Environmental Sciences Commons^™

Big Business, Small Plastic, Hannah Johnson

Senior Honors Projects

No abstract provided.

Roger Williams Park Edible Forest Garden, Mark S. Scialla

Senior Honors Projects

An edible forest garden is a low-maintenance system that uses edible native and regionally-adapted plants arranged in beneficial relationships to meet human, wildlife and ecosystem needs. The forest garden in Roger Williams Park will transform underutilized urban land into a highly productive parcel producing market-viable fruits, nuts, vegetables, medicine and fiber. Forest gardens mimic natural forest systems in architecture and complexity. The design follows ecological principles to create a system that promotes biodiversity and enhances the surrounding ecosystem. This project also demonstrates the potential to grow food and create land-based livelihoods in the city.

Located on the edge of a …

The New Certificates Of Financial Responsibility: Environmental Progress Or National Economic Disaster?, Paul R. Younes

Theses and Major Papers

The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90) is the first comprehensive oil spill legislation passed in the United States. Included in the law were new provisions governing the liability and financial responsibility of both the company responsible for the spill and the insurer. These provisions, while well-intentioned, have created a dangerous situation for both the environment and the economy of the United States. This paper will examine the financial responsibility and liability regime that was in place prior to the passage of OPA 90, and the provisions of OPA 90 that establish new requirements shipowners must meet to qualify …

Environmental Messages In Boating Magazines: A Content Analysis Of Recreational Power Boating Articles, Robert S. Holtzman

Theses and Major Papers

This paper presents the results of a study analyzing the editorial content of consumer power boating magazines for messages of environmental responsibility. It presents evidence of a cause and effect relationship between recreational power boating and damage to the marine environment, and cites arguments that power boating in its currently popular form, involving high speeds and heavy fuel consumption, is inherently "unfriendly" to the environment. The paper describes a "chain of influence" through which boat manufacturers, in their role as advertisers, influence the editorial content of consumer boating magazines through the tactics of marketing public relations. A hypothesis is developed …

Mitigation Banking: A Potential Tool For Port Planners, Laura Kelley

Theses and Major Papers

Mitigation banking has been used as a means of facilitating the permit process by removing the negotiation of appropriate mitigation for development from the confines of the permit process. A developer with frequent needs to mitigate for losses associated with Section 404 and Section 10 requirements may, using a mitigation bank, consolidate mitigation and in so doing, potentially reduce mitigation costs. As a result of route maintenance, as well as expansion requirements, ports were considered to be good candidates for sponsoring mitigation bank efforts. Port use of mitigation banking has not been as expected due to a lack of available …