Environmental Studies Commons^™

The Effects Of Thermal Stress On Fluorescent Protein Expression In An Indo-Pacific Scleractinian Coral Species, Acropora Tenuis, Anna Knochel

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The scleractinian coral species that so heavily define tropical coral reefs are increasingly threatened by anthropogenic global warming. Rising sea surface temperatures in combination with light stress causes the photosynthetic breakdown of the coral’s algal symbiont, Symbiodinium. Corals have developed a number of physiological responses to handle acute stressors, such as the production of ultraviolet-protecting amino acids, heat shock proteins, the ability to shift symbionts, and the production of fluorescent proteins. The latter has been thought to play a photoprotective role in the coral holobiont, and studies have shown evidence that corals orient these pigments to divert harmful light away …

Environmental And Climate Justice Along The Brahmaputra River In Northeast India, Costanza Rampini

Faculty Publications, Environmental Studies

The glaciers of the Himalayas are the source of all of Asia’s major rivers and are crucial to Asia’s water supply, economies, and livelihoods. The Himalayan region is uniquely vulnerable to the impacts of anthropogenic climate change, while also becoming one of the most dammed regions in the world. This case study explores the unequal distribution of the impacts of climate change and dam building along the Brahmaputra River in Northeast India. It examines how the combined impacts of these two processes negatively affect local communities and explores environmental and climate justice issues. In discussing climate change impacts and hydropower …

Assessment Of Usda-Nrcs Rangeland Conservation Programs: Recommendation For An Evidence-Based Conservation Platform, David D. Briske, Brandon T. Bestelmeyer, Joel R. Brown, Mark W. Brunson, Thomas L. Thurow, John Tanaka

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

The Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) was created in response to a request from the Office of Management and Budget that the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resource Conservation Service (USDA- NRCS) document the societal benefits anticipated to accrue from a major increase in conservation funding authorized by the 2002 Farm Bill. A comprehensive evaluation of the efficacy of rangeland conservation practices cost- shared with private landowners was unable to evaluate conservation benefits because outcomes were seldom documented. Four interrelated suppositions are presented to examine the causes underlying minimal documentation of conservations outcomes. These suppositions are (1) the benefits of …

Community Gardens: Exploring Race, Racial Diversity And Social Capital In Urban Food Deserts, Jennifer F. Jettner

Theses and Dissertations

Study purpose. The study examined race and racial diversity in community gardens located in Southern urban food deserts, as well as the capacity of community gardens to generate social capital and promote social justice. Methods. A mixed-methods approach was used to describe characteristics of gardeners and community gardens located in urban food deserts, and test Social Capital Theory hypotheses. A convenience sample of 60 gardeners from 10 community gardens was obtained. Data was collected using surveys and semi-structured interviews. Analyses. Univariate and bivariate statistics were used to describe gardeners and gardens. Leader rationales for garden characteristics were analyzed using thematic …

Salmon Pluralities: The Politics Of Commercial Fishing On The Hoopa Valley Reservation, Lori D. Biondini

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

From 2008 to 2010 members of the Hoopa Valley Tribe harvested large quantities of salmon from the Trinity River within the boundaries of the Hoopa Valley Reservation, and sold them to an off-reservation buyer. Other tribal members questioned the legality of the sellers’ actions, as well as the appropriateness of their fishing methods, which were interfering with non-commercial fishing on the river. In response, the Hoopa Valley Tribe’s governing council created a commission charged with developing commercial fishing regulations with input from the tribal membership. In early 2011, the commission invited me to participate in planning and facilitating two public …

Ownership Structures And Financing Options For Solar Energy Generation In The Redwood Coast Energy Authority Service Area, Mahayla Ca-Va Slackerelli

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Ownership structures and financing sources for photovoltaic (PV) solar arrays have a large effect on the economic feasibility of a project. This thesis examines potential ownership structure and financing combinations for a one-megawatt PV solar array in Humboldt County. The options deemed suitable for the context of the project are discussed qualitatively. A subset of the financing options and ownership structures are modeled using the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s System Advisory Model to gauge their economic viability.

