Sustainability Commons^™

Socio-Ecological Analysis Of Artisanal Gold Mining In West Africa: A Case Study Of Ghana, Richard Takyi, Rasha Hassan, Badr El Mahrad, Richard Adade

Journal of Sustainable Mining

The surge in artisanal gold mining (AGM) activities and the associated environmental impact in Ghana have elicited several stakeholders' attempts to curb the problem. However, due to little understanding of the underlying issues, these efforts have been ineffective. This study aims to use a socio-ecological framework to analyze drivers of AGM activities, the environmental pressures, the state change, their impact on human welfare, and the management response as measures (DAPSI(W)R(M)) to the problem. Evaluate AGM's impact on Ghana's ability to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Data were collected from relevant literature on the subject and analyzed with …

Waste Reduction At Wcu: Benchmarking Systems With The Atlas Zero Waste Program, Amy Maxcy

Sustainability Research & Practice Seminar Presentations

Ms Amy Maxcy, Office of Sustainability - Waste Reduction at WCU: Benchmarking Systems with the Atlas Zero Waste Program

Growth Of Invasive Plant Species Communities As A Substantial Issue In Post-Mining Land Development, Paweł Olszewski

Journal of Sustainable Mining

This article concerns the issue of the appearance and growth of invasive plant species in land degraded by hard coal mining and the repercussions of this process, particularly in the context of land reclamation. These species, such as Canadian goldenrod or Japanese knotweed, which nearly always form extensive and monocultural patches of vegetation, contribute to the displacement of both native species and those introduced as part of biological restoration. In 2015, the Central Mining Institute in Katowice prepared a land development concept for a part of the area of the former KWK Paryż mine in Dąbrowa Górnicza (Upper Silesian Industrial …

Case Studies In Computing For Earth And Environmental Sciences, Shantenu Jha

Sustainability Seminar Series

In this talk, we will provide a non-specialists introduction to high-performance computing (HPC) and discusshow HPC has been applied to several important areas of earth and environmental sciences. The casestudies include seismic tomography, the IPCC AR6, and scalable high-resolution image analysis. Examples of HPC middleware and hardware platforms available to the community will be discussed.

Getting To Neutral: Updating Wcu's Climate And Sustainability Action Plan, Bradley Flamm

Sustainability Research & Practice Seminar Presentations

Dr. Bradley Flamm, Office of Sustainability - Getting to Neutral: Updating WCU's Climate and Sustainability Action Plan

Repurposing A Paradigm: Enhanced Chemical Weathering As An Emerging Negative Emission Technology, Grace Andrews

Sustainability Seminar Series

Climate change is impacting humans and the environment around the world. To meet the Paris Agreement goal of limiting warming to 2∘C by 2100, Negative Emission Technologies, which actively remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere, are required. In this talk, Dr. Andrews will discuss Enhanced Weathering, a cutting-edge climate change mitigation technology developed from decades-long research into chemical weathering, the Earth’s natural process for regulating atmospheric CO2 levels. She will share results from experiments and pilot studies of Enhanced Weathering conducted in both agricultural and coastal settings.

The Factors Impacting The Incorporation Of The Sustainable Development Goals Into Raw Materials Engineering Curricula, Dimitris Damigos, George Valakas, Anna Gaki, Katerina Adam

Journal of Sustainable Mining

It is widely recognised and acknowledged that the mining industry, if properly operating and managed, has the potential to positively contribute to “The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”. In this direction, the Raw Materials (RM) engineering education possesses a crucial role, given the need to instil in tomorrow’s mining engineers the sustainability principles. This paper explores the educational needs of the Greek RM sector and the factors constituting the RM whole value chain SDGs-education-innovation eco-system. The research follows a two-stage focus group approach. First, the perceptions, opinions and beliefs of invited stakeholders were explored in the context of semi-structured interviews. …

A Two-Stage Approach To Integrate Vessel Geo-Tracking Data And Logbooks For Monitoring Fishing Activity Of Coastal Fisheries In Waters Off Northwestern Taiwan, Yi-Jou Lee, Nan-Jay Su, Cheng-Hsin Liao, Wei-Chuan Chiang, Chun-Huei Li

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

Catch and fishing effort data are fundamental information to stock assessment and fisheries management, but difficult to obtain without the support of administration and sound fishery data collection system. This study integrated various sources of data from a simplified vessel geo-tracking system and logbooks from interviews with captains of coastal gillnet fisheries. We developed a two-step approach based on hierarchical cluster analysis to characterize the operation patterns and infer the fishing activities of the fishery. Results showed that the fishing effort in terms of operation duration could be estimated precisely for various vessel sizes, with catch composition and harvest information …

Permian Dust And Its Relevance To Modern Climate Change, Lynn Soreghan

Sustainability Seminar Series

Dust/loess is well known as both an archive of climate and agent of climate change for Earth’s recent record. But dust deposits are increasingly recognized in Earth’s deep-time record, especially from the Permian. Thick dust deposits occur in the U.S., and elsewhere (e.g. France) along the paleoequator. Dust deposition pulsed on a glacial-interglacial timescale, and was sourced from regions that included the equatorial Central Pangaean Mountains. Notably, the voluminous atmospheric dust stimulated productivity in the marine and terrestrial biosphere, thus affecting carbon cycling and source-rock development. Recent recognition of extraordinarily thick dust deposits in the Permian of Oklahoma have spawned …

Communicate Sustainability Successfully: How To Connect With Your Audience, Drew Anderson

