Sustainability Commons^™

The Economic And Environmental Impact Of Shinkansen And High-Speed Rail Infrastructure: A Comparative Analysis Of Economic Growth And Carbon Emissions Reduction, Dillan R. Victory

SPARK Symposium Presentations

The development of Japan's high-speed rail system, the Shinkansen, has played a pivotal role in the country's post-war economic resurgence. Introduced in 1964 with the Tokaidō Shinkansen, this transformative infrastructure investment significantly reduced travel times, bolstered economic activity around station hubs, and facilitated regional development by enabling urban decentralization. This paper explores the long-term economic benefits of high-speed rail, including its impact on land value, business expansion, and carbon emissions. The case study of the Linear Chuo Shinkansen, Japan's latest maglev project, underscores both the economic promise and the political resistance to expansion, particularly in regions such as Shizuoka.

Using …

Navigating Wastewater: Minnesota Mining Wastewater Permit Challenges And Evolving Compliance Standards, Madelaine Adamich

Journal of Earth and Life Science

February of 2021 marked the beginning of Minnesota clearly establishing that groundwater qualifies as a Class 1 water in a legal battle involving United States Steel, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, WaterLegacy, Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, the Minnesota Court of Appeals, and eventually the Minnesota Supreme Court (MNSC). Minnesota has a water classification system, as required by the federal Clean Water Act, with 7 classes of use. Class 1 waters are waters used for domestic consumption (MPCA 4, n.d.). According to Minnesota Statute § 7050.0220, the acceptable level for sulfate is 250 mg/L in Class 1 …

Aquatic Invertebrate Populations In Roadside Wetlands In Relation To Water Characteristics, Ellen P. Isakson

Journal of Earth and Life Science

The continual habitat destruction and draining of wetland systems makes the need to understand the ecology of roadside wetlands all the more necessary. Roadside wetlands provide valuable habitat to countless aquatic invertebrates, which can provide insight into the health of the wetland system due to their diversity. The objective of this study was to analyze the populations of aquatic invertebrates in roadside wetlands in relation to water characteristics such as pH, salinity, conductivity, water depth and temperature, and dissolved oxygen. This was done by collecting samples of invertebrate populations from roadside wetlands, in addition to data on water quality characteristics …

Artificial Intelligence And Environmental Sustainability: Review And Research Directions, Troy Strader, Yu-Hsiang (John) Huang, Yu-Ju Tu

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

Environmental sustainability is one of the most important and complex issues currently facing our global society. One solution to some aspects of this problem could come from artificially intelligent systems and data analytics methods. The objective for this study is to identify the range of recently published research that addresses issues involving the convergence of artificial intelligence (AI) and environmental sustainability. A systematic literature review produced a sample of 62 journal articles from 2018-2024 that were each categorized into one of six research themes that included studies of AI and the ways in which it impacted natural resources, energy and …

The Sustainability Of The Outdoor Recreation Industry: Studied Through Mountaineering In Teton County, Wy, Samantha Olstein

Student Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Into Thick Air: Adapting Cultural Practices Into Solutions For Modern Wicked Problems, Syed Muhammad Erzum Naqvi

Theses and Dissertations

Into Thick Air argues that cultural practices can inspire solutions

to challenging modern problems. This project employs the Basant

festival as a case study to critically reimagine kite flying as a

collective practice with the potential to contribute to the reduction

of air pollution in Lahore, a city consistently ranked among those

with the poorest air quality globally. By building kites from fabric

treated with nanoparticle coatings, Into Thick Air transforms a

traditional community activity into an accessible, citizen-driven

method for removing pollutants from the air. The treated kites

empower Lahoris to take charge of their environment while

encouraging collective …

Usf St. Petersburg Campus Water Refill Station Inventory Appendix A, Haley Mcgehee, Carolyn Mazur, Mohammad Shafayet H. Khan, Theresa G. Burress

Student Green Energy Fund (SGEF) Water Refill Stations

Appendix supporting University of South Florida St. Petersburg Campus Water Refill Station dataset with reference images by location.

Usf St. Petersburg Campus Water Refill Station Inventory, Haley Mcgehee, Carolyn Mazur, Mohammad Shafeyet H. Khan, Theresa G. Burress

Student Green Energy Fund (SGEF) Water Refill Stations

Data inventory of University of South Florida St. Petersburg Campus water refill stations, accounting for presence of Elkay water refill stations, ticker numbers for bottles saved by its use, location descriptors, etc.

Usf St. Petersburg Campus Water Refill Station Inventory Readme, Carolyn Mazur, Theresa G. Burress

Student Green Energy Fund (SGEF) Water Refill Stations

ReadMe file supporting the University of South Florida St. Petersburg Campus Water Refill Station dataset.

Identifying Intangible And Biocultural Heritage Elements Toward Environmental Understanding: Engaging Stakeholders Through Art, Martha B. Lerski

Publications and Research

Grounded in a case study in Barbuda in the Caribbean, this research examines sustainability from the perspective of what arts and heritage can contribute to community engagement and local and broader understandings about the environment. This article documents a growing body of literature recognizing the role of arts and culture, including local knowledge and traditional ecological knowledge (TEK), in climate change endeavors. Art and TEK present expansive world views. Contextual information situates research done on the island of Barbuda pre- and post-Hurricane Irma. Visual arts workshops engaged community members in mixed methods research. Results documented cultural elements, particularly intangible and …

Hydrogen Standards And Aviation Sustainability, Eva Maleviti, Evan Stamoulis, Elen Paraschi

Publications

Standards from ISO, SAE, and ASTM are essential for certification, safety, and sustainability validation.

