Reducing Carbon Emissions in Construction and Housing

Reducing Carbon Emissions in Construction and Housing Introduction In recent times new buildings have been the main focus in terms of improving energy efficiency in the construction industry. This agenda has been led by the introduction of minimum energy performance standards in Part L of the buildings regulations back in 2006. In recent times the code for sustainable homes has already set the target of net zero carbon emissions by 2016 for all new domestic buildings. Recent Part L amendments are geared towards ensuring the target is met. The proposal for 2010 is for a saving of 25% in CO2 emissions per year compared with 2006 levels. (Rabin, 2009) These challenging standards proposed for the building regulations in regards to new builds means that the industrys attention will continue to focus heavily on new buildings. However, new buildings only account for 1-2% of the total building stock each year, meaning that, if the government is to get close to its target of cutting carbon 80% by 2050, (Summers, 2008) significant CO2 reductions will need to come from existing buildings. 87% of the homes that will be standing in 2050 are already built, (DCLG, 2008) which is why government, industry and home owners are all looking into the benefits of refurbishing the existing housing stock. Aims The main aims of the research project are to: Investigate how existing housing can be upgraded to reduce carbon emissions Investigate whether eco-refurbishment is cost-effective in terms of both monetary costs and Co2 emission reduction. Objectives The main objectives of the research project are: To introduce the concept of eco-refurbishment To explain why upgrading an existing housing stock is necessary To investigate options for fabric service upgrades. Existing housing stock Carbon emissions output The code for sustainable homes is pushing forward in terms of the new build sector and the aim of zero carbon construction by 2016. The focus on the new build sector overshadows the existing housing stock despite it having an even bigger role to play in terms of reducing Co2 Emissions. Current predictions estimate that in 2050, the existing (pre-2006) housing stock will still make up two thirds of the UKs housing. This stock is typically poorly performing when measured by todays heightened energy efficiency standards, and hence it is essential that measures are taken to reduce its associated carbon emissions. (Greenbang, 2009) Each household in the UK creates around five and a half tonnes of carbon dioxide a year. Thats five and a half times the weight of the rubbish a household throws away in a year. Its also nearly double the carbon dioxide emissions that the average car produces in a year. (Energy Saving Trust, (n/d)) Options for fabric upgrade Priorities From the outset consideration must be taken as to which measures are cost effective in terms of both monetary cost and Co2 emission reduction. The options for fabric upgrade can be split into ten specific groups- Walls Most post -1930 homes have cavity walls and still the majority in the UK do not have the benefit of cavity-fill insulation. (Smith, 2004) Immediate increases in comfort, as well as lower energy bills could be met if this deficiency was to be rectified. Roofs Poorly insulated roofs offer rising heat the ideal escape route. Floors The British climate causes floors to be a particular drain in terms of heat lost. Windows Double Glazing has gained a hold on the housing sector, not least because of the assertive marketing tactics of some double glazing companies. In part, this is because it is perceived as a fashion accessory to a home. (Smith, 2004) High performance double glazing which uses low emissive glass is now required by the building regulations. Doors Double glazed doors can now be manufactured in a similar fashion to double glazed windows. Space heating and hot water A number of central heating systems remain in use within the UK which are well below current best practice. Air tightness straightforward draught-proofing can have a benefit out of all proportion to its cost. However, if the draught sealing has been carried out really effectively, it may be necessary to provide fan-assisted ventilation. (Smith, 2004) Ventilation Controlled ventilation is necessary to provide a healthy internal environment. Lighting and Appliances Appliances and white goods are often major energy drains, especially fridges and freezes. (Smith, 2004) When replacing appliances it is vital the appliance carries an energy saving recommended certificate mark Renewable and low carbon technologies Renewable technologies can offer additional reductions in environmental impact. The energy saving trust Best practice in refurbishment The energy saving trust produced a report in which a refurbishment standard was designed to give optimum balance of environmental performance and practicality. Using the best practice specification ensures that refurbishment work is carried out to the highest practical standard, and the maximum cost and carbon savings are realised for residents, and the environment. (The Energy Savings Trust, 2008) Table : Summary of Energy Saving Trust best practice in refurbishment standard Areas of Improvement Walls Where possible, walls should be insulated to achieve a maximum U-value of 0.30W/m ²K. Roofs For best practice, aim for a U-value of 0.16 W/m ²K when installing insulation between the joists or rafters. Flat roofs should be insulated to achieve a U-value of 0.25 W/m ²K or better. Floors Exposed floors should be insulated to achieve a maximum U value of 0.20-0.25 W/m ²K. Windows Replacement windows should have a BFRC rating in band C or above. Any retained windows should be draught-stripped. Doors Replacement doors should have a maximum U-value of 1.0 W/m ²K if solid, or 1.5 W/m ²K if half-glazed. All existing doors should be draught-stripped Space heating and hot water Domestic wet central heating systems and hot water should be installed to meet central heating system specification (CHeSS Year 2008 standard HR6 or HC6. Where electricity is the only option, the recommendation contained within Domestic heating by electricity should be followed Air tightness Air leakage paths can be identified using a pressure test and removed by undertaking remedial sealing. The best practice recommendation is to aim for an air permeability of 5m ³/(hm ²) at 50Pa. Ventilation A purpose-provided ventilation system should be installed. Lighting and appliances When re-wiring dedicated lamp fittings should be installed which accept only low-energy bulbs. Ideally greater than 75% of all fixed luminaries should be dedicated low energy fittings. Low energy appliances should be specified which carry energy saving recommended certification mark. Renewable and low carbon technologies After all basic energy efficiency improvements have been undertaken the specification of renewable technologies, such as solar hot water heating or photovoltaics, is encouraged where appropriate to further reduce environmental impact. Source: Figures taken from Roadmap to 60%: Eco-refubishment P.8 The Building Fabric Insulation Assumptions The costs and paybacks shown in tables under each area of potential fabric upgrade are approximations made by the energy saving trust; they are based on a gas heated semi-detached house with 3 bedrooms. A gas price of 3.80p/kWh has been used in their calculations. External Walls To reduce the amount of heat lost through external walls, the installation of insulation is required. Three common methods are traditionally used, the most cost effective being cavity wall insulation. Alternative methods include external wall insulation, or internal insulated dry-lining, these are generally used if the wall has no cavity. Cavity Wall Insulation Typically all masonry cavity walls built since the 1930s are suitable for the installation of insulation. Polystyrene beads or mineral fibre with a U-value of 0.30W/m ²K are blown in the wall cavity through a hole. It is recommended that installation be undertaken by an approved company using an approved system under the British Board of Agreement (BBA). Internal Wall Insulation When either a cavity wall or solid masonry wall are un-suitable for cavity insulation then internal wall insulation can be a cost effect solution. This is most cost effective when the existing plaster is being renewed. The wall should be insulated to achieve a maximum U-value of 0.30W/m ²K. (Energy Saving Trust, (n/d)) External Wall Insulation External wall insulation offers an alternative method of insulating a masonry wall. The installation and design is a specialist job, and advice should be sought from an approved company. External wall