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Going green... So many projects to reduce environmental impact start this way and continue with the first task being to eliminate printed communication and go paperless and digital. All this is not driven by thoughtful environmental considerations, but by an aversion to paper-based communication that is wrongly anchored in the social consciousness. The authors draw attention to the misconceptions that people have about paper-based communication, showing that they are untrue and that they are often used to greenwash the digital world, thus distracting attention from the harmful environmental impact of their own processes. At the same time, they present the facts against the myths, citing scientific sources and reports, as well as their own research. They analyse the real environmental impacts of paper-based communication and the extent to which technology processes meet sustainability requirements. The world of print communication (including the modern printing industry) attaches great importance to sustainability. The Gutenberg galaxy has provided the basis for the development of human knowledge and culture for half a millennium and plans to continue to play this role in the future. It aims to meet the requirements of environmental sustainability, the circular economy and to work with the rest of the supply chain to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The authors detail and analyse these processes in their work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water is one of the basic necessities of life. However, water crises have become more frequent around the world as billions of people continue to suffer from a lack of access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene. Water is a limited resource that has been in growing demand - with the world's population increasing and water-intensive economic development continuing, infrastructure of many countries is not fit to meet accelerating demand. With climate change and its variability fluctuations in rainfall and extreme temperatures occur, causing shorter rain seasons and longer dry periods - making water and its availability more unpredictable. These changes have a serious impact on lives and livelihoods. Water is essential in all sectors for the production of food, energy, goods, and services. Over the past century, global water consumption has increased at more than twice the rate of population growth. Many water sources are drying up, more polluted, or both. The European Environment Agency (EEA) defines water stress as a situation where there is not enough water of sufficient quality to meet the needs of the people and of the environment. Lack of water is a relative term, the amount of water that is physically available changes as supply and demand change. Water scarcity intensifies when demand increases and/or when water supply is affected by declining quantity or quality. Water, energy and food security are key to sustainable long-term economic development and human well-being. The water, energy and food nexus focuses on decision-making in the complex linkages between systems that produce, supply and use goods and resources. The purpose of assessing such linkages is to identify untapped potential of synergies, such as in the case of water- and energy-related measures and the consequent impact of coordinated measures in contrast to uncoordinated measures. Based on the application of scientific methods in relation to the investigation of sustainability in water resources (the "W" Matrix in the framework of the Water-Energy-Food (WEF) Nexus) on the background of quantitative & qualitative sustainable development and CSR trends, the main aim of our paper is to assess sustainability in water resources in the context of the WEF nexus as well as in the light of the United Nations 2030 Agenda Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in order to formulate opportunities arising from the European Union Recovery and Resilience Plans. When documenting quantitative & qualitative sustainable development trends in the context of the WEF Nexus, our paper addressed the United Nations 2030 Agenda (alias "SDG diplomacy") as well as the NextGenerationEU Agenda (alias "Green Deal diplomacy"). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental pollution from polymer waste is one of the severe ecological problems. As of today, each day, approximately eight million pieces of plastic waste reach the ocean, where they are transformed into microplastics (small particles). Organisms in the sea are eating microplastics. The harmful effects of garbage ultimately affect humans. Due to the magnitude of the problem, the demand for biodegradable, eco-friendly materials, which will decompose after the operational period and will not pollute the environment, has increased in recent years. The latter contribute significantly to the sustainable development of the economy, as they are characterized by a wide range of uses and zero or minimal environmental impact [1-2]. The presented research concerns the synthesis of rigid structure monomers and biodegradable polymers based on them. Monomers tosyl diamino-diesters (TDADE) were synthesized by thermal condensation of amino acids and cyclic diols in a refluxed organic solvent. For the synthesis of polymers, we used the interfacial polycondensation method - we synthesized pseudoproteins of poly(ester urea) class (PP-PEU) by polycondensation of TDADE monomers with triphosgene. The paper presents the synthesis of six new monomers - TDADE and the preparation of some rigid structured poly(ester urea) based on them. Polymers of this type are actively used mainly in the medical field, however, due to their mechanical characteristics, the application area is expected to be some engineering fields as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The knowledge-based bioeconomy has been prioritized through European Union (EU) research and innovation policies. In December 2017, the government approved the Latvian Bioeconomy Strategy 2030, which set the horizontal strategic goal of achieving "research excellence in traditional bioeconomy industries and efficient transfer of knowledge". Therefore, the aim of the present research is to examine one of the submeasures "promoting research excellence and efficient knowledge transfer within traditional bioeconomy industries" for the implementation of the strategic goal of the Latvian Bioeconomy Strategy 2030 regarding "Knowledge and Innovations" in Latvia. The research found that the development of research on the bioeconomy depends on the overall situation in research and development (R&D) in the country. In 2021 in Latvia, total expenditure on scientific research was low, only 0.71% of GDP, of which 64% was EU funds and private funding. The national Smart Specialization Strategy (RIS3) defines five main fields to be developed in Latvia, and one of them is a knowledgeintensive bioeconomy. In 2018, 1600 scientists worked in this field, which was 23% of the total number of scientists engaged in RIS3 fields. The amount of R&D funding attracted to the bioeconomy field in 2014-2018 was only EUR 27 mln. or 14% of total funding for RIS3 fields, which indicated the insufficient ability of bioeconomy scientists to attract funding and their lower labour productivity. Nine main research institutions employed 89% of the total personnel engaged in the bioeconomy field, who were the authors of 98% of WoS-indexed research papers published in 2014-2018. In the future, the most important research priorities for the bioeconomy field are going to be mitigation of negative climate change impacts, as well as food and energy security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transition to sustainable pathways of economic development depends on the clear understanding of the sustainability principles, but it also needs ability to evaluate critically conventional professional practices and rethink them into sustainable one. However, the previous years of struggling for economic transformations have showed a serious issue - lack of action competence when it comes to the implementation of the sustainable solutions. The design thinking is a core of professional competency and high performance, but it must also incorporate skills to act and perform according to the plan. It is especially important for projects embedding sustainable solutions, which are often seen as a complicated and not profitable activity, demanding considerable investments. Moreover, this kind of perception is often demonstrated by all stakeholders - developers, businessmen and authorities. Thus, we believe that action competence must be a fundamental element of design thinking development in students. The most suitable platform for this is project-based learning, which should include a block of feasibility assessment and implementation planning. The paper presents the description of training methods and approaches for building the bridge between design thinking and action competence, based on the project-based courses delivered in Liepaja University and National Aviation University. The methodology of the research included three rounds of experiments, involving student works rating, student self-assessment and peer-review, which undergo analysis as well. The results of the work offer recommendations on the improvement of project design skills and action competence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Higher education institutions play a central role in shaping labor skills and green culture essential in the future low-carbon economy. This paper examines the impact of green education policies in the higher education sector on the business cycle and compares them to standard incentives to encourage green production at the firm level. For our