Está estabelecido na literatura de neurociência que ocorrem transformações no encéfalo de animais, devido à neuroplasticidade; estas podem ser potencializadas de acordo com os ambientes nos quais o indivíduo interage, assim como o tipo de interação estabelecida por este. Na literatura, a aplicação do conceito de ambiente enriquecido para a prática experimental mostra resultados favoráveis e significativos na aprendizagem e desenvolvimento de animais. Neste estudo, buscou-se ampliar o conceito de ambiente enriquecido para o ambiente educacional de um centro de ciência. Investigar a interação de alunos do 5º ano da rede pública de ensino, em ambiente educacional de oficinas de construção de brinquedos oferecidas, no Centro de ciência Sabina: Escola Parque do Conhecimento (Santo André, SP), e possíveis aproximações com o conceito de ambiente educacional enriquecido, proposto neste estudo, constitui o objeto deste trabalho. Nesta investigação buscou-se destacar os componentes ambientais que influem no desempenho e na interação dos alunos durante as oficinas. A investigação, de natureza qualitativa, foi inspirada na metodologia de Estudo de Caso do tipo Etnográfico Aplicado à Educação, que indica a imersão do pesquisador no campo investigado para apreensão de relações e significados dos sujeitos...

Introdução: O consumo adequado de frutas, verduras e legumes (FVL) durante a gestação apresenta impacto positivo sobre a saúde da mulher e da criança. Os fatores ambientais associados ao comportamento alimentar vêm recebendo destaque no âmbito da saúde pública por afetar diretamente a saúde dos indivíduos. Entretanto, desconhecemos a existência de estudos que investigaram a relação entre a percepção do ambiente alimentar e o consumo de frutas e hortaliças em gestantes. Objetivo: Verificar a reprodutibilidade de um questionário sobre a percepção do ambiente alimentar e para o consumo de frutas e hortaliças em gestantes (manuscrito 1) e avaliar a relação entre a percepção do ambiente alimentar e o consumo de frutas e hortaliças em gestantes (manuscrito 2). Metodologia: O estudo de reprodutibilidade (manuscrito 1) foi conduzido em 2010 entre 48 gestantes usuárias do serviço público de saúde de Ribeirão Preto, SP. O questionário é composto por 12 questões de múltipla escolha que incluem a percepção do ambiente alimentar e para o consumo de frutas e hortaliças. Para verificação da reprodutibilidade, o questionário foi aplicado em duplicata, com intervalo entre 15 e 45 dias. A concordância entre as respostas foi avaliada por meio do teste de Kappa ponderado ou Kappa. A relação entre a percepção do ambiente alimentar e o consumo de frutas e hortaliças em gestantes (manuscrito 2) foi avaliada empregando-se os dados de um estudo transversal...

A presente tese tem como objeto a formulação de limites jurídicos à instituição de incentivos fiscais ambientais. Partindo da constatação de que a crise ambiental ora em voga requer que sejam adotados diversos instrumentos para conter a poluição e inibir a escassez dos ativos ambientais, geradas pelo atual padrão de produção e consumo, envereda-se pela análise da tutela constitucional da questão ambiental. Examina-se, com destaque, a parte final do comando contido no art. 170, VI, da Lei Maior, cuja norma (inserida no rol dos princípios da ordem econômica) estabelece um tratamento diferenciado de produtos e serviços, bem como dos seus processos de produção, de acordo com o critério de proteção ambiental. Ademais, é conferida ênfase ao conteúdo plasmado no art. 225 da CF/88, segundo o qual a preservação e a defesa do meio ambiente consubstanciam um dever do Poder Público e da Sociedade, sendo o meio ambiente ecologicamente equilibrado um direito das presentes e futuras gerações. Diante dos robustos comandos que ressaltam o dever de todos de promover, no país, um desenvolvimento sustentável, investigam-se as formas de atuação do Estado na economia e os fundamentos que embasam intervenções de tal ente sobre as condutas dos particulares...

