Sustainability Commons^™

A Total Life Cycle Approach For Developing Predictive Design Methodologies To Optimize Product Performance, Buddhika M. Hapuwatte, Ibrahim S. Jawahir

Institute for Sustainable Manufacturing Faculty Publications

Sustainable products must be designed by considering how design decisions impact their total life cycle (TLC) sustainability content. Even more so important when designing products to incorporate the technological elements of sustainable manufacturing, the 6Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Recover, Redesign and Remanufacture), to achieve Circular Economy (CE). This paper presents the preliminary work of an ongoing research project on developing a novel framework incorporating predictive models with TLC considerations. This unique approach develops and integrates models with associated risks, and optimizes for maximizing the sustainability benefits due to design decisions. Such predictive capability is extremely useful for process planning, where …

Sustainable Production Through Balancing Trade-Offs Among Three Metrics In Flow Shop Scheduling, Amin Abedini, Wei Li, Fazleena Badurdeen, Ibrahim S. Jawahir

Institute for Sustainable Manufacturing Faculty Publications

In sustainable manufacturing, inconsistencies exist among objectives defined in triple-bottom-lines (TBL) of economy, society, and environment. Analogously, inconsistencies exist in flow shop scheduling among three objectives of minimizing total completion time (TCT), maximum completion time (MCT), and completion time variance (CTV), respectively. For continuous functions, the probability is zero to achieve the objectives at their optimal values, so is it at their worst values. Therefore, with inconsistencies among individual objectives of discrete functions, it is more meaningful and feasible to seek a solution with high probabilities that system performance varies within the …

Designing And Redesigning Products, Processes, And Systems For A Helical Economy, Ryan Bradley, Ibrahim S. Jawahir

Institute for Sustainable Manufacturing Faculty Publications

The Circular Economy (CE) concept has promised to unlock trillions of dollars in business value while driving a significant reduction in the world’s resource consumption and anthropogenic emissions. However, CE mainly lives in ambiguity in the manufacturing domain because CE does not address the changes needed across all of the fundamental elements of manufacturing: products, processes, and systems. Conceptually, CE is grounded in the concept of closed-loop material flows that fit within ecological limits. This grounding translates into a steady state economy, a result that is not an option for the significant portion of the world living in poverty. Therefore, …

Joint Determination Of Residential Relocation And Commuting: A Forecasting Experiment For Sustainable Land Use And Transportation Planning, Jaewon Lim, Jae Hong Kim

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Research

This article applies matrix forecasting methods to the investigation of residential relocation and commuting patterns that are highly interconnected, but often analyzed separately. More specifically, using recent inter-county migration and commuting pattern data for the three largest metropolitan areas in California, it examines how residential relocation and commuting are associated in the regions and whether a unified framework—in which household relocation and commuting flow matrices are jointly determined—can improve the forecasting performance. The relocation–commuting association is found to differ substantially by region, suggesting the importance of region-specific factors in shaping the interrelationship. Joint forecasting, however, can attain a higher accuracy …

Innovation Strategies For A Global Manufacturing Business, Sachin Kakaji Ramteke

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Some global manufacturing businesses fail to reach an adequate level of financial

performance within 5 years. The purpose of this single case study was to explore

innovation strategies that business leaders of a global machinery manufacturing company

in northwestern Illinois used to increase profit margins. The conceptual frameworks for

this study included the holistic innovation model and the disruptive innovation theory. A

purposeful sample of 9 business leaders who had more than 5 years of experience in the

manufacturing industry and more than 2 years of experience using innovation strategies

participated in the study. Data were collected from semistructured in-depth …

Potential Solar Consumers' Understanding Of Energy Policy Development In Hawai‘I, Kristin Li Mcgill

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Hawai‘i has implemented renewable energy goals that assume continued investments by solar consumers who seem unaware of their role in the policy's success. Without the renewable resource generation that will come from these investments, the state will be unable to achieve its energy mandate. Using Sabatier and Jenkins-Smith's advocacy coalition framework and Ajzen's theory of planned behavior as the foundation, the purpose of this study was to better understand the perspectives of potential solar consumers on the Island of O‘ahu regarding the state's renewable portfolio standards, their level of knowledge regarding consumer impact on this policy, and their perceptions of …

