Digital Commons Network^™

An Addiction To Capitalism: A Rhetorical Criticism Of Mainstream Environmentalism, Jake Engel

IdeaFest: Interdisciplinary Journal of Creative Works and Research from Cal Poly Humboldt

No abstract provided.

2016 - California Land Use And Management - A Resource Management Strategy Of The California Water Plan

Miscellaneous Documents and Reports

Land use planning and management cuts across many resource management strategies. More efficient and effective land use is linked to several resource management strategies including watershed, water use efficiency, groundwater quality, flood management, parks and recreation, climate change adaptive management and agricultural lands stewardship. Directly development away from agricultural lands permits multi-objective management of these lands for agricultural preservation, floodplain management, water quality, habitat conservation, and sustainable development. In addition, planning for more compact and sustainable communities, both urban and rural, will assist in reducing reliance on the state-s water supply, and result in more efficient use of California’s water …

Spatial Analysis Of Landscape And Sociodemographic Factors Associated With Green Stormwater Infrastructure Distribution In Baltimore, Maryland And Portland, Oregon, Ashley Baker, Emma Brenneman, Heejun Chang, Lauren Mcphillips, Marissa Matsler

Geography Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study explores the spatial distribution of green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) relative to sociodemographic and landscape characteristics in Portland, OR, and Baltimore, MD, USA at census block group (CBG) and census tract scales. GSI density is clustered in Portland, while it is randomly distributed over space in Baltimore. Variables that exhibit relationships with GSI density are varied over space, as well as between cities. In Baltimore, GSI density is significantly associated with presence of green space (+), impervious surface coverage (+), and population density (−) at the CBG scale; though these relationships vary over space. At the census tract scale …

Stakeholder Effects On Shaping Public Policy In Stormwater Management, Galates Sera

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In Washington, DC, historical data are used to adequately size for rainfall events, and efforts to increase stormwater management requirements are fought against by internal stakeholders. In urban planning, extreme rainfall events, that may occur more frequently than expected, are often not a consideration when designing for green infrastructure facilities. The purpose of this case study was to explore how internal and external stakeholders influence stormwater management policies related to extreme rainfall events in Washington, DC. The power and politics organization theory, which focuses on how individuals obtain influence, and the resource dependency theory, which explores how organizations benefit from …

About Sdlp

Sustainable Development Law & Policy

No abstract provided.

Editor's Note, Luke Trompeter, Ingrid Lesemann

Sustainable Development Law & Policy

No abstract provided.

Urban Ecology & Conservation Symposium 2018: 16th Annual (Abstracts), Urban Ecosystem Research Consortium Of Portland/Vancouver

Urban Ecosystem Research Consortium of Portland/Vancouver

The UERC is a consortium of people from various universities and colleges, state and federal agencies, local governments, non-profit organizations and independent professionals interested in supporting urban ecosystem research and creating an information-sharing network of people that collect and use ecological data in the Portland/Vancouver area.

UERC Mission Statement:

To advance the state of the science of urban ecosystems and improve our understanding of them, with a focus on the Portland/Vancouver metropolitan region, by fostering communication and collaboration among researchers, managers and citizens at academic institutions, public agencies, local governments, non-profit organizations, and other interested groups.

The principal organizers span …

Laudato Si’ And Integral Ecology: A Reconceptualization Of Sustainability, Jessica Ludescher Imanaka, Greg Prussia, Samantha Alexis

Journal of Management for Global Sustainability

This study analyzes sustainability concepts through the lens of Roman Catholic Social Teaching (CST) with a special emphasis on Laudato Si’. CST expands the focus of sustainability to include social justice through its emphasis on human dignity, the common good, and caritas. In CST, justice is understood as structural while environmental obligations are connected to integral human development and peace. In Laudato Si’, Pope Francis calls on us to counter prevailing unjust systems with a structural reordering of multiple ecologies: environmental, economic, social, cultural, and daily life. Based on this reordering, he developed the notion of integral ecology, and we …

The Social Pillar Of Sustainable Development A Literature Review And Framework For Policy Analysis, Kevin Murphy

The ITB Journal

There is a need to develop a clearer understanding of what the social pillar of sustainable development means and how it relates to the environmental pillar. This article contributes to this process by presenting a conceptual framework that identifies four overarching social concepts and links them to environmental imperatives. These concepts are: public awareness, equity, participation, and social cohesion. The framework builds on concepts and policy objectives outlined in research on international sustainable development indicators and the social sustainability literature. The social pillar can be expanded to include environmental, international, and intergenerational dimensions. This framework can then be used to …

