Students' environmental concerns and opinions: a Chinese perspective

This study aims at comparing broadly the environmental concerns and opinions between Hong Kong and Beijing students. This is based on an earlier study in Australia which adopted a qualitative approach, using five open-ended question items. In their written comments the children's environmental opinions and concerns were explored. In general, upper primary students tended to be concerned more about the social environment relating to society, while junior and senior secondary students expressed more concern about the social environment relating to the nation and global issues.     

Environmental justice: Co-evolution of environmental concerns and social justice

Summary This paper describes the co-evolution of environmental concerns with civil rights. Over the last 20 years the two issues have found considerable overlap in what is now called the environmental justice movement. The results are exciting, with implications about decision-making, about protecting both environmental quality and civil rights. The promotion of environmental justice spurs social progress. Safeguarding the health of the environment(s) reinforces civil rights.The opinions in this paper are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the institutions with which they are affiliated.     

Who should prepare environmental impact assessments?

The practice of EIA preparation in a number of states and countries is reviewed in the light of the need to avoid bias, integrate the EIA with project design, and make the proponent pay. It is concluded that the best arrangement may be to make the proponent responsible for EIA preparation and to advise a number of constraints designed to improve the quality of the studies and reduce bias. First, the proponent should be required to select a consultant from a register of those known to be honest, unbiased, technically competent, and capable of working with a design team. Second, two steering committees should be established to identify key issues, specify data collection and modeling programs and methods, and ensure that the study stays on course.     

Implementing an environmental business strategy: A step-by-step guide

With more and more organizations seeking opportunities to generate benefits beyond compliance from environmental management activities, the challenges for environmental directors today is to develop and implement an environmental strategy that links environmental performance with the overarching strategic business goals of the organization. Organizations today are looking for opportunities to develop environmental management solutions that not only address the concerns of regulatory stakeholders, but also provide opportunities to improve operating efficiency and financial performance, enhance customer satisfaction, sustain market growth, and enhance goodwill, to satisfy the demands of a broader set of stakeholder groups including customers, investors, and employees. To achieve broader benefits from environmental management investments, this article shows how organizations must first develop a methodology for aligning their environmental management activities with the organization's strategic business goals and create a plan for systematically managing continuous improvement to achieve these goals. The second challenge is to implement this strategy at the business unit and facility level in a manner which integrates environmental management activities with an organization's core business processes to achieve improved product and service performance.     

State-of-the-art science and environmental assessments: the case of acid deposition

Scientific quality in a technical policy document is defined in terms of the proportion of contemporary scientific principles on a subject that the document competently discusses. As a case study of the scientific quality of such documents, this articles examines the treatment of acid deposition effects in 126 environmental impact statements on fossil-fuel power plants. On average, the relevant environmental statements cover only a quarter of the eligible scientific principles. Bureaucratic and political factors influence the quality of discussion of acid deposition more than do strictly objective or scientific factors. In particular, public participation and interagency review processes foster relatively thorough consideration of scientific information in environmental impact statements.     

Biological inventories and computer data bases: Their role in environmental assessments

An important goal of biological inventories is to provide information for environmental assessments of development projects and biodiversity conservation. Likewise, computer data bases have been proposed for efficient compilation and management of biological information. However, the attributes of biological inventories and computer data bases have not been examined with respect to environmental assessments. This article presents a case study in Mexico to analyze the current limitations of biological inventories for successful environmental assessments and biodiversity conservation in developing countries. Results demonstrate that, considering the objectives of environmental assessments and information constraints, computerized biological inventories should be assembled with a minimum of record fields: taxonomic data and georeferenced collection localities. Furthermore, it is proposed that environmental assessments should become a feedback to biological inventories and an important financial support to universities and research institutions in developing countries.     

Local self-determination,process-focus and subordination of environmental concerns

Globalization and region enlargement has increased the emphasis of local authorities on being competitive for inward investment and taxpayers. This can lead to a subordination of environmental concerns. In order to secure environmental and other national interests, planning and regulation at supra-local level is required, especially if the local authorities have different motivations and goals from the central government. The central government policy guidelines of the Norwegian planning system and the possibility for regional state authorities to make objections are an apparatus to protect national interests in planning. However, there has been a significant change in the central government’s practice when deciding on objections by regional state authorities against municipal plans since the new right-wing Norwegian government came into power. The losers from the changed practice are the environmental interests, widely defined. The new government’s prioritization of local self-determination and planning processes rather than contents resonates with key features of neoliberalism, but also with important elements of communicative planning theory.     

