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Schuitema, Geertje
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Schuitema, Geertje
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Schuitema, Geertje
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Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
- PublicationTertiary Education in a Warming World; Reflections from the field(Worldwide Universities Network, 2022-03-22)
; ; ; ; This report has been produced as part of the Education in a Warming World Research Consortium, supported by Worldwide Universities Network. The consortium comprises university academics with a broad range of expertise in education, sociology, climate change, science communication, health, sustainability, and human behaviour. The group has interest and experience in promoting sustainability and climate change education portfolios at the tertiary level. The consortium aims to contribute to the growing field of transdisciplinary work dedicated to understanding the evolving role of education in this era of rapid climatic change and overlapping socio-ecological crises. This report is a compilation of research, practical examples, and reflections from our own experience of advancing pro-environmental agendas at Institutes of Higher Education (IHEs). It is intended to be a resource to other academics and policymakers who are also grappling with promoting a robust climate change and sustainability agenda within IHEs. For this report, we define IHEs as universities and colleges engaged in teaching, research, and public service.54 - PublicationShould we quit our jobs? Challenges, barriers and recommendations for interdisciplinary energy researchMany plea for a better integration of social sciences in energy research, which would imply more comprehensive interdisciplinary energy research. We argue that in order to achieve this, institutional barriers and research challenges need to be recognised and addressed. We identify six challenges and barriers, and provide recommendations for working towards solutions. We conclude that to engage in interdisciplinary research implies extra costs and fewer rewards for all researchers, particularly early and mid-career academics. We propose a new conceptualisation of practices and incentive structures among academic institutions, funding agencies, and publication outlets, and urge all energy researchers to join this debate.
114Scopus© Citations 36 - PublicationWater quality perceptions and private well management: The role of perceived risks, worry and controlMismanagement of drinking water supplies can pose serious public health risks. There are many concerns about water source management among private well owners, as they are often solely responsible for maintaining their wells, and monitoring and testing of their own water quality. Lack of worry about contamination and a strong sense of control over risks in relation to drinking water quality have been identified as important factors that influence peoples’ perceptions and behaviour. In this paper, we investigated how worry and control moderate the influence of risk perceptions on water quality perceptions and well owners’ maintenance behaviours. We compare a sample of private well owners (N=167) with a sample of members of Group Water Schemes (GWS) (N=160) and people who are supplied via the public mains (N=195), to validate our results. We found that, in comparison to the other groups, well owners believe that water from private wells is superior and they express a high level of control over contamination risks of their drinking water. Moreover, strong feelings of control suppress their perceptions of risk in relation to water quality. However, well owners who feel largely in control also maintain their well more frequently. Our results suggest that communication strategies with well owners should aim to bring the current unrealistic levels of control perception down to more realistic levels, rather than removing all sense of control.
111Scopus© Citations 9 - PublicationThe psychology of energy efficiency labels: Trust, involvement, and attitudes towards energy performance certificates in IrelandEnergy performance certificates (EPCs) are a widely implemented policy intended to inform building owners, occupiers, tenants, real estate agents and other relevant groups about the energy performance of dwellings (e.g., level of comfort and/or expenditure) and stimulate the investment in energy efficiency of buildings. EPCs for buildings are not a recent concept, for example, in the USA, the “Green Lights” programme was launched in 1999, which later expanded into the “Energy Star Building” programme. To date, all members of the European Union have formally introduced EPCs, although the stage of implementation and the name of the label differ between the various member states. In this paper we focus on EPCs for buildings in Ireland, which stands out as having one of the most well-established and reported databases within the EU.
255Scopus© Citations 11