Digital Commons Network^™

Flood Resiliency Planning: Historical Analysis And Youth Participation In Monongalia County, Wv, Josephine Q. Kemp-Rye, Jack P. Van Dusen, Kennedy Lawson

Undergraduate Scholarship

Flooding is a prevalent threat to community wellbeing, particularly in West Virginia where the mountainous topography and narrow valleys create perfect conditions for flood water to accumulate. To more deeply understand how hazards, such as flood events, become disastrous, we must consider not only the environmental/physical aspects, but also political, economic, and social dimensions. Thinking holistically about flood vulnerability acknowledges the influence of economic positioning, inadequate policies, industrial legacies, etc. which result in varied vulnerabilities to hazards within communities. The insights, knowledge, and experiences of local individuals and communities remain absent from domain top-down approaches to flood preparation. In an …

Streamlining Public Engagement In Transportation Projects Using Text Analytics, Alireza Shamshiri

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Infrastructure projects impact a broad range of stakeholders, particularly local communities, whose engagement is critical for successful outcomes. Despite the importance of public engagement in these projects, traditional methods of capturing and analyzing public opinion often fail to fully represent the diverse, genuine perspectives involved. This has led to conflicts between community members and project sponsors. On the other hand, despite advancements in text analytics, including natural language processing (NLP) and its subfields such as topic modeling, sentiment analysis, and neural networks, their functionalities and effectiveness in analyzing public opinion in the domain of infrastructure projects have not been fully …

Towards Sustainable Exhibition Practices: Assessing And Enhancing Sustainability In Art Exhibitions, Cato Wong

MA Theses

Given the high degree of environmental impact of mega-scale art exhibitions, it is imperative to have strict environmental conservation policies in place to improve sustainability in the art industry. Sustainability is an inevitable future; thus, this study is designed to find the reality of sustainability in the art sector through surveys. Fundamentally, the study aims to study the current sustainable practices, identify the challenges, and discover the intervention points that can be used to enhance environmental stewardship. This study establishes a solid scientific basis for making knowledgeable decisions with the goal of improving environmental efficiency, lessening carbon emission intensity, and …

Executive Summary 2022-23: Real Food And Climate Emissions Analysis At Santa Clara University, Abby Crowley, Isabelle Solórzano

Sustainable Food Systems Fellowship

Dining service providers at institutions of higher education have large purchasing power. This presents colleges and universities with an opportunity for improving equity and sustainability in local, national, and global food systems. Recognizing this opportunity and responsibility, Santa Clara University has pledged to reduce carbon emissions and advance issues of sustainability and environmental justice in campus food purchases, amongst many other operations.

To track progress and identify areas for improvement, SCU has collaborated with the food justice organization Real Food Challenge (RFC) and the carbon and nitrogen emissions calculator Sustainability Indicator Management & Analysis Platform (SIMAP) to analyze the amount …

The Additionality Double Standard, James Salzman, David Weisbach

Articles

Carbon offsets are widely criticized for lacking additionality. The public debate, how- ever, has failed to recognize that the problem of additionality goes far beyond offsets. It arises any time the government subsidizes an activity. Programs with longer histories than offsets and far more money at stake offer valuable lessons for managing lack of additionality in offsets. The article sets out the current efforts to prove offset additionality, explains why major gov- ernment programs present comparable additionality challenges, and show why other programs’ problems of additionality are perceived as significantly different than those for offsets. We examine the toolkit used …

Authority To Improve Or Harm Health: The Public Health Front In A Decades-Long Battle Over Governmental Powers, Sabrina Adler, Sara Bartel, Heather Wong

Saint Louis University Journal of Health Law & Policy

Backlash to local, state, and federal responses to combat COVID-19 has resulted in a small but vocal cohort of legislatures and courts trying to change long-settled and foundational principles of public health decision-making. They have shifted authority away from experts and local decision-makers, limiting emergency response in ways that also impact day-to-day public health efforts. Considering some examples of other recent preemption efforts, it is clear that COVID-era backlash is part of a longer-term deregulatory agenda, often framed as an effort to keep “big government” out of people’s lives and to preserve individual freedoms. However, the impact of such deregulation …

Ambient Temperature Modelling With Ecostress And Private Weather Stations, Gaurav Khatri

