Digital Commons Network^™

Historical Urban Typologies Of A Flooded New Orleans And How We Can Fix Them, Mason Malsegna

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

No abstract provided.

Bulk Recycling: Density Separation Models For Mixed Plastic Waste, Megan Lee St. Hilaire

Open Access Master's Theses

Microplastic pollution is now everywhere, from the highest elevation of Mount Everest to the deepest dives of the Mariana Trench. The use of synthetic polymers has contributed to the transformation of our modern world. Nonetheless, the growing presence of plastics in the natural environment constitutes a sense of urgency to develop sustainable solutions to address the global plastic pollution crisis. Approximately 80 percent of all the plastics ever produced have been discarded. Our relationship with plastic needs rethinking.

Achieving a circular economy requires a holistic approach to redesign the systems that make, use and reuse plastics. Evaluating the life cycle …

2022-2023 Course Catalog, University Of Montana--Missoula. Office Of The Registrar

University of Montana Course Catalogs, 1895-2024

An annual catalog of courses and course descriptions offered at the University of Montana.

Establishing A Conditional Driver Permit In Texas., Luz E. Herrera, Taylor Garner, Crystal Hernandez, Lisa Mares

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

Abstract Forthcoming.

Eco-Material Rifts In South Asian Anglophone Fiction, Muhammad Manzur Alam

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

I examine how South Asian Anglophone fiction represents the evolution and derangement of postcolonial ecologies, especially how unrelenting colonial and capitalist interventions affect the symbiotic relationship between subaltern people and nonhuman entities. The conceptual methodology develops from Karl Marx’s theory of “metabolic rift,” which illustrates how capitalist exportation of crops causes loss of important soil nutrients because the nutrients are consumed in distant locations and not returned to the original soil. My concept of “eco-material rifts” extends Marx’s idea to contend that the “rifts” have grown into more complicated and difficult to remediate modes of material rifts today. I scrutinize …

Are We Greater Than The Sum Of Us?, Christine J. Yeh, Saera R. Khan

Journal of Interdisciplinary Perspectives and Scholarship

In Volume 6 of this special issue of the Journal of Interdisciplinary Perspectives and Scholarship A Time for Reckoning: Reflections and Analyses for “The Sum of Us”, eight contributors consider, grapple with, debate, and reflect upon Heather McGhee’s 2021 book, The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together. Through cultural, psychological, historical, and socio-political lenses, the authors in this special issue contemplate and analyze how McGhee’s work impacts their creative works, community projects, and research. The essays span different settings - from the Arizona-Mexico border, to the US prison system - to different opinions …

Protecting Our At-Risk Communities From The Ground(Water) Up: Cafos, The Clean Water Act, And A Framework For Offering Clarity To An Imprecise Maui Test, Shawn D. Ren

Emory Law Journal

For rural communities across the country, the problems associated with concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) are nothing new. These industrial-sized operations emit a tremendous amount of waste, polluting the surrounding air, land, and water. In many regions, minority, indigent, and uneducated groups disproportionately bear the ill-effects of these inhumane operations. Under the Clean Water Act, CAFOs are explicitly included in the definition of a point source and are thus subject to the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permitting requirements, which regulates the discharge of pollutants. However, many operations do not fit within this regulatory scheme as they do not …

Battle For Ohio, Case Western Reserve University School Of Law, Law-Medicine Center

Case Law-Med

• Message from the co-directors
• Physician fidelity
• Newsworthy expertise
• Expanding practice and reassessing ethics
• Meeting demand
• Series of events
• Battle for Ohio
• Appointed to serve
• Prolific professor
• Externship experience
• A vital community service
• Championing diversity and patient rights through policy

State Agency Sea-Level Rise Action Plan For California, Sea-Level Rise Leadership Team, Ocean Protection Council

