Digital Commons Network^™

Adapting To Climate Change While Planning For Disaster: Footholds, Rope Lines, And The Iowa Floods, Robert R.M. Verchick, Abby Hall

BYU Law Review

No abstract provided.

Do You Believe The Climate Is Changing? Answers From New Survey Research, Lawrence C. Hamilton

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

This brief explores how political views influence Americans’ understanding and perception of science. The research is based on a national version of the Community and Environment in Rural America survey called NCERA, and on New Hampshire’s statewide Granite State Poll. Author Lawrence Hamilton reports that most people on both surveys feel that they understand either a great deal or a moderate amount about global warming or climate change. However, deep partisan divisions affect both personal beliefs about climate change and perceptions of agreement among scientists. Democrats are much more likely to state they believe that climate change is happening, caused …

The Value Of Government Mandated Location-Based Services In Emergencies In Australia, Anas Aloudat, Katina Michael, Roba Abbas, Mutaz M. Al-Debei

Dr. Mutaz M. Al-Debei

The adoption of mobile technologies for emergency management has the capacity to save lives. In Australia in February 2009, the Victorian Bushfires claimed 173 lives, the worst peace-time disaster in the nation’s history. The Australian government responded swiftly to the tragedy by going to tender for mobile applications that could be used during emergencies, such as mobile alerts and location services. These applications, which are becoming increasingly accurate with the evolution of positioning techniques, have the ability to deliver personalized information direct to the citizen during crises, complementing traditional broadcasting mediums like television and radio. Indeed governments have a responsibility …

Factors The Cause Growth And Development In The City Of Lincoln, Ne, Kaylene Tegtmeier

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

This qualitative study looks at what factors may contribute to the outward growth and development of the city of Lincoln, Nebraska. The two main factors the study discusses are the Lincoln Public School planners and their placement of schools in the city, and the “American dream” of the people, looking at where the people of Lincoln want to be living throughout the city and what some of their daily habits are. This study also discusses some of the main visions of the city of Lincoln’s 2040 Comprehensive Plan how the plan’s ambitions may affect the two factors looked at in …

Ecological Revival And Sustainable Living In The Tropical Dry Evergreen Forest Of Tamil Nadu: A Measurement Of Residential Perception In Sadhana Forest, Elizabeth Collette Mcguire

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Since 1970, the role and function of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been to promote environmental quality and to form strategies for carrying out environmental policy¹. The EPA has committed to sustainability as the next level of environmental protection. The agency states that sustainability calls for policies and strategies that meet society’s present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs². Presently, society’s requirements have resulted in natural resource exploitation and population distention- projected to reach 10 billion people within two human generations³. These paired occurrences are …

The Fierce Green Fire: Vol. 2 Issue 10, Wofford College Environmental Studies Program

The Fierce Green Fire

No abstract provided.

Concurrent Sessions 2c: Growing Sustainable Communities, Vincent Devito, Rebecca Davis, Peggy Sloan, Amy Kacala

Clean Energy Connections

Sustainable communities are an integral part of the clean energy economy - housing, jobs, innovation, growth. Several regions in Massachusetts were awarded Regional Sustainability Planning Grants in 2010 by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, including the Franklin Regional Council of Governments, Metropolitan Area Planning Council, the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission and 2011 Preferred Sustainability Status holder, the Institute for Energy and Sustainability. Panelists from each agency will share how these plans will improve sustainability in Massachusetts communities, what we can learn from the similarities and differences of sustainability planning in each region and how groups and individuals …

Lunch, Marla Michel

Clean Energy Connections

No abstract provided.

Welcome, Marla Michel, Domenic J. Sarno, Steve Goodwin

Clean Energy Connections

No abstract provided.

Sustainability And Climate Models For The Intermountain West: An Annotated Bibliography, Marianne A. Buehler, William E. Brown Jr.

