Environmental Studies Commons^™

Cultivating Sustainable Coffee: Persistent Paradoxes, Christopher M. Bacon, V. Ernesto Méndez, Jonathan A. Fox

Environmental Studies and Sciences

This chapter discusses the relationship and interconnections among changing the livelihoods of farmers, initiatives for sustainable coffee, and the production of shade-grown coffee. It examines the advantages and opportunities for farmers and producers engaged in coffee certification and diversification programs. The role of Fair Trade and organic networks in creating awareness of biodiversity conservation, the social and environment costs of coffee systems, and the need for supporting small farmers are also discussed. The methods to increase accountability and improve the efficiency of coffee cooperatives are presented in this chapter, as are the importance of understanding the sustainability initiatives and their …

From Differentiated Coffee Markets Towards Alternative Trade And Knowledge Networks, Roberta Jaffe, Christopher M. Bacon

Environmental Studies and Sciences

This chapter presents a case study focusing on the Community Agroecology Network (CAN), an organization started by the United States and Mesoamerica’s activists, whose effort is to create an alternative trade and knowledge network. The basic aim behind CAN is to benefit conservation and social development efforts by linking producers, consumers, and producer organizations. CAN is a response to the problems arising out of the dominance of certification processes in Fair Trade and organic coffee networks, and the chapter discusses the organization’s main goals of intercommunity relationship development, direct coffee marketing, and ecological sustainability. It moots a comparison between alternative …

The Impact Of Children's Literature On The Environmental Awareness Of A Population Of Second Grade Students, Iris Jackeline Russo

Theses Digitization Project

This project aimed at helping second grade children gain environmental sensitivity and awareness by infusing the existing English Language Arts curriculum with environmental activities. The purpose is to demonstrate how one can infuse the California state's mandated curriculum, Houghton Mifflin, with children's literature in order to promote environmental sensitivity and awareness.

How An After School Environmental Science Club Can Increase Environmental Knowledge: Awareness And Sensitivity Towards The Environment For Third And Fourth Grade Students, Sandra Joyce Jones

Theses Digitization Project

Children today are disconnected from the natural environment around them, sometimes finding it annoying, lacking in excitement, and little use to them. Their attention and focus are spent inside watching TV, playing games on computers or a variety of other electronic devices. The purpose of this project was to see if after-school exposure to an Enirovnmental Science Club on the school grounds can impact student attitudes toward our local environment and to increase these third and fourth grade students' knowledge and awareness of their environment.

Environmental Education Resource For Fifth Grade Science Instruction, Gaelen Kathleen Richer

Theses Digitization Project

The goal of this project was to develop an environmental education resource for fifth grade teachers using the California Science textbook. The goal is for teachers to be able to use this guide as a convenient resource to incorporate environmental education and environmental literature into science instruction.

Ecological Literacy, Environmental Attitudes And Behaviors Of Residents Adjacent To The Coahcella Valley Preserve, Kathleen Dawn Fleming

Theses Digitization Project

This thesis aims to address the many processes that guide communication between the public and conservation ecologists, and how one's knowledge of the area around them could affect communcation between groups. This thesis researched the dynamics of ecological literacy levels environmental attitudes and frequency of behaviors of the urban, suburban, and rural sub group residents that live in the Coachella Valley of Southern California. It is relevant to the current strategy for designing multiple species reserves through the development of multiple species habitat conservation plans.

Next Generation Public Service Announcements For The Environment, Danielle Alexis Diaz

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this research was to design new public service announcements (PSAs) for a teenage audience around environmental topics. Using components of constructivist pedagogy and free-choice learning, these PSAs demonstrated how to fuse popular teen culture with environmental education objectives. The design of the PSAs for this project hinged on finding a current popular format that would grab the attention of teenagers in order to successfully communicate information. This was achieved by taking a popular MTV show and twisting it to fit educational purposes. The success of this approach was tested by surveying a group of 50 teenagers. The …

A Rationale, Conceptual Framework, And Initial Curriculum For Teaching Green Building, Jason Ernest Moyer-Schmit

Theses Digitization Project

This project created a rationale and conceptual framework, as well as seminal curriculum, for teaching green building as a vehicle for environmental education in seventh and eighth grades. Green building is the practice of creating sustainable structures, and preserving natural resources and ecological conditions for future generations.

