Environment, Enterprise and Development

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This is the collection for the University of Waterloo's School of Environment, Enterprise and Development.

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Understanding and Advancing Pro-Environmental Behavior in Hospitality: A Systematic Review and Multi-Method Investigation Using the Fogg Behavior Model
(University of Waterloo, 2025-11-03) Darwazeh, Durgham
Pro-environmental behavior (PEB) has recently emerged as a prominent theme in the hospitality literature, with various scholars applying social-behavioral theories to examine the determinants of environmental behaviors. Nevertheless, few studies have applied predictive models of behavioral change to offer new insights on the interaction between internal and external factors in fostering PEB in the workplace. This dissertation addresses this gap by applying and extending the Fogg Behavioral Model (FBM) to introduce new pathways toward PEB, specifically within the hospitality industry. The dissertation is composed of three studies, which are connected and contribute to the development of theoretical and practical knowledge in the field of PEB. The first study offers a systematic review of the literature, which considers the current state of research and identifies common themes. Data for the first paper were collected using three database sources: ProQuest, Scopus, and Web of Science. After screening, 104 peer-reviewed articles were included in the study for thematic analysis. This study aims to examine the progress of the current literature in exploring the concept of PEB by answering three primary questions: 1) How has the definition of PEB evolved? 2) What theories have various authors adopted? and 3) What future research recommendations have been identified in the literature? 104 peer-reviewed articles were analyzed using thematic analysis. The results indicate that PEB definitions have been advanced to distinguish between voluntary and involuntary behaviors for employees and acknowledge the psychological effect of hotel guests on their engagement in environmental practices; traditional theories such as the theory of planned behavior and the social-oriented theories remain dominant; and most studies recommend future research to integrate constructional and psychological factors to expand on current research models. Overall, the review can be a useful tool for future studies to identify a more descriptive definition and theoretical lens. Additionally, the review calls for the use of diverse frameworks to deepen our understanding of how PEB unfolds within hospitality settings. To respond to this call, the second study adopts the FBM as a new behavioral framework to explain how employees’ motivation and ability, along with hotels’ environmental management practices (EMP), interact to influence workplace PEB. The third study extends the FBM by positioning organizational trust (OT) as a contextual-psychological factor that is influenced by behavioral change elements to enhance employees’ engagement in PEB. Thus, it offers a novel perspective on the development of PEB within organizational contexts. Data for the second and third studies were collected through Qualtrics from 337 hotel employees in the United States and Canada. Structural equation modeling—path analysis was used to test the proposed hypotheses in studies 2 and 3. The results indicate that extrinsic and intrinsic motivations, ability, EMP, and OT are key factors for fostering PEB. Firstly, environmental motivation influences PEB directly and through employees’ perceived ability and hotels’ EMP. Secondly, ability mediates the relationship between motivation and hotels’ EMP. Thirdly, EMP mediates the relationship between ability and PEB and has a positive and direct impact on PEB. Last but not least, OT is a full and partial mediator that facilitates the relationship between both ability and hotels’ EMP and PEB. Based on the outcomes, this dissertation sheds light on the important role of motivation as a powerful element in the behavioral change process, driving employees to develop a positive perception of their ability, which subsequently enhances their responsiveness to hotels’ EMP and thereby increases engagement in PEB. Nonetheless, the relationship between motivation and OT turns out to be complex and may require another factor, such as organizational support, to bridge the two constructs. However, OT plays a primary role in workplace behavior, bridging employees’ ability and hotels’ EMP (behavioral triggers) with PEB. Therefore, this dissertation contributes to the advancement of theories by utilizing the Fogg Behavioral Model as an integrative and action-oriented model that defines the interrelationship between behavioral elements in a simple, straightforward context; it reconceptualizes the role of hotels’ EMP as a catalyst that transforms employees’ motivation and ability into PEB; and it extends the FBM by positioning OT as a key component in the behavioral change process that translates employees’ confidence and hotels’ structural environmental management practices into PEB.
Artificial Intelligence as a Social Innovation for Advancing Sustainable Finance During the COVID-19 Pandemic
(University of Waterloo, 2025-10-16) Pashang, Sep
Social innovations have played an increasingly prominent role in responding to climate change and systemic crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Among these, artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged within the field of sustainable finance, offering novel capabilities for deriving insights, informing decisions, and addressing complex socio-ecological concerns. This dissertation explores whether and how AI, as a social innovation, can contribute meaningfully to sustainable development. Grounded in social innovation theory, this research critically examines both the promise and limitations of AI in addressing the sustainable development goals (SDGs). In parallel, this dissertation engages with environment, social, governance (ESG) practices as an adjacent social innovation, deeply institutionalized but often constrained in their responsiveness to crisis. Through a comparative and critical analysis, this dissertation explores how AI intersects with ESG in supporting firm-level resilience, assessing their respective and combined capacities to support firms navigate periods of crisis. Findings reveal that during the COVID-19 pandemic, AI-generated public sentiment data more strongly correlated with financial returns and market volatility during this crisis than conventional ESG ratings. Moreover, financial interventions (e.g., economic stimulus) proved more effective in stabilizing firm performance than ESG performance. By advancing the theoretical understanding of AI and ESG as distinct yet interreacting social innovations, this research offers new insights into their strategic roles in enhancing organizational resilience and promoting sustainable development. It contributes both academically and practically, bridging sustainability management with emerging technologies, and laying the foundation for future scholarship in a field increasingly shaped by complexity, uncertainty, and techno-solutionist narratives.
