I enlighet med världens globala utmaning för hållbar utveckling, spelar skolan och lärares arbete en viktig roll för att eleverna ska utveckla ett proaktivt beteende gentemot miljön. Syftet med denna studie var att lära känna lärares förhållningssätt till förbrukningsmaterial och det resurssparande arbetet som lärare gör med syftemål att fostra eleverna till miljömedvetna människor. I studien används tre teoretiska utgångspunkter till att analysera lärares insatser, dessa är det socialkonstruktionistiska perspektivet, den sociokulturella traditionen och pragmatismen. Syftet undersöktes och besvarades genom två forskningsfrågor, vilka är Hur förbrukningsmaterial organiseras i lärares praktik samt På vilka sätt arbetar lärare med resurssparande som kan leda till att eleverna ska utveckla proaktivt miljöbeteende. Studien baseras på sex intervjuer med lärare på olika skolor. Resultaten redovisades och analyserades med hjälp av tematisk analys. Därvid hittades tre huvudteman, Förbrukningsmaterial som arbetsredskap, samt Resurssparande i relation till hållbarhet och resursspanade i relation till värdegrundsarbete, vilka tillsammans med undertemana (tillgänglighet, ekonomiskt perspektiv på förbrukningsmaterial, behov framför lärande, lärares resurssparande insatser och lärares syn på hållbarhet genom projekt och lärande) behandlar forskningsfrågorna. Studiens resultat visade att förbrukningsmaterial framför allt betraktas som arbetsredskap i lärandets tjänst och därför finns det inga begränsningar i tillgången på det i kommunala skolors mellanstadium. Praktiker kring förbrukningsmaterial beror på elevernas ålder, så ju äldre årskurser lärare undervisar i, desto hårdare regler gällande elevernas materialförbrukning kan ställas och desto större ansvar kan läggas på eleven i stället för på läraren. Vidare visade studien att samtal om skolans resurser brukar utgå från ett ekonomiskt perspektiv, fast hantering av elevernas ovarsamma beteende med förbrukningsmaterial behandlas med värdegrundsarbete. Ett meningsfullt resultat är att upptäcka och behandla problematiken bakom elevernas förstörande beteende i stället för att behandla utfallet. Parallellt med värdegrundsarbetet inkluderar lärare dessutom resurssparande insatser som kan främja elevernas uppfostran till miljömedvetna människor.   Studiens diskussion behandlade lärares resurssparande insatser i kontext av tidigare forskning. Dessutom behandlades och förstärktes i diskussionen insatsernas betydelse till att eleverna ska utveckla ett proaktivt miljöbeteende.

Sustainability and environmental responsibility is increasingly growing in importance. Solving the environmental problems of the planet will one day become the responsibility of future scientists. For this reason, and with the introduction of new chemical legislation (REACH) driving change it is essential that current students are given a broad introduction to sustainability and environmental responsibility in order to equip them as graduates for future practice in the chemical sciences. At the University of Bradford the aim is to teach sustainability and environmental responsibility by embedding it throughout the entire chemistry curriculum rather than teaching it in standalone lectures. Once this has been established within chemistry it is expected that this will potentially provide a template for other areas of laboratory science within the university. In order to achieve the aim of this project, students, staff and potential employers tookpart in surveys with a view to inform curriculum development. Examples of best practice were sought and used as guidance for the development of directed learning activities for use as post lab questions and utilisation of the twelve principles of green chemistry. Green chemistry metrics were applied to undergraduate experiments to test how well they would work in terms of ease of use, applicability and judging ¿greenness¿. It was found that these were not very effective for use within an undergraduate laboratory due to applicability and judging ¿greenness¿, however this work highlighted other areas for improvement. As a result of this work an environmental assessment metric system was developed for use within an undergraduate setting. / Ecoversity at the University of Bradford

This thesis analyzes how young female students aged 20–25 perceive influencer marketing communication on social media and its correlation with their impulsive purchases within the fast fashion industry. The study involves eight interviews to gain an understanding of these consumers' behavior during impulse purchases. Furthermore, it explores the marketing communication of influencers and the environmental awareness of the respondents. Previous research reveals a paradox between heightened environmental consciousness and increased consumption of fast fashion. Influencers, as influential actors in marketing communication, impact consumer behavior through authentic interactions and reviews, fostering an environment conducive to impulse buying, especially with time-limited offers and discounts. Despite the digital era's promotion of impulse buying, previous studies reveal a lack of detailed research on impulse purchases driven by influencers' marketing communication within the fast fashion realm.  The results suggest that influencers play a central role in creating emotional connections that drive impulsive purchases. Despite respondents' general awareness of the industry's adverse environmental impact, sustainability aspects are seldom prioritized in impulse purchases based on influencers' communication. The conclusion is that influencers' marketing communication significantly impacts impulsive purchases among young female students, but sustainability is not emphasized enough to raise environmental awareness. There's potential for influencers to promote sustainability within fast fashion by integrating these aspects into their communication, fostering positive changes in consumers' impulse buying behavior.

