Carbon offsetting means to offset those greenhouse gases that are caused by our actions. The purpose of this paper is to examine how companies are working with carbon offsetting. The focus of the research is how travel agencies and companies that provides carbon offsetting. The writers also highlight the problems carbon offsetting is facing. The study was performed with qualitative methods through interviews with three companies working with carbon offsetting.

Idag är det få som motsäger sig att människan är ansvarig för de klimatförändringar vi börjat uppleva. Globala överenskommelser visar sig vara svåra att formulera men regioner såsom EU har infört handeln med utsläppsrätter och allt fler enskilda nationer och verksamheter sätter nu upp egna mål för reduktioner av skadliga utsläpp. Vissa verksamheter går steget längre och har skapat interna kompensationssystem för sina aktiviteters klimatkonsekvenser. Studien har med hjälp av kvalitativa intervjuer undersökt sex verksamheter i Sverige som frivilligt valt att klimatkompensera internt. Här presenteras bakgrunderna till det interna valet, hur arbetena utformats liksom vilka lärdomar som kan dras från deras erfarenheter.

Private individuals can voluntarily buy EU Allowances (EUA) in order to remove them from the European Union Greenhouse Gas Emission Trading System (EU ETS). It leads to progressive reduction of total carbon dioxide emissions in Europe. Kalmar Energi offers customers to obtain one EUA (equivalent to one ton of CO2) per year by paying 25 SEK a month as a KlimatEl-supplement. The purpose of this research is to examine the customers? attitudes in the issue of climate compensation and trying to define the reasons behind their choices.The results of the quantitative questionnaire were analyzed by using descriptive and analytical statistical methods and have shown some correlation between customers? ages and decisions to accept or not the offer of KlimatEl.

Title: Voluntary workers thoughts of their role in a voluntary organisation (Väntjänst). Written in Swedish, 28 pages.Authors: Cecilia Andersson and Elisabet Aronsson Pivac, Department of Health Sciences, Social Care Program ? Elderly and disability.Supervisor: Yvonne JohanssonDate: 2006-05-26The purpose of the research was to visualize the voluntary workers thoughts of their role in the voluntary organization, and to understand why they have chosen to be engaged in voluntary work.To recover the answers to our questions we have undertaken an empirically based study using the qualitative method. The data collection comprised of interviews with six voluntary workers from three different municipalities. We found that the voluntary workers take big pride and joy in their engagement and that they have no intention of ending it..

In Sweden the voluntary socialwork is a complement to the public authorities. The voluntary organisations has become more important considered helping people in different situations of need.The aim of this study has been to examine the voluntary organisations meaning for individuals.The aim was reached through interviews by five guests from different organisations. We have also interviewed two employees from the different organisations to find out if there is any differences in their way of work.This study indicates that the organisations means a lot for the individuals. The social network, something to do during the day, a kind treatment but also the milieu are factors that seems important for the individuals. The organisations even creates a feeling of connection and satisfy other kind of needs.

In Sweden the voluntary socialwork is a complement to the public authorities. The voluntary organisations has become more important considered helping people in different situations of need. The aim of this study has been to examine the voluntary organisations meaning for individuals. The aim was reached through interviews by five guests from different organisations. We have also interviewed two employees from the different organisations to find out if there is any differences in their way of work. This study indicates that the organisations means a lot for the individuals. The social network, something to do during the day, a kind treatment but also the milieu are factors that seems important for the individuals. The organisations even creates a feeling of connection and satisfy other kind of needs. .

In the beginning of the nineties there was a change in how the voluntary sector was perceived, and the significance of their work became reevaluated and more acknowledged. As a result, this sector gained a new and higher interest. The changes and downsizing in the welfare state with economic crises, due to political cutback, made the politicians look fore new solutions. One solution is to encourage cooperation between the public sector and the voluntary sector in order to handle the different needs of individuals.Uppsala community and the voluntary sector are working closely together within a project called ?God Livsmiljö?.

The two most controversial ends of life decisions are those in which physicians help patients take their lives and when the physician deliberately and directly intervenes to end the patients? life upon his request. These are often referred to as voluntary euthanasia and physician assisted suicide. Voluntary euthanasia and physician assisted suicide have continued to be controversial public issues. This controversy has agitated the minds of great thinkers including ethicians, physicians, psychologists, moralists, philosophers even the patient himself.

