Attitude‐behaviour relationship in environmental education: a case study from Turkey

This article reports a study on relationships between students’ environmental attitudes and behaviours in Turkey. The theories of reasoned action and learning have been used in this research. The data were obtained from grade‐eight secondary school students (N = 248) in the capital city, Ankara. Factor analysis result showed that there were three factor groups namely ‘general’, ‘economy’ based and ‘domestic’ attitudes and behaviours. Although students’ attitudes towards the environment were highly positive, their answers for behaviours were lower than those for attitudes. Recommendations are presented to improve students’ environmentally responsible behaviour.     

Public engagement with water conservation in London

Understanding water demand and consumers' capacity for change is essential in underpinning water demand management and water efficiency programmes. This paper presents the outcomes of a qualitative study, which used discussion groups relating to water infrastructure with environmentally aware citizens in five London boroughs in the Lower Lea River Basin. The results showed a subtle interaction between users, water and technology. Users are generally unaware of their own water consumption. Individual perceptions of changes in water behaviour are constrained by habit and lack of knowledge about what changes can be made and how. Knowledge of environmental information was described as the inspiration behind making any changes. The paper concludes that access to information about water resources, infrastructure and conservation measures should be enhanced because although information sources are abundant, participants claimed they were inaccessible without considerable effort. Finally, an emphasis should also be put on helping the public form a more substantial part in environmental decisions.     

Estimating energy savings from behaviours using building performance simulations

Occupants’ behaviours are a major determinant of energy use in buildings. The related savings potential has been insufficiently exploited. Although research has addressed behavioural savings through real-world interventions and quantitative modelling approaches, it has not yet explored the full variety of household activities. This work proposes an integrative modelling approach of energy behaviours in the residential setting as a tool to estimate the behavioural impact of households on energy consumption. It uses building energy performance simulation (BEPS) tools to exploit the behavioural savings potential associated with usage and investment energy behaviours when using different energy services in daily household activities. Simulations have estimated significant behavioural savings potential associated with energy behaviours, which may be materialized if some forms of behaviour are induced. Investment behaviours have higher savings potential than usage behaviours, and the behavioural savings potential per energy service is proportional to the energy consumption breakdown. BEPS tools enable a quantitative estimate of the behavioural impact on energy consumption, but further improvements to these tools are needed to incorporate the complexity of behavioural dimensions. Estimating the behavioural savings potential is important for a more effective design of behaviour change interventions, which in turn will support more effective energy efficiency policies.     

Domestic electricity use: A high-resolution energy demand model

The pattern of electricity use in an individual domestic dwelling is highly dependent upon the activities of the occupants and their associated use of electrical appliances. This paper presents a high-resolution model of domestic electricity use that is based upon a combination of patterns of active occupancy (i.e. when people are at home and awake), and daily activity profiles that characterise how people spend their time performing certain activities. One-min resolution synthetic electricity demand data is created through the simulation of appliance use; the model covers all major appliances commonly found in the domestic environment. In order to validate the model, electricity demand was recorded over the period of a year within 22 dwellings in the East Midlands, UK. A thorough quantitative comparison is made between the synthetic and measured data sets, showing them to have similar statistical characteristics. A freely downloadable example of the model is made available and may be configured to the particular requirements of users or incorporated into other models.     

Water demand management: implementation principles and indicative case studies

Current practices for the efficient use and management of water resources are based on the conjunctive application of water supply and demand measures. Even though options for the augmentation of water supply are widely analysed and assessed, water demand management remains an open field for study, as it is highly dependent on the socio‐economic features of a region and has a site‐specific character. This paper summarizes the guiding principles of demand management and presents some successful application examples of demand management measures from regions that cover a wide range of socioeconomic and environmental conditions in an effort to identify the critical factors for the efficient planning and implementation of demand management plans.     

Quantitative microbial risk assessment with respect to Campylobacter spp. in toilets flushed with harvested rainwater

In light of increasing pressures on water supplies in some areas, water demand management and water conservation techniques are likely to become increasingly prevalent. In‐house systems using alternatives to mains supplies for nonpotable uses present one such option for reducing potable water demand. This paper, through a formal desk‐based health impact assessment (HIA) and quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA), examines one of the possible health implications (Campylobacter infection from toilet flushing) resulting from the use of rainwater harvesting in the home in the United Kingdom. This is investigated using data from the literature and a hypothetical case study population of over 4000 people (based on data for the ‘average’ population in England), with the results being expressed as disability‐adjusted life years (DALYs) (on an annual basis) and placed in context of the ‘tolerable’ risk from drinking‐water supplies.     

