scholarly journals Using Conjoint Analyses to Improve Cable Yarder Design Characteristics: An Austrian Yarder Case Study to Advance Cost-Effective Extraction

Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Kühmaier ◽  
Hunter Harrill ◽  
Mohammad Ghaffariyan ◽  
Manfred Hofer ◽  
Karl Stampfer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Timber Harvesting ◽  
User Preferences ◽  
Design Characteristics ◽  
Steep Terrain ◽  
Integrate Design

Steep country harvesting has been identified as the main bottleneck to achieving greater profitability in the forestry sector of New Zealand and Australia. An improvement of efficiency, work safety and environmental sustainability should be realized by developing an advanced steep terrain timber harvesting system based on innovative Austrian technology. To identify the best suitable configuration of a cable yarder for steep terrain harvesting, user preferences based on an online survey (conjoint analysis) have been evaluated to answer the following questions: (1) What attributes of a new yarder design are most important to consumers? (2) Which criteria do stakeholders consider when selecting a cable yarder? (3) What are the weights representing the relative importance of criteria? Using eight specific design scenarios a fourth question, being which cable yarder concept is the best, was also answered. This case study shows that conjoint analyses is an effective tool to assess, rate and subsequently integrate design characteristics. Based on the results of the analysis, a cable yarder prototype will be manufactured in Austria and transferred to New Zealand for testing and demonstration.

The potential cost of environmental certification to vegetation management in plantation forests: a New Zealand case study

2011 ◽  
Vol 41 (5) ◽  
pp. 986-993 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carol A. Rolando ◽  
Michael S. Watt ◽  
Jerzy A. Zabkiewicz
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Vegetation Management ◽  
Rate Of Return ◽  
Internal Rate Of Return ◽  
Mechanical Control ◽  
Vegetation Control ◽  
High Productivity ◽  
Plantation Forests

Plantation forests certified by the Forest Stewardship Council have restrictions on herbicide use. Since certified plantations are dependant on herbicides for cost-effective vegetation management, compliance requires a shift from current chemical practices. Using New Zealand plantation forests as a case study, discounted cash flow analyses were used to estimate the cost of certification-compliant vegetation control regimes compared with current non-compliant methods. We examined methods that (i) reduce the quantity of herbicides by using spot control and (ii) avoid the use of herbicides by using weed mats, manual, and mechanical control. Cost analyses were undertaken for low-, medium-, and high-productivity sites. The internal rate of return of the non-compliant regime was between 5% and 5.8% across the productivity range. Spot control was cheaper than current non-compliant practice. However, spot control is limited by site suitability and the availability of labour. Non-chemical control methods were expensive relative to other regimes. Reductions in the internal rate of return varied across low- and high-productivity sites between 0.8% and 0.5% for manual control, 1.3% and 0.8% for mechanical control, and 1.7% and 1.0% for weed mats. Meeting the goals of certification while retaining cost-effective vegetation control presents a challenge to the plantation forestry sector.

scholarly journals Environmental Sustainability in New Zealand Museums: A Case Study of Te Manawa Museum, Gallery and Science Centre

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Nina Helen Finigan
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Bottom Line ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
Current State ◽  
Science Centre ◽  
The Status ◽  
The Many

<p>Environmental sustainability is becoming an increasingly essential component of modern life. The contemporary museums’ role as public educators, and as guardians of tangible and intangible culture, places them in a unique position to address the various issues surrounding environmental sustainability, from climate change, to bio-diversity loss, to conservation. There is increasing momentum behind the idea that museums should not only engage with environmental sustainability, but that they indeed have a responsibility to. Although museums throughout New Zealand are addressing environmental sustainability, there is currently no thorough examination of how they are doing this. Therefore, the aim of this dissertation was so find out the current state of environmental sustainability in New Zealand museums, and specifically how staff are approaching it. Through engaging in a case study of Te Manawa Museum, Gallery and Science Centre, Palmerston North, and specifically the environmentally themed exhibition Te Awa/The River: Heart of the Manawatu, this dissertation analyses and discusses the realities of addressing institutional environmental sustainability. While the previous literature surrounding this topic has addressed the many reasons why museums should engage with environmental sustainability, this dissertation has expanded on this by analysing and discussing the realities of addressing environmental sustainability from a staff perspective. Through interviews with five Te Manawa staff members, this dissertation has revealed that while museum professionals agree that engagement with environmental sustainability should become part of bottom line holistic sustainable development, the status of museums as trusted democratic institutions can place them in a conflicted space ‘in-between’ when dealing with polarising issues such as the environment. This is particularly relevant to the discussion around new-museological theory, and the importance of local context and reflexive community engagement, where the community essentially help drive museological direction and content.</p>

