Cosmoeducação: uma abordagem transdisciplinar no ensino de astronomia

This work proposes a transdisciplinary approach that integrates transpersonal psychology exercises with astronomy teaching, seeking to allow one to reintegrate the sky in his/her daily life, expand his/her environmental awareness and eventually experiment the unity between human and cosmos. This proposal intends to collaborate with the supplying of education, which lacks initiatives of this kind, with the promotion of an integration of the scientific knowledge with the human experience that transcends the materialistic and fragmentary objectives of the current educational system. As a result of that lack, the teachers formation is also poor as for an integral and transdisciplinary approach. Besides, we also approached in this research the necessity to propose alternatives so that the educators may work in a more assertive way with the environmental and anthropological crisis in which we are living. Our working hypothesis is that the contents of astronomy, when they are dealt in a holisticanthropological focus and are related with transpersonal psychology practices, can come to be an efficient cultural-academic vehicle, capable of propitiating an expansion of consciousness and changes in the way one conceives the world. Such changes are necessary so that a more solidary, fair and ecologically balanced life may come to exist and prevail in the planet. Part of the collection of data was done through the ethnographic method, once an anthropological interpretation is inextricably associated with this kind of educational intervention, which will naturally include ethno-visions of the universe as well as specific cultural elements. In the beginning the scope of this research was a group of students attending the Astronomy assignment in an undergraduate Geography course (UFRN), in which we accomplished participant observation, half-open interviews and the first experimental practices mentioned. After the evaluation of the first data collected from that initial group, we elaborated an academic extension course, Laboratory in Cosmoeducation, and we offered it to teachers of the 1st and 2nd cycles of the fundamental level of the Alceu Amoroso Lima State School, located in the North Zone of Natal. We prized self-experimentation in that course, so that the teachers could enrich their repertoire of personal experiences, stimulating meditative reflections and eventual changes in the ways of conceiving the world and in their pedagogical practice. The transdisciplinary attitude permeated all our educational action, because this approach transcends the boundaries of disciplines, seeking essentially the integral development of the human being. The process has made us realize that the practice of looking at the sky , as a way of reintegrating it into daily life, provokes a process of expansion of the consciousness and of reintegration of the self in a wider level of environmental interrelation. According to the results, the occurrence of conceptual and existential changes of the world vision of the participant teachers was evident, reassuring ourselves of the idea that the interface between astronomy teaching and the practices of transpersonal psychology can contribute to the recovery of a holistic relationship between the human being and the cosmos and to inspire the arising of a more wide-ranging ethics, based on universal, impartial and sustainable values

Contaminação ambiental e exploração capitalista ao meio ambiente: os resíduos sólidos na sociedade global

O mundo atual passa por uma crise ambiental sem precedentes na história, o que resulta em conseqüências ambientais perceptíveis e preocupantes. Governos e organizações internacionais têm dado maior relevância à variável ambiental como um dos principais eixos de definição das políticas de crescimento/desenvolvimento econômico, como o intuito de adequar as demandas sociais aos limites naturais. Como consequências dessa forma perdulária de produção e consumo da sociedade global temos a contaminação ambiental ampliada e diversificada. O presente artigo discute a acumulação capitalista no setor dos resíduos sólidos, partindo da hipótese da impossibilidade de se diminuir a geração ampliada dos resíduos, sendo necessário que se crie estratégias de gestão e tratamento para os resíduos baseados na atividade da reciclagem dos materiais. A parte final expõe os paradigmas da questão dos resíduos sólidos na sociedade global.