Temporal pessimism and spatial optimism in environmental assessments: An 18-nation study

The personal assessments of the current and expected future state of the environment by 3232 community respondents in 18 nations were investigated at the local, national, and global spatial levels. These assessments were compared to a ranking of each country's environmental quality by an expert panel. Temporal pessimism (“things will get worse”) was found in the assessments at all three spatial levels. Spatial optimism bias (“things are better here than there”) was found in the assessments of current environmental conditions in 15 of 18 countries, but not in the assessments of the future. All countries except one exhibited temporal pessimism, but significant differences between them were common. Evaluations of current environmental conditions also differed by country. Citizens' assessments of current conditions, and the degree of comparative optimism, were strongly correlated with the expert panel's assessments of national environmental quality. Aside from the value of understanding global trends in environmental assessments, the results have important implications for environmental policy and risk management strategies.     

Leaching composted lignocellulosic wastes to prepare container media: Feasibility and environmental concerns

The leaching of salt and mineral elements from three composts prepared with residual vegetable crop biomass (melon, pepper or zucchini) was studied using methacrylate columns and distilled water. The benefits of the leached composts to be used for ornamental potted plant production were also analysed. After leaching 5 container capacities of effluent, both the electrical conductivity and the concentration of soluble mineral elements in compost leachates decreased substantially and remained close to the target levels. Composts reacted differently to leaching due to differences in the raw waste sources and the composting process and hence, in their physical and chemical characteristics. At the end of the experiment, after pouring 8 container capacities of water, the leaching efficiency of the salts was 96%, 93% and 87% for melon, pepper and zucchini-based composts, respectively. Mineral elements differed in their ability to be removed from the composts; N (NH₄⁺ and NO₃^?), K⁺, Na⁺, Cl^?, and SO₄^2? were leached readily, whereas H₂PO₄^?, Ca²⁺, and Mg²⁺ were removed hardly. Leached composts showed a range of physico-chemical and chemical characteristics suitable for use as growing media constituents. Potted Calendula and Calceolaria plants grew in the substrates prepared with the leached composts better than in those made with the non-leached ones. Finally, special emphasis must be paid to the management of the effluents produced under commercial conditions to avoid environmental pollution.     

Applying tqm to environmental site assessments under the astm standard

Total Quality Management was initially developed to facilitate an ethos of continuous improvement of the production process. It entails both an internal and external focus. The former depends on a cooperative effort among employees at all levels of the organization to analyze work processes, minimize process variance, and thereby maximize productivity. The latter requires close collaboration with suppliers to ensure that raw or processed materials can be readily and efficiently integrated into the production process and constant communication with the end user—the customer—to ensure that the process generates the expected level of quality. Applying TQM to service industry processes is a bit more complex. In addition to having to tailor the TQM approach to the specific service industry, the processes are seldom identical and tend not to lend themselves to the same type of statistical variance analysis that is considered a hallmark of TQM. Nevertheless, numerous case studies have shown that TQM is applicable to the service industry and can help to generate a culture of continuous improvement and enhance customer satisfaction. Environmental site assessments provide a unique challenge to proponents of TQM. Construction, geological, and hydrological characteristics are unique at each site; regulatory requirements differ by jurisdiction; access to historical information is inconsistent; auditors have varying backgrounds; and client needs and expectations differ. Nevertheless, as the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard practice gains acceptance as a benchmark for environmental site assessments, the application of TQM practices to this service process becomes more practicable.     

