Digital Commons Network^™

Keeping It In The Ground: An Analysis Of Colorado Oil And Gas Law And The Legal Tools To Limit Production, Colin Hull

Colorado Environmental Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Representations Of State-Recognized Tribes: A Content Analysis Of Social Studies Standards, August Joseph Darbonne

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study analyzes social studies standards across the 11 states that recognize Native American tribes on the state level. The researcher seeks to determine the explicit and implicit representations of state-recognized tribes in the social studies standards required by 11 states. Research on educational issues that impact state-recognized tribes is limited and creates a gap in the literature for these communities. This study is significant because it promotes awareness of the lack of representation of state-recognized tribes in the social studies standards and sub-standards of the 11 states that recognize tribes on the state level. Tribal Critical Race Theory …

University Sound, Maxwell Teodor Barton

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

This civic engagement project (CEP) is varied in its explorations. Philosophically, this paper uses Waltonian aesthetics to critique the concept of "soundscape.". Practically, this paper examines and details my methods for bringing awareness about soundscapes (as both worthy of aesthetic and ethical consideration) to the community of Missoula, Montana. Utilizing a scaffold of Anglo-American analytic aesthetics, philosophy of animals, and environmental aesthetics, I show (1) that the University of Montana soundscape has been neglected in many serious ways (2) why it should be considered as an aesthetic object worthy of aesthetic engagement and (3) how to engage with it in …

(De)Composition: Earthen Storytelling For Collective Liberation, Priya Subberwal

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

This interdisciplinary portfolio is an investigation into ecological communication through pedagogical design, online collaborative learning spaces, digital and print media, and creative writing. Braiding lenses of queer ecology, decolonial studies, anarchism, and collaborative and creative practice, this work hopes to explore the field of environmental communication through avenues that are reciprocal, community-driven, and oriented towards environmental justice and collective, intersectional liberation. Through the three distinct components of 1) the creation and facilitation of an online learning community, the Spiritual Ecology Study Club at Advaya, 2) the editing and production of two issues of Camas Magazine, an environmental literary magazine based …

Relationships In Lacustrine Ecosystems: Carbon, Color, And Precipitation In North Temperate Lakes, Emma M. Squires

Environmental Studies Honors Projects

Lakes are an important part of the global carbon cycle. Carbon from terrestrial sources washes into lakes where it can be processed and then emitted to the atmosphere, buried in sediments, or make its way downstream to an ocean. During rain events, precipitation can flush dissolved organic carbon (DOC)-enriched water from the upper soil layers into lakes. As climate change causes increased precipitation totals and precipitation events in the upper Midwest, this may cause increased DOC in lakes. Increased DOC in lakes leads to increased microbial respiration, contributing to increased greenhouse gas release from lakes. Thus, it is important to …

Inequitable Infrastructure: An Empirical Assessment Of Federalism, Climate Change, And Environmental Racism, Lev E. Breydo

Faculty Publications

This Article explains a critical, yet unexplored issue: How are some communities like Jackson—the 80% Black capital of Mississippi—often left without water or electricity, while their mostly white neighbors are not? The Article maps uncharted territory by interrogating the underlying causes of this disparity, untangling how three seemingly unrelated factors interplay with the accelerating effects of climate change to perpetuate systemic inequities.

First, and somewhat uniquely, the U.S. federalist construct allocates infrastructure responsibility to the states, which, under the guise of autonomy, subdelegate to often under-resourced local authorities. Second, this capital mismatch requires governmental units to borrow using complex municipal …

A Precious Gift: A Reflection And Resource On Water Quality And Sustainability, Mark Potosnak, Andrew Panelli, Adrienne Kalmes, Antonio Quintanilla, Dr. George Nassos, Michael Terrien, Obl. Osb

College of Science and Health Faculty and Staff Works

This reflection, prepared by Illinois Catholics concerned with the intersection of faith, environmental stewardship, and social justice, explores the theological, moral, and practical dimensions of water quality and sustainability in the state. Rooted in Scripture, and Catholic liturgy and tradition, it affirms water as a sacred gift, essential for life and a universal human right. Drawing on Catholic social teaching and Pope Francis’ Encyclical Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home, it examines pressing water challenges in Illinois, including contamination from coal ash, nitrates, PFAS, and lead, as well as infrastructure, affordability, and sustainability concerns. The document offers an …

Wellbeing, Mental Health, And Natural Resource Dependency In Rural Utah, Kristen Rene Koci

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This dissertation examines wellbeing, mental health, and natural resource (NR) dependency in rural Utah. The following questions are asked: How do wellbeing and mental health vary throughout the state of Utah, including by rural-urban location? What concerns do applied practitioners have regarding mental health in rural parts of the state? How do chronic stress and social dislocation contribute to mental health outcomes in rural NR dependent communities in the state? Four studies were conducted to pursue these research questions.

