Digital Commons Network^™

Full Issue: Volume 5, Number 1 (2020), Spiritus Editors

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

No abstract provided.

Using Self-Reflection And Community Engagement Opportunities To Combat Social Justice Issues, Dionna Williams, Catherine Zeman

INSPIRE Student Research and Engagement Conference

The Recycling and Reuse Technology Transfer Center at the University of Northern Iowa funds an environmental equity internship program designed to challenge students to revision sustainability from an equity perspective and leave an impact on the interns and community. Interns are challenged to understand the systems analysis of issues using formal systems thinking approaches (Meadows, 2008), inculcating practices that allows them to tackle challenging equity and social justice implications, High vs. Low context communication and leadership styles (Vellnagel, 2013; Hall 1976), and understand environmental health disparities that exist using approaches such as understanding the naturome/nurturome, exposome and multiple expo-zones (Hall …

Land Rights And Regime Change: Trends In Mapuche Territorial Conflict From 1970 To Present In South-Central Chile, Cecilia Brey

Proceedings of GREAT Day

The Mapuche people are an indigenous group located in the Southern Cone region of South America with a strong claim to their ancestral lands in south-central Chile, especially in the Araucanía region. Historically, relations between the Mapuche people and the Chilean government have been poor, marked by conflict relating to territorial claims, natural resource extraction, and violence against Mapuche activists. This paper examines both present-day and historical conflicts between the Mapuche people and the Chilean government since Salvador Allende’s presidency in 1970. I analyze how regime change and neoliberal economic policies have affected Mapuche mobilization strategies, the efficacy of these …

Denitrifying Attached Growth Bioreactor, Audrey Sferra, Isabelle Bester, Abdurahim Share, Marina Gonzalez

Undergraduate Research and Engagement Symposium

The Brookfield Zoo (BZ) has been experiencing algal growth in the Great Bear Wilderness exhibit pools. BZ employees currently drain, scrub, and refill the pools every six weeks, which wastes water. A design that increases water conservation would better fulfill BZ’s mission of environmental sustainability. We propose a denitrifying attached growth bioreactor for BZ’s current wastewater system. The high ratio of surface area in the bioreactor compared to the pool walls will encourage biofilm to grow within the reactor at a higher rate than in the pools and the biofilm growing inside will uptake nutrients that the algae feeds on.

Water, Waste, And Race: Designing For Change On The Shelby County Landfill, Elizabeth Peterson

LSU Master's Theses

Historically, landfills have been viewed through an environmental lens as sites for technical remediation, employing scientific or engineering strategies for testing, mitigation and capping. They are more rarely viewed as cultural landscapes, places with histories of habitation and use, or as potential sites for design. This thesis investigation examines the Shelby County Landfill in Memphis, Tennessee from a cultural landscape perspective, opening up a dialog and opportunity to think about this site and other waste sites in a more layered and culturally rich way.

This research contributes to discussions within the field of landscape architecture that present waste landscapes as …

Death By Crosspollination: The Uncontrollable Natural Occurrence That Could Kill Organic Farming And The Legal Solutions To Save An Industry, Austin Warhime

Belmont Law Review

No abstract provided.

"Forever Chemicals": Forever Altering The Legal Landscape, Leticia M. Diaz, Margaret R. Stewart

Belmont Law Review

No abstract provided.

Out To Save The World: The Intersection Of Animal Welfare Law, Environmental Law, And Respect For Fragile Ecosystems, Stacey G. Sterling

Belmont Law Review

No abstract provided.

Evaluating Contamination And Remediation At A Northeast Texas Hi-Yield Chemical Site, 1960- 1996, Aaron Ferrell

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

April 14, 2020: Angélica Garcia '98 Named Bcc President, Brothers' Message, Virtual Calendar, Saint Mary's College Of California

SMC Bulletin 2013-2020

No abstract provided.

Framework For Implementing Socially Just Climate Adaptation (Post-Print), Jeffrey T. Malloy, Catherine M. Ashcraft

Faculty Publications

The previous two decades of scholarship devoted to the role of social justice in climate change adaptation has established an important theoretical basis to evaluate the concept of just adaptation, or, in other words, how the implementation of climate adaptation policy affects socially vulnerable groups. This paper synthesizes insights from relevant literature on urban climate change governance, climate adaptation, urban planning, social justice theory, and policy implementation to develop three propositions concerning the conditions that must occur to implement just adaptation. First, just adaptation requires the inclusion of socially vulnerable as full participants with agency to shape the decisions that …

The Siltcatcher: A Sediment-Capture System For Wetland Creation And Coastal Protection In Western Lake Pontchartrain, Andrew M. Wright

LSU Master's Theses

The West Lake Pontchartrain region faces a number of long-term environmental challenges due to anthropogenic climate disturbance and landscape modification, including sea level rise, increased storm surge risk, shoreline erosion, and wetland degradation. In response, this thesis applies recent research in the fields of landscape architecture and civil engineering to propose a dynamic, natural-systems solution for wetland creation and shoreline protection. The project envisions a series of breakwater-like structures in western Lake Pontchartrain positioned to slow water released from the nearby Bonnet Carré Spillway, causing suspended sediment to settle and create self-building and self-sustaining wetlands capable of keeping pace with …

