Green economy and waste management awareness

. Due to the high population density of the world in the modern era, as well as the fact that more pollutants are thrown onto the Earth and more resources are spent purposefully, its inhabitants and resources are faced with the reality of environmental changes that can lead to catastrophe, if nothing is done. This article reveals the essence of the concepts of awareness of the green economy and waste management. The green economy is seen as a new path to sustainable development that extends the Earth's lifespan, protects natural resources, and benefits all living beings. The problem of the research is that people seem to be unaware of the relevance of the green economy and waste management, which is vital not only for human well-being, but also for the planet. The purpose of this article is to identify and evaluate people's awareness of waste management and the green economy, to increase the acceptance of the topic in general, to get a broader overview of the current business situation of how business people understand the topic from their point of view. The authors use a qualitative method by conducting semi-structured interviews on the Zoom platform. According to the results of the study, it is expected that businessmen are almost unaware of the concepts of the green economy, and the standard solutions do not fully consider the concepts of the green economy and waste management properly.


Introduction
The global economy and the functioning of individual countries are undoubtedly connected with the principles of sustainable development, based on the wide application of the concepts of a sustainable economy, which are a fundamental issue of increasing the efficiency of both the world economy and individual countries.This is an important field for several further studies to be carried out.
A new term and a concept have already been created known as the green economy.The "green" economy is not only a breakthrough in the economic world but also a new science, a new knowledge base that requires further study.The green economy itself is focused on the close alignment of economic and environmental interests, which constantly intersect with each other.
Due to the direct relationship between the green economy and the environment, as well as its well-being and fertility, the relationship between people and nature cannot be overlooked and should be taken seriously in this article.Since all the people on the Earth are connected to the life chain of the planet, their actions affect not only other people living together in the same environment, but also nature as a whole, including water, land, air, and other natural resources that are not unlimited, as it was previously assumed.People now know the terrible truth that the natural resources on the Earth are not limitless and should be taken care of and conserved.
The green economy serves as a foundation and link to concepts related to both nature and economy, such as sustainability, sustainable development, sustainable economy, green growth, and conscious consumption.The separation of nature and economy is erroneous and leads to many misconceptions and lack of knowledge, which evokes a further series of problems such as unnecessary overproduction leading to pollution, resulting in a deterioration of the well-being of the Earth and making the human population sick.
Thus, the relevance of the study is due to the need to further develop the theoretical foundations for the formation of a "green economy" in the context of the sustainable development of the world economy and individual states, which is possible through informing business schools about the "green economy".
In the presence of numerous works devoted to the problems of ecological economics and sustainable development, including the "green economy", there is still no concept that links together all the aspects of this process, demonstrating the impact of the "green" economy on economic growth and other factors that determine the significance this study [1].
The research problem is that people's awareness of the green economy and waste management seems to be very limited, while the issue and importance of the green economy and knowledge of waste management are very important and even in some ways critically important not only for well-being of people, but for the entire planet.According to the 2011 United Nations Environment Program Annual Report, the concept of the green economy can be described as "an economy that results in improved human well-being and social equity, while at the same time it is defined as the economy that significantly reduces environmental risks and environmental deficits.In its simplest terms, the green economy can be seen as low-carbon, resource-efficient, and socially inclusive".This definition of the green economy demonstrates the importance of the topic chosen by the authors for the research work and illustrates the need to recognize the green economy as a solution not only to improve the well-being of people, but also to ensure a more stable and secure future for future generations.
The purpose of this article is to identify and evaluate people's awareness of waste management and the green economy, to increase the acceptance of the topic as a whole, as well as to obtain a broader overview of the current situation in the field of business.