The first two studies use data from the Utah Wellbeing Survey to explore wellbeing and mental health in Utah communities over …

Pedestrian Crossing Environmental Impact Statement, Alyssa Gaither

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Logan, Utah is divided by US Highway 89/91, which bisects much of the city. This makes it difficult to pass to the other side without a vehicle. A pedestrian crossing has been proposed to connect the eastern and western sides of Logan without impacting traffic flow. The Environmental Impact Statement aims to look at reasonable alternatives and identify many resources that will be affected by its implementation. Four main alternatives were considered: an underpass, an overpass with an elevator, an overpass with a ramp, and the no-change alternative to be used as a baseline alternative. The underpass is the preferred …

Assessing Urban Tree Coverage Along The U.S.-Mexico Border: A Gis Analysis Of Paso Del Norte, Melanie Escobar

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In recent years, researchers have extensively studied the spatial distribution of social demographics and urban tree canopy (UTC) in urban cities, but very few, to this date, address U.S.-Mexico border cities. To date, there is no research that assesses the distribution of urban tree canopy (UTC) in the city of El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, along the U.S.- Mexico border. Leveraging advanced mapping techniques and GIS tools, the study performs comparisons between countries (Juárez vs. El Paso urbanized areas and intra-country (within each country). It compares land cover classifications, assesses variations in UTC distribution across census tracts and …

Using Genetic Algorithm And Geographic Information System For Equity-Driven Transportation Planning And Analysis, Emiliano Del Rio Reyes

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Efforts to address equitable access in public transit planning have gained momentum, spurred by incentives for Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) and State Departments of Transportation (DOTs). However, traditional strategies often fall short of meeting the needs of disadvantaged communities, particularly in underserved areas. This study presents a pioneering methodology leveraging Genetic Algorithms (GA) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to optimize bus stop placement, aiming to enhance equitable access in public transit systems. Focusing on Route 16 of Sun Metro in El Paso, Texasâ??a critical feeder route linking the Westside Transit Center to Upper Valley neighborhoodsâ??the research commences with a comprehensive …

“A Contradiction To Being A Teenage Girl”: Identity Gaps As Conceptualization Turning Points For Girl Activists, Madalena Robertson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study employed a turning point analysis to document milestones that influence the development of activist identities in young girls. All participants (N = 19), between the ages of 16–23 years old, self-identified as an activist and participated in activist spaces. Through an analysis of semi-structured interviews and arts-based elicitation research, data revealed several turning point events that influenced participants’ activist identity development, as well as their personal definition of activism. These turning points, paired with the communication theory of identity (CTI) framework, highlighted how girl activists negotiate gaps in their activist identities by communicatively co-constructing an evolving definition of …

The Importance Of Framing The Context Of Black/African Americans' Livelihood To Enhance Health Outcomes And Mitigate Health Inequalities, Elvis Gyan

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This study investigates the portrayal of Black/African Americans in Health Marriage and Relationship Education (HMRE) programs, which predominantly follow Eurocentric models while examining how social and structural determinants (e.g., community context) influence stress levels, general health, and relationship satisfaction through two main objectives. Firstly, it aims to scrutinize the acknowledgment of biases towards non-Eurocentric communities in published Administration of Children and Families HMRE programs, analyzing 39 research studies. Secondly, it examines the interplay between perceived community context, stress as a mediator, general health, and relationship satisfaction among Black/African Americans across three distinct articles by testing hypothesized process models. Results for …

Ethnic Studies: 2023-2024, Department Of Ethnic Studies

Ethnic Studies Department Newsletters

Kumeyaay Land Acknowledgement, Course Descriptions, Message from the Chair, Faculty, Staff & Student Support, ES @ 20 Celebration, ES @ 20 Lecture Series, ETHN Student Spotlight, ETHN Senior Spotlight, ETHN Alumni Spotlight, Scholar Recognition, Diversity Banquet, Congratulations Class of 2024, The Turning Wheel Project, USD Copley Library, News Center, Support Yermo Aranda Mural at USD, USD Resources, Scholarship Opportunities, Volunteer/Employment, Explore San Diego,

Equitable Infrastructure: Achieving Resilient Systems And Restorative Justice Through Policy And Research Innovation, Jason P. Giovannettone, Gregg P. Macey, Amir Aghakouchak, Michele Barbato, William J. Capehart, Auroop R. Ganguly, Mital Hall, Jennifer F. Helgeson, Si Han Li, Teng Wu, Guirong Yan, Farshid Vahedifard

