Domain Of Environmental Management Research Articles

Machine learning to support citizen science in urban environmental management

Machine learning (ML) and citizen science (CS) are increasingly prevalent and rapidly evolving approaches to studying and managing environmental challenges. Municipal and other governance actors can benefit from technology advances in ML and public engagement benefits of CS but must also address validity and other quality assurance concerns in their application to particular management contexts. In this article, we take up the pervasive challenge of urban litter to demonstrate how ML can support CS by providing quality assurance in the regulatory context of California's stormwater program. We gave quantitative CS-collected data to five ML models to compare their predictions of a qualitative, site-specific, multiclass “Litter Index” score, an important regulatory metric typically only assessed by trained experts. XGBoost had the best outcome, with scores of 0.98 for accuracy, precision, recall and F-1. These strong results show that ML can provide a reliable complement to CS assessments and increase quality assurance in a regulatory context. To date, ML and CS have each contributed to litter management in novel ways and we find that their integration can provide important synergies with additional applications in other environmental management domains.

Go green! Measuring the factors that influence sustainable performance

This study examines the GHRM practices and the transformational leadership specific to environmental sustainability of Pakistan's dairy industry. It also investigates the mediating role of pro-environmental behaviour in the relationship of GHRM practices, The environmental-specific transformational leadership, and sustainable behavior. Additionally, the study examines the moderating role of the pro-environmental attitude between GHRM practices and The environmental-specific transformational leadership. The target population consists of employees working in dairy organizations of Pakistan. A simple random sampling technique was used for data collection. A survey questionnaire method was used to collect data; after data screening a total of 430 responses were subjected to SEM for analysis. The findings indicated that the GHRM practices play a significant role in improving employee environmental and sustainable behavior. The environmental-specific transformational leadership positively affects the pro-environmental behaviour of employees, but its impact on sustainable performance is insignificant. In addition, GHRM practices and environmental-specific transformational leadership have been shown to indirectly contribute to sustainable performance through environmental behavior. The pro-environmental attitude moderates the effect of GHRM practices and environmental-specific transformational leadership on pro-environmental behavior, and pro-environmental behavior leads to sustainable performance. This study is one of the rare attempts to examine the integrated impact of GHRM practices and environmental-specific transformational leadership on pro-environmental behavior and sustainable performance in the domain of environmental management. It explicitly offers insights into the literature by developing a mechanism to improve sustainable performance through GHRM practices and environmental-specific transformational leadership in the dairy industry. The findings of this study have postulated that a package of GHRM practices and environmental-specific transformational leadership is needed to build pro-environmental behavior and foster sustainable performance. It can help managers in their effort to build environmental friendly behavior under the lens of a pro-environmental attitude that facilitates sustainable performance. Aligned to cope with the increasing environmental concerns of the dairy industry, this study proposes that managers would support specific transformational environmental leadership along with green discipline by raising pro-environmental behaviour under the lens of a pro-environmental attitude for the implication of environmental policies to achieve sustainable performance of dairy firms.

Green ambidexterity and environmental performance: The role of green human resources

AbstractRecent literature in the domain of environmental management suggests that employees' behavior is vital to enhance environmental performance. Despite this, little effort has been made to study how human resource management is linked with the environmental performance. Even less attention has been given to a joint consideration of green innovation and green human resources management and their contribution to environmental performance. The purpose of the current study is to investigate the interrelationship between green high performance work system (GPWS) and environmental performance through the mediation of green ambidexterity. A variance‐based structural equation modeling (partial least squares) was applied to a sample of Spanish hotel firms. The results indicate that GHPWS facilitate the development of green ambidexterity, and that this variable contributes to improved environmental performance. The results of this study make several contributions to the GHRM and green ambidexterity literature, as well as practical contributions for managers.

Coalescing IoT and Wi-Fi technologies for an optimized approach in urban route planning.

