Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Sustainability Potential Of Suburban Gardens: Review And New Directions, Sumita Ghosh

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

Gardens, as important elements of Australian suburban residential environments, could have significant sustainability potential similar to that of dwellings. Research to identify the cumulative (social, cultural, environmental and ecological) sustainability values of suburban domestic gardens has been very limited. Australian suburbs are likely to retain their typical characteristics for a considerable period of time as their rapid intensification is not likely. Therefore, it is immensely important to understand the role and performance of the suburban garden in this discourse. This article reviews the sustainability potential of domestic gardens and their links to suburban forms, sustainable design, social processes, and environmental …

An Environmental Sustainability Assessment Of Taylor University, Kevin P. Crosby

Master of Environmental Science (MES) Theses

This is a master’s thesis project for the Department of Environmental Science at Taylor University in Upland, Indiana. It is focused on sustainability which requires considering the social, economic, and environmental impact of actions on future generations. The three main questions being addressed are: 1.) In what ways is Taylor University practicing environmental sustainability? 2.) What is the best way to judge the sustainability of Taylor? 3.) What should Taylor do to become more sustainable? This paper consists of a literature review, a description of the problem being addressed, a review of similar studies, and assessment methods, the actual campus …

Building Sustainable Societies: Exploring Sustainability Policy And Practice In The Age Of High Consumption, Cindy Isenhour

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation is an attempt to examine how humans in wealthy, post-industrial urban contexts understand sustainability and respond to their concerns given their sphere of influence. I focus specifically on sustainable consumption policy and practice in Sweden, where concerns for sustainability and consumer-based responses are strong. This case raises interesting questions about the relative strength of sustainability movements in different cultural and geo-political contexts as well as the specific factors that have motivated the movement toward sustainable living in Sweden.

The data presented here supports the need for multigenic theories of sustainable consumerism. Rather than relying on dominant theories of …

Genetically Engineering Crops For A Sustainable Agriculture, David E. Ervin, Rick Welsh

Economics Faculty Publications and Presentations

The article examines the role of genetically engineered (GE) crops in fostering a more sustainable agriculture. An overview of the National Academy of Sciences metal study of the impacts of GE crops on farm sustainability in the U.S. is given. The two types of GE crops are discussed, one which produces its own insecticide called insect resistant (IR) crops and the other is engineered to resist particular herbicides. An explanation for sustainable agriculture is also presented.

Toward A Policy Framework For The Design Of Economic Information Packages, Andrew Whitmore

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The emergence of product certifications such as "organic," "fair trade" and "shade grown" has gone far to introduce non-price related product information back into the consumer decision making process thereby reducing information asymmetries and improving market outcomes. Recently, these certifications have been supplemented by the emergence of several web-based consumer decision support systems that are designed to disseminate non-price product information to consumers. Like printed product labels, these new web-based systems present the same informational cues to each consumer regardless of his or her preference for the information and they rate products with fixed weights that are not customized to …

Integrating Education, Evaluation & Partnerships Into Large-Scale Sustainable Stormwater Management Programs, Vivek Shandas, Anne Nelson, Carine Arendes

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

Integrated stormwater management using green infrastructure shows promise in saving money and mitigating environmental impacts caused by urban development. Equally important are the potential community benefits, including better understanding of ecological systems, increased access to urban green spaces, safer and healthier neighborhoods, and informed residents that are equipped to take action to improve watershed health. As a partnership between the City of Portland Environmental Services, Portland State University, and residents of the Tabor to the River (T2R) neighborhood, we conducted a survey to understand the role of civic ecology in green infrastructure projects. The survey results indicate a high interest …

Major Challenges For The Modern Chemistry In Particular And Science In General, Vuk Uskoković

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

In the past few hundred years, science has exerted an enormous influence on the way the world appears to human observers. Despite phenomenal accomplishments of science, science nowadays faces numerous challenges that threaten its continued success. As scientific inventions become embedded within human societies, the challenges are further multiplied. In this critical review, some of the critical challenges for the field of modern chemistry are discussed, including: (a) interlinking theoretical knowledge and experimental approaches; (b) implementing the principles of sustainability at the roots of the chemical design; (c) defining science from a philosophical perspective that acknowledges both pragmatic and realistic …

