http://hdl.handle.net/10222/14622 Sun, 26 May 2013 08:06:39 GMT 2013-05-26T08:06:39Z http://hdl.handle.net/10222/21955 Promoting change throughout energy systems using economic incentives - A novel approach to electricity billing to improve The City of Summerside’s energy security and reduce its carbon emissions McCarthy, Megan With energy demands increasing rapidly, energy suppliers are struggling to keep up. Upgrading the existing systems comes with an enormous price tag for the supplier, who in turn must recover these costs by increasing rates to the consumer. Not only are the supplier and consumer strained by this solution, but the environment suffers as well, since roughly 80% of the world’s energy comes from fossil fuels. In order to ensure that resources will be available to meet the needs of future consumers and to protect our fragile environment from depletion and pollution, it is critical that changes occur now. Maintaining a balance in the energy system consisting of the supplier, the consumer, the government and the environment needs to be achieved in order to ensure energy security. To do this, each stakeholder’s needs must be determined and taken into consideration. Primary research confirms that currently, the consumer’s biggest concern is affordability, while the supplier’s is reducing production cost. The government sets policies and guidelines that must be met to protect all stakeholders, while the environment often takes the brunt of our collective actions. The objective of this thesis is to determine the viability of promoting behavioural change in consumption habits in order to reduce the amount of electricity used, shift on-peak loads to alleviate the need for costly upgrades, and to encourage the use of renewable energy sources. By inviting consumers to participate in a supplier endorsed survey to determine their main concerns and motivators, the goal is to develop a customized billing system for the supplier that will motivate consumers to reduce energy usage. In turn, this alleviates the strain on the existing system, substantially reduces costs to the end-user, encourages the use of alternative energy, and protects the environment. This model is tested using a case study on The City of Summerside, Prince Edward Island. Thu, 16 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10222/21955 2013-05-16T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10222/21915 Sowing the Seeds of Experiential Learning: Perspectives on the Creation of a High School Gardening Class in the Halifax Regional Municipality Dykhuis, Lucy This study uses a Grounded Theory framework to explore the opportunities and barriers of integrating an elective gardening class into the curriculum for high school students in the Halifax Regional Municipality. Four community garden workers participated as key informants in this research. They shared their perspectives on the benefits and detriments of school gardens and how a gardening class could be structured. The conclusion of this study is that the participants believe that the implementation of a high school gardening program would be beneficial to the students, schools and community. The next step for this research is to explore the students’ perceptions of a gardening class to determine whether it would be a worthwhile program that they are interested in. Sun, 05 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10222/21915 2013-05-05T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10222/21914 Examining the impacts of marine tourism in the Seaflower MPA of San Andrés, Colombia Novaczek, Emilie San Andrés attracts roughly 400 000 tourists annually to white sand beaches and coral reefs. The island sits within the Seaflower Marine Protected Area, which covers 75% of Colombia’s coral reefs, including the western Caribbean biodiversity hotspot and provides habitat for 192 IUCN red list species. A study of marine tourism was requested by MPA managers to support policy, monitoring and enforcement decisions. This paper uses quantitative and qualitative information on tourism activity types, user density and coral reef condition to provide baseline information on the local tourism industry and its relationship with shallow reefs. Data was collected through interviews with marine tour operators and shallow reef transects following Reef Check protocols. There are up to 3700 visitors on the water every day during the high season, including SCUBA divers, snorkelers, kite surfers, sail boats, cruise ships, etc. It is clear that the impact of tourism is not linear nor is it easily divided by activity type. However spatial and historical analyses indicate that San Andrés reefs have been significantly changed by tourism development. High traffic areas showed lower hard coral cover, increased algal growth, increased coral rubble and low invertebrate diversity. This research offers valuable insight into where managers should focus time and resources. Speed-boat operators carry the vast majority of tourists, and represent a high impact community who could be targeted with environmental education campaigns. The highest traffic and highest damage area occurs in the San Andrés Bay, an area that would benefit from increased vigilance and enforcement of no-entry zones. Tourism policy recommendations suggested and supported by many operators during interviews include limiting speed-boat and jet ski permits, and establishing activity-specific regulations (ex. PWC best practices). This paper represents a baseline study, providing a platform for additional research. Further historical and comparative analyses are required to understand the area more completely. Over 6 months, fieldwork was conducted in the Seaflower MPA of San Andrés to assess shallow reef health and the examine the impacts of marine tourism. This paper offers insight into the local tourism industry, the perspectives of tourism operators, and the condition of San Andrés reefs to provide a baseline of information for the development of effective marine tourism policies. Sat, 04 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10222/21914 2013-05-04T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10222/21773 Canada and its Commons: Institutional Support for a Nascent Social Sector Boggild, Lars; Sur, Dr. Sujit Social enterprise may help address many social and environmental issues, but needs support from a strong funding market in order to flourish. This study seeks to understand how well public Canadian institutions are supporting the development of this “social finance” industry. An analysis of internal and external publications in two Canadian governmental bodies, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), shows an awareness of this sector which is not communicated in external publications. It demonstrates organizational activity relevant to the development of the social sector. This activity is currently un-directed towards the social sector when compared to a socially-directed comparison organization, Big Society Capital of the UK. Analysis of financial statements points to possible focus areas for ACOA and HRSDC in this space. ACOA’s familiarity with direct business services makes it well placed to shape the delivery of training and business education within the social sector. On the other hand, HRSDC is better positioned at a more “meso” level of activity given its history of funding bodies which themselves distribute resources. This indicates considerable ability to support an important diversity of mid-level and intermediary actors in the development of this marketplace. A thesis conducted in completion of an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Sustainability and Political Science. Thu, 25 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10222/21773 2013-04-25T00:00:00Z