As organizações buscam ter um posicionamento e ser atuantes em relação ao tema Sustentabilidade, devido à urgência dos desafios que ainda devem ser enfrentados em relação ao aumento da demanda da sociedade e da degradação do meio ambiente. Este tema é atual e um assunto sistêmico que deve ser considerado por todos os setores de uma organização. Em paralelo, percebe-se uma mudança na maneira como as empresas estão se configurando, na forma de redes, como alternativa às transformações econômicas. Deste modo, observa-se que os projetos que tem por objetivo promover a Sustentabilidade podem ser realizados pela formação de redes entre as organizações. Os fatores motivadores deste trabalho se devem às observações de iniciativas existentes para a promoção da sustentabilidade com o envolvimento de instituições distintas e a carência de pesquisas considerando estes assuntos. O objetivo principal deste trabalho é avaliar o grau de maturidade das organizações que desejam trabalhar em forma de redes de empresas nos projetos de implantação da sustentabilidade. Para alcançar tal meta, foi realizado um estudo de caso em dois projetos que promoveram a sustentabilidade e foram concretizados com o envolvimento de organizações distintas. Os resultados obtidos permitem confirmar as proposições teóricas construídas pela pesquisadora, apontando a importância de se avaliar a maturidade das organizações que desejam trabalhar em forma de redes de empresas em projetos de aplicação da sustentabilidade. / Organizations are looking at having a position and be active in relation to sustainability, because of the urgency of the challenges that must be addressed in relation to the increased demand of society and environmental degradation. This theme is present, and a systemic issue that should be considered by all sectors of an organization. In parallel, there is a perceived change in how companies are shaping up in the form of networks as an alternative to the economic. Thus, it is observed that the projects that aim to promote sustainability can be achieved through business networks between organizations. The motivating factors of this work are due to observations of existing initiatives to promote sustainability with the involvement of different institutions and the lack of research considering these issues. The main objective of this work is to evaluate the maturity level of organizations who wish to work in the form of business networks in deployment projects sustainability. To achieve this goal, a case study was conducted in two projects that promoted sustainability and were implemented with the involvement of different organizations. The results obtained confirm the theoretical propositions constructed by the researcher, pointing out the importance of evaluating the maturity of organizations wishing to work in the form of networks of firms in projects applying sustainability.

O presente trabalho visa contribuir para o desenvolvimento sustentável de produtos elaborados com materiais de base florestal e de fontes renováveis, no projeto, na produção e na montagem de componentes pré-fabricados de madeira e seus produtos derivados aplicáveis à arquitetura e construção civil. Isso se deve ao fato da atual necessidade de utilização de materiais e produtos de forma mais coerente através de tecnologias ecologicamente adaptadas para o uso de fontes energéticas renováveis, assegurando um desenvolvimento econômico socialmente responsável, com a finalidade de promover uma maior sustentabilidade no uso dos recursos naturais, principalmente no que diz respeito à construção de edificações. A base conceitual está delimitada por três aspectos fundamentais. O primeiro faz referência à problemática atual que envolve o desenvolvimento de produtos e arquitetura sustentável, considerando uma crescente preocupação quanto à possibilidade de limitação de recursos naturais disponíveis para a produção de bens materiais e os efeitos das mudanças climáticas decorrentes da degradação do meio ambiente diretamente ligada às atividades humanas. O segundo aspecto trata da importância do emprego de materiais locais de fontes renováveis na produção de produtos mais sustentáveis. Neste sentido, aborda as características e as possibilidades do emprego da madeira de floresta plantada e materiais derivados da madeira, com o objetivo de incentivar a produção local sustentável. Também são abordados neste item, os conceitos de pré-fabricação e coordenação modular; racionalização em projeto visando a minimização do desperdício e consequentemente a geração de resíduos. Por fim, é abordada a pré-fabricação de componentes em madeira com caráter sustentável no projeto de interfaces entre componente estruturais em madeira destinados à construção de edificações. / This work aims to contribute to the sustainable development of products made with forest-based materials and renewable sources in the design, production and assembly of prefabricated components of wood and its derivatives products applicable to architecture and construction. This is because of the current need to use materials and products more consistently through ecologically technologies adapted to the use of renewable energy sources, ensuring socially responsible economic development, with the aim of promoting more sustainable use of natural resources, particularly with regard to the construction of buildings. The conceptual basis is defined by three fundamental aspects. The first refers to the current problems involving product development and sustainable architecture, considering a growing concern about the possibility of limitation of natural resources available for the production of material goods and the effects of climate change resulting from environmental degradation directly linked to human activities. The second aspect deals with the importance of using local renewable materials in the production of products \"more\" sustainable. In this sense, it discusses the features and possibilities of the use of planted forest wood and materials derived from wood, in order to encourage sustainable local production. They are also covered in this item, the prefabrication of modular concepts and coordination; rationalization project aimed at minimizing waste and consequently the generation of waste. Finally, it addressed the prefabrication of wood components with sustainable character in interface design between structural component of wood for the construction of buildings.

