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EIA's contribution to increased environmental awareness is a posited means by which EIA's contribution to a substantive level of environmental protection can be measured. However, little research has been done to evaluate and properly contextualise this increased environmental awareness in members of the public who participate in EIA and its associated processes of public participation. Utilising a Foucauldian understanding of power and governmentality, this research has shown how this process of becoming environmentally aware takes place within a broader application of governmental power and it is within this context which the success (or otherwise) of steering towards a greater environmental awareness must be evaluated. The biopolitical intentions EIA has for managing environmental life in general draws strict boundaries of expertise and authority in governing the environment, and as products of this formation of governmental power the public become subjects of expert direction. In opposition to this, the public produced a rural environment and local community as defined and governed by forms of experiential knowledge, which although pertaining to a truth-oriented mentality of rule, exerted a similar biopolitical control over the environment and immutable form of authority and expertise within it. It is contended that for EIA to penetrate bounded environments and disrupt their totalising environmentalities, the tool must extend the meaning of uncertainty to explicitly recognise the conflict that exists between actors and their respective environments. In this way, EIA can contribute to a form of self-reflexive and -critical environmental citizenship deemed necessary for a thorough investigation into the political dimensions of the environment and its associated substantive measures of enhancement and protection. Employing a realist governmentality approach to the case-study of the 2016 public inquiry in shale energy proposals in Lancashire, this research generated discourse analyses of key policy documents and public contributions to the inquiry in addition to a 'lived experience' of the inquiry as a participatory space through participant observation. The key findings were that at the policy level, the participating member of the public is produced as both a trustee and an expert, heightening the potential for conflict. Further to this, the experiences of the public inquiry added to this potential by seeking to impose on the participant an individualised, silent identity which was directly contradicted by the public during 'non-technical' sessions who sought to participate actively and collectively. Within their contributions the public produced further internal conflicts, with aspects of this discourse relying on existing institutionalised forms of knowledge and expertise to respond to environmental problems, while in others asserting that localised and personal experiences were necessary. EIA as a technique of government can have a leading role in defining the environment in both a physical, surrounding sense and as a mentality. To do so and challenge essentialised and concrete ideas regarding the environment avoiding the acts of exclusion that underpin them becoming normalised the thesis builds on the analysis to make a proposition for a more effective agonistic EIA process.

The United Nations launched their 'Decade for Sustainable Development', which directly relates to Education for Sustainable Development, a new environmental management system for schools. The formal education process provides a key testing ground for the development of new Infori-nation and Communication Technology (ICT) tools designed to raise environmental awareness. Several types of purpose designed ICT tool are available, but there is a distinct lack of empirical research into their design and effectiveness. Strategic objectives performance takes the central role in the work reported here. A number of strategic objectives of the use of ICT tools were identified; learning, education, trust, motivation, commitment, inclusion, justice and openness. A number of prc-existing software platforms, each specifically designed to provide environmental education and to raise awareness specifically focussing on issues surrounding water were selected and forinally evaluated under controlled conditions with small groups of evaluators. The respondents involved in this investigation included the developers of the tools thernselves, school and postgraduate students (representing users) and experts from academia and industry. The developers of the tools were asked which strategic objectives they considered when they designed their respective tools and the degree to which their tools promoted the strategic objectives was tested in evaluation sessions involving the users. The results from the evaluation sessions involving the users and the experts revealed that strategic objectives such as learning, education, trust and openness were promoted by the tools to some degree, whilst objectives such as justice, motivation and inclusion were promoted to a lesser degree. Whilst it is possible that the tools evaluated simply do not promote the objectives listed, the evaluation methodology adopted in this investigation may go some way to explaining why only certain strategic objectives were found to be promoted. A discussion into the possible methods by which the presence of these strategic objectives could be determined is presented in the concluding chapters of the thesis.

Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) of exogenous origin refer to compounds that disrupt the regular functioning of the endocrine system responsible for maintaining hormonal balance in the body. These disruptors are prevalent in our surroundings and are present in various consumer products, including cosmetics, plastics, and pesticides. The means of action vary depending on the specific chemical and target hormone receptor. EDCs can mimic, obstruct, alter hormone production, transport, and metabolize, leading to a range of health risks such as metabolic disorders, immune system dysfunction, and endocrine-related cancers, as well as reproductive abnormalities. Interference with the production, transport, and function of hormones responsible for the menstrual cycle and pregnancy, including estrogen, progesterone, and luteinizing hormone, leads to reproductive problems. EDCs also cause permanent alterations in the development of the female reproductive system during fetal and early childhood stages. Some of the most widely known EDCs include bisphenol-A (BPA), phthalates, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which have been found in human tissue and fluids, such as urine and breast milk. Researchers continue to discover and analyze EDC prevalence and the effects on human health. While efforts have been made to reduce exposure to these compounds, they remain prevalent in the environment. There are lifestyle interventions that can help with the prevention and exposure to EDCs. Such interventions include healthier eating habits, avoiding the use of plastic containers containing EDCs, choosing safer personal care products, filtering drinking water, reducing exposure to air pollution, and supporting policies and regulations that promote the use of safer chemicals.

Students studying sport management should be aware of the current environmental challenges in sport. Hence, as professionals, they will be better prepared to deal with issues that negatively affect the sport sector. The expansion of educational opportunities is needed for students to reflect the sport industry's implementation of sustainability into operations. Understanding students' awareness of environmental sustainability is critical to educating them better to manage such challenges during their sports careers. The purpose of this study was to evaluate undergraduate and graduate sport management students' values, beliefs, and norms relating to environmental sustainability in higher education institutions across North America. Using Stern’s Value-Belief-Norm Theory, a survey was developed to gather data to determine environmental awareness, students' personal sustainable behaviors, beliefs about businesses and sport organizations' sustainable behaviors, and students’ awareness of environmental sustainability in sport. Higher education institutions can use this information to develop curricula to educate future sports professionals better. Findings indicated that students expect sport organizations to incorporate environmental sustainability strategies into daily operations more than other organizations. Students were aware of and participated in sustainable measures (e.g., recycling) at sporting events, and they desired to work for a sports organization that supports environmental sustainability. However, they were unwilling to pay more for a ticket to promote sustainability. Furthermore, while there was no statistically significant difference between the values, beliefs, and norms of undergraduate and graduate students, there was a significant statistical difference in behaviors. Variations in environmental educational possibilities, exposure to on-campus environmental efforts, sporting activities, or simply personal experiences, such as where they reside, could explain the differences. Awareness of environmental sustainability may not be sufficient to facilitate action; knowledge is what may be necessary to connect the gap. To be successful, future sport management professionals will need to learn about environmental sustainability, which will necessitate a collaborative effort between higher education institutions and the industry to provide more educational and practical opportunities for students.

My ceramics are made to entice the viewer to live in their present moment by altering their perception and familiarity of utilitarian objects through means of natural processes found out in nature. I want the user to be fully engaged with thoughts about time, nature, and being present during their lives. Life in not just about daily responsibilities and sometimes we as humans can get so caught up in everything around us that we simply forget to enjoy everything we have worked hard to achieve. By experiencing something new, we can get out of our comfort zones and being present is a key element in being able to do so. I intertwine this idea with ecological processes in such a manner to show how being out in nature can help provide that presentness and help us realize how nature is indeed not all that different from us. Everything always needs to live presently.

To improve the safety of the pedestrians via V2X communications, it is important to detect pedestrians' environmental awareness and give warnings to those with low environmental awareness. Based on the characteristics of pedestrians, a real-time algorithm was developed to detect pedestrians'environmental awareness, then an Augmented Reality (AR) warning system was developed to carry out the warning to the pedestrians who have low environmental awareness. In this study, the heart rate variability (HRV) analysis and phone position analysis were used to understand the mental state and distractions of pedestrians, the projection method was used to develop the AR warning system.The HRV analysis was used to detect the fatigue and alert states of the pedestrians, and the phone position was used to define the phone distractions of the pedestrians. Support Vector Machines (SVM) algorithms were used to classify the pedestrians' mental state. After the user analysis, the AR warning system was developed based on the perspective projection method. After the data collection and experiment, the results show that the accuracy of the pedestrian state detection was about 85%for the mental state detection and 100% for the phone position detection. Also,the AR warning system works well for to carry out the warning to the pedestrian.