The Alchemy Of Sustaining New Business Ventures, Alicia R. Hooks

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The high failure rates of new business ventures (NBV) negatively affect employment and potential contributions to the economic health of communities. The high NBV failure rate is essential, as NBV sustainability influences job creation and increases employment rates in communities surrounding the NBV. The purpose of this qualitative single case study, using the effectuation conceptual framework, was to explore strategies organization leaders in the state of Missouri used for sustaining NBV operations beyond 5 years. The sample consisted of 6 NBV consultants from a single Missouri NBV consulting firm who have sustained NBVs beyond 5 years. The 6 NBV consultants …

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 …

Enterprise Risk Management Strategies For Organizational Sustainability, Kaleb Matthew Wyma

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this single case study was to explore enterprise risk management strategies that nonprofit business leaders used to maintain and improve organizational sustainability. The study population included 3 executive leaders from a rehabilitation and social services nonprofit agency located in the northeastern United States. The Committee of Sponsoring Organizations integrated enterprise risk management framework was the conceptual lens used in this study. Data were collected through semistructured interviews with the 3 executive leaders of the client organization and review of internal, external, and publicly available documents. Data and information from documents and interviews were manually coded. Findings were …

Ua12/2/19 Energy For Student Awareness, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Records created by and about the Energy for Student Awareness Group.

Supply Chain Managers' Reverse Logistics Strategies To Control Cost Through Risk Mitigation, Lawrence A. Reeves

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Supply chain managers in the food and beverage industry face significant challenges regarding the use of effective reverse logistics strategies to reduce supply chain disruptions, control risk, and reduce costs. Through the lens of resource dependence theory, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore reverse logistics strategies used by supply chain managers in the United States to control cost through risk mitigation. Participants in this study included 5 supply chain managers in the food and beverage distribution industry in the state of Georgia who implemented successful reverse logistics strategies to control cost through risk mitigation. Data were …

Signature Sustainability Earth Day Dish, Nancy Garmer

Evans Library Publications

Evans Library celebrates Earth Day each year in partnership with the Student Organization for Sustainability Action (SOSA) and the Student Government Association (SGA) as part of a week‑long schedule of campus events. The Library shares equal billing on Earth Week promotional materials and caps off the week with a Library After Hours event on Friday evening. Earth Day offers an important opportunity to collaborate with campus organizations and highlight sustainability initiatives taking place across the university. As a central academic and community space, the Library plays a vital role in supporting and promoting sustainability efforts, making Earth Day a prescribed …

Developing A Framework To Assess Renewable Energy Options For Higher Education Institutions: Values-Based Recommendations For Portland State University, Emily Quinton

Environmental Science and Management Professional Master's Project Reports

Taking voluntary action to increase renewable use is necessary for higher education institutions to meet carbon reduction goals. Options for increasing renewable energy are largely defined by state-level utility regulation as well as local and institutional electricity providers. This project contained three major stages: 1) determine renewable energy procurement and development options available to Portland State; 2) evaluate these options using a values-based assessment; and 3) develop recommendations and next steps for University stakeholders. Final recommendations include pursuing the Portland General Electric green tariff, directly sourcing renewable energy through PSU's direct access contract, and more.

Droughtscape, Winter 2019, National Drought Mitigation Center

DroughtScape: Quarterly Newsletter of the National Drought Mitigation Center (2007–2023)

Contents

From the Director

Drought intensified in California and Nevada, eased elsewhere

Year in Review: Drought spread and intensified in the West; record precipitation in the East

Drought impact summary for 4th quarter 2018

Drought impact summary 2018

Five states began drought plan updates in 2018

New web-based form makes submitting drought observations easier

FEMA risk assessment process tailored for drought

Upcoming events

Strategies For Oil And Gas Asset Retirement Sustainability In Alberta, Canada, Ikenna Uhuegbulem

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Oil and gas companies in Alberta, Canada lose millions of dollars per year due to ineffective management of retired assets. Ineffective management of inactive oil and gas assets in Alberta has led to over 80,000 inactive wells, highlighting the practice of prolonged deferment of asset end-of-life costs. Using the corporate sustainability model and asset management concept model as frameworks, this multiple case study was conducted to explore the strategies that asset managers in small- and medium-sized oil and gas companies used to manage retired assets effectively to increase organizational sustainability. The population for the study included 3 business leaders of …

Passive Cooling In Non-Residential Nearly Zero Energy Buildings: A Thermal Comfort Analysis Based On Measurement, Modelling And Simulation, Adam O'Donovan

