Sustainability Commons^™

The Impact Of Irrigation On Agricultural Land Values In The United States Southeast And An Analysis Of Farmland Prices In South Carolina, Christopher L. Thomas

All Theses

Land is a key component of the agriculture industry in the United States. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, farm real estate (land and buildings) accounted for 82.8% of total US farm sector assets in 2022, consequently making land the largest source of wealth in a farmer’s investment portfolio and the primary source of collateral used for farm operating loans. The Southeastern region of the United States has seen rapid farmland appreciation and intense population growth in recent years. This research investigates the rising farmland prices across the Southeast from both a regional and state-level perspective. Chapter Two …

Biodegradable Active Packaging: Exploring The Antimicrobial Efficacy And Compostability Of Chitosan-Based Films, Rachel Mchugh

All Theses

The overarching purpose of this experiment is to create an active packaging component that has both antimicrobial and biodegradable properties specifically designed for poultry food products. For the scope of this study, the packaging component created would theoretically be used in conjunction with another material, such as a poultry tray which are commonly used for fresh poultry products. Based on the scope and purpose of this experiment, biopolymer films and coatings were considered after the initial literature review. Due to the goals of the packaging component, chitosan, a polysaccharide shown to have antimicrobial properties and an inherent ability to biodegrade, …

Electrochemically Precipitated Struvite Effects On Extractable Soil Nutrients, Owen Collins

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Struvite recovery from wastewater streams may provide an alternative to traditional fertilizer-phosphorus (P) sources, while also providing the benefit of reducing nitrogen and P loads in wastewater effluent and reducing effects of eutrophication in surface waters. Limited research has been conducted to assess the effects of struvite fertilization on concentrations of soil micronutrients and potassium (K) compared to other traditional fertilizer-P sources in historically agricultural soils. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of fertilizer-P source (i.e., synthetically produced electrochemically precipitated struvite [ECST], chemically precipitated struvite [CPST], monoammonium phosphate [MAP], diammonium phosphate [DAP], triple superphosphate [TSP], rock …

Identification And Environmental Impact Of 35 Different Cut Flower Retail Packages In The U.S.A., Mary Kathryn Gillespie

All Theses

Cut flowers represent 35-billion dollars of global spending with 10-million dollars per day in the U.S.A; each transaction involving packaging. Across the country, cut flower packaging is inconsistently sized, laminated, colored, and unlikely to be recycled. 35 unique cut flower packages were collected across 16 different marketplaces, representing 88% of top grocery retailers. Measuring the materiality of the predominately unlabeled and inconsistent packaging collected required calorimetry equipment, such as Fourier-transform Infrared Spectroscopy, Differential Scanning Calorimeter, and precision gauges. Results unveil five materials representing the cut flower collection: Oriented Polypropylene (OPP), High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE), Paper, Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), and Nonwoven Polypropylene …

Mitigating Nitrogen Losses: The Role Of Enhanced Efficiency Fertilizers In Sustainable Corn Production, Dipesh Giri

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Nitrogen (N) is essential for crop production, but its inefficient use often leads to environmental losses through nitrate leaching, ammonia volatilization, and nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions. Enhanced efficiency fertilizers (EEFs), such as nitrification inhibitors (NIs) and urease inhibitors (UIs), have been developed to minimize these losses and improve nitrogen use efficiency (NUE). This research combined a multi-year field experiment and a controlled laboratory study to evaluate how dual-inhibitor fertilizers compare to conventional urea and single-inhibitor formulations in Nebraska cropping systems. The main objective was to understand how nitrogen inhibitors influence N availability, crop performance, and nitrogen losses across different environmental …

Extending Cover Crop Growing Window To Improve The Health Of Environmentally Sensitive Soils, Noshin Ara Tunazzina

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Sloping and sandy soils are highly susceptible to degradation. The health of these soils could be improved with cover crops (CCs). However, CC effectiveness in improving soil health mainly depends on CC biomass production, which is often low in temperate regions. The question is: how can we increase CC biomass production? Lengthening the CC growing window can be a potential strategy. This study assessed how 1) interseeded and terminated early (2-3 weeks before crop planting) CC, 2) interseeded and terminated late (at crop planting) CC, 3) drilled (after harvest) and terminated early CC, 4) drilled and terminated late CC, and …