Food Environments Influence on Food Choices Among Different Socioeconomic Groups
(University of Waterloo, 2025-09-29) Campbell, Josephine
There has been a shifting focus in research within food security studies to food environments as they are proving to be one of the most influential factors in individuals' food and dietary choices. Situated within the second United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goal of Zero Hunger, this thesis examines the physical and social food environments of communities in Hamilton, Ontario to determine the influences these environments have on food and dietary choices. Hamilton was chosen due to its unique food landscape; where some communities could be considered living in a food swamp, with little access to healthy food amidst an abundance of convenience stores and fast food. In contrast, other communities within the city are considered a food oasis, with a wide range of high-quality foods readily available. This study employed a survey as its primary research instrument with 204 surveys completed. In addition, follow-up interviews with 20 participants were conducted to provide in-depth context for the survey results. Participants in this study were drawn from areas based on either postal code or income. The study’s findings revealed several similarities irrespective of the postal code or income of the household. Notably, the most popular dietary choice was that the participants did not follow any diet, also called the “house diet.” Moreover, in ranking the most important qualities when choosing a grocery store, price, proximity, and quality always ranked the highest among the 13 options. However, when reasoning for rankings were discussed, the higher-income participants expressed maximizing their dollars whereas the lower-income participants preferred stretching their dollars. Moreover, looking at food environments grouped by postal code, 7 out of the 19 participants lived in areas where convenience stores outnumber grocery stores at a ratio of 4:1. In these communities, most participants reported a meat-restricted diet and also ranked accessibility to healthy foods the lowest. Additionally, participants living in areas described as food swamps (high prevalence of low-quality convenience foods), also reported lower than average income compared to participants living in areas with better access to higher-quality food retailers. These finding demonstrate that income plays a consequential role in observed dietary patterns, with 7% of the higher income earners reporting a plant-based diet, compared to 20% of the lower income bracket. In the lower income bracket, 42% reported using alternate modes of transportation to private vehicles, compared to only 8% in the higher income bracket. The findings suggest a chain reaction, where the lower-income earners are more likely to be living in a food environment with low access to healthy foods, and high access to convenience stores. Furthermore, they are less likely to have access to a vehicle, which overall limits their accessibility to healthy, fresh, and sustainable food choices that may be some distance from where they live. These are areas where policies, initiatives, and programs that will promote better accessibility to healthy foods will be the most beneficial, in terms of creating healthy eating patterns that will help achieve Sustainable Development Goal Two.
Driving Higher Education Sustainability: Investigating Practices, Cultural Influence and External Pressures in Nigerian Higher Education Institutions
(University of Waterloo, 2025-09-26) Jimoh, Ibrahim
While scholars have argued that Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) have the potential to help build a sustainable future, there remains a lack of understanding of what it means to strengthen sustainability practices and culture, especially in developing nations where multifaceted sustainability concerns exist. This dissertation uses the Sustainability Tracking and Rating System (STARS) framework to investigate campus sustainability practices and implementation barriers within the unique context of Nigerian HEIs, with a focus on understanding the influence of hierarchical organisation culture and external pressure – whether coercive, normative, and/or mimetic – on sustainability performance. Drawing on the Competing Value Framework (CVF) to identify institutional policies, leadership and management styles as the three major components of hierarchical culture, findings reveal the absence of a standard framework for measuring sustainability performance and the lack of distinct departments for sustainability teaching and research. While institutional policy and leadership style were found to promote sustainability initiatives, a rigid management approach affects adaptability and innovation, which are critical to sustainability project implementation. Additionally, external pressures were found to drive sustainability initiatives. This research advances the application and adaptation of sustainability theories within the Nigerian context, providing a novel framework for Africa and other developing countries, while offering practical recommendations for policy adjustment, institutional management techniques, and mechanisms for governments to promote sustainability performance in HEIs within the context of developing countries.
The role of narratives of care in sustainability
(University of Waterloo, 2025-09-18) Blanco Murcia, Laura
Current dominant narratives about human nature - those that portray humanity as inherently self-centered, extractive, and utilitarian - are incomplete and insufficient to foster transformations towards sustainable scenarios. Since these prioritize transactions and an extractive interaction with the human and more than-human-world, they are instead accelerating environmental degradation and deepening social inequalities. Narratives of care emerge as powerful counter-narratives, by providing holistic, relational, and inclusive solutions. Narratives of care have the potential to reshape relationships in social -ecological system, as these are grounded in empathy, recognition, and interdependence. This dissertation explores the role of narratives of care in sustainability, with a focus on sustainable food consumption. This research explores how narratives of care can challenge dominant transactional paradigms and support the co-creation of alternative, relational-based scenarios, that offer wellbeing for humans and more-than-humans. Drawing on interdisciplinary perspectives - such as Narrative Psychology, Narrative Therapy, the Ethics of Care, and Complex Adaptive Systems theory - this dissertation proposes a framework for narrative transformation that is applied to individual and community narratives around food. The first manuscript introduces a theoretical framework based on narrative therapy for tilting dominant self-centered narratives toward narratives of care and interdependence. The framework includes three main phases 1) identifying the dominant narrative and the assumptions that sustain it; 2) finding unique outcomes or events and experiences that contradict this dominant narrative, and creating alternative narratives of care based on these; and 3) reinforcing care-oriented scenarios. This framework is applied to the topic of consumption and proposes reframing sustainable consumption as an act of care rather than a sacrifice. The proposed shift allows for a deeper engagement with sustainable behaviors, by reframing them in moral and relational terms, as well as by appealing to our human capacity for empathy and responsibility. In the second manuscript, the framework is applied to the individual food narratives of 22 Colombian adults to understand how the meaning of care linked to food can be expanded to foster sustainable food consumption. Narratives are approached through a qualitative methodology by using life story interviews and participant-created storybooks. This study revealed three alternative stories that question the transactional narratives that see food as a commodity and can aid in expanding the meaning of care to move towards sustainable food systems. These alternative narratives encompass reconnecting with emotions, finding commonalities, and stopping the transmission of suffering. The third manuscript focuses on the communal level, exploring how care-based narratives are lived, negotiated and transmitted within Nashira, a female-led ecovillage in Colombia. A qualitative methodology - based on ethnography, interviews, and a communal narrative session – is employed to understand how previous narratives are questioned and transformed within a sustainable setting. This study reveals how the community shifts from individual narratives of exclusivity, privatization, and patriarchal hierarchies, to communal narratives of inclusion, sharing, and mutual empowerment. It also reveals the importance of embracing tensions as an essential part of community life and a source of creativity in problem solving. Together, these three studies demonstrate that - while care can start by conversations questioning the status quo – it is mostly relational, practical, and must be enacted. Everyday acts of care – such as those surrounding food practices – materialize and visualize concerns, playing an essential role in nurturing alternative narratives. These findings contribute to the academic discussion around the role of narratives in sociocultural transformations towards sustainability. This research also offers a framework that can be applied both in academic and non-academic settings, to understand and promote socio-ecological transformations. At the policy level, this work suggests that supporting narratives and acts of care at the individual and community level, can be a vital complement to wider technical and economic sustainability strategies. By transforming the way in which we tell stories about ourselves, our food, and our communities, and by acting on our immediate context, we can shape more caring and sustainable futures.
