Turistindustrin rankas som en av världens största, men även snabbast växande näringar. Näringens expansion bidrar i sin tur till stora miljömässiga konsekvenser. Mer miljövänliga, spårbundna transporter är i dagsläget aktuella forskningsfrågor och diskuteras i syfte att bromsa turismens negativa, miljömässiga effekter. Studiens syfte var att undersöka ungdomars intresse och attityder kring tåg i turistiskt syfte, samt om en antagen miljömedvetenhet påverkade deras val av resa. Interrail valdes som undersökningsobjekt dels då skribenterna fann ämnet aktuellt och dels på grund av EU-kommissionens investering som ska ge 18-åringar gratis Interrailpass i år. Interrail ansågs i enlighet med teorier vara ett alternativt, mer miljövänligt transportalternativ samt turismform. En kombination av kvantitativa och kvalitativa metoder har använts för att besvara studiens syfte och frågeställningar. Enligt valda teorier förekommer ett gap mellan turisters attityder och beteende där personliga värderingar och en miljömedvetennorm, som genomsyrade beteenden och konsumtionsmönster hemma, bortsågs vid val av resa. Resultaten från de sju personliga intervjuerna samt enkätundersökningen tyder på att intresset för tåg som transport i turistiskt syfte är relativt lågt, vilket eventuellt ger en förklaring till det relativt låga intresset för Interrail hos dagens ungdomar. Även bland organisationer tolkas Interrail besitta en låg position på marknaden. Företag är inte intresserade av att marknadsföra Interrail då det inte antas vara vinstdrivande. Intresset för Interrail är lågt där aspekter som tid, pris, bekvämlighet och upplevelse väger tyngre hos ungdomars turistiska val, där tågets miljömässiga fördelar snarare ses som en positiv bieffekt. Utifrån bristande kunskap och förutfattade meningar tolkar skribenterna Interrails comeback, trots EU-kommissionens ekonomiska investeringar, som svåruppnådd. / he tourism industry is ranked as one of the world's biggest and fastest growing industries, which in return contribute to big environmental consequences. More environmentally friendly, railway bound transportation are current research questions and are discussed to prevent the negative effects of tourism. The purpose of the study was to research adolescents interest and attitude towards train for touristic purposes and if their perceived environmental awareness affected their choice of travel. Interrail was chosen as a research object partly because the authors considered it a current topic and partly because of the investment that the EU-commission made to be able to give 18-year olds free Interrailpasses this year. Interrail was in accordance with the theory perceived to be a more environmentally friendly choice of transportation and form of tourism. A combination of qualitative and quantitative methods was used to answer the purpose and questions of the study. From the chosen theories there appears to be a gap between tourists attitudes and behaviour, where personal values and the environmental norm that existed at home, was disregarded when choosing to go on a trip. The results from the 7 personal interviews and the questionnaire shows that the interest for train as transport for touristic purposes is relatively low, which could give an explanation for the lacking interest for Interrail in today's adolescents. Even among companies Interrail is interpreted as having a low position on the market. Companies aren't interested in marketing Interrail due to its low perceived economic profit. The interest for Interrail is low where aspects such as time, price and experience weighs heavier for adolescent’s touristic choices, where the environmental benefits are merely seen as a positive bi-product. From a lack of knowledge and preconceptions the authors interpret Interrails comeback, despite the financial investments from the EU-commission, as hard to achieve.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Apparel, Textiles, and Interior Design / Kim Hiller Connell / With apparel production finding itself a leading cause of harm to the environment, the call to action to influence purchase intention for environmentally sustainable apparel (ESA) is pertinent for the current and future well-being of both the environment and humankind. Supplying a base of knowledge to consumers is crucial to enable them to understand the consequences the AT industry has on the environment. This knowledge can potentially lead to a change of attitude and change in purchase intention. However, reaching the populous and changing consumer knowledge of and attitudes towards environmentally sustainable apparel is challenging. This study considers social networking sites (SNS) a feasible strategy regarding this issue because they not only rapidly communicate to consumers but SNS also convey the attitudes and opinions of users’ online referent groups. This study better understands the variances among consumer characteristics and their knowledge of environmental issues in the apparel and textile industry. The purpose of this exploratory study is to initiate the investigation as to whether or not SNS may be a potential mechanism for increasing purchase intention for environmentally sustainable apparel. This exploration focuses on identifying consumer characteristics of social networking site users and investigating whether differences in consumer knowledge about environmental issues in apparel production leads to differences in attitudes about and ultimately purchase intentions of ESA. This study also examines whether or not the presence of social influence on SNS may serve as a mechanism to overcome the barriers (knowledge and attitudes) limiting purchase intention for ESA. An online national survey of 783 participants was conducted utilizing six scales. Simple bivariate correlations, ANOVA, and a hierarchial regression was conducted to understand if adding social influence of SNS as an additional component to Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) provides greater predictive power for ESA behavior intentions. Findings from the study indicate that SNS influence and subjective norm are not stronger predictors of ESA purchase intention above knowledge and attitudes but they do contribute to the TRA and increasing the probability of purchase intention.

