Digital Commons Network^™

Joint Environmental And Social Benefits From Diversified Agriculture, Laura Vang Rasmussen, Ingo Grass

Earth and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications

Agricultural simplification continues to expand at the expense of more diverse forms of agriculture. This simplification, for example, in the form of intensively managed monocultures, poses a risk to keeping the world within safe and just Earth system boundaries. Here, we estimated how agricultural diversification simultaneously affects social and environmental outcomes. Drawing from 24 studies in 11 countries across 2655 farms, we show how five diversification strategies focusing on livestock, crops, soils, noncrop plantings, and water conservation benefit social (e.g., human well-being, yields, and food security) and environmental (e.g., biodiversity, ecosystem services, and reduced environmental externalities) outcomes. We found that …

Creating A Sustainabili-Tour, Lily Dubray, Caden Fisher, Allison Gross, Morgan Hrivnak, Emily Kilstrom, Sushant Mukhia, Hannah Nelin, Sam Parrish, Waverly Patterson, Bowen Rand, Caleb Swanson, Wyatt Wiebelhaus

Sustainability & Environment Projects

Executive Summary

The University of South Dakota has taken significant steps to become more sustainable in the last few years. Students, faculty, and administrators have worked together to raise awareness and advance sustainability on campus. Because of these efforts, the University of South Dakota was recently recognized by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education as a STARS Bronze Institution based on our accomplishments in campus sustainability.

Every year, Dr. Meghann Jarchow teaches the Sustainability Capstone course, leading a class of seniors on a semester-long project aimed at furthering community sustainability by synthesizing student expertise. Throughout …

Short-Term Larval Surveys Reveal Rainy Season Breeding Site Preferences Of Malaria Vector Anopheles Spp. In Zanzibar City, Kaeden K. Hill

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Malaria is a serious illness that causes over 500,000 deaths annually worldwide, with Tanzania alone contributing to approximately 4% of those deaths. Malaria is caused by Plasmodium spp. parasites, and it is vectored by mosquitoes in the Anopheles genus. In Zanzibar City, the incidence of malaria has decreased over the past few decades due to standardized treatment protocols and public health interventions targeting adult mosquitoes. However, the incidence remains between 1-2%, with an increasing trend observed over the past few years likely stemming from continued exchange of Plasmodium spp. from other malaria-endemic areas. Because larvicidal strategies can be useful in …

Community Opinions On Environmental Action On Isla Porvenir And Whichub Walla In The Guna Yala Comarca, Sofia Houts

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The Guna Yala Comarca is the autonomous, self-governed territory of the Guna people, one of seven Indigenous groups in Panama. The Comarca is located on Panama’s eastern Caribbean coast and includes 365 coral islands. Forty nine Guna communities and roughly 32,000 individuals live in the territory. The Guna General Congress is the highest authority, and each community has a local congress. As a low-lying coastal region, Guna Yala is especially vulnerable to climate change and is already impacted by sea level rise, biodiversity loss, and changing precipitation patterns. Sub-national, national, and international forms of governance and environmental action are crucial …

War And Restoration, Mason Rewerts

The Chanterelle

No abstract provided.

The Osprey, Spring 2024, The Osprey Staff

Osprey

The student magazine of Cal Poly Humboldt

Grand Valley Magazine, Vol. 23, No 2, Spring 2024, Grand Valley State University

Grand Valley Magazine

Grand Valley Magazine is a quarterly publication about Grand Valley State University produced by University Communications since 2001.

April 2024 News Releases, University Of Montana--Missoula. Office Of University Relations

University of Montana News Releases, 1928, 1956-present

No abstract provided.

Graduate Studies Newsletter (Spring 2024), Csusb - Office Graduate Studies

Graduate Studies Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Small Towns Can Do Evs Too!, Tyler Knaak, Connor Wanetka, Makenna Eisenzimmer, Krista Price, Fame Punpoka

Environmental Engagement in the Community (ENVR 319): Student Projects

Environmental Engagement in the Community projects, fall 2023

A poster titled Small Towns Can Do EVs Too! for client City of Wayne, Nebraska.

Paving The Way For Recycled Roadways: Are Plastic Roads The Solution To Our Global Plastic Waster Crisis?, Reese Van Osdel, Katheryn Austin, Libbie Pepple, Soledad Stevanov

Environmental Engagement in the Community (ENVR 319): Student Projects

Environmental Engagement in the Community projects, spring 2024

A poster titled Paving the Way for Recycled Roadways: Are Plastic Roads the Solution to Our Global Plastic Waster Crisis? for client South Sioux City, nebraska.