Understanding And Addressing Governance Dysfunction And Unsustainable Development In The Illegal Gold Mining Region Of Madre De Dios, Peru, Phyllis Duff

Sustainability and Social Justice

This paper endeavors to explore the link between dysfunction in governance systems and persistent challenges to sustainable development in the illegal gold mining region of Madre de Dios, Peru. Through the use of stakeholder narratives, field observations and literature review, four questions were examined: 1) What are the existing social and environmental conditions in the case study area? 2) What are the existing relationships amongst stakeholders, and how do these illustrate dysfunction of the existing system of governance? 3) What gaps and/or deficiencies in the existing system are revealed by stakeholder narratives, and what are their visions for an alternative …

Factors That Contribute To Communities Establishing Sustainable Development Initiatives In Ireland, Gerard Doyle

Conference Papers

Community gardens contribute to addressing a range of environmental, economic and social issues facing urban communities across the globe (Keeney, 2000; Calvin, 2011; McIvaine-Newsad and Porter, 2013). In response to the benefits that they generate, there has been a significant increase in community gardens internationally over the last thirty years (Firth et al., 2011). Community gardens can be considered a form of sustainable development initiative (SDI). This paper is concerned with the factors that contribute to the establishment of sustainable development initiatives in Ireland by focusing on community gardens in Dublin City. The core question being addressed is: What capacities …

Despite Efforts, International Environmental Law Is Aspirational Rather Than Successful In Its Contribution To The Protection Of The Global Environment And In The Fight Against Climate Change, Lydia Scambler

The Plymouth Law and Criminal Justice Review

The 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment2 (Stockholm Conference) was the first of many international negotiations to consider the effects of anthropogenic interference with the environment, including chemical pollution and climate change. The Conference and its corresponding declaration recognised customary International Environmental Law (IEL) principles, such as the precaution and prevention principles, and has no doubt been a catalyst for an increased awareness of environmental issues throughout the globe, thus influencing domestic environmental legal systems. The UN climate regime can therefore be seen not only as a source of international law, but as an influence on national and …

Community Gardens: Exploring Race, Racial Diversity And Social Capital In Urban Food Deserts, Jennifer F. Jettner

Theses and Dissertations

Study purpose. The study examined race and racial diversity in community gardens located in Southern urban food deserts, as well as the capacity of community gardens to generate social capital and promote social justice. Methods. A mixed-methods approach was used to describe characteristics of gardeners and community gardens located in urban food deserts, and test Social Capital Theory hypotheses. A convenience sample of 60 gardeners from 10 community gardens was obtained. Data was collected using surveys and semi-structured interviews. Analyses. Univariate and bivariate statistics were used to describe gardeners and gardens. Leader rationales for garden characteristics were analyzed using thematic …

Grappling With Cairo’S Garbage: Informal Sector Integration As A Means To Urban Sustainability, Hussein Bakry

Theses and Dissertations

Sustainable waste management systems contribute to overall urban sustainability. In developing country cities such as Cairo, the informal sector plays a vital role in these systems, and policy to reform the waste sector must acknowledge that in order to achieve urban sustainability. Cairo is a city that is undergoing rapid urbanization with a rising population, putting strain on resources and public services. An increase in informal housing areas and jobs was only natural to accommodate the growing underclass within the city. One community that developed as a result was the zabbaleen. This community, most of which resides in Manshiet Nasser, …

Non-Formal Education For A Sustainable Development Program In Cairo, Mennatallah Sabry Nada

Theses and Dissertations

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is important for moving countries toward a sustainable future. In Egypt, ESD is not a common subject found in the national formal educational system, so non-formal education in ESD is needed. The research question is what is the best-suited structure for an experiential learning based ESD non-formal education program designed for private middle-school students in Egypt? To answer this question a review of existing international non-formal ESD programs and a needs assessment was conducted. The review examined five programs for common components; these components included activities such as experiments, camps, research, community engagement, general discussions …

Urban Ecology & Conservation Symposium 2015: 13th Annual (Abstracts), Urban Ecosystem Research Consortium Of Portland/Vancouver

Urban Ecosystem Research Consortium of Portland/Vancouver

The UERC is a consortium of people from various universities and colleges, state and federal agencies, local governments, non-profit organizations and independent professionals interested in supporting urban ecosystem research and creating an information-sharing network of people that collect and use ecological data in the Portland/Vancouver area.

