Walking to school: Community design and child and parent barriers

The roles of community design and parent and child perceptions of walkability to school are tested for associations with walking in three communities: a walkable new urbanist community, a mixed community (standard suburban community where the walk to school traversed part of the new urbanist community), and less walkable standard suburban community. Perceived environmental barriers to walking to school are measured and compared for fifth graders (n = 193) and their parents (n = 177). Results showed that children and parents often agreed on walking barriers, except an interaction showed that — in the less walkable community — parents perceived worse barriers than did their children. Perceptions of barriers increased from walkable, to mixed, to less walkable communities. Students walked more when they attended the school in the walkable community, they lived near school, parents and children perceived fewer barriers to walking, and children had lower BMI scores, net of demographic controls. Thus the walk to school is embedded within multiple types of supports, all of which should be addressed to encourage walking to school.     

A review of the military approach to urban environmental deterioration in Nigeria

The concern of this paper is a review of the urban environmental degradation and the current approach by the military (environmental task force) in solving the problem. It is based on the experience of a few states in Nigeria. The paper proposes a comprehensive urban planning approach which should be integrated with an awareness campaign.     

The use (and abuse) of the new environmental paradigm scale over the last 30 years: A meta-analysis

This paper reports a meta-analysis of studies using the New Environmental Paradigm (NEP) Scale over the last 30 years. A review of 69 studies from 36 countries (including 58,279 participants from 139 samples) shows that there is considerable variation in the way the NEP Scale is used, particularly with regards to the number of items used and the number of points on the Likert scale employed. Results from weighted regression analyses reveals that variations in sample type and scale length have a significant effect on NEP scores. In particular, environmentalist and white-collar samples scored significantly higher on the NEP Scale than nationally or regionally representative samples, while blue-collar samples scored significantly lower; and participants scored higher on 6-item versions of the scale than on the revised 15-item version, and lower on versions of the scale containing 5, 7, 8 or 10 items. Implications of this research for the comparability of previous studies using the NEP Scale are discussed and guidelines for future research are presented.     

An ecological perspective on theory, methods, and analysis in environmental psychology: Advances and challenges

Over the course of environmental psychology's brief history, there has been an interest in ecologically oriented approaches to theory and research. Based on this work, this paper identifies a set of six principles of ecological analysis that present theoretical, methodological, and analytic challenges to future research in environmental psychology. These challenges include the theoretical treatment of the multiple contexts within which human experience and behavior occurs, the need for sampling both persons and environments, the modeling of moderating and mediating processes, the issue of self-selection into and out of different settings, the necessity of considering temporal factors in environmental research, reliance on single methods (e.g., verbal report) in data generation, cross-sectional and longitudinal research designs, and the need for greater use of statistical techniques developed for contextual (multi-level) research. These issues are discussed and illustrated using recent developments in environmentally oriented research. The paper concludes with a set of 11 recommendations for the future.     

Acute toxicity of acaricide in lizards (Agama agama) Inhabiting dog kennel in Ibadan, Nigeria: An environmental hazard in urban vector control

Acute toxicity of an acaricide (Nuvan^® 1000 EC) in lizards (Agama agama) was observed within 2 minutes spraying of the acaricide in an enclosed dog kennel; heavily infested by ticks in urban area of Ibadan city, South western Nigeria. The acaricide was used at the 0.5% concentration recommended by the manufacturer (Novartis). A lizard which emerged from the kennel during the acaricide spraying exhibited acute signs of toxicity which consisted of shivering, gasping and death. The clinical signs of the acute toxicity manifested in the affected lizard resembled central nervous system (CNS) breakdown or neurotoxicity. Also, two lizards (one female and one male) were found dead in the kennel in the second and third days after the single acaricide spraying operation. The acute acaricide toxicity in lizards observed in this study portrayed the danger of environmental hazard to non-target commensal organisms and it is the first reported case in the area.     

Beyond savanna: An evolutionary and environmental psychology approach to behavioral effects of nature scenery in green advertising

Evolutionary psychology has been proposed as an analytic framework for the behavioral effects of landscapes displayed in advertising. In this study, an evolutionary and environmental psychology approach is used to analyze affective reactions to advertising depicting specific natural environments or urban scenes, both prominent ingredients of contemporary advertising imagery. The experimental field study exposed 750 participants at random to one advert of a set of 13 experimental green energy advertisements, each displaying a different biome. Six basic emotional responses (pleasure, arousal, happiness, freedom, safety, and interest) as well as attitude toward the ad and brand attitude were assessed subsequently. Anova and structural equation analysis were used for data analysis. Results of the study confirm the leading opinion on generalized more positive behavioral effects toward visual stimuli representing nature scenes with biospheric contents as opposed to pictures of urban environments or desert settings. In line with earlier empirical research, further findings do not support the hypothesis on an innate preference for savanna landscapes in adults but confirm preferences for images of lush green landscapes with water and familiar biomes. Overall results give significant support to the application of environmental and evolutionary psychology to advertising.     

