INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE IT'S ABOUT PEOPLE 2024–2025: Sustainable Development: Peer-Reviewed Proceedings Book

The peer-reviewed proceedings book Sustainable Development, edited by Dr Tanja Bagar and Dr Daniel Siter, presents the first online edition of selected research contributions from the 12th and 13th Annual “It’s About People” International Scientific Conferences, dedicated to sustainability, dignity, and the cultivation of social and technological resilience. The publication brings together 11 scholarly contributions, each addressing a distinct yet interconnected dimension of sustainable development.

Grounded in the editorial introduction’s assertion that sustainability extends far beyond public discourse and political rhetoric, the volume frames it as a profound scientific, ethical, and personal commitment. The editors emphasise that sustainability requires humility, critical thinking, and a renewed respect for the visible and invisible networks – ecological, biological, economic, and social - that sustain life on Earth. Drawing on lessons from the microscopic world, the introduction highlights that even the smallest actors can significantly reshape entire environments, just as individual lines of research, even if modest in scale, can make meaningful contributions to global sustainability transitions.

The 11 contributions included in the volume reflect the broad and inherently interdisciplinary nature of sustainability science. They explore themes such as innovative models of sustainable entrepreneurship, meta-synthesis approaches to sustainable construction, and the reimagining of tourism planning through the Tourism 4.0 framework to balance development and resident quality of life. Other papers address environmental resilience, including sustainable flood and landslide recovery, heavy-metal contamination in industrial waste, and new perspectives on waste-to-fuel quality based on behavioural and seasonal factors.

Several contributions analyse sustainability within technological and policy frameworks, examining digitalisation and resilience among small enterprises, adapting low-emission urban mobility concepts for healthier cities, the formation of ESG strategies aligned with EU guidelines, and the roles of stakeholders within Baltic food systems under evolving EU regulations. Forward-looking material innovations also feature prominently, such as the use of hemp as a sustainable construction material that can reduce carbon footprints and enhance carbon sequestration.

Taken together, the studies offer a multifaceted view of how societies, technologies, and economies can evolve in harmony with ecological systems. Through its interdisciplinary scope, rigorous methodologies, and ethically grounded perspective, the volume reaffirms sustainability as a shared responsibility – one that demands collaboration, scientific integrity, and a commitment to ensuring that human progress and ecological stewardship advance together rather than at each other’s expense.