Climate Change And Liberation In Latin America, Ernesto O. Hernández

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to propose the liberation movements in Latin America as alternative philosophical frameworks to the crisis of climate change. These movements have provided the grounds to identify inequities and injustices and have practiced ethical methodologies to overcome them. Additionally, the movements seek to represent and reflect the value of non-traditional philosophical agents in Latin America. The work focuses on four major Latin American ecological liberation movements; theology, philosophy, pedagogy, and feminism. Eco-Theology advances the role of Religion as the practice of Religação, reexamination, and resetting our relationship with nature by reconnecting with it. Eco-Philosophy of …

Citizen Engagement In Aquatics Equity: The Case Of Winston Waterworks, Steven N. Waller Phd, James H. Bemiller Jd, Emliy J. Johnson, Chermaine D. Cole, Jason Scott Phd, Angela Wozencroft, Phd

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

Historically, swimming pools have been a source of inequity when it comes to the distribution of recreation services in the United States. Many of the problems that correlate with the inequitable allocation of recreation resources including public swimming pools began with ideas about race, geography, poor planning practices and faulty policymaking (Rothstein, 2017). Moreover, one of the primary outcomes of engaged, inclusive planning is equity in the provision of recreation programs and facilities. In this essay, we offer a summary of key legal cases that help address questions related resource allocation related to public swimming pools. Finally, we present a …

Climate Change Adaptation In Highland Ecuador: Intersections Of Gender, Geography, And Knowledge In Farming Communities, Dinka Natali Caceres Arteaga

Latin American Studies ETDs

This dissertation uses a feminist political ecology perspective to explore the socioeconomic impacts of climate change in Ecuador, especially but not limited to the agriculture sector. It is based on the use of mixed methods that allowed the participation and validation of the local population, surpassing their role as beneficiaries to co-authors of this research.

The significance of this study relies on the position the local population holds in the fields of human geography, under a community local-planning perspective, as they attempted to collaborate in the process of adaptation to climate change by presenting analysis and calculation of an index …

The Basel Convention On The Control Of Transboundary Movements Of Hazardous Wastes And Their Disposal: A Legal Misfit In Global Ship Recycling Jurisprudence, Ishtiaque Ahmed

Washington International Law Journal

The Basel Convention has tempted developed nations into the practice of exporting hazardous waste into undeveloped nations’ territories simply for money in the name of recycling. Being extremely business unfriendly, particularly for the recycling industry, this convention has not been welcomed by many developing nations, leading to serious policy and legal uncertainty in those jurisdictions. However, in the absence of any dedicated, enforceable international legal instrument, the Basel Convention currently remains the foundation of ship-recycling jurisprudence in the domestic courts of all dominant, ship-recycling states and the rest of the world, and the basis for curbing the movement of end-of-life …

Investing In Local Communities: Examining The Community Relations Practices Of Louisiana’S Chemical Industry, Jillian Washington

LSU Master's Theses

In today’s society, businesses are tasked with fulfilling their corporate objectives while acting responsibly on behalf of the communities where they operate. This is often achieved through the implementation of corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices, which includes community relations. This qualitative study examines the extent that the chemical industry in south Louisiana executes community relations among the residents living in the shadows of its facilities. Perspectives from area residents of the chemical industry and its community relations practices are also analyzed to provide insight from the stakeholder view. Specific focus is given to companies found within Louisiana’s industrial corridor, also …

Willingness To Protest Over Resource Extraction In Latin America, Moises Arce, Marc S. Polizzi, Bryce Reeder

Faculty & Staff Research and Creative Activity

Protests over resource extraction have increased in Latin America in recent years. However, significant variation exists in the region in terms of citizen’s willingness to protest against resource extraction. We argue that this variation is based on the interaction of factors at both the individual and state levels. Individual-level characteristics, such as social engagement, influence the likelihood of protest activity. State-level characteristics, such as the quality of governance, also present opportunities for engaged individuals to challenge resource extraction. Following political mediation theory, we argue that collective action strategies are likely to be more productive in some political contexts than in …

Conceptual Planning Of Urban–Rural Green Space From A Multidimensional Perspective: A Case Study Of Zhengzhou, China, Bo Mu, Chang Liu, Guohang Tian, Yaqiong Xu, Yali Zhang, Audrey L. Mayer, Et Al.

