Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Shellfish Corner: Sustainability And The Precautionary Principle, Michael A. Rice

Michael A Rice

Biobased Products And The Leed® Rating System, Meredith Chambers, Mikesch Muecke

Mikesch Muecke

At the beginning of the 20th century, over 40% by weight of all the materials consumed through the production of goods within the United States were comprised of renewable resources (Matos and Wagner 1998). In contrast, by the end of the 20th century renewable material usage had dropped to less than 8% by weight (Matos and Wagner 1998). Combined with both an increase in the overall rate at which we consume resources as well as growing awareness of the inherently finite availability of nonrenewable resources, the early decades of the 21st century may mark the beginning of a shift back …

Challenges And Opportunities For Development Of Sustainable Tourism In Bosnia And Herzegovina, Clifford J. Shultz, Almir Peštek, Eve Geroulis

Clifford J Shultz

An examination of the challenges of sustainable tourism in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Organizing For Environmental Justice: From Bridges To Taro Patches, Amy Krings, Michael S. Spencer, Kelcie Jimenez

Amy Krings

No abstract provided.

Tough Economic Times Call For More Library Cooperation: Report On A Wyoming And Colorado Alliance Conference, Jeffrey Bullington, Janet Lee

Janet Lee

On April 10, 2009, the Alliance, a consortium of academic, public and special libraries in Colorado and Wyoming, convened a conference on “Cooperation: How to Thrive Despite Reduced Funding.” Drawing on the expertise of national and state leaders in the fields of education and economics, conference participants heard from two keynote speakers about the changing environment of libraries and educational institutions. Referencing these changes, then, various local librarians explored ways collaboratively to advance library resources and services. An overview of these conference presentations perhaps may help libraries and their partners in other regions of the United States and elsewhere gain …

Aom Aat Law Symposium Proposal (Final).Pdf, Adam J. Sulkowski, Constance E. Bagley, J.S. Nelson, Waddock S., Paul Shrivastava, Inara K. Scott

J.S. Nelson

Powering Sustainability: Municipal Utilities And Local Government Policymaking, George C. Homsy

George Homsy

Sustainability policymaking presents numerous challenges to local governments. Municipal leaders, especially in smaller cities and towns, report that they lack the fiscal capacity and/or technical expertise to adopt many environmental protection policies. This paper investigates whether the more than 2,000 municipally-owned utilities have the potential to mitigate those problems. Data from two surveys of local governments in the United States (n=861), modeled in a pair of negative binomial regressions, finds a positive correlation between those cities with municipal power companies and those with an increased number of community-wide sustainable energy policies. Follow-up interviews with officials reveal the potential mechanisms driving …

Cities And Sustainability: Polycentric Action And Multilevel Governance, George C. Homsy, Mildred E. Warner

George Homsy

Polycentric theory, as applied to sustainability policy adoption, contends that municipalities will act independently to provide public services that protect the environment. Our multilevel regression analysis of survey responses from 1,497 municipalities across the United States challenges that notion. We find that internal drivers of municipal action are insufficient. Lower policy adoption is explained by capacity constraints. More policymaking occurs in states with a multilevel governance framework supportive of local sustainability action. Contrary to Fischel’s homevoter hypothesis, we find large cities and rural areas show higher levels of adoption than suburbs (possibly due to free riding within a metropolitan region).

Incentive Zoning: Understanding A Market-Based Planning Tool, George C. Homsy, Gina Abrams, Valerie Monastra

George Homsy

No abstract provided.

Environmental Efficiency Of Automobile Energy Choices, Peter V. Schwartz, Chiweng Kam, John Ross Dr

Peter V. Schwartz

Peak Oil And Transition: The Making Of A Documentary Video, John A. Duvall

John Duvall

Many scientists and academics have raised serious concerns regarding the depletion of fossil fuels—especially the peaking of oil production—and its impact upon society. According to these researchers, oil for transportation and production will soon become expensive and scarce, and known alternative sources of energy will be insufficient to make up the difference within the required time frame. Therefore, world civilization (and the United States in particular) will soon undergo a crisis in energy supply that will have significant impacts on the structure of community life, economic wellbeing, political organization, and individual lifestyles. One response to these threats is to attempt …

Keynote: Justifying Uberveillance- The Internet Of Things And The Flawed Sustainability Premise, Katina Michael

Professor Katina Michael

Imagine a world where everything was numbered. Not just homes with street addresses, or cars with number plates, or smart phones with telephone numbers, or email addresses with passwords, but absolutely everything you could see and touch and even that which you could not. Well, that world is here, right now. This vast expanse we call “Earth” is currently being quantified and photographed, inch by inch, by satellites, street cameras, drones and high altitude balloons. Longitude and latitude coordinates provide us with the precise degrees, minutes and seconds of the physical space, and unique time stamps tell us where a …

Nutritional Narratives: Cultural And Communications Perspectives On Plant-Based Diets, Julie S. Dare, Leesa N. Costello, Lelia R. Green