What Are Rural Minnesota Elementary Teachers’ Views Regarding Their Preparedness To Teach Environmental Education, Benjamin Odegaard

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

Odegaard, B. (2024). What are rural Minnesota elementary teachers’ views regarding their preparedness to teach environmental education. Research has been done on how environmental education (EE) is a positive for students, but not a lot of research has been done on how well the teachers understand EE. Specifically there has been little to no research on rural Minnesota elementary teachers. This thesis takes a look at how well prepared these teachers think they are when it comes to teaching EE in their classrooms. A survey was made using a mixed methods approach. Most of the questions in the survey consisted …

The Struggle For Empire In The Old Northwest Territory: The Fur Trade And Alliances On The Middle Ground, Richard W. Rowe Jr.

GLI MA in American History Student Works

The Old Northwest Territory is a uniquely underserved area of American history. It stood at the intersection of several empires, each of whom often viewed it as something desirable only when hoping to keep it from falling into the hands of their rivals. Indigenous and creole people lived and died in those spaces, using the fur trade as a means for survival while they navigated between Imperial overlords. This work endeavors to build on existing academic scholarship, fill some gaps therein regarding where this topic fits into the bigger picture, and hopefully inspire others’ interest in doing further research. This …

Introduction To The Special Centennial Issue, Woodward S. Bousquet, Christopher Osgood

Virginia Journal of Science

This special issue of the Virginia Journal of Science (VJS) is dedicated to the 2023 Centennial of the Virginia Academy of Science (VAS). It includes congratulations from Commonwealth leaders, a proclamation by the Virginia General Assembly Senate, Academy members’ personal reflections, several historical papers and summaries, and portions of the program for the May 25-26, 2023 Annual Meeting in Williamsburg on the William & Mary campus.

Reflections About The Academy And Its Centennial, Marco Aldi, Woodward S. Bousquet

Virginia Journal of Science

Brief reflective essays from members of the Virginia Academy of Science were solicited as part of the Academy's centennial commemoration in 2023. The essays received demonstrate the many and varied ways in which the Academy has fostered collegiality, encouraged research, supported science education, and shaped the course of science in Virginia during the organization's 100-year history.

Presidents Of The Virginia Academy Of Science, Woodward S. Bousquet

Virginia Journal of Science

A list of presidents of the Virginia Academy of Science from 1923-2024 is presented.

The Once Shrew Zoo, Willow Cain

The Chanterelle

No abstract provided.

Questions For An Environmentalist: How An Enst Student Answers Questions On Sustainability, Zachary Meyer

The Chanterelle

No abstract provided.

Environmentalists Aren't Mad At You, Maggie Demorest

The Chanterelle

No abstract provided.

A Loving Compilation Of Ecopoems: An Anthology Of My Favorites From The Ecopoetry And Climate Crisis Course Syllabus And Beyond, Emily Kerimian , '25, Peter Schmidt

English Literature Faculty Works

This anthology draws from a series of poems that I read as a college junior in a humanities-focused environmental studies class at Swarthmore College, as well as ecopoems that I have read in my own free time. It is meant to honor each of these poems that touched me in a unique way, which I will discuss in my commentary. For some, I was drawn to the poem’s overall message, or strong sensory language, or the identity of the poet that seeped through. I love poetry as a medium of expression, even though I sometimes struggle to find my poetic …

Poets Rooted In Nature: An Ecopoetry Anthology, Ian Chen , '24, Winston Zhang , '27, Riya Rao , '26, Peter Schmidt

English Literature Faculty Works

Anyone who has studied poetry has experienced its elusiveness as well as the profound impact that it brings upon its readers. Although poetry comes in many shapes and forms, the universal theme among impactful poetry is its ability to both evoke powerful emotions and inspire readers to action. In the somewhat bleak time of the present, individuals can easily feel insignificant among the masses; however, poetry can inspire wonder and break readers away from the screens and fickle distractions ever present in the modern world. In this anthology, we focus on the multifaceted genre of ecopoetry, a genre of poetry …

Wonder & Warning: The Salve That's Needed To Heal Our Planet, Benton Greenberg , '26, Elle Anthony , '26, Peter Schmidt

English Literature Faculty Works

Icebergs melting; plastic in the oceans; greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere; deforestation; industrial agriculture; pollution; overfishing. Humans have inhabited Earth for a mere fraction of its existence, comprising less than 1% of its total timeline, yet we are rapidly destroying it. The health of our planet is at a tipping point. Poets have been writing about the disharmony between the environment and humans for hundreds of years. Writers like Nathaniel Hawthorne plead us to change our ways through their haunting and ghastly works, while Jane Hirshfield and others speak through animals to hold us accountable for our faults. However, not …

Echoes Of Nature: Exploring The Intricacies Of Existence And The Environment, Lena Massengale , '25, Peter Schmidt