State & Federal Reports and Publications

Numerous state agencies are dedicated to helping California prepare for sea-level rise (SLR). Our vision is to make all of California, including its coastlines, inland areas, and bays and estuaries, resilient to the impacts of SLR, such as flooding, erosion, and habitat degradation and loss. This occurs through thoughtful and coordinated plans and projects aimed to protect and conserve our unique biodiversity, public health and safety, infrastructure, outdoor access, and coastal economy. This must be done through an equitable process, inclusive of all Californians, that prioritizes environmental and climate justice with an emphasis on partnerships with California Native American tribes …

Equity Impacts Of Offshore Wind, Tyson Bottenus

Open Access Master's Theses

Offshore wind energy is starting to gain a foothold in the United States and with that comes a multitude of problems and several opportunities. Some of these problems and opportunities concern the role equity plays between the developers of offshore wind and the various communities they will impact. Not all communities are the same, and some of these communities have been more plagued from inequitable fossil fuel infrastructure than others. How can offshore wind developers offer equity to hosting communities? This research is focused on the post-industrial city of Providence, Rhode Island a high-population density post-industrial city where offshore wind …

Table Of Contents, Volume 67, Issue 2

NYLS Law Review

No abstract provided.

Overuse Of The Primary Jurisdiction Doctrine: How It Erodes Environmental Justice And A Proposed Solution, Avani Kapur

NYLS Law Review

No abstract provided.

Archiving Feminist Truth In Trump’S Wake Of Lies, Julie Shayne

Humboldt Journal of Social Relations

This article is about an assignment I do in one of my Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies social movement classes. I revised the assignment the first time teaching the class after Trump lost the 2020 election. For the assignment, students work in groups to research local feminist and gender justice organizations and deposit all of their original materials – recordings, photos, flyers, etc. – into a digital, open access archive I co-created several years ago with librarians and staff on my campus. In 2021 I had my students do the “post-Trump” edition where they researched local organizations about how their …

The Synapse 31

The Synapse: Intercollegiate science magazine

No abstract provided.

Nowhere To Come Up For Air: Air Pollution And Environmental Racism In The U.S., Rebecca Fenselau

The Synapse: Intercollegiate science magazine

No abstract provided.

Front Matter

City University of New York Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Color Of Local Government: Observations Of A Brown Buffalo On Racial Impact Statements In The Movement For Water Justice, Tom I. Romero Ii

City University of New York Law Review

Industrialized animal agriculture—concentrated animal feeding operations (“CAFOs”) and slaughterhouses—is inherently oppressive of both nonhumans and humans. This Article seeks to expose the human side of that exploitation, specifically examining how industrial animal agriculture was built upon and continues to propagate racism. The harms to humans of color perpetuated by this system are myriad and serious, ranging from physical to psychological and from troubling to life-threatening. This Article first examines how the animal agribusiness industry has harmed farmers and ranchers of color since the early 20th century through government-sponsored racist policies and practices. Second, the Article studies harms to workers, from …

Ten Facts About Land Systems For Sustainability, Patrick Meyfroidt, Ariane De Bremond, Casey M. Ryan, Emma Archer, Richard Aspinall, Abha Chhabra, Gilberto Camara, Rinku Roy Chowdhury, Esteve Corbera, Ruth Defries, Sandra Díaz, Jinwei Dong, Erle C. Ellis, Karl Heinz Erb, Janet A. Fisher, Rachael D. Garrett, Nancy E. Golubiewski, H. Ricardo Grau, J. Morgan Grove, Helmut Haberl, Andreas Heinimann, Patrick Hostert, Esteban G. Jobbágy, Suzi Kerr, Tobias Kuemmerle, Eric F. Lambin, Sandra Lavorel, Sharachandra Lele, Ole Mertz, Peter Messerli, Graciela Metternicht, Darla K. Munroe, Harini Nagendra

Geography

Land use is central to addressing sustainability issues, including biodiversity conservation, climate change, food security, poverty alleviation, and sustainable energy. In this paper, we synthesize knowledge accumulated in land system science, the integrated study of terrestrial social-ecological systems, into 10 hard truths that have strong, general, empirical support. These facts help to explain the challenges of achieving sustainability in land use and thus also point toward solutions. The 10 facts are as follows: 1) Meanings and values of land are socially constructed and contested; 2) land systems exhibit complex behaviors with abrupt, hard-to-predict changes; 3) irreversible changes and path dependence …

