The concept of planetary boundaries was introduced in the year 2009 by a group ofresearchers led by Johan Rockström and Will Steffen. The group presented a draft of thelimits of the planet regarding nine Earth System processes concerning climate change, oceanacidification, stratospheric ozone depletion, atmospheric aerosol loading, interference with Pand N cycles, global freshwater use, land-system change, rate of biodiversity loss andchemical pollution. The starting point for the study presented in this report was that asustainable development only can be achieved if humankind stays within the boundaries. It istherefore, based on the ongoing urbanization, relevant to evaluate how cities affect the EarthSystem processes. The aim of the study was to investigate if Stockholm Royal Seaport (NorraDjurgårdsstaden), a district in the northeast of Stockholm with a clear environmental profile,affects the Earth System processes less than Stockholm in general does.

The access to good sanitary facilities is an important factor that elevates the experienced living standard as it improves hygiene and reduces the transmission of deseases. The ratification of the millennium goals by 189 countries demonstrates that this is an important international issue. Together the countries have taken upon themselves that the proportion of the population that lacked access to sustainable safe drinking water and sanitary facilities in the year 2000 will have been reduced by half by the year 2015. In Peru, the construction of sewage pipe networks to transport the sewage out of the direct human environment is progressing. The safety and sustainability of these systems can be questioned, since in Peru the sewage seldom receive any treatment before being emitted to a recipient. This is taking place in Picota and sorrunding villages as well. In the last 25 years several systems implementing small-scale onsite treatment have been introduced throughout Latin America in an attempt to give more people access to sustainable and safe sanitary facilities, reducing water consumption and taking advantage of the agricultural values of the sewage fractions while protecting the environment from its negative impact. In this study three different sanitary systems and the effects of different population growths were compared.

This report is the result of a project work carried out at Karlstad University in conjunctionwith the local consulting firm Camatec where most of the work has been performed.The work can be classified as a classic engineering work with supportive theories andcalculations which in this context is relevant.The engineering project has focused on developing new standards for a conveyor that is usedin the Värmland paper industry where large rolls of paper are produced. A conveyor can takeits appearance in many different forms but in this thesis it has been an exemplary look and ithas also become modulatable with a central section, a drive end and a turning end.The construction work has been build under CAD programs such as Pro Engineer, drawingshave been created and costings have been analyzed. Strength calculations have been made andcooperation from several different companies have erected to explore different solutions andideas for a modern and sustainable conveyor..

In two feeding experiments Bacillus induced priming of plant defense was tested for its effect against the generalist insect pest Spodoptera littoralis. The main hypothesis for the study was that Bacillus induced priming would enable the plant Arabidopsis thaliana to defend itself better against this insect herbivore since this priming seems to involve jasmonic acid, known to be important for plant defense to insects. A secondary objective of the study was to examine if any differences in a primed defense capability could be seen between different natural genetic variants (ecotypes) of A. thaliana reflecting habitat differences in pest pressure. The methods used for plant cultivation and Bacillus inoculation were aimed at reflecting conditions that can be expected in an agricultural cropping system. This meant that all plants were cultivated in soil, and the feeding experiments were conducted with the plants growing intact in the soil system.

Abstract A phenomenon that has been noticed more and more in media and the public space in recent years is what is called guerrilla gardening. It means the illicit cultivation of someone else?s land. This report's intention is to analyze what impact guerrilla gardening could have on today's urban space in terms of stable changes in norms and physical design. I have also focused on guerrilla gardener?s choice to carry out these actions illegally, without asking for permission, and what impact that could have on the issue of appropriating public space.

In this thesis an energy analysis of ethanol production at the ethanol plant of Lantmännen Agroetanol in Norrköping has been performed. The ethanol plant has been studied in combination with Händelöverket, the combined heat and power plant which provides the ethanol process with steam. The purpose of this study was to determine the energy consumption for the whole production chain from grain to ethanol. The analysis has included the energy consumption for cultivation of grain, production of chemicals, the production chain for wood chips, the steam production and the ethanol plant. The grain and wood chips are both considered raw materials there for the energy content in these are not included as energy input in the system.

