Environmental Studies Commons^™

Interview: Implementing A “Sense Of Place” Pedagogy In The Valley Of Alagón, Spain

The International Journal of Ecopsychology (IJE)

No abstract provided.

Exordium: Lost Words, Lost Worlds

The International Journal of Ecopsychology (IJE)

Brunold-Conesa, C. (2022). Lost Words, Lost Nature: A Dictionary's Controversial Choices. Montessori Life: The Official Blog and Magazine of the American Montessori Society, Wednesday, September 07, 2022. https://amshq.org/Blog/2022-09-07-Lost-Words-Lost-Nature

Book Review: Jared Farmer's (2022) Elderflora: A Modern History Of Ancient Trees. Ny: Basic Books.

The International Journal of Ecopsychology (IJE)

No abstract provided.

Poem: Adrienne Rich's (1955) "Ideal Landscape"

The International Journal of Ecopsychology (IJE)

No abstract provided.

Dirt, Ground And Groundedness: Material Semiotics And Social Anchors Of The Real And Truth In The Modernist Imaginary

The International Journal of Ecopsychology (IJE)

What makes the ground (earth, dirt, soil) the axial point of reference for modern subjectivity? In this paper, I explore the semiotics of the ground and the complex ways modern subjectivity sets a performative frame around association/disassociation with dirt. From the hygiene hypothesis and the problematic of modern existence and the lack of understanding of the good of dirt for the immune system to the ontology of being real in grounded theory, how we posit our connection to the ground can inform us of the way that we seek to anchor our place in the world. In this anchoring to …

Psychenatur: Selfing And Naturing

The International Journal of Ecopsychology (IJE)

Insofar as our sense of and appreciation of “nature aesthetics” is both culturally biased and subjectively determined (given our agentic proclivities and/or actual degrees of freedom), and while taking the more inclusive perspective that, objectively so, ‘nature’ are all the processes seen and unseen that existed, now exist, and will exist, from the infinitesimally small to those of cosmic proportions, and, that whatever we mean by a singular “self” stands, in reality, for a multiplicity of self-other and self-otherness references (i.e., intersectionality during the entire life of a given individual—see Fig. 3), then all characterizations easily or convolutely described …

Artist's Corner: Isabel Cidoncha

The International Journal of Ecopsychology (IJE)

No abstract provided.

[2023 Winner] The Removal Of Beach Flats Community Garden: A Case Of Environmental Racism, Melissa June Boose, Alexandra De La Cruz Reyes, Palia Vang, Nizhoni Hawthorne

Ethnic Studies Research Paper Award

The Removal of Beach Flats Community Garden: A Case of Environmental Racism is a podcast that details the plight of the Latinx community in the Santa Cruz County area of the Beach Flats. The community reclaimed an abandoned plot of land over 25 years that was being used for drug deals and prostitution. The community changed it into a community garden celebrating the various cultures from South America. The Seaside Corporation owns the land, which, despite not using it for years, decided in 2016 they would like to reclaim the land to pave a storage parking lot. This podcast details …

To Open A Clearing: Cultivating Spaces Of Endurance In The Upper Amazon, Brunno De Melo Meirelles Douat

Masters of Environmental Design Theses

To effectively challenge the policies of extraction implemented by late liberal regimes, the Waorani communities from Upper Amazon have devised spatial strategies to defend their traditional territory. By re-examining the concept of the contact zone and unfolding settler and Indigenous literature, spatialities, and worldviews, this thesis suggests the concept of forest Clearings as a means to explore spatial forms of endurance.

Clearings emerge within the Amazon in sites where encounters between divergent worldviews embody otherwise modes of existence. Through a series of fieldwork reflections, these Clearings are perceived as spaces where ontological negotiations are more likely to occur, strategies of …

Operation Summer Care: Territories Of The Stewardship-Hospitality Complex, George Papamattheakis

Masters of Environmental Design Theses

Operation Summer Care studies the expanding interest that the hospitality industry takes in the biogeophysical environment. Natural surroundings have long been an essential operational precondition of tourism in the global sunbelt, but contemporary environmental anxieties increasingly motivate different strata of hosts to take a more active role in environmental management. Usually the domain of the state, biogeophysical entities and their spaces—plants and animals, sand formations, wetlands, entire ecosystems and protected areas—are measured, ordered, and managed by actors adjacent to the tourism industry. At the same time, the socio-technical mechanisms of environmental intervention and calculation are conveniently framed as practices of …

Coming To Peace In The Presence Of Wild Things: A Personal Exploration Of The Intersections Of The Environment And Faith, Hampton T. Randall

Student Scholarship

From a young age, I have felt the power that certain places have over me. Some made me feel an overwhelming sense of awe, some freedom, and some made me feel depths of peace unknown like Wendell Berry describes in the poem above. Considering my natural restlessness, a disposition that has been there since birth, the fact these places invoke a feeling of peace that washes over me speaks volumes to their power.

