This thesis investigates the influence that cultural differences have in the designing of products and services that encourage sustainable lifestyles. This was researched through a case study of dishwashing practices in Mexico and the UK, and the development of a methodological framework for supporting designers working in cross-cultural contexts. Designers can shift user behaviour to be more responsible, and by doing this, reduce a product s impact on the use phase of its lifecycle. Nevertheless, designing products that successfully drive behaviour towards a more sustainable path can only be accomplished if they are conceived to fit the user and the specific context of interaction. In order to do so, designers must truly understand the users, and take into account the complex web of factors that lay behind individual behaviour. A comprehensive review of the literature established an understanding of human behaviour and the emergence and evolution of practices and routines. This brought to light the diverse behavioural patterns in different contexts; and was further investigated with a scoping study in two different locations (Mexico and the UK), exploring general water consuming practices in the home, specifically manual dishwashing practices. The preliminary findings shaped a study that aimed to deepen the understanding of these practices in the selected sites, involving the use of Cultural Probes and videoing people in their common kitchen environment. A robust and clear image of washing-up practices emerged with rich and detailed data presented in different media, ideal to be implemented in a design process. To this end, a series of multicultural Personas were created as the direct outcome of the Cultural Probes and the scoping study, giving way to the design studies phase of the project, carried out with industrial design students in Mexico and the UK. A design brief for sustainable washing up practices was delivered. Design experiments were used to provide interesting evidence of the influence in the design process of the designers understanding of the target user. The findings indicate that designers benefit from exploration and creativity tools tailored directly from the user-research findings in the early design process. This increases the level of empathy towards the user, particularly making it easier to design for users with different needs and contexts than the designers themselves. It also helps designers to better apply design for sustainable behaviour framework to their concept designs.

Denna studie är en kandidatuppsats i Samhällsbyggnadsteknik vid Högskolan Dalarna. Forskning har visat på att det finns behov av att arbeta tvärsektoriellt för att uppnå en hållbar stadsutveckling. Ett sätt att göra detta är genom dialogprocesser. Denna studie ämnar undersöka vilka effekter dialogprocesser, baserade på SymbioCity Approach, har på kommunal planering efter det att processen genomförts.  Studien har genomförts genom litteraturstudier i ämnet, deltagande observationer under en dialogprocess samt 11 semistrukturerade intervjuer av deltagare från två olika dialogprocesser.  Studien har visat på att dialogprocesser baserade på SymbioCity Approach är ett användbart verktyg för en hållbar stadsutveckling. Processen kan utmynna i resultat som ökad institutionell kapacitet, ökad tvärsektoriell inblick och förståelse samt ökat socialt kapital.   Studien har också visat att viktiga faktorer som kan påverka resultatet av dialogprocessen bland annat är: huruvida man har en lämplig syftesformulering, att rätt resurser medverkar samt att man håller en nivå på dialogen som överensstämmer med dess syfte. Vidare har det framkommit att processen behöver planeras noga för att kunna utmynna i önskat resultat och att olika aktörer kan ha olika förväntningar på och bild av resultaten. / This study is a bachelor thesis in Civil Planning and Construction at Högskolan Dalarna. Studies has shown that there’s a need for a multisectoral working process to achieve a sustainable urban development. One way to do so is through collaborative planning processes. This study examines the use of collaborative processes, based on SymbioCity Approach, in civil planning projects in two Swedish municipalities. It tries to examine what effects the process has on the municipalities planning.  The study has been conveyed through literature studies on the subject, participating observations of a collaborative planning process and 11 semi-structured interviews with participants from two planning processes.  The study has shown that collaborative planning processes based on SymbioCity Approach is a useful tool for sustainable urban development. A process like this may result in increased institutional capacity, increased multisectoral knowledge and understanding, and increased social capital.   The study also shows that important factors that may influence the results of the process are: whether a purpose has been properly articulated, if the right resources are participating and whether the level of the content of the process coincides with the purpose of the process. Furthermore, the study shows that the process needs to be properly planned to reach its full potential. It also found that different stakeholders might have different expectations and idea of what the results of the process might look like.