insulation is the most expensive of the three methods (Smith, 2004) but can be cost effective when other works are being carried out. (City of Westminister Council, (n/d)) Pitched Roofs Typically insulation is fitted between ceiling joists and rafters, covering the ceiling area. Any pipes which run through the loft space need be insulated as best possible. The insulation must be at least 250mm thick and have a U-value of 0.16 W/m ²K. Two layers of insulation is preferred, one between joists and one across the top. Loft Ventilation is required to maintain air flow. Flat Roofs For best practice insulation should be placed above the structure as part of the roof finish, referred to as a warm deck. If this is not possible the insulation may be fitted within the roof structure, often referred to as a cold deck. To keep costs low it is recommended to replace the insulation in roofs when the covering requires replacing. A rigid board material of 100mm thickness should be used; a U-value of 0.25 W/m ²K or better is required. Ground Floor Heat is typically lost through the ground floor; the amount lost is dependent on the shape and size of the flooring area. It is best to insulate a ground floor whilst works are being carried out. The floor should be insulated to a U-value of 0.20-0.25 W/m ²K. Intermediate Floors Intermediate floors allow for rooms over an un-heated space, such as a garage or storage room to be insulated. Where there is access from below this can be cost effective. (City of Westminister Council, (n/d)) Mineral fibre insulation should be used to achieve a U-value of 0.20-0.25 W/m ²K. Windows Traditional windows are usually single glazed without draught proofing and by todays standards offer a poor standard of energy efficiency. (City of Westminister Council, (n/d)) Switching to double glazed windows offers many benefits. Double glazed windows consist of two specially made glass panels with a space in between them; a gas such as argon is generally filled in this cavity as a form of insulation. They also often have a UV coating, which can be customised to the British climate. In many instances when frames are worn out and need replacing cost effective energy efficiency improvements can be made. External Doors Double glazed doors as well as windows are now a common sighting throughout the UK. They offer a much better standard of thermal insulation in comparison to that of a solid timber door. Glazing units in doors can be made to the same standards as windows. (City of Westminister Council, (n/d)) And as such should be replaced when frames are worn out. Draught Proofing and Ventilation A ventilation and airtightness strategy should be part of any refurbishment works. (The Energy Saving Trust, 2007) The main objective of draught proofing and ventilating is to provide a balance between energy efficiency and the indoor air quality. Air leakage is the infiltration of air via unwanted gaps and cracks in the building envelope. Too much air leakage leads to heat loss as well as discomfort from cold draughts. As thermal insulation standards improve the proportion of total heat lost via infiltration increases significantly. Ventilation of the dwelling is desirable and necessary to remove moisture and other pollutants from the air. Airtightness The potential to improve airtightness of a dwelling will depend on the nature of the existing building and the type of works being undertaken. It is therefore difficult to set absolute targets but the best practice recommendation is to aim for an air permeability of 5m3/(h.m2) @ 50Pa. (The Energy Saving Trust, 2007) Some simple measures can be taken to improve the airtightness. Draught proofing around windows, door; sealing around service pipes which pass thorough floors, walls and roofs; block up unused chimneys, but include ventilation to the room by means of a ventilator. Ventilation Purpose-provided ventilation (e.g. ventilators and windows) and extract fans are required to replace stale indoor air with fresh outdoor air. (The Energy Saving Trust, 2007) Adequate ventilation is needed for both the comfort and the safety of occupants, as it removes or dilutes pollutants that accumulate in the dwelling. Once the dwelling is sufficiently airtight, controlled ventilation can be installed. One of the more beneficial ventilation systems is the single room heat recovery ventilator. This is a development of the extract fan which incorporates a heat exchanger. It recovers 60 per cent or more of the heat in the outgoing air. (The Energy Saving Trust, 2007) This can then be used to preheat incoming air. Options for Service Upgrade Domestic Heating Hot Water By upgrading predated boilers a significant reduction in energy consumption can be achieved. Furthermore it is very cost effective. If the house has been insulated prior to the replacement or installation of the energy efficient boiler further improvement in the energy efficiency of the house can be felt. The followings points need to be considered when choosing an energy efficient domestic heating system The system is correctly sized to warm up the dwelling from cold taking account of heat gains from the sun, people, lights and appliances It uses fuel as efficiently as possible Provides heating and hot water only when required and where needed Have controls that are easy to use and understandable. The installation of an energy efficient boiler such as a condensing boiler will reduce running and costs and will in most cases add value to a property. The energy performance standard for new and replacement boilers was raised in England and Wales in April 2005, Northern Ireland in November 2006 and Scotland in May 2007. When replacing a boiler, a condensing boiler (with a seasonal efficiency of greater than 86 per cent) must now be installed in the majority of cases. (The Energy Saving Trust, 2007) Heating assumptions Below, savings are shown for the upgrade of a condensing boiler from a G rated boiler to an efficient A rated boiler. These savings are approximations made by the energy saving trust and are based on a gas heated semi-detached house with 3 bedrooms. Savings assume a gas price of 3.80p/kWh. Lighting Electricity for lights and appliances (including cooking) can account for a significant proportion of total energy costs and CO2 emission. Energy demand for lighting can be reduced by: Using energy efficient lamps and luminaries (light fittings). Directing light to where it is needed. Controlling lighting use. Making the most of daylight. Immediate results can be made in the first three areas through basic home improvements. 75% of all fixed luminaries should be dedicated low energy fitting for best practice. The annual savings shown in the table below are based on a home owner changing 3 light bulbs to energy efficient light bulbs a year. Table : Annual Savings and Paybacks for Energy Efficient Light Bulbs Measure:  Energy-efficient light bulbs Annual saving ( £/yr):  Up to  £30 CO2saving a year:  Around 136kg Source: http://www.reduceyourco2.co.uk/tips.html Appliances Appliances account for a large proportion of total domestic energy use. As energy efficient appliances use less electricity, they are less expensive to run and are responsible for lower CO2 emissions. (The Energy Saving Trust, 2007) Appliance assumptions The table below shows the energy ratings and savings when upgrading appliances. These savings are approximations made by the energy saving trust, they also assume replacing an average appliance purchased new in 1998 with an Energy Saving Recommended model of similar size and an electricity cost of 12.96p/kWh. Source: http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Energy-saving-assumptions Renewable and low-carbon technologies Several types of renewable technologies can generate electricity for a dwelling, including photovoltaics (PV), wind and micro-CHP. Other renewable or low-carbon technologies can also provide heating and hot water, such as heat pumps, biomass and solar hot water. Solar Water Heating By installing a solar water heater the house can use the suns energy to produce hot water. For a more cost effective approach it is advised to install a solar collector where other heating improvements are already being undertaken. There are two main types of solar water heaters, a flat plate collector or evacuated tube collectors. Both types have liquids in them which collect heat from the sun, this then passes through a coil in a hot water cylinder. These systems are typically only used for water heating, and are rarely used to provide space heating. Solar Water Heaters are amongst the most cost-effective renewable energy systems for existing dwellings. During the summer months, a typical system can supply between 80 and 100 per