Is Fiji’s Metabolism Built for Resilience? A Socio-Metabolic Risk Perspective.
(University of Waterloo, 2025-09-18) Thakur, Bhargav Singh
Small Island Developing States (SIDS), despite contributing less than 1% of global greenhouse gas emissions, are among the most affected by the climate crisis. They face rising sea levels and climate-related economic losses averaging 2.1% of GDP, seven times the global average. This vulnerability is not limited to environmental exposure; it is further intensified by compounding factors such as a heavy reliance on external resources and limited material circularity. Most SIDS import over 60% of their food, and nearly all fossil fuels and construction materials, leaving them highly exposed to global supply chain disruptions and price fluctuations. To analyze this nexus of environmental and economic fragility, the Socio-Metabolic Risk (SMR) concept links a nation’s resilience to its material metabolism, its patterns of resource extraction, trade, consumption, and waste. SMR assesses risk across three pillars: secure resource access, circular material use, and equitable distribution of services. While pioneering studies have validated SMR's utility, applications remain limited to single-year snapshots. This leaves a critical gap, as a static view cannot capture the path-dependent dynamics, material lock-ins, and potential tipping points that evolve over time. Addressing this gap, this thesis uses Fiji as a case study to ask: Has the country’s material use from 2000 to 2022 mitigated or accumulated its SMR? To answer this, the study constructs the first multi-decadal (2000–2022), economy-wide material flow analysis (ew-MFA) mass balance account from a SMR lens, for a SIDS. Over two decades, Fiji underwent a profound metabolic transformation. Domestic biomass extraction, once the economy's cornerstone, fell by 42% (driven by a decline in the sugarcane industry), while biomass imports surged by 80%, eroding food self-sufficiency. Concurrently, imports of non-metallic minerals (e.g., cement, aggregates) increased more than fivefold (+436%), with surges for reconstruction following major cyclones like Cyclone Winston in 2016. Reliance on imported fossil fuels remained absolute, with total inflows growing by 26%. Fiji's overall import dependency climbed from 27% in 2000 to 46% in 2022. The analysis also shows a steady buildup of material assets, likely concentrated in hazard-prone coastal areas. This occurs within an overwhelmingly linear system, where material circularity is negligible and recycling practices are largely absent. The study concludes that Fiji’s development path has intensified its SMR, creating a material lock-in marked by growing reliance on imports and limited progress toward circular resource use. This creates a vicious cycle where climate shocks destroy vulnerable stocks, driving further import-heavy reconstruction that deepens vulnerability. By operationalizing SMR with a longitudinal dataset, this research provides a robust empirical foundation for evidence-based policy. The findings highlight the urgent need for interventions aligned with Fiji’s national development goals to strengthen the circular economy, accelerate the transition to renewable energy, promote local food systems, and enforce disaster-resilient 'build-back-better' standards. Ultimately, steering SIDS toward a more sustainable and resilient future requires a fundamental transformation of their resource use patterns.
Livelihood Sustainability in the Age of Digital Platforms: Insights from Online Freelancing in Kenya
(University of Waterloo, 2025-09-18) Latif, Farhan
Digital platforms are reshaping how online freelance work is organized and experienced in the Global South, but their implications for sustaining a meaningful and decent livelihood remain inadequately understood. While platforms offer new ways of making a living, particularly in labour markets characterized by informality and limited work opportunities, they often fail to meet the normative benchmarks typically associated with good-quality employment. These tensions raise questions about what constitutes a sustainable livelihood in the context of rapidly changing platform work, where conventional markers of decent work are increasingly difficult to apply to fragmented digital labour. My PhD research focuses on the intersection of platform work quality and development in the Global South. At its core, it explores the complexity of sustaining a fulfilling and good-quality livelihood through digital platforms, with particular attention to asymmetries in experienced work quality, local development realities, and the diverse, subjective aspirations of platform workers. Building on this foundation, my research bridges the knowledge gap by analyzing both workers’ subjective experiences of work quality, framed in relation to decent and meaningful work, and the resilience of their livelihoods to labour market disruptions, such as those driven by artificial intelligence (AI). Grounded in a mixed-methods case study of 52 Kenyan platform workers, this dissertation is structured as a collection of four interrelated research papers. The first paper is a systematic literature review that consolidates the fragmented empirical literature on platform work in the Global South, examining the quality of work, the complexities of skills development, and future career prospects. It then distills the insights into an analytical framework, offering a tool for analyzing how local contextual factors shape platform-labour outcomes. The second paper examines workers’ perceptions of work quality in relation to decent work standards, using a development lens. The findings of this paper situate platform work outcomes along a continuum from opportunity to precarity. The third paper focuses on how experiencing meaningful work evolves within the platform work economy. It discusses why many platform workers in the Global South perceive seemingly menial platform tasks as meaningful and analyzes the socioeconomic dynamics that shape this perception. The fourth paper examines the impact of generative AI on platform work. The paper introduces a task-based model to assess the impact of AI on work, offering an evaluation of four freelance occupations and an early-stage empirical validation of the model. Overall, this research advances theoretical debates on labour informality, decent and meaningful work, and automation risks to sustainable livelihoods by framing platform work as a complex livelihood strategy that simultaneously extends and disrupts traditional pathways of work. Empirically, the dissertation documents persistent inequalities and precarious conditions while highlighting developmentally important forms of opportunity access, worker autonomy, and worker resilience in Kenya’s platform economy. The dissertation offers policy-relevant insights, underscoring the need for adaptive labour regulation to extend protections to freelance platform workers, reorienting social safety nets to meet evolving demands, and inclusive digital economy governance so that platform-based work contributes to equitable and sustainable development.
