Digital Commons Network^™

Cultivating Change: Case Study Analysis Of Agricultural Resistance In Whatcom And Skagit Counties, Washington, Dana Bronstein

WWU Graduate School Collection

My thesis delves into the intricate relationship between agriculture, social justice, and ecological sustainability in the United States. I argue that understanding the history of agriculture necessitates examining the systemic inequities embedded within the food system, stemming from discriminatory and ecologically harmful agricultural policies established and perpetuated during the Dust Bowl era. Drawing on a political ecology framework and insights from eco-Marxism, feminist political ecology, and critical environmental justice, this study investigates alternative agricultural practices that challenge the status quo and promote equitable access to land and resources. Using a multi-scalar case study approach focused on Whatcom and Skagit Counties, …

Buenvivir - The Politics Of Living Well, Jeremy Caldeira

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Buenvivir is a development ideology that arose from Indigenous ideas of protecting nature, generating autonomy, and generally living well. This ideology rose to the forefront of South American politics through its placement into the constitutions of Ecuador and Bolivia, as well as through dynamic policies such as the Yasuní-ITT Initiative. Ultimately, the efficacy of buenvivir in both countries was mixed. This paper explores the reasons for this, while also evaluating Ecuador and Bolivia’s implementation of buenvivir using political analysis tools and frameworks. It also briefly considers future paths for success, such as the Pachamama Foundation’s Sacred Headwaters Plan, and holes …

Electrification And Decarbonization For Mid-Sized Municipalities: A Case-Study Marginal Abatement Cost Analysis, Patrick Shive

WWU Graduate School Collection

This project provides a marginal abatement cost curve analysis for the City of Bellingham, based upon the recommendations provided by the City’s Climate Action Plan Task Force. A bottom-up methodology for performing the marginal abatement cost analysis is provided, including the relevant data and assumptions used in the analysis. The results show the massive potential emissions impacts of electrification and driving down the electric grid emissions intensity. The shortcomings and improvements of the resultant cost curves are discussed, and advice on future iterations is given. This project offers a pathway for Bellingham and other mid-sized municipalities to develop marginal abatement …

Washington State’S Centennial Accord And The Role Of Tribal Governments In Regional Comprehensive Planning Under The Growth Management Act And Associated Planning Laws, Elliott Winter

WWU Graduate School Collection

Tribal governments in Washington State are important regional governments that exist in and border many counties. Tribal interests often extend beyond the boundaries of the reservation and into the county space where they may be affected by county and local government planning. Properly integrating tribal interest into regional comprehensive planning is necessary to reduce conflict and provide Indian tribes a seat at the government table.

The purpose of this project is to determine the extent to which planning laws, regulations, and policies within Washington State advance coordination with Indian tribes based on the government-to-government principles of the Centennial Accord, particularly …

Evaluating Comprehensive School Safety Through A Global Baseline Survey Of Disaster Risk Reduction Policies In The Education Sector, Adriana Varchetta

WWU Graduate School Collection

As disaster risk increases across the globe a growing attention has been placed on how disasters and emergencies impact children and youth’s access to education. International humanitarian agencies, national governments, non-governmental organization, researchers, practitioners, and advocates have coalesced to identify strategies to address school safety in the presence of disaster risk. The Comprehensive School Safety (CSS) framework developed out of this movement. CSS aims to protect students and educators from physical harm, plans for the continuity of education, safe safeguards investments, and incorporates resilience topics into curriculum. This study uses Save the Children’s 2016 CSS Baseline Dataset to identify the …

From Data To Decisions: Navigating The “So What?” And “What’S Next?” Conversation Around Nearshore Data, Dawn Spilsbury Pucci

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Ever wonder what happens to all those data being collected? In Island County, we are fortunate to be the focus of a plethora of data collection efforts. We have comprehensive nearshore assessments that describe where our habitats are and how those habitats are built. We have habitat assessments that are a collaborative effort between citizen science groups and state agencies. We have long-term status and trends data sets on intertidal habitats and presence for a few specific species. We have a high resolution shoreline armor dataset and we have a predictive probability model for coastal flood risk. But what do …

Monitoring And Enforcement Of Laws And Policies In Canada: The Bad, The Ugly And How We Can Get To Good, Christianne Wilhelmson

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

The creation of strong environmental laws in BC and Canada has improved over the years, however the implementation of these laws is often undermined and their effectiveness to protect ecosystems and communities suffers. The reasons are many but often it’s a question of underfunding of the monitoring and enforcement mechanisms that are necessary to ensure compliance. Other reasons, in particular for regulations that apply to marine and freshwater systems, is the lack of clarity around jurisdictional responsibility and accountability. The confusion around roles, exacerbated by poor communication, results in poor monitoring and response, and laws that are paper dragons only. …

