Digital Commons Network^™

Material Sustainability, Jessica Meadows, Natasha Morris

Architectural Engineering

This paper addresses the sustainability of the materials used to construct buildings today. Timber, concrete and steel are analyzed for carbon output, cost, and recyclable-ability.

The Malawi Project: From Conventional To Holistic Decision Making, Grace Wetmore

Animal Science

How the Cal Poly Malawi Appropriate Technologies Team, and other development groups, can use Holistic Management to aid developing countries in an effort towards a sustainable future.

Towards A Theory On The Sustainability And Performance Of Floss Communities, Mohammad Almarzouq

All Dissertations

With the emergence of Free/Libre and Open Source Software as a significant force that is reshaping the software industry, it becomes more important to reassess conventionally held wisdom about software development. Recent literature on the FLOSS development process suggests that our previously held knowledge about software development might be obsolete. We specifically highlight the tension between the views embodied by the Linus' Law and Brooks' Law.
Linus' Law was forwarded by Eric Raymond and suggests that the FLOSS development process benefits greatly from large numbers of developers. Brooks' Law, which is part of currently held wisdom on software development, suggests …

Comparing Problem-Based Learning And Lecture As Methods To Teach Whole-Systems Design To Engineering Students, Michael Dukes

All Theses

The objective of this research is to compare problem-based learning and lecture as methods to teach whole-systems design to engineering students. A case study, Appendix A, exemplifying successful whole-systems design was developed and written by the author in partnership with the Rocky Mountain Institute. Concepts to be tested were then determined, and a questionnaire was developed to test students' preconceptions. A control group of students was taught using traditional lecture methods, and a sample group of students was taught using problem-based learning methods. After several weeks, the students were given the same questionnaire as prior to the instruction, and the …

Green Can Bring Green: An Evaluation And Comparison Of The Economic Effects Of Sustainable And Economic Redevelopment, Kathryn Young

All Theses

The process of redevelopment is a relied upon method of breathing new life into downtowns and urban areas. Though several common redevelopment approaches contribute to a sustainable atmosphere, more significant environmentally- and ecologically- sustainable approaches can be implemented in redevelopments to repair and support the environment and ecology of an area. But do economic and sustainable redevelopment models have similar impacts on the surrounding economies? This report conducted an evaluation and comparison of the economic effects of sustainable redevelopments and economic redevelopments. Though research is considered exploratory, the results demonstrate that sustainable and economic redevelopments are both viable options for …

Sustainability In Packaging: A Study Of Trends, Ideas, And Perceptions Of Sustainability As It Relates To Packaging, Leslie Herrmann

Graphic Communication

The consumer packaging world has two key players, the consumer and the packaging manufacturer. And with the outside perspective of an expert on sustainability there creates the chemistry currently operating the sustainable packaging movement. But what does sustainability mean? The quick, dirty, and official definition is something which “meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (www.sustainability-ed.org).

This study focused on what the consumer perceived as being sustainable as well as tested some consumer knowledge of what sustainability is. This was then contrasted with what some award winning packaging manufacturers …

The Role Of Urban Forests In Sustainable Tourism Development: A Case Study Of Savannah, Ga, Stacy L. Casinelli

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

The purpose of this study was to identify a range of stakeholder (tourism providers, resource managers, elected officials, tour operators and tourists) perceptions, issues and concerns of Savannah, Georgia's, urban forests to help develop opportunities for the growing sustainable tourism industry. Stakeholder interviews were conducted using an open ended, semi-structured questionnaire. Based on the three dimensions and the scope of sustainable development, the themes, trends and patterns that emerged were utilized to assess the current issues facing Savannah's urban forest. Through content data analysis, four overarching themes surfaced: development, preservation, balance, and diversity. The results of this study indicate a …

Aquatecture: Architectural Adaptation To Rising Sea Levels, Erica Williams

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Our world is drastically changing. Temperatures are rising, skies over cities are blanketed with smoke, and melting glaciers are raising sea levels at alarming rates. Although the destruction we face is already threatening the quality of life for billions around the world, it could just be the beginning. What is projected to come in the future could be catastrophic.