Making The States Full Partners In A National Climate Change Effort: A Necessary Element For Sustainable Economic Development, John Dernbach, Robert Mckinstry, Thomas Peterson

John C. Dernbach

This article explains why states and localities need to be full partners in a national climate change effort based on federal legislation or the existing Clean Air Act. A large share of reductions with the lowest cost and the greatest co-benefits (e.g., job creation, technology development, reduction of other pollutants) are in areas that a federal cap-and-trade program or other purely federal measures will not easily reach. These are also areas where the states have traditionally exercised their powers—including land use, building construction, transportation, and recycling. The economic recovery and expansion will require direct state and local management of climate …

Interview With Jim Quinn, Metro's Hazardous Waste Program, 2009 (Audio), Jim Quinn

All Sustainability History Project Oral Histories

Interview of Jim Quinn by Sean Quigley at Metro in Portland, Oregon on December 2nd, 2009.

The interview index is available for download.

The Malawi Project: From Conventional To Holistic Decision Making, Grace Wetmore

Animal Science

How the Cal Poly Malawi Appropriate Technologies Team, and other development groups, can use Holistic Management to aid developing countries in an effort towards a sustainable future.

Interview With Bruce Walker, Bps, 2009 (Audio), Bruce Walker

All Sustainability History Project Oral Histories

Interview of Bruce Walker by Zachary Hathaway in NW Portland on November 20th, 2009.

The interview index is available for download.

Interview With Lee Michael Barrett, Eco-Logistics, 2009 (Audio), Lee Michael Barrett

All Sustainability History Project Oral Histories

Interview of Lee Michael Barrett by Angie Cirello in Portland, Oregon on November 20th, 2009.

The interview index is available for download.

Interview With David Mcmahon, Cloudburst Recycling, 2009 (Audio), David Mcmahon

All Sustainability History Project Oral Histories

Interview of David McMahan by Allison Dowd at Portland State University on November 19th, 2009.

The interview index is available for download.

Climate, Agricultural Strategies, And Sustainability In The Precolumbian Andes, Charles Ortloff, Michael E. Moseley

Andean Past

No abstract provided.

Green Buildings: An Asset Manager's Dream Or Nightmare?, Linda Too

Linda Too

The mounting evidence on climate change has thrust the sustainability issue to the forefront of many political agendas. Current research has provided many business cases for sustainable design and construction. While commercial green buildings have been the mainstay, the green phenomenon has also spread to educational facilities. This paper provides a case study of the new Mirvac School of Sustainable Development Building at Bond University, Gold Coast, Australia. With its extensive green features, it is applying to be the first six-star rated green educational building in Australia. To this end, the management of green buildings will be a challenge for …

In Pursuit Of A Sustainable Supply Chain: Insights From Westpac Banking Corporation, Byron Keating, Ali Quazi, Anton Kriz, Tim Coltman

Dr Byron W. Keating

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to provide clues to industry and academia on how best to approach the challenge of developing a sustainable supply chain. Design/methodology/approach – A case study was undertaken of the Westpac Banking Corporation – one of the world's most socially responsible banks – to examine how they approached the challenge of managing corporate social responsibility (CSR) in their supply chain. Findings – This paper highlights some of the challenges and opportunities associated with extending corporate governance beyond the firm boundary. Specific attention is given to a discussion of assessment and governance tools. Research …

The Very Basics Of Sustainability - An Alternative Viewpoint, Jim Mcgovern

Other resources

This paper examines the context and meaning of the term ‘sustainability’, the factors that determine and govern climate on Earth, the population of the Earth and its trends and influencers, the requirements for sustaining life and the options that are available to humankind. Some viewpoints are presented that are alternative to ‘conventional alternative’ thinking. The author advocates keeping an open mind on all available options, including the use of oil, gas, coal, tar sands, carbon capture and sequestration, nuclear power etc., as well as the technologies that are more widely considered ‘green’ and also argues that humankind needs to face …

The Very Basics Of Sustainability - An Alternative Viewpoint (Slides With Audio) (Large File! To Speed Up Download, Right-Click On "Download" Link To Save To Own Pc.), Jim Mcgovern

