Action and Reflection (Asynchronous - Online Only)
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Increasing Biodiversity in Managed Forests Supports a Plurality of Values : Monocultures Yields Value Monism View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Austin Himes
The ecosystem services framework has been criticized for over emphasizing the instrumental value of the non-human natural world and failing to adequately recognize trade-offs between incommensurable types of values and services. In recognition of this critique, the International Platform of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) framework has embraced a plurality of values, explicitly recognizing the intrinsic, instrumental, and relational value of ecosystems. To understand the management implications of incorporating multiple value types into ecosystem services trade-off assessments, we conducted a study quantifying proxies of nine different ecosystem services along a tree species diversity gradient in plantation forests in the coastal Pacific Northwest, USA. We found that most single ecosystem services were maximized by monocultures, but higher levels of tree species diversity tended to supported the largest variety of value types. We hypothesized that biodiversity may be important not just for increasing ecosystem functions and services, but also for value pluralism.
Planting the Seeds of Gratitude: Corporate Social Responsibility and Quality of Life of the Beneficiaries View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Ernesto Cordero, Glen De Leon
The study sought to determine the implementation of CSR activities and their effects on the beneficiaries' quality of life. A mixed-method type of research was used in this study, combining quantitative correlational and qualitative analysis. It utilized statistical tools such as frequency, percentage, mean, weighted mean, and regression analysis. The research instrument was standardized and adopted from the study of Kim, Uysal, and Sirgy (2012) entitled" How does tourism in a community impact the quality of life of community residents?" The interview used guide questions to direct the responses of the respondents. The study's subject is the 400 beneficiaries of the Pilipino Banana Growers and Exporters Association (PBGEA). The findings reveal that PBGEA's CSR activities regarding economic, social, cultural, and environmental were implemented to a moderate extent. On the other hand, the beneficiaries' quality of life in terms of life satisfaction on various conditions, level of life satisfaction, and satisfaction level on health and safety were all categorized as reasonably satisfied. The CSR factors such as economic, social, and cultural were not statistically significant to claim their influence on the community's quality of life. However, though environmental factors significantly influence the community's quality of life, the extent or magnitude of its influence cannot be said to have a significant effect as its beta coefficient is at 0.65, an indication of a weak effect. Considering the findings and conclusions of the study, recommendations were suggested to their beneficiaries.
Uncertainty Source Analysis in Life Cycle Assessment : Case Studies - 3D Printed vs. Conventionally Manufactured Building Components View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Natasa Mrazovic
Life cycle assessment (LCA), standardized by ISO14040, is today the most commonly used method for analysis of environmental impact and sustainability, and an aid to decision making in industry. However, LCA’s inherent flexibility and associated uncertainty sources are causing inconsistencies in the assessment results if different assessors with similar backgrounds analyze identical input data and use identical LCA software. The authors identified and quantified this problem at Stanford University while using LCA for environmental impact analysis of additive manufacturing (AM), popularly known as “3D printing”, compared to conventional manufacturing, for production of metallic building components. To address the identified inconsistencies, the authors formalized a semi-automated assessment method which improved the consistency of the LCA results by a factor of four in total, but specific inconsistencies remained. The authors then conducted an uncertainty analysis to identify the uncertainty sources causing inconsistencies, quantify their impact on the LCA results, and propose mitigations. The uncertainty analysis found that the use of the formalized method reduces the impact of the behavioral uncertainty source category, such as decision making and preferences, and the interaction category, such as teamwork. The proposed mitigations include development of direct automated links to design and LCA software, and development of product models of existing AM processes for LCA databases. The proposed mitigations cannot fully influence the impact of the epistemic behavioral uncertainty sources, such as learning process. Future work includes testing the methodology and the findings with more cases and on other similar process-based LCAs.
Consumer Attitudes and Expectations Regarding the Uptake of Sustainable Alternatives to Fossil-based Plastics in Everyday Use View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Carly Fletcher
While the use of traditional (fossil-based) plastics continues to be ubiquitous within modern day society, their use is recognised as a contributing factor to unsustainable patterns of production and consumption. In light of this, the current political agenda is seeking to address environmental and social impacts associated with the production, use and disposal of plastics. One approach being considered (for example in the European Green Deal) concerns the development of the bioeconomy, whereby traditional plastics are replaced with alternatives such as bio-based and/or biodegradable plastics. While this approach has been well received by industry, leading to the development and innovation of novel materials and products, successful uptake of alternative plastics ultimately depends on public acceptance and changes to consumer behaviour. In this study, an online survey was conducted to explore the attitudes and expectations of consumers from a wide cross-section of society regarding alternatives to fossil-based (conventional) plastics. This survey specifically sets out to clarify the level of confusion consumers currently feel with respect to terminology, to understand consumer confidence regarding appropriate waste management behaviours and to collect overall consumer expectations regarding the safety and technical performance of alternative plastics. Outcomes from the survey will be used to inform recommendations for industry, research, and policy to promote the uptake of alternative plastics in the future.