Framing Sustainability: An Analysis of How Cosmetic Brands Integrate Sustainability into Marketing Communication
(University of Waterloo, 2025-09-17) Alviri, Hajar
The cosmetics industry is a rapidly growing global sector, valued at over $650 billion, with continued expansion driven by lifestyle changes, novel marketing strategies, and digital marketing. However, this growth has raised serious environmental and social sustainability concerns. Amid these challenges, sustainability communication has become a critical arena through which brands position themselves as sustainable and responsible. Understanding how brands frame and integrate sustainability is essential for evaluating the holistic nature, credibility, inclusiveness, and transparency of their marketing practices. This dissertation explores how sustainability—both environmental and social—is communicated by cosmetic brands through product-level marketing. Situated within the field of sustainability management, the research applies message framing theory as its core theoretical framework to examine how sustainability is defined, constructed, and communicated across different brand categories. Through four interrelated studies, the dissertation provides a multi-dimensional analysis of sustainability communication in the cosmetics industry, with a particular focus on the growing influence of fast beauty, the rise of sustainability-positioned brands, and the evolving expectations around sustainable practices, equity, inclusion, and transparency. The first manuscript presents a systematic literature review of academic research on sustainability in the cosmetics industry between 1992 and 2022, revealing a strong disciplinary bias toward science and engineering, with limited contributions from the social sciences—particularly in areas such as marketing communication and stakeholder behaviour, as well as a notable lack of research focused on the Canadian context. The second manuscript examines how sustainability is framed in colour cosmetic marketing, specifically lipsticks, using message framing theory and the social construction framework to assess differences in sustainability-related claims, transparency, and greenwashing across leading, fast beauty, and sustainable brands. The third manuscript extends this investigation to skincare products, specifically moisturizers, again guided by message framing theory and the social construction framework. It highlights continued reliance on vague and unverified sustainability-related claims, limited transparency, and the selective construction of sustainable skincare. Both studies draw on mystery shopping and content analysis to explore how sustainability is constructed in brand communication. The fourth manuscript shifts to the social dimension of sustainability by analyzing how brands integrate inclusion and diversity in lipstick and facial moisturizer marketing. This study also used mystery shopping and content analysis, drawing on message framing and social identity framing lenses, it finds narrow and inconsistent presence of inclusive beauty, with most brands aligning representation with marketable ideals. Together, these studies demonstrate that sustainability communication in the cosmetics industry is often selective, emotionally driven, and shaped by brand positioning and market pressures. Claims such as "natural," "vegan," and "cruelty-free" are commonly emphasized, while complex or controversial topics—such as labour rights, environmental impacts beyond packaging, or accessible design—are frequently omitted. The prevalence of vague and unverified claims points to widespread greenwashing, which risks undermining consumer trust. By integrating content analysis and mystery shopping methods across two product categories and three brand category types, this research reveals how communication practices both reflect and shape the evolving meaning of sustainability in the marketplace. This dissertation contributes to scholarship in sustainability marketing and management by offering critical insight into the framing strategies that brands use to communicate sustainability. It highlights the need for more transparent, comprehensive, and socially responsible narratives if the cosmetic industry is to align with the broader goals of sustainable development. Communication, as shown here, is not merely a promotional tool—it is a central mechanism through which sustainability is defined, enacted, and contested. In addition, this work develops a conceptual framework for assessing the integration of sustainability into marketing communication at the product level. This framework is adaptable and can be applied to different types of products or services across various brand categories, offering a structured approach for future research and practical evaluation.
Bridging the Gap: Confronting the Disconnect Between Equity Commitments and Realities in Ontario’s Energy Transition
(University of Waterloo, 2025-08-27) Rahaman, Ayesha
Globally, energy demands are escalating. Yet, much of this global energy demand is still being met through fossil fuels, thereby contributing to climate change. To mitigate climate change and promote sustainable development, an energy transition to a low-carbon economy is necessary, characterized by electrification (replacing fossil fuels with electricity) and a shift toward sustainable electricity generation through renewable energy sources. However, there remain significant obstacles to such an energy transition, including uneven policy support, lower power generation capacity, inadequate infrastructure (including energy storage), conflicts over land use, high upfront costs, and low public awareness. Equity and inclusion must be central to Ontario’s energy transition, ensuring that marginalized groups are not excluded in future energy planning. This thesis explores the context around Ontario’s energy transition, with particular focus on how energy justice is considered within decision-making processes. Despite Ontario's relatively low-carbon electricity system, marked by significant reliance on nuclear and hydroelectric power, challenges persist since the required transformation (increased generation capacity alongside environmental considerations) presents key innovation, engineering, financing, and socio-political challenges. The evolution of Ontario’s electricity infrastructure has been shaped by systemic disparities, with Indigenous communities continuing to face challenges rooted in colonial energy governance, including, but not limited to, restricted access to reliable and affordable energy resources. In contemporary times, Ontario’s energy transition has been marked by uneven development, contested priorities, and fluctuating commitment to renewable energy, raising urgent questions about governance, equity, and accountability. Drawing on expert insights from across the sector, this thesis examines Ontario’s energy sector through an equity-informed lens, exploring how equity considerations are currently, and could be more effectively, integrated into energy decision-making processes. Specifically, the study investigates how existing equity indicators are interpreted, where they fall short, and what more context-sensitive, justice-oriented metrics might look like. This study is crucial as it seeks to bridge the current knowledge gap by focusing on the social dimensions of energy systems, which have historically been overlooked in decision-making processes in favor of technical and economic considerations. The significance of this research lies in its potential to inform policymakers and stakeholders, providing insights that could lead to more informed and contextually rich decision-making. By focusing on the often-neglected social aspects of energy systems, the research will contribute significantly to the field of energy justice, advocating for a transition that is not only sustainable but also equitable. The study advocates for a multivalent approach, one that integrates social, technical, environmental, economic, and governance dimensions, to operationalize energy justice in Ontario. Findings reveal that equity cannot be achieved through isolated interventions but requires rethinking energy governance from fragmented, short-term fixes to long-term, systemic transformation. This includes transparent and participatory decision-making, recognition of lived experience alongside technical expertise, equity-based pricing mechanisms, targeted investments in underserved communities, and intergenerational planning. These interconnected strategies offer expert-informed directions for building an energy transition that truly serves the public good.