The quality of air that we breathe is one of the more serious environmental challenges that the government faces all around the world. It is a matter of concern for almost all developed and developing countries. The National Air Quality Index (NAQI) in India was first initiated and unveiled by the central government under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (Clean India Campaign). It was launched to spread cleanliness, and awareness to work towards a clean and healthy environment among all citizens living in India. This index is computed based on values obtained by monitoring eight types of pollutants that are known to commonly permeate around our immediate environment. These are particulate matter PM10; particulate matter PM2.5; nitrogen dioxide; sulfur dioxide; carbon monoxide; lead; ammonia; and ozone. Studies conducted have shown that almost 90% of particulate matters are produced from vehicular emissions, dust, debris on roads, and industries and from construction sites spanning across rural, semi-urban, and urban areas. While the State and Central governments have devised and implemented several schemes to keep air pollution levels under control, these alone have proved inadequate in cases such as the Delhi region of India. Internet of Things (IoT) offers a range of options that do extends into the domain of environmental management. Using an online monitoring system based on IoT technologies, users can stay informed on fluctuating levels of air pollution. In this paper, the design of a low-price pollution measurement kit working around a dust sensor, capable of transmitting data to a cloud service through a Wi-Fi module, is described. A system overview of urban route planning is also proposed. The proposed model can make users aware of pollutant concentrations at any point of time and can also act as useful input towards the design of the least polluted path prediction app. Hence, the proposed model can help travelers to plan a less polluted route in urban areas.

Greening the workforce to achieve environmental performance in hotel industry: A serial mediation model

Recent literature in the domain of environmental management suggests that employees' behavior is vital to enhance environmental outcomes. Despite this fact, a negligible effort has been made to study how HRM is linked with the environmental performance of the organization. The purpose of the current study is to investigate the interrelationship between organizations' Green HRM and environmental performance through the mediation of environmental concerns and environmental responsibility. To conduct this study, a sample comprised of 300 white-collar employees of various hotel chains operating in Pakistan was selected. The data were collected using a multi-time approach and were analyzed through partial least structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique. The findings suggest that Green HRM positively contributes to the environmental performance of the organization. Mediating roles of environmental concerns and environmental responsibility were also found statistically significant. Furthermore, the results also revealed that the relationship between Green HRM and environmental performance would be stronger when employees become more concerned about the environment. This research contributes to the body of knowledge in testing the theory of organizational citizenship behavior towards environmental wellbeing by providing empirical evidence on hypothesized relationships. Using Organizational citizenship behavior towards the environment theory the present study is an attempt unveil what is unknown on the Green HRM and environmental performance relationship.

The norms, rules and motivational values driving sustainable remediation of contaminated environments: A study of implementation

Efforts to achieve sustainability are transforming the norms, rules and values that affect the remediation of contaminated environments. This is altering the ways in which remediation impacts on the total environment. Despite this transformation, few studies have provided systematic insights into the diverse norms and rules that drive the implementation of sustainable remediation at contaminated sites, and no studies have investigated how values motivate compliance with these norms and rules. This study is a systematic analysis of the rules, norms and motivational values embedded in sustainable remediation processes at three sites across Australia, using in-depth interviews conducted with 18 participants between 2011 and 2014, through the application of Crawford and Ostrom's Institutional Grammar and Schwartz's value framework. These approaches offered methods for identifying the rules, norms, and motivational values that guided participants' actions within remediation processes at these sites. The findings identify a core set of 16 norms and 18 rules (sanctions) used by participants to implement sustainable remediation at the sites. These norms and rules: define the position of participants within the process, provide means for incorporating sustainability into established remediation practices, and define the scope of outcomes that constitute sustainable remediation. The findings revealed that motivational values focused on public interest and self-interest influenced participants' compliance with norms and rules. The findings also found strong interdependence between the norms and rules (sanctions) within the remediation processes and the normative principles operating within the broader domain of environmental management and planning. The paper concludes with a discussion of: the system of norms operating within sustainable remediation (which far exceed those associated with ESD); their link, through rules (sanctions) to contemporary styles of regulatory enforcement; and the underlying balance of public-interest values and self-interest values that drives participants' involvement in sustainable remediation.

