Matching Items (22)
Description
Local food sustainability has gained significant recent attention over the past decade. Considerable research points to a host of economic, social, and environmental benefits resulting from engagement with local food systems. These benefits are more apparent when contrasted with a model in which individuals participate in larger, non-local food systems for all or most of their food sourcing. As such, this project was designed to explore possible barriers, such as lack of awareness, to engagement in local foods among Arizona State University (ASU) students on the main Tempe campus. Furthermore, this creative project aimed to evaluate how a local foods program conducted in a university dining hall might impact students’ awareness and interest in local foods served on site.
ContributorsBakeman, Taylor Melissa (Author) / Wharton, Christopher (Thesis director) / Popova, Laura (Committee member) / College of Health Solutions (Contributor, Contributor) / School of Sustainability (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
The purpose of this thesis is to imagine and predict the ways in which humans will utilize technology to feed the world population in the 21st century, in spite of significant challenges we have not faced before. This project will first thoroughly identify and explain the most pressing challenges the future will bring in climate change and population growth; both projected to worsen as time goes on. To guide the prediction of how technology will impact the 21st century, a theoretical framework will be established, based upon the green revolution of the 20th century. The theoretical framework will summarize this important historical event, and analyze current thought concerning the socio-economic impacts of the agricultural technologies introduced during this time. Special attention will be paid to the unequal disbursement of benefits of this green revolution, and particularly how it affected small rural farmers. Analysis of the technologies introduced during the green revolution will be used to predict how 21st century technologies will further shape the agricultural sector. Then, the world’s current food crisis will be compared to the crisis that preceded the green revolution. A “second green revolution” is predicted, and the agricultural/economic impact of these advances is theorized based upon analysis of farming advances in the 20th century.
ContributorsWilson, Joshua J (Author) / Strumsky, Deborah (Thesis director) / Benjamin, Victor (Committee member) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / School of Sustainability (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
Solutions to mitigating the negative externalities of climate change are deemed necessary for a sustainable future. Residential community composting, such as the Community Compost Program at Vista del Sol, could potentially play an important role within Arizona State University’s (ASU) solution to develop a sustainable institution as programs aspire to develop sustainable behaviors and integrate environmentally positive practices within students’ lives. The research and review of how universities can utilize a residential community compost program to ignite sustainable action within on-campus communities could present helpful information for additional universities to implement on their own. This review will aim to tackle the research question: how can the operational functions of existing university residential composting programs and behavioral science research be implemented within the Community Compost Program at Arizona State University? The review from existing university residential composting programs and behavioral sciences will be completed to provide an explanation of how residential community composting can overall be effectively prompted.
ContributorsKovacs, Amelia (Author) / Wharton, Christopher (Thesis director) / Daniel, Fischer (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / School of Sustainability (Contributor, Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
The current global food system is not designed to support local populations. It is a complex network of technologies and behaviors that optimize production and distribution, but simultaneously interact to result in many of the sustainability challenges that we face today, particularly when it comes to food insecurity within communities and the resulting health dynamics. Current frameworks intended to guide outside entities working with communities in Maricopa County are generally insufficient to empower these communities to sustainably develop and manage their own local food systems. Many protocols are designed for effective interventions, but community organizers often lack effective pre-community engagement strategies and fail to get target participants to show up to meetings. Primarily, existing protocols and frameworks overly emphasize problems at the expense of identifying what assets the community has to be able to address challenges from within.
For the community engagement piece of the project, existing community engagement protocols and frameworks were compared. The most effective strategies were then selected and combined into a single adaptive framework. Assets Based Community Development, the Sustainable Neighborhood for Happiness Index, and the six types of capital are used as the foundational structure of the Community System Map. A Community Food System map was then organized using a “hub” approach, and the Residential Edible Landscaping map was organized based off of field experience. The nested systems illustrate just how complex the community food system really is. The outcome of the project is the first iteration of an adaptive tool that can be used by for-profit or non-profit organizations to co-create and interdependently manage local community food systems.