A satisfação dos consumidores vem sendo alvo de pesquisas acadêmicas ao menos desde a década de 1960. Entender os fatores que determinam a satisfação do consumidor pode ser crucial para o êxito do destino ou atrativo turístico. O interesse prévio pelo tipo de elemento turístico ofertado é um fator determinante na satisfação do visitante. No entanto, no caso dos destinos e atrativos turísticos naturais, essa relação é ambígua. Parece razoável supor que, quando visita um atrativo turístico natural conservado, o indivíduo mais interessado pela natureza ficará mais satisfeito com a visita do que o indivíduo que não apresenta grande interesse pelos elementos naturais. Apesar dessa relação entre o interesse pela natureza e a satisfação parecer óbvia, existe outro efeito possível. Indivíduos com maior interesse por elementos naturais podem ficar insatisfeitos com a visita a áreas naturais, quando estas apresentarem uma presença humana muito marcante. Tal incidência do elemento humano no ambiente pode se dar tanto por meio da infraestrutura quanto da visitação em larga escala. De um lado, há um efeito positivo, oriundo da relação direta entre os interesses do indivíduo e o tipo de ambiente visitado. Contudo, de outro lado, há um efeito negativo, decorrente do potencial excesso de infraestrutura e visitação. Se o efeito negativo for forte, supõe-se que ele poderá chegar a se sobrepor ao efeito positivo, fazendo com que indivíduos mais interessados pela natureza fiquem menos satisfeitos com a visitação da área natural. Para estudar essa relação ambígua, o objetivo geral deste estudo é analisar como o interesse por questões associadas à natureza influencia a satisfação do visitante de UCs. Para viabilizar a realização deste estudo, foi selecionado o Parque Nacional do Iguaçu (PNI), um atrativo turístico natural aberto à visitação, que recebe um considerável número de visitantes, que tem relevância internacional, que oferece contato com a natureza, mas também disponibiliza infraestrutura instalada e serviços aos visitantes. Seis hipóteses foram desenvolvidas e testadas por meio de um modelo de equações estruturais, estimado a partir de dados coletados em 434 entrevistas diretas com visitantes intercontinentais do PNI. Em especial, esta pesquisa estudou os efeitos da consciência ambiental do visitante sobre sua satisfação com a experiência da visita. Dentre os principais resultados 7 encontrados, constatou-se que, quanto maior a consciência ambiental, maior é a satisfação do visitante. Verificou-se, também, que, quanto maior a motivação e o interesse por turismo com base na natureza, maior a satisfação do indivíduo. Foi observado, ainda, que atributos como demasiada infraestrutura, trilhas estreitas, lojas de lembranças, lanchonetes e elevado fluxo de visitantes em alguns períodos, não reduzem o nível de satisfação dos visitantes ambientalmente conscientes / Consumers satisfaction has been the subject of academic research since the 1960s, at least. Understanding the factors that determine consumers satisfaction can be crucial to the success of the destination or tourist attraction. The prior interest in the type of touristic element offered is a determinant factor in the visitors satisfaction. However, in the case of natural tourist destinations and attractions, this relationship is ambiguous. It seems reasonable to suppose that when one visits a preserved natural tourist attraction, the individual most interested in nature will be more satisfied with the visit than the individual who has no great interest in the natural elements. Although this relationship between interest in nature and satisfaction seems obvious, there is another possible effect. Individuals with a greater interest in natural elements may be dissatisfied with the visit to natural areas, when they present a very marked human presence. Such an impact of the human element on the environment can occur both through infrastructure and through large-scale visitation. In one hand, there is a positive effect, arising from the direct relation between the interests of the individual and the type of environment