Steam was used as a site preparation method to eliminate unwanted bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) in the boreal forest. The efficiency of steam to suppress bilberry was compared with prescribed burning and cutting the bilberry. Different combinations of steaming and/or cutting the bilberry were set up to investigate in which way steaming and cutting influenced the sprouting and regrowth of bilberry. The regrowth of the bilberry vegetation was monitored for 40 month. Steam was most efficient in suppressing bilberry.

Deposited waste material degrades within a short period in anaerobic environments. The methane gas that is formed provides a harmful contribute to the greenhouse effect, 23 times larger impact than carbon dioxide. It is therefore desirable to minimize the emissions of methane gas from landfills. This may be achieved by drain the landfill of gas. In this thesis the amount of produced methane gas at the landfill at Örebro has been calculated. Estimations have also been made of the amount of methane gas that might be produced in the landfill in the future.

The aim of the thesis is to examine how central collective actors in the Swedish subsystem of renewable fuels use their positions of power and influence to their own specific interests and needs. In particular the thesis looks at the problems of climate change and oil scarcity and how renewable fuels are described as a potential solution. Using agenda setting theory and Steven Lukes three dimensions of power as a framework, five actors are examined and analysed. The study has been done in two parts. In the first part policy documents are analysed concerning the actors general stance towards renewable fuels, and how this is communicated to the media, politicians and public.

Swedish government aid is divided into three main themes: democracy and human rights, the environment and climate, and gender equality and women's role in development. These three themes in aid are considered by the government to be vital in order to fight poverty and create fair and sustainable development. This study will examine two of the four focus areas designated under the theme of "environment and climate". The study observes the relationship between projects in energy and water and how it promotes a sustainable lifestyle. A survey on environmental habits will be conducted.

Agricultural drainage is widely used to manage the amount of water in the ground in order to improve conditions for cultivation. However the effects of drainage companies on water regimes are considerable leading to runoff changes such as altered stream flows, peak flows and water levels. In a greater extent this could imply an increased risk for floods along affected watercourses. This study analyzes the extension of agricultural drainage within the drainage basin of Trosaån in Sweden by ArcGIS mapping. In a statistical analysis, historical variation in streamflow in relation to mean precipitation and mean temperature are investigated for the study area.

Detta examensarbete har gjorts på uppdrag av Skanska Teknik med handledning av Johan Sjödin. Arbetets syfte var att jämföra olika limträförband, utförda av antingen spikningsplåtar eller WT-T skruvar, och komma fram till den bästa lösningen med hänsyn till bärförmåga, kostnad och utförandetid. I ett projekt har de spikningsplåtar, som används vid limträförband, börjat rosta under extremt fuktiga förhållanden fastän spikningsplåtarna är rostfria enligt tillverkaren. En fördel med WT-T skruvar är att de är gömda inne i träet och på så sätt inte i direkt kontakt med den aggressiva miljön, men även skyddad mot brand. Andra fördelar med WT-T är att utförandetiden är kort och kostnaden är lägre än spikningsplåtsalternativet.

Bacteria are a problem that occurs naturally in dishwashers when the dish stands there dirty for an extended period of time. To get rid of the unpleasant smell that the bacteria is causing, the most common solution is to run a regular washingcycle which can cause problems for the environmentally-conscious consumers since this causes unnecessary energy waste and emissions of chemicals in the washwater. To solve the problem in a more environmentally-friendly way by directly attacking the bacteria with an appropriate bacterialreductionmethod can therefore be an attractive feature in a dishwasher. There are many different ways to treat surfaces that have been exposed to the bacteria. Some high-profile methods are UV-radiation, microwaves and oxidant (ozone) that all three have had success in reducing bacteria in different contexts.

In this report the importance of irrigation scheduling in dry climate is shown, how it can save water and energy; how this method can improve crop yield by supplying the right amount of water at the right time. It is shown how irrigation scheduling and irri-gation technology together increase the irrigation efficiency..

