Composites Produced from Natural Rubber and Chrome-Tanned Leather Wastes: Evaluation of their In Vitro Toxicological Effects for Application in Footwear and Textile Industries

A new composite has been developed from natural rubber and chrome-tanned leather waste for use in footwear and textile industries. The contribution of this material to environmental quality and sustained development should be highligh because chrome tanned leather wastes, a major environmental problem, can be recycled. However, the safety of this new material for human use is questionable, as it is already well reported in the literature that chromium, particularly in its hexavalent oxidation state, can be genotoxic and carcinogenic to living beings. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate in vitro biocompatibility of this composite material for possible use in the footwear and textile industries, through cytotoxicity, cell adhesion, and genotoxicity tests. Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) was used to measure both concentrations of total and hexavalent chromium. Based on the findings, it was concluded that the composite exhibits low levels of cytotoxicity and genotoxicity, and possesses favorable properties for initial cell adhesion. Furthermore, it was verified that the composites released low concentrations of chromium and that the predominant species released would be trivalent chromium. The results of the present study open the possibility of the incorporation of solid residues of tanned leather into chromium without necessarily the chromium contained in these residues influences the toxicity and genotoxicity of this new material.     

Environmental literacy in practice: education on tropical rainforests and climate change

Environmental literacy is a key concept to promote individual behavioral changes toward a more sustainable lifestyle to consciously react to environmental challenges such as climate change. Promoting knowledge, attitudes and behaviors provides a reasonable basis to prepare adolescents for their future. A recently proposed environmental literacy model comprises three-dimensional knowledge, environmental attitudes and pro-environmental behavior. The present study applies this model by implementing an intervention focusing on tropical rainforests and climate change in a botanical garden, combining student-centered activities with self-dependent learning. Data from 283 10th graders quantify individual knowledge, attitudes and behavior scores. Knowledge acquisition, a positive development of the Inclusion of Nature in One's Self concept and increasing pro-environmental behavior intentions were found by comparing an intervention group with a test–retest group. In conclusion, our botanical garden’s intervention evidently furthered appreciative tendencies and even encouraged environmental literacy.     

Perceptions of American and Russian environmental scientists of today’s key environmental issues: a comparative analysis

Modern science is global. This is particularly true of environmental science, which has been guided to a considerable extent by international environmental policy. Accordingly, one might expect the standards of scientific research around the globe to have unified over the last 30 years. Yet environmental scientists from different nations and scientific schools have demonstrably dissimilar views on key environmental issues. This is the conclusion we reached after a series of in-depth interviews with prominent American and Russian environmental scientists. The greatest difference was found in the perception of two global issues—stratospheric ozone depletion and climate change.     

Laboratory study on sustainable use of cement–fly ash–polypropylene fiber-stabilized dredged material

The major problem associated with gravity dam was siltation of reservoir which reduced its effective water storage capacity. In order to maintain effective storage capacity of reservoir, dredging of deposits was required and dredged material was disposed of haphazardly causing damage to the sensitive environment. A better alternative could be the possibility of utilization of dredged deposits in construction works involving large quantities of material. The dredged material consisted of very fine sandy silt possessing poor geotechnical characteristics and was required to be stabilized with suitable additives before use as construction material. This laboratory investigation evaluated geotechnical properties of dredged reservoir material stabilized with cement, fly ash and fiber for its probable use as subbase in lightly trafficked roads. Compaction, unconfined compressive strength and tensile strength tests were performed on appropriate combinations of the constituent materials. The results of study revealed significant improvement in unconfined compressive strength and split tensile strength after stabilization with cement and fly ash. The unconfined compressive strength and split tensile strength of cement–fly ash-stabilized dredged reservoir material improved further upon addition of polypropylene fiber. The composite possessed the potential to be utilized as sustainable material in subbase of roads subject to further validation before application in the field. The dredging of sediments improved effective storage capacity of reservoir and increased its sustainable life period. The utilization of fly ash could diminish the environmental and economic concerns arising out of its haphazard disposal.     

Identifying land suitable for agricultural land reform using GIS-MCDA in South Africa

Land reform is identified as a key tool in fostering development in South Africa. Twenty years after the advent of democracy in South Africa, the land question remains a critical issue for policy makers. Several frameworks have been put in place by the government to identify land that is strategically located for land reform. However, many of these frameworks are not well aligned and not objective in defining strategically located land for land reform and often lead to unsustainable land use management practices. This has hampered the government’s land reform initiative in promoting agricultural land reform and food security. Accordingly, there is a need to develop a decision support tool that facilitates the identification of strategically located land for land reform. This study proposes the use of geographic information systems (GIS) and multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) to develop a strategically located land index (SLLI) to identify land suitable for agricultural land reform. Participatory workshops and the group analytical hierarchy process were utilised to identify and weigh criteria used in computing the SLLI. The results indicate that land that is suitable for agricultural land reform is scarce, and there are also competing needs on the highly suitable land for agriculture. The study demonstrates that GIS and MCDA are invaluable tools in facilitating evidence-based decision-making for land reform and sustainable land use management practices. The SLLI is not the panacea to land identification; there is also need to appreciate the contested nature of land in South Africa.     