Brookings Mountain West Publications

This resource on climate models and sustainability in the Intermountain West, a region that includes the states of Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah, is a collaborative effort between the UNLV Libraries (http://library.unlv.edu/) and Brookings Mountain West (http://brookingsmtnwest.unlv.edu/).

The selected citations include academic, government, and non-profit information that highlight ongoing research on climate models and sustainability efforts in the region. The websites, government studies, independent reports, scholarly articles, and media reports reflect the diversity and complexity of climate change and sustainability issues in a region that contains widely varying ecosystems. The Intermountain West, with its deserts, basins, mountains, …

Local Solutions For A Global Problem: The Role Of Ngos In Maximizing The Efficacy Of Local Government Sanitation Efforts In Rural Maharashtra, Jorge Aceves

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This independent study project looks at the topic of sanitation within rural Maharashtra. Although the Government of India, through the state governments, has initiated nationwide campaigns against poor sanitation and waterborne illnesses, these programmes do not reach all communities or find significant success in improving sanitation. Recent revisions of these sanitations programs have shifted their focus from a centralized supply-driven approach to a localized demand-driven approach, yet the system requires more work to become fully functional. In some areas, non-government organizations, such as the Comprehensive Rural Help Project (CRHP), have stepped up to bridge the gap between the available government …

Integrating Ecosystem Services, River Restoration And Community: A Case Study At Fisher's Bend, Michael Carlson

Environmental Science and Management Professional Master's Project Reports

Natural areas and ecosystem services at the edge of urban areas are threatened by increasing development. This paper examines how community based restoration partnerships can work to identify, protect and restore ecosystem services provided by salmon and our local rivers. Floodplains provide a wide range of ecosystem services to urban and rural communities and we should work collaboratively to protect and restore them. Floodplains are especially valuable and important for salmon recovery. By using a case study, we explore the process and feasibility of restoring off-channel salmon habitat at Fisher's Bend in the lower Clackamas river. A feasibility study was …

The Fierce Green Fire: Vol. 2 Issue 4, Wofford College Environmental Studies Program

The Fierce Green Fire

No abstract provided.

Wku-Habitat For Humanity Green Community: A Model For Engagement And Partnerships, Nancy Givens, Rodney Goodman

Education for Sustainability Summer Institute

No abstract provided.

Art Gardens To Create Sacred Earth Connections, Education For Sustainability Summer Institute, Jim Embry

Education for Sustainability Summer Institute

No abstract provided.

Education For Sustainability Summer Institute 2011 Conference Program

Education for Sustainability Summer Institute

EFSSI 2011 is designed for pre-K-12 teachers, university faculty and staff, non-formal educators, and administrators. Come to learn about successful program models and practical strategies for integrating sustainability into classes, schools, and districts.

Click on the Download button for full Conference Program.

Developing A Sustainable Business Plan At The Shopping Center Of Southpointe Mall In Lincoln, Nebraska, Jessica Marie Hanson

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

This project consists of creating sustainable business plans for a group of diverse retail stores at the mall of SouthPointe Pavilions in Lincoln, Nebraska. A series of interviews took place with five managers at the businesses including: Scheels, Old Chicago, Bed Bath and Beyond, Von Maur, and Barnes and Noble. The questions were based around five different topics including: Technological, Environment, Socio-Cultural, Economic, and Public Policy. The Technological area includes processes with the product (or service) that occur before it arrives, during, and after it is sold. The Public Policy area includes if the business has an environmental policy, how …

Unlv Stars Unabridged Report, University Of Nevada, Las Vegas

Reports (USI)

University of Nevada, Las Vegas, by earning a 2011 Silver Rating in the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Ratings System (STARS), is ahead of the curve among public universities – and improving.

STARS is a voluntary, self–reporting framework developed by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) to help measure sustainability performance over time and among colleges and universities nationwide. The UNLV Sustainability Council oversaw STARS, which by measuring sustainability can help UNLV to reduce energy consumption and waste, improve education, attract research, and generate jobs.