Doctor of Philosophy / Apparel, Textiles, and Interior Design / Kim Hiller / This study examined the effects of knowledge of apparel and textile (AT) manufacturing’s impacts on the environment, environmental concern, attitudes toward environmentally sustainable apparel (ESA), and the cultural characteristics of adult, female Kuwaiti nationals on purchasing behaviors of ESA. This study was conducted because Kuwait is a large consumer market for apparel goods and there was a gap in the existing literature on sustainable apparel with regards to Kuwait. To measure the independent variables of knowledge related to the environmental impacts of AT manufacturing, environmental concern, attitudes towards ESA, and the cultural characteristics of Kuwaiti women on the dependent variable of ESA purchase behavior intentions, a mixed methods approach was used. This mixed method approach included a survey instrument featuring five different scales to acquire data through quantitative methods on a population of Kuwaitis acquired through snowball sampling. Semi-structured interviews were then utilized to acquire further data for a qualitative data analysis. The results were then analyzed through descriptive statistics, regressions, and coding. The data analysis of the quantitative survey responses of the female Kuwaiti nationals showed that their level of knowledge on the environmental impacts of the AT industry was low, their level of environmental concern was neutral, their ESA attitudes were neutral, and their ESA purchase intentions were slightly positive. Regression results found that environmental concern had no relationship with ESA attitudes, knowledge about AT related environmental issues positively influenced ESA attitudes, and both knowledge about AT related environmental issues and ESA attitudes had a positive influence on ESA purchase intentions. Additionally, the cultural dimensions of the surveyed population showed high power distance and collectivism, low long-term orientation and uncertainty avoidance, and intermediate levels of masculinity and indulgence. The qualitative interview revealed that Kuwaiti culture is strongly influenced by the Islamic religion, and the culture supports high levels of consumerism and ostentatious consumption. A majority of qualitative participants did not express any attitudes toward ESA, and none of the participants had purchased ESA products previously. This could be because female Kuwaiti nationals are limited in their knowledge related to AT environmental risks and are generally unaware of ESA and its purpose. The study’s data could be used to provide educators with information through which to tailor curricula towards the knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs of Kuwaiti nationals. Additionally, this information could be essential for manufacturers and retailers of ESA products, so that they can produce and sell ESA affectively in Kuwait.

Due to environmental degradation caused by humans, there is a need for a behavioural change towards more sustainable behaviours. Although many studies have been made investigating environmentally friendly behaviours’ dependence on different factors, the results are inconsistent which partly can be explained by methodological weaknesses. Rather than following the footpath of previous research and using a statistical method, qualitative interviews are used in this study. The aim is to answer what determines environmentally friendly behaviour, how it is affected by situational influences, and how these factors interact. Five behaviours were investigated, and they are food consumption, energy consumption, everyday travel, long distance travel, and recycling. In the analysis, the four determinants health, comfort, economy, and environmental were identified. The behaviours are further affected by situational influences, such as distances and costs, that create barriers for environmentally friendly behaviours. In this study it was found that no factor is the only influence of a behaviour, but there is always an interaction. Either the factors work together and encourage an environmentally friendly behaviour, or they work against each other and discourage an environmentally friendly behaviour.

