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Table of Contents
Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 3

Self-Reflection and Application in STEM/Health Discipline ............................................................ 3

Animal Waste Management in Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) ........................................ 4

Embracing Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Reconciliation Principles .......................................... 5

Sustainable Solutions Proposal ............................................................................................................ 5

Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................. 7

References .............................................................................................................................................. 8

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Introduction

This reflective paper examines my comprehension development throughout the STEM course
duration. By the end of this course, I have been engaged with different topics involving STEM
practices for sustainability, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP), the crucial integration of equity, diversity, inclusion, and
reconciliation principles and also the concerted efforts to address the societal, economic and
environmental needs in the pursuit of sustainable development.

Particularly, through the group project aiming to tackle the industry challenges regarding
animal waste management in Australia, our team and I had the opportunity to examine this
issue’s intricacies thoroughly. Our investigation focused on innovative solutions that not only
mitigate the adverse environmental impact of animal waste by recycling it into organic
fertilizers but also consider the social, economic, and environmental aspects of sustainable
agriculture in Australia. The past few weeks of researching the utilization of animal waste in
agricultural practices have given me a new perspective on how a comprehensive and
multifaceted approach will significantly transform the agricultural landscape.

Self-Reflection and Application in STEM/Health Discipline

Within the framework of STEM/Health, this group project helped me establish a connection
between environmental sustainability and public health. The handling of animal waste in
Australia includes not only environmental considerations but also health, resources, and social
implications. The inadequate handling of animal waste can lead to:

● Environmental Pollution: Despite having valuable nutrients as fertilizer for plants,

animal manure can accumulate nitrogen, phosphorus, and pathogens that can pollute
the air and harm aquatic ecosystems (Headon and Walsh 1994).

● Heavy Metal Contamination: Improper animal waste disposal can contaminate both
land and water with heavy metals such as copper, zinc, lead originating from animal
diets, pesticides, and antibiotic usage.

● Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Animal manure releases gases such as ammonia,

hydrogen sulfide, methane, and carbon dioxide (DATCP 2008). According to the UN

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 Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), 18% of greenhouse gas emissions come
from the animal agriculture industry.

● Impact on Life Quality: Untreated animal waste generates air pollutants and odors
that directly affect social and community health and life quality when exposed for a
long time.

● Resource Depletion: Inefficient animal waste management ultimately results in

phosphorus depletion, hence necessitating an enhanced dependence on expensive and
environmentally unsustainable imports of phosphate.

Animal Waste Management in Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The UN SDGs were introduced by the UN in 2015 as a set of 17 global objectives to tackle
various ongoing global issues such as poverty, inequality, climate change, good health and
well-being, and environmental sustainability by 2030 (United Nations n.d). Animal waste
management is intricately connected to various SDGs, including:

● SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being): Implementing effective animal waste

management practices is crucial in mitigating potential risks related to zoonotic disease
transmissions and environmental pollution, adversely generating social concerns and
thus positively improving public health and overall welfare.

● SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation): Effective animal waste management can
prevent water pollution caused by pathogens and nutrients (such as nitrogen and
phosphorus) from animal runoff and percolation, which may induce potential
temperature rise in receiving water sources (New Jersey Government 2009).

● SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities): Sustainable waste management in

rural areas, which are often characterized by various agricultural activities, has the
potential to mitigate odor-related concerns arising from animal waste effectively. These
concerns can adversely affect both rural and urban areas, leading to social tensions
within nearby communities.

● SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production): Proper waste management

contributes to optimizing resource utilization used in agriculture. Rather than regarding
animal waste as a pollutant or waste product, it can be converted into valuable

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 resources, such as organic fertilizers. The sustainable use of animal waste not only
aligns with the Circular Economy highlighted in Goal 12 but also ensures its recycling
and reuse in an environmentally and socially responsible way.

● SDG 13 (Climate Action): Using animal waste to produce renewable and

environmentally friendly energy sources can help mitigate greenhouse gas emissions
and, thus, global climate change.

● SDG 15 (Life on Land): Effective animal waste management directly influences soil
health and fertility, mitigation of land degradation due to runoff and soil contamination,
provision of resources for the ecosystem, and conservation of habitats, which altogether
align with the objectives to sustainably manage land and ecosystems, combat
desertification, and preserve terrestrial life and biodiversity of SDG 15 (The Global
Goals n.d).

