Dissertations / Theses: 'Costs and sustainable environmental practices'

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Forslind, Maja. "Finding the Dollar Language : Drivers and rationales for monetising corporate environmental and social impacts– practices in counting the true value of business operation from ecosystem services perspective." Thesis, Stockholms universitet, Stockholm Resilience Centre, 2012. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-85855.

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The thesis explores how monetisation of corporate externalities, can be carried out in order to provide investors, policy makers and consumers with accurate pictures of the true costs and benefits of business operations from a resilience and ecosystem services perspective. By drawing conclusions from company cases, and previous research – methods, drivers and monetary values of impacts such as carbon dioxide, water usage, pollutants and land use are analysed. The findings reflect opportunities that open up with monetisation, in terms of tools for guidance and support in internal corporate decision making, by making the actual impacts visualised and understandable. Findings from company cases, show that monetisation of corporate effects has potential to contribute to visualising impacts – and add knowledge that may close information gaps internally as well as externally. It can guide and facilitate strategic choices at corporate level. It may also have a role in bridging information asymmetries in the picture of a firm’s operation, to consumers and investors. Monetising effects may facilitate identification of risks arising from ecosystem services dependencies, visualising the actual impacts by, assed costs in losses in ecosystems’ production (yields e.g.) caused by corporate harm.Providing relevant information to policy makers, on obstacles and where regulative incentives are needed, and investors and consumers with guidance, monetisation of impacts potentially can play a part in bridging market information gaps toward better incentive structures and possibly facilitating effective market transformation in favor of sustainable production and consumption patterns.

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SANTOS, Kelly Mary Viana dos. "Práticas ambientais sustentáveis: uma análise dos custos de adoção das ações sustentáveis aplicáveis ao Hospital Universitário Prof. Alberto Antunes (HUPAA) /." Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, 2014. https://repositorio.ufpe.br/handle/123456789/18581.

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Este estudo teve por objetivo analisar os custos de adoção das ações sustentáveis aplicáveis ao Hospital Universitário Professor Alberto Antunes (HUPAA). Por meio de estudo das legislações pertinentes e uso de metodologia qualitativa, baseada em estudo de caso, procedeu-se á observação participante, aplicação de questionários e entrevistas semiestruturadas com responsáveis pela gestão hospitalar como também com os colaboradores relacionados direta e indiretamente com as ações ambientais da instituição. Observou-se que dentre um universo de 27 (vinte e sete) práticas ambientais sustentáveis pesquisadas, o HUPAA desenvolve efetivamente 20 (vinte) ações, 03 (três) são parcialmente desenvolvidas e 04 (quatro) não são aplicáveis ao hospital. Constatou-se que o hospital investiu em torno de R$ 957.125,28 (novecentos e cinquenta e sete mil cento e vinte cinco reais e vinte e oito centavos) para adotar as práticas ambientais sustentáveis. Em relação à prática ambiental que apresenta maior impacto no orçamento hospitalar foi representada pela aquisição de equipamentos e materiais que consomem menos energia, o qual o hospital gastou o um valor anual de R$ 495.169,70 (quatrocentos e noventa e cinco mil cento e sessenta e nove reais e setenta centavos). Observou-se também a necessidade do HUPAA implantar novas práticas ambientais, as quais teria que investir um valor de R$ 169.111,04 (cento e sessenta e nove mil cento e onze reais e quatro centavos). Os dados encontrados demonstram que o HUPAA apresenta uma situação favorável no desempenho das suas práticas ambientais sustentáveis, porém o hospital tem a obrigação de adotar todas as práticas ambientais inerentes à legislação ambiental, uma vez que existe a necessidade dele cumprir com o seu papel social e legal. Contudo, espera-se que as informações levantadas nesta pesquisa sirvam de instrumento de gestão para tomada de decisões da gestão hospitalar, para estruturação do serviço de gerenciamento de resíduos, além de alertar para adoção de novas práticas ambientais sustentáveis.
This research aimed to analyze the costs of adoptions of the sustainable actions applicable to the University Hospital Professor Alberto Antunes (HUPAA). By means of study of the pertinent legislations and use of qualitative methodology, based on case study it took place participating observation, utilization of questionnaires and semi-structured interviews with the ones responsible for hospital management as well as the collaborators related direct or indirectly to the environmental actions of the institution. It was noticed that within the universe of 27 (twenty-seven) sustainable environmental practices researched, the HUPAA develops effectively 20 (twenty) actions, 03 (three) are partially developed and 04 (four) are not applicable to the hospital. It was observed that the hospital invested around R$ 957.125,28 (Nine hundred fifty-seven thousand one hundred twenty-five reais and twenty-eight scents) to adopt the sustainable environmental practices. With regard to the environmental practice, that presents the highest impact to the hospital budget was represented by the purchase of equipment and materials that expend less electricity, in which the hospital spent the annual value of R$495.169,70 (Four hundred ninety-five thousand one hundred sixty-nine and seventy scents). It was also observed the need of the HUPAA to establish new environmental practices, which should be invested an amount of R$ 169.111.04 (One hundred sixty-nine thousand one hundred eleven reais and four scents). The data found show that the HUPAA presents a favorable situation in the development of its sustainable environmental practices, however the hospital has the obligation to adopt all the environmental practices inherent to the environmental legislation, once that there is the necessity of it fulfills its social and legal role. Nevertheless, it is expected that the relevant information collected in this research may be useful as an instrument of management for decision-making of hospital management, the organization of the service of residue management, besides alerting for the adoption of new sustainable environmental practices.

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Logan, Alexandra Joanna. "Sustainable tourism awareness and environmental practices in luxury safari lodges." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/19962.

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Sustainable tourism requires accommodation businesses to balance economic, environmental and social issues, taking into account the needs of current and future generations. However, despite the ever E increasing attention on sustainable tourism and the acknowledgement of the impacts of tourism on the environment, this form of tourism only represents a minor share of all tourism. Ecotourism forms part of sustainable tourism and is one of the most common forms of commercially focused wildlife management on privately owned land. Luxury safari lodges are expected to provide a high level of hospitality , luxurious facilities and exquisite cui sine . Consequently, these lodges consume large quantities of resources and are reliant on the adequate supply of water and energy. Safari lodges are also reliant on the natural environment to attract guests. Therefore it is prudent of these businesses to conserve and protect water, energy and ecological resources to ensure the perpetuity of the lodge. Furthermore, both the environment and society benefit from the conservation of these resources. This study investigates the awareness of sustainable tourism and environmental practices in luxury safari lodges. Twenty-five luxury safari lodges in Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces of South Africa were approached and a total of six safari lodges participated in an email E based questionnaire and one took part in semi -structured interviews. The research reveals that luxury safari lodges are aware of sustainable tourism and its importance. In addition, they involved in a number of environmental activities in order to achieve sustainability. The environment is emphasized as central to sustainable tourism, stemming from the fact that these lodges rely on the natural environment to attract guests. Balancing financial commitments to sustainability was found to have an impact on certain aspects of the luxury safari lodges attitudes and actions. The research indicated two key directions to pursue to sustain environmental activities in the luxury safari lodge industry. Firstly, education and awareness of staff and guests is acknowledged as central to supporting and achieving sustainability in luxury safari lodges. Secondly, lodges affiliated with voluntary initiatives such as FTT and Greenleaf are audited regularly to ensure a specific standard has been achieved, thus maintaining sustainable best practices in the lodges. The research concluded that the motivation for achieving sustainable tourism within luxury safari lodges can be seen as driven by: the need to preserve the natural environment, the opportunity to reduce operating costs (increase profitability) and the growing demand for environmentally friendly safari lodges.

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Evans, Peter J. "Community knowledge, attitudes and practices - urban mosquitoes and sustainable mosquito control." Thesis, University of Exeter, 1994. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.241460.

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Song, Ying. "Green Accessibility: Estimating the Environmental Costs of Space-time Prisms for Sustainable Transportation Planning." The Ohio State University, 2015. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1437344275.

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Sukhdeo, Beverley Amanda Faith. "A conscious leadership model to achieve sustainable business practices." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/5885.

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Business sustainability is a fundamental concern amongst business leaders and it is imperative that business defines an environmentally and socially sustainable path to financial prosperity. This focus on sustainable business practices has been caused by the perceived contribution of businesses to undesirable conditions such as environmental and social degradation including global warming and the global financial crises. This study suggests that a leadership style that differs from leadership that is currently causing business unsustainability is needed in order to achieve the goal of sustainable business practices. This study therefore proposes a new kind of leadership, called conscious leadership. The main contribution of the study is to increase the achievement of sustainable business practices by investigating the importance of conscious leadership in achieving this objective. Convenience sampling was used to select senior managers and directors from mainly JSE listed companies. This resulted in a total of 371 usable questionnaires (317 from listed companies and 54 from unlisted companies) being received. A quantitative approach was adopted to investigate whether conscious leadership would be related to increased sustainability competencies and more effective sustainability-related corporate governance and whether these in turn would increase sustainability behaviours which would generate sustainable business practices as measured by financial, social and environmental performance. Regression analyses were conducted to investigate the hypothesised relationships among these variables. Pearson correlations and descriptive statistics were also calculated. The empirical results showed that respondents in this study regarded conscious leadership, not as a separate construct, but as a way they governed their businesses. The empirical results showed that corporate governance and systems thinking competency had a strong interactive relationship and should therefore be cultivated within business firms. Corporate governance (including conscious leadership) and systems-thinking competency were positive influencers of employee relations, equal opportunities and workforce diversity. The empirical results however showed that corporate governance (including conscious leadership) had a negative influence on profitability. The present study cannot argue for the discouragement of corporate governance (including conscious leadership), as measured in this study, because reduced corporate governance would decrease healthy employee relations and the latter would decrease the achievement of equal opportunities and workforce diversity in these firms. A decrease in healthy employee relations would decrease profitability. The most important finding of this study is that senior managers and directors of big business firms, mostly JSE-listed companies, regarded conscious leadership as an important part of corporate governance. Corporate governance that includes conscious leadership must be developed to higher levels in business firms, so that the negative and not-significant relationships to profitability as viewed by lower and high conscious leaders respectively can be changed to positive relationships.

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Tkachenko, Sergii, and Kristina Rib. "Enforcing sustainable sourcing: A framework based on best practices." Thesis, Internationella Handelshögskolan, Högskolan i Jönköping, IHH, Marketing and Logistics, 2014. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hj:diva-23875.