visited. However, on the other hand, there is a negative effect, due to the potential excess of infrastructure and visitation. If the negative effect is strong, it is assumed that it may overlap with the positive effect, making individuals more interested in nature less satisfied with the visitation of the natural area. In order to study this ambiguous relationship, the general objective of this study is to analyze how interest in issues associated with nature influences the visitors satisfaction with the UCs. In order to make this study feasible, The Iguaçu National Park (INP) was selected, a natural tourist attraction opened to visiting, which receives a considerable number of visitors, has international relevance and offers contact with nature, but also provides installed infrastructure and services to visitors. Six hypotheses were developed and tested using a model of structural equations, estimated from data collected in 434 direct interviews with intercontinental INP visitors. In particular, this study studied the effects of the visitors environmental awareness on their satisfaction with the visit experience. Among the main results found, the greater the environmental awareness, the greater the visitor\'s satisfaction. It was also verified that the greater the motivation and the interest in tourism based on nature, the greater the satisfaction of the individual. It was also observed that attributes such as too much infrastructure, narrow trails, souvenir shops, snack bars and high flow of visitors in some periods do not reduce the level of satisfaction of environmentally conscious visitors

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-26T18:10:50Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Fabiola Corbucci.pdf: 1966762 bytes, checksum: e0e3a72fde2585d2a8356419831aef40 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-05-12 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / The relative (in)efficiency of environmental awareness programs carried out by various communication media is considered here as a social symptom in which great success and failure paradoxically coexist. This research investigates one type of image related to this thematic communication with the purpose of discussing the imaginary on which it draws. We note that there is a type of image that fits into the aesthetics of the death drive: at the indexical level it portrays degraded environments and apocalyptic phenomena; at the iconic level it recurs to a plasticity that mimics the qualities of death. Why is this type of image presented even when the subject it addresses intends to promote the continuity of life? This question led us to analyze of the iconicity (Peircean semiotics) of the catastrophic images transmitted by the media as revealing a thanatophilic imaginary and promoting an interpretant that invites the observer to contemplation, inertia, and the Nirvana. With this purpose, the relative inoperativeness of populations concerning environmental movements emphatic demand for a radical transformation in their ways of life is questioned. This relative inoperativeness, announced not only in environmental reports, but also in the media, is surprising in view of the widespread dissemination of the ecological issue in urban societies at least since the 1960s. We interpret this paradoxical gap in the environmental movement as a social symptom and relate it to the thanatophilic imaginary manifested in the images of the environmental campaign and generalized through the media. We draw on the social, political, and cultural context of modern capitalism with the purpose of better understanding how the representation of nature is implicated in the daily practices of urban societies. We reflect on the vicissitudes of a glocalizing process of civilization for the effectiveness of the human relation to nature. With this in mind, we carry out a theoretical and interpretive discussion of the visual communication accomplished by the environmental campaign, especially in its psychic and imaginary dimensions. We investigated the discourse of this widespread environmental