Digital Commons Network^™

Navigating Environmental Sustainability In The Corporate Sector, Leslie King, Vanessa Adel

Sociology: Faculty Publications

Corporate environmental sustainability is experiencing a major surge in activity. The notion that capitalist enterprises can transform themselves to become more sustainable aligns with ecological modernization theory, which holds that our current economic system can become environmentally sustainable, especially through technological innovation. Organization scholars studying corporate environmental sustainability (CES) typically align with ecological modernization principles and focus their research on company-level norms and practices in order to suggest managerial improvements. Critical political economists, on the other hand, argue that capital accumulation and growth are fundamental drivers of environmental exploitation and that CES efforts are unlikely to yield significant results. We …

Understanding The Importance Of Dreissenid Mussel Mitigation In South Dakota, Allison P. Gross

Honors Thesis

Since 2014, dreissenid mussels have been established in South Dakota, spreading throughout the state. These invasive mussels can be vastly detrimental to an environment and completely disrupt the balance of natural systems they invade. In South Dakota, a state that relies heavily on land and resource use for some of the state’s major economic drivers, such as agriculture, hydropower, and tourism, the issue could be incredibly harmful if left uncontrolled. The mussel’s impacts range from increasing rash-causing bacteria in lakes and rivers to damaging critical infrastructure within dams. To understand the importance of the issue further, this paper explores the …

The Fierce Green Fire: Vol. 14 Issue 20, Wofford College Environmental Studies Program

The Fierce Green Fire

No abstract provided.

Identifying Phytoremediation Performing Plant Species That Can Be Utilized In The Improvement Of Heavy Metal Contaminated Soils, Ashley Clark*, Samuel Mutiti

Graduate Research Showcase

Heavy metal pollution is a problem associated with industrialization and development. Two major metals that are commonly mined and can enter the environment, which can jeopardize communities’ health, are copper (Cu) and lead (Pb). There are different options for reducing heavy metal pollution in the environment via remediation efforts, including physical, chemical, and biological methods. However, physical and chemical remediation can be costly and labor-intensive, making them unsuitable for regions that do not have the funds to utilize these practices. Biological remediation is a more cost-conservative practice that has been shown in many studies to be effective in the gradual …

Quemando Leña En Guatemala: Salud, Sostenibilidad Y Costumbres, Sydney Underhill

World Languages and Cultures Senior Capstones

In the Central American country of Guatemala, firewood is an important fuel source. Eighty-eight percent of households in rural areas use wood stoves and open fires to cook and heat their homes. This tradition has fundamental roots in the culture and customs of Guatemala. Unfortunately, these methods contribute to air pollution. Consequently, it also results in smoke inhalation, which causes health problems. Additionally, the massive agriculture of other crops decreases the amount of firewood available to these households, affecting the sustainability of the resource. Some communities resist changing their use of firewood due to the profound nature that firewood holds …

Cultivating Hope: The Influence Of Positive Outlooks In K-12 Climate Change Education, Agnes Brown

Student Theses 2015-Present

Abstract

Students studying the environment know and feel the emotional toll that it can take. This can easily contribute to mental health issues and utter defeat. This paper addresses the exclusion of optimism from environmental education and the impacts this has on childhood development and students as they advance to higher levels of education. Through this analysis, the goal is to find a role for hope in a topic typically framed in an apocalyptic manner. The shift from denying the existence of climate change to denying that it can be addressed, particularly through the usage of “doomsday language,” has created …

間, Lele Dai

Theses and Dissertations

LeLe Dai makes contingent participatory public interventions using sensory materials such as sound, flickering light, and water. This paper examines their works through the lens of Chinese character Jian (間), meaning “gap/slit/incision,” to investigate the concept of “in-betweenness.”

The Activist Corner - Ecojustice Insights From The Field, Coralie Boulard, Lucas Zabotin

Green Humanities: A Journal of Ecological Thought in Literature, Philosophy & the Arts

No abstract provided.

The Artist Corner, Vijali Hamilton

Green Humanities: A Journal of Ecological Thought in Literature, Philosophy & the Arts

No abstract provided.

Melissa Tuckey, Melissa Tuckey

Green Humanities: A Journal of Ecological Thought in Literature, Philosophy & the Arts

No abstract provided.

Sequence, Cole Swensen

Green Humanities: A Journal of Ecological Thought in Literature, Philosophy & the Arts

No abstract provided.

