Chapter 14
Small-Scale System Solutions—Material
Flow Management (MFM) in Settlements
(Water, Energy, Food, Materials)
Peter Heck
Abstract The complexities of the present energy-climate era coupled with the
ambitious targets of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) demand
approaches to resource management that transcend conventional strategies. Material
Flow Management (MFM) can be a vital tool in sustainable resource management
(SRM) in complex systems. It contributes, among other things, to the protection of
land, the conversion of abandoned land and the upcycling of degraded land. Despite its
relative novelty, its usefulness has already been demonstrated. This chapter presents
the practical application of MFM in small-scale systems, which are characterised
by decentralised material and energy flows. It attempts to highlight the utility of
MFM in SRM. The chapter gives special attention to the augmentation of source and
sink capacity, employing MFM to reduce impacts on ecosystems both upstream and
downstream—i.e. on the use of resources as well as on the amount of emissions.
Keywords Material flow management · Regional added value · Potential
analysis · Zero emissions campus
14.1 Introduction
14.1.1 Anthropogenic Systems, GDP Growth, and Material
Flow Management
Contrary to the (wise) premise, we, “the wise”—or Homo sapiens, have always taken
an anthropocentric
1 stand toward everything we have done so far. By any reasonable
judgement, this will largely stay the norm for the next couple of decades as well.
1 The view/belief that human beings are the most important entity in the universe. The analysis of
Kopnina et al. (2018) may be useful for some insights and perspectives.
P. Heck (B)
FB Umweltwirtschaft/-recht–FR Umweltwirtschaft, Hochschule Trier, Umwelt-Campus
Birkenfeld, Campusallee, 55768 Hoppstädten-Weiersbach, Germany
e-mail: p.heck@umwelt-campus.de
© The Author(s) 2021
T. Weith et al. (eds.), Sustainable Land Management in a European Context,
Human-Environment Interactions 8, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-50841-8_14
269
Small-Scale System Solutions—Material
Flow Management (MFM) in Settlements
(Water, Energy, Food, Materials)
Peter Heck
Abstract The complexities of the present energy-climate era coupled with the
ambitious targets of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) demand
approaches to resource management that transcend conventional strategies. Material
Flow Management (MFM) can be a vital tool in sustainable resource management
(SRM) in complex systems. It contributes, among other things, to the protection of
land, the conversion of abandoned land and the upcycling of degraded land. Despite its
relative novelty, its usefulness has already been demonstrated. This chapter presents
the practical application of MFM in small-scale systems, which are characterised
by decentralised material and energy flows. It attempts to highlight the utility of
MFM in SRM. The chapter gives special attention to the augmentation of source and
sink capacity, employing MFM to reduce impacts on ecosystems both upstream and
downstream—i.e. on the use of resources as well as on the amount of emissions.
Keywords Material flow management · Regional added value · Potential
analysis · Zero emissions campus
14.1 Introduction
14.1.1 Anthropogenic Systems, GDP Growth, and Material
Flow Management
Contrary to the (wise) premise, we, “the wise”—or Homo sapiens, have always taken
an anthropocentric
1 stand toward everything we have done so far. By any reasonable
judgement, this will largely stay the norm for the next couple of decades as well.
1 The view/belief that human beings are the most important entity in the universe. The analysis of
Kopnina et al. (2018) may be useful for some insights and perspectives.
P. Heck (B)
FB Umweltwirtschaft/-recht–FR Umweltwirtschaft, Hochschule Trier, Umwelt-Campus
Birkenfeld, Campusallee, 55768 Hoppstädten-Weiersbach, Germany
e-mail: p.heck@umwelt-campus.de
© The Author(s) 2021
T. Weith et al. (eds.), Sustainable Land Management in a European Context,
Human-Environment Interactions 8, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-50841-8_14
269