Digital Commons Network^™

Closing The Loop: Circular Economies And The New College Of Florida Campus Bulk Bar, Jessie Merkel

Theses & ETDs

Single-use products are detrimental to the environment due to the consequences of plastic pollution and the linear path of goods. However, Zero-waste is leading the environmental movement to denaturalize waste. Refill shops cut plastic waste at the source through reuse projects. Therefore, this pilot project operated a bulk bar on the New College of Florida campus for one month. Forty-three students completed surveys designed to assess the awareness, performance, barriers, and improvements to their Bulk Bar experience a week after the pilot concluded. The responses indicated that this service succeeded in educating college students about alternative purchase options and waste …

Campus Engagement: Student Perceptions And Engagement Of New College Of Florida’S Built And Natural Environments, Nicholas Beck

Theses & ETDs

This paper explores the eclectic campus of New College of Florida, documenting emerging patterns of student perceptions relating to their built and natural environments. The study aims to compile personal accounts with digestible data to guide contributors to future master plans for NCF's campus. Utilizing past research at New College addressing the sense of community across dormitory halls and conducting new surveys and interviews regarding observations, narrative opinions, placemaking values, and the diffusion of engagement. I examine the prioritization of placemaking values and land engagement across spatial planes of the current student body, as well as their interactions, values, connection, …

Modeling Carbon Sequestration Over Time As It Compares To Soil Bulk Density In A Microforest, Melody Scott

Theses & ETDs

Microforests are important afforestation projects to increase carbon mitigation efforts that can help combat climate change and sequester carbon into the biomass and soil of the project site. Soil health is important to ensure that plants are thriving and carbon is being sequestered. This study’s goal was to create a model that could predict the carbon sequestered into the soil over time at a microforest site. Over a combined six months of field work soil samples were collected from a newly afforested microforest site as well as two older microforest sites and one food forest and carbon farm, as well …

Strands In The Web Of Life: The Mayan Milpa And Ways Of Relating To Nature, Ellie Jalbuena Cook

Theses & ETDs

The indigenous Maya people of the Yucatán cultivate milpa, a complex agroecosystem. The milpa system involves maize, beans, and squash in a polyculture along with a wide array of other plants and animals in a shifting cultivation style in which patches of forest are periodically cleared, cultivated for a few years, and then allowed to grow back into the surrounding forest. The milpa is integrated into both the community of Mayan society and the forest ecosystem, guided by an epistemic value system based on a respect for the interdependent animacy of the land and the life in the ecology. In …

The Physics And Environmental Benefits Of A Patented Mobile Solar Carport Appliance, Antonia Ginsberg Klemmt

Theses & ETDs

GismoPower’s patented Mobile Electricity Generating Appliance (MEGA) is a new solar deployment method turning photovoltaics into a mobile appliance, making solar not only more affordable to the general public, but also more accessible. Several different prototypes and renditions of the MEGA were created in order to optimize the design for manufacturing, durability, and ease of assembly. This thesis analyzes the electricity generation of the first prototype (2020) and the most recent prototype (2023).

Data Drives Nebraska: Technology Advancements Impact Agriculture And Natural Resources, Laura E. Young, Emily Hatterman, Chandra Spangler, Alexis Corman, Klanie David, Jennifer Velasquez-Perfecto, Gracie Stout, Noelle Philippi, Emma Hoffschneider, Taylor Gregory-Jensen, Saskia Lanwermann, Abigayle Warm, Jared Dehaan, Brianna Gable, Sarah Eberspacher, Trisha Dybdal, Jadyn Heckenlively

Strategic Discussions for Nebraska

Strategic Discussions for Nebraska 2023

Data Drives Nebraska: Technology Advancements Impact Agriculture and Natural Resources

Nelle 6 (End Matter), Nelle Staff

Nelle (literary magazine)

pp. 151-160

The Pennsylvania Environmental Resource Consortium: A State-Wide Collaborative Network For Sustainable, Outreach, Education, And Action, Peter Buck, Shaunna Barnhart, Richard D. Bowden, Ben Culbertson, Josh Hooper, Michael Mumper, Dominic Scicchitano, Ken Shultes, Tom Simpson

