| 1. |
- Danielski, Itai, 1973-
(författare)
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Improving indoor comfort in elementary school environment in North of Sweden with green plants ‐ experimental study
- 2021
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Ingår i: Accelerating the progress towards the 2030 SDGs in times of crisis. - Östersund : Mid Sweden University. - 9789189341173 ; , s. 1214-1214
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Poor indoor environment in primary schools in Sweden seems to be a problem in many municipalities in Sweden. In a report from the Swedish Public Health Agency, it is estimated that 40 percent of schools have complaints about air quality. The causes of the problems are poor ventilation, high humidity, changes that where made to the buildings, and high density of pupils in the classrooms. Improving indoor air by improvement of ventilation systems can be too costly for municipalities. In this project, we have looked at whether an installation of a large number of green plants in classrooms could change that, and even reduce energy use. There is research that shows that we feel both physically and mentally better if we are surrounded by green plants. Physically, because they can purify the air and convert carbon dioxide to oxygen. In addition, they increase the humidity and regulate the temperature. Mentally, perhaps because we are part of nature and have lived in it most of human history. The case study in this project was an elementary school located in a small rural community in the northern part of Sweden. A total of 350 green plants were installed in four plant‐stands distributed in 2 different eighth grade classrooms with about 25 students in each. A similar adjacent classroom (ninth grade) was used as a reference object without green plants. The plant‐stands were designed by industrial design students at Mid Sweden University and would result in functional prototypes with automatic irrigation. The project lasted for two semesters, the autumn semester 2019 and the spring semester 2020. Measurements of the indoor temperature showed that the green plants contribute to a more stable temperature and can even increase the temperature slightly, which can be used to reduce the need for heat. The effects on humidity were only higher in the classrooms with plants during the night when the ventilation flow was low. The carbon dioxide levels in the classrooms with the plants were 10% lower during education time compared to the control classroom, which indicates that green plants could be used to reduce the ventilation air flow and thereby reduce heat losses from exhaust air flow. The amount of airborne particles was already low and no change could be observed after the installation of the plants.
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| 2. |
- Eliasson, Anja, et al.
(författare)
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Degrowth – characteristic elements and strategies
- 2021
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Ingår i: Accelerating the progress towards the 2030 SDGs in times of crisis. - Östersund : Mid Sweden University. - 9789189341173 ; , s. 1108-1124
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The negative aspects of economic growth as a policy objective and target for future development has historically been suppressed by a general belief in its superiority. Degrowth confronts the core logic of growth and pinpoints where it is failing as a system. The academic field of degrowth is relatively young but is attracting more attention and has its own research network. With the aim of identifying characteristic elements and strategies, a literature review were performed. Degrowth can be described as a frame or an umbrella keyword that connects different types of actors, initiatives, goals, strategies,and policies. It derives from multiple academic fields stretching from bioeconomics to justice and its main goal is a future guided by ecological sustainability and well-being for all. It is defined by what it is against such as the capitalistic system, GDP and development, but also by what it advocates such as equality, democracy, localization, and sufficiency. Strategies involve sharing in different forms, economic instruments such as taxation of harmful activities, restriction of advertisement and strengthening of the commons. Degrowth envisions an altogether different society consistent of new institutions that is guided by alternative values such as altruism, respect, sufficiency, and solidarity.
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| 3. |
- Eliasson, Anja, et al.