cent of hot water demand, the percentage being much lower in winter, of course. (The Energy Saving Trust, 2007) Even when it is decided not to include solar water heating, it is worth making properties solar ready, to allow systems to be added later with minimal disruption. Photovoltaics PV panels allow solar energy to be converted into electricity. The panels can generate power to satisfy some of buildings electrical demand even in the northern latitudes, in some cases all of the buildings electrical demand can be met. The PVs are versatile and can be installed in numerous locations, glass roofs and conservatories being one option, a more common option being to install an array of them on a south facing roof. Grants Most of the grants and offers you can benefit from are provided by three main groups. The Government Energy Suppliers Local Authorities The Government A number of schemes are funded by the government, in some cases up to  £3,500 can be given to help people improve their heating and energy efficiency. In England the scheme is known as Warm Front, in Wales it is known as the Home Energy Efficiency Scheme. The eligibility criteria for the schemes differ between both countries, some schemes you need to be in receipt of certain benefits, whilst others are available to anyone over a certain age. Guidance as to the availability of these grants can be found on their websites. Examples of Home Energy Efficiency Scheme eligibility criteria; Home Energy Efficiency Scheme (Grant of up to  £2,000) Householders who either have a child aged under 16 or are pregnant and have been given maternity certificate MAT B1 and are in receipt of one or more of the following benefits: Income Support Working Tax Credit (with income less than  £16,040) Council Tax Benefit Child Tax Credit (with income less than  £16,040) Housing Benefit Income-based Jobseekers Allowance Income-related Employment and Support Allowance Source: http://www.heeswales.co.uk/do-i-qualify.htm The following websites offer further examples and information regarding eligibility criteria. Warm Front grant (England) http://www.warmfront.co.uk/do-i-qualify.htm Home Energy Efficiency Scheme (Wales) http://www.heeswales.co.uk/do-i-qualify.htm Energy Suppliers The Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT) came into effect in April 2008, obliging electricity and gas suppliers in Great Britain to help reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from homes. (Energy Saving Trust, (n/d)) This means energy suppliers with a certain number of customers operating in Great Britain are obliged to achieve targets for improving home energy efficiency. The suppliers therefore provide a range of offers which significantly reduce the cost of installing energy efficiency measures. Local authorities Most Local authorities provide grants and offers for local residents to install certain energy efficiency measures in their home. (Energy Saving Trust, (n/d)) Case Study There are a number of case studies which show the benefits and tribulations of eco-refurbishment, one of particular interest is describe below. Nottingham Eco-home Architect Gil Shalom and his wife Penney Poyzer set out the task of refurbishing their Victorian home whilst reducing emissions by 85%. As well as reducing emissions by 85% they hoped to use only low impact materials. In the process they hoped to demonstrate how green design can appeal to a wider audience and be an aspiration lifestyle choice. (Sustainable Development Commission, (N/D)) Overview A typical 5-bedroom semi detached Victorian house that was refurbished over a six year period in a low energy and ecological way. Dating from around 1898, it was in a very run-down state and has been thoroughly upgraded by the owners, to provide a good example of eco retrofit. It is a demonstration of a variety of eco-friendly features including super-insulation, solar hot water and wood burning boiler, rainwater harvesting and waste composting systems. (Sustainable Development Commission, (N/D)) The project set out specific priorities to aim for during the refurbishment, they were to: Upgrade thermal performance through insulation, heat recovery ventilation and air tightness and thermal mass improvement Be as autonomous as possible in energy, water, sewage treatment and food Experiment with different low-impact materials It was estimated that an overall energy saving of 85% in terms of Co2 and 75% in terns if costs was made. This was a direct result of the refurbishment work which took place. Image 1 shows the areas of the house the refurbishment took place. The list below corresponds to Image1. (Sustainable Development Commission, (N/D)) Flat-Plate solar collectors for heating water Roof insulation 300/400mm thick (shredded newspapers) Roof lights with insulating low-emissivity glass Natural plasters- clay and lime based Super insulated hot water tank 100mm ozone friendly drylining to front face to maintain brick appearance 150mm external wall insulation with rendered finish Space saving bath and thermostatic shower controls Heat recovering fans Environmental-friendly paints Draught lobby triple- and double-glazed timber windows treated with natural fungicides and stains Energy efficient appliances Second hand reclaimed furniture tripped floorboards Copper rainwater goods with filters for rainwater harvesting 160mm natural floor insulation Rainwater storage for use in WCs and washing machine Low-flush toilets Non-PVC waste pipes Composting chamber for solid waste from WCs Separator lets liquids drain off and solids into composting chamber Decking Organic garden utilizing the principles of permaculture Table: Case Study- Energy and costs at the Nottingham Eco-home Research findings and discussion Fabric and Service upgrades In cases considered cavity wall insulation is shown to be highly cost-effective, however the current savings potential from the installation is beginning to tail off. The resultant reduction in Co2 emissions following the installation is a clear indication that the measures taken are cost effective in terms of both monetary cost and Co2 emission reduction. From the outset this was a main priority. Table : Costs and Paybacks for Cavity Wall Insulation issued by the Energy savings trust illustrates these potential savings. Although cavity wall insulation is reaching saturation point in terms of potential savings and cost-effectiveness, its counterpart solid wall insulation is not likely to reach this point for the next few years, this is a result of slower uptake. There are still significant potential savings to be had. Currently solid wall insulation is barely a cost-effective upgrade unless other work is being carried out. This may be the cause of a slower uptake. Advances in the technology behind solid wall insulation are likely to improve over coming years and the potential savings could be realised quicker as a result. The annual CO2 saving shown in Table : Annual Savings and Paybacks for Internal Wall Insulation shows significant savings could be made despite not being the most cost effective in terms of monetary cost Table : Annual Savings and Paybacks for Roof Insulation illustrates that loft insulation is a cost effective way to save energy and reduce domestic carbon emissions. The greatest saving is made when the loft previously had less than 150mm of insulation. If the loft previously had 150mm of insulation or more, the table shows that it is not cost effective to add more. Floor insulation can offer some potential Co2 savings, but is only truly cost effective if the floor is undergoing repair anyway. Table : Annual Savings and Paybacks for Floor Insulation gives us a figure of two years for the payback time which isnt the most cost effective. Older, less eco-friendly windows are slowly being replaced by low-emissivity double glazing, the potential savings will be realised gradually over the coming years. Currently replacing windows unnecessarily is highly inefficient in terms of cost-effectiveness, this is mainly because of high capital costs. Table : Annual Savings and Paybacks of Installing Double Glazing illustrates the potential reductions in Co2 emissions is significant, despite not being very cost-effective. Draught proofing is one of the more cost-effective fabric upgrades, though the potential Co2 emission savings are fairly low. To gain the most beneficial results from draught proofing, central heating upgrade, as well as glazing upgrade is advised. The full potential of draught proofing is realised when combined with these upgrades. Table : Annual Savings and Paybacks for Condensing boiler upgrade suggests that the installation of a class A condensing boiler and heating system offers potentially large Co2 emission savings, whilst