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Title: Eco-park model for sustainable development.
Creator: Wang, Tsen C., Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute
Date Issued: 1997
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00007352
Subject Headings: Sustainable development, Pollution prevention, Industrial ecology
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Foreign aid and economic growth.
Creator: Dimanche, Ketsia S., Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College
Abstract/Description: The effect of foreign aid on economic growth is still ambiguous in the economic literature. In this paper, we analyze the effect of foreign aid on economic growth in 79 developing countries from the Latin America Caribbean Region, Africa, and Asia. Using data for the year 2000, we find that foreign aid has an insignificant negative effect on economic growth when we control for other factors.
Date Issued: 2010
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/3335020
Subject Headings: Sustainable development, Economic assistance, Developing countries, Economic indicators, Developing countries, Developing countries, Foreign economic relations, Statics and dynamics (Social sciences)
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: FROM WASTE TO HOUSING: USING PLASTIC WASTE TO BUILD SUSTAINABLE HOUSING IN HAITI.
Creator: Estil, Kestride, Renne, John, Florida Atlantic University, School of Urban and Regional Planning, College for Design and Social Inquiry
Abstract/Description: This thesis examines the scope of the plastic waste management and housing problems in Haiti. It makes a case for plastic waste to be recycled into sustainable housing as a solution to both issues. For better understanding, it first analyses the scope of the plastic waste pollution and housing problems in developing countries. It then ascertains innovative ways waste managers, and planners have solved it in these nations. Thirdly, based on case studies in Colombia and India, this thesis...
Show moreThis thesis examines the scope of the plastic waste management and housing problems in Haiti. It makes a case for plastic waste to be recycled into sustainable housing as a solution to both issues. For better understanding, it first analyses the scope of the plastic waste pollution and housing problems in developing countries. It then ascertains innovative ways waste managers, and planners have solved it in these nations. Thirdly, based on case studies in Colombia and India, this thesis ascertains how using plastic waste in construction, is a potential solution for better waste management and better housing in Haiti. In the end, this thesis recommends the construction of a plastic waste recycling plant in Port-au-Prince to help solve both their waste and housing problem. Since Port-au-Prince lacks a central sewage system, this thesis also recommends investment in water infrastructures to eliminate the need for plastic bottles in the long run.
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Date Issued: 2019
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00013370
Subject Headings: Plastics--Recycling, House construction, Sustainable urban development--Developing countries, Haiti
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: "Starvation taught me art": Tree poaching, gender and cultural shifts in wood curio carving in Zimbabwe.
Creator: Fadiman, Maria
Abstract/Description: This study looks at wood curio carving in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, Africa. Although the local people, Ndebele and Shona, have always carved, they now face a weakened economy, due in large part to land reforms in 2000. Thus, more people sculpt wood as a form of livelihood. As one man said “Starvation taught me art”. As a result, gender roles are shifting as men and women begin to enter realms previously reserved for the other. Environmentally, carvers poaching trees deforests the woodlands....
Show moreThis study looks at wood curio carving in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, Africa. Although the local people, Ndebele and Shona, have always carved, they now face a weakened economy, due in large part to land reforms in 2000. Thus, more people sculpt wood as a form of livelihood. As one man said “Starvation taught me art”. As a result, gender roles are shifting as men and women begin to enter realms previously reserved for the other. Environmentally, carvers poaching trees deforests the woodlands. As more individuals turn to making crafts sustainability deteriorates. However, people are looking into more sustainable practices. Ndebele and Shona are experimenting with carving smaller items so as to be able to earn more profit from less wood, and to use branches instead of heartwood. Carvers are also using scrap wood from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) lumber mills to lessen dependence on live trees.
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Date Issued: 2008
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/165389
Subject Headings: Ethnobotany--Africa, Sustainable development--Zimbabwe, Culture--Africa, Wood sculpture, African, Forest conservation--Africa, Gender identity--Africa, Art, Zimbabwean, Sustainable development--Environmental aspects
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Determinants Of Aid Effectiveness In Agriculture: Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) In Haiti.
Creator: Pierre, Jean M., Sapat, Alka K., Florida Atlantic University, College for Design and Social Inquiry, School of Public Administration
Abstract/Description: For years, scholars have investigated the effectiveness of aid dollars. Some scholars measure aid effectiveness at the country level in terms of achieving good governance, promoting democratic accountability, accomplishing growth goals, or attaining macroeconomic goals. This study looks at the aid flowing through nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). It posits that effective aid consists of resources and processes that promote sustainability. It attempts to uncover the meaning of...
