Digital Commons Network^™

Context Matters: Influence Of Organizational, Environmental, And Social Factors On Civic Environmental Stewardship Group Intensity, Michelle L. Johnson, Dexter H. Locke, Erika Svendsen, Lindsay K. Campbell, Lynne M. Westphal, Michele Romolini, J. Morgan Grove

Center for Urban Resilience Scholarship

Civic environmental stewardship groups actively take care of their local environment and are known to work in urban contexts. Research on the geographies of this urban environmental stewardship is young. Understanding where stewardship groups work and the associated organizational and neighborhood contexts advances the understanding of the environmental outcomes of stewardship efforts. We examine the organizational, socioeconomic, and environmental contexts associated with the number of stewardship groups at the Census block group and neighborhood scales for four diverse U.S. cities (Baltimore, MD; Chicago, IL; New York, NY; and Seattle, WA). We found relatively consistent and strong relationships with both average …

Perceptions Of Economic, Health, And Environmental Effects Of Hydraulic Fracturing In Indiana, Juliana Bayowa

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Effects of hydraulic fracturing (HF) have become a controversial public health issue in the United States. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore community members' perceptions of economic, health, and environmental effects of HF in Gibson County, Indiana. The conceptual framework was adapted from the health belief model and was named the HF health impact belief model (HFHIBM). Data were collected from stratified purposeful non-randomly selected 32 Gibson community members, using semi structured questionnaires, complete observations, and existing documents. Stratification was based on factors influencing perception, such as, gender, race, level of education, age or technology exposure, …

Harvey, Irma, And The Nfip: Did The 2017 Hurricane Season Matter To Flood Insurance Reauthorization?, Robin Kundis Craig

University of Arkansas at Little Rock Law Review

No abstract provided.

Killing Martin County : Resiliency In A Central Appalachian Community., David Adam Sizemore

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Environmental stressors, anything that poses a threat to human and environmental health, are disproportionately located in marginalized communities. Coal extraction companies produce and concentrate environmental stressors in Central Appalachia, a sub-region of Appalachia with high poverty rates and economic hardship. Through destructive coal extraction methods, the coal industry has jeopardized Central Appalachian health and environmental quality. The coal industry’s power to cause destruction in Central Appalachia is a product of historical strategic initiatives. Since the late 1800s, the coal industry has forcefully altered the culture and ideology of Central Appalachians and developed relationships with local, state, and federal policymakers to …

Environmental Organizations’ Litigation Communication In The Polarized U.S. Political Landscape, Rachel Anderle

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

This study analyzes environmental litigation communication in an increasingly polarized political context. Specifically, this project analyzes environmental organizations’ communication strategies and messages related to their litigation efforts in order to better understand how environmental nonprofits frame environmental litigation within the current U. S. political landscape. Multiple data sources (e.g., website content, tweets, and interviews) triangulate the study by providing varying strategic perspectives on organizations’ environmental litigation communication efforts. Results show that nonprofit organizations like the National Resources Defense Council and Sierra Club use a variety of frames that portray litigation as a righteous action used to hold those in power …

The Effect Of International Ngos On Influencing Domestic Policy And Law, Ashley Macarchuk

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis attempts to understand the impact of international human rights and environmental NGOs on affecting domestic policy and law. In particular, it looks at how State-NGO relations, civil society, and accountability affect the success of international NGOs in enacting change in domestic policy. The focus is on four countries with some of the largest human rights and environmental abuses: Argentina, China, India, and Russia. Through these countries, this thesis shows that NGOs have the most influence when State-NGO relations are strong, civil society is active, and NGOs are accountable to both the State and citizens. A key component to …

The Many Sins Of Nepa, Richard A. Epstein

Texas A&M Law Review

Forthcoming

From Local To Global: The Role Of Interdisciplinary Place-Based Research In Teaching Environmental Economics, Sean P. Macdonald

