Civic and Community Engagement Commons^™

Nevada Interagency Volunteer Program: Helping Hands Across Public Lands—Phase Ii: Final Project Report, December 31, 2012, Margaret N. Rees

Get Outdoors Nevada

• Maintained a central clearinghouse created for Southern Nevada public lands volunteers, including: ─ an online volunteer data-management application (Volgistics) adopted and customized for the program and populated with 8,500 active and 961 mailing list volunteer records ─ a community outreach Web site that currently averages 8,230 pages viewed per month since July 2007 and has aided in the recruitment of 11,943 volunteers ─ updated website to word press for sustainability ─ branding development and marketing and outreach tool creation
• Updated Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all areas of Interagency Volunteer Program Management—recruitment, training, recognition, retention of volunteers, event planning, and …

Sndo Hector's Helpers Youth Engaging The Community Through Social Media: Annual Progress Report, Period Covering June 1, 2012 - December 31, 2012, Margaret N. Rees

Anti-littering Programs

The Hector’s Helpers Youth Engaging the Community through Social Media project was designed to develop civic and environmental stewardship skills as students receive training in administering social media accounts (e.g., Facebook, twitter, Youtube). The project is an extension of the Hector’s Helpers program developed through a cooperative agreement and run under the branding of Don’t Trash Nevada. Participants in the project are known as the Social Media Squad (SMS). The following activities were completed:

• Supervision of youth completing the pilot program initiated in an earlier cooperative agreement
• Recruitment of youth to apply for the Social Media Squad
• Training of Social …

Local Residents' Experience Of The Coal Ash Spill In Kingston, Tennessee: A Phenomenological Study, Amy Lynn Mathis

Doctoral Dissertations

On December 22, 2008, near Kingston, Tennessee, a Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) retention pond holding approximately 1.7 million cubic yards of coal fly ash failed, spilling the ash into the nearby Emory River and inundating farms and homes in the Swan Pond community. As a result more than 100 people were permanently displaced from their homes and the clean-up effort is ongoing.

The purpose of this study was to explore the experience of living near Kingston, Tennessee, in the aftermath of the spill. Using existential phenomenology as the guiding research methodology, I interviewed 9 participants from the area and asked …

Developing A Water Management Plan: Exploring Water Conservation Strategies On The Illinois Wesleyan Campus, Tim Griffin '13

Outstanding Senior Seminar Papers

The primary purpose of this research was to collect the information necessary to one day develop an environmentally sound and economically feasible water conservation management plan for the Illinois Wesleyan University campus. Freshwater resources are steadily being depleted due to pollution and climate change, while demand for potable water continues to rise alongside an exponentially growing global population. Due to this reason, water conservation is becoming an ever-important practice for municipalities, institutions, and even individuals in pursuit of maintaining a sustainable freshwater supply. Reducing demand upon the water supply of a community remains the best practice for maintaining sustainable freshwater …

Towards A Resilient Sydney: Research Into The Role Of Emergency Management In Climate Change Adaptation (Research Summary), Neil Dufty, Tim Morrison

Neil Dufty

No abstract provided.

Community Flood Education And Awareness In Fairfield City (Report), Neil Dufty

Neil Dufty

No abstract provided.

Exploring Strategies For Converting Illinois Wesleyan University From Dual-Stream To Single-Stream Recycling, Megan George '13

Outstanding Senior Seminar Papers

The purpose of this study was to answer the question: how can a transition from dual-stream to single-stream recycling be implemented effectively as a way of increasing the rate of recycling on the Illinois Wesleyan University (IWU) campus? The problem of waste in the United States is of increasing concern for many reasons. For the Bloomington-Normal, Illinois community-- where IWU is located-- the imminent filling of the local landfill site inspired a community-wide push towards improving waste diversion strategies, and in this case: recycling programs. This research focused on both analyzing the current recycling program at IWU and examining other …

Examining Ways To Promote Water Conservation At Golf Courses In Bloomington-Normal, Illinois, Rose Kelly '13

Outstanding Senior Seminar Papers

The purpose of this study was to examine ways for golf courses in Bloomington-Normal, Illinois, to promote water conservation. As the demand for freshwater exponentially increases around the United States, it becomes necessary to examine current freshwater uses, especially those for recreational purposes. Golf courses are one of the largest freshwater users, with a typical course consuming hundreds of thousands of gallons every day for grass maintenance. With water shortages and insecure future water supplies, golf courses around the United States are urgently looking for ways to promote water conservation. This includes golf courses in Bloomington-Normal, Illinois. The severe drought …