Show moreFor years, scholars have investigated the effectiveness of aid dollars. Some scholars measure aid effectiveness at the country level in terms of achieving good governance, promoting democratic accountability, accomplishing growth goals, or attaining macroeconomic goals. This study looks at the aid flowing through nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). It posits that effective aid consists of resources and processes that promote sustainability. It attempts to uncover the meaning of sustainability for the NGOs and recipients that are involved in agriculture while surveying how the aid process works. It looks at NGOs and recipients, resource flow, and activities, and sought to understand the elements that could render aid more or less effective in achieving sustainability in agricultural sectors. This study uses a qualitative case study research strategy that focused on developing theory/hypotheses grounded in the data and the literature (Agranoff, Radin, & Perry, 1991). This approach is adopted because (a) the meaning and promotion of sustainability is a complex topic, (b) aid effectiveness is a multi-faceted puzzle, (c) NGOs represent a diverse group, (d) the collaborative process is complicated, and (e) the context (Haiti) is a challenging place. It uses a data triangulation process (Denzin, 1989, 1997) by combining different types of data and sources (personal interviews, observations, and documentation) to arrive at a convergent understanding of the elements that are more or less likely to influence the NGO aid process in the promotion of sustainability in agriculture. This study finds that most NGOs and recipients focus on one or two dimensions of sustainability (economic or environmental); the social or cultural dimensions are somewhat neglected. I also find that funding and funding horizons are two of the major issues that impede the promotion of sustainability in addition to communication and collaboration in the design of the plans, execution, and follow-up. Recipient education, paternalistic attitude, and poverty levels also play a major role in promoting sustainability.
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Date Issued: 2016
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004757
Subject Headings: Economic development--Haiti., Non-governmental organizations., Humanitarian assistance--Haiti--History., Sustainable development--Haiti--History.
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Beyond sustainability: justice and complex systems thinking for just sustainable viability.
Creator: Best, Andrea Leigh., Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of Philosophy
Abstract/Description: The dominant definitions of sustainability are too various and neglect essential elements necessary for effective sustainability discourse. This project considers what current understandings of sustainable development mean to those who subscribe to them and how those understandings affect public policy for sustainable development. I begin by presenting a timeline on the evolution of the term 'sustainability'. Then, I offer narrative policy analysis as a methodological tool for investigating...
Show moreThe dominant definitions of sustainability are too various and neglect essential elements necessary for effective sustainability discourse. This project considers what current understandings of sustainable development mean to those who subscribe to them and how those understandings affect public policy for sustainable development. I begin by presenting a timeline on the evolution of the term 'sustainability'. Then, I offer narrative policy analysis as a methodological tool for investigating communities of meaning with contending views on sustainability. This provides a foundation for the analysis of case studies using Harrisonian Sustainability Narratives-efficiency, equity, and ethics-as lenses through which three corresponding U.S. case studies are explored, each representing different levels of analysis-corporate, state, and individual. First, the Business Roundtable, a lobbying organization comprised of the CEOs of top U.S. companies exemplifying the efficiency narrative, claims that the problem of sustainable development can be addressed through free markets, which continually increase eco-efficiency and encourage technological advancement. Next, the Environmental Protection Agency, a state organization mandated to protect water and air and to manage toxic and solid wastes and representing the equity narrative, sees the problem of sustainable development as ensuring the just distribution of natural limits so as to reduce the impact of those limits on individuals within communities. Lastly, the ethical anthropology of Anna Peterson, philosopher of religion, points to the power of ethical narratives in creating wide-scale changes to our ideas about humanness and human nature as they relate to our relationship with our environment for sustainability., What I found in common with both the efficiency and equity narratives, representing both the political and corporate perspective and having significant influence on policy formation, is that they are pro market-based solutions of ecoefficiency and technological advancement. What they blatantly lack is guidance on what we ought to do, ought to value. I conclude that a humanist ethic is missing from both these narratives. Neither narrative sees matters of justice as co-equal partners with sustainability for sustainable development. Policy resulting from these narratives may offer efficiency and process but fails to include a robust humanist ethics necessary for a true sustainability. The way we think about our relationship to the environment shapes our behavior towards it. Just Sustainable Viability combines a complex systems approach that views human societies as complex adaptive systems and aims at optimizing social adaptive capacity with notions of distributive and procedural justice. With the inception of this new vision for sustainability, a new narrative must follow that firmly places humanity within the context of complex social and environmental systems.
