Digital Commons Network^™

Closing The Loop Of Food Systems: Analyzing Compost Within Community Bounds, Ellen A. Getter

Honors Theses

The aim of this thesis is to construct a philosophical and ecological argument that places great value on localized food systems in terms of waste. This composition develops the claim that building composting infrastructure on a community scale will curb the global climate crisis and enhance the interconnectedness humans have within themselves, each other, and the natural world. The first prong of this thesis entails a theoretical framework we must function under in order to implement such radical food revolutions in our communities informed by Buddhist principles. This proceeds an international case study of the composting infrastructure of Fort Albany …

Historic Downtown Streetscape Plan Price City, Utah, Patricia Beckert

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The idea of a small-town Main Street has profound meaning within the American culture that has prevailed for the past two centuries. Historically, Main Street serves as the beating heart of a community, a place where economic, social, cultural, and civic activities are centered (Francaviglia, 1996; Main Street America, n.d.). Since the beginning of the 19th century, many factors have led to the decline of Main Streets, and despite a variety of efforts from different stakeholders, that decline has only intensified in recent decades (Isenberg, 2008; Orvell, 2014 Howard, 2015). In 1980, after a three-year project conducted by the National …

Mixing Regimes In A Cluster Of Seven Maar Lakes In Tropical Monsoon Asia, Milette U. Mendoza, Jaydan I. Aguilar, Karol Sophia Agape R. Padilla, Rey Donne S. Papa, Noboru Okuda

Environmental Science Faculty Publications

The 7 maar lakes of San Pablo are a cluster of small volcanic lakes on Luzon Island; Philippines. These lakes; which are heavily utilized for aquaculture and ecotourism; usually experience fish kills that coincide with the northeast monsoon (NEM). This study explores limnophysical processes; particularly mixing regimes; in the lakes in relation to prevailing monsoons. We monitored monthly vertical and seasonal profiles of water temperature; salinity; conductivity; and dissolved oxygen from October 2016 to December 2018. Three types of mixing regimes were observed among the lakes; which have similar surface areas but different depths: polymixis in the shallowest; warm monomixis …

Comprehensive Planning For The Promotion Of Sustainable Development In Georgetown County., Michael Meagher

Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

No abstract provided.

Sustainable Development In Hazard Mitigation Planning, Brooke Morrell

Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

No abstract provided.

Prepare For, Respond To, Recover, And Learn From Disasters: Using Data-Driven Methods To Model And Understand Disaster Resilience, Jinwen Xu

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Community resilience reflects the ability of human communities to prepare for, respond to, recover, and learn from disastrous events. Community resilience carries different meanings in different phases of disaster management (i.e., preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation). With the emergence of new geospatial data sources, human activities now can be captured through social media, mobile signals, and nighttime illuminations, which makes it possible to describe the conditions among various communities before, during, and after disasters. Therefore, this dissertation explored the use of different types of geospatial data sources (social media, nighttime light remote sensing, land-use data, and census survey data) during …

Exploring The Existence Of Transformational Education In The Nys Social Studies Curriculum And Civic Readiness Initiative, Gregory Vincent Massara

Educational Policy & Leadership Other Graduate Student Scholarship

The enormity and perniciousness of economic, social, and environmental sustainability challenges are evident through several avenues. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is issuing increasingly dire warnings for the future of life on Earth. Threats to social cohesion, evidenced particularly in the institutionalization of injustices and the current fragility of democracy in the United States, highlight the need for increased social cohesion. Furthermore, rising economic inequality, inequities based on gender and race, and the increasing cost of damages caused by climate events highlight economic challenges. In 2015, the United Nations put forth an agenda to address economic, social, and environmental …

Engineering A Microbiosphere To Clean Up The Ocean – Inspiration From The Plastisphere, Khulood A. Alnahdi, Laila W. Alali, Mezna K. Suwaidan, M. Kalim Akhtar

All Works

Plastic is a ubiquitous material that has become an essential part of our lives. More than one hundred million tons of plastic has accumulated in the world’s oceans as a result of poor waste management. This plastic waste gradually fragments into smaller pieces known as microplastics and nanoplastics. These small plastic particles can cause significant damage to marine ecosystems, and negatively impact human health. According to a recent review of international patents, the majority of ocean-cleaning inventions are limited to microplastics larger than 20 μm. Furthermore, such technologies are ineffective for nanoplastics, which measure less than 1000 nm, or even …

