Sustainability Commons^™

The Influence Of Grounding Grid On Electromagnetic Detection Of Goaf, Xu Xing, Weng Ling, Li Shiqiang, Liu Guoqiang

Coal Geology & Exploration

The existence of underground goaf can easily cause tilting and settlement of power towers, which is a major hidden factor in the safe and stable operation of power grid. To detect the mine goaf under the power transmission corridor is of great significance. When there is a grounding grid in the detection area, the grounding grid will have certain influence on the measured value. In this paper, the detection of mine goaf in the presence of a grounding grid is presented. Based on the theoretical analysis, the mathematical model is built, and the simulation model is conducted. The influence of …

Design And Application Of Multi-Section Bundled Bag Wire-Line Coring Drilling Tools, Han Yi, Zhang Shaohe, Bai Rui, Sun Pinghe, Shu Biao, Cao Han, Zhang Xinxin

Coal Geology & Exploration

Because the existing conventional wire-line coring drilling tool lacks the water-proof and core-protecting device, the broken core is easily eroded when the core is drilled in a complicated layer such as loose, weak, broken layers and the core is easy to fall off during the lifting process, so that the coring rate and core quality are not up to the design requirements, and even core can not be taken to. In response to the above problems, a bag-type wire-line coring drilling tool was designed. The drill adds a multi-section bundled bag assembly structure to the conventional wire-line coring drilling tool …

Investing In The New Blue Economy: The Changing Role Of International Development Organizations In Catalyzing Private Sector Investment In Support Of Regional Strategic Action Programmes For The Sustainable Development Of Coasts And Oceans, Ryan Whisnant, Veerle Vandeweerd

Journal of Ocean and Coastal Economics

Over the last 20 years, governments sharing common coastal and ocean ecosystems have developed and agreed on concrete regional action programs to stop and, in some cases, reverse a trend of deteriorating coastal and ocean resources. Implementation of these action programs requires significant investments by the public and private sectors alike, with the potential for substantial economic growth and enhanced social well-being. For this to happen, new institutional arrangements, technologies, and financial vehicles and asset classes are needed to mainstream innovative “blue economy” projects that have the potential to transition economies and communities to more sustainable development paths.

This paper …

High Functional Diversity Of Contaminated Soils From Liberty State Park, Nina M. Goodey

Sustainability Seminar Series

Urban brownfields present an opportunity to study the functioning of degraded ecosystems. We investigated the soils of Liberty State Park in Jersey City, New Jersey, which once supported a major rail yard and port facility with docks for shipping cargo to New York City. ICP-MS and pyrolysis-GC-MS studies were used to show that our study site is contaminated with heavy metals and organic contaminants, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. We used fluorescence spectroscopy to measure soil enzymatic function at multiple locations within the brownfield and found the following types of sites: 1.) hotspots with high heavy metal concentrations and high extracellular …

Magnetocaloric Effect Near Room Temperature In Quintenary And Sextenary Heusler Alloys, Benjamin D. White, R. I. Barabash, O. M. Barabash, I. Jeon, M. B. Maple

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences

An inverse magnetocaloric effect is studied in Ni₂Mn_1+xX_1-x-type Heusler alloys. Principally known for their shape-memory properties, these alloys also exhibit significant entropy and temperature changes (ΔS and ΔT_Ad, respectively) under adiabatic conditions when a modest magnetic field is applied. We investigated the impact on magnetocaloric properties of introducing substantial chemical disorder on the X-site (X = Si, Ga, In), of replacing Ni with nonmagnetic Ag, and of replacing a small amount of Mn with Gd. While a reduction in ΔS is observed in the first two cases, we observe a significant enhancement …

Growing Local: The Role Of Urban Gardening In Fostering Food Security, Sustainability, And Community, Franklin Wagner, Lindsey Payne

Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement

The downtown center of Lafayette, Indiana is situated in a food desert where access to healthy, nutritious food can be limited. Urban gardens are an effective way to increase access to healthy alternatives while also providing a number of benefits to the surrounding area, including opportunities for community growth, education, and physical activity. In summer 2016, researchers from Purdue University collaborated with Lafayette’s GrowLocal Urban Gardens Network (GrowLocal) to perform a baseline analysis of the current community gardening initiatives, and explore the possibilities for expansion, development, and future community involvement through urban gardening.