It wasn’t until college that I truly recognized this power of place, but since learning that fact I have sought its connection. A professor of mine gave …

Tempers Rising: The Effect Of Heat On Spite, Jake C. Cosgrove

Master's Theses

The relationship between heat and harmful outcomes is well documented, with research connecting various adverse economic outcomes to the climate. In the presence of increasing global warming and climate change, understanding why the climate leads to negative economic outcomes is essential for forming peaceful institutions of the future. We study how behavioral economic outcomes change in the presence of heat through a lab experiment involving 1,110 observations conducted in five different countries. This paper specifically focuses on the social preference outcome of spite. We find that increased time exposure to the treatment effect of heat is required to elicit an …

Understanding The Drivers Of Meat Consumption In Norway: An Exploration Of Environmental And Sociocultural Factors, Paul Wilhite

Master's Theses

This thesis focuses on meat consumption in Norway and issues needed to be addressed if it is to be reduced. This thesis aims to explore the sociocultural and environmental factors influencing meat consumption in Norway, a country known for its high per capita consumption of meat. By examining the historical, cultural, and economic contexts of meat consumption in Norway as well as the environmental impacts and ethical considerations associated with meat production and consumption, this thesis seeks to provide a nuanced understanding of the drivers of meat consumption in Norway. Following a brief outline of how these issues are to …

Positive Out Of The Negative: Tracking Renewable Energy Projects In Central America, Jordan Ethan Castillo (Miner)

Master's Theses

Central America is undertaking a vast Renewable Energy (RE) transition, due to widespread investments across the region in an array of technologies. These technologies include Community Solar, Wind, and Hydroelectricity. Hydroelectricity has long been the backbone of many countries’ energy grids in the region due to the region’s long history with hydroelectricity. Ambitious climate goals coupled with diminishing hydroelectric power generation opportunities have led to an expansion of investment in Community Solar and Wind energy. The embrace of Solar and Wind has been accelerated due to declining costs for these technologies as they mature. Central America as a case study …

In Quest Of A Shared Planet: Negotiating Climate From The Global South, Naveeda Khan

Literary Studies

Based on the author’s eight years of fieldwork with the United Nations-led Conference of Parties (COP), In Quest of a Shared Planet offers an illuminating first-person ethnographic perspective on climate change negotiations. Focusing on the Paris Agreement, anthropologist Naveeda Khan introduces readers to the only existing global approach to the problem of climate change, one that took nearly thirty years to be collectively agreed upon. She shares her detailed descriptions of COP21 to COP25 and growing understanding of the intricacies of the climate negotiation process, leading her to ask why countries of the Global South invested in this slow-moving process …

The Influence Of The Built Environment On The Community Participation Of Adults Aging With Long-Term Physical Disabilities: A Mixed Methods Approach, Rachel H. Desai

WUSM Theses and Dissertations – All Programs

Adults living with a long-term physical disability experience difficulties living independently and participating in the community as they age. A combination of personal (e.g., fatigue) and environmental (e.g., transportation accessibility) factors influence these restrictions in participation. The impact of the built environment is a key aspect to consider when understanding community participation restrictions for adults aging with long-term physical disabilities (AAwPD) because these factors are often more modifiable. However, the processes by which the built environment impacts AAwPD are not well understood. Interventions targeting these factors to address the community participation needs of AAwPD are limited.

Research informing community-based organizations …

The Role Of Social Media Activism In Achieving Good Water And Sanitation In Ghana, Inusah Mohammed

Communication ETDs

This thesis examined the role of social media activism in ensuring good water and sanitation in Ghana. The study conducted a thematic analysis of Facebook posts (403) from March 2020 to December 2022 and found seven themes on how social activists are presenting issues concerning water and sanitation in Ghana. The study also found outcomes of the activism and also found theoretical implications of activism on social media usage in Ghana.

