Environmental Studies Commons^™

Promoting Bold Investment In Renewable Energy Research And Development, Melanie C. Paty

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis discusses the potential for private investment to fund ambitious renewable energy research and development to help mitigate climate change. I begin by discussing the threat of global warming and a brief history of renewable energy development in the United States. Next, I discuss existing avenues for private investment in renewable energy, potential methods of increasing corporate participation, and the belief that businesses must maximize only financial profits. Then I perform an in-depth case study of pension funds that have incorporated a social or environmental mission, existing environmentally focused mutual funds, and liquidated clean energy mutual funds. Finally, I …

A Critical Examination Of Private Conservation Areas On Campesino Community Lands In Peru, Megan Barnhart

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Community-owned private reserves are emerging around the world as an alternative to government-run resource management and as a way to more directly involve citizens as stewards of their local natural resources. Despite their recent proliferation globally, voluntary efforts by communities to include their land in protected area systems, and the motivations and expectations of their legal recognition remain largely unknown. This thesis examines community-owned private conservation areas in Northern Peru locally known as Áreas de Conservación Privadas (ACPs) which are voluntary and legally recognized by the Peruvian State. The study investigates the rationales and outcomes of the application of ACPs …

Evaluating The Oil Sands Reclamation Process: Assessing Policy Capacity And Stakeholder Access For Government And Non-Governmental Organizations Operating In Alberta’S Oil Sands, Tyler Patterson

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

By employing interpretive policy analysis this thesis aims to assess, measure, and explain policy capacity for government and non-government organizations involved in reclaiming Alberta's oil sands. Using this type of analysis to assess policy capacity is a novel approach for understanding reclamation policy; and therefore, this research will provide a unique contribution to the literature surrounding reclamation policy. The oil sands region in northeast Alberta, Canada is an area of interest for a few reasons; primarily because of the vast reserves of bitumen and the environmental cost associated with developing this resource. An increase in global oil demand has established …

The Hydrosocial Costs Of High-Volume Hydraulic Fracturing: A Tale Of Two Counties In Michigan, Amanda Kreuze

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Although natural gas has been praised as a clean and abundant energy source, the varying impacts and uncertainties surrounding the process of extracting natural gas from unconventional sources, known as horizontal high-volume hydraulic fracturing (HVHF) or “fracking,” have raised important concerns. The practice of HVHF is expanding so quickly that the full impacts are not yet known. This thesis project, using a grounded theory methodological approach, explores the risks and benefits associated with HVHF as recognized by the residents of two Michigan counties, one that currently produces natural gas by HVHF (Crawford County) and one that does not (Barry County). …

The Role Of Hybridization And The United States Fish And Wildlife Service Biologists’ Discretion In The Implementation Of The Endangered Species Act, Jennifer F. Lind-Riehl

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) requires that the “best available scientific and commercial data” be used to enable the protection of critically imperiled species from extinction and preserve biodiversity. However, the ESA does not provide specific guidance on how to apply this mandate. In addition, the interpretation of scientific data can be uncertain and controversial, particularly regarding species delineation and hybridization issues. US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) field biologists must decide what the best science is and how to interpret and apply it in their recommendations. As a result, FWS field biologists often have considerable discretion when it comes …

An Analysis Of China’S Biofuels Policy And Chinese Discourse On Land Acquisition For Biofuels In Africa, Xuna Yang

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

China has recently undertaken a very ambitious biofuel production program. However due to a lack of arable land domestically, this program has necessitated the leasing of arable land elsewhere (e.g., in Africa). This thesis first conducts a policy analysis of China’s biofuel policy using a historical institutionalism ends-and-means framework. The analysis reveals the ways in which China achieves its biofuel production goals through adopting various levels of policy means. China’s success in biofuel development is partly due to its unique policy-making and policy-assessment system, which ensures that biofuel production goals can be met. The second chapter analyzes China’s discourse on …

Critique And Transformation: On The Hypothetical Nature Of Ecosystem Service Value And Its Neo-Marxist, Liberal And Pragmatist Criticisms, Andony P. Melathopoulos, Alex Stoner

Journal Articles

Ecosystem service valuation (ESV) attempts to transform the opposition of human economic necessity and ecological conservation by valuing the latter in terms of the services rendered by the former. However, despite a number of ESV-inspired sustainability initiatives since the 1990s, global ecological degradation continues to accelerate. This suggests that ESV has fallen far short of its goals of sustainable social transformation—a failure which has generated considerable criticism. This paper reviews three prominent lines of ESV criticism: 1) the neo-Marxist criticism, which emphasizes the “fictitious” character of ecosystem commodities; 2) the liberal criticism through Friedrich Hayek's concept “scientistic objectivism”; and 3) …

Wilderness And Epistemic Wildness, John T. Stanfield

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The traditional concept of wilderness was a product of the time out of which it came. Times have changed. The social context of conservation, how humans affect nature, and scientific understanding of how ecosystems function have all shifted in ways that make the wilderness idea problematic. The values that people found in wilderness are still relevant, however. It is the way that they are tied together in the concept of wilderness that has become a problem.

