Search Results (762)

Introduction: The wellbeing of humans and the planet is negatively impacted by unhealthy eating behaviors and excessive food waste. Mindfulness approaches have the potential to help people modify their behavior to achieve healthier outcomes. Pilot testing methods to sustainably support healthy eating and reduce food waste are essential for identifying effective ways to promote human and planetary health. Methods: A pilot study was conducted to test a virtual mindful eating program to improve eating behaviors and reduce food waste among a small sample of U.S. adults. Mixed-methods approaches were used to identify the efficacy of the piloted intervention on mindfulness, eating behaviors, and food waste while identifying participant perspectives of the mindful eating program. Results: Quantitative study outcomes indicated positive intervention effects on hunger/satiety cues and food appreciation. No significant intervention effects were detected on mindfulness or food waste. Qualitative findings highlighted participant reports of experiencing greater self-awareness, an improved relationship with food, and a sense of creativity with meal preparation. Conclusions: This pilot study tested a novel mindful eating program that improved eating behaviors related to hunger/satiety and increased food appreciation. The program was accepted by participants, but it did not increase mindfulness or reduce food waste. Future iterations of this mindful eating program will require modifications to test different approaches for increasing mindfulness and reducing food waste while expanding the positive effects on healthy eating. Full article

Background/Objectives. Social and Emotional Education (SEE) interventions during early childhood have shown considerable promise in enhancing children’s emotion understanding, social competence, and behavioural adjustments. However, few studies have examined their long-term impact, especially across the preschool-to-primary school transition. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a manualized SEE program, Timmy’s Trip to Planet Earth, in promoting emotional, behavioural, and social functioning over time. Methods. A quasi-experimental longitudinal design was adopted with pre- and post-test assessments conducted approximately 18 months apart. Participants were 89 typically developing children (aged 59–71 months), assigned to an experimental group (n = 45) or a waiting-list group (n = 44). The program combined teacher training, classroom-based lessons, home activities, and teachers’ ongoing implementation support. The effectiveness of the program was measured via the Test of Emotion Comprehension (TEC), the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), and the Social Competence and Behavior Evaluation (SCBE-30). Results. Significant Time × Group interactions were observed for the TEC External and Mental components, indicating greater improvements in emotion recognition and mental state understanding in the intervention group. The SDQ revealed significant reductions in conduct problems and increased prosocial behaviours. In the SCBE-30, a significant interaction effect was found for social competence, with the intervention group showing greater improvement over time compared to the control group. Conclusions. The findings suggest that SEE programs can produce meaningful and lasting improvements in children’s emotional and social skills across key educational transitions. Teacher training and family involvement likely played a critical role in supporting the program’s sustained impact. Full article

The Po valley (northern Italy) is the leading European region for processing tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) production. Although historically characterized by abundant water availability, this area is now increasingly affected by drought risk. This study presents a two-year evaluation of regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) on processing tomatoes in northern Italy. In 2019 (Parma) and 2022 (Piacenza), full irrigation (IRR, restoring 100% crop evapotranspiration) and RDI (100% IRR until the color-breaking stage, followed by 50% IRR) strategies were compared within a completely randomized block design. Overall, RDI resulted in a 25% reduction in water use without compromising yield, which was maintained through unchanged plant fertility and fruit size compared to IRR. Remote sensing data from PlanetScope imagery confirmed the absence of water stress in RDI-treated plants. Furthermore, increased soluble solids and dry matter contents under RDI suggest a physiological adaptation of processing tomatoes to late-season water deficit. Remarkably, environmental and economic sustainability indicators—namely water productivity and yield quality—were enhanced under RDI management. This study validates a simple, sustainable, and readily applicable irrigation approach for tomato cultivation in the Po valley. Future research should refine this method by investigating plant physiological responses to optimize water use in this key agricultural region. Full article

The bioeconomy represents a new way of life for people, but also a responsibility towards the future of the planet. Generating a significant socio-economic impact, it could be viewed as a key element of sustainable development, as the current and future solution for economic processes, based on new development models compelled by climate changes and the economy’s resilience to potential crises. In this context, the paper presents in its first part the Circular Economy description and the Circular Bioeconomy discussion from an interdisciplinary perspective. The second part of the paper aims to explore education as a tool for facilitating systemic changes supporting a real transition to a sustainable bioeconomy. The key aspects discussed refer to the following: (1) European policies, strategies, and action plans for bioeconomy; (2) Circular Economy as a solution for sustainable food systems; (3) main requirements and challenges for developing a (Circular) Bioeconomy, including indicators of sustainability; (4) the links between Circular Bioeconomy and the Sustainable Development Goals; (5) possibilities for integrating the agri-food industry’s needs into bioeconomy education; and (6) pathways for teach bioeconomy concepts effectively. Full article