Barriers and Drivers to Sustainable Residential Home Construction in Ontario, Canada: Perspectives from the Construction Sector
(University of Waterloo, 2025-08-25) Garstka, Natalie Katharina
Over the past few decades, the province of Ontario in Canada has seen significant growth in its regions and townships, especially in suburban developments. These developments are within towns and more prominent cities, causing considerable suburban sprawl, in contrast to mid-rise and high-rise developments. The suburban neighbourhood has become more attractive for homebuyers because of the space, privacy, and relatively reduced living expenses while being close enough to major cities for convenient amenities and facilities. The construction industry has taken some initiative to develop more sustainable buildings; however, the focus is mostly on non-residential buildings or residential high-rise developments, but there is limited information on sustainable single-home residential construction. This study aimed to understand the barriers and drivers to sustainable residential construction in Ontario, including knowledge, awareness, familiarity and interest in sustainable residential construction by those who are involved in the sector. A survey was developed based on Rogers’ Theory of innovation adoption and included both closed (yes, no, and Likert scale) and open-ended questions. The survey was sent to Ontario companies that are involved in residential construction and included questions on sociodemographic characteristics and the length of time in the industry, as well as questions on knowledge and awareness of existing sustainable construction standards and interest in future sustainable applications within the industry. Findings show that construction industry professionals generally possess the necessary experience, knowledge, and interest in sustainable construction. They identified barriers such as costs of sustainable housing, lack of materials, and lack of homebuyer interest. Drivers included government financial incentives and local by-laws and material availability. Recommendations for promoting sustainable residential home construction include developing a database on sustainable materials, developing green standards at the local level, upgrade the Ontario Building code, and provide life cycle cost benefits of sustainable housing to homebuyers. Keywords: sustainable homes, neighbourhood developments, third-party sustainability certifiers, residential construction industry, Ontario
Governance for vulnerability to viability transitions in the Transboundary Sundarbans Social-Ecological Systems
(University of Waterloo, 2025-08-25) Miah, Md. Ruyel
Globally, small-scale fisheries are known for their significant contribution to employment, food and nutritional security, livelihoods, poverty eradication, and community well-being. Despite their significant contribution, small-scale fisheries are underestimated, marginalized, and undervalued in the decision-making process, and often compete against large-scale fisheries and other industries for fishing space, resources and government attention. A transition toward viable and sustainable small-scale fisheries is crucial for the well-being of the small-scale fishers and the society at large. A transition from vulnerability to viability for small-scale fisheries is complicated, with different stages and processes. This research argues that small-scale fisheries’ vulnerabilities are ‘wicked,’ which have no easy fix, are not clear when they are solved, tend to reappear, and have no right or wrong solution to scientifically determine. The transboundary nature of small-scale fisheries in shared social-ecological systems further complicates the wickedness of small-scale fisheries vulnerability and so the transitions toward viability. Fisheries resources are highly diverse, mobile, and porous, and they are difficult to manage in a shared fisheries system. A gap exists theoretically and empirically in understanding the vulnerability to viability transitions at different scales and levels. This research employed case studies in the transboundary Sundarbans mangrove forest, a typical transboundary social-ecological system shared between Bangladesh and India along the coast of the Bay of Bengal. The forest supports millions of small-scale fishers, protects the communities from natural disasters, and faces common threats, such as resource decline, salinity intrusion, and climate change impacts on both sides of the forest. The purpose of this research is to develop a comprehensive understanding of small-scale fisheries’ vulnerability to viability transitions and identify the key characteristics of governance arrangements that can help facilitate the transition in the Sundarbans transboundary small-scale fisheries. The research addresses three specific objectives: (i) to determine the key processes and mechanisms of vulnerability to viability transitions in small-scale fisheries; (ii) to explore the key vulnerabilities and the factors that hinder or facilitate transitions toward viability for small-scale fisheries in the transboundary Sundarbans; and (iii) to examine the governability of the governing system to facilitate vulnerability to viability transitions. Using a scoping literature review, the study highlighted how conventional responses, such as migration, gear modifications, or top-down policies like fishing bans, often fail to address systemic vulnerabilities and may even worsen them. Based on the outcome of the literature review, the study developed a conceptual framework to systematically diagnose the challenges related to vulnerability to viability transitions. By employing a mixed-method approach, the study conducted interviews (N=32), household surveys (N=151), and focus group discussions (N=2) on the Bangladesh and India sides of the Sundarbans mangrove forest. The results revealed that the multi-dimensional vulnerabilities, such as poor housing conditions, marginalization of fishermen and women in decision-making, natural hazards like cyclones, floods, and tiger attacks, inequitable benefit-sharing, exploitation by middlemen, and restrictive fishing policies, pose a barrier to transitions toward viable small-scale fisheries. The research found that both Bangladesh and India employ a mixed (hybrid) governance mode, with hierarchical governance dominating and co-governance initiatives in early stages. The study identified several governability challenges, for instance, diverse stakeholder images about the transboundary Sundarbans issues, which pose barriers to small-scale fisheries’ vulnerability to viability transitions. The study suggested that effective governance requires decentralizing power, improving stakeholder coordination, and aligning conservation goals with community livelihoods. The study also urges a meaningful collaboration between Bangladesh and India, and genuine inclusion of fishing communities in decision-making to facilitate the transition from vulnerability to viability for small-scale fisheries. The study has made a significant contribution to the discussion of vulnerability to viability transitions as an emerging field. The empirical findings provide evidence of whether and how the transitions toward viability can be achieved for small-scale fisheries.