Sustainable Fashion Identified: An Exploration And Education Of Sustainable Apparel, Michaela M. Lentsch

Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Fashion Design: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Consumers today are searching for and are loyal to companies who support their views and concerns about sustainability. The fashion industry is one of the biggest industries in the world, but one that has many environmental and sustainability concerns. Fortunately, there are many ways the fashion industry and consumers can take steps to make sustainable change and better the planet. Small fashion businesses and boutiques can make positive changes to operate and provide sustainable options and services for customers which can help the planet become more sustainable.

Through this manuscript, an assortment of sustainable methods and practices will be shared …

Ghosts In Glass: Ghost Crabs As Judges Of Glass Sand For Coastal Restoration, Emily Parrish

Honors Theses

Over 60% of the Gulf of Mexico coastline is actively eroding, which has resulted in thousands of miles of lost coastline over the last 100 years. This drastic loss of coastal land highlights the dire need for coastal restoration across the entirety of the Gulf Coast. A vital aspect of restoring these eroded areas is replenishing eroded substrate, traditionally conducted through offshore dredging of substrates which comes with high economic and ecological costs. Recycled glass sand may be able to fill this role and reduce our reliance on dredging while lowering the amount of glass waste entering landfills each year. …

The Future Of Fashion: A Systematic Literature Review On Consumer Willingness To Pay For Green Apparel, Emma Clark

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, consumers have become highly aware of the environmental impact of their purchases, specifically of apparel products. Accordingly, apparel brands have increasingly focused on enhancing the sustainability of their product offerings to attract environmentally conscious consumers and elevate their brand image (Dangelico et al., 2022). Furthermore, most sustainably produced products are priced higher for consumers compared to standard alternatives (Elmanadily & El-Deeb, 2022). Research has shown that consumers can accept higher prices for products that do less harm to the environment (Gomes et al., 2023), but it has yet to be determined in which cases this is consistently …

Pastoral Land Condition: Kimberley Land Condition Standards, Robert Sudmeyer, Rick Fletcher, Kathryn Ryan, Matthew Fletcher, Charles Martin, Philip Thomas, Karen Holmes, Karyn Reeves, Wayne Fletcher

Natural resources published reports

This report outlines the conceptual basis and quantitative land condition standards that define acceptable pastoral land condition for the Kimberley, Western Australia (WA), to meet the regulatory requirements of the Land Administration Act 1997 and the Soil and Land Conservation Act 1945.

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) develops regional-level pastoral land condition standards for WA to implement the Framework for sustainable pastoral management – Revised edition, which is designed to address the Office of the Auditor General’s recommendations to improve the management of pastoral lands in WA. The application of these standards is expected to …

Landscape Effects On The Beneficial Arthropod Community In Agriculturally Dominated Environments, Hannah E. Stowe

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Ecosystem services in agriculturally dominated regions rely, at least in part, on arthropods. Environment and biodiversity influence beneficial arthropods in population size, community structure, diversity, and ecosystem service provisioning. Predation is among the most important services provided by arthropods in agroecosystems. Understanding what alters predation and predator activity can support the successful application of biological control and, more broadly, integrated pest management. Land use and edge adjacency, field characteristics, landscape, seasonality, and diel period all alter predatory behavior. Crop fields dominate Nebraska agroecosystems, although interspersed perennial grasslands persist through the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). Such grasslands supply crucial resources and …

Community Voices, Climate Action Choices: Working Towards A Resilient Monterey County, Lesley A. Solano Alonso

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Vulnerable communities in Monterey County face disproportionate environmental and health impacts due to climate change, yet many residents remain unaware of the tools and resources available to support local action. This capstone project was implemented in partnership with Ecology Action (EA) and the Resilient Central Coast (RCC) campaign to increase awareness and engagement with the RCC platform. Serving diverse communities across Monterey County, the project included bilingual outreach efforts, community tabling, educational presentations, and a climate action survey. Over 650 residents were engaged directly, resulting in 99 new household sign-ups on the RCC website, a major milestone for the agency. …