Increasingly, policy-makers rely on forecasts to set targets for environmental and health protection. I examine the UK Air Quality Strategies (AQS) for particulate matter (1997-2007). Here policy-makers select and articulate visions for technological and policy developments in order to set targets and policies to achieve them. Despite growing evidence for adverse health effects of particulates, challenging targets in 1997 were followed by two revisions of Objectives without introducing measures for reducing pollution. In 2007 more challenging targets were resumed. This thesis is a study of the formation and evolution of a policy framework: of the interactions and contrasting roles of scientific expertise, wider political discourse, and the ‘futures' presented by actors involved in the policy process. Sociology of Expectations has previously examined the roles of visions in innovation processes. I extended this framework to examine dynamics of visions in the policy-making process. My findings were based on analysis of visions and discourses identified in texts, model data, and interviews. Whilst none of the explanatory factors alone accounted the developments in the AQS, together they provide an explanation of change which highlights the role of learning by policy-makers . Visions for technological development articulated in each version of the AQS were in line with the dominant visions articulated in central government, but over time policy-makers responsible for the Strategy used them to present options for taking action on pollution. Co-construction of the AQS and modelled forecasts enabled policy-makers responsible for the Strategy to articulate visions for technologies and policies to promote taking action to reduce pollutants, and this led to the more action-oriented Strategy in 2007. This thesis proposes that visions can change more quickly than wider political discourses, and as such can provide opportunities for the introduction of new discourses.

Orientadores: Mara de Andrade Marinho Weill, Jose Maria Landim Domingues / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Agricola / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-08T06:48:16Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Sampaio_ClaudiaBloisiVaz_D.pdf: 6937317 bytes, checksum: 4b56ea80637fa5800e656e8e4d0f7bf3 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006 / Resumo: A irrigação representa o incremento da produtividade agrícola, especialmente para as regiões semi-áridas, mas o uso muitas vezes inadequado da sua aplicação tem imposto sérias conseqüências econômicas e ambientais. O alto da bacia do Rio Itapicuru, Estado da Bahia, com mais de 90% da sua superfície localizada no polígono das secas, apresentava desenvolvimento da agricultura irrigada de forma incipiente até pouco tempo, devido às limitações político-econômicas. O recente incentivo estadual para a expansão da irrigação nessa região despertou para o problema do planejamento sustentável para este fim. Estudos indicaram que os projetos irrigados implantados obedeceram a uma metodologia de classificação de terras simplificada, estabelecida pelos órgãos gestores, identificando a necessidade de uma nova classificação do seu potencial para irrigação e do levantamento e mapeamento das áreas irrigadas visando a avaliação da situação desse tipo de exploração agrícola nesta região. Com a adoção do Sistema Brasileiro de Classificação de Terras para Irrigação (SiBCTI), foi possível a obtenção do mapa atualizado do potencial de uso das terras combinando um maior número de atributos. A aplicação de técnicas de geoprocessamento para a identificação e mapeamento das áreas irrigadas, utilizando o Índice da diferença normalizada (NDVI), possibilitou o mapeamento das áreas irrigadas, permitindo uma melhor fiscalização e planejamento do uso adequado do recurso água. O cruzamento dessas informações indicou que projetos irrigados que estão sendo desenvolvidos em áreas sem aptidão para irrigação, pondo em risco a viabilidade econômica e ambiental além de apontar regiões com possibilidades de implantação da agricultura irrigada que estavam fora do contexto para a expansão deste tipo de uso do solo. No perímetro irrigado de Ponto Novo, o estudo permitiu avaliar as respostas produtivas de projetos irrigados em solos aptos e naqueles com baixa aptidão levando à validação das metodologias utilizadas. O Projeto desenvolvido em solo apto para irrigação apresentou como esperado maior produtividade do que aquele desenvolvido em solo inapto ou pouco apto, indicando a falta de sustentabilidade econômica e os riscos ambientais a que estas regiões estão sujeitas / Abstract: Irrigation is a key factor for increasing crop yield in arid and semiarid regions, but the inadequate use of irrigation can lead to serious concerns related to economical and environmental aspects. The Itapicuru river basin, in the northeast of the State of Bahia, with more than 90% of the area in the so-called Drought Polygon Region, has received heavy investments from the public sector for the development of irrigated agriculture in the last years, which brought about concerns on the sustainability of those irrigated areas on the long run. One of these aspects is the simplified evaluation to which the soils were submitted on its suitability for irrigation prior the implementation of irrigation projects in the area. In this study, it was observed that irrigation is actually practiced where the soil is not suitable and where the soil is adequate the irrigation is not practiced. Then, using the recently published Brazilian System of Soil Classification for Irrigation, an up-dated map of potential areas for irrigation was obtained from the combination of many attributes. The use of remote sensing techniques through the NDVI allowed discriminating the areas where irrigation is practice with and without the permission of the Bahia Water Resources Department. Such discrimination can be used for a better planning and use of the water resources in the basin. The study identified projects that are under development in areas where soil is not recommended for irrigation while areas with no irrigation in the present were also indicated for future expansion. In local scale, in the context of the Ponto Novo Irrigation District, this study allowed to validate the methodology by comparing the crop performance in parcels with and without soils considered suitable for irrigation according to the adopted methodology. Theses results pointed out for the low economic sustainability of projects implemented in areas with poor quality soil for irrigation in semiarid areas / Doutorado / Agua e Solo / Doutor em Engenharia Agrícola