Gestão ambiental na saúde pública: um estudo sobre a percepção ambiental em laboratórios de análises clínicas

This objective of this work was to investigate the enviromental perception of technician of clinical laboratories, in the city of the Natal/RN, focusing the generated environmental aspects and impacts in the activities, the strategical importance of the environmental management for the activity, as well as the knowledge about environmental norms and resolutions applied to the sector. A type survey exploratory and descriptive was carried through, using a questionnaire applied in 82 clinical laboratory, getting a return tax of 53,65%, or either, 44 laboratories. The results of the descriptive analyses point with respect to environmental conscience of the interviewed, therefore the majority (75%) described the activities of clinical analyses as great imapact on the environment. Although the interviewed present certain knowledge on the advantages of practical of envivonmental protection and the risks that the activities of clinical analyses offer, some important practical of environmental protection arer not develped by the majority of the iterviewed. The carried through statistical analyses had allowed to investigate the level of environmental knowledge of the professionals of the sector, being consisted themselves that they present little knowledge on practical ISO 14001 and of environmental protection in the health public sector. It can be conclude that, a program of environmental qualification for the sector becomes necessary, in order to improve the knowledge of the professionals of the area, and that the majority of the professionals would have a good recptivity therefore recognize the benefits of the practicadl of environmental protection for the competitiveness of the clinical analyses laboratories

Contaminação ambiental e exploração capitalista ao meio ambiente: os resíduos sólidos na sociedade global

O mundo atual passa por uma crise ambiental sem precedentes na história, o que resulta em conseqüências ambientais perceptíveis e preocupantes. Governos e organizações internacionais têm dado maior relevância à variável ambiental como um dos principais eixos de definição das políticas de crescimento/desenvolvimento econômico, como o intuito de adequar as demandas sociais aos limites naturais. Como consequências dessa forma perdulária de produção e consumo da sociedade global temos a contaminação ambiental ampliada e diversificada. O presente artigo discute a acumulação capitalista no setor dos resíduos sólidos, partindo da hipótese da impossibilidade de se diminuir a geração ampliada dos resíduos, sendo necessário que se crie estratégias de gestão e tratamento para os resíduos baseados na atividade da reciclagem dos materiais. A parte final expõe os paradigmas da questão dos resíduos sólidos na sociedade global.

Uma metodologia para a análise do desempenho sustentável dos postos de revenda de combustível na cidade de Natal/RN, com o uso de data envelopment analysis-DEA

The increasing use of fossil fuels in line with cities demographic explosion carries out to huge environmental impact in society. For mitigate these social impacts, regulatory requirements have positively influenced the environmental consciousness of society, as well as, the strategic behavior of businesses. Along with this environmental awareness, the regulatory organs have conquered and formulated new laws to control potentially polluting activities, mostly in the gas stations sector. Seeking for increasing market competitiveness, this sector needs to quickly respond to internal and external pressures, adapting to the new standards required in a strategic way to get the Green Badge . Gas stations have incorporated new strategies to attract and retain new customers whom present increasingly social demand. In the social dimension, these projects help the local economy by generating jobs and income distribution. In this survey, the present research aims to align the social, economic and environmental dimensions to set the sustainable performance indicators at Gas Stations sector in the city of Natal/RN. The Sustainable Balanced Scorecard (SBSC) framework was create with a set of indicators for mapping the production process of gas stations. This mapping aimed at identifying operational inefficiencies through multidimensional indicators. To carry out this research, was developed a system for evaluating the sustainability performance with application of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) through a quantitative method approach to detect system s efficiency level. In order to understand the systemic complexity, sub organizational processes were analyzed by the technique Network Data Envelopment Analysis (NDEA) figuring their micro activities to identify and diagnose the real causes of overall inefficiency. The sample size comprised 33 Gas stations and the conceptual model included 15 indicators distributed in the three dimensions of sustainability: social, environmental and economic. These three dimensions were measured by means of classical models DEA-CCR input oriented. To unify performance score of individual dimensions, was designed a unique grouping index based upon two means: arithmetic and weighted. After this, another analysis was performed to measure the four perspectives of SBSC: learning and growth, internal processes, customers, and financial, unifying, by averaging the performance scores. NDEA results showed that no company was assessed with excellence in sustainability performance. Some NDEA higher efficiency Gas Stations proved to be inefficient under certain perspectives of SBSC. In the sequence, a comparative sustainable performance and assessment analyzes among the gas station was done, enabling entrepreneurs evaluate their performance in the market competitors. Diagnoses were also obtained to support the decision making of entrepreneurs in improving the management of organizational resources and promote guidelines the regulators. Finally, the average index of sustainable performance was 69.42%, representing the efforts of the environmental suitability of the Gas station. This results point out a significant awareness of this segment, but it still needs further action to enhance sustainability in the long term