campaign based on an analysis of its images in order to make evident latent points or aspects and, thus, interpret inoperativeness concerning the environmental threat. The theories of Peirce and Freud have been fundamental for our analysis, as well as reflections by other authors, such as Keith Thomas, José Augusto Pádua, Eugênio Trivinho, Vladimir Safatle, and Slavoj i ek. Concepts such as sign (especially icon and index, but also symbol), imaginary, fetishism, the unconscious, and death drive are also central to our analysis / Considerando a relativa (in)eficiência da disseminada conscientização ambiental desenvolvida pelos meios de comunicação mais diversos como um sintoma social, em que um grande sucesso e um grande fracasso coexistem paradoxalmente, esta pesquisa investiga um tipo de imagem veiculado a essa comunicação temática com o propósito de discutir o imaginário que o alimenta. Verificamos que há um certo tipo de imagem que se enquadra no que denominamos estética da pulsão de morte: retrata, no nível indicial, ambientes degradados e fenômenos apocalípticos; no nível icônico, recorre a uma plasticidade que mimetiza as qualidades da morte. Por que esse tipo de imagem é apresentado mesmo quando o assunto tratado pretende clamar pela continuidade da vida? Essa questão instigou-nos a analisar a iconicidade (semiótica peirceana) das imagens catastróficas veiculadas pelos media como reveladora de um imaginário tanatofílico e promotora de um interpretante que convida à contemplação, à inércia, ao Nirvana. Para isso, indagamos sobre uma relativa inoperância das populações frente à grande demanda dos movimentos ambientais por uma transformação radical do modo de vida. Essa relativa inoperância, anunciada não apenas nos relatórios ambientais como nos media, surpreende diante da disseminação da questão ecológica un peut partout nas sociedades urbanas pelo menos desde a década de 1960. É esse lapso paradoxal do movimento ambiental que é tomado como sintoma social e relacionado ao imaginário tanatofílico manifestado nas imagens da campanha ambiental generalizada dos media. Resgatamos, para isso, o contexto social, político e cultural do capitalismo moderno a fim de compreendermos melhor como a representação da natureza está implicada nas práticas cotidianas das sociedades urbanas. Refletimos, ainda, sobre as vicissitudes de um processo civilizatório glocalizante para a efetivação da relação dos homens com a natureza. Com esse suporte, propomos realizar uma discussão teórico-interpretativa sobre a comunicação imagética da campanha ambiental, sobretudo em suas dimensões psíquica e imaginária. Investigamos o discurso dessa disseminada campanha de conscientização ambiental a partir de uma análise de suas imagens para evidenciar pontos ou aspectos latentes e, com isso, construir uma interpretação sobre a inoperância frente à ameaça ambiental. Para isso, são fundamentais as teorias de Peirce e Freud, além das reflexões de outros autores, como Keith Thomas, José Augusto Pádua, Eugênio Trivinho, Vladimir Safatle e Slavoj i ek. São centrais, ainda, conceitos como o de signo (ícone e índice, sobretudo, mas também o de símbolo), imaginário, fetichismo, inconsciente e pulsão de morte

O Programa Mais Educação (PME), instituído em 2007, surge como uma estratégia do Governo Federal para induzir a ampliação da jornada escolar e a organização curricular na perspectiva da educação integral. Este programa integra diferentes saberes, espaços educativos e pessoas da comunidade e visa desenvolver uma educação pública de qualidade. O objetivo desta pesquisa de caráter predominantemente qualitativo foi investigar como a escola com jornada educativa ampliada, por meio do Programa Mais Educação (PME), pode colaborar para o desenvolvimento de uma educação conscientizadora na rede municipal de ensino fundamental de São Gabriel-RS. Realizou-se uma análise qualitativa por meio da aplicação de questionários que permitiu compreender a visão dos educadores do município sobre as concepções acerca de educação integral e Programa Mais Educação. Percebemos uma visão simplificada do