Sustainability Commons^™

Analysis And Installation Of A Demonstration Agroforestry Orchard For Californian Mediterranean Plant Communities, Brandon Hurd

Master of Science in Environmental Sciences and Management Projects

Climate-appropriate agroforestry can provide low-input food security and ecosystem services for local Californian Mediterranean climates, while conserving natural resources (e.g., water, nitrogen, etc.). This project showcases a variety of agroforestry methods for five common plant communities of California and other analogous Mediterranean climates at the CAFES Experimental Farm on the campus of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Plant community species and their ethnobotanical uses were analyzed to mimic and incorporate aspects of native flora. Agricultural plants were also characterized to represent each of the five selected plant communities. GIS was used to assess the project site for soil, slope, and …

Survey Of Energy Literacy In Lincoln, Ne Households, Bella Devney

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Energy consumption results in increased greenhouse gas emissions, a significant contributing factor to climate change and the rise of global temperatures. The purpose of this study is to increase understanding of energy literacy in Lincoln, Nebraska households, hypothesizing that a more informed public will result in a reduction of energy use and improvements in emission rates, positively impacting climate change. The study engaged private citizens through surveys in Lincoln, Nebraska to gain data on the level of energy literacy in Lincoln households. Electronic surveys were distributed through local neighborhood associations to understand the gaps in residential energy conservation in Lincoln, …

Turfgrass Alternatives For The Modern Yard, John Lonowski

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

The considerable maintenance and irrigation required of turfgrass lawns can often be seen as a fruitless endeavor, as it consumes substantial resources but yields minimal economic benefit. The goal of this paper is to highlight the resource needs of traditional turfgrass lawns and identify and test alternative lawn types that are still aesthetically pleasing while being more sustainable than traditional turfgrass. To obtain the results, the experiment was conducted in Alda, Nebraska employing a randomized complete block design, which tested four entries at two separate locations, each with three replications. The entries include: 1. Buffalograss, 2. Tall Fescue, 3. White …

Evaluating Biophilic Design Characteristics In Lincoln Public Schools, Sarah Burr

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

A mixed qualitative-quantitative study was conducted in Lincoln, Nebraska to observe and evaluate the biophilic design characteristics in Lincoln Public Schools (LPS). There is a significant lack of nature in urban environments, especially in older buildings and schools, therefore incorporating natural elements in school buildings can promote the success of students and contribute to improved well-being. The research question this study aims to address is: How and to what degree are Lincoln Public Schools integrating biophilic design characteristics in their high school buildings? Four high schools were toured utilizing an evaluation form with 10 biophilic design characteristics and a 5-point …

Pasture Condition Guides For The Southern Rangelands, Including The Gascoyne, Murchison And Goldfields-Nullarbor, Peter-Jon A. Waddell, Philip We Thomas, Wayne J. Fletcher, Kath Ryan, Joshua E. Foster, John K. Stretch, Jim S. Addison

Bulletins 4000 -

These guides address a recognised gap in readily applicable and easily accessible information on southern rangelands pasture condition and management.

These guides provide descriptions and images for southern rangelands pastures with similar management requirements for the grazing of native pastures by livestock. Therefore, the focus is on palatability of vegetation to livestock, and the effects of livestock management and external factors on the condition of the vegetation and soils.

The first section provides an overview and map, introduces concepts and terms important to understanding arid shrubland management in general, these guides in particular, and includes an economic analysis of the …

Forest Bathing Increases Adolescent Mental Well-Being And Connection To Nature: A Transformative Mixed Methods Study, Jennifer Keller

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Previous research has demonstrated that practicing forest bathing has significant positive effects on well-being. However, few studies have investigated whether forest bathing increases adolescent well-being despite the growing adolescent mental health crisis in the United States. Similarly, few studies have explored forest bathing’s impacts on connectedness to nature. Considering the ongoing environmental crisis, determining if forest bathing increases connectedness to nature is a critical expansion of forest bathing research, as connectedness to nature is linked to environmental care and concern. This study investigated the possibility that forest bathing, a nature-based mindfulness practice, could increase adolescent mental well-being and connectedness to …

Proposing Urban Agroforestry Designs For Lincoln, Nebraska: A Model From Berlin, Germany, Noah Johnson

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Given the threat of a worsening climate crisis, there is a strong need for community and ecosystem resilience. Diverse urban agroforestry systems have the potential to accomplish both and meet many of the objectives outlined in the city of Lincoln, Nebraska’s climate action plan. Additionally, Berlin, Germany could provide an effective model for Lincoln in this regard given the city’s extensive history of established urban agroforestry systems. The objective of this study then is to develop a design for an urban agroforestry site modeled on Berlin’s allotment gardens and tailored to Lincoln’s needs. The methods for creating this design included …

Nitrates In Nebraska, Michelle Zenk

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

For my senior thesis project, I decided to study nitrate pollution to better understand and analyze how college students in Nebraska viewed and understood the complex issue of nitrate pollution. From my study only half of college students surveyed viewed nitrate pollution as a problem. Only 15 percent of college students test their water for nitrates, and most college students were knowledgeable on how nitrate pollution occurs. Due to the negative impacts of nitrate pollution within human health, soil health, and ecosystem function further work needs to be completed to raise awareness and knowledge on the impacts of nitrate pollution.