Both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods …

Dam Removal In New Jersey: Ecological Uplift, Public Safety, And Building Ecosystem Resilience In Advance Of Climate Change, Beth Styler Barry

Sustainability Seminar Series

Dam removals are often the subject of controversy. We’ll explore dam removals from planning to (de)construction and see examples of ecosystem changes that follow. New Jersey has over 1700 dams, the average age of these dams is over 50 years. Many dams have a public use, they may provide a potable water supply or create economically important recreational lakes. However, many dams have outlived their intended use, have fallen into serious disrepair and negatively impact ecosystems.

A Look Under The Hood: Energy & Sustainability Initiatives At New Jersey Transit, John Geitner

Sustainability Seminar Series

New Jersey Transit (NJT) is the nation's largest statewide public transportation provider. To move its nearly one million daily customers, NJT operates Rail, Bus and Light Rail systems. Finding ways to use that energy efficiently and with an eye on sustainability is the focus of the Environment, Energy & Sustainability team at NJT. Join us for a detailed discussion on NJT's operations and how the agency works to incorporate various technologies and programs into those operations with the goal of using energy wisely. This presentation will discuss current capital projects and how they work to incorporate resiliency, reliability and sustainability …

Seeing With A Climate Lens, Jane Ganion

Year on Climate Change: Events

Join Jana Ganion from the Blue Lake Rancheria and Kit Batten, an independent climate change consultant previously at Pacific Gas & Electric to talk about a zero-emission future and your role in it. We will discuss insights and lessons learned from the clean energy and sustainability field through our work to shape a grid of the future. If you don’t yet know exactly what you want to do or you are have been working in these fields for decades, join us to talk about sustainability, electrical grids, climate, international diplomacy, the future, and you.

Living Landscapes: Combining Education And Ecology For A More Resilient New York Harbor, Murray Fisher, Brad Howe

Year on Climate Change: Events

This session will highlight a unique partnership between a landscape architecture firm, an environmental group, and a public high school that are working together in New York Harbor to increase the area’s resiliency as the climate changes, and to engage and train the next generation of environmental and Harbor stewards.

Study Group On Climate Change Recommendations Progress Report, Dano Weisbord

Year on Climate Change: Other Materials

Climate change is an urgent, complex problem. Human activities are pushing the climate beyond the range of conditions experienced over the last few million years and toward abrupt, unpredictable, highly damaging and potentially irreversible impacts. Effective responses will require ambitious, multifaceted plans of action.

Blue Economy And Climate Change: Bangladesh Perspective, Subrata Sarker, Firdaus Ara Hussain, Mohammad Assaduzzaman, Pierre Failler

Journal of Ocean and Coastal Economics

Blue Economy is related to economic growth through the sustainable utilization of ocean resources with technological inputs to improve livelihoods. Economically important coastal and marine resources are the main components of the Blue Economy for Bangladesh. These resources are categorized into living, non-living, renewable resources and trade and commerce. As Bangladesh is vulnerable to climate change, related extreme events are making the coastal and marine resources vulnerable which may hamper the smooth Blue Economy development in Bangladesh. Climate change extreme events include warming trend, cyclone, sea level rise, droughts, erosion, tidal surge, saline water intrusion, flood, change in precipitation trend …

Is Green Infrastructure A Universal Good? Equity In Gi Planning From Us Cities, Zbigniew J. Grabowski

Sustainability Seminar Series

Is Green Infrastructure a Universal Good? Our team seeks to address this research question through a multi-faceted analysis of GI programs through mapping, interviews with practitioners and communities, and an extensive plan analysis across 20 US cities. Our plan plan analysis draws upon a wide array of planning documents pertaining to green infrastructure, and broadly examines the drivers of GI programs and how they consider the relationship between GI and community well being. In particular we are examining if plans take into account the perspectives, concerns, and desires of underserved communities in their framing of GI-equity concerns, and what targets …

Art And The Environment, Ellen Dexter, Lydia Dexter

Honors Program: Expanded Learning Clubs

After school club that teaches the importance of sustainable practices and conversation activities through art projects and imagination.

