Matching Items (7)
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- All Subjects: Sustainability
- Member of: Theses and Dissertations
- Resource Type: Text
Description
The globalized food system has caused detriments to the environment, to economic justice, and to social and health rights within the food system. Due to an increasing concern over these problems, there has been a popular turn back to a localized food system. Localization's main principle is reconnecting the producer and consumer while advocating for healthy, local, environmentally friendly, and socially just food. I give utilitarian reasons within a Kantian ethical framework to argue that while partaking in a local food system may be morally good, we cannot advocate for localization as a moral obligation. It is true from empirical research that localizing food could solve many of the environmental, economic, social, and health problems that exist today due to the food system. However, many other countries depend upon the import/export system to keep their own poverty rates low and economies thriving. Utilitarian Peter Singer argues that it would be irresponsible to stop our business with those other countries because we would be causing more harm than good. There are reasons to support food localization, and reasons to reject food localization. Food localization is a moral good in respect to the many benefits that it has, yet it is not a moral obligation due to some of the detriments it may itself cause.
ContributorsGulinson, Chelsea Leah (Author) / McGregor, Joan (Thesis director) / Watson, Jeff (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law (Contributor) / School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
Although the Leadership Scholarship Program has seen successful recruiting processes throughout changes in leadership of the program; the organization expressed a need for major overhaul to reevaluate the decisions of the process and to establish backing for those decisions. By asking current and alumni members of the program about what they would like to see in a future member of the program as well as which parts of the process they found most important, the qualities of a future member of the program could be established and weighted. The goals of the reevaluation were to help eliminate bias, discrepancies between applications with extremely different uncontrollable factors, define points of discrepancies, and establish organizational sustainability while achieving a 100% acceptance rate from offered students. Each of these goals was achieved through methods outlined in the LSP Selection Process Manual that was written as a result of this reevaluation. The manual also outlines ways to improve the process going forward.
ContributorsCassidy, Delilah R. (Author) / Kappes, Janelle (Thesis director) / Klinkner, Lara (Committee member) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
The trends of products made by today’s companies follow a traditional linear economy where materials for products and services are taken, made, and then used until they are disposed of. In this model cheap materials are relied on in large amounts and our current rate of usage is unsustainable. Pollution and climate change are effects of this linear economy, and in order to secure a sustainable future for life on this planet, this model is not fit. A circular business model is the future for companies and products. Circular design and biomimicry are at the forefront of this transition. In conjuncture with the InnovationSpace program, I have developed a product for, and sponsored by, Adidas. The product utilizes a circular business model and a sustainable product ecosystem after using biomimicry as a tool for inspiration. The project was driven by this primary research question presented by Adidas: How can we embrace a true circular economy with far more reuse and recycling incorporated, while ensuring that all products travel from factory to foot in a more sustainable way while providing an engaging consumer experience? The goal
of this project was to generate solutions that can be applied to a broad range of products at Adidas.
The product developed is called Neomod, a modular shoe system. People buy shoes both for fashion and function, with the average American owning nineteen pairs. However, countless numbers of partially worn shoes end up in landfills because the materials they are made of are difficult to separate and replace. This is why we designed Neomod; a modular shoe made with interchangeable parts. It makes recycling shoes simpler, but at the same time, provides users with a variety of styles to mix and match to fit their lifestyle. Neomod’s goal is to minimize the amount of waste created and allows all parts of the shoe to be used until its end of life. As consumers buy, recycle, and reuse Neomod shoes, they will help the world work towards a more circular economy.
The product developed is called Neomod, a modular shoe system. People buy shoes both for fashion and function, with the average American owning nineteen pairs. However, countless numbers of partially worn shoes end up in landfills because the materials they are made of are difficult to separate and replace. This is why we designed Neomod; a modular shoe made with interchangeable parts. It makes recycling shoes simpler, but at the same time, provides users with a variety of styles to mix and match to fit their lifestyle. Neomod’s goal is to minimize the amount of waste created and allows all parts of the shoe to be used until its end of life. As consumers buy, recycle, and reuse Neomod shoes, they will help the world work towards a more circular economy.
ContributorsReniewicki, Johnathan Robert (Author) / Sanft, Alfred (Thesis director) / Boradkar, Prasad (Committee member) / The Design School (Contributor) / Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Honey Bee Nutrition and Colony Collapse Disorder: How legislation can curtail bee population decline
Description
The purpose of this experiment was to test how different nutrition supplementation would affect honey bee lifespan. The use of sugar syrup and pollen as well as protein, probiotic, and vitamin supplement were the independent variables in this experiment. The average lifespan of a honey bee (Apis mellifera) is around 30 days depending on climate and time of year (Amdam & Omholt, 2002). This experiment yielded results that would require further testing but was able to conclude that a diet of sugar syrup is not sufficient for honey bees, whereas pollen and probiotic supplement showed positive effects on average lifespan. Protein supplement showed no statistically significant advantage or disadvantage to pollen when it comes to short term supplementation. Considering the importance of nutrition on honey bee lifespan, this paper also explores specific ways legislation can aid in pollinator population decline, considering the impacts of colonies without access to a healthy diet.