This study examines the connection between social capital and involvement within voluntary associations; involvement is defined either as being a member in an association or a member who has some kind of assignment in an association. The study also examines if there is a difference between two social economic groups regarding the attainment and transformation of social capital through being involved in a voluntary association.Social capital is defined as social trust and the willingness of collective action.The result of the research shows there is a slight connection between the involvement in voluntary associations and social capital. It shows that people who are members of a voluntary association often have higher social capital than those who are not members of any voluntary association at all. The study also shows that there is a difference in attainment of social capital between those who have some kind of assignment in a voluntary association and general members.When studying social capital and involvement in voluntary associations it is also of interest to take social class into the analysis, because the study shows that people with a lower education had increased social capital when they were members in an association compared to the members with a higher education..

AbstractMatchmaking on an organisational level? about co-operation between municipal introduction-units and voluntary organisationsEssay in Political Science D, by Rebecka Johansson, spring 2006The aim of this study is to examine co-operation between municipal introduction-units, which work to integrate newly arrived immigrants and refuges, and voluntary organisations in Sweden. The essay is a comparative case study which examines three local authorities and the main questions are;- Do voluntary organisations constitute a functioning co-operation partner to the municipal introduction-units? Are there conditions for future co-operation?The answer to the questions is that there are no, or rarely any, co-operation between voluntary organisations and municipal introduction-units. It is difficult to judge whether there are conditions for future co-operation.

The aim of this study was to reach a better understanding of voluntary work and its possible influence on the work role. Based on a phenomenological approach, five voluntary workers from the leisure field were interviewed. The interpretation of the empirical data was based on the Humanistic psychology and its theories about personality, self-realization, motivation and emotion. The results show that the motive behind the voluntary engagement varied amongst the participants and all of them stated more than one motive. However, social motives, wanting to learn more and develop their skills and also wanting to help others, were the most frequent motives among the participants.

This thesis focuses on the motives and incitements for voluntary work. The main question for this thesis is why people get involved in voluntary work. What are the motives and incitements for voluntary commitment and what do people gain from this kind of commitment? The thesis is based upon qualitative research methods at Frivilligcentralen in Norrköping. The theoretical perspectives are a community commitment, satisfaction of being part of a meaningful context, altruistic and self-interest and an increased pace of social changes.

The aim of this study was to reach a better understanding of voluntary work and its possible influence on the work role. Based on a phenomenological approach, five voluntary workers from the leisure field were interviewed. The interpretation of the empirical data was based on the Humanistic psychology and its theories about personality, self-realization, motivation and emotion. The results show that the motive behind the voluntary engagement varied amongst the participants and all of them stated more than one motive. However, social motives, wanting to learn more and develop their skills and also wanting to help others, were the most frequent motives among the participants. In the light of the theoretical background for this study, these motives can be understood as being due to the need of self-realization and appreciation from others, and also a wish to reach an ideal self.

Glulam is a product that was engineered to make use of timber in a more efficient way. Bychoosing timber of similar quality and discarding natural defects during production, thedevelopment of a stronger cross-section is achieved.Carbon fiber is a relatively new material with a high tension capacity. This feature is used toexamine how the bending capacity of the beams improve by adhering carbon fiber laminateson the lower edge of the beamsThe strength of the material is tested with three experiments: carbon fiber on the bottom of thebeam (a), carbon fiber attached to the lower sides of the beam (b) and carbon fiber in thebeam, covered with a layer of wood (c)The results show that the first case, where the carbon fiber is attached to the bottom of thebeam, gave the best result with an increase in capacity of 59 % compared to the nonreinforcedcontrol. The other two cases also show an improvement in capacity, beam-type 3had a capacity increase of 47% and beam-type 4 increased with 25 %Tests were also made with glulam beams reinforced with fiberglass, but these tests were notanalyzed in depth because the purpose was to compare the capacity to carbon fiber. Thisbeam improved its capacity by 40.3%.The tests show that carbon fiber as a reinforcement material for glulam is a good choice whenthere is a requirement for stronger cross-sections in both new production and renovation ofold buildings.

Freshwater ecosystems have long been neglected as an important part of the global carbon cycle. However, research shows that most of the world?s lakes are net-heterotrophic and consequently emitters of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. In many boreal and north-temperate lakes, most of the yearly emissions usually occur in spring, shortly after ice-thaw. The aim of this study was to quantify the flux of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) in three boreal lakes, during this annual event.