Sustainability Commons^™

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 …

Building Structures From Mycelium, Noah M. Brown

Physics

The purpose of this project was to develop a method for creating bricks from mycelium and agricultural waste. The bulk of the research happened in two parts, the first part being a period in which different substrates, strains, and methods were used build the bricks. This research took place in San Luis Obispo and was aided by a group of students in PSC392 under Dr. Pete Schwartz in early 2022. After developing a method for constructing these bricks, the research was moved to St. Thomas, Jamaica, in collaboration with an ecovillage called The Source Farm from July to September. The …

Scaling Investment In Renewable Energy Generation To Achieve Sustainable Development Goals 7 (Affordable And Clean Energy) And 13 (Climate Action) And The Paris Agreement: Roadblocks And Drivers, Mithatcan Aydos, Perrine Toledano, Martin Dietrich Brauch, Ladan Mehranvar, Theodoros Iliopoulos, Sunayana Sasmal

Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment

The zero-carbon energy transition is the solution to the 2022 energy crisis and a fundamental part of the solution to the global climate crisis. Yet, there are relatively low levels of investment in renewable energy in developing countries, hindering their achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and contribution to the Paris Agreement goals.

In 2021, the Asia–Pacific region (excluding China) accounted for less than 8% of investments in energy transition technologies, Latin America and the Caribbean for less than 4%, and Africa and the Middle East for less than 2%. Annual investment in zero-carbon energy in developing economies other …

Conflicts Between Ghg Accounting Methodologies In The Steel Industry, John Biberman, Perrine Toledano, Baihui Lei, Max Lulavy, Rohini Ram Mohan

Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment

Accurate, verifiable, and comparable greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions data throughout supply chains in the materials sector are necessary to drive decarbonization. This is particularly the case for the steel supply chain, a major source of GHG emissions with untapped potential for reduction. However, emissions accounting methods used by the steel industry suffer from gaps and misalignment, resulting in significant differences in reported GHG emissions. The result is a patchwork reporting landscape vulnerable to manipulation and miscommunication, generating little actionable data for policymakers, producers, customers, and investors. These shortcomings highlight the need for a harmonized carbon accounting framework for the steel …

Scaling Investment In Renewable Energy: Roadblocks And Drivers – Executive Summary, Mithatcan Aydos, Perrine Toledano, Martin Dietrich Brauch, Ladan Mehranvar, Theodoros Iliopoulos, Sunayana Sasmal

Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment

The zero-carbon energy transition is the solution to the 2022 energy crisis and a fundamental part of the solution to the global climate crisis. Yet, there are relatively low levels of investment in renewable energy in developing countries, hindering their achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and contribution to the Paris Agreement goals.

In 2021, the Asia–Pacific region (excluding China) accounted for less than 8% of investments in energy transition technologies, Latin America and the Caribbean for less than 4%, and Africa and the Middle East for less than 2%. Annual investment in zero-carbon energy in developing economies other …

Assessment Of Novel Protein Ingredient Arthrospira Platensis (Microalgae) And Soybean Genotype Amino Acid And Oil Selection Improvements On Broiler Performance, Savannah Wells Crafton

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Two experiments were conducted to assess the efficiency of including novel protein ingredient Arthrospira platensis or improved soybean meal in a broiler diet. The first experiment aimed to determine the feeding value of soybean meal produced from varieties of soybeans bred for increased amino acid content (SBAA) improved oil content (SBO) compared to a conventional soybean variety in an ANOVA design fed to Cobb 500 female broilers for 28-42d of age. The SBAA and SBO soybeans contained overall higher amino acid content and lower oligosaccharide content compared to the conventional soybean variety in addition to improved oil quality. The second …

Short-Term Changes Within An Agroforestry System Managed At Three Basal Areas With Fescue Compared To Orchardgrass, Matthew Janorschke

