Proposta: Com o objetivo de subsidiar uma abordagem crítica do uso do sistema LEED no Brasil, este trabalho partiu da análise de suas características intrínsecas, sua evolução e aplicação ao longo do tempo no seu país de origem. Método de pesquisa/Abordagens: O trabalho apresenta uma análise do sistema LEED e sua aplicação a partir de: [1] histórico da iniciativa LEED nos EUA; [2] indicações do uso do sistema LEED no Brasil e em outros países; [3] evolução do nível de avaliação do LEED ao longo do tempo e [4] banco de dados de todos os projetos certificados pelo LEED para construções novas (LEED-NC) aproximadamente 264 projetos no total entre 2000 e 2005. Resultados: Essa análise embasou um retrato do sistema no seu país de origem, mostrou os resultados da sua aplicação nos empreendimentos do mercado americano, apresentou o perfil de certificação dos projetos e a evolução dessa dinâmica ao longo de cinco anos. Contribuições/Originalidade: Como resultados, o trabalho apresentou indicações e lições aprendidas com a utilização do LEED no seu país de origem, constatou o início do uso do sistema de avaliação no Brasil e relacionou potencialidades e inconsistências dessa aplicação para o contexto local. / Propose: Aiming to support the critical analysis of the LEED system application outside the USA, this work focuses on the evolution of LEED-NC application in its native environment between 2000 and 2005. Methods: This work presents an analysis of the LEED rating system encompassing: [1] LEED initiative history in the USA (from the early versions to the recent ones); [2] indications of LEED use in Brazil and in other countries; [3] evolution of the certification level throughout the different LEED versions; and [4] a data bank with all the LEED-NC certified projects between 2000 and 2005 (approximately 264 projects in total) based on the public search tool of the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) website. Findings: This analysis supported a clear figure of the system use, showing its application results on the American building sector and its implications on other countries outside USA. Collecting the certification profiles of such developments, a historical LEED road map was produced showing the evolution of this dynamic along five years and future trends. Originality/value: The results present lessons learned as guidelines for its eventual use in other countries and evidences of the insertion of the rating system in Brazil, indicating potentialities and inconsistencies for its application in this local context.

Image makers are often--and rightly--held to task for what they produce. This is a necessary lesson, but the time has come for us to cast a critical eye on the processes that lead up to the creation of that image in the first place, especially as it relates to sustainability and environmental cost. When asking the question of "what does this work say and who is it saying it to?" we must concurrently ask "what is the environmental cost of making this work and is that cost balanced by what it is saying?"

Creating revenue diversification forces nonprofit leaders to create innovative programs and services, build resilience against adverse conditions, and establish a sustainable future. The problem is that some nonprofit managers lack strategies for developing a diversified financial portfolio to achieve sustainability. The purpose of this single-case study was to explore the revenue diversification strategies used by 3 leaders of a nonprofit organization in the eastern region of the United States through the conceptual lens of Markowitz's modern portfolio theory and Thaler's behavioral finance theory. Data were collected using purposeful sampling, semistructured interviews, and analysis of organizational documents, social media platforms, and online databases. Four categories were used to organize the data: process strengths, process opportunities, results strengths, and results opportunities. The key themes that emerged from process strengths and results strengths were utilizing volunteers, collaborating with local partners, developing diverse revenue streams, strong fiscal management, program innovation, and evaluating the market. The key themes that emerged from process opportunities and results opportunities were the lack of written processes and procedures, the lack of process improvement strategies and performance measurement outcomes, the lack of knowledge about donor attrition and retention, and high turnover in the executive director position. Organizational leaders who focus on diversifying revenue streams can serve the mission instead of chasing funding streams that have become more competitive. The social change implication of these findings is that nonprofit leaders could create sustainability through diverse revenue streams, ensuring long-term employment, and sustaining positive social impacts.

