Sustainable development encompasses two basic considerations in Ireland. First, development must not deplete the national resource base. This is particularly crucial in Ireland because international trade significantly depends on our “green image,” and both tourism and the food industry are highly dependent on a quality environment. Second, economic growth must find a balance and harmony with environmental protection by using resources more efficiently, with less harmful impacts on the environment. A collaborative project is being conducted by the University of Limerick, Ireland together with the major local government agencies in the Mid-West of Ireland [Limerick County Council, Limerick Corporation, Clare County Council, Tipperary (North Riding) County Council and the Mid-Western Regional Authority] to promote sustainable development in the region. This is being achieved through the promotion of public participation and involvement, the development of a range of indicators for the most crucial factors pertaining to sustainable development, and the implementation of a Local Agenda 21 programme in the region.

With Hawaii's population growing and its forests shrinking, the potential for overuse of this natural resource is a challenge facing the State's policy makers and resource managers. This article examines the conditions necessary to entice members of a user group to voluntarily switch to alternatives. The user group consists of hula dancers, who gather plant materials in the forest foradornment lei on Oahu, Hawaii. The two alternatives to forest gathering were community gardens for which work time was required and commercial purchase at a given price. If the alternatives to forest gathering are made attractive enough, some hula teachers indicate a willingness to switch, while others do not. Policy makers may find it more cost effective to formulate policies that will make alternatives more attractive to user groups than to attempt to change their preference structure. The diversity found among the preferences of hula practitioners indicates that a variety of approaches should be considered. In the case of those not willing to switch, a more participatory forest management system could be examined that includes all user groups. For those willing to switch, programs that lower the labor intensity of the community garden and the price of commercial purchase have considerable appeal.

While few programs have been created to satisfy the need for environmental managers, one promising development is that the environment has become a legitimate topic in graduate business programs. With the intent to provide information to schools of business as they integrate environmentally related subjects into their curricula, a questionnaire was sent to 1,200 active members of the National Registry of Environmental Professionals (NREP). A 20% return rate was obtained. Half of all respondents report that students are inadequately prepared; 85% said MBAs are inadequately prepared. Students get little practical experience, lack familiarity with business or management concepts, and are unfamiliar with principles of project management MBAs lack requisite scientific or technical background. Work experience is considered important and 90% of all respondents indicate an internship counts as work experience but only 50% say their organization provides internship opportunities.

The links between transportation and the environment have a long history in the US-Mexico border region. Modern attempts to increase and improve transportation in the region have generated the need for reliable information concerning the border environment. To help meet this need, researchers at the Alliance for Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) created a unique resource for Border Region Information on Transportation and the Environment (BRITE). BRITE's purpose is to provide relevant environmental information to governmental and nongovernmental agencies, interest groups, and individuals working along the US-Mexico border. ATRI continues to build BRITE in segments specific to environmental media. BRITE is as much a process as a product and it will never be “complete.” This paper discusses how state and local planners as well as interest groups might best utilize the information available in BRITE to develop sound environmental policy to enable the region to promote sustainable transportation.