Sustainability Research & Practice Seminar Presentations

Meteorologist Drew Anderson, Earth and Space Sciences - Communicate Sustainability Successfully: How to Connect with Your Audience

A Green-Gray Path To Global Water Security And Sustainable Infrastructure, Charles J. Vörösmarty, Ben Stewart-Koster, Pamela A. Green, Edward L. Boone, Martina Flörke, Günther Fischer, David A. Wiberg, Stuart E. Bunn, Anik Bhaduri, Peter B. Mcintyre, Claudia Sadoff, Hongxing Liu, David Stifel

Advanced Science Research Center

Sustainable development demands reliable water resources, yet traditional water management has broadly failed to avoid environmental degradation and contain infrastructure costs. We explore the global-scale feasibility of combining natural capital with engineering-based (green-gray) approaches to meet water security threats over the 21st century. Threats to water resource systems are projected to rise throughout this period, together with a significant expansion in engineering deployments and progressive loss of natural capital. In many parts of the world, strong path dependencies are projected to arise from the legacy of prior environmental degradation that constrains future water management to a heavy reliance on engineering-based …

Sustainability Newsletter, September 2021, Jennifer Mclaughlin

SD State Sustainability Newsletter

• We Are Hiring
• Sustainability Ambassador Program Returns for Second Year
• SDSU Receives 2021 EPEAT Purchaser Award
• SDSU Recycling Guide
• Sustainability Tidbits

Measuring Esg, Andrew King, Dan Chi Wong, Adrian De Groot Ruiz, Shawn Cole, Michael Tang, Dave Chen

Perspectives@SMU

Quantifying externalities is difficult and imprecise but one “should not fall into the trap of making the perfect the enemy of the good” and not try

Bioplastics In The Consumer Market, Elena Strom

Master of Science in Environmental Sciences and Management Projects

The global production and mismanagement of plastic has led to plastics deposited and scatted across marine environments. Conventional plastic, which most Americans encounter every day, is produced from fossil fuels and lacks the ability to fully break down upon disposal, breaking down into microplastics that can remain in the natural environment for hundreds of years. Moving away from petroleum-based plastics could lead to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and decrease plastic particles in the ocean. Based on existing literature, there are three biopolymers that could serve as replacements to conventional plastics in the marketplace. These biopolymers are seen as …

Sources And Aftermaths Of Pipeline Related Leaks And Spills, Justin Smith

Symposium of Student Scholars

The escape of oil and other hazardous materials have been shown to pollute and destroy ecosystems. As an aspiring chemist, I am adamant about the secure handling and transportation of oil and other hazardous materials. In the past, researchers have concentrated on oil’s high viscosity. Oil’s high viscosity physically smothers wildlife, affecting their ability to continue critical functions such as respiration, feeding, and thermoregulation. My research focuses on the source of these oil spills, as well as natural gas leaks, for the purpose of risk assessment. In addition, I compare recovery efforts based on the cause of the leak/spill, the …

2021 Fall Engr333 Project Assignment, Matthew K. Heun

ENGR 333

The Fall 2021 ENGR333 project focused on the sustainable housing and featured a partnership with Habitat for Humanity of Kent County.

I asked the students “What is the expected carbon emissions savings of the [Habitat for Humanity] carbon footprint build house?” And “If the carbon footprint build house is not carbon-neutral, you must answer a second question: How can carbon emissions be reduced by a further 20%?”

Calvin’s PR office followed the students’ work throughout the semester. At the end of the semester, the project was featured on Calvin’s News and Stories site with an article by Matt Kucinski …

University Sustainability Initiatives Impact On The Surrounding Areas Economy, Sara Kathleen Saucedo

Student Theses and Dissertations

The preservation of the environment depends on sustainability initiatives. Universities influence policy through their impact on their surrounding communities. Universities should, therefore, place a higher priority on campus sustainability efforts. This study examines how universities’ sustainability initiatives impact local area economy. Using data reported by various governmental agencies, I construct a sustainability index based on university initiatives in energy, green buildings, food waste, permaculture, water use, recycling, sustainability council, and AASHE. I model the impact of universities on the local economy using this index and other institutional characteristics. I define the local area economy as effects on poverty rates, unemployment, …

“Surviving And Growing Up With Illegal Status”: The Analysis Of Socio–Economic Household, Potential Conflict, The Environmental Damage, And Vulnerability Of Local Community To Disaster, Sofyan Syahnur, Yossi Diantimala

Journal of Sustainable Mining

This study aims to analyze, from social-economics and environmental perspectives, how illegal gold mining survives and grows with its illegal status. Generally, illegal mining has a positive impact on the socio-economy of all parties involved. However, mining activities cause environmental damage and pollution so that the local community is vulnerable to disaster and potential conflict. This research was conducted at an illegal mining site in Aceh, the western province of Indonesia. To describe the primary data, it employs a descriptive qualitative method. The purposive sampling method is used to select key informants. The results show an increasing income of all …

Experimental Study On Advanced Real Time Detection System Of Seismic-While-Excavating, Wang Ji, Qin Si, Wu Hai, Zhang Qingqing, Yu Junhui, Su Xiaoyun

Coal Geology & Exploration

Experimental study on advanced real time detection system of seismic-while-excavating

Three-Component Seismic Data Acquisition System Of Coal Mine Based On Mems And Lwip, Wang Huaixiu, Qiu Shuai, Zhu Guowei, Chen Bo

Coal Geology & Exploration

Three-component seismic data acquisition system of coal mine based on MEMS and LwIP