The question of agro/pastoral livelihoods adaptation is gaining attention in the rural development arena but little empirical evidence exists that has examined the performance and impact of diversified enterprises on agro/pastoral livelihoods and the environment in the ASAL, and on how to effectively support such initiatives. Additionally, there has been little evaluation of the type of behavioural patterns that agro/pastoral communities need to evolve in order to engage in such initiatives. This research study endeavours to bridge this knowledge-gap and assist the ASAL communities, NGOs, CBOs and government departments to understand the skills and resources required to develop climate-resilient, environmentally and economically sustainable bio-enterprises. This study examines the roles of bio-enterprise initiatives in enabling agro/pastoralists to develop more resilient livelihoods and incentivising positive community-led natural resource management and draws on different bio-enterprise initiatives located across the drylands of Kenya. In this study data was collected through interviews, focus group discussions and from secondary data. The analysis of four agro/pastoral bio-enterprise initiatives compares the level of success of specifically orientated development-funded support schemes. A more in-depth study was made of one of the initiatives, the BDP. Two surveys were made one year apart and secondary data was collected of the BDP impact. This highlighted the probable factors that influence the communities’ up-take of these bio-enterprises. Results show that this diversification requires stakeholders and support-actors to gain a greater understanding of business development approaches. Other factors such as capacity development to ensure production meets market standards, strong linkages with ethical commercial operators, access to trade-finance and ongoing mentoring proved to be the main drivers of success in these initiatives. The results show that the outputs of the BDP service-providing activities and the ethical trade facilities have been a major factor in the level of success achieved by the BDP. The main policy implications that this study has shown are: Agro/pastoralists realise that they can improve their resilience, food security and incomes by developing bio-enterprises. If conducted using conservation practices, this is an effective conservation and drought management tool. Communities do not possess the necessary skills and business acumen to diversify from traditional activities. Due to the lack of market knowledge, business acumen and technical skills many development and government instigated rural enterprise initiatives have failed. The commercial sector has strong transferable skills and will assist in developing bio-enterprises where commercial gains can be attained. This study has shown that where government, development and the private sector work in synergy projects are more socially, environmentally and economically successful. International standards and certification for sustainable harvesting of indigenous plant materials will effectively assist communities to manage their natural resource utilization and market their products more competitively. Women have shown that they have control over small-scale diversified activities and are able to choose how to use the revenue they have raised. Due to the orientation of agro/pastoralists to collective-action a wide ripple-effect can be seen from well-targeted business development assistance such as: mentoring, skills development, access to affordable trade finance/capital, improved market opportunities and value-addition.

In externally fertilizing fishes, multiple factors of the spawning environment may affect the sperm viability, and thus the fertilization rate. In this thesis, the sperm activation effect of osmolality of non-electrolytes and electrolytes activation media, pH and ion channel inhibitors on Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus, and the effect of environmentally relevant pollutants (cadmium, malathion and rotenone) on sperm fitness (motility and morphology) were investigated. Seminal fluid samples collected from male fishes (200-250g) were subjected to activation treatments, then analyzed for sperm motility using motility score, and motility variables using Hobson sperm tracker for straight line velocity (VSL), beat cross frequency (BCF) and percentage of motile cells (MOT). For the ion channel inhibitors and pollutants, the effect on sperm motility variables of VSL, VCL (curvilinear velocity) and LIN (linearity) were determined. Multivariate analysis was also carried out to determine the effects of ion channel inhibitors and pollutants on sperm subpopulations. The effects of pollutants on sperm morphology were observed using microscopy techniques, namely, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Sperm motility was initiated when the sperm were exposed to hypoosmotic electrolytes and non-electrolytes solution. We also found that sperm show optimal activity at pH range of 6-8 which depicts that the effect of pH on sperm motility is negligible. Lanthanum (calcium channel blocker) and flunarizine (sodium-calcium exchanger pump blocker) were found to inhibit sperm motility at 25 and 5 µM, respectively, suggesting that both ion channels play a significant role in sperm activation in O. niloticus. In contrast amiloride, ouabain and quinine showed no effects on activation, indicating that epithelial sodium channels, sodium-potassium ATPase and voltage gated potassium channels respectively are unlikely to have major roles in sperm activation or motility. The spermatozoa of Oreochromis niloticus were uniflagellate with clearly differentiated oval-shaped head, midpiece and flagellum. Sperm exposed to hypoosmotic shock showed swelling of the midpiece and sleeve structure. The pollutants showed dose- and time-dependent effect on sperm motility of the fast linear sperm subpopulation. Sperm morphology was not affected. Sperm motility was inhibited at 0.44, 0.03 and 0.063 µM, cadmium, malathion and rotenone respectively. Both cadmium and malathion exerted effects very quickly after exposure. The effect of cadmium, which can exert toxicity by calcium antagonism, is consistent with the effects of calcium channel blockes and further supports an important role for calcium in sperm activation and motility. Malathion had effects at relatively low, environmentally relevant concentrations, suggesting the presence of functionally important acetylcholinesterase activity in sperm, and also the presence of activation cytochrome P450 activity. Rotenone, a well known mitochondrial poison, affected motility only after 15 min of pretreatment. The alteration of sperm trajectories in fast linear spermatozoa subpopulation by pollutants at submicromolar concentrations as demonstrated in our study implies potentially serious consequences for fish populations in polluted environments. Furthermore the results indicate that fish sperm motility as assessed by CASA could be an ecologically relevant, sensitive, and ethically acceptable method for toxicity testing in environmental risk assessment.

