Sustainability Commons^™

Diverted Opportunity: Inequality And What The Southnorth Water Transfer Project Really Means For China, Britt Crow-Miller

Institute for Sustainable Solutions Publications and Presentations

The article discusses China’s South-North Water Transfer Project (SNWTP) and argues that not only does the SNWTP reflect existing spatially articulated power discrepancies, but it reinforces and potentially exacerbates those inequalities by prioritizing Beijing’s present and future water needs above those of its neighbors and locking them in place for decades to come. Smaller, regional cities and rural areas — Shijiazhuang and Baoding in Hebei, Nanyang in Henan and the gritty, struggling towns and villages around Danjiangkou Reservoir — might have gained muchneeded jobs and government investment in the short term around the construction of the Middle Route, but without …

Riparian Vegetation Assemblages And Associated Landscape Factors Across An Urbanizing Metropolitan Area, Christa Von Behren, Andrew Evans Dietrich, J. Alan Yeakley

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

While diverse, native riparian vegetation provides important functions, it remains unclear to what extent these assemblages can persist in urban areas, and under what conditions. We characterized forested riparian vegetation communities across an urbanizing metropolitan area and examined their relationships with surrounding land cover. We hypothesized that native and hydrophilic species assemblages would correlate with forest cover in the landscape. For each of 30 sites in the Portland–Vancouver metro area, we recorded vegetation at 1-cm intervals along 3 transects using the line-intercept method. Land cover was characterized at 2 scales: within 500 m of each site and across the entire …

Tree Cover Mapping For Assessing Greater Sage-Grouse Habitat In Eastern Oregon, Eric M. Nielsen, Matthew D. Noone

Institute for Natural Resources Publications

We used a predictive model to map canopy cover of vegetation over seven feet in height ("tall woody vegetation") at 30-meter resolution over nearly 29 million acres within and adjacent to the range of the greater sage-grouse in Oregon (Figure 1). Texture measures computed at various resolutions from color-infrared aerial photography provided the main source of predictor data used to produce the map. Canopy cover was treated as a categorical variable using six cover classes: absent (cover class C0), present at less than 4% (C1), 4 – 10% (C2), 10 – 20% (C3), 20 – 50% (C4), and 50% and …

Pathways To Sustainability Careers: Building Capacity To Solve Complex Problems, Jennifer H. Allen, Fletcher Beaudoin, Elizabeth Lloyd-Pool, Jacob Sherman

Institute for Sustainable Solutions Publications and Presentations

Many of the central sustainability challenges facing society today—climate change, social inequality, and resource degradation, to name a few—are socially complex, politically fraught, and imperfectly understood. To be able to effectively engage in addressing such “wicked problems,” individuals need a mixture of content knowledge and soft skills that enable them to critically analyze these challenges from a systems perspective, develop creative solutions, communicate effectively, and work collaboratively with others who may not share common views. Such skill sets and abilities are also more generally valuable in navigating personal, organizational, and societal complexities. Portland State University’s (PSU) Pathways to Sustainability Careers …

Ecological Homogenization Of Urban Usa, Peter M. Groffman, Jeannine Cavender-Bares, Neil D. Bettez, J. Morgan Grove, Sharon J. Hall, James B. Heffernan, Sarah E. Hobbie, Kelli L. Larson, Jennifer L. Morse, Christopher Neill, Kristen C. Nelson, Jarlath O'Neil-Dunne, Diane E. Pataki, Colin Polsky, Rinku Roy Chowdhury, Meredith K. Steele

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

A visually apparent but scientifically untested outcome of land-use change is homogenization across urban areas, where neighborhoods in different parts of the country have similar patterns of roads, residential lots, commercial areas, and aquatic features. We hypothesize that this homogenization extends to ecological structure and also to ecosystem functions such as carbon dynamics and microclimate, with continental-scale implications. Further, we suggest that understanding urban homogenization will provide the basis for understanding the impacts of urban land-use change from local to continental scales. Here, we show how multi-scale, multi-disciplinary datasets from six metropolitan areas that cover the major climatic regions of …

Redefining Quality In Developing World Education, Kristi Jane Yuthas, Marc J. Epstein

Business Faculty Publications and Presentations

In the outskirts of Medellin, Colombia, impoverished rural schoolchildren have cause for hope. The Colombian Coffee Growers’ Association wants to hire them. Why? Because these children have developed the independent thinking, communication, and work skills that will make them an asset to the industry. They developed these skills in their multigrade primary schools, where children do most of their learning in competence-based groups, while the teacher functions as guide and coach.