Obtaining Consumer Perceptions Of External Costs Of “Cheap” Food Products And Analyzing Quality Food Markets That Minimize External Costs In Bloomington-Normal, Illinois, Jennifer Long '13

Outstanding Senior Seminar Papers

Today, the United States’ food system is primarily a large industrial operation with smaller-scale community-based food systems. Although the industrial food system has benefitted society by increasing the amount of food available for every person, some of these products are “cheap” food products that generate external costs, such as poor health, potential wealth loss to farmers and environmental degradation. With over 1 billion individuals on earth undernourished and 15.8% of all U.S. households as of 2010 food insecure [Patel, 2012], this system has not completely solved food issues. Community-based food systems, on the other hand, minimize external costs …

Sea No Evil, Hear No Evil - Community Engagement On Adaptation To Sea Level Change, Neil Dufty, Heather Stevens, Stuart Waters, Greg Giles

Neil Dufty

No abstract provided.

Manifestations Of Tibetan Buddhism In Pudacuo National Park And Its Effectiveness As An Environmental Education Tool, Ellen Martin

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Pudacuo National Park in Shangri-la, Yunnan is mainland China’s first national park and comprehensive conservation and eco-tourism attempt. The Nature Conservancy worked with Yunnan provincial government to establish park guidelines and advocate for certain conservation measures. One of the important guidelines that The Nature Conservancy included was local cultural preservation. A primary goal of this experiment in US-modeled national parks is to ensure the longevity of traditional values and beliefs in the parkland area. Pudacuo National Park is not only attempting to conserve the local Tibetan Buddhist tradition but also is attempting to capitalize on the uniqueness of the experience …

Report Of The 2012 North East Flood Review (Report), Neil Dufty

Neil Dufty

No abstract provided.

Nevada Interagency Volunteer Program: Helping Hands Across Public Lands - Phase Ii: Quaterly Progress Report, Period Covering July 1, 2012 To September 30, 2012, Margaret N. Rees

Get Outdoors Nevada

• The number of records in the volunteer database is 8,511, an increase from 8,308 in July.
• Results show an average of 1,094 visits per month, and an average of 2,729 pages viewed per month.
• Get Outdoors Nevada supp01ied 6 volunteer events in a variety of ways. These events utilized 214 volunteers whom contributed approximately 856 hours of service.
• The team continues planning an alternative bus tour.
• The team rolled out their media plan .
• The IVP team has continued planning for the annual volunteer recognition banquet.
• No volunteer trainings were conducted this quarter, but two are planned for next quarter.

Empowering The Citizen-Consumer: Re-Regulating Consumer Information To Support The Transition To Sustainable And Health Promoting Food Systems In Canada, Rod Macrae, Michelle Szabo, Kalli Anderson, Fiona Louden, Sandi Trillo

Publications and Scholarship

Both health and sustainability are stated public policy objectives in Canada, but food information rules and practices may not be optimal to support their achievement. In the absence of a stated consensus on the purposes of public information about food, the information provided is frequently determined by the marketers of product. No institution or agency has responsibility for determining the overall coherence of consumer food messages relative to these broader social goals of health and sustainability. Individual firms provide information that shows their products to best advantage, which may contradict what is provided about the product by another firm or …

Take Pride In America Phase Iii: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Covering April 25, 2012-July 24, 2012, Margaret N. Rees

Anti-littering Programs

• The GIS database continued to be populated with data.
• Hector’s Helpers added an additional youth group.
• The new website launched and social media efforts began.
• The pilot testing of the litter monitoring program continued.

The University of Nevada Las Vegas Public Lands Institute (PLI) designed the Take Pride in America (TPIA) Phase III work plan based on the strategic plan developed by the Southern Nevada Agency Partnership (SNAP) anti-litter and desert dumping team during Phase II of the program.

