Environmental Studies Commons^™

Foreclosures For Sale: Revisiting Stories Of Worcester's Mortgage Crisis, A Radio Documentary, Hallie Blashfield, Beatrice Misher

Sustainability and Social Justice

This radio documentary uses the personal stories of homeowners fighting to keep their homes in Worcester Massachusetts to explore the state of Foreclosure in Worcester ten years after the Great Recession. It follows the Worcester Anti-Foreclosure Team (WAFT) and its members in their fight against illegal foreclosures and their battles in Worcester Housing Court. Grounded in personal narratives, the documentary highlights systemic issues with the banking and legal system.

Saying "No" To (The) Oxygen Capital? Amenity Migration, Counter-Territorialization, And Uneven Rural Landscape Change In The Kaz Dağları (Ida Mountains) Of Western Turkey, Patrick T. Hurley, Yılmaz Arı

Environment and Sustainability Faculty Publications

Diverse forms of conservation and development are transforming the material landscapes and related livelihoods of communities in rural places around the world. While many studies focus on changing protected area governance and ecotourism efforts associated with nature protection, other studies focus on residential development in areas experiencing amenity migration. We use a comparative political ecology approach that draws on key insights from the political ecology literature, first, on neoliberal protected area expansion, and, second, on exurbia that highlight the dynamics of competing rural capitalisms and reterritorialization in areas experiencing amenity migration to explore these coupled conservation and development dynamics. Drawing …

Building A Sense Of Community: A Case Study Of The Fairmount Neighborhood In Woonsocket, Rhode Island, Bethany Yeo

Sustainability and Social Justice

This thesis study examines the relative sense of community by isolating key factors that contribute to a sense of community: social trust, identity, and bridging/social cohesion. It also analyzes the relationship, if any, between these three factors and the built environment. Data was collected from 107 archived community impact measurement surveys from NeighborWorks Blackstone River Valley. The results show that residents experienced a lack of sense of community despite the built environment although results were not significant.

Social Justice In Outdoor Experiential Education: A Literature Analysis Of K-12 Outdoor Education Programs In The United States, Digby Kalert

Sustainability and Social Justice

Historically, the field of outdoor experiential education (OEE) has been exclusionary and has primarily served white middle- and upper-middle class male populations. Scholars have called for research on how to address issues of social justice in the field for decades, and leaders are finally making steps toward becoming more inclusive. Through a secondary analysis of empirical studies on OEE, this paper examines how the field has modified its focus towards minority populations in K-12 OEE programs in the United States and provides recommendations for practitioners of OEE. There is evidence of an increase in studies on how OEE is perceived …

Evaluating Climate Change Policy Through The Endangered Species Act, Richie Donahou

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research sets out to address a growing knowledge gap of climate change science in regards to the state of Arkansas. Within the coming chapters, the goal of this research is to examine climate data and to identify if any evidence of climate change can be detected and what are the policies in place to adapt to these potential changes. Furthermore, the scope of this research will be narrowed to a few counties over the southwest Arkansas, and a specific endangered species, the Leopard Darter. Upon examination of previous environmental and ecological climate change related research it became clear that …

Bird Hazard Mitigation Training For General Aviation Pilots - A Prospective Research Study, Flavio A. C. Mendonca, Thomas Q. Carney

Publications

• General aviation industry
• 446,000 aircraft worldwide
• 211,000 in the U.S.
• Supports $219 billion in total economic output and 1.1 million jobs in the U.S
• Flies approximately 25 million flight hours (U.S.)
• Flies to more than 5,000 public airports
• Primary training ground for most commercial airline pilots

Tools And Methods In Participatory Modeling: Selecting The Right Tool For The Job, Alexey Voinov, Karen Jenni, Steven Gray, Nagesh Kolagani, Pierre D. Glynn, Pierre Bommel, Christina Prell, Moira Zellner, Michael Paolisso, Rebecca Jordan, Eleanor J. Sterling, Laura Schmitt Olabisi, Philippe J. Giabbanelli, Zhanli Sun, Christophe Le Page, Sondoss Elsawah, Todd K. Bendor, Klaus Hubacek, Bethany Laursen, Antoine J. Jetter, Laura Basco-Carrera, Alison Singer, Laura Young, Jessica Brunacini, Alex Smajgl

Engineering and Technology Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Various tools and methods are used in participatory modelling, at different stages of the process and for different purposes. The diversity of tools and methods can create challenges for stakeholders and modelers when selecting the ones most appropriate for their projects. We offer a systematic overview, assessment, and categorization of methods to assist modelers and stakeholders with their choices and decisions. Most available literature provides little justification or information on the reasons for the use of particular methods or tools in a given study. In most of the cases, it seems that the prior experience and skills of the modelers …

