Environmental Studies Commons^™

Who Counts In Climate Resilience? Transient Populations And Climate Resilience In Boston And Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Johnna Flahive, Katsyris Rivera Kientz, Dlynzee Damas, Chris Watson, Evan Stewart, Ellen Douglas

Sustainable Solutions Lab

In the Northeast U.S., climate change impacts are predicted to increase and intensify unless global carbon emissions are reduced enough to mitigate impacts on local municipalities. As a result, thousands of people in Massachusetts are vulnerable to dynamic and extreme weather conditions, including temperature fuctuations and precipitation patterns, particularly those who are socially, politically, or economically marginalized. While decision-makers in Boston and Cape Cod municipalities must consider diverse stakeholder needs, one population is notably missing from most climate resilience efforts: people experiencing transience due to housing insecurity. Within the Commonwealth, there are two transient populations who are among the most …

Buffalo Reading List, Madison Stevens, Elizabeth Lunstrum, Jamie Faselt, Brent L. Brock, Kyran E. Kunkel, Jake Rayapati, Chamois Andersen, Jeff Martin, Jordan Kennedy, Forrest Hisey, Andrea Olive, Matt Williamson

Environmental Studies Program Faculty Publications and Presentations

This reading list gathers together literature focused on buffalo (also known as bison) to support ongoing efforts to restore this iconic species to its keystone cultural and ecological role. The books and articles compiled here are grounded in a wide range of academic disciplines and approaches, representing many distinct ways of thinking about buffalo within the realm of Western sciences. This is not intended to be an exhaustive account of what is known about buffalo, much of which is held in Indigenous knowledge systems and communities. This academic list is designed as a resource for those working towards buffalo restoration, …

Smu Launches Two Innovative Sustainability Programmes – Postgraduate Master Of Sustainability And Undergraduate Second Major In Sustainable Societies, Singapore Management University

SMU Press Releases and News

Singapore Management University (SMU) will launch a new Master of Sustainability (MST) (永续发展硕士课程) and a Second Major in Sustainable Societies (SSOC) (可持续社会第二主修) as part of a suite of sustainability courses and programmes to develop sustainability leaders and meet the needs of a green economy. The MST is jointly helmed by the School of Social Sciences (SOSS) and College of Integrative Studies (CIS), and SSOC is being offered by the School of Social Sciences as a second major available to all SMU undergraduates.

A Unifying Approach To Measuring Climate Change Impacts And Adaptation, Antonio M. Bento, Noah Miller, Mehreen Mookerjee, Edson Severnini

All Works

We develop a unifying approach to estimating climate impacts and adaptation, and apply it to study the impact of climate change on local air pollution. Economic agents are usually constrained when responding to daily weather shocks, but may adjust to long-run climatic changes. By simultaneously exploiting variation in weather and climate, we identify both the short- and long-run impacts on economic outcomes, and measure adaptation directly as the difference between those responses. As a result, we identify adaptation without making extrapolations of weather responses over time or space, and overcome omitted variable bias concerns from prior approaches.

Impact Of Covid-19 On Student Preparedness In Introductory English Composition Courses, Christopher W. Guillory

The Journal of the Research Association of Minority Professors

The rapid spread of COVID-19, which lead to a global pandemic, caused educational systems to switch from face-to-face learning to some form of online or remote delivery. This abrupt change in learning may have impacted students’ ability to be successful in college. The purpose of this study was to compare the passage rate of students enrolled in an English composition course before the spread of COVID-19 and after the spread of COVID-19. This study used Deci and Ryan’s Self-Determination Theory, which looks at how people adapt to changes in their surroundings, and Astin’s Student Involvement Theory, which looks at people’s …

Self-Reported Consumption Of Bottled Water V. Tap Water In Appalachian And Non-Appalachian Kentucky, Jason W. Marion

Journal of Appalachian Health

Introduction: Quantitative studies on drinking water perceptions in Appalachia are limited. High-profile water infrastructure failures in the U.S. and Eastern Kentucky, coupled with human-made and natural disasters in the Appalachian Region, have likely impacted opinions regarding tap water.

Purpose: To use existing unexplored data to describe baseline tap water v. bottled water consumption in Kentucky.

