Sustainability Commons^™

Creative Storytelling In Environmental Science, Caroline Cheek

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Storytelling in the environmental sciences provides a creative method of scientific dissemination, contrasting with traditional formats such as research papers, news articles, and journal articles. Though traditional methods of scientific dissemination are valuable, creative storytelling offers another path to improve knowledge retention and consciousness toward the planet, particularly in elementary education. The objective of this creative project was to produce an elementary-level children’s fiction manuscript as an example of how environmental education can be integrated with storytelling. The writing process treated reading level, conceptual comprehension, and the avoidance of oversimplification as constraints equal to character creation, setting, plot, and fantastical …

Enhancing Agricultural Sustainability Under Climate Change: A Multi-Scale Framework Integrating Climate Extremes, Resource Efficiency, And Data-Driven Modeling, Shahryar Fazli

Computational and Data Sciences (PhD) Dissertations

Agricultural systems are increasingly challenged by climate variability, where shifting temperature regimes, hydrological variability, and the rising frequency of compound and cascading extremes threaten global food security and resource sustainability. Addressing these challenges requires integrated frameworks that bridge biophysical monitoring, predictive modeling, and adaptive decision-making. This dissertation develops a data-driven, multi-scale framework to quantify and enhance agricultural resilience by integrating remote sensing, climate analytics, and machine learning across the United States, with a focus on California and the Western U.S.

First, hyperspectral and thermal remote sensing data from EMIT and OpenET are integrated to characterize crop nitrogen–water interactions and assess …

Climate Finance Paradox: Economic Fundamentals Outweigh Climate Exposure In Global Green, Blue, And Orange Bond Markets, Lovidya Helmi, Rofikoh Rokhim

Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development

Physical climate impacts can place pressure on public finances, but their association with country-level thematic bond issuance remains unclear. Although country-level green bond markets have been studied, comparative evidence across thematic bond categories remains limited. This study examines whether historical climate impacts are associated with green and blue bond issuance and an exploratory social/sustainability bond proxy, and whether these associations differ after 2015. An unbalanced panel of 184 countries over 2015–2023 (1,271 country-year observations; 183 of the 184 countries enter the fixed-effects estimation) is analyzed using a log-linear Fixed-effects model selected via the Hausman test (χ²(10)=73.29; p<0.001), with the Germanwatch Climate Risk Index (CRI) as the proxy for physical climate risk; orange bond results are treated as exploratory given data sparsity (98.0% zeros). Across all three instruments, CRI shows no statistically significant association with issuance, whereas GDP per capita is positively associated with green (β=0.379, p=0.001), blue (β=0.1148, p=0.017), and proxy issuance (β=0.1148, p=0.037). This pattern is consistent with a capacityconditioned view, in which fiscal and capital-market capacity precedes thematic bond issuance. The models explain little within-country variation (R²=0.033 to 0.079). Post-2015 interactions are significant for green and proxy issuance, but the single pre-period year does not support attribution to the Paris Agreement. Fixed-effects linear probability models yield similar results, whereas PPML estimates are unstable under substantial data separation. Interpretation is limited by sparse issuance observations, uncertain proxy classification, and possible time-varying confounding. The study extends country-level evidence on thematic sustainable bond issuance by examining green and blue bonds alongside an exploratory social/sustainability bond proxy using country fixed effects. GDP per capita is thus more consistently associated with issuance than historical climate-impact rankings, although the underlying mechanisms cannot be established.