Theses

This thesis explores the development and application of a novel data architecture for predicting ambient temperatures across US cities, focusing on integrating multi-source data i.e. ECOSTRESS land surface temperatures, urban surface properties, and crowdsourced weather data. The methodology is designed for scalability and adaptability across different urban regions, employing rigorous data quality control to enhance prediction accuracy. The validation of this model across diverse urban settings, demonstrated through rigorous RMSE comparisons and spatial mapping, validates its superiority over traditional models. Through experiments in diverse climatic conditions in Madison, Wisconsin, and Las Vegas, Nevada, the study assesses the model’s generalizability and …

Climate Change, Policy Paralysis, And A Nuclear Waste Island? Exploring Perceptions Of Risk, Trust, And Community Agency In Navigating Uncertain Futures Facing Humboldt Bay's Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage Site, Alexander Brown

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Climate and coastal hazards threaten the long-term viability of indefinite in-situ nuclear waste storage in the U.S., especially at vulnerable “stranded” sites like Humboldt Bay, California. The national policy framework is fundamentally incompatible with emergent climate realities and does not adequately accommodate uncertainty, localized hazard conditions, and the sociocultural and political dynamics that manifest in diverse and contested public arenas. I interviewed 21 community-experts working at the intersection of climate change and nuclear waste, and co-facilitated three scenario planning workshops to gather insights on how to responsibly manage Humboldt Bay’s nuclear waste in a climate-altered world. Qualitative findings indicate variation …

Ductus Exemplo: A Model Municipal Executive Order On Food Waste Reduction, Linda Breggin, Darby Hoover, Jessica Sugarman

Kentucky Journal of Equine, Agriculture, & Natural Resources Law

No abstract provided.

Pollution Discrimination: The Epa’S Utilization Of Title Vi Of The Civil Rights Act To Bring Justice To Overburdened African American Communities, Lindsay Bates

Kentucky Journal of Equine, Agriculture, & Natural Resources Law

No abstract provided.

Consumer Impacts Of California's Climate Agenda: Vehicle Electrification Agreements May Violate Antitrust Law, Jessica D. Quinn

Loyola Consumer Law Review

No abstract provided.

Healing Through The Struggle: Sociopolitical Empowerment As Context For Youth Thriving, Manijeh Fe Mahmoodzadeh Azadi

CGU Theses & Dissertations

Young people from marginalized groups are impacted by structural and societal injustice yet are systematically prevented from participating in processes that disrupt oppressive systems (Camino & Zeldin, 2002). Because social justice requires the inclusion of marginalized groups in sociopolitical processes, programs and initiatives intended to reduce these barriers to civic and social changemaking have become popular (Ginwright, 2018). In order to meaningfully support youth resistance, those who are positioned to collaborate with young people must be informed about youths’ experiences of oppression and the processes and implications of their sociopolitical empowerment. This explanatory sequential mixed-methods study used quantitative and qualitative …

“What Planet Are You On” - Making Meaning Of Sustainability Through Storytelling, Nancy T. Ladeinde

Masters Theses

The term “Sustainability” has come to stay as it is deeply integrated into our everyday life, although it seems complex to understand and engage with. The purpose of this thesis is to know how Unilever, a global consumer goods organization, makes meaning of its sustainability efforts. The method used to achieve this is a thematic analysis of Unilever’s campaign “What Planet Are You On?” a brand campaign documenting their sustainability efforts. Building on storytelling as a theoretical framework, it delves into the strategic use of stories as a communication tool for sustainability efforts, emphasizing its impact on brand narrative, stakeholder …

An Exploration Of Affective Influences Of Mediation And Instructional Delivery Styles In The U.S. Adult Media Literacy Learning Context, Joe Huber

Theses and Dissertations--Communication

This dissertation explores how varied delivery strategies may influence college student affective learning in a mediated setting. I employed a hybrid-grounded approach to the exploration of student-participant interviews wherein student-participants engaged with one of two online media literacy learning modules. The results of this study illustrate that students at varying points of their epistemological development (Perry, 1968) may face different affective hurdles depending on how media literacy curriculum is presented. We may anticipate that: (1) students who are less epistemologically developed (those featuring dualistic attitudes) may struggle to receive content, especially in the case where a teacher-centric delivery-style is employed; …

Scars On The Land: An Environmental History Of Slavery In The American South, Rich Newman

Civil War Book Review

In Scars on the Land, David Silkenat offers an authoritative and expansive treatment of slavery’s environmental impact on the American south. Based on a wide range of sources – from slave narratives to slaveholders’ reports on nature – and a deep reading of recent scholarship on early environmental reform, the rise of capitalism, and Black resistance to bondage, the book expertly examines the ecological transformation of southern landscapes between the colonial era and the Civil War.