The Impact Of World War One On The Forests And Soils Of Europe, Drew Heiderscheidt

Ursidae: The Undergraduate Research Journal at the University of Northern Colorado

The First World War was one of the deadliest conflicts in human history thus far. With the human toll being over eight million deaths, and millions more wounded, and as such it has taken hold in peoples imaginations for over a hundred years. However, one overlooked impact of the war is the environmental impact it had. The forests of Europe were significantly changed, going from being diverse ecosystems pre-war to monocultures after the war, dominated by single species of trees. The soil was also affected, more heavily in some places, becoming contaminated with heavy metals, as well as becoming entirely …

Residential Zoning And Near-Roadway Air Pollution: An Analysis Of Los Angeles, C. J. Gabbe

Environmental Studies and Sciences

Air pollution from motor vehicles harms the health of those who live near freeways and other high-traffic roads. Land use regulations may permit, prohibit, or impose special conditions on housing near major roadways. This paper answers two questions: First, how is residential development near major roadways regulated? Second, how common are zoning changes near major roadways, and what factors explain these changes? This paper compares the zoning designations of near-roadway parcels with others in the city, and uses two sets of logistic regression models to analyze near-roadway zoning. The results show that residential development is permitted on most near-roadway parcels, …

Conflict Sensitivity And Conservation: Evaluating Design, Implementation & Practice, Amanda S. Woomer

Doctor of International Conflict Management Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the use of a conflict sensitivity framework in supporting environmental conservation work. Employing an action research methodology, it consists of a multi-phase evaluation of the design and implementation of Conservation International’s (CI) Environmental Peacebuilding Training Manual. Through needs assessment, formative evaluation, and outcome evaluation phases, the dissertation explores questions related to what conflicts conservation practitioners face; what form a relevant, accessible, and effective conflict sensitivity framework might take; and what effect such a framework might have on the knowledge, attitudes, capacities, and actions of conservation practitioners. The findings indicate that conservation practitioners face a variety of conflicts …

Permanent Housing And On-Site Nursing Care: Effects On Homeless Individuals With Hiv And Other Cormorbidities, Lynelle Hinden

Dissertations

Abstract

Problem. Providing housing to otherwise homeless individuals who are HIV/AIDS-positive has been demonstrated to improve control of the disease. This was a healthcare quality initiative to review the viral load and Cluster of Differentiation Protein Four positive (CD4+) counts over time of residents in an urban housing facility for HIV/AIDS-positive individuals. Also, a nurse-run clinic was introduced for residents, especially those with comorbidities such as hypertension and diabetes.

Methods. A repeated measures design was utilized. Viral loads and CD4+ counts were retrospectively reviewed from facility records at entrance into and five-years later at the facility. Additionally, measurements of blood …

Forewarned Is Forearmed: Review Of Curbing Catastrophe: Natural Hazards And Risk Reduction In The Modern World By Timothy H. Dixon (2017), Jason Makansi

Numeracy

Timothy H. Dixon. 2017. Curbing Catastrophe: Natural Hazards and Risk Reduction in the Modern World. (New York, NY: Cambridge University Press) 300 pp. ISBN 978-1108113663.

Curbing Catastrophe for the most part lives up to what is claimed in the foreword: “…a compelling account of recent and historical disasters, both natural and human-caused, drawing on common themes and providing a holistic understanding of hazards, disasters, and mitigation for anyone interested in this important and topical subject.” This is a pretty thorough treatment of an extraordinarily complex subject, and the gaps identified in this review should be considered explications more than …

Exploring Sustainability Through Campus Landscapes, Abbie Winter, Dalton Stewart

Student Project Reports

No abstract provided.

Natural Resource Condition Assessment, Scotts Bluff National Monument, Reilly R. Dibner, Nicole Korfanta, Gary Beauvais, Jonathan Bowler, Kit Freedman, Kelli C. Trujillo, Victoria H. Zero

United States National Park Service: Publications

Executive Summary

In collaboration with the National Park Service, the University of Wyoming Ruckelshaus Institute of Environment and Natural Resources and the Wyoming Natural Diversity Database completed the Natural Resource Condition Assessment (NRCA) for Scotts Bluff National Monument (NM). The purpose of the NRCA is to provide park leaders and resource managers with information on resource conditions to support near-term planning and management, long-term strategic planning, and effective science communication to decision-makers and the public.