Building Citizen Science Rigor, Efficiency And Policy Applications: Examples From Island County Marine Resources Committee, Elsa Schwartz, Barbara Bennett, Anna Toledo

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Island County Marine Resources Committee (IC MRC) has maintained for 18 years a rolling portfolio of projects that tap MRC members and other local volunteers (such as Sound Water Stewards) to collect data, provide local knowledge and, on some occasions, collaborate with scientists to define research questions, design studies and analyze data. This spectrum of activities falls under the broad umbrella of citizen science, a rapidly emerging field in which scientists engage volunteers to supplement scientists’ capacity to research environmental questions of broad scope and scale. IC MRC relies on an annual review to ensure each project addresses a research …

From Knowledge To Action: Advancing Washington State's Strategic Response On Ocean Acidification, Julie D. Horowitz, Martha Kongsgaard

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

In the five years since the Blue Ribbon Panel’s 2012 report “Ocean Acidification: From Knowledge to Action”, there have been significant scientific advances and progress on the recommended actions. The Marine Resources Advisory Council (MRAC) saw a need to re-evaluate the 2012 strategy, resulting in a 2017 Addendum to the Blue Ribbon Panel on Ocean Acidification report. The Addendum is a companion report that expands upon the 2012 work. New research emphasizes and justifies the need for more concerted efforts to combat ocean acidification as the North American west coast experiences some of the earliest and most advanced signs of …

Cannabis In Cascadia: Impacts Of Legalization In The Region, Border Policy Research Institute

Border Policy Research Institute Publications

The policies regulating the use and sale of cannabis have historically been constructed differently in the United States and Canada, yet both countries had deemed recreational use to be illegal. Beginning in 2012, however, individual states in the U.S. began to legalize recreational cannabis, including Washington, Oregon, and most recently, California. In 2017, the Government of Canada passed similar legislation. If Canada’s legislation goes into effect in mid-2018, the West Coast of North America will become the only contiguous region where recreational consumption and sale of cannabis are permitted across multiple jurisdictions (see Map 1, next page). However, because cannabis …

Perception And Policy: U.S. Sociological Attitudes And Policies Towards Guatemalans And Salvadorans In The Late 20th And Early 21st Centuries, Violeta Paredes

Scholars Week

This paper looks into Guatemalan and Salvadoran history and immigration in the late 20^th Century and identifies how these patterns compare to and continue to affect present day immigration policy. By examining the difference between how immigration policy was handled prior and after the events that occurred on 9/11, the reader will be able to distinguish how social perception of immigrants in the U.S. changed drastically with the span of a few months. By examining the history of immigration policy post-WWII, the reader will be able to identify that aid such as providing asylum has historically contributed to systematic …

An Inventory Of Environmental Governance In The Salish Sea, Laurie D. Trautman

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

How is the natural environment of the Salish Sea governed? The fact that the Salish Sea is bifurcated by a national border has inhibited our ability to answer this question. Indeed, the Salish Sea involves not only two national governments, but also a multitude of both state and non-state actors, which exist across scales, and interact in different frameworks (i.e. First Nations/tribes often seek only to negotiate with federal, rather than state/provincial governments). Environmental governance in the Salish Sea also encompasses informal modes of interaction involving public and private interest groups, social movements and community stakeholders, in addition to traditional …

Perception And Policy: U.S. Sociological Attitudes And Policies Towards Guatemalans And Salvadorans In The Late 20th And Early 21st Centuries, Violeta Paredes

American Cultural Studies Capstone Research Papers

This paper looks into Guatemalan and Salvadoran history and immigration in the late 20^th Century and identifies how these patterns compare to and continue to affect present day immigration policy. By examining the difference between how immigration policy was handled prior and after the events that occurred on 9/11, the reader will be able to distinguish how social perception of immigrants in the U.S. changed drastically with the span of a few months. By examining the history of immigration policy post-WWII, the reader will be able to identify that aid such as providing asylum has historically contributed to systematic …

Keeping The Flames At Bay: The Interplay Between Federal Oversight And State Politics In Tucson’S Mexican American Studies Program, Leslie A. Locke, Ann E. Blankenship

Journal of Educational Controversy

In the wealth of literature discussing Tucson Unified School District’s (TUSD) Mexican American Studies program (MAS), the focus has remained primarily on the political events surrounding the elimination of the highly successful MAS program. The federal desegregation case still pending in Tucson is rarely mentioned and never discussed in depth. In this article, we aim to address this gap in the literature by presenting two stories. First, we look at the story of the TUSD desegregation case originally filed in 1974 and its progress toward unitary status. Next, we look at the story of political scheming and maneuvering in Tucson …