Faculty Contributions to Books

This paper explores the organizational theory, programs, and concomitant challenges faced by a state-level higher education consortium for sustainability in the United States, the Pennsylvania Environmental Resource Consortium (PERC). We provide insights for other institutions of higher education that may want to form consortia or consider changes to existing consortia. PERC members collaborate to advance sustainability on member campuses, in local communities, and across the Commonwealth. PERC envisions thriving, just communities on a healthy planet, and seeks to inspire higher education communities throughout the Commonwealth to lead transformational sustainability efforts through example, expertise, and collaboration. This chapter provides a brief …

Building Consensus Around The Assessment And Interpretation Of Symbiodiniaceae Diversity, Cawa Tran, Et Al.

Biology: Faculty Scholarship

Within microeukaryotes, genetic variation and functional variation sometimes accumulate more quickly than morphological differences. To understand the evolutionary history and ecology of such lineages, it is key to examine diversity at multiple levels of organization. In the dinoflagellate family Symbiodiniaceae, which can form endosymbioses with cnidarians (e.g., corals, octocorals, sea anemones, jellyfish), other marine invertebrates (e.g., sponges, molluscs, flatworms), and protists (e.g., foraminifera), molecular data have been used extensively over the past three decades to describe phenotypes and to make evolutionary and ecological inferences. Despite advances in Symbiodiniaceae genomics, a lack of consensus among researchers with respect to interpreting genetic …

Ten New Insights In Climate Science 2023/2024, Mercedes Bustamante, Joyashree Roy, Daniel Ospina, Ploy Achakulwisut, Anubha Aggarwal, Ana Bastos, Wendy Broadgate, Josep G. Canadell, Edward Carr, Deliang Chen, Helen A. Cleugh, Kristie L. Ebi

Geography

Non-technical summary: We identify a set of essential recent advances in climate change research with high policy relevance, across natural and social sciences: (1) looming inevitability and implications of overshooting the 1.5°C warming limit, (2) urgent need for a rapid and managed fossil fuel phase-out, (3) challenges for scaling carbon dioxide removal, (4) uncertainties regarding the future contribution of natural carbon sinks, (5) intertwinedness of the crises of biodiversity loss and climate change, (6) compound events, (7) mountain glacier loss, (8) human immobility in the face of climate risks, (9) adaptation justice, and (10) just transitions in food systems. Technical …

Nutrient Function Over Form: Organic And Inorganic Nitrogen Additions Have Similar Effects On Lake Phytoplankton Nutrient Limitation, Sabrina N. Volponi, Heather L. Wander, David C. Richardson, Clayton J. Williams, Denise A. Bruesewitz, Shelley Arnott, Jennifer A. Brentrup, Hailee L. Edwards, Holly Ewing, Kristen Holeck, Lauren Johnson, Brian S. Kim, Ana M. Morales-Williams, Nisha Nadkarni, Beth C. Norman, Lianne Parmalee, Amy Shultis, Adrienne Tracy, Nicole K. Ward, Kathleen C. Weathers, Courtney R. Wigdahl-Perry, Kiyoko Yokota

All Faculty Scholarship

The concentration of dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) is increasing in many northern hemisphere lakes, yet its use by phytoplankton and fate in the environment seldom have been quantified. We conducted 1 week, in situ, microcosm incubations across 25 lakes in northeastern North America to understand how DON, dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), and dissolved inorganic phosphorus (P) affected phytoplankton biomass. In addition, we tested whether lakes were limited by single macronutrients (N or P) or colimited by both. Phytoplankton biomass in 80% of lakes responded similarly to DON and DIN additions. Of the lakes where N form produced differential responses, the …

Three Essays On Health And Environmental Economics: Applications Of Spatial Econometrics And Spatial Analysis, Mohammed Syedul Islam