MODELLING THE IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON DOMESTIC WATER DEMAND

This report paper examines current domestic water demand elasticity, with weather variables, as an aid to assessing the potential impact of climate change on domestic water demand. An empirical model of the relationship between summer domestic water demand and concurrent weather under current climatic and socio-economic conditions is developed and then applied to weather data which have been produced for 2020AD climate scenarios. The model is based on data for the Essex area supplied by Essex and Suffolk Water. The results suggest an increase in summer seven-day average domestic-water demand of 3.3 l/hd. d (range 1.37–5.72 l/hd. d), in addition to an increase in the frequency of large demand events. The analysis forms the basis of a wider exposition, examining future domestic water demand under varying climate-change scenarios.     

Sustainable water use and the nexus of behavioural intentions: the case of four South African communities

South Africa continues to ramp up public campaigns to rein in escalating water demand against the backdrop of dwindling and erratic supply. While the water conservation campaign appears to resonate with commercial and urban water users, it does not seem to have gained traction with rural and periurban residents. Using the sequential mixed methods, this paper explores the water conservation attitudes, behaviour and intentions of rural and periurban respondents in four South African communities. Results reveal respondents consider water conservation important and are favourably disposed to conserving water. Attitude, subjective norm and behavioural control emerged as significant factors influencing respondents’ water conservation intentions. The study concludes that rural and periurban residents are yet to develop a social ethic of water conservation essential in creating sustainability of resource use.     

Accurate water demand spatial allocation for water networks modelling using a new approach

The paper presents an alternative approach regarding the spatial allocation of the actual water demand (at node level) when developing a pipe network's hydraulic simulation model. The process takes into account the respective demand patterns of the various types of water users, considering the water being lost through leaks/breaks occurring, as a competitive use. This new method accurately approximates the demand allocation of a network when there is no GIS data, thus having a significant impact on its cost effectiveness. Kos Town (Greece) water pipe network is used as the case study to demonstrate the entire process and the problems encountered. Finally, to prove its effectiveness the results of the new method were compared to MW-Voronoi diagram method's results and to field measurements.     

GLOBAL WARMING AND THE DEMAND FOR WATER

More than a decade has passed since the International Panel on Climatic Change began to study (in depth) the possibility that the global climate was changing. Increasing attention is also being paid to the impact of such changes on society in general, and on the planning and management of water resources. Not least among the water resources planning problems is the estimation of the changes which might occur in public water-supply demands. Such changes are notoriously difficult to evaluate, particularly in the UK where most domestic premises remain un-metered. Elsewhere, econometric models involving climatic parameters as independent variables have had some success, but a recent application of this approach in the UK was unable to identify particular parameters which had a consistent influence over the summer period. This lack of success might be partly caused by the public reaction to summer conditions being a complex function of several parameters, such as duration of sunshine, temperature and rainfall. This complexity has already been recognised by climatologists, who have devised forms of summer indices involving weighted combinations of climatic variables to determine how 'good' or 'bad' a particular period might be perceived by the general public. The use of one such summer index to explain the variations in an index of demand for public water supply in the London supply area has shown that simple and consistent relationships can be derived. Application of these relationships to scenarios of changes in temperature, sunshine duration and rainfall totals for the year 2050 shows an increase of 0.6- 2.9 index points in water-supply demand over the 1950-1990 period average.     

Comparison of Creep Behaviour and Fatigue Behaviour of Grouted Sand

An experimental study aimed at comparing of creep and fatigue behaviour of grouted sand is presented. Unconfined creep tests and cyclic tests were performed to highlight the creep and the fatigue behaviour of Fontainebleau sand grouted with three types of grout: a silicate grout, a micro-fine cement-based grout and a mineral-based grout. Creep and fatigue results were compared in terms of strain rate, creep slope or fatigue slope, and creep limit strength or fatigue limit strength. Some analogies were observed between the creep and the fatigue behaviours. These behaviours can be compared from a qualitative point of view, since creep and fatigue curves have the same shape (both showing primary and tertiary behaviour), and from a quantitative point of view, under certain loading conditions.     

An investigation into the circumstances surrounding fatal dwelling fires involving very young children

Examination of real-fire data has indicated that, compared to both their share in the general population and older children, very young children are at an increased risk of becoming a dwelling fire fatality; however, detailed research focused specifically on very young fire fatalities is almost non-existent. This paper presents an analysis of the circumstances surrounding fatal dwelling fires involving children aged 5 years and under which has been gleaned from coronial reports. Although fatalities among children aged 5 years and under were relatively rare, i.e. 14 during the 11 year period studied, the circumstances surrounding these deaths were similar and recurrent and it is important to understand these fully so that fire prevention efforts can be focused appropriately. This paper presents a unique insight into those circumstances and includes not only quantitative data but also detailed qualitative information gathered from the abundance of rich data within the coronial reports that, more often than not, goes unreported. The paper considers fire incident trends and the fatality's demographics, locations and behaviours, with additional focus on the home environment and warning signs such as persistent fire interest. The analysis indicates that the most common cause of fires for this age group was child fire-play (using smokers' materials), with inadequate supervision and relaxed attitudes to fire safety in the home both playing a contributory role. This paper considers these trends and discusses the implications for focusing fire prevention efforts for this age group. The findings suggest that such efforts may be best focused on parents/carers who were smokers and improving attitudes to fire safety in the home.     

