Environmental Sustainability Values Research Articles

Menumbuhkan Kreativitas dan Cinta Lingkungan Anak Pekerja Migran di Sanggar Bimbingan Kepong Malaysia dengan Proyek Pancasila Berbasis Zero Waste

This service aims to foster creativity and love for the environment in the children of migrant workers at the Kepong Guidance Center, Kuala Lumpur, through the Zero Waste-Based Pancasila Project. Children of migrant workers often face a variety of difficulties, such as lack of access to essential services and difficult economic conditions. This program provides formal and value-based education of Pancasila, which is integrated with the concept of zero waste. Through lecture and participatory methods, children are taught to utilize waste, especially paper, into products of economic value. This activity not only improves creative and critical thinking skills, but also in stills environmental sustainability values. The results of the program show the active participation and high enthusiasm of the children in the educational and practical process. In addition to increasing creativity, the program also strengthens children's awareness of the importance of an eco-friendly lifestyle and social responsibility. This program makes a positive contribution to improving the quality of life and future opportunities of migrant workers' children.

Spectrophotometric determination of zinc in blood and food samples using an air-assisted rapid synergistic-cloud point extraction method based on deep eutectic solvents

At room temperature, an air-assisted rapid synergistic cloud point extraction (AA-RS-CPE) method based on deep eutectic solvent (DES) was presented to determine Zn (II) traces in various samples. Nonanoic acid and L-menthol formed the synergistic reagent (DES) in a 2:1 mole ratio to reduce both time and cloud point temperature. Air cycles were used to maximize recovery and accelerate cloudy solution formation. The 4,4-dimethyl-2,6-dioxo-N-phenylcyclohexanecarbothioamide (DDPCCTA) and TritonX-100 were used as ligand and surfactant, respectively. The validation parameters, including the calibration curve linearity (0.2-900µgL-1), the limit of detection (LOD = 0.10µgL-1), the enhancement factor (EF = 120), and the preconcentration factor (PE = 100), were calculated. Additionally, the accuracy of the AA-RS-DES-CPE approach was proved by two certified reference materials (CRMs). Finally, the three greenness tools, the Blue Applicability Grade Index (BAGI), the Sample Preparation Metric of Sustainability (SPMS), and the Analytical Greenness Metric for Sample Preparation (AGREEprep), were used to evaluate the environmental sustainability values, health hazards, and applicability of this method. This approach was improved to be safer and more environmentally friendly than existing methods, with high application potential.

The EU’s Sustainable Product Initiative: Enhancing the Readiness of the Furniture Business in Ukraine

This study has been inspired by a set of new rules which are expected to be implemented within the EU’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR). Considering the possible market risks for the Ukrainian furniture industry, and that includes both exporters and non-exporters (within the context of the harmonisation of the rules), this research sought to capture and understand the readiness of companies as regards the changes on the EU market, along with those companies’ sentiments and ability to cope with the upcoming inherent challenges. The survey of furniture producers presented in this paper is one of the first devoted to the problem of Ukrainian producers’ adaptability to the ESPR, made all the more challenging due to the burden of the ongoing war. This study has brought to light rather positive industry sentiments regarding furniture production volume and the competitive position of companies within the furniture industry, but there is also a lack of company awareness of the full range of ESPR measures and tools, hence there is a risk of underestimating those measures and tools’ possible impact along with the risk of a delayed response. Environmental sustainability values should be given higher priority than they are currently in companies’ current marketing strategies, and the effectiveness of supply chain management practices will inevitably have to be questioned by company leaders. Possible adaptation measures aimed at circularity are not sufficiently perceived, while attention is focused more on the use of materials, energy, and environmental pollution.

From Industry 4.0 Digital Manufacturing to Industry 5.0 Digital Society: a Roadmap Toward Human-Centric, Sustainable, and Resilient Production

