Environmental Studies Commons^™

Utah People And Environment Poll 2024/25 Descriptive Report, Jessica Schad, Sydney Fisk, Zubair Barkat

Utah People and Environment Poll (UPEP)

In spring of 2023, faculty and graduate students at Utah State University (USU) started the Utah People and Environment Poll, or UPEP, to survey adult Utah residents about their perceptions on environmental issues of importance to the state. From November 2024 to January 2025 the second iteration of the survey was conducted. While some questions remained the same, others were added to account for new interests of the team and emergent environmental issues of interest.

"War In Kyrgyzstan And Tajikistan: Freshwater Scarcity And The Path To Peace", Ava Janelle Leonard

Senior Theses

As climate change intensifies, its effects on the natural environment are becoming increasingly visible. Glaciers are melting, sea levels are rising, and extreme weather events are becoming more frequent. This transformation of the environment threatens access to natural resources, limits economic growth, and increases the vulnerability of a nation’s ecological, political, and social stability. Freshwater is one of the most essential natural resources. This paper addresses how inadequate access to freshwater in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan has impacted stability within and across borders. Chapter one introduces freshwater as a limited resource, highlighting how the scarcity of it threatens environmental sustainability and …

Healing Our Relations Emergent Folk Art Creation Community Project For Cultural Healing And Reconciliation, Renna Fir

Expressive Therapies Theses

Settler colonial disconnection from place perpetuates ongoing harm to Indigenous communities, ecosystems, and cultural systems through extraction, displacement, and erasure. This community engagement project explores how communities can develop emergent cultural practices that acknowledge historical and ongoing harms while building toward repair and right relationship. Through a series of five participatory workshops combining movement, storytelling, and folk dance creation; seven community members and three culture bearers, understood as "elders" explored their relationship with place through embodied practice. The research utilized an anti-colonial arts-based methodology centered on community wisdom while documenting the process through multiple complementary methods. Findings demonstrate that folk …

"La Vida Es Un Carnaval": An Exploration Of Cuban Identity And Nostalgia Through Dance/Movement Therapy - A Community Engagement Project, Maria Fernanda Mendez Mendoza

Expressive Therapies Theses

“La Vida Es Un Carnaval” is a community engagement project and thesis that explores how identity and nostalgic resilience show up through dance/movement therapy with Cuban immigrants living in the United States, specifically Massachusetts. This project brought together six Cuban-born participants, ages 26 to 67, each with their own unique migration stories; from the Rafter Balsero Crisis of 1994, to the “Wet-Foot/Dry-Foot” policy, and family reunification. Through a mix of in-person and online sessions, participants explored their experiences using intermodal activities including dance/movement therapy techniques, conversation, journaling, artwork, and music. Themes of cultural pride, “Cubanía” – Cuban-ness, culture shock, and …

A Comparative Lifecycle Analysis Of The Ford Toyota Rav4 And Tesla Model Y, Nicholas R. Loughead

Sustainable Supply Chain Management

This report presents a comprehensive comparative lifecycle analysis of the Toyota RAV4, the best-selling internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle, and the Tesla Model Y, the best-selling electric vehicle (EV). The analysis evaluates each vehicle's environmental impact across all stages of its lifecycle: raw material extraction, manufacturing, use phase, and end-of-life. Key factors examined include greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption, and material sustainability, with special attention to battery production, vehicle efficiency, and recycling practices. By contrasting the emissions profiles and long-term sustainability of the RAV4 and Model Y, this report aims to assess whether electric vehicles offer a significantly lower environmental …

Green Logistics: A Brief Look At Cutting Carbon In Global Supply Chains, Maria F. Navarro

Sustainable Supply Chain Management

This chapter looks at how companies are making their supply chains more eco-friendly by using green logistics. It explains how businesses are trying to lower their carbon footprint by improving things like transportation, packaging, and warehouse operations. Some of the main strategies include using electric trucks, planning better delivery routes, and using less energy in storage. It also talks about how new technologies like AI and automation can help make logistics both smarter and more sustainable. Overall, the chapter shows that being environmentally responsible is becoming more important for companies around the world.