Metrics of Local Environmental Sustainability: A Case Study in Auckland, New Zealand

2007 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 355-378 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sumita Ghosh ◽  
Robert Vale ◽  
Brenda Vale
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Environmental Sustainability

scholarly journals Environmental Sustainability in New Zealand Museums: A Case Study of Te Manawa Museum, Gallery and Science Centre

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Nina Helen Finigan
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Bottom Line ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
Current State ◽  
Science Centre ◽  
The Status ◽  
The Many

<p>Environmental sustainability is becoming an increasingly essential component of modern life. The contemporary museums’ role as public educators, and as guardians of tangible and intangible culture, places them in a unique position to address the various issues surrounding environmental sustainability, from climate change, to bio-diversity loss, to conservation. There is increasing momentum behind the idea that museums should not only engage with environmental sustainability, but that they indeed have a responsibility to. Although museums throughout New Zealand are addressing environmental sustainability, there is currently no thorough examination of how they are doing this. Therefore, the aim of this dissertation was so find out the current state of environmental sustainability in New Zealand museums, and specifically how staff are approaching it. Through engaging in a case study of Te Manawa Museum, Gallery and Science Centre, Palmerston North, and specifically the environmentally themed exhibition Te Awa/The River: Heart of the Manawatu, this dissertation analyses and discusses the realities of addressing institutional environmental sustainability. While the previous literature surrounding this topic has addressed the many reasons why museums should engage with environmental sustainability, this dissertation has expanded on this by analysing and discussing the realities of addressing environmental sustainability from a staff perspective. Through interviews with five Te Manawa staff members, this dissertation has revealed that while museum professionals agree that engagement with environmental sustainability should become part of bottom line holistic sustainable development, the status of museums as trusted democratic institutions can place them in a conflicted space ‘in-between’ when dealing with polarising issues such as the environment. This is particularly relevant to the discussion around new-museological theory, and the importance of local context and reflexive community engagement, where the community essentially help drive museological direction and content.</p>

scholarly journals Understanding Conceptions of ‘Nature’ for Environmental Sustainability: A Case Study in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand

Earth ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 357-373
Author(s):  
Lissy Fehnker ◽  
Diane Pearson ◽  
Peter J. Howland
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Valuable Insight ◽  
Lay Conceptions ◽  
Environmental Narratives ◽  
Inductive Research ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Respondent Group

Empirical research that inductively investigates lay conceptions of ‘nature’ is scarce, despite global environmental narratives around sustainability calling for humans to have harmonious relationships with ‘nature’. This paper presents inductive research that attends to the empirical knowledge gap by exploring how respondents self-reportedly conceive ‘nature’ using Auckland, New Zealand as a case study. Results suggested that conceptions of ‘nature’ within the respondent group are diverse and range across 17 themes. Most commonly, respondents conceived ‘nature’ as being something that neither humans nor human influence or activities are a part of. This finding is consistent with what has been found by previous deductive research approaches to understanding conceptions of ‘nature’. However, this research provides a deeper understanding by identifying that respondents form associations with over 60 ‘aspects’ of ‘nature’. By highlighting the complexity of ‘nature’ from a human perspective and being able to identify significant components of ‘nature’ that people associate with, this study not only provides valuable insight for environmental management in the New Zealand study site, but also has potential to support improved management of human–nature interactions that can have a more targeted impact towards achieving sustainability goals at the global scale.

scholarly journals Enhancing the research and publication efforts of health sciences librarians via an academic writing retreat

2017 ◽  
Vol 105 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
John W. Bullion ◽  
Stewart M. Brower
Keyword(s):  
Academic Writing ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
Protected Time ◽  
Writing Group ◽  
South Central ◽  
Medical Library

Background: This case study describes the South Central Chapter of the Medical Library Association (SCC/MLA) initiative to develop an academic writing retreat for members who sought the necessary time and support to advance their research projects toward publication.Case Presentation: SCC/MLA staged a dedicated writing retreat to coincide with the organization’s 2012, 2013, and 2014 annual meetings. Each cohort met over two days to write and to workshop their peers’ manuscripts. Organizers distributed an online survey one month after each retreat to evaluate attendees’ perceptions.Conclusions: Three years’ worth of writing retreats yielded fourteen peer-reviewed articles and one book chapter. Participants indicated that the retreat helped them meet or exceed their writing goals by offering protected time and a setting conducive to productivity. The format of the retreat is cost effective and easily adaptable for fellow professionals who wish to organize a formal event as a conference offering or simply support a writing group at their home institutions. In SCC/MLA, the retreat revitalized interest in writing and demystified the scholarly publication process.