also being one of the more cost-effective service upgrades a dwelling can undergo. Again the true potential of the installation is only realised when the dwelling receives draught proofing and glazing upgrades. Replacing at least 3 light bulbs with energy efficient bulbs is proven by Table : Annual Savings and Paybacks for Energy Efficient Light Bulbs to be both cost-effective and offer small savings of Co2 Emissions. It is one of the easier service upgrades to achieve. Table : Appliance Energy Ratings and Savings shows upgrading to energy efficient appliances of class A or more is a cost-effective energy measure, significantly cutting down on Co2 emissions, especially if all appliances are replaced. There is potential to save a considerable amount of carbon emissions with the use of solar water heating; as illustrated in Table : Annual Savings for installation of Solar Water Heater. The cost-effectiveness is currently very inefficient though with advancements in technology this may become more cost-effective within a few years. PV offer similar results to solar water heaters, despite offering significant savings in Co2 emissions; they are still not a cost-effective service upgrade. The cost far outweighs the reduction in Co2 emissions. Analysts predict that the cost of PV will fall dramatically over the coming decades, slowly becoming more cost-effective over time. Case Study The case study looked at was the Nottingham Eco-home, an ambitious refurbishment of a Victorian house. The owners set out specific priorities at the start of the project which they were aiming to achieve; Upgrade thermal performance through insulation, heat recovery ventilation and air tightness and thermal mass improvement Be as autonomous as possible in energy, water, sewage treatment and food Experiment with different low-impact materials The case study shows that as ambitious as it was initially, with the correct information and guidance, as well as clear aims objectives, eco-refurbishment offers attainable goals. Table : Case Study- Energy and costs at the Nottingham Eco-home clearly indicates that significant reductions in the energy costs led to savings per year for both money and Co2 emissions. With additional upgrades the table shows that even more improvements are to be had. Although some of the fabric upgrades and service upgrades are slightly out dated by todays standards, the case study shows that cutting Co2 emissions is very achievable, and the benefits of eco-refurbishment should not be overlooked The owners clearly achieved the specific goals they set out initially; an eco-refurbishment was carried out with beneficial results in regards to the cost-effectiveness and savings in Co2 reductions. Summary and Conclusion 87% of the homes that will be standing in 2050 are already built, (DCLG, 2008) There is evidence that the eco-refurbishment of these homes is definitely a viable option, though whether or not they will achieve the proposal for a 80% reduction in Co2 Emissions by 2050 (Summers, 2008) is still unclear. The cost-effectiveness and carbon savings of the fabric and service upgrades looked at varies tremendously. Many Assumptions have to be made when calculating the cost-effectiveness and annual Co2 saving of an upgrade, be it fabric or service. This is partially due to there being so many varieties and options for the upgrades. Technological advancements take place daily, and will have a dramatic impact on many of the upgrades looked at, the cost-effectiveness as well as the potential for carbon savings will rise slowly year by year. There are almost 25 million dwellings throughout the UK, if only half of these were to adopt energy efficient measures, the savings would be highly significant in driving the UKs housing stock emissions down towards the target 80% r

Breaking a Social Norm

In our society we have a number of society norms that we abide by. For example, there is an unwritten rule of how one should behave in an elevator. For example, it is proper to face front, stand away from strangers, and not to look at others. When a social norm is broken people may respond with alarm, humor, fear, irritation, or an array of other emotions. When you think of a norm, you are probably thinking about being normal. But in psychology terms, norm means, a standard or representative value for a group.The norm that is more common to people is a social norm. Meaning expectations about what behavior, thoughts, or feelings are appropriate within a given group within a given context. In society today us as people decide what is normal and abnormal. I surveyed five people and asked them two questions of what they thought was normal and abnormal. The first question was â€Å"Do you think dressing weird out in the public eye is normal†? There response were â€Å"No, because everybody does that anyway. † My next question was, â€Å"Does being rude to an elder normal? There response was â€Å" No, you have to give respect to older people. † Well, I did this survey to get an idea on what people thought of what was normal and what wasn’t. This survey also helped me chose a norm to break. When I broke the norms I actually broke two and didn’t even know it until I was done with my acting. The two social norms that I broke were, wearing pajamas to the movie theatre with my boyfriend and being rude to authority such as elders. When my boyfriend picked me up for the movies, he just looked at me strangely.I know he wanted to ask why did I have on pajamas but he just kept quiet. By the way I did bring a extra pair of clothes with me, so I wouldn’t look like an idiot that whole night. Well anyway, on our way to the movies, my boyfriend just kept staring at me, but mind you he never said a word. When we went to get the tickets I r eceived many looks from people and heard many whispers around me. There was a couple standing behind us and they were saying, â€Å"How could he let his girlfriend come out the house looking like that†?I wanted to turn around and say something but I just kept my cool and said to myself, â€Å"This is only a test Cynthia don’t let them get to you. † Once I finished talking to myself I was relieved and ready to go into the movies. While walking into the movies, I received more looks and heard more whispers coming out of people which really didn’t make sense. All they had to do was just except me for who I was and that I was wearing clothes. After I got tired of the looks and whispers I changed my clothes and walked back in movie theatre.Once again my boyfriend looked at me strangely and said, â€Å" Why did you change†? When I finally broke it down to him that I was doing a project for psychology he started to laugh. His response towards me was, he w as going to love me no matter how I come out the house. I thought that was cute, that let me know that he doesn’t care what people think and that he was always going to be with me no matter how I look. When I broke the norm of how I look, I felt really insecure about myself and I really did care of what people were going to say about me.But I did learn this people are very judgmental on a person that they have no clue about. The other norm that I broke was going against authority. The authority that I went against was my mom during Thanksgiving dinner. When I did this norm, I really felt bad because, me and my mom are so close and I would never had disrespect her the way I did when breaking this norm. My mom had asked me to pass her the cranberry sauce. I responded and said, â€Å"Don’t you have arms to reach for it†. My mom gave me that look like I’m going to get you when we get home.Everybody at the table just stopped eating and looked at me like I was stupid. I just kept eating like nothing ever happened. Once everybody finished their dinner, I had to quickly make an announcement saying, this was just an experiment to see your reactions to my actions of today. Nobody believed me until I showed them the instructions on the computer. Once everybody read it, they said my teacher would get me into a lot of trouble doing projects like this. When I broke this norm, I destroyed the relationship between my mother and the rest of the family that was at the dinner table. Breaking a Social Norm In our society we have a number of society norms that we abide by. For example, there is an unwritten rule of how one should behave in an elevator. For example, it is proper to face front, stand away from strangers, and not to look at others. When a social norm is broken people may respond with alarm, humor, fear, irritation, or an array of other emotions. When you think of a norm, you are probably thinking about being normal. But in psychology terms, norm means, a standard or representative value for a group.The norm that is more