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Silvopasture practices incorporate forages and woody perennials in the same system in order to create a sustainable system. The main objective of this study was to determine if one of two forage species can be successfully established in order to investigate agroforestry as a management system to promote soil health. Within a bottomland mixed hardwood forest in the Arkansas River Valley, an agroforestry system was established to evaluate three basal areas (determined as the cross-sectional area of trees at breast height) (7, 11.5, and 16 m2/ha) with mounded areas and two forages, tall fescue (Lolium arundinaceum [Schreb.] Darbysh) and orchardgrass …

Sustainability And Health Impacts Of Pulse Crops In The United States Using Life Cycle Assessment, Prathamesh A. Bandekar

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Environmental sustainability and human health impact of pulses produced and consumed in the United States was assessed using life cycle assessment (LCA). The study included three objectives 1) to estimate environmental impact of current production and consumption practices in the United States using attributional LCA; 2) to estimate environmental and human health impact of iso-caloric diets containing varying amounts of pulses using Hybrid-LCA and Combined Nutritional and Environmental-LCA (CONE-LCA); and 3) to estimate environmental impact of increased demand for pulses using consequential LCA. Scope of the study varied for each objective with system boundary encompassing cradle-to-grave activities for objective 1 …

Social Equity Is Key To Sustainable Ocean Governance, Katherine M. Crosman, Edward H. Allison, Yoshitaka Ota, Andrés M. Cisneros-Montemayor, Gerald G. Singh, Wilf Swartz, Megan Bailey, Kate M. Barclay, Grant Blume, Mathieu Colléter, Michael Fabinyi, Elaine M. Faustman, Russell Fielding, P. Joshua Griffin, Quentin Hanich, Harriet Harden-Davies, Ryan P. Kelly, Tiff Annie Kenny, Terrie Klinger

Honors College Faculty Publications

Calls to address social equity in ocean governance are expanding. Yet ‘equity’ is seldom clearly defined. Here we present a framework to support contextually-informed assessment of equity in ocean governance. Guiding questions include: (1) Where and (2) Why is equity being examined? (3) Equity for or amongst Whom? (4) What is being distributed? (5) When is equity considered? And (6) How do governance structures impact equity? The framework supports consistent operationalization of equity, challenges oversimplification, and allows evaluation of progress. It is a step toward securing the equitable ocean governance already reflected in national and international commitments.

The Living Breakwaters Pdr Efforts Econcrete Resource Analysis, Guianina Ferrari, Shervon Stephens, Calvin O. Walters Jr.

Publications and Research

On October 29, 2012, Superstorm Sandy impacted 443,000 people and caused nearly $19 billion (about $58 per person in the US) worth of damage within New York City. As part of the New York City infrastructure reparation plan, the Living Breakwaters project in Tottenville addressed coastal resilience, allocating $100M of public funds to a series of artificial breakwaters by the southwest coast of Staten Island. Each breakwater is constructed and designed to mitigate water flow in storm events. ECOncrete, a primary element of the breakwater, is a specialty cast cementitious product that is marine organism-friendly that encourages biocalcification and photosynthesis. …

Status Of The Western Australian Pastoral Rangelands 2022: Total Vegetative Cover And Cover Risk, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development

Natural resources published reports

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development monitors and reports on the vegetation condition of pastoral rangelands in Western Australia. This 2022 short report uses remotely sensed total vegetative cover data available to the end of October 2022, rainfall data to November 2022 and Stock Return data reported in 2021 (the most recent available) to determine cover risk. Cover risk at the land conservation district (LCD) level is an indicator of the likelihood of total cover declining to, or remaining at, Low or Very low levels. Total cover and cover risk may not be indicative of vegetation condition and …

Geology, Soils And Climate Of Western Australia's Wine Regions, Peter J. Tille, Angela Stuart-Street, Peter S. Gardiner

Bulletins 4000 -

This bulletin details what is special and unique about the geology, soil and climate of the south-west of Western Australia (WA), an area that encompasses the state’s 9 wine regions.