Scotts Bluff NM was established in 1919. The purposes of the park include protecting and preserving the Mitchell Pass portion of the Oregon Trail and …

"Waste Is Not Just Waste Anymore": Deconstructing The Relationship Between Sustainable Waste Prevention And Individual Socio-Demographic Characteristics (The Juxtaposition Of Ushongo Mtoni Village And Moshi Urban, Tanzania), Mahalia Smith

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

I am going to tell you a story about humans — their lives, livelihoods, environments, and their individual relationships to sustainable waste prevention. As developing countries, such as Tanzania experience economic growth, waste overflow and proper waste disposal become even more arduous challenges. Thus, it is becoming increasingly important to explore sustainable solutions such as waste prevention. Through conducting semi-structured interviews in two distinctly unique locations, Moshi Urban of the Kilimanjaro Region and Ushongo Village on the coast of Tanga Region, Tanzania, I explored how levels of awareness and involvement in sustainable waste prevention practices, specifically reducing, reusing, and recycling, …

Waste Stream And Green Purchasing Analysis At Bonneville Lock And Dam, Alexander Bienko

Environmental Science and Management Professional Master's Project Reports

The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Portland District, has jurisdiction on three locks and four dams in the Columbia River basin. These sites "contribute to a water resource management system that provides flood risk management, power generation, water quality improvement, fish and wildlife habitat and recreation on the Columbia River and some of its tributaries". The Bonneville Lock and Dam (Bonneville Project) site lies on the Columbia River approximately 40 miles east from Portland, Oregon. Portions of the site have been declared a National Historic Landmark, from its origins in President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal program from …

When Packaged Food Pollutes Our Body And Earth: Plastic Packaged Food Consumption And Waste Disposal Practices In The Himalayas, Jared Marsh, Jessica Shalvey

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The purpose of our field study project is to examine current waste disposal practices and food preferences in rural Himalayan agricultural communities and to communicate the results, as well as our own outside research, to the villagers in Sikkim. We hope to promote safe disposal practices of packaged plastic, to offer responsible alternatives to packaged waste disposal, and to encourage the consumption of organic, homegrown food for all ages to benefit both human and environmental well-being.

Sediment Deposition Within Two Thalassia Testudinum Seagrass Sites In Boca Del Drago, Bocas Del Toro Archipelago, Panamá, Alexander De Jesus

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Research Question

Does sediment deposition and composition differ between front and back areas of Thalassia testudinum seagrass beds within two sites on the coast of Boca del Drago, and do these two distinct sites have differences in relative seagrass density and above-ground biomass?

Research Objective

Understand how sediment deposition and sediment composition compare between front and back seagrass areas within two Thalassia testudinum seagrass meadows on the coast of Boca del Drago, and whether the density and above-ground biomass of seagrass identified in each of these two distinct sites also differs.

Effect Of Informal Settlements On Water Quality, Catherine Achieng Olang, Dwaha Ali Daud, Gouri Raja Gopal

The International Student Science Fair 2018

ABSTRACT

Businesses and other informal settlements have said to be the key of polluters of the Kabuthi River. The population pollutes streams of water, especially Kabuthi River by disposing waste into the rivers. This makes the water unsafe for domestic use by the big slums populations that has to buy water for drinking, cooking, washing clothes and feeding animals yet there is a stream that passes by their homes. The settlements include Gachui, Kwanjiku, Mutuini, Kirigu,Mutego and Waithaka among others.

The study was also set out to establish the key polluters of Kabuthi River by investigating the activities the river …

Baylee Ritter: Oceans To Cross

DePaul Magazine

DePaul communications student Baylee Ritter has been a champion of environmental preservation, particularly as it relates to the world's oceans. An activist throughout her young life, she developed programs to dispose of medications in a way that would not contaminate the environment, served on the Sea World and Busch Gardens Youth Advisory Council and spoke before the U.N. General Assembly about ocean pollution.

Unearthing The Truth About (Dirt) Soil

DePaul Magazine

A multifaceted article that looks at soil and its relationship to agriculture and urban farming, mitigating food deserts, climate change and public health.