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Problem – Companies are increasingly focusing on sustainability issues in response to internal and external pressure. Research on sustainable performance of focal companies is vast; however there is a lack of guidelines for managing sustainability in extended supply chains. Scholars claim a need for additional research on intra- and inter-organizational diffusion of best sustainable practices. Besides, the outcomes of sustainable sourcing practices are still uncertain. The gap between potential benefits of sustainable sourcing and actual performance is attributed to lack of capabilities, instruments, and efficient processes. Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore existing sustainable sourcing practices which are used by leading multinational companies. Based on the obtained knowledge we aim to develop a framework that will suite as a guideline for enforcing sustainable sourcing practices. Method – The research has been conducted through the method of grounded theory, enabling the researchers to constructively interpret data from documentary primary data and semi-structured interviews. This approach was utilized in order to explore what are the most common practices of managing sustainable sourcing applied by the companies awarded as Industry leaders by the Dow Jones Sustainability Index. Conclusion We found that a commonly accepted approach towards managing and enforcing sustainable sourcing is absent both in theoretical discourse and practice. However, the most frequently mentioned tools and approaches were defined. They include the adoption of suppliers’ code of conduct, establishment of dedicated sustainability departments, procurement personnel training, suppliers’ capability building, risk assessment and categorization of suppliers, IT platforms for information sharing, supplier self-assessment, audit, joint projects with suppliers, meetings and conferences, and suppliers’ scorecards. Finally, we developed a Sustainable Sourcing Enforcement framework which could serve as a guideline to enforce supplier’s commitment to act sustainably. The framework consists of five chronologically connected pillars: Objectives alignment, Commitment creation, Supplier selection, Ongoing development and Work with stakeholders.

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Blaser, Kristeena K. "The Triple Bottom Line of Sustainable Fashion." Ohio University / OhioLINK, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1493839389457047.

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Lee, Mengshan. "Integrated Assessment of Water Conservation Practices For Sustainable Management Strategies." FIU Digital Commons, 2011. http://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/439.

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Miami-Dade County implemented a series of water conservation programs, which included rebate/exchange incentives to encourage the use of high efficiency aerators (AR), showerheads (SH), toilets (HET) and clothes washers (HEW), to respond to the environmental sustainability issue in urban areas. This study first used panel data analysis of water consumption to evaluate the performance and actual water savings of individual programs. Integrated water demand model has also been developed for incorporating property’s physical characteristics into the water consumption profiles. Life cycle assessment (with emphasis on end-use stage in water system) of water intense appliances was conducted to determine the environmental impacts brought by each practice. Approximately 6 to 10 % of water has been saved in the first and second year of implementation of high efficiency appliances, and with continuing savings in the third and fourth years. Water savings (gallons per household per day) for water efficiency appliances were observed at 28 (11.1%) for SH, 34.7 (13.3%) for HET, and 39.7 (14.5%) for HEW. Furthermore, the estimated contributions of high efficiency appliances for reducing water demand in the integrated water demand model were between 5 and 19% (highest in the AR program). Results indicated that adoption of more than one type of water efficiency appliance could significantly reduce residential water demand. For the sustainable water management strategies, the appropriate water conservation rate was projected to be 1 to 2 million gallons per day (MGD) through 2030. With 2 MGD of water savings, the estimated per capita water use (GPCD) could be reduced from approximately 140 to 122 GPCD. Additional efforts are needed to reduce the water demand to US EPA’s “Water Sense” conservation levels of 70 GPCD by 2030. Life cycle assessment results showed that environmental impacts (water and energy demands and greenhouse gas emissions) from end-use and demand phases are most significant within the water system, particularly due to water heating (73% for clothes washer and 93% for showerhead). Estimations of optimal lifespan for appliances (8 to 21 years) implied that earlier replacement with efficiency models is encouraged in order to minimize the environmental impacts brought by current practice.

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Hjerpe, Mattias. "Sustainable Development and Urban Water Management : Linking Theory and Practice of Economic Criteria." Doctoral thesis, Linköping : Dept. of Water and Environmental Studies, Univ, 2005. http://www.bibl.liu.se/liupubl/disp/disp2005/arts322s.pdf.

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Cheung, Yuk-kuen Annie. "An environmental assessment approach for Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta Area : principles and practices /." Hong Kong : University of Hong Kong, 1997. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record.jsp?B19670394.

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Mogge, John W. Jr. "Breaking Through the First Cost Barriers to Sustainable Planning, Design and Construction." Diss., Georgia Institute of Technology, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/4831.

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Breaking Through the First Cost Barriers of Sustainable Planning, Design, and Construction John W. Mogge Jr. 377 Pages Directed by Dr. Rita Oberle The research integrates elements of the bodies of knowledge for sustainability, planning, design, and construction to create an understanding of green project first cost drivers. It extends conceptual models for sustainable infrastructure and the built environment process by creating a framework based linkage to analyze first cost impacts of sustainable project planning, design, and construction decisions. The framework functions as an analytical bridge between the built environment process and sustainability and is the principal contribution of this research. Through a preliminary analysis of fourteen projects, the work draws out relevant planning, materials and methods, and estimating and scheduling best practices and guiding principles. The work then proposes a first cost impact framework derived from the preliminary analysis as a decision support tool and tests the framework using an expert system derived linguistic database. The test results support the functionality of the framework. The test linguistic database was developed through an interdisciplinary professional expert practitioner interview process using common green project planning, design and construction strategies. The qualitative, interpretative, multi-criteria analysis of the data used fuzzy set theory and presents findings helpful in understanding green project first cost drivers. The work concludes with an assessment and a discussion of parallel research, and ten recommended areas for further research.

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Lukas, Megan. "Greener pastures of home: an ethnographic study on everyday sustainable practices in Nyanga, Cape Town." Doctoral thesis, Faculty of Science, 2021. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/32771.

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Most contemporary urban development in cities of the global South is responding to rapid urbanisation caused by prospects of employment opportunities and improved quality of life. Research in the field of sustainability in cities of the global South mainly focuses on economic and social development goals. However, there is an emerging sense that an appreciation of ordinary, everyday practices at the level of the community is important for developing a nuanced understanding of what sustainability might be in Southern cities. There is agreement on the need to pay attention to social and cultural practices in urban sustainability literature; yet relatively little research in the field engages closely with everyday practices at the level of neighbourhoods or communities. This is particularly true in the global South, and especially in low-income urban neighbourhoods, where developmentalist agendas dominate both academic and policy-related research. My thesis addresses this gap through an exploration of a wide range of everyday practices in a lowincome, peri-urban area, which happen to have sustainable effects. Analysing ethnographic data collected over nine months in the Cape Town township of Nyanga, I find that the desire of urban residents to create spaces of home and belonging drives behaviour that in fact has positive sustainable outcomes, yet is seldom considered in literature on sustainable cities. I argue that paying attention to how ordinary citizens ‘make home', specifically by (i) drawing on memories, (ii) developing livelihoods, and (iii) building social relations can enrich understanding not only of economic and social development but also of the complex ways in which social and environmental sustainability are already intertwined in everyday practice. Facilitating sustainable spaces in cities of the global South, therefore, requires critical engagement with the practices that are already taking place in urban residents' everyday lives.

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Yang, Ma Ga. "Developing a Focal Firm’s Sustainable Supply Chain Framework: Drivers, Orientation, Practices and Performance Outcomes." University of Toledo / OhioLINK, 2013. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1356543598.

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Kim, Samuel. "Sustainable building practices : minimising the life-cycle environmental impact of high-rise apartments in Korea." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 1998. http://hdl.handle.net/1842/21338.

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Concern about the global environment has been increasing in recent years. Efforts to sustain the globe as well as human beings have increased, especially in the late twentieth century. Co-operation between industries is required, in order to limit our production and waste within global capacity. This current study researches one of the solutions which can contribute to sustaining the world environment. Although the issues are on a global scale, solutions are sought on a regional scale, in this case Korea. Assessment and proposals are made for high-rise apartments, one of the most popular construction types nowadays in Korea. Since the volume of high-rise apartment construction is so great, a small improvement in each building will make a great contribution to reducing environmental impact. Assessments are made over the life-span of apartment buildings by using a tool for Environmental Impact Assessment for High-rise Apartment (EIAHA), which includes passive design strategy; issues on construction and building materials; energy consumption during building operation; and management & maintenance. The assessment applies to the current high-rise apartment development in Korea as well as in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong and Singapore. Through the comparison of the development in those countries, proposals for future Korean high-rise apartment development are suggested. Solutions for sustainable future development of Korean high-rise apartments are categorised into (i) energy saving strategies, which include energy use for construction and use of materials as well as energy in use, and (ii) the importance of longer-life building. At the end of this study, as a conclusion, implications for planners, architects, legislators, managers and residents are outlined, in order to meet the targets.

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Darlow, Susan Elizabeth Joan. "Sustainable heritage management practices at visited heritage sites in Devon and Cornwall." Thesis, University of Plymouth, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/10026.1/482.

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Sustainability is one of the key challenges facing society in the twenty-first century. The adoption of sustainable practices in the heritage sector resonates with its long-established objectives to conserve and enhance the historic environment, although its implementation can also present significant dilemmas for the commodification, integrity, authenticity, accessibility and viability of these resources, particularly where sites are tourist attractions. The aim of this thesis was to investigate progress in the adoption of sustainable practices in heritage properties and sites in Devon and Cornwall. The findings were based on the compilation of an inventory of selected heritage resources; an extensive questionnaire survey of managers of historic houses and castles, historic churches, and museums and archives (416 responses), which investigated the extent of, and opinions about, sustainable management approaches; and semi-structured, face-to-face interviews with eight heritage managers, which probed key issues in much greater depth. The results of the research demonstrated some similarities with the adoption of sustainable practices in other sectors, such as the practical issues associated with costs and lack of knowledge. There were also some heritage-specific issues, such as perceived conflicts with protection duties, the consequences of being largely dependent upon volunteer staffing, and the institutional role of larger parent organisations, which have been overlooked in previous research. Most significantly, the results indicated that very few heritage sites produced sufficient surpluses to facilitate investment in sustainable practices that might ultimately enhance their financial viability and fund enhanced conservation activities. Future strategies for the sector as whole must therefore not only deal with capacity-building, such as access to information and training on sector-specific sustainable management, but also address the institutional factors governing heritage in the UK, such as strategic leadership, the most effective models for governance and funding mechanisms for sustainability, and the creation of local and regional heritage networks.

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Shivji, Murad. "Sustainable community design and subdivision in Calgary, development industry attitudes and opinions regarding the sustainable suburbs study and improved environmental practices." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 1998. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk2/tape15/PQDD_0015/MQ27561.pdf.

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Mchakulu, Mphatso Grace. "Rural Malawi households' environmental concern and consciousness about appropriate energy consumption practices amidst prevailing socio-economic conditions." Thesis, University of Pretoria, 2019. http://hdl.handle.net/2263/77847.