(författare)
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Identifying synergies and trade-offs for regional sustainability in Jämtland Härjedalen
- 2021
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Ingår i: Accelerating the progress towards the 2030 SDGs in times of crisis. - Östersund : Mid Sweden University. - 9789189341173 ; , s. 1831-1846
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Agenda 2030 unifies ecological, social, and economic sustainability, with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at its heart. The integrated nature of the SDGs leads to complex relationships that can be divided into synergies (progress in one goal favour progress in another) and trade-offs (progress in one goal hinders progress in another). These interlinkages are important to consider in policy planning and implementation of the SDGs to enhance progress across all the 17 goals. The Swedish government has declared the regional level as being especially important in the fulfilment of Agenda 2030 on a national level, as many of the basic welfare assignments lie within their responsibility. This paper uses the Swedish region Jämtland Härjedalen as an example of how knowledge of synergies and trade-offs can be used in the work with Agenda 2030 by identifying interactions between 15 targets relevant for the region. The assessment of interlinkages between targets are supported by a literature review aimed at finding relevant information based on the geographic context and the specific targets chosen. Synergies and trade-offs were identified using a seven-point typology for scoring. The results are presented in a cross-impact matrix that visualizes interaction between targets and identifies which targets have the most and the least positive influence on the network. The analysis shows that most of the interactions are synergistic which means that progress in one area often makes it easier to fulfil other targets simultaneously. The results also highlight a few important trade-offs, related to land-use and the use of natural resources, that are important to consider to avoid irreversible effects. Displaying interactions between targets alone does not offer any guidance on how to enhance synergies or manage trade-offs but it is an important first step to enhance progress across all SDGs. Knowledge of how different targets relate to each other can offer guidance for where specific attention is needed and where cross-sectorial collaboration is merited. Overall, it can lead to better informed decision-making.
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| 4. |
- Engberg, Birgitta A., Docent, 1975-, et al.
(författare)
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New Sustainable Method to Produce Pulp Fibres ‐ Deep Eutectic Solvent‐Assisted Mechanical Pulping
- 2021
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Ingår i: Accelerating the progress towards the 2030 SDGs in times of crisis. - Östersund : Mittuniversitetet. - 9789189341173 ; , s. 2131-
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Mechanical pulps are widely used in the manufacture of printing paper grades and also to a lesser extent in packaging materials and hygiene products. An advantage of mechanical pulps in general is the high yield (95‐97%) of the production processes, which implies a resource efficient way of producing fibre‐based products. A major drawback when producing mechanical pulps for printing qualities is the high electric energy consumption needed. However, the mechanical action associated with the liberation of fibres from the wood matrix can be facilitated if the middle lamella lignin is softened, leading to lower energy input and less fibre damages. The lignin can be softened by chemicals and high process temperatures, like in the chemi‐thermomechanical process (CTMP) and the high‐temperature‐chemi‐thermomechanical process (HT‐CTMP), where sodium sulphite is utilized. The pulps from these processes are best suited for packaging materials and tissue products. In this study, an alternate chemical treatment using deep eutectic solvents (DES) was explored. The DES used was bio‐based, non‐toxic, non‐corrosive, and could be recycled. The main goal was to facilitate the refining process and possibly create a new quality of mechanical pulp, not to remove lignin or hemicellulose. Wood chips were pre‐steamed and then soaked in DES, to ensure a sufficient impregnation. The conditions of the DES treatment were much less severe than those of a chemical pulping process, i.e. low temperature, neutral or nearly‐neutral pH, and a short residence time. The excess DES was removed by washing the chips with water before the chips where fed into a refiner. According to fibre quality analyses, the DES‐treated fibres were longer and less damaged than the control. The DES‐treated fibres also demonstrated significantly higher dewatering capacity than fibres without DES‐treatment produced at the same specific energy input in the refiner. These facts indicate that the fractures during fibre liberation to a higher extent occurred in the middle lamella, similar to when producing CTMP. A maintained high yield of the DES‐treated pulp was confirmed by chemical analysis. In conclusion, this initial study show that DES‐assisted mechanical pulping appears to be an interesting alternative for producing a mechanical pulp with different fibre properties. An aim for future work would be to tailor the DES‐treatment to alter fibre properties in a more controlled manner preferably so that market shares could be taken from the today dominating low‐yield (<50%) processes.
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| 5. |
- Eriksson, Linda, 1972-, et al.