Assessing the Economic Viability of Nature-Based Solutions as an Urban Heat Island Mitigation Strategy: A Framework for York Region
(University of Waterloo, 2025-08-19) Coxworthy, Andrea
This thesis examines the economic viability of urban greenery cover (GC) as an urban heat island (UHI) mitigation strategy for York Region, Ontario. In light of increasing urban temperatures and intensifying heat stress, including the UHI effect, a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis (CBA) framework is developed to evaluate two distinct GC scenarios (moderate and intense). The analysis integrates a range of direct benefits – such as reduced emergency department visits, avoided premature mortality, decreased energy consumption, and increased productivity – alongside indirect benefits, including improved air quality and enhanced biodiversity. A key innovation in this thesis is the incorporation of a non-linear tree canopy scaling factor into the benefit valuation process, recognizing that urban tree benefits, such as air quality and those resulting from cooling effects, do not accrue at a constant rate. The study applied a quadratic scaling function to reflect the gradual maturation of tree canopies over a 40-year project horizon. This adjustment enables a more accurate projection of economic returns by emphasizing the higher benefits realized as trees reach full maturity. Cost components, including initial installation and ongoing maintenance expenses, are also discounted at an annual rate of 3%, following established regulatory guidelines. Overall, the results demonstrate that both GC scenarios yield negative net present values (NPV) and benefit-cost ratios (BCR) of 0.01. However, when non-linear scaling is incorporated, the timing and magnitude of benefits are more accurately projected, reflecting ecological phenomena in an economic model. These findings not only advance the methodological framework for assessing the economic viability of nature-based solutions (NbS) in urban environments but also offer practical insights for policymakers and urban planners seeking to justify investments in urban GC as a means of mitigating the UHI effect and adapting to climate change.
Losing One’s self: A Case Study of Disaster Recovery Processes Through an Identity Approach
(University of Waterloo, 2025-08-15) Willis, Duncan
Climate disasters are characterized by the changes delivered in their wake. Despite the mass disruption brought on by such events, it can only ever be experienced by agents. Ensued by the larger rapid environmental transition, individual agents experience en masse changes to their subjective environments. Through a Symbolic Interactionist lens, these jarring alterations to individuals’ object environments threaten their sense of self as interactional patterned continuity is ruptured. Although such micro-macro relations mark disaster processes’ innate complexity, the interplay of ‘self’ in disaster scenarios is significantly under-researched. Thus, this case study focuses on this interplay within the context of Beira, Mozambique, following Cyclone Idai (2019). Five years post-cyclone landfall, 37 semi-structured interviews were conducted among informal market vendors who experienced temporary or permanent loss of economic livelihood activities. A qualitative thematic analysis, informed by a literature review, was used to analyze the transcribed interviews and to develop a theoretical framework. The theoretical framework proposes multiple propositional relationships that inform mechanisms underpinning the disaster recovery process. To summarize, the vast changes to individuals’ object environments (composed of animate beings, inanimate things, and intangible processes) brought on through the disaster-driven rapid environmental transition may result in identity continuity challenges, leading to agency loss and past-oriented recovery trajectories, resulting in a perpetually liminal recovery process. Findings from this thesis work suggest that the proposed theoretical framework is helpful in identifying and explaining these relations. First, through a Symbolic Interactionist lens, participants’ changes to their livelihood activities, social networks, and time allocation following Cyclone Idai demonstrate significant object environment shifts, insinuating that identity continuity challenges have occurred. Second, participants expressed a positive association of normalcy with their pre-cyclone states, and a desire to return to such a state, implying a past-oriented recovery trajectory. Finally, participants demonstrated low levels of human agency which may have been brought on by failed goal attainment. These findings in combination may illuminate previously untheorized causal mechanisms that impede post-disaster recovery processes. As such, this work contributes to ongoing disaster management research and the emerging space of disaster-induced identity loss.
Linking Blue Carbon Ecosystems and Water Quality in Coastal Wetlands for Viable Small-Scale Fisheries
(University of Waterloo, 2025-07-30) Vikraman Nair, Navya
Coastal wetlands serve as critical social-ecological systems (SES), providing essential ecosystem services (ES), supporting biodiversity, and sustaining livelihoods, particularly for Small-Scale Fisheries (SSFs). However, these ecosystems are increasingly vulnerable due to the degradation of Blue Carbon Ecosystems (BCEs) such as seagrass meadows and mangrove forests, compounded by declining water quality and social-economic pressures. This doctoral research explores the interlinkages between BCEs, water quality, and SSFs in Chilika Lagoon, India, Asia's largest brackish water lagoon-through an interdisciplinary, participatory, and spatially explicit approach. Grounded in the Social-Ecological Vulnerability and Viability Nexus (SEVVN) framework, the study integrates ecological data, community knowledge, and governance analysis to understand the drivers, feedback, and outcomes influencing the resilience of coastal wetland systems. The study explores the interlinkages between BCEs, water quality, and the viability of SSFs in Chilika Lagoon, India. It addresses four interrelated objectives using a mixed-methods approach grounded in SES thinking. First, the spatial distribution of seagrass meadows and mangrove patches is mapped and characterized through participatory mapping, remote sensing (RS), and field observations. By integrating traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) with historical and scientific data, the study reveals patterns of degradation and resilience, highlighting the role of co-produced knowledge in conservation planning. Second, key water quality parameters, salinity, turbidity, temperature, and nutrient loads, are assessed using literature, secondary datasets, and community observations. Seasonal variations and anthropogenic pressures, including plastic pollution and sedimentation, are found to affect BCE health and fishery habitats, impacting SSF productivity and livelihoods. Third, the SEVVN framework is applied to analyze feedback loops and stressors linking BCE degradation and SSF vulnerability. Data from surveys, interviews, and focus group discussions (FGDs) show that fishers experience environmental and institutional vulnerabilities due to declining fish availability, weak governance, and limited adaptive capacity. Sectoral variations in exposure and resilience are documented across the lagoon’s Northern, Central, Southern, and Outer Channel sectors. Finally, the study identifies governance pathways for building resilience. Ecosystem-based and community-centered strategies are proposed, including TEK integration, water quality monitoring, and participatory co-management. Recommendations aim to foster inclusive decision-making and bridge scientific and local knowledge systems. Chilika Lagoon, a Ramsar site and biodiversity hotspot, provides a critical empirical context to study the trade-offs between conservation, development, and livelihood needs. This research contributes to policy and practice for coastal wetland sustainability in South Asia and beyond. Key findings from the study underscore the urgent need for integrated social-ecological approaches in wetland governance. Participatory mapping revealed local awareness of BCE loss but limited community involvement in formal monitoring or conservation programs. Survey data showed that perceptions of water quality decline were strongly linked to observed reductions in fish catch and increased livelihood uncertainty. Participatory exercises surfaced the erosion of traditional knowledge (TK), exacerbated by policy shifts, environmental change, and generational gaps. The SEVVN analysis identified multiple entry points for intervention, including capacity-building, knowledge co-production, and inclusive policy formulation. Theoretically, the study contributes to the literature on SES, blue carbon science, and fisheries governance by developing and applying the SEVVN framework. Methodologically, it advances participatory and mixed-methods research in coastal environments. Practically, it offers actionable insights for policymakers, conservation practitioners, and local communities seeking to build adaptive capacity and enhance the viability of SSFs. By linking ecological data with social realities, and grounding analysis in community perspectives, this research contributes to sustainability science and global efforts to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It particularly aligns with SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 6 (Clean Water), SDG 13 (Climate Action), SDG 14 (Life Below Water), and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). Ultimately, the study argues for a shift from fragmented, top-down conservation models toward more inclusive, participatory, and ecosystem-based governance approaches that center the voices of those most dependent on coastal resources.