The oil and gas multinational companies (MNCs) in the Niger Delta continue to face numerous challenges operating in the region, especially concerning the loss of revenue. Based on the resource dependence theory, the purpose of this correlational study was to examine the relationship between oil theft, pipeline vandalism, security costs, and revenue. Eighty-eight mid- to high-level managers of oil and gas completed the Factors That Affect Company Revenue instrument. The results of the multiple linear regression analyses indicated the model was able to significantly predict revenue, F(3,88) = 947,279.44, p < .001, R2 = 1.000. All 3 predictors contributed significantly to the model, with pipeline vandalism recording the highest beta value (Ã? = .553, p = .000), the oil theft predictor with the next highest beta weight (Ã? = .451, p = .000), and the security costs predictor with the next highest beta weight (Ã? = .387, p = .000). The leaders of the oil and gas MNCs could use the outcome of this study in creating strategies and policies that guide their operations in the region, which would improve the relationship with host communities and mitigate their efforts in reducing the loss of revenue. Improved relations would result in a reduction of oil theft, pipeline vandalism, and security costs, thereby reducing revenue losses. The implication of positive social change includes implementation of more corporate social responsibility strategies and improving the economy of the region and the livelihood of the host communities.

Many leaders of nonprofit organizations (NPOs) lack strategies to build and maintain a financially sustainable organization to continue providing vital social services. The purpose of this single case study was to explore the financial strategies some NPO leaders used to maintain financial sustainability during general economic downturns. Five purposively selected leaders of an NPO in northwestern Indiana participated in the study. The resource dependency theory and the change management theory were the conceptual frameworks that guided the study. Data were collected from face-to-face and telephone interviews and a review of company documentation. Member checking was conducted with participants and data triangulation occurred with an analysis of organization documents that reinforced the validity of the findings. Data were analyzed using Yin's 5-step process of coding of participants' responses, including examining, categorizing, tabulating, creating a data display, and testing the data. Data analysis of organizational documents, interview transcripts, and the organization's social media sites revealed 3 themes: partnerships, fundraising, and diversification as the strategies used to maintain financial sustainability during periods of economic downturns. The findings of this study might contribute to positive social change by providing information to NPO leaders to help improve financial strategies and sustainability for community service organizations during general economic downturns and maintain social services.

El sector textil mundial, como se sabe, genera desperdicios a través de todos los procesos productivos, que, por lo general son manejados de manera inadecuada. Las empresas buscan implementar conciencia ambiental para que la producción se realice de manera eficiente y sostenible. Esta situación resulta de mayor impacto en las empresas textiles de menor envergadura, por ejemplo, las MYPES. Por ello, el presente artículo propone la aplicación de la filosofía Lean. Al respecto, se han realizado estudios que demuestran el impulso de esta filosofía al desarrollo Green, obteniendo resultados eficientes para las empresas. El objetivo de este trabajo es proponer un nuevo modelo Lean-Green, el cual está estructurado en seis fases: Fase 0 Formación del pensamiento ambiental, Fase 1 Estabilización de los flujos de valor, Fase 2 Identificación de los aspectos e impactos ambientales, Fase 3 Medir el flujo de valor ambiental, Fase 4 mejora de una corriente continua, Fase 5 mejora continua. La herramienta Lean que se implementará es el KAIZEN y, el modelo se validó en una empresa de confección textil, cuyos resultados implicaron un 25% de aumento en la producción y un 15% en la reducción del impacto ambiental. / As is known, textile industry produce wastes through all the production process that usually are poor handled. Businesses try to implement environmental awareness to make the production efficient and sustainable. This have more impact on small textile businesses like MYPES. Thus, this article propose the application of the Lean philosophy. There have been studies that this philosophy helps to develop the Green with great results for the business. The aim of this article is to propose a new Lean-Green model structured in six steps: Phase 0 create an environmental way of thinking, Phase 1 stabilization of flow values, Phase 2 recognition of environmental aspects and impacts, Phase 3 measure the environmental value flux, Phase 4 improvement of a continuous flow, Phase 5 continuous development. The Lean tool to apply is the Kaizen and the model have been validated on a textile production business. The results of this shows a 25% increase of the production and a 15% decrease of environmental impact. / Tesis