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Malawi rural households’ dependence on fuelwood as a form of energy and as a source of income is contributing to alarming rates of deforestation in the country with detrimental consequences for climate change. This study targeted two of the rural areas in the southern part of Malawi, worst affected by climate change in recent years. The study aimed to generate empirical evidence of households’ energy consumption as a consequence of their way of life, and to gather evidence of their practical- and discursive consciousness concerning sustainable consumption practices and climate change as pre-requisites to facilitate and promote behavioural change. This research was conducted in three sequential phases. Phase 1 entailed a quantitative survey that involved 231 non randomly selected households from two rural areas, namely Balaka and Phalombe, in the south of Malawi. Questionnaires were completed in interview format, facilitated by trained research assistants following a pre-test in a nearby village. Phase 2 entailed focus group discussions with selected members from phase 1, to allow opportunity for discussion of main topics. Phase 3 involved the contribution of government officials and important role players to share their views about environmental issues, the issue of indiscriminate deforestation and use of energy sources by communities. Results show that biomass, including fuelwood, is still the predominant source of energy that most rural households use for diverse activities because other sources of energy are either inaccessible, or too expensive. Negative consequences such as respiratory problems caused by smoke inhalation are therefore common among females and children who are constantly exposed to toxic substances that are present in the air in their homes and immediate surrounds. The wood that is used, is mostly collected by females who perform this tedious task almost daily, collecting from nearby woodlots and forests, further aggravating deforestation. Households’ practical consciousness of sustainable energy consumption practices seem fairly good and their discursive consciousness, specifically with regard to the effect of climate change on rainfall patterns, micro- and macro factors that are responsible for climate change, are fairly impressive. This may be attributed to first-hand experience of the environmental challenges that they have experienced in recent years. Unfortunately, lack of knowledge concerning the implications of their behaviour in terms of the economic growth of the country, as well as nearby countries’ well-being, confirm the complexity of the phenomenon that may be difficult for them to comprehend. Concerted effort is thus required by local- and Governmental bodies to educate and empower communities socially and economically, also to supply safer sources of energy to replace what they are obliged to use presently. Rural households are struggling financially and will not be able to adapt their behavioral practices without the premeditated support of government and relevant role players who have an interest in environmental issues and who have the well-being of Malawi citizens at heart.
Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2019.
Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development
PhD
Unrestricted

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Touchie, Rachel. "Sustainable Food Consumption Practices : Case Studies and Contexts from Edmonton, Canada." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för geovetenskaper, 2017. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-324247.

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The globalized food system poses many systemic challenges that have significant impacts on the environment and human health. In order to tackle these challenges, especially those relating to climate change, it is assumed that consumers need to be accountable for the role they play in these issues, requiring them to alter their harmful consumption habits. In terms of the food system, this means that people need to evolve into ethical consumers and become more invested in what and how much they eat, where it comes from, etc . However, throughout the literature and in policies, there remains a focus on altering what people buy, rather than reducing waste from their overconsumption. Reducing waste and consumption would have a more beneficial impact for the environment, human health, and urban sustainability, yet it remains secondary to the narrative of buying sustainable alternatives. A waste reduction narrative would encourage sustainable behaviours that would also be more accessible to households of various socioeconomic backgrounds, and would provide more tangible results in terms of money saved, reduced greenhouse gases and waste output, and increased sustainability. However, food consumption is the result of many ingrained daily food practices influenced by a multitude of factors that prevent people from consciously considering the consequences of their actions. Food consumption and waste management as a phenomenon can therefore be interpreted using Social Practice Theory (SPT), which states that all humans act autonomously and according to social norms. This means that practices are recursive and routinized, subject to change, yet somewhat unconscious. All practices lead to consumption in some way, and changing such deeply embedded routines to become more sustainable requires a full understanding of these deeply entrenched practices. Practices can be broken down into three main components that drive how practices are formed and maintained:materials, competences, and meanings. This project uses mini-ethnographic studies to highlight SPT in order to understand the factors (contextual, materials, competences, and meanings) influencing households in Edmonton, Canada as they navigate the current sustainability narrative, and how they approach sustainable food consumption and food waste management. The results from this study lend some insight into what materials, competences, meanings, and other factors drive people already somewhat aware of sustainable food consumption issues to practice such types of behaviour. These influential elements have been found in many other recently published works, and give further insight into how broad external factors and specific internal factors can drive consumption practices. Prevention and reduction behaviours were already somewhat prevalent in this group. It is important that education programs targeting sustainable food consumption behaviours understand what drives certain food related practices, and how they can target the barriers that prevent certain groups of people from adopting more sustainable habits.

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Hassan, Syed Ahmed. "Health, safety and environmental practices in the construction sector of Pakistan." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för geovetenskaper, 2012. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-183327.

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Many south Asian countries are deficient in appropriate documentation, legislation and surveillance related to occupational health and safety (OHS). All these countries have high OHS incidence rate and labourers working in these countries are constantly exposed to occupational accidents and diseases. Although occupational accidents and work-related concerns have been in debate for a long time, no concrete moves have been taken, making situations worse and posing consistent coercions to an increasing labour force. The current research was carried out to examine the main hazards faced by construction workers in Pakistan and the response of health, safety and environment (HSE) department in plummeting these hazards and in certaining sustainability in construction companies in Pakistan. Workers working in the construction industry are incessantly bared to unsafe working conditions and have to confront several kind of hazards. This embraces exposure to sound, dust and toxic substances, issues of ergonomics, stress etc. This study employed a comprehensive fact-finding design. Data was harbored using interviews, academic articles and reports from international and national organisations. Employer, administration and labourers all lack knowledge about OHS issues in Pakistan. The majority of the labourers are unskilled, uninformed and unregistered. There are no native directives, which are coupled with both OHS and the construction industry. There is an absence of safety ethics, and neither reporting nor monitoring is conducted in the construction business. Companies see HSE issues as an economic burden which will eventually end up mounting production costs. Labourers don’t follow safety instructions; they don’t wear personal protective equipment (PPE), they reckon wearing this equipment would cause obstruction in their work and would influence their productivity. The use of PPE is essential in the construction activity, as it is considered as the last line of defence. All this has affected the construction industry tremendously collectively in terms of financial loss, human loss and image loss, and injury incidence rates have increased alarmingly. Implementation of sustainable development is a core responsibility of an HSE department. Dearth of HSE means lack of sustainability in the construction sector. Today, sustainability is an important aspect of development. It means that development should not only be economically feasable but also socially and environmentally viable both for current and future generations. There is much need to formulate new strict policy and laws or to amend old ones, laws which are effective and practical in promoting HSE and sustainability norms in the construction sector of Pakistan. The main hazards that are faced by construction workers are falling from height, lifting activity and electrocution. HSE departments play a chief role in minimizing worksite accidents and in promoting sustainable development in work settings. For ensuring sustainable practices on construction sites, HSE departments formulate integrated working policy, keeping in mind social, environmental and econmical aspects and considering inputs from all stakeholders. In addition, they look for innovative green technologies and green materials which are more environmental friendly, economical and require less energy.

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Cheung, Yuk-kuen Annie, and 張玉娟. "An environmental assessment approach for Hong Kong and the Pearl RiverDelta Area: principles and practices." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 1997. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31236704.

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Helling, Alexander Paul. "Sustainable Agriculture in Vermont: Economics of Climate Change Best Management Practices and the Complexity of Consumer Perceptions of Raw Milk." ScholarWorks @ UVM, 2015. http://scholarworks.uvm.edu/graddis/437.

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Changing weather patterns, the declining social fabric of rural communities, and economic uncertainty increasingly pose challenges to Vermont communities. The socially and environmentally embedded production practices within sustainable agriculture present a potential solution to these problems. In order to make the most of the potential benefits of these practices society must maximize their adoption. This requires an understanding of both farmer adoption of these practices and consumer perceptions of the resulting food products. This thesis contributes two original articles on sustainable agriculture through the analysis of factors driving both farmer adoption and consumer perceptions of products and practices often thought of as sustainable. The first article seeks to understand farmer adoption of climate change best management practices (CCBMPs). Farmer perceptions of risk and profitability of best management practices (BMPs) are key determinants of adoption, which traditional incentive programs like the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) attempt to address by providing financial and technical support. To ensure appropriate price points are offered through these programs, regional price structures must be based upon locally established costs. Thus, this article focuses on the economic cost of implementing and maintaining CCBMPs for twelve diverse farms in Vermont. Specifically, three CCBMPs for Vermont are examined: cover cropping, management intensive rotational grazing (MIRG), and riparian buffer strips. Results of a yearlong farmer based data collection process indicate that the average cost for cover cropping is $129.24/acre, for MIRG is $79.82/acre, and for a tree based riparian buffer strip is $807.33/acre. We conclude that existing incentive payments for cover cropping and MIRG are below costs, likely resulting in under-adoption. The second article reports on a study which seeks to understand the factors influencing Vermont consumer perceptions of raw milk safety. While this article makes no assertion regarding the sustainability of raw milk, an association is established between the motivations for raw milk consumption and sustainable agriculture support. Vermonterâ??s appear to be continuing the trend of consuming raw milk at an increasing rate despite continued declarations from local and national public health officials that raw milk is too microbiologically dangerous to justify its consumption. Thus this study was designed to increase understanding of the factors driving consumer perceptions of raw milk safety. A conceptual model was developed to establish potential factors and related questions were incorporated into the 2014 Vermonter Poll. Resulting data were analyzed using a Probit regression analysis. We conclude that observable factors have the greatest influence on perceptions of raw milk safety. Specifically, perceived health benefits, presence of children in the household, and taste all influence perceptions of raw milk safety.

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De, Laney Velvette L. "Designing for Sustainability: A Path Forward to Improve Graphic Design Practices." The Ohio State University, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu14926353460947.

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Skoien, Petra, and n/a. "Identifying Opportunities for Education for Sustainability: Current Practices of Community-Based Environmental Groups." Griffith University. Australian School of Environmental Studies, 2006. http://www4.gu.edu.au:8080/adt-root/public/adt-QGU20070109.145756.

