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Forest Bathing Increases Adolescent Mental Well-Being And Connection To Nature: A Transformative Mixed Methods Study, Jennifer Keller

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Previous research has demonstrated that practicing forest bathing has significant positive effects on well-being. However, few studies have investigated whether forest bathing increases adolescent well-being despite the growing adolescent mental health crisis in the United States. Similarly, few studies have explored forest bathing’s impacts on connectedness to nature. Considering the ongoing environmental crisis, determining if forest bathing increases connectedness to nature is a critical expansion of forest bathing research, as connectedness to nature is linked to environmental care and concern. This study investigated the possibility that forest bathing, a nature-based mindfulness practice, could increase adolescent mental well-being and connectedness to …

Sustainability Hub Newsletter - January 2023, Jacqueline Jergensen, Neyda Gilman, Jennifer Embree

Library Sustainability Resources

The January 2023 Issue of the Sustainability Hub Newsletter shares sustainable New Year's Resolutions, additions to our documentary collection, a new environmental justice mapping tool, information on the Sustainability Hub Interest Group, and a student petition for EV Chargers on campus! Also read our announcements and upcoming events!

Children Tell Landscape-Lore Among Perceptions Of Place: Relating Ecocultural Digital Stories In A Conscientizing/Decolonizing Exploration, Meredith Jean Bird Miller

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

We know that when children feel a sense-of-relation within local natural environments, they are more prone to feel concern for them, while nurturing well-being and resilience in themselves and in lands/waters they inhabit. Positive environmental behaviors often follow into adulthood. Our human capacities for creating sustainable solutions in response to growing repercussions of global warming and climate change may grow if more children feel a sense of belonging in the wild natural world. As educators, if we listen to and learn from students’ voices about how they engage in nature, we can create pedagogical experiences directly relevant to their lives. …

Evaluating Biophilic Design Characteristics In Lincoln Public Schools, Sarah Burr

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

A mixed qualitative-quantitative study was conducted in Lincoln, Nebraska to observe and evaluate the biophilic design characteristics in Lincoln Public Schools (LPS). There is a significant lack of nature in urban environments, especially in older buildings and schools, therefore incorporating natural elements in school buildings can promote the success of students and contribute to improved well-being. The research question this study aims to address is: How and to what degree are Lincoln Public Schools integrating biophilic design characteristics in their high school buildings? Four high schools were toured utilizing an evaluation form with 10 biophilic design characteristics and a 5-point …

Survey Of Energy Literacy In Lincoln, Ne Households, Bella Devney

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Energy consumption results in increased greenhouse gas emissions, a significant contributing factor to climate change and the rise of global temperatures. The purpose of this study is to increase understanding of energy literacy in Lincoln, Nebraska households, hypothesizing that a more informed public will result in a reduction of energy use and improvements in emission rates, positively impacting climate change. The study engaged private citizens through surveys in Lincoln, Nebraska to gain data on the level of energy literacy in Lincoln households. Electronic surveys were distributed through local neighborhood associations to understand the gaps in residential energy conservation in Lincoln, …

Turfgrass Alternatives For The Modern Yard, John Lonowski

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

The considerable maintenance and irrigation required of turfgrass lawns can often be seen as a fruitless endeavor, as it consumes substantial resources but yields minimal economic benefit. The goal of this paper is to highlight the resource needs of traditional turfgrass lawns and identify and test alternative lawn types that are still aesthetically pleasing while being more sustainable than traditional turfgrass. To obtain the results, the experiment was conducted in Alda, Nebraska employing a randomized complete block design, which tested four entries at two separate locations, each with three replications. The entries include: 1. Buffalograss, 2. Tall Fescue, 3. White …

Teaching Agroecology: Preparing Students For Navigating Uncharted Territory, Charles A. Francis, Steve Gliessman