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Date Issued: 2010
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/2684310
Subject Headings: System analysis, Policy sciences, Sustainable development, Social structure, Urban ecology (Sociology)
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Examining the relationship between urban green space and sustainable cities.
Creator: Bloise, Gillian., Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Geosciences
Abstract/Description: Urban green space plays a vital role in the stability of the environment. Green spaces are increasingly becoming an integral part of the efforts to promote sustainability because of the different areas of benefits they provide. Sustainable city ranking systems were used to identify the most sustainable urban extents within the US. Landsat TM 4-5 imagery and textural classification are used as techniques in identifying, classifying and analyzing urban green spaces within nineteen urban extents...
Show moreUrban green space plays a vital role in the stability of the environment. Green spaces are increasingly becoming an integral part of the efforts to promote sustainability because of the different areas of benefits they provide. Sustainable city ranking systems were used to identify the most sustainable urban extents within the US. Landsat TM 4-5 imagery and textural classification are used as techniques in identifying, classifying and analyzing urban green spaces within nineteen urban extents. Patch analyst was used to analyze the location, structure and fragmentation green spaces within each urban extent. The aim is to determine to what degree urban green spaces can be considered to be an integral part of the sustainability of sustainable urban extents across the US and ascertain whether or not more sustainable urban extents do have more urban green spaces. The results of the study have shown that urban extents that are ranked highly v on sustainable ranking systems do not necessarily have to have large proportion of green spaces. Results have also shown that urban extents that are ranked high on sustainable rankings will not necessarily be affected by increase in population or decrease in urban green space. Finally human modified green spaces have simple geometric shapes compared to natural unaltered green spaces that have more complex geometric shapes.
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Date Issued: 2013
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/3360771
Subject Headings: City planning, Environmental aspects, Urbanization, Environmental aspects, Urban ecology (Sociology), Human ecology, Sustainable development, Urban beautification
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: A methodology to assess the feasibility for light rail transit in a low to medium density environment via geographic information systems and image interpretation.
Creator: Kennard, Dylan., Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Geosciences
Abstract/Description: The world currently has more people living in cities than in rural areas. In the United States this is no exception, and as a result government policy is focusing on the supply of 'green' jobs that help repair and expand its infrastructure in an attempt to help curb non-renewable resource use. The expansion of public transportation throughout the country is one facet of the multi-pronged US government policy. In the tri-county area of South Florida (Palm Beach County, Broward County, and...
Show moreThe world currently has more people living in cities than in rural areas. In the United States this is no exception, and as a result government policy is focusing on the supply of 'green' jobs that help repair and expand its infrastructure in an attempt to help curb non-renewable resource use. The expansion of public transportation throughout the country is one facet of the multi-pronged US government policy. In the tri-county area of South Florida (Palm Beach County, Broward County, and Miami-Dade County) a research study known as the South Florida East Coast Corridor Transit Analysis (SFECCTA) entered Phase 2 in January 2009. This study looks at incorporating the FEC freight corridor which transverses the downtown areas of 47 cities into a major North- South commuter system. This system would also supplement the existing commuter Tri- Rail corridor. The proposed methodology in this manuscript attempts to address the issue of providing an adaptable, efficient and convenient public transportation in a low to medium density environment where the automobile is the preferred mode of travel. Emphasis is placed on connecting existing origin and destination locations in and around the greater West Palm Beach metropolitan area in Palm Beach County, FL. The goal of the methodology is to establish potential routes that will connect high amounts of residence to places of social interaction, consumption, employment, and the proposed SFECCTA regional transportation system with Light Rail Transit as the end goal. As a result the proposed corridors focus on creating dedicated and shared right of ways that already exist via the road network. The discussion and conclusion provide methodology successes, improvements, and economic development recommendations.
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Date Issued: 2009
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/369192
Subject Headings: Railroads, Local and light, Environmental aspects, Railroads, Planning, City planning, Environmental aspects, Sustainable development
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Two models of international country segmentation.