purpose, we set up a Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium model extended to account for the endogenous selection of green and traditional human capital and heterogeneous households that differ in their ability to access labor markets and with different availabilities of human capital. We find that both academic and firm subsidy measures enable the greening of human capital. However, a green education stimulus is essential to increase the quality of green education and allow sustainable development in the long run. In contrast, firm-level green subsidies have a larger impact on short-term low-carbon productivity, as they mainly affect hiring and investment decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current paper presents the way of carrying out the topographical works combined with the design of the redevelopment of a recreation park in a crowded urban area of the municipality of Timisoara. The aim of the work was to create a topographical plan using the AutoCad, and Autodesk Map programs in order to draw up the architectural landscape redevelopment plan. The multitude of the block of flats located in the Calea Girocului neighborhood, makes the lack of green spaces acutely felt by the residents. For this reason, the park is very important, it is practically a green island in a sea of concrete. To identify the limits and points in the field, of the leveling, which is the subject of this documentation, a topographic survey of the area was carried out, using the Leica TCR-407 Total Station and the SOUTH S82V GPS in RTK mode. Also, the method and stages of deployment, in the field and in the office, with the help of specialized computer programs, were presented in detail. Thus, at the completion of the work, the most relevant data were made available to the beneficiary, in order to redevelop and modernize the objective proposed by the "Strategy for the development of green spaces of the Municipality of Timisoara" by the Timisoara City Hall. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

If we refer to the sustainable development of a territory, it can be stated that the natural resources and implicitly the land resources, occupy the central place within this process, in this case, the land use can be seen as an "indicator" element of the trends of the process of sustainable development. The specialized literature shows, in various studies, the direct and indirect influence of the relief on the way of land use, implicitly on the distribution of grasslands, through altitude, slope or morphometric characteristics. In this context, the paper aims, in a holistic approach, to make an analysis of the distribution of grassland areas on altitudinal floors to quantify their share in relation to other categories of land use, depending on specific local factors (natural and anthropogenic). Two regions were selected that extend over an altitude range of approx. 1200 m, from 200 m, in the depression area, to 1340 m, in the mountain area, located in western Romania. The distribution of land use categories, respectively grassland areas, was analyzed in the GIS environment, based on Corine Land Cover data. The overlay analysis found that the grasslands are distributed on all defined altitudinal floors, in different environmental conditions, but their proportion is different, depending on local conditions. Differences were also found in the occupation of the space: in the low area, the grasslands are found on fragmented areas, interspersed with arable land and in the hilly and mountainous areas, the areas of grasslands are larger, compact, positioned at the edge of the forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bulgarian forests are part of the national wealth and national identity. Their economic, social and ecological functions are important for the sustainable development of society and for improvement of living conditions especially in rural and mountainous regions. To a large extent these functions are irreplaceable not only in a national but also in a global aspect. In this connection in the present paper a structural-functional characterization of Bulgarian forest territories is done. Actual data on the area of forests, wood stock, wood increment and distribution of forests by functions are presented. Regarding the last one, the attention is focused on concise characteristics of forests with water protection functions on the territory of Bulgaria and water resources of the country. On the basis of the above, the guiding hypothesis for the study is formulated, namely: there is a correlation between the area of forest territories in Bulgaria and the territory occupied by water and water bodies. The verification is carried out by means of a correlation analysis, which is based on data from the National Statistical Institute (NSI) on the areas of forest territories and territories occupied by water and water bodies in 23 districts from level NUTS-3 in Bulgaria in 2021. Regarding the area occupied by water and water bodies, it should be clarified that according to NSI it includes plots for watercourses, water bodies and available water facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vulnerability, land use and sustainability are some of the main elements of major concern in the last decades that can be translated in practice through efficient development and planning. The role land use plays is recognized worldwide due to the rapid and continuous urban growth and development, which determine the occurrence of new powerful forces leading to social, demographical, environmental, technological and governmental changes. The large number of disasters in recent years demonstrated that the most effective and accessible method of reducing the pressure exerted by natural and technological risks is to reduce the level of vulnerability of communities exposed to a particular hazard. The vulnerability of populated areas to natural and technological disasters is also exacerbated by the decades of inefficient spatial planning policies that did not incorporate hazards and risks. This paper is aiming to create a bridge between the existing vulnerability theories and their implementation in land use planning policies, by assessing the need of a new methodology that will incorporate vulnerability reduction into spatial planning. The paper focuses on a case study of a developing country in SE Europe, Romania, using high resolution data obtained from the Urban Atlas inventory. The discussion and results section illustrates the spatial development of urban and rural areas in Romania in the last years. Moreover, this section demonstrates the impact of land use changes on vulnerability and the need to develop future sustainable development policies that can support decision makers, coming from the public or the private sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lately, there is a growing need for humanity to get closer to nature and to a way of life so that the negative impact on it to be as small as possible. One cannot talk about durable development without taking into account the sustainability criterion which is essential in all areas of activity. Traditional constructions made of masonry elements from unburned clay or other vernacular materials, using sheep wool mattresses for thermal insulation, successfully meet the conditions imposed by this criterion. Constructions made of natural materials, ensure the responsible use of non-renewable natural resources, the possibility of reuse and recycling of materials, contribute to environmental protection and pollution reduction, are energy saving and provide an hygienic, pleasant and healthy living climate. The aim of this paper is to present the experimental results obtained regarding the mechanical properties of the elements of unburned clay masonry with the addition of vegetable fibers from waste and of bio-eco-innovative wool mattresses, of different thicknesses. Following the results obtained on the 2 types of construction materials, based on clay with the addition of vegetable fibers, and sheep wool mattresses as thermal insulation material, it can be stated that they can be used successfully in construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to identify opportunities for the development of the bioeconomy in Latvia, assessing its role in the development of the agricultural sector. Nowadays, the development and sustainability of natural resources are of great importance. The bioeconomy can be considered as one of the oldest sectors of the economy, which life sciences and biotechnology can transform into one of the most modern sectors of the economy. From a number of perspectives, one of Latvia's development opportunities is the more sustainable and efficient use of natural resources. The bioeconomy provides a combined approach to integrating knowledge-based economic growth, social welfare and environmental protection in agriculture, forestry and fisheries, respecting the principles of the circular economy. The aim of this paper is to provide information on a study carried out to investigate and analyse the development perspectives of the bioeconomy and organic farming in Latvia. The research methodology includes theoretical concepts and a framework of factors influencing the bioeconomy. The study uses the Delphi method, collects data from expert interviews and surveys, uses the Porter's hypothesis method, and analyses the competitiveness of organic farming enterprises in Latvia based on Porter's five forces method. The development of the bioeconomy is mainly related to the production and efficient processing of bioresources. Rural areas and regions are therefore the ones with the greatest potential for development. Research data show that the growth of the bioeconomy will contribute to the development of Latvia's rural areas