Matching Items (22)
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- All Subjects: Arizona
- All Subjects: Agriculture
- Creators: School of Sustainability
Description
Is there a mismatch between urban farmers’ perceptions of their farm’s environmental sustainability and its actual environmental impact? Focusing on the use of water and nutrients on each farm as described by the farmers through interviews, it is evident that there is some level of disconnect between ideals and practices. This project may aid in bridging the gap between the two in regard to the farmers’ sustainability goals. This project will move forward by continuing interviews with farmers as well as collecting soil and water from the farms in order to more accurately quantify the sustainability of the farms’ practices. This project demonstrates that there is some degree of misalignment between perception and reality. Two farms claimed they were sustainable when their practices did not reflect that, while 2 farms said they were not sure if they were sustainable when their practices indicated otherwise. Samples from two farms showed high concentrations of nutrients and salts, supporting the idea that there may be a mismatch between perceived and actual sustainability.
ContributorsBonham, Emma Eileen (Author) / Muenich, Rebecca (Thesis director) / Zanin, Alaina (Committee member) / Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Eng Program (Contributor) / School of Sustainability (Contributor) / School of Sustainable Engineering & Built Envirnmt (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05
Description
As Arizona enters its fifteenth year of drought and Lake Mead hits historic lows, water management and policy planning will become increasingly important to ensure future water security in the Southwestern region of the United States. This thesis compares water demand trends and policies at the municipal level in Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona over the time period from 1980-2010. By analyzing gallons per capita per day (GPCD) trends for each city in the context of population growth, drought, and major state and local policies over the twenty year period, reasons for declines in per capita water demand were explored. Despite differences in their available water sources and political cultures, both the City of Phoenix and the City of Tucson have successfully reduced their per capita water consumption levels between 1980 and 2010. However, this study suggests that each city's measured success at reducing GPCD has been more a result of external events (supply augmentation, drought, and differing development trends) rather than conservation and demand reduction regulations adopted under the auspices of the Groundwater Management Act.
ContributorsSnyder, Rachel Claire (Author) / Larson, Kelli (Thesis director) / Hirt, Paul (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / School of Sustainability (Contributor) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
Community gardens are used worldwide to promote sustainable, urban living. They can be used to improve the physical, mental, emotional, and social health of the gardeners and volunteers who utilize their grounds. The gardens may also have a positive impact on the local environment and wider community. This study examines a community garden seeking to expand its involvement in the local neighborhood and searching for ways to include local residents in garden related activities. To this end, the garden was waiting for approval on their non-profit, 501(c)3 status, and was seeking additional data on local residents and perceptions of the garden's activities. This thesis first reviews the literature on the benefits community gardens provide for the individuals living in their communities and their impact on urban development. The thesis then turns to an analysis of one garden, Mesa Urban Garden, rooted in the Downtown District of Mesa, Arizona, and how they are impacting their neighborhood and how garden organizers can respond in new and creative ways to local residents.
ContributorsBooher, Samantha Rose (Author) / Glick, Jennifer (Thesis director) / Dumka, Larry (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Hugh Downs School of Human Communication (Contributor) / School of Sustainability (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
Community gardens are used worldwide to promote sustainable, urban living. They can be used to improve the physical, mental, emotional, and social health of the gardeners and volunteers who utilize their grounds. The gardens may also have a positive impact on the local environment and wider community. This study examines a community garden seeking to expand its involvement in the local neighborhood and searching for ways to include local residents in garden related activities. To this end, the garden was waiting for approval on their non-profit, 501(c)3 status, and was seeking additional data on local residents and perceptions of the garden's activities. This thesis first reviews the literature on the benefits community gardens provide for the individuals living in their communities and their impact on urban development. The thesis then turns to an analysis of one garden, Mesa Urban Garden, rooted in the Downtown District of Mesa, Arizona, and how they are impacting their neighborhood and how garden organizers can respond in new and creative ways to local residents.
ContributorsBooher, Samantha Rose (Author) / Glick, Jennifer (Thesis director) / Dumka, Larry (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Hugh Downs School of Human Communication (Contributor) / School of Sustainability (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
Each year the United States' interstates and roadways become increasingly congested, with little development of useful mass transit. Elon Musk released a whitepaper titled Hyperloop Alpha in order to generate conversation around a potential "fifth mode of transportation" as an alternative to current high-speed rail technologies. This case study analyzes the implications of implementing the Hyperloop along the 120-mile Phoenix-Tucson route in terms of the State's geographic, economic, political, and environmental advantages for the Hyperloop design. This case study was not meant to investigate the engineering aspects of an untested technology, but rather to generate conversation and elicit enthusiasm in the State of Arizona in order to bring the project in-house. Through comparison of the California context of the Hyperloop and other megaregions this report proposes that given Arizona's solar power production potential, short, flat, undeveloped route, explosive population growth, urban density distribution, recognized need for HSR, and strong research institutions make it the ideal site and premiere candidate for initial Hyperloop testing and construction.
