This research seeks to identify how an organization's facility management (FM) practices relate with the state of sustainability in the organization. A review of the literature leads to presentation of a model defining these relationships. The concepts of direct and indirect FM sustainability roles in organizational sustainability are presented. Accepted facility metrics found in the APPA Facilities Performance Indicator Survey are used as indicators of FM in University System of Georgia institutions and are tested for correlation with sustainability best practices scores generated in an assessment performed for this research. FM performance indicators representing the direct role of FM are not found to be correlated with organizational sustainability best practicesin USG higher education organizations.

Thesis (M.L.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1995. / Includes special study report entitled: Solar applications to landscape design. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M. Arch.)--University of Hong Kong, 2001. / Includes special study report entitled: Transactional relationship between school and community. Includes bibliographical references.

The Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development is expected to result in the launching of a process to devise a set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2015. Whilst indicators are perceived to be a good vehicle of monitoring progress, currently there is no universally agreed method of measuring sustainable development. This thesis addresses this issue through assessing whether the capabilities approach can be adopted for a global framework in measuring sustainable development. In order to determine this, both theoretical and practical implications will have to be understood. The former is addressed through reviewing the compatibility between the key concepts of sustainable development and the capabilities approach. The latter is addressed through obtaining empirical evidence on the key drivers in selecting indicators via focus group discussions and a quantitative survey with key individuals involved in the Sustainable Development Indicators (SDIs) project in Malaysia. It was found that a weak conceptual basis can be attributed as the major challenge for establishing global sustainable development indicators. Whilst recognising that a range of mechanisms are required for operationalization, it was concluded that the capabilities approach provides a sound conceptual basis, framed on the basis of justice and equity in expanding and sustaining the capabilities of current and future generations to pursue their needs.

The concept of sustainable development has largely failed to address environmental and social crises in a meaningful and transformative way, despite its growing popularity. Ecofeminism offers a way to understand and challenge assumptions embedded in the sustainable development discourse. A critical reading of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development’s discourse identified six themes: (1) economic empowerment of women (2) reporting does matter (3) reporting on socio-economic measurements (4) solutions for all (5) shifting focus and (6) defining the middle class. Each theme is based on one of five different characteristics of dualism. It can be concluded that sustainable development discourse perpetuates the dualism of Progress / Rejuvenation which is a duality that further maintains a broad system of dualism already in existence throughout Western society. The study contributes to a better understanding of the importance of more diverse platforms of understanding that allow for transformative solutions to pressing ecological and social crises.

Poor sanitation is a huge problem in third world countries today; every year 1,5 million children die due to diarrheal diseases caused by poor sanitation. International policies such as The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which will be replaced by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in September 2015, have been set by the international community as tools to decrease the poverty in the world today, and problems that emerged from it such as poor sanitation. Participatory methods are emphasise to receive the goals as well as new working methods to shift the development paradigm from marked oriented towards sustainable development, which means that also the Earth’s well-being must be included in the SDGs. Ecological sanitation (Eco-san) is a system that reuses the human waste back to grooving activities, and can improve the situation in all three areas of sustainable development, i.e. economical, environmental and social development with it’s reusing approach. Participation in implementation of Eco-san system is important for enabling sustainable projects as well as receive better acceptance for the reuse approach. The research presented in this thesis had the aim to improve the sanitation situation by introducing and implementing Eco-san in a rural area in the Northern part of Tanzania by using an action oriented research approach. The participants together with the researcher developed the project to further see the interpretations of Eco-san and possibilities to implement Eco-san in the area as well as if the action research was a convenient way to introduce such a project. The study was conducted in two cycles were critical theory and diffusion of innovation were used as analysis tools for the introduction and implementation of the toilets. The findings from the first cycle showed that the participants were willing to learn about Eco-san by observing the idea through a demonstration toilet. Therefore the second cycle lead to implementation of Eco-san in a school of the area. These toilets are today in use and managed by the students at the school. Participating approach has therefore been a successful working method were the participants gained the knowledge they needed to develop and improve their situation. This can further be argued as a valuable approach for other development projects and to meet the upcoming SDGs. However, further action and education to other village members outside the school and up scaling possibilities in the community are needed.

