<p>Sustainable development includes environmental, social and economic dimension, which has become an accepted concept at all levels of society. There is also a need for these dimensions to integrate with each other. To attain a sustainable development it has to be seen as a whole. The environmental objectives were established by Swedish parliament in 1999; however these objectives are only one of the steps in achieving a sustainable society. Swedish municipality are forced to use the environmental objectives for guidance in planning society. Municipalities have a responsibility to integrate environmental issues into political processes and at the same time contribute to an increase of the awareness about these issues. There is no guidance in the work with the environmental objectives and municipality have to work on the basis of their own environment and conditions.</p><p>The aim of this essay was to study the work of implementing environmental objectives in one municipality, with the focus on the objectives four and fifteen; towards an ecological sustainable development with support of the environmental work of another municipality. The focus of the work lays on the formulation of environmental objectives four and fifteen in order for them to be achieved without difficulty.</p><p>One conclusion is that none of the chosen environmental objectives are reached. The theoretical discussion highlights the importance of a communicative work between different participants and also information about the environmental issues on the individual level.      </p><p>This work was considered to contribute to future research concerning municipalities work with environmental objectives. </p>

Sustainable development includes environmental, social and economic dimension, which has become an accepted concept at all levels of society. There is also a need for these dimensions to integrate with each other. To attain a sustainable development it has to be seen as a whole. The environmental objectives were established by Swedish parliament in 1999; however these objectives are only one of the steps in achieving a sustainable society. Swedish municipality are forced to use the environmental objectives for guidance in planning society. Municipalities have a responsibility to integrate environmental issues into political processes and at the same time contribute to an increase of the awareness about these issues. There is no guidance in the work with the environmental objectives and municipality have to work on the basis of their own environment and conditions. The aim of this essay was to study the work of implementing environmental objectives in one municipality, with the focus on the objectives four and fifteen; towards an ecological sustainable development with support of the environmental work of another municipality. The focus of the work lays on the formulation of environmental objectives four and fifteen in order for them to be achieved without difficulty. One conclusion is that none of the chosen environmental objectives are reached. The theoretical discussion highlights the importance of a communicative work between different participants and also information about the environmental issues on the individual level.       This work was considered to contribute to future research concerning municipalities work with environmental objectives.

Environmental objective 17: Sustainable consumption - An attempt to integrate the global impact of the Swedish consumption with the environmental objectives system   The aim of this report was to integrate the global impact of the Swedish consumption withthe environmental objectives system through presenting a suggestion for a seventeenth environmental objective – Sustainable consumption. How the Swedish consumption pressures the global environment and methods to measure the affects was investigated. The pressure was divided into five main fields: climate, air, water, land and chemicals. The impacton humans and the biodiversity was also discussed, as well as differences between how men and women affect the environment and get affected when the environment changes. Chosen methods for calculating the impact had to be able to measure the pressure the Swedish consumption has on the environment, and thus humans and the biodiversity. The results show that the Swedish consumption has large internal and external impact on the environment. The methods that met the reports criteria and were analyzed were environmental input-output analysis, ecological footprint, water footprint, carbon footprint and environmental space. An earlier proposal for a seventeenth environmental objective was reviewed, called Restricted environmental pressure in other countries. In the discussion anew environmental objective was presented together with six stage goals. They were based o nthe main fields of environmental pressure. The measuring methods that were suitable and complete were suggested as indicators, namely ecological footprint and carbon footprint. To integrate the global aspect of the Swedish consumption with the environmental politics it’spossible to introduce a new environmental objective. Sustainable consumption is an attempt to do that.