Role of Social Capital and Relational Well-being in Shaping the Community Level Responses to Tropical Cyclones among the Small-Scale Fisheries Communities in Chilika Lagoon, India
(University of Waterloo, 2025-06-24) PRAKASH SHERLY, GREESHMA
Small scale fisheries (SSFs) are more vulnerable to calamities brought on by natural hazards, changing climatic conditions, and climate change due to their proximity to the seashore. Dealing with these challenges is an added burden to already existing vulnerabilities, injustice and marginalization faced by them. The Indian subcontinent with a vast coastline extending up to 7516 kms (about 4670.23 mi), is vulnerable to world’s 10% tropical cyclones, especially in the places adjacent to Bay of Bengal (BoB). Asia’s largest and world’s second largest brackish water lagoon, adjacent to BoB - Chilika lagoon, situated in Odisha state of India is extremely prone to catastrophic events, causing around 5-6 cyclones hitting the coast annually. SSFs who depend on the lagoon for their livelihood are on the forefront suffering from the repercussions of cyclonic activities. While resilience against events like cyclones is usually analyzed in terms of economic and infrastructure aspects, there is a lack of focus on the intrinsic material aspects contributing to community resilience in the face of climate related disasters. This research fills this gap by analyzing the community resilience of SSF’s in Chilika Lagoon through the lens of social capital and relational well-being. Social capital measures the different links or connections a community has within and outside of their network that helps them build effective response strategies through collective action at the time of crisis. Communities with high social capital can bring community members together for better preparedness, emergency support, response, and recovery efforts. Nevertheless, it is not the existence of all these linkages that matters, but the quality and balance of all these ties are imperative. For instance, the effectiveness of these could be hindered in a community level resilience if it lacks the ability to address the power imbalance, social inequality, and trust. Thus, relational well-being measures the quality of various networks through characteristics such as trust, reciprocity, support, and network dynamics which create a sense of motivation to work collectively. The study employs a qualitative case study approach and multiple data collection tools such as semi-structured interviews, non-participant observations, and focus group discussions. The key findings present the various challenges faced by the communities in various systems like social, economic, environmental and physical and their interconnectedness, role of social capital and relational well-being in the various community level response to deal with the crises, the lack thereof due to power imbalance, social inequality, caste system and political power and finally providing recommendations to ensure tailored context specific approaches to enhance the community resilience against disasters like tropical cyclone in the future.
Transitioning from Vulnerability to Viability: Fisher community responses to illegal gold mining impacts on small-scale fisheries along the Ankobra river, Ghana
(University of Waterloo, 2025-06-20) Agyapong, Prince
Small-scale fisheries in Ghana’s Ankobra River basin are increasingly threatened by the expansion of illegal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM), resulting in environmental degradation, declining fish stocks, and reduced livelihood resilience. This thesis investigates the socio-ecological impacts of ASGM on fishing communities in Ajomoro Eshiem, Eziome, and Sanwoma, using a convergent mixed-methods approach grounded in the Social-Ecological Systems (SES) frameworks. The research aims to (a) Explore the nature of ASGM activities and the key characteristics of the small-scale fishery industry in the Ankobra basin, (b) Assess the socio-economic and ecological well-being of small-scale fisheries due to the impact of ASGM on livelihoods, (c) Investigate the adaptive strategies adopted by fishing communities in response to ASGM-related disruptions. Quantitative survey data, along with qualitative interviews and focus groups, were integrated to provide a comprehensive understanding of household expenditures, changes in fish catch, access to support services, compensation mechanisms, and the inclusion of women and marginalized groups in decision-making. Findings reveal that ASGM has led to substantial declines in fish catch, increased household expenditures to mitigate health and environmental impacts, and widespread dissatisfaction with compensation and support services. Women and marginalized groups remain largely excluded from local governance processes, further weakening community resilience. While some fishers employ livelihood diversification and collective action to cope, these strategies are constrained by limited institutional support and infrastructural deficits. This research highlights the urgent need for inclusive governance, targeted capacity building, and sustainable alternative livelihood programs to enhance resilience and ensure the long-term viability of fisheries-dependent communities. It contributes to the understanding of how mixed-methods and socio-ecological systems based analysis can inform policy and practice in mining-impacted regions. Further studies can support viable transition pathways for affected communities. Keywords: small-scale fisheries, illegal gold mining, livelihood resilience, social-ecological systems, adaptive capacity
100 mile fibre: The organization and governance of fibresheds in Southern Ontario and Northern Ohio
(University of Waterloo, 2025-06-19) deGroot, Amaryah
Textile overconsumption, propelled by a fashion industry that is global in scale and overly reliant on non-renewable feedstocks, has led to new models of fibre production. One model is the fibreshed, a regional-based fibre system that proposes circularity, local scale and suitability, and accessible mechanisms of governance. While fashion and design scholars have studied fibresheds, more research is needed to develop a theoretical understanding of them, their structures of governance and their contributions to sustainable fashion. To address these gaps, a case study was conducted on two fibreshed networks in North America. This research examined how the model is being delivered and the factors influencing its implementation, in particular, how regional fibre production is structured, managed and supported in two regions – Southern Ontario and Northern Ohio – areas which include the organizations of Upper Canada Fibreshed in Ontario and Rust Belt Fibershed in Ohio. Informed by existing scholarship in fashion, sustainable fashion and governance, and by theories on place and regions, this exploratory work involved interviews with key informants and a review of primary documents to draw an empirical understanding of the organization and governance of fibresheds. More specifically, it applied Benedum and Becker’s (2021) network governance framework to assess how fibreshed players organize, coordinate stakeholders and carry out their objectives of social accountability and regional development. By integrating sustainable fashion concepts with regional theories from geography and design, the results of this research emphasize the social-spatial dimensions of fibresheds. They also inform the study of other regional-based supply networks by reinforcing the impact of heterogeneity on network capacity and the need for producer involvement in decision-making. Such an analysis provides a critical foundation for progress toward the governance of sustainable fashion which values the players and leads to more meaningful engagement with sustainable consumption.