Off The Rails: Cinematic Trains As Technological Controls Of The Natural World, Trinity Thompson

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Short train rail lines across the United States are seeing increased national funding to reduce toxic chemical spills caused by train derailments, the most notable of which happened in February 2023 in East Palestine, Ohio. A year prior, the film White Noise (2022) featured a similar toxic train derailment incident, taking place, too, in Eastern Ohio, and featuring actors from the town of East Palestine. In considering other films featuring trains, I identified a pattern of environmental conflict, leading me to question the relationship between trains and the natural environment as portrayed in popular cinema. To conduct my research, I …

Children Tell Landscape-Lore Among Perceptions Of Place: Relating Ecocultural Digital Stories In A Conscientizing/Decolonizing Exploration, Meredith Jean Bird Miller

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

We know that when children feel a sense-of-relation within local natural environments, they are more prone to feel concern for them, while nurturing well-being and resilience in themselves and in lands/waters they inhabit. Positive environmental behaviors often follow into adulthood. Our human capacities for creating sustainable solutions in response to growing repercussions of global warming and climate change may grow if more children feel a sense of belonging in the wild natural world. As educators, if we listen to and learn from students’ voices about how they engage in nature, we can create pedagogical experiences directly relevant to their lives. …

Middle Savannah River: An A/R/Tographic Ecopedagogical Ethnography Experimenting With Rhizomatic Perspectives, Lisa Augustine-Chizmar

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This research is an experiment in perspective. Using the four commonplaces (Schwab, 1978), I practiced letting the Savannah River teach me what there is to know about the water, the land, the people, and the other entities that depend on ki through artistic, ethnographic, and ecopedagogical lenses. The ethnographic findings describe the social actors that depend on ki and give a voice to the River. The a/r/tographic findings display the River on a canvas map through two hundred years using paint, clay, photography, video, abstract acrylics, and fabric. Together, these methods contribute to a unique ecopedagogical journey. This word cloud …

Coconut Shell Waste Treatment Technology For A Sustainable Waste Utilization: A Case Study Of The Smes In Bohol Village, Indonesia, Wahyu Anggo Rizal, Ria Suryani, Roni Maryana, Dwi Joko Prasetyo, Diah Pratiwi, Yuli Ary Ratnawati, Dini Ariani, Andri Suwanto

ASEAN Journal of Community Engagement

This project focused on the introduction of liquid smoke and bio briquette manufacturing technology to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) located in Bohol Village, Gunungkidul, Indonesia through technology transfer, training, and mentoring. These SMEs are engaged in the food business with the main product jenang ketan, a traditional food from Gunungkidul, especially in Rongkop District, and very popular among communities around and outside Gunungkidul. The traditional preparation of jenang ketan produces several by-products in the form of waste, which is dominated by coconut shell biomass. The project’s technology transfer was carried out through the procurement of a series of pyrolysis …

Literature Review On Water Desalination Plant Production And Brine Disposal Methods, Grace Kollars

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Water scarcity is an issue all around the world because people have a lack of clean and available drinking water. One way this issue can be eased and people can have more access to water is implementing water desalination plants around the world. Since most of the water on earth cannot be drunk, there are ways to turn the over abundance of salty waters we have on this planet into fresh, drinkable water to ease the water insecurity. There are many methods out there that can be used for water desalination, most of them involving membrane technologies. The most efficient …

Analyzing Recycling Options For Wind Turbine Blade Waste, Awinita Bunner

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic literature review to identify recycling options for wind turbine blade waste. Wind energy is a rapidly growing energy source due to its renewability and accessibility. However, the turbines that produce this energy have blades that must be replaced throughout the turbine’s lifetime. The standard disposal method of decommissioned blades is the landfill. However, problems are arising within states as landfills are being overrun by the wind turbine blades once they reach their end-of-life. Conducting this study aims to provide a list of recycling options and provide an evaluation of each …

Outdoor Recreation And Its Effect On Our Relationship With The Environment, Martin Brannaman