A rating of Silver puts UNLV in great company – with …

Characterization Of Green Roofs And Their Potential Effects On The Union College Campus, Cybil Tribie

Honors Theses

A green roof is the construction of protective layers and vegetation on the roof of a building. Green roofs are capable of providing ecological benefits to the environment as well as economic advantages for the client. Therefore, my thesis will explore the characterization features of green roofs by focusing on the layers they are made up of, the different types of green roofs, and the benefits they can provide. Although this technology is relatively new to the United States in comparison to places such as Germany, where green roofs have been extensively used for over 40 years, there is a …

Farmers Motivations To Practice Sustainable Agriculture, Kimberly A. Floeser

Honors Theses

An increasing awareness of human and environmental health issues and the destruction of family farms and rural communities have caused a significant change in the way many farmers, consumers, and policy‐makers are thinking about and relating to food, the results of which can be seen largely in the growth of the organic and sustainable food industry. This paper attempts to examine and explain farmers’ attitudes towards sustainable agriculture, and their motivations to use sustainable methods of production. A survey was distributed to 533 farms that are members of the Northeast Organic Food Association of New York (NOFA‐NY). The data obtained …

Building A Sustainable Network Of Drought Communities, Deborah J. Bathke, Nicole Wall, Jeff Nothwehr, Kelly Helm Smith, Donna L. Woudenberg, Tonya K. Bernadt, Crystal Bergman, Joseph P. Robine, Michael Hayes, Mark Svoboda, Lisa Darby, Roger S. Pulwarty, The National Drought Mitigation Center, The National Integrated Drought Information System Program Office

High Plains Regional Climate Center: Personnel Publications

The first step in managing large-scale (national) collaborations and networks is to consider and address how a group and a potential partnership may match up (Luther, 2005). To explore this concept and many other collaborative concepts, the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) hosted a workshop, “Building a Sustainable Network of Drought Communities,” which was facilitated by the National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC) in Chicago, IL, June 8-9, 2011.

The workshop explored current examples of good communication and lessons learned within the realm of drought planning in order to address a future NIDIS Engaging Preparedness Communities (EPC) working group that …

Assessment Of Prenatal Care And Perinatal Outcomes In Kasigau, Kenya, Allison Smith

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The World Health Organization (WHO) implemented the Millennium Declaration in 2000 to establish global health goals to be achieved by 2015. Two of these Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s) are directly related to maternal, neonatal and child health. Healthcare during the prenatal period can help achieve the WHO MDG’s for maternal health and child mortality. Evidence has shown that women in Kenya have limited access to prenatal care. This study focused on the prenatal care and postnatal outcome trends of the women in Kasigau, Kenya. Participants were surveyed in three villages (Rukanga, Makwasinyi, and Bhuguta) to determine if prenatal care was …

‘The Eco-Gozo Vision’: A Study Set Against Criteria Of Good Governance And Sustainability, Amity Gauci

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

To make up for social fragmentation of modern life and its alienation from nature, lately sustainable communities and eco islands have arisen around the world as a worldwide movement. Given this context, this study will address the island of Gozo. Gozo is the subject of an Eco Island Vision; a Vision with the aim to transform Gozo into an eco island by 2020. Thus the intent of this study is to present an evaluation of the Vision based on principles of good governance and sustainability. The research methodology has been based on a triangulation approach: a desk study to establish …

Climate Change: Partisanship, Understanding, And Public Opinion, Lawrence C. Hamilton

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

In 2010, Carsey Institute researchers began including three new questions about climate change on a series of regional surveys. They asked how much people understand about the issue of global warming or climate change; whether they think that most scientists agree that climate change is happening now as a result of human activities; and what they believe personally about the topic. Survey results show that while large majorities agree that climate change is happening now, they split on whether this is attributed mainly to human or natural causes. Brief author Lawrence Hamilton concludes that most people gather information about climate …