Hydrogen Readiness In Aviation & Challenges- Technology Meets Regulation And Market Demand, Eva Maleviti

Publications

Where technology meets regulation and market demand.

Maritime Digitalization And Decarbonization: A Sustainable Future, World Maritime University, Korea Research Institute Of Ships And Ocean Engineering, Korea Maritime Institute

Books

The book with the title “Maritime Digitalization and Decarbonization: A Sustainable Future” is the second major outcome following the publication of the Proceedings of WMU Maritime Week (WMW) 2024.

The purpose of WMU Maritime Week 2024 (WMW) was to convene experts from diverse sectors to discuss contemporary maritime issues, generate practical and academic insights, and contribute to the advancement of the international maritime community. Following the success of WMW 2024, the aim is to deliver a top-notch annual conference in the maritime field, producing practical and academic outputs through in-depth discussions of critical contemporary issues in the maritime field. …

2025 Environmental Flows Report, Adrian Oglesby, Anjali Bean, Martha Cooper, David Pílz

Publications

A selection from the 2025 Environmental Flows Workshop Report's Introduction: 

The term environmental flows means different things to different people. For example, environmental flows might refer to the science underpinning instream flow recommendations; or environmental flows might refer to the tools used to legally allocate water to rivers; or it might most broadly refer to the question, “how much water does a river need to stay alive?” Workshop presentations and discussions covered all these topics and others.

Assessing Tidal Energy Potential In The Visayas: Viability Of The San Bernardino, San Juanico, And Cebu Straits, Justin Kyle O. Ricafort, King Harold A. Recto

Sustainability, Disaster Science and Energy

By laying the groundwork for sustainable tidal energy infrastructure, this study contributes to advancing the Philippines' renewable energy portfolio and supports the global transition to clean energy solutions. With the country's extensive coastline and rising energy demands, tidal energy presents a largely underutilized yet promising resource that can address both local and global energy challenges. Tidal energy is highly predictable, stable, and environmentally friendly, offering a reliable alternative to conventional energy sources like coal and natural gas, which are often subject to price volatility and environmental concerns. The study focuses on the Visayas region, a prime candidate for tidal energy …

Valuating The Impact Of Unexploded Ordnance (Uxo) In Savannakhet, Laos Through Ecosystem Services Assessments, Nathan Lu

Pitzer Senior Theses

Unexploded ordnance (UXO) impact on countries is not well-documented, since post-war surveys or data collection are often hindered by a lack of appropriate funding and reparation. In Laos, UXO has hardly been cleared since 1964 and thus leaves room for spatially and temporally analyzing the severity of environmental and economic degradation in the area. This study uses the framework of ecosystem services, particularly carbon stock, as a way to provide quantitative metrics of impact to local governments and stakeholders. Through remote sensing data in Savannakhet Province, evidence-based land-use change data was spatially analyzed with geocoded UXO bomb mission locations and …

El Maíz Del Abuelo: Fidel Márquez Sanchez’S Legacy And Mexico’S Historical Maize Agriculture, Lucia Marquez-Uppman

Scripps Senior Theses

The Green Revolution was an era of scientific development in productive agricultural methods and technologies in the mid-twentieth century. High-yielding seed varieties, artificial fertilizers, irrigation infrastructure, pesticides, and herbicides all developed from this period. Texcoco, Mexico was the center of much of the Green Revolution's education and research from the 1940s onward at the Autonomous University of Chapingo, a prestigious agricultural school, with funding from the US-based philanthropic Rockefeller Foundation. Powerful consequences in the globe's agriculture emerged from the Green Revolution, including the production of maize, a staple crop in Mexico, especially for Indigenous and campesino populations. My abuelo, Fidel …

World As Other, World As Self: Beyond Dualism In Environmental Narratives, Tamara Wallace Ramirez

CGU Theses & Dissertations

Stories of place matter to the way we live with the Earth. A dualistic perspective that pits "culture" against "nature" enables environmental degradation on small and large scales. Conversely, understanding humans and nonhumans as entwined allows us to think and act differently with our planetary community. This view entails integrating the "self" and the "other." Instead of being antithetical to the other, the self arises through engagement with others, human and nonhuman. Understanding our mutuality with others while respecting their alterity and agency fosters caring and dedication. Our sense of connection with the more-than-human world inspires our compassion. However, such …

Confronting The Seaport Resilience Gap: Incentives, Frameworks, And Case Studies For Enhancing Resilience To Natural Hazards In Port Planning And Policy, Rosemarie Fusco

Open Access Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the critical issue of seaport resilience, focusing on the gaps in resilience planning and the role of incentives in motivating resilience investment. The research arc addresses the question: What incentivizes seaports to increase natural hazard resilience (NHR)? It is organized into three interconnected manuscripts, each examining distinct aspects of the problem.

The first manuscript critically examines the resilience planning approaches of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) as outlined in their National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), highlighting the limited consideration of seaports despite their critical role in economic and social connectivity. SIDS offer critical insight into seaport resilience due …

From Lawns To Life: Landscaping For Biodiversity On Mason’S Island, Margit Burgess

Open Access Master's Theses

The collapse of biodiversity is an existential threat to life on Earth. Residential landscapes, dominated by open lawns maintained in turfgrass, do not support biodiversity. In the United States, turfgrass has replaced native landscapes in over 40 million acres, with 500 square miles added each year (Tallamy, 2019). Of the 78% of the U.S. land that is privately owned, approximately 135 million acres - nearly twice the size of all national parks combined - are residential (Milesi et al., 2005). With a shift in private landscape management, this land could present a largely untapped opportunity for biodiversity restoration and social …