It is crucial to realize that climate change is already happening. One of the main concerns relating to climate change is that as the polar ice caps continue to melt, rising water will invade our coastal cities around the world. In …

Urban-Eco-Filter: Introducing New Lungs To The City Of Beijing, Carlos Gil

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

It is evident that several cities in China have experienced a variety of global impacts. Beijing for instance, has become synonymous with mass-migration over the years. The immense scale of projected rural migration, the unmanageable intervention of new housing urban developments, and the high levels of air pollution in Beijing have become a global dilemma. In order to alleviate Beijing's critical ecological conditions, the introduction of "new lungs", as an urban environmental design to the city should be examined. This thesis project illustrates how urban productive landscape and bike infrastructure can be essential in urban development through the implementation of …

Fireproofing The Lawn: Reclaimed Water And Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers In Tampa Bay, Ryan C. Davis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Reclaimed water has increased in popularity as a means to recycle water and thus decrease the amount of wasteful water use. This process is widely used in Tampa Bay for watering of lawns. This increase in popularity and use has raised questions as to what contaminants are in the reclaimed water.

The purpose of this study was to analyze reclaimed water for contaminants believed to be detrimental to health and conduct interviews to ascertain perceptions of risk in the local population. As water reuse grows in popularity further research will need to be conducted to address potential human health concerns. …

Evaluation Of A Self-Monitoring Program To Increase Treatment Integrity Of Behavior Intervention Plans, Lela E. Taylor

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The growing number of school-aged children displaying challenging behavior has increased the need for effective interventions. School-based consultants (SBC) report using behavioral consultation to assist teachers in designing behavior intervention plans (BIP) that help students engage in appropriate behavior in the classroom. Research indicates that direct training methods increase teacher's implementation of the BIP. One commonly used direct training method, performance feedback (PF), is used to assess teachers' treatment integrity. Research also indicates that checklists (non-direct measures) are more cost efficient methods. The purpose of this paper was to evaluate a direct training method used to train teachers to self-monitor …

Sustainability Indicators In The Vermont-Regional Food System, Rachel Schattman

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Food systems are inherently complex areas of interaction between economic, environmental, and social factors. The local food movement in Vermont presents new opportunities to shape the local and regional food systems according to the values of stakeholders. In order to create the spaces necessary for reflexivity and ethical concerns it is necessary to understand food system stakeholder values. Through coding interviews with 17 stakeholders, the study identified values of producers, processors, chefs, food purchasers, distributors, advocates, state agencies, and other stakeholders. The five most commonly cited, strongly felt stakeholder values in the Vermont-regional food system were: promotion of the local …

The Fundability And Marketability Of Green Buildings At Public Universities: Transcending The Funding Paradigm At Cal Poly, Eileen E. Joseph

Master's Theses

While in recent years Cal Poly has moved in the direction of sustainable building, my research indicates that where other CSU’s have succeeded, Cal Poly has been challenged in developing the type of green buildings that would truly make new construction projects more sustainable. The most commonly cited barriers are cost and lack of funding. The outcome however (as evidenced by other CSU’s) is not just driven by the state’s capital outlay process that has historically supported new construction on CSU campuses. It is determined by the priorities, perceptions and values that have influenced Cal Poly’s decision makers and driven …

Analysis Of Stabilized Adobe In Rural East Africa, Grace Ying Yu Chen

Master's Theses

ABSTRACT

ANALYSIS OF STABILIZED ADOBE IN RURAL EAST AFRICA

Grace Ying Yu Chen

This project seeks to assist people in rural East Africa by proposing sustainable building methods which implement affordable and durable adobe bricks for construction. Adobe, one of the oldest sustainable building materials in the world, is strong when dry but lacks structural integrity when exposed to moisture. Chemical additives such as cement and lime are added into the adobe mix to protect the brick against moisture decomposition. Once the chemicals are added and the mix is formed into a brick, a stabilized adobe brick is formed.

Cement, …

Sustainable Design Analysis Of Waterjet Cutting Through Exergy/Energy And Lca Analysis, Matthew Johnson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A broad scope analysis of waterjet cutting systems has been developed using thermodynamics, life cycle analysis, and biological system comparison. The typical assessments associated with mechanical design include measures for performance and thermodynamic efficiency. Further analysis has been conducted using exergy, which is not typically incorporated into design practices.

Exergy measures the effectiveness of a process with respect to a base state, usually that of the systems surroundings. Comparing Gibbs free energy of biological processes to exergy efficiency has served to illustrate the need for various levels of comparison. Each biological process used in this comparison correlates to a different …

Time Valuation Of Risk A Delayed-Bang Approach, Abhishek Pathak

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The subject of this thesis is the combined use of engineering economics and survival analysis in estimating time-value of risk-related resources. The discussion includes (1) the need for sustainable risk management, (2) the importance of time-valuation of risk related resources in the allocation or selection among competing risk mitigation alternatives, (3) the convergence of deterministic engineering economics, survivability analysis, and probabilistic analysis, and (4) results and examples of application in the context of prevention of risk event or mitigation of its consequences.