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Agroecologists understand that farming and food systems are more complex than the aggregation of their components. This realization drives our choices of learning strategies and activities that will prepare students for complexity and uncertainty. Our quest for a just, sustainable, and nutritious food system adequate to equitably serve everyone on the planet today and into the future is an enormous challenge. An undertaking of this magnitude will be met only with major adjustments informed by thoughtful teaching and practicing problem solving skills through a new educational lens. The principles of agroecology help us focus this lens on the wicked problems …

An Unmanned Aircraft System For Marking Live Power Lines To Prevent Bird Collisions, Mattheuns D. Pretorius, Lourens Leeuwner, Kaajial Durgapersad, Constant Hoogstad, Peter Beckedahl, Michael D. Michael, Kishaylin Chetty

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Collisions with overhead power lines represent a significant cause of mortality for a number of large bird species worldwide. Certain threatened species are severely impacted by power line collisions, particularly those for which there are no other known significant threats. In South Africa, bird collisions with overhead power line cables, including collisions with phase conductors and shield wires, contribute significantly to annual threatened bird species mortalities associated with Eskom power lines. The most practical mitigation measure is to attach bird anti-collision devices as markers on the cables. Current marking methods involve installations by hand, where linemen are hoisted up to …

Nitrogen: Both A Potential Stimulator And Suppressor Of Cyanobacterial Blooms In Temperate Lakes, Catherine Goltz

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Cyanobacterial blooms are complex phenomenon that are impacted and controlled by various factors such as lake depth, air temperature, wind, and nutrient loading. Nutrients such as phosphorus, nitrogen and iron all have very differing effects on cyanobacterial blooms. While phosphorus and iron are known to drive cyanobacterial biomass, nitrogen has been observed to have a direct impact on toxin synthesis. Nitrogen exists in the environment in many different forms such as atmospheric N₂, in inorganic forms such as nitrate and ammonium as well as in organic forms such as urea which can all affect cyanobacterial bloom development differently. …

Recommendations For Sustainable Tourism In Patagonia: An Exploratory Analysis Of Sustainable Tourism In Costa Rica, The Nordic Region, And Thailand’S Communities, Julia K. Lowery

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis explores different levels of governance and its role towards actualizing sustainable tourism in Patagonia. With the growing threat of climate change, international destinations such as Patagonia are looking to continue building their tourism industries in a sustainable way. Through analyzing case studies of national governance in Costa Rica, multi-national governance in the Nordic region, and community-based tourism in Thailand, we can better understand how each form of governance has the potential to create a sustainable tourism industry. With this understanding of successful governance in my case studies, as well as understanding the historical and political forces that have …

Scientists And Activists Work To Save The Planet, Myriam G. Vidal Valero

Capstones

Climate change and human intervention in nature are affecting people, ecosystems and ways of living all over the world. This portfolio of environmental pieces showcases the dire consequences of not addressing these issues, how solutions can be reached and the challenges facing those who try to change things.

Literature Review On Water Desalination Plant Production And Brine Disposal Methods, Grace Kollars

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Water scarcity is an issue all around the world because people have a lack of clean and available drinking water. One way this issue can be eased and people can have more access to water is implementing water desalination plants around the world. Since most of the water on earth cannot be drunk, there are ways to turn the over abundance of salty waters we have on this planet into fresh, drinkable water to ease the water insecurity. There are many methods out there that can be used for water desalination, most of them involving membrane technologies. The most efficient …

Eastern Redcedar Reduces Regeneration And Diversity In The Forests Of The Niobrara River Valley, Abigail Ridder

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Boundary forests are found growing interdigitated with grasslands across the Great Plains. The Niobrara River valley boundary forest has a unique composition of species not seen anywhere else in North America. Encroachment of eastern redcedar (Juniperus virginiana L.) into grasslands and forests is significantly increasing eastern redcedar’s presence in the Niobrara River Valley as well as in the rest of the Great Plains region. This tree species is capable of significantly decreasing recruitment and diversity in grasslands, which can change the composition of the entire ecosystem. However, the effect of eastern redcedar on recruitment and diversity of naturally forested ecosystems …