and regions and that Latvian organic farming enterprises have great potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of sustainable development involves economic development, social development, ecological development, political development, human development, spiritual and cultural development. All these elements pursue three fundamental objectives: smart growth - developing a knowledge and innovation-based economy, sustainable growth - promoting a more competitive and greener economy, in which resources are used more efficiently and inclusive growth - encouraging or high employment of the workforce, to ensure social and territorial cohesion. The production of basic food products using environmentally friendly technologies is a viable alternative for the recovery of waste or by-products resulting from manufacturing processes. One such alternative is the use of grape pomace and red cabbage outer leaves to make yogurt. The paper shows the evolution of the prebiotic activity of Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. Bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus (microorganisms used in the manufacture of yogurt) when grape pomace and cabbage outer leaves were used to fortify the milk base. After fortifying the milk base by adding the two by-products, the milk was inoculated with a culture formed by the two microorganisms. The quantification of the two microorganisms was done after 24 hours of thermostating. Physico-chemical analyzes were also performed in order to verify the quality of the improved yoghurts by comparison with the control test (yogurt without additives). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Risk communication facilitates the understanding of risks by the local communities and results in a higher acceptance degree of the people regarding the management of risks. Constant communication between all stakeholders on topics like community sustainable development (including environmental risk management) leads to a better local governance and a higher public engagement in the problems of the community, leading to improved behavior patterns. Moreover, broader and more effective community engagement is greatly encouraged in the United Nations Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development through citizen science and community-based participatory research initiatives. In complex contexts, citizen science appears as an indispensable tool given the historical and micro-spatial patterning of environmental problems. This paper focuses on a case which includes three former/still active mining areas and it aims to identify the stakeholders involved in risk communication, their main themes of interest and some tailored methods for public participation, in line with their needs and opinions on the existing risks. The results of the research in these areas revealed a high potential for learning in the local mining communities and their openness towards scientific information and citizen science initiatives. This is a potential that could be capitalized for a higher public engagement in the management of environmental issues of the area and for the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bicycle transport is usually perceived as environmentally friendly alternative of car transport. From the point-of-view of everyday mobility, the bicycle is relatively fast, inexpensive, healthy and environmentally friendly mode of transport, which helps people to overcome the dependence on the car. For this reason, promoting cycling is one of the key concepts of sustainable mobility, which influences the creation of mobility management plans in recent decades. However, not everything is so bright. This article reveals that preferences of cycling infrastructure users and actions of officials and politicians are sometimes far from principles of sustainable development. It is based on data from the Czech Republic, where two large surveys and one qualitative study were implemented during the years 2014 – 2019. These data describe (a) the preferences of cyclists as a target group, (b) the priorities of politicians and officials influencing the construction of cycle paths, and (c) the experience of professionals involved in the construction of cycle paths themselves. Combining quantitative and qualitative data from three different sources makes it easy to get to know the everyday reality of building bicycle paths in the Czech Republic as a country where cycling infrastructure development is very slow and each section of a new trail is often very expensive. The paper draws attention to some thoughtless and populist steps that led to the unnecessary occupation of land in greenfield and describes the reasons for this approach. On the other hand, the paper gives recommendations on how to develop cycling infrastructure sparingly and with respect to the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The problems and challenges which contemporary world faces set the leading idea of sustainable development as key aspect of geographic education. In the paper is used the well-known definition for sustainable development development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. As a result of these tendencies, it can be pointed out three very important concepts in geography didactic environmental education, global study and education for sustainable development. The concept environmental education is still quite disputable and in theoretical debates the key question is how it interacts with the term education for sustainable development . The author of paper shares the opinion that according to contemporary conditions the environmental education should be the main step in the process of improvement of education for sustainable development . One of the current trends within environmental education is the establishment of successful environmental behavior which is influenced by variety of factors: systematic knowledge, social norms impact, confidence in control, etc. The concept global study is often defined as a pedagogical reaction to the conditions in which the global society evolves. The global study is commonly accepted as an open process of life-long learning which takes into consideration every aspect of sustainable development. Of course, the central place here is dedicated to the space and its different scales. The challenges global study concept faces taking into account its increasing complexity, could raise certain problems in educational process. The education for sustainable development is a large-scale and ambitious task of contemporary education. The main aim of such education is to develop, deepen, constantly update and implement competences which the individuals achieve in their dynamic environmentally friendly, oriented to economic vitality and social justice activity. What are the main consequences for the geographic educational practice? Firstly, the geographic education will be focused on global and essential for the future world development topics interrelating ecological, social, economic and political aspects. Secondly, crucial role in implementation of educational process will be played by pupils. Thus will lead to fact that pupils’ motivation and own will to be the most important preconditions for acquiring and improving different competences. Thirdly, the starting point will be always the authentic problematic situation which pupils should recognize, then analyze and evaluate and afterwards take decisions, plan and do the particular activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to ensure economic development and respect of the principle of sustainability, the European Union has introduced a number of innovations in the legal framework and thus provided a large amount of money to modernize the economy. The benefits brought by the new economic model (circular economy) are reflected in the reduction of harmful effects on the environment, increased resource productivity, job creation, reduced dependence on raw material imports, increased competitiveness of the economy and encouraging sustainable economic development. The aim of the paper is to analyse and introduce the circular economy concept and to propose measures, steps and methods to simplify the introduction of the concept into the economy. The paper is structured in such a way that after the introduction follows a call to recent literature. Then it proceeds with performance analysis of the circular economy implication in the countries of the European Union. Subsequently, the authors present the proposals of measures that could be used to implement the circular economy together with a short conclusion at the end. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Russian Federation has the largest Arctic coastline and the highest level of population among the other Arctic nations. The Arctic region of the Russian Federation occupies the territory of more than 3 million square kilometers. It is the Mother land of more than 2 million people. The Arctic zone is a unique geographical, climatic and ecological region. It is considered to be a special object of the state administration. The importance of the sustainable development in the Arctic region is determined by the national interests of the Russian Federation. The sustainable development in the Arctic is the main priority of the Russian state policy on the regional level. However, at the present moment the development of the Arctic is influenced by a number of factors that need to be taken into account for shaping sustainable development strategy. The most significant objective of scientific support for the development of the Russian Arctic region is to preserve ecosystems, creating efficient life support technologies, providing large-scale scientific projects, etc. The study of the Russian Arctic region includes forming principles, methods, strategies, management system for sustainable development. The paper discusses the features of sustainable development in the Arctic region of the Russian Federation. The theoretical aspects of sustainable development are considered. It gives a brief review of the regulatory documents keeping control on the development of the region. The paper analyses some specific factors having impact on the development in the Arctic region, which determine the whole complex of problems for the long-term sustainable development. The recommendations for shaping concept of sustainable development in the Arctic region are given. The principles of sustainable development in the Russian Arctic region are formulated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of renewable energy is discussed, monitored and regulated by organizations all over the world in the current context of transition to green economies. Moreover, the focus of the debates in the scientific world is targeted towards emissions reduction which has become one of the most significant impact assessment tool of the renewable energy use. By the extensive review of the publications regarding energy access and the monitoring of sustainable development around the world, it can be concluded that the data regarding the access to energy of the majority of countries (including developed ones) is superficial and the reports use inaccurate generalizations regarding what the European Union refers to as the right of its citizens to have their homes connected to the local electricity network. The results of researches conducted on the subject generally indicate that first poverty must be combated and education programs must be implemented before accessing renewable energy. This paper discusses the significant social issue which is disregarded in the current reports about the monitoring of energy at national levels, namely the access to energy, and proposes a shift in perspective from the purpose of on-grid connections of the households to accessing renewable energy resources which could represent the solution of this social issue worldwide. In order to sustain this proposal, data provided by the World Bank in the latest energy report is processed using Microsoft Power BI. Only by considering important dimensions other than the environmental or economical ones, which would seriously benefit from the use of renewable energy, a fair assessment can be made regarding the impact of transitioning to a green economy. Therefore, the discussion about the social dimension must start with emphasis on the assumptions which are made when assessing the status quo, which is one of the main discussion in this paper. By correctly identifying the social issues, the appropriate solutions can be then implemented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper deals with the effective management of rainwater. Given the current climate change, which is currently faster than anticipated, environmental issues are very timely. These sudden changes are mainly caused by human activity. The most noticeable climate change is the increase in temperature and changes in the rainfall regime. These two changes are closely linked. The average consumption of drinking water per capita is over 100 liters of water per day in civilized advanced nations. But about 50% of this consumption does not need to have quality drinking water, so rainwater can be used as a substitute. The basis of success is its correct collection and subsequent storage. The aim of the paper is an optimization of the design of a suitable system of use of rainwater in households and its evaluation from the financial point of view. The purpose of rainwater systems is to minimize water consumption from the water supply system and to effectively use rainwater in the household while achieving cost-optimal levels. There is also an effort to reduce the amount of rainwater drained away from the land to lessen the sewerage network and reduce the risk of flooding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the studies of an improvement of techniques for energy saving management on the principle of sustainable development. The authors proposed a hypothesis for the sociocultural, environmental and economic aspects of the sustainable development principles and their correlation with the management of energy-saving procedures in civil construction. Qualitative and quantitative efficiency from improving techniques of energy-saving managing are highlighted. The baselines of the energy consumption are identified and ranked upon the aims and purposes of the building functioning. A complex of improving managing techniques based on organizational principles, technical measures, and motivational effects is proposed. A general list of passive and active procedures contributing to energy-saving efficiency and resource consumption reducing is systematized on the detailing of goals, effects and applied technologies. Additional procedures that provide energy saving through the use of waste, secondary, renewable energy resources are focused. Managing techniques for energy saving highlighted in groups dealt with the building’s functioning regime, operation and maintenance of the building’s systems, energy consumption schedules, responsibilities assigning, energy and resource saving promotion, energy audits, and energy monitoring. The paper concludes the energy-saving management is to be improved on the basis of the principle of sustainable development considering the energetic, economic, ergonomic, social, environmental and financial effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Best Available Techniques (BAT) concept first emerged in the 1960s. It primarily serves as a tool for preventing industrial pollution and setting conditions for Integrated Environmental Permits for larger industrial installations. BAT include technological, technical and managerial solutions aimed to prevent or control pollution and provide for high resource and energy efficiency (EE) of production processes and minimisation of waste. Lessons learnt by various countries prove that the BAT concept has potential for a much wider application, going beyond pollution prevention and control. This paper considers opportunities opened up by BAT with respect to achieving several of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). These opportunities form a ‘BAT flower’, petals of which are discussed in the paper. Internationally, the BAT concept is becoming an effective environmental policy instrument, and is gradually strengthening its position in the development of industrial policy. Stringent BAT requirements do not jeopardise industrial development and economic growth, but help harmonising progress towards SDG 8: Sustainable Economic Growth. Smart application of BAT requires reduction of pollution and enhanced EE. This also provides for the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions though regulatory instruments for climate change mitigation and industrial pollution often are separate, both at the national and international levels. BAT-based programmes for EE enhancement and GHG emissions reduction function in the European Union (EU), the United States (US) and Canada, making BAT a powerful instrument for energy and climate policies used to achieve SDG 13: Climate Action. Circular economy entails gradually decoupling economic activity from the consumption of finite resources, and designing waste out of the system. BAT require minimisation of waste in all technological processes and provides advice for replacing raw materials by waste in many industrial sectors (metallurgy, construction materials industry, energy generation, etc.). Thereby BAT contribute towards achieving SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production; in particular, through the reduction of releases of chemicals, BAT support target 12.4. Important results have been achieved within green chemistry due to the application of techniques reducing or eliminating the use or generation of hazardous substances in the design, manufacture and application of chemical products. Increasingly, countries apply green chemistry principles to identify BAT. Chemical products are used in all sectors of the economy; and are crucial for both industrial and rural development, protection of terrestrial ecosystems and prevention of soil degradation. Implementation of BAT is required by international and regional conventions, such as the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, the Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution, the Minamata Convention of Mercury and the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic. This helps promote SDG 17: Global Partnership for Sustainable Development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper deals with the flat roof of low-energy buildings. The building sector is currently focusing on the maximum energy efficiency of buildings and related energy savings. At present, the building sector holds more than 40% of energy consumption and 36% production of greenhouse gas emissions. The whole sector of buildings uses more than 50% of the Earth's raw materials and produces approximately 50% of world waste. Roofs occupy about 20–25% of urban surfaces. The green construction practice expands and complements the classical building design concerns of economy, utility, durability, and comfort. According to the principles of sustainable development, future construction should be more focused on the reduction of pollution of the environment and the effective using of material resources. The aim of the contribution is multi-criteria assessment of the sustainability of the flat roofs. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the sustainability of six types of flat roofing systems in terms of environmental and thermal - technical parameters, financial and time requirements. The result of the contribution is the recommendation of the most suitable option for implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forests are not only ecologically important for the existence of ecosystems, air purification and its supply with oxygen as the Earth's lungs, but they also have social and economic significance that directly affects the quality of life and sustainable development in general. Given that about 40% of the entire territory of Kosovo is a forest area, and the fact that they are considered as part of national wealth, they continue to be affected by fires and illegal and uncontrolled logging of the human factor. If we look at the statistics of hectares with a forest area, every day we see that this number is falling. Therefore, they need to be managed to provide sustainable production as well as to protect species from their disappearance, thus protecting the biological diversity for a good collective future. As the forests are continuing to be misused and their number is falling, the idea of this paper is to make efficient management of wood and timber heating thus protecting forest areas and making more efficient use of energy. In addition to the research of this problematic, citizens' awareness on efficient heating management will be explored, where 200 family of the Republic of Kosovo will be part of the study. Data processing will be done through the SPSS program, where different statistical test scores will be made. This paper is of great importance, as mismanagement of forests has become the current problem of modern times. Therefore, finding alternatives to heat not only will enable forest protection and better use of energy but also environmental protection from pollution, as we rank among the highest polluting countries in the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coastal lakes of the Romanian Black Sea shore comprise significant ecosystems, characterized by marine, brackish and freshwater assemblages. Therefore, these lakes may be seen as biodiversity huge reservoirs and natural bio-filters. They offer natural resources linked to their high biological production and productivity. This paper is presenting the current research state in the field of quality assessment of the aquatic ecosystems, with special regards to the lakes occurring in the southern Romanian Black Sea coast (southern Dobrogea region), posing problems regarding the sustainable management of resources. The presented monitoring and evaluation of the water ecosystem quality of the Romanian coastal lakes is based on the analysis of the water and sediments physical, chemical, biological and sedimentological features, as well as biological components. The geological setting and geomorphological features of the lakes and limans situated on the southern Romanian Black Sea coast are also discussed in this paper. The selected Romanian coastal lakes and lagoons are, from N to S: Corbu (Gargalâc), Taşaul, Tăbăcăriei, Agigea, Techirghiol, Tuzla, Costineşti, Tatlageac and Mangalia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The way people perceive risks determines their reactions to and engagement in public campaigns, new development projects or clean-up and remediation initiatives. Since local communities represent important stakeholders in the sustainable development of a region, their beliefs and social representations of risk are important indicators that need a careful analysis. Mining communities are of particular interest to social and environmental scientists given the long-term pollution resulting from such activities and the exposure to harmful chemical compounds. The paper examines the perception of environmental risks induced by mining in one still active and two former mining areas in the Apuseni Mountains (Alba County), in Romania. The results achieved from 292 questionnaires are interpreted in order to determine the locals’ knowledge on and perception of the environmental risks they are exposed to. The results represent the input for improved local governance, as well as community engagement opportunities in the sustainable development of this mining region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecoethics and its various forms are an important phenomenon today. The bad ecological situation and the threat of the ecological collapse of the planet have been the subject of reflection by many theorists. These include multidisciplinary scientists, philosophers and ethicists. In our paper, we focus on the parallel presentation of different approaches by theorists from different industries. We present the biologization of economics, Heidegger's reflection of man's predatory relationship to the present, Ehrlich's ecoethics in the form of the reduction of human enterprise, Naess's ecophilosophy without ecoethics, and Abenque’s ecological imperative. A certain common ground can be found in the comparison of the given approaches. This is respect for the natural groupings of life in nature, the absence of an exploitative approach to nature and the subordination of society to the primacy of nature. These principles should be translated into recommended models of human behavior towards nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to identify opportunities for the development of the Latvian forest sector and to assess competition. Nowadays, the development and sustainability of natural resources is of great importance. The forest resource in Latvia is valued as the most important national natural resource. It is therefore necessary to identify and analyse the factors influencing its development. The study included an analysis of the Latvian forest sector exports. The research methodology includes theoretical concepts and a framework of factors influencing the forest sector. The aim of this paper is to analyse the export performance of the Latvian forest sector and to present data on the export of forest sector products, collected within the framework of the study, depending on the degree of processing of the product, as well as to determine the breakdown of partner countries for forest sector exports. The study involved surveys of companies in the sector and expert interviews. The data from the study show that Latvia's forest sector exports have great potential. The largest share in the forest sector's export structure is occupied by primary processing products, followed by further processing products, which overtake the position of logs and by-products. The total value of Latvia's forest sector exports, like the total value of the country's exports, has tended to increase. The analysis of the data obtained will allow an understanding of the factors influencing the development of forestry exports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

n this paper is presented a study conducted to verify the possibility of using a prototype of fluid energy mill, based on the opposing jets principle, for the reduction to ultrafine size of a beneficiated coal, intended for energy production. The original counterflow jet mill used operate in closed circuit with a cyclone type separating chamber, producing fine powders with a definite top size. Many processing plants routinely use jet mills in the final stages of mineral treatment for the production of high quality concentrates. Even the use of coal for energy purposes, in a perspective of a sustainable development, depends largely on the comminution processes used to produce ultrafine coal particles. This allows to use it, in form of slurry, as a conventional fuel for power generation, besides it consents the separation of the majority of the impurities that, in that size, are largely free. However, the traditional methods of comminution for ultrafine coal particles production, are known to be intrinsically inefficient. Plus, they require a large amount of energy in order to obtain such fine dimensions. In fact, many researches are currently focused on highlighting more effective methods for ultrafine grinding. Experimental studies conducted so far on the main industrial minerals in the ultrafine powder sector, with our jet mill prototype, are extended to coal as to assess the jet mill performance and specific power consumption in this specific field. The experiments where conducted on a coal sample coming from the treatment plant of the Nuraxi-Figus coal mine (Sardinia-Italy). The coal utilized are classified as “long-flame sub-bituminous coal”, according to the American standard ASTM D 338. The jet mill feed was ground to sizes below 1 mm. The results showed the obtainment of fine size coal powders (54% by weight -10?m with a +38?m lower than 5% by weight) and a specific energetic consumption around 280 kwh/t. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article deals with the issue of the current situation of blocks of flats in the Czech Republic and in more detail in the statutory city of Brno and its surroundings. The issue of housing is a very current topic for the Czech Republic. Significant excess of demand for housing over the current supply is reflected, among other things, in the ever-rising real estate prices. In the introductory part, the paper deals with the development of forms of housing and flat ownership in the Czech Republic (state and municipal flats, cooperative flats, corporate flats, private rental flats, houses and holiday housing) and the changes in their share of use over time. Another important analysis is an overview of the construction of housing units in houses, blocks of flats and other buildings on a long-term axis of 20 years, i.e. from 1989 to 2018. Development of real estate prices and year-on-year development of housing affordability is also addressed. Research at the regional level of the city of Brno and surrounding municipalities was based on collection and analysis of data on the trend in the number of inhabitants increase, the number of finished residential houses and houses and the driving distance to the city centre. At the same time, the development of real estate prices and their connection with the location of the real estate was monitored. The data for the creation of the research sample database was drawn from the data of the Czech Statistical Office. The aim of the research was to find out what parameters the sub-areas in which the greatest dynamics of development in the field of residential buildings is evident show. Based on the performed analyses, it can be stated that municipalities with extended powers near the city of Brno are experiencing significant development, while transport accessibility plays an important role. The long-term trend of suburbanization negatively affects the existing transport services, has negative impact on the environment and is a challenge for the sustainable development of the monitored locality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A responsible approach both to the environment and the principles of sustainable development in recent years not only concerns the corporate ecology itself, but it also overlaps into the field of design and construction of buildings. The concept of sustainable construction of buildings, which is based on three main pillars of sustainability, including the quality of the environment, social and cultural aspects as well as economic efficiency, is closely related to it. The main tasks of sustainable construction include more efficient use of materials, increasing the energy efficiency of buildings, reducing the drinking water consumption together with the use of rainwater for the operation of buildings. The need to assess buildings and their impact on the environment came hand in hand with the development of sustainable construction. Therefore, the first environmental certifications of buildings were created in the 1990s, which mainly assess how the building affects its surroundings during its entire life cycle. Number of certified buildings has been increasing worldwide following the development of environmental certifications, and the situation is no different in the Czech Republic. It results in increasing need to determine the market value or usual price of certified buildings. However, no methodology currently exists in the Czech Republic that would address this issue. There is also no comprehensive output that would examine the impact of environmental certification of a building on its value. For this reason, the presented paper deals with the evaluation of the impact of environmental certification on the rent amount for office buildings located in the cities of Prague and Brno. A paired t-test which was used to test the databases containing offers of office space rent was used as a method for assessing the impact of environmental certifications on the rent amount. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the paper is to propose an analysis of the current status of scenario-based disaster response training with extended reality (XR). It is considered the different scenarios designed and developed by XR tools and technologies, and also their application for innovative training to effective response upon the occurrence of various natural disasters. In recent years, with permanently established the climate change, there has been a steady increase in the frequency and intensity of natural disasters as intensive rainfall, flash floods, droughts, fires and others. It is also reported an ever increasing trend in the harmful effects of these natural disasters on the lives of people, their social relations, economic growth and sustainable development. For these reasons, the adequate activities for preparedness, prevention and reduction of risk are needed. The effectiveness of such actions requires the people to be trained and prepared for disasters enough early before they occur. Existing classical training sessions for response and rescue operations cannot be performed in an easy manner due to established disadvantages, such as the learning pace of each individual is not considered, the learning process lacks the necessary presentation of the real situation and its conditions, while performed exercises can meet existing gaps to an insufficient extent. Nowadays, the training environment has evolved to a more IT enhanced solution using the advancements of Extended Reality (XR), which is an encapsulating term for Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), Mixed Reality (MR), and everything in between. Although AR and VR offer a wide range of revolutionary experiences, the same underlying technologies are powering the XR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information about informal Romani settlements housing are not found in books or archives. They are found "live", in settlements. The intent of this paper is to point out that they represent a world of signals that can be detected through the methodological tools of observation and discussion with residents, also and therefore, to create guidelines for operational tools useful for an aware and contemporary design of Romani house. The paper starts from the fact that including cultural components in projects that are meant for Romani housing should also include special spatial requests that refer to the enabling of the development of user's cultural characteristic. In parallel, the context is completed by the choice that cultural plurality only represents a path to a reciprocal education through the exchange of cultural components whose diversity is accepted as if they were values and that the construction of an adequate physical space dedicated to Romani housing alludes that besides accepting differences (seen as values, not as a value that represents the essence of separation) they also need to be understood. It is in fact this type of treatment of culture that is making a key stride, which is a principal change of the approach to the term culture itself from a humanistic determination to an anthropological determination of the term. In the anthropological definition of the term, culture is not selective, it includes all human activities and elements of heritage, it is not elitist i.e. it is not a characteristic of a small group but of society as a whole and is neutral in value since even culture in the sense of the lifestyle as a whole of a people or a group is equally good. In this key the main hypothesis is that a Romani settlement represents a key source of information on Romani housing, and that it is therefore possible to obtain such information by observing the lifestyle within the settlement and in communicating with the residents of the settlements. The paper will showcase a case study of a Romani settlement using a methodological apparatus that was inspired by the following aims: observe and talk/ask its concept and steps of research, as well as possible designing results that have been achieved in using such a procedure. The purpose of the paper is seen in collecting and archiving findings on housing in Romani settlements, thus achieving a double effect: building bases that will allow good quality planning for the future of the Romani house and the settlement on one hand, and on the other hand their significance for the city and strengthening consciousness about them is intensified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper deals with the possibilities of using textile waste in the form of synthetic and natural fibers for the production of thermal and acoustic materials. The paper presents the results of the research that confirm that the waste fiber insulators can show more favourable properties in some areas than conventional synthetic insulators commonly used in the building industry. The advantage of insulators from waste textile fibers is their high variability. In the field of them insulation properties, these insulators compete with the highest quality thermal insulations on the construction market. Their advantage is improved mechanical properties compared to mineral wool at the same bulk density, which makes it easier to incorporate these insulators into building structures. In the field of acoustics, it is an advantage to design an insulation material for specific needs in terms of sound absorption. By choosing raw materials and density, it is possible to effectively influence the acoustic properties of both low and high frequencies and to design a functional insulator to measure the need for its use in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Western Balkan Countries, environmental issues have not been properly addressed. After the advancement in education, economics and partial emancipation in these countries has begun to think about the environmental effects. Western Balkan states have a small territory, most of these countries have emerged from the war after the dissolution of Yugoslavia. Therefore, for a period of time they have not been able to find a space, in order to include the environmental impacts among the state priorities. For more than 20 years they have had other priorities. Even though Western Balkan states are small in territory, they have a large number of inhabitants, so the geography of these territories "forces" them to develop co-operation in managing environmental impacts. As the environment every day becomes more and more the main topic in domestic state policy agendas in Western Balkan Countries, the need of cooperation with neighboring countries to achieve internal objectives is increased. It should be noted that all Western Balkan Countries have ambitions to join European Union, and as such some of them earlier and some of them later have developed or are developing a framework of environmental