Environmental quality is a construct that has currency at the interface between science and policy—it is used both to describe current conditions as well as prescribe desired future conditions. However, environmental quality has a multiplicity of definitions, owing to: a) the fact that there are a number of terms (or "sub constructs") taken to be synonymous with environmental quality (i.e. environmental health, sustainability, biodiversity, integrity, and the like), and b) the fact that each of these sub constructs, in turn, have multiple meanings. Many in the field of natural sciences have been working on this problem of ambiguity—attempting to develop precise and powerful definitions. Still others argue that environmental quality is a concept open to societal negotiation (in addition to scientific discovery). In this thesis, I argue that environmental quality can be understood and discussed by examining understandings of Nature and evaluations for Nature that seem to contribute to the ambiguity of meanings and outcomes for environmental quality. To reach these conclusions, I interviewed 24 stakeholders who represented a broad range of concerns about and interests in environmental quality on private forest land in Southwest Virginia. I reviewed nearly 300 pages of interview text, looking for emerging themes and structures from their hour-long (on average) discussions of environmental quality. I found that among these 24 stakeholders, there were indeed, many ways of defining environmental quality (i.e. health, biodiversity, site productivity, et cetera). Additionally, I found that these different definitions for environmental quality seem to correlate with different understandings of Nature (what is Nature like?) and different values for Nature (how should Nature be used?) I conclude by discussing these implications, using examples from forestry outreach and extension. / Master of Science

[pt] Este estudo teve como motivação inicial a experiência profissional do autor,como educador e geógrafo, atuando na iniciativa denominada Projeto de Educação Ambiental com Crianças de Escolas públicas, que vem sendo realizada no campus da Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro desde 1998. Este projeto foi desenvolvido pelo Núcleo Interdisciplinar de Meio Ambiente - NIMA/PUC-Rio, com o objetivo de integrar as escolas públicas com a Universidade, através de aulas de Educação Ambiental, tendo como meta a formação de valores ético-ambientais para o exercício da cidadania das futuras gerações. Baseado nesta experiência de projeto social, que visa atender às crianças mais carentes que estudam nas escolas públicas no bairro da Gávea e moradoras das comunidades carentes da Rocinha, Vidigal, Parque da Cidade e Cruzada São Sebastião, localizadas próximas ao campus da PUC-Rio, são apresentadas aqui as reflexões e potencialidades de transformação social do Projeto de Educação Ambiental com Crianças de Escolas Públicas. A análise deste Projeto, enquanto um modelo que visa responder aos atuais apelos da recente Lei Federal de Educação Ambiental e da Lei Estadual, sobretudo no que se refere a sua dimensão não-formal, constitui o escopo desta dissertação. Em outras palavras, este trabalho avalia as ações e práticas educativas voltadas para a sensibilização da coletividade sobre as questões ambientais, com a participação e parceria de escolas, Universidade e empresas, e das transformações processadas com valores éticos presentes na relação do homem com o seu meio ambiente, através de um projeto de Educação Ambiental, realizado junto às crianças e adolescentes estudantes da rede pública de educação no Estado do Rio de Janeiro. / [en] This research was motivated by the author s professional experience, as a Geography teacher, working as a member of the team responsible for the Project of Environmental Education for Public School Children, which has been taking place within the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro campus since 1998. This project was developed by the Interdisciplinary Center for the Environment - NIMA/PUC-Rio to promote the integration of the public schools with the university,throughout Environmental Education classes. The goal of the project is to develop ethical-environmental values for the exercise of future generations citizenship. The purpose of this initiative is to serve the poor children, who attend classes of the public schools of Gávea, Rocinha, Vidigal, Parque da Cidade e Cruzada de São Sebastião neighborhoods, located near by PUC- Rio campus. Based on this experience, the author describes the perspectives for social change of the Project of Environmental Education for Public School Children. The core subject of this dissertation is an analysis of this project, taken as a model response to the determinations of the recent Federal and State Laws for environmental education, with emphasis on non-formal education. In other words, this essay describes the educational actions and practices designed to wake up collective sensibility towards environmental issues, relying on the partner ship established by schools with universities and companies. This dissertation is concerned with the ethical valves which comes out of the relation ship between mankind and its surrounding nature and the transformations that can be accomplished by an Environmental Education Project such as this one offered to the children of the public education system of the State of Rio de Janeiro.