Programa, visto que uma minoria participou de cursos de formação sobre educação integral e PME. Observamos também que poucas escolas aderiram aos macrocampos educação ambiental e desenvolvimento sustentável, dado que nos chamou a atenção ao considerarmos as influências da produção científica e tecnológica no modo atual de vida da sociedade. Diante disso, partimos para uma intervenção nas oficinas pedagógicas do PME, com estudantes do ensino fundamental, onde desenvolvemos sete oficinas de educação ambiental com uma abordagem CTS (Ciência, Tecnologia e Sociedade) sobre a temática do lixo. Encontramos lacunas no ensino das relações lixo e meio ambiente, principalmente com relação ao seu destino, observamos que os estudantes não possuíam uma visão mais clara dos impactos de nossas atitudes e a sua relação com o lixo. A partir dessas dúvidas,foram desenvolvidas atividades embasadas nos Três Momentos Pedagógicos (Delizoicov e Angotti, 1992) propiciaram a participação ativa dos alunos, oportunizando informações para o pensamento reflexivo e a tomada de decisões. Ao final deste trabalho apresentou-se um vídeo com os conceitos construídos pelos estudantes durante as oficinas. Esse vídeo foi utilizado como recurso informativo para a população, em diversos espaços da comunidade como: sala de espera da prefeitura e espaços de propagandas de mídias na praça central da cidade. Por fim, disponibilizamos o vídeo no YouTube e um livreto com as oficinas aplicadas nesta pesquisa para as educadoras da escola envolvida e a todos os professores de ciências que tiverem interesse, pois está disponibilizado nos apêndices deste trabalho. / The PMC (More Education Program) established in 2007 emerges as a strategy from the Federal Government to induce the enlargement of the school´s day work as well as the curriculum organization aiming the overall education. That program integrates different knowledges, and seeks to develop a public education with quality. The target of this research, which has a mainly qualitative outline, was to investigate how a school with such enlarged day work through the PME Program can cooperate for the development of an education with awareness in the city´s elementary school in São Gabriel-RS. An analysis was performed both quantitative and qualitative through the application of questionnaires which allowed to understand the São Gabriel teachers´ vision about the conceptions concerning the overall education and the PME. We have noticed a simplified vision of that Program, since a minority have participated in the formation courses about overall education and the PME. We have also perceived that few schools joined the macrofields overall education and sustainable development, data which was evident when we considered the influences of the scientific and technological production in the society´s present way of life. Being so, we have started and intervention in the PME´s workshops with students from the elementary school, where we developed seven workshops of environmental education with a STS approach (Science, Technology and Society) about the trash theme. We have found gaps in the teaching of the trash/environment relationship, mainly as to its destination, where we have noticed that the students did not have a clear notion of the impact our actions and attitudes in relation to the trash. After these doubts, the development of activities based on the Three Pedagogical Moments (Delizoicov and Angotti, 1992), enabled the students´ active participation generating information for the reflexive thought and the decision-making. At the end of this work, a video was presented with concepts built by the students during the workshops. That video was used as an information resource for the population, in several spaces of the community such as; the City Hall´s waiting room, spaces of media on the main square. Finally, that video was also made available to YouTube followers, and a brochure with the workshops used in that research for the tutors of the related school and to all science teachers who have shown interest, since it is available at the addendum of this work.

