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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

A Proposal For A Minor In Sustainability, Quinn Egner Apr 2018

A Proposal For A Minor In Sustainability, Quinn Egner

Environmental Studies Senior Seminar Projects

It is nearly undeniable that humans are altering the earth and rapidly depleting natural resources, compromising the future of generations to come. Thus, the importance of sustainability and sustainable practices is becoming increasingly important and relevant. While the world is working to innovate and prioritize sustainability, it is important that the University of Richmond must do the same. This proposal is for the addition of a minor in sustainability added to the university’s available education opportunities. The minor will be a total of six classes; three core sustainability classes and three additional classes to effectively cover the three pillars of …


Pagebrook Property Solar Power Initiative, Mary Kate Jaromin Apr 2018

Pagebrook Property Solar Power Initiative, Mary Kate Jaromin

Environmental Studies Senior Seminar Projects

The University of Richmond has established an ambitious goal of carbon neutrality by the year 2050 (Office for Sustainability 2015). The University’s current emissions reductions are at 18 percent from 2009 baseline levels; in order the achieve the last 82 percent of the reductions by 2050, the University must take aggressive action (R. Andrejewski, personal communication, March 1, 2018). The University owns land off campus, including the Pagebrook Property, which is around a 15-minute drive from campus and has 47 acres of flat, clear cut land that is currently unused (Love & Owens, 2014). This land would be an ideal …


Proposal For The Expansion Of The University Of Richmond’S Campus Garden, Ganon Hingst Apr 2018

Proposal For The Expansion Of The University Of Richmond’S Campus Garden, Ganon Hingst

Environmental Studies Senior Seminar Projects

In today’s society the growing, buying and consuming of local foods is skyrocketing in demand. It provides for a healthier and more sustainable lifestyle that the University has stated its interest in promoting. This project to expand the current community garden on campus would not only promote the University’s strives in sustainable practices, but also draw the community and campus together. This garden could produce foods that could be sold to the current dining services, and to the local community generating some profit from this community garden while also reducing the University’s spending on food for the dining hall. Furthermore, …


Riverfront Ur: Proposal And Student Well-Being, Harleen Bal Apr 2018

Riverfront Ur: Proposal And Student Well-Being, Harleen Bal

Environmental Studies Senior Seminar Projects

In an effort to improve student well-being, connection to nature, and community engagement with nature and green spaces, the following paper details a proposal for Riverfront UR (RFUR), an initiative to acquire property along the James River for use by University of Richmond students. The proposal began in Dr. Salisbury’s fall Geography 345 class, and this analysis builds upon that proposal by delving into the connection between student health and quality of life with time spent outdoors and in natural spaces. Indeed, a riverfront off-campus property would be competitively advantageous for the University and would likely improve our STARS ratings, …


Improving Biodiversity Management At The University Of Richmond: An Ecological Approach To Sustainability, Maria Psarakis Apr 2018

Improving Biodiversity Management At The University Of Richmond: An Ecological Approach To Sustainability, Maria Psarakis

Environmental Studies Senior Seminar Projects

This proposal outlines a plan for the monitoring, management, and conservation of vulnerable species and habitats on the University of Richmond’s main campus and its nearby properties. It develops a strategy for the coordinated planning and implementation of biodiversity management by conceptualizing centralized leadership, pathways for student involvement, and the creation of community partnerships with the Virginia state government and local wildlife groups. Additionally, it highlights key justifications for the execution of this project. These reasons include the successful examples of such schemes in competitor institutions, the standing of the University of Richmond in national sustainability rankings, formal University commitments …


Campus Thrift Store: A Small Step Towards Big Change, Ashley James Apr 2018

Campus Thrift Store: A Small Step Towards Big Change, Ashley James

Environmental Studies Senior Seminar Projects

Production and consumption associated with the textile industry exhausts water and fossil fuel resources, and significantly contributes to global waste burden. Studies have shown that U.S. college students produce millions of tons of solid waste every year, much of which could have been diverted. This project describes the benefits of second-hand markets as a tool to achieve waste diversion and sustainability, and proposes a campus thrift store at the University of Richmond (UR). Supporting literature, previous successful reuse initiatives at UR, and a review of best thrift store practices at other universities are provided as justification for the proposal. The …


A Campus Sustainability Service Program In The General Education Curriculum, Callie Rountree-Jablin Apr 2018

A Campus Sustainability Service Program In The General Education Curriculum, Callie Rountree-Jablin

Environmental Studies Senior Seminar Projects

This poster describes a proposal for the addition of a sustainability-based community service requirement to the general education curriculum to encourage systemic involvement in on-campus sustainability projects. Current support for the University of Richmond’s (UR) goal to integrate sustainability across various University functions is limited and this poster outlines the Campus Sustainability Service (CSS) program as an option for addressing the issue to ensure the success of the UR Sustainability Strategic Plan. It presents a framework for the CSS program and a strategy for piloting the initiative that can support phasing in a complete version of the program over time. …


Green Dining Proposal, Caroline Jones Apr 2018

Green Dining Proposal, Caroline Jones

Environmental Studies Senior Seminar Projects

University of Richmond has slowly but steadily introduced efforts to reduce its campus-wide, local, and national environmental impact, most notably with its commitments to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and to divert 75 percent of waste from landfills by 2025. Yet most eateries on campus offer their food and beverages to the hundreds of customers they serve every day only with single-use serve ware, an incredibly expensive practice in terms of cost, energy use, and environmental impacts. This proposal suggests introducing a “for-here” option–serving food and beverages with reusable serve ware–at all eateries on campus that currently do not offer …


Gold Standard For Green Spiders: Proposals For Excellence In Sustainability At The University Of Richmond, Harleen Bal, Quinn Egner, Ganon Hingst, Ashley James, Mary Kate Jaromin, Caroline Jones, Maria Psarakis, Callie Rountree-Jablin, Peter D. Smallwood Jan 2018

Gold Standard For Green Spiders: Proposals For Excellence In Sustainability At The University Of Richmond, Harleen Bal, Quinn Egner, Ganon Hingst, Ashley James, Mary Kate Jaromin, Caroline Jones, Maria Psarakis, Callie Rountree-Jablin, Peter D. Smallwood

Environmental Studies Senior Seminar Projects

The University of Richmond should commit to achieving the Gold Standard rating by the AASHE Campus Sustainability Index by 2024. Gold Standard for Green Spiders includes eight proposals that taken together, will move UR up from our current silver rating to gold. This volume also includes short summaries of the sustainability programs of eight of the top ten most sustainable liberal arts colleges in the nation. The eight student authors of these chapters completed their works as part of the Environmental Studies Senior Seminar course, the capstone course for Environmental Studies majors.