This research has focussed on the development of a commercial business model (CBM) for providing tourism and support service based commercial activities in Victoria's national parks which also allowed for the protection of the parks natural values. National parks are vital if we as a nation are to retain our natural heritage - but the public sector land stewards of these important assets are facing increasing funding and user pressures. The result is a growing focus on the commercialisation of our national parks to provide services and generate the revenue required to maintain these assets. However, this has resulted in the exacerbation of a long existing conflict - these commercial operators are primarily focus on the achievement of a commercial return, while the land stewards' main responsibility is in the protection of the natural values of these assets. In completing this project an abductive research approach (using grounded theory) has been adopted. Specifically, the research activities undertaken included data collection via a number of techniques including stakeholder interviews, detailed examination of existing commercial arrangements, literature research on international approaches and models, development of a suggested commercial business model based on a synthesise of the research outcomes and, finally, obtaining user feedback. The use of the various data sources, and subsequent sourcing of user feedback facilitated the triangulation of the research results. The findings from this research challenge a number of the practices currently adopted in the structuring of commercial activities suggesting that these practices are inhibiting the quality of the service being provided to the national park visitor along with the level of protection being afforded to the parks natural values. The resulting CBM provides park managers with a framework for identification and structuring of commercial business activities, practical guidance on the actions required in the completion of a concession process and identification of a number of the relevant issues which need to be considered and addressed in establishing and managing a national park concession. The CBM has been developed specifically for application within Victoria's national parks (based on a public/private sector relationship). The output will also provide guidance on methods for embedding natural values on public/private sector relationships in other settings.

No description available.

Corporate environmental social and governance (ESG) reporting is becoming subject to increased scrutiny by regulators, investors and public. This dissertation will contribute to several research streams in the extant literature. This dissertation is the first to show the impact of employee environmental values and attitudes on reporting and whistleblowing decisions, making contributions to accounting, management, whistleblowing and environmental psychology literatures. Next, it is among the first to examine the role of the identity of ESG assurance provider in ESG reporting context. Further, it is among the first to examine the impact of SEC assurance mandate and the value of assurance over ESG information, thus contributing to audit literature. Using experimental methodology, I examine how ESG report assurance, ESG report assurance provider, ESG issue type, and environmentalism as a personality factor influence employee decisions to accede to a supervisory request to misrepresent ESG information, to report management's actions to a corporate hotline, to post information about management wrongdoing on social media, to switch jobs, and to judge ESG misreporting actions as unethical. The results indicate that (1) employee personality factor environmentalism impacts their ESG reporting decisions; (2) pro-environmental employees are more likely to whistleblow when assurance is not mandated, and they judge management actions to be more unethical when assurance is required; (3) under pressure to misreport ESG information, employees are more likely to switch jobs and judge management actions significantly more unethical, when they are dealing with quantitative data (as opposed to qualitative data), and when ESG assurance is provided by a consultant (versus an auditor); (4) pro-environmental employees do not differentiate between the issues impacting financial statements or ESG report only, whereas, employees with low-level environmentalism judge management actions to be more unethical when facing ESG issue with immediate impact to financial statements as opposed to an issue impacting ESG report only; (5) older employees (over 35) with low-level environmentalism are more likely to post information on social media when dealing with an environmental issue as opposed to a social issue; and (6) majority of participants (57%) perceive ESG misreporting to be a widespread phenomenon.