Materials and Methods
Numerous environmental, social, and economic problems are closely related to human conditions.Birth, growing up, experiencing various emotions, and life situations, gaining education and work experience, and living life and death are all the aspects of human experience that are vital to human existence.The world's population and consumption are growing, but not enough attention is paid to protecting the environment.
According to UN World Population Prospects (2021), the world population in 2023 will be about 8 billion people.For comparison, in 1800 the population was about 1 billion people.Considering the fact that the earth's surface cannot extend further, natural resources and the Earth are not ready for a huge and incredibly fast population growth.The more people on the Earth, the higher the consumption of human resources.As a result, more goods are produced, more garbage is generated, more landfills are built, and living standards are deteriorating.
To avoid such scenarios, the United Nations created the concept of sustainable development back in the 1970s and 1980s known as living without harm to future generations.The United Nations is a global organization created in 1945 after the Second World War with the main goal of restoring peace, uniting nations and improving the lives of people on the Earth by ensuring the health and well-being of the planet in the long term.On this basis, the concept of the "green economy" began its further development.
The first mention of the concept of the "green economy" and its definition is believed to be in the "Green Economy Project" in 1989.Environmentally conscious economists prepared a pioneering report for the Government of the United Kingdom intending to determine whether the meaning of the concept of "sustainable development" was agreed upon to focus on a more sustainable development of the economy with further progress and results.It also explored how sustainable development affects the UK measures for economic progress and how projects and policies are evaluated.Surprisingly, the term "green economy" is mentioned only once in the title of the paper and never in the report.
Later, in 1991 and 1994, Pierce, Markandia, and Barbier continued the original follow-up to the study with Plan 2 "Greening the World Economy" and Plan 3 "Measuring Sustainable Development".It is important to emphasize that the main message of the original Blueprint study was that economics can and should be used to improve environmental policy.The subsequent reports have expanded on the message to draw readers' attention to broader global issues such as climate change, ozone depletion, deforestation, and depletion of natural resources in developing countries.All the documents are the result of decades of research and practice in environmental economics [2].
The next critical phase of the green economy occurred in 2008.Having the 14-year timeline, we can assume that development has been at a slower pace and has not been at the forefront of emerging development issues.The term "green economy" has been part of the discussion due to the ongoing multiple global crises, including the financial crisis and a possible global recession.The United Nations Environment Program advocated "green stimulus packages" and identified specific areas where large-scale public investment could kick-start a "green economy".The ideas were heard and implemented in several countries to restore the economic situation after the crisis.In October 2008, the United Nations Environment Program launched the Green Economy Initiative to provide analysis and policy support for investment in green and polluting industries.
As part of this initiative of the United Nations Environment Programme, Edward Barombier and the sponsors of the Green Economy Plan commissioned a single report that was released in June 2009.This forecast compared ideas that will boost the economic recovery, as well as improve global economic performance.The New Global Green Deal targets specific funds in green industries to achieve three goals: 1. Economic recovery.
3. Unforeseen appearance and destruction of the ecosystem.
In addition, the course laid the foundation for the development of environmental incentive programs and the promotion of local and international environmental policies.The United Nations released a statement in support of the green economy in June 2009 ahead of the United Nations climate change conference in Copenhagen.In addition, the statement expresses the hope that economic recovery through the greening of the brown model of economic development will be a turning point in the evolution of humankind [3].
In February 2010, at the United Nations Environment Program Prime Ministers' Global Environment Forum in Nusa Dua, Prime Ministers, and Heads of Delegations acknowledged in a statement that the concept of the green economy could significantly address current challenges, as well as promote economic development, opportunities and multiple benefits for all the people.
In addition, they acknowledged the leading role of the United Nations Environment Program in clarifying and developing the vision and encouraged the organization to continue this work as part of the planning process for the 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development.
In March 2010, the United Nations General Assembly unanimously decided to make the green economy the central theme of this conference.This has increasingly attracted the attention of the international community to the green economy, as evidenced by the increase in the number of publications on this topic.One of the important publications was in November 2021 in the United Nations Environment Program report "Green Economy", which was released as part of the Green Economy Initiative.Notably, the paper includes a working definition of the term "green economy" that has been cited in many subsequent publications [4].
In 2019, the UN Environment Program for the first time tried to define the term "green economy".They described it as an economic activity involving the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services that results in a long-term improvement in human well-being while avoiding significant environmental risks and reducing the scarcity of environmental resources.
In 2021, the UN Environment Program redefined the green economy as a resource-efficient economy based on low-carbon development that results in improved human well-being and social equity while significantly reducing environmental hazards and preventing biodiversity loss.
Also in 2021, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development defined a green economy as an economy that prioritizes long-term social benefits in the short term and results in improved human well-being and reduced inequalities without exposing the future generations to serious environmental risks and scarcity.
During the 2021 Rio+20 United Nations Sustainable Development Conference, the commission defined the green economy as an economy focused on maximizing opportunities to achieve economic and environmental goals at the same time.This means that there will be a significant increase in the number of opportunities for trade and trade flows in the economy.Greening markets will strengthen the economies of even the poorest countries and reduce waste.
Based on this information, it can be concluded that there is still no generally accepted meaning of the concept of "green economy", which requires additional research.The authors consider it necessary to emphasize that all the previous definitions of the concepts of the "green" economy are consistent with the fact that the goal of the "green" economy is to improve the welfare of society by reducing the burden on the ecosystem.And the "green" economy seeks to find a balance between social policies, economy, and ecology.
As a result of the association of green economy with terms such as sustainability and sustainable development, the authors consider it necessary to discuss the relationship between sustainability and green economy.To do this, the authors introduce the concept of stability.Sustainability, as defined by the World Commission on Environment and Development, can be defined as the "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs".
Brundtland's report addresses sustainability issues and introduces the concept of sustainable development and ways of achieving it.To be sustainable, three components must be taken into account: social, environmental, and economic.If one of these aspects is not taken into account or does not achieve its goal, as it should be done initially, sustainability ceases, and the term "unsustainability" is used instead [5].
Social sustainability refers to society as a whole, including work, education, living conditions, and equality of opportunities for all the people, as well as the development of society.Economic sustainability is related to economic growth, profitability, and cost reduction measures.Environmental sustainability concerns the environment, natural resources, their conservation and management, and the protection of nature and pollution.
Thus, the essence of sustainability includes the social, economic, and environmental components of the operational mechanism of the concept, as well as the "green" economy.This indicates that the problems of the green economy and sustainable development are inextricably linked and coexist with each other [6].

