In European countries over 40% of food loss and waste occurs at the retail and consumer stages; this situation cannot be sustained and remediation is urgently needed; opportunities for change must be created. “Nudge” techniques have been shown to be effective in changing behaviour in areas related to food consumption (e.g., healthy diet), but the effectiveness of interventions using nudge techniques to change food waste behaviours remains unclear, despite a growing body of research. The aim of this review is to elucidate means to change household food waste behaviour using nudge approaches and identify priority needs for further research. Four databases, grey literature and reference lists were searched systematically to identify relevant research on nudges to change food waste behaviours. This search identified sixteen peer-reviewed research articles and two grey literature reports that were critically appraised using a critical appraisal checklist framework for descriptive/case series. Four studies deemed reliable show interventions using nudges of social norms, reminders or social norms with disclosure were effective in changing food waste behaviours at the household level, while disclosure alone, i.e., revealing environmental costs of food waste, was not. This review, unique in the application of a critical appraisal, suggests there is reliable information on the effectiveness of nudge for food waste recycling interventions when incorporating nudges of social norms, reminders or disclosure alongside use of social norms. If food waste recycling behaviour is considered an upstream measure to raise consumers’ consciousness on the amount of food waste they produce, this may have a positive impact on food waste reduction and therefore has important policy implications for food waste behaviour change at the household level.
Global society is wasting food at unsustainable levels, and unconsumed food is contributing markedly to carbon emissions. Simultaneously, food insecurity and obesity are increasingly prevalent concerns in high-income countries. This study aimed to evaluate food waste at the household level to understand relationships between discarded food, food processing and household characteristics. A sociodemographic and food security survey of householders in Hampshire (UK) was conducted alongside a seven-day photographic food waste diary. Of the total food waste from 94 participants, 87% was unprocessed, 51% was avoidable or potentially avoidable and 36% was unavoidable. Of the total food waste, 61% occurred during food preparation. Greater amounts of avoidable food waste occurred in one, three and four+ person households than in two-person households. Potentially avoidable food waste was greater in households educated to postgraduate and university degree level than others. The outcomes of this study indicate that the focus on interventions should vary demographically. Interventions that support food security, improving diet quality and saving money, while reducing avoidable and unprocessed food waste, in one, three and four+ person households during food preparation are one option. Reducing potentially avoidable unprocessed food waste is a priority in households educated to university degree level and above.
The Engineering Challenge for the 21st Century Program was initially based on concepts from the Transferable Integrated Design Engineering Education (TIDEE) model. The TIDEE model was developed in the mid 1990s to focus on continuous improvement of engineering design education. The primary thrust of the TIDEE model focuses on team-based activities that allow students to effectively develop the necessary skills to become qualified, productive, and successful engineers and technologists of the future. The Engineering Challenge Program focuses on project based learning in a team environment and targets two important educational groups: underrepresented students as well as faculty from high schools and community colleges in Connecticut. In order to further develop the students’ interpersonal and organizational skills, the Engineering Challenge Program expands on the TIDEE model through development of technical writing and professional skills including project management, teamwork skills, understanding behavioral diversity using DISC behavioral profiles, and personal accountability. Interdisciplinary teams of high school teachers and college faculty work with a CT-based management consultant group to deliver the program by “teaching teachers” effective methods to assess and coach teamwork in the classroom and labs. The Engineering Challenge Program has impacted over 250 students composed of high school and undergraduate students from community colleges and to a lesser degree four-year universities. By targeting underrepresented student participants, the program has been effective in engaging its participants in pursuing education and careers in STEM-related disciplines. Approximately 35% of the participants have been females and 53% of the participants’ non-Caucasian.
Though lion-tailed macaques are managed ex situ as an assurance population, little information is available on the relationship between behavior and reproductive physiology to ensure successful management and evaluate welfare. To facilitate social and reproductive management in a group of one male and three female lion-tailed macaques at Disney's Animal Kingdom ® , we observed behaviors associated with dominance and reproduction, rated genital swellings, recorded menses, tracked ovarian cycles as determined by measurement of fecal immunoreactive progesterone (P4) and estradiol (E2), and monitored fecal cortisol (CORT). We analyzed the dominance hierarchy of females, compared hormone patterns of ovarian cycles with genital swellings and copulations relative to menses, and tested for correlations between hormones and behavior. The strength of the dominance hierarchy indicated moderate linearity, but relaxed after the dominant female received anxiolytic medications to reduce intraspecific aggression. Fecal P4 and E2 patterns revealed ovarian cycle lengths averaging 29.7 ± 0.8 days. The timing of singleday E2 peaks varied between and within females' cycles. However, on average, E2 peaks occurred 6-10 days after the first day of menses, with maximum genital swellings and copulations occurring slightly thereafter in uncontracepted females. Female-to-female aggression and sexual behaviors with the male were related to ovarian cycle phase, but correlations between behaviors and hormones varied between females. Initiated aggression was positively correlated with E2 in the dominant and mid-ranked females, while aggression received was positively correlated with P4 or negatively correlated with E2 in the mid-ranked and subordinate females. In one uncontracepted female, sexual behaviors with the male were negatively correlated to P4. CORT was positively correlated to aggression in the dominant and mid-ranked females and negatively correlated to grooming in the subordinate female. Results indicate observations
This paper will describe the preparation required for a capstone mentored class, the approach taken and the skills needed by both engineering and writing instructors. In addition, the paper will show the methods used to "refresh" student memory about previous writing instructions, writing and presentation criteria established, and the progression of student skills in meeting these criteria for both technical reports and presentations. Recommendations for implementing this approach in other project settings are also discussed. BackgroundAll mechanical engineering technology (MET) students in our college are required to take three writing courses, Technical Communications 111, 241, and 481, scheduled for the first, fourth, and seventh semesters, respectively. TC 111: Expository Communication. Extensive practice in expository writing, emphasizing objective, clear, concise form, with most readings from nonfiction prose. Provides experience in organizing and presenting individual oral and laboratory reports. Introduces library usage and research techniques. Prepares students for technical writing and oral communication in TCII. TC 241: Technical Communication. Introduction to technical communication, including written and oral skills. The course emphasizes basic structures used in recording and reporting technical information, including analysis of audience, language, and purpose; techniques of persuasion; page design and graphics; and technical definition and description. Students also prepare memos, resumes, lab reports, and a documented technical research paper. Oral technical presentations are also required. The interrelationships of technology and society, along with the ethics of technology, are considered.TC 481: Advanced Technical Communication. Applications of skills learned in previous technical communication courses, with emphasis on practical writing and speaking. Students prepare informal and formal documents, including instructions, proposals progress reports, and letters. Individual and group oral presentations, as well as group project and ongoing discussion of technology, society, and associated ethical considerations, are required. These courses cover foundational rhetoric and practical aspects of technical report writing and design, as well as the rhetorical and applied aspects of professional presentations. However, engineering instructors realized that fourth-year students were not connecting their work in technical writing to the actual production of a report and presentation for industry sponsors, which was a key component of the senior design project (SDP). 1 The Challenges of Teaching Writing in the Engineering ClassroomOur students take courses in increasingly complex engineering topics as well as in increasingly complex writing principles. In both course sequences, students have significant opportunity to
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