Digital Commons Network^™

Provisioning The 21st Century City: Community And School Gardens As Food Centers, Charleen L. Kepner

Anthós

This essay explores the potential impact of urban agriculture and community gardens as sources of education and sustainable and environmentally-sound food production. Using an analysis of case studies and academic research, I argue for the viability of community gardens and urban agriculture as educational hubs and future food production sources. I examine previous research which shows that small scale effort can make lasting impacts in communities. I argue that the research is promising as it highlights that the efforts of people in their everyday lives, can and do contribute to positive change. This essay contributes to the ongoing discussion of …

How Reuse Rooms Can Reduce Waste On University And College Campuses, Zoe Slabodnik

University Honors Theses

This undergraduate honors thesis discusses the importance of how reuse rooms on university and college campuses can reduce waste by providing an alternative method of disposal other than landfills. There is currently no definition in use that exists for the term reuse room. This thesis defines a reuse room as a community room where anyone with access can donate and take free items that can be reused, recycled, repurposed, repaired and reworn. The goal of a reuse room is to encourage waste reduction, promote and destigmatize the use of second-hand materials, and save money and items from going to landfills. …

Multicopter Drone Mass Distribution Impacts On Viability, Performance, And Sustainability, Miguel Figliozzi

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

This short communication highlights the value of drone mass and its distribution, a topic that despite its importance has received scant attention in the rapidly growing drone literature. In particular, the focus is on the impact of mass distribution on drone viability, performance, and sustainability.

Feeling The Heat: Climate Change Is Becoming A Big Factor In Business Decision-Making, Risk Assessment, Candace Beeke, Sahan Dissanayake, Jennifer Price, Moss Adams

Economics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Portland Business Journal Publisher and President Candace Beeke spoke recently with PSU’s Sahan Dissanayake and Jennifer Price, with Moss Adams, about the direct and indirect effects of climate change on business, along with the physical impacts and economic hazards. Here are their insights.

Equilibria: Sustainability And Eco-Awareness In Music Production, Ashley A. Kahl-Placek

University Honors Theses

Cross-disciplinary exploration between science and the arts is one tool to help solve some of the biggest issues facing humans. Climate change and loss of biodiversity can be represented via sound art and contemporary music composition. Wholistic eco-awareness and sustainability are possible when projects are based in unique species-inspired soundscapes, the cultivation of targeted, action-inspiring lyricism, and a sustainable navigation of the marketing and distribution pathways of the music industry. From the fall of 2021 to summer of 2022, field recordings of unique ecosystems were collected and combined with songwriting rooted in a love and hope for the future of …

Hemp-Lime Insulation: A Climate Friendly Building Material, Ginger Rose Jensen

Student Research Symposium

It is critical to reduce greenhouse gas from the atmosphere to reduce the impacts of climate change. Oregon’s Climate Action Plan has established goals to reduce emissions by developing ‘Clean Buildings’ and increasing the CO₂ sequestered by the state's ‘Natural and Working Lands’. Carbon negative construction materials like hemp-lime insulation could contribute to both goals.

Hemp-lime is a non-structural insulation material made from crushed hemp hurd, a lime-based binder, and water. It is non-toxic and versatile alternative to traditional insulation materials. Hemp-lime was submitted to be added to the International Residential Codes (IRC) index in 2022. IRC approval would …

Reduce, Reuse And Deny: How Sustainability Is Judged By Consumers, Madison E. Hill

Student Research Symposium

This research was an analysis of a series of interviews regarding what factors are considered when deciding if a given product is environmentally friendly or not. Participants were asked to select between products or practices as the generally more sustainable option, and were asked to explain their reasoning for that decision. Participants were encouraged to describe their reasoning behind each choice, but it was noted when certain choices were more challenging than others. Products that green-wash effectively generate trust between consumers trying to ‘do their part’ and industries attempting to capitalize on each side of environmental crises. Most sustainable practices …

Fostering Resiliency And Care Integrating Self-Compassion Into A Graduate Course, Heather L. Burns

Educational Leadership and Policy Faculty Publications and Presentations

Self-compassion, which involves mindful awareness of feelings and offering ourselves compassion, has been shown to support balancing emotions, overcoming challenges, and achieving goals. This action research study integrated self-compassion theory and practice in a graduate course in which students wrote their final comprehensive papers in sustainability education. This study found that self-compassion practice resulted in more self-awareness, more acceptance of difficult emotions, and more ability to handle stress. Additionally, students experienced more clarity and calm in the writing process and began to integrate self-compassion into their lives and work. This study points to the promise of self-compassion as a beneficial …

