Digital Commons Network^™

Farming Systems Education: Case Study Of Swedish Test Pilots, Lennart Salomonsson, Anna Nilsson, Sofia Palmer, Adam Roigart, Charles A. Francis

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

We describe and analyze a pedagogical experiment that introduced a broad and holistic perspective on complete farming systems, systemic learning tools, and a participatory learning strategy at an early stage in agronomy education. The paper describes the adventure of three students, who came from a conventional agronomy program at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), who were frustrated with the lack of integrated approaches to the study of agricultural systems and a strong focus on molecular-level processes in their first year of education. They encountered a narrow focus in most courses and the overall curricula of agricultural education that …

The Feasibility Of Implementing Farm To School Programs In Bloomington-Normal Public Schools, Margaret Kane, '09

Outstanding Senior Seminar Papers

Farm to School programs promote partnerships between local farmers and school districts in which farmers can provide fresh organic produce for school meals and education about sustainable agriculture. A focus on local and organic foods has a variety of benefits that affect the environmental, health, and community. This study explores opportunities for Farm to School programs in Bloomington-Normal public schools, and concludes that a this type of program would be feasible in Normal, although there are quite a few barriers to overcome before implementation would be possible.

Comparison Of The Fuel Needed To Transport Plastic Recyclables Verses Aluminum Recyclables From Yellowstone National Park, Melissa Dejonge

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Research has provided no definitive answers on whether PET plastic bottles or aluminum cans are a more environmentally sustainable choice as soda containers. This paper researches the fuel used in recycling each of these materials from Yellowstone National Park to processing locations. The data is used to determine which of these alternatives use less fuel in this process. It was found that plastics use more fuel when transported from Yellowstone National Park to the processing center. Aluminum uses less fuel per ton to transport from Yellowstone to the processing center. The conclusions from this research may have implications on which …

Modeling Natural Resources Scarcity And Proverty Effects On Fertility In Honduras, Nepal, And Tanzania, Ayoub Shaban Ayoub

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This dissertation examines whether the vicious circle theory applies in three developing countries characterized by high population growth. According to the vicious circle theory, natural resource scarcity coupled with poverty leads to population growth via positive effects on fertility particularly in rural areas of developing countries. Population growth then leads to a further increase in natural resource scarcity, creating a "feedback loop." This is the first study to use micro-level data to test and control for endogeneity using a two-stage Probit model (IVPROBIT). The existing literature has largely failed to address endogeneity in the relationship between natural resource scarcity and …

Unlv Magazine, Holly Ivy De Vore, Tony Allen, Barbara Cloud, Erin O'Donnell, Matthew K. Jacobsen, Gian Galassi, Michelle Mouton, Afsha Bawany, Shane Bevell

UNLV Magazine

No abstract provided.

Droughtscape, Summer 2008, Kelly Smith

DroughtScape: Quarterly Newsletter of the National Drought Mitigation Center (2007–2023)

VegDRI Expands West

Spring Rains Ease Drought But CA Still Dry

Scholar Donates Books

NDMC Welcomes Employees Bathke, Nothwehr

Latest Workshop Info Up

State Lawmakers to Focus on Drought Planning

Decadal Variation -- Clues to Droughts and Floods?

Agenda: Shifting Baselines And New Meridians: Water, Resources, Landscapes, And The Transformation Of The American West, University Of Colorado Boulder. Natural Resources Law Center

Shifting Baselines and New Meridians: Water, Resources, Landscapes, and the Transformation of the American West (Summer Conference, June 4-6)

The Center’s 29th annual conference will focus on the changes in the West resulting from rapid population growth, development, disrupted historical weather patterns and the effects of those changes on land, water, and energy resources. Speakers and panelists will address the adaptability of the legal and political institutions and how the transformation of the West may foreshadow fundamental changes to these institutions.

The agenda includes panel discussions that will address:

• Water for the 21^st Century —the big questions in Western water and rethinking Western water law.
• The Future of Energy —practical and sophisticated solutions to overcome the energy …

Unlv Sustainability Task Force Report, David M. Hassenzahl

Reports (USI)

The UNLV Sustainability Task Force has completed its mission to provide you with recommendations as to how UNLV can best pursue sustainability ideals. The attached report contains our conclusions and recommendations, along with appendices containing supporting materials and details.

