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This study measured the impact of an awareness campaign to reduce food waste on campus. Information cues were installed at strategic locations in a canteen to engage university students in food waste prevention. Stickers with food ordering tips were placed in front of the food vendors. Information cards about resource use in food production were placed on dining tables to remind students to finish what they had ordered. Other materials of the save food campaign such as pos-ters and banners carried messages and images to elicit a pro-environmental norm. Students were also encouraged to share their support through social media in order to increase the visibility of the actions. The analysis showed that carefully designed information was effective in changing be-haviors. Based on the visual analysis of returned food containers, the share of those who finished all their food nearly doubled after the campaign. The types of food waste on the information cardswere also significantly reduced. However, the results showed that voluntary behavior changes are limited to actions requiring little additional effort. Other types of interventions such as rule-based measures, economic incentives and changes in physical settings and how food is served should be considered to further food waste prevention. In addition, reuse and recycling options are needed for fluid and other unavoidable food waste.

This study investigated the differences in household energy consumption between urban and rural households in northern Thailand, with a particular focus on air-conditioner ownership and use. In-depth visits to 32 households in Chiang Rai were undertaken in 2016 and 2017. The data collection covered six aspects: household attributes, ownership of electric appliances, use of air conditioners (ACs), intentions to conserve electricity, desire to purchase electric appliances in the future, and prospects for a future lifestyle. Traditional stilt houses can still be found in rural areas, but ACs have been introduced as rural houses have modernized. The typical period of AC use in rural areas was 2 to 4 months during summer. In urban households, ACs were used for a longer period, from 3 to 12 months each year. In addition, rural households usually used ACs for only a few hours each day before sleeping, whereas urban households often used them while they slept and some used them throughout the day. Households with children and grandchildren tended to use the AC for longer periods. These results suggest that promotion of environmentally friendly lifestyles for younger adults to control overuse of ACs would be key to reducing energy consumption in the future.

Primarily responsible for waste collection and disposal, local governments in northern Thailand face significant obstacles in managing waste. Mixing infectious, hazardous and general waste, over-utilizing incinerators and implementing environmentally improper disposal methods all contribute to burgeoning volumes of waste with adverse environmental and health impacts. The objectives of this study are to use the Wasteaware benchmark indicators (WABIs) to assess the effectiveness and sustainability of the waste management of Wiengthoeng Sub-district Municipality (WSM), to identify advantages and disadvantages of its system and offer fact-based recommendations for improvement. Pertinent data was obtained through interviews of governmental authorities, community members and private sector employees between October, 2020 and May, 2021 using designed questionnaires and through review of official governmental records. It was found that with the help of village leaders, increased public participation in MSWM and working with local governments resulted in more widespread involvement in the 3Rs practices. Economic measures facilitated the objectives. Assessing ‘pay-as-you-throw’ fees resulted in a focus on lowering household costs through waste separation and reduction. The financial benefits of the program were not significant, but the source waste required for final disposal was reduced. The findings suggest that to increase the sustainability of municipal solid waste management, source reduction and segregation should be promoted to minimize the volume of refuse sent to landfills. Source reduction and collaboration between residents and village leaders can provide more long-term benefits than positive short-term economic impacts. Moreover, to improve the sustainability of its physical assets, WSM must better address the environmental impact of waste treatment and disposal.

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