The Effects Of The Nepal Community Forestry Program On Biodiversity Conservation And Carbon Storage, Harisharan Luintel, Randall Bluffstone, Robert M. Scheller

Economics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Approximately 15.5% of global forest is controlled by ~1 billion local people and the area under community control is increasing. However, there is limited empirical evidence as to whether community control is effective in providing critical global ecosystem services, such as biodiversity conservation and carbon storage. We assess the effectiveness of one example of community-controlled forest, Nepal’s Community Forestry Program (CFP), at providing biodiversity conservation and carbon storage. Using data from 620 randomly selected CFP and non-CFP forest plots, we apply a robust matching method based on covariates to estimate whether CFPs are associated with greater biodiversity conservation or carbon …

Removal Of Pb2+ Ions From Consuming Water Using A Fabricated Water Filter For Home Use, Pantaree Sodkhoksoong, Papidchaya Chanpong, Thunyarus Rodsawatchuchoke

The International Student Science Fair 2018

Lead contamination in water is one of the worldwide concerned environmental problems. For example, lead leaking from pipe corrosion and solder has been found contaminated in consuming water in many U.S. areas. The uncontrolled release of effluents containing lead from various industries has also caused lead-contaminated water in Thailand. Exposing to lead-contaminated water can lead to serious symptoms (e.g. fatigue, headaches, abdominal pain, irritability, depression, and seizures) or even death. Therefore, the elimination of lead ions (Pb²⁺) from consuming water or from effluents before releasing into the environment is necessary. The selection of adsorbents and the fabrication of …

Complete Issue

Landscapes: the Journal of the International Centre for Landscape and Language

The complete issue 1 of volume 8, Landscapes Journal.

Large Scale Climate Oscillation Impacts On Temperature, Precipitation And Land Surface Phenology In Central Asia, Kirsten M. De Beurs, Geoffrey Henebry, Braden C. Owsley, Irina N. Sokolik

GSCE Faculty Publications

Central Asia has been rapidly changing in multiple ways over the past few decades. Increases in temperature and likely decreases in precipitation in Central Asia as the result of global climate change are making one of the most arid regions in the world even more susceptible to large-scale droughts. Global climate oscillations, such as the El Ni ̃no–Southern Oscillation, have previously been linked to observed weather patterns in Central Asia. However, until now it has been unclear how the different climate oscillations act simultaneously to affect the weather and subsequently the vegetated land surface in Central Asia.We fit well-established land …

Book Review: Fundamentals Of International Aviation, Alan Bender

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

Not applicable.

Literature Review: Hydropower And Iceland's Environment, Olivia Villamagna

Student Works

This paper seeks to answer the question: To what extent do hydropower plants affect the surrounding environment? Through a literature review and personal accounts found on blogs and website articles, there were many conclusions that came from this research. A review of the literature indicated that use of hydropower influences the ecology around the plant. The power plant’s redirection of the river's water flow and reservoir submergence cause many problems for the surrounding environments. Hydropower plants can change the landscape due to the fact that the water they use is no longer providing the right nutrients to the previously flourishing …

Preventative Capital Study (Cache County), Arthur J. Caplan, Ramjee Acharya

Browse all Datasets

We address the issue of optimal investment in “preventative capital” to mitigate episodic, mobile-source air pollution events. We calibrate Berry et al.'s (2015) endogenous-risk model using a unique dataset related to "red air day" episodes occurring in Northern Utah over the past decade. Our analysis demonstrates that, under a wide range of circumstances, the optimal steady-state level of preventative capital stock – raised through the issuance of a municipal “clean air bond” that funds more aggressive mitigation efforts – can meet the standard for PM2.5 concentrations with positive social net benefits. We estimate benefit-cost ratios ranging between 0.9:1 and 2.2:1, …

Darwin And Dunya: Muslim Responses To Darwinian Evolution, Daniel Varisco Ph.D.

Journal of International and Global Studies

Darwin’s theory of evolution caused considerable controversy among conservative Christians, but his ideas were not immediately available to Muslims. The first Arabic excerpts of Darwin’s work were made in 1876 by a Syrian Christian who was influenced by pro-creationist Protestant missionaries. This article provides a brief historical overview of the debate among Muslim scholars about Darwin’s theory of evolution. The range of reactions to Darwinian evolution in the Muslim world has included that of traditionalist scholars, who adhere to medieval views of a flat earth, to that of Western-trained Muslim scientists who see no contradiction between Darwinian evolution and Islamic …

The Nuclear Weapons Prohibition Treaty And The Paradox Of Japan’S Nuclear Identity, Daisuke Akimoto Ph.D.

Journal of International and Global Studies

On 7 July 2017, the “Nuclear Weapons Prohibition Treaty” (NWPT) to ban nuclear weapons in general was adopted in the United Nations General Assembly. The Japanese government, however, voted against the NWPT while insisting on its own resolution plan to facilitate global nuclear elimination. This paper examines Japan’s nuclear identity with regard to the legal prohibition of nuclear weapons, especially the NWPT. Why did the Japanese government vote against the NWPT despite the fact that Japan is the sole state to have ever suffered nuclear bombing in war? With a view to providing multiple perspectives regarding this simple but important …