Division Scheme for Environmental Management Regionalization in China

Based on regional heterogeneity of environmental characteristics and factors influencing those characteristics, environmental units may be classified into homogeneous zones. Then, essential strategies and mitigation measures in each zone may be developed and environmental quality may be holistically improved using a system of environmental management regionalization (EMRZ). Here, an EMRZ scheme for China was devised by outlining regional management using integrated qualitative and quantitative methods. First, the land was subdivided into four environmental management domains using China's three physical geographic domains. Second, using a regionalization indicator system, the environmental characteristics of neighboring provinces in four domains was quantified using the one-dimensional Euclidean distance method; regions with high similarity were merged into one environmental management region (EMR) and the preliminary draft of EMRs was obtained. Based on the preliminary scheme, eight EMRs using prefecture-level administrative regions were obtained through boundary adjustment based on important natural geographical boundaries and existing regional plans. These include the Northeastern China Region, the North China Plain Region, the Loess Plateau Region, Southeast Coast Region, the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River, the Southwestern China Region, the Northwestern China Region, and the Tibetan Plateau Region. Priority environmental problems of each EMR were discussed. The main contribution of this study is that it develops a novel methodological framework for EMRZ integrating qualitative and quantitative methodologies, and considers the spatial contiguity of each EMR and the spatial integrity of each administrative unit. Future research will focus on priority goals and establishment of suitable environmental management policies for each EMR based on known local environmental problems.

The competitive determinants of a firm's environmental management activities: Evidence from US manufacturing industries

Environmental management (EM) issues have received substantial attention in operations management. While the link between EM practices and firm performance has been well studied, little is known about the competitive drivers of a firm's EM activities. In this research, a Schumpeterian economics perspective is adopted to investigate competitive interactions among leader and challenger firms in the domain of EM, with a particular focus on operational EM activities. Using econometric methods, the empirical analysis of panel data from a broad cross-section of US manufacturing firms reveals that such rivalry does exist and that the effect of a rival's past EM activity on a focal firm's EM activity is greater for more profitable and smaller firms. In addition, firm characteristics such as market leadership, firm size and firm profitability are found to significantly affect the magnitude of a firm's EM activities. This study presents theoretical and empirical evidence of rivalrous behaviors in the domains of EM and OM and, thus, has interesting implications for operations management research and practice.

Exploring Discourses in Environmental Decision Making: An Indigenous Hunting Case Study

The challenge of developing environmental outcomes acceptable to stakeholders with different values is well documented. Discourse analysis provides insights into how the views of different stakeholders affect decision making. We studied the discourses of key actors associated with the implementation of a Turtle and Dugong Hunting Management Plan developed by Hope Vale Aboriginal community in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area, Australia. The discourses of the environmental managers and community members were very different. Hope Vale people prioritized cultural well-being; the staff of management agencies prioritized biodiversity outcomes. These differences precluded effective outcomes despite considerable investment in hunting management over more than 20 years by both groups. Understanding the discursive terrain within environmental management domains can inform environmental decision making and the implementation of agreed management arrangements, enabling biodiversity objectives and Indigenous cultural aspirations to be met in a socially just, economically viable, and environmentally sustainable way.

Co-management and protected area management: Achieving effective management of a contested site, lessons from the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area (GBRWHA)

Abstract Marine protected management has gained acceptance as a way forward to achieve enhanced biodiversity outcomes. Simultaneously, co-management has gathered momentum as a mechanism to incorporate indigenous cultural aspirations within environmental management domains. Each management process has its own methodologies; when the two models intersect, they present a number of challenges to overall management outcomes. We review the journey of an indigenous co-management initiative within a marine protected area (MPA), the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area (GBRWHA), Australia, to explore how different management paradigms intersect with both negative and positive results. We argue that lessons learned from this initiative will help participants to adapt and innovate, so as to implement effective on ground management despite the region being a contested site.

An expert system for planning landfill restoration

The application of expert systems technology in the domain of environmental management is particularly appropriate in order to preserve and disseminate efficiently valuable and scarce expertise at reasonable costs. The Landfill Restoration Plan Advisor (LRPA) is an expert system designed for use in the planning of sanitary landfill restoration. This paper describes the LRPA and the methodology and techniques that were employed for its development. A unique feature of this experience was that knowledge was acquired from multiple expertise sources in various forms. Expertise acquired from text analysis of textbooks and manuals was used in developing the core knowledge base for the expert system; while those acquired from text analysis of research publications and interviews with selected domain experts was used in the subsequent refinement and expansion of the basic prototype. The building process for the LRPA prototype adopted a modular approach using the incremental rapid prototyping methodology.