Today, textile products are designed with a “built-in obsolescence” to only last for a shorttime. The intention of this is to allow or even to encourage the customer to get rid of it assoon as possible and buy a new item. This has led to the discussed matter of increase indemand and hence overconsumption of textiles causing a lack of raw materials. Upcycling oftextile materials is a possible solution to this problem, where textile waste is re-used to makea new product. The purpose of this thesis is to view the penetrating power of upcycling oftextile materials and to define the potential of solely selling upcycled textile products. Up-todatetheoretical data has been collected together with three qualitative interviews withretailers and a manufacturer, all selling upcycled textile products. The potential of solelyselling upcycled textile products lies in the mind of the consumer and the dedication of thevendor. The younger generation makes a challenging potential and the emotional attachmentto the products generated by story telling and surprising factors contribute to this potential.The fact that the textile industry is facing severe challenges is also seen as a potential to covernew and substantial market shares.Textila produkter designas idag med ett inbyggt föråldrande med en kort livstid som syfte.Avsikten med detta är att tillåta eller till och med uppmuntra kunden att tröttna och göra sigav med produkten så snart som möjligt för att därefter köpa en ny. Den här processen harresulterat i det diskuterade ämnet om efterfrågeökning och överkonsumtion av textilier, sominnebär en råvarubrist i textilindustrin. Förädling (upcycling) av textila material är en möjliglösning till det här problemet, då textilavfall återanvänds och görs till en ny produkt. Syftetmed den här uppsatsen är att studera genomslagskraften upcycling av textila material har ochatt genom det kunna definiera vad det finns för potential att enbart sälja upcyclade textilaprodukter. Aktuell teoretisk information har samlats in tillsammans med tre kvalitativaintervjuer med två återförsäljare och en producent av upcyclade textila produkter. Utsikterna iatt enbart sälja upcyclade textila produkter ligger i kundens sinne och hos säljarens hängivelsetill fenomenet. Den yngre generationen utgör en utmanande potentiell målgrupp, och denkänslomässiga relationen till produkten som erhålls genom att förmedla historien bakomprodukten samt produktens överraskningsförmåga innebär möjligheter. Det faktum atttextilindustrin står inför allvarliga utmaningar ses också som en möjlighet att täcka nya ochomfattande marknadsandelar. / Program: Textilekonomutbildningen

EIA's contribution to increased environmental awareness is a posited means by which EIA's contribution to a substantive level of environmental protection can be measured. However, little research has been done to evaluate and properly contextualise this increased environmental awareness in members of the public who participate in EIA and its associated processes of public participation. Utilising a Foucauldian understanding of power and governmentality, this research has shown how this process of becoming environmentally aware takes place within a broader application of governmental power and it is within this context which the success (or otherwise) of steering towards a greater environmental awareness must be evaluated. The biopolitical intentions EIA has for managing environmental life in general draws strict boundaries of expertise and authority in governing the environment, and as products of this formation of governmental power the public become subjects of expert direction. In opposition to this, the public produced a rural environment and local community as defined and governed by forms of experiential knowledge, which although pertaining to a truth-oriented mentality of rule, exerted a similar biopolitical control over the environment and immutable form of authority and expertise within it. It is contended that for EIA to penetrate bounded environments and disrupt their totalising environmentalities, the tool must extend the meaning of uncertainty to explicitly recognise the conflict that exists between actors and their respective environments. In this way, EIA can contribute to a form of self-reflexive and -critical environmental citizenship deemed necessary for a thorough investigation into the political dimensions of the environment and its associated substantive measures of enhancement and protection. Employing a realist governmentality approach to the case-study of the 2016 public inquiry in shale energy proposals in Lancashire, this research generated discourse analyses of key policy documents and public contributions to the inquiry in addition to a 'lived experience' of the inquiry as a participatory space through participant observation. The key findings were that at the policy level, the participating member of the public is produced as both a trustee and an expert, heightening the potential for conflict. Further to this, the experiences of the public inquiry added to this potential by seeking to impose on the participant an individualised, silent identity which was directly contradicted by the public during 'non-technical' sessions who sought to participate actively and collectively. Within their contributions the public produced further internal conflicts, with aspects of this discourse relying on existing institutionalised forms of knowledge and expertise to respond to environmental problems, while in others asserting that localised and personal experiences were necessary. EIA as a technique of government can have a leading role in defining the environment in both a physical, surrounding sense and as a mentality. To do so and challenge essentialised and concrete ideas regarding the environment avoiding the acts of exclusion that underpin them becoming normalised the thesis builds on the analysis to make a proposition for a more effective agonistic EIA process.