Tourism is the fastest growing sector in the world. It represents 10% of the global GDP and generates one in 11 jobs. Nature tourism has become increasingly popular in the last few decades and it is predicted to keep increasing. Wildlife watching has initially been welcomed by conservation and environmental organisations as a conservation tool. However, we now know that these activities can have severe consequences for the environment and for the local communities. In this thesis, I have provided advice on the governance approaches and management tools that can be used to facilitate sustainable outcomes of nature tourism socioecological systems. First, I used semi-quantitative models to investigate nature tourism systems' dynamics under perturbations and the properties that confer resilience to the system, as well as leading to sustainable outcomes. Then, after validating the use of social media data to quantify nature tourism activities in Scotland, I used it to identify the major drivers of intensity of nature tourism on a national scale. I then obtained a global picture of nature tourism and its role in helping countries to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals. In the end, I designed an individual-based model to test how different tourists' phenotypes influence the sustainability of a nature tourism destination and whether any governance regime could be effective in maintaining sustainable socioeconomic and ecological dynamics. This work will be useful to inform management of local, national and global scale governance of nature tourism. Caution is needed when promoting the expansion of a country's tourism sector before determining how to manage it sustainably. Scotland has already developed some of the governance institutions that could contribute to sustainable governance of nature tourism. What is needed now is designing flexible rules and institutions that will be able to adapt to future changes.

Despite growing interest in sustainable operations and supply management (SOSM) from both academics and practitioners, literature examining the area remains fragmented. This thesis presents the findings of a study investigating the influence of exogenous pressures and endogenous capability-building, independently and interactively, on sustainable operations and supply management practice adoption. Exogenous pressures, such as regulation and consumer demands, may influence the decision to adopt specific SOSM practices. For example, within the fashion industry, media exposés have heightened consumer awareness of unethical practices creating pressure for fashion retailers to address these concerns within their supply chains more fully. Endogenous pressures, in this case relating to capability-building, may also influence the SOSM practices that organisations choose to adopt, such as the implementation of recycling strategies or energy efficiency initiatives which can reduce both the cost and environmental impact of the focal organisation.

Despite the importance of roofs, improved roof selection has not been explored in significant depth. Therefore this research explores the possibilities that roofs offer to improve the value and sustainability of buildings. It is concerned with the roof as a system, explicitly connected with the building and their impacts on wider society. This research, develops and tests techniques to better understand what constitutes value and sustainability for a building project’s context through action research. The sustainability and value themes output through the use of such techniques are then considered as a basis for the selection of roof attributes through Keeney’s value focused thinking approach. Once the roof performance attributes have been established, designers and clients then require quantitative data to decide which roof type represents the highest value / most sustainable option. Thus the research also collates and maps peer reviewed quantitative performance data on the performance of roofing systems in relation to climate type as well as providing information from leading modelling packages for different roof options. An approach for selecting the most appropriate data is then developed. This allows the practitioner to be able to access reliable peer reviewed information and utilise leading modelling techniques to quickly gain information regarding the performance of various roof systems for use in the project context. An approach is developed to bring this information together with the important sustainability considerations for the project to inform sustainable roof selection. This combines the different types of roof performance with the relevant decision attributes early in the design process, to provide insight into which roof option represents the best overall economic, environmental and social value and therefore the most sustainable roof option. The primary contribution to knowledge presented in this thesis is the development of a pragmatic realist approach to sustainable roof selection.