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Spatial interaction and the locational structure between observations play key roles in the field of econometrics for both cross-sectional and panel data analysis. Compared to a non-spatial econometric model, a spatial model relaxes the assumption of independency in observations. This research applies spatial and non-spatial econometrics in three different fields of applied economics: (1) drinking water and air quality violations impacts on lung and bronchus cancer incidence in the contiguous United States (U.S.); (2) spillover effects of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) on COVID-19 cases across the contiguous U.S. counties; and (3) urbanization impacts on carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions in …

Emotions And Perceptions Surrounding Teaching Climate Change In The United States: Results From A Teacher Survey, Susan Clayton, Angeline Sangalang, Rebecca Anderson

All Faculty Articles

Children are worried about climate change. Educational settings provide an opportunity to provide coping resources, but teachers do not always feel comfortable doing so. One reason for hesitancy may be their own negative emotions. This paper describes findings from a survey of Action for the Climate Emergency (ACE)’s teacher network, looking at teachers’ perceptions and emotions about climate change, as well as their experiences in teaching climate-related topics. Teachers had both positive and negative responses to climate change; motivation and compassion along with frustration and sadness were the four most common emotional responses. They also generally felt supported in their …

From The Poor People’S Campaign To The Poor People’S Campaign: Fifty Years Of Protest In The United States, Mike Kohout

Geography and Environmental Studies Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Chapter 4- With Sustainability In Mind: Twelve Habits Of Mind For A Successful Learning Experience In The Second-Language Classroom And Beyond, Doris Mcgonagill

Habits of Mind

When Art Costa and Bena Kallick first developed their Habits of Mind framework, they conceived of their approach as a contribution to sustainable and ethical learning. The dedication opening in all four volumes of Habits of Mind: A Developmental Series is explicit about this trajectory: “Native peoples teach that the ultimate norm for morality is the impact our choices have on persons living seven generations from now. If the results appear good for them, then our choices are moral ones; if not, they are immoral. We therefore dedicate Habits of Mind: A Developmental Series to our children, our grandchildren, and …

2015-16 Antarctic Travel Project Data Set, Clare A. Sammells, Claudia Roedel, Duane Griffin

Other Faculty Research and Publications

During the 2015-2016 season, links to an internet survey were distributed to Antarctic travelers traveling with two different tour companies with expedition ships leaving from Ushuaia, Argentina, A paper brochure was placed in the expedition ship cabins of tourists before their arrival, and expedition staff gave reminders to complete them. 175 travelers, largely from two ships, completed this internet survey through Qualtrics. Tourists received links to the survey from expedition leaders who volunteered to distribute paper explanations of the survey with the link, including one author of the study (Roedel). This document gives the questions from the Qualtrics survey and …

A Gis Look At Woody Plant Encroachment (Wpe): Mapping Grassland Degradation Through Habitat Succession, Brandon M. Wolf

Geography and the Environment: Graduate Student Capstones

The grasslands of North America remain at a fraction of their historic range. Estimates of acreage remaining vary between 4% and 13%. Affectionately known as the Great Plains, these grasslands have been converted for agriculture, rangeland, infrastructure, and civilization itself. Woody Plant Encroachment (WPE) on the grasslands is a silent, often overlooked, serious threat. The use of a simple GIS can estimate current acreage of a grassland, its adjacent woodland corridor, riparian buffers, and predict future acreage based on trends and hypothetical management scenarios, or lack thereof. The American prairie, though a remnant of its former self, is still home …

Using Drawing As A Tool For Investigating Undergraduate Conceptions Of Earth Scientists, Peggy Mcneal, Deepika Menon, Deef Allah Al Shorman, Paulina Gajewska-Schaefer

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to investigate undergraduate students’ conceptions of Earth scientists, using drawing as a tool, during introductory Earth science courses. We explored two research questions: 1) What student conceptions are evident in undergraduate students’ drawings of Earth scientists? and 2) How do undergraduate students’ conceptions of Earth scientists—as evidenced in their drawings—change as a result of completing an introductory Earth science course? We collected pre- and post-drawings of Earth scientists from 94 students in six introductory Earth science courses at two universities and coded the 188 drawings across 39 indicators. We used Chi Square Goodness of …