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

The structure and function of green-space system is an eternal subject of landscape architecture, especially due to limited land and a need for the coordinated development of PLEs (production, living, and ecological spaces). To make planning more scientific, this paper explored green-space structure planning via multidimensional perspectives and methods using a case study of Zhengzhou. The paper applies theories (from landscape architecture and landscape ecology) and technologies (like remote sensing, GIS—geographic information system, graph theory, and aerography) from different disciplines to analyze current green-space structure and relevant physical factors to identify and exemplify different green-space planning strategies. Overall, our analysis …

Unpacking The Process And Outcomes Of Ethical Markets: A Focus On Certified B Corporations, Renée Bogin Curtis

Dissertations and Theses

The growth in conscious consumption presents an opportunity to 1) better understand the potential outcomes of ethical market practices as a community-advocacy tool and 2) to consider potential policy considerations. The marketplace has increasingly become an arena for social action. This leads to the question of how can markets facilitate ethical business practices and community benefits? The recent rise of social benefit corporations warrants an evaluation of the outcomes of ethically-driven markets. Using a comparative research design and qualitative interview methods, this study examines certified Benefit Corporations (B Corps) in two selected cities: Philadelphia and Portland. Through interviews with B …

The Tensions Of Mobilizing Emergent Tactics: Lessons From The Standing Rock Occupation, Margaret E. Breen

Sociology Honors Projects

The Dakota Access Pipeline is an oil pipeline that sparked a massive uprising in the fall of 2016 due to its environmental impacts, and violation of Native treaty rights. Upwards of 10,000 people participated in the six-month-long occupation in North Dakota and there were hundreds of injuries and arrests. What sparked this tactical innovation? And what tensions arose from this strategy? In an attempt to answer these questions, I have interviewed water protectors who participated in the occupation, and analyzed interview records with movement leaders. From this research, I conclude that the limited resources available to the movement led to …

Here They Are, Send Them: An Evaluation Of The Send Program At Merrimack College, Jordan T. Mason

Community Engagement Student Work

The purpose of this study was to gather a deeper understanding of the SEND Program at Merrimack College. This program evaluation sought to determine if the SEND Program was meeting its short-term outcomes for the program. The current literature highlights the important and significant aspects of alternative break/global service-learning programs as they can provide great educational experiences for students. A survey was sent out to a cohort of alumni SEND participants to gather their perspectives of the program. Overall, the survey respondents noted positive responses of their experiences in this program, indicating that they had some level of a positive …

The New Beginnings Newsletter, April 2020, Shana Harming

Wokini Initiative: The New Beginnings Newsletter

Content includes:
Environmental Racism on Native Lands
Tribal Spotlight: Rosebud
The Wizipan Leadership and Sustainability Program
Wokini Spotlight: Morgan Catlett-Ausborn
Book of the Month: The River Is In Us
Lakota Word of the Month

Environmental Activism, Ellen Dexter, Lydia Dexter

Honors Program: Expanded Learning Clubs

An after school book club that follows Greta Thunberg's book of speeches No One is Too Small to Make a Difference , as well as uses hands-on activities to teach the importance of environmental activism.

Fish & Wildlife News: Spring 2020, Matt Trott

Fish and Wildlife News

No abstract provided.

California High Speed Rail Central Valley Realignment, Jossian Pineda, Devin Schmidt

Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering Senior Theses

The California High-Speed Rail in California has exceeded its budget and proven that typical methods of laying out High-Speed Rail were inefficient and detrimental to residents. By analyzing routes where the High-Speed Rail could instead be routed through medians or dead space around existing freeways, the project team determined the feasibility and cost efficiency of such an undertaking. The team analyzed multiple routes and upon choosing the best route, completed a curve analysis on a portion of the alignment, as well as completed an analysis on typical bridges that would be required. The analysis proved that utilizing this median space …

Environmental Justice In Little Village: A Case For Reforming Chicago’S Zoning Law, Charles Isaacs

Northwestern Journal of Law & Social Policy

Chicago’s Little Village community bears the heavy burden of environmental injustice and racism. The residents are mostly immigrants and people of color who live with low levels of income, limited access to healthcare, and disproportionate levels of dangerous air pollution. Before its retirement, Little Village’s Crawford coal-burning power plant was the lead source of air pollution, contributing to 41 deaths, 550 emergency room visits, and 2,800 asthma attacks per year. After the plant’s retirement, community members wanted a say on the future use of the lot, only to be closed out when a corporation, Hilco Redevelopment Partners, bought the lot …

El Futuro De La Urbanización Y El Cambio Climático, April 2020, Makeyla Hayes

Monteverde Institute: Culture, Community, and Health

No abstract provided.

Building A Law-And-Political-Economy Framework: Beyond The Twentieth-Century Synthesis, K. Sabeel Rahman, Amy Kapczynski, David Singh Grewel, Jedediah Britton-Purdy

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Suffering Matters: Nepa, Animals, And The Duty To Disclose, David N. Cassuto, Tala Dibenedetto

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires the federal government to disclose potential environmental harms arising from agency actions. Animal suffering is an environmental harm, yet no court has ruled that its infliction triggers a reporting obligation under NEPA. This Article argues that animal suffering should be a cognizable environmental harm under NEPA, that considerations of animal suffering should factor into whether an agency must prepare an EIS--and should be discussed in the content of the EIS.

Part II of this Article introduces and explains the procedural requirements of NEPA. Part III discusses animal suffering--how it is defined, how laws …