Completing And Improving The Collection Of Data For Carbon Reporting, Madeline Petty

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Global carbon emissions from individual, organizational, and institutional activities influence the environment. Organizations and institutions use sustainability reporting methods to regularly track and report metrics relating to emissions from collective activity, yet data needed for such reporting can be difficult and time-consuming to collect. Multiple institutions, particularly universities, often use digital, standardized carbon footprint reporting tools to help overcome these challenges. Still, using digital reporting tools does not alleviate all challenges faced in regular carbon reporting due to the lack of data collection structure among university departments. This scholarly activity attempted to calculate the carbon footprint of Western Kentucky University …

Analysis Of The Introduction Of Green Laboratory Certification Program At The University At Albany, State University Of New York To Increase Sustainability In Laboratories, Samantha Long

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Universities around the world are making changes to become more sustainable including lowering energy and water consumption, reducing waste production, and looking at procurement methods. At the University at Albany, State University of New York, there is an ongoing effort to increase sustainability and climate resiliency to align with state and international goals. One of the key areas needing improvement are scientific laboratories because they have a substantially larger energy consumption than other buildings. An analysis of current practices on campus was conducted and improvements suggested from research of similar programs. This included expanding and testing a campus specific “Green …

Construction Industry: Profitable Corporate Sustainability Strategies And Processes Achieve Competitive Advantage, Chad Justin Czelusniak-Serviss

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Some construction industry managers lack strategies to integrate corporate sustainability strategies and processes for competitive advantage, which causes limited profitability. Grounded in the general systems theory, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore corporate sustainability strategies and processes senior and mid-level construction industry managers use to achieve competitive advantage in the United States. The participants were eight senior/mid-level construction industry managers from eight different construction industry organizations with at least five years of experience in the construction industry who utilized corporate sustainability strategies and processes. Data were collected using semistructured interviews. Three themes emerged using thematic analysis: …

Assessing The Knowledge On Sustainability And Barriers To Daily Sustainable Practices Among Faculty And Students In Higher Education: The Case Of Eastern Illinois University, Joel Edem Holison

Masters Theses

The concept of sustainable development gained prominence with the publication of the Brundtland Report, which emphasized economic progress without jeopardizing future generations' well-being. Following that, the Education for Sustainability (EfS) program was created by the United Nations to raise sustainability awareness. However, the transition to sustainable living is fraught with difficulties, including a lack of knowledge, financial constraints, infrastructure gaps, and political ideologies. This study focuses on sustainable practices among Eastern Illinois University (EIU) students and faculty, as well as the barriers to daily sustainable behaviors. As independent variables influencing sustainable practices, the study evaluates sustainability knowledge/awareness, personal financial situation, …

Construction Industry: Profitable Corporate Sustainability Strategies And Processes Achieve Competitive Advantage, Chad Justin Czelusniak-Serviss

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Some construction industry managers lack strategies to integrate corporate sustainability strategies and processes for competitive advantage, which causes limited profitability. Grounded in the general systems theory, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore corporate sustainability strategies and processes senior and mid-level construction industry managers use to achieve competitive advantage in the United States. The participants were eight senior/mid-level construction industry managers from eight different construction industry organizations with at least five years of experience in the construction industry who utilized corporate sustainability strategies and processes. Data were collected using semistructured interviews. Three themes emerged using thematic analysis: …

Eating Change: A Critical Autoethnography Of Community Gardening And Social Identity, Jessica Gerrior

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Community gardening efforts often carry a social purpose, such as building climate resilience, alleviating hunger, or promoting food justice. Meanwhile, the identities and motivations of community gardeners reflect both personal stories and broader social narratives. The involvement of universities in community gardening projects introduces an additional dimension of power and privilege that is underexplored in scholarly literature. This research uses critical autoethnography to explore the relationship of community gardening and social identity. Guided by Chang (2008) and Anderson and Glass-Coffin (2013), a systematic, reflexive process of meaning-making was used to compose three autoethnographic accounts. Each autoethnography draws on the author’s …

Perceptions Of Trail Safety In Humboldt County, California: An Analysis Of Safety Concerns, Factors That Impact Trail Use, And The Value People Place On Trails, Natalie C. Arroyo

