Setting the Scene for a Healthier Indoor Living Environment: Citizens’ Knowledge, Awareness, and Habits Related to Residential Radon Exposure in Romania

The present research is based on the premise that people perceive radiation risks in different ways, depending on their cultural background, information exposure, economic level, and educational status, which are specific to each country. The main objective was to assess and report, for the first time, the Romanians’ attitude (perceptions, knowledge, and behaviors) related to residential radon, in order to contribute to the creation of a healthier living environment. A convenience sample of 229 people from different parts of Romania, including radon prone areas, was used. Results profiled a population vulnerable to radon threats from the perspective of their awareness and perceptions. Thus, study results showed that most participants did not perceive the risk generated by radon exposure as significant to their health; only 13.1% of interviewed people considered the danger to their health as “high” or “very high”. Additionally, it was found that awareness of radon itself was low: 62.4% of the sample did not know what radon was. From a practical perspective, the study shows that in Romania, increasing awareness, through the provision of valid information, should be a major objective of strategies that aim to reduce radon exposure. The present study takes a bottom-up perspective by assessing Romanian citizens’ attitudes toward radon. Therefore, it compensates for a gap in the behavioral studies literature by providing practical support for radon risk mitigation and creating the premises for a healthier living environment

Vloga in položaj moških vzgojiteljev v vrtcu

In Wallonia, organic farming continues to increase its share of agricultural activities, the number of organic farmers exceeding for the first time 10% of the total number of farmers in 2014, with 8.6% of the total agricultural area. Meadows represent 83% of the organic areas, general crops 15% and vegetables 1%. The number of cattle heads is still increasing, while poultry and laying hen recorded a significant progress during the last years. Organic products consumption is also increasing and the market share of organic products in food products reached 2.3% in 2014. On the other hand, the implementation of the new Common Agricultural Policy, and particularly its green payment, obliges 50% of Walloon farmers to practice crop diversification and 46% to have at least 5% of ecological focus area within their arable land in 2015, which represents more than 24,000 ha. So, organic farming and ecological focus areas do have today a significant share of the Walloon agricultural area, leading to a more sustainable agriculture

Consumer Food Security and Labeling Intervention on Food Products through Public Policies in Romania

The correct understanding of consumers’ food labeling knowledge and perceptions is a prerequisite to develop and implement coherent and appropriate food safety policies. One objective of the paper was to discover how often consumers access and use specific food label information. Another objective was to explore stakeholders’ preferences for several public policy options relevant for food safety. In this respect, a survey on a sample of 312 Romanian consumers and the evaluation of several public policy options by four stakeholder groups (food producers and sellers, doctors, fitness trainers, and consumers) were carried out. The results revealed that the most frequently read types of information on the label were “expiration date” and “price”, closely followed by “quantity” and “brand”. Among tested public policies, those related to the traffic light labels and to the social interest messages with health claims were rewarded with high scores by investigated stakeholders. Although nutrition has a decisive impact on health state, nutrition information was not frequently read by people, thus justifying the implementation of a public policy meant to enhance consumers’ interest in and reading frequency of nutrition information on food label

Locally produced organic food: Consumer preferences

Local and organic food production is often linked to geographical identity that drives consumers to buy products due to their intangible attributes such as protection of the environment, support of local communities, and preservation of traditions. The primary objective of this paper was to find out if the Romanian consumers preferred a closer location of organic food production. Research results were based on a random survey, with a sample of 424 people from Romania. Seven variables related to consumer preferences and habits were analyzed through descriptive statistics and by Mann Whitney, Wilcoxon, Kruskal Wallis tests, and Spearman's rank-order correlation coefficient. Three location situations were taken under analysis: local vs. other national locations; national vs. other EU locations; and EU vs. the rest of the world. The results revealed that Romanian consumers were prone to local organic food sources, as long as 65% of them preferred locally produced foods over other national sources. A closer location was also more attractive in the other two tested situations, as follows: 77% of the sample preferred foods from Romania to those from other EU countries and 62% preferred European products to those from the rest of the world. The paper concluded that the promotion of the concept of a closer location could be an unexplored opportunity for those interested in the Romanian market

Environmental Equity through Negotiation: A Case Study on Urban Landfills and the Roma Community

The paper discusses the necessity to bring environmental equity within the Pata Rât Roma community in Northwest Romania, relying on the answers to three questions: “Does environmental equity exist in Pata Rât?”, “How can it be attained?”, and “To what extent can it be brought to the targeted people?” It was shown how a trio of factors tailors the destiny of Roma inhabitants: being a minority, their ethnicity, and the fact they are living on and off what society rejects and dumps—a landfill. The framing of the environmental equity concerns within a vision considering negotiation as the most adequate means to attain it is a novel approach. Further on, the results of the study can fuel win-win solutions in environmental equity. The information abstracted from a set of indicators, assessed through an evaluation matrix, represents a beneficial platform for future bottom-up decisions concerning landfill residents. Three action options were analyzed: on-site living opportunities—that resulted to be preferred, off-site living opportunities, and “Do nothing”. The analysis provides qualitative evidence that the evaluation of environmental equity is largely subjective, because of its complexity and specificity related to geographical, historical, cultural characteristics, and political interests

Wastewater Reflections in Consumer Mind: Evidence from Sewage Services Consumer Behaviour

Environmental concerns have become an important decision-making determinant for consumers. Hundreds of emerging pollutants and their metabolites are listed as present in European aquatic environments and human settlements are blamed as major sources of water pollution. It was assumed that as long as water treatment is not totally effective and it requires a high amount of energy and resources, household’s contribution through correct behaviour in relation to the load of waste they discharge in the sewage system can reduce efforts towards wastewater treatment. Consequently, the main objective of this study was to investigate households’ perception and behaviour related to wastewater treatment services. Results are based on a random survey with a sample of 125 Romanian consumers of water supply and sewage services. A key finding is that investigated wastewater services consumers perceive the effect of discharging untreated wastewater in the environment as highly negative both on human health and on the environment, thus pointing out the importance associated by them to water treatment. This research argues that understanding wastewater services consumer behaviour enlarges the way toward reducing environmental disturbances