Sustainable development involves economic growth in line with the requirements of ecological balance and human development, involving people’s relations with the environment as well as the responsibility of the current generation over future generations. Sustainable tourism was designed and supported in an attempt to manage all resources, so that the economic, social, and aesthetic needs of an area are satisfied while maintaining cultural integrity, essential ecological processes, biological diversity, and life support systems. Sustainable tourism is not “a fashion”; it is a way of thinking and acting with long-term implications. At national level, we believe that Maramureş County, Romania, is one of the most gifted natural and socio-economic geographic areas in the Oriental Carpathians of Romania, in which the conditions of sustainable tourism can be met and supported long term. The purpose of this scientific paper is to identify, synthesize, process, and interpret data about the tourist qualification of some localities in the protected areas of Maramureş, so as to inform local decision-makers and tourists about tourism forms currently practiced (and) possibly practicable in the future, because since tourism, as an economic branch, leads to the growth of jobs, it can contribute to the sustainable development of the area. The mathematical model proposed in the paper allows the grouping of available resources from 25 settlements in order to establish the types of tourism that can be supported and developed in these localities.
When we talk about products with a low impact on the environment, e.g., organic, traditional, or having the European ecological label, their sales are a central element of the economy. Many variables and local cultural values influence consumer behavior, including education and life requirements. Sustainable development involves education on consumption habits and low-environmental-impact production. This article aims to identify the role of education and remuneration in the consumption of sustainable products. Different working hypotheses are formulated. The first hypothesis of our study tests the existence of a direct correlation between the consumer’s level of education and their opinion on consuming low-environmental-impact products, influencing the ability to make appropriate decisions. The second one refers to the level of income and consumption behavior. The research method is a statistical one, based on a quantitative analysis and using a questionnaire as a tool. For 60% of the high-level graduate respondents, a product’s source is significant in their choices. Over 70% of the responders who earn above the median income believe it is essential to consume organic products. The results obtained confirm our initial assumptions. Our findings underline the current knowledge regarding consumption of sustainable products, their characteristics, and consumers’ interest in them.
Urban agriculture is increasingly recognized as a strategy for enhancing sustainability and well-being in urban areas, mainly through circular economy principles. This study investigates residents’ perspectives from three major cities in western Romania—Arad, Timișoara, and Oradea—on the implementation and benefits of urban agriculture. The main goal was to identify differences in opinions regarding urban agriculture’s potential to improve biodiversity conservation, enhance carbon dioxide retention, and reduce synthetic compound usage. The research also explored community development through circular economy practices and tools local authorities could use to promote urban agriculture. A survey of 573 respondents utilized variance analysis and the Tukey test to reveal significant opinion differences among residents. The findings showed notable variations in views on biodiversity conservation and community development benefits but no significant differences in opinions on carbon dioxide capture or synthetic chemical use. Residents of Timișoara and Oradea expressed more favorable views on urban agriculture than those in Arad. Participants emphasized the importance of free land allocation and sustainable practices for successful urban agriculture implementation. This study offers valuable insights for policymakers and contributes to the understanding of urban sustainability and the role of urban agriculture in supporting circular economy principles.
Urban-farming activities can provide durability to an area, ensuring, among other benefits, environmental awareness, access to fresh food, individual health, and, potentially, an increased family income. The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlations between the following benefits of urban agriculture perceived by the inhabitants of western Romanian towns: socialisation and recreation and the avoidance of food waste with their levels of education and financial situations. The data were collected through an online questionnaire, completed by 648 respondents, and processed in SPSS-IBM using an analysis of variance (ANOVA) and a Tukey interval test. The study results demonstrated that a high level of education leads to increased belief in the contributions that urban farming makes to improving the socialisation and recreation of city residents. The income level also significantly shapes opinions regarding the contribution of urban agriculture to the increase in recycling. This study reflected critical lifestyle perspectives that impact people’s perception of the benefits of urban agriculture. The findings are expected to provide new insights for regulators and decision-makers, enabling them to develop tailored methods, strategies, policies, and legal measures to achieve sustainable growth in the urban community.
The research was conducted in a particular context, the recent pandemic. It is a comparative study of the methods and quality of communication in global companies between 2021 and 2022. The corporations involved in the research are important providers of flexible production, quality, and logistics solutions that cover customers’ real needs. They are active in the automotive industry and units involved in mass production in the electronics industry, household appliances, and cosmetics industries. In their case, it was noted that to achieve operational objectives such as developing employee skills, using advanced technologies, and exceeding customer expectations, it is important to use innovative methods and tools such as single platforms, which allow access to the most important information from a distance, anywhere, anytime. It is significant that, according to the research, the preferred method of communication by employees, regardless of the existing conditions, is face-to-face. Primarily, this method is chosen because it provides an open area of interpersonal interaction. The participants observe non-verbal attitudes or can perceive emotions and feelings. Their personality can be identified through unintentional contact to obtain constructive feedback through guidance and counseling. Moreover, it can be formed and develop productive, intentional connections. Stakeholders’ efficient and effective open dialogs are encouraged in this sense.
The paper presents a market-oriented system of returnable guarantees that can be combined with tradable permits to encourage farmers to use alternative sources of water instead of the regular watering network, or to steer the farming system toward environmentally-friendly systems like low tillage and/or organic farming. Factual data from real farming were bootstrapped to test whether or not a set of farms could save water and reduce chemical input due to the higher cost of maintaining the status quo. Based on interactions between water, pesticides, fertilizers, and crops, the system of returnable guarantee determines the farmers to reduce the amount of water harvested from aquifers, generates benefits for the most environmentally-friendly farmers, and stimulate conversion to organic farming.