Indoor air quality investigation according to age of the school buildings in Korea

Since the majority of schools are housed in buildings dating from the 1960s and 1970s, a comprehensive construction and renovation program of school buildings has been carried out to improve the educational conditions in Korea. However, classrooms and computer rooms, with pressed wood desks, chairs and furnishings, as well as construction materials, might have negative effects on the indoor air quality. Furthermore, most schools have naturally ventilated classrooms. The purpose of this study was to characterize the concentrations of different indoor air pollutants within Korean schools and to compare their indoor levels within schools according to the age of school buildings. Indoor and outdoor air samples of carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO(2)), particulate matter (PM(10)), total microbial count (TBC), total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs) and formaldehyde (HCHO) were obtained during summer, autumn and winter from three sites; a classroom, a laboratory and a computer classroom at 55 different schools. The selection of the schools was based on the number of years since the schools had been constructed. The problems causing indoor air pollution at the schools were chemicals emitted by building materials or furnishings, and insufficient ventilation rates. The I/O ratio for HCHO was 6.32 during the autumn, and the indoor HCHO concentrations (mean = 0.16 ppm) in schools constructed within 1 year were significantly higher than the Korean Indoor Air Standard, indicating that schools have indoor sources of HCHO. Therefore, increasing the ventilation rate by means of a mechanical system and the use of low-emission furnishings can play key roles in improving the indoor air quality within schools.     

Educational issues, school settings, and environmental psychology

This paper reviews selected research on classroom and school environments, using a framework that views schools from three perspectives—as places for learning, as places for socialization and as places for psychological development. Studies are included that deal with the impact of noise and classroom design on learning; the relationship between seating position, achievement and status; spatial cognition; the classroom environment and sex role stereotyping; privacy; and density. The need for classrooms to enhance children's feelings of competence, security and self-esteem is also stressed. The goal of the paper is to point out ways in which environmental psychologists can contribute to the improvement of the educational system and to the quality of life in schools.     

Windows, view, and office characteristics predict physical and psychological discomfort

Office employees spend a lot of time inside buildings, where the physical conditions influence their well-being and indirectly influence their employers' business performance. With data from a field study conducted in the Netherlands in April to May 2003, we used path analysis to further elucidate the relationship between personal (gender and seasonality of mood shifts), building (view type, view quality, window distance, and social density), and perceived environmental conditions (light quality, and office impression) and physical and psychological discomfort, sleep quality, and environmental utility. The results show that window views, which that are rated as being more attractive, are beneficial to building occupants by reducing discomfort. However, being close to a window and rating the lighting as being of lower quality can result in thermal and glare problems (environmental utility). Reduced discomfort at work can improve sleep quality, indicating that physical conditions at work influence home life.     

THE CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT AND ITS EFFECTS ON THE PRACTICE OF TEACHERS

This study concerns the design of classroom environments and the impact of these environments on the practice of teachers. It involves data gathered from primary and secondary schools, using lesson observations and teacher interviews. Behavioural mapping instruments were developed for the school-based data collection, and subsequent analysis is both qualitative and quantitative. A number of constructs have been developed, defined and used to evaluate what happens within classrooms. Some of these constructs are physical (modes of layout), some are pedagogic (child-centred), and some involve combinations of data. The findings from the analysis of teachers’ classroom behaviour have been related to the issues emerging from their interviews. This enabled examination of behaviour alongside statements of attitudes and beliefs about the role of the classroom environment. These data inform questions about teachers’ awareness of their surroundings; the extent to which this awareness impacts on their teaching, and the extent to which teachers feel they have control over the features of their classrooms. The article concludes by making the case for the importance of environmental awareness in the training and retraining of teachers. Environmental competence is an important constituent of the skilled teacher.     

The classroom setting as a source of expectations about teachers and pupils

The major purpose of this research is to examine the impact of classroom spatial arrangement (open versus traditional) and orderliness (messy versus neat) on observers' impressions of teachers and pupils. In experiments 1 and 2, samples of college students were shown color slides of vacant elementary classrooms which varied on these two physical dimensions. Subjects were asked to indicate their impressions of the teacher and the pupils who used each room by completing a set of bipolar adjective scales. Data analysis indicated that teachers in neat classrooms were rated more positively than their counterparts in disorderly classrooms on measures of kindliness, inventiveness, and organization. Pupils associated with neat classrooms were judged to be happier and better behaved. Open classroom teachers received higher ratings than traditional classroom teachers on kindliness and inventiveness. In experiment 3, the same procedure was used to obtain ratings from fifth-grade students. Their judgements of teacher and pupil characteristics were also positively affected by neatness, but classroom arrangement had no impact.     