Impacts of Cryptocurrency Mining on Environmental Sustainability in Russia View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Olga Chereshnia
With the increasing use of information technologies, their opportunities and risks to the environmental sustainability of their widespread adoption are growing. And if the possibilities have been studied well enough, then the risks have been paid attention to relatively recently. However, awareness of these risks is becoming increasingly important with the spread of technologies. Currently, there are already hundreds of cryptocurrencies, and the technological basis for many of these currencies is the blockchain – a digital ledger of transactions. This study assesses the environmental burden of mining and supporting transactions in the cryptocurrency market in Russia using CO2-equivalent. For this the amount of electricity consumed to support cryptocurrency transactions in Russia was calculated, data on the largest cryptocurrency mining centres were collected and systematized, and the main factors for the placement of both large and small private farms were determined. Based on the collected data a map of the spread of mining centres in Russia was created. Our analysis shows that on average, 2,977 million tons of CO2 equivalent are emitted in Bitcoin production in Russia, and the total emissions from cryptocurrency mining in Russia are 4,466 million tons of CO2 equivalent. A systematic understanding of interrelated direct and indirect impacts is needed to make decisions on the use of blockchain since the technology shows itself as potentially one of the most energy and resource-intensive.
A Triple-trickle Theory for Sustainable Fashion Adoption View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Iris Mohr
This study critically reviews the literature on sustainable fashion, the movement behind it, and plausible fashion adoption theories. To build on those studies, developing a new theory about adopting sustainable fashion— mainly among millennials and Generation Z who are behind forwarding and adopting this fashion trend, is sought after. This is a theory-synthesized conceptual article that presents a literature-informed new theoretical structure pronouncing sustainable fashion adoption and its rise as a new luxury trend. We introduce the Triple-trickle Theory that incorporates the role of media and technology to allow us to organize and understand the diffusion of sustainable fashion and identify paths for future trickle-effects on fashion research. Even though this has the benefit of offering a vast array of views and evidence that offers an adequate problem inspection, further studies providing empirical evidence are needed to establish the external validity of the theory derived from this research. This theory can be applied to develop targeted practices aimed at understanding the diffusion and adoption of sustainable fashion and further practitioners’ understanding of product positioning, target marketing, marketing strategy, and luxury opportunities in general. Though interest in sustainable fashion has increased among consumers, there still exists no theory or model to explain its adoption. Therefore, the Triple-trickle Theory is proposed and aimed for being a more relevant framework to offer a theoretical premise for future empirical investigations of sustainable fashion adoption.
Featured The Culture of 'Farmgiving' in Kayann Short's Ecobiography View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Khushboo Sahrawat
Kayann Short, a local community farmer, spent her childhood at her grandparent’s farm, bringing her closer to nature and acting “locally” as she grew up. Her autobiography, A Bushel’s Worth (2013), is published as an Ecobiography that provides a record of lives valuing generational rural roots and the practice of community supported agriculture (CSA) in North Dakota. The paper aims to highlight the emerging genre of Life Writing with a focus on ecobiographies. Through her life writing, Short gives a first-person account to understand the natural world by treating it as a home and exploring the value nature exhibits. Her family’s participation or “green effort” to ecological damage as an owner of a local farm called Stonebridge elicits the need for “a give and take” from the planet earth. The paper emphasizes an individual’s effort to preserve nature and seek a sustainable living. The textual analysis of Short’s ecobiography is based on life writing strategies and methods. The paper discusses the components of this environmentalist’s tale, such as traditional values (including her family’s recipes), her grandmother’s diary entries, and many authentic terms Stonebridge generates with its people. The culture of “farmgiving” curated by women and men, families and villages are at the heart of this research. Ultimately, Short’s ecobiography voices to create a new vision that promotes care to our ecological surroundings and the importance of local lives. This paper highlights the ecological footprints and realities and concludes that if one decides, human impermanence can create a legacy of sustainability.
Toxicity Evaluation of Different Exposure Scenarios of Road Dust Using Daphnia magna and Artemia salina as Aquatic Organisms, and Prosopis cineraria and Vachellia tortilis as Native Plants View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Hilal Al Shidi
This study evaluates the toxicity of road dust using different extraction scenarios on Daphnia magna and Artemia salina as aquatic organisms in addition to Prosopis cineraria and Vachellia tortilis as plant species. No significant difference in the survival percentage between the control and all dust extract/ mixture scenarios were observed except the artificial mixture with a significant mortality in D. magna juveniles. Chemical analysis of different extracts shows considerable amount of trace metals, however the trace metals in the dust extract associated with suspended sediment were not absorbed by the receptors. On the other hand, the concentration of trace metals in the artificial mixture were found bioavailable and absorbed causing high percentage of mortality. In the plant assay, significant difference was obtained in the germination percentage between the control and three different extraction exposures in both plant species. The mean root length of P. cineraria and V. tortilis were higher in 20% and 50% extracts than the control probably due to the availability of nutrients from the dust extract. Interestingly however, the seedling vigor index was the opposite with higher index in the control and lower in dust extracts that contains heavy metals.
Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosure and Corporate Governance: A Bi-Contextual Analysis View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Zeynab Minyaoui
This study investigates the effects of corporate governance mechanisms on voluntarily social and environmental information disclosure in Canada and France. The study use the content analysis approach, applied on a total of 245 year-observations for each of the Canadian and French samples from 2005 to 2011. Our results show a significant correlation between the board's independence, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) committee, and expertise as well as the audit quality along with the extent of the social and environmental disclosure. The French firms are found disclosing more societal information than Canadian firms, which might be due to the stakeholders' pressure put on French companies to disclose such societal information