The world’s natural environment is degrading, and human behavior is a leading cause. Therefore, in order to address environmental problems it is important to understand the factors driving environmentally degrading behaviors and subsequently design behavioral interventions to alter undesirable behaviors. One environmental issue of particular concern is toxins leeching from trash. Specifically, cigarette butts are of concern due to their prevalence in the environment. Cigarette butt discarding behavior is affected by personal attributes, but data regarding which personal attributes and how these affect discarding behavior is lacking. This thesis seeks to understand cigarette butt disposal on public beaches by exploring “what influences smokers to improperly discard cigarette butts when visiting a public beach?” A mixed mode design utilized quantitative and qualitative data to study improper cigarette butt disposal. A questionnaire was designed to test theories related to place attachment, environmental attitudes, habits, and environmental awareness as predictors of improper cigarette butt disposal. A qualitative inquiry further explored the phenomenon of cigarette butt littering from the participant’s point of view. Environmental attitudes, environmental awareness, and habits were significant predictors of improper cigarette butt disposal behavior. Interviews illustrated that “improper disposers” experienced themes involving uncertainty that cigarette butts are litter, a lack of knowledge, problems with cigarette receptacles currently in place, the requirement of a conscious choice about how to discard a “butt,” and statements that contradicted the behavior observed. Interviews with “proper disposers” illustrated themes that cigarette butts are litter, awareness of social constructs, cumulative effects of cigarette butts on the beach, minimal obstacles to discarding properly, and feelings of personal responsibility. Recommendations for decreasing improper cigarette butt disposal include: promoting pro-environmental attitudes, altering habitual improper discarding behaviors, promoting environmental awareness of how cigarette butts negatively impact the environment, minimizing barriers to proper discarding, increasing place attachment, and changing policies about cigarette receptacles on beaches. Adviser: Mark E. Burbach

The Sugar Creek Watershed (SCW) of Holmes, Stark, Tuscarawas, and Wayne counties, Ohio is currently one of the most polluted watersheds in the state. There are several small municipalities that influence the overall condition of the watershed, but the primary problem is non-point source pollution from the many farms in the Sugar Creek region. There are highly mechanized farms that utilize modern technology (machinery, chemicals etc.), and there are farms (Amish) that are of a more primitive nature that rely on animal power and animal waste. Both of these farm types contribute to the non-point source pollution problem in the SCW, but the focus of this particular study are the Old Order Amish farms that are in the SE corner of Wayne County, the SW corner of Stark County and the NE corner of Holmes County Ohio. Complicating the problem has been the removal of riparian buffer zones from a large portion of the SCW, and a historical ignorance of the importance of maintaining a clean water supply. The cultural and religious beliefs of local societies have a big impact on the level of concern about environmental issues. Numerous efforts have been made to educate the local population about the importance of restoring the environmental health of the watershed, but very little has been done to determine the environmental beliefs of the Old Order Amish.

The Responsible Tourism Qualmark (RTQ) scheme is part of the New Zealand Ministry of Tourism’s effort to improve the sustainability of tourism industry practices. This research seeks to understand why businesses incorporate sustainable practices through RTQ, and how tourists respond to the concept of responsible tourism. The research comprised of two elements: (1) Self-administered surveys completed by tourists staying at RTQ accredited businesses (N=66); (2) Semi-structured interviews conducted with RTQ accredited businesses’ senior management (N=24). Results indicate that both businesses and tourists have confidence in the RTQ’s ability to deliver responsible practices. A large range of exogenous and endogenous pressures motivated businesses to engage in responsible tourism practices. Likewise, tourists demonstrated their support for the responsible tourism concept, in principle. However, this support is not yet translated into actual pressure. In addition to the identified motivators, businesses were analysed with respect to their degree of environmental awareness. Based on this, a segmentation of three types emerged: (1) The Devotees - those who hold high environmental awareness; (2) The Compliers - those who have some environmental awareness; and (3) The Opportunists - those who hold no environmental concern. This analysis helps explain the division between actors holding high environmental awareness and joining RQT for altruistic reasons, from actors holding low or no environmental awareness. The latter are largely motivated by legitimacy and competitiveness drives. This new understanding highlights an essential component in building operator capability of delivering responsible products: addressing the unique motivations, needs and constraints of each business type.