The world is currently facing a huge severe challenge in handling the issue of climate change. One of the ways to lower the green house gas emissions, which is seen as one of the main contributor to the climate crisis, is to use renewable technologies such as for example photovoltaic (PV) systems. PV-systems are also suitable for so called micro production, small scale energy production facilities, since it can be placed on practically any rooftop with the right solar conditions. In Sweden the usage of PV-systems has not yet gotten any wider spreading, even though the solar radiation conditions are very similar to countries that produce a lot of solar energy, as for example Germany. The aim of this paper is to describe non-adopter perceptions of PV-systems. The study holds a qualitative approach using deep interviews for data collection.

Om världen till följd av klimatförändringarna blir mycket varmare kommer förutsättningarna för hur vi planerar städer, infrastruktur och jordbruk helt att vändas upp och ner. De delar av världen som idag står för världens livsmedelsproduktion kommer vid bara några graders förändring bli obrukbara som betes och odlingsmark. Dessa förändringar kan komma att starta konflikter, och stora flyktingströmmar som tillsammans med förändrade klimatzoner helt kommer att rita om världskartan. i Skandinavien är det då troligt att vi behöver bygga samhällen och städer för miljontals nya immigranter, och detta samtidigt som vi befinner oss mitt i den mest fruktbara jordbruksmarken i världen. Om hundra år måste vi dessutom, oavsett detta, dubbla livsmedelsproduktionen globalt sett.Vårt samhälle blir allt mer rörligt och infrastrukturen utvecklas i allt snabbare takt.

Att studera hur företagsledningen i skandinaviska upplevelseorganisationer drar nytta av anställdas kreativa förmåga, genom att stimulera till ett kreativt arbetsklimat och tillvarata de anställdas idéer..

To be able to handle tomorrows need for limited energy consumption we need to reduce our use of energy. The building sector stands for around 40 % of all energy consumption in the society. The government has put up a goal to reduce the energy consumption in our buildings with 20 % by year 2020 and 50 % by year 2050 compared with year 1995. To be able to do reach that goal we need a more energy efficient building stock.The main part of the energy used in our buildings is used for space heating. By installing ventilation systems with heat recovery on the exhaust air it is possible to use the heat-energy in the exhaust air to warm up the incoming air.

This is a literature review of how the climate change affects the forest growth innorthern Sweden. The temperature will rise about 5 °C with the largest increase in thewinter season (December - February) and the CO2level in the atmosphere is expected tobe doubled. Precipitation patterns will change and increase with 25-35 % and theprecipitation will be in form of rain rather than snow. Today the forests in northernSweden are entirely dominated by coniferous stands. This may shift with the climatechange and results in a larger number of deciduous trees, preferably birch will becomestronger and grow better and faster.

The aim of this study was to get knowledge of the communicationprocess between the branch head and the co-worker in communal geriatric care. To narrow it down we focused on how the branch head experience the communicationprocess in conflictsituations between co-workers and what she or he usually do to resolve the conflict. We made qualitative interviews with ten of the branch heads in communal geriatric care, in four communes. The questions we had in mind throughout the study was based on four keywords (communication, leadership, conflict and conflict management) of which we created a narrative story from every interviewing person to get hold of the experience and knowledge behind their interviews. In our analysis as theoretical perspectives we used system theory, communication theory, attribution theory and the philosophy of Dialogue by Martin Buber.

The representative democracy has become weakened during the last decades. At the same time the United Nations declared at the Rio de Janeiro meeting in 1992 that environmental problems can best be solved by involvement of all concerned citizens in decision-making. The main purpose of this study has been to examine if citizens panels is a possible way to involve citizens in environmental decision-making and what the outcomes can be. Furthermore the study has investigated what the participation has contributed to environmental politics and how representative the results have been. This has been carried out by investigating the Piteåpanel in the municipality of Piteå by conducting interviews.The result of the study shows that the involvement of the citizens in the decision-making influenced the environmental politics of the municipality.