(författare)
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Education for Sustainable Development in time of crises : possibilities for learning concerning an unknown future
- 2021
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Ingår i: Accelerating the progress towards the 2030 SDGs in times of crisis. - Östersund : Mittuniversitetet. - 9789189341173 ; , s. 181-192
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- A new pedagogy that can manage an unknown future is needed in time of crises. Especially the western world needs a change in attitudes, behaviors, and lifestyles. The world has changed, with destructive consequences for many, will continue to change and will not return to the situation 'normal'. That is, it will not return to “normal” global temperatures or species abundance and fluctuations experienced by earlier generations of humans. The epoch has been labeled 'The Anthropocene'. With the pandemic, also our daily social life has changed and have an impact on us as human beings and our relation to nature. The planet is facing problems that are of such a kind that they cannot be looked upon as only technical problems. The pedagogy of today partly confirms and gives support to a kind of status quo in society - or business as usual. This paper aims to illuminate and discuss how a pedagogical model for education and teaching could be formulated that manages the challenges for education and pedagogy concerning an unknown future. For our discussion, keeping the Anthropocene in mind, we present the main ideas of Wild pedagogies [WP]. WP began as a graduate course at Lakehead University (Canada) and was later developed through an international network. WP tries to rethink education and re-examine relationships with places, landscapes, nature, more-than-human beings, and the wild. WP also tries to challenge recent trends towards increased control over pedagogy and education, and how this control is constraining and domesticating educators, teachers, and students. In WP six ‘Touchstones’ are intended to be reminders of what educators could do in teaching. We have used an abductive approach for the analysis and content analysis as method. We used constructive critical didactics as a theoretical framework. This gave possibilities to illuminate what perspectives and strategies educators and teachers can be aware of and how that could have an impact on theories, practices, and approaches in education. Our results show that educators can problematize the dominant versions of education that are enacted in powerful ways and turn to a practice that challenges a human-centered view and unecological status quo. Given the dominant current human relationship with the earth cannot be sustained we posit that any critique suggested must be paired with a vision - and corresponding educational tools. We discuss this through possible didactical concepts. A conclusion is how it allows for the possibility to enact a new relationship through education that also has an inexorable impact on how to understand learning and teaching.
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| 6. |
- Fagerholm, Anna-Sara, 1978-, et al.
(författare)
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Visualizations of circular business models : a design perspective on concepts and visual presentations in the food industry
- 2021
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Ingår i: Accelerating the progress towards the 2030 SDGs in times of crisis. - Östersund : Mid Sweden University. - 9789189341173 ; , s. 458-459
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Design is discussed as a way of shaping the surrounding and as an expression of the culture to which it belongs (Skjerven and Reitan, 2018). By designing meaning is created (Ehn, Nilsson & Topgaard, 2014; Escobar, 2018). Recently, there has been wide interest in research focusing on design in a circular economy (Moreno, De los Rios, Charnley, 2016; Wastling, Charnley and Moreno, 2018). Studies on new business models pay attention to design strategies for a circular economy but does not provide guidance for designers developing new circular business models (Moreno, De los Rios, Rowe and Charnley, 2016). In addition, there is a huge gap between the concept of circular economy and its practical implementation in the industry (Bianchini, Rossi and Marco Pellegrini, 2019). Furthermore, there are few academic publications in the area of design specifically focusing on visualizations (Vande Moere and Purchase, 2011). Hence, additional studies focusing on the visual aspects of circular processes are needed. Against this background, the purpose of this study is to examine visualizations of circular business models in the food industry. First, the concept of circular business models is discussed from a design perspective. Second, this study summarizes how visual presentations of circular business models are visualized within the food industry. The study begins with a literature review and is followed by a visual content analysis on how a selection of companies within the food industry visually present their circular business models. Results are presented on how the concept of circular business models is discussed from a design perspective. Also, this study summarize results on how visual presentations of circular business models are visualized within the food industry. This study addresses the relation between the increasing role of the sustainability agenda in society and the visual presentation of circular business models by companies. With this study, we hope to provide a better understanding of the visual aspect of business models based on circular principles and from a design aspect, contribute to knowledge about visual presentations of sustainable processes in society. In a reality where the earth's resources are limited, a shift in production and consumption is required and knowledge of new circular business models are needed. This is in line with global goal number 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production – 12.2: by 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources, and 2.5: by 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse. The world after the pandemic will not be what it was before the crisis and this enables a transition to a circular economy (Regeringskansliet, 2020). To succeed, sustainable business models are required (FAO, 2020). During 2020, domestic and global markets are facing challenges due to the restrictions on people’s movement that were imposed to contain its spread of of COVID-19 (FAO, 2020) and changes in access to groceries in stores (Wetter, Rosengren & Törn, 2020; Sim, Chua, Vieta & Fernandez, 2020).