Soil conservation practices and production efficiency of smallholder farms in Central China

The aim of this paper is to evaluate and analyze the impact of adoption of soil conservation practices (SCPs) on the technical efficiency of smallholder rice producers in Central China. We address self-selection bias and unobserved heterogeneity problems by estimating a switching regression model for the adoption decision function and separate stochastic production frontiers for SCP and Conventional farms while allowing for production inefficiency. SCP farms exhibit statistically higher average technical efficiency than Conventional farms. Education, extension services, membership in cooperatives, access to credit, and alternative income sources are positively and significantly associated with technical efficiency for both groups. Conventional farms display higher partial output elasticity for land, while only SCP farms show significant elasticity for capital.     

Identifying municipal solid waste management opportunities in Al-Bayda City,Libya

In Libya, municipal solid waste management is one of the services provided by the authorities to keep the county clean. This study was conducted in the City of Al-Bayda, located in the eastern part of Libya, as there have been several major problems facing the city in dealing with solid waste management. One of these problems is the generation, collection, handling, transportation, recycling, and disposal of municipal solid waste (MSW). This study has identified that the ongoing disposal of MSW to poorly engineered “dump sites” on the outskirts of the city is unsustainable and will not meet the demands of the growing population and increasing urbanization currently experienced within Al-Bayda. Factors impacting the decision-making and operational processes of MSW include lack of resources and services that significantly affect the disposal of waste, an inadequate number of waste collection containers making the distance to these containers for many households excessive, and thus leading to an increasing likelihood of dumping solid waste in open areas and roadsides. The study recommends that the city government of Al-Bayda should identify synergies and increase partnership-working arrangements with the private sector to ensure efficient management of MSW within the city area.     

No net loss of what,for whom?: stakeholder perspectives to Biodiversity Offsetting in England

Market-based instruments (MBIs) have emerged as a popular approach to balance development and conservation objectives. However, their ability to accomplish this is often beset by poor implementation in practice. This is testament to a widening gap between the rate of policy development and implementation of MBIs and the maturity of research and evaluation on their design, and impact on affected stakeholders. Within this context, this paper examines multi-stakeholder perspectives to the adoption of Biodiversity Offsetting in England, an instrument designed to enable biodiversity losses in one place to be compensated through conservation improvements elsewhere. Analysis reveals issues associated with social and ecological compensation of biodiversity loss. Findings suggest that there is a need for a broader consideration of issues surrounding distributive justice, access to nature and the status of ownership over sites of common heritage when accounting for biodiversity loss and its compensation. This message is salient to both the study context as well as the burgeoning international practice of Biodiversity Offsetting.     

The influence of carbon emissions disclosure on company financial value in an emerging economy

Few studies have been conducted on the impact of carbon emissions disclosure on firms’ financial performance in emerging economies. Furthermore, comparison between accounting-based measures and market-based ones remains limited. This article examines the effect of carbon emissions reporting on the financial value of South African companies for the period 2010–2015. Using panel regression approaches, the findings show that, in most cases, carbon emission disclosure generates a positive relationship with ROA (an accounting-based indicator) but a negative association with MVA (a market-based indicator). The article concludes that accounting-based indicators offer more explanatory power for corporate greening initiatives.     

Keeping pace with forestry: Multi-scale conservation in a changing production forest matrix

The multi-scale approach to conserving forest biodiversity has been used in Sweden since the 1980s, a period defined by increased reserve area and conservation actions within production forests. However, two thousand forest-associated species remain on Sweden’s red-list, and Sweden’s 2020 goals for sustainable forests are not being met. We argue that ongoing changes in the production forest matrix require more consideration, and that multi-scale conservation must be adapted to, and integrated with, production forest development. To make this case, we summarize trends in habitat provision by Sweden’s protected and production forests, and the variety of ways silviculture can affect biodiversity. We discuss how different forestry trajectories affect the type and extent of conservation approaches needed to secure biodiversity, and suggest leverage points for aiding the adoption of diversified silviculture. Sweden’s long-term experience with multi-scale conservation and intensive forestry provides insights for other countries trying to conserve species within production landscapes.