AbstractThe present study addresses two critical controversies surrounding the emerging Industry 5.0 agenda. Firstly, it seeks to elucidate the driving forces behind the accelerated momentum of the Industry 5.0 agenda amidst the ongoing digital industrial transformation. Secondly, it explores how the agenda’s sustainability values can be effectively realised. The study conducted a comprehensive content-centric literature synthesis and identified how Industry 4.0 shortcomings adversely impacted sustainability values. Furthermore, the study implements a novel approach that determines how and in what order the sustainability functions of Industry 4.0 should be leveraged to promote the sustainability objectives of Industry 5.0. Results reveal that Industry 4.0 has benefited economic and environmental sustainability values most at the organisational and supply chain levels. Nonetheless, most micro and meso-social sustainability values have been adversely impacted by Industry 4.0. Similarly, Industry 4.0 has been worryingly detrimental to macro sustainability values like social or economic growth equality. These contradictory implications of Industry 4.0 have pulled the Industry 5.0 agenda. However, the results identified nine sustainability functions of Industry 4.0 that, when leveraged appropriately and in the correct order, can offer important implications for realising the economic and socio-environmental goals of Industry 5.0. For example, under extreme unpredictability of business world uncertainties, the business should first leverage the automation and integration capabilities of Industry 4.0 to gain the necessary cost-saving, resource efficiency, risk management capability, and business antifragility that allow them to introduce sustainable innovation into their business model without jeopardising their survival. Various scenarios for empowering Industry 5.0 sustainability values identified in the present study offer important implications for knowledge and practice.

Forest schools in Turkey in times of COVID-19

This study explores the significance of forest schools in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically their effects on children’s developmental areas. This study was conducted with nine preschool teachers and 134 children attending a public forest school in southern Turkey in 2021. A combination of observation protocols, anecdotal records, and in-depth interviews, applied as part of a phenomenological approach, were the preferred data collection tools. The results showed that forest schools can tolerate learning losses and offer vital support for children’s psycho-social, motor skills, and cognitive development, while simultaneously promoting environmental sustainability values and behaviors.

The Slow Flower Movement – exploring alternative sustainable cut-flower production in a Swedish context

This study critically analyses the emerging Slow Flower Movement in a Swedish context. Analysis is conducted by using the Triple-layered Business Model Canvas, covering economic, social and environmental sustainability values. Data are collected (Spring 2021) through semi-structured interviews, observations of cultivation and use of social media. Analysis and coding were conducted by applying thematic analysis. The results show that consumer demand and market for domestic cut-flowers are increasing; however, the development is hindered by small scale production, low profitability and demanding work conditions. Results also show that produce, in line with the Slow Flower Movement, provides unique sustainable values: contribution to biodiversity, a different and unique assortment, functions as a meeting point, and contributes to the local culture, landscape and society. Social media represent a crucial tool in sales, marketing and communication, as well as in the overall development of the movement. Highlighting how these technological communication platforms constitute a foundation for the movement's establishment. The avoidance of technical production aid in the cultivation is regarded as a main hindrance to developing the firms and profitability. By initiating knowledge exchange between conventional growers and the emerging Slow Flower Movement, both parties are expected to gain advantages of a transformation towards a mutual development of sustainable domestic cut-flower production.

School curricullum and enviromental sustainability

Despite far-reaching environmental concerns, school curriculum in Kenya lacks adequate environmental sustainability address, yet global indicators show deterioration of the environment in developing countries is obviously leading to loss of biodiversity, rise in carbon levels, climate change (UNESCO. 2016) and overall poor-quality life. Research conducted on values education and environmental sustainability determined effective approaches to promote environment sustainability among school going children in Kenya. Inadequate environmental values education was hypothesized to lead to low awareness and action towards sustainability. To determine the extent to which Kenya’s education curriculum addresses environmental sustainability values for ESD, the findings form a basis for proposing innovation in EESD in school curricular. Mixed research design involved content analysis of the curricula and textbooks, descriptive surveys and expert interviews. Multistage sampling was applied among students and teachers from 8 former provinces of Kenya for administration of questionnaires to determine environmental content in educational materials, values and skills taught. Expert officials from KICD, MOEST, and UNEP were selected using purposive sampling for interviewing on required content, policy and adequacy. Findings indicated that EESD is not explicitly taught, does not adequately reflect in curricular objectives or textbooks, teaching on environment is mainly knowledge based and lacks experiential learning activities, heads of department (50%) have no training on environmental issues, students (51.8%) have not learnt enough of environmental issues, teachers (56%) are not motivated to teach about environment, and over 62% of teachers report the curriculum is insufficient to develop environmental values. MoE and NEEMA confirmed that values and policy on environmental sustainability are insufficiently taught, teachers are inadequately trained and initiatives on curriculum for environmental sustainability are inconclusive. Teaching and learning for EESD in Kenya is based on inadequate content, values and methodology. In conclusion appropriate EESD content, values and methodologies should be integrated in unfolding curriculum reviews for school.
 Key Words:
 School Curricular
 Environmental Education
 Environmental Education for Sustainable Development
 Environmental Sustainabilit

Environmental sustainability engagement practices among youths in Muallim District, Perak, Malaysia