In Kenya, a teenage boy is also celebrating. A primary school dropout who once survived outside the law, he now runs his own small business, lives on his own, …

Assessing Possible Cruise Ship Impacts On Huna Tlingit Ethnographic Resources In Glacier Bay, Douglas Deur, Thomas Thornton

Anthropology Faculty Publications and Presentations

This report provides a thematic summary of an ethnographic study addressing the effects of cruise ships within Glacier Bay proper on the people known as the Huna Tlingit. Occupying the heart of Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Glacier Bay proper is considered to be the core homeland of Huna Tlingit. The Huna occupied the Bay prior to its most recent glaciation and, though they now live nearby in Hoonah and other communities, they have continued to use, occupy, and value the lands and waters within the Bay since the glaciers began to retreat over two centuries ago. Simultaneously, since …

Values Mapping With Latino Forest Users: Contributing To The Dialogue On Multiple Land Use Conflict Management, Kelly Biedenweg, Lee Cerveny, Rebecca J. Mclain

Institute for Sustainable Solutions Publications and Presentations

Values mapping that represents how humans associate with natural environments is useful for several purposes, including recognizing and addressing different perceptions of natural resource ownership and management priorities, documenting traditional ecological knowledge, and spatially identifying the public's perception of economic and non-economic services provided by natural resources (McLain et al. 2013). The majority of this work has been conducted in developing countries and with disenfranchised communities, where participatory mapping associated with natural resource management is more widely practiced. As access to GIS technology has expanded, however, several projects have tested the benefits of values mapping for natural resource management decisions …

The Perils Of Ignoring (Or Misunderstanding) Politics And Organizing, David Johns

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Conservation scientists and advocates were surprised by the U.S. Congress stripping away protection for wolves in the US northern Rocky Mountains. If they had paid attention to earlier political lessons in which court victories had been undermined by determined political organizing they would not have been surprised and could have adopted strategies that would have given them much more leverage with elected officials. Instead conservationists were out-organized and elected officials normally supportive of the U.S. Endangered Species Act responded to anti-wolf groups because they brought more pressure to bear than conservationists. Although political lessons are specific to the system in …

Getting Plant Conservation Right (Or Not): The Case Of The United States, Kayri Havens, Andrea T. Kramer, Edward O. Guerrant Jr.

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Effective plant conservation includes addressing basic needs such as information about species distribution and rarity; research, management, education, and training capacity to mitigate threats facing threatened species; policy and funding to support continued capacity and conservation; and, ultimately, a public that understands and supports the importance of plants and the need for their conservation. Coordination of plant conservation efforts is also needed to ensure that resources and expertise are used in a strategic, efficient, and effective manner.We argue that no country is currently getting plant conservation right; plants are becoming increasingly rare around the world. Plants are often not fully …

Sampling For Effective Ex Situ Plant Conservation, Edward O. Guerrant Jr., Kayri Havens, Pati Vitt

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Sampling a whole flora or any significant subset for ex situ conservation purposes is a complex, long-term proposition. Thus, it is important to consider what constitutes an adequate sample not only for all taxa as a whole but also for each taxon individually as well as how to strategically schedule collection over time. There are five basic sampling questions: from which species to collect, from how many and which populations, from how many and which individuals, how many and what kind of propagules to collect, and, finally, at what point is the desired sample size too great for a population …

Improving Global Impact: How The Integration Of Remotely Reporting Sensors In Water Projects May Demonstrate And Enhance Positive Change, Evan A. Thomas

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article argues that improved feedback on the actual impact of development programs may ensure the success of poverty reduction interventions such as water filters, water pumps, latrines, and cookstoves.