Dissertation submitted in compliance with the requirements for the Masters Degree in Technology: Environmental Health, Durban Institute of Technology, 2005. / South Durban is in the province of Kwazulu-Natal in South Africa and is home to two international petro-chemical refineries, a paper mill, sewage works, an international airport, a chemical tank farm with approximately 970 tanks, a number of landfill sites, an airport, various processing and manufacturing industries which are all in close proximity to residential and recreational areas. This area is known as the South Durban Industrial Basin (SDIB). Serious concerns have arisen about the potential health impacts that could arise from ambient air pollution from these industries. Learners and staff at the Settlers Primary School situated in Merebank, a suburb in the SDIB, perceived themselves to be at risk for air pollutant related health effects owing to the schools’ geographic location. The aims of this study was a) to determine the prevalence of asthma among learners from Grades 3 and 6 and staff at Settlers Primary School and b) To investigate whether outdoor air pollutant concentrations of sulphur dioxide (SO2), oxides of nitrogen (NOx), ozone (O3), total reduced sulphur (TRS), carbon monoxide (CO) and respirable particulate matter less than 10 microns (PM10) were associated with increased signs and symptoms of asthma in the study population. / M

The purpose of the present study was to ascertain if environmentally sensitive patients would demonstrate different memory deficit patterns than psychiatric patients on objectively measurable memory tasks. One-hundred sixteen patients were surveyed; 56 environmentally sensitive patients were compared to 60 psychiatric patients. All subjects were administered a Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised screen, the Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised and the Harrell-Butler Comprehensive Neurocognitive Screen after history of head injury was ruled out. Results indicate a significantly different pattern of memory dysfunction between the environmental patients and the psychiatric patients, indicating two different etiologies. A screening device derived from the coefficients from a Canonical Analysis is proposed to distinguish between the two populations in the absence of blood serum levels of environmental toxins or poisons. The detrimental effects of misdiagnosis and the beneficial effects of accurate diagnosis of environmental illness are discussed.

Master of Science / Department of Civil Engineering / Robert J. Peterman / Concrete box culvert floor slabs are known to have detrimental effects on river and stream hydraulics. Consequences include an aquatic environment less friendly to the passage of fish and other organisms. This has prompted environmental regulations restricting construction of traditional, four-sided box culvert structures in rivers and streams populated by protected species. The box culvert standard currently used by the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) is likely to receive increased scrutiny from federal and state environmental regulators in the near future. Additionally, multiple-cell box culverts present a maintenance challenge, since passing driftwood and debris are frequently caught in the barrels and around cell walls. As more structures reach the end of their design lives, new solutions must be developed to facilitate a more suitable replacement. Since construction can cause significant delays to the traveling public, systems and techniques which accelerate the construction process should also be considered. This thesis documents development of a single-span replacement system for box culverts in the state of Kansas. Solutions were found using either a flab slab or the center span of the KDOT three-span, haunched-slab bridge standard. In both cases, the concrete superstructure is connected monolithically with a set of abutment walls, which sit on piling. The system provides an undisturbed, natural channel bottom, satisfying environmental regulations. Important structural, construction, maintenance, and economic criteria considered during the planning stages of bridge design are discussed. While both superstructural systems were found to perform acceptably, the haunched section was chosen for preliminary design. Rationale for selection of this system is explained. Structural modeling, analysis, and design data are presented to demonstrate viability of the system for spans ranging from 32 to 72 feet. The new system is expected to meet KDOT’s needs for structural, environmental, and hydraulic performance, as well as long-term durability. Another option involving accelerated bridge construction (ABC) practices is discussed.

M. Tech. (Electrical, Applied Electronics and Electronic Communication, Faculty of Engineering and Technology) Vaal University of Technology| / The demand for efficient and environmentally friendly power sources has become a major topic around the world. This research explores the capability of the zinc-air fuel cell to replace conventional power sources for various applications, more specifically telecommunication systems. The research consisted of a theoretical study of the zinc-air fuel cell and its components, as well as their performance characteristics. A zinc-air fuel ce.ll and test rig were built, and the system was tested under various conditions. It was found that the zinc-air fuel cell has an advantage over other fuel cells in that it does not require any expensive materials or noble metals, reducing the overall cost of such a system. The fuel cell showed the potential to power various applications, but problems persisted in the fueling process as well as constant leaking of the aqueous electrolyte.