Spatial Analysis Of Landscape Characteristics, Anthropogenic Factors, And Seasonality Effects On Water Quality In Portland, Oregon, Katherine Gelsey, Daniel Ramirez

REU Final Reports

Urban areas often struggle with deteriorated water quality as a result of complex interactions between landscape factors such as land cover, use, and management as well as climatic variables such as weather, precipitation, and atmospheric conditions. Green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) has been introduced as a strategy to reintroduce pre-development hydrological conditions in cities, but questions remain as to how GSI interacts with other landscape factors to affect water quality. We conducted a statistical analysis of six relevant water quality indicators in 131 water quality stations in four watersheds around Portland, Oregon using data from 2015 to 2021. Indiscriminate of station …

Circular Economy: Waste-To-Wealth, Jobs The Global South, Katie Conlon, Randika Jayasinghe, Ranahansa Dasanayake

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

Circular Economy [CE] is predominantly framed as a means for circulating material streams within the technosphere as economically as possible, for as long as possible, in both applications of theory and practice. Arising from requirements for regulatory compliance, some global north industries have ventured into CE, and now this model is making headway in all industrial sectors. Whereas, in the global south, CE has been conceptualized as a mechanism for keeping materials out of the waste streams otherwise destined to reach landfills, waterways etc. Characteristic haphazard waste management is a serious socio-environmental issue in Sri Lanka. As a result, CE …

Waste Management In The Global South: An Inquiry On The Patterns Of Plastic And Waste Material Flows In Colombo, Sri Lanka, Katie Ann Conlon

Dissertations and Theses

Global plastic production continues to increase at an exponential pace, and global waste projections show waste generation rising by 70% by 2050. Plastic waste connects to all social processes, especially within the context of urbanization and development; urban planning and land management; GHG emissions; labor; social equity; public health; rural-to-urban migration; increasing population; increasing consumption; climate change; etc. The focus of this dissertation is an analysis of waste management practices in Sri Lanka using a grounded theory based methodology, with a goal to better understand the social and ecological impacts of plastic waste in Sri Lanka. This research fills a …

Are The Goals Of Sustainability Interconnected? A Sociological Analysis Of The Three E’S Of Sustainable Development Using Cross-Lagged Models With Reciprocal Effects, Matthew Thomas Clement, Nathan Pino, Patrick Greiner, Julius A. Mcgee

Sociology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Conceptual discussions of sustainability emphasize the interdependent relationship between relevant social and environmental factors. Yet, traditional quantitative analyses of the topic have tended to estimate the exogenous or direct/indirect effects a predictor variable has on a particular measure of sustainability. We examine the endogenous, interdependent relationship between the three E’s of sustainability (economy, equity, and ecology), incorporating country-level data for 1990 through 2015 into cross-lagged structural equation models with reciprocal and fixed effects. Results from these longitudinal models suggest that over time, at the country level, increasing economic inequality reduces renewable energy consumption, with no evidence of reciprocal feedback. Keeping …

Food Waste Knowledge, Attitudes, And Behavioral Intentions Among University Students, Manar Arica Alattar, James Delaney, Jennifer L. Morse, Max Nielsen-Pincus

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

After policy change, educational programming has been cited as one of the most powerful tools for improving food systems and decreasing food waste. University students represent a population in which emerging habits, skills, and identity may be targeted easily and changed through on-campus educational programming. To understand how to best implement programming on impacts of food, food waste, and related issues, the factors that underlie students’ behaviors related to food waste must be understood. We analyzed factors that influence food waste–related behaviors within a university student population to understand the potential for improving targeted, school-based food waste diversion programming. Four …

B-Line Sustainable Urban Delivery: Can Last-Mile Bicycle Delivery Survive The E-Commerce Minefield?, Madeleine Pullman, Jacen Greene, Wanying Shi, Stephan Kaplan

Business Faculty Publications and Presentations

As the population of cities in the western United States continues to boom, the demand for retail and wholesale food has followed suit. To deal with the accompanying increase in traffic and congestion from population and business growth, the city of Portland planned to increase bikeways and reduce the use of single-occupant vehicles to less than 30% of total commuters by 2026. Despite efforts to decrease dependence on vehicles, traffic congestion in Portland
continued to increase, and traditional vehicle delivery in the urban area became less and less efficient. As ride-sharing services and online retailers increased their presence in the …

Insights From Alumni: A Grounded Theory Study Of A Graduate Program In Sustainability Leadership, Heather Burns, Megan Schneider

Educational Leadership and Policy Faculty Publications and Presentations

This grounded theory action research study examines the impact of a graduate sustainability leadership program through the lens of its alumni. The study reveals elements of the leadership program that had the most impact on the lives and careers of its alumni, as well as suggestions for how the program could better prepare students in the future. This study finds that impactful sustainability leadership programs might incorporate opportunities for: paradigm and perspective shifts; a culture of support and care; holistic personal growth and development; experiential community-based learning opportunities; and leadership tools and skills that students can practice and use. This …

Geography In Laser-Light: Using Lidar To Map The Metroscape, Justin Sherrill

Metroscape

Forms part of the recurring series Periodic Atlas of the Metroscape.

