Browsing by Subject "environment"

The focus of this thesis is on environmental agency in two different video games, The Sims 4 Eco Lifestyle and Final Fantasy VII Remake. The research questions aim to answer how the player can act as an environmental agent in these two games and what are the key differences between these games. The study is executed in a form of qualitative two-case case study with the help of close reading. With close reading eight different types of agencies that form the typology of this study, will be analysed in order to answer the research questions. The data for this thesis was collected by playing both games and taking notes by following close reading. The notes were then analysed with the different types of agencies. The results showed clear overlapping of the types of agencies, and it could be said that environmental agency can be used better in the game when the overlapping is happening. The agencies complemented each other and made the possible learning process in the game more fulfilling. The main difference between the game seems to be that The Sims 4 Eco Lifestyle as a life simulation game offers more diverse possibilities for environmental player agency. The studies about environmental games are mainly focused on serious games and not so much on commercial games. Video games hold great potential to engage people in environmental things especially with the help of player agency. It offers the player the ability to make meaningful choices and if they are structure well, the player can see the consequences of their agency which serves as an effective feedback which could lead to positive learning. In this case, the environmental agency in the game could be transformed into real-life environmental agency. As video games have become more immersive and their environments more realistic, it could be worth considering that separating virtual environment from the real-life one might not be necessary anymore. Therefore, games like The Sims 4 Eco Lifestyle and Final Fantasy VII Remake could serve as an example of how environmental agency within them could be harnessed into wider use.

The main objective was to identify and analyze the tourism management perspective to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) at the luxury Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise (FCLL) Hotel and Resort in the Banff National Park (NP). It is viable for a company to conduct responsible business operations, especially in protected areas, because of a great influence of Environmental Non-Governmental Organizations (ENGO’s) and high customer awareness of environmental issues. Definitely, large chains of luxury hotels and resorts, such as the Fairmont, are greatly dependent on their reputation and engagement with the communities’ well-being and handling the environmental issues in the area of business operations. The thesis is divided into several parts, i.e. introduction, theoretical background, methodology and previous research, results of the research, and conclusions and discussions. Undoubtedly, all of the above mentioned parts are essential in order to get a complete picture of the thesis topic and its achieved objectives. As a matter of fact, the current Master’s thesis comprises various industries with hospitality, tourism, and forestry. In order to gain the stated objectives, a deep analysis of the literature related to the topic and online sources was conducted, as well as email interviews with some representatives, i.e. certain managers, of the FCLL. Obviously, not all of the respondents were able to answer in time or to answer at all due to various reasons; however, the received replies were enough to make their contribution to the current thesis. The questions were especially designed to fit the respondents and to get a better insight into the FCLL’s business activities in the Banff NP. As the results showed, the FCLL has a good reputation due to its dedication and achievements, regardless of the plans to build a conference center and previous negative impact on the environment in the area. FCLL is trying its best to become a good “citizen” by following its CSR practices and engaging stakeholders. The FCLL’s major focus is to diminish negative impacts from its business operations in the park, i.e. on its various environmental programs, engaging not only personnel of the company, but communities and customers. These results were used as a basis of a SWOT analysis to have a clearer and visible representation of the FCLL’s current position, taking all the issues into consideration. In conclusion, this research shows that the luxury Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise Hotel and Resort in the Banff National Park has a good image and reputation due to its various environmental programs, dedication to its responsible business operations, and engagement of the involved stakeholders; therefore, it is clear the company has a great potential based on its achievements and willingness to make its positive contribution.