The Day The River Ran Away: The Impact Of A Children's Literature Book And Accompanying Curriculum Upon Student Perceptions Of The Salton Sea, Kathryn Ann Schofield

Theses Digitization Project

This project is focused on an author-created children's literature book about the Salton Sea called "The Day the River Ran Away". An accompanying curriculum has been developed for third grade students to increase knowledge of ecological foundations and conceptual awareness

High School Lessons On Human Sprawl In The Inland Empire, Anieno Abasiofiok Ibekwe

Theses Digitization Project

The aim of this project was to develop curriculum that educators could use to assist high school students (ages 14-17 years) in the Inland Empire of Southern California to apply critical thinking skills to understanding the negative effects of uncontrolled urban sprawl. The problems and issues which result from sprawl are emphasized in the learning activites.

Proposed Activities For An Enrivonmental Education Summer Camp Program, Caitlin Joan Farr

Theses Digitization Project

A proposal was developed for a one week, residential, summer camp program for children 12-15 years to explore the out doors in a safe and fun way and to give children a chance to learn about the environment using hands on lessons and activities. This one week program is planned for future possible implementation at Astrocamp, an outdoor education facility in Idyllwild, California.

An Hsus Report: The Impact Of Animal Agriculture On Global Warming And Climate Change, The Humane Society Of The United States

Impact of Animal Agriculture

The farm animal production sector is the single largest anthropogenic user of land, contributing to soil degradation, dwindling water supplies, and air pollution. The breadth of this sector‘s impacts has been largely underappreciated. Meat, egg, and milk production are not narrowly focused on the rearing and slaughtering of farm animals. The animal agriculture sector also encompasses feed grain production which requires substantial water, energy, and chemical inputs, as well as energy expenditures to transport feed, live animals, and animal products. All of this comes at a substantial cost to the environment.

One of animal agriculture‘s greatest environmental impacts is its …

An Hsus Report: The Impact Of Industrialized Animal Agriculture On The Environment, The Humane Society Of The United States

Impact of Animal Agriculture

The continuous confinement of chickens, pigs, turkeys, cattle, and other animals raised in industrialized agricultural systems jeopardizes the animals’ welfare and degrades the environment. Factory farms produce immense quantities of animal waste and byproducts, which threaten water and air quality and contribute to climate change.

An Hsi Report: The Impact Of Animal Agriculture On Global Warming And Climate Change, Humane Society International

HSI REPORTS

The farm animal production sector is the single largest anthropogenic user of land, contributing to soil degradation, dwindling water supplies, and air pollution. The breadth of this sector‘s impacts has been largely underappreciated. Meat, egg, and milk production are not narrowly focused on the rearing and slaughtering of farm animals. The animal agriculture sector also encompasses feed grain production which requires substantial water, energy, and chemical inputs, as well as energy expenditures to transport feed, live animals, and animal products. All of this comes at a substantial cost to the environment.

One of animal agriculture‘s greatest environmental impacts is its …

Discovery: The Student Journal Of Dale Bumpers College Of Agricultural, Food And Life Sciences - Volume 9 2008, Several Authors

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Instructions For Authors, Discovery Editors

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Proxy-Based Reconstructions Of Hemispheric And Global Surface Temperature Variations Over The Past Two Millennia, Michael E. Mann, Scott Rutherford

Arts & Sciences Faculty Publications

Following the suggestions of a recent National Research Council report [NRC (National Research Council) (2006) Surface Temperature Reconstructions for the Last 2,000 Years (Natl Acad Press, Washington, DC).], we reconstruct surface temperature at hemispheric and global scale for much of the last 2,000 years using a greatly expanded set of proxy data for decadal-to-centennial climate changes, recently updated instrumental data, and complementary methods that have been thoroughly tested and validated with model simulation experiments. Our results extend previous conclusions that recent Northern Hemisphere surface temperature increases are likely anomalous in a long-term context. Recent warmth appears anomalous for at least …

Fema Trailers, Jae Rhim Lee

SWITCH

This article introduces an art and research project centered on a surplus FEMA travel trailer delivered to MIT which is used as a focal point of a course taught by Jae Rhim Lee. Lee uses the trailer to explore broader issues of environmental justice, government failure, and the health effects of disaster response. The project connects to another one of her projects, N=1=0=Infinity, a proposal for eco-friendly burial methods using mushrooms to return the body’s nutrients to the Earth.

On Green Technology, Julia Butterfly Hill

SWITCH

In this article, Hill shares a reflection on how humanity has lost its sense of connection with the Earth and each other, a disconnection she calls “Separation Syndrome.” Hill explores how technology can either harm or help depending on how we use it. She encourages artists and creators to approach technology and the environment with connected consciousness, using creativity for healing, sustainability, and transformation.

Moral Obligations Of The Artist In A Global Warming World, Marguerite Manteau-Rao

SWITCH

In this feature, Manteau-Rao reflects on her personal journey from traditional object-based art to a more environmentally conscious practice, questioning the moral responsibilities of artists in a time of climate crisis. She argues that while art has long been seen as essential to society, global warming demands a shift in priorities - toward survival and sustainability.