scholarly journals User Preferences on Route Instruction Types for Mobile Indoor Route Guidance

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 482 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laure De Cock ◽  
Kristien Ooms ◽  
Nico Van de Weghe ◽  
Nina Vanhaeren ◽  
Philippe De Maeyer
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
User Preferences ◽  
Route Guidance ◽  
User Characteristics ◽  
Decision Points ◽  
Instruction Type ◽  
Route Instructions ◽  
Complex Decision ◽  
First Time

Adaptive mobile wayfinding systems are being developed to ease wayfinding in the indoor environment. They present wayfinding information to the user, which is adapted to the context. Wayfinding information can be communicated by using different types of route instructions, such as text, photos, videos, symbols or a combination thereof. The need for a different type of route instruction may vary at decision points, for example because of its complexity. Furthermore, these needs may be different for different user characteristics (e.g., age, gender, level of education). To determine this need for information, an online survey has been executed where participants rated 10 different route instruction types at several decision points in a case study building. Results show that the types with additional text were preferred over those without text. The photo instructions, combined with text, generally received the highest ratings, especially from first-time visitors. 3D simulations were appreciated at complex decision points and by younger people. When text (with symbols) is considered as a route instruction type, it is best used for the start or end instruction.

scholarly journals Is Voluntary Product Stewardship for E-Waste Working in New Zealand? A Whangarei Case Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 3063 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vicktoria Blake ◽  
Trisia Farrelly ◽  
Jonathon Hannon
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
National Policy ◽  
Municipal Services ◽  
Limited Data ◽  
Product Stewardship ◽  
Repair Ability ◽  
Asking Questions ◽  
The Cost

New Zealand currently manages its annually-generated 99,000 tonnes of e-waste via voluntary product stewardship schemes. Limited data is available to determine the success of this approach. This lack of data is cited as the logic preventing the declaration of e-waste as a priority product by the Minister for the Environment which would trigger the enforcement of mandatory product stewardship. This case study involved an online survey of 264 Whangarei District householders asking questions about e-waste creation and management, as well as analyses of local services, and local and national policy. It found that only 1.8% of the estimated e-waste created in the district is recycled by municipal services, with the ‘cost to recycle’ and ‘a lack of knowledge’ presenting barriers to engagement in these services. The ‘lack of ability to repair/the cost to repair’ was found to be the most significant driver for e-waste creation. The adoption of mandatory product stewardship for e-waste was recommended to ensure robust and transparent data collection, see recycling services become more accessible, and raise awareness of these services, thus reducing the value-action gap. Mandatory e-waste management would also impact product design to ensure affordable repair-ability, further supporting a circular economy for electronic goods.

scholarly journals Holistic Pre-Feasibility Study of Comminution Routes for a Brazilian Itabirite Ore

Minerals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 894
Author(s):  
Juliana Segura-Salazar ◽  
Natasha de S. L. Santos ◽  
Luís Marcelo Tavares
Keyword(s):  
Feasibility Study ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Energy Efficient ◽  
Iron Ore ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Bench Scale ◽  
Essential Step ◽  
Feed Production ◽  
Pellet Feed

Comminution is an essential step in processing itabirite ores, given the need to liberate silica and other contaminants from the iron minerals for downstream concentration and then pellet feed production. In general, these ores in Brazil are not particularly hard to crush and grind, but both capital (CAPEx) and operating (OPEx) expenditures in this stage of preparation can be critical for the project, in particular due to uncertainties in iron ore prices. Several circuits have been designed and are in operation for this type of ore in Brazil; however, it is not yet clear which technologies are more cost-effective and in which configuration they should be applied. This work critically analyzes four comminution circuits for an undisclosed case study. For these circuits, CAPEx, OPEx, and some environmental sustainability indices, as well as qualitative technical criteria, were used in the comparisons. This work concludes that two of these process routes, especially those based on more energy-efficient technologies (and one of these still rarely explored even at bench-scale), have demonstrated to be very attractive from multiple standpoints.

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