Intersectoral Responses To Climate Change And Waterborne Diseases In The Caribbean Region: Current Actions And Pathways Forward Using The One Health Framework, Sydney A. Steel

Public Health Theses

The Caribbean exists on the frontlines of climate change, and many climate-related threats are already felt throughout the region and projected to worsen in the coming decades. A critical climate-related threat is that of waterborne diseases, as extreme weather events, sea level rise, and temperature increases are shown to contribute to potable water inaccessibility and a more favorable environment for pathogen proliferation and transmission. The complexity of this challenge calls for increased regional and inter-sectoral collaboration in both preparedness and response efforts. Countries and territories across the Caribbean are currently displaying variable yet marked interest in One Health, yet there …

Eocene To Oligocene Cooling And Ice Growth Based On The Geochemistry Of Interglacial Mudstones From The East Antarctic Continental Shelf, Jennifer J. Light, Sandra Passchier

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The Eocene-Oligocene Transition at c. 34 million years ago (Ma) marked the global change from greenhouse to icehouse and the establishment of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS). How the ice-sheet behaviour changed during interglacials across this climate transition is poorly understood. We analysed major, trace and rare earth elemental data of late Eocene interglacial mudstone from Prydz Bay at Ocean Drilling Program Site 1166 and early Oligocene interglacial mudstone from Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Site U1360 on the Wilkes Land continental shelf. Both sites have comparable glaciomarine depositional settings. Lithofacies and provenance at Site 1166 in Prydz Bay are …

Modeling Monthly Actual Evapotranspiration: An Application Of Geographically Weighted Regression Technique In The Passaic River Basin, Felix Oteng Mensah, Clement Aga Alo

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Actual evapotranspiration (ET) is perhaps the most difficult quantity to directly measure among the major water balance components. Because of the high cost and labor constraints associated with the direct measurement of ET, empirical data-driven modeling has frequently been used to estimate ET. Beyond the widely used traditional type regression that has the effect of producing ‘global’ parameter estimates, assumed to be uniform throughout an area, we utilized a more localized spatially non-stationary technique - the geographically weighted regression (GWR) - to estimate mean monthly ET in the Passaic River Basin (PRB). We identified the key environmental controls of ET …

Polytech To Polytek: Traditional Ecological Knowledge, Indigenous Science, And The Future Forward Polytechnic University, Cutcha Risling Baldy, Kaitlin P. Reed, Kayla Begay

Humboldt Journal of Social Relations

It is clear from Cal Poly Humboldt’s Polytechnic Prospectus that Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and Indigenous communities are key parts of what elevates Humboldt’s development of a polytechnic university for the next century. The prospectus demonstrates Humboldt's proposed framework for a different comprehensive polytechnic "will also be informed by Indigenous communities and ways of knowing, as many Native peoples have lived sustainably in their places since time immemorial” (19). There are many considerations when engaging with TEK, especially around sustainable use. It is also important that engagement with TEK and Indigenous science not only center knowledge sharing, but also how …

Fostering Socio-Ecological Resilience To Wildfire By Interconnecting Knowledge Systems At Cal Poly Humboldt, Jeffrey M. Kane, Erin Kelly, Benjamin Graham, David Greene

Humboldt Journal of Social Relations

The wildfire-related challenges of Northern California and many other regions in the western United States are daunting in scope and magnitude. Ecologically and culturally salient solutions that limit the negative impacts of wildfire and promote resilience of human and ecological systems will require newer approaches. Through Cal Poly Humboldt and the Fire Resilience Institute, there is greater emphasis on the interconnection of knowledge systems across education, training, research, and management. Here we highlight several on-going efforts that seek to enhance the fire resilience workforce, promote socio-ecological resilience through interdisciplinary projects, and inform management through monitoring and research projects that intentionally …

Pioneer Tales (Vol. 7, No. 3), San Bernardino Historical & Pioneer Society

Pioneer Tales

No abstract provided.