National Swedish environmental objectives and detailed development plans A good built environment - a change of perspectives The aim of this paper is to analyze if the environmental quality objectives ‘a good built environment’ can be implemented in the municipal detailed plans and/or how it is done today. In addition to a number of interviews with people within the academy and government, a document analysis of detailed development plans has been done. As of today, you can not completely do planning based entirely on the environmental objectives and it is perhaps not desirable. In the study it emerges that there are uncertainties in what the environmental quality objectives really are and how they should be used, therefore, is also the implementation of the objectives to some extent different in the detailed development plans (if they are used at all). Within the environmental objective ‘a good built environment’ and its sub-goals one can find both concrete and more unsolid goals, as part of this, goal conflicts arise and problems with implementing the various goals within detailed development plans. Some conclusions are that short-term economic goals stands in the way for a change in perspectives that is needed, if goal achievement should be reached.

<p>Environmental issues are highly topical today and most people are more or less concerned. It is important to start with environmental work and environmental studies in early ages, already in school. The purpose of this essay is to examine what a school can do for the environment and to see how a school can work with these issues. Furthermore, what is passed on to the pupils and how involved are they in the work for a sustainable future?</p><p>The study was conducted by the means of qualitative interviews with four teachers and the head of environmental questions at the school.</p><p>The school is new since fall 2006 and they have just started with the environmental work, says the ones I interviewed. But they all think it will be better in the near future. At this school both adults and children are very interested and involved in the environmental work. The school has several recourses to facilitate the practical environmental work, both children and adults are fully engaged. The recycling process is well developed at the school, they rather recycle than consume. The higher grade students have more classes about global environmental issues while the lower grades do concentrate on the nearby environment, on a level that fits the children. The lower grades at this school are more involved in the work for the environment than the higher grades.</p><p>At the school there is a good will to develop the environmental work and they have a great potential to do so.</p> / <p>Miljöfrågor är högst aktuellt och det är något som berör oss alla. Det är viktigt att vara medveten och delaktig redan i tidig ålder för att göra arbetet för ett hållbart samhälle vardagligt och det är därför viktigt att börja med miljöarbete och miljöundervisning redan i skolan. Syftet med arbetet är att få kunskap om vad en skola kan göra för miljön, hur en skolas miljöarbete ser ut, vad förmedlas till barnen och hur medvetna och delaktiga är de i skolans miljöarbete.</p><p>Undersökningen gjordes med hjälp av kvalitativa intervjuer med fyra pedagoger och skolans miljöansvarig.</p><p>Skolan är ny sedan hösten 2006 och har därför inte mer än kommit igång med sitt miljöarbete påstår de intervjuade, men alla är överens om att det kommer att se bättre ut framöver. På skolan är både vuxna och barn intresserade och engagerade i miljöarbetet. Skolan är utrustad med flera verktyg för praktiskt miljöarbete och dessa används både av personal och elever. Källsortering är ett väl fungerande system på skolan och de återanvänder istället för att förbruka. I undervisningen på högstadiet pratar man mer om den globala miljön än i de lägre stadierna. I de lägre stadierna arbetar de med miljö på barnens nivå, de pratar om och arbetar med sådant som barnen kan relatera till och som barnen kan vara med och påverka. De lägre stadierna är över lag mer engagerade i miljöarbetet jämförelsevis med högstadiet.</p><p>På skolan finns en vilja att förbättra miljöarbetet och det finns en stor potential för att genomföra detta.</p>

