Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Art And Democracy In Environmental Decision Making, Audrey Stewart

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Global doctrines on sustainable development emphasize public participation as a tenet of environmentally responsible development. Given the Czech government’s tepid stance towards implementing sustainability measures, much impetus for realizing them will have to come from other facets of Czech society, including the public. In spite of the nearly populist feel of a mounting environmental movement in the late 1980s, after the Velvet Revolution the Czech public remained relatively disengaged from environmental involvement. Traditional decision-making venues within the Czech Republic now actively exclude the public from participating, while other pressures stemming from history and present also diminish the public impetus for …

Environmental Sustainability And The Traditional Tibetan Home, Katherine Shrader

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In Tibetan Buddhism, the srivatsa, or glorious endless knot, reminds one of the truth of reality. Six right-angled, intertwined strands flow endlessly together, each one connected to the other, each one giving form to the next. So flows reality. Looking past the illusion of isolation, the endless knot illustrates the interdependence and mutual cooperation that runs the world.

No event, no living being has the ability to stand by itself, completely unaffected and unaffecting. All phenomena are intertwined. Every human action, however big or small, impacts the world in some way. The endless knot unveils the truth of reality so …

Using The Trees To Understand The Forest: Evaluating The Risks Of The Panama Canal Amplification Project, Caroline Gross

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

For over a decade, the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) and its United States predecessor have contemplated a Canal Amplification Project to allow larger boats to pass through the Panama Canal. This project, as it is currently understood, would involve the construction of a new, “third” set of locks with greater capacity, the widening of channels within the Canal, and the flooding of approximately 45,000 hectares of land currently occupied by campesinos/as. Since the passage of a 1999 law that expanded the definition of the Panama Canal Watershed by 63 percent, some campesinos/as have united to oppose the flooding of their …

A Comparison Of Anuran Species Richness Between Primary And Secondary Forest In São Francisco Do Pará, Michael Reichert

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Deforestation in the Amazon has become a serious conservation issue. The process of destruction of primary forest results in the creation of secondary forest that differs from primary forest in a number of important ways. Anurans (frogs and toads) are one group that may be affected by the loss of primary forest and creation of secondary forest areas, and are an important focus for conservation efforts. Previous studies on anuran reactions to loss of primary forest have been few and inconclusive. This study examined anuran species richness in an area of primary and secondary forest in order to determine whether …