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Recent major investments in infrastructure in the United States and globally present a crucial opportunity to embed equity within the heart of resilient infrastructure decision-making. Yet there is a notable absence of frameworks within the engineering and scientific fields for integrating equity into planning, design, and maintenance of infrastructure. Additionally, whole-of-government approaches to infrastructure, including the Justice40 Initiative, mimic elements of process management that support exploitative rather than exploratory innovation. These and other policies risk creating innovation traps that limit analytical and engineering advances necessary to prioritize equity in decision-making, identification and disruption of mechanisms that cause or contribute to …

Water Equity And Planning: Acid Mine Drainage In Deckers Creek Watershed, Brooke O. Waters, Lennon Jewell Auvil, Grace Dever

Undergraduate Scholarship

When mines close, they simply do not disappear. They cannot be buried or forgotten about. The implications of mining leave a lasting history and impact not only on our lands but on the people as well. Abandoned mine lands are areas of our community and environment that have been destroyed due to the extraction of coal and other minerals. Mining results in the destruction of landscapes, contamination of waterways, and the emission of harmful chemicals to our communities.
Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) is a resultant water pollutant that is derived from mining practices, active or abandoned. This pollutant forms from …

Preservice Teachers Learning To Teach In An Anti-Racist/Climate-Justice Program: Challenges And Promises, Richard Sawyer

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

The global climate crisis represents the most urgent problem facing the planet, impacting social, cultural, political, economic, and environmental dimensions of life. Alarmingly, it has impacted communities of color in disproportionate ways (Goddell, 2023; Pellow, 2013). The climate crisis, along with the intertwined context of racism, places a profound responsibility on social justice teacher educators to prioritize addressing these issues in teacher preparation. The intent of the following two case studies is to explore the impact of a project based teacher preparation program focused on cultural and environmental justice on the pedagogical knowledge and practice of teaching interns at the …

Developing More Useful Equity Measurements For Flood-Risk Management, Adam Pollack, Casey Helgeson, Carolyn Kousky, Klaus Keller

Dartmouth Scholarship

Decision-makers increasingly invoke equity to motivate, design, implement and evaluate strategies for managing flood risks. Unfortunately, there is little guidance on how analysts can develop measurements that support these tasks. Here we analyse how equity can be defined and measured by surveying 167 peer-reviewed publications that explicitly state an interest in equity in the context of flood-risk management. Our main result is a taxonomy that systematizes how equity has been, and can be, defined and measured in flood-risk research. The taxonomy embodies how equity is a pluralistic and unavoidably ethical concept. Despite this, we find that most quantitative studies fail …

Creating A New Border Culture In The Midst Of The Climate Crisis: Activism And Pedagogy Strategies For Teacher Preparation, Puneet S. Gill

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

This paper documents the efforts of an activist group that came to teach about activist efforts, climate change/climate justice/climate crisis issues, and to create leaders in one border community. The leaders of this three-day workshop are a part of an activist organization named SOMOS Sunrise, the Latine constituency of the Sunrise movement. In this paper, I will analyze the climate change workshop training days and components of the workshops. Secondly, this paper will document a climate cohort education group conducted with undergraduate students and pre-service teachers the following summer. This climate cohort helped articulate art activism and public speaking opportunities …

323-What Is The Geospatial Distribution Of Dairy Farms In Western New York And How Does This Distribution Compare To Documented Violations Of Dairy Farmworkers’ Rights?, Kerrin Cleary

GREAT Day Posters

The dairy industry in Western New York plays a crucial role in the region's economy and agricultural landscape. However, there are many injustices within the dairy industry. This project aims to map dairy farms in Western New York while discussing dairy farmerworkers' rights with the goal of implementing them. The overall goal of this project is to create a transparent publicly accessible map of dairy farms in western New York.The first step is to create a comprehensive map of dairy farms in Western New York using geospatial technology such as Google Earth Pro and Mymaps. The next step is to …

112-Shade Speaks Louder Than Words - An Analysis Of And Solution To Tree Canopy Inequity In Rochester, Ny, Kayla Andersen

GREAT Day Posters

Disproportionate and inequitable tree canopy cover and access to urban green space is a common issue in many cities of the United States, including Rochester, New York. Due to racially discriminatory practices in Rochester’s past, such as redlining and resource distribution (e.g. tree replacement), many communities in the city experience an urban heat island effect, where surface temperatures in urban neighborhoods reach dangerous temperatures in the absence of vegetational interference. Communities which are the most impacted include those of high poverty levels and races other than white, such as the neighborhood near Clifford and Joseph Avenues in the notorious “Crescent …

The Ugliness Movement: Riot Grrrl's Use Of Ugliness As Feminist Subversion, Maylee Rollins