[pt] O trabalho destaca-se como uma produção teórico-conceitual, na qual analisamos o ensino da geografia na educação básica, fundamentalmente no 6° ano do ensino fundamental, enfatizando que a educação geográfica, através do ensino do conceito geográfico de lugar, pode contribuir para a formação cidadã dos alunos, bem como para a (re)criação de valores socioambientais éticos, representando assim um caminho eficaz a ser trilhado para a promoção de sustentabilidades no espaço. Desse modo, propomos que a noção de sustentabilidades faça parte do conteúdo programático da geografia escolar, criando uma relação simbiótica entre a educação geográfica e a promoção de ações sustentáveis no espaço, através de metodologias de ensino, como a elaboração de projetos didáticos, que favoreçam a formação socioambiental ética do alunado, preparando-os para o exercício da cidadania, e para a construção de relações de afeto, solidárias, cuidadosas e responsáveis com o outro e com o meio ambiente. Acreditamos que a referida simbiose pode ser um ganho tanto para o ensino da Geografia, como para a construção e gestão de espaços de vivências sustentáveis, no âmbito socioambiental. / [en] The work stands out as a production theoretical and conceptual, in which we analyze the geography teaching at the basic education, fundamentally at the 6th year of the basic education, emphasizing that the geographic education, trough the teaching of the geographical concept of place, can contribute to the students citizenship formation, as well as to the creation of social and environmental ethic values, thus representing an effective way to be trodden to the promotion of sustainabilities at the space. Thus, we propose that the notion of sustainabilities make part of the programmatic content of school geography, creating an symbiotic relation between the geographical education and the promotion of sustainable actions in space, through teaching methodologies, like the elaboration of didactic projects, that favor the pupils ethic social and environmental formation, preparing them to the exercise of citizenship, and to the construction of relations of affection, solidarity, carefull, and responsible with the other and the environment. We believe that the mentioned symbiosis can be a acquisition both to the teaching of geography, as to the construction and management of spaces of sustainable experiences at the social and environmental scope.

The aim of this study is four fold: (1) to determine Middle East Technical University (METU) students&rsquo / familiarity and current understandings of sustainable development, and their views on sustainable living at the campus / (2) to explore their attitudes toward sustainable development, behaviors toward sustainable life styles, and environmental values / (3) to examine their perceptions of their own and society&rsquo / s future / (4) to investigate the significant predictors of their environmental values, and attitudes and behaviors toward sustainable life styles. In addition, Faculty of Education students as future implementers of sustainability education were under investigation with regard to sustainability concerns. The data were collected by online administration of measuring tool to 958 METU students in February-June of 2008. This measuring tool was also administered to 688 Faculty of Education students in classroom environment by the researcher. The results showed that there exist some knowledge gaps in university students&rsquo / perceptions toward different aspects of sustainable development. Furthermore, the respondents had favorable attitudes toward sustainable development and intrinsic values toward the environment. However, looking at the personal behavioral changes, their preferred individual ways of living were not necessarily coherent with sustainability. The results revealed that female students having higher tendency to follow media held more favorable attitudes and behaviors toward sustainable life styles, and more intrinsic environmental values. Moreover, attitudes and values were found to be significant determinants of university students&rsquo / behaviors toward sustainable life styles. Interestingly, Faculty of Education students&rsquo / attitudes were not significantly related to their behaviors toward sustainable life styles.

Šiame magistro baigiamajame darbe autorė analizuoja informacijos apie aplinką viešumo bei prieinamumo teisinius, praktinius bei etinius aspektus. Šio darbo tikslas yra atskleisti visuomenės narių nuomonę apie gerai reglamentuotą informacijos apie aplinką skleidimą bei gavimą. Tyrimas pradedamas teisiniu aspektu. Pabrėžiamos įstatymais reglamentuojamos teisės į informaciją apie aplinką. Atskleidžiami visuomenės narių ypatumai dėl teisės kreiptis į valstybės institucijas gauti informaciją bei valstybės institucijų pareigas skleisti ir viešinti informaciją, ne tik kurios reikalauja visuomenė, bet ir iniciatyviai. Antrajame skyriuje nagrinėjamas informacijos apie aplinką viešumo bei prieinamumo aspektas. Atskleidžiama viešumo bei prieinamumo turinių (esmių) problematika, analizuojamos prieinamiausios visuomenei informacijos priemonės. Trečias šio magistro baigiamojo darbo skyrius yra skirtas ekologinei etikai. Supažindinama su pagrindinėmis dabartinės ekologinės etikos vertybėmis, atskleidžiamos šių vertybių esminis indėlis žmogaus pasąmonei. Ketvirtasis skyrius skirtas visuomenės narių nuomonės apie informacijos apie aplinką viešumą bei prieinamumą analizei: atskleidžiamos pagrindinės problemos dėl informacijos apie aplinką, pateikiamos prieinamiausios žmonėms informavimo priemonės, įvertinamas informacijos viešumas, remiantis respondentų pasisakymais, analizuojamos aplinkosauginės vertybės bei pabrėžiamos pagrindinės problemos, lemiančios tų vertybių užmiršimą... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / In this master thesis the author analysis the environmental information publicity and accessibility by legal, practical and ethical aspects. The aim is to reveal the members of the public opinions about the well – regulated environmental information dissemination and acquisition. Initiations legal aspect. Emphasis is placed on the law governed the right to information about the environment. Members of the public disclosure of the characteristics of access to public authorities access to information and obligations of public authorities to disseminate and publicize information that is not only required by the public, but also proactively. The second chapter examines the information about the environment publicity and accessibility. Disclosed in publicity and availability of content (substantially) the problem, analyze the most affordable media to the public. The third master's final work of this section is intended for environmental ethics. Introducing the major current environmental ethical values. These values are revealed substantial contribution to the human subconscious. The fourth section is dedicated to members of the public opinion on environmental information transparency and accessibility analysis: there are the key problems of environmental information, the most affordable media for people, and public access to information based on the views expressed by respondents, analysis of environmental values and focused on the main issues determining the values of... [to full text]