Investigações em torno do antropocentrismo e da atual crise ecológica

Many environmental ethics thinkers bear the existing ecological crisis is resultig from the fact that both, our thoughts and our actions would be antropocentric. It means that they (our thoughts and our actions) would have the human needs and wishes satisfaction as their only goals. However, a careful investigation about the relationship among humans could perhaps unveil that we are not antropocentric yet. The aim of this work is to enlighten this: whether we think and act in an antropocentric way as it seems to be largely accepted. It seems that we have found a satisfatory answer to the question

Desenvolvimento de novos biolubrificantes hidráulicos derivados dos óleos de maracujá e de moringa in natura e epoxidados

With the increasing environmental awareness, maximizing biodegradability and minimizing ecotoxicity is the main driving force for new technological developments. Thus, can be developed new biodegradable lubricants for use in environmentally sensitive areas. The aim of this study was to obtain new bio-lubricants from passion fruit (Passiflora edulis Sims f. flavicarpa Degener) and moringa (Moringa oleifera Lamarck) epoxidized oils and develop a new additive package using experimental design for their use as a hydraulic fluid. In the first stage of this work was performed the optimization of the epoxidation process of the oils using fractional experimental design 24-1 , varying the temperature, reaction time, ratio of formic acid and hydrogen peroxide. In the second step was investigated the selectivity, thermodynamics and kinetics of the reaction for obtaining the two epoxides at 30, 50 and 70 °C. The result of the experimental design confirmed that the epoxidation of passion fruit oil requires 2 hours of reaction, 50 °C and a ratio H2O2/C=C/HCOOH (1:1:1). For moringa oil were required 2 hours reaction, 50 °C and a ratio of H2O2/C=C/HCOOH (1:1:1.5). The results of the final conversions were equal to 83.09% (± 0.3) for passion fruit oil epoxide and 91.02 (±0,4) for moringa oil epoxide. Following was made the 23 factorial design to evaluate which are the best concentrations of corrosion inhibitor and anti-wear (IC), antioxidant (BHA) and extreme pressure (EP) additives. The bio-lubricants obtained in this step were characterized according to DIN 51524 (Part 2 HLP) and DIN 51517 (Part 3 CLP) standards. The epoxidation process of the oils was able to improve the oxidative stability and reduce the total acid number, when compared to the in natura oils. Moreover, the epoxidized oils best solubilized additives, resulting in increased performance as a lubricant. In terms of physicochemical performance, the best lubricant fluid was the epoxidized moringa oil with additives (EMO-ADI), followed by the epoxidized passion fruit oil with additives (EPF-ADI) and, finally, the passion fruit in natura oil without additives (PFO). Lastly, was made the investigation of the tribological behavior under conditions of boundary lubrication for these lubricants. The tribological performance of the developed lubricants was analyzed on a HFRR equipment (High Frequency Reciprocating Rig) and the coefficient of friction, which occurs during the contact and the formation of the lubricating film, was measured. The wear was evaluated through optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results showed that the addition of extreme pressure (EP) and anti-wear and corrosion inhibitor (CI) additives significantly improve the tribological properties of the fluids. In all assays, was formed a lubricating film that is responsible for reducing the coefficient of metal-to-metal wear. It was observed that the addition of EP and IC additives in the in natura vegetable oils of passion fruit and moringa did not favor a significant reduction in wear. The bio-lubricants developed from passion fruit and moringa oils modified via epoxidation presented satisfactory tribological properties and shown to be potential lubricants for replacement of commercial mineral-based fluids.