policies based on the European Union environmental Acqui. This paper aims to evaluate the cooperation of Western Balkan Countries in environmental policies development, seeing their internal organizational development through agencies, inspectorates and other state institutions. In order to complete this paper, we are going to use a qualitative measurement, including documents, existing literature, monographs, reports and other materials that have provided the required results. International cooperation for Western Balkan countries in achieving environmental impacts is very necessary, because all countries aspire the membership in the European Union and in order to be developed they need each other to cooperate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper handles the sustainable development tools used to support the development in bi centric Hradec Králové - Pardubice agglomeration. Because the agglomeration is unique in its type - a conurbation forming the agglomeration core - the adjustment of mutual relations in the cooperation towards sustainable development of the agglomeration is important. One of the tools is ITI strategy which is aimed to set up and deepen the cooperation of not only the core cities but also other municipalities situated in the agglomeration territory. The strategy enables to detect the primary and secondary objectives of the development and proposes the form of their financing from actually available sources. Referring to sustainability pillars the paper deals with economic sustainability pillar in relation to the strategy which provides an efficient tool for the agglomeration sustainability. In order to develop sustainable behaviour of society and ensure long-term prosperity it is necessary to create balance between the production and consumption volumes based on supply and demand. Theoretical essays offer ideas of long-term influence on supply and demand bearing on the behaviour of economic entities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many European regeneration projects in large urban distressed areas arise as the result of industrial dismissal sites, ensuing unemployment, poverty, environmental damage and social exclusion. In order to contribute to the development of innovative policies for integrated regeneration and renewal of depressed urban areas, the paper addresses the experience of the London's South Bank project. Several integrated and complex projects have converted this area (formerly home to factories and working-class houses) into one of Europe's most important cultural hubs. After a brief description of the process through which the area has been transformed, this paper focuses on the strategies and feasibility factors that have led to a successful regeneration project, known for being packed with opportunities and amenities that attract millions of visitors every year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper raises the problem of reducing air pollution induced by low-stack emission. It is one the most serious problems, especially in such countries as Poland, where the Southern regions belong to the most polluted ones in EU. The objective of the paper is to identify the social expectations towards research projects and other initiatives undertaken in order to stop low-stack emission. The objective was achieved using a survey method. The survey was conducted in 2017 in three target groups: among the participants of Scientific Conference "Coal and low-stack emission", among the municipal and township-level managers and business managers. In total 168 questionnaires were completed. The results obtained may serve as directing the government actions to support the initiatives for low-stack emission in the given target groups (local councils, economic entities, scientific circles). The results also constitute the identification of research gaps that should be examined or where the previously conducted research should be extended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The modern historical geography plays an important part in the complex historical and geographical study of a region and creation of the techniques of the ecological and geographical assessment of its landscapes. The retrospective analysis of the evolution of the definition of the concept of the "ecological and geographical assessment" in the works of the leading Russian geographers showed the dependence of its treatment on the applied approaches, i.e. historical-landscape, comprehensive physical-geographical, socio-geoecological, etc. The distinction between the approaches to the ecological-geographical assessment of various Russian scientific schools is shown through practical examples. The analysis of the structure of the criteria and the set of the indicators of the ecological-geographical assessment is carried out in the paper. The potential of the stability of the landscapes, included by many authors along with the ecological and resource potentials into the structure of the ecological-geographical assessment, is important. The landscape potential assessment (ecological, natural- resource) is carried out within natural and administrative boarders. The paper considers the approaches to the integral assessment of the landscape potential based on the analysis of the duration and intensity of the territory's development at a regional level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The proposed paper presents the situation of the Teba-Timisat hydroameliorative arrangement located in the western part of Romania. Teba-Timisat hydroameliorative arrangement was realized in 1962 and the completion of the land improvement works in this arrangement was executed between 1985 and 1987. Since the execution, a series of rehabilitation works have been carried out, due to changes in agricultural practices in the area affected by climate change. This research assesses the state of the art as well as its functional characteristics, taking into account the possibility of accessing budget funds for the rehabilitation of technologically degraded or degraded components, based on sustainable development and environmental protection. Farmers need to get a better crop yield, but also the current legal framework, make this subject a topical subject. The purpose of the paper is to synthesize the design works and to identify the critical points in which intervention is required, from public or private funds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The proposed paper presents the situation of the Aranca hydroameliorative arrangement located in the western part of Romania. The Aranca hydroameliorative arrangement was realized in 1965 and the completion of the land improvement works in this arrangement were realized between the years 1974-1977. Since the execution, a series of rehabilitation works have been carried out due to changes in agricultural practices in the area affected by climate change. This research assesses the state of the art as well as its functional characteristics, taking into account the possibility of accessing budget funds for the rehabilitation of technologically degraded or degraded components, considering the sustainable development and environmental protection. Farmers need to get a better crop yield, but also the current legal framework, make this subject an actual subject. The purpose of the paper is to synthesize the design works and to identify the critical points in which intervention is required, from public or private funds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to economic and social benefits it provides, transport is a key sector on which development is based. However, adverse effects of transport in terms of the environment, economy, and society ought to be minimised. The European Commission has developed standard indicators to evaluate negative effects of transport and its sustainable development in Union countries. This paper presents these indicators and provides their synthetic analysis. The indicators reveal that several countries (e.g. the Netherlands) develop their transport more sustainably compared to other countries. The paper is an attempt to confirm the hypothesis that "improving sustainable development indicators of transport is associated with the implementation of Transport Green Papers of 2007, the Transport White Paper of 2011, Mobility White Paper of 2015 and further recommendations [1], including the guidelines for the implementation of intelligent transportation systems (ITS)". The objective of the paper was to indicate those EU countries that implement ITS to the greatest extent (thus improving sustainable development indicators of transport by implementing ITS) and to present ITS solutions implemented in such countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper deals with possibilities of recovery methods of technical installations in brownfields. The paper refers to basic problems of regeneration of technical installations in brownfields, namely the identification of individual networks, their often diametrically opposed structurally-engineering states, possibly the effectiveness of approach to reconstruction. The paper offers possibilities how to access to the structures that often exceed their moral life and last but not least, the paper offers new progressive methods for their regeneration. For the process of restoring brownfields technical equipment are very important data describing the route of existing utilities in the area of interest. This data combined with the exploration of current construction-state guide leads to creation of efficient and high quality proposal for the recovery of these networks and, in the case of accession to this renewal is then possible to achieve a huge cost minimization of building new routes utilities mainly due to the utilization of already built old