This dissertation examines the role of subsidised housing in reducing carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions in South Africa. Climate change is an occurring event and is largely caused by human activities, such as the production of energy from fossil fuels (NRC, 2010). Buildings are seen as one of the highest consuming sectors of energy and therefore present many potential climate change mitigation opportunities. The South African subsidised housing sector is expanding significantly and estimations made in the current study show that 2.8 million subsidised housing units can potentially reduce up to 3% of the total current CO₂ emissions from the residential sector. This demand for subsidised housing units can also potentially reduce up to 0.06% of South Africa's total annual CO₂ emissions.

In Western Massachusetts, as in many regions of the United States, the municipalities with significant population size are significantly eclipsed in both number and area by the surrounding towns and villages. Struggling rural locations often face similar challenges to their urban counterparts: declining or failed industry, high levels of unemployment or under-employment, and lack access of quality housing across income classes. In addition to these obstacles, they also face additional difficulties of both physical and social isolation. While a great deal of recent effort has been placed in studying the architectural and planning interventions needed in struggling urban locations, rural areas have had little help from the field as a whole, often dismissed as unsustainable due to their lack of density. The focus on only the city fails to consider a larger picture of cities, towns, and rural communities, as an interconnected system. If those “unsustainable” rural communities were to be vacated, cities would rapidly discover significant problems in the realms of agricultural production, water supply maintenance, and a host of other benefits that exist in the symbiotic relationship between cities and the rural areas around them. Working towards a sustainable future requires changes to be made across the board of human habitation, and rural communities play a significant role in that goal. Rather than considering both scenarios in measure, focus remains tilted to the urban context, leaving rural practitioners and planners with few models for moving forward in socially and ecologically sustainable ways. This thesis attempts to rectify that absence. Another facet of this thesis is an attempt to address not only ideas of environmental sustainability, but the social equity, economic vitality, and supportive social systems that are required to meet those goals. Architecture is prone to disregarding the effects the built environment has on the community, but the heritage and culture of a place are always impacted by the construction of a new building, the renovation of an existing community landmark, or the development of new infrastructural systems. These cultural changes can be positive or damaging, depending on how attuned the designer is to current need, and to the involvement and agency of the community being affected. I have chosen to focus this thesis within my home region of Hampshire County. Ware, Massachusetts, located on the south end of the Quabbin Reservoir, is the county’s eastern-most town. Specific obstacles for a thriving rural community include lack of transportation and local job options, a struggling downtown with little successful social space, and a lack of quality affordable housing. The goal of this thesis is to propose an intervention that begins a dialogue with some of these challenges, looking at new options for connecting home, work and community as the beginning for a developing framework that is able to bring Ware into a more holistically sustainable future.

Le procédé d'obtention du cuir à partir de peaux est appelé tannage. Il agit par stabilisation chimique du collagène. Il permet de transformer la peau en un matériau stable et durable. Actuellement, plus de 90% de la production mondiale de cuir est effectuée avec du sulfate de chrome, et les effluents du tannage contiennent des quantités importantes de ce sel métallique qu'il faut impérativement traiter par des procédés couteux. L’objectif de ce projet est de proposer une alternative, durable et écologique, au chrome pour le tannage. Dans ce but, des composés organiques ont été synthétisés et leur capacité à stabiliser le collagène a été évaluée par différentes méthodes. Des essais à petite échelle ont été réalisés sur du collagène pur et la capacité de stabilisation du collagène par ces composés organiques a été évaluée par DSC. Les composés organiques sélectionnés suite à ces essais ont été testés sur des peaux entières en tannerie. / The manufacturing process used to obtain leather from skin is called tanning. It acts by chemical stabilization of collagen, which transforms the skin into a stable and durable material. Currently, more than 90% of the production of leather worldwide is carried out with chromium sulfate. Therefore, tanning effluents produce significant quantities of this metal salt, which must be treated by expensive processes. The purpose of this project is to offer a sustainable alternative to chromium for tanning. To this end, organic compounds have been synthesized and their ability to stabilize collagen has been evaluated by different methods. Small-scale tests were carried out on collagen and its stabilization by these organic compounds was evaluated by DSC. The organic compounds selected after these tests were then tested on hides.