Access to the Investment Tax Credit (ITC) and other tax advantages are the most crucial variables for a competitive solar array. Not all …

International Lessons For The Future Spatial Direction For Ireland: Aspects Of Agglomeration And Their Influences On The Economic Role Of Cities, Brian Hughes

Conference papers

Ireland’s demography in the world context is unique. Its population count remains the same as it was some 200 years ago and yet it has experienced profound movements. This paper contrasts Ireland’s changing demography with that of Japan since the 1840’s, for these the two offshore nations, located off either end of the Eurasian land mass. Historic urban literature identifies that governmental policies towards cities and city-based industry and services appears to explain many of these contrasts. In Ireland’s case such policy both prior to and since the formation of the State has been an ambivalent one that has not …

Human Energy Maximization In A Customized Leadership Program, Robin A. Roberts, Matthew P. Earnhardt, Rene Herron

Publications

Sustainability and thriving are key terms that are driving how energy sources, such as solar, wind, water, and geothermal, generate survivability in the era of globalization. Rarely are those terms used to define human energy expenditures; however, human energy is the most readily available energy source for it serves as a primary catalyst in the fueling or degrading of the sustainability and survival of all other resources. Additionally, humans live, learn, and earn in spaces where they expend energy by mere existence. Most humans are unaware of the impact their personal energy has on the utility and fortitude of the …

Exploratory Modeling Of Environmental And Anthropogenic Impacts On Mercury In Fish Tissue For Select Watersheds In South Carolina, Julia Mcguire

Theses and Dissertations

Fish tissue from various sampling locations in South Carolina rivers has shown elevated levels of mercury (Hg). A number of variables may impact this Hg in fish tissue and this study evaluated the impact of these variables using a predictive model. Over 341 variables were assembled from 6 different databases describing land use, water chemistry, point source pollutants, watershed characteristics and more. One dataset describes the location of historical gold mines throughout the sample site, which have been shown to increase Hg in fish tissue in other locations. The variables were assembled in ArcGIS to evaluate variable significance and to …

Russell Lord And The Permanent Agriculture Movement: An Environmental Biography, Margaret L. Eppig

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This work is an environmental biography of agricultural journalist Russell Lord and a history of the agricultural conservation organization he co-founded. Today the work of the Society for the Friends of the Land (1940 – 1960) is little known to contemporary agricultural and environmental history, yet its influence continues through the fields of sustainable agriculture and landscape restoration. This work chronicles how modern revolutions in scientific and ecological thought transformed the future of American agriculture. It formed the cornerstone of an emerging environmental movement. I argue that this movement, with Lord as its literary vanguard, was the lynchpin that bound …

From Disposable Culture To Disposable People: Teaching About The Unintended Consequences Of Plastics, Sasha Adkins

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Plastics, the epitome of disposable culture, pose both a toxicological and a spiritual problem. This dissertation examines plastics at a molecular level using the discourse of endocrine disruption, and at a sociological level using the discourses of eco-theology and environmental justice. Adding to the literature on the adsorption of toxicants to plastic marine debris, I demonstrate that certain types of plastic -- those containing mercaptans, such as styrene butadiene block copolymer -- efficiently concentrate methyl mercury from seawater. Further, samples of polycarbonate contributed mercury to seawater. I propose the term plastic-mediated magnification to describe the phenomenon that plastics, along with …

First Nations And Adaptive Water Governance In Southern Ontario, Canada, Thomas Dyck

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Water quality and quantity are prominent concerns for First Nations across Canada. The federal government shares the responsibility with First Nations to ensure water resources on-reserves meet the needs of First Nations. Federal approaches have been predominantly technical, focused on addressing issues related to infrastructure, maintenance, training, and monitoring. This approach is important. However, water issues concerning First Nations go beyond technical issues and relate to inadequate participation in decision making, poorly defined roles and responsibilities, and approaches to managing water resources on-reserve that have not accounted for local context. These issues parallel historical nation-to-nation (i.e., First Nations and federal …

Knowledge Of Forest Ecosystem Among Forest Guards In Southern Nigeria, Norris I. Erhabor