For the community engagement piece of the project, existing community engagement protocols and frameworks were compared. The most effective strategies were then selected and combined into a single adaptive framework. Assets Based Community Development, the Sustainable Neighborhood for Happiness Index, and the six types of capital are used as the foundational structure of the Community System Map. A Community Food System map was then organized using a “hub” approach, and the Residential Edible Landscaping map was organized based off of field experience. The nested systems illustrate just how complex the community food system really is. The outcome of the project is the first iteration of an adaptive tool that can be used by for-profit or non-profit organizations to co-create and interdependently manage local community food systems.
ContributorsTibbetts, Jason (Contributor)
Created2019-05-15
Description
When Kaffrine, Senegal, is faced with the threat of a locust plague, farmers tend to struggle with determining what actions and when they should take place to prevent a plague from occurring. The inability of farmers to readily identify the early threats of a locust plague is a primary issue that has been affecting communities in Kaffrine for millennia. Locust plagues affect the functionality of Senegal’s ecosystems, the welfare of its social systems, and the peoples’ economic opportunities.
The project focuses on the creation of 300 pest identification booklets that provide five villages in Kaffrine the proper education to prevent locust plagues from forming. I have partnered with the Global Locust Initiative (GLI) to help make these booklets come to fruition as the booklets target the lack of early detection awareness that is at the root of locust plagues. By providing the villages with these booklets, the farmers and community members, will be more educated on how to identify and act on the early threats of a plague. Additional outcomes of creating these booklets are as follows: improved well-being of the farming community, increased millet yields, and enhanced global food system sustainability. As locusts are a migratory pest, it is recommended that more stakeholders are provided the proper educational material to help them identify the early threats of a locust plague to prevent negative externalities from being imposed on the surrounding ecology, individuals, and agriculture.
The project focuses on the creation of 300 pest identification booklets that provide five villages in Kaffrine the proper education to prevent locust plagues from forming. I have partnered with the Global Locust Initiative (GLI) to help make these booklets come to fruition as the booklets target the lack of early detection awareness that is at the root of locust plagues. By providing the villages with these booklets, the farmers and community members, will be more educated on how to identify and act on the early threats of a plague. Additional outcomes of creating these booklets are as follows: improved well-being of the farming community, increased millet yields, and enhanced global food system sustainability. As locusts are a migratory pest, it is recommended that more stakeholders are provided the proper educational material to help them identify the early threats of a locust plague to prevent negative externalities from being imposed on the surrounding ecology, individuals, and agriculture.
ContributorsKantola, Braedon (Writer of accompanying material)
Created2020-05-13
Description
Aramark is a 14.6 billion-dollar Fortune 500 company that provides food services in education, healthcare, business, leisure, and more. They run 72 food operations across Arizona State University's (ASU) campuses. The company has internal commitments to environmental sustainability and health and wellness respectively outlined in, "Green Thread," and "Healthy for Life 20 By 20." ASU follows the sustainability guidelines presented by The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). In recognition of the negative environmental effects of animal agriculture, the AASHE guidelines have recently changed, which requires Aramark to source more plant-based products. On March 14th, Aramark and I hosted, “Eat Well, Live Well,” ASU’s first large event to celebrate plant-based diets and sustainability. The event had 3 objectives: to educate and excite event-goers about plant-based diets and sustainability, to alter perceptions, and to stimulate behavior change. Before entering the event, event-goers (largely students) were prompted to fill out a survey that measures their perceptions on the benefits and barriers to consuming a plant-based diet. A post-event survey was distributed to measure the same event-goers’ change in knowledge, perceptions, and behavior. The post-event survey results indicate that, “Eat Well, Live Well,” motivated 59% of event-goers to reduce their consumption of animal-products. The post-event survey results are used to understand whether the event met its objectives. This project takes a community based social marketing (CBSM) approach to fostering sustainable behavior within the student body, as it uses students’ perceived barriers and benefits to develop a compelling case to Aramark on how they should offer and promote plant-based diets on all of ASU campuses.
ContributorsStoffo, Alessandra (Writer of accompanying material)
Created2019-04-26
Description
Through Zero Waste at ASU, the Villas & Vista del Sol Community Compost Program (VVDS CCP) has been in operation for three years. Programs such as this one have been identified as a priority by the university due to the significance of food waste in the waste stream ASU produces and the opportunity to reduce climate impact by diverting this waste from landfill. However, the CCP has struggled to reach its participation targets throughout its time in operation and therefore ASU requires better understanding of marketing strategies that will lead to program success before investing in additional residential compost programs. This thesis addresses the fundamental question: What marketing and operational strategies are most effective within a residential composting program at Arizona State University? Using a combination of literature review, qualitative primary research, and experimentation, this thesis provides an explanation of how the university can effectively implement and grow residential composting programs.