With their accession to the EU the Visegrad countries subscribed to the fundamental objective of the Union under the Lisbon Treaty - sustainable development. They have undergone substantial reforms, brought their policies into compliance with EU standards and regulations. Nevertheless, a lot of work should still be done in the Visegrad Four in order integrate sustainable development approach into all of the fields of political activity and reorganize their decision-making models according to the new challenges. This study constitutes an analysis of the Visegrad states' performance in ensuring sustainable governance in the period 2005-2010. The research is based on the two editions of Sustainable Governance Indicators, developed by the Bertelsmann Stiftung, and published in 2009 (period of review: January 2005 - March 2007) and in 2011 (period of review: May 2008 - April 2010). In order to assess sustainability of the four Visegrad democracies the study provides a comprehensive comparative analysis of these states' performance and retraces the dynamics of their progress/regress in terms of ensuring sustainability. It also explores the main tendencies of the Visegrad region's development regardless of particular country, identifies the main strengths and weaknesses of the region in terms of...

The main research objective of this master thesis paper is discovering links between ecotourism and sustainability. The paper is specifically focusing on theoretical potential of ecotourism and its ability to create conditions for long-term sustainability. The theoretical potential of ecotourism is confronted with opinion of experts within semi-structured interviews, which are analysed using framework analysis. The compatibility of ecotourism and sustainability is then closely examined in a case study of Slavkovsky les protected area. The case study shows that development of sustainability through ecotourism (or tourism) can be expected under certain conditions. The case study results also indicate that it is possible to create a simplified theoretical model, which can be applied to other suitable protected areas in the Czech Republic if appropriate modifications take place. More detailed research of individual sustainability aspects recognized in ecotourism could possibly deliver a more precise and specific model. This model could then provide a more reliable framework to estimate the potential of individual protected areas to use ecotourism as its development tool. Key words: tourism, ecotourism, sustainable tourism, sustainability, sustainable development, protected areas, framework analysis