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-15T19:26:25Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Barbara Susana Barbosa de Araujoprot.pdf: 2856714 bytes, checksum: 2d649f4e75619acdc07f8887a5c9bb99 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-02-03 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The starting point for the construction of this study was the perception that the current societal behavior and business management models do not provide the balance needed for the continuation of environmental resources essential to human survival. The challenges to achieve the widespread sustainable development are immense and, for many, utopian. This research was conducted after admitting that the production of knowledge is one of the guiding pillars of the advancement of the discussions which enable a boost in understanding and engagement within society in favor of a less unsustainable future. This study sought to understand to what extent there is a relationship between the environmental awareness of taxi drivers in São Paulo and the use of natural gas for their vehicles, compared to the survey of the factors that stimulate and discourage the use of this fuel considered less pollutant. The choice of researching on the use of Natural Gas Vehicles (NGV) as an energy source was due to the fact that in Brazil the use of other clean energy sources in the transport sector is extremely incipient. We sought to identify which in practice, are perceived as attributes that encourage and / or inhibit drivers to use NGV. In addition, we sought to understand whether taxi drivers, apart from the technical and economic developments, were also motivated by an environmental concern to collaborate or reinforce the choice of a less polluting fuel than traditional ethanol and gasoline. The results obtained by our descriptive quantitative research, with 73 taxi drivers in São Paulo, preceded by a qualitative exploratory study. Factors related to the financial benefits of the use of CNG were confirmed as the main attractions for using this type of fuel; whereas the necessary investment to adapt the vehicle to the supply of natural gas was appointed as the main to its use. When analyzing the results, it can be concluded that, because there is no evidence that environmental awareness is an important attribute in the decision of taxi drivers to use cleaner fuel, it is necessary to have a greater incentive to use this power source, or any other offering less potential offensive worsening of urban pollution and consequent respiratory diseases, to which the population is subject to. The stimuli may be a result of, among others, tax exemptions, already practiced in some Brazilian municipalities. / A percepção de que os modelos atuais de comportamento da sociedade e de gestão de negócios não proporcionam o equilíbrio necessário para continuidade dos recursos ambientais essenciais à sobrevivência humana foi o ponto de partida para construção deste estudo. Os desafios para se atingir o tão difundido desenvolvimento sustentável, são imensos e, para muitos, utópicos. Essa pesquisa foi concebida por admitir-se que a produção do conhecimento é um dos pilares norteadores para o avanço dos debates capazes de impulsionar a compreensão e o engajamento da sociedade em prol de um futuro menos insustentável. Objetivou-se compreender em que medida existe relação entre a consciência ambiental dos taxistas do município de São Paulo e a utilização do gás natural em seus veículos, face ao levantamento dos fatores que estimulam e dos que desestimulam a utilização desse combustível tido como menos poluente. A escolha pela utilização do gás natural veicular (GNV) como fonte de energia pesquisada se deu pelo fato de que no Brasil a utilização de outras fontes de energia limpa no setor de transporte é extremamente incipiente. Buscou-se identificar o que na prática é percebido como atributos que incentivam e/ou inibem os motoristas a usarem o GNV. Além disso, buscou-se entender se, afora as motivações de cunho técnico-econômico havia, entre os taxistas, preocupação ambientais que colaborassem ou reforçassem a escolha por um combustível menos poluente do que os tradicionais etanol e gasolina. Os resultados foram fruto de uma pesquisa quantitativa descritiva realizada com 73 motorista de táxis do município de São Paulo, precedida de um estudo qualitativo exploratório. Os fatores relacionados às vantagens financeiras decorrentes do uso do GNV foram confirmados como os maiores atrativos para uso desse tipo de combustível; ao passo que, o investimento para a adaptação dos veículos ao abastecimento do GNV, foi apontado como o principal obstáculo a sua utilização. Através da análise dos resultados, pode-se concluir que, por não haver evidências de que a consciência ambiental é um atributo relevante na decisão dos taxistas pela utilização de um combustível menos poluente, faz-se necessário que haja maior estímulo ao uso dessa fonte de energia, ou de qualquer outra que ofereça menor potencial ofensivo ao agravamento da poluição urbana e das consequentes doenças respiratórias, as quais a população está sujeita. Os estímulos podem ser fruto, entre outros, da isenção de impostos, já praticada em alguns municípios brasileiros.