Skiing and snowboarding are popular recreation activities in New Zealand, as well as constituting important components of the winter tourism product. The 2001 snow season witnessed record visitor numbers. Skier days have increased by more than 10% compared with the previous year to 1.254 million. The traditionally “nature related” activity of skiing, however has increasingly often been discussed in the light of excessive resource consumption and pollution of alpine environments. Since no research on resource efficient management of ski fields has been undertaken in New Zealand, this study examined environmental awareness and actions of ski field managers, resource consumption benchmarks (water and energy use, solid waste production), along with resource use related visitor behaviour. Two separate surveys were undertaken to collect relevant information from ski field managers and ski field visitors. While a census of managers across New Zealand was conducted with a mail-back questionnaire (all 27 ski fields were contacted, response rate 44%), the visitor survey was undertaken on-site at six selected ski fields in Canterbury, South Island (total responses: N=259). Analysis of the survey results showed that managers generally acted to protect the environment and resources, however, at different levels for the various indicators measured. Energy use and air pollution were rarely perceived to be environmentally important. Accordingly, only few actions were undertaken to reduce energy use. This is surprising, since energy consumption proved to be a major feature of ski field management. Given the additionally large amounts of water consumed (mainly for snowmaking) and solid waste produced on the mountain, skiing has to be classified as a resource intensive activity. Resource consumption is intensified further, when the impacts associated with tourists being transported to, and from, the mountain are considered. Energy use for “ski trip transport” within New Zealand is two times larger (180 MJ) than energy use associated with ski field infrastructure use (90 MJ) on a per skier day basis. There are several options to improve the environmental performance of ski fields, ranging from modernising equipment, optimising snowmaking and providing efficient transport alternatives. Additionally, increased cooperation between ski field managers, local governments and research institutes could potentially result in environmentally smarter operational practices. Internationally, New Zealand’s ski areas compare relatively well, mainly because of limited on-mountain entertainment and accommodation development, which keeps resource consumption and pollution low compared with European and North American ski fields. However, this research also indicated that New Zealand’s ski field visitors increasingly demand facilities and services similar to those overseas, which in turn may result in larger environmental impacts. New Zealand is generally believed to be a green and nature-related destination and its ski areas still blend well into the natural environment. Hence, there is some potential for the New Zealand ski industry to develop a unique product in such a way that it is both, sustainable and distinguishable from other international markets.

Ecological restoration has been recognised worldwide as one of the most important conservation initiatives for the future. Despite this, the science of restoration is relatively new, and in a practical sense it has yet to gain widespread acceptance. Overseas restoration work has concentrated on pollution and mine site rehabilitation, while in New Zealand a more species orientated approach to restoration has prevailed. Ecological restoration represents an attempt to restore structural and functional aspects of ecosystems and communities which have been lost through human disturbance. The practical application of restoration relies heavily on the natural process of succession in establishing plant communities followed by animal introduction. However, there are a number of practical and theoretical problems with the concept of ecological restoration. They stem from an unclear statement of restoration goals, usually because of inadequate knowledge about past ecosystems, and an assumption that the techniques used will restore at a rate which exceeds natural regeneration. The New Zealand experience in ecological restoration began in the 1960s with the restoration of Cuvier Island. Since that time a number of projects have been attempted with varying degrees of success. The trends in ecological restoration are identified. These include: emphasis on island restoration, the expanding role of nongovernment organisations, and increasing levels of planning which reflect a rise in the ambitiousness of restoration goals. Critical issues can be identified which need to be addressed if ecological restoration is to be considered a legitimate and viable land use in the future. National policy and guidelines should be developed by a central coordinating agency which take account of the wider social and economic environment. Emphasis is given to the importance of community participation, effective land evaluation which takes long term restoration values into account and an accessible information base. An approach to developing a national strategy to achieve these objectives is suggested. Ecological restoration represents a significant step forward in the way in which humans view the world and its resources. Morally and ecologically, restoration will be essential in shifting the balance from destruction to enlargement of the planet's 'natural systems'.

