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The Water Wall: A Passive Solar Collection And Thermal Storage Device For Supplementary Radiant Heating, Rhett Roman Noseck

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Through the implementation of passive solar building systems, suburbia could take a fresh new step forward toward a progressively more sustainable direction. Making passive solar strategies a priority, master planned community developments would see opportunity to change the style and design of future suburban residences.

The focus and intention of this body of work is to research, design, fabricate, and test a prototype of a passive solar heating device using water as the medium for thermal storage. The size and shape of the design for the water wall device will be determined by the currently built suburban environment; however, for …

A Cross-Country Analysis Of Energy Efficient Development, Nicholas Fleagle

Honors Theses

Maximizing energy efficiency, producing as much as possible with as little energy as possible, is something every country should be working toward. This study measures the efficiency of specific countries by examining the interrelationships that exist among each country’s energy consumption and such measures of development as health, education, income, access to essentials and CO2 emissions. It then analyses why certain countries are more efficient than others and how these inefficient countries can improve. Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) is used to generate a cross country comparison of energy efficiency scores over multiple dimensions of development. Pairs of inefficient countries and …

Student Motivation For Pursuing A Minor In Environmental Sustainability, Luanne Woods Lewis

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Environmental sustainability dominates the global conversation seeking to increase awareness and change the culture of thinking concerning the relationship between humans and the Earth. Because many universities offer programs relative to environmental sustainability, a need exists to understand why students pursue these programs. This study examined student motivation for pursuing an environmental sustainability minor in one institution of higher education. Career, learning, monetary, and Social responsibility were the motivational factors considered in this study. The results of this study indicated significant differences among the motivational factors for pursuing a minor in sustainability among those students surveyed. Significant differences existed for …

Creating Sustainable Economic And Ecological Growth In The Congo Basin: Bushmeat Consumption And Biodiversity Protection, Richelle Lynn Warnock

Masters Theses

This research examines the economic and ecological sustainability of bushmeat hunting in the Congo Basin, specifically the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Congo. Although bushmeat hunting has provided short term gain for individuals in the region, long term solutions focusing on micro and macro level interventions may provide community wide benefits, while protecting Congo Basin wildlife. Research shows that a focus on the development of key economic sectors such as agriculture, mineral resources and hydroelectricity, as well as the growth of infrastructure may provide viable economic gain for the Congo Basin. Ecotourism and improvements to forest management …

New Economy : Assessment Of The Institutionalization Of An Emerging Paradigm And Academic Field Through Inquiry Into Prominent Boundary Organizations, Jeanine Cava Rodgers

Theses

It is increasingly acknowledged that in order to reach global and regional sustai nabi l ity goals, economic growth and consumption levels in wealthy developed nations will need to stabilize or reverse. Organizations and projects of a wide variety have emerged and expanded to take on this challenge, and shape the so-called, "new economy". The purpose of this research is to gain a clearer picture of the impacts of efforts to develop a shared new-economy knowledge framework on the broader sustai nabi l ity conversation, and to assess the intellectual institutionalization of same. This thesis focuses in on the influence …

System Dynamics Modeling As A Quantitative-Qualitative Framework For Sustainable Water Resources Management: Insights For Water Quality Policy In The Great Lakes Region, Ali Mirchi

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Early water resources modeling efforts were aimed mostly at representing hydrologic processes, but the need for interdisciplinary studies has led to increasing complexity and integration of environmental, social, and economic functions. The gradual shift from merely employing engineering-based simulation models to applying more holistic frameworks is an indicator of promising changes in the traditional paradigm for the application of water resources models, supporting more sustainable management decisions. This dissertation contributes to application of a quantitative-qualitative framework for sustainable water resources management using system dynamics simulation, as well as environmental systems analysis techniques to provide insights for water quality management in …

A Qualitative Perspective Of Sustainability Across A Supply Chain, Colton Michael Schliep

Open Access Theses

Schliep, Colton M. M.S., Purdue University, May 2013. A Qualitative Perspective of Sustainability Across a Supply Chain. Major Professors: Dr. Edie K. Schmidt and Dr. Edward Sweeney.

Using a qualitative approach, this investigation examines perspectives of sustainability concepts and industry experiences from people in various supply chain roles, attempting to answer the question, "How does sustainability, as a practice and definition, differ across a supply chain; and what are its benchmarks?" Participants in the study included 5 working professionals across different industries. Using systems analysis, in depth interviews elicited 12 common themes of the research. Outcomes of the research discuss …

Sustainable Systems Thinking In Communication Design Education, Yvette M. Perullo

Open Access Theses

Design ingenuity and sustainability can, and should, work together. Designers have an ethical responsibility to provide ideas that do no harm, and better yet, create positive solutions that nourish the environment, social and cultural structures, and the economy. This approach, referred to as sustainable systems thinking--in contrast to more common design approaches--looks at a problem as an integrated component of an entire network. Sustainable systems thinking helps designers, clients, and consumers to consider who or what is connected to the design outcome, where the project will have positive and negative ecological, financial, cultural or social impacts, and make the entire …

Evaluating The Sustainability Of Four Organic Vegetable Production Systems, Delia W. Scott

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

A field study evaluating the sustainability of four organic vegetable production systems was conducted in Lexington, Kentucky in 2006 and 2007. The four systems included no-till, raised beds covered with biodegradable black mulch, bare ground with shallow cultivation, and bare ground with shallow cultivation and wood chip mulch. The two-year study compared yield, weed control, labor, and costs associated with each system, as well as physical, chemical, and microbiological soil characteristics. In 2006, tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) were grown in the four systems, with no significant difference in yield. Summer squash (Cucurbita pepo L.) was grown in the …

Adoption Of Green Building Practices And Rating System In Kenya: Potentials And Barriers, Peter Khaemba

Dissertations

This research study was undertaken to identify (a) green building rating attributes that could be adopted for Kenya, and (b) barriers to initial adoption of green building practices and a green building rating system in Kenya. The study was primarily built on the premise of select rating and adoption attributes in existing green building standards, especially Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). A pilot phase of the study was conducted using a combination of focus groups and personal interviews. The pilot findings became the basis of a questionnaire that was utilized to survey a sample of 608 registered building …

Exploring Local Food System Practices And Perceptions: Insights From Florida's Snap-Authorized Farmers' Markets, Leslie Babiak

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Despite heightened interest in creating local food systems that enhance health of ecologies, economies, and all members of communities, the public space of farmers' markets is far less than inherently equitable. This is particularly concerning given America's unprecedented crisis of food hardship and related disease, which disproportionately affects lower income populations. This research addresses the social justice implications of SNAP (food stamp) operations for locally oriented food systems. Pioneering practices of three of Florida's SNAP-authorized farmers' markets, and the attitudes and behaviors of one-hundred-seventy-six market patrons, were explored through customer surveys, market manager interviews, and environmental assessments. Qualitative and quantitative …