Gathering “Wild” Food In The City: Rethinking The Role Of Foraging In Urban Ecosystem Planning And Management, Rebecca J. Mclain, Patrick T. Hurley, Marla R. Emery, Melissa R. Poe

Institute for Sustainable Solutions Publications and Presentations

Recent “green” planning initiatives envision food production, including urban agriculture and livestock production, as desirable elements of sustainable cities. We use an integrated urban political ecology and human–plant geographies framework to explore how foraging for “wild” foods in cities, a subversive practice that challenges prevailing views about the roles of humans in urban green spaces, has potential to also support sustainability goals. Drawing on research from Baltimore, New York City, Philadelphia, and Seattle, we show that foraging is a vibrant and ongoing practice among diverse urban residents in the USA. At the same time, as reflected in regulations, planning practices, …

The Effects Of Large Wildfires On Employment And Wage Growth And Volatility In The Western United States, Max Nielsen-Pincus, Cassandra Moseley, Krista Gebert

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

We examined the effect of large wildfires on economic growth and volatility in the western United States. We matched wildfire data with quarterly employment and earnings growth data to assess the specific effect of wildfire on employment and wage growth in western US counties. Wildfires generally tended to exhibit positive effects on employment and wage growth in the quarter(s) during which suppression efforts were active. However, this effect transitioned to increased economic volatility following a wildfire. The effect of wildfire also varied by the type of county in which wildfire occurred. The amount of suppression costs invested locally had the …

The Eugene Water And Electric Board’S Mckenzie River Payment For Watershed Services Program: Research Findings On Ratepayers, Landowners, And Local Stakeholders, Max Nielsen-Pincus

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

This presentation focuses on the following research objectives:

• How much are ratepayers willing to pay and what effects that willingness?
• How much do landowners need to receive and what affects their interest?

Effects Of Water Development On Arid Land Freshwater Ecosystems, Angela L. Strecker

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

This presentation focuses on the Columbia Basin Project

Job Growth And Loss Across Sectors And Time In The Western Us: The Impact Of Large Wildfires, Max Nielsen-Pincus, Cassandra Moseley, Krista Gebert

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

The link between economic growth and natural hazards has long been studied to better understand the effects of natural hazards on local, regional, and country level growth patterns. However, relatively little generalizable research has focused on wildfires, one of the most common forest disturbances in the western United States (US). We examined the effect of large wildfires on employment growth across sectors and time in the western US.We matched wildfire occurrences from 2004 to 2008 and their duration with monthly employment data to identify the effect of wildfire on employment growth. Wildfires generally tended to exhibit positive effects on employment …

Contesting Sustainability: Bikes, Race, And Politics In Portlandia, Amy Lubitow, Thaddeus R. Miller

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

Despite decade old calls for a "just sustainability," urban sustainability policy and practice remains oriented toward environmental outcomes and eco-lifestyle projects. Notions of equity, justice, and inclusion continue to be marginalized in favor of technological solutions, such as green buildings, that are visible, easy to implement, and help to promote economic development. By examining a controversy over a bikeway development project in a rapidly gentrifying neighborhood in Northeast Portland, Oregon, this article explores how despite apolitical appeals to broadly shared values or visions of what a sustainable city ought to look like, sustainability projects can be—and perhaps should be—hotly contested. …

The Wicked Problem Of Chemicals Policy: Opportunities For Innovation, Jennifer H. Allen

Institute for Sustainable Solutions Publications and Presentations

Many environmental challenges facing society today, such as climate change and integrated water management, have been described as “wicked problems” due to their biological, physical, and social complexity. Wicked problems extend across media such as air, land, and water; across political jurisdictions and landscape boundaries; and across traditional policy arenas. Traditional policy approaches that are media-specific, rely on single agencies for implementation, and that do not effectively engage stakeholders and partners outside of government are generally ineffective in addressing these issues. The management of toxic chemicals is a classic “wicked problem.” Existing toxics policies often exacerbate the “wicked” nature of …

