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Open Access Publications from the University of California

Electronic Green Journal

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Published March 2, 2014

Articles

Interested but unsure: Public attitudes toward electric vehicles in China

Efforts to commercialize green vehicles by the Chinese government have been met with surprisingly subdued consumer responses and with sales targets that fall far short to targets. This paper examines the barriers to the adoption of green vehicles in China from a consumer perspective, focusing on battery-only vehicles (BEVs). A web-based survey was conducted to solicit views from Chinese residents in November 2012. The results indicated that although the majority of respondents expressed interests in BEVs and agreed that BEVs were good for the environment and were cheaper to run, many respondents expressed concerns over them being inconvenient to charge, long charging times, limited battery longevity, limited vehicle range and high price. The greatest barrier was inconvenience to charge. The results also show that the level of interest, perception, and demands are significantly influenced by gender, age, income, education, and car ownership status.

Green Marketing: A Study of Consumer Perception and Preferences in India

Concerns have been expressed by manufacturers and customers about the environmental impact of products during recent decades. Consumers and manufacturers have directed their attention toward environment friendly products that are presumed to be “green” or environment friendly like low power consuming (energy-efficient) electrical appliances, organic foods, lead free paints, recyclable paper, and phosphate free detergents. Indian marketers are also realizing the importance of the Green Marketing Concept. Although a variety of research on green marketing has been conducted across the globe; little academic research on consumer perception and preferences has been carried out in India. This research provides a brief review of environmental issues and identifies the green values of the consumers, their level of awareness about environmental issues, green products and practices. This paper highlights the consumers’ perception and preferences towards green marketing practices and products with the help of a structured questionnaire. A study was conducted on 106 respondents. High level of awareness about green marketing practices and products was found among the consumers. Green values were also found to be high among the respondents. Research has given good insights for marketers of the green products and suggests the need of designing the marketing communication campaigns promoting green products due to high green value among the consumers. Results of regression analysis reveals the view that overall green values, awareness about green products and practices and the perception regarding seriousness of marketing companies towards green marketing had positive significant impact on consumer persuasion to buy and prefer green products over conventional products.

Electronic Waste Management in India: A Stakeholder’s Perspective

E-waste or Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) illustrate discarded appliances that utilize electricity for their functioning. Today, the Indian market is engrossed with massive volumes of electrical and electronic goods and gadgets, having tremendously high domestic demand. Consequently, the amount of E-waste being generated in the country is flourishing at an alarming rate, although the management practices and policy initiatives of the same are still in an elementary stage. The current methods of storage, processing, recycling and disposal of E-waste in India have immense potential to harm human health and the environment. Furthermore, the policy level initiatives related to E-waste in India are reasonably recent and inadequate to address the issue. The paper tries to evaluate the current status of E-waste management practices in India. The domination of informal sector in the E-waste recycling business with all its socio-economic, health and environmental implications are dealt with in detail and the dawdling progress of formal recycling units in the country is assessed upon. The paper tries to identify the range of diverse stakeholders in the E-waste management system in India. These stakeholders are significant right from the production of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) to the final disposal of E-waste. The paper concludes that identifying the range of stakeholders in the E-waste management system and constructing a sustainable E-waste management system involving these stakeholders are the needs of the hour.

Reviews

Review: Vacationland: Tourism and Environment in the Colorado High Country

Book Review: Vactionland: Tourism and Environment in the Colorado High Country

Review: EcoMind: Changing the Way We Think, to Create the World We Want

Review: EcoMind: Changing the Way We Think, to Create the World We Want

Review: Car Country: An Environmental History

Review:  Car Country: An Environmental History by Christopher W. Wells.

Review: Small, Gritty, and Green: The Promise of America’s Smaller Industrial Cities in a Low-Carbon World

Book Review: Small, Gritty, and Green: The Promise of America’s Smaller Industrial Cities in a Low-Carbon World.

Review: High Rock and the Greenbelt: The Making of New York City’s Largest Park

Review: High Rock and the Greenbelt: The Making of New York City’s Largest Park By John G. Little, Edited by Charles E. Little

Review: The Rediscovery of the Wild

Book Review: The Rediscovery of the Wild