common to people is a social norm. Meaning expectations about what behavior, thoughts, or feelings are appropriate within a given group within a given context. In society today us as people decide what is normal and abnormal. I surveyed five people and asked them two questions of what they thought was normal and abnormal. The first question was â€Å"Do you think dressing weird out in the public eye is normal†? There response were â€Å"No, because everybody does that anyway. † My next question was, â€Å"Does being rude to an elder normal? There response was â€Å" No, you have to give respect to older people. † Well, I did this survey to get an idea on what people thought of what was normal and what wasn’t. This survey also helped me chose a norm to break. When I broke the norms I actually broke two and didn’t even know it until I was done with my acting. The two social norms that I broke were, wearing pajamas to the movie theatre with my boyfriend and being rude to authority such as elders. When my boyfriend picked me up for the movies, he just looked at me strangely.I know he wanted to ask why did I have on pajamas but he just kept quiet. By the way I did bring a extra pair of clothes with me, so I wouldn’t look like an idiot that whole night. Well anyway, on our way to the movies, my boyfriend just kept staring at me, but mind you he never said a word. When we went to get the tickets I r eceived many looks from people and heard many whispers around me. There was a couple standing behind us and they were saying, â€Å"How could he let his girlfriend come out the house looking like that†?I wanted to turn around and say something but I just kept my cool and said to myself, â€Å"This is only a test Cynthia don’t let them get to you. † Once I finished talking to myself I was relieved and ready to go into the movies. While walking into the movies, I received more looks and heard more whispers coming out of people which really didn’t make sense. All they had to do was just except me for who I was and that I was wearing clothes. After I got tired of the looks and whispers I changed my clothes and walked back in movie theatre.Once again my boyfriend looked at me strangely and said, â€Å" Why did you change†? When I finally broke it down to him that I was doing a project for psychology he started to laugh. His response towards me was, he w as going to love me no matter how I come out the house. I thought that was cute, that let me know that he doesn’t care what people think and that he was always going to be with me no matter how I look. When I broke the norm of how I look, I felt really insecure about myself and I really did care of what people were going to say about me.But I did learn this people are very judgmental on a person that they have no clue about. The other norm that I broke was going against authority. The authority that I went against was my mom during Thanksgiving dinner. When I did this norm, I really felt bad because, me and my mom are so close and I would never had disrespect her the way I did when breaking this norm. My mom had asked me to pass her the cranberry sauce. I responded and said, â€Å"Don’t you have arms to reach for it†. My mom gave me that look like I’m going to get you when we get home.Everybody at the table just stopped eating and looked at me like I was stupid. I just kept eating like nothing ever happened. Once everybody finished their dinner, I had to quickly make an announcement saying, this was just an experiment to see your reactions to my actions of today. Nobody believed me until I showed them the instructions on the computer. Once everybody read it, they said my teacher would get me into a lot of trouble doing projects like this. When I broke this norm, I destroyed the relationship between my mother and the rest of the family that was at the dinner table.

How to Conjugate the French Verb Cuire (to Cook)

Silk Production and Trade in Medieval Times

Silk was the most luxurious fabric available to medieval Europeans, and it was so costly that only the upper classes—and the Church—could attain it. While its beauty made it a highly-prized status symbol, silk has practical aspects that made it much sought-after (then and now): its lightweight yet strong, resists soil, has excellent dyeing properties and is cool and comfortable in warmer weather. The Lucrative Secret of Silk For millennia, the secret of how silk was made was jealously guarded by the Chinese. Silk was an important part of Chinas economy; entire villages would engage in the production of silk, or sericulture, and they could live off the profits of their labors for much of the year. Some of the luxurious fabric they produced would find its way along the Silk Road to Europe, where only the wealthiest could afford it. Eventually, the secret of silk leaked out of China. By the second century C.E., silk was being produced in India, and a few centuries later, in Japan. By the fifth century, silk production had found its way to the middle east. Still, it remained a mystery in the west, where artisans learned to dye it and weave it, but still didnt know how to make it. By the sixth century, the demand for silk was so strong in the Byzantine Empire that the emperor, Justinian, decided they should be privy to the secret, as well. According to Procopius, Justinian questioned a pair of monks from India who claimed to know the secret of sericulture. They promised the emperor they could acquire silk for him without having to procure it from the Persians, with whom the Byzantines were at war. When pressed, they, at last, shared the secret of how silk was made: worms spun it.1 Moreover, these worms fed primarily on the leaves of the mulberry tree. The worms themselves could not be transported away from India . . . but their eggs could be. As unlikely as the monks explanation may have sounded, Justinian was willing to take a chance. He sponsored them on a return trip to India with the objective of bringing back silkworm eggs. This they did by hiding the eggs in the hollow centers of their bamboo canes. The silkworms born from these eggs were the progenitors of all the silkworms used to produce silk in the west for the next 1,300 years. Medieval European Silk Producers Thanks to Justinians wily monk friends, Byzantines were the first to establish a silk production industry in the medieval west, and they maintained a monopoly on it for several hundred years. They set up silk factories, which were known as gynaecea because the workers were all women. Like serfs, silk workers were bound to these factories by law and could not leave to work or live elsewhere without the permission of the owners. Western Europeans imported silks from Byzantium, but they continued to import them from India and the Far East, as well. Wherever it came from, the fabric was so costly that its use was reserved for the church ceremony and cathedral decorations. The Byzantine monopoly was broken when Muslims, who had conquered Persia and acquired the secret of silk, brought the knowledge to Sicily and Spain; from there, it spread to Italy. In these European regions, workshops were established by local rulers, who retained control over the lucrative industry. Like the gynaecea, they employed mainly women who were bound to the workshops. By the 13th century, European silk was competing successfully with Byzantine products. For most of the Middle Ages, silk production spread no further in Europe, until a few factories were set up in France in the 15th century. Note 1The silkworm isnt really a worm but the pupa of the Bombyx mori moth. Sources Netherton, Robin, and Gale R. Owen-Crocker, Medieval Clothing and Textiles. Boydell Press, 2007, 221 pp. Compare prices Jenkins, D.T., editor, The Cambridge History of Western Textiles , vols. I and II. Cambridge University Press, 2003, 1191 pp. Compare prices Piponnier, Francoise, and Perrine Mane, Dress in the Middle Ages. Yale University Press, 1997, 167 pp. Compare Prices Burns, E. Jane, Sea of silk: a textile geography of womens work in medieval French literature. University of Pennsylvania Press. 2009, 272 pp. Compare Prices Amt, Emilie, Womens lives in medieval Europe: a sourcebook. Routledge, 1992, 360 pp. Compare prices Wigelsworth, Jeffrey R., Science and technology in medieval European life. Greenwood Press, 2006, 200 pp. Compare prices

Aristotle s Types Of Friendship - 2060 Words