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

This study was conducted at the University of Nebraska Outdoor Adventure Center. This study employed a pre-post retrospective assessment looking at individuals' connection with nature after embarking on a direct outdoor experience. A direct outdoor experience is when an individual is outside and not surrounded by manmade structures (Kil, 2016). I believe that after a direct outdoor experience the sample group will have a significant change in their connection to nature. The objective is to measure change in a group's connection to nature, through the Connectedness to Nature Scale (CNS, Mayer & Frantz, 2004). The population was a group of …

Eastern Redcedar Reduces Regeneration And Diversity In The Forests Of The Niobrara River Valley, Abigail Ridder

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Boundary forests are found growing interdigitated with grasslands across the Great Plains. The Niobrara River valley boundary forest has a unique composition of species not seen anywhere else in North America. Encroachment of eastern redcedar (Juniperus virginiana L.) into grasslands and forests is significantly increasing eastern redcedar’s presence in the Niobrara River Valley as well as in the rest of the Great Plains region. This tree species is capable of significantly decreasing recruitment and diversity in grasslands, which can change the composition of the entire ecosystem. However, the effect of eastern redcedar on recruitment and diversity of naturally forested ecosystems …

Eat Your Invasives: A Practical And Historical Analysis Of Foraging For Invasive Foods, Grace Hartman

Honors Projects

This paper discusses both the historical and modern role of foraging and why people may decide to forage, as well as barriers new foragers may face and how they can be overcome. Furthermore, the paper discusses how foraging for invasive species can be used as a method of conservation and how simple foraging can be encouraged for this reason.

Eco-Dystopian Novels Written By Women: Second, Third, And Fourth Wave Feminism, Trystyn Cox

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

The project is thematic; analysis of eco-dystopian novels written by American female authors in the 20th and 21st centuries in order to determine if the different waves of feminism experienced in the United States had any influence over the books. By doing an analysis of eco-dystopian novels the study identifies if there were any outside societal movements or issues going on at the time that may have influenced how the book was created or if a particular book was able to open innovative ideas to the society at the time it was published. I researched the second, third, and fourth …

Identifying How Summer Camp Experiences Affect Children’S Environmental Literacy, Quinn Kimbell

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Ensuring that children are prepared for environmental issues in the future can be aided by building the skill of environmental literacy. A key factor in building this skill is having natural experiences and creating one’s connection and perception of the environment. This paper aims to identify if summer camps increase children’s perception of the environment. This was completed by testing children with an environmental perception survey (Children’s Environmental Perception Scale) before and after attending a summer camp and assessing environmental pollution knowledge through drawing (modified Draw-An-Environment Test). The rural Nebraska summer camp subjected the children to many outdoor experiences, including …

Climate Change Curricula In Alberta, Canada: An Intersectional Framing Analysis, Greg Lowan-Trudeau

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

This article is comprised of a climate change-focused framing analysis of proposed revisions to Alberta, Canada’s K-6 curriculum as an ideologically motivated manifestation of curricular epistemicide. Eisner’s three curricula—the explicit, implicit, and null—and scholarship related to intersectional climate and environmental justice, education, and communication provide the theoretical framework. This inquiry concludes with a critical discussion of and possible alternatives to the revised curriculum with further consideration of the implications for those involved with similar endeavours in other jurisdictions across Canada and around the world.

Held At Bay: A Case Study Of A Lake Community’S Effort To Prevent A Zebra Mussel Invasion, Benjamin Breske

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

This case study was completed in a lake community in the upper midwestern United States. It seeks to understand the social factors that allowed a lake community to establish an effort to protect against a zebra mussel invasion, as well as the perceptions of the different stakeholders and the steps they took to get the effort going. Rural community action is important for the sustainability of many of the world’s natural resources as these communities are often the first line of defense. Understanding how efforts like this one come together is vital for creating similar efforts elsewhere. I conducted a …

The Evolution Of Wildland Fire Risk Management, Matthew Holte

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Wildland Fire risk management has long been a topic of much discussion. In the past we have focused on immediate danger and how to mitigate it, recently we have started to look at risk with a long-term view. Throughout this paper we will discuss the history of wildland fire, wildland fire policy, and how we got to where we are today. We will also look at how the two different styles of risk management and how we need to use them in a complementary fashion to provide safety to our firefighters, public, and the natural resources that we are protecting.