Evaluating Municipal Climate Action: An Analysis of Performance Measurement Models, Practices, and Indicators
(University of Waterloo, 2025-06-16) Feor, Leah
This thesis provides interconnected contributions to theory and practice in climate governance, specifically on municipal performance measurement practices. Key concepts, including the evaluation and control step of the strategic management process, the performance measurement process, and the indicator framework and selection process, frame this research. This thesis contains five chapters. The first and last chapters serve as the introduction and conclusion, respectively. The second, third, and fourth chapter are standalone papers. The first paper of this thesis explored the current state of social impact measurement (SIM) by examining common practices that are used to measure the post-intervention social impact of programs and projects. Using a systematic literature review, this study analyzed a decade's worth of global academic literature on SIM. Through deductive and inductive manual coding of articles in NVivo, this study identified key themes and strategies for improving measurement practices. Findings from this paper suggest strategies for improved measurement such as stakeholder engagement throughout the measurement process, utilizing existing operational data, enhancing measurement capacity, and using a combination of qualitative and quantitative data. This study contributes to the SIM field by offering an in-depth understanding of common measurement models and providing clear recommendations for practitioners to improve SIM. The second paper of this thesis used a contingency theory lens to investigate the climate-related performance measurement practices of 31 Canadian municipalities, with a focus on the influence of population size. Using a case study approach, data were gathered through interviews and document analysis. Data were analyzed through both deductive and inductive coding in NVivo 14. Results indicate that municipalities with larger population sizes prioritize more themes for measurement, employ a broader set of criteria for indicator selection, and report more frequently. Population size does not seem to influence stakeholder involvement in indicator selection or data analysis strategies. By applying contingency theory to Chapter 3, this study examined a situational approach versus the idea of a ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution for local climate-related performance measurement. The final paper explored the climate mitigation indicators currently used in practice and identified those most suitable for measuring local climate-related performance. A document analysis was conducted to identify the climate-related indicators in use by 21 Canadian municipalities, which were categorized and analyzed according to the logic model framework and GHG emissions activity sectors. An indicator evaluation matrix was employed to propose a parsimonious set of 19 new climate mitigation indicators, with the Delphi technique used to achieve consensus among experts. This study found that while a range of indicators exist across the logic model, there is an uneven distribution. The analysis also revealed the emergence of nature-based indicators for local climate mitigation performance measurement. Together, this thesis showcases and defines models and frameworks that municipalities can use to better track their climate performance, while also contributing to the broader academic discourse on measurement practices in the public sector. The findings from this thesis outline streamlined approaches to performance measurement, providing clear pathways for municipalities that are looking to more effectively track progress towards common climate goals.
The Role of the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) and socio-demographics in influencing Pro- climate behaviours
(University of Waterloo, 2025-05-26) Hussain, Mahnoor
The study aimed to investigate the association between demographic factors and components of the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) with the climate change behaviour of the people residing in Canada. The hypotheses of the research focused on the association between socio-demographics of age, gender, race, region, income, language, and education with the intention of the people to act in an environment-friendly way. Moreover, the hypotheses were also concerned with social norms, attitudes, perceived behavioural control, intention, and behaviour of the people. The data of the study was obtained from the survey of Impact Canada, selecting wave 1 responses for the research as it provided information according to the variables required for the study. The data analysis was conducted through Chi-square and Spearman correlation. The findings have provided support for all of the study hypotheses, excluding H6 and H7 which were related to the association of language and race with intention. However, the other hypotheses have been accepted, which implies that demographic factors tend to play a significant role in determining the pro-climate behaviours of the people. In addition, the relevance of TPB has been established through this study as a means of understanding the adoption of environment-friendly behaviours of the people in Canada.
Applicability of Adaptive Co-Management within Indonesian Small-Scale Fisheries.
(University of Waterloo, 2025-05-12) Lister, Murray
Small-Scale Fisheries (SSF) governance has historically excluded small-scale fishers from participating in decision-making processes, negatively influencing millions of livelihoods. Governance of SSF is complex due to interactions between users and the environment, both with varying influence on the system. Indonesia is of particular importance for SSF governance due to its archipelagic structure, fishing culture and the direct link between economic viability and SSF. Indonesian SSF provide livelihood, nutrition, and economic security to millions of fishers. Indonesian SSF however face, illegal and unreported fishing practices, fishing location disputes, pollution, poor living conditions, declining fish stocks and extreme volatile weather conditions. Effective governance strategies for SSF that can adapt to dynamic conditions within Indonesian SSF are critically needed. This thesis aims to explore the strength of adaptive co-management indictors present within Indonesian SSF, and how current governance of SSF can be transitioned, aiding in the transition of these fisheries from vulnerability to viability. Adaptive co-management is a governance approach that combines co-management and adaptive management, while integrating the practices of learn-by-doing, social memory and social networks into governance proceedings. This thesis indicates that adaptive co-management is an effective governance approach for complex social-ecological systems such as SSF. With adaptive co-management providing an avenue to facilitate vulnerable to viable SSF transitions. Long-term institutional support, effective capital building and social capital, were the strongest indicators of adaptive co-management, marking these critical for future development in SSF.

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