Analyzing Recycling Options For Wind Turbine Blade Waste, Awinita Bunner

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic literature review to identify recycling options for wind turbine blade waste. Wind energy is a rapidly growing energy source due to its renewability and accessibility. However, the turbines that produce this energy have blades that must be replaced throughout the turbine’s lifetime. The standard disposal method of decommissioned blades is the landfill. However, problems are arising within states as landfills are being overrun by the wind turbine blades once they reach their end-of-life. Conducting this study aims to provide a list of recycling options and provide an evaluation of each …

Outdoor Recreation And Its Effect On Our Relationship With The Environment, Martin Brannaman

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

This study was conducted at the University of Nebraska Outdoor Adventure Center. This study employed a pre-post retrospective assessment looking at individuals' connection with nature after embarking on a direct outdoor experience. A direct outdoor experience is when an individual is outside and not surrounded by manmade structures (Kil, 2016). I believe that after a direct outdoor experience the sample group will have a significant change in their connection to nature. The objective is to measure change in a group's connection to nature, through the Connectedness to Nature Scale (CNS, Mayer & Frantz, 2004). The population was a group of …

Earlier Snowmelt May Lead To Late Season Declines In Plant Productivity And Carbon Sequestration In Arctic Tundra Ecosystems, Donatella Zona, Peter M. Lafleur, Koen Hufkens, Barbara Bailey, Beniamino Gioli, George Burba, Jordan P. Goodrich, Anna K. Liljedahl, Eugénie S. Euskirchen, Jennifer D. Watts, Mary Farina, John S. Kimball, Martin Heimann, Mathias Göckede, Martijn Pallandt, Torben R. Christensen, Mikhail Mastepanov, Efrén López-Blanco, Marcin Jackowicz-Korczynski, Albertus J. Dolman, Luca Belelli Marchesini, Roisin Commane, Steven C. Wofsy, Charles E. Miller, David A. Lipson, Josh Hashemi, Kyle A. Arndt, Lars Kutzbach, David Holl, Julia Boike, Christian Wille, Torsten Sachs, Aram Kalhori, Xia Song

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

Arctic warming is affecting snow cover and soil hydrology, with consequences for carbon sequestration in tundra ecosystems. The scarcity of observations in the Arctic has limited our understanding of the impact of covarying environmental drivers on the carbon balance of tundra ecosystems. In this study, we address some of these uncertainties through a novel record of 119 site-years of summer data from eddy covariance towers representing dominant tundra vegetation types located on continuous permafrost in the Arctic. Here we found that earlier snowmelt was associated with more tundra net CO2 sequestration and higher gross primary productivity (GPP) only in June …

What Technologies And Barriers Are Present In Sustainable Heating And Cooling, Mason D. Nibbe

Environmental Studies Student Work

Sustainable heating and cooling practices can save homeowners money and reduce their carbon emissions. In the cold upper Midwest, Minnesota specifically, there are ways houses can be more efficient in terms of heating. The most efficient and practical are heat pumps systems, passive solar designs, and proper insulation of the building. This study is targeted at both existing buildings and the construction of new buildings. This project focuses on what sustainable heating and cooling practices, technologies, and barriers are present in the heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) industry. I find that using any sustainable solution is helpful, but multiple solutions …

Eco-Dystopian Novels Written By Women: Second, Third, And Fourth Wave Feminism, Trystyn Cox

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

The project is thematic; analysis of eco-dystopian novels written by American female authors in the 20th and 21st centuries in order to determine if the different waves of feminism experienced in the United States had any influence over the books. By doing an analysis of eco-dystopian novels the study identifies if there were any outside societal movements or issues going on at the time that may have influenced how the book was created or if a particular book was able to open innovative ideas to the society at the time it was published. I researched the second, third, and fourth …

Identifying How Summer Camp Experiences Affect Children’S Environmental Literacy, Quinn Kimbell

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Ensuring that children are prepared for environmental issues in the future can be aided by building the skill of environmental literacy. A key factor in building this skill is having natural experiences and creating one’s connection and perception of the environment. This paper aims to identify if summer camps increase children’s perception of the environment. This was completed by testing children with an environmental perception survey (Children’s Environmental Perception Scale) before and after attending a summer camp and assessing environmental pollution knowledge through drawing (modified Draw-An-Environment Test). The rural Nebraska summer camp subjected the children to many outdoor experiences, including …

Geology, Soils And Climate Of Western Australia's Wine Regions, Peter J. Tille, Angela Stuart-Street, Peter S. Gardiner

Bulletins 4000 -

This bulletin details what is special and unique about the geology, soil and climate of the south-west of Western Australia (WA), an area that encompasses the state’s 9 wine regions.