Julie Dare Dr

This paper responds to a range of popular materials circulating in the public sphere asserting a plant-based (PB) diet is of benefit to humans and a protection against many chronic diseases. Although directed at a lay audience, books such as The China Study (Campbell & Campbell) are based upon extensive academic research, and highlight multiple health, environmental and social advantages of PB diets over traditional western diets. Arguments advocating PB nutrition, however, generally struggle to achieve traction in the public sphere. Narratives around PB food choices, and difficulties in shifting mainstream eating patterns, reflect the cultural symbolism attached to food, …

Social And Economic Sustainability, Jason Sargent, Khanjan Mehta, Katina Michael

Professor Katina Michael

But what about long-term stability in developing nations? For example, as we strive to mainstream alternate energy sources and make them accessible in resource poor communities [ ], how do we think beyond the technological and economic dimensions and ensure respect for social, political and environmental imperatives? Computers, including the tiny but powerful ones on cell phones can be game-changers, but they will not save lives directly. They cannot be eaten by a starving population. And then, they need to be serviced and maintained. Jason, along with Katina’s husband Michael, visited and taught Karen refugee students in camps and remote …

What Economics Teaches Us About Environmental Protection, Chad J. Mcguire

Chad J McGuire

Market Failures And Protecting The Environment, Chad J. Mcguire

Chad J McGuire

The Influence Of Unrelated And Related Diversification On Fraudulent Reporting, Subrata Chakrabarty

Subrata Chakrabarty

Comparing Virtue, Consequentialist, And Deontological Ethics-Based Corporate Social Responsibility: Mitigating Microfinance Risk In Institutional Voids, Subrata Chakrabarty, A E. Bass

Subrata Chakrabarty

The Role Of Risk Perception In Building Sustainable Policy Instruments: A Case Study Of Public Coastal Flood Insurance In The Usa, Chad J. Mcguire

Chad J McGuire

Culture In Design, Technology, And Environment: Reflecting On Field Experiences, Kurt W. Seemann

Kurt W Seemann

Culture is a fuzzy kind of idea. We all point to it when we see it among others, but when asked to place a universal boundary around it to define it as framing much of what we do ourselves, we run into trouble. When we design and develop made worlds with, and for, other cultures, or when we think how we engage in the worlds made by others, the opportunity manifests itself to see how culture can be embedded not only in the choices made to create the artifacts, systems, or symbols but significantly in the socio-cultural and even natural …

Landmark Ruling On Whaling From The International Court Of Justice, Mark P. Simmonds

Mark P. Simmonds, OBE

On 31 March 2014, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Japan’s whaling activities in Antarctica did not comply with Article VIII of the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW), which permits whaling for scientific purposes. Copious and confusing media commentary followed the decision. This included seemingly conflicting reports from within Japan, which initially indicated whole-hearted compliance with the ruling, which required this whaling to cease, but later suggested that implementation by Japan might be limited to a brief halt followed by a launch of a new Antarctic ‘research’ programme including lethal take.

Sustainability, Ambiguity And Aspiration In Teacher Education, Sandra Wooltorton

Sandra Wooltorton

The Triple Bottom Line: Portable Applications And Best Practices For Sustainability In Academic Libraries, Anne M. Casey, Jon E. Cawthorne, Kathleen Delong, Irene M.H. Herold, Adriene Lim

Anne Marie Casey

Triple Bottom Line Accounting (TBLA) refers to a method of measuring the economic, environmental, and community service impacts of an organization rather than the traditional practice of measuring just the financial bottom line. This chapter explores TBLA from a historical point-of-view; offers examples in higher education and discusses the implications for academic libraries. It concludes with ideas for the implementation of TBLA in libraries.

Positioning Loyola For The Future, John P. Pelissero

John P. Pelissero

No abstract provided.

Takings/Private Property Rights, Rangaswamy Rajagopal, David Osterberg

David Osterberg

No abstract provided.

Environment Innovation, Rangaswamy Rajagopal, David Osterberg

David Osterberg

No abstract provided.

Environmental Justice, Rangaswamy Rajagopal, David Osterberg

David Osterberg

No abstract provided.

Comparative Risk Assessment And Congressional Regulatory Reform, Rangaswamy Rajagopal, David Osterberg

David Osterberg

No abstract provided.

Moving Beyond Boycotts: Strategies For Shared Responsibility In The Collegiate Apparel Industry, Scott Kelley

Scott Kelley

Building Sustainable Societies: Exploring Sustainability Policy And Practice In The Age Of High Consumption, Cindy Isenhour

Cindy Isenhour

This dissertation is an attempt to examine how humans in wealthy, post-industrial urban contexts understand sustainability and respond to their concerns given their sphere of influence. I focus specifically on sustainable consumption policy and practice in Sweden, where concerns for sustainability and consumer-based responses are strong. This case raises interesting questions about the relative strength of sustainability movements in different cultural and geo-political contexts as well as the specific factors that have motivated the movement toward sustainable living in Sweden.

The data presented here supports the need for multigenic theories of sustainable consumerism. Rather than relying on dominant theories of …