Creator: Budeva, Desislava G., College of Business, Department of Management
Abstract/Description: The growth of global competition has established international segmentation as a key issue in developing, positioning and selling products throughout the world (Ter Hofstede, Steenkamp and Wedel 1999). Many international segmentation studies have used macro-level, secondary data to identify country clusters based on similarities in political, economic, geographic or cultural variables. As a result of extensive review, we identify three major gaps in the international country segmentation...
Show moreThe growth of global competition has established international segmentation as a key issue in developing, positioning and selling products throughout the world (Ter Hofstede, Steenkamp and Wedel 1999). Many international segmentation studies have used macro-level, secondary data to identify country clusters based on similarities in political, economic, geographic or cultural variables. As a result of extensive review, we identify three major gaps in the international country segmentation literature. First, no study so far has accounted for the influence of time. While researchers suggest that longitudinal analysis provides additional insight into whether situational characteristics of countries change over time (Cavusgil, Kiyak, and Yeniyurt 2004; Helsen, Jedidi, and DeSarbo 1993; Sethi 1971; Steenkamp and Hofstede 2002,), a major limitation of this body of work is that most studies address country-level segmentation at a single point in time. However, bases of segmentation are considered to be dynamic in nature (Hassan, Craft, and Kortam 2003) and global and country-specific changes in economic development are likely to result in variations in segment membership over time. We investigate the stability of factors and the stability of segments over time by performing cluster analysis at two points of time. Second, most studies use ad hoc variables without theoretical basis which may result in accidental generalizations. Instead of suggesting a proliferation of random variables, which are considered influential in the decision making process without any empirical or theoretical evidence, we propose a theoretical basis for country segmentation. We use institutional theory to distinguish between heterogeneous groups of countries. Finally, there is the issue of providing "one size fits all" solutions., In other words, existing models offer general results of country clusters meant to be useful for all firms regardless of the product they offer or the industry they belong to. Our model based on institutional theory is used to investigate whether the influence of the host-country environment changes depending on the product that is concerned.
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Date Issued: 2009
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/210364
Subject Headings: International business enterprises, Management, Entrepreneurship, Sustainable development, Comparative management, Globalization, Economic aspects
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Statistical correlation between economic activity and DMSP-OLS night light images in Florida.
Creator: Forbes, Dolores J., Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Geosciences
Abstract/Description: The Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) Optical Line Scan (OLS) instruments collect data from an altitude of approximately 830km above the surface of the Earth. The night light data from these instruments has been shown to correlate by lit area with national level Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and to correlate with GDP at the State level by total radiance value. Very strong correlation is found between the night light data at a new, larger scale, the Metropolitan Statistical Area ...
Show moreThe Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) Optical Line Scan (OLS) instruments collect data from an altitude of approximately 830km above the surface of the Earth. The night light data from these instruments has been shown to correlate by lit area with national level Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and to correlate with GDP at the State level by total radiance value. Very strong correlation is found between the night light data at a new, larger scale, the Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) within the state of Florida. Additional statistical analysis was performed to determine which industries within each MSA explain the greatest amount of variance in the night light data. Industrial variables exhibited strong multi-collinearity. It is therefore impossible to determine which industries explain the greatest variance in the night light image data.
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Date Issued: 2011
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/3175019
Subject Headings: Earth, Rendering (Computer graphics), Urban ecology (Sociology), Sustainable development
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Regenerative leadership : an integral theory for transforming people and organizations for sustainability in business, education, and community.
Creator: Hardman, Guillermo [John], College of Education, Department of Educational Leadership and Research Methodology
Abstract/Description: This study examined and compared the developmental experiences of leaders who have successfully developed their capacities to engage in and maintain a vision and practice for sustainability over time in themselves and others in business, education and community. Through the application of grounded theory as a systematic comparative method for the analysis of qualitative data, the study generated a substantive theory of leadership called regenerative leadership. This leadership approach is...
Show moreThis study examined and compared the developmental experiences of leaders who have successfully developed their capacities to engage in and maintain a vision and practice for sustainability over time in themselves and others in business, education and community. Through the application of grounded theory as a systematic comparative method for the analysis of qualitative data, the study generated a substantive theory of leadership called regenerative leadership. This leadership approach is especially relevant at a time when humankind is faced with accelerating change and increasing evidence that numerous natural and social systems at the global level have reached or are rapidly approaching points of overshoot and collapse. Among the major findings, the study revealed that the more evolved sustainability leaders are becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the construct of sustainability, and indicate the need for a profound cultural shift towards regenerative human systems. In this framework, regenerative organizations are driven by a sense higher purpose, and leadership is exercised heterarchically. Leaders and followers engage in generative conversations to create desirable futures which are then backcasted to eliminate unanticipated consequences. Throughout, participants emphasized the critical importance of engaging in personal and collective consciousness development or "inner work" in order to make regenerative practices possible.