L’industrialisation de la filière bois constitue l’un des axes majeurs de la loi 016/01 du 31 décembre 2001, portant code forestier en république gabonaise. Elle s’inscrit dans le cadre de la diversification de l’économie qui est une volonté de l’État. Longtemps laissée pour compte par les différents opérateurs (seuls 15 à 35% des grumes étaient transformés localement en 2009) du fait notamment de la passivité des autorités nationales, elle connaît depuis près de dix ans, suite à la mesure d’interdire l’exportation des grumes (ordonnance n°8/2010), un regain d’intérêt, participant d’avantage au développement économique du pays. Ainsi, des progrès sont observés au niveau de l’emploi, de la contribution de la filière au PIB mais aussi sur le nombre d’unités de transformation, le taux de transformation et le rayonnement régional voire international du pays. La dimension environnementale n’est pas en reste avec les avancées relatives de la légalité et à la traçabilité du bois amenées par l’aménagement forestier et la certification. Toutefois, cette activité n’est pas encore effective dans son ensemble dans la mesure où la production du bois et les recettes fiscales s’avèrent encore en dessous de ce qui était perçu autrefois ; de même, le rendement matière est loin d’être optimal si on le compare à celui observé dans certains pays développés. Enfin, la qualité de certains équipements et de l’emploi montre encore les efforts que doit consentir le Gabon pour faire de sa filière bois, une valeur sûre de l’économie du pays. Il est alors nécessaire que des mesures poussées soient prises en tenant compte des problèmes de durabilité des ressources forestières nationales. / The industrialization of the wood industry is one of the major axes of the law 016/01 of 31th of December 2001, on the forest code in the Gabonese Republic. It is considered a way of the diversification of the economy which is a will of the State. Long neglected by the various operators (only 15 to 35% of the logs were processed locally in 2009) due in particular to the inactiveness of the national authorities, it has known for almost ten years, following the measure to ban export logs (order n ° 8/2010), a renewed interest, contributing more to the economic development of the country. Thus, progress is observed in terms of employment, the contribution of the sector to the GDP, as well as the number of processing units, the rate of transformation and the regional or even international influence of the country. The environmental dimension is not left out with the relative progress of legality and traceability of timber brought by forest management and certification. Nonetheless, this activity is not yet overall effective as timber production and tax revenues are still below what was once perceived; likewise, the material yield is far from optimal when compared to that observed in some developed countries. Finally, the quality of certain equipment and employment still shows the efforts that Gabon should put to make its timber industry a sure bet for the country's economy. It is therefore necessary for further measures to be taken, taking into account the sustainability issues of national forest resources.

Access to electricity is an important precondition to many aspects of human and economic development. Yet, in rural sub-Saharan Africa in particular, access rates remain very low — at an average of 17% and much lower in some cases. Rural electrification in Kenya, the focus of this thesis, had only reached 7% in 2014. Given the goal of universal electrification by 2030, formulated as part of Sustainable Development Goal 7, scalable and replicable approaches that are able to support productive and non-productive uses are required. Mini-grids are one promising solution to this problem, alongside grid extension and off-grid approaches such as solar home systems. However, their long-term operational sustainability has historically been a challenge. While the academic literature to date on sustainable energy access has largely been two-dimensional in its analysis of mini-grids (focusing on technology and economics or financing), this thesis contributes to an emerging body of recent contributions to the literature, which have begun to foreground socio-cultural considerations. Bridging the literature on collective action for common-pool resource (CPR) management and property rights theory, a refined theoretical framework is produced for the purpose of analysing the institutional conditions for sustainable management of rural mini-grids. The utility of this framework and of treating electricity in a mini-grid as a CPR is demonstrated via empirical analysis of three case studies of mini-grids in rural Kenya and evidence from 24 expert interviews. This yields insights on nontechnological approaches to addressing operational challenges relating to sustainable mini-grid management, e.g. fair allocation of limited amounts of electricity to different consumers in ways that are acceptable to the entire community. This thesis develops contributions to the literature on sustainable CPR management and collective action, property rights theory and energy access in developing countries. From these theoretical and empirical insights, it explores a novel institutional structure for sustainable management of pro-poor mini-grids in the form of a community–private property hybrid management platform, thereby opening up opportunities for future research into the implementation of such a platform. The thesis represents the first comprehensive attempt to analyse the institutional aspects of pro-poor mini-grid management as well as the first comprehensive attempt to treat electricity in a mini-grid as a CPR.

Title from first page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 65-68).

Thesis (M. Ed. (Education))--Rhodes University, 2006. / Half-thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Education (Environmental Education).