Environmental issues are highly topical today and most people are more or less concerned. It is important to start with environmental work and environmental studies in early ages, already in school. The purpose of this essay is to examine what a school can do for the environment and to see how a school can work with these issues. Furthermore, what is passed on to the pupils and how involved are they in the work for a sustainable future? The study was conducted by the means of qualitative interviews with four teachers and the head of environmental questions at the school. The school is new since fall 2006 and they have just started with the environmental work, says the ones I interviewed. But they all think it will be better in the near future. At this school both adults and children are very interested and involved in the environmental work. The school has several recourses to facilitate the practical environmental work, both children and adults are fully engaged. The recycling process is well developed at the school, they rather recycle than consume. The higher grade students have more classes about global environmental issues while the lower grades do concentrate on the nearby environment, on a level that fits the children. The lower grades at this school are more involved in the work for the environment than the higher grades. At the school there is a good will to develop the environmental work and they have a great potential to do so. / Miljöfrågor är högst aktuellt och det är något som berör oss alla. Det är viktigt att vara medveten och delaktig redan i tidig ålder för att göra arbetet för ett hållbart samhälle vardagligt och det är därför viktigt att börja med miljöarbete och miljöundervisning redan i skolan. Syftet med arbetet är att få kunskap om vad en skola kan göra för miljön, hur en skolas miljöarbete ser ut, vad förmedlas till barnen och hur medvetna och delaktiga är de i skolans miljöarbete. Undersökningen gjordes med hjälp av kvalitativa intervjuer med fyra pedagoger och skolans miljöansvarig. Skolan är ny sedan hösten 2006 och har därför inte mer än kommit igång med sitt miljöarbete påstår de intervjuade, men alla är överens om att det kommer att se bättre ut framöver. På skolan är både vuxna och barn intresserade och engagerade i miljöarbetet. Skolan är utrustad med flera verktyg för praktiskt miljöarbete och dessa används både av personal och elever. Källsortering är ett väl fungerande system på skolan och de återanvänder istället för att förbruka. I undervisningen på högstadiet pratar man mer om den globala miljön än i de lägre stadierna. I de lägre stadierna arbetar de med miljö på barnens nivå, de pratar om och arbetar med sådant som barnen kan relatera till och som barnen kan vara med och påverka. De lägre stadierna är över lag mer engagerade i miljöarbetet jämförelsevis med högstadiet. På skolan finns en vilja att förbättra miljöarbetet och det finns en stor potential för att genomföra detta.

The study explores the possibility of conflicts between conservation of wetlands and semi-natural grasslands in the county of Stockholm. Both habitats are important to protect from a biodiversity perspective. The species rich semi-natural grasslands have been created by agricultural practices like grazing and mowing. At the same time, wetlands have diminished due to earlier drainage in order to increase the area of arable land. Both habitats are incorporated in the Swedish Environmental Objectives and are parts of the EU’s Agri-Environmental Schemes (AES), where farmers get financial support to maintain or restore valuable habitats. Wetland conservation/restoration often requires raised water tables, but also maintenance with cattle grazing in certain areas. On the other hand, raised water tables can act as hinder for grazing animals and lead to conflict situations. Using a mixed method approach, this study scrutinized if the use of different management tools can result in conflicts between actors and objectives. The study is based on a literature review, interviews and the use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS). Institutionalism and the Institutional Analysis and Development framework are used to analyze and evaluate the situation in the county of Stockholm. The quantitative results reveal that 12,8 % of all semi-natural grasslands of high biological value intersects with wetlands. However, these areas are maintained with environmental support to a larger extent than semi-natural grasslands outside wetlands. This indicates there is no conflict between wetland and semi-natural grassland conservation, a perception shared by authorities. From farmers’ perspective the situation is described differently, rule compliance for environmental support is hard to obtain specifically in wet areas. Increased dialogue between authorities and farmers rather than harsh inspections would be preferable as the county of Stockholm needs more farmers and grazing cattle to maintain biologically important habitats. Grazing in wetlands is needed from a biodiversity perspective but can at the same time disturb the wetlands functioning of nutrient reduction. There is a risk of authorities prioritizing water quality in front of biodiversity in conflicting situations. Water, as a common-pool recourse, is surrounded by stricter regulation and also easier to monitor.