Simulating Diesel And Battery-Electric Haulage In Underground Mines: Productivity, Heat Load, And Energy Usage, Aaron Swift, Jason M. Porter, Alexandra M. Newman

Journal of Sustainable Mining

Battery-electric vehicles can improve ambient conditions in underground mines by reducing the amount of heat and diesel exhaust produced during the execution of mining activities (e.g., hauling fragmented rock). Literature comparing diesel- and battery-powered vehicles considers differences in cost, productivity, and heat load between individual vehicles or one type of vehicle (e.g., only trucks or only loaders); this paper determines the effect of electrifying an entire haulage fleet on the productivity, heat load, energy usage, and emissions of an underground mine using discrete-event simulation. Battery-electric loaders and haul trucks reduce heat load by 76 to 82%, CO₂ emissions by …

Experimental And Cfd Analysis Of Heat Generation During Fly Ash Carbonation From Fbc Boiler, Tomasz Janoszek

Journal of Sustainable Mining

The transition toward a closed-loop economy and improved energy efficiency in the industrial sector has highlighted the importance of waste heat recovery and carbon dioxide (CO₂) sequestration. This study investigates the carbonation of fly ash derived from fluidized bed boilers as a method for stabilizing reactive calcium oxide (CaO) while recovering the exothermic heat released during the process. Fly ash carbonation involves reactions between free CaO, CO₂, and water, forming stable calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) and generating significant thermal energy. Laboratory experiments were conducted in an adiabatic rotary reactor equipped with seven thermocouples to monitor the temperature profile of the carbonating …

Forecast Of Mining Fatalities Using Machine Learning Algorithms, Enoch Nii-Okai

Journal of Sustainable Mining

The mining industry plays a crucial role in economic development, but is often accompanied by notable occupational hazards, including fatalities. This research investigates the application of machine learning techniques to predict mining fatalities in the United States using historical data from 1983 to 2023, sourced from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and FRED Economic Data. Predictive models, including random forest (RF), gradient boosting (GB), decision tree (DT), multiple linear regression (MLR), and linear regression (LR), were employed to assess relationships between operational parameters and annual fatality counts. The dataset was thoroughly preprocessed, addressing missing values and …

A Macroergonomic Analysis Of Autonomous Robotic Construction For Affordable Housing, Ricardo Leon Jimenez

Sustainability Conference

As communities seek to increase housing supply, the construction sector continues to grapple with rising costs, skilled labor shortages, and growing pressure to improve environmental sustainability. Meeting these demands will require new approaches that increase productivity while lowering environmental impact throughout the building lifecycle. Recent advances in autonomous systems developed for space exploration offer alternative ways to design, assemble, and maintain residential buildings. This study examines the potential application of NASA's Automated Reconfigurable Mission Adaptive Digital Assembly Systems (ARMADAS) technology from space construction to terrestrial affordable housing construction.

While most construction automation research focuses on technical performance, this study considers …

Growing Climate Literacy In Urban Green Spaces: An Extension Youth Climate Education Experience, Brad Bessler, Justin Hougham

Journal of Extension

Capturing Your Environment (CYE) is an environmental education framework that engages youth in place-based climate exploration. CYE was implemented with youth participating in a Milwaukee summer internship program funded by the Children, Youth, and Families at Risk (CYFAR) Sustainable Community Projects grant. The primary objective of CYE was to create an engaging climate-centered experience for youth. The experience aimed to improve science efficacy, climate content knowledge, science skills, and confidence using scientific tools. A paired t-test compared the learners' pre- and post-experience responses on a 16-item self-report survey. Following participation in CYE, youth reported increases across all measured outcomes.

Emerging Technologies For Hab Monitoring: Uncrewed Aircraft Sampling Of Water And Aerosols In Lake Okeechobee, Kayla D. Taylor, Justin Fratto, Avinash Muthu Krishnan, David Zink, Blake Neal, Jose Cabrera, Marc Compere, Emel Sen-Kilic, Kevin Adkins

Student Works

Harmful algal blooms pose significant environmental and socioeconomic threats to many areas in South Florida, including Lake Okeechobee and its distribution canals. These blooms can simultaneously lead to the widespread mortality of aquatic life and to the emergence of public health hazards, which are especially detrimental to the localized economies around Lake Okeechobee that depend highly on fishing and water-related tourism. Lake Okeechobee has been monitored for water quantity and quality for several decades, providing an excellent context and opportunity to test and implement a new generation of bloom sampling techniques. One challenge that has stymied the progress of understanding …

Ruins In Reverse: Landscape Painting, Time, And The Galleria At Crystal Run | Srps Fall '26 10/21, Kristopher Benedict

Sustainability Research & Practice Seminar Presentations

Professor Kristopher Benedict, Art + Design, presents "Ruins in Reverse: Landscape Painting, Time, and the Galleria at Crystal Run".