Closing The Loop: Dell Technologies And The Future Of E-Waste Management, Elijah M. Atkinson Mr.

Sustainable Supply Chain Management

The exponential growth of electronic waste—exceeding 50 million metric tons annually—poses a formidable challenge at the intersection of environmental sustainability, global equity, and corporate responsibility. This study critically examines Dell Technologies’ approach to circular economy implementation, with a focus on product modularity, ethical supply chain management, and reverse logistics infrastructure. Anchored in a comparative framework alongside Apple, HP, and Lenovo, the analysis evaluates the scalability, transparency, and material impact of Dell’s initiatives, including the Concept Luna prototype and the Dell Reconnect program. Findings underscore the structural shortcomings of voluntary corporate action in the absence of robust global regulation, consistent product …

Enhancing Water Supply Resilience & Sustainability: Potential Solutions To Address Water Scarcity In Bogotá, Colombia, Sophia Alvarez Wong

Master's Projects and Capstones

Municipal water utilities are in urgent need of adapting to the intensifying impacts of climate change and population growth—key drivers of urban water scarcity worldwide. In rapidly expanding cities like Bogota, Colombia, these pressures have contributed to a severe water crisis driven by prolonged droughts, ecosystem degradation, increasing water demands, and overdependence on limited water sources. This study explores potential adaptation and management strategies that utilities can implement to sustainably strengthen supply system resilience and enhance water security, in the context of low- to middle-income regions. A series of comparative and case study analyses were conducted to assess the feasibility …

Sustainability In Professional Sports: A New Nexus Of Profit And Social Responsibility, Matthew Teplitz

Master's Theses

The world is facing a climate crisis – corrective action that will improve our collective situation is needed, now. Those with the power to do so, in the capitalist structure under which we live, are largely the individuals, corporations, and governments with financial resources and the platform to inspire others to act. Two such entities, complete with the financial heft to make a difference and inspiration to spare, are North America’s National Basketball Association (NBA) and Spain’s La Liga. This thesis seeks to understand what distinguishes the NBA’s approach to sustainability from La Liga, and by employing each league as …

Cannabis Impacts On Native Lands: On The Need For Inclusion Of Native Perspectives In Extension Work, Jeremy Sorgen, Seth Larosa, Jennifer Sowerwine, Van Butsic, Peter Nelson, Melanie Mccavour, Shasta Gaughen, Anna Starkey

Journal of Extension

This article highlights the need for Cooperative Extension to increase awareness of Tribal concerns around activities that impact land, natural resources, and water. A research team at UC Berkeley worked with a Tribal Advisory Committee to conduct a survey of Tribal representatives’ perceptions of cannabis impacts on Native lands and cultural resources. The results show that there is widespread concern among Native communities about the environmental impacts of cannabis cultivation, especially to water quality, access, and availability. These concerns underscore the need to include Native communities in Extension’s agricultural and natural resource activities across all regions and sectors.

Analyzing Ballast Water Treatments, Invasive Species, And Pathogens, And A Decade-Long Analysis On The San Francisco And Baltimore Ports, Jasmin Ibarra-Cortes

Master's Projects and Capstones

Installation of advanced technologies to treat ballast water on ships is necessary to meet current ballast water management standards and reduce the secondary spread of invasive species during intracoastal voyages. This research includes a literature review on non-native aquatic species, particularly diapausing eggs, and available treatment methods for installation. A comparative analysis from 2014 - 2024 on bulker, tanker, and container vessels arriving coastwise to the ports of San Francisco and Baltimore was performed to evaluate treatment installation trends, traffic patterns, and the effectiveness of treatment(s) on targeting diapausing eggs. Use of ultraviolet (UV) radiation combined with filtration has increased …