Results and Discussion
In this part of the article, the authors summarize the results of the research conducted in this chapter, delving deeper into each of the research questions, including the results and discussion of the data obtained during semistructured interviews with people of different ages.Five interviews were conducted, including three respondents being adults, and two others being middle-aged, which introduced some diversity in some of the answers received during the interview.Four out of five respondents had chosen or were about to choose either marketing or entrepreneurship as their specialization, and one was still not sure which specialization to choose, meaning that no person studying finance or accounting was interviewed [7].
The authors managed to find out that not many people know what the concept of a green economy is.When asked if the person was familiar with the Green Economy concept, all five responded that they did not know what it was or that their knowledge of the concept was very limited at least.However, when the authors asked the respondents what they thought this meant, a consensus could be seen: words such as sustainability and environment were heard in every student's response, indicating that all the five students had at least a little idea of what the concept of the green economy is associated with.
"I think a green economy means an economy in the world, but done in a way that is green and sustainable, or with those things in mind, for a better future of our world" -Interview 1.
"I think a green economy means a mix of sustainability activities like recycling, waste management, and things like that" -Interview 2.
"I would say that this is a process of improving our world by building resilience and building better infrastructure" -Interview 3.
"I would say that this is a process of developing the world sustainably and not just in terms of money" -Interview 5.
One of the questions that the respondents were asked was whether they are involved in the recycling process.All the participants gave positive feedback and stated that they recycle at least at some level.It seemed interesting to the authors how the slight gender difference could be seen in the responses: respondents two, three, and five were women, and numbers one and four were men, and women seemed to be more insistent in what they recycle, while men are said to try to participate as much as possible in processing.
Yes, I am, well, at least I'm trying.I try to sort my waste by material, like plastic to plastic, paper to paper, metal to metal, and so on.I try to do it, but sometimes I fail" -Interview 1.
"And right now, I collect plastic and paper in separate pockets, separate bags, and then also send them for recycling" -Interview 2.
"Yes, get involved.I usually recycle my bottles by bringing them in for recycling, and I also try to recycle clothes that I don't wear" -Interview 3.
"Just a little.I recycle used plastic and metal bottles and try not to litter.But other than that, I don't think I'm involved in any other activity" -Interview 4.
It was also clear to the author that all the five of the respondents were thinking about sustainability in their daily lives, and that they were trying to make environmentally conscious decisions, such as wearing their reusable shopping bags instead of plastic ones.
However, the authors have the impression that, despite their best efforts, people could do much more and might be willing to do much more for waste management and participation in the green economy, if the right education, information, and infrastructure is more accessible and the concepts of green economy and waste management are much more accepted.

Conclusion
The purpose of this article was to identify and evaluate people's awareness of waste management and the green economy, to increase the acceptance of the topic in general, to get a broader overview of the current business situation.
As a result of the study, certain general answers of the respondents were identified.All the students are aware of and involved in recycling, especially plastic bottles, and metal cans.Each person also received recognition for the concept of sustainability, with all the five respondents mentioning terms such as sustainability and the environment.However, people's knowledge of the green economy is not enough.When asked if they understood the concept of the green economy, all the five responded "no" or "only to some extent".Since they were unable to define or characterize the "green" economy, the authors' assumption that the level of awareness was low to zero was confirmed.The results of the study show that people do not fully grasp the concept of the "green" economy and waste management.
On the other hand, after the interview, everyone agreed that they became more familiar with the principles of the green economy and waste management than before, which had a positive effect on the study, and the authors were able to achieve the goal of the study.
The main concern of the authors is that the facts revealed that the people and resources of the planet might face environmental disasters due to the increase in the population density in the modern period.They include the increase in pollutant emissions, the conscious and unintentional waste of more resources.And if we emphasize the concepts of the green economy and waste management as a possible solution to global problems, there must be a stronger approach and motivation.
As a possible solution and suggestion, the authors propose to organize more projects related to the green economy among the population and students of various universities; this will help educational institutions to act as a targeted source of green economy awareness training for students and allow them to recognize each other on such serious issues [8].
Finally yet importantly, another possible suggestion put forward by the authors is the idea of including more green economy-related topics in the international business administration curriculum to give more green economy concepts, principles, and ideas to further research.It should inspire the idea that humanity is the future of the planet Earth.Future generations will undoubtedly depend on us, our attitude towards the environment, the choice of recycling, and our awareness of the concept of the green economy, as this is one of the best possible solutions for the continued existence of humankind and the Earth.