Health and behavior of children in classrooms with and without windows

The aims of the study were to assess the effects of light on the production of stress hormones, classroom performance, body growth, and sick leave, of school children. About 90 children were investigated in their school environment for a duration of one school year. The children were situated in four classrooms differing in respect to the access to natural daylight and artificial fluorescent light. The results indicated the existence of a systematic seasonal variation with more stress hormones in summer than in winter. The children situated in the one classroom lacking both natural daylight and fluorescent daylight tubes demonstrated a marked deviation from this pattern. High levels of morning cortisol were associated with sociability, while moderate or low levels seemed to promote individual concentration. Annual body growth was smallest for the children with the highest levels of morning cortisol. Possibly, the production of cortisol had some influence on sick leave. It may be concluded, that windowless classrooms should be avoided for permanent use.     

Environmental personalization and elementary school children's self-esteem

Prior research indicates that the physical classroom environment has the potential to affect children's behaviors, academic performance, and cognitive development. However, less is understood about the effect on the socio-emotional development of children. This study investigates the potential role of one aspect of the classroom's physical environment, personalization displays, on children's self-esteem. The study employed a classroom intervention in a quasi-experiment to examine the effects of increasing environmental personalization on children's self-esteem. Thirty-eight kindergarteners and first graders in six classrooms of two elementary schools in a rural community of a north-eastern state were assessed on pretests and post-tests of the Self-Esteem Index (SEI) scale and the Children's Inventory of Self-Esteem (CISE) scale. The findings were mixed but encouraging. On both measures of self-esteem, there was a significant positive effect of classroom personalization for first graders. However, for kindergarteners there was a significant positive effect for only one measure, the CISE. Although there are limitations with the study design, the findings suggest that young children's self-esteem may be influenced and enhanced by specific aspects of the classroom's physical environment.     

高校教室照明节能试验与对策分析

本文分析了高校教室照明用电及浪费的现状，通过在某高校教室进行灯具照明节能改造试验，得到节能灯节能率为52．8％，同时分析其舒适程度和可行性，提出以灯具更换为主，宣传和管理并行的节能措施，最终达到共建节约型校园的目的。     

USE OF A VIEWER BOX IN SECCIII DISK MEASUREMENTS1

We used a closed-ended viewer box in the measurement of Secchi depth and compared the results with simultaneous naked-eye measurements. We have shown that use of such a viewer box increases Secchi depth measurement by removing the interfering effects of water surface glare and glitter. A viewer box also increases between-observer precision. Measurements made both with and without the viewer box are slightly greater on the shady side of the boat than on the sunny side; the latter is the preferred side if Secchi data are to be related to other optical properties. As expected, the difference between viewer box and naked eye measurements increases with increasing wave height but not with increasing illuminance. Because of the lack of uniformity in the way Secchi depth is estimated, and the inherent optical problems with current Secchi depth procedures, an appeal is made for production of a standardized protocol for Secchi observations, including the use of a closed-ended viewer box on the sunny side of the boat.     

PROJECT 2000, A PLANNING IMPERATIVE1

Time is running out on this country's planners. Generally speaking, the art of planning has retrogressed since the time of Christ. If we are to survive, this will have to be drastically changed by the year 2000. To achieve this, we need to begin to change our thinking, today. We badly need wider social planning, giving us more alternatives-more thought on where we are going. Reasonableness requires blending of planning and construction-but a sharp line of independence is essential. We must think about all the consequences of a particular act. Through intensive professional development and achievement of professional expertise, many outstanding technicians often move into vital decision making positions within their respective agencies. As planners, they see a part of the action but miss the big picture. Problem solutions become restricted to agency or individual authorities and are not always the best alternative. Thus, the planning field is overflowing with solutions to our every problem but many solutions offer spot control, and while the black spot is removed from the garment the white spot remaining from the solution offers little consolation to the wearer.     