O ambiente marinho muitas vezes é negligenciado nas discussões ambientais devido ao aparente distanciamento entre esse e nosso cotidiano, tendo sofrido um acentuado processo de transformação e degradação. Assim, fica evidente a necessidade de atividades de Educação Ambiental que abordem tal ambiente. A Exposição interativa Mergulho Fora d'Água (MFA) insere-se nesse contexto. O presente trabalho visa contribuir para a ampliação do conhecimento sobre concepções de estudantes do Ensino Fundamental acerca do ambiente marinho, bem como para a avaliação e aprimoramento da exposição interativa MFA. A pesquisa apresenta como objetivos específicos investigar concepções iniciais e verificar se e como a atividade MFA influência tais concepções dos alunos do Ensino Fundamental de uma escola da cidade de São Paulo sobre: (1) meio ambiente; (2) ambiente marinho, sua conservação e relação com o cotidiano desses alunos. Para isso, foram aplicados questionários estruturados compostos por questões fechadas e abertas, antes e após os estudantes participarem da exposição MFA. Para a análise dos dados, as respostas de questões abertas foram submetidas a um processo de categorização aberta e as categorias foram comparadas por meio de quantificações simples (cálculo de médias de ocorrência). Respostas provenientes de questões fechadas foram diretamente quantificadas e comparadas. Os dados foram coletados em turmas de sétimo...

O núcleo familiar é, para a psicologia, revestido de uma importância capital, visto que é o primeiro ambiente psicossocial, protótipo das relações a serem estabelecidas com o mundo. Contudo, estudos teóricos deste campo de conhecimento têm evidenciado que o ambiente familiar tanto pode ser uma fonte de recursos para um desenvolvimento sadio, atuando como mecanismo de proteção para a criança lidar com as dificuldades, como pode levar a reações inadaptadas. Dessa forma, cada vez mais, estudos empíricos têm focado sua atenção na análise do ambiente familiar relacionado a aspectos da vida escolar infantil. Diante desse contexto, o presente estudo tem como objetivo analisar os recursos materiais e humanos do ambiente familiar mediante relatos dos familiares e os suportes e recursos do ambiente familiar mediante relatos das crianças do ensino fundamental e verificar se diferentes níveis de compreensão em leitura e escrita correspondem a diferenças nos recursos do ambiente familiar. Participaram deste estudo 148 crianças, de ambos os sexos, com idades variando de 8 a 12 anos, provenientes de três escolas municipais de uma cidade do interior de São Paulo e seus respectivos familiares. Foram utilizados 4 instrumentos para a coleta de dados. As crianças responderam uma Escala de Avaliação da Escrita...

Background: Previous studies testing the association between the built environment and walking behavior have been largely cross-sectional and have yielded mixed results. This study reports on a natural experiment in which changes to the built environment were implemented at a university campus in Hong Kong. Longitudinal data on walking behaviors were collected using surveys, one before and one after changes to the built environment, to test the influence of changes to the built environment on walking behavior. Methods: Built environment data are from a university campus in Hong Kong, and include land use, campus bus services, pedestrian network, and population density data collected from campus maps, the university developmental office, and field surveys. Walking behavior data were collected at baseline in March 2012 (n = 198) and after changes to the built environment from the same cohort of subjects in December 2012 (n = 169) using a walking diary. Geographic information systems (GIS) was used to map walking routes and built environment variables, and compare each subject’s walking behaviors and built environment exposure before and after the changes to the built environment. Walking behavior outcomes were changes in: i) walking distance...

Currently, many companies pay attention to the necessities of change of attitude in relation to the use of the natural resources and the environment quality of its products, mainly to keep a positive and competitive image in the market. This new concept of management associates the productive activities to the care with environment using the education of environment as a tool of programs of qualification directed toward the promotion of pro-environment behaviors. For effectiveness of this management it is essential the attachment of the employees and the major understanding of the importance of the preservation of the environment. This was the objective of the qualification process carried out in a lodge in Fernando de Noronha island. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to verify the power of this management system which fulfills the objectives of the environmental education. It was applied questionnaires to employees of three Inns and carried out a interview, in one Inn, with the participants of the program of qualification. The analysis of the data showed that the actions as care with the environment are strongly associates to the management system, which includes garbage control, as well water economy. It was observed that the environment accomplishment (EcoAntro) of the employees with environment decreases in proportion to their qualification. In the same way...