Uma metodologia para a análise do desempenho sustentável dos postos de revenda de combustível na cidade de Natal/RN, com o uso de data envelopment analysis-DEA

The increasing use of fossil fuels in line with cities demographic explosion carries out to huge environmental impact in society. For mitigate these social impacts, regulatory requirements have positively influenced the environmental consciousness of society, as well as, the strategic behavior of businesses. Along with this environmental awareness, the regulatory organs have conquered and formulated new laws to control potentially polluting activities, mostly in the gas stations sector. Seeking for increasing market competitiveness, this sector needs to quickly respond to internal and external pressures, adapting to the new standards required in a strategic way to get the Green Badge . Gas stations have incorporated new strategies to attract and retain new customers whom present increasingly social demand. In the social dimension, these projects help the local economy by generating jobs and income distribution. In this survey, the present research aims to align the social, economic and environmental dimensions to set the sustainable performance indicators at Gas Stations sector in the city of Natal/RN. The Sustainable Balanced Scorecard (SBSC) framework was create with a set of indicators for mapping the production process of gas stations. This mapping aimed at identifying operational inefficiencies through multidimensional indicators. To carry out this research, was developed a system for evaluating the sustainability performance with application of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) through a quantitative method approach to detect system s efficiency level. In order to understand the systemic complexity, sub organizational processes were analyzed by the technique Network Data Envelopment Analysis (NDEA) figuring their micro activities to identify and diagnose the real causes of overall inefficiency. The sample size comprised 33 Gas stations and the conceptual model included 15 indicators distributed in the three dimensions of sustainability: social, environmental and economic. These three dimensions were measured by means of classical models DEA-CCR input oriented. To unify performance score of individual dimensions, was designed a unique grouping index based upon two means: arithmetic and weighted. After this, another analysis was performed to measure the four perspectives of SBSC: learning and growth, internal processes, customers, and financial, unifying, by averaging the performance scores. NDEA results showed that no company was assessed with excellence in sustainability performance. Some NDEA higher efficiency Gas Stations proved to be inefficient under certain perspectives of SBSC. In the sequence, a comparative sustainable performance and assessment analyzes among the gas station was done, enabling entrepreneurs evaluate their performance in the market competitors. Diagnoses were also obtained to support the decision making of entrepreneurs in improving the management of organizational resources and promote guidelines the regulators. Finally, the average index of sustainable performance was 69.42%, representing the efforts of the environmental suitability of the Gas station. This results point out a significant awareness of this segment, but it still needs further action to enhance sustainability in the long term

As cidades, os rios e as escolas: um estudo das práticas de educação ambiental nas cidades de Natal e Mossoró-RN

Universidade Estadual do Rio Grande do Norte

Universidade e educação ambiental

The society consists of the inter-relations between diverse symbolic fields of performance, where some agents if identify for values, habits and goals. The present thesis analyzed, taking for base the Theory of the Social Field of Pierre Bourdieu, the ambient field and the university, leaving of the principle that the university is one of the propitious places for the quarrel, study, knowledge elaboration, and that the ambient education is one of the ways of dissemination of knowledge and action in favor of the ambient question. It was looked to contextualize and to identify the main factors that configure the university while a social field, and to evidence the conflict and connector links with the ambientalism. It is perceived university as space of tensions, whose produced capital stock in the academic scope must be enough convincing in the direction of the social transformation, of the expansion of conscience, the critical matureness, and thus to appear as agent of social transformation. The joint between the diverse social fields, promoted for the university, will be able to contribute for knowledge formularization that can consist base for elaboration of politics and programs to answer to the problems of the society contemporary. It has the inter-relationship between the two fields, however, this relation still is fragile, needing that a continuity practical social that they make possible that the ambient question is part of the culture of the university. This will be able to give with the intensification of the actions and the inclusion of the ambient questions in the communication mechanisms and administrative management. To surpass discontinuities caused for changes of groups leading and for interests politician conjunctural are necessary that they create habitus, what passes for the institutionalization of practical and the constitution of a culture that the agents allow if to reorganize defending the interests of social transformation front to the economic interests, as much in the university how much in the ambient field