From Fail-Safe To Safe-To-Fail: Sustainability And Resilience In The New Urban World, Jack F. Ahern

Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning Studio and Student Research and Creative Activity

Abstract: The extent to which the 21st Century world will be "sustainable" depends in large part on the sustainability of cities. Early ideas on implementing sustainability focused on concepts of achieving stability, practicing effective management and the control of change and growth-- a "fail-safe" mentality. More recent thinking about change, disturbance, uncertainty, and adaptability is fundamental to the emerging science of resilience, the capacity of systems to reorganize and recover from change and disturbance without changing to other states-- in other words, systems that are "safe to fail." While the concept of resilience is intellectually intriguing, it remains largely unpracticed …

Optimizing Private Land Conservation And Public Land Use Planning/Regulation, Bradford S. Gentry, J. Daniel Oppenheimer, Randal A. Strobo

Yale School of the Environment Publications Series

Report of the 2010 Berkley Workshop

Held at the Pocantico Conference Center of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund - July 2010

The Solid Waste Management System Of Jaipur: An Overview And Analysis, Laura Olivier

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Jaipur’s rapid development has resulted in its infrastructure lagging behind population and industrial growth, which is especially evident in the unsightly and unsanitary piles of solid waste (garbage) on the roads. This project took a broad system approach to understand Jaipur’s solid waste management system. It investigated how the system is carried out, some obstacles to its success, and the role of Public Private Partnerships (PPPs). The findings indicate that there is a multiple-tiered hierarchical system. The system involves a formal sector comprised of female and male sweepers, permanent and impermanent workers, and an informal sector of ragpickers and door-todoor …

Collaborative Learning And Land Use Tools To Support Community Based Ecosystem Management: A Final Report Submitted To The Noaa/Unh Cooperative Institute For Coastal And Estuarine Environmental Technology (Ciceet), Christine Baumann Feurt

Environmental Studies Faculty Publications

This project developed a model conservation plan for local land use decision making that engaged diverse stakeholders in discussions about conservation values, ecosystem services and strategies to balance conservation and economic development. This locally focused action research case study tested the application of ecosystem based management (EBM), Collaborative Learning and land use technology tools to land use planning. Lessons learned were scaled up to create capacity building training for land use decision makers and coastal managers to increase interdisciplinary skills for implementing ecosystem based management.

Collaborative Learning and EBM Tools were tested and evaluated for their contribution to implementing EBM …

Making The Human Dimensions Of Sustainable Community Development Visible To Engineers, Juan Lucena, Jen Schneider, Jon A. Leydens

Jen Schneider

Recently, engineers – particularly those working on sustainability-related initiatives – have increasingly turned their efforts towards under-served communities. This paper summarises the findings in Engineering and Sustainable Community Development (Juan Lucena et al., 2010) aimed at a diversity of these efforts which are grouped here under the term ‘engineering to help’. These initiatives often exist under names such as community service, humanitarian engineering, and engineers without borders or activities such as the Institution of Civil Engineers' co-sponsored workshop ‘Helping local communities to help themselves’. Although there has been a blossoming of engineering-to-help-related programmes around the world, there is a …

Social Learning: A Knowledge And Capacity Building Approach For Adaptive Co-Management Of Contested Landscapes, Andrea J. Leys, Jerome K. Vanclay

Professor Jerome K Vanclay

There is increasing recognition in the field of natural resource management that transformative adaptation to climate and policy change requires cross industry learning and cooperation at the landscape scale. This can be supported by the development of systematic methodology on learning models for adaptive co-management between diverse and conflicting landscape managers. Our example of land-use change to hardwood plantation forestry in sub-tropical Australia illustrates an innovative implementation framework for a social learning process that helped build knowledge and community capacity for adaptive co-management of dynamic and shared landscapes. The action research methodology relied on deliberation over local knowledge, existing and …