Matching Items (20)
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- All Subjects: Nonprofits
- All Subjects: Agriculture
- Creators: School of Sustainability
- Creators: Dumka, Larry
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
The Community Action Research Experiences (CARE) program collaborated with Singleton Moms, a local non-profit organization that provides financial, psychological, and social support services to single parents with cancer. The purpose of this action research project was to assess the volunteer program at Singleton Moms. Both past and present Singleton Moms' volunteers (N = 123; 87.0% female) completed an online survey assessing their motivation for volunteering and their satisfaction with the organization. A mixed ANOVA was conducted to identify the most important motivation and satisfaction domains and to see if the findings depended on whether the volunteers were current or past volunteers. For the motivation assessment, results indicated that the volunteers rate the cancer specific and moral/human kindness domains as the strongest reasons for motivating them to volunteer at Singleton Moms. In addition, results revealed that the social connection motivation domain was the only domain with differences between the ratings of the past and present volunteers. For the satisfaction assessment, results indicated that the volunteers rate the organizational climate domain as the most fulfilled area of satisfaction within the Singleton Moms' volunteer program. It was also revealed that there were no significant differences between the ratings of the past and present volunteers among all satisfaction domains. Both the quantitative and qualitative findings suggest that Singleton Moms' implications for action may include: 1) a volunteer database audit, 2) streamlining communications, 3) variability in volunteer times, and 4) bolstering volunteer motivation. Implementing some of these actions may help Singleton Moms increase volunteer motivation and satisfaction and thus create a more effective volunteer program. Ultimately, this may encourage volunteers to continue their services at Singleton Moms and thus help Singleton Moms expand their support programs and assist additional families.
ContributorsDubois, Courtney Michelle (Author) / Miller, Cindy (Thesis director) / Dumka, Larry (Committee member) / Harrington Bioengineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics (Contributor)
Created2016-05
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
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
The Community Action Research Experiences program integrates the research and teaching mission of Arizona State University by providing services to the community by fostering professional and leadership development of students. It is hoped that the results of the collaborations with CARE will serve to further an organization's goals and effectiveness. VALLEYLIFE (VL) is a non-profit organization striving to help people with disabilities. VL develops Action Programs for each of its clients, whom they call members, to improve their independent or social skills. Examples of programs that members may work on include tasks such as computer training, visual arts, or writing. VALLEYLIFE lacked the data to evaluate if the developed and implemented Action Programs are properly carried out by the staff in ways that are beneficial to members. Given the problem, this research project sought to conduct a process evaluation of the staff regarding their implementation of the Action Programs. This involved observations of employee-member interactions in performing the Action Programs and an interview of staff measuring their preparedness and confidence in performing the program and their feelings of the programs and how things are run. This research provided the following implications to VALLEYLIFE. VL might consider performing periodic observations and reviews of the program implementation to monitor quality. VL may consider involving staff in program development and revision to create programs that better serve members. VL may consider generating ideas for how they may cooperate when a peer is struggling to keep up with events that happen through the day in the interest of better serving the members. Overall, employees are doing well as they are efficient in carrying out the written programs during program time. They are comfortable with what they are doing, use time effectively, and do their best to help the members. There is always room for improvement however and by considering some of the implications mentioned, VALLEYLIFE and their employees may be able to take action that may hold potential for further improvements in effectiveness.
ContributorsAbalos, Cherylene Sales (Author) / Bradley, Robert (Thesis director) / Dumka, Larry (Committee member) / Goldblatt, Lois (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics (Contributor)
Created2013-05
Description
The Community Action Research Experiences (CARE) Program collaborated with the WellCare Foundation (WCF) to assess the referral sources of the clinic in order to more effectively reach additional potential patients. Archival data were analyzed from a 19-month period from the medical records of patients. Also, data were collected from interviews with the case manager of agencies that were a known referral source of WCF. These case manager interviews were completed over a one-month period. For the archival data part of the project, data were collected from 117 patients. Four representatives from community agencies participated in phone interviews. The results indicated that the most common referral sources were word of mouth, followed by community agency referrals. The results also indicated that WCF appears to have served a unique niche that is not served by other non-profit health clinics. These results led to implications for action and direction for future applied research.
ContributorsEbbing, Brittany Gabrielle (Author) / Spinrad, Tracy (Thesis director) / Dumka, Larry (Committee member) / Brougham, Jennifer (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor)
Created2013-05
Description
The Community Action Research Experiences (CARE) collaborated with Habitat for Humanity Central Arizona (HFHCAZ), a non-profit organization that helps provide housing to low income families, to help them find new potential corporate donors. The data was collected over a three month period through online sources. Within the 4 HFH affiliates (Denver, Dallas, Los Angeles, and Twin Cities) a total of 442 corporate sponsors were found. Then by eliminating the corporate sponsors that did not meet HFHCAZ's criteria of having a presence in the Maricopa and Pinal County, a total of 59 potential corporate sponsors remained. Online corporate giving databases produced a total of 3 potential corporate sponsors because it was only a tentative search. Implications were noted to help HFHCAZ gain new potential corporate sponsors for the future.
ContributorsLin, Myrtle F. (Author) / Van Vleet, Bethany (Thesis director) / Dumka, Larry (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor)
Created2014-05
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
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