Resumo: O conhecimento da produção e dispêndio de energia pela agricultura é fundamental devido à importância estratégica que ocupa como produtora de insumos energéticos para outros setores econômicos, como é o caso do biodiesel produzido a partir de culturas oleaginosas; desta forma o presente estudo teve como objetivo determinar os custos parciais da implantação e condução do agroecossistema milho em consórcio com pinhãomanso, sob três diferentes sistemas de condução (sequeiro, irrigado e fertirrigado com água residuária da suinocultura) do ponto de vista energético e econômico, em experimento conduzido de acordo com o sistema produtivo da agricultura familiar da região oeste do Paraná. Tal estudo se justifica devido à escassez de dados tanto energéticos como econômicos da cultura do pinhão-manso em condições brasileiras, bem como em sistema consorciado sob condições tecnológicas da agricultura familiar do oeste paranaense e, sobretudo das questões ambientais envolvidas neste estudo como o reuso de águas e o uso racional de fontes energéticas não-renováveis. O experimento foi conduzido de acordo com as técnicas empregadas por agricultores familiares da região oeste paranaense, no período de fevereiro de 2008 a maio de 2008 para a cultura do milho e de fevereiro de 2008 a novembro de 2009, para a cultura do pinhão-manso, no Núcleo Experimental de Engenharia Agrícola (NEEA), pertencente à Universidade Estadual do Oeste do Paraná (UNIOESTE), campus de Cascavel/PR... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: Knowledge of production and energy expenditure in agriculture is crucial due to strategic importance which occupies as a producer of energy inputs to other economic sectors, such as biodiesel produced from oilseed crops, so this study aimed to determine partial costs of deployment and conduct of corn intercropping agroecosystem with physic nut, under three different management systems (rainfed, irrigated and fertirrigated with wastewater from pig farming) in terms of energy and economic experiment carried out in accordance with the productive system of family farming in the west of Paraná. Such a study is justified due to the shortage of both energy and economic data of the culture of physic nut under Brazilian conditions, as well as in intercropping system under technological conditions of the family farm west of Paraná, and especially environmental issues involved in this study as the reuse of water and the rational use of nonrenewable energy sources. The experiment was conducted in accordance with the techniques employed by farmers in the region, from February 2008 to May 2008 for corn and from February 2008 to November 2009 for the cultivation of physic nut in Experimental Center of Agricultural Engineering (NEEA), belonging to the State University of West Paraná (UNIOESTE), campus of Cascavel/PR, in the area of no-tillage. The itinerary for all technical training systems consisted of: the site preparation (application of desiccant), mechanized planting of corn, corn plant by hand, production of seedlings of physic nut, coveamento and transplant seedlings of physic nut, mowing manual, manual application of insecticide and harvesting of maize, differing only by irrigation and fertirrigation. The final product was assessed only corn. The technical coefficients, the workload, performance, identification of the tractor... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Orientador: Osmar de Carvalho Bueno / Coorientador: Maura Seiko Tsuitsui Esperancini / Banca: Gerson Henrique da Silva / Banca: Rita de Cássia F. Alvarez / Banca: Marco Antonio M. Biaggioni / Banca: Antonio Evaldo Klar / Doutor

The aim of this project is to design and craft sustainable fabrics according to slow fashion principles. Furthermore the intention is to develop these fabrics, to make them exciting and congenial for use as trouser fabric for skateboarders.

Objective: Previous studies have explored impacts of school gardening on students and detailed broad components needed for successful gardens, but little is known about how gardens are maintained, connected academically, valued, and sustained over time. The purpose of this observational study is to explore how school gardens become institutionalized and create an implementation framework that can be used to establish gardens that are well integrated into curriculum and culture. Study Design, Setting, Participants, Intervention: A stratified, purposeful sample of school gardeners at 21 Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Bronx schools completed a survey, semi-structured interviews, and concept mapping exercises during the 2013-2014 school year. Additional data collected were student observations, garden images, and related documents. Outcome Measures and Analysis: The survey was analyzed using descriptive statistics. Interviews, photos, observations and documents were qualitatively analyzed through thematic coding, pattern matching, explanation building, and cross-case synthesis. Concept mapping exercises was analyzed quantitatively by entering participants’ sorted statements into a similarity matrix to conduct multi-dimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis and qualitatively by thematic coding. Results: Survey, interview and observation data explicated how school gardeners used implementation strategies to overcome barriers, create new learning opportunities for students, and facilitate permeation of gardening into the school culture. The quantitative concept mapping analysis resulted in four school garden domains (resources and support, physical garden, student experience, and school community) and 19 domain components. Qualitative analysis of sorted statements and interviews elucidated relationships between each domain’s components and also the domains to each other. An integration of all data produced a rich description, supplemented with images, of each school garden’s unique and varied characteristics, activities and operation. A synthesis of these analyses produced the School Garden Integration Framework (SGIF), which visually depicts how and when to implement each domain and all components to maximize garden integration. Additionally, a scaled tool (Scale) was created to capture and rate varying degrees of domain and component integration. Conclusion and Implications: The SGIF, Scale, and implementation strategies that emerged from this study can be used by schools or policymakers to strengthen existing or establish new well-integrated school gardening programs.