Dimensões e universo das representações sociais de educação ambiental por discentes em Garanhuns-PE

The research aimed at investigating the dimensions and the universe of social representations of environmental education, as well as identifying the senses and meanings Environmental Education. This study admitted as presumption the education and environment dimensions. In this investigation was adopted as reference the dimension or representation scope of Moscovici. One hundred and twenty (120) students from Public Schools of Basic Education participated of this study and moreover three hundred and twenty-three (323) from Higher Education in the area of the UPE-FACETEG. The following questions were admitted: 1) What are the dimensions/categories that exist in the semantic scope of social representations of the environmental education? 2) What are the senses and meanings of environmental education? 3) The student s representations of Basic Education are similar or different from the Higher Education? The software EVOC helped in the organization of semantic scope for construction of the categories, with support of the contents analysis. The justifications are sorted on lexical classes using the software ALCESTE, through of the speech analyses. The free association of words answered the question dimension/categories and its semantic scope, being: a) Nature/Environment; b) values; c) Attitudes; d) Actions; e) Implications; f) Mediation. Six lexical classes were found with its meanings enumerated in this way: 1.Awareness, as a factor of belief for the preservation of nature and society. The students are clamoring for environmental education in the school, emphasizing the importance of awareness in the development of the respect to the environment linking the education and family; 2. The consciousness-knowledge relationship for the environment-nature preservation. 3. The environment and human interventions, in search of indicators of solutions. 4. Nature /background/ environment and its constituting elements, a thinking of values and an acting for mediation. 5. The human-nature interaction in social representations of environmental education and the symbolic-life size. 6. Nature / environment /, values, attitudes, actions, implications, and mediation in nature-man relationships. The groups more representatives according to these lexical classes were, the Basic Education in the class-4, represented exclusively by the Primary and Secondary Education and the class-6 represented by both two the Basic Education (47,37%) and the Higher Education (52,63%) - History, Pedagogy, Psychology, Mathematics, Language and Literature. The classes 4 and 6 are related to the class-3 which in turn is formed by students of Higher Education (Mathematics, Biology, Pedagogy, Psychology, Language and Literature) and Basic Education (Primary and Secondary Education). The Higher Education is most represented by the lexical classes (1, 2 and 5). The class 2 corresponded to 80% of the researched groups. In the class-1 the biggest representation was concerning to the Psychology, Geography, Biology and Language and Literature courses, whereas the class-5 was best represented by Psychology, Biology, Pedagogy, Language and Literature, Geography and History. From the results, one may conclude that the imagery is nature/environment; that life is the symbolic dimension that permeates the whole imaginary, and that preservation, awareness and respect are inserted in the speech that circulate to protect life

Uma prática educativa ambiental na construção de agenda 21 local.

This proposal is to search, investigate practical experience in environmental education for the construction of Local Agenda 21, in the municipality of Maxaranguape-RN, attended that brought together various subject and collective social actors of civil society organizations, among them, the Center for Education and Advice Herbert de Souza - CEAHS (NGOs who serves on the council since 1999), associations of farmers and farmers in areas of settlements, teachers / as, groups of women and young people, entrepreneurs, public power, the German partner entities IBAMA. INCRA, BNB in the project of Agenda 21. They are members and participants, constituents of the Permanent Forum of Agenda 21, the main actor privileged in the search. As an object of study to identify the limits and scope of this practice, with regard to aspects of awareness / participation and awaken to an awareness of critical social subjects in the collective social and environmental perspective. The study seeks to investigate if this experience has allowed the individual and collective social subjects, understand and act in their daily life, as the changes in attitudes postures, and expand their interests to participate in various public spaces this intention, is considered the educational activities made with the principles of environmental education in the construction of Agenda 21 that have contributed in raising awareness / participation of social actors of the Permanent Forum of Agenda 21. While reference methodology, the research focuses on theoretical design Freireana with relevance on the dimensions of dialogue, critical thinking and the human dimension comprising the act as educational practice of freedom, the prospect of human emancipation and social transformation of reality, and bring other thinkers as, Carvalho (2004), Trigueiro (2003), Days (2004), among others. The investigation of this practice points to the subject of education, which ECOCIENCIA to install the Agenda 21 and its effect on demand under municipal, German, providing a change of attitudes and postures and certainly, generating a new look and act in the world, broadening their interests and desires of inserting themselves, to participate in public spheres, particularly in establishing relations with dialogical criticality with the authorities and face the demands socio-environmental locations.