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) has been called for playing a crucial role in integrating principles,values, and practices accorded with sustainable development. Holistic approach, ethical values, norm transitionand behavior changes are required to achieve the aim of ESD. However, while both external and internal impactsof the Swedish education system have affected its fundamental values and aims, core elements of ESD inSwedish curriculum were also influenced. This paper analyzes, in particular, the changes that PISA reportsbrought in the Swedish curriculum at the discourse level, and its potential effects on ESD. Discourse analysiswas mainly used for comparing two curricula and two syllabi. With the help of situational contexts of PISA andthe curriculum of 2011, a transition observed from text analysis was interpreted and the final discussion wasanchored with social contexts from educational discourses. The result indicated that influences from PISA in thenew curriculum and syllabus were observed in corresponded aims and goals. Situational and social contexts alsopointed to the same direction of transition due to the previous goals-oriented curriculum that made a wide rangeof teaching. Thus, fundamental values, aims and goals were changed into providing clearer guidelines forteaching scope and gradings as well as into focusing literacy skills and knowledge of concepts. In the process ofthe transition, holistic approach, ethical and democratical values, as well as focus on cultural aspects and pupils’ attributes were removed or shrunken, which implied negative impacts on ESD. On the other hand, emphasis onliteracy skills of students in the new curriculum was expected to bring positive achievement for ESD.Furthermore, in order to achieve the norm transition toward sustainable development, those lost immeasurable values are suggested to be addressed in future Swedish education.

Lietuva, pastaraisiais metais pasižymėjo aukštu ekonominio augimo lygiu bei atskirų sričių vystymųsi. Augant ekonomikai didėja visuomeniniai poreikiai, gamybos apimtys, auga vartojimas. Natūralu, kad tokiomis sąlygomis iškyla grėsmė aplinkai, t.y. kad spartus ekonominis vystymasis bus pasiektas aplinkos sąskaita. Pagrindinis šio darbo tikslas – remiantis teoriniais ekonominio augimo bei darnaus vystymosi pagrindais, išanalizuoti ir įvertinti pastarųjų metų Lietuvos ekonominį augimą darnaus vystymosi kontekste. / Lithuania, as well as other two Baltic states, could be characterized by a high level of economic growth and development in various fields in previous years. Naturally, threats to environment emerge under such conditions, i. e. the intense economic development is pursued at the expense of the environment. The main goal of the paper is analyse and evaluate the tendencies and perspectives on economic growth in Lithuania of the recent years, based on the theoretical principles of economic growth and sustainable development.

Tiriant verslo strategijos modelius, aiškėja, kad verslo strategijos modelių formavimas nagrinėjamas nebuvo. Mokslinėje literatūroje nėra pakankamai išsamių turizmo plėtros strategijos modelių analizės tyrimų, kurie galėtų būti panaudoti, priimant šalies turizmo plėtro planavimo sprendimus. Lietuvos mokslinėje literatūroje tokio mokslinių tyrimų objekto lyg šiol išvis nebūta. Pirmoji Baigiamojo magistrinio darbo dalis skirta strategijos modelių sampratos ir formų analizei, turizmo plėtros strategijos modelių apžvalgai. Antroje darbo dalyje aptariama darbo tyrimo metodika. Trečioje dalyje, atsižvelgiant į turizmo strategijos modelių apžvalgą, turizmo būklę 2007-2008 metais, pateikiamas suformuluotas šalies turizmo plėtros strategijos modelis ir aptariami šalies turizmo darnią plėtrą įtakojantys veiksniai. / Lithuania until now little consideration for sustainable development of tourism business model. European Union Structural Funds, to attract more foreign tourists to our country will be effective only if the sustainable development of tourism. The importance of tourism in many countries in the GDP, the additional jobs, activating the international trade balance. Travel tourism marketing in the company internacionilizations their business, which acceptable customer service, and the rapidly growing demand promotes the development of such enterprises in Lithuania. Based on the experience of foreign countries can be said that one of the most important aspects of a successful tourism business - business strategy models for the creation and formation.

In today’s world, concern has been raised about that the existing means of development are unsustainable. As a solution Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) has been engaged around the world as a step to build a more sustainable society. Throughout the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD), Japan has promoted ESD through addressing it in the national educational law and plans as well as emphasizing it in course of study. As the DESD reached its end, this study aims to shed light on how ESD, an international framework, is understood and implemented on a micro level. Through a qualitative case study focused on the selected elementary and junior high schools in Kesennuma City, Miyagi, Japan, the findings show that local unique characteristics such as environmental and social factors influence the implementation of ESD. Furthermore, the findings also illustrate that learning of ESD takes place at various locations beyond the classrooms where the participants get involved in the local community that provides various professional knowledge and skills. Through the learning of ESD, which emphasizes experience and interaction with the learning partners, the aim is to foster the students’ abilities to think critically, identify a problem independently and take actions as well as to cooperate with others. At the same time, the study also shows that a holistic understanding of ESD from the teachers’ is needed in order to integrate ESD into the entire education.