'Green' business is claimed by some South African retailers even though they lack well-founded and integrated sustainable, social, and environmental commitments. This is because no standards of greening exist for retail in South Africa. The purpose of this study is to explore, 'What constitutes green retail in the South African supermarket sector?' This required investigation into the sustainability of the companies' green business processes, social component of sustainability, and the existing state of the green retail sector. The five dominant supermarkets were selected to answer a questionnaire based on different environmental variables and principles. Interviewee responses were supplemented with publicly available company reports and these were then critiqued by allocating a level of commitment to sustainability of companies' green business processes, social considerations of sustainability, and establishing the current state of the green retail sector. Results show that within business processes, sustainable procurement is becoming increasingly accounted for through eco-labels and enterprise development programs. Distribution processes assist in verifying green claims and production. Various international and local sustainability programs are used to validate green efforts in the lack of national standards. Best practice frameworks are being utilised in the absence of local green standards and where limited, some are creating their own innovative solutions. Sustainability is a core focus at an executive level to some to ensure full integration of sustainability. Retailers may not necessarily pursue trends, but they have similar pressures that are often variably addressed. Although retailers' attempts to green their operations may not be standardised, the retail industry in South African has almost privatised sustainability and socio-economic development as they have superseded legislation to contribute to society and transform communities. It is an opportunity for retailers to take responsibility for their operations and in doing so create innovative solutions that address South Africa's environmental and social issues, in spite of the lack of green standards and governmental regulation, and in doing so become leadership companies that are accountable to their consumer base.

Atualmente metade da população mundial habita cidades que ocupam cerca de 2% da superfície terrestre. Apesar de uma ocupação territorial baixa, três quartos dos recursos naturais são destinados ao s e u sustento. A entropia dessas cidades é responsável pela geração desordenada de resíduos e ocupação de áreas ambientais para a construção de moradias. As indústrias são responsáveis por abastecer essas sociedades urbanas com bens de consumo e para isso, retiram cada vez mais recursos da natureza. Sendo assim, se faz necessário repensar suas estratégias de gestão, à luz da cultura organizacional, para que se possa manter o crescimento econômico e, através de práticas e ações ambientais, garantir a sustentabilidade do planeta. O objetivo deste estudo é verificar o grau de percepção que os colaboradores de empresas da cadeia têxtil e vestuário possuem das características culturais organizacionais praticadas por essas empresas, no desenvolvimento de ações relacionadas à economia verde. Foram estudadas duas empresas ( e ) da indústria do vestuário, sendo que a cada uma foi aplicado um questionário de perguntas fechadas e repostas escalonadas. Os dados coletados foram compilados e alimentaram a matriz de análise cultural, permitindo identificar o grau de percepção dos colaboradores em relação às características culturais das empresas referidas. Os resultados mostram a viabilidade de aplicação da matriz no auxílio às empresas, para elaboração de estratégias de fortalecimento de sua cultura organizacional. / Actually, half of the world\'s population lives in the cities that occupy about 2% of the earth\'s surface. Despite the low territorial occupation, three quarters of natural resources are been used to supply the cities. The entropy of these cities is responsible for waste and disorderly occupation and environmental areas for houses construction. The industry is responsible for supply the urban societies with consumer goods and in order to reach i t , remove more and more resources from nature. Therefore, it is necessary to rethink their management strategies in the light of c ul t ur e organizational, so that we can maintain economic growth, and through practices and environmental actions to ensure the sustainability of the planet. The objective of this study is to assess the degree of awareness of employees of companies in the textile chain and culture organizational characteristics clothing practiced by these companies in the development of actions directed to the practice of green economy. Were studied two clothing industries (\"\" and \"\") and was applied a questionnaire with closed questions and staggered repplies,in order to collect data. Data were compiled and fed a cultural analysis matrix and was identified the degree of cultural awareness of employees regarding the characteristics of the companies mentioned above. Results showed the matrix application feasibility in assistance to companies in order to development of strategies to strengthen of their organizational cultures.