Please read the abstract in the section 00front of this document / Dissertation (M Inst Agrar ( Sustainable Ecological Management))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Zoology and Entomology / unrestricted

In most African states, arable land and other natural resources play a pivotal role for economic growth and development. Ethiopia is one of those countries where agriculture is the backbone of the economy. Since the time of Emperor Haile Selassie I, Ethiopia has been attempting to advance the transformation of its agricultural sector by moving away from small-scale subsistence farming to large-scale commercial farming. It thus encouraged Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in largescale agriculture. However, the military government that took power in 1974 reversed this. The current government of Ethiopia seized power from the military regime in 1991. Today the government once again advocates FDI in large-scale agriculture. This has led to an influx of foreign investors, especially in Gambella and Benshanguel-Gumuz Regional States. Various scholars, however, criticize the manner in which these investments have been taking place, arguing that the investments are neither pro-poor nor sustainable. Against this backdrop this research seeks to examine current policies, the patterns of investment they promote, and how these affect land-based resources and the wellbeing of communities. The study intends to provide information that may help improve the performance of FDI in terms of their sensitivity to poverty alleviation and sustainability. It also aims to boost current knowledge on FDI in agriculture in Ethiopia. The study was conducted using multiple data collection methods, including documentation, interviews, focus group discussions with the affected communities and direct observations in the case study areas. The results are analysed using pro-poor and sustainability frameworks for FDI in large-scale agriculture, along with findings of empirical studies on national FDI policies and practices in various parts of the globe. The analyses reveal that the Ethiopian investment policy's support to FDI in large-scale agriculture is inadequate. It focuses on giving incentives to attract FDI rather than ensuring the availability of quality institutions and sufficient infrastructure, which are vital for facilitating the operation and productivity of FDIs. Furthermore, the absence of community participation in the decision-making process for the agricultural investment projects in the case study areas portends significant negative implications for the wellbeing of local communities and the sustainability of the natural environment. The study recommends further research to investigate the economic viability of alternative land-based investments, such as eco-tourism, which is shown to be environmentally sustainable and can be shaped to be pro-poor. Also recommended is additional research into good practices for large-scale agricultural investments, that can be adapted to Ethiopian conditions, should the government opt to continue promoting FDI.

Background: Sustainable development is considered to be one of today's most comprehensive challenges, which will require extensive changes, adaptations and innovation in all levels of the society worldwide. Simultaneously, the social and economic phenomenon of tourism has seen remarkable growth and development over the last decades, leading to become one of the fastest-growing economic sectors in the world, as well as a key component of the evolving socio-economic progress. However, the integration between these two requires extensive adjustments and further knowledge in the process of sustainable destination development, where this study takes an intermediary perspective.  Purpose: The purpose of this research is to evaluate and explore how a tourism intermediary in Sweden is working with sustainable development and how they can utilize their position in the process of developing a geographical area as a sustainable destination.  Method: This thesis is a qualitative study with an exploratory nature, where in-depth phenomenologically based interviews build knowledge upon exploring the participant’s responses through a series of three separate interviews. Thematic analysis was used to find patterns and relationships in order to analyze and validate the raw data, which later was applied to frameworks and previous literature to strengthen and build a final analysis.  Conclusion: This study shows how sustainability efforts need to be enhanced and extended beyond internal processes to successfully strive towards sustainable destination development. By taking collective responsibility and putting more pressure on co-operations, creating strong networks to communicate and collaborate, incorporate internal education of sustainability and familiarize with frameworks and follow-up tools, the intermediary position can be utilized to its full potential.

Despite the vast research on options to improve solid waste management (SWM) in developing countries, little has been done to evaluate these possible improvements. This study assesses Ghana’s Community Participation and Public Awareness Program (CPPAP) for SWM through qualitative interviews comprising of 81 community members living in three different Communities -Kanda, Asylum Down, and Nima all in the Accra Metropolitan Area (AMA), Ghana. In addition, four officials were interviewed, and an activity worksheet for Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, & Threat (SWOT) analysis was developed based on responses from the study community members and officials. Participants were asked to identify implementation plans for SWM at different levels of government. Results indicated that community members and officials do not have expert knowledge of existing local and national laws for managing waste in Ghana. Study participants were also asked what targets are achieved with CPPAP; the study observed that community members have a good comprehension of SWM and are actively involved in managing waste. Notwithstanding that, enforcement of the listed guidelines to CPPAP has not been effective primarily due to lack of resources. Furthermore, to identify community members’ and policymakers’ viewpoints regarding SWM, the study found that the greater support of the local government and all stakeholders is needed in managing waste. The study identified significant threats and weaknesses of the CPPAP that include political interference and a lack of resources that can be overcome by strengths and opportunities, including community mobilization, employment opportunities. The study contributes to the body of knowledge on assessing implementation programs and policies for solid waste management in developing countries. Stakeholders of solid waste management will also benefit from the challenges unveiled in the study regarding waste management implementation plans and policies from governments.