Sequential sampling: A cost-effective approach for monitoring benthic macroinvertebrates in environmental impact assessments

Sequential sampling is a method for monitoring benthic macroinvertebrates that can significantly reduce the number of samples required to reach a decision, and consequently, decrease the cost of benthic sampling in environmental impact assessments.Rather than depending on a fixed number of samples, this analysis cumulatively compares measured parameter values (for example, density, community diversity) from individual samples, with thresholds that are based on specified degrees of precision.In addition to reducing sample size, a monitoring program based on sequential sampling can provide clear-cut decisions as to whethera priori-defined changes in the measured parameter(s) have or have not occurred. As examples, sequential sampling programs have been developed to evaluate the impact of geothermal energy development on benthic macroinvertebrate diversity at The Geysers, California, and for monitoring the impact of crude oil contamination on chironomid midge [Cricotopus bicinctus (Meigen) andC. mackenziensis Oliver] population densities in the Trail River, Northwest Territories, Canada.     

Creating sense of community: The role of public space

A strong sense of community has been associated with improved wellbeing, increased feelings of safety and security, participation in community affairs and civic responsibility. Although interest in how the broader built environment influences sense of community is gaining momentum, there is a dearth of empirical research examining the association between sense of community and the quality of public space. This study investigates the relationship between four public spaces – Public Open Space (POS), community centres, schools and shops – and sense of community in residents of new housing developments in the Perth metropolitan area, Western Australia. Data was obtained from a cross-sectional survey (n = 911), a POS audit, and Geographical Information Systems, and analysed using linear regression. The perceived quality of neighbourhood POS and shops was significantly and positively associated with sense of community. This relationship appears to be unaffected by how frequently people use these spaces. High quality public spaces may be important settings for enhancing sense of community within residents of new housing developments.     

Promoting environmental awareness in Botswana: the role of community education

Summary This paper highlights the environmental problems confronting Botswana, which include growing pressure on water resources resulting from increases in population, urbanization and development, deforestation, overgrazing and rangeland degradation in the face of unfavourable environmental and climatic conditions. The paper also describes the role of the government through its National Conservation Strategy, and how this proffers possible solutions to these probems. Such solutions include, among others improved planning and administrative measures in the interest of both protecting water resources against pollution and the possible introduction of an incentive to encourage the collection of rain water, and government legislation which will lead to improvement in the management of both rangelands and livestock to prevent rangeland degradation, as well as the government intention to update its forestry policy to provide a comprehensive National Forestry Management Plan. The paper also examines the efforts of nongovernmental organizations including the Kalahari Conservation Society, the Forestry Association of Botswana, Thusano Lefatsheng and the Botswana Society. These non-governmental organizations are greatly involved in natural resource conservation and utilization and, in addition, they provide avenues for the discussion of issues relating to the environment and natural resources for public awareness. The paper finally discusses the role of community education, by examining the environmental awareness in terms of the population.This paper was presented at the Global Forum '94 Academic Conference, Manchester, UK.     

Teaching for community environmental action: an alternative instructional model for environmental concepts and issues in schools

Summary Whether environmental education in the school curriculum is treated as a separate subject or as an interdisciplinary entity, the end product should be the same: to provide learners with the desire to preserve or develop optimum environments and to improve less desirable ones. In this endeavour, the learners must ultimately reach out to participate in community decisions and environmental management activities, for that is where the environmental problems abound. Moreover, young persons are generally more knowledgeable than many adults on environmental matters and are more aware of the effects of environmental degradation. When they participate in community environmental management, they may also develop unique and particularly dynamic qualities.Research worldwide suggests that very few teaching programmes encourage environmental participation. In Kenya teachers tend to use deductive teaching methods which do not encourage participation, although there may be ample opportunities in the local environment to facilitate such participation. A more refined, reconstructivist inquiry strategy, committed to the attainment of participative environmental education objectives is suggested. The approach, referred to as an operation-environment instructional model emphasizes action research, supported by a series of other vital stages, as fundamental to the agenda for environmental learning.William W. Toili possesses both Bachelor and Master's Degrees in Education from Nairobi as well as a Master's Degree from the University of Leeds, UK. He is currently a lecturer in Environmental Education at Maseno University College.     

Improving public access to environmental information in China

Providing public access to environmental information is a relatively new approach to environmental management that can improve the quality of environmental decision-making and pollution control. China is currently exploring ways to disclose this environmental information, and has found that many aspects of providing environmental information need to be improved. In particular, work still needs to be done to strengthen the laws and regulations that govern public access to environmental information, to expand environmental disclosure among enterprises, to increase disclosure of environmental information in rural areas and enforce the collection of this information, and to investigate and manage environmental information. In this paper, we review the current situation in China, discuss the problems related to this situation, and present recommendations for improvement.     