The Continual Emergence / Of Suppressed Histories, Linda Russo

Green Humanities: A Journal of Ecological Thought in Literature, Philosophy & the Arts

N/A

In The Doha International Airport, A Forest, Paulina Bianca Ocampo

Green Humanities: A Journal of Ecological Thought in Literature, Philosophy & the Arts

In the Doha International Airport, a forest calls is a poem about a culture of deep ecology in a context of coloniality, brain drain, and my own part in it. Despite over 300 years of colonization in the Philippines and the colonization of our own education system, a certain deep ecology continues to thrive in the belief of spirits in nature. Among Filipinos, even in the thick of the Anthropocene, a sense of respect and fear for nature continues to exist. It is common, for example, for Filipinos to ask these spirits for permission to pass through forested areas. However, …

Dear Little Activist Heart, Lilith Kuhn

Green Humanities: A Journal of Ecological Thought in Literature, Philosophy & the Arts

No abstract provided.

"Drone," "Attempting To Persuade The Musk Ox You Are Not Unlike Not A Threat Not Other", Elizabeth Bradfield

Green Humanities: A Journal of Ecological Thought in Literature, Philosophy & the Arts

No abstract provided.

Imaginative Acts, Environmental Futurity: Re-Envisioning The Heroic White Male Savior In Snowpiercer, Michelle Yates

Green Humanities: A Journal of Ecological Thought in Literature, Philosophy & the Arts

In contrast to many Hollywood climate fiction films, Snowpiercer (2013) offers a more complex representation of the white male savior. In contrast to films like WALL-E (2008) and Interstellar (2014) that recuperate and invest in white masculine privilege, Snowpiercer highlights the more destructive aspects of a patriarchal capitalist system that privileges hegemonic white masculinity. While the ending of Snowpiercer may seem bleak, it also points to the possibility of a new system, an environmental futurity that centers indigenous knowledge and the experiences of women and people of color. Though Snowpiercer is not formally an American film, its casting of recognizable …

Diverse Voices, Sticky Maps And Wicked Patterns. Using Creative Methods To Explore Environmental Justice, Clare Saunders, Daksha Patel

Green Humanities: A Journal of Ecological Thought in Literature, Philosophy & the Arts

Environmental justice is multi-faceted. It is distributional, procedural and context inter-dependent. Achieving environmental justice therefore requires transdisciplinary thinking and collaborative practice with participants holding a variety of experiences and knowledges. This paper explores the different meanings of environmental justice in theory, and through artistic practices. It introduces and evaluates a series of creative workshops designed to enhance understanding of environmental justice. The workshops consisted of 1) image-informed co-created cross-national Zoom conversations; 2) using colours and shapes to tease out meanings of environmental justice; and 3) mapping local environmental injustices while centring more-than-humans. It proposes that these creative methods are useful …

Powering Justice: Sketches For A New Ethos In Energy Policy, Erin Rizzato Devlin

Green Humanities: A Journal of Ecological Thought in Literature, Philosophy & the Arts

Energy politics lie at the heart of human activity. In a time of ecological and energy crisis, it is fundamental to realise that our reality systems are always open to change and that, in order to respond to the challenges of a changing energy landscape, we must explore the full possibilities of technology in a radical way. This research aims to consider the ethical implications of energy and technology, presenting an urgent case for cosmotechnical pluralism, that is the diversification of world-views, knowledges, technologies in the pursuit of energy justice in global politics. To reconstruct the world and its politics …

Notes On Contributors

Green Humanities: A Journal of Ecological Thought in Literature, Philosophy & the Arts

No abstract provided.

Editors' Note

Green Humanities: A Journal of Ecological Thought in Literature, Philosophy & the Arts

No abstract provided.

Cover - Green Humanities, Vol. 4, 2024

Green Humanities: A Journal of Ecological Thought in Literature, Philosophy & the Arts

No abstract provided.

Meet The Consultants And Acknowledgements

Prologue: A First-Year Writing Journal

No abstract provided.