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| 7. |
- Fuchs, Matthias, 1970-
(författare)
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A Sustainable World needs Transformative Science : Ontological Reflections on Contemporary Economic Science
- 2021
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Ingår i: Accelerating the progress towards the 2030 SDGs in times of crisis. - Östersund : Mittuniversitetet. - 9789189341173 ; , s. 4-5
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Modern sciences promise to deliver the means to achieve the medical and technological progress needed to overcome the crisis provoked by COVID-19, thereby resuming previously charted economic growth trajectories. However, especially in times of crises, sciences are showing their paradoxes by pointing to the fact that not only their fundamental notions and theories, but also objectified facts are rooted in the social sphere (Gretzel et al 2020, 191-192). After pointing at ontological inconsistencies of modern sciences, like the Fact-Value Antinomy (Putnam 2004), this presentation recalls that all sign-systems and languages, like mathematics, theories but also empirical facts, are aspects of the same societal world, wherefore they should not be confused as isolated entities of an illusory world of ‘scientific thinking’ (Brodbeck 2019). Following Kuhn (1962) who reminded us that scientific revolutions are driven by the social, psychological and ethical nature of sciences, it is argued that a crisis like COVID-19 shows the potential to challenge current paradigms, especially the way we think about values and facts in relation to the economic foundations of our society. Therefore, major ontological discrepancies of contemporary economic science are critically reflected. Following the science paradigm, economists relate measured and objectivized ‘things’ to the empty abstract measuring-unit money, so as they receive their price. However, this ‘calculative form of thinking’ has led to a new type of pecuniary socialization: Not only production processes, but also social acts of exchange, technological processes, and even skills and the arts, stop being social processes initiated by humans, rather become abstract elements in economic equations (Brodbeck 2019). As a consequence, the uniqueness and diversity of social acts of exchange is transformed into ‘identical’ monetary values, i.e. objectified things of nature become comparable but empty units (Brodbeck 2019, 16). However, the reference to such a misleading ontology led to the paradox that economics cannot be considered an empirically exact science exactly because humans do not behave like mechanical objects of classical physics. The presentation concludes by showing, that contemporary economic science, although represented through a system of factual statements (‘hard facts’) should be uncovered as ‘implicit ethics’ guided by the ontological assumptions of modern sciences (Brodbeck 2019; Gretzel et al 2020). As a precondition to transform economic thinking towards a critical science capable to cope with the needs of a truly sustainable world, a post-mechanist economic theory (Brodbeck 2019) which defines ‘The Economy’ as a socio-communicative network in line with SDGs is deduced in the outlook. Brodbeck, K.-H. (2019) Die Illusion der Identität und die Krise der Wissenschaften, Working Paper, 47, 03, Cusanus Hochschule.Gretzel, U., Fuchs, M., Baggio, R., Hoepken, W., Law, R., Neidhardt, J., Pesonen, J., Zanker, M., & Xiang, Z. (2020). e-Tourism Beyond COVID-19: A Call for Transformative Research. Information Technology & Tourism, 22, 187-203.Kuhn, Th. (1962). The structure of scientific revolutions. University of Chicago Press, Chicago 1962.Putnam, H. (2004). The collapse of the fact-value dichotomy. Cambridge, Harvard University Press.