Darfur: Rainfall And Conflict, Michael Kevane, Leslie C. Gray

Economics

Data on rainfall patterns only weakly corroborate the claim that climate change explains the Darfur conflict that began in 2003 and has claimed more than 200,000 lives and displaced more than two million persons. Rainfall in Darfur did not decline significantly in the years prior to the eruption of major conflict in 2003; rainfall exhibited a flat trend in the thirty-years preceding the conflict (1972-2002). The rainfall evidence suggests instead a break around 1971. Rainfall is basically stationary over the pre- and post-1971 sub-periods. The break is larger for the more northerly rainfall stations, and is less noticeable for En …

Hazard Adaptations Along The Ohio River: A Case Study Of Bushman's Lake, Clark County, Indiana, Jennifer L. Lathem

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Hazard researchers define a hazard as a threat to people and their belongings (Cutter 2001). An adaptation, for the purposes of this research, is any alteration, physical or behavioral, made by a person in which the person is better able to survive in their "hazardous" natural environment. The challenge facing individuals and communities is the ability to adapt to these hazards so as to continue with normal everyday life. People living near a waterway are faced with flooding, which becomes a hazard when it alters everyday social structures. The purpose of this study is to identify flood hazard adaptations in …

The Fall 2008 Unl Bike Survey: Examining The Status Of Bicycle Transportation At The University Of Nebraska-Lincoln, Brent Schmoker

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

This study evaluates the state of bicycle use by University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) students during the fall semester of 2008. An online survey was administered to a random sample of graduate and undergraduate students to determine the factors that encourage and inhibit students from using bikes for transportation to campus. The results suggest that a significant portion of the student population uses bikes for transportation to campus but several factors combine to keep the overall number of bicycle commuters low. The paper concludes with suggestions for increasing bike commuting to UNL and predictions about the future of transportation in the …

Native American Forum On Nuclear Issues Agenda

Native American Forum on Nuclear Issues

Conference agenda

Sponsored by: UNLV Department of Environmental Studies, UNLV Libraries, UNLV Department of History, UNLV Department of Sociology and the Native Community Action Council

Fighting Nuclear Waste At Skull Valley, Margene Bullcreek

Native American Forum on Nuclear Issues

Abstract:

-Reasons We Oppose Nuclear Waste

-Sovereignty

-Traditional values must be protected

-Protect sacredness of our culture, plants,

animals, air, and water

-Affects on community health

-Protect reservation and homeland

-To protect the air and water

-To protect future generations

-Environmental Justice

Native American Forum On Nuclear Issues Agenda

Native American Forum on Nuclear Issues

Conference agenda

Sponsored by: UNLV Department of Environmental Studies, UNLV Libraries, UNLV Department of History, UNLV Department of Sociology and the Native Community Action Council

Baselines Newsletter, No. 2, Spring 2008, University Of Colorado Boulder. Natural Resources Law Center

Baselines: The Natural Resources Law Center Newsletter (2007-2011)

No abstract provided.

Colorado College State Of The Rockies Report Card, David Havlick, Walter E. Hecox, Christopher B. Jackson, Matthew K. Reuer

Publications (SD)

The critical research topics for the 2008 Report Card include immigration, affordable housing, renewable energy resources, river restoration and restoration economies, and wildlands.

Inside Unlv, Shane Bevell, Mamie Peers, David Ashley, Diane Russell, Michelle Mouton, Grace Russell

Inside UNLV

No abstract provided.

An Affordable, Practical Eco-House, Dave Fitzpatrick

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

An eco-house or zero-energy house is not a new concept- houses with extremely low impact on their surroundings and good use of local resources have been around for centuries. This particular eco-house is designed to offer full modern services and comforts while consuming very low energy and few expensive building materials. Ideally, someone would be able to use this thesis as a blueprint for actual construction.

From Debate To Design: Issues In Clean Energy And Climate Change Law And Policy, Leslie Parker, Jennifer Ronk, Rachel Maxwell, Bradford Gentry, Marijn Wilder, James Cameron

Yale School of the Environment Publications Series

A report on the work of the REIL Network 2007-2008

Vermont, Mary Finley-Brook

Geography and the Environment Faculty Publications

Known as the Green Mountain State, Vermont underwent widespread reforestation following farm abandonment in the mid-1800s. In addition to the existence of several land trusts, the Green Mountain Club has protected more than 55 mi. (88 km.) along a hikers' Long Trail. There is a strong state environmental movement, with local groups and chapters of national organizations. Vermont hosts one of the nation's leading environmental law and policy programs at the Vermont Law School. The state government has invested in energy efficiency and joined regional efforts to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Climate change and global warming concern Vermonters because …

Diminished Access, Diverted Exclusion: Women And Land Tenure In Sub-Saharan Africa, Michael Kevane, Leslie C. Gray