Two Modes Of Sustainable Development Transition, Shuai Zhang, Dajian Zhu

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Sustainable development has become a global consensus. Every country should carry out sustainable development transition. Due to large differences in development stages and the ecological impacts imposed on the Earth, developed countries and developing countries ought to adopt different modes of sustainable development transition. By using the Doughnut model as an analytical tool, which has made a significant impact at the forefront of sustainable development research, this paper thoroughly discusses the two modes of sustainable development transition. The Transition Mode of Developed Countries (Mode B) refers to transition from the outer circle to the middle circle of the Doughnut model. …

Resource Security Research In China In The New Era: Evolving Concepts, Paradigm Shifts, And Strategic Pathways, Dong Jiang, Jinwei Dong, Yanzhao Yang, Jingying Fu

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Resource security serves as a critical foundation for safeguarding national security and underpinning high-quality socioeconomic development. Major geopolitical conflicts, such as the Russia–Ukraine conflict and the US-Israeli strikes on Iran, have intensified turbulence across global resource supply chains, positioning resource security as a central arena of strategic competition among nations. As a major consumer and trading power in global resource markets, China faces persistently high import dependence for critical mineral resources, and the pressure to ensure resource security amid the pursuit of high-quality development continues to mount. Against this backdrop, resource security is evolving from a narrow focus on supply …

Progress, Challenges, And Policy Recommendations For China’S Climate Investment And Financing Pilot Zones In Context Of Carbon Neutrality, Xianchun Tan, Zhaoyang Deng, Chenxu Wang, Zhe Peng

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

To implement the decisions and arrangements of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council on addressing climate change and to channel more capital toward climate action, China launched its first batch of 23 climate investment and finance pilot areas in 2022. Through the end of 2025, this study tracks and assesses of pilot development, synthesizes innovative models, identifies major challenges, and proposes policy recommendations. The results show that the pilot areas have made solid progress, with more than 260 supporting policy documents issued and over 6 300 projects, representing total planned investment exceeding RMB …

Comparing Knowledge-Driven And Data-Driven Machine Learning Frameworks For Coastal Vulnerability Assessment On The Egyptian North Coast, Ali Elgendy, Hesham Morgan, Hesham El-Askary, László Mucsi

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Coastal erosion worsened by climate change and human activities is a major threat to global shorelines. As sea levels rise and storms intensify, this rapid shoreline retreat endangers critical infrastructure and the economic security of coastal populations worldwide. However, traditional knowledge-driven frameworks for assessing these threats often rely on subjective, static rules that fail to capture complex, non-linear environmental interactions. To address this critical gap and demonstrate the value of advanced methods, this study compared the traditional Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST) model against machine learning algorithms, highlighting the potential for more accurate coastal erosion risk assessment. …

Agrivoltaics: Combining Food And Solar Power On Agricultural Lands, Dharla Soteros, Kendall Becker, Spencer J. Good, Ngoni Mufute, Matt Yost, Logan Mitchell, Scott Hotaling

All Current Publications

Utah’s ranchers and farmers face pressure to sell land to developers, conserve water, and manage increasing production costs (Li et al., 2019). One way producers can keep growing food while diversifying and increasing revenue is by integrating agriculture and solar electricity generation on the same land, a practice known as agrivoltaics. In this fact sheet, the authors describe agrivoltaic setup options, summarize agrivoltaics' impacts on livestock and crop production, and discuss implementation economics.

