In this paper the concept of "ecological personality scales" is introduced. These are contextualized inventories with a high ecological validity. They are developed in a bottom-up or qualitative way and combine a relatively high trait specificity with a relatively high situational specificity. An ecological conscientiousness or time management scale for Ph.D. candidates was developed. It significantly predicted Ph.D. performance criteria and showed incremental validity beyond Big Five (Study 1) and narrow trait and frame-of-reference scales (Study 2). These findings suggest that an ecological approach may contribute to further improving the criterion validity of personality measures
This article explores how concern about animal welfare and animal rights relates to ecological citizenship by discussing student assignments written about the Dutch Party for Animals or PvdD. ‘Animal welfare’, ‘animal rights’, and ‘ecological citizenship’ perspectives offer insights into strategic choices of eco-representatives and animal rights/welfare advocates as well as educators. The assignments balance animal issues with socio-economic ones, explore the relationship between sustainability and ethics, and attribute responsibility for unsustainable or unethical practices. Analysis of student assignments reveals nuanced positions on the anthropocentrism-ecocentrism continuum, showing students’ ability to critically rethink their place within larger environmental systems. Some students demonstrated compassion for nonhumans, indicating that biophilia is evenly distributed among different groups of students. This article finds that fostering pro-environmentalism and animal welfare or rights requires the deepening of the debate contesting but also connecting key issues in sustainability and ethics. This analysis can be valuable for political parties representing nonhumans, or for education practitioners in getting students to think about the challenges in human-environment relationships and for advancing support for ecodemocracy. https://ro.uow.edu.au/asj/vol8/iss1/10/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helenkopnina/
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The increasing rate of urbanization along with its socio-environmental impact are major global challenges. Therefore, there is a need to assess the boundaries to growth for the future development of cities by the inclusion of the assessment of the environmental carrying capacity (ECC) into spatial management. The purpose is to assess the resource dependence of a given entity. ECC is usually assessed based on indicators such as the ecological footprint (EF) and biocapacity (BC). EF is a measure of the biologically productive areas demanded by human consumption and waste production. Such areas include the space needed for regenerating food and fibers as well as sequestering the generated pollution, particularly CO2 from the combustion of fossil fuels. BC reflects the biological regeneration potential of a given area to regenerate resources as well to absorb waste. The city level EF assessment has been applied to urban zones across the world, however, there is a noticeable lack of urban EF assessments in Central Eastern Europe. Therefore, the current research is a first estimate of the EF and BC for the city of Wrocław, Poland. This study estimates the Ecological Footprint of Food (EFF) through both a top-down assessment and a hybrid top-down/bottom-up assessment. Thus, this research verifies also if results from hybrid method could be comparable with top-down approach. The bottom-up component of the hybrid analysis calculated the carbon footprint of food using the life cycle assessment (LCA) method. The top-down result ofWrocław’s EFF were 1% greater than the hybrid EFF result, 0.974 and 0.963 gha per person respectively. The result indicated that the EFF exceeded the BC of the city of Wrocław 10-fold. Such assessment support efforts to increase resource efficiency and decrease the risk associated with resources—including food security. Therefore, there is a need to verify if a city is able to satisfy the resource needs of its inhabitants while maintaining the natural capital on which they depend intact. Original article at: https://doi.org/10.3390/resources7030052 © 2018 by the authors. Licensee MDPI.
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Building for Nature: innovatie van dijken en vooroevers (BfN) is een RAAK-PRO project van HZ University of Applied Sciences uitgevoerd in een consortium waarin kennisinstellingen, overheid en bedrijfsleven deelnemen. Dit project heeft als doel om concrete ontwerpen te ontwikkelen om de natuurwaarde en soms ook het medegebruik op dijken te stimuleren. Daarnaast heeft het project bijgedragen aan de ontwikkeling van een netwerk zodat betrokken partijen en professionals samen gaan nadenken over dijkontwerpen waarin meerdere belangen samenkomen. Het onderzoek bestaat uit een drietal deelonderzoeken waarin is gekeken hoe de ecologische kansen op dijken kunnen worden versterkt. Dit betreft: de vooroever (5 tot 30 m waterdiepte) waar breuksteen wordt toegepast, de kreukelberm bestaande uit een combinatie van breuksteen en gietasfalt en de steenbekleding tot aan de hoogwaterlijn. Daarnaast is onderzoek verricht naar de mogelijkheden naar oesterteelt op de kreukelberm. Binnen een vijftiental ontwerpsessies is met ecologen, dijkbeheerders en producenten van bouwmateralen nagedacht over geschikte ontwerpen. Zo is bijvoorbeeld voor het deelonderzoek steenbekleding gekeken naar de invloed van ruitvormige holtes in het oppervlak van de betonzuilen op de kolonisatie door algen en andere organismen. De holtes zijn geïntegreerd in bestaande Hydroblocks van projectpartner Haringman Betonwaren en in een proeftuin van 720 m2 aangelegd binnen een dijkversterkingsproject bij Sint-Annaland, Tholen. De resultaten laten zien dat deze BfN-Hydroblocks sneller met wier begroeid raken dan standaard Hydroblocks. In vergelijking met blokken met een eco-top van lavasteen raken ze in de eerste maanden eerder met bruinwieren, met name blaaswier, begroeid in plaats van met groenwieren. Na anderhalf jaar waren de verschillen in wierbedekking nog maar beperkt. Het project heeft de afgelopen vier jaar veel kansen geboden aan studenten civiele techniek en aquatische eco-technologie. Zo heeft de eerste groep gekeken naar materialen, productie en ontwerp, en heeft de andere groep studenten gekeken naar de aangroei van organismen op de verschillende substraten. Deze Top Up aanvraag wordt benut om de kennis te delen in de wetenschappelijke wereld via een publicatie in het tijdschrift Ecological Engineering.