This dissertation analyzes how political competition and judicial institutions shape environmental governance in democratic societies. The three chapters frame environmental problems in several different ways. In the first chapter, environmental policy is framed as an ideologically contentious public good. In the second chapter, two conceptions are juxtaposed: the environment as just another policy domain subject to political haggling, or the environment as bringing about new fundamental commitments in society, prone to becoming constitutionalized through legal deliberation. In the third chapter, the dynamic properties of technological transitions toward more sustainable modes of production are emphasized. Different types of institutions are considered in the three chapters. The first two chapters examine how political and legal processes interact. They also consider the different ways in which they channel the inputs and wishes of civil society. Chapter one is a formal model of the institution of citizen suits – a prevalent institution in environmental governance – and its interaction with the legislature. It shows that the reshaping of laws by citizens and courts after their enactment by the legislature might improve the decision process of the legislature and the public good outcomes that ensue. Chapter two is an empirical analysis of the dynamics of environmental legal rules. It uses the network of citations to legal precedent to test whether the dynamic body of law governing the environment is driven by political shifts in power or follows a process that is autonomous from these shifts in power. The results suggest that environmental law is now constitutionalized – its main principles entrenched in democratic culture rather than subject to the ebb and flow of democratic turnover of power. Chapter three also considers the dynamic aspects of governance. It uses a computational model to examine how political parties with different ideological commitments towards renewable energy might strategically use the path-dependence of technological transitions to shape policy over the long-term. It also examines how electoral pressures might constrain or help them in this endeavor.

Properties such as chemical robustness, potential for synthetic tunability, and superior electron-accepting character describe the chromophore perylene-3,4,9,10-tetracarboxylic diimide (PDI) and have enabled its penetration into organic photovoltaics. The ability to extend what is already a large aromatic core allows for synthesis of graphene ribbon PDI oligomers. Functionalization with polar and ionic groups leads to liquid crystalline phases or immense supramolecular architectures. Significantly, PDI dianions can survive in water for two months with no decomposition, an important property for charge storage materials. We realized the potential of PDI as an efficient negative-side material for Redox Flow Batteries (RFBs). The synthetic tunability of PDI allowed for screening of several derivatives with side chains that enhanced solubility in polar solvents. The optimized molecule, PDI[TFSI]2, dissolved in acetonitrile up to 0.5 M. For the positive-side, we synthesized the ferrocene oil [Fc4] in high yield. The large hydrodynamic radii of PDI[TFSI]2 and [Fc4] preclude their ability to cross a size exclusion membrane, which is a cheap alternative to the typical RFB membranes. We show that this cellulose-based membrane can support high voltages in excess of 3 V and extreme temperatures (−20 to 110 °C). We assembled a cell with 0.4 M electron concentration with negligible capacity loss for over 450 cycles (>74 days). Such concentration and stability are among the highest values reported in redox flow batteries with organic electrolytes. Oxidative photocyclizations of PDI onto acenes administer regiochemistry that favors helical products, albeit with a small number of overlapping π-bonded atoms. We achieved an oxidative photocyclization of PDI onto phenanthrene to form the [7]helicenes PPDHa and PPDHb with 20 overlapping π-bonded atoms, as well as a partially planar molecule 5HPP. Higher temperature increases the ratio of PPDHa:5HPP. Calculations reveal that these molecules contain ~20 kcal/mol more strain than planar analogs, and single crystals show bending of the PDI units from their favored planarity. The PPDH molecules display a new electronic transition in their UV-Vis spectra that sets them apart from monomer PDI and other PDI helicenes. Spectroelectrochemical measurements confirm that PPDHb accepts four electrons. Compared to a naphthyl-fused PDI helicene with only 10 overlapping π-bonded atoms, the PPDH molecules have a heightened ability to delocalize the first added electron.