Student Support Program Outputs, Outcomes And Impacts Report

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Administrative Materials

The Robert B. Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute (DWFI) inititated its Postdoctoral and Student Support Programs in 2014. The following details their achievements.

Round One -- The institute first provided undergraduate, graduate student and postdoctoral support to faculty who were selected following a call for proposals in 2014. Support was awarded for two postdocs, five graduate students, and two projects with undergraduate students. By FY19 a small amount of support continues for Francisco Munoz-Arriola’s program. Outputs include presentations, grants and publications. The other faculty who have received support are: Vijendra Boken, UNK Geography & Earth Science; Carrick Detweiler, UNL …

The Prairie Post Quarterly Newsletter Of The High Plains Regional Climate Center- October 2019, Crystal J. Stiles, Rezaul Mamood, Logan Winters, Paul Flanagan, Natalie Umphlett

Prairie Post: Quarterly Newsletter of the High Plains Regional Climate Center

Inside this issue:

Message from the director........................................1

Staff spotlight...........................1

Workshops focus on climate services in Kansas....................2

Research highlights................3

AMS Annual Meeting.............3

Update on regional climate conditions..................................4

New ACIS Climate Summary Maps available..........................5

Track precipitation with CLIMOD.......................................5

Recent and upcoming travel and activities.............................6

Climate-Smart Agriculture: Building Resilience For Women Farmers In Kalchebeshi, Nepal, Annika Ruben

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This case study outlines women’s involvement in climate-smart agriculture and key climate adaptation strategies which are being implemented in the town of Kalchebeshi, Nepal. Kalchebeshi is considered a Resilient Mountain Village because of the town’s integrated approach to addressing climate change and building resilience for farmers. Key findings examined gender differences in farming responsibilities and the significance of farmers’ groups in women’s overall decision making and community involvement. Additionally, changes in water management and pesticide use have been shown to have a positive impact on the lives of women farmers in Kalchebeshi. This paper reinforces the importance of involving vulnerable …

E-Waste Shouldn’T Be Waste: A Study On The Practices, Perceptions, And Policies On E-Waste In Urban Arusha, Tanzania, Melanie Mckenzie

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study examines the e-waste stream in urban Arusha, answer the questions of where electronics go, how people usually dispose of them, if people are aware of the impacts of e-waste, and what next steps are necessary. The study took place in November 2019 in urban Arusha, Tanzania. Through snowball and convenience sampling in 4 quotas (community members, electricians, business members, and a policy maker), the study finds that there is no place for the proper disposal of e-waste in Arusha. Many electronics are disposed of improperly by being put into the landfill or burned. Most participants were unaware of …

Changes In The Greenland Ice Sheet Of The Southeastern Maniitsoq Coast From 1994-2004 And 2009-2019, Alyssa J. Kaewwilai, Charlie E. Reisman

Student Publications

Remote sensing mechanisms through the use of technology like the Landsat 5-7 Land Manager satellites are commonly used in conjunction with multispectral methods such as unsupervised classification to record and analyze changes in snow and ice over time in areas such as the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS). Unsupervised classification is a method of identifying, grouping, and labeling features in an image according to their spectral values and is therefore a good method of classifying snow and ice in areas such as Greenland. The goal of unsupervised classifications is to assign pixels into potentially meaningful subsurface classes based on similarities of …

The Convergence Of Financial And Esg Materiality: Taking Sustainability Mainstream, Ruth Jebe

Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Sustainability reporting can be seen as an attempt to bring improved environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices to mainstream business. However, this movement to mainstream is hampered by the disconnect between financial and ESG information. Both reporting streams use the concept of materiality to shape firms’ disclosure obligations, but the term carries different meanings for different organizations. One sustainability organization, the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB), has developed reporting standards to merge sustainability and financial information by leveraging the definition of materiality for financial reporting purposes. This use of financial materiality positions the SASB to collide with the Security and …