Learning through public involvement in environmental assessment hearings

This research examined the opportunities for critical education available to participants of a federal environmental assessment (EA) that includes hearings. The Sable Gas Panel Review, an assessment of a natural gas project situated in the Maritimes, was undertaken between 1996 and 1997. This study documented what participants learned through their experiences and how that learning was facilitated. Primary data collection emphasized the use of semi-structured interviews to record the experientially based observations of panel participants. Primary data were supported by a review of material submitted by hearing participants for consideration by the panel, and complemented with literature related to EA, environmental education, and transformational learning theories. Evidence was considered in terms of assessment-specific operational definitions, developed from Shor (1993) [Education is politics: Paulo Freire's Critical Pedagogy. In: McLaren, P., Leonard, P. (Eds.), Paulo Freire : A critical Encounter, Routledge, New York, pp. 25-35] ten indicators of critical education. The study revealed that participants of the Sable Gas panel review had an opportunity to engage in critical education. While it is important to acknowledge that the panel did not set out to engage participants in a 'critical educational' experience, each of the 10 operational definitions of critical education used in the study were addressed to varying degrees through activities undertaken by the panel secretariat. Results illustrate the types of educational opportunities, such as a class on how to participate in a quasi-judicial hearing, and the importance of participant-led research that can arise out of the panel review process. The findings of this research contribute to the evolving literature regarding the role of critical education in EA and environmental management. Understanding the existing scope of critical education within a panel review provides the foundation for identifying opportunities for expanding the capacity of the existing EA process to facilitate learning by participants.     

Public concerns and the public role in siting nuclear and chemical waste facilities

Nuclear and chemical waste facilities can be successfully sited, despitenimby responses, if siting programs account for the sources of public concern. Irrational fear is not the main source; instead, waste managers must deal with perceived inequities in the distribution of benefits and costs, and concern about facility safety. Benefit-cost inequities may be dealt with in part by keeping wastes where they are generated, through political restrictions, or by providing economic compensation and political incentives (for example, a local veto). Assuring people of facility safety includes allowing local control (monitoring, health assessment, regulation), and enhancing trust of facility managers through such means as rectifying past mistakes, individual-oriented education campaigns, and negotiation of compensation packages with local residents. These means should reduce —without eliminating—public opposition to local siting of nuclear and chemical waste facilities.     

Participatory environmental governance in China: public hearings on urban water tariff setting

In the late 1990s China started to expand its market economic reform to the public sector, such as water services. This reform led to major changes in urban water management, including water tariff management. The reforms in water tariff management relate not only to tariffs, but also to the decision-making on tariffs. Water tariff decision-making seems to move away from China's conventional mode of highly centralized and bureaucratic policy- and decision-making. The legalization, institutionalization and performance of public hearings in water tariff management forms a crucial innovation in this respect. This article analyzes the emergence, development and current functioning of public hearings in water tariff setting, and assesses to what extent public hearings are part of a turning point in China's tradition of centralized bureaucratic decision-making, towards more transparent, decentralized and participative governance.     

Implementing ecological opportunity assessments: NJTAP's ECŌ·PA program for process safety and risk management

Chemical mishaps, in some cases leading to fires and explosions, may pose a threat to workers in the manufacturing industry, the general public, and to the environment in general. In response to this concern, the New Jersey Technical Assistance Program (NJTAP) for Industrial Pollution Prevention, in conjunction with the Chemical Industry Council and the Responsible Care® Initiative, has launched a new program called ECO¯·PA, an Ecological Opportunity Assessment for Process Safety and Risk Management. Environmental and safety regulations have become more complex, and since small businesses typically have fewer resources available to interpret these regulations, they may have trouble complying despite their good faith efforts. ECO¯·PA addresses this need for compliance. Now that the program is available, how does one contact and provide this assistance to appropriate clients? NJTAP has created an algorithm for targeting clients which may be useful for other nonprofit organizations.