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Trails in Humboldt County, California that are used for both transportation and recreation have myriad community benefits. However, people’s concerns about feeling safe can affect trail use, design, and development, as well as how trails are valued and perceived by residents. There has been a lack of information in Humboldt County about trail safety perceptions despite it being a factor that repeatedly arises in infrastructure planning and funding conversations. My research was focused on answering the following questions: (1) How do Humboldt County trail users perceive their safety on and near trails? (2) What factors affect these perceptions about safety, …

Socio-Economic Comparative Analysis Of Front-Of-The-Meter And Behind-The-Meter Microgrids For Panamnik, Olivia C. Amann Mcshea

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

In Northern California, the Karuk Tribe is feeling the effects of climate change on inadequate energy infrastructures leading to unreliable power supply. Improving energy reliability in a way that also increases energy sovereignty is necessary. Renewable energy microgrids have emerged as a pathway forward.

Modeling ownership structures and cash flows for different microgrid configurations can support the Tribe’s implementation of a microgrid in Orleans, CA that maximizes community benefits. This thesis considers a front-of-the-meter (FTM) and behind-the-meter (BTM) configuration, both approximately 2 MW solar PV and 3 MW/12 MWh battery energy storage. Cash flows including capital costs, operations and maintenance …

Enlightenment Of Biosphere Reserve To Establishment And Management Of National Park In China, Jinhong Du, Ning Liu, Yijie Xian, Ding Wang, Wei Wang

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

China has officially established the first batch of national parks in 2021 and such construction is entering a high-speed stage. National parks of the country basically originate from existed protected areas, and face series of long-standing problems and challenges, such as over simplified administration, low community participation, and prominent contradictions between ecological conservation and social development. The Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme is the first flagship project of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for biodiversity and cultural diversity conservation, biosphere reserve is its implementation platform, which has accumulated a lot of useful experience in biodiversity conservation, …

Sustaining Communities Through Transformative Justice, Casey Bohrman

Sustainability Research & Practice Seminar Presentations

Professor Casey Bohrman, Graduate Social Work - Sustaining Communities through Transformative Justice

Using Gis-Based Land Use Strategies To Minimize The Impacts Of Urbanization On Agricultural Land And Forest Cover: Case Study Of The City Of Limbe, Cameroon, Lucy Ebude Deba Enomah

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Urbanization is one of the most dominant phenomena of the 21st century; it is propelled by natural growth and rural-to-urban migration. This latter is typically a product of rural residents moving to urban centres in search of economic opportunities. This phenomenon is accompanied by immense land use and cover changes – predominantly agricultural and forest lands to urban land uses such as buildings and infrastructure. The goal of this research was to contribute to efforts to minimize the impacts of urbanization on agricultural land and forest cover in Limbe, Cameroon, and to develop GIS-based strategies to allocate suitable land for …

Surviving A Broken System: Synergies Between Solidarity Economies And Sustainable Development Goals, Julie Beach

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Capitalism has created problems including wealth polarization, rapid depletion of natural resources, and pervasive systemic societal issues. Hard work is not enough to solve the unequal distribution and barriers preventing access to necessities. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were created to remedy the harsh reality of global inequities and negative environmental impacts by working towards a more just and equitable future for all. Solidarity Economies (SE) offer an alternative framework to achieve these goals.

This research used multiple qualitative methods to investigate the synergies between SE and SDGs in a growing urban environment. St. Petersburg, FL struggles with affordable housing, food …

Utah Growing Water Smart: The Water-Land Use Integration Guidebook, Kelly Kopp, Joanna Endter-Wada

Utah Growing Water Smart

The Utah Growing Water Smart workshops bring together teams of key community staff and water and land use planning decision makers to help build a more resilient and sustainable water future. The workshops use a range of public engagement, planning, communication, and policy implementation tools to help community teams realize their water efficiency, smart growth, watershed health, and water resiliency goals.

This 1^st edition of the Utah Growing Water Smart curriculum guidebook was prepared for the inaugural Utah workshop focused on Wasatch Front communities and held at the Wheeler Historical Farm in Murray, Utah on November 15-17, 2022. This …

How Spirituality Intensifies Sustainability: A Case Study Of Ananda Valley In Northern Portugal, Mia Handler

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The religious affiliations of citizens in the West are currently shifting away from the fundamentalist, traditional structures of the past towards more alternative spiritualities. Furthermore, as a result of the climate crisis, ecovillages are becoming increasingly popular. Ecovillages are intentional, “sustainable” communities that seek to reduce consumption, live in harmony with nature, and create strong social bonds. They are characterized by varying levels of spiritual involvement (Greenberg, 2014, p. 274). As such, the objective of this paper is to study the relationship between spirituality and environmentally-friendly practices and attitudes, using the ecovillage Ananda Valley – an Ananda Marga Master Unit …