The Politics Of Being Heard: Communication And Power Struggles In Hunters Point Naval Shipyard, Caroline Trejo

Master's Projects and Capstones

The environmental and public health challenges in Bayview-Hunters Point have catalyzed widespread community activism, as residents and advocates respond to the ongoing fallout from radiological contamination at the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard. Communication plays a vital role in bridging the gap between affected communities and government entities throughout the cleanup process. This research asks: how have the communication strategies of advocacy groups influenced government actions and policies during the Bayview-Hunters Point Shipyard cleanup? To explore this question, I conducted semi-structured interviews with three community advocates, two former members of a non-partisan civil jury, one independent researcher, and one government official. …

Climate Change Anxiety And Hope Both Predict Action: A Moderation Analysis, Yuhan Bi, Grace Hyde, Orei Z. Odents, Kai Okagawa, Cassandra Hoffman, Kimberly A. Barchard

Spectra Undergraduate Research Journal

Climate change is associated with extreme weather events that have devastating effects on communities worldwide. These events disrupt ecosystems, damage infrastructure, and influence physical and mental well-being. Urgent action is needed. Prior studies demonstrate that people are more likely to take action if they feel anxious about climate change and if they feel hopeful they can make a difference. However, we hypothesized that anxiety and hope would interact: that anxiety would only predict action when people felt hopeful. Therefore, we used path analysis to determine if hope moderates the relation between anxiety and action.

In a cross-sectional design, 500 United …

Passive Envelope Retrofits As Climate Justice Infrastructure Against Extreme Heat: A Gis-Guided Approach For Outdated Single-Family Homes In Urban California, Mert Oztekin Mr.

Master's Projects and Capstones

I examined the opportunities to enhance equity in energy performance, climate resilience, and environmental adaptation through climate-resilient envelope retrofitting and spatially guided implementation strategies (via mappings of the Urban Heat Island -UHI- and socio-economic vulnerability indicators). Passive envelope retrofits of attic insulation; high-performance windows; cool roofs; and green roofs / walls, are examined across multiple climate zones of California' aged single-family housing stock, focusing on the Disadvantaged Communities (DACs). Through spatial analysis, strong overlap between Urban Heat Island(UHI) exposure; pre-1980 housing; socioeconomic disadvantage, and thus the need for spatially-directed action is underlined. The policy landscape analysis provides confirmation of the …

Life Cycle Assessment Of Co-Located Floating Solar And Offshore Wind, Danela Sadikaj, Meghann Smith

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Is combining floating solar and offshore wind platforms feasible for increasing energy capacity while displacing the environmental impacts that each of these systems has independently? In recent years offshore wind has become a very popular option to decarbonize the energy sector without overtaking valuable land. While floating solar is not a new technology, using solar in a marine environment is still in an experimental phase. This research proposes a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) model of co-located solar technology within the proposed offshore wind farms near New Jersey’s coastline. While both technologies themselves are zero-emission while operating, they each require a …

Reducing Emissions And Increasing Resource Efficiency In Offshore Wind Turbines: Insight From Life Cycle Analysis, Jean Claire Pineda, Meghann Smith

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Globally, offshore wind (OSW) has been identified as a key technology for decarbonization. While OSW’s development timeline remains uncertain in the United States, New Jersey has set the ambitious goal of 11 GW by 2040. OSW produces zero carbon emissions; however, it relies heavily on resource-intensive materials like steel, rare earth elements, and copper, and manufacturing those materials have numerous environmental impacts, including carbon emissions. Supply chain disruptions—from COVID-19, rising material costs, and geopolitical challenges—add further complexity. Previous research modelled the environmental impacts of Atlantic Shores OSW South Project with an established domestic supply chain, producing 0.013kg CO2 per kWh. …

Advancing Supply Chain Sustainability Through Circular Economy Principles, Adeyinka Adimula

Sustainable Supply Chain Management

Explore how circular economy principles can significantly enhance supply chain sustainability by reducing waste, optimizing resource use, and improving both environmental and economic outcomes. By shifting from traditional linear models to circular systems, businesses across industries can redesign processes to extend product life cycles, foster resource efficiency, and create closed-loop supply chains.