Methods: Telephone-based cross-sectional data were obtained from the 2013 Kentucky Health Issues Poll (KHIP) directed by the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky. Among many items in KHIP, self-reported consumption of bottled water over tap water, reasons for bottled water use, and demographic data were obtained. …

Nonprofit Accountability: Effects Of Subsector On Online Accountability, Ibrahima F. Yaro, Trent A. Engbers

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

Scandals within the nonprofit sector over compensation and management have increased calls for nonprofits to demonstrate accountability. Many organizations have responded by disclosing information online and providing tools that allow web-based interactions with stakeholders. The literature on nonprofits’ online accountability has found that the level of nonprofit online accountability is affected by their size, age, asset, revenue, and location, but hasn’t been examined in terms of how subsector influences online accountability. Through a web-content analysis of fifty-five nonprofits, this research investigated how subsector (arts and culture, education, health, and human services) influences online accountability using a framework of four types …

The Implications Of Solidarity For Food Ethics, John Sniegocki

The Journal of Social Encounters

This essay examines numerous ways in which commitments to solidarity have relevance in the area of food ethics. Among the topics explored are food insecurity and hunger, workers’ rights, ecology, and the treatment of animals. Particular attention is paid to the impacts of the production and consumption of animal products. These issues are examined through the lens of the developing understanding of solidarity present in the tradition of Catholic social teaching (CST). The ethical framework provided by CST, it is suggested, could be further enhanced by insights drawn from the growing tradition of “Black veganism” and its holistic, intersectional understanding …

Ecological Solidarity And Sustainable Development In Africa, Ambrose Esigbemi Umetietie

The Journal of Social Encounters

Today we are faced with a challenge that calls for a shift in our thinking, so that humanity stops threatening its life support system. We are called to assist the Earth to heal her wounds and in the process heal our own ... This will happen if we see the need to revive our sense of belonging to a larger family of life (Maathai, 2010). According to John Paul II, the “threat of ecological breakdown is teaching us the extent to which greed and selfishness - both individual and collective - are contrary to the order of creation, an order …

The Solidarity Economy: A Way Forward For Our De-Futured World, Julie Matthaei, Matthew Slaats

The Journal of Social Encounters

As society contends with the ongoing economic, environmental and political crises perpetuated by racist patriarchal ecologically-destructive capitalism, there is a need to look beyond forms of inequality to the opportunity of solidarity. While histories of mutuality and reciprocity have long been present in economies around the world, it is in the last thirty years that global movements have begun to coalesce under the framework of the solidarity economy. This framework asserts a path forward towards a just and sustainable post-capitalist future, based in cooperation and care.. We begin by exploring how the solidarity economy framework and movement have been making …

A Mixed Methods Approach To Understanding The Links Between Mining, Climate Change And Selected Health Outcomes In India, Mary J. Cheruvillil

Dissertations and Theses

Despite ample evidence of the significant role that mining activities play in determining health outcomes, in India there is a dearth of comprehensive health studies that draw linkages between mining and health. The purpose of the following study is to investigate the impact of mining activities on population health in India using three different methods: ecological multivariable regression, exploratory spatial data analysis (ESDA) and content analysis of government documents using a phenomenological approach. The first aim uses the ecological multivariable regression to examine associations between mining activities and children’s malnutrition outcomes at the district level. Census data, the Demographic Health …

A Framework For Creating Virtual Reality Models For More Effective Coastal Flood Risk Communication, Tina Korani, Alexandrea Martinez

CSU Journal of Sustainability and Climate Change

Coastal cities are exposed to increasing risks of flooding from sea-level rise. Climate change is expected to double the frequency of coastal flooding within the next decade, and some areas could experience floods of a magnitude 100 times higher than currently (Vitousek et al., 2017). People living in at-risk areas often ignore the impact of climate change on flood intensity and frequency. Immersive visual storytelling techniques proved promising and powerful tools to engage with and raise awareness of flood hazards. Here, we are introducing a framework to use Virtual Reality (VR) to reach better people living in coastal cities and …

Environmental And Socio-Economic Stress In The Mountain West, Ayda Atici, Caitlin J. Saladino, Fatma Nasoz, William E. Brown Jr.

Environment

This fact sheet examines data on environmental and socio-economic risk metrics including which metrics pose the most risk for Nevada counties.The data are retrieved from “System for the Triage of Risks from Environmental and Socio-Economic Stressors” created by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) joint program on the science and policy of global change.