This masters' thesis explored the use of the body, tools, and the environment in craftwork from an embodied cognitive perspective. More specifically the activity studied was wooden boatbuilding. Activity theory was used to map the elements and the dynamics of the wooden boatbuilding activity in relation to the object of work (a wooden gunboat). The research interests (related to body, tools and environment) were positioned among the different elements of the wooden boatbuilding activity (tools, subject, object, outcome, rules, community and division of labor) by following an activity theoretical structure. Previous research has shown that the abilities of the body are quite often overshadowed by the abilities of brain alone, even though cognition is embodied due to its dependency on the characteristics of the agent's physical body. The objective of this research was to seek further understanding on the position of the body and its role in an activity of craft with the use of tools and environment. By having an embodied cognitive perspective, the research looked at the types of materials from the environment that were applied for work, and how material artefacts have contributed to the body's performance during craft. In addition, the research took into account the characteristics of the work environment that enabled the body of craftsmen to work more efficiently. Specifically, the thesis captured a two-day data collection of videos and interviews in the dockyard of Suomenlinna Fortress, based on the method of ethnography. The data collection gathered material for the analysis of the craftwork on a wooden gunboat model, during a process of craft called caulking. For the analysis, the work of five subjects (wooden boat builders) was observed closely. The method applied for analysis of data was thematic analysis, which required a selective process of data, based on relevant or reoccurring themes identified throughout video files. The most representative themes of the activity were framed in sets of images for further interpretation, and in that way enabling the validation of themes and their relevance to the research questions. As a result, the themes identified in the activity of wooden boatbuilding were (1) the abilities of the body, (2) the limitations of the body, (3) the body and the process of sensing, (4) the affordance of tools, (5) tools as mediators, and (6) the affordances or the environment. All these themes were building blocks for conceptualising the role of the body in the craft of wooden boatbuilding, the role of tools in the craft of wooden boatbuilding, and how the environment is used in the craft of wooden boatbuilding. This research concluded that, while activity theory allowed a holistic understanding of a craft activity, such as wooden boatbuilding, embodied cognition was vital for conceptualising the role of the body as a starting point in relation to all elements of the activity, including tools and environment. In addition of certifying the usefulness of this combination (embodied cognition and activity theory), perhaps the most relevant finding of this research was the so-called APDCS (area of potential development of craft skills), which could contextualise the integration among body, tools and environment in the craft of wooden boatbuilding through the development of various tasks.

Food literacy is a noteworthy topic to be studied due to food’s considerable environmental and health effects. When food literacy and its characteristics are known, food literacy can be used as a tool to improve people’s health and the condition of the environment. Thus, this thesis aims to reveal the extent of food literacy among Finnish upper secondary school students. In this context, food literacy emphasises food-related environmental and health knowledge. Environmental knowledge is understanding of the global environmental impact of food. Health knowledge, on the other hand, is the familiarity with the relationship between excessive meat consumption and Finnish common diseases along with beliefs regarding diets and food products as a source of protein. This thesis also aims to identify to what extent does the food literacy differ based on gender, study year and living area. This study was performed as a quantitative sample survey and the data was collected using an online Typeform -questionnaire. The questionnaire reached respondents from many different Finnish localities, mainly from cities. The final data consisted of 1320 individuals and it was analysed using IMB SPSS Statistics 24 software. The following methods were used to analyse data: frequency analysis, an Independent Samples t Test, a One-way ANOVA, and a Post-hoc LSD test. Gender, study year and living area were used as grouping variables to examine the differences between groups. The results show that the students named school as the main source of food literacy. Moreover, the results indicate that awareness regarding food production, dietary health and proteins increase significantly from the first to the third study year. The students acknowledged food production causing environmental problems and that the share of food in the consumer’s climatic impact is considerable. Nevertheless, the students underestimated the climatic impact of cheese and they were unaware of the more specific characteristics of food’s environmental impacts. They also had food-related environmental misconceptions considering packaging, transportation and meat consumption. Moreover, approximately half or more of the students were aware of the connection between excessive meat consumption and the increased risk of distinct common diseases. Most of the students acknowledged a versatile vegetarian diet as being a healthy choice. The study also reveals that female students had notably higher dietary health knowledge than male students. This Master’s thesis study mainly supports the findings of previous studies on food-related knowledge. The results elucidate the extent, characteristics, gaps and misconceptions of students’ food literacy. These findings may be utilized to improve school education on food literacy, alter misconceptions and fill the gaps of knowledge in pursuit of improving the health of people and the condition of the environment.