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| 8. |
- Grönlund, Erik, 1964-
(författare)
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Pulsing and sustainability
- 2021
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Ingår i: Accelerating the progress towards the 2030 SDGs in times of crisis. - Östersund : Mittuniversitetet. - 9789189341173 ; , s. 3-3
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Two dominating angles in the debate regarding sustainability and sustainable development has been if there are limits to growth or not, often captured with the opposites Malthusians versus Cornucopians, and if different forms of economic capitals are possible to substitute with each other or not, strong versus weak sustainability. Within the Cornucopian and weak sustainability view, continued economic growth and technological optimism are common positions. Within the Malthusian and strong sustainability view, leveling off the growth curves to a relatively stable steady state is the most common position. The system scientist and ecologist Howard T. Odum viewed sustainability as the economists’ equivalent to the ecological climax concept, a supposed long-term steady state for the system. However, within the science of ecology the steady state, “final”, climax has since long been abandoned. The systems ecologist C.S. Holling and coworkers has, successfully, proposed a model of continuous renewal in a closed loop four-stage model, often referred to as the “lazy eight” (since graphically it looks like anumber “8” laying down). H.T. Odum came to a very similar conclusion, based on general systems models. From these models he predicted that a steady state sustainability outcome is less likely than a pulsing pattern. This mainly because the short-time competition of available resources will create such apattern, rather than a long-term steady state pattern. Pulsing has, so far, not been discussed to a large extent in the sustainability literature. This paper will examine sustainability and sustainable development in relation to the pulsing view, 20 years after H.T. Odum’s propositions on the topic. Pulsing has four main stages according to Odum: 1) Growth, 2) Climax or transition, 3) Descent, 4) Regeneration. From a sustainability point of view each of these phases probably should have different characteristics and need different management strategies. The pulsing pattern, according to general systems theory, also appears on several time scales and hierarchical levels, at the same time. This will also have impact on available management choices for decision makers. SDG targets: The paper do not address specific SDG targets, rather it address' the fundamental mechanism underlying them.
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| 9. |
- Grönlund, Erik, 1964-
(författare)
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Theory home of different environmental and sustainability assessment methods
- 2021
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Ingår i: Accelerating the progress towards the 2030 SDGs in times of crisis. - Östersund : Mittuniversitetet. - 9789189341173 ; , s. 33-46
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Sustainable development and sustainability are developing fields. Crucial is our ability to assess sustainability, or to assess our position in relation to the sustainability goals we want to achieve. For this indicators and indices of sustainable development and sustainability are important, as well as sustainability assessment methods, sometimes called “the toolbox” available to assess sustainability and sustainable development. This paper is an attempt to give an overview of how different assessment methods and a few indices are connected to different theory foundations. A first group of methods has an explicit strong connection to specific theories. In this paper exemplified by Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) and Position Analysis (PA), explicitly connected to the theories of the two main opposing paradigms in economy: CBA based on neoclassical economy and PA based on institutional economy. A second group do not have an explicit connection to theory, but is still strongly connected to what is often named the “standard theory” in natural science and engineering. Examples from this group are: Index of biotic integrity (IBI), Life cycle assessment (LCA), Material flow analysis or accounting(MFA), Substance flow analysis (SFA), Environmental risk assessment (ERA), Material intensity perservice unit (MIPS), etc. A third group can be considered as almost, but to a small extent not yet fully accepted by the “standard theory”. The closest one among these in this paper is exergy analysis, which is not fully based on the theory of thermodynamic equilibrium, as the previous mentioned second group methods. Eco-exergy analysis, still in a developing phase, is located even further out on this branch. Emergy analysis is also based on the “standard theory” but is also a cross-over with general systems theory, and includes a new novel approach to non-equilibrium thermodynamics. A fourth group issuggested for Ecological footprints where the conversion from kg and joules to hectares (ha) is within the “standard theory”, but not the next step where the hectare is converted to the imaginary unit global hectares (gha). This can be said also about the conversion in emergy analysis from joules to solar equivalent joules (sej), but that conversion has a more strong theoretical underpinning than the conversion leading to the global hectare. Two other footprint methods, Carbon footprints (CF) and Water Footprints (WF) connects more clearly to the second group since they do not take the step to global hectares. A fifth group is made up indices, in this paper represented by the Human development index (HDI) and the Happy planet index (HPI). As a conglomerate of indicators that have no clear theoretical connection, they are considered having a weak connection to theory. The paper concludes the 27nd International Sustainable Development Research Society Conference, Mid Sweden University, 13 – 15 July 2021 that sustainable development and sustainability are such a diverse field that any outcome of “data” whether directly measurable or generated by indices or methods are interesting and needed. However, in their interpretation, a level of knowledge about their connection to theory is important to include.