Deep Roots In Eroding Soil: Building Decolonial Resilience Amidst Climate Violence And Displacement In A Louisiana Bayou Indigenous Community, Lia Mcgrath Kahan

Senior Independent Study Theses

The Pointe-au-Chien Indigenous community of coastal Louisiana is fighting for survival as climate change and socio-political factors threaten to displace them from their ancestral home. This project takes an ethnographic and historical approach to exploring how colonization and climate change have influenced Pointe-au-Chien tribal members’ ability to stay on their ancestral land. Climate projections estimate that the bayou this community has lived alongside of for generations will soon be unrecognizable, leading to potential displacement and devastating cultural loss. Due to the increasing severity of climate change, it is crucial to look to the experiences of frontline Indigenous communities to support …

Impacts Of Transit-Oriented Development Through The Eyes & Lives Of Low-Income Latinx Residents: A Case Study In Fruitvale, Oakland, Diana Saavedra

Master's Theses

Transit-oriented development (TOD) is often showcased as a solution for private vehicle dependency and growing climate issues. Although TOD seems promising, it usually has harsh, unforgiving effects such as ecological gentrification. Ecological gentrification occurs when lower-income communities, especially of color, are pushed out of their neighborhoods due to the implementation of an environmental amenity, benefit, or service. However, research suggests that TODs that apply Transportation Justice principles seem to produce more equitable results. This study explores the Fruitvale Village TOD, located in Fruitvale, Oakland, California. This TOD was selected because it is unique in its conception and implementation, as it …

Historic Ohlone Resource Distribution Within The Alameda Creek Watershed, Naseem Fazeli

Master's Theses

The Alameda Creek watershed is located within the ancestral homeland of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area. Their ancestors historically utilized a variety of plants for food, medicine, ceremonies, and building materials, with their understanding of the value of the plants based on traditional ecological knowledge (TEK). The arrival of Spanish, and later Anglo/American, colonists beginning in the mid-18th century introduced urbanization and European agricultural practices, which have degraded wildlands and impacted species richness and diversity. As interest in environmental restoration has been increasing in recent decades, the present-day Muwekma Ohlone Tribe has an opportunity to …

Black, Green, And Young: A Case Study Assessing Implementation And Outcomes Of An Environmental Science, Technology, Engineering And Math Curriculum For Youth In West Oakland, California, Ashari A. Taylor-Watson

Master's Theses

Environmental racism plagues low-income communities of color through exposure to environmental hazards, and the youth are most vulnerable. Environmental science, technology, engineering, and math (E-STEM) curriculums promoted as tools for corrective justice. Using a West Oakland, California Boys and Girls Club as a case study, I first describe the environmental awareness, attitudes, and actions of a group of six- to 13-year-old, predominantly African - American, children from this low-income community. I then examine the possible impacts of an E-STEM curriculum on participants, and I identify staff- and researcher-identified challenges to its implementation. During the study, the cohort experienced a heightened …

Revisiting A Jurisprudence Of Obligation, Ariel Evan Mayse, Kenneth A. Bamberger

Touro Law Review

Through his landmark exploration of obligation as the conceptual touchstone of what he describes as the “Jewish jurisprudence of the social order,” Robert Cover offered an alternate language for legal regimes grounded in a rhetoric of individual rights. The present essay revisits Cover’s account of the socially embedded nature of law and juridical process, taking seriously both its claims, as well as the cautions of its critics. The essay thus neither abandons the concept of rights as key to jurisprudence nor seeks to present a naïve or romantic characterization of Jewish legal thought, and proceeds wary of the pitfalls inherent …

The Role Of Inclusion In Climate Vulnerability Assessment And Equitable Adaptation Goals In Small American Municipalities, Elena Lioubimtseva