Entangled Mangrove Roots: The Shrimp Industry, Ancestral Afro-Descendant People, And Community Resistance In Esmeraldas, Ecuador, O'Philia Le

Pitzer Senior Theses

Mangroves are one of the most important ecosystems because of the many services they provide on a local and global scale, but in contrast, are one of the most threatened by anthropogenic activities at a global level. Being sources of food for various kinds of fish, crustaceans, and mollusks, they are essential for the economy, culture, and livelihood of locals in Esmeraldas, Ecuador. This thesis takes an environmental justice approach in the discussion of the loss of mangroves in Esmeraldas, Ecuador. While toxic industries may not be apparent at first, environmental injustice prevails in adverse human health effects, environmental degradation, …

Impact Of Climate Events, Pollution, And Green Spaces On Mental Health: An Umbrella Review Of Meta-Analyses, Pim Cuijpers, Clara Miguel, Marketa Ciharova, Manasi Kumar, Luke Brander, Pushpam Kumar, Eirini Karyotaki

Brain and Mind Institute

Climate change may affect mental health. We conducted an umbrella review of meta-analyses examining the association between mental health and climate events related to climate change, pollution and green spaces. We searched major bibliographic databases and included meta-analyses with at least five primary studies. Results were summarized narratively. We included 24 meta-analyses on mental health and climate events (n = 13), pollution (n = 11), and green spaces (n = 2) (two meta-analyses provided data on two categories). The quality was suboptimal. According to AMSTAR-2, the overall confidence in the results was high for none of the studies, for three …

Community Cultivation: Understanding The Value Of The Partnership Between Garden City Harvest And Missoula County Public Schools, Lyris Daker

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

No abstract provided.

The Rhino Horn Trade And Radical Inequality As Environmental Conflict, Elizabeth Lunstrum, Nícia Givá, Francis Massé, Filipe Mate, Paulo Lopes Jose

Global Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

The illegal wildlife trade (IWT) is one of the most acute global conservation challenges. This paper examines what is driving young men to enter the rhino horn trade while advancing theory on environmental conflict. We show how the illicit rhino horn economy is a telling instance of environmental conflict—largely between ground-level hunters and increasingly militarized state conservation forces—that emerges from a context of radical inequality. We examine how practices ranging from labor migration and sidelining rural development to biodiversity conservation itself have profoundly transformed the Mozambican-South African borderlands from which many hunters originate, in turn generating poverty, exclusion, and vulnerability …

Ethnic Difference At The Center Of Land Struggles In The Americas: A Complex History Of Marginalization And Multidimensional Challenges Among The Garifuna In The Northern Honduras, Kaitlyn Bellamy, Victoria Garcia, Saleh Ahmed, Adriana Archila

Global Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Across the world, natural resources play a critical role in shaping livelihoods among the ethnic and indigenous communities. This article highlights the struggles Garifuna in northern Honduras face regarding land ownership, despite being constitutionally recognized yet ignored by the government. For them, land struggles are also their racial struggles. Contested land ownerships are the outcomes of historical discriminations, leaving Garifuna vulnerable to violence. This article addresses the multidimensional aspects of land-based struggles that have resulted in social, cultural, and environmental damage, creating insurmountable pressures on local Garifuna livelihoods.

Adaptation Outcomes In Climate-Vulnerable Locations: Understanding How Short-Term Climate Actions Exacerbated Existing Gender Inequities In Coastal Bangladesh, Saleh Ahmed, Elizabeth Eklund, Elizabeth Kiester

Global Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Adverse climate impacts present a significant challenge for the majority of the world’s population. It is especially true for smallholder farmers in coastal Bangladesh, where some adaptation initiatives appeared to be short-sighted and reproduced further inequity, poverty, and food insecurity. Based on empirical insights, this paper shows how short-sighted climate responses can adversely affect gender equity, illustrated through three adaptation strategies. First, agricultural institutions have traditionally and historically linked with gender roles. Outmigration from the region is gendered as males leave first. This forces increased household and farm responsibilities onto female household members and increased vulnerability. This gendered vulnerability becomes …