We have arranged the information into 2 parts:

• In Part 1, we broadly describe the special geological, soil and climate features of the south-west of WA to provide context for the wine regions.

• In Part 2, we describe the geology, soil and climate of the regions and subregions of the Geographical Indications (GI) scheme (administered by Wine Australia) for WA.

Through this work we have found that the wine regions …

Using Landsat Satellite Imagery To Estimate Groundcover In The Grainbelt Of Western Australia, Justin Laycock, Nick Middleton, Karen Holmes

Resource management technical reports

Maintaining vegetative groundcover is an important component of sustainable agricultural systems and plays a critical function for soil and land conservation in Western Australia’s (WA) grainbelt (the south-west cropping region). This report describes how satellite imagery can be used to quantitatively and objectively estimate total vegetative groundcover, both in near real time and historically across large areas. We used the Landsat seasonal fractional groundcover products developed by the Joint Remote Sensing Research Program from the extensive archive of Landsat imagery. These products provide an estimate of the percentage of green vegetation, non-green vegetation and bare soil for each 30 m …

Transportation Asset Management For The Electric Road System, Kamalen Maria Santos Diaz

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Electric road systems (ERS) have been presented as a new solution towards a sustainable transportation future, fueling the widespread adoption of electric vehicles by eliminating range anxiety, reducing battery size, and being regional friendly. These systems consist of four components: electric power supply, roads, vehicles, and operations. Much of the early research conducted on ERS has been on how to initially construct these systems by focusing on the first three components, however, there is limited knowledge on how ERS will impact traditional road operations after the systems are in place. Transportation Asset Management (TAM), a major focus within the transportation …

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 …

Sustainability Hub Newsletter - December 2022, Jacqueline Jergensen, Neyda Gilman, Jennifer Embree

Library Sustainability Resources

In our last issue of the year, read about how to get involved with sustainability focused student groups, the Reclaiming Turtle Island documentary featuring a local activist, food resources on campus, the Move Out Spring Internship, sustainable holiday tips, and other announcements!

Case Study Of A District-University Partnership: Developing Culturally Responsive Educators In A Rural Setting, Trenice Shauntel Durio

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

Using a theoretical framework of critical race theory and conceptual frameworks of cultural education, this study explores the intersection of district-university partnerships and culturally responsive education. The purpose of this mixed methods case study was to examine the formulation and outcomes of a district-university partnership established to offer a college level course focused on anti-discrimination, equity and inclusion, and social justice in schools. Using survey data, I explored the relationship between participation in the course and the participants’ self-reflection in the areas of empathic concern and perspective taking, preparation for culturally responsive teaching and equitable practices, and comfortability with discussions …

Rainwater Catchment System Designed For California Polytechnic State University Building 34, Jonah S. Aere

Construction Management

California Polytechnic State University currently receives its water supply from either Whale Rock Reservoir, for distilled water, or pumped from six ground wells, for agricultural use. Although the university’s Agricultural College requires a certain amount of water to grow crops, these demands are often not met due to the lack of water within these underground wells. A rainwater capture system could be constructed to ease the water supply burden which is already depleting, reduce wasted drainage, and maintain a sustainable agricultural water source without being dependent on other locations. This would benefit the institution by reducing imported water thereby saving …

2022 Fall Engr333 Seminar Presentation, Jordan Tuter, Aidan Bakker, Samuel Hoover, Jessica Camp

ENGR 333

File for student presentation on Carbon Neutrality for Calvin University, given by students in the Fall 2022 class of ENGR333.