Food Fight: A Case Study Of The Community Food Security Coalition’S Campaign For A Fair Farm Bill, Marni Salmon

Capstone Collection

The farm bill is an all-encompassing piece of legislation that is reauthorized approximately every five years and establishes federal policy for everything from farm subsidies and crop insurance to energy, conservation, food stamps and school lunches. The current law expires at the end of September 2012. Reauthorization of the farm bill represents the single largest opportunity to reform the policies that shape food systems in the United States. The Community Food Security Coalition (CFSC) is campaigning to improve access to healthy food by increasing links with family farmers and to strengthen local and regional food systems. This case study traces …

Effects Of Leadership And Trauma On Grassroots Community Development In Post-Conflict/Genocide Societies: A Rwandan Case Study, Bryna C. Ramsey

Capstone Collection

This research paper is an analysis of a grassroots, agricultural project carried out from 2010 to 2011 in Gitarama Cell, a rural community in Rwanda, East Africa, during my United States Peace Corps Volunteer service (2009-2011). The project began as the Twizere Agriculture Club at Gitarama Primary School. The goal of the club was to increase food security among community members through rabbit and chicken husbandry, and the study of such agriculture techniques as composting, double digging, and the establishment of microgardens.

Despite the acknowledged need for this club, the Twizere Agriculture Club project met multiple constraints that affected its …

Nevada Interagency Volunteer Program: Helping Hands Across Public Lands: Phase Ii: Period Covering April 1, 2012 To June 30, 2012, Margaret N. Rees

Get Outdoors Nevada

• The number of records in the volunteer database increased by 14.4% over the last quarter. The database now contains 8,087 records.
• Results show an average of 956 visits per month, and an average of 3,015 pages viewed per month.
• Get Outdoors Nevada supplied 11 volunteer events in a variety of ways. These events utilized 388 volunteers who contributed approximately 1,351 hours of service.
• The team continues planning an alternative bus tour.
• The team is negotiating a media plan, to be rolled out in July.
• The IVP team has stated planning for the annual volunteer recognition banquet.
• One volunteer training was …

Let Us Buy You Coffee!, Nevada Institute For Renewable Energy Commercialization (Nirec)

Nevada Newsflash

NIREC is a nonprofit organization that helps Nevada's entrepreneurs to build their businesses. We'd like to better understand the biggest challenges that currently face entrepreneurs, so that we can work on fixing them more effectively.

The New American Conservation Movement: New Strategies, Focus And Organizations For The 21st Century, Amy Deanna Northrup

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This dissertation provides evidence of the emergence of a new conservation movement in the United States. The strategic, tactical and organizational approaches of traditional conservation efforts, which began in the early 1900s, have shifted during the last two decades. Specifically, the new conservation movement is characterized by three distinct changes. First, many of the well-established conservation organizations, such as the Sierra Club and National Audubon Society, have largely abandoned their traditional focus on increasing the number of acres preserved; instead more defensive and fragmented forms of conservation now reign. The second change to the conservation movement involves a dramatic expansion …

Exploring German And American Modes Of Pedagogical And Institutional Sustainability: Forging A Way Into The Future, Lindon N. Pronto

Pitzer Senior Theses

Rooted deep in Germany's past is its modern socio-political grounding for environmental respect and sustainability. This translates into individual and collective action and extends equally to the economic and policy realm as it does to educational institutions. This thesis evaluates research conducted in Germany with a view to what best approaches are transferable to the United States liberal arts setting. Furthermore, exemplary American models of institutional sustainability and environmental education are explored and combined with those from abroad to produce a blueprint and action plan fitting for the American college and university.

Take Pride In America Phase Iii: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Covering January 25, 2012-April 24, 2012, Margaret N. Rees

Anti-littering Programs

• The GIS database continued to be populated with data.
• Hector’s Helpers participants completed multiple projects.
• Social Media training was delivered.
• The pilot testing of the litter monitoring program continued.

The University of Nevada Las Vegas Public Lands Institute (PLI) has designed the Take Pride in America (TPIA) Phase III work plan based on the strategic plan developed by the Southern Nevada Agency Partnership (SNAP) anti-litter and desert dumping team during Phase II of the program.

Center For Rebuilding Sustainable Communities After Disasters, Adenrele Awotona, Center For Rebuilding Sustainable Communities After Disasters, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

Center for Rebuilding Sustainable Communities after Disasters (CRSCAD) cultivates alliances with local, national, and international agencies, government and academic institutions, NGOs, and for-profit and not-for-profit bodies which share common interests in the area of post-disaster reconstruction globally.