This paper aims to examine the prospects for success for sustainable economic development planning on the local level. The first section provides background on this question, examines how best to define the Green Economy, and discusses the four most important factors influencing its future growth. This includes the current economic landscape and the hopes that have been pinned on sustainable development. The paper then examines the classification issues that have helped shape the nature of the discussion of this subject, and explores the most prominent methods and partnerships currently being designed and utilized in an attempt to stimulate local sustainable development and job growth. Also discussed is the effect that the current political climate is having on government investment in renewable energy and conservation at the federal and state level. The paper then designates the cities of Oakland, Toledo, and Austin as case studies as a way to illustrate how these efforts are playing out in the current landscape. Each city has been chosen because it is a leader in an influential sustainable economic development strategy that is being pursued by other cities around the country. Given the four factors influencing growth in the Green Economy, the paper evaluates the strengths and weaknesses demonstrated by each approach. Finally, the paper identifies the most important lessons that can be applied to the biggest challenges of local sustainable economic development strategies. / text

Trans-frontier conservation areas (TFCAs), large cross-border areas dedicated to biodiversity conservation, multi-national co-operation and development are expanding in southern Africa, fast becoming the dominant conservation solution in the region. TFCAs adopt a celebratory discourse of ecological, community, economic and political gains, while the reality is often far more complicated. This thesis situates the expansion of TFCAs within a critical political ecology approach, and argues that they represent a neoliberal solution to a complex series of development, environment and political challenges. Drawing on five and a half months of fieldwork to Mozambique along with policy and discourse analysis it examines the first marine reserve to be linked to a TFCA in Africa, the Ponta do Ouro Partial Marine Reserve (PPMR) in southern Mozambique. It makes three arguments: First, it argues that Mozambique’s embrace of TFCAs represents the neoliberalisation of conservation through novel tourism-based products, techniques of governance, creation of subject positions based on entrepreneurialism, and new arrangements of space. At the same time, the adoption of TFCAs also stems from Mozambique’s post-war politics, especially the ways in which elite state actors have sought to reconstruct and reorder the country through engagement with donors. Second, the thesis uses a combined governmentality and assemblage framework to explore how neoliberal conservation is made to cohere as a truth discourse, how it materially co-produces human and non-human life in the marine reserve, and how it is fragile, partial and contested. Third, it critiques the increasingly close relationship between the extractive and conservation sector at a policy, state and donor level, exploring how and why marine conservation is increasingly intertwined with Mozambique’s resources boom through its green economy discourse. Through these three points of engagement, the thesis contributes to debates around the intensifying relationship between extraction and conservation, Mozambique’s post-war development, and processes of neoliberalisation of nature.

"Ethics and Economics in the Course of Economic Thinking History" is the essay topic of the disertation. It aims at the description and definition of both terms in the history and it refers to their interactive links and separation in the past. Firstly, both terms are explained and then the most significant representatives and trends are mentioned. Due to their thoughts, ideas and opinions there was a possibility to develop the individual sciences. The theoretical part pays attention to current terms Green Economy and Green Growth which should help to solve the questions of the environment and its saving in the future. Both terms try to find the right solution that would reduce the environmental risks, decrease poverty and support economic growth with the tenable development, and other important topics. The practical part also pays attention to Green Economy. A wide range of societies is questioned about their awareness of the term Green Economy and other things that are connected with it. The survey was made in the South Bohemia region where a big number of societies was addressed. The result shows that more than a half of respondents is not aware of the term Green Economy at all. However they use and follow Green Economy principles so that they respect and live up to them unknowingly.