What can hybridity teach us? The answer I posit is–like water–to embrace movement in all its forms. We are currently experiencing the sixth mass extinction event on earth and yet few scholars give prolonged attention to how we are to sustainably move our human inheritances forward on this increasingly uninhabitable planet. Reflecting on the work of transnational poets, specifically South Korean poet Kim Hyesoon translated through Korean American poet Don Mee Choi and Lebanese American poet Etel Adnan, we are reminded of the myriad ways in which humans can move and survive in a foreign yet familiar world. This paper finds its support in the confluence of transnational contemporary feminist poetics, formalism, environmentalism, and posthumanism. Through the use of various critical discourses, this paper considers how movement and its hybrid capacities offer a new understanding of contemporary North American poetics. In this sense, a poem should be viewed as a dynamic temporal cybernetic system, a vessel, full of energy, simultaneously pulsing with the changing movements and constrictions of everyday life. Full article

The article aims to identify consumer types based on their attitudes and behaviors toward phygital tools and solutions. The analysis was based on the authors’ empirical research. The research was conducted on a sample of 2160 Polish consumers. The study employed an online survey technique. To determine the types of consumers, a 20-item scale was used, allowing the respondents to express their attitudes toward solutions and tools that improve shopping in the phygital space. The extraction of types was carried out in two steps. The first was cluster analysis, conducted using the hierarchical Ward method with the square of the Euclidean distance, and the second was non-hierarchical cluster analysis using the k-means method. As a result of the analyses, three relatively homogeneous types of consumers were distinguished: phygital integrators, digital frequenters, and physical reality anchors. The behaviours of consumers from each type were examined in the context of their impact on sustainable consumption and the sustainable development of the planet. The proposed typology contributes to developing consumer behavior theory in sustainable consumption environments. It provides practical implications for designing customer experiences that are more inclusive, resource-efficient, and aligned with responsible consumption patterns. Understanding how different consumer groups engage with phygital tools allows businesses and policymakers to tailor strategies that support equitable access to digital services and foster more sustainable, adaptive consumption journeys in an increasingly digitized marketplace. Full article

The concept of a sustainable livelihood affords protection from crises and protects people, including future generations. Conceptually, this paper serves as a study protocol that extends the premises of decent work to include and integrate criteria that benefit people, planet, and prosperity. Existing measures of sustainability principally serve organisations and governments, not individual workers who are increasingly looking for ‘just transitions’ into sustainable livelihoods. Incorporating extant measurement standards from systems theory, vocational psychology, psychometrics, labour and management studies, we conceptualise a classification of livelihoods, criteria for their sustainability, forming a study protocol for indexing these livelihoods, a set of theory-based propositions, and a pilot test of this context-sensitive model. Full article

Considering the United Nations Climate Change Accord and insights from the OECD Global Material Resources Outlook to 2060, this study explores the intricate interrelationships of population growth, economic expansion, energy consumption, and carbon emissions in key OECD and BRICS countries. With the global economy heavily reliant on fossil fuels—the primary drivers of carbon emissions—we examine historic and projected energy use trends in developed and emerging economies. Through a combination of exploratory data analysis and ARIMA-based statistical forecasting, we investigate the relationships among GDP growth, energy use, and emissions, drawing distinctions between OECD and BRICS nations. Our findings reveal that, while developed economies demonstrate declining energy use, emerging markets show an upsurge in usage tied to economic growth. This research presents a compelling case for transitioning to a low-carbon future, drawing on renewable energy sources and proposing a roadmap to achieve both economic resilience and environmental sustainability. Our work serves as a call to action for policy-driven, cleaner energy investments to curb emissions and safeguard the planet. Full article

This study investigates the empowering role of public–private partnerships (PPPs) in the economic sustainability of waste management (ESW) and the circular industry economy (CIE), specifically in the small, rapidly industrialising Emirate of Ajman, UAE. Embracing a circular economy is vital for the sustainability agenda while forging a transformative commitment to planetary health (PH) in a manner that is especially crucial for small states with limited carrying capabilities. A quantitative methodological orientation is employed in a survey-based research design, followed by the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling statistical technique to test the hypothesised relationships. Sampling involved the three sub-populations of government employees (n = 123), managers/employees of private waste collection businesses (n = 106), and employees of private industrial waste generation industries (n = 276). Findings indicate that PPP empowerment positively impacts ESW and contributes to the creation of CIE. Moreover, ESW fosters the growth of CIE in Ajman. Notably, the perspectives of government stakeholders differ from those of non-government actors. This research underscores the significance of PPP empowerment in the development of CIE towards SDGs 11, 12, and 17, emphasising the mediating role of ESW between PPPs and CIE in small, rapidly industrialising states. The study recommends that the Ajman government implement training and social initiatives aimed at aligning the sustainability perspectives of all stakeholders involved in waste management to promote the mutual benefits of “people, places, and planet”. Full article