Green Boston Harbor Project (Gbh), Community Environmental Stewardship: Applied Research, Education And Outreach, Anamarija Frankić

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

The GBH methodology is derived from a 1500 year old Native Hawaiian Ahupua’a approach. This approach defines sustainable relationships among land, water and humans from the tops of islands to the coral reefs and open ocean. GBH seeks a similar interconnection between the City of Boston and Boston Harbor: from watersheds to the harbor and its coastal habitats and islands.

Horizon Center: Promoting Health And Health Equity In Inner Boston, Celia Moore, Jane Adams, Tiffany Donaldson, Ester Shapiro, Eileen Stuart-Shor, Jessica Whiteley, Milton Samuels, Michelle Rogers

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

The HORIZON Center is an Exploratory Center of Excellence (COE) funded by a grant from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD). Our mission is to improve minority health and promote health equity through research, research training, and community engagement. Like other COEs, HORIZON is organized into four core areas: research, research training, community engagement, and administration. However, we work to promote collaboration and integration across core areas.

Nantucket Shellfish Management Plan, Kristin Uiterwyk, Steve Bliven, Dan Leavitt, Jack Wiggin, Urban Harbors Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

Nantucket’s shellfish resources are an important part of the Island’s history, culture, and economy. Nantucket waters support one of the country’s last wild-caught bay scallop fisheries. Elsewhere along the Atlantic coast, fishing pressure, habitat loss, and disease have severely depleted bay scallop populations. Although Nantucketers continue to make a living harvesting shellfish from the Island’s waters, many do so with concern for the future of the resources and the habitats that support them. Urban Harbors Institute (UHI) provided technical assistance to the community to develop a Shellfish Management Plan (SMP) that addresses issues of water quality, habitat loss, climate change, …

Coastsweep: The Massachusetts Coastal Cleanup Program, Dennis N. Leigh, Kristen Uiterwyk, Jack Wiggin, Schanna James, Allison Novelly, Robin Lacey, Anne Donovan, Arden Miller, Urban Harbors Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

Through this project, volunteers in communities throughout Massachusetts turn out in large numbers each September and October for COASTSWEEP, the statewide coastal cleanup program sponsored by the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) and coordinated by the Urban Harbors Institute (UHI) of the University of Massachusetts Boston. COASTSWEEP is part of the International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) organized by Ocean Conservancy in Washington, DC. Through the efforts of the ICC, volunteers from all over the world collect marine debris and record information about the trash they collect. This information is then analyzed and used to identify sources of debris and …

The Urban Harbors Institute, Urban Harbors Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

The Urban Harbors Institute (UHI) is a public policy and applied-science research center focused on issues affecting urban waterfronts and coastal and ocean resources. Our mission is to increase understanding of the marine environment, improve management practices, and promote informed decision making at the local, state and national levels. UHI employs a multidisciplinary approach in all its research and education projects, blending science, policy, and management.

The Vacb Model In Hòa An Village And Xeo Trâm Hamlet: Comparison And Analysis Through A Gendered Lens, Alyssa Bosold

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Burning fuel-wood, a method of traditional cooking practiced by half of all homes in Vietnam (Global Alliance for Clean Cook-stoves 2012) and the majority of homes in Hòa An Village and Xeo Trâm Hamlet, has significant negative consequences in terms of environmental and personal health. In Hòa An Village and Xeo Trâm Hamlet, as is true in much of Vietnam, gender roles dictate that women should be primarily responsible for household chores like cooking (World Bank 2001, Nguyen 2012, Nguyen 2012, Vo 2012). This means that women must often deal directly with the environmental dangers and safety hazards of woodstoves. …

Evaluating Ceres Fair Food As An Urban Sustainable Food Initiative: A Comparison Of Retail Pricing, Wholesale Pricing And Food Miles For A Healthy Food Basket, Stella Chung

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

CERES Fair Food, an organic food delivery system in Melbourne, VIC was evaluated in terms of its transportation resource consumption, ability to enhance food security, and support of local organic farmers, which are key factors in sustainable food systems for urban areas.

Transportation resource consumption was analyzed by calculating the food miles for a selection of Fair Food’s products and comparing them to data on typical products consumed in Victoria. Most of Fair Food’s products had similar or lower food miles, particularly the fresh produce. But many assumptions had to be made in the calculations due to limited information. Food …