Cidadania ambiental em centros urbanos : um estudo com estudantes do ensino superior

This work presents a study of the ambient management in urban centers, considering the ambient perception as element necessary to develop in the population the conscience of the necessity to preserve the environment. For this, the attitudes and behaviors of the community, represented for students of an Institution had been evaluated, so that strategies and actions are traced that come to minimize the ambient degradation and to provide an aggregate sustainable development to the economic development. The objective of this research consists of studying the problematic one of the ambient management in urban centers under the point of view of the awareness, of the ambient perception and of the participation of the population, this because the ambient questions are inserted in the aspects that involve the practical life and the daily one, for what becomes excellent to understand that the environment is a right of all, therefore, must be preserved. The methodology used in this work constitutes in the application of a questionnaire with scales of the type likert contends variables that compose the acts and mannering aspects, beyond a partner-demographic scale. The Chi-square method was used in the analysis statistics de Pearson to verify the dependence of the associations between the partner-demographic 0 variable and the acts and mannering variables. The results point that the academic environment is opportune to deal with the subject, in view of that the ambient preservation goes for all the contents, and that the pupils of today will be able, in the future, in its areas of performance to plan action to safeguard the sustainable development. One concludes that the strategies to manage the environment pass for the awareness of the citizen, therefore when it is educated its attitudes will be more responsible, a time that the ambient concern will be present in its day-by-day. Therefore, the Public Power when planning programs of ambient preservation that comes to promote changes of habits of the population, such as: management of the solid residues generated by the population, recycling, programs of selective collections, ambient education, etc. the local community for the success of its actions will have to be involved

Em busca do estado participativo: os desafios da participação social na gestão ambiental

The existence of several negative indicators such as deforestation, pollution of rivers and urban growth disorderly suggest a scenario of serious environmental degradation in Brazil, allowing that the model of public management of the environment here is not practiced efficiently, despite to be a recognition-of environmental legislation as one of the best and most comprehensive in the world. One of the main causes of this problem is the low social participation in environmental management that often exists only in the formal plan. Thus, although defined as Democratic State, in practice, it is only a Figurative State. Based on the study of the origin of the state and social participation in the Brazilian State, in general scope, and some environment committees and public hearings in Rio Grande do Norte, as instruments of social control, in particular scope, it is possible to build a real Democratic State in environmental management, a Participative State, in which all players are aware of the responsibility and committed to the duty assigned to them by the constitutional text with the present and future generations

Percepção Ambiental: Areado - o olhar do povo, a visão da ciência

The objective of this research is to know the conscience, the sensibility and the interperformance's vision man-environment of some residents from Areado's slum, theirs attitudes and motivations to link individual and collectively with their environment seeking ransom the diferences and compare them in relacion of an scientific look. The study to the valorization of experience from individual or from the group consisted of humanist approach of Geography having the phenomenology as underlying philosophy. The theorical formulations manifested from ideas whole, detaching the effort to discipline the use at least these concepts: landscape, space, place and environment. Opposite the importance of knowing the interelation manenvironment, we insert more two concepts: topofilia (felling joins people to the place where they lives) and topophobia, because our preoccupations in the ambit of evironmental question, immediate to the human beings. The research had been developed from interview and percepition workshop, when the interviewed people answered about they understand what are environiment and Areado's environment. The gotten results allow a reflection about the evironmental thought thinking found there, constituting in subsidy to programs of evironmental education that be worried about local problems