I propose a revised concept of wilderness that meets the concerns of critics of wilderness, and accounts for the tension between the wild and …

Sacred Zones: Examing Wilderness In Yellowstone, Maine And Russia, Lily S. Vonderheide

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This thesis seeks to examine issues of resource conservation and recreational access in three regions of immense historical and ecological significance: Yellowstone National Park, the North Woods of Maine, and the protected nature reserve system of Siberia. By applying a combination of direct professional experience, current research and ongoing environmental policy action, the thesis attempts to provide an accurate picture of current and future challenges facing the three regions. Part I, “Yellowstone Paradox,” traces the roots of Yellowstone’s restrictions on recreational boating access in a post-WWII discourse of consumer recreation, the development of a sustainability ethic and its deployment as …

Satoyama Agricultural Development Tool (Sadt) For Collaborative Assessment Of Hilltribe Communities In Chiang Mai: Case Studies Of Mueang Ang, Nhong Lom And Pa Kea Noi, Devon R. Dublin, Jarunee Pilumwong, Sumamas Chaiwong, Thitima Jantakoson, Anchan Chompupoung, Noriyuki Tanaka

Applied Environmental Research

The Satoyama Agricultural Development Tool (SADT) is based on five perspectives identified by the International Partnership for the SatoyamaInitiative (IPSI). To determine itsefficiency in indigenous communities, case studies were undertaken inthree hilltribe com-munities: Mueang Ang, Nhong Lom and Pa Kea Noi, located in the province of Chiang Mai, northern Thailand. Satoyama analysis was conducted in each village by officers attached to the Royal Project Foundation (RPF) and the Highland Research and Development Institute (HRDI) operating out of the stations of Inthanon and Mae Hae. These were compared with similar analysis done by villagers of each village studied. Results showed uniformity …

Assessment Of Groundwater Contamination By Textile Effluent Discharges In Ikorodu, Nigeria, Oludare H. Adedeji, Oluwafunmilayo O. Olayinka

Applied Environmental Research

This paper assessed physicochemical properties (temperature, pH, acidity, alkalinity, colour,odour, taste, EC, TDS, TH, turbidity, bicarbonate, phosphate, nitrate, Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+, Cl-& SO42-as well as heavy metal concentrations heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Pb and Zn) of selected wells and borehole near textile industries in Ikorodu, Nigeria. The physicochemical parameters were analysed using standard methods by APHA, while heavy metals were analysedusing atomic absorption spectrometer (AAS). The pH of water from the boreholes and hand-dugwells ranged from 5.90 to 6.70. The well water had higher total hardness, calcium, magnesium, sulphate and chloride compared to the boreholes. Alkalinity in …

Recovery Of Metals From Electronic Waste By Reduction Melting Method, Pornpaitoon Laosombatthawee, Dawan Wiwattanadate, Sujarinee Kotchawattana

Applied Environmental Research

This study investigates application of the reduction melting method to recover metals fromelectronic wastes. The study began with determination of the optimal conditions for metal recovery from cathode ray tube (CRT) glass by melting under various conditions. The reco-very of metallic lead and lead oxide (PbO) remaining in the glass residues for each set of melting condition were compared. It was found that the optimal condition for metallic Pb recovery from the CRT glass was melting the glass at 1200oC for 1 hand then soaking at precipitation temperature of 500oC for 1-2 h. Under these conditions, recovery rates of metallic …

Perception And Communication Of Flood Risk: Lessons Learned About Thailand's Flood Crisis Of 2011, Suthirat Kittipongvises, Takashi Mino

Applied Environmental Research

Flooding remains a common environmental hazard worldwide, causing some of the most devastating natural disasters of the last century. This is why understanding public perception hasbecome such an important topic for policy makers concerned with flood risk management.This study investigated public perception of flooding events through analysis of risk communi-cation for Thailand's flood crisis in 2011. An online questionnaire was electronically distributed toresidents potentially affected by flooding in Bangkok. Results from 437 returned surveys indi-cate that Thai residents tend to display both cognitive and affective biases in their perceptions of flood risk. The majority of respondents believed the great flood …

Evaluation Of Chemotherapy Contamination Following The Implementation Of Closed System Transfer Devices, Warunsuda Sripakdee, Suphat Subongkot, Wannaporn Wattanawong, Saroch Onlaor