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Education for sustainability (EFS) is emerging as a key strategy for learning and action towards sustainability. Community-based environmental groups are potentially important providers of, and contexts for, educating adults for sustainability because they engage the community in activities such as public awareness raising, advocacy and lobbying, community education, and participatory learning (UNESCO, 2004, p. 25). These groups have been identified as key stakeholders of EFS in UNESCO's strategic plan for the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, from 2005-2014 (UNESCO, 2004). Despite this recognition, there are few models or precedents to guide groups or programs in developing and implementing EFS in their strategies or activities. Additionally, education commonly associated with community-based environmental groups has been rather narrowly conceived as public awareness raising and individual behaviour change, and disconnected from advocacy (Clover, 2002a; Whelan, pending). This thesis addressed this gap in understanding by investigating the dimensions of education and learning in two community-based environmental groups in South-East QueensIand. The aim of this research was to develop a framework to explain and understand the role of education and learning within and by community-based environmental groups. The research inquiry was motivated by an interpretive interest in uncovering the educative dimensions arising from group members' engagement in the activities of community-based environmental groups. This aim was addressed through an investigation of: (1) the community education initiatives of community-based environmental groups; and (2) the learning that occurs within these groups through participation in social action, Two community-based environmental groups that participated in this study were Smogbusters, an environmental advocacy group, which focused on air quality and transport issues in Brisbane; and the Pumicestone Region Catchment Coordination Association, (PRCCA) a community-based natural resource management group. Information was gathered through participant observation, interviews with group members and project staff, and the collection of relevant documents from both groups. A conceptual framework based on five convergent themes in the contemporary EFS literature was used to interpret and analyse the activities of these groups, These are: (1) participation; (2) critical thinking; (3) local relevance; (4) holistic, interdisciplinary and systemic approaches; and (5) values-driven approaches. The analysis of both groups' community education initiatives revealed the use of approaches that extend beyond pubhc awareness, didactic, and information-based approaches to strategies that engaged the community more actively than was possible with conventional approaches. This reflects a more sophisticated and considered approach that connects education with advocacy as an integral part of groups' strategy and practice. The two case studies illustrate the use of participatory learning and action that incorporates adult learning approaches to enhance participation and learning. These findings contribute to knowledge that can help bridge the gap between education and advocacy in the activities of community-based environmental groups (Clover, 2002a; Whelan, 2005). The findings strongly suggest that the two groups engaged a form of education and action that approaches the potential of EFS as envisaged in policy documents and vision statements. The groups provided opportunities for action learning through advocacy and lobbying for policy change, and through a range of activities associated with addressing issues of natural resource management. In Smogbusters, participation in advocacy and education contributed to building the capacity of individuals to engage in social action for sustainable transport and air quality. In the PRCCA, group members' participation in natural resource management related activities developed their skills, knowledge and capacity to advocate for sustainable natural resource management practices. These findings confirm that local participation in environmental action and decision making builds on the individual and collective experiences of participants. Participation in action empowered and enabled group members to engage in action and change. In particular, participants developed a strong sense of their capacity to enact change, and to engage in social action. The findings of this research suggest that community-based environmental groups are important places for adults to gain a stronger sense of personal and collective agency towards sustainability. Further, participation in these groups is an important mechanism for environmental change to be brought about through collective action (Apel & Camozzi, 1996). The research findings confirm that adult and popular education pedagogies can optimise learning in community-based environmental groups (Foley, 1999; Clover & Hall, 2000; Clover; 2002a; Follen & HaIl, 1998; Newman, 1995a). The framework may be able to assist project coordinators in developing and implementing community education strategies into their programs. Finally, the findings have implications for policy and program development in the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development.

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Jagani, Sandeepkumar Bhailalbhai. "Byproduct Management and Sustainability Performance: Theory and Practices of US Manufacturing Firms." University of Toledo / OhioLINK, 2018. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo15254501620662.

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Khosla, Niti Gautam. "Development of a framework to assist owners in deciding to use sustainable site design practices for institutional buildings." Diss., Connect to online resource - MSU authorized users, 2007.

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Thesis (M.S.)--Michigan State University, Construction Management Program, 2007.
Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on June 12, 2008). Available through UMI ProQuest Digital Dissertations. Includes bibliographical references (p. 284-286).

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Gebremariam, Gebrelibanos [Verfasser]. "Sustainable Agricultural Practices (SAPs) in Northern Ghana : impacts on welfare, environmental reliance, and agricultural land expansion / Gebrelibanos Gebremariam." Bonn : Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek Bonn, 2018. http://d-nb.info/1170872298/34.

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Slabbert, Gennae. "The emergence of green building practices : case study of Stellenbosch." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/80311.

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Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2013.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The aim of the study was to determine the application of green building practices in Stellenbosch. In order to achieve this aim certain objectives had to be met. The first objective was to retrieve national and international literature on green building initiatives. Six main sections were discussed in the literature namely, climate change and the environment, the built environment, the concept of sustainability in cities and buildings, green building designs and practices, green buildings, green building councils and the different green rating systems, with a specific focus on the Green Star SA rating tool. The second objective was to discuss three case scenarios in Stellenbosch that practice green initiatives. The case scenarios selected are Distell Group Limited, Spier wine estate and the new Remgro head office Millenia park. Buildings in Stellenbosch selected by means of probability sampling. A total of 35% of all commercially zoned buildings in the Stellenbosch core were selected to participate in the sample. The land zoning maps from the Stellenbosch municipality was obtained and relevant buildings were sampled. Nine of the sampled buildings were heritage buildings (older than sixty years) and seventeen were buildings from the modernist era (younger than sixty years). Nine architect companies in Stellenbosch were also sampled. The respondents were determined by means of haphazard sampling. The third objective was to design two questionnaires, one for building owners and another for architects. The first questionnaire developed for building owners was divided into two sections. The first section determined what green practices owners are incorporating into their office buildings. These green practices developed in the questionnaire focused on the use of natural light in the buildings, LED lights, indoor ventilation, recycling methods, water saving methods, energy saving methods and whether management plans exist to monitor and evaluate the buildings energy usage. The second section focused on the perception of the building owners. The respondents had to rate the importance of the above mentioned green initiatives on a scale of one 1 (being not at all) to 5 (being very important). The fourth objective was to develop a questionnaire for architects. The questionnaire determined whether green designs are incorporated by architects and if there is a greater demand for green designs by clients. The findings of the study revealed that respondents find natural light and air quality to be the most important aspects in an office. Recycling is applied by 93% of respondents. Less than 10% of respondents have installed solar panels, HAVC systems, rain water harvesting or other water management systems. Architects find that there has been an increase in the demand for green designs, but that there is a lack of knowledge of green initiatives by building practitioners. The main recommendations of the study are that the concept of green development be broadened into other spheres apart from planners. Education and training of green building must be available to all building owners and practitioners. Sustainable materials should be more accessible to building practitioners and these materials should be made available locally. Finally more buildings should be refurbished or renovated rather than be demolished to prevent waste and secure open spaces.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van die studie was om die toepassing van groen initiatiewe in Stellenbosch te bepaal. Ten einde hierdie doel te bereik moes daar aan sekere doelwitte voldoen word. Die eerste doelwit was om nasionale en internasionale literatuur oor groen inisiatiewe te verkry. Ses hoof afdelings is bespreek in die literatuur, naamlik verandering van die klimaat en die omgewing, die Beboude-omgewing, die konsep van volhoubaarheid in stede en geboue, groen gebou ontwerp en praktyke, die rade vir omgewings vriendelike geboue en groen evalueering stelsels. Die tweede doelwit was om drie gevalle studies is Stellenbosch te bespreek wat groen inisiatiewe beoefen. Die gevalle studies wat bespreek word is Distell Eiendoms Beperk, Spier landgoedere en Remgro se nuwe hoof gebou Millenia Park. Waarskynlikheids steekproewe is gebruik om die geboue te identifiseer vir die veld werk, ŉ totaal van 35% van al die kommersiëele gesoneerde geboue in die Stellenbosch-kern is geselekteer om deel te neem in die steekproef. Die landsoneringskaarte van die Stellenbosch-munisipaliteit is verkry en betrokke geboue was geselekteer. Nege van die geselekteerde geboue was historiese geboue (ouer as sestig jaar) en sewentien was geboue van die modernistiese era (jonger as sestig jaar). Nege argiteks maatskappye in Stellenbosch is ook geselekteer vir die studie. Die respondente is deur middel van’n lukrake steekproef bepaal. Die derde doelwit was om twee vraelyste te ontwerp, een vir die eienaars van die geboue en die ander vir argitekte. Die eerste vraelys wat ontwikkel is vir die gebou-eienaars is verdeel in twee afdelings. Die eerste afdeling bepaal watter groen praktyke eienaars implimenteer in hul kantoor geboue. Die groen praktyke in die vraelys fokus op die gebruik van natuurlike lig in die geboue, LED ligte, binnenshuis ventilasie, herwinning, water besparing metodes, energie besparing metodes en bestuur planne wat opgetrek is om die energie verbruik van geboue te monitor en te evalueer. Die tweede afdeling van die vraelys fokus op die persepsie van die gebou-eienaars. Die respondente het die belangrikheid van die bogenoemde groen inisiatiewe gradeer op 'n skaal van een 1 (glad nie) tot 5 (baie belangrik). Die vierde doelwit was om 'n vraelys te ontwikkel vir argitekte. Die vraelys bepaal of groen ontwerp op geneem is deur argitekte en indien daar 'n groter aanvraag na groen ontwerpe deur kliënte is. Die bevindings van die studie het getoon dat die respondente natuurlike lig en die gehalte van binnenshuis lug as die belangrikste aspekte in di kantoor ag. Herwinning is deur 93% van respondente toegepas. Minder as 10% van die respondente het sonpanele, HAVC stelsels, reën wateropvangsisteme of ander watersparingssisteme geinstaleer. Argitekte vind dat daar 'n toename in die vraag na groen ontwerpe is, maar dat daar 'n gebrek aan kennis oor groeninisiatiewe is deur prakisynes . Die aanbevelings van die studie is dat die konsep van groen ontwikkeling versprei moet word na ander sfere behalwe beplanners. Inligting en opleiding oor omgewingsvriendelike geboue moet beskikbaar wees aan alle gebou-eienaars en praktisynes. Volhoubare materiale moet meer toeganklik wees vir bou praktisynes en hierdie materiale moet ook plaaslik beskikbaar gestel word. Laastens moet meer geboue opgeknap word eerder as om gesloop te word, om afval te voorkom en oop ruimtes te behou.

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Saenyanupap, Sivika. "Hotel manager attitudes toward environmental sustainability practices empirical findings from hotels in Phuket, Thailand." Master's thesis, University of Central Florida, 2011. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETD/id/5022.

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Lastly, the study demonstrated that in order for hotels to become more sustainable, support is needed from government or hotel associations to provide education and training for the hotel managers.; This study explored the attitudes of hotel managers in Phuket, Thailand, in an attempt to identify whether their attitudes influence their utilization of environmental sustainability practices. Due to the increasing number of visitors to Phuket, Thailand, the consumption of natural resources has increased in the region, causing serious environmental problems. A sustainable way forward is needed for the tourism industry in the region in order to maintain quality of service while reducing environmental damage. The data analyzed in this study came from self-administered questionnaires that surveyed hotel managers in Phuket, Thailand, with a sample of 243 respondents. Research results revealed three dimensions of hotel manager attitude toward environmental sustainability practices, including operational management, social obligation, and sustainability strategy and policy. Furthermore, three constraints on the implementation of environmental management practices were identified: lack of support, perceived difficulty, and lack of demand. The attitudes of hotel managers regarding specific factors and barriers are also presented in this study. The results of this study show that hotel managers overall possess positive attitudes toward environmental sustainability practices. Finally, the findings reveal that hotel managers' attitudes toward sustainability practices depend on their social demographics, the type of hotel they operate, their degree of ownership of the hotel, whether or not their hotel was affected by the 2004 tsunami, and the year their hotel was built. The results of this study suggest that it is necessary for hotel managers to understand the importance of environmental sustainability practices because this understanding can help motivate them in implementing sustainability practices in their hotels. Furthermore, it can guide hotel managers when deciding which environmental policies are suitable for their hotels.
ID: 029810123; System requirements: World Wide Web browser and PDF reader.; Mode of access: World Wide Web.; Thesis (M.S.)--University of Central Florida, 2011.; Includes bibliographical references (p. 110-119).
M.S.
Masters
Rosen College of Hospitality Management
Hospitality and Tourism Management

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Marable, Steve Alexander. "Green Schools - The Implementation and Practices of Environmental Education in LEED and USED Green Ribbon Public Schools in Virginia." Diss., Virginia Tech, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/64192.