Updates In Air Pollution: Current Research And Future Challenges, Dwan Vilcins, Rebecca C. Christofferson, Jin Ho Yoon, Siti Nurshahida Nazli, Peter D. Sly, Stephania A. Cormier, Guofeng Shen

Division of Basic Science Faculty Publications

Background: The United Nations has declared that humans have a right to clean air. Despite this, many deaths and disability-adjusted life years are attributed to air pollution exposure each year. We face both challenges to air quality and opportunities to improve, but several areas need to be addressed with urgency. Objective: This paper summarises the recent research presented at the Pacific Basin Consortium for Environment and Health Symposium and focuses on three key areas of air pollution that are important to human health and require more research. Findings and conclusion: Indoor spaces are commonly places of exposure to poor air …

Spf 50: Safe And Prosperous Futures Preparing For The Mid-Century Climate Reality, Michele Romolini, Mary Hillemeier, Dustin Herrmann, Miriam Bar-Zemer

Center for Urban Resilience Reports

The Safe and Prosperous Futures Project, SPF 50, is the third and final phase of a multi-year project led by TreePeople entitled Cooler and Healthier: Reducing Heat-Health Risk Using Urban Forestry & Stakeholder Engagement. The overall project aim is to address heat exposure by 1) developing a model analysis and processes to assess heatrelated mortality and morbidity, 2) creating strategies to address heat effects by canopy increase and albedo changes in the built environment, and 3) conducting stakeholder engagement to develop culturally relevant climate adaptation responses. Earlier phases of the project resulted in the publications RX for Hot Cities 2 …

Winter 2024, Seattle University

Seattle University Magazine

No abstract provided.

Corporate Climate Litigation And Environmental Justice: How Green Amendments Can Be Used To Advance Accountability And Equity, Noah Hines

Indiana Journal of Law and Social Equality

The term “Green Amendment” was first coined by author Maya van Rossum in her 2017 book The Green Amendment: Securing Our Right to a Healthy Environment, in which she argues that modern environmental protection laws are fundamentally failing the most vulnerable people in society and proposes the creation of new constitutional rights as a solution. The provisions van Rossum argues ought to be added to state constitutions as “Green Amendments” are also sometimes called “Environmental Rights Amendments,” and generally enumerate the right of all citizens to a clean or healthy environment. Green Amendments currently exist in Pennsylvania, Montana, Illinois, Hawaii, …

An Introductory Guide To Developing Liberal Arts And Sciences Education, Azamat Sakiev

GHEA21 Open Educational Resources

Human learning styles, goals, and beliefs about the purpose of education differ greatly. What should we learn, how do we learn it, and to what end, are some of the key questions that underlie this difference. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to learning because individuals have unique needs, different preferences, and varying aptitudes. Because of this there are several approaches and philosophies to education, of which liberal arts and sciences is one. The task in this guide is to define what this approach is, outline its characteristics, and identify prospective areas for its development in which anyone could contribute.

Ecomedia Literacy & Sdgs: A Handbook For Higher Ed, Antonio López

GHEA21 Open Educational Resources

This guide is designed to inspire curriculum designers and planners in the liberal arts and sciences to integrate SDGs through ecomedia literacy across disciplines. It aims to empower educators and institutions to become catalysts for social and environmental change through innovative learning activities that integrate media literacy, environmental awareness, and the interconnected goals of the UN's SDGs.

One Thread At A Time: The Role Of Textile Crafts On Well-Being In Marginalized Communities, Michelle Burton, Bianka Hausknecht, Ja-Young Hwang, Kim Hahn, Jihyun Kim-Vick

Textile Society of America: Symposium Proceedings

Racial injustice and social unrest have spurred support for marginalized communities, historically excluded from mainstream society's activities. Marginalized individuals may often feel powerless and experience societal discrimination and negative stereotypes resulting in diminished well-being (WB). Consequently, finding resources to promote well being in marginalized communities is paramount. One possibility is exploring the art of textile crafts (e.g., repurposing, knitting, crocheting, and quilting) to serve as a platform for rupturing exclusionary hierarchies and oppressive frameworks, fostering empowerment and community cohesion.