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| 10. |
- Göransson, Karina, 1965-, et al.
(författare)
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Design strategies in times of pandemic : a case study of how Covid-19 is visualized in the Nordic countries Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark and Island
- 2021
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Ingår i: Accelerating the progress towards the 2030 SDGs in times of crisis. - Östersund : Mid Sweden University. - 9789189341173 ; , s. 463-464
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- In a pandemic, a large amount of information must reach people in an efficient, coordinated and credible way (Folkhälsomyndigheten, 2019a: 12). A lack of communication has been shown to exacerbate the crisis and reduce citizens' confidence in those in power (MSB, 2006). Here, design is important for how people perceive information as visual messages tend to have more impact than text (Jacobs, 2020; Otten, Cheng, & Drewnowski, 2015). Therefore, it could be beneficial to use visual elements in the design of complex information to ensure that messages reaches the target groups (King, 2016). Here, infographics can be a tool (Jacob, 2020; Weinschenk 2011). Visual elements in communication can also contribute to health-related topics being perceived as more interesting (King & Lazard, 2020).To reduce the spread of Covid-19, people around the world are urged to follow the recommendations communicated by authorities in each country, (FHM, 2020). In this context, designed infographics can be used – in research these graphic design elements are described as visual representations of information, data, or knowledge (Ocampo, 2011), presenting complex stories or a large amount of data in a visual and accessable way (Jacob, 2020; Damman, Vonk, van den Haak, van Hooijdonk and Timmermans, 2018; Weinschenk 2011).Against this background, the purpose of this study is to examine how Covid-19 is visualized in information material from authorities* in the Nordic countries Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark and Island, and how design elements are expressed in the material.Previous research has to a large extent been quantitative with surveys and opinion polls, but with the gradual increase in the role and visual expression of the media, qualitative studies are increasingly common (Vigsö, 2016: 74).In this comparative case study, a visual content analysis is used, and results are presented on similarities and differences between how different northern countries visualize information material about covid19 and how design elements and infographics are used in the material aiming to build trust in times of risks and crises.The background to research on crises is often about improving how society handles new crises (Vigsö, 2016: 73). In times of pandemics, there is always a high risk of misinformation being spread, which is a phenomenon that the World Health Organization (WHO) term as infodemia (Institutet för språk och folkminnen, 2020). Visual strategies can be used to improve the quality of health communication during public health crises and reduce the unintended effects of infodemic conditions (King, 2020). During public health crises such as the ongoing corona pandemic, there is a great need to improve and strengthen public communication to reduce the spread of infection (King, 2020). The overall ambition of this study is thus to build on knowledge of the role of design in societal crises. This van be linked to the UN's global target number 3 and the sub-goals 3.3 Fight infectious diseases and 3.D Improve early warning systems for global health risks.* National authorities that has a national responsibility for public health issues and works to ensure that the population is protected against communicable diseases and other health threats.
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