Atualmente metade da população mundial habita cidades que ocupam cerca de 2% da superfície terrestre. Apesar de uma ocupação territorial baixa, três quartos dos recursos naturais são destinados ao s e u sustento. A entropia dessas cidades é responsável pela geração desordenada de resíduos e ocupação de áreas ambientais para a construção de moradias. As indústrias são responsáveis por abastecer essas sociedades urbanas com bens de consumo e para isso, retiram cada vez mais recursos da natureza. Sendo assim, se faz necessário repensar suas estratégias de gestão, à luz da cultura organizacional, para que se possa manter o crescimento econômico e, através de práticas e ações ambientais, garantir a sustentabilidade do planeta. O objetivo deste estudo é verificar o grau de percepção que os colaboradores de empresas da cadeia têxtil e vestuário possuem das características culturais organizacionais praticadas por essas empresas, no desenvolvimento de ações relacionadas à economia verde. Foram estudadas duas empresas ( e ) da indústria do vestuário, sendo que a cada uma foi aplicado um questionário de perguntas fechadas e repostas escalonadas. Os dados coletados foram compilados e alimentaram a matriz de análise cultural, permitindo identificar o grau de percepção dos colaboradores em relação às características culturais das empresas referidas. Os resultados mostram a viabilidade de aplicação da matriz no auxílio às empresas, para elaboração de estratégias de fortalecimento de sua cultura organizacional. / Actually, half of the world\'s population lives in the cities that occupy about 2% of the earth\'s surface. Despite the low territorial occupation, three quarters of natural resources are been used to supply the cities. The entropy of these cities is responsible for waste and disorderly occupation and environmental areas for houses construction. The industry is responsible for supply the urban societies with consumer goods and in order to reach i t , remove more and more resources from nature. Therefore, it is necessary to rethink their management strategies in the light of c ul t ur e organizational, so that we can maintain economic growth, and through practices and environmental actions to ensure the sustainability of the planet. The objective of this study is to assess the degree of awareness of employees of companies in the textile chain and culture organizational characteristics clothing practiced by these companies in the development of actions directed to the practice of green economy. Were studied two clothing industries (\"\" and \"\") and was applied a questionnaire with closed questions and staggered repplies,in order to collect data. Data were compiled and fed a cultural analysis matrix and was identified the degree of cultural awareness of employees regarding the characteristics of the companies mentioned above. Results showed the matrix application feasibility in assistance to companies in order to development of strategies to strengthen of their organizational cultures.

The industrial economy of the last 100 years has resulted in significant externalities, chief of which has been anthropogenic climate change caused by the release of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. The green economy is an approach to economic activity that has been developed in an effort to mitigate against this and attempt to shift the world economy onto a more sustainable course. South Africa has a particularly carbon-intense economy, and as such bears a considerable burden to follow this shift. Cape Town, following the lead of national government, has begun to respond to climate change and has made steps to adopt the green economy. However, much of the literature and theory developed around the green economy has been produced by developed nations, which may render it problematic to be adopted by a city in a developing nation, such as Cape Town. This dissertation begins with a brief description of the background and definition of the green economy. Based on a reading of the international literature, it then uses an analytical overview of conceptual descriptions of the green economy to develop a Transition Framework as a tool for evaluation and comparison. The Transition Framework is then applied to the green economy in the city of Cape Town as a case study. While the City of Cape Town quite overtly applies international conceptions of the green economy to its formulation, it was found that there were some significant local deviations: political parties play an important role in leading and shaping the local green economy; there is a particular need to balance green economy interventions against the preservation of municipal income from tax; the city's spatial-geographic character plays an important role in strategy and planning; and the primary aim of the local green economy is to increase economic growth and produce employment opportunities, in order to ensure social and political stability. This study highlighted the fact that international conceptions of the green economy do have a significant amount of flexibility towards local conditions, this may in some cases result in a drift away from some of its stated aims (reducing greenhouse gasses, for example) towards addressing the most pressing local issues. This may potentially render its goals unachieved.