English Literature Faculty Works

In this anthology, the works from highly skilled authors allow the reader to peek into the existential through a celebration of the natural world. Featuring the unique writing styles of Charles Simic, WS Merwin, and bell hooks, the reader is transported into a world of ecopoetry that aims to touch on more than earthly space. Transcending the rigid bounds of environmental scholarship, these authors incorporate their personal experiences in their interpretation of environmentalism. From the spiritual and ancestral ties to masked social critique, my anthology “Echoes of Nature: Exploring the Intricacies of Existence and the Environment” invites readers to explore …

Before We Say Farewell: An Anthology Of Ecopoetry, Suhyun Kim , '24, Peter Schmidt

English Literature Faculty Works

When faced with the climate crisis, we humans have responded with varying levels of distress. Most of us swing between despair, when we fall into grief at our own stupidity and possible doom, and hope, that a solution is right around the corner. There is a middle ground of apathy, for those who’ve lost all hope and/or become paralyzed by the sheer magnitude of the climate crisis. Regardless of where we are, life under the climate crisis is not easy, and we all need to be reminded that it’s worth going on from time to time. Ironically, many of us …

Understanding The Anthropocene, Monica Kramer , '25, Peter Schmidt

English Literature Faculty Works

The current climate crisis can be a daunting, anxiety-provoking topic. Terms such as “climate anxiety” are brought up because thinking about the prospect of future warming can cause extreme dread. Our current trajectory has even pushed people to forgo having children. Yet although this dread is very warranted and cannot be minimized, simply fearing for the future does not present any solutions to improving it. Ecopoetry can give us a window into helping deal with our grief, and can also suggest solutions for moving forward. This anthology presents poems that do both, helping us to better understand our current era …

The Whispers Of Magnolias, Nican Tlaca, And The World Around Us: An Anthology, Gabriela Rodriguez , '27, Qing Hao , '25, Peter Schmidt

English Literature Faculty Works

Why read poetry after all, for all the frustration it can stir and the immense degree of patience it often demands (particularly challenging in our age of distractions)? Jane Hirshfield’s quotes offer a lucid insight: good poetry often changes how we perceive our surroundings and our states of existence. It lets us experience life in a transformed way – different before and after reading the poem – and inspires us to view our world with a sharper, more curious eye.
Here, we have compiled an anthology of ecopoetry that features a diverse selection of poems, ranging in time, culture, and …

Death, Love, And Feathers: Poems Teaching Us To Fly, Isa Specchierla , '26, Sophia Cáceres , '26, Peter Schmidt

English Literature Faculty Works

Death, Love, and Feathers: Poems Teaching Us to Fly is an anthology that provides readers who are just starting to become interested in ecopoetry and want a place to begin their wonderful journey. We have incorporated some well-known ecopoets such as Mary Oliver, Robert Frost, Emily Dickinson, and Maya Angelou, which have personally inspired our own interest and sparked our love for ecopoetry. We have also included a few other lesser-known contemporary eco-poets, whose work touches on how our environment has been transformed through climate change.
We also present poems by Wanda Coleman, Eleanor Wilner, and Joy Harjo.
Through this …

Hydrophobic Deep Eutectic Solvents: Liquid-Liquid Extraction Of Organic Water Pollutants, Abigail Louise Maletta

Masters Theses

Pollution is a topic of significant research within the scientific community. The massive demand for industrial processes to deliver the technology and resources we rely on has opened numerous avenues for pollutants to enter the environment, affecting air, water, soil, and the food chain. Oftentimes, these pathways are intertwined, and the interplay between water and air currents spreads pollution globally, creating a cascade of environmental impacts. Water, a vital resource for all forms of life, is particularly susceptible to industrial pollution. Among the most prevalent water pollutants are heavy metals, such as lead and mercury, and organic compounds, often released …

Journal Cover

Virginia Journal of Science

Journal cover created for the Special Centennial Issue of Virginia Journal of Science, the Official Journal of the Virginia Academy of Science.

Flushed With Challenges: A Case Study Into Sanitation Service Delivery In A Cape Town Informal Settlement, Emmy Li , '25

Senior Theses, Projects, and Awards

In South Africa, basic sanitation is considered a human right. Moreover, effective sanitation service delivery is fundamental in the ongoing transition to build sustainable cities and communities. An area of particular interest for city planners and government officials are informal settlements, which are often characterized by high vulnerabilities, large population densities, limited resources, and minimal state engagement. Due to their location and informal nature, these areas often lack sewage and drainage systems needed for effective sanitation. Unfortunately, communities that are most impacted by poor sanitation quality and service delivery are rarely consulted during the decision-making process for urban upgrades. This …