桂林市桃花江流域生态环境需水量的初步研究

提出了桂林市桃花江流域生态环境需水量内涵，即为维护流域生态环境质量在时间上不下降所需要的最小水量。结合实地调研对桃花江流域生态环境需水量进行了初步研究，通过运用蒙大拿法（Montana method）等计算方法，计算得出：该流域河道外生态需水量为0．149亿m^3，占流域年均径流量的4％；河道内生态需水量为1．098亿m^3，占流域年均径流量的30％。本研究为当地水资源可持续利用与管理提供了依据，并可为类似地区生态环境需水研究提供借鉴。     

从结构性失衡到均衡——我国城镇化发展的现实状况与未来趋势

城镇化是现代化的必由之路,有着发展的客观规律,不能简单地把城镇化作为拉动经济、促进内需的政策工具。就城镇化研究的有关观点及中央的政策精神,针对我国城镇化发展中出现的“结构性失衡”现象,从结构角度和微观角度探讨和解释其成因机制;提出“新型城镇化”的本质诉求是经济、社会、资源环境的协调发展;从“结构性失衡”到“均衡”将是我国城镇化发展的必由之路,城镇化的目标确定和制度设计要顺应这个大趋势。     

浅谈节约型园林绿化的规划设计

可持续发展在当今社会成为一个越来越重要的议题,人类社会在发展过程中面临着资源有限性和需求扩大性的矛盾,在此背景下,园林绿化设计的节约也愈发重要。本文分析了国内园林绿化的现状,提出了实现节约型园林绿化设计的策略。     

Urban residential water and electricity consumption behavior: A systematic literature review

Consumer behavior is an understudied determinant of residential water and electricity demand and, when studied, capturing, measuring, and quantifying attitudes and behaviors is often problematic. This research explores behavioral determinants of the demand for water and electricity, contributing a set of categories and items that may be useful for understanding knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to consumption and constructing valid scales. These results may help researchers capture the complexity of consumer behavior regarding water and electricity and decision-makers in designing tailored demand management strategies.     

Adaptation and validation of an existing bottom-up model for simulating temporal and inter-dwelling variations of residential appliance and lighting demands

The design and analysis of community-scale energy systems and incentives is a non-trivial task. The challenge of such undertakings is the well-documented uncertainty of building occupant behaviours. This is especially true in the residential sector, where occupants are given more freedom of activity compared to work environments. Further complicating matters is the dearth of available measured data. Building performance simulation tools are one approach to community energy analysis, however such tools often lack realistic models for occupant-driven demands, such as appliance and lighting (AL) loads. For community-scale analysis, such AL models must also be able to capture the temporal and inter-dwelling variation to achieve realistic estimates of aggregate electrical demand. This work adapts the existing Centre for Renewable Energy Systems Technology (CREST) residential energy model to simulate Canadian residential AL demands. The focus of the analysis is to determine if the daily, seasonal, and inter-dwelling variation of AL demands estimated by the CREST model is realistic. An in-sample validation is conducted on the model using 22 high-resolution measured AL demand profiles from dwellings located in Ottawa, Canada. The adapted CREST model is shown to broadly capture the variation of AL demand variations observed in the measured data, however seasonal variation in daily AL demand behaviour was found to be under-estimated by the model. The average and variance of daily load factors was found to be similar between measured and modelled. The model was found to under-predict the daily coincidence factors of aggregated demands, although the variance of coincident factors was shown to be similar between measured and modelled. A stochastic baseload input developed for this work was found to improve estimates of the magnitude and variation of both baseload and peak demands.     

新都区节水型社会建设研究

以新都区为建设节水型社会的研究对象,通过对该区水资源现状的调查研究、需水预测与供需平衡分析,把新都区水资源开发利用中存在的问题和未来水资源供需矛盾充分的体现出来,使人们意识到节约用水,建立节水型社会的必要性.并提出了基本节水方案和强化节水方案以及建设节水型社会的农业、工业、生活和生态措施,通过节水型社会的建设使新都区水资源供需矛盾基本上得到解决.     

Which factors determine water saving behaviour? evidence from spanish households

In this paper we propose to answer the following questions: What does the adoption of water saving measures by Spanish households depend on? Which factors have the most influence on water saving behaviour? To this end we have conducted an empirical study in which a binary model (probit/logit) with interaction effects between city size, educational level and climatic area, along with other quantitative and qualitative variables, is estimated using household level data. The results of this estimation, together with the evaluation of probability changes that occur when any of the qualitative factors change, suggest that the level of income, the size of the city where the dwelling is, the educational level of the reference person and the climatic location of the city are factors that influence the attitude towards saving water.