The implications of environmental damage have been documented for some decades, however, societies around the world continue to conduct lifestyles that compromise environmental quality or are environmentally unsustainable. The objective of this report is, therefore, to explore the contribution that school-based environmental education may make to improvements in the level of environmental awareness amongst citizens. The study addresses three questions: • are today's students environmentally aware? • how does the New Zealand education system affect the development of environmental awareness in students? and • what is the role of the educator in facilitating environmental awareness? The first and last of these questions are examined by comparing outcomes of empirical studies with theoretical models established through literature reviews. A literature review forms the basis for discussing the second question. Examination of students' attitudes and abilities reveals that students do not exhibit environmental awareness at levels conducive to the practice of environmentally-sustainable lifestyles. The level of students' environmental awareness is a reflection of the structural and ideological framework underpinning New Zealand's education system - a system that presents barriers to the implementation of effective environmental education programmes. Barriers include the content and structure of the National educational curriculum, the underlying ideology of State-funded education, the recent developments in the teacher's role and current methods of formal assessment. Teachers, as one aspect of the education system, present significant barriers to the potential for students to develop levels of environmental awareness that are consistent with environmentally-sustainable lifestyles. Limiting factors include teachers' attitudes toward the environment; their perceptions of their role as environmental educators; methods of teaching and assessment; and the level of understanding of the principles and purposes of environmental education. The report concludes with a list of recommendations expressed as objectives for the Government, teacher-training facilities, Boards of Trustees, teachers and the community. The recommendations are supported by a range of actions and benefits. Together, all the recommendations reported in Section 8 provide a positive strategy for the successful implementation of effective school-based environmental education in New Zealand.

Wetlands are one of New Zealand's most threatened biological communities; many attribute this to be a direct result of poor public understanding of wetland values and functions. Public actions and opinions contribute to the prioritisation of resources for conservation and management. Christchurch, New Zealand, was used as a case-study to determine: public perceptions of wetlands compared to other natural areas; awareness of the economic, ecological and social values of wetlands; and the characteristics used to identify an area as a wetland. The approach involved developing administered a questionnaire face-to-face to a sample of 80 people. Respondents were selected using a multistage, cluster sampling technique, involving random sampling within randomly selected geographic areas. Hypotheses were tested using three nonparametric statistical tests: Spearman's rank correlation, Wilcoxin's matched-pairs signed-ranks test and the Mann-Whitney-U test. An additional questionnaire was developed and administered to personnel responsible for wetland management in the Christchurch City Council, Canterbury Regional Council, Department of Conservation (Canterbury Conservancy) and consultants. Qualitative data from these interviews were used aid thesis discussion and recommendations. Consistent with the traditional view of wetlands as wastelands, swamps were not as highly valued for visitation, recreation and scenery as native forests, beaches, deep lakes, braided rivers, single channel rivers and tidal lakes or estuaries. Although the people questioned in Christchurch placed a high value on the conservation of wetlands, this value was not as high as that placed on areas such as native forests. Native forests were perceived as a top conservation priority because they are rare, degraded and because they support endangered species. The public's definition of a wetland was narrower than the definition in the Resource Management Act. According to this study, wetlands do not include areas of open water, defined by the public as a lake or river. Wetlands were primarily characterised by a high water table and the presence of wetland vegetation, primarily grasses, sedges and rushes. The respondents were more aware of the social and ecological values of wetlands than of the economic values such as improving water quality, filtering pollution and mitigating flood waters. Most were not aware of these values. There was wide appreciation for wetland ecological values such as habitat for wildlife and migrating birds. It is envisaged that improved and proactive management of wetlands will raise the public profile of wetlands, thereby increasing public awareness of the values and functional benefits of wetland communities. Interviews with wetland managers established that a lack of resources and insufficient information are fundamental barriers to wetland management. It is recommended that a detailed inventory of wetland type, state and distribution be undertaken. This should be complemented by the development of monitoring methods and reporting protocols to aid wetland managers. Wetland management at a local level should involve extensive community consultation and involvement, aimed at enhancing community perceptions of wetlands and producing publicly acceptable management methods and results.