Theses

Overheating in non-residential nearly zero energy buildings (nZEBs) presents a major risk to the well-being, productivity and thermal satisfaction of the people who occupy them. As global temperatures are expected to increase in the future, the overheating risk and cooling demand is also expected to increase. Therefore, low cost and low energy solutions that are able to maintain thermally comfortable conditions without the need for mechanical systems will be vital in decarbonising the building stock and ensuring that buildings are comfortable and remain low carbon now and in the future. Passive cooling has long been championed as a low cost …

Island Invasion: The Silent Crisis In Hawaii, Sophia Janssen

Pomona Senior Theses

Keeping out invasive species may, upon first review, seem like a trivial environmental cry from ecologists and deep environmentalists; a belated wish to return to an undeveloped world where nature was pristine. However invasive species create problems that impact all of us and can have far more severe consequences than changing a stunning landscape. These problems are heightened in islands like Hawaii, where the fragile ecosystems have developed over centuries of evolution and adaptation. The introduction of a disease-carrying mosquito can put the people of Hawaii at risk to many vector-born illnesses and create an epidemic, taking human life. The …

Through The Eyes Of Locals: A Changing Climate In Bolivia, Jacob D. Rex

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Deforestation and Agricultural Land-Use Change in Bolivia as a Function of Socio-Economic Realities.

This research combines semi-structured interviews of key informants and local participants, as well as field observations, which were conducted between January and April of 2019 in the Departments of Santa Cruz & Chuquisaca.

Utility Summary Fiscal Year 2019, Campus Sustainability Office

Campus Sustainability Office Publications, Reports and Presentations

Summary of energy usage listed by building.

Sustainable Development Economy: Macroeconomic Policy And Microeconomic Impact Of Public Private Partnerships, Richard Berkshire

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The impact of public private partnership (PPP) on Dallas, Texas economic development activities is debated through many forms of academic studies. The purpose of this study was to bridge the research gap in PPP impact on sustainable economic development from the perspectives of PPP practitioners. The central research question focused on the PPP executives' perspective on the evaluation of PPP programs within a 5-year period (2005 - 2010) in Dallas, Texas. The theoretical framework of this study was based on the policy feedback theory. A qualitative case study design was the case study approach and purposeful sampling interviews were the …

Strategies For Small Business Sustainability, Victor K. Adoukonou

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small businesses represent more than 99% of all employers in the United States, but more than 50% of small businesses have failed before 5 years. Climate change, digitization, and social media contribute to a paradigm shift in consumers' habits, as more consumers have become environmentally and social justice conscious. Business leaders who are unable to follow the consumers' trends and changes of habit may not succeed in sustaining their businesses. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies owners of small businesses in the District of Columbia use to sustain their businesses for longer than 5 years …

Transforming A Circular Economy Into A Helical Economy For Advancing Sustainable Manufacturing, Ryan T. Bradley

Theses and Dissertations--Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

The U.N. projects the world population to reach nearly 10 billion people by 2050, which will cause demand for manufactured goods to reach unforeseen levels. In order for us to produce the goods to support an equitable future, the methods in which we manufacture those goods must radically change. The emerging Circular Economy (CE) concept for production systems has promised to drastically increase economic/business value by significantly reducing the world’s resource consumption and negative environmental impacts. However, CE is inherently limited because of its emphasis on recycling and reuse of materials. CE does not address the holistic changes needed across …

Strategies For Not-For-Profit Sustainability, Latesha Slappy

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Leaders of not-for-profit organizations could benefit from learning how to build a sustainable organization to help ensure that their organizations could continue to provide valuable services to the community for the future. The purpose of this single case study was to explore the fundraising strategies and donor development skills that leaders used to create a sustainable organization. Five purposefully selected leaders of a not-for-profit organization in Michigan, with experience in implementing effective fundraising strategies and fostering donor development skills for a sustainable business, participated in the study. Transformational leadership was the conceptual framework. The data collection process entailed face-to-face semistructured …

Effective Revenue Diversification Strategies In Nonprofit Organizations, Jennifer R. Niswonger

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nonprofit organization leaders increasingly encounter social burdens and financial difficulties, jeopardizing ongoing success and organizational sustainability. The purpose of this single-case study was to explore revenue diversification strategies used by 3 leaders of a small nonprofit organization in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States through the conceptual lens of modern portfolio theory. Data were collected via in-depth semistructured interviews, and member checking was used to facilitate accuracy, consistency, and integrity. Methodological triangulation included a document review and analysis of financial statements, tax returns, strategy objectives, the organizational website, social media, and nonprofit data reports. Data from documents and interviews …

Application Of Agent-Based Modeling To Complex Systems, Robert J. Zupko Ii

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

This dissertation examines the application of agent-based modeling (ABM) to complex systems with the intent of developing a means of overcoming limitations present in existing tools. This is done though the development of two ABMs intended to address complex systems present in the fields of sustainability studies and chemistry.