According to Aristotle, one can experience three different types of friendship. The first type is a friend who is used for utilitarian purposes. Aristotle, however, quickly dismisses this type. As an example, Aristotle explains that one could never be friends with wine; while wine is satisfying to the person drinking the wine, no person ever wishes wine good fortune (Aristotle, 32). In order for a relationship between two people to be considered a friendship, one must want good things for the person who they consider their friend and vice versa (Aristotle, 32). Aristotle continues to describe another type of friendship, which is friendship for pleasure. According to Aristotle, young adults are most likely to pursue pleasure-related friendships, because the young are more likely to live to please their emotions; they develop friendships and erotic relationships quickly (Aristotle, 33). Aristotle notes that since young people make decisions based on their emotions, they are quick to ch ange passions, friendships, and lovers (Aristotle, 33). Although both parties receive equal pleasure in this type of friendship, Aristotle says that it is not a complete type of friendship because it is short-lasting (Aristotle, 33). Aristotle considers only one type of friendship to be complete, and that is friendship that is devoted to the other person’s virtue. This type of friendship, Aristotle says, is a friendship that is developed slowly and infrequently; this is the only type ofShow MoreRelatedConfessions By Saint Augustine And The Nicomachean Ethics1271 Words   |  6 PagesThe Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle the theme of friendship is constantly portrayed. Each philosopher has his own respected thoughts and opinions about the different aspects of friendship. 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He classifies friendship into three categories:

Media Role in Everyday Life Free Essays

string(124) " workshop is not to deny that these institutions will also have political roles to play and manipulative techniques to use\." Analyse the following quote: â€Å" it is because the media are central to our everyday lives that we must study them†¦ as social and cultural as well as political and economic dimensions of the modern world. † (Roger Silverstone, Why Study the Media? 1999. ) criteria understand respond to question construct logical argument key terms/concepts used accurately provide relevant examples where required Reading 1. We will write a custom essay sample on Media Role in Everyday Life or any similar topic only for you Order Now 1 Why Media Studies is Worthwhile: Bazalgette ‘Media studies is controversial because it is still new and because it deals with things that are not only continuing to change but are also the focus of many anxieties. 2000:5 ‘Newspapers, film, radio, television and, increasingly, computer software and communications networks are generally considered to be immensely popular in ways that are not fully understood and about which there is little consensus. They are consequently blamed for all kinds of social ills, political problems and cultural degeneracy. Each of these media has also, in its time, been seen as the harbinger of apocalyptic change – for better as well as for worse. Similar essay: Disagreement in Natural Sciences But because the oldest of them – the mass circulation press – has only been in existence for little more than a century, the process of change has been too fast for anyone to arrive at definitive conclusions about what its social, political and cultural effects really are. ‘As much as everyone likes to think they rebel against their parents and teachers, and keep up to date with new ideas and technologies, we are all substantially formed through the frameworks of ideas and thought of earlier generations, and we all find change difficult. ‘ ‘Change almost always provokes strong feelings: excitement, anxiety, tension, fear, anger. The media, conspicuous and changing objects in a world that is itself changing, are a particularly public focus for these kinds of emotion and argument. There is therefore much disagreement about how the media should be understood, regulated and consumed. 2000:6 It is essential to recognise that media studies, even as we enter the twenty-first century is still new. ‘†¦. it is a subject still in the process of being formed. Full of disagreements and different claims as to what it is ‘really about’. It is also a hybrid subject: that is to say, the ideas and approaches that it draws upon come from many different sources. The mass circulation press, the cinema, radio, television, digital software and the internet each attracted comment, analysis and speculation from the start (2000:7) Everyone who spoke or wrote about these media was themselves already educated within existing academic disciplines and motivated by particular interests 2000:7 Nevertheless, hybrid d isciplines do appear all the time: semiotics, structuralism, sociolinguistics, and many more. Media studies snaps them all up: there can never be too many different ways of analysing just what is really going on in those fleeting images. Those rapt audiences. Those smoke filled boardrooms of owners. Technology and theory 2000:8 – The media themselves change much faster than any theory. In fact it is often changes in the media – even basic technological changes – that impel changes in the academic construction of the subject. As I write this in the late 1990s we have moved into a period of what are profound changes brought about by digital technologies. Until the 1980s the term ‘media’ meant what it said (although it was, and still is, widely misused as a singular noun). It refers to numbers of different ways of physically reproducing and carrying meanings. The whole point of a media text is that it moves and flows: the meaning is never ‘there’ at a given moment, but in juxtaposition and sequence, in the tension between one moment and another. 2000:8 2000:9 Media studies is thus a catch-all title designating a wide variety of courses, and since these are all embroiled both in developing a coherent theoretical base and in keeping up with technological and institutional developments in the media themselves, does it even make sense to lump them all together? 2000:9 In media studies you are asked about the profit motive. In media studies you are asked this. You are asked to look at cinema and television as industries which employ large numbers of people and to understand how they work, how they are financed and why they produce what they do. 2000:10 In media studies you may be asked to think about films, television programmes or other ‘media texts’ in the same way. But you will certainly also b asked to think about how they address you – or other people – as a member of a group: as British, say, or as a black person, or as a man, or even – but how often? – as all three. By asking you to think about texts in this way, and by making you investigate who made, say, a film or programme, and why, and in whose interests, media studies is essentially political. Every investigation of even quite short or trivial texts potentially leads into larger questions about power structures in society and how they are organised. 2000:10 – It is just as ‘political’ to be asking questions about who owns this newspaper, who financed this film, and why; or perhaps more interestingly, who wouldn’t finance that film and why, or how one kind of television programme is more likely to be made than another. The politics of the media affect our lives as much as the politics of Parliament or Congress, and can be more satisfying to investigate since the evidence is all around you every day. 2000:10 At the same time it is the inclusion of this political dimension that media students often find the most satisfying and worthwhile aspect of the subject. ‘You stop taking things at face value’. You should beware of media courses which render the subject down to a few handy maxims such as ‘the basic function of all media is to sell audiences to advertisers’. To object that this can hardly apply to public service broadcasting or a community video workshop is not to deny that these institutions will also have political roles to play and manipulative techniques to use. You read "Media Role in Everyday Life" in category "Essay examples" But it does reassert the principle that there is more than one way to look at any text. A political dimension to critical analysis should add complexity, not simplification 2000:10 So far, I have identified two basic principles that media studies courses are likely to have in common: using economic and political perspectives as key ways of understanding the media. These are the most characteristic differences between media studies and most other subjects. But no course will concentrate on these areas alone. 2000:11 One of the strengths – and also the challenges – of media studies is precisely that it asks you to consider texts from different and often sharply contrasting perspectives. What do you study in media studies? 