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Abstract:The "Euro-leaf" organic certification logo was adopted and made compulsory by the European Union (EU) a few years ago; the level of consumers' recognition of this logo has been explored. This paper provides important insights into the effectiveness of the logo in the Greek market. The "Euro-leaf" logo was compared with the two previous EU organic logos; i.e., the voluntary "Organic Farming" and the withdrawn "Bio". In total, 472 face-to-face interviews were conducted using actual presentations of five officially certified food products. The aim of this research was to investigate the consumers' willingness-to-buy (WTB), willingness-to-pay (WTP), and their preference towards each of the three logos used for the certification of organic products. Our analysis concludes that for the time being the new logo has failed to develop into a powerful instrument for affecting consumers' WTB and WTP. Furthermore, it was found to have been the least influential factor that determined their preferences. Design changes and improvements might be necessary in order to better communicate the organic food message.

Recycling bin design has been shown to be important in guiding and changing waste management practices. The top-down imposition of recycling scheme components, the various colour signage, the different types of recycling bins per material even in the same city, and in light of the limitations cited in the relevant literature, our contribution examines the citizens' involvement in designing recycling bins. Analyzing the responses of 757 participants randomly selected, we initially defined design variables, i.e., shape, colour, and type of lid and insert slot. The next step was to design six bins per recyclable and non-recyclable material, which were printed in a card in a random order. In total, 12 cards were evaluated by 430 residents of a typical Greek town without previous experience in recycling; personal interviews were conducted and citizens gave a score on a scale from one to six. The results highlight the public preference for specific lids and insert slots, and a rectangular shape for all the materials apart from glass and compostables for engaging in recycling. In addition, the results suggest that a connection might exist between the colour of the recyclable material and the colour of the bin. When there is no particular bin colour preference for a material such as plastic or packages, various hues of orange, yellow, or purple dominate. A reward phrase or environmental message printed on the bins could encourage recycling.

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This paper looks into awareness of water saving amongst students and their parents, and how it interacts with their intentions to use water saving technology or to adopt water saving practices. To investigate this interaction, surveys were run through educational programmes aimed at eliciting both the intentions of students and the indirect effects of their parents; surveys were taken before and after the education programmes. The results show that parents have a more environmentally friendly approach towards water saving than their children. Furthennore, the educational programmes affected both students and their parents, though not for all actions investigated. Students and their parents seem to be willing to comply with water saving practices that require little eflbtt, such as using an economy toilet flushing button, or fixing a tap when it leaks, but students were not willing to give up wasteful habits related to their body hygiene, such as leaving water running during a shower. The Mann-Whitney U test and Wilcoxon signed rank test were employed to show statistically significant differences before and after the intervention, comparing the stated attitudes of students and their parents. An active participation by parents in school programmes could encourage effective interactions amongst people in the comtnunity, facilitating behaviour change towards sustainable use of local natural resources.