ContributorsMartin, Sean Joseph (Author) / Martin, Pasqualetti (Thesis director) / Basile, George (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Sustainability (Contributor) / W. P. Carey School of Business (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
This thesis was conducted in order to determine the role played by food miles metrics in making the agricultural industry more sustainable. In an effort to analyze the importance of eat locally this study utilizes a partial life cycle assessment. This study looks at oranges grown in Arizona and California and inputs such as water, energy, fertilizer, herbicide, pesticide, frost mitigation, and distance in order to conduct the partial life cycle assessment. Results of this study indicate that food miles are not as significant, in relation to overall energy input, as the locavore movement claims. This is because production processes account for a larger portion of the total energy used in the food chain than what these claims suggest. While eating locally is still a significant way of reducing energy use, this thesis shows that decisions about eating sustainably should not only focus on the distance that the products travel, but place equal, if not more, importance on energy use differences due to geographic location and in-farm operations. Future research should be completed with more comprehensive impact categories and conducted for different crops, farming, and locations. Further research is needed in order to confirm or challenge the results of this thesis. With more research conducted regarding this topic, ecological labeling of agricultural products could be improved to help consumers make the most informed choices possible.
ContributorsMaggass, Melissa Gail (Author) / Manuel-Navarrete, David (Thesis director) / Martin, Thomas (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Sustainability (Contributor) / W. P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Department of Management (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
When the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) auctioned off federal lands in the Holbrook Basin area in Arizona, this action set off a furor among concerned residents and groups in Arizona. Under new rules, the BLM did not have to conduct a public input or environmental analysis before the lease auction. Furthermore, evidence suggests that oil and gas companies may use techniques similar to fracking to obtain helium gas from the Holbrook Basin. Through the analysis of the history of fracking in the United States (U.S.) and Arizona as well as fracking bans in four key states, New York, Pennsylvania, Colorado, and Florida, this paper will illustrate some of the ways Arizona can go about preventing fracking. These case studies suggest that the best way to do this is to focus on the local level, specifically zoning regulations, and then move to the state level.
ContributorsHegde, Sakshi (Author) / Jalbert, Kirk (Thesis director) / Bruhis, Noa (Committee member) / School of Sustainability (Contributor) / School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-12
Description
The Prosopis genus of trees, also known as mesquites, are uniquely equipped to allow for an agroforestry regime in which crops can be grown beneath the canopy of the tree. Mesquites have the ability to redistribute water moisture in such a way that allows plants under the canopy to use water that has been brought up by the roots of mesquite trees. This means that there is a potential for food crops to be grown under the trees without using additional irrigation measures. This could be used where access to water is limited or for a sustainability-minded farmer who is trying to reduce water inputs in an arid environment. Mesquite trees produce a variety of products, including lumber and bean pods that can be ground down into an edible flour. Both products demand a high price in the marketplace and are produced in addition to the crops that can potentially be grown beneath the mesquite tree. In order to determine whether or not it is possible to grow crops under mesquite trees, I reviewed a wide range of literature regarding hydraulic redistribution, mesquite trees in general, and what plants might be best suited for growing beneath a mesquite. The list of plants was narrowed down to four crops that seemed most likely to survive in shaded, low water conditions in a hot environment. There has not been any research done on crops growing beneath mesquite trees, so the next step for research would be to experiment with each of the crops to determine how well each species can adapt to the specified conditions.
ContributorsMesser, Luke Winston (Author) / Eakin, Hallie (Thesis director) / Hall, Sharon (Committee member) / School of Sustainability (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-12
Description
Dual Language Immersion programs have been growing exponentially as a result of an urgent need for globally competent, bilingual or multilingual citizens. The US is currently facing a language deficit, which negatively affects national security, international relations and even the economy. If America wants to stay in contention as one of the strongest world powers, the US needs to foster more interest in learning foreign languages earlier and invest in the development of foreign language education. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the history and implementation of different Dual Language Immersion program models. The geographical scope of the paper will cover historical background in Canada and the current implementation of Dual Language Immersion models in three Southwestern states: California, Utah and Arizona. The paper also outlines challenges related to the implementation of these dual language immersion programs.
ContributorsKwong, Jocelyn (Author) / Bahtchevanova, Mariana (Thesis director) / Zhang, Xia (Committee member) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / School of Sustainability (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-12
Description
The ecological benefits provided by trees include improving air quality (Nowak, et. al., 2006), mitigating climate change by sequestering carbon (Nowak, 1993), providing animal habitats (Livingston, et. al., 2003), and reducing heat (Edmonson, 2016), among others. Trees also provide numerous social benefits, impacting urban sustainability in particular by improving human health (Salmond, 2016), aesthetically and economically improving neighborhoods (Torres, 2012), and contributing to thriving communities by creating gathering spaces and even reducing crime (Abraham, et. al., 2010). Because of the tremendous potential of trees to provide social and ecological services, particularly in urban areas, tree planting has become an important facet of many sustainability initiatives. This thesis assesses one such initiative aimed at planting trees for the diverse benefits they provide. Valley Permaculture Alliance (VPA), a nonprofit based in Phoenix, Arizona, is known for its Shade Tree Program. The author conducted an internal, quantitative assessment of the program between August and December of 2015. The assessment included evaluation of several indicators of ecological and community health related to the presence of shade trees, culminating in a report released in 2016. This paper evaluates the use of sustainability indicators in the VPA assessment as well as their value in different types of organizations. It culminates with an assessment of VPA's strengths, challenges faced by the organization, and suggestions for its future development.
ContributorsJones, Michaela Martine (Author) / Larson, Kelli (Thesis director) / Eakin, Hallie (Committee member) / School of Sustainability (Contributor) / American Indian Studies Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-12