Knowledge,innovation and sustainability： The implementation of voluntary environmental policies in Greece： The case of environmental management systems

The paper focuses upon the issues of knowledge, innovation and sustainability concerning the implementation of voluntary environmental policies in Greece, and in particularly, through assessing the implementation of environmental management systems （EMS）. The first part of the paper refers to the theoretical background of EMS, presenting selected aspects from the approaches of the new economic geography and the new regionalism and from ecological modernization theory. In the second part, the implementation of EMS in Greece is highlighted, mainly focused on the profile of the enterprises, the sectoral and regional distributional pattern and the main problems during the implementation. The third part presents the main results of the empirical research on the impact of EMS implementation, concerning sustainability （e.g., water and energy savings, alternative renewable resources, sound waste management）, innovation （e.g., product or process innovation） and participation. The role of knowledge, during the process of implementation of EMS, is analyzed in the forth part of the paper. In the last part, recommendations for future policies are described, aiming at promoting strategies of EMS in urban areas and enchasing the role of local government.     

Urban sustainability and the emergence of new （old） concepts： Analysis of the sustainable communities concept through the component of transportation

In this paper, I propose to analyze the sustainable communities concept through the perspective of transportation and connectivity. Sustainable communities concept gives more importance to the social dimension that is the centre of the concern, and spatially to the neighbourhood and the complex structure of interactions, activities, fluxes that characterize the urban environment. To understand the concept, I will focus on the principles that underline this concept including the seven components that were defined by Egan （2004）. There will be an approach through the evolution of transportation in cities, a contextualization of the present problems associated with this topic, the explanation of the differences between sustainable transportation and ＂common＂ transportation. The relation between land use patterns and transportation will also be addressed on how sustainable transportation can promote the sense of community in a place. In the final remarks, there will be some proposed measures associated with the concept of sustainable communities.     

China＇s Energy Efficient Appliance Adoption Dilemma： Problems,Possibilities, and Solutions

With the world＇s largest population and growing concerns that increasing energy consumption threatens the environment, the economy, and social stability, the Chinese Government has identified improving the physical environment as a priority. One way consumers can assist in this effort and save money is to invest in energy efficient appliances. Despite efforts to encourage consumers to purchase energy efficient appliances, consumer adoption of these money and energy saving devices is quite low. The authors contend that energy efficient appliances are less popular in China than in the West due to poor marketing of the cost savings of these devices coupled with lower levels of purchases with credit versus cash. A survey given to Chinese consumers seeks to answer these queries and provides evidence of ways to improve the adoption of energy efficient appliances. This benefits manufacturers （who make money selling more expensive items）, consumers （who save money over the life of the appliance since the cost of ownership is not just the cost of purchasing the item but also includes the cost of using it）, the Chinese Government （which is currently engaged in a campaign to lower the amount of energy used）, and the world （which benefits from a cleaner environment）.