Other resources

This presentation sets out the very basics of ‘sustainability’, although a definition of sustainability is not attempted. Some of the very basics are the context in which the Earth and humankind exist in space and time, the Earth’s climate, the Earth’s population and humankind’s options and choices. The author advocates keeping an open mind on all available options, including the use of oil, gas, coal, tar sands, carbon capture and sequestration, nuclear power etc., as well as the technologies that are more widely considered ‘green’. The author also argues that, in addressing the challenges that humankind faces, globally concerted effort …

Green Employees: Organizational Identification In An Environmentally Friendly Company, Jenna Haugen

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Environmental sustainability is an issue facing our global society and one that must be addressed through communication in order to encourage change amongst individuals. The current research focuses on the organization, in this instance a “Green” printing company, and its role in building identification amongst employees. This study focuses on environmental sustainable practices initiated or continued by employees through the use of a directed mission statement and organizational rhetoric. Utilizing individual interviews, the findings suggest that by building organizational identification, more environmentally-friendly practices amongst organizational members may be achieved.

Interview With Sarah Patterson, Lettuce Grow Garden Foundation, 2009 (Audio), Sarah Patterson

All Sustainability History Project Oral Histories

Interview of Sarah Patterson by Diane Mahon in Portland, Oregon on July 29th, 2009.

The interview index is available for download.

Time Valuation Of Risk A Delayed-Bang Approach, Abhishek Pathak

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The subject of this thesis is the combined use of engineering economics and survival analysis in estimating time-value of risk-related resources. The discussion includes (1) the need for sustainable risk management, (2) the importance of time-valuation of risk related resources in the allocation or selection among competing risk mitigation alternatives, (3) the convergence of deterministic engineering economics, survivability analysis, and probabilistic analysis, and (4) results and examples of application in the context of prevention of risk event or mitigation of its consequences.

The significance of this thesis is in how three topics: engineering economics, survivability analysis, and probability theory can …

Interview With Tom Patzkowski, Rebuilding Center, 2009 (Audio), Tom Patzkowski

All Sustainability History Project Oral Histories

Interview of Tom Patzkowski by Greg Peterson at the Rebuilding Center in Portland, Oregon on May 27th, 2009.

The interview index is available for download.

Sustainability Action Plan Booklet, Paul Andricopulos, Ned Thomas

Publications (SD)

Learn about our commitment to maintaining a high quality of life while pursuing a progressive approach to environmental issues. Also, read about our guiding principles with information provided in the new Sustainability Action Plan booklet.

Flowing Toward Sustainability: Two Stream Adjudications Analyzed Under The Iad Framework, Nancye Lou Bethurem

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

One of the most significant problems impacting the western United States today is the lack of naturally occurring water resources, especially during this period of drought and explosive population growth. This has led to intense competition over water use and ownership in the arid and semi-arid regions of the United States. During this period of water resource scarcity, it is extremely important to determine the ownership of water rights in order to implement optimal management systems. Most western states use a system of "general stream adjudications" to make water rights ownership determinations.

General stream adjudications are legal proceedings used to …

Mine, Yours Or Ours?: The Role Of Local Identity In United Way System Redesign, Elizabeth Claire Monaco

MPA Capstone Projects 2006 - 2015

For-profit and non-profit entities alike are facing the challenges of recruiting and retaining effective leadership, gathering sufficient and competitive capital and achieving long-term credibility as they struggle to assert their legitimacy and ensure sustainability in an ever changing world. These challenges have forced many organizations to consider different business models of operations, including opportunities to partner with others in their sector. There exists a growing list of non-profit federations that are considering and pursuing complete system redesign through the strategic restructuring of their affiliates in response to factors such as competition for resources, environmental and institutional pressures and the effects …

The Transition Movement In Australia: An Analysis Of The Progress, Challenges, And Future Of Transition Initiatives, Mia Goldwasser

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The threats of climate change and peak oil have roots in our society’s dependence on the availability of cheap fossil fuels for its function and design. In order to both decrease greenhouse gas emissions and significantly lower the demand on fossil fuels, our settlements –built when oil was cheap and abundant- must ‘relocalize’, or develop the systems which will enable the local production of food, energy, materials, employment, and goods. The Transition Movement has developed as a grassroots, community-based response to these challenges, grounded in the belief that a higher quality of life has the opportunity to emerge from a …