Devolving Residential Energy Efficiency Responsibility to Local Government: The case of HECA

Substantial improvements in residential energy efficiency are required if the UK is to meet its target of reducing CO 2 emissions by 20% between 1990 and 2010. The Home Energy Conservation Act 1995 (HECA) devolves much of the responsibility for this to local authorities, by requiring them to draw up strategies to increase energy efficiency in this sector by 30% in the next 10-15 years. While many authorities have responded positively to the Act, others are struggling, and 25% of HECA reports initially failed to meet the Act's statutory obligations. The Association for the Conservation of Energy (ACE) conducted research to identify barriers faced by local authorities in implementing HECA. They were found to include officers' lack of experience, their lack of time and a lack of support from elected members. Action must be taken to ensure that HECA achieves its potential. The authors suggest that the Act needs to be adequately supported by central legislation, and that devolution of responsibility must be accompanied by some devolution of finances. The authors also recommend that the Act could be used as an example for international replication.     

Performance of newly implemented Environmental Management Systems in primary schools in South Africa

Quantitative results from Environmental Management Systems (EMS) at primary schools have rarely been examined in literature. This paper presents the monitoring results of environmental care in 39 primary schools in Northern South Africa. During 2 years, after the EMS was implemented in the curriculum and in the school's management, the progress of environmental performances of the participating schools has been measured, by means of detailed questionnaires, related to four environmental aspects: water, waste, energy and greening. At the beginning of the project, 50% of the schools performed well on water-related environmental actions. Two years later it was 76%. For waste-related activities the improvement was even stronger: from 50% to 100%. The environmental performances of the schools improved also for greening-related actions, from 50% at the start of the project to 64% two years later. Only energy-related activities did not improve significantly with only 24% of all schools performing well at the end of the survey period.In general, the introduction of an EMS succeeded in an improvement of the overall environmental performances of the schools, but cost-intensive activities were less successful than others.     

Light distribution in dynamic street lighting: Two experimental studies on its effects on perceived safety,prospect, concealment,and escape

The relationship between light and perceived safety at night is intuitively strong, yet theoretically and empirically its workings are largely unknown. Intelligent dynamic road lighting, which continuously adapts to the presence and behavior of users, can light the street only when and where it is needed. As such, it offers a solution to the energy waste and luminous pollution associated with conventional road lighting. With this innovation, however, new questions emerge about the effect of lighting on perceived safety. We need to consider not only how much lighting pedestrians need to feel safe, but also which parts of the street should be lit. In two experiments, we investigated the effect of different light distributions on perceived safety, and explored mediation by people's appraisal of three safety-related cues suggested in the literature: prospect (having an overview), escape (perceived escape possibilities), and refuge/concealment (perceived hiding places for offenders). Both experiments, one with stationary and one with walking participants, demonstrated that people prefer having light in their own immediate surroundings rather than on the road that lies ahead. This could be explained, partially, by changes in prospect, escape, and concealment. Against expectations, prospect was higher with lighting distributions in which participants' immediate surroundings, but not the more distant parts of the road, were most strongly lit.     

高职《给水工程》教学新设想

通过介绍《给水工程》课程的性质和作用,分析目前《给水工程》课程教学中存在的主要问题,对课程今后的教学思路提出了新设想,主要包括：依托学科建设优势,引入科学研究新成果,构架全新课程内容体系;尝试采取＂课堂＋网络辅助＂教学模式;采用多媒体教学和传统讲授相结合的理论教学手段和课堂演示与工程现场结合、教师演示与学生动手结合、经典演示与现代高科技结合、传统演示与多媒体结合的实践教学手段;采用变一考为多考和加重平时成绩的课程考核方式等。     

Towards sustainability management systems in three Swedish local authorities

This paper explores the development towards sustainability management systems (SMSs) in three Swedish local authorities. Many local authorities have extensive experience in using standardised Environmental Management Systems (EMSs). Recently EMSs have extended their reach by widening the scope of the systems including other dimensions of sustainable development. Case studies have been performed in three of the most EMS-experienced local authorities in Sweden. These authorities have extended their EMSs into a sustainability management approach in different ways. This paper discusses the development, possible contributions, and constraints with this development. Expanding EMSs into SMSs can be seen as a learning process in which a larger systems perspective leads to increased awareness that the management system becomes limited by only managing environmental issues. Expanding the EMSs into SMSs may lead to a more complete view of the organisation's total impact on nature and society, and issues that need to be managed.     