The significance of this thesis is in how three topics: engineering economics, survivability analysis, and probability theory can …

A Greener Vertical Habitat: Creating A Naturally Cohesive Sense Of Community In A Vertical Multi-Family Housing Structure, Justin Onorati

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Throughout multiple dense, tropical, urban contexts, high rise residential environments have created a sense of social detachment, where public and private green spaces do not often exist. It is through these varieties of green spaces that social interaction is encouraged, and without these social activities taking place, this vertical community becomes almost a meaningless entity within the urban realm. The issue being addressed within this thesis is the scarcity of public and private green spaces within our high density tropical urban fabrics that help to create a sense of community. The majority of dense urban settings that we inhabit today …

City Of Patterson Sustainability Plan, Colin Brian Clarke

Master's Theses

This Master’s Thesis / Professional Project is a Sustainability Plan developed for the City of Patterson, California. The Patterson Sustainability Plan (PSP) was developed concurrently with the General Plan Update, and will be presented to the City for adoption within a year. The Sustainability Plan will help inform decision-making by way of its Goals and Actions for implementation to improve community sustainability. Before the plan was developed, background research was conducted that included a Best Practices Review to assess what other cities are doing to address sustainability, a Needs Assessment to evaluate existing conditions in Patterson and determine its unique …

Application Of Pv Panels In Large Multi-Story Buildings, Sara Kayal

Master's Theses

Application of PV Panels in Large Multi-Story Buildings Feasibility Study Sara Kayal

The awareness of global warming along with an ever increasing demand for a new source of energy has brought a strong interest in harnessing natural resources such as solar energy. This thesis evaluates the viability of applying photovoltaic (PV) panels in high-rise commercial buildings of around 20 stories. Specifically, the thesis is intended to provide a pre-planning tool during the early design stage for architects and designers who are considering the deployment of PV panels in new multi-story construction.

The first three chapters cover a comprehensive literature review …

Flowing Toward Sustainability: Two Stream Adjudications Analyzed Under The Iad Framework, Nancye Lou Bethurem

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

One of the most significant problems impacting the western United States today is the lack of naturally occurring water resources, especially during this period of drought and explosive population growth. This has led to intense competition over water use and ownership in the arid and semi-arid regions of the United States. During this period of water resource scarcity, it is extremely important to determine the ownership of water rights in order to implement optimal management systems. Most western states use a system of "general stream adjudications" to make water rights ownership determinations.

General stream adjudications are legal proceedings used to …

Justice Above Profit, Sustainability Above Growth, Humanity Above Economy: Vandana Shiva And The Alternative Development Movement, Julia Magon Braker

Pomona Senior Theses

Multiple activists challenge the established development paradigm, prioritizing issues such as human rights, economic justice and environmental sustainability, as opposed to neoliberal development’s focus on macroeconomics and corporations. These activists include Dr. Vandana Shiva. Well-renowned activists, academics and politicians criticize the stances that Shiva takes on globalization and development issues, claiming that they are uninformed, too radical or misguided. These thoughts provoke the core question of this thesis—do Vandana Shiva’s theories and practices promote just, sustainable development?

Trashures, Clarissa Pimentel Brandao

Art and Design Theses

Trashures celebrates my debut in the sustainable world and is my public statement of change. It is essentially provocative, informative and educational and serves three major fronts. First, Trashures aims to raise awareness among visual artists. Second, it seeks to introduce and explore the use of agri-pulp papers in Graphic Design, as a viable commercial solution. Third, it culminates in an invitation to visual artists to search for sustainable solutions. Trashures is about transformations. It highlights the transformation of passive materials into active ones, or the transformation of waste into either papers or as subject matter, as a sustainable way …

Reducing Sediment And Bacterial Contamination In Water Using Mucilage Extracted From The Opuntia Ficus-Indica Cactus, Audrey Lynn Buttice

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Throughout the past decade an increased amount of attention has been drawn to the water contamination problems that affect the world. As a result, a variety of purification methods targeted at communities in developing countries have surfaced and, although all have contributed to the effort of improving water quality, few have been accepted and sustained for long term usage. Case studies indicate that the most beneficial methods are those which use indigenous resources, as they are both abundant and readily accepted by the communities. In an attempt to make a contribution to the search for water purification methods that can …