Applied Environmental Research

This studycompared thecontamination of the chemotherapeutic agent cyclophosphamide between using a conventional admixing procedure and closed system transfer devices (CSTDs). Surface wipes and urine samples were collected for two weeks before and two weeks after the CSTDs were used. The surface wipe samples were collected from critical areas in an aseptic dispensary unit and a chemotherapy patient care unit. The urine samples were collected from healthcare workers. Contamination from cyclophosphamide in the surface wipe samples was detected in fewer areas following the implementation of CSTDs. The mediancyclophospha-mide concentration in aseptic dispensary unit areas following the usage of CSTDs was significantlylower …

Approximation Of Fire-Return Intervals With Point Samples In The Southern Range Of The Coast Redwood Forest, California, Usa, Gregory Jones, Will Russell

Faculty Publications, Environmental Studies

A legacy of past fires is evident in the form of blackened basal hollows found throughout the southern range of the coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens [D. Don] Endl.) forest.  A deeper look reveals cambial scars dating back centuries, telling a story of low- to moderate-intensity fires that burned periodically across California’s Central Coast bioregion.  While attempts have been made to reconstruct the fire history of this forest type, estimates of the fire-return interval vary widely, and the relationship of the fire-return interval to varying cultural influences is not fully understood.  We analyzed 373 fire scars from 70 cross-sections removed from …

Dispersal: A Multidisciplinary Investigation Of Plant Life, Alexandra E. Arzt

Theses and Dissertations

Using plants as a basis for exploring the interstices between the human and nonhuman, this thesis investigates ideas of awareness, intelligence, deep time, animism, and the fluctuating human perception of the agency of Nature. It outlines environmental art practices since the 1950s involving vegetal life. In addition, the paper provides a critical analysis of plant perception of Jakob von Uexküll’s work and theories of vital materialism and “critical plant studies” while noting recent studies in plant neurobiology. In my work, plants become active participants via their movement, seeding, and smell. This study takes the form of imitation, purposeful symbiosis, anthropomorphism, …

Expanding Eco-Visualization: Sculpting Corn Production, Jennifer E. Figg

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation expands upon the definition of eco-visualization artwork. EV was originally defined in 2006 by Tiffany Holmes as a way to display the real time consumption statistics of key environmental resources for the goal of promoting ecological literacy. I assert that the final forms of EV artworks are not necessarily dependent on technology, and can differ in terms of media used, in that they can be sculptural, video-based, or static two-dimensional forms that communicate interpreted environmental information. There are two main categories of EV: one that is predominantly screen-based and another that employs a variety of modes of representation …

The Damaging Effects Of Climate Change Denial, Richard Snow, Mary Snow

Publications

It has been said that those who are denying climate change are like the ostrich that sticks her head in the sand, but is this analogy entirely accurate? By hiding from the threat, does the ostrich make the threat go away, mitigate it, or make it greater? Probably, she does not. However, denying the existence of climate change does exacerbate the problem and exponentially so. As the renowned British economist Nicholas Stern reports, the longer world leaders wait to take serious action to curtail climate change, the more it will cost. As the Chair of the Grantham Research Institute on …

A New Approach To Climate Change: A Consideration Of Ancillary Benefits In Linking Regional Permit Trading Systems, William H. Meyer

Honors Theses and Capstones

In this paper, I investigate the economic efficiency of two major approaches to greenhouse gas reduction, and evaluate their respective benefits. First, I trace the path of action and thinking on addressing climate change from a global to a regional level. Second, I consider the major economic benefits of having a globally-integrated greenhouse gas abatement system. Third, I consider the economic benefits of regional approaches to climate change, with a focus on the ancillary benefits from greenhouse gas abatement. I conclude by reviewing the challenges to linking regional abatement systems into a cohesive network, and suggest a potential future approach …

Weed Women, All Night Vigils, And The Secret Life Of Plants: Negotiated Epistemologies Of Ethnogynecological Plant Knowledge In American History, Claudia Jeanne Ford

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This dissertation critiques the discourse of traditional ecological knowledge described as embedded in indigenous peoples' longevity in location, for the purpose of understanding the embodiment of ecological knowledge in culture. The aim of this research is to examine the historical and epistemic complexity of traditional ecological knowledge that may be both established from the length of time people reside in a specific ecosystem and constitutive of negotiations between and among different cultures. I choose the specific case of the negotiation of plant knowledge for women's reproductive health among Native, African, and European groups as those negotiations unfolded on the American …

Neo-Homesteading In The Adirondack North Country: Crafting A Durable Landscape, Brett R. Mcleod

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This study uses action research as a tool to present an alternative model for reconstructing and promoting a resilient and durable rural landscape in the Adirondack-North Country of northern New York State. Standing in sharp contrast to traditional rural sustainability strategies that repeatedly focus on economic development or capital infusion as the sole means of revitalization, this research suggests a nested, bottom-up approach that capitalizes on the region’s diverse and burgeoning population of neo-homesteaders. This dissertation argues that, collectively, neo-homesteaders serve as an important catalyst in the construction of durable communities, and the promotion of working landscapes at the bioregional …