The Impact Of Policy Design On Willingness To Pay For Ecosystem Services From Prairie Strips, Karina A. Schoengold, Badri Khanal, Taro Mieno, Lisa Schulte Moore

Cornhusker Economics

Ecosystem services from farmland conservation are public good benefits. The value of these benefits is primarily measured using methods that determine the willingness to pay (WTP) for those benefits. Prairie strips, a farmland conservation practice, provide ecosystem services such as improved water quality, soil health, and biodiversity (Schulte et al., 2017). The state of Iowa is a major corn producer and contributes significant amounts of nitrogen and phosphorous to the Gulf of Mexico (Alexander et al., 2008). The development of conventional agricultural systems has also resulted in a significant loss of biodiversity, including a dominant land cover of tallgrass prairie. …

Realizing The Vision Of Wcu’S Landscape Master Plan: A Panel Discussion, Josh Braid, Rodney Mader, Bradley Flamm

Sustainability Research & Practice Seminar Presentations

Bradley Flamm, WCU Office of Sustainability (Moderator), with Josh Braid, WCU Grounds Department, and Rodney Mader, WCU Campus Tree Committee Chair - Panel discussion: Realizing the Vision of WCU’s Landscape Master Plan

Key Technologies And Equipment Of Quickly And Safely Building Life Support And Rescue Channel In Mine Disaster, Tian Hongliang, Zou Zujie, Hao Shijun, Cao Ming, Zhou Guanghua, Huang Yong, Gu Hairong, Wang Lei

Coal Geology & Exploration

In case that persons are trapped underground as a result of shaft and roadway damage due to a major disaster accident in a mine, the most effective way of rescue is to construct the rescue channel in a safely and efficient manner. The rescue channel is divided into the underground and ground types. Building a large diameter rescue channel through the collapsed section is the most direct way if underground construction conditions are available. However, if no underground construction conditions are available or it is prone to secondary disasters, it is necessary to drill small diameter rescue holes on the …

Key Technologies Of Surface Efficient Life Support Hole Forming For Mine Rescue, Zhang Biao, Kang Yuguo, Huang Yong, Zhang Ming, Zhou Guang, Ren Yingju, Liu Jianlin, Gao Ke, Zhao Yan

Coal Geology & Exploration

The surface life support hole, as the support channel for the trapped people underground, is one of the important ground emergency rescue schemes for the situation with some people trapped underground due to mine accidents. Under the complex conditions of the rescue area, including easy collapse, easy leakage, large water inflow and inclined formation, the single hole forming process has the problems such as poor ground adaptability matching, low comprehensive drilling efficiency and difficult roadway penetration, which cannot meet the requirements of rescue. In order to form an efficient drilling technology system for life support holes and improve the response …

Research Progress Of Lifting Equipment For Large-Diameter Borehole Rescue, Gu Hairong, Shan Zenghai, Wang Longpeng, Shao Tao, Zou Zujie, Gao Ziyu

Coal Geology & Exploration

Rescue through large-diameter relief well is an efficient method of mine emergency rescue. The lifting equipment of large-diameter relief well is used to lift the trapped personnel safely and reliably to the surface through the large-diameter relief well. It is the key equipment in the rescue system of large-diameter relief well. With the rescue technology of large-diameter relief well gradually recognized in the industry, the lifting equipment of large-diameter relief well has developed considerably, forming the fixed and mobile types of lifting equipment and multiple technical routes. Besides, important progress has been made in the research on the lifting equipment …

Research On Key Technology Of Pipe Jacking Drilling Equipment For Large-Diameter Rescue Borehole Of Coal Mine, Wang Lei, Zhu Yuqin, Zhang Weina, Liu Hao, Zhao Wenbo, Yang Chuang, Wang Guanxiong

Coal Geology & Exploration

In order to solve the rescue problem of collapsed roadways in coal mines and improve the drilling speed of large-diameter rescue boreholes, the construction method of large-diameter borehole with pipe jacking technology was proposed. Specifically, the collapsed rock mass was crushed and the slag was removed by pushing the connectable pipe joints and cutter heads with the main jacking equipment arranged in the chamber, so as to form a rescue channel composed of jacked pipes at last. A composite cutter head with large opening under the condition of collapsed rock mass was developed, which is composed of 10 cutters, 10 …