ContributorsMiserlian, Rachel (Author) / Dooley, Kevin (Thesis director) / Jung, Kendon (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Comm (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor)
Created2022-05
Description
Northwest Arkansas has a complex relationship with Indigeneity due to the erasure experience by the original inhabitants of the lands, and the presences of newly immigrated Indigenous groups such as the Marshallese people from the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Today, the Indigenous identity that is most commonly present within the Northwest Arkansas community are the Marshallese people. The reason as to why the original inhabitants of modern-day Northwest Arkansas are not the most prominently represented Indigenous group, is because of severe erasure, genocide, and systematic racism experienced by these people. This thesis will be investigating the Indigenous identities of Northwest Arkansas, which will include information on the first peoples and the modern-day presence of the Marshallese people. This thesis will particularly be focusing on the ways in which the legacy of colonialism and climate change have linked these groups in their displacement. Despite the differing time periods, the interconnectedness between these Indigenous populations’ experiences with colonialism and colonialist systems further demonstrates the threat that Indigenous populations still face today of erasure and continual oppression. Through both populations’ mutual experience with displacement and diaspora, this thesis will investigate how food can act as an essential connector between Indigenous individuals and their culture, as well as how food can be a form of reparations, healing, and future progress.
ContributorsHegde, Adeline (Author) / Nelson, Melissa (Thesis director) / Jakubczak, Laura (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Public Affairs (Contributor) / School of Sustainability (Contributor)
Created2023-12
Description
A brief history of the Mediterranean diet and its geographical origins as a meeting point for cultures will guide understanding of the construction of this specific dietary pattern. The nutrients and foods typical of the Mediterranean diet will be outlined as well as their health benefits, allowing for a deeper analysis of the ways in which the Mediterranean diet is associated with reducing the risk of certain chronic diseases. The lifestyle choices and physical activity practiced adjacently to the diet will establish the positive synergistic effects of conviviality and moderate exercise on general human health. Contemporary movements in the Mediterranean region, like Slow Foods, aim to preserve traditional dietary and lifestyle choices. In comparison, the U.S. food system seems to be most shaped by the influences of globalization and industrialization. Economic and health-cost perspectives as well as the role of modern-day media in diet trends, body image, and food marketing will establish and deepen the complexities of food choices and health disparities in Western societies. The diagnosis of the Mediterranean Diet in the U.S. as a solution to poor general population health will be challenged and holistic perspectives on eating will provide an exploratory lens for understanding health and food choice as a modern-day consumer.
ContributorsMeyer, Terra (Author) / Levinson, Simin (Thesis director) / Vitullo, Juliann (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Management and Entrepreneurship (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor)
Created2023-05
Description
"Community and Composting in Victory Acres” implemented a pilot composting program for a local neighborhood in an effort to increase community cohesion. Victory Acres is a low-income, culturally diverse neighborhood located in Tempe that used to have easier access to the Escalante Community Center before the 101 freeway divided the community. Residents of the neighborhoods surrounding ECC do not have access to the Escalante Community Garden except on Community Harvest Days twice a month. The goal of the project was to reconnect broken ties to the ECG through a neighborhood composting service. Through composting, residents could directly benefit from the community garden’s composting capabilities while encouraging a more sustainable method for dealing with food waste. The composting pilot project in Victory Acres was used as a way to mitigate the greenhouse gases emanating from food waste along with other neighborhood issues. The project would encourage aspects of community cohesion, sustainability, and happiness. By the completion of the project, composting in the neighborhood could continue through increased access to the Escalante Community Center Garden. An assessment via survey responses was made on improvements in perceived community connectedness, sustainability, and happiness. The pilot was unsuccessful in gaining a large client base for composting participation, but it was successful in exploring challenges and barriers to implementation of projects in Victory Acres. Several intervention points were explored, several lessons were learned from successful and unsuccessful engagement techniques, and opportunities arose for further future research.
ContributorsKiefer, Alyssa (Author) / Cloutier, Scott (Contributor) / Prosser, Paul (Contributor)
Created2017-04-28