In Michigan and Ontario, the “green economy” has been touted by government as a “win-win” solution to reducing greenhouse gasses and replacing thousands of manufacturing jobs lost before and during the global financial crisis. Some scholars, however, argue that despite economic and climate crises, there is little new about the policies being rolled out in advanced industrialized states; instead, political elites adopted business-as-usual policies after 2009 that offer little hope for greater social, economic, or ecological sustainability. In this green “publicity state”, political elites engage as much, if not more, in the politics of environmental discourse than in policymaking for a greener, more sustainable society. This thesis thus explored the research questions: To what extent have policymakers in Ontario and Michigan evoked argumentative imperatives that neoliberal policies are the way to create green jobs, increase socio-economic equality, and/or halt climate change? To what degree can policies in Ontario and Michigan be classified as ‘sustainable’? Does the policy rhetoric match the policy reality? In what similar and different ways do public policies get framed, communicated, and constrained by underlying neoliberal understandings of the economy and state that then limit the policy options that governments see as possible? In what ways does this contribute to the naturalization of green neoliberalism? To answer these questions, we examined the public policies and political rhetoric of renewable energy in Michigan and Ontario under the administration of Governors Jennifer Granholm and Rick Snyder, and the Ontario Liberal government of Premier Dalton McGuinty between 2007 and 2012. The theoretical framework for this paper was constructed using Gramscian and critical discourse theories which maintain that ideological and economic hegemony manifests, and is constantly being reproduced, through political discourse. First, we conducted a comparative analysis of green economy policies, as well as a sample of additional social, economic, and fiscal policies that could contribute to greater or less sustainability in the two jurisdictions. These were then categorized according to a typology of green economy imaginaries. Second, Michigan State of the State speeches and radio addresses, and Ontario Budget speeches and Speeches from the Throne delivered during the period of study were analyzed using Fairclough and Fairclough’s (2012) critical discourse analysis for political argument. It was found that political elites construct imaginaries of the green economy using various argumentative claims in ways that often do not coincide with policies and/or policy outcomes. In this study, Granholm and McGuinty often used argumentative claims around renewable energy in ways that naturalize green neoliberal approach to sustainability, while greenwashing less ‘green’ policies; take credit for making their jurisdiction ‘greener’; deflect and assign blame for a shrinking economy; and position the green economy as a ‘win-win’ to unemployment and/or climate change. Despite labelling himself a “good, green Republican”, Governor Snyder did not engage in green economy policymaking or framing, instead pursuing a ‘classic’ neoliberal policy agenda. Furthermore, the arguments political elites are further constrained by both the existing economic regime and political institutions: a premier in a majority government has significantly more power to make bold argumentative claims and introduce policies than a state governor. This is evident in the fact that although their rhetoric around the green economy as a means to increasing jobs was similar, McGuinty was able to also frame the green economy as a means to reducing greenhouse gasses and introduce a bolder piece of renewable energy legislation than Granholm. / Dissertation / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / The “green economy” has become a popular idea over the last decade. The green economy is a term that refers to expanding the renewable energy industry including solar, wind, and hydro energy, as well as energy retrofitting of existing buildings and the electric car industry. Political leaders argue that by growing the green economy, we can create thousands of good jobs and reduce climate change. But the green economy is not necessarily sustainable. This is partly because “sustainable development” is not a matter of just making the economy stronger at any cost, with a potential added benefit of reducing climate change. Sustainable development means that less people live in poverty, different cultures are protected, and the environment is preserved in ways that it can meet the needs of every generation of future human beings. It also means that climate change must become a priority for government over economic growth, and that technology is not the solution to every environmental problem. However, even after all the social and economic problems that became worse during and after the Great Recession in 2008-2009, the green economy is being designed using the same kinds of policies that emphasize what business wants rather than is needed to halt climate change and reduce poverty. How then are leaders able to make this kind of green economy seem like a new, great idea? Is this green economy actually sustainable? This thesis examined these basic questions by comparing policies introduced in the Province of Ontario and the State of Michigan for growing a renewable energy industry, as well as policies that could lead to greater or less sustainability. We put these various policies into categories to ‘measure’ how sustainable they are. Then we examined the arguments made by political leaders in Ontario and Michigan to see how they framed the green economy to make it seem like common sense for a better, more sustainable future. We found that although renewable energy can lead to more sustainability by reducing the greenhouse gasses we produce, the policies introduced by leaders between 2007 and 2012 emphasized meeting the needs of business rather than the needs of the environment or the poor. And these are in fact the kinds of policies that governments used before the Great Recession – policies that made society worse off for the last 30 years – so there is nothing new about them, even if there are a little bit ‘greener’. We also found that Governor Jennifer Granholm and Premier McGuinty made very similar arguments about the benefits of the green economy, while at the same time minimizing the downsides of their business- focused approach. Governor Rick Snyder, also of Michigan, has had no interest in the green economy, and has emphasized business policies almost entirely. Though Granholm and McGuinty had similar arguments and visions for their green economy by building a renewable energy sector, the premier was able to make arguments that the green economy was necessary for climate change, and he was able to introduce stronger policies against climate change, like shutting down all of Ontario’s coal plants. This is because premiers have more institutional power than governors. It is also interesting that even though McGuinty had more power than the governors, he still chose many of the same policies as Governor Snyder.