The Power Of One, Curtis Baffico

SWITCH

In this article, Baffico shares his personal story of leaving the corporate world to create One Buck for the Planet, a donation-based social network that helps support environmental organizations. Baffico encourages individuals to give just $1 and spread the word, creating a ripple effect of global giving.

Artists Working With The Earth In Mind, Ed Dean

SWITCH

This article explores the work of artist Dan Peterman, who uses recycled materials to create art that promotes sustainability and mutual care between people and the environment. Peterman’s work invites reflection and reuse and blends creativity, community engagement, and environmental consciousness. This article also describes his transformation of an old recycling site into the Experimental Station, a community-focused space for collaboration and renewal.

Contents, Discovery Editors

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Letter From The Dean, Lalit R. Verma

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Connectedness To Nature And Electricity Consumption: An Interdisciplinary Study Of Behavior And Emotional Response To Nature In The Union Street Housing Complex, Jenna Trostle

Honors Papers

Much research has been done surrounding conservation behaviors in the household and electricity consumption. Most research has tended to focus on attitudes about the environment and how those attitudes influence pro-environmental behavior, but the research has not usually found a strong link between the two. The Connectedness to Nature Scale was used in this study to measure emotional responses to nature, and to determine whether people who felt more connected to nature used less electricity in the household. The residents of the Union Street Housing complex at Oberlin College were chosen as the group monitored for this project, as the …

Learning To Eat Appreciatively And Thoughtfully (Eat): Connecting With Food Through School Gardens, Lina A. Yamashita

Honors Papers

Many young people today do not learn to cook, or eat nutritious, regular meals together with their families, or go shopping for produce. Because of this, they do not have the opportunity to develop any real appreciation for food. To make matters worse, many public schools fail to teach students anything at all about the complex environmental and cultural history of food – how it is produced, preserved, prepared, and distributed. At the same time, schools serve lunches that often lack nutritional value. In this thesis, I argue the importance of giving students the opportunity to connect to food through …

Diminished Access, Diverted Exclusion: Women And Land Tenure In Sub-Saharan Africa, Michael Kevane, Leslie C. Gray

Economics

Increasing commercialization, population growth and concurrent increases in land value have affected women's land rights in Africa. Most of the literature concentrates on how these changes have led to an erosion of women's rights. This paper examines some of the processes by which women's rights to land are diminishing. First, we examine cases where rights previously utilized have become less important; that is, the incidence of exercising rights has decreased. Second, we investigate how women's rights to land decrease as the public meanings underlying the social interpretation and enforcement of rights are manipulated. Third, we examine women's diminishing access to …

Land Tenure And Rental In Western Sudan, Michael Kevane, Leslie C. Gray

Economics

This paper reports on aspects of land tenure in western Sudan, especially the nature of tenure insecurity and the functioning of the land rental market. The active land rental market accounted for about one-third of cultivated land. Patterns of land rental transactions, and tests of the importance of insecurity in renting land, where the owner may not be able to reclaim land rented out, do not support the presumption that rental markets perform poorly. The role of the sheikh as administrator of village land, and the claims of large landowners to vast tracts, are, however, important political problems that must …

Additional Studies In Rio Grande Valley History, Milo Kearney, Anthony K. Knopp, Antonio Zavaleta

Studies in Rio Grande Valley Regional History Series

Border birding, a poem / Chip Dameron -- The curse, a folktale / Peter Gawenda -- River boundaries of Texas : the Louisiana-Texas borderland and Lower Rio Grande Valley in comparative perspective 1700-1850 / Francis X. Galan -- Testamentos de Reynosa 1770-1820 / Pedro Antonio Campos Rodriguez -- La Guerra de 1847 y la inevitibilidad ‘retorica’ de la derrota / Arturo Zarate Ruiz -- The dead man’s bride, a folktale / Peter Gawenda -- Emmanuel Domenech in the Rio Grande Valley, 1851-1853 / Santiago Escobedo -- Don Juan Jose de Solis, Albert Champion, the border cattle raids, and the birth …

Interim Report: Maddington-Kenwick & Cockburn Sustainable Industry Project, Beth Walker, Janice Redmond, Ute Goeft

Research outputs pre 2011

The aim of this project is to investigate the current attitudes and practices of business ownermanagers in the light industrial areas of Maddington-Kenwick and Cockburn regarding environmental issues and waste management pre and post an intervention program. A specific aim of the project is to reduce waste and achieve implementation of better environmental management practices in this sector. The project commenced in February 2007 and is due to finish in December 2008.

The two survey areas are geographically located South East and South of Perth within two separate local government boundaries. The light industrial area of Maddington-Kenwick is part of …