Integrating process and factor understanding of environmental innovation by water utilities

Innovations in technology and organisations are central to enabling the water sector to adapt to major environmental changes such as climate change, land degradation or drinking water pollution. While there are literatures on innovation as a process and on the factors that influence it, there is little research that integrates these. Development of such an integrated understanding of innovation is central to understanding how policy makers and organisations can stimulate and direct environmental innovation. In the research reported here a framework is developed that enables such an integrated analysis of innovation process and factors. From research interviews and the literature twenty factors were identified that affect the five stages of the environmental innovation process in English and Welsh water utilities. The environmental innovations investigated are measures taken by water utilities to reduce or prevent pollution in drinking water catchments rather than technical measures to treat water. These Source Control Interventions are similar to other environmental innovations, such as ecosystem and species conservation, in that they emphasise the mix of technology, management and engagement with multiple actors. Results show that in water utilities direct performance regulation and regulation that raises awareness of a ‘performance’ gap as a ‘problem’ can stimulate innovation, but only under particular organisational, natural physical and regulatory conditions. The integrated framework also suggests that while flexible or framework legislation (e.g. Water Framework Directive) does not stimulate innovation in itself, it has shaped the option spaces and characteristics of innovations selected towards source control instead of technical end-of-pipe solutions

Unravelling the Worldwide Pollution Haven Effect

This paper tackles the “pollution haven” argument by estimating the pollution content of imports (PCI). The PCI is then decomposed into three components: (i) a “deep” component (i.e. traditional variables unrelated to the environmental debate); (ii) a factor endowment component and (iii) a “pollution haven” component reflecting the impact of differences in environmental policies. The estimation is carried out for 1987 for an extensive data set covering 10 pollutants, 48 countries and 79 ISIC 4-digit sectors. Decompositions based on cross-section econometric estimates suggest a significant pollution haven effect which increases the PCI of the North because of stricter environmental regulations in the North. At the same time, the factor endowment effect lowers the PCI of the North, as the North is relatively well-endowed in capital and pollution-intensive activities are capital intensive. On a global scale, because the bulk of trade is intra-regional with a high North-North share, these effects are small relative to the “deep” determinants of the worldwide PCI. In sum, differences in factor endowments and environmental policies have only marginally affected the PCI of world trade at the end of the eighties.Trade and The Environment, Pollution Haven Effect, Factor Endowment Effect

THE STUDENT LEARNING DIFFICULTY FACTOR XI CLASS BUILDING DRAWING LESSONS OF EXPERTISE BUILDING SMK NEGERI 3 YOGYAKARTA

This study aims at determine the influence of the most dominant factor OF learning difficulties of the students in Grade XI Subject Areas Building Drawing Building SMK Negeri 3 Yogyakarta, learning difficulties were factors include: (1) Internal factors consist of: (a) Physical factors, (b) Factors Psychology, and (2) External factors consist of: (a) Family environmental factors, (b) and School of Environmental Factors (c) Environmental factors Society. The research was conducted at SMK Negeri 3 Yogyakarta. The sample of this research is the Department of Building class XI student of 85 students drawn from a population of 113 students who are of 4 classes namely GB1, GB2, GB3, and KK. The sampling technique using a proportional sampling. Techniques of data retrieval is done by distributing questionnaires and documentation. Validation test by consulting with the lecturers and experts to test the validity items using application programs excel 2007, while the reliability of the instrument using Cronbach Alpha coefficient. Data analysis techniques performed descriptively by finding the mean (M) score of learning difficulties experienced by students to draw a building subjects. The results of this study indicate that a class XI student of building expertise SMK Negeri 3 Yogyakarta to draw a building subjects have difficulty learning from a selected number of samples, the results obtained (1) learning difficulties physical factor 8.23%, (2) learning difficulty factor Psychology of 21.18%, (3) difficulty learning environment factors family 15.29%, (4) difficulty learning school environment factors 11.76%, (5) difficulty learning community environment factors 12.94%. So the class XI students building area of expertise to learn the dominant factor is the difficulty factor of Psychology. Key words: Learning Difficulties, Drawing Buildings, SMK Negeri 3 Yogyakart

Cultural Factor in the Environmental Impact Assessment Process

Analisis mengenai Dampak Lingkungan (AMDAL) atau Environmental impact Assessment (EIA) merupakan salah satu cara menganalisis proyek pembangunan sebelum dilaksanakan, untuk mengetahui apakah proyek tersebut berpotensi merusak lingkungan. Dalam pelaksanannya, studi AMDAL sering tereduksi artinya menjadi analisis dan sisi lingkungan secara fisik, sementara itu factor social dan budaya masyarakat di lokasi proyek acapkali terabaikan. Makalah ini akan menyoroti tentang perlunya studi AMDAL memasukkan unsur budaya setempat sering disebut sebagai analisis dampak social atau Socail Impact Assessment (SIA) untuk mengurangi dan bahkan menghilangkan dampak yang mungkin timbul dari pembangunan suatu proyek, yang pada gilirannya dapat menghindari kerugian finansial yang mungkin timbul. Beberapa kasus akan dibahas sebagai contoh

THE ROLL OF FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY

The paper analyses the roll of the main external funds in the environmental protection. These investments represent an important place in the economic growth and in the same time contribute to the achievement of the objectives of the environmental policy, taking into account the demands imposed by the adhering (65% out of the integration costs are environment costs), finally reducing the gaps between European Union and Romania. However the quality of the environment determines regional attractiveness and as such is a local factor for investment.financial assistance, European Union, environmental policy, European integration