Crop Updates - 2009 Katanning, Murray Scholz, Peter Newman, Glenn Adam, Trevor Bell, Michael Whitehead, W. K. Anderson, C. Gazey, J. Andrew, R. Pearce, Bill Bowden, Wayne Pluske, Jeremy Lemon, D. C. Edmeades, J. J. Russell, B. H. Paynter, David Ferris, Abul Hashem, Catherine Borger, Stephen B. Powels, Qin Yu, Mechelle Owen, Roberto Busi, Sudheesh Manalil, Sally Peltzer, David Minkey, Raj Malik

Crop Updates

This session covers seventeen papers from different authors

1. GM canola – How will it affect the way I farm? Murray Scholz, 2008 Nuffield scholar, Southern NSW

2. Eight years of IWM smashes tyegrass seed banks by 98% over 31 focus paddocks, Peter Newman, Glenn Adam & Trevor Bell, Department of Agriculture and Food

3. The global economic climate and impacts on agriculture, profile on Michael Whitehead Rabobank New York

4. Lessons from five years of cropping systems research, W.K. Anderson, Department of Agriculture and Food

5. Case study of a 17year old agricultural lime trial, C. Gazey, Department of Agriculture …

   ---

   Go to article

Morning Concurrent Track 2: Creation And Correction Of Myths About Global Warming, Matthew S. Lachniet, Gale Sinatra, Carolanne Kardash, Gita Taasoobshirazi, Doug Lombardi, E. Michael Nussbaum

Education for a Global Future: 21st Century Challenges in Sustainability & Climate Change Education

MORNING CONCURRENT TRACK 2: CREATION AND CORRECTION OF MYTHS ABOUT GLOBAL WARMING Moderator Robert Futrell Student Union Room 211 Matthew Lachniet – Global Warming Misconceptions and Myths: Barriers and Opportunities for Communicating Climate Change Science to a Non-scientific Audience Abstract: Opinions on an anthropogenic influence in global warming abound. Within the non-scientific public, the strength of one’s opinion commonly seems to be in inverse proportion to their knowledge of climate science. One reason for this disconnect between reality and opinion is the persistence of many climate change myths in popular knowledge of global warming. These myths are regularly propagated in …

Interview With Michael Imlah, Congregation Shaarie Torah, 2009 (Audio), Michael Imlah

All Sustainability History Project Oral Histories

Interview of Michael Imlah by Dennis LaPrade at Congregation Shaarie Torah, Portland, Oregon on March 4th, 2009.

The interview index is available for download.

Crop Updates 2009 - Farming Systems, Derk Bakker, Grey Poulish, Steve Lacy, Svetlana Micic, Peter Mangano, Tony Dore, Alan Lord, Vivien Vanstone, Helen Hunter, Sean Kelly, W. K. Anderson, Gary Lang, David Mccarthy, Ruhi Ferdowsian, Ian Rose, Andrew Van Burgel, David Ferris, Rob Grima, Natalie Hogg, John Davis, Jarrad Martin, Pippa Michael, Robert Belford, Kawsar P. Salam, Roy Murray-Prior, David Bowran, Moin U. Salam, Tim Scanlon, Len Wade, Megan Ryan, Megan Abrahams, Chad Reynolds, Caroline Peek, Dennis Van Gool, Kari-Lee Falconer, Daniel Gardiner, Geoff Anderson, Siva Sivapalan, Tim Mcclelland, James Hunt, Zvi Hochman, Bill Long, Dean Holzworth, Anthony Whitbread, Stephen Van Rees, Peter Devoil, Yvette Oliver, Michael Robertson, Peter Stone

Crop Updates

This session covers nineteen papers from different authors:

Decision support technology

1. The use of high resolution imagery in broad acre cropping, Derk Bakker and Grey Poulish, Department of Agriculture and Food

2. Spraywise decisions – online spray applicatiors planning tool, Steve Lacy, Nufarm Australia Ltd

3. Testing for redlegged earthmite resistance in Western Australia, Svetlana Micic, Peter Mangano, Tony Dore and Alan Lord, Department of Agriculture and Food

4. Screening cereal, canola and pasture cultivars for Root Lesion Nematode (Pratylenchus neglectus), Vivien Vanstone, Helen Hunter and Sean Kelly,Department of Agriculture and Food

Farming Systems Research

5. …