The eleven Universities forming the KreativEU consortium agreed to the common goal of establishing a fully European University, that places the creative potential derived from Europe’s cultural heritage at the heart of its teaching, research and knowledge transfer activities. Committing to a long-term institutional, structural and strategic cooperation the partners will jointly implement an ambitious yet inclusive vision for transforming the study of culture, identity, memory and heritage for the benefit of society. Building upon this strong foundation, KreativEU will provide innovative concepts, methods, and solutions to address both current and future challenges, contributing to a sustainable and harmonious future for communities and the environment alike. KreativEU recognizes the inseparable interconnection of tangible and intangible cultural heritage, as well as the interwoven nature of local and national traditions, crafts, cultural practices, and folklore. The alliance is dedicated to formulating cutting-edge educational and research programmes that reevaluate these elements and their associated ecological surroundings, the lived environment, especially in the context of the digital age. This ecocultural vision serves as the foundational principle guiding KreativEU's efforts, ensuring that a new generation of EU citizens working together across cultures, borders, languages, sectors and disciplines will be educated. Students from the KreativEU are expected to be leaders of change and enablers of societal transformation.To reach this vision, the KreativEU Alliance will work towards the completion of 8 work packages (WP1 - Governance and Management; WP2 - KreativEU Education; WP3 - KreativEU Research; WP4 - KreativEU Culture with and for society; WP5 - KreativEU Knowledge-creation and design network on Smart Sustainability WP6 - KreativEU Heritage European campus; WP7 - KreativEU Mobility; WP8 - Communication and Dissemination).Collaborative partners:Instituto Politécnico de Tomar, Escola Superior de Gestão de Tomar, D.A. Tsenov Academy of Economics, Johoceska Univerzita V Ceskych Budejovicich, Universita Degli Studi di Camerino, Universitaet Greifswald, Pilitechnika Opolska, Universitatae Valahia Targoviste, Trnavska Univerzita V Trnave, Sodestorns Hogskola, Adana Alparslan Turkes Bilim VE Teknoloji University
NO-REGRETS examines the ecological and economic trade-offs of upscaling Offshore Wind Farms (OWFs) in the context of climate change and the ongoing food and nature transitions in the North Sea. NO-REGRETS advances knowledge on potential impacts of OWFs on ocean currents, suspended sediments, microscopic plankton, various life stages of fishes, seabed composition, seafloor organisms, marine mammals, and sea birds. Economic analyses explore changes in the value of marine fisheries and other ocean assets. Co-developed with stakeholders, NO-REGRETS will create tools allowing policymakers, industries and other stakeholders to gauge and optimise the ecological and bioeconomic consequences of North Sea OWF expansion.Collaborative partnersArcadis Nederland B.V., Blauwwind, Boskalis, Breda University of Applied Sciences, Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek, Clusius C.V., Cooperatie Kottervisserij Nederland, Deltares, EcoShape, Eneco Windmolens Offshore B.V., Heerema Marine Contractors, Jaczon B.V., Nederlandse Vissersbond, Noordelijke Visserij Alliantie, NIOZ, NWO-institutenorganisatie, Ørsted Wind Power Netherlands Holding B.V., Pelagic Freezer Trawler Association, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, Rijkswaterstaat, RWE Offshore Wind Netherlands B.V., Stichting Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Stichting Wageningen Research, Technische Universiteit Delft, Technische Universiteit Eindhoven, TNO Utrecht, Universiteit Leiden, Universiteit Twente, Universiteit van Amsterdam, Wageningen University & Research.