Comparing Geosciences-Related Engagement Generated During And After The Use Of Multiple Pedagogical Approaches: Animated Videos, Youtube, Interactive Educational Games, Group Discussion And Powerpoint Presentations, Andrew M. Singh, Nazrul I. Khandaker, Ality Aghedo, Jasmin Budhan, Belal A. Sayeed, B'Jorn K. Forde, Krishna Mahabir

Publications and Research

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased educators’ reliance on online learning tools such as Blackboard Collaborate Ultra and Zoom meetings to deliver geoscience-related lessons in real-time. Assessments were conducted using introduction to geology, environmental geology, and oceanography - part of the City University of New York's (CUNY) newly implemented pathways curriculum. These general education courses belong to scientific world and life and physical sciences category and are intended for seamless transfer between CUNY campuses. Students, however, have the option to disengage from participation. Students are able to disable microphones and cameras, as well as rely entirely on text-chat if they choose. …

Wastewater-Informed Public Health Intervention Playbook

Sustain Magazine

As the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic quickly spread from country to country and continent to continent in 2020, governments and scientists needed a way to track COVID-19 through populations in order to position public health interventions in the most impactful locations. Having a decision-based risk framework may help to guide policy creation that could minimize or prevent possible outbreaks and surges of infection within communities. The University of Louisville in partnership with Louisville’s Department of Public Health and Wellness tested this strategy in 2021 and 2022. This Wastewater-Informed Public Health Intervention Playbook describes the decisions and actions of that academic and public …

Review Of A Framework For Sustainable Thinking: Is Ql For Citizenship Even Possible?, Nathan D. Grawe

Numeracy

Van Antwerp and Heun's A Framework for Sustainability Thinking offers an extensive collection of data related to sustainability with an emphasis on energy. Intended for a primary audience of undergraduate students, the authors set the data in the context of the IPARX identity which notes that impacts (I) are the product of population (P), affluence (A), resource intensity of economic activity (R), and impact of the resources (X). In addition to being a useful text for seminars focused on sustainability and energy use, the book provides a context for contemplating the roles of expertise vs. general quantitative literacy when addressing …

An Introduction To A Framework For Sustainability Thinking, Jeremy Van Antwerp, Matthew Kuperus Heun

Numeracy

Van Antwerp, Jeremy and Matthew Kuperus Heun. 2022. A Framework for Sustainability Thinking: A Student’s Introduction to Global Sustainability Challenges; (Springer, Cham) 275 pp. ISBN 978-3-0317-9184-0.

A Framework for Sustainability Thinking: A Student’s Introduction to Global Sustainability Challenges presents basic information related to sustainability challenges in the context of a cognitive framework that allows students to evaluate problems and potential solutions from a quantitative perspective. Moreover, numerous end-of-chapter discussion questions and project ideas examine moral, ethical, and worldview aspects of sustainability choices and tradeoffs between different approaches to sustainability.

Developing A Miniature Smart Boat For Marine Research, Michael Isaac Eirinberg

Computer Engineering

This project examines the development of a smart boat which could serve as a possible marine research apparatus. The smart boat consists of a miniature vessel containing a low-cost microcontroller to live stream a camera feed, GPS telemetry, and compass data through its own WiFi access point. The smart boat also has the potential for autonomous navigation. My project captivated the interest of several members of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo’s (Cal Poly SLO) Marine Science Department faculty, who proposed a variety of fascinating and valuable smart boat applications.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions During The Usage Phase Of Electric Vehicles In The United States, Now And In The Future, Zach Roza

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

This is a systematic literature review and a discussion of future trends on the greenhouse gas emissions produced during the usage phase of electric vehicles in the United States now and in the future. The objective of this study was to determine the amount of greenhouse gas emissions produced during the usage phase of an electric vehicle in the US currently and what it is expected to be in the year 2050. The reason that the study was conducted was due to the harmful effects caused by global warming and how large of a role the transportation industry in the …

The Impact Of Interactions Among Native Grassland Species: A Study Of Interactions Between Two Invasive Species (Bromus Tectorum And Setaria Faberi) And Two Native Species (Helianthus Annuus And Rudbeckia Hirta), Nash Leef

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Allelopathy is a description of an interaction between two plant species, usually negative, that impacts their growth or germination. There has been ample data published regarding the impact of allelopathic species in agricultural settings, but little attention has been given to the potential interactions between invasive and native species. Two culprits that have employed allelopathy to great effect in agricultural settings are cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) and giant foxtail (Setaria faberi). This study posits that allelopathic interactions, similar to those found in agriculture, are occurring between native and invasive species on the Great Plains.

A set of greenhouse trials was established …

Public Health Impacts Of The Clothing Industry, Schafer Flowerday

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

The clothing industry is worth $1.5 trillion dollars and rapidly expanding (Statista, 2021). The industry is dominated by fast fashion, which accounts for clothing that is quickly and cheaply produced, based on ever-changing trends. 90% of textiles produced are made in low-income countries, predominantly in South Asia (Seigel, 2011). This systematic literature review looks into the impact this industry has on these vulnerable populations which are working and living in areas where clothing is produced. Environmental and Occupational health hazards and impacts were researched. Environmental impacts occur at each step of the process. Polyester is the most common textile, and …