The study aimed to examine environmental sustainability practices among youths in Muallim District, Perak, Malaysia. This study applied a quantitative method comprising questionnaires with 400 youths aged 19 to 40. A simple random sampling method was used to divide the respondents into groups of two. Most variables (including knowledge, values and skills) were at high levels, but the environmental sustainability skills variable was only at a moderate level, with a mea score between 2.34 until 3.66. The findings also revealed a strong significant relationship between knowledge, values and environmental sustainability skills and environmental sustainability practices (p<0.05). The regression findings showed that environmental sustainability knowledge, environmental sustainability values and environmental sustainability skills contributed a total of 38.3 percent of variance change to environmental sustainability practices, with environmental sustainability knowledge being the greatest contributor at 31.5 percent, environmental sustainability at 5 percent and environmental sustainability skills at 1.8 percent (R2 =.383, F(1, 339)=81.846, p<.05). This indicates that overall environmental engagement practices were influenced by individual sustainability skills. In fact, environmental knowledge not create awareness among youths to apply practices that lead to environmental sustainability; rather, the skills possessed and acquired by youths can lead to their engagement in environmental sustainability practices.

Environmental sustainable value in agriculture revisited: How does Common Agricultural Policy contribute to eco-efficiency?

The conflict between capital-intensive agriculture, often called industrial agriculture, and sustainable farming is ongoing, and not because of Western European countries, where intensification is increasingly sustainable. It is caused by several million small farms in Central and Eastern Europe that must choose a long-term development path. This is also a dilemma for agricultural policy: Are small farms so environmentally friendly that they should play the role of ‘landscape guardians’ at the expense of public support and economic vegetation, or should they strive to improve productivity through investments? This study offers a methodological contribution to the value-based sustainability approach by computing indicators of environmental sustainable value (ESV). The authors have attempted to combine the value-oriented approach with frontier benchmarking. They then tested how the European Union Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) schemes contribute to ESV using a long-term panel of regionally representative farms from Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN) with regard to factor endowments, for the years 2004–2017. The seminal within–between specification was employed to control the time variant and time invariant space heterogeneity of European regions. The main finding is that higher investment support is beneficial to ESV. Regarding factor endowment influence, there was a positive impact of the capital–labour ratio. Except the cross-sectional impact of environmental subsidies, the payments exert a negative effect on ESV.

Moving towards sustainability: A theoretical design of environmental performance measurement systems

We develop and explain how environmental performance measurement systems (EPMS) can be designed to overcome some key design issues identified from extant EPMS research. We take an interdisciplinary approach integrating science and sustainability theories into accounting research to theoretically develop six key design principles for a valid decision-useful EPMS framework. Our theoretical framework, comprising established theoretical and causal links between the organization’s summary sustainability measure and its drivers, provides insight into how management decisions at the operational level influence economic and environmental sustainability value created for the organization, thus supporting sustainability-related decision making. We test the framework in an irrigated agriculture setting using simulation modeling. Measured parameter values for key sustainability measures theoretically derived from the design principles are compared with optimal values to identify production processes for improvement. The empirical results showed significant simultaneous improvement in water and economic sustainability performance, resulting from a change in one targeted production practice. While our model demonstrates how the quality of sustainability-related information and decision making can be improved within a specific organizational setting, it also provides a generalizable tool for resolving the wicked problems of sustainable natural resource use.

Accumulation of assets in farms covered by the FADN farm accountancy system in Poland – the economic and eco-efficiency context

The primary objective of the article is to identify the accumulation processes in farms in Poland based on the economic size as well as the context of eco-efficiency (from the perspective of Environmental Sustainable Value). In addition, the importance of subsidies in generating accumulation was specified and the context of eco-efficiency was taken into account. Analysis of the environmental context was carried out with the use of the assessment of subsidies for public goods and return to cost ratio (RTC) based on the concept of Sustainable Value (SV). Cross-analysis has shown that with the transition to groups of farms with an increasing economic size, the situation was more favourable from the perspective of the accumulation rate and its level per 1 ha. Subsidies play a significant role in shaping accumulation. It was observed that the higher rate of accumulation associated with the transition to groups of farms with greater economic strength is accompanied by an increase in eco-efficiency through the prism of the RTC indicator. Larger (but not the largest) farms are more efficient in using the transformation of environmental inputs into production output, which does not mean that they exert an absolutely lower environmental pressure.

ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABLE VALUE IN AGRICULTURE REVISITED: HOW INVESTMENT SUBSIDIES FOSTER ECO-EFFICIENCY

Many researchers and policy makers argue that CAP should support small farms mainly through environmental subsidies contributing by this mean to sustainable agriculture. This study offers a methodological contribution to the value-based sustainability approach, consisting of a computing indicator of environmental sustainable value (ESV). In this study, the authors have attempted to combine the value-oriented approach with DEA frontier benchmarking. In the next step, the authors test how investment subsidies contribute to ESV using a long-term panel of FADN region-representative farms in 2004-2015 with regards to other policy measures and factor endowments. The seminal within-between specification was employed to the control time variant and time in-variant space heterogeneity of European regions. The articles main finding is that higher investment support is beneficial for ESV. Other payments exert a negative effect on ESV besides the cross-sectional impact of environmental subsidies. When it comes to factor endowment influence, there is a positive impact of the capital-labor ratio and negative impact of the capital-land ratio.

Approaching the environmental sustainable value in agriculture: How factor endowments foster the eco-efficiency

Abstract Small and labor-intensive farms guarantee a higher degree of environmental sustainability compared to rich, capital-intensive farms. This paper offers a methodological contribution to the value-based sustainability approach, consisting in computing a modified indicator of environmental sustainable value. Using this approach, the authors test how factor endowments such as capital, land and labor contribute to environmental sustainable value using a long-term panel of region-representative European Union farm accountancy data network farms in 2004–2015. The seminal within-between specification was employed to control time variant and time in-variant space heterogeneity of European regions. The articles main finding is that higher capital endowment and lower labor-intensity is beneficial for environmental sustainable value. The result that farming with higher labor endowment might be less eco-efficient contradicts the commonly known perception of this problem. In light of our findings, we conclude that the pro-investment direction of the common agricultural policy should be followed but one-size-fit-all policy is not working.

Do students view environmental sustainability as important in their job search? Differences and similarities across culture

Organisations are increasingly concerned about environmental sustainability; yet, there is little international research on how ecological values influence job-seekers' attraction to organisations and intentions to pursue a job. This study examines the influence of environmental sustainability in recruiting by exploring variances in perceptions between students from the USA, India, and China. This study identifies overall differences in respondents from these countries. A distinct difference in how students view environmental values and where responsibility for the environment is placed is noted across different cultures. Despite the differences, findings support a consistent relationship among respondents from all three countries: students who perceive ecological values as being important also view organisations with environmental sustainability values as more attractive and as someplace they would be more likely to pursue employment. Therefore, organisations with environmental sustainability values may have more ability to hire individuals who will help support their organisational efforts.

Integrated dynamic policy management methodology and system for strategic environmental assessment of golf course installation policy in Taiwan

Strategic environmental assessment (SEA) focuses primarily on assessing how policies, plans, and programs (PPPs) influence the sustainability of the involved regions. However, the processes of assessing policies and developing management strategies for pollution load and resource use are usually separate in the current SEA system. This study developed a policy management methodology to overcome the defects generated during the above processes. This work first devised a dynamic management framework using the methods of systems thinking, system dynamics, and Managing for Results (MFRs). Furthermore, a driving force-pressure-state-impact-response (DPSIR) indicator system was developed. The golf course installation policy was applied as a case study. Taiwan, counties of Taiwan, and the golf courses within those individual counties were identified as a system, subsystems, and objects, respectively. This study identified an object-linked double-layer framework with multi-stage-option to simultaneously to quantify golf courses in each subsystem and determine ratios of abatement and allocation for pollution load and resource use of each golf course. The DPSIR indicator values for each item of each golf course in each subsystem are calculated based on the options taken in the two decision layers. The summation of indicator values for all items of all golf courses in all subsystems according to various options is defined as the sustainability value of the policy. An optimization model and a system (IDPMS) were developed to obtain the greatest sustainability value of the policy, while golf course quantity, human activity intensity, total quantities of pollution load and resource use are simultaneously obtained. The solution method based on enumeration of multiple bounds for objectives and constraints (EMBOC) was developed for the problem with 1.95 × 10 128 combinations of possible options to solve the optimal solution in ten minutes using a personal computer with 3.0 GHz CPU. This study obtain the policy with the optimal environmental sustainability value in Taiwan is 102 golf courses. Human activity intensity and total quantities of pollution load and resource use which are concurrently obtained are less than those of the existing policy and the existing quantities in 2006. The optimal solution remains unchanged under most sensitivity analysis conditions, unless the weights and constraints are extremely changed. The analytical results indicate that the proposed methodology can be used to assist the authorities for simultaneously generating and assessing the policy during the SEA process.