Proceedings Of The 12th Research Symposium At Mammoth Cave National Park, Pat Kambesis Editor, Lee Anne Bledsoe Editor, Ana K. Celis Editor

Mammoth Cave Research Symposia

Proceedings of the 12th Research Symposium at Mammoth Cave National Park: Celebrating 100 Years of Scientific Research & Resource Management in the Mammoh Cave Region.

Environmental And Labor Exploitation In Dominican And Haitian Sugar Cane Plantations: A Failure To Achieve Sustainable Development Goals, Norah S. Mosquea

Student Theses 2015-Present

This paper explores the dual issues of labor and environmental exploitation in sugar cane plantations in the Dominican Republic and Haiti, focusing on these countries' actions in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Chapter 1 outlines the relevant SDGs, particularly those addressing labor conditions and pollution reduction. It discusses several types of pollution and its impact on laborers and surrounding communities, framing these impacts within the concept of environmental justice. Additionally, it explains how plantation-related pollution degrades all four types of ecosystem services, emphasizing cultural ecosystem services that affect people's overall well-being. Chapter 2 inspects the historical context, …

Climate Change Behind Prison Walls: Environmental Justice, Prison Abolition, And Social Welfare, Mia Moody

Student Theses 2015-Present

Unbeknownst to many, human rights violations occur on a large scale behind prison walls. This paper examines some of these violations, especially those exacerbated by climate change, through an environmental lense in order to emphasize the need for social welfare-based solutions in the abolition of the prison industrial complex. It also seeks to illustrate the connection between the environmental justice movement and the prison abolition movement so that marginalized peoples may be free from shouldering disproportionate effects of environmental hazards and imprisonment. This paper is introduced with a brief overview of the human rights violations occurring in prisons. Using quantitative …

Exploring The Landscape Of Animal Advocacy In Egypt: Insights Into Stray, Wildlife, And Farmed Animal Rights, Yara Moussa, Wasseem Emam

General - Animal Protection

This article examines the landscape of animal advocacy in Egypt, a nascent and growing field in one of Africa’s largest economies and most densely populated countries. It focuses on three types of animal advocacy: 1) stray animal welfare, 2) wildlife conservation, and 3) farmed animal welfare. The paper critically analyses current practices and trends in each of these areas, highlighting the main challenges and opportunities facing the growth of the movement. Our research draws on insights from interviews with active animal welfare organizations, situating their practical experiences, daily operational struggles, as well as instances of success, within Egypt’s wider socio-economic …

Extracting Renewables: A Capabilities Approach To A Just Transition Crisis, Mateos Lozano

Honors Theses

Extraction of cobalt and lithium is often regarded as necessary to facilitate a successful transition to renewable energy so that global warming can be limited to 2°C. At the same time, many current cobalt and lithium extraction practices contribute to environmental destruction, expose workers to toxic contaminants, and sometimes involve child labor. This thesis argues that cobalt and lithium extraction, if permissible, must be conducted in a manner compatible with the normative obligations of justice and fairness. I first explain notable differences between prominent types of cobalt and lithium extraction and note how each impacts people and the environment. Then, …

The Dark Side Of Global Supply Chains, Megan Soong

Sustainable Supply Chain Management

This article highlights the unfair supply chain practices many companies succumb to in order to increase their profits. Touching on the clothing industry, electronics, and food corporations, many big name brands hide their lack of pay, e-waste, and deforestation related operations in order to protect their name and image.

