Environmental Studies Commons^™

Dendrochronological Assessment Of The Easton Glacier's Terminus Position Over The Last 150 Years, Monica A. Villegas

WWU Graduate School Collection

The Easton glacier on Mt. Baker, Washington has been the focus of several studies looking at ecological succession, glacier recession, and glacier mass balance. Several of these studies have noted a gap in the literature regarding the Easton glaciers terminus position in the early twentieth century. This study has refined the glacier's terminus position by using dendrochronological methods and identified the latest Little Ice Age end moraines. A chronology of the Easton glaciers terminus position overtime was created showing its recession and advancement since 1879. The rates of recession and advancement were calculated during this time highlighting the unpredictable behavior …

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 …

Applying The United States Forest Service National Framework For Sustainable Recreation To The Entiat Ranger District: From Theory To Implementation, Katherine Galambos

WWU Graduate School Collection

Recreation managers in the United States Forest Service (USFS) across the country face reduced budgets, increased visitation, and costly infrastructure problems . In the West especially, increased frequency and severity of wildfires has led to the closure and/or extreme damage to recreation opportunities. To address these issues, the USFS released the Framework for Sustainable Recreation in 2010 to guide recreation planners using principles of sustainability. Sustainable planning theory has existed in the literature since the 1980s as an approach to the consequences of climate change that incorporates economic, environmental, and social equity (Brundtland, 1987). Since 2010, some National Forest …

Textile Recycling: The Influence Of Moral Licensing On The Overconsumption Of Clothing, Rebecca A. Williams

WWU Graduate School Collection

The advent of fast fashion has drastically altered how Americans consume clothing, from purchase to disposal. Unnecessary clothing consumption may be perceived as morally transgressive in a pro-environmental context. Clothing donation has become the provided solution to deal with the surplus of unwanted clothing, and recycling adheres to pro-environmental morals. Clothing donation may provide guilt alleviation from overconsumption and morally license people to consume more new clothing. This thesis investigates the effect of moral licensing on the overconsumption of clothing and seeks to quantify the relationship between quantity of clothing purchased and donated.

A total of 904 undergraduate students participated …

Water Resources On The Pacific Crest Trail: Thru-Hiker Experiences And Alternate Water Sources In 2019, Riley Hine

WWU Graduate School Collection

The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) is a 2,650-mile long trail that connects Mexico and Canada through California, Oregon and Washington. For thru-hikers, water is a priority on trail that requires prior research and daily planning. Water resources fluctuate between seasons and years, requiring thru-hikers to adapt to variable resources. This case study examines how thru-hikers prepare for and experience water resources on the Pacific Crest Trail. Relying on thru-hiker interviews, online survey data, and analysis of water reports, this research uses a mixed-methods approach to examine water resource accessibility and variability on the PCT. Using a variation of Affordance Theory, …

Sun, Sand, & Afternoon Showers: Creating Nature-Based, Outdoor Classroom Curriculum For A Central Florida Preschool, Ali Burdick

WWU Graduate School Collection

This project was completed as part of Western Washington University's graduate requirements, and has been presented in a website format. The project centered around the creation and revision of a nature-based preschool curriculum. This curriculum is integral to the school programming at St. Luke’s Lutheran Preschool in Central Florida, where the project was completed. During this project, I evaluated the curriculum already in place and worked with the school’s administration to outline changes that were to be made. These changes mirrored the school’s need and desire for a curriculum that reflected our ever-changing cultural and natural world. Lessons that may …

A Case Study Of A Moderate-Sale Small Family Farm In King County, Washington: An Example Of Social Capital, Socioemotional Wealth In The Context Of Civic Agriculture, Kayanne J. Sullivan

WWU Graduate School Collection

This case study used a multi-method research design including online surveys, personal interviews, and participant observation to generate data organized into two major themes: psychological sense of community and valuing of direct and local food systems. These themes refer to the community connections of social capital, the social ties and emotional connection of socioemotional wealth, and in the context of the local food systems of civic agriculture. In the discussion, I highlight the importance of direct engagement with the owner-operator of a farm to cultivate engagement with the community as an example of the importance of social capital and socioemotional …

Metrics Of Shoreline Armoring Impacts On Beach Morphology In The Salish Sea, Wa, Hannah Drummond

WWU Graduate School Collection

Coastal development, and the shoreline defenses that accompany it, makes it important to understand the shoreline’s response to anthropogenic modifications. Armoring, or shoreline erosion control structures such as seawalls or riprap, is found on an estimated one third of Salish Sea shorelines and has been shown to degrade nearshore habitat. We compared physical beach characteristics from adjacent sections of armored and unarmored shoreline at locations throughout the Salish Sea to assess the effects of armoring on beach morphology. Nineteen sites, each approximately 500 meters alongshore, were selected from ten reaches sampled with boat-based LiDAR by the WA Dept. of Ecology …