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The purpose of this study was to examine the environmental education curriculum which has been utilized within Green Schools. For this study the researcher defined Green Schools as educational facilities with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification or United States Education Department (USED) Green Ribbon recognition. Currently, there is no set standard for the implementation of environmental education in Green Schools or for schools that utilize the building as a teaching tool for students. This descriptive study surveyed Green Schools in the Commonwealth of Virginia in order to better understand what common programs and curricula were being utilized. This study will also assist in establishing pedagogical best practices for environmental education while describing how LEED certified buildings are currently being used by educators as a teaching tool to support sustainable practices. Overall, 14 Green Schools in the Commonwealth of Virginia agreed to participate in the study. Once principals gave consent for their school to participate in the study, they were asked to respond the survey instrument and invite teachers to participate in the Green Schools eSurvey also. The survey instrument consisted of 14 multiple choice and open response survey items. Overall, 98 principals and staff participated in the survey. Multiple choice survey questions served as the quantitative data for the research study. Quantitative data were examined to report descriptive statistics to provide parameters about the sample population. The frequency and percentage from each category, mean, and mode were also reported from each quantitative survey item. Qualitative data were examined by emerging themes according to pedagogical strategies and programs. The findings from the study indicated that teachers are employing practices that are consistent with current emphases on environmental education. Data also supported that educators take pride in their buildings and incorporate the facility as a teaching tool in a variety of instructional practices throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Ed. D.

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Das, Mousumi, and Mohammad Shafiquzzaman. "The Case Studies of Bangladesh Ready made Garments: Supplier Sustainable Practices for International Market : A Multiple Case Study." Thesis, Högskolan i Halmstad, Akademin för ekonomi, teknik och naturvetenskap, 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hh:diva-42310.

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The purpose of this paper was to investigate the overview of sustainability in apparel manufacturing industry and why environmentally and socially sustainable practices are being adopted by developing country suppliers and how the implementation process is both hindered and enabled. Currently the worldwide survival of the apparel industry is the main significant question. The most spoken about issue is for the sustainability of fashion in the world. Many organizations and fashion-conscious personalities have come forward to uphold the further extension of tomorrow 's good environment campaign, but the garments and textile industries in Bangladesh are far beyond this awareness, posing a risk of losing the world market. On the other hand, one of the key concepts for humanity and sustainability point of view is fashion for the moral or ethical issues. It is high time specific sustainability strategies and approaches were implemented. Improvements in social and environmental support migrant employees, help manufacturers establish longer-term partnerships with transnational companies and lead to production. The Bangladeshi garments industries are currently facing great challenges in terms of the working environment. Fire injuries are frequent in garments factories and the recent collapse of buildings poses a significant danger to their future. In addition, the workers earn the world's lowest salaries which make them unsatisfied, sometimes causing clashes and violence during low-wage protests. This paper has looked at the work environment, fire and health problems facing Bangladesh's garments industry and proposes major steps to strengthen the environment and sustainability.

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Icyk, Bryan. "At What Cost? A comparative evaluation of the social costs of selected electricity generation alternatives in Ontario." Thesis, University of Waterloo, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/2899.

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This thesis examines the private and external costs of electricity generated in Ontario by natural gas, wind, refurbished nuclear and new nuclear power. The purpose of the assessment is to determine a capacity expansion plan that meets the forecasted electricity supply gap in Ontario at the lowest social costs (i. e. the lowest aggregated private and external costs). A levelized unit electricity cost (LUEC) analysis is employed to evaluate private costs under both public and merchant perspectives. Computable external costs are monetized by adapting estimates from the literature that were previously developed using a primarily bottom-up damage cost method.

The findings reveal that social cost estimates for nuclear refurbishment are the lowest of the generation alternatives studied regardless of the evaluation perspective. Therefore, if the capacity expansion decision were based solely on these estimates, nuclear refurbishment should be utilized until its capacity constraints are reached. The generation alternative with the second lowest social costs depends on the perspective from which private costs are evaluated: from a public perspective, the remainder of the supply gap should be filled by new nuclear generation and from a merchant perspective, which is assumed to be more reflective of the current Ontario electricity market, natural gas-fired generation should be used.

Due to inherent uncertainty and limitations associated with the estimation of social costs, the estimates obtained in this thesis are considered to be context and data specific. A sensitivity analysis, which is employed to attempt to mitigate some of the uncertainty, shows that changes to key variables alter the capacity expansion plan. This reinforces the observation that methods and assumptions significantly affect social cost estimates.

Despite the limitations of this kind of evaluation, it is argued that a social cost assessment that is consistent, transparent and comprehensive can be a useful tool to assess the trade-offs of electricity generation alternatives if used along with existing evaluation criteria. Such an assessment can increase the likelihood that actual social costs are minimized, which can steer electricity generation in Ontario towards a system that is more efficient and sustainable.

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Becker, Wayne. "Effect of Rancher’s Management Philosophy, Grazing Practices, and Personal Characteristics on Sustainability Indices for North Central Texas Rangeland." Thesis, University of North Texas, 2011. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc103289/.

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To assess sustainability of privately owned rangeland, a questionnaire was used to gathered data from ranches in Cooke, Montague, Clay, Wise, Parker, and Jack counties in North Central Texas. Information evaluated included: management philosophy, economics, grazing practices, environmental condition, quality of life, and demographics. Sustainability indices were created based on economic and land health indicator variables meeting a minimum Cronbach‘s alpha coefficient (α = 0.7). Hierarchical regression analysis was used to create models explaining variance in respondents’ indices scores. Five predictors explained 36% of the variance in rangeland economic sustainability index when respondents: 1) recognized management inaction has opportunity costs affecting economic viability; 2) considered forbs a valuable source of forage for wildlife or livestock; 3) believed governmental assistance with brush control was beneficial; 4) were not absentee landowners and did not live in an urban area in Texas, and; 5) valued profit, productivity, tax issues, family issues, neighbor issues or weather issues above that of land health. Additionally, a model identified 5 predictors which explained 30% of the variance for respondents with index scores aligning with greater land health sustainability. Predictors indicated: 1) fencing cost was not an obstacle for increasing livestock distribution; 2) land rest was a component of grazing plans; 3) the Natural Resource Conservation Service was used for management information; 4) fewer acres were covered by dense brush or woodlands, and; 5) management decisions were not influenced by friends. Finally, attempts to create an index and regression analysis explaining social sustainability was abandoned, due to the likely-hood of type one errors. These findings provide a new line of evidence in assessing rangeland sustainability, supporting scientific literature concerning rangeland sustainability based on ranch level indicators. Compared to measuring parameters on small plots, the use of indices allows for studying replicated whole- ranch units using rancher insight. Use of sustainability indices may prove useful in future rangeland research activities.

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Vidler, Hailey, Tobias Wilbrink, Filippis Caroline de, and Ilja Maiber. "Taking Care to Change Trajectory: Exploring an integrated process of Collective Narrative Practices and Strategic Sustainable Development." Thesis, Blekinge Tekniska Högskola, Institutionen för strategisk hållbar utveckling, 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:bth-18412.

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Our research paper looks at the sustainability challenge as an example of complexity in interrelated nested systems (or meta-problem) and we further explore the consequences of disruptive events induced by climate change (ie. Extreme Climate Events). Due to their potential effects on adaptive capacities of systems at all levels (macro, meso and micro) and the need for Strategic Sustainable Development (SSD) to develop meta-solutions (non-isolated, non-reinforcing) we focus on community-based interventions and participatory facilitation processes. Therefore, we enquire what might a process look like that supports a community’s psychological resilience and strategic sustainable development following a disruptive event. A way to reinforce a community’s adaptive capacities is through making meaning collaboratively and such a process can be supported by the use of stories and narrative. To this intent, we focus on the use of Collective Narrative Practices (CNP) within the implementation process (ABCD process) of the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development (FSSD). CNP promote desired narratives and strengthen communities’ psychological resilience while the FSSD ensures the development of meta-solutions and their practical application (through the ABCD). Throughout a five-step exploration, we test their theoretical compatibility, interview FSSD and CNP practitioners, design an initial Process Prototype, test its validity by interviewing practitioners with expertise in both fields, and develop a final Process Prototype which embeds recommendations, guidelines and tools. Finally, our paper initiates the academic study of the linkage between FSSD and CNP and is aimed to guide practitioners of both fields to discern an effective way to facilitate the emergence of appropriate responses in a community, while maintaining or rebuilding its resilience and complying with SSD core principles.

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Hori, Clara Yoshiko [UNESP]. "Descrevendo a (in)coerência entre consciência e práticas ambientais sustentáveis: um estudo com alunos de engenharia ambiental." Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/11449/93063.

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Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:26:17Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2010-08-16Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T18:29:57Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 hori_cy_me_bauru.pdf: 1004993 bytes, checksum: 68600640f5097bf2545be05d7cd15cf2 (MD5)
Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)
Um dos maiores desafios para a sociedade contemporânea, diz respeito aos caminhos que conduzem à evolução sustentável (ES), ou seja, ao processo evolutivo da biosfera, assim como, da sociedade humana. Para isso, é necessário a formação de profissionais com sólidas competências, consciência ética e moral, capazes de interagir com as demais áreas do conhecimento, agregando valores às dimensões econômica, sócio-cultural e ambiental, a fim de garantir a ES. Visando atender a esta demanda, institui-se no Brasil, na década de 1990, cursos de graduação em engenharia ambiental, com o objetivo de formar profissionais aptos à atuar em áreas específicas e complementares ao meio ambiente. Neste contexto, o estudo teve como objetivo descrever a (in)coerência entre consciência e ações ambientais sutentáveis dos alunos do curso de engenharia ambiental da Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) campus de Presidente Prudente. Foi realizada também a verificação e avaliação evolutiva da conscientização e das práticas ambientais corretas desses alunos, utilizando procedimentos técnicos da pesquisa survey. Constatou-se que já uma pequena evolução tanto da consciência, quanto das práticas ambientais sustentáveis ao longo do curso de engenharia ambiental. No entanto, verificou-se a existência de paradoxo entre a teoria e a prática relacionada ao meio ambiente no cotidiano destes alunos
One of the greatest challenges to bem faceb by contemporary society is related to the paths that lead to a substainable evolution (SE), in other words, to the process of biosphere evolution, as well the human society evolution. To find thhis path, it is necessary professional training to develop solid competencies, ethical and moral consciusness, capacity to interact with other areas of knowledge, adding values to the economic, social-cultural and environmental dimensions, in order to guarantee the SE. In the 1990's, undergraduate courses in environmental enginerring were instituted in Brazil with the purpose to meet the demand, by forming professionals capable to act in environment's specific and complementary areas. Within this context, the study had as objective to describle the (in)coherence between the consciousness and the environmental actions of Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) campus of Presidente Prudente's students. It was also accomplished the verification and evolutionary evaluation of the understanding and of student's correct envivonmental practices, using technical procedures of the research called survey. It was verified that there is a small change in consciousness and in the sustainable environmental practices during the undersgraduate course in environmental engineering. However, it was verified a paradox existence between the theory and the students' daily practices related to the environment

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Bui, Duc Tinh. "Tourism industry responses to the rise of sustainable tourism and related environmental policy initiatives the case of Hue City, Vietnam : a thesis submitted to Auckland University of Techin fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, AUT University, 2009 /." Click here to access this resource online, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10292/769.