This research is a post event study that looks at the experience, challenges and the sustainability of the township tourism industry in Soweto after the 2010 FIFA World Cup ™. South Africa faces the challenge of high unemployment and low economic growth. The awarding of the world cup was seen as a welcome opportunity to address these challenges. Tourism was identified as a sector that could play a huge role. Many partnerships were formed by business and government to maximise the 2010 World Cup experience on the tourism sector. Entrepreneurship and SMME development was seen as a way to get the less skilled active in the tourism economy. This study draws on research of mega events, SMME development and tourism. The findings were that although the tourism industry has had a good world cup experience and most SMME‟s have benefited, the maximisation of this benefit was not achieved. Recommendations include implementing interventions from studies undertaken from end to end, encouraging youth SMME‟s and growing internal tourism. Copyright / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Arts in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Masters in Recreation and Tourism in the Department of Recreation and Tourism at the University Of Zululand, 2017 / This study sought to investigate and assess the attitude of tourism business owners in the accommodation sector, towards sustainable tourism development in uMhlathuze municipality. The business owners were selected from various accommodation facilities within the uMhlathuze municipality ranging from small scale guest houses to 4 star hotels. It was envisaged that this diversity in the types of accommodation businesses would reflect diverse knowledge of sustainable tourism development. The selection of tourism business owners from a wider age range also helped this study in gathering much information and allowed the researcher to assess various trends and practices promoting sustainable tourism development in the study area. The objectives which were set for the study assisted to accomplish the main goals of the study. The fundamental objectives were as follows: • To investigate if the tourism business owners understand the meaning of sustainable tourism development. • To explore if practices of sustainability benefit tourism business owners in the study area. • To find out if tourism business owners are aware of the sustainable tourism development principles. • To find out if tourism business owners have attended any training related to sustainable tourism development.These objectives were formulated in order to clarify the intention of the study which was to find out the attitude of tourism business owners towards sustainable tourism development. The data was collected through self-administered questionnaires and interviews with both open and closed ended questions. The Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyse the research data. Based on the analysis derived from the above, it could be concluded that respondents in the study area have a good idea of what is meant by the concept “sustainable tourism development”. The respondents were asked to give examples of what indicates practices of sustainable tourism development, and they gave examples that include: saving and conserving infrastructure, recycling waste, good maintenance of facilities, increase number of tourists, and protected environment. The majority of respondents indicated that sustainable tourism development benefits them in their businesses, through education, economy boost, jobs, conserving of environment, protecting businesses and it also helps them to have a sense of wellbeing. Tourism business owners are aware of sustainable principles and how they are important to them and their businesses. Finally, the tourism businesses owners agreed that there are being educated about sustainable tourism development and they do attend training which is organised by uMhlathuze municipality and KZN Department of Economic Development Tourism and Environmental Affairs (KZN-EDTEA). In conclusion, findings identified that sustainable tourism is important to tourism business owners as it assist them in growing their business and maintaining them for the future generation. Tourism business owners understood that sustainable tourism is not a special type of tourism, but rather all types of tourism must strive to be sustainable.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Business Administration. Johannesburg, 2018 / The aim of the study was to assess the feasibility of utilising marine resources in the economic development of coastal communities in the in Wild Coast located in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. The study identified marine resources that could be developed to sustain livelihoods through small-scale fishing and ecotourism within the rural coastal settlements. The study assessed diversified approaches to the utilisation of coastal resources and associated benefits in terms of employment creation, income-generation, food security, poverty reduction and health promotion. The Sustainable Livelihood Model was used to assess the feasibility of utilising marine resources in improving household income and reducing poverty. There were 50 participants who participated in the study. Of these, 26 were males (52 percent) and 24 females (48 percent). An interview schedule developed for this study was used to collect information from participants. Participants voluntarily participated in the study. Thematic content analysis was used to analyse data. Descriptive statistics was used to analyse demographic information provided by participants. The results showed that participants were interested and prepared to embark on income-generating projects that they considered feasible in the area. The business ideas that emerged from data analysis are cultural and heritage business, agro-tourism, small-scale farming, establishment of a conservancy, development of horticulture, legalising small- scale fishing and ecotourism, financial resource needs, fish farming, establishment of a fish market, developing accommodation facilities for tourists, infrastructural development, and acquisition of capital equipment for business development. A major recommendation of the study is the need to diversify livelihoods within coastal communities as a modality to build continuous economic activity due to the seasonality of fishing and tourism industries. Future studies could focus on the development of coastal resources for local communities in South Africa. Keywords: sustainability, income-generation, small-scale fishing, ecotourism / E.K. 2019