Publications and Research

This chapter examines the value of student engagement in interdisciplinary place-based research - where the exploration of “place” assumes a central component of students’ semester research projects in an undergraduate Environmental Economics class. It considers the benefits of teaching from an interdisciplinary perspective while employing the resources of the local community as a laboratory where students engage in research linked to place - the local community, urban space or a virtual location - encouraging students to make meaningful connections between the theoretical study of local and global environmental problems and the actual observation and investigation of those challenges in real …

Evaluating Public Hearing Testimony In The Context Of A High-Risk Environmental Rulemaking: Does Public Hearing Testimony Provide The Epa With The Information The Agency Requests In Its Proposed Rulemaking?, Deborah Stein

Theses

Does public hearing testimony provide the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with the information the agency requests in its proposed rulemaking? In one EPA proposed rulemaking, the agency requests public comment on approximately 140 topics specific to the proposed rulemaking. This analysis examines the testimony from two public hearings to see if the speakers provided any of the information the agency requested. Public hearings are used frequently in our democratic system and can vary substantially. The public hearings associated with a high-risk environmental proposed rulemaking are compared to characteristics that are common to public hearings in general. The public participation characteristics …

Focusing Events In Environmental Policy: Exide Technologies, Aliso Canyon, And Industrial Health Crises In Southern California, Emily Chittick

Pomona Senior Theses

Focusing events are sudden, rare events that become known to policymakers and the public simultaneously, highlighting issues with existing public policy. Two case studies, the gas leak from the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility near Porter Ranch, and the publication of the Health Risk Assessment and discovery of lead contamination from Exide Technologies’ battery recycling facility in Vernon, are used to deepen theoretical insights into the development and functionality of industrial health crises as focusing events. The case studies suggest four key areas relevant to understanding focusing events. The first is the unique characteristics of industrial health crises, which …

Pope Francis, Environmental Anthropologist, John Copeland Nagle

Journal Articles

In June 2015, after much anticipation and a few leaks, Pope Francis released his encyclical entitled “Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home. “Laudato si’” means “praise be to you,” a phrase that appears repeatedly in Saint Francis’ Canticle of the Sun poem. The encyclical itself has been widely praised and widely reported, far more than one would expect from an explicitly religious document. The encyclical is breathtakingly ambitious. Much of it is addressed to “every person living on this planet,” while specific parts speak to Catholics and others to religious believers generally. It surveys a sweeping range of …

Environmental Communication Strategies Through The Use Of Posters: A Comparative Analysis, Dacy Marie Lewis

Communication Studies

No abstract provided.

New Mexico's Nuclear Enchantment: Local Politics, National Imperatives, And Radioactive Waste Disposal In The Desert, Jennifer Richter

American Studies ETDs

The use of nuclear technologies has left an indelible mark on American society. The environmental, political, economic, and social costs of creating, producing, and utilizing technologies such as nuclear weapons and nuclear energy have left a legacy of radioactive waste. To date, there is no comprehensive path for disposing of the different kinds of waste produced by the nuclear industry, including spent nuclear fuel that is now held on site at nuclear power plants. The question of how to deal with nuclear waste has plagued the nuclear industry, governmental agencies, and the concerned public for most of the nuclear era. …

Landscapes To Learnscapes: Exploring Schoolyard-Based Education, Emily I. Palena, Caroline T. Spurgin

Pitzer Senior Theses

This thesis explores schoolyard-based education as a viable and necessary method for rectifying the shortcomings within the American public school system and the Nature-deficit Disorder epidemic. We argue that schoolyard-based education should be fully integrated into the school system, not in the sole form of popularized school gardens, but as a standard teaching method. We show this using extensive research and a case study of three elementary schools in Claremont, California.

The Sjsu Ecological Footprint Challenge And Its Impacts On Pro-Environmental Behavior, Matthew Eugene Lambert

Master's Theses

Estimates suggest that humanity requires one-and-a-half Earths to sustainably provide the resources demanded. Observed consequences of this are rising atmospheric carbon, loss of arable land, fishery collapse, drinking water scarcity, and irreparable degradation to the Earth's ecosystems. The ecological footprint is a tool that calculates the amount of land needed to support a population or an individual's level of resource use. The action of calculating an individual's footprint has been shown to improve knowledge about environmental issues, change attitudes about natural resources, and increase understanding about the connection between one's actions and the environment.