In this qualitative study we conducted focus groups and individual interviews to better understand the impact on marginalized communities. Participants in …

Stitches Of Sustainability: Empowering Women And Preserving Culture Through Pakko Embroidery, Rajesh Kumar, Dharmendra Bana, Deepali Bhatnagar

Textile Society of America: Symposium Proceedings

Pakko embroidery, originating from Gujarat’s Kutch district, stands as a testament to the area's rich textile tradition, marrying exceptional craftsmanship with profound cultural narratives. Currently facing the challenge of conserving its heritage while adapting to the evolving demands of the modern world, this study aims to identify pathways for cultural and economic resurgence.

Pakko embroidery, renowned for its sturdiness and the detailed cheereli saankdi stitch, finds itself at a critical crossroads, battling declining engagement and integration into modern design paradigms. Initiatives to rejuvenate interest and establish sustainable practices for artisans are deemed critical for preserving this ancient art for future …

Three Essays On The Economics Of Sustainable Consumer Choices, Muhammad Jawad Khan

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation examines consumer preferences and willingness to pay (WTP) within key sustainability contexts, focusing on the remediation of forever chemicals (PFAS) in municipal water systems, forest diversification for climate-resilient maple syrup production, and reduced ecological footprints in farming. The first chapter highlights factors influencing public support for a municipal water filtration system. A contingent valuation survey was conducted in September 2021 among the New England households to estimate their WTP for PFAS filtration in municipal drinking water systems. Health factors are primary: those concerned about water quality show a higher WTP. Income, water expenditures, and filtration status at home …

Environmental Health And Impact Of Workload On Errors For Wildland Fire Personnel, Michael Bryan Held

Masters Theses

"This thesis offers an analysis of how environmental health and workload affect wildland fire dispatchers and firefighters, combining results from two studies. The first study, "Environmental Health of Wildland Firefighters: A Scoping Review," performs a scoping review of scientific literature that examines the unique environmental health challenges wildland firefighters face. The review points out the increased risks to safety, health, and well-being from more exposure to natural hazards, identifying key research gaps and priorities. It stresses the need to broaden the geographic and demographic scope of studies, improve analytical methods, and increase research funding and focus for wildland firefighters.

The …

การบังคับใช้กฎหมายไทยตามพันธกรณีภายใต้ความตกลงอาเซียนทางด้านสิ่งแวดล้อม, สุรพล ศรีวิทยา