In this thesis an energy analysis of ethanol production at the ethanol plant of Lantmännen Agroetanol in Norrköping has been performed. The ethanol plant has been studied in combination with Händelöverket, the combined heat and power plant which provides the ethanol process with steam. The purpose of this study was to determine the energy consumption for the whole production chain from grain to ethanol. The analysis has included the energy consumption for cultivation of grain, production of chemicals, the production chain for wood chips, the steam production and the ethanol plant. The grain and wood chips are both considered raw materials there for the energy content in these are not included as energy input in the system.

Permaculture is a design system that aims at developing sustainable human settlements and self-maintained agriculture; it may also be used for community planning. The design system of permaculture aims at mimicking a natural ecosystem; this gives the advantage to make use of all the connections and mechanisms that exist in such a system.The purpose of this bachelor thesis was to compile and spread scientific information regarding five different themes within the areas of ecology, environmental science and permaculture. This was achieved through cooperation with the permaculture inspired Ecovillage Suberbyn in southern Gotland. Information about the central parts of a permaculture ecovillage was used as material for a series of signposts that will be located around the ecovillage Suderbyn. The five selected themes were: An overview of permaculture, The forest garden, The pond, Composting and The use of human excrement and urine..

Uppsatsen är ett examensarbete på 15 hp inom produktdesignprogrammet på Malmö högskola. Projektet hanterar blöjors utformning med ett resulterande förslag på hur denna produkt kan förbättras, med en fördjupning inom hållbar utveckling. Resultatet blev en blöja med inlägg, för den mer omedvetna konsumenten, som minskar antalet byten och därmed mängden miljöpåfrestande material som behöver tillverkas och slängas I fördjupningen intervjuades Olof Kolte, framträdande industridesigner som verkar inom hållbar utveckling, och en litteratursökning på området utfördes. Förundersökningen angående blöjor baserades främst på kvalitativa intervjuer, och konceptualiseringen baserades främst på ett antal brainstorms och en metod som kallas bakåtmetoden, utvecklad av Edward de Bono, författare och konsult inom lateralt tänkande..

The aim of the project was to develop a method to investigate differences in adhesion of microorganisms to materials that contains lignocellulose. The method was tested on a gram-positive (Micrococcus lutea) and one gram-negative (E-coliJM109) bacteria.The study was begun by cultivation of the two microorganisms. The cultivation was done to calculate the generation times of the bacteria and to obtain growth curves. Cells from these cultivations were also frozen (-70ºC) and later used for inoculation.At STFI-Packforsk AB the total charge on the mass was measured and later a conductivity titration on the mass was executed as well, all to find out more about the different properties of the mass. Properties that in a later part of this study could possibly be linked to the adhesion of cells to the pulp.

Sustainable development has become more and more important over the past years. The term Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is closely connected to sustainable development and focuses on organizations responsibility towards the society and the environment in which it exists. Companies within the mining industry were among the first to initiate CSR-work due to the fact that they have a great impact at the local community, both socially and environmentally. Today they are still in the forefront of the development of CSR-questions in general, and community involvement and development in particular. Earlier studies made on this area have focused on the strategic level of community involvement and development.

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.

Black nightshade (Solanum nigrum L.) is a major problem in gardenpea cultivations contracted by Findus AB, a Swedish food processing company. The main problem is that the nightshade berries contain solanin and, thus, are not tolerated in the marketed product, which is fresh frozen peas. In addition, berries have the same size and color as the peas and cannot be separated at the factory. Black nightshades have the last ten years become a more common weed in field grown vegetables in the southern parts of Sweden. This MSc thesis presents an experiment conducted in 2005, aiming at developing a tool for predicting the need for control of black nightshade in peas.

The genus Campylobacter is globally recognised as the leading bacterial cause of human foodborne gastroenteritis. Every year around 8000 Swedes are infected by Campylobacter. Most people are infected by thermotolerant Campylobacter species, commonly C. jejuni and C. coli.

Ett utvecklingsarbete av en miljövänlig färdigmatsförpackning, lätt att öppna för reumatiker, har utförts i samarbete med CC Pack i Tibro. Förpackningen är tänkt för bruk inom äldrevårdens hemtjänst. Utvecklingsarbetet utfördes genom främst fokusgruppsundersökningar och tester av funktionsmodeller. En livscykelanalys med referens i dagens plasttråg som används på hemtjänsten i Skövde har utförts för att ta reda på vilket av de två slutkoncepten som var mest miljövänlig. Tydligt vid intervjuer och studiebesök var att en rundare och mer färgglad förpackning önskades.