Utah State University Commencement, 2024 - Brigham City, Kaysville & Tremonton Campuses, Utah State University

Commencement Programs

2024 Commencement Ceremony for the Brigham City, Kaysville & Tremonton Campuses of Utah State University.

Water & Climate Change Across The Americas: Interdisciplinary Perspectives On Headwater Dependent Systems In Latin America And The American Southwest, The Intermountain West Transformation Network, Latin American And Iberian Institute

LAII Events

Please join us for an extraordinary event to discuss water and climate change across the Americas! Seven Latin American scholars from Ecuador, Chile, Argentina and Peru will be here to present on their research in South American river basins and to learn from UNM students and scholars about the challenges in the Rio Grande and Chama. On Thursday, the symposium will be in Hodgin Hall at UNM. On Friday, we will have a traveling symposium of on-site talks on water and climate change along the Middle Rio Grande. The group will visit three sites throughout the day and hear presentations …

Pictorial Bionomics: Santa Ana River Record And Survey, Caleb Lachelt

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Intense conflict is unfolding in Southern California, and it runs right through our cities every day. It goes unnoticed by most, but its outcome will decide the future for humans and nature alike. This conflict is between human development and the natural majesty of our waterways. The foundation of Orange and surrounding areas is historic wetlands, which have caused massive flooding that destroys human lives and buildings. In response to this destruction, we have unleashed our own damage, paving entire sections of our rivers and erecting dams and levees wherever we can. Through this process we have successfully protected those …

Including Methane Emissions From Agricultural Ponds In National Greenhouse Gas Inventories, Martino E. Malerba, Tertius De Kluyver, Nicholas J. Wright, Odebiri Omosalewa, Peter I. Macreadie

Climate Science Research Articles

Agricultural ponds are a significant source of greenhouse gases, contributing to the ongoing challenge of anthropogenic climate change. Nations are encouraged to account for these emissions in their national greenhouse gas inventory reports. We present a remote sensing approach using open-access satellite imagery to estimate total methane emissions from agricultural ponds that account for (1) monthly fluctuations in the surface area of individual ponds, (2) rates of historical accumulation of agricultural ponds, and (3) the temperature dependence of methane emissions. As a case study, we used this method to inform the 2024 National Greenhouse Gas Inventory reports submitted by the …

How Communities Respond To Industrial Pollution, Jacqueline Jergensen, Sara Velardi

Sustainable Communities

Industrial pollution is a growing environmental issue in the United States, having health, economic, and social consequences on the surrounding communities. This study explores how communities respond to industrial pollution by examining two case studies in New York: the Navy/Grumman Plume of Bethpage and the IBM Plume of Endicott. Document analysis provided information to create complete timelines of the pollution and remediation in each community. Interviews were also conducted to provide personal insight from residents, employees of polluting industries, or those involved with remediation efforts. Ultimately, the research suggests that industrial actors should take a proactive stance in addressing contamination. …

Greening The Green: Examining The Resource Use Of Golf Courses With Suggestions On How To Improve Their Sustainability, Kaelan Addison Lestock '24

Honor Scholar Theses

Golf is a journey full of challenges, requiring each player to strive for precision, rather than merely a game of getting a small, dimpled ball in a cup hundreds of yards away in the fewest strokes possible The game is both physical and mental; it tests one’s focus, decision making, and resilience. Those who play competitively rarely feel as though they are competing against another player, instead their opponent is the course. And for those who play recreationally, the game can be a time to reconnect with nature, foster both old and new friendships, or enjoy the pursuit for perfection. …

Settler Colonialism And Ecosystem Change: How Ideology Has Shaped Minnesota’S Environments, Sarah E. Hobby

History Honors Projects

The formation of a uniquely American land ethic—defined by European political history and Christian biblical doctrine and forged through systems of dispossession—is central to the creation of environments within the United States today. Using Minnesota as a microcosm to understand how settler colonial interactions played out all across the United States, this paper analyzes connections between violent dispossession of Indigenous people and the degradation of environments. By understanding how Ojibwe and Dakota people think about and have shaped Minnesotan lands throughout their history and comparing Indigenous land-ethics to the Euro-American-settler land ethic, this paper evaluates the role that ideology and …

Analysis Of Circular Design Principles For The Sustainable End-Of-Life Management Of Renewable Energy Assets: Investigation Of Illinois And Germany Renewable Energy Policies And Programs., Samuel N. Nimaful

2024 Student Research and Creativity Conference

This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of circular design principles applied to the sustainable end-of-life management of renewable energy assets, focusing on the comparative study of renewable energy policies in Illinois, USA, and Germany. As the deployment of renewable energy technologies like solar panels and wind turbines expands globally, the question of their sustainable disposal becomes increasingly critical. This research delves into how circular economy approaches can be integrated into policy frameworks to ensure that these technologies are sustainable not only in their operation but also at the end of their lifecycle.

The study methodically reviews existing policies and programs …