The Purdue Historian

In the 1990s, Riot Grrrl took the punk and feminist worlds by storm. It emphasized community and represented third-wave feminism in radical form. One particular example that represents the Riot Grrrl ideology well is ugliness. Throughout the movement, artists like Courtney Love and Kathleen Hanna used their musical platform to show the world their view of femininity. This involved body writing and reclaiming words used to degrade women, as well as dressing up in controversial outfits dubbed as “kinderwhore.” The aims of these women in using ugliness in their music were to subvert sexism in the punk scene and bring …

The Symbolic Capital Of The Neoliberal University, Chad Lavin

Emancipations: A Journal of Critical Social Analysis

The paper examines the concerns about the enduring value of liberal education in the broader context of a shift from a liberal to a neoliberal society. While so much literature on “the neoliberal university” tends to characterize neoliberalism as a hostile force invading the sacred space of the university, the knowledge comprising neoliberalism is in large part the product of research coming out of universities. Using the concept of symbolic capital to explore the role of university researchers in developing and consecrating neoliberal ideas, the paper argues that even in this era of heightened skepticism toward experts and expertise, university …

Indigenous Communities Are Disproportionately Burdened By Environmental Contamination, Rae Cade, Danlin Yu, Kyle Whyte, Pankaj Lal, Cortni Borgerson

Student Research Symposium

Indigenous populations are disproportionately affected by both environmental pollution and health disparities resulting in mortality rates 60% higher than their white counterparts. Previous research has revealed instances of pollution from facilities which have caused severe health issues in Indigenous communities. Despite this, widespread geographic studies of the spatial correlation between Environmental Justice (EJ) and Indigenous populations remain lacking. This chapter examines whether Indigenous people in the northeastern United States are inequitably burdened by contamination. I find that Indigenous people are disproportionately exposed to 21 superfund contaminants, regardless of state or federal recognition. The sources of these contaminants varied, ranging from …

Water Security And Justice: Community Pfas Exposure In Monongalia County, Selena A. Melendez, Ilan Rice, Grace Dever

Undergraduate Scholarship

Water security and justice is the right of all people to have reasonable access to clean and safe water. Pollution in the form of toxic discharge from various industries poses a significant risk to public and environmental health. Among these toxic pollutants are per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as "forever chemicals” that compromise water quality in our communities. Despite the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) in 1974 aimed at ensuring clean drinking water for WV, there is still an alarming pattern of neglect and injustice to communities related to race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, and language barriers . Non-compliance …

Volume Cxliii, Number 20, April 26, 2024, Lawrence University

The Lawrentian

No abstract provided.

Elois Freeman Full Interview Transcript, Urban Green Lab, Tennessee State University

Hear from Elois Freeman - Native Nashvillian Who Came Home

No abstract provided.

Quantitative Trends Of Air Quality In Nwi Using And Evaluating The Purpleair Sensors, Abe Orozco-Munoz, Emma Bollech, Christopher Iceman

Symposium on Research and Creative Expression (SORCE)

Regulations imposed on air quality have a direct impact to respiratory health. The relationship of particulate matter to respiratory health has been improving and the link to health problems has only grown stronger. The purpose of this investigation was to quantitatively study and monitor air quality trends of particulate matter using low cost air quality sensors in Northwest Indiana (NWI) and evaluating the PurpleAir sensors for use in the community. Multiple PurpleAir air quality index (AQI) sensors were placed across several cities in NWI. A years’ worth of data was accumulated and processed data consisted of particulate matter of 2.5µm …

Reverberation Of Ecocritical Concerns In The Novels Of Kazuo Ishiguro, Bavetra S

Theses and Dissertations

Kazuo Ishiguro, one of the most celebrated contemporary writers, has authored eight novels. As a Noble Laureate of 2017, his works are constantly under academic scrutiny. One of the best-explored themes in the works of Ishiguro is memories and emotions. No writer of meritable artistic integrity can ever stay away from the pressing issue of his age. Intriguingly, Ishiguro's works seem to lack engagement with environmental issues. The extensive study of Literature reiterates the point that Ishiguro's works are explored solely for a diminished ratio in terms of environmental challenges.

The researcher has identified the lack of critical attention on …

Restorative Parks And Emotional Wellbeing In Camden City, Nj, Benjamin Woodward, Hannah Genereux, Jonathan Hansel, Mahbubur Meenar

STEM Student Research Symposium Posters

The content presented in this poster is associated with two projects that focus on the intersection of restorative park design and the emotional and mental wellbeing of park users within the context of the City of Camden, NJ, a community that has faced environmental injustices for many decades. Both projects are initiated by the Rowan University Community Planning + Visualization Lab, with one funded by NASA and the other by the Rowan University Catalyst Grant program. Collaborators include Rowan students, faculty, as well as researchers from external entities, both national and international. Additionally, the Rowan University Planning Studio 2023 participated …