As atividades industriais são responsáveis por uma expressiva parcela dos impactos globais do meio ambiente. Algumas das principais questões relacionadas a estes problemas são: o aquecimento da temperatura da terra, a destruição da camada de ozônio, a poluição das águas, a degradação do solo e a perda da biodiversidade. O objetivo desta pesquisa foi investigar o envolvimento das empresas de Uberlândia, com a educação ambiental. Para atingir este objetivo foi confeccionado um questionário com 17 perguntas e enviado a 63 empresas de Uberlândia. O questionário teve como enfoque os seguintes itens: as atividades exercidas pela empresa versus danos ambientais; a existência de programas ou projetos financiados pela empresa, voltados para a preservação ambiental; o público alvo, as atividades previstas e os pro fissionais envolvidos nestes projetos; justificativa para a ausência de investimentos neste setor; interesse em implementar projetos de preservação ambiental, caso ainda não existam; barreiras para o desenvolvimento de atividades de Educação Ambiental na empresa e que contribuição a Educação Ambiental pode agregar aos negócios da Empresa. Responderam ao questionário 28 empresas, e suas respostas evidenciaram que...

This study analyzes the interrelationship between local benefits and global environment benefits in the Global Environment Facility (GEF) strategies and projects in order to: Enhance GEF policies, strategies, and project design and implementation so these can effectively promote the potential for local gains in those global environmental programs where actors need to be mobilized for long-term support of sound environmental management, costs incurred by local communities for supplying global environmental goods need to be reduced, and possible negative impacts need to be ameliorated. Strengthen GEF monitoring and evaluation policies and processes to develop indicators for, and enhance the tracking of, local benefits and negative impacts. Expand the body of existing operational knowledge of good practices and experiences germane to pursuing global environmental issues and of constraints or fallacies to be avoided in operations. Disseminate widely the most valuable lessons of existing experience and show how these lessons can be implemented in future GEF operations.

The purpose of the Third Overall Performance Study (OPS3), commissioned by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Council, is "to assess the extent to which GEF has achieved, or is on its way towards achieving its main objectives, as laid down in the GEF Instrument and subsequent decisions by the GEF Council and the Assembly, including key documents such as the Operational Strategy and the Policy Recommendations agreed as part of the Third Replenishment of the GEF Trust Fund." (GEF/C.23/4) The OPS3 team recognizes that this study is taking place at a critical time and will provide input that is relevant to the Fourth Replenishment of the GEF Trust Fund, which will be taking place shortly after the publication of the OPS3 study. A primary goal of OPS3 is to provide relevant, timely, and actionable recommendations for each of the Terms of Reference (TOR) areas to support the replenishment process and associated programming. The scope of OPS3 is defined by the "Terms of Reference for the Third Overall Performance Study approved by the GEF Council on May 21...

The purpose of the Third Overall Performance Study (OPS3), commissioned by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Council, is "to assess the extent to which GEF has achieved, or is on its way towards achieving its main objectives, as laid down in the GEF Instrument and subsequent decisions by the GEF Council and the Assembly, including key documents such as the Operational Strategy and the Policy Recommendations agreed as part of the Third Replenishment of the GEF Trust Fund." (GEF/C.23/4) The OPS3 team recognizes that this study is taking place at a critical time and will provide input that is relevant to the Fourth Replenishment of the GEF Trust Fund, which will be taking place shortly after the publication of the OPS3 study. A primary goal of OPS3 is to provide relevant, timely, and actionable recommendations for each of the Terms of Reference (TOR) areas to support the replenishment process and associated programming. The scope of OPS3 is defined by the "Terms of Reference for the Third Overall Performance Study approved by the GEF Council on May 21...

This review of the active portfolio of World Bank projects aimed at improving urban environmental quality was carried out during 2002-03 in order to assess the level of commitment of the institution to urban sustainability. The review focuses on the contributions of key sectors to urban environmental improvements, in particular on those belonging to the Infrastructure Vice-Presidency, and on how projects are contributing to achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. It also highlights some of the apparent gaps in current Bank lending in regional, spatial, and thematic terms and argues for a more comprehensive and holistic approach to urban environmental priorities, which could lead to better-integrated investments. The Bank corporate strategy on urban development (World Bank 2000a) addresses the urban environment as part of enhancing urban livability. The corporate environment strategy (World Bank 2001b) states its importance through its goals of improving the quality of life, improving the quality of growth...