This issue of the Periodic Atlas will look at the rising prominence and capabilities of lidar, and how local researchers are using the technology to change the way we see, measure, and manage our region.

Reorientations; Or, An Indigenous Feminist Reflection On The Anthropocene, Kali Simmons

Indigenous Nations Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

Destruction of homelands. Loss of kinship species. Exposure to deadly contaminants. Mass extinction. Transformed lifeways. In the face of these radical changes, a question lingers: How long will life be possible? Recently the academy has also felt the urgency of these environmental problems and proposed to address them within the framework of the term "the Anthropocene." Indigenous studies has offered various responses to the Anthropocene, some arguing that it has utility in framing the violence of colonialism and others critiquing the limitations and assumptions behind the "anthropos" …

Pedagogy Of The Edges: Anarchism And The Implicate Order, Jenka Soderberg

Leadership for Sustainability Education Comprehensive Papers

The ecological, structural and epistemological crisis that the planet is facing right now cannot be resolved within the modern educational model. Education can be a means for the transformation of society to a more just, sustainable future – but only if education itself is transformed and re-envisioned by looking to the perspectives that have been most marginalized. This new kind of pedagogy will develop outside the realm of an academic discourse, and will be found in transformative social justice movements and the relationships that are formed in these movements.

Modeling The Sustainability Of Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Technologies: Final Report, Miguel A. Figliozzi

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

In the past decade, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) have become increasingly more popular in the commercial sector. Drones are being used for all kinds of purposes, such as surveillance, inspecting architecture, filming, wildlife research, and more. Freight delivery is a potential application that is getting lots of attention from large companies.

This research presented novel data, relationship, and models for deliveries utilizing small UAVs. Small UAVs were defined as aircrafts with a tare of up to 15 kilograms (kg) and a potential payload of up to 15 kg. Since the weight of the UAVs is capped, only drones with engines …

Growing Deeper Roots: Toward Resilient Urban Forests, Sachi Arakawa

Metroscape

This article examines the urban forest in Portland, Oregon, as part of a complex system that requires management, education and outreach to remain healthy and sustainable. It also reviews the economic and ecological benefits of a health urban forest.

Deconstruction In Portland: Summary Of Activity, Emma Willingham, Peter Hulseman, Mike Paruszkiewicz

Northwest Economic Research Center Publications and Reports

On October 31st, 2016, the City of Portland instituted an ordinance requiring the deconstruction of all residential homes and duplexes built prior to 1917 or possessing a historical designation. Deconstruction is a relatively new industry, and with this local regulatory encouragement, several new contractors became certified to participate in the expanded market. This report provides background on the industry, largely from the 2016 report researched and written by the Northwest Economic Research Center (NERC) in anticipation of the requirement, and an examination of what has occurred in the year following the ordinance’s passage, using deconstruction and demolition permit data and …

Building Powerful Partnerships: Lessons From Portland's Climate Action Collaborative, Jennifer H. Allen, Fletcher Beaudoin, Beth Gilden

Institute for Sustainable Solutions Publications and Presentations

There is growing interest in partnerships between universities and communities and how such collaborations can help address the wicked challenges facing the world today. This article traces the development of the institutional commitments at Portland State University (PSU) in its efforts to build sustainability-focused community–university partnerships. The Institute for Sustainable Solutions at PSU has served as a mechanism to catalyze and nurture such partnerships on and off campus. This article examines two cases under the Portland Climate Action Collaborative that illustrate how community–university partnerships have emerged, what impacts they have had on the community, and what factors contributed to their …

Changing Attitudes Toward Sustainable Transportation: The Impact Of Meta-Arguments On Persuasion, David M. Sanbonmatsu, David L. Strayer

TREC Final Reports

An experiment tested the effects of both communications about the functions of an attitude and communications about the functions of an attitude object on persuasion. Participants received a conventional message about the benefits of public transportation, a message about the benefits of positive public transportation attitudes, or a control message. Meta-arguments about the functions of attitudes led to more favorable evaluations and stronger intentions to use public transportation. These effects were moderated by the political and environmental orientation of participants. Surprisingly, the conventional message was not persuasive. The research is novel in showing that the communication of the functions of …