UERC Mission Statement:

To advance the state of the science of urban ecosystems and improve our understanding of them, with a focus on the Portland/Vancouver metropolitan region, by fostering communication and collaboration among researchers, managers and citizens at academic institutions, public agencies, local governments, non-profit organizations, and other interested groups.

The principal organizers span …

Sustainability, Thoroughbred Racing And The Need For Change, Iris M. Bergmann Phd

Horse racing and competitions

Globally, the thoroughbred breeding and racing industry is reporting a declining trend. A report commissioned by the Jockey Club in the US, known as the McKinsey report, explicitly linked the public’s concern with animal welfare and the use of drugs to declining betting and attendance in the US. In various racing nations in Europe, in Australia and the US, thoroughbred racing is experiencing pressures from external sources and from within, with even industry participants calling for change. The industry is concerned with the integrity of racing. Structural changes, regulation and transparency in reporting are all issues identified in need of …

Green Infrastructure And The Sustainability Concept: A Case Study Of The Greater New Orleans Urban Water Plan, Jessica Fisch

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Sustainability has been touted as an ideal in city and environmental planning in recent decades, evolving to include environmental, economic, and equity-focused goals. While much has been written about these ideals, it remains unclear how their inherent tensions and challenges affect planning practice. This thesis analyzes these goals as they are perceived and prioritized in The Greater New Orleans Urban Water Plan, a regional water management plan released by Waggonner and Ball Architects in September 2013, utilizing interviews with architects involved in the plan’s development, staff at agencies involved in green infrastructure implementation, and advocacy groups involved in and affected …

Indigenous Management Strategies And Socioeconomic Impacts Of Yartsa Gunbu (Ophiocordyceps Sinensis) Harvesting In Nubri And Tsum, Nepal, Geoff Childs, Namgyal Choedup

HIMALAYA, the Journal of the Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies

The harvesting and selling of yartsa gunbu (literally “summer grass, winter worm”; Ophiocordyceps sinensis) is contributing to economic and social transformations across the Tibetan Plateau and Himalayan region faster than any development scheme could envision. Meanwhile, the rising demand for the commodity has been linked to violence and environmental degradation, and has generated concerns over resource sustainability. Although good data is emerging on harvesting practices, medical uses, and the booming market for yartsa gunbu, especially in Tibetan areas of China, little systematic research has explored village-level management practices and socioeconomic impacts. This paper seeks to partially fill that void through …

Banning Lawns, Sarah B. Schindler

Faculty Publications

Recognizing their role in sustainability efforts, many local governments are enacting climate change plans, mandatory green building ordinances, and sustainable procurement policies. But thus far, local governments have largely ignored one of the most pervasive threats to sustainability — lawns. This Article examines the trend toward sustainability mandates by considering the implications of a ban on lawns, the single largest irrigated crop in the United States.

Green yards are deeply seated in the American ethos of the sanctity of the single-family home. However, this psychological attachment to lawns results in significant environmental harms: conventional turfgrass is a non-native monocrop that …

The Meaning Of Green Growth, Michael A. Livermore

Michigan Journal of Environmental & Administrative Law

Although the term is still rarely used in the United States, in recent years “green growth” has become part of the lexicon of global environmental policy. Unfortunately, although it is frequently cited as a public policy goal, green growth has remained vague and ill-defined, leading to conflicting interpretations and confusion over the distinction between green growth and related concepts like sustainable development. This paper seeks to clarify the meaning of green growth as a distinct concept, defining a “green growth frontier” of policies that dominate along both environmental and economic dimensions. The green growth agenda can be understood as moving …

Designing Affordable Housing For Adaptability: Principles, Practices, & Application, Micaela R. Danko

Pitzer Senior Theses

While environmental and economic sustainability have been driving factors in the movement towards a more resilient built environment, social sustainability is a factor that has received significantly less attention over the years. Federal support for low-income housing has fallen drastically, and the deficit of available, adequate, affordable homes continues to grow. In this thesis, I explore one way that architects can design affordable housing that is intrinsically sustainable. In the past, subsidized low-income housing has been built as if to provide a short-term solution—as if poverty and lack of affordable housing is a short-term problem. However, I argue that adaptable …

Debating Sustainable Development In Global Climate Change Policy: The “Cancún Agreements” V. The “People’S Agreement Of Cochabamba”, Andrew J. Riplinger

College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Theses and Dissertations

The climate is in crisis, and the policies put in place now will have a dramatic impact on international development, international relations, and social movements for generations to come. In recent years there have been two major conferences bringing together international policy makers to craft a treaty to address climate change that would take the place of the Kyoto Protocol when it expires at the end of 2012: the United Nations Framework Convention in Climate Change (UNFCCC; resulting in the 2009 “Copenhagen Accord” and the 2010 “Cancún Agreements”) and the World Peoples’ Conference on Climate Change (WPCCC; resulting in the …

Arctic Justice: Addressing Persistent Organic Pollutants, Elizabeth Burleson

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

This article recommends enhanced governance of persistent organic pollutants through incentives to develop environmentally sound, climate friendly technologies as well as caution in developing the Arctic. It highlights the toxicity challenges presented by POPs to Arctic people and ecosystems.