Values have been identified as important factors that guide decision-making and influence preferences in water governance. Comparing the values reflected in water governance decisions with the values held by stakeholders and the general public may inform the debate on the political legitimacy of water governance. The research presented in this PhD thesis draws on multiple research traditions on values, ranging from ecological economics and political ecology to social and environmental psychology, to investigate the value base of water governance in the Upper Paraguay River Basin, in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil. It first introduces a novel conceptual framework that integrates these various research traditions and suggests that water governance is closely related to the fundamental values, governance-related values, and assigned values of stakeholders and actors in water governance more generally. These different types of values vary in their level of abstractness, as well as in their ‘locus’, i.e. where the valuing person locates them, and are hypothesised to be closely interrelated in a hierarchical structure, with fundamental values being the most abstract type of values. Water governance, in turn, is defined as the synthesis of water policy (the ‘content’ of decisionmaking), water politics (the ‘power play’ between actors) and water polity (the institutional framework). The thesis then proceeds to apply this novel conceptual framework in a case study on stakeholders’ values in the Upper Paraguay River Basin, and investigates the relationship of their values with their preferences regarding the construction of the Paraguay-Paraná Waterway through the Pantanal wetland, in the south of Mato Grosso. This water infrastructure project has a long history of conflict attached to it, as it might impact the hydrology and ecology of the Pantanal, the world’s largest tropical freshwater wetland and UNESCO biosphere reserve, while at the same time benefitting Mato Grosso’s rapidly growing agribusiness sector by lowering the cost of soybean exports. Based on 24 semi-structured interviews with relevant stakeholders, it was found that supporters and opponents possess different, clashing ‘value landscapes’ (i.e. groups of related values), which may explain the protracted nature of the conflict around the construction of the waterway, while at the same time highlighting political legitimacy deficits of the project. This research was followed up by a quantitative study with members of the general public (n=1067), which sought to measure and test the assumption that we can empirically identify such clashing value landscapes, and their relationship with preferences for or against the Paraguay-Paraná Waterway. Using structural equation modelling (SEM), statistically significant links between people’s values and their preferences in water governance could indeed be found, as well as between different types of values, which formed two contrasting value landscapes. This suggests that water governance conflicts may in part be explained by the presence of different value landscapes among involved actors, which may include even the most abstract level of fundamental values. The research presented in this thesis thus contributes to interdisciplinary debates on the role of values for water governance from multiple conceptual, as well as methodological perspectives. Additionally, through its application to a concrete case study, it highlights the policy relevance of such research, as addressing conflicts in water governance and examining alternative policy options may require a more explicit consideration of the values of the actors involved.

As the central goal of the submitted diploma thesis, I set myself to approach the meaning of values in the work of Albert Schweitzer in the ethical and environmental context and to map this footprint in the non-profit sector of the Czech Republic. With this work, I would like to emphasize the importance of Schweitzer's ethics of respect for life for its constant relevance and monitor this influence across the spectrum of non-profit institutions focused on environmental protection. The added value of the work lies mainly in the presentation and own critical reflection of the main theses of this important figure of the 20th century and evaluation of its impact on the current state of environmental education, where for capacity reasons I limit myself to selected Czech institutions through a sociological method (a questionnaire survey). To support objectivity, I expanded the research with a probe into the media image of Albert Schweitzer in the Czech Republic.