Standard reduced form models are estimated for Canada to examine the relationships between real per capita GDP and four measures of environmental degradation. Of the four chosen measures of environmental degradation, only concentrations of carbon monoxide appear to decline in the long run with increases in real per capita income. The data used in the reduced form models are also tested for the presence of unit roots and for the existence of cointegration between each of the measures of environmental degradation and per capita income. Unit root tests indicate nonstationarity in logs of the measures of environmental degradation and per capita income. The Engle-Granger test and the maximum eigenvalue test suggest that per capita income and the measures of environmental degradation are not cointegrated, or that a long-term relationship between the variables does not exist. Causality tests also indicate a bi-directional causality, rather a uni-directional causality, from income to the environment. The results suggest that Canada does not have the luxury of being able to grow out of its environmental problems. The implication is that to prevent further environmental degradation, Canada requires concerted policies and incentives to reduce pollution intensity per unit of output across sectors...

Since 1997, UNEP has produced Global Environment Outlook (GEO) reports providing assessments of the interactions between environment and society. With its core mandate of ¿keeping the global environment under review,¿ UNEP coordinated a series of scientific assessments that included extensive consultations and participatory processes, resulting in the production of GEO reports in 1997, 1999 and 2002. The fourth assessment, Global Environment Outlook: environment for development (GEO-4), is the most comprehensive GEO process to date. It was designed to ensure synergy between science and policy, while maintaining its scientific credibility and making it responsive to policy needs and objectives. The launch in 2007 of the GEO-4 report coincides with the 20th anniversary of the launch of the report of the World Commission on Environment and Development, Our Common Future. GEO-4 uses it as a reference to assess progress in addressing key environment and development issues. GEO-4 highlights the vital role of the environment in development and, more importantly, for human well-being. GEO-4 is more than a report: it is also a comprehensive consultative process which began in 2004. In February of that year, an intergovernmental consultation on strengthening the scientific base of UNEP...

Background: Schools are important settings for the promotion of a healthy diet and sufficient physical activity and thus overweight prevention. Objective: To assess differences in school nutrition environment and body mass index (BMI) in primary schools between and within 12 European countries. Methods: Data from the World Health Organization (WHO) European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative (COSI) were used (1831 and 2045 schools in 2007/2008 and 2009/2010, respectively). School personnel provided information on 18 school environmental characteristics on nutrition and physical activity. A school nutrition environment score was calculated using five nutrition-related characteristics whereby higher scores correspond to higher support for a healthy school nutrition environment. Trained field workers measured children’s weight and height; BMI-for-age (BMI/A) Z-scores were computed using the 2007 WHO growth reference and, for each school, the mean of the children’s BMI/A Z-scores was calculated. Results: Large between-country differences were found in the availability of food items on the premises (e.g., fresh fruit could be obtained in 12%95% of schools) and school nutrition environment scores (range: 0.300.93). Low-score countries (Bulgaria...

In their dialogue entitled - The Food Service Industry Environment: Market Volatility Analysis - by Alex F. De Noble, Assistant Professor of Management, San Diego State University and Michael D. Olsen, Associate Professor and Director, Division of Hotel, Restaurant & Institutional Management at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, De Noble and Olson preface the discussion by saying: “Hospitality executives, as a whole, do not believe they exist in a volatile environment and spend little time or effort in assessing how current and future activity in the environment will affect their success or failure. The authors highlight potential differences that may exist between executives' perceptions and objective indicators of environmental volatility within the hospitality industry and suggest that executives change these perceptions by incorporating the assumption of a much more dynamic environment into their future strategic planning efforts. Objective, empirical evidence of the dynamic nature of the hospitality environment is presented and compared to several studies pertaining to environmental perceptions of the industry.” That weighty thesis statement presumes that hospitality executives/managers do not fully comprehend the environment in which they operate. The authors provide a contrast...