Cover Crop-Induced Improvements To Soil Hydraulic Properties And The Role Of Termination Time In Mitigating Negative Soil Moisture Impacts, Fabrizio Javier Pilco

Theses and Dissertations

In the Lower Rio Grande Valley of South Texas, water scarcity and drought pose ongoing challenges for farmers. Although cover crops are promoted for improving soil health and moisture, their effects on soil hydraulic properties in this region remain understudied. This thesis addresses both long-term (Chapter 2) and short-term (Chapter 3) impacts of cover crops on soil hydraulic properties and soil moisture. Long-term effects were evaluated through a three-year participatory field trial across four farms using a BACI design, while short terms were evaluated using a complete randomized block design. Soil hydraulic properties (residual water content θr, saturated water content …

Evaluating Free Merchandise Use At Coastal Carolina University, Ally Murphy, Ciara Cassady, Joseph Dumars

Goal 13: Climate Action

No abstract provided.

Zero Waste Initiatives Across Three Institutions: Local Government, An Academic Institution, And A Retail Business, Soren G. Gray

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

The Petm: A Window Into Earth's Future Climate, Jacalyn M. Wittmer Malinowski

Climate Change and the Individual, 2025-26

The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) is not just an event that occurred in Earth’s distant past (~55 million years ago) but is a crucial lesson for today’s meteoric climate change. The PETM offers a historical parallel of rapid flux of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere that caused global warming, ocean acidification, dramatic changes in weather, and extinctions. This global warming event was the result of 20,000 years of “rapid” warming (in geological terms) however, we are experiencing rates of warming that are 5-10x higher than PETM levels. We are not experiencing rapid warming today, in comparison to the past, we …

The Human Legacy: Agriculture, Civilizations, Strife, And Pandemics Changing Our Climate, Jacalyn M. Wittmer Malinowski

Climate Change and the Individual, 2025-26

For most of human history, climate has shaped our lives, while our influence on it remained minimal. However, the notion that early humans had no measurable impact on the climate before industrialization is inaccurate. Early in human history, activities – such as the rise of agriculture, the growth of civilizations, periods of conflict, and pandemics – altered greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere. These changes contributed to significant periods of climate change long before the burning of fossil fuels set us on the path to today’s global climate crisis.

From Basel (1989) To Busan (2024): Developments And Contradictions In The Global Plastic Waste Trade, Megan E. Hughes

Honors Theses

In 1989, the international community convened in Basel to adopt groundbreaking, legally binding legislation on the transboundary movement of hazardous waste. Plastic waste was notably absent from the initial Basel Convention due to the perceived economic value in plastic recycling despite social, economic, and environmental harms. Consequently, the transboundary sale of plastic waste for recycling– known as the Global Plastic Waste Trade (GPWT)– has proceeded largely unregulated, enabling unsustainable plastic consumption while exacerbating environmental justice divides between developed and developing nations. Recent commitments in the GPWT, such as the European Commission Circular Economy Action Plan (2015), China’s National Sword policy …

Heathy Aging In A Sustainable Manner, Karin Volkwein-Caplan

Sustainability Research & Practice Seminar Presentations

Dr. Karin Volkwein-Caplan, Kinesiology, presents "Healthy Aging in a Sustainable Manner".

The Oaks Vs. Other University Dining Facilities: Does Architecture Affect Food Waste?, Sydney Bezich

Honors Projects

The purpose of this study was to find a connection between food waste and architecture and determine how food waste can be mitigated using architectural solutions and methods. Food waste is an important issue worldwide and is present in university dining facilities. This study focuses on university dining facilities’ preventable food waste at both the pre-consumer and post-consumer levels. Architecture, in this project, is defined as all aspects of the built environment. This includes, but is not limited to, design and layout, materials, systems, building operations, marketing displays, and sustainability. Methods for this study included researching sustainability, architecture, and food …