Journal of Bioresource Management

Undertaken study assessed the level of ecological knowledge among forest guards in southern Nigeria. Descriptive survey research design was used for study. A structured questionnaire was administered to 60 respondents that are employed by forest guards system. Central question the study attempts to answer is the level of knowledge of the ecosystem among forest guards. Analysis of data revealed that forest guards have inadequate knowledge of ecosystem. Calculated mean score of respondents was 14.25. This mean score is lower than theoretical mean of 16 (80%). A binomial test revealed that fairly high number of respondents had inadequate knowledge of …

A Poetics Of Food In The Bahamas: Intentional Journeys Through Food, Consciousness, And The Aesthetic Of Everyday Life, Hilary B. Booker

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This research explores intentional food practices and journeys of consciousness in a network of people in The Bahamas. Intentional food practices are defined as interactions with food chosen for particular purposes, while journeys of consciousness are cumulative successions of events that people associate with healing, restoration, and decolonization personally and collectively. This research examines (1) experiences and moments that influenced people’s intentional food practices; (2) food practices that people enact daily; and (3) how people’s intentional food practices connect to broader spiritual, philosophical, and ideological perspectives guiding their lives. The theoretical framework emerges from a specific lineage of theories and …

Robocar Risks, Michael Lewyn

Scholarly Works

Suggests that policymakers should not widen roads or stringently enforce anti-jaywalking laws in order to accommodate autonomous vehicles.

The Environmentalist Case For Sprawl- And Why It Fails, Michael Lewyn

Scholarly Works

Environmentalists generally favor compact, walkable development, because development that reduces automobile use may reduce automobile-related pollution. Defenders of suburban sprawl argue, however, that compact development may actually increase pollution in a variety of ways. This article criticizes the latter argument.,

Taking Good Works To The Next Level: Increasing Investment In And Support For Higher-Risk Innovation, Jessie Capper

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis explores the possible avenues available to corporations and capital-managing entities seeking to increase their commitment to good works. These organizations have the potential to fill the gap in societal needs by supporting and investing in good works, including environmental protection and highly-innovative energy technologies, beyond the traditional corporate social responsibility (CSR) norm. These means include charitable giving, working with disadvantaged communities, corporate assistance to environmental or other social non-governmental organizations, and more. This thesis discusses the advantages and limitations of various corporate structures (C Corporations, S Corporations, LLCs, B Corps, L³Cs, and benefit corporations) and capital-managing …

The Potential And Limits Of Extended Producer Responsibility: A Comparative Analysis Study, Jessica Bass

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis draws on the concept of product stewardship and its focus on incorporating all of the actors in a product’s lifecycle into steps to take responsibility for waste management. Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) recognizes the producer’s distinct potential to consider and drive change in waste management. Producers often serve like mediators between the design and use phases of a product’s lifecycle. Through EPR policies, the producer takes on the costs of ensuring safe end-of-life waste disposal. In this way, EPR can be expected to help relieve the public of some of the costs of waste disposal, and to support …

Sustainable Mining For Long Term Poverty Alleviation In The Democratic Republic Of The Congo, Ellen Perfect

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis explores the poverty alleviation and peace-spoiling power of the mineral extraction sector in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to arrive at a set of strategic goals for the country moving forward. Although subterranean minerals are often a source or perpetuator of violence, the potential to lift the country’s rural communities out of extreme poverty makes the mining industry an essential part of the nation’s development strategies. Lessons from Tanzania, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Ghana, Zambia, Uganda and Sierra Leone to arrive at best practices for increasing the multiplier effect of large-scale mining, formalization, beneficiation, capital …

Oceans Of Space, Stephanie Steinbrecher '16

EnviroLab Asia

"Oceans of Space" relates my observations of the 2016 EnviroLab Asia Clinic Trip to Singapore and Sarawak, Malaysia. In this meditation, the concept of space serves as a lens to examine assumptions of geopolitical, historical, and philosophical positioning—regionally and globally. At the center of my inquiry is EnviroLab's connection to the Dayak communities in Baram, Sarawak. This region is experiencing dramatic social and ecological change as a result of industrial development. By triangulating my subjective impressions of this space, various knowledge systems, and the qualitative data EnviroLab gathered in Southeast Asia, I aim to untangle some paradoxes that complicate the …