This research examined the impacts of …

Transcanada's Keystone Xl Pipeline: Politics, Environmental Harm & Eminent Domain Abuse, Ryan Harrigan

University of Baltimore Journal of Land and Development

No abstract provided.

The Quiet Revolution And Federalism: Into The Future, Patricia E. Salkin

Scholarly Works

This Article offers an examination of the federal role in land use planning and regulation set in the context of varying theories of federalism by presenting a historical and modern overview of the increasing federal influence in local land use planning and regulation, specifically highlighting how federal statutes and programs impact local municipal decision making in the area of land use planning. Part II provides a brief introduction into theories of federalism and their application to local land use regulation in the United States. Part III provides a brief overview of federal legislation in the United States which affected local …

Songs Of The Mountains, Songs Of Resistance A Study Of Protest Music Against "King Coal" In Southern Appalachia, Historically And Today, Sara Henry

Theses & ETDs

The focus of this project has been compiling a collection of music about mountaintop removal coal mining and the history of coal mining in Southern Appalachia. The songs are ballads, folk, bluegrass, and old time songs of the past and present. Some songs already focused on this important environmental and social justice issue, and others were changed lyrically to encompass this subject. The practice of changing lyrics to suit a new cause has been common in the history of folk music in America. For example, in Mark Allan Jackson�s Prophet Singer, he spends part of a chapter outlining the ways …

Towards Understanding Water Conservation Behavior In Southwest Florida: The Role Of Cultural Models, Bernard T. (Terry) Johnson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This applied anthropology dissertation aims to enhance public policy and best practices for conserving potable water resources, using the Tampa Bay region of southwest Florida as a case study. It addresses not how humans conserve, but why they may or may not choose to do so. To date, a limited anthropological focus on water conservation behavior in western, urban settings has created a gap in the role culture plays in understanding why people conserve. The research problem is to identify how water conservation behavior in Tampa, Florida can be enhanced through a better understanding of beliefs and values reflected in …

Finding The Proper Forum For Regulation Of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions: The Legal And Economic Implications Of Massachusetts V. Epa, George F. Allen, Marlo Lewis

University of Richmond Law Review

No abstract provided.

An Environmental Sustainability Assessment Of Taylor University, Kevin P. Crosby

Master of Environmental Science (MES) Theses

This is a master’s thesis project for the Department of Environmental Science at Taylor University in Upland, Indiana. It is focused on sustainability which requires considering the social, economic, and environmental impact of actions on future generations. The three main questions being addressed are: 1.) In what ways is Taylor University practicing environmental sustainability? 2.) What is the best way to judge the sustainability of Taylor? 3.) What should Taylor do to become more sustainable? This paper consists of a literature review, a description of the problem being addressed, a review of similar studies, and assessment methods, the actual campus …

Rehabilitate Failing Park Sewage System Environmental Assessment, United States Department Of The Interior, National Park Service

Environmental Assessments (UT)

The National Park Service (NPS) proposes to rehabilitate the failing sewage system within Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah. The rehabilitation would provide a safe, healthy, and functional environment, and maintain public health and future service for park visitors and staff. Portions of the sanitary sewage collection system were originally constructed in 1958 of clay pipe and currently service the lodge, staff housing, and visitor center before feeding into sewage treatment lagoons. Sections of the sewage system have deteriorated significantly with age. These sections of the system and appurtenant manholes are deteriorating into pieces that regularly clog the system and cause …

East Canyon Reservoir Water Intake Structure Final Environmental Assessment And Finding Of No Significant Impact, United States Department Of The Interior, Bureau Of Reclamation

Environmental Assessments (UT)

The purpose of the proposed action is to authorize SWDC to build and operate facilities to deliver water to the Park City/Snyderville Basin area (Figure 1.2). The need for the proposed action is a growing demand for water in the Park City/Snyderville Basin area due to population growth and increased development of recreation facilities and vacation homes.