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Tourism is promoted by the governments of many developing countries because it offers the potential for creating jobs, thus generating income for the country and revenue for the government. However, the tourism industry can also be viewed as a destructive force, associated with negative externalities such as the loss of natural landscapes, congestion, and environmental and cultural degradation. These problems are more likely to be exacerbated where there is a lack of well-designed planning and effective management of tourism development. An essential component of any management of tourism is the ability to engage with, and get a positive response from, the tourism industry. There are a wide range of enterprises involved in providing tourist products and experiences, and in many nations, both developing and developed, a large number of these businesses are small and medium in size and tend to operate at a local scale. The informal nature of tourism enterprises in the developing world can make it difficult to spread awareness of tourism policy and to measure moves towards more sustainable performance on the part of the industry. Using the case study of tourism in the city of Hue, this thesis argues that it is essential to understand both what tourism enterprises know about sustainable tourism practice and policy and also how they respond to its adoption, if we are to more fully understand tourism and its links to sustainable economic development. Located on the central northern coast of Vietnam, Hue is well known for its cultural resources and natural beauty, and the province has become a major tourism centre in Vietnam. The city of Hue itself is recognized as having international heritage value and was listed as a world cultural heritage site by UNESCO in 1993. During the last decade, tourism revenues have increased by nearly 35% per annum, and Hue has made great efforts to both stimulate and cater for increasing demand for its tourism products and services. The Vietnamese government has introduced a number of policies designed to enhance environmental quality generally and, more specifically, to improve the sustainability of enterprises in the tourism sector. This thesis examines the degree to which tourism enterprises in the city of Hue are aware of the broad concept of sustainable tourism and of the specific legislation designed to influence the sustainability of their businesses. I examine the structure and make-up of the industry and then analyse whether characteristics such as size, ownership type and sectoral focus play a role in influencing awareness of, and response to, government policy. The research triangulates data-gathering methods: secondary data, literature reviews, semi-structured interviews and an enterprise survey are all used to gain insights into the core research questions. Each method feeds into and is strengthened by the others, and their combination (including 50 interviews and 180 survey responses) provides a robust data set to work from. The findings reveal that many of the firms operating in the Hue tourism industry are characterized by weak institutional practices, low financial capacity, poor facilities and a lack of broader awareness of policies that influence sustainable tourism practice. The tourism industry’s awareness of general sustainable development issues is low, and much business practice focuses on short-term rather than long-term perspectives. This limits the use of environmentally friendly practices by firms, especially small- and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs), in their daily business activities. The study reveals that there is no significant variation in the adoption of sustainable tourism practices according to the size of enterprises, especially if the practices in question are simple and can be introduced with cost savings. However, as the cost and complexity of introducing environmental measures increases, we see a greater ability on the part of larger enterprises to adopt such actions – partly because they are in a stronger position to bear the short-terms costs of implementing such approaches. There are a wide range of factors that constrain the Hue tourism industry from adopting more sustainable tourism practices. Internal constraints such as limited financial and human resources are combined with external constraints such as increasing cost-based competition, the lack of enforcement of government policies, and limited awareness of sustainable tourism pracitces. All of these factors play a crucial role in shaping the actions of enterprises in relation to sustainable tourism practices and policies. The results of this study also point to the fact that government sustainable tourism initiatives that rely on ‘command-and-control’ approaches will have limited effect; instead, a variety of institutional economic instruments offer greater potential to overcome deficiencies in the ability of the market to drive tourism enterprises towards more sustainable business practices. The thesis also argues that it is important to develop approaches that can cope with the special challenges attached to management of sustainable tourism development in destinations that are dominated by SMEs. The thesis contributes to the growing body of theory and literature in sustainable tourism development and tourism-enterprise behaviour. It also makes an important contribution to our understanding of tourism enterprises in the developing world. In particular, the findings add an important layer of understanding to those attempting to develop a more sustainable tourism industry in Vietnam. Specifically, it provides policy-makers with important insights into the ways in which different types of tourism enterprises respond to initiatives that relate to improved business sustainability.

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Hori, Clara Yoshiko. "Descrevendo a (in)coerência entre consciência e práticas ambientais sustentáveis : um estudo com alunos de engenharia ambiental /." Bauru : [s.n.], 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/11449/93063.

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Orientador: Adilson Renofio
Banca: Kester Carrara
Banca: Jandira Liria B. Talamoni
Resumo: Um dos maiores desafios para a sociedade contemporânea, diz respeito aos caminhos que conduzem à evolução sustentável (ES), ou seja, ao processo evolutivo da biosfera, assim como, da sociedade humana. Para isso, é necessário a formação de profissionais com sólidas competências, consciência ética e moral, capazes de interagir com as demais áreas do conhecimento, agregando valores às dimensões econômica, sócio-cultural e ambiental, a fim de garantir a ES. Visando atender a esta demanda, institui-se no Brasil, na década de 1990, cursos de graduação em engenharia ambiental, com o objetivo de formar profissionais aptos à atuar em áreas específicas e complementares ao meio ambiente. Neste contexto, o estudo teve como objetivo descrever a (in)coerência entre consciência e ações ambientais sutentáveis dos alunos do curso de engenharia ambiental da Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) campus de Presidente Prudente. Foi realizada também a verificação e avaliação evolutiva da conscientização e das práticas ambientais corretas desses alunos, utilizando procedimentos técnicos da pesquisa survey. Constatou-se que já uma pequena evolução tanto da consciência, quanto das práticas ambientais sustentáveis ao longo do curso de engenharia ambiental. No entanto, verificou-se a existência de paradoxo entre a teoria e a prática relacionada ao meio ambiente no cotidiano destes alunos
Abstract: One of the greatest challenges to bem faceb by contemporary society is related to the paths that lead to a substainable evolution (SE), in other words, to the process of biosphere evolution, as well the human society evolution. To find thhis path, it is necessary professional training to develop solid competencies, ethical and moral consciusness, capacity to interact with other areas of knowledge, adding values to the economic, social-cultural and environmental dimensions, in order to guarantee the SE. In the 1990's, undergraduate courses in environmental enginerring were instituted in Brazil with the purpose to meet the demand, by forming professionals capable to act in environment's specific and complementary areas. Within this context, the study had as objective to describle the (in)coherence between the consciousness and the environmental actions of Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) campus of Presidente Prudente's students. It was also accomplished the verification and evolutionary evaluation of the understanding and of student's correct envivonmental practices, using technical procedures of the research called survey. It was verified that there is a small change in consciousness and in the sustainable environmental practices during the undersgraduate course in environmental engineering. However, it was verified a paradox existence between the theory and the students' daily practices related to the environment
Mestre

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John, Donald. "Assessment of Waste Management Practices in Cyprus : The case of Nudging at Cyprus University of Technology." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för geovetenskaper, 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-413493.

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Waste management issues are prevalent in many parts of the world. Member states of the European Union (EU) are expected to follow the guidelines of the Waste Framework Directive set by the EU. The directive includes targets intended to facilitate waste management practices such as recycling and landfilling. Unfortunately, several countries in the Mediterranean regions are failing to meet these targets, one such country being Cyprus. The country is the third largest generator of municipal waste in the EU and majority of the country’s waste (approx. 80%) are landfilled, while just 19% are recycled. Cyprus has failed to meet the target for recycling 50% of the municipal waste by 2020. Much of the problems can be attributed to the fact that the country lacks good infrastructures such as recycling facilities and services for separate processing of recyclables and biodegradables. Cyprus University of Technology,situated in the city of Limassol, is a leading university in country that values environmental protection and sustainability and has won several awards for depicting their commitment towards sustainable development. Owing to their good environmental record, a study was conducted at this university in the form of a waste audit and nudging experiment along with a complimentary questionnaire. Nudging is a concept in behavioural science which proposes positive reinforcement through the form of indirect suggestions as a strategy to influence decisions and behaviours of individuals or groups. Nudging was undertaken through the intervention of an informative sign at the recycle bins. The waste audit was separated into two periods, control (without nudging) and intervention (with nudging). Later, a questionnaire was distributed to students to understand their attitudes and behaviours towards recycling and the nudging experiment. This research is analysed using a mixed method approach whereby data is collected and analysed using both quantitative and qualitative methods. A secondary data analysis was also utilised for recommending possible solutions to improving waste management problems in Cyprus based on recycling initiatives in other countries, particularly from the Mediterranean region. The research found that there has been an increase in the rate of recycling since nudging was introduced. The questionnaire results also implied that there is a general concern among students for recycling and that much more has to be done by the university to help with waste separation and recycling. The secondary analysis of literature also reveals Cyprus has a long way to go, but proper waste management can be achieved through the government’s prioritisation of environmental protection and improvement of waste management infrastructures. Although the findings in this research has been successful, it could have been further investigated if the waste audit period had been extended and more responses were acquired to the questionnaire. Additionally, conducting interviews of certain individuals could have provided more insight into the waste management challenges in the future.

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Danko, Micaela R. "Designing Affordable Housing for Adaptability: Principles, Practices, & Application." Scholarship @ Claremont, 2013. http://scholarship.claremont.edu/pitzer_theses/35.

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While environmental and economic sustainability have been driving factors in the movement towards a more resilient built environment, social sustainability is a factor that has received significantly less attention over the years. Federal support for low-income housing has fallen drastically, and the deficit of available, adequate, affordable homes continues to grow. In this thesis, I explore one way that architects can design affordable housing that is intrinsically sustainable. In the past, subsidized low-income housing has been built as if to provide a short-term solution—as if poverty and lack of affordable housing is a short-term problem. However, I argue that adaptable architecture is essential for the design of affordable housing that is environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable. Further, architects must balance affordability, durability, and adaptability to design sustainable solutions that are resistant to obsolescence. I conclude by applying principles and processes of adaptability in the design of Apto Ontario, an adaptable affordable housing development in the low-income historic downtown of Ontario, California (Greater Los Angeles). Along a new Bus Rapid Transit corridor, Apto Ontario would create a diverse, resilient, socially sustainable community in an area threatened by the rise of housing costs.

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Marculetiu, Alina. "Essays of Sustainable Supply Chain Management: An Analysis of Drivers and Barriers." Cleveland State University / OhioLINK, 2021. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=csu162463879456093.

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Alharbi, Fatmah. "The association between luxury and sustainability : the impact of environmental and social attributes on the perceived quality of luxury products." Thesis, Strasbourg, 2017. http://www.theses.fr/2017STRAB013.