2000:11 Just what – if anything – constitutes a valid argument for studying one text, or one group of texts, rather than another? There are five main ways of answering this question? Popularity (2000:12) The emphasis might be on the phenomenon of mass audience pleasure and on understanding and legitimating the enjoyment people derive from these texts or in contrast, the aim of the analysis might be to reveal how audiences are manipulated and deluded by stereotypical or reactionary material Exemplification is an obvious ground for worthiness of study, especially when the aim is to illustrate an aspect of theory, such as genre or representation. Notoriety (2000:12)– is an interesting and useful reason for studying a text that can offer a way in to thinking about social, political and cultural contexts. Texts which are interesting to study in their own right, but whose notoriety reveals much about their conditions of production or consumption, include banned or controversial television documentaries etc ‘Such ‘case studies’ form the starting point or central exemplar which can illuminate aspects of the media we don’t normally think about or see. Turning points and groundbreaking texts could be included in the previous category, but texts can be significant without being notorious, especially in retrospect. Aesthetic value (2000:12-13) s a criterion that many media teachers would deny using as a way of selecting or judging texts. 2000:13 What is it all for? ‘It is also obvious that the media industries themselves are hard to get into and rely increasingly on freelancers, ‘2000:14: that a knowledge of history, politics, economics, accountancy, law – you name it – would be equally useful as a basis for working, as, say, a journalist o r editor It is increasingly likely that, whatever job you do or whatever your domestic circumstances, there will be more opportunities for you to engage with the media, and not just as a consumer. Indeed, the field of ‘alternative’ and subversive media production may be the one that grows fastest over the next few years (who knows? How could you tell? ) as access to technology and circulation systems widens Inside or outside the corporate producers, the new voices will come from the people who are already literate in the new media What media studies can really do is open up your understanding of how things work, how people become informed – or misinformed – and how the myths and ideologies that govern all our lives are created and sustained. Reading 1. Media and Communications: Theoretical traditions 2002:23 The field of Australian media and communications theory and research is in a unique position. On one hand, it is highly derivative†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. this is partly due to general globalisation of ideas today, but also to Australia’s past as a British colony and in more recent decades, to its dependence on the United States. On the othe r hand, in Australia we are able to observe and compare the influences and models emanating from the metropolitan centres of the Northern Hemisphere and to selectively combine and modify them in accordance with our own national reality and place in the world -.. dentify the origins of the major paradigms or schools of thought which have arisen in European and American theory and research as they apply to media and communications; to trace the formative influence they have had on particular styles of work in Australia; and to show how they have become transformed in the process of being adapted to our experience here EUROPE VERSUS AMERICA 2002:23 .. ‘European means heavily interpretive and holistic in scope – that is, taking a macro perspective, looking down on society as a whole. Its sociopolitical stance is critical of society as it exists, and most often specifically Marxist. In its methods, it is deductive in that it applies general principles to the analysis of particular cases By contrast, the American approach is strongly empirical and micro in its scope – at its extreme, its form of knowledge relies on the direction observation of distinct phenomena, preferably controlled and measurable occurrences, like in a laboratory experiment. Its sociopolitical stance is said to be liberal or pluralistic – in other words, it is not aligned with any sector of society which has an interest in changing the world, but in that sense, it is really more conservative 002:24: However ideas do not belong to geographical territories and it is important to appreciate that, even if critical theory has traditionally been weak in the United States, Europe in fact has not only produced the characteristic critical and interpretive schools of thought, but also has a strong tradition of ‘positivism’, which is much more aligned with ‘Americanâ€⠄¢ empiricism and functionalism (Giddens 1974). Positivism is basically the idea that the methods of natural science can and should be applied to understand and control society and culture, which includes the media. Western Marxism and Ideological Critique 2002:24 In order to understand contemporary media studies, it is crucial to understand the significance of the Frankfurt School and its tradition A critique of the rise of the mass media (mainly the new media of cinema and radio in those days) which has defined one important direction for Marxist criticism ever since 2002:25 This is the ideological critique of the media Reading 1. 3 Self and Experience in a Mediated World Reading 1. 4 New Media and Technological Development A Beginner’s Guide to Textual Analysis How to cite Media Role in Everyday Life, Essay examples

Guide to Industrial Control System Security Free Sample

Question: Discuss about the Industrial Control System Security. Answer: Introduction The term Industrial Control System is used to refer to a large number of control systems that are used for assisting industrial production operations. The distributedcontrol systems(DCS), supervisory controland data acquisition (SCADA)systems and other programmable control system are in general referred to be essential components of Industrial Control System This particular report is aimed at providing the management of the Pure Land Wastewater Treatment Inc with information about those technological systems, the inclusion of which would help in improving the security levels of the industrial control system currently used by the organization. Current state description Established in 2001, Pure Land Wastewater Treatment Inc, is one such organization that has a significance experience in various aspects of Wastewater Treatment, besides being one of the most well known names in the domain of Biological Fermentation industries and Chemical Manufacturing. The following diagram depicts the existing industrial control system that Pure Land Wastewater Treatment Inc utilizes on a day to day basis: Figure 1: The existing industrial control system of Pure Land Wastewater Treatment Inc (Source: Reissman, 2014, pp- 9) As depicted in the diagram, the existing industrial control system can be subdivided into four sections: the Business LAN, the supervisory network, the control system and the field system The following section of the report provides a brief description of these subsystems: The Business LAN The employees of the organization have access to this section of the network. A web server caters to the requests made by the employees and the business service applications can be connected to the internet (Reissman, 2014). However this particular connection is protected by a firewall. The supervisory network The supervisory control and data acquisition or SCADA system remotely monitors and controls the operational functionalities of the organization. The control system Efficient human machine interfaces and Inter-Control Center CommunicationsProtocols (ICCP) are utilized for managing the exchange of information between the control system, the field system and the other facilities of the organization (Reissman, 2014). The field system The waste water treatment process and the sanitizer feed tank or the COI are remotely controlled remotely by the process control vendor support systems. The internet is utilized for establishing this communication link. Overview of network weaknesses On detailed examination of the existing ICS network, the following weaknesses were identified: The employees of the organization are capable of connecting to the internet and an internal firewall has been set up for enhancing the security levels of this section of the ICS (Peng et al. 2012). However, all the business services use this particular LAN connection and thus should have been protected with an external firewall and an Intrusion Detection and Prevention system, which at this point in time is non-existing. The other sections of the ICP are not protected with any security system and thus are vulnerable to a wide range of cyber attacks. The ICCP protocol is used for maintaining the communication between the control system, the field system and the other facilities of the organization. However, even these communication links are not protected with security system (Estevez, Marcos, 2012). Last but not the least, third party vendors have access to the sanitizer feed tank and the waste water treatment facilities through unprotected, internet based communication channels. Threats and vulnerabilities associated with the ICS The following section of the report is aimed at providing an insight in to those cyber security threats or vulnerabilities that are associated with industrial control systems. Sl. No Threat type Examples of threat 1 Malware infection through intranet or internet sources 1. Exploitation of the zero day exploits or unknown/ undetected attack that have been launched previously on the system (Allianz-fuer-cybersicherheit.de, 2016). 