We Speak For Ourselves: Grassroots Movements In The Struggle For Environmental Justice, Christopher O'Brien

Global Studies Student Scholarship

This literature review and thesis examine two main issues, one on grassroots and community organizing and the other discussing the implications of environmental racism. The paper examines the nature of why low income and minority communities experience a disproportionate amount of environmental injustices, and what can be done at the grassroots level to combat this. Through a review of literature on both community/grassroots organizing and the prevalence of environmental racism within the United States, along with experiential findings through a community partnership, the issues of remedying environmental racism and the effectiveness of the remedies are explored. Environmental racism is a …

Reclaiming International Law From Extraterritoriality, Austen L. Parrish

Articles by Maurer Faculty

A fierce debate ensues among leading international law theorists that implicates the role of national courts in solving global challenges. On the one side are scholars who are critical of international law and its institutions. These scholars, often referred to as Sovereigntists, see international law as a threat to democratic sovereignty. On the other side are scholars who support international law as a key means of promoting human and environmental rights, as well as global peace and stability. These scholars are the 'new' Internationalists because they see non-traditional, non-state actors as appropriately enforcing international law at the sub-state level. The …

Moab Field Office Planning Area Proposed Resource Management Plan And Final Environmental Impact Statement, United States Department Of The Interior, Bureau Of Land Management

Final environmental Impact Statements (UT)

This Proposed Resource Management Plan (RMP) and Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) describes and analyzes the Proposed Plan and draft alternatives for the planning and management of public lands and resources administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Moab Field Office. The Moab planning area is located in southeastern Utah and includes approximately 2.5-million acres of land in Grand and San Juan Counties. Within the Moab planning area, the BLM manages approximately 1.8-million acres of BLM-administered public land surface as well as about 29,000 acres of federal mineral estate.

Revisiting The Doctrine Of Intergenerational Equity In Global Environmental Governance, Lynda M. Collins

Dalhousie Law Journal

In the absence of binding international enforcement mechanisms, global environmental governance must rely on a legal framework that has widespread normative force around the world. In addition, such a framework should be sufficiently detailed and pragmatic to allow for effective implementation, should achieve the goal of environmental protection, and should be reasonable in terms of the level of sacrifice expected of the present generation, particularly in the developing world. Itis arguedthat the comprehensive doctrine ofintergenerational equity is an effective and appropriate legal framework for global environmental governance. The doctrine ofintergenerational equityposits thepresent generation of humans as simultaneously beneficiaries of the …

Healing Earth, Helping Neighbors: Using Brownfield Remediation Projects To Advance Environmental Justice [Outline], Willie Shepherd

The Climate of Environmental Justice: Taking Stock (March 16-17)

Presenter: Willie Shepherd, Chairman and Co-Founder, Kamlet Shepherd & Reichert, LLP

2 pages.

"Presentation Outline"

Agenda: The Climate Of Environmental Justice: Taking Stock, University Of Colorado Boulder. School Of Law

The Climate of Environmental Justice: Taking Stock (March 16-17)

On March 16-17, The Climate of Environmental Justice: Taking Stock conference gathered 125 academics and practitioners from around the country to consider the pressing issues facing low-income and/or communities of color that continue to be subjected to a disproportionate share of environmental maladies.

"Some people are more equal than others when it comes to bracing ourselves for the impacts of climate change," said conference organizer Professor Maxine Burkett. "Whether it's because poor folks lived in the lowest areas of New Orleans when Katrina floodwaters rushed in, or are less able to afford the cooling bill during increasingly frequent heat waves, …

African-American Environmentalism: Issues And Trends For Teaching, Research And Extension, Clyde E. Chesney

Extension Publications

No abstract provided.