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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons

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Environmental Studies

Utah State University

Theses/Dissertations

Sustainability

Articles 1 - 5 of 5

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Centering Indigenous Knowledge: Reimagining Research Methods, Pedagogies, And Sustainability With Niitsitapi Awaaáhsskataiksi (Blackfoot Elders), Sandra Bartlett Atwood Aug 2023

Centering Indigenous Knowledge: Reimagining Research Methods, Pedagogies, And Sustainability With Niitsitapi Awaaáhsskataiksi (Blackfoot Elders), Sandra Bartlett Atwood

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

My research sought to better engage with Indigenous ways of knowing and being (IWKB). Specifically, I collaborated with Blackfoot Elders (and Hawaiian Kupuna) to better understand 1) their perspectives towards land, 2) what factors instigate and perpetuate these perspectives, 3) how these perspectives play out in terms of identity; well being; daily life; education; environmental concern, behavior, and stewardship, and 4) ways that these perspectives towards land can inform and transform Western perspectives on land and perhaps lead to better and more equitable social-ecological outcomes. I approached this from three angles. First, I described a method for braiding Indigenous and …


A Social-Ecological Approach To Understanding The Structure, Function, And Challenges Faced By Fisheries, Chase C. Lamborn Aug 2022

A Social-Ecological Approach To Understanding The Structure, Function, And Challenges Faced By Fisheries, Chase C. Lamborn

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Fisheries throughout the world play many important roles, and they are also subject to many pressures. The tension between roles and pressures is increasing, and as a result, many fisheries are being utilized to, or over their capacity, which ultimately threatens their sustainability. To address these challenges, this dissertation provides insights and tools to help us better understand fisheries and the challenges they face. The first study explores the impacts of an earlier spring runoff in Montana. Earlier runoff has resulted in lower and warmer summer flows, which is stressing coldwater species like trout. This stress is affecting fishing quality, …


Benefits, Challenges, And Recommendations For Implementing A Sustainability-Based Service-Learning Program At Utah State University: An Initial Assessment Of The Community Bridge Initiative, Julie Koldewyn May 2016

Benefits, Challenges, And Recommendations For Implementing A Sustainability-Based Service-Learning Program At Utah State University: An Initial Assessment Of The Community Bridge Initiative, Julie Koldewyn

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Service-Learning is a method of teaching that allows students to learn course content by engaging in real world applications, which can enhance student learning and benefit communities. As populations increase, many communities struggle with the corresponding issues of sustainability. A program that could use student expertise to address these concerns would be beneficial for both students and communities. This mixed-methods study explored the benefits, challenges, and recommendations for implementing a sustainability-based service-learning program, the Community Bridge Initiative (CBI), at Utah State University (USU) in relation to community needs and student responses to being in program pilot classes. Pilot classes were …


Benefits, Barriers, And Opportunities For Renewable Energy Outreach In Extension: A Mixed-Methods Needs Assessment, Blake H. Thomas May 2016

Benefits, Barriers, And Opportunities For Renewable Energy Outreach In Extension: A Mixed-Methods Needs Assessment, Blake H. Thomas

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Renewable energy is energy from a source that is not depleted when used, such as solar, wind, geothermal, biofuel, and hydroelectric power. Renewable energy sources are a powerful combatant to climate change because they emit little to no carbon dioxide emissions in the electrical generation process. This mixed-methods needs assessment explored the benefits, barriers, and opportunities for renewable energy outreach in Extension on a nationwide and Utah-based scale. Two online surveys and focus group interviews revealed the relative dearth of renewable energy programming currently underway in Extension nationwide. In Utah, more than fifty-five percent of Utah State University (USU) Extension …


Student-Initiated Campus Sustainability: Strategies For Success, Michaela Stuver Harper Jul 2013

Student-Initiated Campus Sustainability: Strategies For Success, Michaela Stuver Harper

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Campus sustainability is growing in popularity throughout the United States, and also internationally. The purpose of this study was to determine whether student-run environmental sustainability initiatives are capable of succeeding, and if so, what factors and characteristics exist in successful and unsuccessful projects. Environmental sustainability initiatives are those that address at least one of the following five ares: 1) Air quality and climate change, 2) local food and sustainable agriculture, 3) land conservation and recycling, reducing and reusing, 4) renewable energy, and 5) water conservation. Success was defined as the ability of a program to continue when the initiator leaves …