The UN’s “Global Agenda for Change” focused on global challenges, with the aim of improving quality of life. The focus on People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace, Partnership, and Integrated Action (EU) orients its efforts towards socially needed change. Although the above perspectives, which ultimately shape the goals of sustainable development, refer in effect to the security of the functioning of societies and economies, this issue has not been sufficiently explored in the literature. Taking the above into account, this paper explains the aspect of people’s sustainable security and well-being, and also indicates the importance of determining the social competences needed for a broadly understood sustainable future, which is the main goal of this article. Considering the importance of sustainable awareness among the younger generation, who are responsible for the future modeling of the pace and direction of sustainable changes, the analysis of the literature in the practical findings was supported by qualitative and quantitative methods, as well as statistical analysis techniques using PQstat software, to ensure in-depth research. The results confirm that the studied population generally has good knowledge of the idea of sustainable development. Importantly, this population combines development in a sustainable direction with actions to strengthen people’s safety and well-being. It should be noted that the studied population is most strongly aware of the environmental pillar of sustainable development, suggesting potential to improve knowledge in this area—which is crucial for effective development towards a safe future and important for future decision-makers (the young generation). The findings can serve as a source of information for teams designing study programs and information campaigns on sustainable development in order to further strengthen social education in the studied area. Full article

This academic article seeks to clarify the state of the literature on a very pertinent topic that is based on how digital innovation, considering emerging technologies and how they could be used in business management and marketing, could increase sustainable development. The sustainable economy, which should maintain long-term development through efficient resource management, has as allies emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, and the Internet of Things that can help reduce waste, reduce the carbon footprint, and automate tasks. Additionally, they could present themselves as a solution to improve aspects of digital communication between companies and their consumers in remote training, distribution chain, e-commerce, and process optimization in different sectors of activity. These advances will, on the one hand, allow the possibility of conducting a greater amount of professional training, increasing the number of qualified professionals and, on the other hand, facilitate trade exchanges, promoting the economy. Based on a systematic bibliometric review of the literature using the PRISMA framework, this study investigates how digital tools catalyze transformative changes in different sectors of activity. The results indicate that, overall, the academic articles analyzed in this literature review present studies focused on digitalization and sustainability (approximately 50%). In second place are topics related to digitalization and other topics such as: smart cities; Sustainable Development Goals; academia; the digital economy; government policies; academic education; and sustainable communication (29%). Finally, in third place, there are academic articles closely linked to digitalization and the environment, more specifically to sustainable practices and the management of natural resources (21%). The article concludes that digital development, when used wisely, serves as a crucial lever to address the world’s most pressing sustainability imperatives. Future research should emphasize interdisciplinary collaboration and adaptive governance to ensure that these digital changes produce lasting impacts for people and the planet. Full article

Water, the lifeblood of our planet, sustains ecosystems, economies, and communities. However, climate change and increasing hydrological variability have exacerbated global water scarcity, threatening livelihoods and economic stability. According to the United Nations, over 2 billion people currently live in water-stressed regions, a figure expected to rise significantly by 2030. To address this urgent challenge, this study proposes an AI-driven anomaly detection framework for smart water metering networks (SWMNs) using machine learning (ML) techniques and data resampling methods to enhance water conservation efforts. This research utilizes 6 years of monthly water consumption data from 1375 households from Location A, Windhoek, Namibia, and applies support vector machine (SVM), decision tree (DT), random forest (RF), and k-nearest neighbors (kNN) models within ensemble learning strategies. A significant challenge in real-world datasets is class imbalance, which can reduce model reliability in detecting abnormal patterns. To address this, we employed data resampling techniques including random undersampling (RUS), SMOTE, and SMOTEENN. Among these, SMOTEENN achieved the best overall performance for individual models, with the RF classifier reaching an accuracy of 99.5% and an AUC score of 0.998. Ensemble learning approaches also yielded strong results, with the stacking ensemble achieving 99.6% accuracy, followed by soft voting at 99.2% and hard voting at 98.1%. These results highlight the effectiveness of ensemble methods and advanced sampling techniques in improving anomaly detection under class-imbalanced conditions. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to explore and evaluate the combined use of ensemble learning and resampling techniques for ML-based anomaly detection in SWMNs. By integrating artificial intelligence into water systems, this work lays the foundation for scalable, secure, and efficient smart water management solutions, contributing to global efforts in sustainable water governance. Full article