This environment strategy outlines the current thinking in the World Bank Group Africa Region about priorities and actions for the institution in the environmental arena. The Africa Region Environment Strategy (ARES) outlines the Bank's commitment to help its clients achieve sustainable poverty reduction through better environmental management. It identifies the most urgent issues at the interface of environment and poverty and discusses targeted actions for addressing them. It reviews the lessons from experience to date and proposes new approaches. The strategic context in which the ARES has evolved and will be implemented is defined by the Bank's mission statement and operational policies, the World Bank Environment Strategy (WBES), and by the Bank's broader objectives, priorities, and strategies in the Africa Region. Like the WBES, the ARES approaches environment through a "poverty lens" and targets four main objectives: a) ensuring sustainable livelihoods, b) improving environmental health, c) reducing vulnerability to natural disasters...

~ This study focuses on the process of self-directed learning that individuals go through as they adapt to new work situations. This is a study of how one critical incident, specifically the transition from a traditional office structure to a home office structure, affected employees and what their learning process was as they adapted to the new environment. This study has 3 educational foundations: adult learning, self-directed learning, and the social context from which the learning will occur. Six women and 2 men were interviewed approximately 1 year following the transition. Analysis of the data revealed 5 themes of: impacts of the self-directed environment on participants' personal lives, their roles, skill set, productivity, and the physical environment; support offered by the organization, family, and office administration; personal development, specific learning needs, and personal skills; boundaries as they relate to family and work; and skill set and orientation requirements of new home office employees. The findings revealed the learning processes of the 8 participants. The learning processes of these participants were discussed within a theoretical framework of the learners, their immediate surroundings, and the larger social environment. The results indicated that the transition from a directed work environment to a self directed work environment is a complex...

Surveillance data from 105 countries indicates that 80% of 13-15 year-olds do not meet the public health guideline of 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) per day. This is problematic as a lack of physical activity in young people is associated with physical, mental, and social health problems. Schools are a place where children and adolescents spend a large amount of their time and where they have several opportunities to engage in physical activity. The built and social environment of the school can influence the physical activity levels of students. The school built environment consists of the facilities that can encourage physical activity such as gymnasia, fields, and fitness rooms. This thesis looked at two aspects of the social environment: 1) school policies, programs, and practices (PPP) for physical activity, and 2) school social capital. School PPP includes things like having intramural sports. School social capital is based on the relationships formed at school. The purpose of this thesis was to determine whether selected features of the school social environment (social capital, school PPP for physical activity) changes the relationship between the school built environment and physical activity among 11-15 year-old Canadians. Information on the school social environment...

Introduction: Several studies have demonstrated the benefits of physical activity (PA) for First Nations youth (Critchley et al., 2006; Tighe & McKay, 2012). It is also well-known that environmental factors like land-use mix and residential density play a critical role in the quality of PA opportunities available to youth (Ding, Sallis, Kerr, Lee, & Rosenberg, 2011). While the PA-environment link in urban centres is well understood, there has never been an exploration of the unique relationship First Nations youth have with their environment and how it might influence PA levels. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the PA-environment relationship with First Nations youth to inform the development of a culturally relevant PA environment assessment tool for First Nations communities. Methods: Using the principles of community-based participatory research (CBPR) and Two-Eyed Seeing, First Nations youth (n=14) were trained in the art of Photovoice to take photos that illustrate ways in which the environment influences their PA. Youth also completed the Rural Active Living Assessment (RALA) tool. Next, the youth were asked to join a talking circle to share their experience of PA opportunities in their community as well as to discuss the RALA tool. Talking circles were analyzed for themes using NVivo software for Windows. Results: Youth co-researchers indicated that the First Nations community environment influences their PA through multiple ecological levels. The organization of themes using the socio-ecological model demonstrates that youth PA is influenced by the environment from the interpersonal to the policy level. This conceptual model will be used in addition to RALA tool commentary provided by youth co-researchers to develop a PA environment assessment tool. Discussion: This study was the first to explore the PA-environment link in First Nations communities from a First Nations youth perspective in order to develop a culturally relevant PA environment assessment tool. The new tool...