2. Attacks on the external web pages of the organization, attacks being launched in form of cross-site scripting ,SQL injection, etc 3. Limiting the functionalities of the system components by launching untargeted malware attacks. 2 Malware attack through external hardware devices and removable media 1. Executable applications might be embedded with malicious codes (Dhs.gov, 2016). 2. USB flash drives used by employees might also be sources of malware attacks (Kaspersky.com, 2016). 3. Sabotage or human error 1. Compromising the security of the system by intentional usage of unauthorized hardware or software components (Ics-cert.us-cert.gov, 2016). 2. Incorrect configuration of system components. 4 Intrusion through remote access 1. Attacks launched on access points that have been created for maintenance purpose (Rooijakkers Sadiq , 2015). 5. Attacks on control systems that are connected to the internet 1. Attacks can be launched on control systems that connected directly to the internet. Understanding of applicable regulations for achieving compliance with CFATS regulations within the plan In order to achieve the compliance with the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards or CFATS regulation, the higher management of Pure Land Wastewater Treatment Inc should be abiding by the following regulations: Appendix [A] to the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standard, Final Rule: The Appendix [A] to the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standard, Final Rule, published in November consists of a list of as many as 300 COI or Chemicals of Interest, besides providing each of their Screening Threshold Quantities or STQ (Dhs.gov, 2016). Organizations that holds any of these Chemicals of Interests at their respective STQ levels or higher need to submit the Top screen reports within a period of 60 days (Rooijakkers Sadiq , 2015). Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards, Interim Final Rule: The Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards regulation was published on April 9th, 2007, as the Interim Final Rule, after considering the information available from the individuals operating in the industries that abide by CSAT regulations, companies, trade associations and numerous other entities (Sadiq McCreight, 2013). The DHS took the initiative of publishing an appendix that contained a list of several Chemicals of Interests and their corresponding levels, on storage of which an enterprise would have to submit online Top Screenreports to the Department of Homeland Security through the online Chemical Security Assessment or the CSAT (Dhs.gov, 2016). Desired future state In the light of the discussions made in the above sections of the report, it can be concluded that in order improve the security level of the ICS system and avoid the risks and vulnerabilities that are frequently launched against such systems, certain changes must be incorporated within the said system. The desired changes have been mentioned in the following list: The various sub parts of the entire network must be isolated from each other , by the implementation of VPN solutions and firewall (both internal and external), such that the attack routes leading to the ICS network can be avoided (Reaves, Morris, 2012). Conventional security measures like that of antivirus software modules and firewalls need to be implemented in the periphery of each of these sub-networks. The internal access for those control processes that lie in the close vicinity of the production environment must be disabled (Galloway Hancke, 2013). Secure authentication procedures must be followed for utilizing the remote access facilities (Ics-cert.us-cert.gov, 2016). Five areas of cyber-security that needs to be improved The analysis of the diagram of network used by Pure Land Wastewater Treatment Inc , along with the consideration of the ranked subject areas available in the cyber security assessment report, has lead to the identification of the following domains that require improvement: Information and documentation management process need to be incorporated within the existing system which would enhance the process of securing the enterprise information (Sadiq McCreight, 2013). Firewalls need to be implemented at the peripheries of all the sub-sections of the network Incident response policies have to be implemented (Allianz-fuer-cybersicherheit.de, 2016). The techniques currently being used for malware detection and monitoring need to be improved (Reaves, Morris, 2012). The processes currently being used for controlling remote access to the ICS need to be secured (Galloway Hancke, 2013). Conclusion The report provides a detailed discussion on the industrial control system that is currently being utilized by Pure Land Wastewater Treatment Inc. A schematic diagram of the existing network architecture has been provided in the report, based on which the weaknesses of the existing system have been identified. Based on the identified weaknesses, a list of security treats or vulnerabilities has been provided, so as make the management of organization aware of the attacks which might be launched against the system. In order to achieve compliance with the CFATS regulations, Pure Land Wastewater Treatment Inc require to abide by two DHS regulations, the details of which have been provided in the report. The report also provides insight into some technological aspects that need to be implemented within the ICS system. Last but not the least, five such cyber-security domains have been identified, based on the reports generated by the U. S Homeland Security Department, which require immediate attention for enhancing the level of security of the ICS system. References Allianz-fuer-cybersicherheit.de,. (2016). Industrial Control System Security. Allianz-fuer-cybersicherheit.de. Retrieved 19 March 2016, from https://www.allianz-fuer-cybersicherheit.de/ACS/DE/_/downloads/BSI-CS_005E.pdf?__blob=publicationFilev=2 Dhs.gov,. (2016). CFATS Covered Chemical Facilities | Homeland Security. Dhs.gov. Retrieved 19 March 2016, from https://www.dhs.gov/cfats-covered-chemical-facilities Estevez, E., Marcos, M. (2012). Model-based validation of industrial control systems.Industrial Informatics, IEEE Transactions on,8(2), 302-310. Friedland, B. (2012).Control system design: an introduction to state-space methods. Courier Corporation. Galloway, B., Hancke, G. P. (2013). Introduction to industrial control networks.Communications Surveys Tutorials, IEEE,15(2), 860-880. Ics-cert.us-cert.gov,. (2016). Overview of Cyber Vulnerabilities | ICS-CERT. Ics-cert.us-cert.gov. Retrieved 19 March 2016, from https://ics-cert.us-cert.gov/content/overview-cyber-vulnerabilities Kaspersky.com,. (2016). Retrieved 19 March 2016, from https://media.kaspersky.com/en/business-security/critical-infrastructure-protection/Cyber_A4_Leaflet_eng_web.pdf Peng, Y., Jiang, C., Xie, F., Dai, Z., Xiong, Q., Gao, Y. (2012). Industrial control system cybersecurity research.Journal of Tsinghua University Science and Technology,52(10), 1396-1408. Reaves, B., Morris, T. (2012). An open virtual testbed for industrial control system security research.International Journal of Information Security,11(4), 215-229. Reissman, L. (2014). Pureland Cyber Secrity Assessment. Rooijakkers, M., Sadiq, A. A. (2015). Critical infrastructure, terrorism, and the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards: the need for collaboration.International Journal of Critical Infrastructures,11(2), 167-182. Sadiq, A. A., McCreight, R. (2013). Assessing the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards after 5 years: achievements, challenges, and risks ahead.Journal of Homeland Security and Emergency Management,10(1), 387-404.