We have arranged the information into 2 parts:

• In Part 1, we broadly describe the special geological, soil and climate features of the south-west of WA to provide context for the wine regions.

• In Part 2, we describe the geology, soil and climate of the regions and subregions of the Geographical Indications (GI) scheme (administered by Wine Australia) for WA.

Through this work we have found that the wine regions …

Held At Bay: A Case Study Of A Lake Community’S Effort To Prevent A Zebra Mussel Invasion, Benjamin Breske

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

This case study was completed in a lake community in the upper midwestern United States. It seeks to understand the social factors that allowed a lake community to establish an effort to protect against a zebra mussel invasion, as well as the perceptions of the different stakeholders and the steps they took to get the effort going. Rural community action is important for the sustainability of many of the world’s natural resources as these communities are often the first line of defense. Understanding how efforts like this one come together is vital for creating similar efforts elsewhere. I conducted a …

The Evolution Of Wildland Fire Risk Management, Matthew Holte

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Wildland Fire risk management has long been a topic of much discussion. In the past we have focused on immediate danger and how to mitigate it, recently we have started to look at risk with a long-term view. Throughout this paper we will discuss the history of wildland fire, wildland fire policy, and how we got to where we are today. We will also look at how the two different styles of risk management and how we need to use them in a complementary fashion to provide safety to our firefighters, public, and the natural resources that we are protecting.

Wastewater-Informed Public Health Intervention Playbook

Sustain Magazine

As the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic quickly spread from country to country and continent to continent in 2020, governments and scientists needed a way to track COVID-19 through populations in order to position public health interventions in the most impactful locations. Having a decision-based risk framework may help to guide policy creation that could minimize or prevent possible outbreaks and surges of infection within communities. The University of Louisville in partnership with Louisville’s Department of Public Health and Wellness tested this strategy in 2021 and 2022. This Wastewater-Informed Public Health Intervention Playbook describes the decisions and actions of that academic and public …

Language And Power In Social Movements: Hearing All The Voices In Food System Advocacy Narratives, Dianna Winslow

Green Humanities: A Journal of Ecological Thought in Literature, Philosophy & the Arts

[From first paragraph] Everyone must eat. It is this immediate and personal connection to food which drives public and scholarly interest in the complex narratives emerging in what is becoming known as the “food movement”—activism on a global scale that is challenging how the industrialized production, distribution and consumption of food is affecting environmental conditions, food sovereignty and security, human health and wellness, and cultural identities. As the number of food advocacy groups promoting different, yet overlapping, public concerns continues to increase, so does the flow of language used by these groups to shape collective identities and political stances, which …

Permafrost Landscape History Shapes Fluvial Chemistry, Ecosystem Carbon Balance, And Potential Trajectories Of Future Change, Scott Zolkos, Suzanne E. Tank, Steven V. Kokelj, Robert G. Striegl, Sarah Shakil, Carolina Voigt, Oliver Sonnentag, William L. Quinton, Edward A.G. Schuur, Donatella Zona, Peter M. Lafleur, Ryan C. Sullivan, Masahito Ueyama, David Billesbach, David Cook, Elyn R. Humphreys, Philip Marsh