Economics Of Redd+ And Community Forestry, Randall Bluffstone

Economics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Reducing Emission from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) is a payment for ecosystem services (PES) system created under the Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC) that tries to reduce deforestation and degradation in countries not subject to requirements under the convention (non-Annex 1 countries) and, therefore, release less and sequester more carbon. Other cobenefits have been added, such as biodiversity protection, poverty reduction and afforestation, which make up the '+' in REDD+. The '+', therefore, attempts to address potentially negative, unintended effects on non-carbon ecosystem services and take account of effects on those who currently have claims to forests. Many …

Portland State University Solid Waste Assessment Report, Moonrose Doherty, Brittany Ann Brannon, Eric T. Crum

Campus Sustainability Office Publications, Reports and Presentations

In January of 2013, the Campus Sustainability Office (CSO) of Portland State University (PSU) contacted Community Environmental Services (CES) with the request to conduct a landfill-bound waste assessment for the University’s 50-acre downtown campus, located in Portland, Oregon. CES is a research and service unit within the Center for Urban Studies at Portland State University. PSU is a state university that was founded in 1946, is home to Oregon’s largest undergraduate and graduate enrollment, and is the only public university in the state located in a major metropolitan city. Portland State is world-renowned for its sustainability initiatives, and has had …

Interview With Candace Russo, Linus Pauling Institute, 2013 (Audio), Candace Russo

All Sustainability History Project Oral Histories

Interview of Candace Russo by Kevin Foster in Corvallis, Oregon on May 31st, 2013.

The interview index is available for download.

Interview With Carter Latendresse, Catlin Gabel School, 2013 (Audio), Carter Latendresse

All Sustainability History Project Oral Histories

Interview of Carter Latendresse by Carmen Vigil at Catlin Gabel School on May 30th, 2013.

The interview index is available for download.

Interview With Linda Colwell, Eat, Think, Grow, 2013 (Audio), Linda Colwell

All Sustainability History Project Oral Histories

Interview of Linda Colwell by Loraine Decker on May 24th, 2013.

Interview With Vida Shore, Alameda Elementary, 2013 (Audio), Vida Shore

All Sustainability History Project Oral Histories

Interview of Vida Shore by Brianna Demko at Alameda Elementary in NE Portland, Oregon on May 24th, 2013.

The interview index is available for download.

Interview With Jaylen Schmitt, Alameda Elementary, 2013 (Audio), Jaylen Schmitt

All Sustainability History Project Oral Histories

Interview of Jaylen Schmitt by Brianna Demko at Alameda Elementary School in NE Portland, Oregon on May 24th, 2013.

The interview index is available for download.

Interview With Maggie Michaels, Portland Public Schools, 2013 (Audio), Maggie Michaels

All Sustainability History Project Oral Histories

Interview of Maggie Michaels by Carmen Vigil in NE Portland, Oregon on May 23rd, 2013.

The interview index is available for download.

Interview With Richard "Brick" Street, Grant High School, 2013 (Audio), Richard Street

All Sustainability History Project Oral Histories

Interview of Richard "Brick" Street by Ciji Dieringer at Grant High School in Portland, Oregon on May 22nd, 2013.

The interview index is available for download.

Interview With Nicole Hoffmann, Abernathy School, 2013 (Audio), Nicole Hoffmann

All Sustainability History Project Oral Histories

Interview of Nicole Hoffmann by Nichole Bull at Portland State University on May 21st, 2013.

The interview index is available for download.

Interview With Courtney Leeds, Candy Lane Elementary, 2013 (Audio), Courtney Leeds

All Sustainability History Project Oral Histories

Interview of Courtney Leeds by Nicole Bull at Candy Lane Elementary in Portland, Oregon on May 15th, 2013.

The interview index is available for download.