Modern society is faced with an increasing level of environmental degradation. One effect of this is the loss of possibilities for children to interact with natural environments. Children’s interactions with nature come with a wide range of benefits, both physical and psychological, accentuating the need to develop outdoor spaces for children in areas of preserved nature. One way to approach this challenge is by developing recreational and educational nature trails aimed at children. Länsstyrelsen Gotland (the county administrative board) requested a theoretical suggestion for a children’s nature trail in a prospective nature reserve in Gotland and this study was done to bring forth such a suggestion. The study focused on what educational and recreational elements would be suitable to include in a nature trail for children and how to build ecological knowledge among its visitors in effective and creative ways. The material for this study was collected through semi-structured interviews with children’s caregivers and educators in combination with observations at existing nature trails for children using a geosemiotic approach. The results were analysed through a thematic analysis that extracted four main themes from the two sets of data with sub-themes to broaden the results. The themes and sub-themes were used to highlight elements suitable to include at the stations in terms of activities and layout of the trail, and how to get and keep children’s attention along the trail. A suggestion for a nature trail for children with eight stations was put together, steeped in the non-consumptive standards of ecotourism and with a clear focus on getting the visitors to learn about nature, especially through the framework of ecological literacy. Fun and play were seen as essential components to effectively build ecological knowledge and it is argued that perhaps the objects and activities provided at built-up ecotourism sites are necessary to get more people to visit nature in the first place.

This thesis explores how the Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) network may constitute a form of sustainable tourism on the Baltic Island of Gotland, Sweden. To do this, I narrate my own personal journey as a WWOOF volunteer trying to find my way as an organic farmer, in an autoethnographic account of my experience at Tjeldervik Gård during the spring and summer of 2023. In the account, I make observations concerning economic, environmental, and social/cultural sustainability, focusing especially on my interpretations. In this way, I hope to shed more light on WWOOF from the perspective of sustainable tourism studies, and to contribute by sharing one of few first-hand accounts as a WWOOF volunteer reflecting on more established knowledge. 2.14.0.0 / <p>2.14.0.0</p>

This study delves into the security and defense debates that took place on the Swedish island of Gotland during the closing years of the cold war, from 1987 to 1989. Gotland’s unique geographical position as a border zone during this era, facing the Soviet Union´s across the Baltic Sea towards the Baltics, made it a focal point in discussions surrounding Sweden´s geographical stance. This paper analyzes the newspaper articles, political statements and letters to the editor to shed light on how local and political actors perceived Gotland´s defense capabilities and its strategic significance within the broader geographical context. The research methodology involves close reading and textual analysis, with focus on the intertextual aspect of the chosen newspaper articles. The study examines articles from the gotlandic newspaper Gotlands Allehanda and Gotlands Tidningar, both of which remain influential on Gotland to this day. By contextualizing the articles within the historical context of the Cold War, this research aims to provide a deeper understanding of Gotlands role as a border zone and how it was influenced by and influenced the geopolitical dynamics of the time.

Global concern about climate change and its impacts on the environment isprogressively increasing. This has raised an important issue in the buildings andconstruction industry regarding the effects of climate change on the buildingenergy performance. Currently, many residential buildings do not fulfill theenergy requirements even with the current weather conditions, mainly becauseof poor design or because the buildings are designed according to olderregulations. Consequently, there is a need for significant changes in the buildingdesign and construction in order to create a more sustainable built environmentwith lower energy consumption. However, it is not possible to change all thesebuildings in order to meet the needs of today. It is therefore of utmostimportance that the energy production comes from renewable sources as ameans to mitigate the potential environmental impacts of climate change.In Sweden, the field of renewable energy has seen a significant growth inrecent years, and particularly in Gotland, where the project under investigationis located. In Gotland, several wind farms and wind turbines have already beeninstalled in order to benefit from the advantageous wind conditions of the island.However, the development of the project for improving the connection ofGotland’s electricity grid with the Swedish mainland power grid has come intoa halt since 2017, and Gotland is now facing major issues in terms of electricityconsumption. And as climate change only escalates in the future, it is crucial toaddress this issue. Through an extensive study of the residential sector ofGotland, this thesis examines the buildings’ energy performance with theintention of finding and proposing possible solutions and alternatives that caneventually flatten the peaks in the energy consumption of the built environmentin Gotland.