Eco-Interoception: What Plants, Fungi And Protista Have Taught My Body, Sara Riley Dotterer

Art Theses and Dissertations

To me, ecology is the relational, full-body awareness that I am made up of and deeply connected to everything around me; and for better or worse, this is reciprocal. I form ecotones, an ecological transitional zone between two ecosystems, with the world around me. I use this ecotonal lens to blur binaries and dissolve boundaries between me and the world “outside my body.” During my Masters of Fine Arts at Southern Methodist University, I have continuously explored and represented the lives of various more-than-human species outside of my body, including plants, fungi and protista through an ecotonal lens. Although these …

Connecting Social And Ecological Systems In Small-Scale Fisheries In The Philippines, Sara Eisler Marriott

Dissertations

Nearly 50% of all marine fish capture in the Philippines is from artisanal fisheries, most of which is un- or under-reported. As in many emerging nations around the world, the Philippines cannot fully address overfishing by managing only half of the catch that comes from commercial fisheries. Marine reserves are a popular governance strategy for conservation and of growing interest for fisheries management. Many marine reserves in the Philippines, however, are not considered effective. In 2014, Rare, an international NGO, implemented a community-based management program to increase the effectiveness of the marine reserves, and while it found biomass increased, there …

Approaches And Tools To Solving Complex Problems In Private Land Conservation, John T. Curnyn

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

The central theme throughout my four portfolio pieces is: approaches and tools that can be used to address complex problems involving private land conservation. I consider the broader human and environmental community health to be factors in successful private land conservation. The first portfolio piece examines a number of studies of conservation easements implemented to improve water quality, as well as their utility in avoiding land use conflict. My second portfolio piece is a reflective paper on my experience conducting a stakeholder assessment for the organization OneMontana. The assessment focused on creating a shared understanding of the issues related to …

A Potential Cure For Rheumatoid Arthritis: Traditional And Regenerative Medicine, Mia Calegari

Bryant University Undergraduate Journal

Poster displayed at REDay (Research and Engagement Day).

The Importance Of Wealth Management In High School Curriculums, Angela Baack

Bryant University Undergraduate Journal

Poster displayed at REDay (Research and Engagement Day).

Collage, Maggie Fodera

Bryant University Undergraduate Journal

Collage created for LCS 325 - Studies of the Book, taught by Valerie Carrigan. The assignment was to make a collage or series of collages that were at least 8" by 10". Students could make them abstract or realistic, and Professor Carrigan encouraged students to be creative in where students found pieces for the collages and what they did with them.

Collage, Jackie Prestininzi

Bryant University Undergraduate Journal

Collage created for LCS 325 - Studies of the Book, taught by Valerie Carrigan. The assignment was to make a collage or series of collages that were at least 8" by 10". Students could make them abstract or realistic, and Professor Carrigan encouraged students to be creative in where students found pieces for the collages and what they did with them.

Collage #2, Hazel Wilson

Bryant University Undergraduate Journal

Collage created for LCS 325 - Studies of the Book, taught by Valerie Carrigan. The assignment was to make a collage or series of collages that were at least 8" by 10". Students could make them abstract or realistic, and Professor Carrigan encouraged students to be creative in where students found pieces for the collages and what they did with them.

Collage #1, Megan Polun

Bryant University Undergraduate Journal

Collage created for LCS 325 - Studies of the Book, taught by Valerie Carrigan. The assignment was to make a collage or series of collages that were at least 8" by 10". Students could make them abstract or realistic, and Professor Carrigan encouraged students to be creative in where students found pieces for the collages and what they did with them.

Collage #1, Hazel Wilson

Bryant University Undergraduate Journal

Collage created for LCS 325 - Studies of the Book, taught by Valerie Carrigan. The assignment was to make a collage or series of collages that were at least 8" by 10". Students could make them abstract or realistic, and Professor Carrigan encouraged students to be creative in where students found pieces for the collages and what they did with them.

Collage #2, Megan Polun

Bryant University Undergraduate Journal

Collage created for LCS 325 - Studies of the Book, taught by Valerie Carrigan. The assignment was to make a collage or series of collages that were at least 8" by 10". Students could make them abstract or realistic, and Professor Carrigan encouraged students to be creative in where students found pieces for the collages and what they did with them.

Ethics In U.S. Immigration, Christy Mak

Bryant University Undergraduate Journal

No abstract provided.

A Historical Examination Of Native American And European Agroforestry, Reed Bryant

Bryant University Undergraduate Journal

According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), “Agroforestry is the intentional integration of trees and shrubs into crop and animal farming systems to create environmental, economic, and social benefits. It has been practiced in the United States and around the world for centuries.” However, for many practitioners in the past, agroforestry was not simply an “integration of trees and shrubs into animal farming systems,” nor was it simply a means to produce foodstuffs. For them, agroforestry defined a way of life where trees were fixtures in the landscape which bore many life-giving gifts: fruits and nuts to eat, …