ContributorsKalamchi, Dena (Author) / Woodall, Gina (Thesis director) / Kaftanoglu, Osman (Committee member) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics (Contributor) / Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
Through research, interviews, and analysis, our paper provides the local community with a resource that offers a comprehensive collection of insight into the Mirabella at ASU Life Plan Community and the projected impact it will have on the City of Tempe and Arizona State University.
ContributorsStephens, Corey Christopher (Co-author) / Dicke, George (Co-author) / Anand, Rohan (Co-author) / Sadusky, Brian (Thesis director) / Schiller, Christoph (Committee member) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05
Description
Through research, interviews, and analysis, our paper provides the local community with a resource that offers a comprehensive collection of insight into the Mirabella at ASU Life Plan Community and the projected impact it will have on the City of Tempe and Arizona State University.
ContributorsAnand, Rohan (Co-author) / Dicke, George (Co-author) / Stephens, Corey (Co-author) / Sadusky, Brian (Thesis director) / Schiller, Christoph (Committee member) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05
Description
This thesis provides an analysis of successful socially responsible management practices and company cultures to identify the required elements for proper cost internalization of manufacturing and service industries, as well as a more even wealth distribution throughout society for better consumption and sustainable long-term profits. For the purpose of this analysis, I have researched various companies that actively engage in the aforementioned features. The goal is to identify first steps necessary to transition corporate and private entities to a system where purchase power supersedes nominal currency numbers, such as being able to afford more for the same amount of USD than earning higher sums of USD to pay for the same product or service, thus ultimately creating stronger and more stable economies and currencies. To build such a framework, I have used various interdisciplinary concepts to present a solution for a more equitable system of accounting for value generation, and thus a system that aims at evening the wealth gap between populations.
By working on this thesis, I was able to identify causes that lead to inequality due to how manufacturing and service systems might account for costs, as well as solutions and concepts that can help pave the way for a more egalitarian society. Furthermore, through this study I have also discovered actors, namely benefit corporations, that actively partake in various actions to benefit not only their customers, but society as a whole. The causes, measurements, documents, and principles I looked at were company financial statements whenever available, various socially responsible management literature, accounting principles, research literature on the inequality of cost externalization, etc. These resources established that a proper plan to tackling the unsustainable business and financial practices of many corporate and private entities today involves a consumer-oriented vision that follows the triple bottom line, a mission that closely follow a vision, core company values that emphasize the need to serve society, and a plan to closely and efficiently follow through with said vision. Problems such as over reliance on limited resources and externalizing environmental costs due to intrinsically uncompetitive business models could be potentially mitigated with proper restructuring of business models. The triple bottom line is an accounting framework that incorporates the integral segments of social, environmental, and financial dimensions of performance. Lastly, it is worthwhile to mention that companies which successfully worked under this mantra and plan tend to be sustainable over longer periods of time and be more innovative than competitors, which ultimately lead to higher levels of goodwill and loyalty from their customers.
By working on this thesis, I was able to identify causes that lead to inequality due to how manufacturing and service systems might account for costs, as well as solutions and concepts that can help pave the way for a more egalitarian society. Furthermore, through this study I have also discovered actors, namely benefit corporations, that actively partake in various actions to benefit not only their customers, but society as a whole. The causes, measurements, documents, and principles I looked at were company financial statements whenever available, various socially responsible management literature, accounting principles, research literature on the inequality of cost externalization, etc. These resources established that a proper plan to tackling the unsustainable business and financial practices of many corporate and private entities today involves a consumer-oriented vision that follows the triple bottom line, a mission that closely follow a vision, core company values that emphasize the need to serve society, and a plan to closely and efficiently follow through with said vision. Problems such as over reliance on limited resources and externalizing environmental costs due to intrinsically uncompetitive business models could be potentially mitigated with proper restructuring of business models. The triple bottom line is an accounting framework that incorporates the integral segments of social, environmental, and financial dimensions of performance. Lastly, it is worthwhile to mention that companies which successfully worked under this mantra and plan tend to be sustainable over longer periods of time and be more innovative than competitors, which ultimately lead to higher levels of goodwill and loyalty from their customers.
ContributorsCinculescu, Andrei Stefan (Author) / Sadusky, Brian (Thesis director) / Hoffman, David (Committee member) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05