126855-Thumbnail Image.png

Student capstone and applied projects from ASU's School of Sustainability.

Displaying 1 - 2 of 2
Filtering by

Clear all filters

126601-Thumbnail Image.png

Exploring Sustainability Literacy through Nature Journaling in School Gardens

Description
Day-to-day decision makers on agricultural operations play a key role in maintaining both a sustainable and food secure agricultural society. This population, also defined as Principal Producers by the 2017 USDA Agricultural Census Report, has witnessed a significant decline in recent years, raising many questions surrounding why farmers are retiring…

Day-to-day decision makers on agricultural operations play a key role in maintaining both a sustainable and food secure agricultural society. This population, also defined as Principal Producers by the 2017 USDA Agricultural Census Report, has witnessed a significant decline in recent years, raising many questions surrounding why farmers are retiring faster than they can be replaced. To look closely at this phenomenon, this study focuses on the State of Ohio to hear first-hand from producers what they need to be successful through a series of semi-structured interviews. This study also maps recent changes in variables that define this issue from 2007-2017 using QGIS and USDA Agricultural Census data. The findings from this study show the recent decline of mid-sized agricultural operations and provide evidence linking declining rates of principal producer populations with specific features consistent with industrial agriculture. These findings are specific to the State of Ohio, but also raise much larger questions about which populations are experiencing more rapid rates of farm exit, and what implications these trends have for food security on a broader scale.
ContributorsMoore, Phillip (Author) / Chhetri, Nalini (Contributor) / Leonard, Bryan (Contributor) / Shrestha, Milan (Contributor)
Created2020
126660-Thumbnail Image.png

Blockchain: An Assessment of its Potential and Challenges in Addressing Sustainability Issues

Description
Blockchain, the technology behind the worldwide-known cryptocurrency Bitcoin, offers a new set of potential advantages and opportunities that various industries and institutions could use to enhance their processes. Although most research and development on blockchain has focused on applications for cryptocurrencies and the finance industry, relatively few analyses and assessments…

Blockchain, the technology behind the worldwide-known cryptocurrency Bitcoin, offers a new set of potential advantages and opportunities that various industries and institutions could use to enhance their processes. Although most research and development on blockchain has focused on applications for cryptocurrencies and the finance industry, relatively few analyses and assessments have been conducted on how it could provide tools to address social and environmental issues. This research, using interviews, literature review and examples of blockchain applications, explores how this technology can be employed to address sustainability issues under the framework of three UN Sustainable Development Goals: 2. Zero Hunger, 7. Affordable and Clean Energy, and 14. Life Below Water. The analysis shows that blockchain has the potential to support solutions to sustainability problems that need efficient traceability, trust, a unique ID, transparency, or a highly secure payment system. However, the technology should not be mistaken for a panacea for addressing sustainability issues in its current state because it is not yet mature and has not been sufficiently tested. Expansion of blockchain as an effective tool for helping solve sustainability challenges will require a greater understanding of the governance of blockchain, its scalability and its potential unintended consequences for the technology to become properly integrated into the decision-making progress.
ContributorsRomo, Maximiliano (Author) / Melnick, Robert (Contributor, Contributor) / Maynard, Andrew (Contributor) / Boscovic, Dragan (Contributor)
Created2019-04-17