After introductory information, Chapters 2 - 4 of this dissertation address the limitations of tools intended to project the environmental, economic, and social impacts of woody biomass based biofuels. Chapter 2 begins by discussing the limitations in tools to study timber harvest decision making and its impact upon the landscape, and …

Connecting Composting And Greenhouses: An Energy Capture And Usage Model, Dena M. Hoffman

Honors Theses and Capstones

At the Organic Dairy Research Farm in Lee, New Hampshire, the practice of aerated static composting is researched for potential heat capture. In early 2019, an Excel model was created to illustrate the ability of greenhouses to retain heat during a cold month of January and the total energy balance for each day. This model shows that an average greenhouse, based on the dimensions of the greenhouse at Kingman Farm, requires an additional, external heat source to supplement its heating needs. By adding the heat generated by the aerated static composting pile to the greenhouse in the Excel model, the …

Sustainability Education And Organizational Change: A Critical Case Study Of Barriers And Change Drivers At A Higher Education Institution, Edwin E. Akins Ii, Elizabeth Giddens, David Glassmeyer, Amy Gruss

Faculty Articles

Integrating sustainability within institutions of higher education can have a tremendous impact on students, faculty, and the larger community. Sustainability efforts also experience many barriers to implementation within higher education contexts. A change management perspective can help characterize these barriers and ways to overcome them. In this critical case study, we use a process model to examine the kinds of barriers Kennesaw State University (KSU) has faced regarding implementation of academic sustainability and to evaluate change drivers that can advance sustainability during a time of leadership change. The process model evaluates barriers and change drivers according to published frameworks, and …

Post-Glacial Fire History Of Horsetail Fen And Human-Environment Interactions In The Teanaway Area Of The Eastern Cascades, Washington, Serafina Ferri

All Master's Theses

Landscapes of the Pacific Northwest have been shaped by dramatic shifts in climate since the last glacial maximum and more recently, by human activity. However, it is unclear how past relationships between people, fire, and climate interacted on the landscape. The purpose of this research was to reconstruct the post-glacial fire history of a wetland known as Horsetail Fen, located in the Teanaway area of the eastern Cascades of Washington State. The goal was to evaluate how fire activity has varied under different climatic scenarios during the last ~16,000 years and in relation to human land-use actions. This lake was …

Seasonal Soil Carbon Fluxes In Transitioning Agricultural Soils In Central Washington State: Relations To Land-Use, Environmental Factors And Soil Carbon-Nitrogen Characteristics, Brandon Kautzman

All Master's Theses

Changing agricultural land-use practices to increase soil carbon sequestration contributes to climate change mitigation and improved food security by moving CO₂ from the atmosphere into soil as soil organic carbon (SOC). In 2016, a farm in Thorp, Washington, Spoon Full Farm, began converting land historically farmed using conventional methods of tillage and synthetic fertilizers to conservation farming methods with direct seeding and organic soil amendments with a goal of sequestering carbon in the soil. This project evaluates relationships of soil CO₂ respiration and net ecological exchange (NEE) with land-use types, seasonal environmental factors (air temperature, relative humidity, soil …

Strategies To Mitigate Supply Chain Disruptions In Grocery Businesses, Gift Wilford Bondwe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Supply chains have become more complex in the global economy, which has made supply chain disruptions inevitable. Disruptions can cause loss of profitability and hinder business growth. The goal of this multiple case study was to explore strategies to mitigate the effects of disruption in grocery store supply chains. The conceptual framework for this study was the resource dependency theory, which stipulates that firms rely on other businesses in the external environment for critical resources to create a competitive edge. Four purposively selected participants from 4 grocery store businesses in Northwest Arkansas participated in semistructured interviews and provided organizational documentation …