Economics

Increasing commercialization, population growth and concurrent increases in land value have affected women's land rights in Africa. Most of the literature concentrates on how these changes have led to an erosion of women's rights. This paper examines some of the processes by which women's rights to land are diminishing. First, we examine cases where rights previously utilized have become less important; that is, the incidence of exercising rights has decreased. Second, we investigate how women's rights to land decrease as the public meanings underlying the social interpretation and enforcement of rights are manipulated. Third, we examine women's diminishing access to …

Land Tenure And Rental In Western Sudan, Michael Kevane, Leslie C. Gray

Economics

This paper reports on aspects of land tenure in western Sudan, especially the nature of tenure insecurity and the functioning of the land rental market. The active land rental market accounted for about one-third of cultivated land. Patterns of land rental transactions, and tests of the importance of insecurity in renting land, where the owner may not be able to reclaim land rented out, do not support the presumption that rental markets perform poorly. The role of the sheikh as administrator of village land, and the claims of large landowners to vast tracts, are, however, important political problems that must …

A Critical Examination Of Sustainability Considerations In Yukon Environmental Assessment—Past And Present, Louisa M. Clementino

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The Northern regions of Canada, as a result of landscape characteristics and political and cultural dynamics, present unique challenges and opportunities for meeting sustainability goals through environmental assessment (EA) processes. In order to understand the significance of the EA process in the North and its applicability to fulfilling sustainability goals, the past and present EA regimes of the Yukon are evaluated adopting a sustainability-focused framework. Unique changes to the Yukon EA process, as a result of land claim agreements and devolution have created innovative structures and processes, reflective of the environmental, socio-economic, cultural and political circumstances of the region. The …

Students And Their Contributions Towards A Greener Campus, Windy Gonzalez Roberts

Spanish Publications

For the last several years, UMM has been positioning itself as a national leader in use of renewable energy. The students will discuss their awareness about the efforts of their university campus to be energy self-sufficient by the year 2010. They will reflect about their responsibility to implement changes that will create a more sustainable campus, community and world around them. The students will be able to convey to others in the campus and in the community the need to increase involvement in the process. They will also compare green efforts of their university with similar efforts in the Hispanic …

Concurrent Panel Session 1: Environmental Sustainability And Las Vegas, Dale A. Devitt, David E. James, Patricia Mulroy, Alan O'Neill, Thomas C. Piechota, Doug Selby, Krystyna Anne Stave, Michael Yackira, Bruce Turner

Shaping the Future of Southern Nevada: Economic, Environmental, and Social Sustainability

Moderator: Dr. Stan Smith, UNLV School of Life Sciences Scribe: Crystal Jackson, UNLV Department of Sociology Conference white paper & Full summary of panel session, 6 pages

Shaping The Future Of Southern Nevada Moderators & Panelists Biographies

Shaping the Future of Southern Nevada: Economic, Environmental, and Social Sustainability

Moderators & Panelists biographies

Eesi Newsletter, No. 3, Oct. 2007, Energy & Environmental Security Initiative (University Of Colorado Boulder)

EESI: The Energy & Environmental Security Initiative [Newsletter] (2007)

No abstract provided.

The Buzz About Sustainability, John S. Farnsworth

Environmental Studies and Sciences

I wear sweater vests, I never split infinitives, I trim my beard close, and I read a poem at the beginning of every class. More to the point, as a member of the English faculty at a distinguished university, I distrust any word that had not been coined by the time my father—himself formerly a professor at a Jesuit university—completed his undergraduate studies.

So what am I doing as the faculty director of a Residential Learning Community (RLC) organized around the theme of “sustainability”?

In the past 18 months, the university that employs me hired its first sustainability coordinator, held …

Water. World Water, A Crisis Of Global Governance?, Robert Weiner

New England Journal of Public Policy

In a global world, how can water, a necessary and increasingly scarce resource, be managed? We understand that water is a basic need. Do we also share the belief that water is a basic right? Does the international community share beliefs about water that may be the foundation of an international regime or system of global governance for the equitable implementation of global water policy? And finally, what international body or bodies might handle the disputes that arise as our population and need for water increase? The author tackles these questions and looks at models to guide us.

A Decade Of Colorado Supreme Court Water Decisions, 1996-2006: Special Report, Colorado Foundation For Water Education

The Future of Natural Resources Law and Policy (Summer Conference, June 6-8)

Presenter: Justice Greg Hobbs, Colorado Supreme Court

31 pages.

Includes color illustrations and map

"Acknowledgments: This special report highlights important features of Colorado Supreme Court water decisions handed down between 1996 and 2006. It contains excerpts from opinions authored by Justices Lohr, Vollack, Mullarkey, Kourlis, Hobbs, Martinez, Bender, Rice, Coats and Eid. It is adapted from an article that first appeared in The Water Report (www.thewaterreport.com), February 15, 2007, used with permission."