This study addresses the ways in which environmental challenges and power relations are manifested through tourism in the easternmost province of Panama, Darién. Historically, the area of Darién has remained relatively isolated from the rest of the country and tourism in the area is of small-scale. However, the high biodiversity and natural resources have drawn increasing attention, thus resulting in tensions and competing interests between different stakeholders. Local perceptions of tourism bring insight about how people make sense of and engage with touristic activities, and how geopolitical and ecological discourses contribute to environmental inequalities. The theoretical background draws from geopolitical ecology, which states the role and impact of the environment in the shaping of political space and power relations. The research is based on 37 thematic interviews and participant observation carried out during a one-month ethnographic fieldwork in Darién. The findings indicate that tourism has contributed to exposing the environmental challenges in Darién, but also caused controversy over the use of resources for tourism. Tourism brings forward power relations and demonstrates that different players are in an uneven position. The results show that tourism in Darién has been influenced by its remoteness and the nowadays largely misleading assumption of its unstable security situation. Darién faces a broad range of environmental problems, resulting mainly from the State´s weak presence and poor environmental policies. However, tourism has been locally able to enhance environmental awareness and interest towards conservation. Different tourism actors have unequal possibilities in making use of natural resources depending largely on their wealth and social networks. Further geopolitical interests appear through territorial issues and questions concerning land ownership. The findings indicate that by looking at tourism, many underlying tensions related to existing social inequalities, power relations and distribution of ecological benefits can be revealed.

Tutkielmassa tarkastellaan ympäristödiskursseja maatalouspoliittisessa massakampanjassa, joka toteutettiin Mao Zedongin aikaisessa Kiinassa 1960- ja 1970-luvuilla. Kyseisen kampanjan tarkoituksena oli saada koko Kiina ottamaan mallia Dazhai-nimisestä kylästä, jonka Kiinan kommunistinen puolue katsoi edustavan esimerkillistä maanviljelyskulttuuria kaikilla mittareilla mitattuna. Ympäristödiskurssien lisäksi tässä tutkielmassa haetaan vastausta siihen, miten ihmisen ja luonnon välinen suhde esitettiin Dazhai-kampanjan yhteydessä. Näin tarkoituksena on tuottaa lisäymmärrystä Kiinan ympäristötuhoihin Maon hallinnon aikana. Tämän tutkimuksen tarkastelun kohteena olevat asiat sijoittuvat Kiinan kulttuurivallankumouksen aikakauteen. Tutkielman teoreettinen ja metodinen puoli nojautuu kriittiseen diskurssianalyysiin. Analyysin teossa on lisäksi käytetty apukeinona Norman Fairclough’n kolmijakoista analyysimallia. Aineisto koostuu yhteensä 21:sta lehtiartikkelista, jotka on julkaistu vuosien 1965 ja 1976 välillä lehdessä nimeltä China Pictorial. Tutkimusaineisto on kokonaisuudessaan kiinankielinen. Aineiston perusteella on havaittavissa neljä erilaista ympäristöön liittyvää diskurssia, joiden kautta Dazhai-kampanjasta kirjoitetaan. Diskurssit on nimetty ”luonto vallankumouksen jatkumona”–, ”luonnon muuttaminen kamppailun kautta”–, ”luonto välinearvona”– ja ”luonto sotilaallisena kohteena”–diskursseiksi. Näistä diskursseista ensimmäisessä näkyy ajatus siitä, että muiden yhteiskunnan osa-alueiden lisäksi myös luonto tulee mullistaa ja saattaa Kiinan kommunistisen puolueen hallintaan. Toisessa diskurssissa luonto nähdään asiana, jota on mahdollista muuttaa äärimmäisyyteen asti tahdonvoiman ja fyysisen kamppailun tuloksena. Kolmas diskurssi näkee luonnon sen tuoman hyödyn näkökulmasta, sekä heikentää perinteisiä kiinalaisia luontokäsityksiä. Neljännessä diskurssissa luonto on kohde, joka on voitettava, jota kohden pitää hyökätä ja jota vastaan pitää aloittaa sota. Näiden neljän diskurssin kautta havaittava ihmisen ja luonnon välinen suhde on vahvasti antroposentrinen sekä tiukasti poliittiseen ideologiaan kietoutuva.