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L’objet de la présente recherche est d’examiner l’impact des attributs durables, tant environnementaux que sociaux, sur la qualité perçue des produits de luxe. Pour atteindre cet objectif, nous avons adopté une approche qui articule deux démarches complémentaires, l’une qualitative auprès des professionnels et consommateurs Parisiens, l’autre quantitative, nous avons mobilisé un modèle expérimental factoriel between-subject, réalisée en France et l’Arabie Saoudite. Le principal résultat de notre étude quantitative est que mentionner l'information durable sur un produit de luxe a un impact négatif sur la qualité perçue. En effet, les consommateurs saoudiens perçoivent un produit de luxe comme étant de qualité inférieure lorsqu’il comporte une information durable. A l’inverse les consommateurs français se montrent indifférents. Plus précisément, nos résultats montrent que c’est plutôt l’information sociale qui présente un effet significatif sur la qualité perçue. L’information environnementale semble avoir un effet neutre. Enfin, nos résultats indiquent que l’effet de l’information sociale sur la qualité perçue est modéré par le goût des consommateurs pour le luxe, l'image RSE et le pays d'origine des consommateurs
The purpose of this research is to examine the effect of sustainable attributes on the perceived quality of luxury products. To get to our goal, a complementary approach using both qualitative and quantitative studies has been adopted. In the qualitative method, two studies with professionals and consumers are conducted. For the quantitative method, we employed an experimental between-subject factorial design realized in France and Saudi Arabia. The key finding of our quantitative study is that mentioning sustainable information has a negative impact on the perceived quality of luxury products. However, while no significant effect is observed in the case of French respondents, Saudi consumers perceive a product to be of lower quality when sustainable information is presented compared to the absence of this information. More particularly, social information impacts strongly and negatively the perceived quality in contrary with environmental information which has no effect. This effect is moderated by the degree of liking of luxury, the CSR image, and consumers’ country of origin

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Plummer, Paul. "Urban Sustainability Transitions as Educative Practices: A Case Study of the Solidarity Fridge in Gothenburg, Sweden." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för geovetenskaper, 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-387633.

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Urban areas will play a decisive role in the sustainability of future societies. As such, there is a need to understand the processes through which cities can become more sustainable. Based on a qualitative case study of a community food waste initiative in Gothenburg, Sweden, this thesis explores the phenomenon of urban sustainability transitions in relation to learning. The thesis attempts to explain how learning at the level of socio-technical niches could be instrumental to broader systemic changes at the regime level. The theoretical framework for the thesis draws on the transactional perspective on learning developed from pragmatist educational philosophy, as well as practice theoretical approaches to studying sustainability transitions which have emerged in recent years. The empirical results gathered from the case are analysed using dramaturgical analysis and practical epistemology analysis. Based on these analyses, the thesis argues that the role and significance of learning in urban sustainability transitions can be understood in terms of educative practices, a concept which is elaborated in the discussion chapter. Thus, it is argued that learning through educative practices can contribute to urban sustainability transitions by challenging prevailing institutional norms and structures, and by establishing pathways through which unsustainable elements within the socio-technical regime can be reconfigured.
Wicked Problems and Urban Sustainability Transition

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Ruiz, Débora Gomes. "A prática pedagógica e a educação ambiental na escola pública: um estudo de caso sobre a possibilidade de construção de uma escola sustentável em Piracicaba, SP." Universidade de São Paulo, 2017. http://www.teses.usp.br/teses/disponiveis/91/91131/tde-22032018-113839/.

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O aprendizado de valores, de saberes e de formas de participação para construção de um novo modelo de ser e estar no planeta é essencial para alcançar-se uma cultura de sustentabilidade. Para que o processo de transição para sociedades sustentáveis seja uma realidade, cabe à educação formal incorporar a educação ambiental ao cotidiano da escola, por meio de práticas pedagógicas que dialoguem com a sustentabilidade ambiental, econômica, política, cultural e social. A fim de investigar de que modo processos de educação ambiental são desenvolvidos nas escolas públicas, foi realizado um Estudo de Caso, entre os anos de 2014 e 2016, em uma escola pública do município de Piracicaba, SP que possui envolvimento com a Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiróz ESALQ-USP. Nessa escola foi implementado um espaço verde a partir da iniciativa de estudantes, professores, equipe gestora, em parceria com a universidade, e empresas. A partir do ponto de vista dos sujeitos da pesquisa (professores, gestores e estudantes da escola), buscou-se compreender de que forma a implementação do espaço verde contribuiu para o trabalho com educação ambiental na escola na perspectiva da construção de uma escola sustentável. A análise e a discussão dos resultados foram divididas em três categorias: \"Perspectivas de educação ambiental e a prática pedagógica\" onde foram analisadas as concepções de meio ambiente, educação e sustentabilidade dos sujeitos da pesquisa e suas relações com as práticas de educação ambiental por eles desenvolvidas; os \"Componentes da escola sustentável\", onde foram analisados temas referentes aos componentes para a construção de uma escola sustentável: currículo na escola sustentável, gestão democrática para a sustentabilidade, espaço escolar e sustentabilidade e a relações entre escola e comunidade; e por fim, \"Políticas públicas e a escola\", onde são analisadas as contribuições de políticas públicas como o Programa Institucional de Bolsa de Iniciação à Docência (PIBID) e o Programa Nacional Escolas Sustentáveis (PNES). A partir do estudo concluiu-se que o olhar predominante nas falas dos entrevistados está relacionado à uma perspectiva de educação para à gestão ambiental e a sustentabilidade é vista principalmente sob seu aspecto ambiental. A educação ambiental na escola estudada ainda não faz parte de um processo, visto que não envolve toda a comunidade escolar e de seu entorno e não há estratégias efetivas da gestão nessa direção.
Learning values, knowledge and forms of participation to build a new model of being and being on the planet is essential to achieve a culture of sustainability. In order to the transition process to sustainable societies to be a reality, it is incumbent upon formal education to incorporate environmental education into the daily life of the school, through pedagogical practices that dialogue with environmental, economic, political, cultural and social sustainability. In order to investigate how environmental education processes are developed in public schools, a Case Study was conducted between 2014 and 2016 in a public school in the city of Piracicaba, SP, Brazil, which has an involvement with the Escola Superior de Agriculture Luiz de Queiróz ESALQ-USP. In this school was implemented a green space from the initiative of students, teachers, management team, in partnership with the university, and companies. From the point of view of the research subjects (teachers, managers and students of the school), we sought to understand how the implementation of the green space contributed to the work with environmental education in the school in view of the construction of a sustainable school. The analysis and discussion of the results were divided into three categories: \"Environmental Education Perspectives and Pedagogical Practice\", where the concepts of environment, education and sustainability of the subjects of the research were analyzed and their relationships with the environmental education practices they developed countries; the \"Components of the sustainable school\", which analyzed themes related to the components for the construction of a sustainable school: curriculum in sustainable school, democratic management for sustainability, school space and sustainability and relationships between school and community; and finally, \"Public policies and the school\", where the contributions of public policies such as the Institutional Program of the Initiative for Teaching (PIBID) and the National Sustainable Schools Program (PNES) are analyzed. From the study it was concluded that the predominant look in the interviewees\' speeches is related to a perspective of education for environmental management and sustainability is seen mainly under its environmental aspect. Environmental education in the school studied is not yet part of a process, since it does not involve the entire school community and its surroundings and there are no effective management strategies in this direction.

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Niakan, Farzad. "Design and configuration of sustainable dynamic cellular manufacturing systems." Thesis, Lyon, INSA, 2015. http://www.theses.fr/2015ISAL0123/document.

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La révolution la plus récente dans l'industrie (révolution industrielle 4.0) nécessite une plus grande flexibilité, agilité et efficacité dans l'utilisation des équipements de production. Le système manufacturier cellulaire dynamique (DCMS) est l'un des meilleurs systèmes de production qui répondent à ces exigences. En outre, l'importance croissante du développement durable force les fabricants et les gestionnaires à prendre en compte les enjeux environnementaux et sociaux dans la conception et la configuration des systèmes de fabrication. Cette thèse porte sur la configuration durable des DCMS en proposant trois modèles mathématiques. Le plus grand challenge de cette étude est (i) de choisir des critères sociaux et environnementaux appropriés, (ii) de les intégrer dans des modèles mathématiques et (iii) d'étudier l'impact de ces critères sur des DCMS. Le premier modèle est bi-objectif afin de faire un compromis entre certains critères sociaux (offres d'emplois, risques de la machine, etc.) et économiques (divers coûts liés à la formation de cellules). Pour être plus proche de situations de la vie réelle, certains paramètres tels que la demande, les coûts liés aux machines et la capacité en temps des machines sont considérés comme incertains. Pour résoudre ce problème, une méthode d'optimisation robuste est appliquée pour faire face à cette incertitude. Dans le deuxième modèle, toutes les dimensions du développement durable sont prises en compte dans le modèle mathématique bi-objectif proposé. La première fonction objectif modélise des critères économiques (coûts) et la seconde des aspects environnementaux (déchets de production), tandis que certaines contraintes représentent des questions sociales (principalement le « Daily Noise » à cause de la complexité de calcul). En raison de la NP-difficulté du problème, une nouvelle approche novatrice appelée NSGA II-MOSA est proposée. Le troisième modèle proposé a trois fonctions objectif, une pour chaque type d’enjeux : environnemental, social et économique. Afin d'être proche de la vie réelle, certains paramètres du modèle sont exprimés en termes de valeur floue. Nous proposons une méthode possibiliste hybride pour faire face à l'incertitude et une approche floue interactive est considérée pour résoudre un modèle multi-objectif déterministe pour des solutions de compromis. Enfin, la dernière partie de la thèse étudie la possibilité d'appliquer les trois modèles proposés à l’industrie grâce à une méthode plus facile. Une approche d'optimisation-simulation innovante est introduite pour faire face à la configuration de DCMS : (i) La phase d'optimisation fonctionne comme méthode de fractionnement de scénarii pour réduire le nombre de configurations alternatives en se concentrant sur les niveaux stratégique et tactique. (ii) Ensuite, un outil de simulation détaille le niveau opérationnel en étudiant la performance de chaque alternative et l'interaction entre plusieurs composants de cellules
The most recent revolution in industry (Industrial Revolution 4.0) requires increased flexibility, agility and efficiency in the use of production equipment. Dynamic Cellular Manufacturing System (DCMS) is one of the best production systems to meet such requirements. In addition, the increasing importance of sustainable development forces manufacturers and managers to take account of the environmental and social issues in the design and configuration of manufacturing systems. This thesis focuses on the sustainable configuration of DCMS by proposing three mathematical models. The main challenge of this study is to (i) choose appropriate social and environmental criteria, (ii) integrate them in mathematical models, and (iii) study the impact of these criteria on DCMS. The first model is bi-objective in order to make a trade-off between some social (job opportunity, potential machine hazards, etc.) and economic (various costs related to cell formation) criteria. To get closer to real-life situations, some parameters such as demand, machine-related costs and time capacity of the machines are considered as uncertain. To solve this problem, a robust optimization method is applied to cope with this uncertainty. In the second model, all dimensions of sustainable development are taken into account in a new bi-objective mathematical model. The first objective function models economic criteria (costs) and the second one environmental aspects (production waste), while social issues (mainly Daily Noise Dosage because of computational complexity) are modeled as constraints. Due to the NP-hardness of the problem, a new innovative approach called NSGA II-MOSA is proposed. The last model has three objective functions, one for each dimension of the sustainable development: environmental, social and economic. In order to be close to real life, some parameters of the model are expressed in terms of fuzzy value. We propose a hybridized possibilistic method to deal with uncertainty and an interactive fuzzy approach is considered to solve an auxiliary crisp multi-objective model in order to find trade-off solutions. Finally, the last part of the thesis studies the possibility to apply the three proposed models to the industry thanks to an easier method. A novel optimization-simulation approach is introduced to deal with the configuration of DCMS: (i) the optimization phase operates as scenario fraction method in order to reduce the number of alternative configurations by focusing on strategic and tactical levels; (ii) next, a simulation tool investigates the operational level by studying the performance of each alternative and the interaction between several components of the cells

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Alskaf, Kamal. "Conservation agriculture for sustainable land use : the agronomic and environmental impacts of different tillage practices and plant residue retention : farmer uptake of reduced tillage in England." Thesis, University of Nottingham, 2018. http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/51902/.