routs, as well as minimize excavation work, which greatly limits any operations in the area of interest, and last but not least, these recovery methods contribute to the sustainable development of the territory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Historic military complexes form a separate typological genre, with unique hieratic site plans, stately yet austere stylistics and a multiplex functional program. They form a significant portion of historic landscape in garrison towns, as both material and immaterial heritage. It is essential, that as many of the complexes as possible are preserved to serve as historic links for future generations. Luckily, their innate characteristics predispose them to adaptations for diverse purposes once demilitarized. The paper aims to present the full scope of possibilities of these regeneration efforts. However, one of the specifics of the military facilities is restriction. They are by default self-sufficient and removed from the urban area and as such require effort to reintroduce them into city scope. Understanding that only the most significant examples should be preserved to allow for evolution of historic cities, in the course of her research the author established a set of criteria which can be found in those compounds that are worth the effort and in the paper embarks to verify and refine the findings through vide variety of case studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing biocomposites materials is a part of the strategy of sustainable development in construction. This paper presents the advantages, the disadvantages and problems, still unclear, to achievement the biocomposites materials, HEMPCRETE type. The most important thing, highlighted by literature regarding the creation and use of this material type, is the extremely low impact with the CO2 pollution, which usually accompany technological manufacturing processes, putting in place and exploitation of construction materials. It also ensures responsible use of renewable natural resources, the possibility of reuse and recycling of materials. This technology contributes to environmental protection and pollution reduction, energy saving and provide a hygienic and healthy living climate. In the experimental part of the paper, it was analyzed a HEMPCRETE type material, produced in Romania. The obtained results indicated valuable properties of this material (lightweight, permeable, contributing to the thermal insulation) and its sensitive points (high water absorption which requires the need to protect the surface, mechanical strength which requires a careful consideration regarding the choice in use safety conditions). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of the paper is to unfold a pattern for promoting sustainable development of the environment for local communities through gastronomy and ecotourism in Sibiu County, future European Region of Gastronomy in 2019. The motivation for the choice comes out of the wish to render profitable in a superior manner the huge gastronomical and ecotouristic potential of the areas mentioned. Now, Romanian tourism is being confronted with problems of infrastructure and image, and this is the reason why we consider that the chance for sustainable development of is represented by the promotion of niche tourism, namely gastronomical tourism and ecotourism. In an age of globalization, the authentic gastronomical patrimony is that which makes the difference and represents an opportunity for sustainable development of local communities. The essence of sustainable development is represented by the harmonious integration of economic development, by responsible governing, by ensuring the social cohesion and community man - nature. This paper underlines the ecotouristic and gastronomical potential of Sibiu County in terms of multiculturalism and inter-culturalism. We consider that the project is outlining the fact that by the attested value, gastronomical tourism can become a touristic product, an original and brand-like one that can extend at a regional and European level. We hope the results of this paper will be landmarks for new applications in research and represent the basis of identification at a local level of new economic and financial instruments with good social impact on local communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper consumer preferences for organic and traditional products are analyzed, regarding the level of consumer responsibility towards consumption which supports sustainable development. This study was conducted by a market research in Arad city, Romania, in 2016 on a representative sample, estimating the consumer preferences for organic products and traditional products. Arad county area is an important agricultural basin, with a rich tradition in traditional food products. These product categories are among the products that support sustainable development. The purpose of this paper is to highlight these products as they are known, the reasons why consumers choose these products, how often choose to consume these product categories. The research results show that it is also very encouraging that the consumption of both organic products and traditional products is quite high, and consumers are pleased with their quality and are motivated to buy them as healthy products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Russia is one of the most important players in the Arctic Zone with significant economic, security and political interests on these territories. This is primarily because of significant natural resources, in particular oil and gas, in the Russian Arctic. The objective of this paper is to define the main prospects of strategic development of the Russian Arctic zone, and to offer socioecological approach to its development. Arctic has considerable strategic importance to the Russian economy. Strategic development of the Russian Arctic represents an area of economic, ecological and social concern. The Arctic shelf in the future can become the main source of hydrocarbons for both Russia and the world market in the whole. The paper presents the strategic importance of the Russian Arctic as a wealth of petroleum and mineral resources. We offered socioecological approach to the Arctic's sustainable development and paid special attention to the ecology and environment preservation. We examined legal and regulatory framework of the Russian Arctic development and estimated social and economic potential of oil and gas project's implementation in the Arctic. Special attention is paid to ecological aspect of the Arctic zone's development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The geographic origin of pollution is disconnected from its scale or place of occurrence, and some environmental problems could have impact easily on the entire planet. Currently it is noticeable a continuous agravation of pollution and a change in the basics of ecological problems. Local pollution is replaced by global issues such as climate change or biodiversity loss. The paper attempted to reveal the direction of policy measures that target sustainability within a global context. The paper makes an incursion in the field of policy measures aimed to correct the environmental relations of the contemporary society and assess the anticipative and the strategies of integration by referring to level of greening occuring throughout the economy and the social behavior. Therefore, many environmentally harmfull processes continued and still are continuing to date making the policy agenda more and more crowded and reliefing the urgency of action, which is one of the main concerns today. Meanwhile, in the economy there are symptoms of "greening", although confusion is still a significant issue among companies that attempt to change beneath the pressure of legal, financial, and information strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both in the Central Baltic (CB) countries and Russia, there is a need to develop current education regarding resource efficiency, which is a relatively new and complex issue. The aim of the paper is to present the results of the two parallel twinning international projects "CREA-RE" (Creating aligned studies in Resource Efficiency) and "CREA-RE-RU" (Creating aligned studies in Resource Efficiency in Sweden and Russia), which has been realized from 2018 to 2020. The main goal of the projects was to produceup-to-date aligned training materials for the higher vocational education training (VET) institutions around the CB and enhance cooperation between companies and higher VET. The project promoted the mainstreaming process in the region and best practices through addressing companies and future workers, i.e. students. The overall objective has been achieved through 1) Aligning and producing learning content to be used in higher environmental VET studies; 2) Producing a channel to share aligned materials; 3) Implementing joint innovative cooperation between companies and higher VET to ensure better matching of work opportunities in sustainable business. The activities enabled the creation of a holistic view of students and companies in the theme of resource efficiency and circular economy. Based on different know-how of the partners on the relatively new and complex issues within the theme of resource efficiency and circular economy, the project created aligned e-learning material with a new perspective in the area. Joint practice-oriented case studies promoted companies’ awareness on resource efficiency and enhance their competitiveness, meanwhile enable institutions’ better understanding of the needs in the working life. New information produces a competent labor force to support the integration of the CB labor market, also including Russia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]