The purpose of this report is to increase the awareness about the problem that occur when the waste hierarchy is applied to management of contaminated land. The work with remediation of contaminated land in Sweden is part of the efforts towards reaching the national environmental objectives. Therefore a subsidiary aim is to analyze how this influences the prospects of reaching the objectives. The work consists of two parts; a case study and a comparative literature study that focus on England, the Netherlands and Sweden. The case study is intended to provide a practical perspective through a comparison of the climate impact from two methods. One of the methods does not take into account the waste hierarchy and the other is considered, by the principal, to do so. The calculation has been translated to carbon dioxide equivalents through the tool Carbon footprint from the Swedish Geotechnical Society. The literature study has focused on the national legislation connected to contaminated land within the respective countries with the purpose to see how they work with this and identify potential lessons that can be drawn from this comparison. A problem that is made visible through this study is that the waste hierarchy is not sufficiently implemented in the instruments used in Sweden. Landfill tax contribution to the compliance of the waste hierarchy is in the current situation, regarding contaminated soil, nonexistent. But the results of the literature study shows that there is potential for using landfill tax to implement the waste hierarchy in an efficient way. Lessons can be drawn from England, which has increased the accuracy of their landfill tax with two rates, depending on the waste type, and the fact that they have reversed their earlier exemption for contaminated soil. An experience from the case study is that there is a problem within the terminology connected to remediation and waste management in Sweden. The companies and the authorities do not agree about significant terms, for example the reuse and recycling of contaminated soil. This causes problems because the dissidence concerns the options under the hierarchy that should be prioritized.The case study shows that the climate impact from a remediation project can vary substantially between different methods. It would be more efficient if other environmental objectives such as reduced climate impact could be given more weigh in the method selection process than it does in the present situation. This would minimize the risks that a project has a negative impact on the work towards other environmental targets.

Densification is a summary word to devote denser housing in the city centre, yet airy and varied. The goal is for more people to move to the city centre to live, work and perform all kinds of activities such as shopping, work out or just go out and have a good time. Karlstad's vision is densification with a living and growing centre as a goal, as well as well-functioning public transport for commuters from near and far. Extended housing and activities with environmental thinking and well-being as well as more jobs are the goals the municipality wants to achieve with densification. Hence, the study partakes attempts to evaluate how Karlstad municipality's detailed plans are in line with today's six-year-old general plan visions regarding densification. This is done by a categorization based on an article from Boyko &amp; Cooper 2011 that created a summary of several researchers' views regarding the concept of densification and its inclusion. Here, compromises have been made by putting interesting theories against each other to make as fair a review as possible. An account of theories leads to reclarification of parts of the material to realize the current densification. The result of my study shows densification as something active that takes place in cities, either by increasing or getting closer to people or housing. How the densification is visualized or not determines the established extent shifts, but something that is often encountered is the accumulation of built-in surface, the number of people in a certain place or the proportion of a specific spatial space that has been built. Karlstad describes densification and it is also something that is exemplified, however, if the starting point is that increased possibilities for more people to choose public transport should not be considered implemented based on my study. Furthermore, there is a description of how Karlstad wants to densify with focus on the central parts to further grow beyond what cannot be noted in the detailed plans discussed. To some extent, Karlstad creates densification, but if it in turn leads to increased opportunities for individuals to use more sustainable alternatives to relocation should not be considered realized. Karlstad's vision of building inside and out is not infused, and the densification described in the overview plan has not given an impression in the detailed plans adopted today

The purpose of this study was to investigate why the work towards the Swedish national environmental objective “Thriving wetlands” is not expected to be complete by the year 2030. The study aimed to investigate which factors may simplify or complicate the work from the perspective of the county administrative boards and what resources are needed to reach the goal. The study is based on a survey using a semi-qualitative method. Results indicate that the way county administrative boards cooperate with national authority Naturvårdsverket and associated municipalities influences the workflow. Furthermore, parts of the Swedish environmental legislation are perceived as an obstruction to wetland conservation. Swedish national wetland funding is also viewed as problematic as the funding is split into multiple parts and does not take into consideration any long-term solutions. Additionally, the attitude of the public towards wetland protection is perceived as mostly indifferent and unknowing. However, since seven of the total 21 county boards did not answer the survey, the results may not be completely established by a scientific principle. Further studies are needed to obtain more detailed answers concerning the topics discussed in this study.