Sustainability And Connection To Place: Land Stewardship Through Local Icelandic Women-Run Businesses, Hazel Deharpporte

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Iceland is one of the leading countries in gender equality, but women are still underrepresented in the field of entrepreneurship. Women have unique approaches to land stewardship, and there is evidence that they are more likely than men to act sustainably. The purpose of this study is to explore the correlation between sustainability and connection to place in women-run, local businesses. I interviewed six women who run a wide range of businesses in the towns of Ísafjörður and Djúpivogur. From these interviews, I found that while the women did not necessarily think that running a business was more difficult as …

Monuments As A Lens To Understand Climate Change: A Survey Of Altered Indian Architecture, Mckenzie Davis

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

My project is asking in what ways climate change is impacting monuments in the developing world using case studies in India? The project will be a survey of sites occupying different positions in environment, religion, and history in order to assess the multitude of threats on cultural heritage created and/or exacerbated by climate change. The Taj Mahal (17th century) will be assessed in order to discuss the impacts of air pollution associated with an urban environ ment and drought along the Yamuna river, using a widely known icon of India to serve as a visualization of slow violence taking place …

Georgetown County’S Office Of Planning And Zoning And The Future Land Use Of Georgetown County, Nicholas Urbanek

Goal 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

No abstract provided.

Environmental Justice Mapping In The U.S. Pacific Island Territory Of Guam, Ben Rocha

Master of Science in Environmental Sciences and Management Projects

Academics, regulators, and the public currently use geospatial analysis tools to identify locations that may be candidates for further environmental justice review in the continental United States (U.S.). However, current environmental justice geospatial analysis tools overlook a small but significant portion of the U.S. - the U.S. Pacific Islands. This study analyzes environmental justice within the U.S. Territory of Guam using existing geospatial analysis methods and publicly available environmental, climate, and socio-economic data to: (1) Spatially map relevant demographic and environmental data and (2) determine the correlation, if any, between the exposure to environmental hazards and the socio-economic status of …

How Neighborhood Characteristics Influence Neighborhood Crimes: A Bayesian Hierarchical Spatial Analysis, Danlin Yu, Chuanglin Fang

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Urban crimes are a severe threat to livable and sustainable urban environments. Many studies have investigated the patterns, causes, and strategies for curbing the occurrence of urban crimes. It is found that neighborhood socioeconomic status, physical environment, and ethnic composition all might play a role in the occurrence of urban crimes. Inspired by the recent interest in exploring urban crime patterns with spatial data analysis techniques and the development of Bayesian hierarchical analytical approaches, we attempt to explore the inherently intricate relationships between urban assaultive violent crimes and the neighborhood socioeconomic status, physical environment, and ethnic composition in Paterson, NJ, …

Sustainable Rural Transportation Through The Lens Of The Waccamaw Regional Council Of Government’S 2040 Long Range Rural Transportation Plan, Conner Denny

Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

No abstract provided.

The History Of Air Quality In Utah: A Narrative Review, Logan E. Mitchell, Christopher Zajchowski

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

Utah has a rich history related to air pollution; however, it is not widely known or documented. This is despite air quality being a top issue of public concern for the state’s urban residents and acute episodes that feature some of the world’s worst short-term particulate matter exposure. As we discuss in this narrative review, the relationship between air pollution and the state’s residents has changed over time, as fuel sources shifted from wood to coal to petroleum and natural gas. Air pollution rose in prominence as a public issue in the 1880s as Utah’s urban areas grew. Since then, …

Transformative Ecoliteracy Development In Postsecondary Education: Cultivating Intentional Relationships Through Garden-Based Learning, Shevawn Armstrong

Dissertations and Theses

Education can play a critical role in empowering learners to address the global, complex, and interconnected sustainability problems humanity currently faces. Ecoliteracy, as an educational aim, may support the cultivation of values, attitudes, and skills required for the development of sustainability solutions and our collective ability to design regenerative ways of living. However, empirical research that explores and supports the development of ecoliteracy in adults is limited. This grounded theory action research study aimed to contribute to this body of knowledge. This study explored how adult ecoliteracy and practical gardening skills may be cultivated through an intentionally designed, holistic, garden-based …