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

Intensifying permafrost thaw alters carbon cycling by mobilizing large amounts of terrestrial substrate into aquatic ecosystems. Yet, few studies have measured aquatic carbon fluxes and constrained drivers of ecosystem carbon balance across heterogeneous Arctic landscapes. Here, we characterized hydrochemical and landscape controls on fluvial carbon cycling, quantified fluvial carbon fluxes, and estimated fluvial contributions to ecosystem carbon balance across 33 watersheds in four ecoregions in the continuous permafrost zone of the western Canadian Arctic: unglaciated uplands, ice-rich moraine, and organic-rich lowlands and till plains. Major ions, stable isotopes, and carbon speciation and fluxes revealed patterns in carbon cycling across ecoregions …

Perspectives On Sustainability In Short-Term Faculty-Led Programs, Amanda Staton

Capstone Collection

Sustainability is a relatively new topic to the field of International Education. Despite this, its importance is tantamount for the continuation of the industry for future generations. The industry’s significant negative environmental impacts from international student mobility poses a real barrier to the continuation of the industry due to climate change. This research emerged due to the lack of existing research on sustainability in Study Abroad, especially short-term faculty-led programs, which are currently the most popular modality of Study Abroad. Short-term faculty-led programs currently hold a reputation in existing literature for being the most unsustainable form of Study Aboard with …

Social Equity Is Key To Sustainable Ocean Governance, Katherine M. Crosman, Edward H. Allison, Yoshitaka Ota, Andrés M. Cisneros-Montemayor, Gerald G. Singh, Wilf Swartz, Megan Bailey, Kate M. Barclay, Grant Blume, Mathieu Colléter, Michael Fabinyi, Elaine M. Faustman, Russell Fielding

Anthropology and Geography

Calls to address social equity in ocean governance are expanding. Yet ‘equity’ is seldom clearly defined. Here we present a framework to support contextually-informed assessment of equity in ocean governance. Guiding questions include: (1) Where and (2) Why is equity being examined? (3) Equity for or amongst Whom? (4) What is being distributed? (5) When is equity considered? And (6) How do governance structures impact equity? The framework supports consistent operationalization of equity, challenges oversimplification, and allows evaluation of progress. It is a step toward securing the equitable ocean governance already reflected in national and international commitments.

Please view the …

An Introduction To A Framework For Sustainability Thinking, Jeremy Van Antwerp, Matthew Kuperus Heun

Numeracy

Van Antwerp, Jeremy and Matthew Kuperus Heun. 2022. A Framework for Sustainability Thinking: A Student’s Introduction to Global Sustainability Challenges; (Springer, Cham) 275 pp. ISBN 978-3-0317-9184-0.

A Framework for Sustainability Thinking: A Student’s Introduction to Global Sustainability Challenges presents basic information related to sustainability challenges in the context of a cognitive framework that allows students to evaluate problems and potential solutions from a quantitative perspective. Moreover, numerous end-of-chapter discussion questions and project ideas examine moral, ethical, and worldview aspects of sustainability choices and tradeoffs between different approaches to sustainability.

An Introduction To A Framework For Sustainability Thinking, Jeremy Vanantwerp, Matthew Kuperus Heun

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

A Framework for Sustainability Thinking: A Student’s Introduction to Global Sustainability Challenges presents basic information related to sustainability challenges in the context of a cognitive framework that allows students to evaluate problems and potential solutions from a quantitative perspective. Moreover, numerous end-of-chapter discussion questions and project ideas examine moral, ethical, and worldview aspects of sustainability choices and tradeoffs between different approaches to sustainability.

Teaching & Learning Guide For Disability And Climate Justice, Molly M. King, Maria A. Gregg, Ana V. Martinez, Emily Y. Pachoud

Sociology

Disability is widespread: nearly one in four Americans has a disability (Taylor, 2018) and disability cuts across demographic categories. Among individuals aged 15 and over, 12.6% had some type of mobility disability; above age 65, it is nearly 40% (Brault, 2012). Mobility disabilities heighten vulnerability to climate change and climate-related disasters (UNHCHR, 2020). Reduced information resources and mobility, increased health risks, and a lack of visibility in climate change discourse put people with disabilities in a more vulnerable position in the climate crisis. However, this vulnerability can be mitigated through relevant and sufficient access to information, risk mitigation …