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Conservation Agriculture (CA) has potential benefits to the soil, crop yield, and the environment including reducing runoff, enhancing water retention and preventing soil erosion, in addition to increasing soil carbon sequestration and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Although CA is widely adopted in some areas of the world, it is still not widely adopted by UK farmers. The first overall aim of this project was to investigate the effects of tillage practice and residue retention, on soil physical properties, crop yield and GHG emissions. For this purpose, a split-plot field experiment was established on the University of Nottingham farm between September 2014 and August 2016. The main plot treatment was residue retention while cultivation practices were applied to the sub-plots and included three different tillage systems: no-tillage, minimum-tillage and deep ploughing. We used a novel analytical tool, X-ray Computed Tomography, to characterise the 3-D soil pore network in conjunction with a number of other soil physical properties such as bulk density, penetration resistance and shear strength. A range of portable chambers were used to detect the GHG emissions from soil and from soil-plant systems as influenced by the tillage and residue treatments. Winter wheat yield was not affected by the tillage treatments or residue retention in the first year, but, in the second year, no-tillage caused a 10% reduction in triticale yield compared to minimum-tillage and traditional ploughing. Multiple regression analysis showed that the lower triticale yield was partially explained by higher soil strength in the no-tillage plots, together with lower soil moisture content in summer. Our results show that while there is potential for climate change mitigation from no-tillage when the Net Ecosystem Exchange is considered, this effect could not be observed from soil emissions only. The second aim of this project was to assess the current level of reduced tillage (RT) uptake by UK farmers and the constraints for further adoption. A postal questionnaire was conducted in January 2016. This questionnaire found that only 7.0% of the arable land in England is under no-tillage and 47.6% is under minimum-tillage. The adoption of RT increased with an increase in farm size as it was the most adopted on farms >400 ha. Moreover, RT was adopted most on combinable crop farms. Weed management and slugs were identified as main challenges for RT adopters. Increasing uptake of CA from current levels will probably require policy intervention including financial incentives for growers during the early stages of the transition from ploughing to CA. This will encourage farmers to buy RT equipment and may help them to cover any potential yield reduction, if occurred, before the CA system stabilisation.

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Saiz, Carolina Del Carmen. "Opportunities for Conversion to More Sustainable Practices by Houses of Worship through Team Performance Enhancing Strategies that Include Leadership with Facilitative Skills." Antioch University / OhioLINK, 2016. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=antioch1471352747.

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Fonseca, Marta Carolina Rosa. "Sustentabilidade corporativa : práticas de sustentabilidade e performance sustentável no sector das TIC." Master's thesis, Instituto Superior de Economia e Gestão, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10400.5/10606.

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Mestrado em Gestão e Estratégia Industrial
A literatura da sustentabilidade salienta a importância da implementação de práticas de sustentabilidade nas actividades económicas das empresas como resposta à pressão exercida por diversos factores externos e pela própria ética ambiental incumbida nos valores corporativos, para que as empresas minimizem o seu impacto no meio ambiente e na sociedade. A adopção destas práticas, para além de satisfazer as necessidades dos diversos stakeholders, pode trazer benefícios económicos e melhorias na performance sustentável (económica, ambiental e social). O presente estudo divide as práticas de sustentabilidade em práticas ambientais e sociais e utiliza o conceito de Triple Bottom Line para medir performance sustentável. O modelo conceptual proposto avalia o efeito que a ética ambiental corporativa e a pressão externa têm na adopção destes dois grupos de práticas, bem como o impacto na performance sustentável. Para testar o modelo proposto foram utilizadas 213 respostas obtidas através de um questionário on-line enviado por e-mail para empresas do sector dos serviços das Tecnologias da Informação e Comunicação. Os resultados obtidos permitem concluir que a adopção de práticas ambientais influencia positiva e significativamente a performance sustentável nas suas três dimensões. Por sua vez, a adopção de práticas sociais tem um impacto positivo e significativo apenas na performance social. No que diz respeito aos antecedentes das práticas de sustentabilidade, verificou-se que a ética ambiental corporativa e a pressão externa têm um impacto positivo e significativo na adopção de práticas quer sociais quer ambientais.
Sustainability literature accentuates the importance of the implementation of sustainability practices into the economic activities of companies as a response to the pressure implemented by several external factors and by the own environmental ethics inserted into the corporative values, so that the companies minimize their impact on the environment and on the society. The adoption of those practices, in addition to satisfy the needs of the several stakeholders, can bring economic benefits and improvements into the sustainable performance (economic, environmental and social). This study divides the sustainability practices in environmental and social practices and uses the Triple Bottom Line concept to measure sustainable performance. The proposed conceptual model assesses the impact that the corporate environmental ethics and the external pressure have in the adoption of the both groups of practices, as well the impact in the sustainable performance. To test the proposed model it was used 213 responses obtained through an on-line survey sent by e-mail to companies from the Information and Communication Technologies service sector. The obtained results allow to conclude that the adoption of environmental practices influences positively and significantly the sustainable performance in its three dimensions. In turn, the adoption of social sustainability practices has a positive and significant impact only in the social performance. Regarding the antecedents of sustainability practices, it is observed that the corporate environmental ethics and the external pressure have a positive and significant impact in the adoption of both environmental and social practices.

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Miklós, Zsófia. "Governance of Innovative Building Practices: Case of the 3rd District Municipality of Budapest." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för geovetenskaper, 2017. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-325028.

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This paper presents an analytical framework of governing innovative building practices at a municipal level based on conclusions drawn from the Strategic Niche Management (SNM) approach. The analytical framework viewed the Village House Block demonstration project and EnSURE transnational research collaboration as important facilitators to create the necessary conditions for governing innovation during the renovation of the outdated building stock located in the 3rd District Municipality of Budapest, Hungary. These necessary conditions were articulated in accordance with the three internal processes (the articulation of expectations and visions, the building of social networks and the fostering of learning processes) defined by SNM research. Additionally, the Sustainable Energy Action Plan (SEAP) methodology was considered as a viable tool to guide energy efficient urban development in the district. It was found in this research that the Village House Block renovation represented a local technological niche project during which the feasibility of active and passive building technology was tested. This study revealed that the necessary conditions for governing innovation were present in this project. EnSURE was a collaborative research project which did not represent a clear example of technological niche development. It was defined as an important initiative to collect and accumulate knowledge and experiences from local niche projects to create a strategic tool for supporting energy efficient urban development at the municipal level. In this case study, the tool was the Sustainable Energy Action Plan. Overall, it was found that the necessary conditions did not only appear in technological niche projects, such as the Village House Block demonstration project but also in other types of projects, such as EnSURE. Furthermore, it could be argued that the governance of innovative approaches requires an operational framework in which different projects are managed to create these necessary conditions for local technological niche development. At global niche-level, it was revealed that the SEAP or other action plan methodologies could offer a tool to utilise experiences gained from local niches to create an energy efficient urban development strategy. In practice, it was shown that the importance of experimentation with new technologies and the governance of innovation on a strategic way still in its infancy in the 3rd District.

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Mphinyane, Andani. "Learning pathways for improving rehabilitation practices in the mining industry : two cases of coal mining and borrow pits." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013271.

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This research investigates cases of learning pathways for improving rehabilitation practices for key occupations in the mining industry. The study is set up as a partnership research programme between Rhodes University Environmental Learning Research Centre in South Africa, and the South African Qualification Authority, focussing on workplace learning and sustainability practices. This research programme seeks to understand the implications of the move to a knowledge society, with its emphasis on knowledge building over time, particularly in and for the environmental sector. The research was conducted as a qualitative case study that made use of semi-structured interviews, document analysis, visual photographs and observations as instruments of data gathering. Participants were sampled from two case studies, one in Limpopo province and the other one in Mpumalanga Province, who are directly involved in rehabilitation practices and related education and training programmes. The study makes use of career stories from the key occupations to provide insight into workplace learning pathways to inform education and training in the mining industry. A series of analytical statements captures some of the main findings on early education histories, career choices, learning pathway decisions and experiences related to sustainable practices and some complexities related to learning pathways. Environment and sustainability education is a cross-cutting issue in the NQF; and it pertains to the mining sector, especially to rehabilitation practices, which form the focus of this study as little is known about learning pathways associated with these sustainability practices. Insights from the study should enable the sector to enhance rehabilitation training for key occupations and at the same time encourage lifelong learning contributing towards sustainable development.

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Berhanusdotter, Hanna. "The Art of Mainstreaming Sustainability : Practices and Perceptions in Swedish Popular Movements Working with Development Cooperation." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för geovetenskaper, 2015. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-260723.

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Environmental degradation and climate change are complex cross-cutting issues. They both call for a high level of policy coordination by all actors. This thesis examines the experienceof two Swedish popular movements integrating sustainable development as a cross cutting theme in their development cooperation: an approach known as mainstreaming. I seek to show how sustainability is understood and further how it is realized in the application of the work plans. The two case studies are the International Department of the Church of Sweden and Olof Palme International Centre. I have accounted for practical experiences via using informants as the main data source. Mainstreaming theory has been applied as tools foranalysation. Sustainability has been used in relation to sustainability of results andenvironmental aspects of the work plan. There is an increased demand to report on results and the longevity of the results in addition to address environment in all works undertaken in development cooperation organisations. The significance in studying the current interpretations and above all the challenges in application is to enable consideration in futur eamendments to strategies, policies and efforts made to mainstream sustainability. The findings conclude that there are similarities between the two cases in the identification of sustainability as pertaining to results and in the need for sustainability to focus on relationships to partners. Mainstreaming of environmental concerns is stated as a good and wanted aim. However, the actual negative environmental impact caused by the work plan is seen as low and sometimesenvironmental mainstreaming is even understood as a risk to partnerships. Environmental impact is only identified and addressed when seen as relevant and not as a concept to mainstream, this based on the relative low impact. This is in accordance with Sida guidelines but not with the stated policy wants.

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Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Costs and sustainable environmental practices'

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