In the 18th and 19th centuries the idea of "progress" guided the development of the West's images of its own future. As is well known, progress began to lose its capacity to operate as a metadescription of society in the middle of the 19th century. By the end of World War I the idea of progress was in a deep crisis from which it would never completely recover. This dissertation examines the historical period between the moment when the idea of progress began to decline and the period in which a new kind of image of the future began to take shape. This new type of image of the future takes place in what I call "the age of sustainability." "The age of sustainability" does not indicate a particular mode of imagining the future, but rather a set of cultural conditions that are favorable to the production of ideas like sustainability. Sustainability itself is only the dominant available mode of imagining the future under the conditions of the age of sustainability. The idea of progress began its decline because the descriptive mechanisms that supported it began to erode: revised assumptions about the social roles of technology, a perceived diminishment of the future time available to human societies, the increasing complexity of social relations, and the decreasing availability of metanarratives all contributed to the decline of the idea of progress. During this period of decline, however, new descriptive mechanisms arose that sought to compensate for what had become unavailable in the production of images of the future. These new descriptive mechanisms account for the difference between the "age of progress" and the "age of sustainability." The central question of this dissertation, then, is to ask what social conditions most contribute to the development of the kinds of images of the future that predominate in the age of sustainability. Among these are: 1) the increasing complexity of all social relations and an attendant scarcity of time which generates consciousness of risk; 2) an inertial resistance to change imposed on social systems by the frictional force of risk; 3) a requirement under conditions of increasing complexity that trust is increasingly placed in expert systems, which has the tendency to situate responsibility for crisis amelioration with nonhumans; and 4) the unavailability of unifying descriptions of society that is responsible for a diminished optimism regarding the possibility of normatively guiding social development.

As communities continue to face issues relating to sustainability and with students demanding more university courses focused on solving these issues, a program that works to address both factors could prove beneficial. Modeled after the University of Oregon’s Sustainable Cities Initiative, the Community Bridge Initiative (CBI) at Utah State University aims to tackle specific community sustainability concerns by enlisting student and faculty expertise to create innovative ideas and provide increased capacity. While CBI is still in its pilot year, this thesis identified the benefits and challenges associated with the application of this program and provided recommendations to best implement this program once it leaves the pilot stage. Data were collected from a community needs assessment and from students enrolled in CBI pilot classes. The community needs assessment revealed that of 35 local organizations surveyed, 91% wanted to partner with USU in efforts to address current and future issues, showing that CBI would have the needed community support should it choose to partner with local organizations on various issues. Organization needs included improving the communities of Cache Valley, educating the public about important issues and spreading awareness of their specific programs, and mitigating funding and physical resource issues. For partnerships, organizations were most interested in pairing with USU on education and volunteer initiatives and sustainability-based efforts. In regard to students enrolled in CBI courses, the program also gained student validation as 92% of the students reported that the class positively impacted them, 88% would take a CBI course again, 63% would list the experience on their resume, and 73% felt that the class was more effective in communicating course content in comparison to traditional USU courses. Following these results, full implementation of the CBI program at Utah State University is recommended.