A Bronx Tale Of Environmental Justice: The Intersection Between Urban Planning And Transportation, Elodie S. Weinman

Student Theses 2015-Present

This thesis explores the intersection of urban planning and transportation, focusing on creating sustainable, efficient, and livable cities without overburdening communities. The borough of Bronx, characterized by its diverse socio-economic landscape and intricate transportation network, offers a compelling case study for examining the impact of urban planning strategies on transportation infrastructure. Through a combination of expert interviews, my fellowship with Tri-State Transportation Campaign (TSTC) in 2024, and policy review, this research identifies key areas where transportation planning and urban development intersect and influence each other. The research evaluates current planning practices, assesses the effectiveness of recent transportation initiatives, and proposes …

Recent U.S. Government Policy Literature On Critical And Strategic Minerals, Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

Critical and strategic minerals have become increasingly important in U.S. government civilian and military policymaking in recent years. This is demonstrated by the heavy use of such minerals in many critical civilian and military infrastructures. This work will discuss how this subject has been addressed in laws, presidential documents, and works by government agencies along with congressional oversight committees and support agencies. It will stress how the United States is heavily dependent on strategic minerals from adversarial foreign countries such as China and will examine U.S. efforts to increase its ability to produce such materials in the United States by …

Additive Manufacturing And Sustainability, Eric J. Venzor-Villarreal

Sustainable Supply Chain Management

This chapter explores the transformative role of Additive Manufacturing (AM), or 3D printing, within modern supply chains, with a particular focus on its adoption in the aerospace and defense industries. It begins by introducing the core technologies behind AM and tracing its historical development. The chapter then examines the advantages of AM—such as reduced material waste, faster prototyping, and decentralized production. A detailed case study on Lockheed Martin showcases real-world applications. Comparative insights from other defense manufacturers and global leaders provide a broader context, reinforcing AM’s potential as a key driver of supply chain innovation and resilience.

Understanding University-Level Food Recovery Programs’ Approaches To Minimizing Food Waste While Combating Food Insecurity In The United States, Ella F. Flesher

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Food is wasted every day at each level of the food system from production to consumption. This surplus has significant negative impacts on the environment after food is sent to the landfill and allowed to rot. However, some surplus food can be repurposed and diverted from the landfill. This study served as an initial investigation to explore multiple food waste diversion programs and analyze their structure, best practices, and methods to divert leftover food. This study specifically aimed to compare and contrast food recovery programs by interviewing participants from three food recovery programs from different university institutions. With the key …

Repurposing Old Railways To Enhance Recreation And Ecological Services, Carter Versaevel

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

We are currently facing what can only be described as a biodiversity crisis. Species are disappearing faster than ever before, largely due to habitat fragmentation caused by humans. How can old railroads be repurposed into recreational trails that can also help improve biodiversity and ecological function? By turning old derelict tracks into “green trails,” these tracks can be given new life and help reverse the effects of fragmentation, while providing recreational services to nearby communities.

From Farm Town To National Acclaim: Carmel, In As A Showcase Of New Urbanist Design And The “Holistic” Growth Machine, Owen James Beute

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Carmel, Indiana has been an anomaly in terms of entire transformation of a city's design and identity over the span of the last thirty years. This research aims to situate Carmel's development process into the urban planning theories of New Urbanism and the "growth machine" thesis, as well as telling Carmel's development story as a narrative of key events. Research focuses on the dynamic between the key aspects of New Urbanism - sustainability, livability, and human-scale growth - and the "growth machine" thesis which frames urban growth as a detrimental process focused on generating wealth solely for the decision makers, …

Looking Green: A Rhetorical Analysis Of Greenwashing In Fossil Fuel Advertisements, Elizabeth Schohn Hein

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

The world’s leading oil and gas companies knew the impact of fossil fuels on climate change as early as the late 1970s. Despite this knowledge, the fossil fuel industry proceeded to invest money in publicly denying the link between burning fossil fuels and climate change. There is increasing hindrance by American consumers towards fossil fuels as the consequences of their extraction and production become more glaring and evident in the environmental destruction and consequences of climate change across the globe. Growing environmental concerns about the impacts of fossil fuels, like oil and natural gas, from the general public resulted in …