The decision to build a new swimming hall in Visby at Gotland creates opportunities to reuse the old one, Solbergabadet, for another function. The new function, a Performance Art Center, opens up for a study of how a building made for a very specific function could be used for something else in the future. The transformation process brings up questions about material meetings and how the earlier function as a swimming hall could be a part of the new design process and architecture. By reusing a part of the interior structure as a stage and adding a new reusable structure that is more adapted for the new function, the proposal highlights the architecture of transformations of different types of buildings that also will be more important in the future. By this, the history of the building and the earlier function will still be alive but in a new shape in combination with components that the new function requires.

An investigation into the reasons behind the water shortage on Gotland. The project investigated several key factors and proceeded with the design of a surface water treatment plant in one of Gotlands old quarries left behind by the cement industry. The project also investigated and questioned the traditional methods of designing infrastructural buildings through a more architectural lens. The hope was to show a proposal that works but also acts as a pedagogical invitation to learn about where our most important resource comes from.

This thesis explores the choice of alternative fuels in Gotland from a quantitative and qualitative perspective, the complex factors that influence Gotland residents' decisions to adopt alternative motor fuels, in order to better understand how private transport on Gotland is transitioning from conventional energy fuels to sustainable energy systems. In addition, this paper explores the issue of consistency between actions and intentions to adapt and the factors that lead to inconsistency. The paper also seeks to provide meaningful insights for academics and administrators seeking to explore the opportunities and address the challenges of transitioning to sustainable energy options. in order to better understand how private transport on Gotland is transitioning from conventional energy fuels to a sustainable energy system. In this thesis, 57 people aged 18 years and older who live in Gotland for more than 6 months per year were surveyed. The survey and data collection were done in the form of a questionnaire. The data was analysed by means of visual graphs as well as thematic analysis. The results of the study show a positive intention towards sustainability among Gotland residents. However, individuals prefer petrol and diesel fuels for convenience.

This thesis investigates related organizations perceptions and coordination in response to legal changes governing packaging waste collection (PWC) in Gotland, Sweden, utilizing Sensemaking theory, Interorganizational Coordination (IOC) theory, and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) theory. Through qualitative research methods, including interviews with key participants from public and private sectors involved in waste management, this study explores how individuals from different organizations make sense of and adapt to the new regulatory framework. The research identifies diverse organization views towards the legal changes, highlighting challenges related to ambiguity and clarity in regulatory details. Sensemaking processes influence organizational interpretations of the regulations, shaping their actions and collaborative efforts. IOC dynamics play a crucial role in waste management coordination, with task breakdown and coordination among multiple organizations proving more effective than centralized approaches. CSR illustrates the dilemma of private sectors’ contribution to broader sustainability goals due to competition concern in a market-driven business context. The study underscores the significance of public sector entities in waste management governance compared to private organizations. This research contributes to advancing understanding of waste management policy implementation and coordination dynamics within a regional context, leveraging sensemaking, IOC and CSR theories.

The aim of this study is to examine the possibility of calculating the total weight of coins in poorly documented Viking Age silver hoards found on Gotland. A method for calculating the total weight of the silver coins in the hoards, and thus the weight relationship between minted and un-minted silver, would facilitate further and deeper studies using the hoards from Gotland. The method will be based on the average coin weights obtained from numismatic sources. Two calculations, one of Arabic coins and another with mixed coin, is attempted. Apart from the calculations of the Viking Age coins, earlier studies of the relation between silver coins and silver object will be discussed in the earlier research. The different Viking Age coins in the calculation and the development of the Viking age minting will also be discussed in earlier research. The result of the study demonstrate that an estimated total weight could be calculated for the Arabic silver coins. Unfortunately the mixed coin hoards could not achieve a calculation that could estimate an equivalent total weight of the silver coins

This thesis has had its focus on ceramic shards found in a trench by the late neolithic western shore of the Ajvide site. The purpose of the thesis is to investigate if there are changes in the pottery between the test trench and the ceramics found by the graves, known as the main site. The author has compared the ornaments from the test trench with an ornament schedule made from over 50 000 shards from the assumed main site. Not only changes regarding ornaments has been noticed but also new techniques and raw material. The author has also implemented two 14C datings which backs his hypothesis that the shards from the test trench are younger than the shards that made the earlier ornament schedule. According to the author, due to cultural changes,he is of the opinion that some of the examined shards represent ceramics from a hybrid culture consisting material and ritual traits from the pitted ware culture and the battleaxe (boataxe) culture.