Open Access Publishing Support Funded Articles

Equity and inclusion considerations are important prerequisites of effective climate adaptation planning, especially at a local scale. This study examines how climate adaptation plans of small American cities and counties consider equity in their climate vulnerability assessments and adaptation planning goals and how consideration of equity in existing adaptation plans relates to the inclusion of diverse categories of stakeholders. Data analysis is based on the content of 23 local climate adaptation plans of small urban and rural municipalities across the United States with populations of less than 300 thousand people. Correlations between conceptualization of vulnerability dimensions, inclusion of 9 categories …

Analysis Of Regulatory Options To Reduce Ethylene Oxide Emissions In Southern Louisiana, Claire Oyler

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Toxic chemicals are dangerous when exposed directly to humans but are often vital for the production of goods and services. Ethylene Oxide is a carcinogenic gas used as a commercial sterilizer and emitted during the manufacturing process of common household goods. The term fence-line communities describes the residents living adjacent to facilities emitting toxic chemicals into the air. Several predominately minority, low-income fence-line communities in Southern Louisiana are exposed to higher than average levels of Ethylene Oxide from nearby manufacturing facilities. This raises environmental justice and overall public health concerns in the area. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is charged …

Development And Disparity In Glasgow: The Desirability Of Urban Water Proximity, Brian Morgan

Theses and Dissertations

This study was conducted to examine the possibility that a spatial relationship exists between demographic trends considered to be indicative of gentrification, and ongoing regenerative activity taking place along an urban canal and the adjacent neighborhoods in a northern section of Glasgow, Scotland. Rates of demographic change between the 2001 and 2011 Scottish Census results for the study area were contrasted with the same variables citywide, using the census Output Area (OA) as the aggregate unit. Results were combined to produce an index of gentrification. Positive results towards gentrification were identified in many of the OAs for a significant number …

Innovation And Equality: An Approach To Constructing A Community Governed Network Commons, Rider W. Foley, Olivier Sylvain, Shelila Foster

Faculty Scholarship

Networked computing affords users distinct opportunities to communicate with each other, build relationships, transact business, and create. Yet, the digital divide perpetuates existing disparities between social groups. Interventions that rely on private ownership or philanthropy often fall short. Efforts to redress these disparities require collaboration across academic disciplines and with government and private sector organizations. This paper chronicles efforts in Harlem to address this through a collaborative approach to networked computing. We draw on two concepts--responsible innovation and co-governance--to sketch a community-based approach to networked computing. Second, the article identifies two potential systems, based in property law, through which a …

Painting Colonialism Green: Understanding Colonial Ecology Through The Lens Of Palestinian Art, Lily Hibbard

Scripps Senior Theses

The objective of settler colonialism is, at its core, land domination and the continued subjugation of Indigenous people. I argue that this objective is achieved through four avenues of violence: consumption, extraction, manipulation of space, and severance from identity. By analyzing Palestinian resistance art, I examine the role of landscape manipulation, via destruction or creation of space, in perpetuating these four heralds of colonialism. I specifically focus on the cultural value of trees in occupied Palestine and the Israeli settler community, and the ways in which these trees have become weapons in an ongoing war of colonial design. By understanding …

Understanding The Environmental Implications Of The Microbiome Of Canals In Bangkok, Thailand, Emma Tao

Scripps Senior Theses

The canals of Bangkok, Thailand hold significant economic and social value, yet the increasing urbanization of the city has resulted in increased water pollution. Agricultural runoff and urban waste contribute to the degradation of the water quality, which has impaired its safe usage by the people of the city. This study focused on analyzing the microbiome of the water in the canals in correlation with the surrounding environment, both in and out of the water. Ten sites along the Bangkok canals were analyzed. DNA was isolated for the sequencing of the 16s rRNA gene to determine the microbial diversity of …

Where The Nhpa And Nepa Meet: Failures Of The Nexus Of Eis And Section 106 Analyses, Johnsie Wilkinson

Colorado Environmental Law Journal

No abstract provided.