Daunting Encounters: La Hague’S Infrastructures Of Secrecy, Agnes Villette

Secrecy and Society

The article explores secrecy, more particularly, nuclear secrecy in relation to two nuclear facilities situated at the tip of the Norman peninsula of La Hague, in France. Both sites - the CSM nuclear waste repository and the close-by refueling plant - were developed at the end of the 1960s in connection with France’s extensive civil and military nuclear program. While institutional archives and access to the sites remain tedious, the article contends that the nuclear secrecy shielding the facilities can be approached by unpacking the numerous accidents that took place at the site. Silenced and subjected to amnesia, spills and …

Resilience Through Urban Green Spaces: Collaborations And Collective Action Toward Equitable Access And Creation Of Green Space In Albany, New York, Frederick Bentley

Capstone Collection

The crisis of climate change-driven disaster and instability is affecting humans all over the world, especially vulnerable populations in urban settings. This crisis exacerbates social inequalities in cities that exist from a legacy of discriminatory policies. This research centers local perspectives and policies on access and utilization of green spaces as a vital social and green infrastructure within the city of Albany, NY. Building off literature establishing green space as a means to build climate resilience and foster community wellbeing, this paper uses a socio-ecological lens to explore efforts being made by government and community organizations to foster equity, social …

The U.S. Government's Global Food Security Strategy And The Effectiveness Of Agriculture-Led Growth Through The Perspectives Of Climate Change And Sustainability, Marcella Mcnerney

Capstone Collection

The United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Global Food Security Strategy Fiscal Year 2022-2026 addresses food security in developing countries. The U.S. Global Food Security Strategy set forth by USAID lays forth a strategy for increasing food security in twelve targeted low-income and developing nations. How well the USAID policy does this with consideration of climate change, sustainability, and socio-economic well-being is crucial to examine given the fact that climate change impacts and predictions are now affecting food systems at all stages, from growth through production. The following discussion combines elements of a policy brief and research paper to …

The Effect Of An Elephant Conservation Education Program On The Knowledge Base Of Children In Thailand, Angela Larios

Theses and Dissertations

Habitat fragmentation and human-elephant conflict (HEC) are two factors that have caused harm to both Asian elephants and humans in Thailand. Think Elephants International (TEI) is a non-profit organization whose goal is to educate children on these issues to encourage more interest in and knowledge about elephant conservation in the youth of Thailand. TEI has developed a systematic education initiative and established a method for assessing the program’s efficacy using a pre- and post-survey. The current study analyzes student responses from one open-ended question from this survey collected both before and after the students participated in the TEI program. This …

Sneakerhead Culture: Consumers And Their Ecological Consciousness, Maria Cervantes

Apparel Merchandising and Product Development Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis aims to investigate the unique subculture of “sneakerheads” and their buying behavior/attitudes, catering carefully to the Northwest Arkansas community and their small community. Sneakerhead culture has gained significant popularity in recent years, with decades of history to back up the phenomenon. Sneaker connoisseurs collect these glamourous, expensive, and rare footwear and are keepsakes of self-expression and identity formation. The study employs an ecological approach to their purchases and seeks to find whether retail and non-retail sneakerheads are conscious of their ecological footprint. The research methodology involves a questionnaire that is catered towards retail or non-retail employees based on …

Creators For The Earth: The Academic Library’S Role In Supporting Sustainability Creators And Practitioners Across All Disciplines, Jennifer K. Embree, Neyda V. Gilman

Library Scholarship

The image of a creator often brings to mind individuals that can take an abstract or unique idea and transform it into an impressive, tangible creation. Whether it’s an architect crafting a new building design, an artist painting on canvas, or an interior designer mapping out a new room layout, creators are generally seen as those who can formulate conceptual ideas that are then realized to showcase amazing ingenuity. In the world of higher education, this type of work is often first associated with disciplines like art, design, architecture, and engineering—fields where acts of “making,” “creating,” or “building” are integral …

A Systematic Review On The Ecosystem Services Provided By Green Infrastructure, Daniel Jato-Espino, Fabio Capra-Ribeiro, Vanessa Moscardó, Leticia Bartolome Del Pino, Fernando Mayor-Vitoria, Laura Gallardo, Patricia Carracedo, Kristin Dietrich

Faculty Publications

Urbanization and climate change are endangering the sustainability of public spaces through increased land artificialization, ecological fragmentation, reduced resource availability, and limited accessibility to natural and seminatural areas. Properly managing Green Infrastructure (GI) can contribute to mitigating these challenges by delivering multiple provisioning, regulating, supporting and cultural Ecosystem Services (ES). This would facilitate the implementation of strategically planned GI networks in cities for urban regeneration purposes. In this context, this study developed a systematic review on the ES provided by GI using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. The analysis of 199 eligible articles indicated …