Hotels constitute one of the main, and still expanding, pillars of the tourism sector and are highly unique among other commercial buildings. Resource intensive and frequently inefficient systems and operational routines applied in the sector, result in considerable environmental impact and indicate an urgent need for more environmentally sound practices and products in the hotel industry. A certain level of activity in the area of reducing resource use has been observed for quite some time but the motivation for this was related to cost-benefit issues rather than the environment. Furthermore, most of the initiatives are still considered to be best practice case studies and not daily routines. The constantly increasing prices of basic commodities, such as energy resources and water, encourage the implementation of energy and water efficiency and conservation measures in hotel facilities. To this end, numerous guidelines and initiatives have been produced by hotel-related organisations. The study of attitudes among 610 European hoteliers indicated that, at the moment, the level of environmental awareness among hotel managers is not high enough to introduce significant changes, although attitudes differ depending on the country of origin and the corporate policy. The prospects of significant cost savings, as well as customer demand were identified as the most likely parameters to enhance environmental responsibility among hoteliers. The popularity of CSR reporting and sustainability indices, especially among the larger companies, leads the author to believe that the industry is preparing to change. Many of the companies running hotels are also reporting their environmental management goals and indicators of environmental performance, while benchmarking and all types of comparison league tables are gaining popularity. There is, however, no system or methodology of data collection and monitoring that is universally accepted or applicable throughout the hotel sector. Furthermore, the accuracy and validity of the published performance indicators and benchmarks is widely debated due to large variations in the figures reported. The analyses performed on data from over 180 upscale and mid-market European chain hotels (Hilton International and Scandic) indicated that even among relatively uniform (service-wise) hotels the amenities offered did influence consumption, further complicating the concept and applicability of uniform benchmarking and resource consumption modelling. It was thus concluded that, creating a uniform model for all hotels is almost impossible, or would require a significant amount of very detailed input data, and that the results could still be highly inaccurate. Instead, it was suggested that it might actually be more accurate to develop models for individual hotels. Such an approach would allow for the modelling of the behaviour of all types of hotels with no size, type of services or standard limitations. Multi-variate step-wise regression analyses performed on individual Scandic hotels in Sweden indicated that energy consumption was dependent on the outdoor air temperature/actual heating degree days, while water consumption was mainly influenced by the number of guest-nights sold. Experience gained by the author during the process of the Hilton Environmental Reporting system upgrade allowed for the formulation of a set of rules of thumb that ought to be followed in the design of similar schemes. The experience of various regions and numerous companies also suggests that well designed and implemented environmental and resource management programs bring significant benefits at an individual as well as a corporate level. This study provides an indication of the strategies that can be used by various stakeholders in the process of development and implementation of such programs. This research further suggests that future developments in environmental performance indicators and benchmarking may best be served by disaggregating hotels into modules (such as guest-rooms, catering outlets, conference centres) and developing consumption models and best practice indicators for these particular components. The individual efficiencies/performance indicators should then be combined and weighted to provide a just overall evaluation of a facility that could then be compared to a benchmark (developed in the same manner). In a similar manner, sustainability assessment schemes and indicators for destinations and communities could be developed. However, more accurate and differentiated knowledge of the individual performance of sub-systems is necessary to proceed with such an alternative. In addition, the methodologies for data collection and reporting procedures, at all levels of the company and sector, need to be standardized and detailed / QC 20100818