Continental-Scale Homogenization Of Residential Lawn Plant Communities, Megan M. Wheeler, Christopher Neill, Peter M. Groffman, Meghan Avolio, Neil D. Bettez, Jeannine Cavender-Bares, Rinku Roy Chowdhury, Lindsay Darling, J. Morgan Grove, Sharon J. Hall, James B. Heffernan, Sarah E. Hobbie, Kelli L. Larson, Jennifer L. Morse, Kristen C. Nelson, Laura A. Ogden, Jarlath O'Neil-Dunne, Diane E. Pataki, Colin Polsky, Meredith Steele, Tara Trammell

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Residential lawns are highly managed ecosystems that occur in urbanized landscapes across the United States. Because they are ubiquitous, lawns are good systems in which to study the potential homogenizing effects of urban land use and management together with the continental-scale effects of climate on ecosystem structure and functioning. We hypothesized that similar homeowner preferences and management in residential areas across the United States would lead to low plant species diversity in lawns and relatively homogeneous vegetation across broad geographical regions. We also hypothesized that lawn plant species richness would increase with regional temperature and precipitation due to the presence …

The Economics Of Residential Building Deconstruction In Portland, Or, Mike Paruszkiewicz, Jenny H. Liu, Rebecca Hanes, Eric Hoffman, Peter Hulseman, Emma Willingham

Northwest Economic Research Center Publications and Reports

Impact analysis of the nascent deconstruction industry, in light of recent legislation.

Mobility And Accessibility In Shrinking Cities, Joanna Ganning

TREC Project Briefs

A University of Utah researcher explores the synthesis of mobility- and accessibility-based transportation planning in the context of urban decay.

Leadership For Sustainability: Theoretical Foundations And Pedagogical Practices That Foster Change, Heather Burns, Heather Diamond-Vaught, Corin Bauman

Educational Leadership and Policy Faculty Publications and Presentations

Sustainability education has a significant role to play in changing the leadership paradigm and fostering leaders who are capable of working collaboratively to address complex sustainability challenges. Leadership for sustainability denotes a new and expanded understanding of leadership that signifies taking action based on sustainability values, leading from a living processes paradigm, and creating an inclusive, collaborative and reflective leadership process. This paper examines and weaves together literature on leadership, leadership development, and sustainability education to suggest best practices in leadership development. A variety of suggested pedagogical practices that foster the development of leaders include: observation and self-awareness, reflection, the …

Dissolved: Lessons Learned From The Portland Multnomah Food Policy Council, Amy K. Coplen, Monica Cuneo

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

The city of Portland, Oregon, is often hailed in news and popular media as the capital of the U.S. alternative food movement. In 2002, the Portland Multnomah Food Policy Council (PMFPC) was established to address the region's growing interest in cultivating a sustainable local food system. Council members contributed to many notable achievements, including a healthy corner store initiative, a beginning farmer training program, and changes to zoning codes to expand urban agriculture. However, the PMFPC was dissolved in the summer of 2012 after local government agencies expressed that the council was losing relevancy. After a decade of conducting food …

Accessibility-Based Transportation Planning: Literature And Applications For Shrinking Cities, Joanna Ganning

TREC Final Reports

For 15 years, scholars have claimed that accessibility-based transportation planning was at the brink of becoming a new paradigm, and yet this hope remains unrealized. Its implementation may lag due to vague definitions when compared to mobility, or because those who would benefit from accessibility-based planning lack political power to rally its support. Possibly, the lag in implementation reflects the missing linkages between theory and application for many contexts. This literature review synthesizes knowledge regarding the applications for accessibility-based transportation planning for shrinking cities along the themes of environmental, social, and economic sustainability. While residents in shrinking cities might especially …

Assessing The Homogenization Of Urban Land Management With An Application To Us Residential Lawn Care, Colin Polsky, J. Morgan Grove, Chris Knudson, Peter M. Groffman, Neil D. Bettez, Jeannine Cavender-Bares, Sharon J. Hall, James B. Heffernan, Sarah E. Hobbie, Kelli L. Larson, Jennifer L. Morse, Christopher Neill, Kristen C. Nelson, Laura A. Ogden, Jarlath O'Neil-Dunne, Diane E. Pataki, Rinku Roy Chowdhury, Meredith K. Steele

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Changes in land use, land cover, and land management present some of the greatest potential global environmental challenges of the 21st century. Urbanization, one of the principal drivers of these transformations, is commonly thought to be generating land changes that are increasingly similar. An implication of this multiscale homogenization hypothesis is that the ecosystem structure and function and human behaviors associated with urbanization should be more similar in certain kinds of urbanized locations across biogeophysical gradients than across urbanization gradients in places with similar biogeophysical characteristics. This paper introduces an analytical framework for testing this hypothesis, and applies the framework …