Journal of Social Sciences

การวิจัยครั้งนี้มีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อศึกษาประวัติพัฒนาการแนวคิดและหลักพื้นฐานของพันธกรณีภายใต้ความตกลงอาเซียนทางด้านสิ่งแวดล้อมในประชาคมสังคมและวัฒนธรรมอาเซียนเพื่ออนุวัติการความตกลงอาเซียนดังกล่าว ศึกษามาตรการของการบังคับใช้กฎหมายไทยตามพันธกรณีตามความตกลงอาเซียนทางด้านสิ่งแวดล้อมและพันธกรณีตามความตกลงสิ่งแวดล้อมพหุภาคี (MEAs) วิเคราะห์กลไกบังคับใช้กฎหมายไทยและกลไกระงับกรณีพิพาททางด้านสิ่งแวดล้อมตามพันธกรณีภายใต้ความตกลงอาเซียนทางด้านสิ่งแวดล้อมของประชาคมอาเซียนเปรียบเทียบกับสหภาพยุโรป รวมทั้งเสนอแนะนโยบายและมาตรการเพื่อพัฒนาปรับปรุงกฎหมายไทยในการอนุวัติตามความตกลงอาเซียนทางด้านสิ่งแวดล้อมให้มีการบังคับใช้ได้อย่างมีประสิทธิภาพและสัมฤทธิผลในบริบทของประเทศไทยและประชาคมอาเซียน การวิจัยครั้งนี้เป็นการวิจัยเชิงคุณภาพ โดยใช้ระเบียบวิธีวิจัยเอกสารในการเก็บรวบรวมข้อมูลเอกสารทั้งภาษาไทยและภาษาอังกฤษ กับวิธีการประชุมสนทนากลุ่มย่อยในการรับฟังความคิดเห็นของหน่วยงานและผู้ทรงคุณวุฒิที่เกี่ยวข้อง โดยใช้แบบสัมภาษณ์เชิงลึกเก็บรวบรวมข้อมูลจากผู้ให้ข้อมูลสำคัญ ซึ่งมีการสุ่มกลุ่มตัวอย่างตามวัตถุประสงค์ของการวิจัยจำนวน 27 คน แบ่งเป็น 3 กลุ่ม คือ (1) กลุ่มหน่วยงานภาครัฐ (2) กลุ่มหน่วยงานภาคเอกชน และ (3) กลุ่มผู้ทรงคุณวุฒิภาควิชาการ ทั้งนี้ เพื่อให้เกิดการตรวจสอบแหล่งข้อมูลแบบสามเส้า ในการเก็บรวบรวมจากผู้ให้ข้อมูลสำคัญทั้ง 3 กลุ่มตามระเบียบวิธีวิจัยเชิงคุณภาพแล้วนำมาวิเคราะห์ข้อมูลเชิงเนื้อหา วิเคราะห์เชิงตรรกวิทยา และการวิเคราะห์เปรียบเทียบเกี่ยวกับการบังคับใช้กฎหมายไทยตามพันธกรณีภายใต้ความตกลงอาเซียนทางด้านสิ่งแวดล้อม กลไกบังคับใช้กฎหมาย และกลไกระงับข้อพิพาทสิ่งแวดล้อมให้มีประสิทธิภาพและสัมฤทธิผลในบริบทของประเทศไทยและประชาคมอาเซียน รวมทั้งยังได้จัดการประชุมสัมมนาวิชาการเพื่อรับฟังความคิดเห็นและข้อเสนอแนะจากผู้ทรงคุณวุฒิและหน่วยงานที่เกี่ยวข้องเพื่อปรับปรุงสรุปผลการวิจัยและข้อเสนอแนะให้มีความถูกต้องและสมบูรณ์มากยิ่งขึ้น ผลการวิจัยพบว่า ประเทศไทยได้ดำเนินการปฏิบัติตามพันธกรณีภายใต้ความตกลงอาเซียนทางด้านสิ่งแวดล้อมในระดับภูมิภาค และการปฏิบัติตามพันธกรณีภายใต้ความความร่วมมืออาเซียนทางด้านสิ่งแวดล้อมและความตกลงสิ่งแวดล้อมพหุภาคี (MEAs) หากเกิดปัญหาข้อพิพาทสิ่งแวดล้อมตามพันธกรณีก็ยังมีกลไกบังคับใช้กฎหมายภายในของประเทศไทยและสมาชิกอาเซียนอื่น กฎหมายระหว่างประเทศ รวมทั้งกลไกระงับข้อพิพาททางสิ่งแวดล้อมตามพันธกรณีภายใต้ความตกลงอาเซียนทางด้านสิ่งแวดล้อมทั้งในระดับภูมิภาคอาเซียน คือ กลไกระงับข้อพิพาทภายใต้กฎบัตรอาเซียน ค.ศ. 2008 และพิธีสารว่าด้วยกลไกระงับข้อพิพาทของอาเซียน ค.ศ. 2004 รวมทั้งกลไกระงับข้อพิพาทในระดับโลก เช่น กลไกระงับข้อพิพาทขององค์การการค้าโลก อนุญาโตตุลาการระหว่างประเทศ หรือ ศาลยุติธรรมระหว่างประเทศ

A Study Of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Statements: Using Computational Text Analysis To Navigate Changing Institutional Values, Thao Chu

Student Scholarship

No abstract provided.

The Barriers That Impede Community Engagement With Alternative Markets: Community Perspectives In Syracuse, Ny, Amanda Letts

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

No abstract provided.

Virtual Energy, Joel B. Eisen, Felix Mormann, Heather E. Payne

Faculty Scholarship

From employment to education, many areas of our daily lives have gone virtual, including the virtual workplace and virtual classes. By comparison, the way we generate, deliver, and consume electricity is an anachronism. And the electric industry’s outdated business model and regulatory framework are failing. For the last century-and-a-half, we have relied on ever larger power plants to generate the electricity we consume, often hundreds of miles away from the point of production. But the outsized carbon footprint of these power plants and the need to transmit their output over long distances threaten the electric grid’s reliability, affordability, and long-term …

The Korean Hanok As A Model For Sustainable Architecture In South Korea, Jordan Oh

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis analyzes the traditional Korean hanok within the Western framework for sustainability across environmental, social, and economic dimensions. It then cross-references the findings of this analysis with existing theory on the cultural role of architecture to elucidate how the traditional Korean hanok can serve as a model for sustainable architecture in South Korea. Through a comprehensive analysis this thesis highlights the importance of architectural vernacular to define a sustainable building, and critiques contemporary Western ideas of sustainable architecture. Furthermore, this thesis synthesizes two current approaches to sustainable development in South Korea, the u-eco-city and the Green Standard for Energy …