Sustainable Landscaping And Sustainability Education On A College Campus: A Case Study In Place-Based, Collaborative Ecosystem Science, Christine S. O'Connell, Shannon Hahn, Evelyn Jauregui, Michael V. Frazier, Anika R. Bratt, Mary A. Heskel, Megan Butler, Christie M. Manning

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Sustainability education on college campuses can leverage interdisciplinary collaborations between facilities services, sustainability offices, environmental studies researchers, and students to provide hands-on opportunities for place-based learning. In an effort led by student researchers that could be replicated in academic practice at other academic institutions, we collaborated across campus groups to improve campus landscaping and turfgrass management. Turfgrass is an ideal cover for high-traffic areas and recreation, but is energy intensive to maintain, inefficient at carbon sequestration, and requires fertilizing which contributes to nutrient pollution. Here, we outline a student-led research effort that combined experiential learning, using a college campus as …

Web-Mapping Viewers To Enhance Environmental Education And Watershed Planning, Austin L Holland, John Strauser, Eric Olson

Journal of Extension

Extension professionals have been using web-based geographic information system (GIS) viewers to aid in education, outreach, and planning. This article highlights the Center for Land Use Education's new Watershed & Conservation Planning Web-Viewer, which was created in collaboration with Extension Lakes using publicly available GIS data. The tool has two objectives: to enhance public education on the relationship between land and water resources and to support the use of geospatial data in conservation planning. This article outlines the justification for the tool, its usefulness, and a path forward for those who can create their own version for their region or …

Community-Based Water Management Through Cultural Ecosystem Services: Traditional Wisdom And Modern Adaptation In Senjoyo Spring, Indonesia, Puji Winarti, Sri Haryani, Sri Wardani, Langlang Handayani

Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development

Small-scale freshwater ecosystems play vital ecological and cultural roles. However, community-based water management (CBWM) often lacks a clear analytical approach to integrating cultural ecosystem services (CES) and traditional ecological knowledge (TEK), limiting the practical understanding of culturally grounded governance. To address this gap, this qualitative study explores the interactions between CES and TEK, analyzes their roles within CBWM, and identifies their implications for sustainable water governance. The integration between cultural value and local ecological knowledge makes Senjoyo Spring an appropriate location for this study. Data were collected through interviews with 20 key informants, field observations, forum group discussions (FGDs), and …

The Impact Of Urban Morphology On Spatial Configuration And Socio-Spatial Structure: A Comparative Space Syntax Analysis, Tazra Kamaran Ismael, Abdulrazaq Zamil Menshid Al-Saedi

Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development

Urban morphology plays a crucial role in shaping the spatial configuration, movement patterns, and socio-spatial interactions within cities. However, despite the extensive development of Space Syntax research, limited research has comparatively examined how contrasting urban morphologies influence spatial hierarchy, accessibility, and intelligibility within the same urban context, particularly in the rapidly transforming cities of the Global South. This study investigates the configurational characteristics of two contrasting urban sectors in Koya City, Iraq: the organically developed historic city centre and the planned grid-based Zanko neighbourhood. A Space Syntax analysis was conducted using axial maps generated in DepthmapX. The analysis was supported …

Good Governance In The Concept Of Climate Justice: Decarbonisation Policies In Economic Considerations Of Losses And Sacrifices, Daryanti Daryanti, Albertus Sentot Sudarwanto, Erna Dyah Kusumawati, Rosita Candrakirana

Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development

Projections of losses resulting from the impacts of climate change in Indonesia are estimated to reach USD 30.5 million, affecting four key sectors: agriculture, water supply, health, and the maritime sector. This study shows that good governance based on climate justice in the implementation of decarbonization policies is the most important factor in avoiding long-term economic losses caused by the adverse impacts of climate change or investing in climate resilience. This study employed a normative methodology using a statutory approach to examine efforts related to climate change mitigation and adaptation. The findings of this research indicate that regulations in Indonesia, …