Research And Application Of Synchronous Self-Balancing Feed System For Rescue Truck-Mounted Drilling Rig, Zou Zujie, Tian Hongliang, Liu Qingxiu, Chang Jianghua, Liu Qi, Zhu Guodong

Coal Geology & Exploration

Truck-mounted drilling rig is the core equipment of ground drilling rescue in mine accidents, and it has played an important role in all the successful rescues at home and abroad. However, the feed system, as the main actuator of the truck-mounted drilling rig, exposes the problems of restricted passability of the whole machine due to the long working stroke, difficult maintenance of the positioning wheel train, poor movement synchronization of the double cylinder, guide rail wearing caused by the partial load of power head, and the delay of pulling force displayed by the hydraulic gauge during its service. ZMK5550TZJF50/120 rescue …

Research And Application Of Multi-Source Information Detection Technology For Drilling Rescue Of Mine, Zheng Xuezhao, Sun Ziyu, Guo Jun, Zhang Duo, Chen Gang, He Qinjian

Coal Geology & Exploration

Drilling rescue of mine is a new type of rescue technology. In order to quickly and accurately obtain the information on drilling channel, the location distance of the trapped person and the characteristics of the gas environment in the disaster area during rescue, as well as to realize the two-way video and audio communication between the trapped person underground and the rescue commander on the ground, theoretical research and technical development were conducted with the technical methods such as multi-source information fusion, dual-stream network video service, edge computing, intrinsically-safe circuit control, and ultra-wideband radar. Meanwhile, two key technologies were proposed: …

Distribution Characteristics Of Trace Elements In Different Density Fractions Of High-Germanium Coal From Wulantuga, Inner Mongolia, China, Duan Piaopiao, Wang Wenfeng, Ma Mengya

Coal Geology & Exploration

The exploitation and utilization of critical metals in coal measures is of great significance to alleviate the shortage of strategic mineral resources in China. In addition to the critical metal germanium (Ge), the low-rank coal from Wulantuga Coal Mine of Shengli Coalfield in Inner Mongolia, China is enriched with the toxic elements Be, F, As, Hg, Sb and W. Considering the extraction and utilization of key metals and environmental protection, the coal in the study area must be washed. As shown in the previous study, flotation is relatively good for the removal of As, Sb and W inWulantuga coal, but …

Main Influencing Factors For Regional Pre-Grouting Technology Of Water Hazard Treatment In Coal Seam Floor And Efficient Hole Arrangement, Hu Weiyue, Zhao Chunhu, Lyu Hanjiang

Coal Geology & Exploration

Regional advance grouting transformation and reinforcement of water conducting formation and aquifer is the main technical means to prevent and control the karst water hazards in the coal seam floor of North China type coalfields. Herein, analysis was conducted for the general application mode of the regional advance grouting transformation and reinforcement for water hazard treatment in the thin and thick limestone layers in the coal seam floor based on the basic mine hydrogeological principle of the application of regional advance grouting transformation technology. In the analysis, consideration was given to the hydrogeological structure of the coal seam floor, the …

Key Pretreatment Technologies For Coalbed Gas Bioengineering And Review On Their Mechanism Of Action, Bao Yuan, Chang Jianing, Liu Xiangrong, Xia Daping, Wang Yaya

Coal Geology & Exploration

Coalbed gas bioengineering (CGB) is a new technology for the purpose of realizing the clean utilization of coal resources and the enhanced recovery of coalbed gas. To explore the key characteristics of the pretreatment technologies of CGB, hydrocarbon generation potential and its mechanism of action, conclusion and summary was made for various pretreatment technologies herein. Meanwhile, the pretreatment technologies were divided into three types according to the action mode of coal (organic matter) and bacteria (microorganism): microflora optimization and improvement, coal dissolution and oxidation, and biological stimulation and synergy. By comparing the capability of coal to generate methane through microbial …