Identification And Implementation Of Patterns Towards A Model Of Environmental Sustainability, S. Jimmy Gandhi, Santiago Perez, Danial Rushton, Robert Cloutier, Ipek Bozkurt, C. Ariel Pinto

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

Much like the Quality Revolution did in the 1980's, corporate sustainability has the potential to drive significant changes in the processes and structure of various organizations in the coming decade. With a rapidly growing global population and an ever increasing global demand for resources (Population-Resource-Center, 2012). Sustainability has emerged as one of the primary challenges that organizations will have to deal with in the 21st century. An increasing realization among business executives that profitability by itself is not enough as a measure of success is also driving the increased adoption of sustainable practices in the corporate world (Lowitt and Grimsley, …

Sustainability As A Means Of Improving Environmental Justice, Patricia E. Salkin, John C. Dernbach, Donald A. Brown

Scholarly Works

This article explains why environmental justice provides much of the foundation for sustainable development, and shows how sustainability can improve our ability to achieve environmental justice. The article first explains a basic but often unrecognized truth about environmental policy: environmental pollution and degradation, sooner or later, harms humans. Both sustainable development and environmental justice respond to this problem, though in somewhat different ways. Sustainable development, however, suggests a broader set of tools to address this problem than are often employed for environmental justice. The article shows how four broad approaches — more and better sustainability options, law for sustainability, visionary …

Growing Cities Depend On Ecosystem Services, David E. Ervin, Darrell Brown, Heejun Chang, Veronica Dujon, Elise F. Granek, Vivek Shandas, J. Alan Yeakley

Geography Faculty Publications and Presentations

Many studies have documented the growing fragility of a majority of the globe's ecosystems. Policymakers and resource managers often frame such ecosystem challenges as primarily about protecting natural systems in rural areas. However, that conception misses a key part of the story: the rapid growth of urbanizing areas. Home to more than 50 percent of the world's human population for the first time in modern history, urbanizing regions concentrate pressure on ecosystem services, which are necessary to sustain healthy urban living conditions and vibrant commerce. This dramatic urbanization presents both challenges and opportunities for novel ecosystem services management. A transdisciplinary …

Developing An Ecological Social Justice Framework For Ocean Energy Technologies: Case Studies From The Phillipines, Jay Batongbacal

PhD Dissertations

Unless subjected to skeptical and conscious scrutiny, environmentally-friendly ocean energy technologies can become Trojan machines of social inequity due to the subtle re-organizing influences of technologies on culture and the society. Environmental laws that promote or regulate ocean energy technologies can act as Trojan legal regimes in the absence of a framework for assessing and anticipating their adverse impacts on social justice. Environmental justice is inadequate for this task, so an alternative framework is proposed: ecological social justice, drawn from the Third Worlds perspective of sustainable development as equitable sharing. Though overshadowed by the prevalent notion of sustainable development as …

Gas Flaring In Nigeria‘S Niger Delta: Failed Promises And Reviving Community Voices, Eferiekose Ukala

Washington and Lee Journal of Energy, Climate, and the Environment

This Note examines the use of litigation to stop gas flaring in Nigeria’s Niger Delta, and proposes an alternative solution to the ongoing gas flaring in the Niger Delta region. In exploring an alternative solution, this Note (1) details the history of gas flaring in Nigeria; (2) discusses Nigeria’s gas-flaring legislation and its implementation; (3) analyzes the impact that landmark gas flaring cases have had on the stoppage of gas flaring; and (4) details how litigation has been used as a tool to combat gas flaring, juxtaposing the concept of the rule of law. This Note concludes by suggesting that …

Eleventh Annual Grotius Lecture Series: Focusing On The Good Or The Bad: What Can International Environmental Law Do To Accelerate The Transition Towards A Green Economy? , Achim Steiner

American University International Law Review

No abstract provided.