea that the next graduates to find jobs much better paid and with a baggage full of opportunities without needing to leave the country.

We fully present the interview given to the members of Agrifood and Environmental Economics Club, by the rector of Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies, Professor Phd Nicolae Istudor.

Reporter: What is your opinion towards volunteering in college? Do you think it helps the students to develop themselves?

Nicolae Istudor: I have a very good opinion about volunteering and I consider that the volunteering not only helps the students, but also shows another face of those – the involvement in activities ( many times being charitable) without any interests. This implication in helping your fellows and taking place in social-economic activities is very important for the carrer of a young student, because in a selection process it matters a lot (in the universities in USA volunteering activities represent an admission criterion)

Reporter: How has changed from your point of view the mentality of the students over the time? How was it when you were a student and how is it now?

Nicolae Istudor: A lot have changed. Firstly we talk about another economic system and of another education system based not only on learning, but on realization of an better relationship with the enterprise ( as the French like to say), but on more case studies and more practice.

The mentality of the students was normal to change, because in present the students have more opportunities than he had, and firstly, these opportunities are linked to the informatization of the professional training process. Oportunities appeared for practical activities even from college, including starting a business, and for those another mentality is needed ( which has her good and bad parts, but the good ones are primary, because it’s normal to protect ourself from the bad ones).

Also, students have the possibility to study abroad through ERASMUS grants, and there they see a different lifestyle, which changes their mentality in a good way, because the students realise that having good results you got to work, and work will be rewarded in measure.

Reporter: What is the biggest challenge for the Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies in the present?

Nicolae Istudor: In my opinion, the biggest challenge for the Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies in present is to find the best strategies and politics in which to maintain ourselves in the first position on national level of universities which prepare the young people for the economical domain, to succed in winning a better recognition on an international scheme and be the integrative pole between the business reprezentatives and the state institutions.

Linked to the last challenge, it is very important that the Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies(ASE) to identify, together with the economical organisations, the problems that our country is facing and to base solution to resolve them.

There is something else,  ASE has the obligation to monitor the insertion on the labour market of its graduates, and another important objective should be that over 70% of graduates should find better paid working places on the first 6 months after the graduation.

Reporter: What is the principle that you guide to achieve something successful?

Nicolae Istudor: Everything that I achieved in life was the result of the work I did with pleasue and for what I did with responsibility. Still, in life you also need a bit of luck, being protected by God.

Reporter: What are the challenges in being the rector of the Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies?

Nicolae Istudor: The challenges in being the rector identify for me and my management team with the same of the university.

Reporter: We guess that you visited many international renowned universities. Do you wish to implement here in the Academy of Economic Studies methods and activities that you saw there? If yes, what are these?

Nicolae Istudor: I visited many universities and saw many good practices, but also not so good ones. The Romanian school and namely the economic higher education studies is a very good one, who trains specialists for our economy, European and global level.

We are obliged to implement the European university training system, so we can’t say that we have to take many methods and activities. On the other hand, I think we can inspire from other European universities for a series of activities. I would remind here of the monitoring system of insertion in the labour market and the process guidance and career counceling from The University of Arras which I liked very much. Reason which I decided to send to this university a delegation to learn and apply this system.

In conclusion, we don’t have to be ashamed to inspire from different universities, the same as we have to be proud when we see that in a series of activities we are much better organized.

Reporter: In the end, do you something to say towards the ASE students?

Nicolae Istudor: My message is simple: I urge you to be proud that you belong to our community, to have responsibility in what you are doing and be responsible in your own forces – learn to live on your own.