La pedagogia dell’ambiente può offrire nuove prospettive interpretative rispetto a talune rilevanti questioni ambientali. Delineando contributi progettuali sostenibili per formare ad una cittadinanza responsabile in una civiltà planetaria, essa dischiude la possibilità di elaborare una cultura della sostenibilità educativa. Significare un nuovo modello di sviluppo, secondo un pensiero pedagogico orientato alla centralità della persona in stretta congiunzione con la dottrina sociale della Chiesa, caratterizza il quadro teorico della tesi. E’ in questa cornice che si inserisce la presente ricerca, la quale, in una prospettiva pedagogica, compie un’esplorazione orientata ad approfondire il rapporto tra pedagogia e politica dell’ambiente nello scenario dell’Unione Europea. L’elaborato mira a proporre un’articolata disamina critica delle attuali politiche ambientali europee in merito a ricerca e innovazione dell’istruzione e formazione. L’interpretazione pedagogica di emblematici documenti dell’Unione Europea circa l’educazione allo sviluppo sostenibile evidenzia elementi imprescindibili per delineare una progettazione educativa sostenibile finalizzata a generare un cambiamento culturale nel segno della sostenibilità e per elaborare possibili linee di orientamento rivolte a policy makers. / Environmental pedagogy can offer new interpretational perspectives with respect to certain significant environmental issues. By outlining sustainable projects aimed at forming a responsible population in a planetary civilization, environmental pedagogy discloses the possibility to develop a culture of educational sustainability. Representing a new development model, according to a pedagogical thought oriented towards the central nature of the person, in close conjunction with the social doctrine of the Church, characterizes the theoretical picture of the thesis. It is this frame that encloses the present research, which, from a pedagogical perspective, carries out an investigation aimed at deepening the relationship between pedagogy and environmental policy in the scenario of the European Union. The paper intends to propose a well-structured and critical examination of the current European environmental policies on the subject of research and innovation in education and training. The pedagogical interpretation of emblematic documents issued by the European Union concerning education for sustainable development shows elements which are crucial for the purpose of outlining a sustainable educational plan aimed at generating a cultural change in the sign of sustainability and for developing possible guidelines aimed at policymakers.

The accepted scientific opinion is that anthropogenic activities and correlated greenhouse gases are the main cause of climate change, with carbon dioxide releases from fossil fuels being one of the main culprits. In South Africa, the main sources of energy have always been coal and other fossil fuels. Society and the economy alike are heavily reliant on energy consumption. In light of the above, it is clear that drastic steps need to be taken to "clean up" the nation's energy sector and usage patterns. There is an international tendency towards a so-called "green economy," which finds the relation between economic development, social upliftment and conservation of the natural environment. A green economy relies less on carbon inputs, and utilises resources efficiently, whilst taking a "socially inclusive" approach. It therefore makes sense to draw on renewable natural resources in greening the economy. Some of the advantages of renewable energy are that they result in limited or no emissions, the creation of sustainable jobs, improved health of consumers and enhanced energy security. A shift to a green economy cannot take place in a vacuum. The laws and policies regulating the various sectors of the environment; energy generation, distribution and use; investment opportunities and economic factors must stimulate and drive this move, and must create an optimal atmosphere to this end. This study determines how suitable the current South African legal framework is for a shift towards a green economy based on renewable energy, and whether it can successfully catalyse and drive such a shift. / LLM (Environmental Law and Governance), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014