Perspectives On Reclaimed Water Among Urban Residents In Tampa, Florida, Jonathan Max Bloch

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Increasing urbanization coupled with increased domestic and industrial uses of water has made water conservation an important aspect of environmental management. Reclamation of wastewater is one way in which such conservation can proceed, and the aim of this thesis is to provide a case study about the perspectives of residents and officials involved in the use of reclaimed water in an urban development in Tampa, Florida. Using semi-structured interviews, it seeks to understand the range of opinions on the safety of reclaimed water, its potential prospects as an alternative drinking water supply, and its contribution to the sustainable use of …

Cooper-Hewitt Museum Of Design And Technology (C-Hmd+T): Biomimetic Architecture As Part Of Nature, Isabel Marisa Corsino Carro

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

If architects are to create a sustainable world, one in which we are accountable to the needs of all future generations and living creatures, we must recognize that our present form of designing buildings is deeply flawed. Being the number one cause of emission gases, building design needs to be revolutionized to be able to surpass such climatic changes and finally harmonize with nature. To create a sustainable future and solve the global warming crisis, architects need to incorporate nature within design through the process known as biomimicry. Janine Benyus, the author of Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature, stressed how …

Framework For Self Sustaining Eco-Village, Eric Holtgard

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Why are modern American cities fundamentally dependant on outsourced resources and dirty power? Why can't modern cities support themselves and their inhabitants without relying on resources from half way across the world? Even within the city itself, community neighborhoods are disconnected and bisected by massive expanses of life endangering highways. Why can't we wake up and open our eyes to the urban reality we are creating for future generations. Future cities must look past immediate gain and focus on long term sustainability rather than compiling L.E.E.D. points or making a selfish profit.

Sustainable Infrastructure is the first step towards freeing …

Promoting Ecoliteracy And Ecosystem Management For Sustainablity Through Ecological Economic Tools, Valerie Esposito

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

The importance and contribution of healthy ecosystems to human well-being and poverty reduction have gained increasing awareness and attention in recent years. Despite this wide-scale acknowledgement, the majority of the benefits yielded by ecosystem services are currently exogenous to the economic system, so their value is not equally weighted in decisions that directly impact their functioning and welfare. Public understanding of the importance of these contributions and the necessity of healthy ecosystems and sound management is vital for their conservation. However, thorough understanding of what ecosystems are, how they function, and how to manage them on a systems-based level for …

A Policy Evaluation Of Hawaii's Coral Reef Management Strategies, Jennifer Linney

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Coral reefs playa critically important rale in both the human and natural world. They are among the most biologically rich systems on earth and are of significant economic value to humans. They act as an important base for fisheries and provide food, jobs, and income to billions of people worldwide. These delicate systems are increasingly threatened by several factors including overexploitation pollution, habitat loss, coral bleaching, and global climate change. The rapid decline and loss of the ancient and complex ecosystems had triggered major concern all over the world. Hawaiian coral reefs have experienced an increasing exposure to anthropogenic threats …

Study Of Film Cooling Effectiveness: Conical, Trenched And Asymmetrical Shaped Holes, Humberto Zuniga

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Film cooling is a technique whereby air from the compressor stage of a gas turbine engine is diverted for cooling purposes to parts, such as the turbine stage, that operate at very high temperatures. Cooling arrangements include impingement jets, finned, ribbed and turbulated channels, and rows of film cooling holes, all of which over the years have become progressively more complex. This costly, but necessary complexity is a result of the industry's push to run engines at increasingly higher turbine inlet temperatures. Higher temperatures mean higher efficiency, but they also mean that the turbine first stage operates hundreds of degrees …

A Baseline Greenhouse Gas Inventory For Oberlin: Stepping Up To The Challenge Of Climate Neutrality, Nathaniel Flaschner Meyer

Honors Papers

The City of Oberlin joined the International Council for Leadership in Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) in 2007, committing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through ICLEI's five-milestone process. As the first official step in this process, I conducted greenhouse gas inventories for the years 2001 and 2007 for community-wide and municipal operations emissions. I found that the community emitted 174,400 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2007, more than half of which was associated with the consumption of coal-intensive electricity. This amounts to 20.9 tons CO2e per resident annually. Of the community's overall emissions, the commercial sector, including all Oberlin College properties, …