How do Local Governments in Mexico City Manage Global Warming?

ABSTRACT

Cities are both significant emitters of carbon dioxide and centres of innovations that may contribute to de-carbonizing our societies. More voices claim therefore that local authorities should be included in efforts to mitigate climate change. However, few studies have analysed how local authorities manage carbon and climate in urban areas in middle- and low-income countries. Yet, the institutional settings and governance structures of such cities are different from those prevailing in cities of wealthy countries. This paper aims to fill this gap by exploring: (a) whether and—if so—how local authorities in Mexico City actually ‘manage’ carbon emissions; (b) how the city's evolving governance structures function and whether they ‘fit’ with the problem they address; and (c) how institutional capacity constrains authorities' management efforts. The paper suggests that policy networks and research groups have been critical in launching a climate agenda. Nevertheless, this has not been enough to push effective policies. Policymaking has been constrained by two sets of institutional factors: the problem of fit and a lack of institutional capacity.     

Exploring the perceived impacts of a public high school closure for urban liveability in a Canadian midsized city

ABSTRACT

Public schools are more than educational institutions; they are essential to creating liveable neighbourhoods. Despite their importance, public schools are being permanently closed across North America, and particularly in the Canadian province of Ontario. In 2015, one of Ontario's public school boards made the decision to permanently close the province's oldest public high school, located in the urban core of the historic midsized city of Kingston. While the school is not scheduled to close until late 2019, the established fate of this prominent public asset has important consequences for the liveability of Kingston's urban core. Accordingly, the objective of this study was to document residents’ perceived impacts of the decision to close to Kingston Collegiate Vocational Institute (KCVI) on liveability in the school's catchment area. We observed widespread dissatisfaction with the decision to close KCVI (85%), with large proportions of respondents (above 40%) anticipating KCVI's closure to negatively impact neighbourhood liveability in various ways in the future. Approximately one-quarter of respondents indicated that they have considered moving as a result of the decision, and among these, concerns about negative impacts to household-level well-being were particularly acute. Given the socio-demographic profile of respondents who have considered moving, these findings suggest that the closure of KCVI could have a destabilising effect on the neighbourhoods within the KCVI catchment area by driving families out of the city's urban core. Our findings suggest that policies to address concerns of under-enrolment are short-sighted and undermine efforts of other sectors to promote liveable communities.     

Determinants of noise annoyance in teachers from schools with different classroom reverberation times

A high proportion of school teachers report that they are disturbed by noise during teaching. The aim of the study was therefore to identify determinants of self-reported noise exposure and disturbance attributed to noise among secondary school teachers (n = 419) in 10 schools in Copenhagen, Denmark. The schools were selected to show contrasts in classroom reverberation times (RT), and were classified as “Short RT” (3 schools, mean RT 0.41–0.45 s), “Medium RT” (3 schools, mean RT 0.51–0.55 s) and “Long RT” (4 schools, mean RT 0.62–0.73 s). Significant determinants of self-reported noise exposure were a high number of children in the class, young age of the children, and low teacher seniority. “Long RT” classification was of borderline significance. Significant determinants of disturbance attributed to noise from children in the class were teacher seniority and “Long RT” acoustic classification of the school. The associations between work characteristics and noise disturbance measures were attenuated by low self-rated work capacity, suggesting that the consequences of noise and poor acoustics may not be limited to disturbance attributed to noise, but may have a wide negative impact on the perceived working environment.     

How do green charges transform industrial behaviour? An explorative case study of institutionalisation and transition in post-Communist Poland

Based on three explorative case studies of industrial environmental practices in Poland, this paper examines how green charges alter the situated knowledge of companies' environmental managers. The study illustrates that following the Communist collapse, companies began to take the environmental authorities seriously because more severe enforcement and higher levels of green charges were implemented. However, the study also develops the hypothesis that environmental managers' comprehension of environmental problems is determined by the chemicals imposed with a duty.