The aim of this master’s thesis was to quantify the net benefits when 7 % of Finnish adults shift from their average diet to a low carbohydrate diet (VHH), a very low carbohydrate diet (EVHH) or a diet based on Finnish nutrition recommendations (SUOSITUS). The low carbohydrate diets were based on 84 food diaries that were collected by an online survey. The diet shifts were conducted by social cost-benefit-analysis (CBA) including environmental and health impacts in monetary values. The environmental impacts included changes in greenhouse gas emissions and nutrient emissions into Baltic sea while the health impacts included changes in myocardial infarction and stroke incidence related on consumption of fruits and vegetables, and in colorectal cancer incidence related on red and processed meat. The net benefits were quantified also in a scenario when the energy intake in VHH, EVHH and SUOSITUS were lower and the diets lead to 15 kilograms weight reduction and to normal weight. In the weight loss scenario the changes in colorectal cancer and type 2 diabetes incidence related on overweight were included in addition to other impacts. In the non-weight loss scenario when 7 % of Finnish adults shift to VHH, EVHH or SUOSITUS diet, the total net benefits were respectively -3,7 million, -10,8 million and 7,3 million euros per year. The net benefits of environmental impacts dominated: in VHH, EVHH and SUOSITUS cases they were -6,5 million, -12,9 million and 3,3 million euros. The largest difference between diets resulted from consumption of meat and milk products. In weight loss scenario, the net benefits from VHH, EVHH and SUOSITUS cases were 11,2 million, 5,8 million and 20,6 million euros per year and the benefits of reduced incidence of type 2 diabetes dominated: in all cases they were 10,0 million euros. In conclusion, the sift to the diet based on Finnish nutrient recommendations resulted in the highest positive net benefit. The net benefits of sifting to the VHH and EVHH diets were positive only if when these lead to significant weight loss. However, many potential impacts and factors (e.g. saturated fat, dietary fiber) were not included in this study. Further research is needed.

Ympäristöystävällisyydestä ja ekologisesta kestävyydestä on tullut tärkeä osa terveydenhuoltoa ja siten myös hammashoitoa. Ympäristön hyvinvoinnin ja ihmisten terveyden yhteyksistä tiedetään koko ajan enemmän. Terveydenalan asiantuntijoilla on vastuu terveyden edistämisestä, joten heillä on myös vastuu ympäristön hyvinvoinnista niin, että ympäristömme on terveyttä edistävä ja turvallinen. Potilaalle tulee tarjota mahdollisimman hyvää hoitoa, mutta samaan aikaan tulee olla vahingoittamatta luontoa. Terveydenhuollon asiantuntijoina suun terveydenhuollon henkilökunnalla on velvollisuus ottaa vastuuta ihmisten ja ympäristön hyvinvoinnista kokonaisuutena ja siten kantaa vastuu tuottamiensa ympäristöhaittojen vaikutuksista sekä noudattaa työssään kestävän kehityksen periaatteita. Tässä kirjallisuuskatsauksen muotoisessa tutkielmatyössä esitellään tapoja, joiden avulla suun terveydenhuoltoa voidaan muokata kestävämmäksi ja ympäristöystävällisemmäksi. Tutkimusaineistoja on haettu laajasti, varmistaen lähteiden luotettavuus. Aineiston haussa on käytetty Pubmed- ja Medline tietokantoja. Aineiston keruussa käytettäviä hakusanoja ovat olleet ”sustainability”, ”eco-friendly dentistry”, ”micro-plastic”, ”green dentistry”, ”environment”, ”oral health”, ”waste management”, ”dental waste”, ”medical waste disposal” ja ”environmental pollution control/ prevention in dentistry”. Tietoa on haettu myös hammaslääketieteellisten järjestöjen internet-sivuilta. Tuloksista käy ilmi, että suun terveydenhuollossa kestävää kehitystä voidaan edistää monella eri tavalla. Toimia kestävyyden edistämiseksi voidaan tehdä hankintojen, eri matkustusmuotojen ja jätteiden osalta. Erittäin tärkeänä pidetään ammattikunnan ajattelutavan muuttamista kestävämmäksi. Kestävä kehitys osana suun ja hampaiston terveyttä tulee ajatella kansainvälisesti yhteisenä kokonaisuutena, jonka tavoitteet tulee huomioida osana jokapäiväistä ammatinharjoittamista.