Embracing Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Reconciliation Principles

Incorporating equity, diversity, inclusion, and reconciliation (EDIR) principles in animal waste
management means to maintain fairness and alleviate the disproportionate consequences
experienced by underrepresented communities. This comprises several measures, including
ensuring equal access to waste management resources and knowledge, addressing disparities
in well-being, engaging various stakeholders representing diverse perspectives (such as
farmers and agricultural workers, environmental organizations, non-environmental
organizations (NGOs), local communities, indigenous communities, and consumers),
collecting data on the social impacts, promoting inclusive participation in decision-making
processes, and fostering accessible communication means. By embracing EDIR principles in
animal waste management, we can pursue equitable and sustainable solutions while also
considering the diverse voices of all stakeholders.

Sustainable Solutions Proposal

Our team identified various approaches for effectively and sustainably managing animal waste,
including employing advanced manure treatment technologies, such as anaerobic digestion and
composting, to recycle and recover animal waste (McCabe et al. 2020), which will minimize
greenhouse gas emissions that tremendously affect human health and enhance soil fertility (Li

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et al. 2018). Moreover, our approaches also consider the Circular Economy principles,
emphasizing the maximized use of recycled animal waste to minimize waste generation for
guaranteed long-term sustainability (Figure 1). We use animal waste in the production of
biogas, which serves as a renewable and environmentally friendly energy source and will aid
in reducing the effects of global warming by mitigating greenhouse gas emissions, thus
improving public health (Giwa et al. 2023). Additionally, this process allows for the recycling
of essential nutrients in animal waste, which can be repurposed for various applications,
including manufacturing organic fertilizers and supporting activities like aquaculture and
hydroponics.

Figure 1: Circular Economy integration of animal waste into the livestock supply chain
through waste-to-material technologies (CSIRO Publishing 2021)

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Conclusion

Through our group’s investigation into animal waste management, particularly in Australia,
we have discovered the promising potential of advanced technologies to effectively and
sustainably transform the agriculture landscape. Our group project analyzed and proposed
sustainable solutions for animal waste management, including anaerobic digestions,
composting, nutrient recovery, and biogas production, while also applying Circular Economy
principles, which both promote sustainable animal waste management approaches, prove the
potential for renewable energy generation and ensure sustainable agricultural practices for the
future. Moreover, embracing EDIR principles is of utmost importance when considering
sustainable solutions, including equitable access to resources, minimization of disparities,
active involvement of various stakeholders, and fostering communication. Our group’s
aforementioned proposal for sustainable solutions exemplifies our commitment to a future in
which agriculture is highly productive, environmentally sustainable, and socially equitable.

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References

1. DATCP (Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection) (2008) Manure

Gas Safety: Review Of Practices And Recommendations For Wisconsin Livestock
Farms, DATCP website, accessed 22 September 2023.
https://datcp.wi.gov/Documents/ManureGasSafetyReport.pdf

2. Giwa A, Maurice N, Luoyan A, Liu X, Yunlong Y and Hong Z (2023) Advances in

sewage sludge application and treatment: Process integration of plasma pyrolysis and
anaerobic digestion with resource recovery, Heliyon.

3. Headon DR and Walsh G (1994) Biological control of pollutants principle of pig

science. In biotechnology in the feed industry, DJA Cole, J. Wiseman, And MA
Varley, Nottingham University Press, Nottingham, UK.

4. Li Y, Luo W, Lu J, Zhang X, Li S, Wu Y and Li G (2018) Effects of digestion time in

anaerobic digestion on subsequent digestate composting, Bioresource Technology,
267: 117-125.

5. McCabe B, Harris P, Antille D, Schmidt T, Lee S, Hill A and Baillie C (2020)

Toward profitable and sustainable bioresource management in the Australian red meat
processing industry: A critical review and illustrative case study, Critical Reviews in
Environmental Science and Technology, 50 (22): 2415-2439.

6. New Jersey Government (2009) Chapter 91 Animal Waste Management, New Jersey
Government website, accessed 20 September 2023.
https://www.nj.gov/agriculture/divisions/anr/pdf/animalwastemanagementrule.pdf

7. The Global Goals (n.d.) SDG 15 - Life on Land, The Global Goals website, accessed
22 September 2023. https://www.globalgoals.org/goals/15-life-on-land/

8. UN (United Nations) (n.d.) The 17 Goals, UN website, accessed 20 September 2023.

https://sdgs.un.org/goals

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