Leadership For Social Change: Illuminating The Life Of Dr. Helen Caldicott, Leah Hanes

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This dissertation is a biographical study of the life of Dr. Helen Caldicott that details her life and work over the years from 1997 to 2014. The history of her significant role in the end of the Cold War and her influence in public opinion regarding nuclear power and nuclear arms has been well-documented through many books, films, and articles as well as her own autobiography up to this twenty-year-period. My study will help to fill the gap in her most recent life. In particular, I will explore the impact of her activism on society and her personal life in …

Ramapough/Ford The Impact And Survival Of An Indigenous Community In The Shadow Of Ford Motor Company’S Toxic Legacy, Chuck Stead

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the history of the Ford Motor Company’s impact upon the Ramapo Watershed of New York and New Jersey, as well as upon the Ramapough Munsi Nation, an indigenous population living there. In a 25 year span the automaker produced a record number of vehicles and dumped a massive amount of lead paint, leaving behind a toxic legacy that continues to plaque the area and its residents. The Ramapough people are not unlike many native nations living in the United States who have experienced industrial excess. This study examines the mindset that allows …

Smart Partnerships: How Higher Education Institutions Can Enhance The Capacity Of The Un To Govern The Global Commons, Melissa Goodall

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This dissertation explores how partnerships between UN agencies and higher education institutions (HEIs) can enhance governance of the global commons. Unique attributes that HEIs have to offer in this regard include collaboration on development and dissemination of knowledge, the ability to design and test new technologies and systems, and the capacity to develop analytically rigorous research and evaluation. Many HEIs also explore issues across scales, sectors, and disciplines, and can act as neutral fora to promote dialogue. And all are educating future citizens and leaders. With the aim of highlighting the mutual value of partnerships between the UN and HEIs …

The Bioscience-Industrial Complex, Radical Materialist Aesthetics, And Interspecies Political Ecologies: The Unforeseen Posthuman Future In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein And Margaret Atwood's Maddaddam Trilogy, Sarah Sydney Lane

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This project traces how Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Margaret Atwood’s MaddAddam Trilogy, science fiction novels from the Romantic and contemporary literary periods respectively, contest the problematic relationships between subjecthood, science, ecological health, and patriarchal, capitalist societies by crafting radical materialist alternatives to such a system and its dualistic and destructive interpersonal/interspecies relations. Through the theoretical framework of ecofeminism that recognizes the conceptual linkages between women and nature in Western systems of thought, as well as psychoanalytical feminist critiques of the masculinization of scientific epistemology, this project examines the developmental and ontological overlaps between literary “masculine” and “scientific” subjects socialized under …

A Critical Review Of Ontario’S Blue Box Program: Identifying And Testing Best Practices In Printed Paper And Packaging Recycling, Calvin Lakhan

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This dissertation undertook a critical review of four recycling policies used in Ontario which are designed to promote household waste diversion and reduce material management costs. These policies include:

1) Municipal funding should be directly tied to program performance relative to their peer group. 2) All municipalities should make investments in recycling promotion and education, and will be reimbursed $1 per household for all recycling promotion and education expenditures

3) Where possible, municipalities should implement pay as you throw schemes for household waste as a means to minimize the amount of material being disposed of in the waste stream.

4) …

Nurturing The Aesthetic: Learning To Care For The Environment In A Waldorf School, Melissa A. Grella

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The purpose of the study was to explore the aesthetic foundation of the Waldorf pedagogy in order to understand how art and aesthetic experiences may develop care toward the environment. A form of humanistic education developed by Rudolf Steiner in the early twentieth century, Waldorf education is a learning model envisioned as a framework for moral education. Waldorf education is known for its intentional use of art and aesthetic experience as well as its focus on developmentally appropriate curriculum and teaching methods. As in other forms of holistic education, Waldorf educators focus on the head, heart and hand of every …

Participatory Conservation Of Coastal Habitats: The Importance Of Understanding Homeowner Decision Making To Mitigate Cascading Shoreline Degradation, Steven B. Scyphers, Steven J. Picou, Sean P. Powers

University Faculty and Staff Publications

Along densely populated coasts, the armoring of shorelines is a prevalent cause of natural habitat loss and degradation. This article explores the values and decision making of waterfront homeowners and identifies two interlinked and potentially reversible drivers of coastal degradation. We discovered that: (1) misperceptions regarding the environmental impacts and cost-effectiveness of different shoreline conditions was common and may promote armoring; and (2) many homeowners reported only altering their shorelines in response to damage caused by armoring on neighboring properties. Collectively, these findings suggest that a single homeowner’s decision may trigger cascading degradation along a shoreline, which highlights the necessity …