Titel: Hållbarhetsrapportering kontra hållbarhetsprestation - En fallstudie om ICA Sveriges miljöarbete  Bakgrund och problem: Oron angående världens miljöpåverkan har ökat på senare tid och ett område som fått mycket uppmärksamhet gällande hållbarhetsfrågor är konsumtion, där just livsmedelskonsumtion står för en stor del av världens miljöpåverkan. Då ICA är Sveriges ledande aktör inom dagligvaruhandeln har de stor möjlighet att bidra till arbetet för ett mer hållbart samhälle. ICA har dessutom tydligt uppställda mål och visioner kring hållbarhet som presenteras i deras externa hållbarhetsrapport, där de vill visa att de tar ansvar och samtidigt vill förbättra verksamheten inom miljömässiga hållbarhetsaspekter. Vidare finns det olika teorier som förklarar företags olika rapporteringsbeteende utifrån sanningshalten i dessa. Greenwashing har blivit ett ökande fenomen i samhället där företag försöker förmedla en bild av sig själva där de presterar bättre angående hållbarhetsaspekter än vad de egentligen gör. Med detta till grund finns det intresse att undersöka ifall ICAs prestationer verkligen överensstämmer med det som ICA rapporterar externt i hållbarhetsrapporten. Vidare kan det finnas svårigheter att få samtliga enheter inom ICA att arbeta på det vis central nivå önskar. För att kunna implementera hållbarhetsprocesser och policys i ett så stort företag som ICA krävs det en fungerande intern styrning för att säkerhetsställa att samtliga enheter arbetar efter dessa. Därav finns ytterligare intresse att undersöka hur ICA arbetar för att integrera miljöfrågor i hela verksamheten genom att undersöka hållbarhetsprestationer ner på enhetsnivå.  Syfte: Denna studie syftar till att undersöka i vilken grad de miljömål som ICA Sverige presenterar i sin externa hållbarhetsrapport överensstämmer med det miljöarbete som genomförs inom ICA på enhetsnivå. Detta görs för att se hur olika enheter inom ICA arbetar utefter de miljömål som koncernen externt rapporterar om. Vidare syftar studien till att se hur förmedlingen av olika rekommendationer och riktlinjer gällande det interna arbetet kring miljömässig hållbarhet fungerar mellan ICAs centrala- och enhetsnivå.  Metod: Denna studie har genomförts genom en kvalitativ forskningsmetod med en deduktiv forskningsansats. Via semi-strukturerade intervjuer har en fallstudie gjorts på sex stycken olika enheter tillhörande ICA Sverige på geografiskt spridda platser över landet.  Resultat: Studien tyder på att många delar av den externa rapporten och det interna arbetet har en god överensstämmelse, vilket innebär att ICA är sanningsenliga i deras hållbarhetsrapport med få undantag. Vår tolkning av hållbarhetsrapporten är att mycket av den information som ICA presenterar är frivillig information och innefattar mer än vad som obligatoriskt enligt lag att rapportera om. Detta rapporteringsbeteende skulle därmed kunna förklaras till största del av VDT, men även få enstaka områden som till viss del kan förklaras av greenwashing och legitimitetsteorin. Studiens resultat visar även att ICA använder sig av olika styrverktyg för att förmedla riktlinjer och rekommendationer kring hållbarhet, och att denna förmedling fungerar väl då enheterna arbetar utefter dessa. Den brist som har identifierats är dock att det inte sker någon kontroll att dessa riktlinjer och rekommendationer efterföljs på enhetsnivå, och att den interna styrningen hade kunnat förbättras här.

acase@tulane.edu / Worldwide, more than two billion people rely on onsite sanitation technologies for excreta treatment and/or disposal. The proper management of domestic septage remains a challenge in most cities in developing countries. A field experiment was conducted in Kinshasa/DR Congo from June 2013 to September 2015 to explore the effectiveness of lagoon treatment for the disinfection and the stabilization of domestic septage. Four lagoons were designed by combining two design factors: Total Solids content (< 5% versus 8% - 12%) and the protection from rainfall (Yes versus No). Each lagoon was a truncated pyramid with a usable volume of 28 m3 and 3m depth. The monitoring of pathogens inactivation was conducted from September 2014 over 12,4 months using coliforms bacteria and Ascaris lumbricoides eggs in sentinel chambers as indicator organisms, respectively with the multiple tubes technique and the Tulane Method. Local climate conditions and abiotic characteristics of the stored septage were monitored monthly. Four-log reduction of fecal coliforms organisms were observed within 10 months of septage storage in the two types of lagoons. At the end of this study, 3-log and less than 2-log reductions of Ascaris eggs were observed, respectively in the lagoons with high and low solids content. The inactivation curve of Ascaris eggs was characterized by a lag phase with a slight inactivation followed by an active inactivation phase. The inactivation rate constants for the active phase were 0.071 and 0.034 day-1, respectively in the lagoons with high and low solids content. Multiple linear regression model showed that the storage time, pH, and TS were significantly associated with percent Ascaris eggs inactivation. Trace elements concentrations in the final product were below threshold ceiling values for their reuse in agriculture. Total volatile solids concentration reduction in the lagoons with high solids content was below the stabilization limit set at 38% by USEPA. In conclusion, lagoon storage of domestic septage with at least 8% TS for 12 to 15 months is an effective option for the disinfection of domestic septage under the conditions of this study. The resulting biosolids constitute a value-added product which can be safely reused in agriculture. / 1 / Konde, Nkiama N.