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Environment Canada's Environmental Choice Program (ECP) was officially announced in June of 1988. Its purpose is to help consumers find products and services that reduce the burden on the environment. Companies can apply to have a product certified with the EcoLogo where appropriate guidelines exist. The EcoLogo symbol takes the form of three doves intertwined into a maple leaf with the accompanying words: "Environmental Choice". A 1994 poll conducted for the ECP found that only 37% of Canadians have some level of either aided or unaided awareness of the EcoLogo (Environics Research Group Limited, p.10). The purpose of this thesis is to investigate how consumers think about and respond to the EcoLogo in the hope that the insights gained will be used to tailor the program to better inform consumers. Specifically, answers are sought to three research questions: 1) are there any consumer characteristics that help explain low recognition of the EcoLogo, 2) what is consumer understanding of the EcoLogo, EcoLogo products and the EcoLogo Program, and 3) what do consumers need to make the EcoLogo program a credible source of environmental information to act on. The methods used to investigate this topic included two focus groups, forty structured interviews, inquiries to relevant programs and a library search. Three consumer traits were found to be impediments to consumer recognition of the EcoLogo: the frequency with which consumers comparison shop, the detail to which consumers read product labels, and overriding consideration for non-ecological product traits. Consumers understand the EcoLogo represents a connection with the environment; however, they lack the knowledge that the Canadian government is responsible for the EcoLogo. Consumers need additional help in three areas: understanding the environmental information found on products, accessing information that gives the EcoLogo credibility, and accessing information about quality, performance and safety of EcoLogo products. These are referred to as "unheard messages". A three step recommendation process i s made to the ECP. First, licensees should be informed of all relevant research results. Second, the EcoLogo should be made more prominent on products. Third, additional efforts should be made to communicate the three unheard messages.

Environment Canada's Environmental Choice Program (ECP) was officially announced in June of 1988. Its purpose is to help consumers find products and services that reduce the burden on the environment. Companies can apply to have a product certified with the EcoLogo where appropriate guidelines exist. The EcoLogo symbol takes the form of three doves intertwined into a maple leaf with the accompanying words: "Environmental Choice". A 1994 poll conducted for the ECP found that only 37% of Canadians have some level of either aided or unaided awareness of the EcoLogo (Environics Research Group Limited, p.10). The purpose of this thesis is to investigate how consumers think about and respond to the EcoLogo in the hope that the insights gained will be used to tailor the program to better inform consumers. Specifically, answers are sought to three research questions: 1) are there any consumer characteristics that help explain low recognition of the EcoLogo, 2) what is consumer understanding of the EcoLogo, EcoLogo products and the EcoLogo Program, and 3) what do consumers need to make the EcoLogo program a credible source of environmental information to act on. The methods used to investigate this topic included two focus groups, forty structured interviews, inquiries to relevant programs and a library search. Three consumer traits were found to be impediments to consumer recognition of the EcoLogo: the frequency with which consumers comparison shop, the detail to which consumers read product labels, and overriding consideration for non-ecological product traits. Consumers understand the EcoLogo represents a connection with the environment; however, they lack the knowledge that the Canadian government is responsible for the EcoLogo. Consumers need additional help in three areas: understanding the environmental information found on products, accessing information that gives the EcoLogo credibility, and accessing information about quality, performance and safety of EcoLogo products. These are referred to as "unheard messages". A three step recommendation process i s made to the ECP. First, licensees should be informed of all relevant research results. Second, the EcoLogo should be made more prominent on products. Third, additional efforts should be made to communicate the three unheard messages. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of / Graduate

Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 2010. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 57-61). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Plasticizers are ubiquitous environmental contaminants. Biodegradation of some of these chemicals, such as di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP or DOP), has been shown to lead to the accumulation of toxic metabolic breakdown products. As a result there is a desire to produce new, fully biodegradable, "green" plasticizers. With this goal in mind, a series of tests were developed to be used to measure the plasticizing efficiency of potential green plasticizers. The base resin selected for the study was poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC). The glass transition temperature (Tg) of the plasticized polymer was measured by temperature-modulated differential scanning calorimetry (TMDSC). Tensile tests were carried out on samples of the material from which the tensile strength and the strain at break of the material were measured. The aforementionned properties were measured for PVC plasticized with the commercial plasticizers DEHP, diethylene glycol dibenzoate (DEGDB) and dipropylene glycol dibenzoate (DPGDB) at several plasticizer concentrations. / 1,5 pentanediol dibenzoate (PDDB) was synthesized and evaluated as a plasticizer by comparing results for this compound with those for the commercial plasticizers using the developed tests. The depression in Tg and tensile properties were comparable at a fixed composition for blends with PDDB relative to blends with DEHP, DEGDB, and DPGDB. PDDB was subjected to biodegradation unsing co-metabolism by the common soil bacterium Rhodococcus rhodocrous (ATCC 13808). After 16 days of growth, nearly all the PDDB was degraded and only small amounts of transient, unidentified, metabolites were observed in the growth medium during the experiment.

This paper has attempted to accurately assess the impact of the disposable plastic grocery bag on the planet. Based on the research findings, it has been concluded that disposable plastic grocery bags are not a necessity, are not justifiable on many reasonable grounds, are costly, and are a toxic detriment to our health and our environment. The distribution of an educational executive briefing package attempted to influence retailers to avail of the opportunity (outlining potential profit, corporate image, and environmental benefits) of going bagless at the checkout, and to cease the use of disposable plastic bags in favour of the non-woven, polypropylene green bag. A shift to this reusable green bag appears to represent an important and effective interim measure towards more noble and sustainable living. Throughout this paper, the disposable plastic grocery bag will be considered through the lenses of morality, economics and the environment.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Rhode Island, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 151-174).

Thesis (Ph.D)--Chemical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2008. / Committee Chair: Dr. Charles A. Eckert; Committee Co-Chair: Dr. Charles L. Liotta; Committee Member: Dr. Amyn Teja; Committee Member: Dr. Dennis W. Hess; Committee Member: Dr. Victor Breedveld.

Mémoire (M.P.M.O.)-- Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, 1994. / Résumé disponible sur Internet. CaQCU Document électronique également accessible en format PDF. CaQCU

Thesis (M.S.)--University of North Texas, Dec., 2008. / Title from title page display. Includes bibliographical references.