The Cerrado-Amazon Transition (CAT) in Brazil represents one of the most ecologically complex and dynamic tropical ecotones globally; however, it remains insufficiently characterized at high spatial resolution, primarily due to its intricate vegetation mosaics and the limited availability of reliable ground reference data. Accurate land cover maps are urgently needed to support conservation and sustainable land-use planning in this frontier region, especially for distinguishing critical vegetation types such as Amazon rainforest, Cerradão (dense woodland), and Savanna. In this study, we produce the first high-resolution land cover map of the CAT by integrating PlanetScope optical imagery, Sentinel-2 multispectral data, and Sentinel-1 SAR data within a U-net deep learning framework. This data fusion approach enables improved discrimination of ecologically similar vegetation types across heterogeneous landscapes. We systematically compare classification performance across single-sensor and fused datasets, demonstrating that multi-source fusion significantly outperforms single-source inputs. The highest overall accuracy was achieved using the fusion of PlanetScope, Sentinel-2, and Sentinel-1 (F1 = 0.85). Class-wise F1 scores for the best-performing model were 0.91 for Amazon Forest, 0.76 for Cerradão, and 0.76 for Savanna, indicating robust model performance in distinguishing ecologically important vegetation types. According to the best-performing model, 50.3% of the study area remains covered by natural vegetation. Cerradão, although ecologically important, covers only 8.4% of the landscape and appears highly fragmented, underscoring its vulnerability. These findings highlight the power of deep learning and multi-sensor integration for fine-scale land cover mapping in complex tropical ecotones and provide a critical spatial baseline for monitoring ecological changes in the CAT region. Full article

The present research aims to assess, from both ecological and economic perspectives, a strategic solution applied to the building sector that can contribute to mitigating the planetary tragedy of the overconsumption of global fossil energy (coal, oil, and gas) and, thus, climate change, along with its dramatic negative impacts on the planet, humanity, and the world’s economy. Buildings are the largest consumers of fossil fuel energy, significantly contributing to Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions and, consequently, to climate change. Reducing their environmental impact is therefore crucial for achieving global sustainability goals. Existing buildings, mostly the historical ones, represent a significant part of the global building stocks, which, for the most part, consist of buildings built more than 70 years ago, which are aged, in a state of deterioration, and in need of intervention. Recovering, renovating, and redeveloping existing and historical buildings could be a formidable instrument for improving the energy quality of the international and national building stocks. When selecting the type of possible interventions to be applied, there are two choices: simple and unsustainable ordinary maintenance versus ecological retrofitting, i.e., a quality increase in the indoor environment and building energy savings using local bio-natural materials. The success of the “Ecological Retrofitting” Strategy strongly relies on its economic and financial sustainability; therefore, the goal of this research is to underline and demonstrate the economic and ecological benefits of the ecological transition at the building level through an integrated valuation applied in a case study, located in Southern Italy. First, in order to demonstrate the ecological benefits of the proposed strategy, the latter was tested through a new energy assessment tool in an updated BIM platform; subsequently, an economic valuation was conducted, clearly demonstrating the cost-effectiveness of the building’s ecological transition. The real-world experiment through the proposed case study achieved important results and reached the goals of the “Ecological Retrofitting” Strategy in existing (but not preserved) liberty-style constructions. First of all, a significant improvement in the buildings’ thermal performance was achieved after some targeted interventions, resulting in energy savings; most importantly, the economic feasibility of the proposed strategy was demonstrated. Full article

The interconnectedness of Earth’s ecological and social systems means that changes in one area invariably affect others. Human activities continue to push the planet beyond safe thresholds, threatening both environmental stability and human well-being. Despite decades of discourse, a universally recognized and operational definition of sustainability remains elusive. While frameworks such as the Sustainable Development Goals, Planetary Boundaries, and Decent Living Standards have advanced the conversation, none fully captures the complexities of socio-ecological interdependencies or provides actionable guidance. This paper outlines the historical and conceptual context of sustainability, including the shift from the Holocene to the Anthropocene, and critically reviews key frameworks such as the Millennium Development Goals, Sustainable Development Goals, Planetary Boundaries, Doughnut Economy, and Decent Living Standards. It identifies key gaps, including the misalignment between biophysical thresholds and social goals, lack of regional specificity, and missing mechanisms for translating global objectives into just and implementable policies. Building on this analysis, this paper proposes a more precise definition of sustainability: any action that accelerates planetary overshoot or impedes the achievement of a decent life must be considered unsustainable. By advancing this integrative definition, this paper seeks to inform academic discourse and support the development of more equitable and operational sustainability strategies, particularly in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals. In doing so, it offers conceptual guidance to address persistent gaps in the SDG framework, with specific relevance to targets such as SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth). Full article