An economic analysis of different types of formal and informal entrepreneurs, recovering urban solid waste in Bangalore (India)

The recycling sector in India, which consists of a comprehensive trade and production sector, is rather complex. Nevertheless, it creates important benefits for both the economy and the environment. In order to comprehend the system, a case study has been performed on the recycling sector (paper, plastic, glass and non-ferrous metal) in Bangalore (India), focussing on the market structure, the scale of operation, employment effects, constraints, and recent developments. It was found that this highly competitive and labour-intensive industry is largely dependent on cheap labour and the supply of solid waste from the local trade system. Its mostly informal nature results from the ‘unregisteredness’ of the materials. Consequently, government involvement is avoided as much as possible. With present growth rates, prospects of recycling in Bangalore are advancing. Yet, problems such as lack of supply and loss of quality emerge. Therefore, quality control and market conditions should be improved.     

Geostatistical spatiotemporal analysis of air temperature as an aid to delineating thermal stability zones in a potential show cave: implications for environmental management

Air temperature in several galleries of the Covadura System (Sorbas Gypsum Karst, Almería) was measured at monthly intervals over a period of 1 year. The spatial temperature distribution for each month was modeled in a geostatistical framework. The mean trend of the air temperature and the difference between each experimental temperature measurement and this trend were calculated over space and time. Both the trend and residual component were characterized using a geostatistical space-time model. A large spatial trend of the air temperature was found due to the orientation of galleries within the cave system and as a function of the distance from the main cave entrance. Kriging was used for the spatial estimation of the time covariance of the residuals. This enabled the delimitation of the cave into three zones of varying environmental risk in the event of being opened to visits by the public, according to the degree of stability of air temperature over space and time. The influence of human presence on the spatial temperature distribution was assessed using data collected during a year (2000/2001) in pilot galleries opened to the public. An average visit corresponding to August was selected comprising 16 people over a period of 53 min. This average visit influenced the spatial temperature pattern at distances of more than 90 m from the cave entrance, according to the geostatistical model adopted. Within this zone the mean thermal increment generated by human presence was estimated to be 0.26 degrees C. The spatiotemporal mathematical model of the cave air temperature has been revealed as a useful tool for the environmental management of show caves.     

An economic modelling approach to the design and delivery of sustainable waste minimisation clubs: Prospects in the new policy framework

Since the early 1990s, waste minimisation clubs have been important sources of information for industry in the UK on clean technology and sustainable waste management practice. Despite this contribution, concern has grown about the declining number of clubs, their performance and the likelihood that they will continue to play a key role in national policy.This paper examines the evidence available and provides estimates of how the numbers varied in England since the first clubs were formed. The results presented indicate that, after initial expansion, numbers went into decline. The paper then explores, using economic theory, why this pattern should have developed and suggests it to be a function of how clubs were designed and managed. The results of the analysis are used to propose alterations in how future clubs could be designed so that they continue to contribute effectively to the development of sustainable waste management in UK industry. These lessons are of value to policy in both the UK and other countries considering the development of this important tool of waste strategy. The paper concludes with a number of suggestions for future research.     

Fundamental Moral Attitudes to Animals and Their Role in Judgment: An Empirical Model to Describe Fundamental Moral Attitudes to Animals and Their Role in Judgment on the Culling of Healthy Animals During an Animal Disease Epidemic

In this paper, we present and defend the theoretical framework of an empirical model to describe people’s fundamental moral attitudes (FMAs) to animals, the stratification of FMAs in society and the role of FMAs in judgment on the culling of healthy animals in an animal disease epidemic. We used philosophical animal ethics theories to understand the moral basis of FMA convictions. Moreover, these theories provide us with a moral language for communication between animal ethics, FMAs, and public debates. We defend that FMA is a two-layered concept. The first layer consists of deeply felt convictions about animals. The second layer consists of convictions derived from the first layer to serve as arguments in a debate on animal issues. In a debate, the latter convictions are variable, depending on the animal issue in a specific context, time, and place. This variability facilitates finding common ground in an animal issue between actors with opposing convictions.