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Date Issued: 2009
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/187212
Subject Headings: Reengineering (Management), Sustainable development, School management and organization, Organizational effectiveness, Social ecology
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Hat weaving with Jipi, Carludovica palmata (Cyclanthaceae) in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico.
Creator: Fadiman, Maria
Abstract/Description: Weaving hats with jipi, Carludovlca palmata (Cyclanthaceae) has built the local economy and cultural identity for the people of Becal, in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. They obtain most material from cultivated sources, weave in man-made caves, and market the goods to commercial centers. Because Jipi does not appear to deplete the sod, they do not need to clear more land for sustainable production. Although weaving traditionally served as the main source of income and social activity in Becal...
Show moreWeaving hats with jipi, Carludovlca palmata (Cyclanthaceae) has built the local economy and cultural identity for the people of Becal, in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. They obtain most material from cultivated sources, weave in man-made caves, and market the goods to commercial centers. Because Jipi does not appear to deplete the sod, they do not need to clear more land for sustainable production. Although weaving traditionally served as the main source of income and social activity in Becal, interest in weaving is declining as the town modernizes. Although profits gained from weaving add to family earnings, because of the many hands through which the hat passes, this income remains low compared to the final selling prices. Thus, many who have the opportunity to pursue other careers are doing so. However, for rural communities, without other earning options, weaving may provide an economically and environmentally advantageous way to use the land.
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Date Issued: 2001
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/165385
Subject Headings: Weaving--Mexico, Hat trade, Ethnobotany--Mexico--Yucatan, Indigenous peoples--Ecology--Mexico--Yucatan, Sustainable development--Mexico--Yucatan
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: The commodification and militarization of American public space: from a genealogy of the public to a politics of place.
Creator: Case, Timothy., Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College
Abstract/Description: The history of public space in America is consistent with a pattern of privatization, rationalization, and individual escapism. From the frontier to the regulatory bureaucracy and into suburbanization and New Urbanism, we have and are witnessing the steady decline of vibrant, critical, and democratic public spheres and their replacement with a corporate and media controlled space that reflects the commodification and militarization of American culture at the hands of these corporate elites....
Show moreThe history of public space in America is consistent with a pattern of privatization, rationalization, and individual escapism. From the frontier to the regulatory bureaucracy and into suburbanization and New Urbanism, we have and are witnessing the steady decline of vibrant, critical, and democratic public spheres and their replacement with a corporate and media controlled space that reflects the commodification and militarization of American culture at the hands of these corporate elites. After tracing a genealogy of the public and public space, this thesis will focus on two examples of New Urbanist design that illustrate the corporate nature of community politics: the Disney Corporation's Celebration, Florida and DreamWorks' Playa Vista, California. Discussing the ideological basis for both communities, this thesis will suggest possible lessons to be learned for the creation of a public based on an ethic of common ground made possible by organized resistance to corporate manipulation of place.
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Date Issued: 2006
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/11591
Subject Headings: Cities and towns, Regional planning, Sustainable development, Land use, Urban, History
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: The influence of the global economic crisis on the relationship between governance and economic growth.
Creator: Albassam, Bassam A., College for Design and Social Inquiry, School of Public Administration
Abstract/Description: The current economic crisis has affected all aspects of life, which has resulted in political instability, personal financial troubles, and a growing number of business bankruptcies. While these are serious issues, simply developoing a government policy that injects an economy with money is not an appropriate means to achieve economic recovery and long-term economic development unless combined with an effective and efficient governing system. The present research studies whether the strong...
Show moreThe current economic crisis has affected all aspects of life, which has resulted in political instability, personal financial troubles, and a growing number of business bankruptcies. While these are serious issues, simply developoing a government policy that injects an economy with money is not an appropriate means to achieve economic recovery and long-term economic development unless combined with an effective and efficient governing system. The present research studies whether the strong relationship between governance and growth exists during economic crises or only during non-crisis periods. The results of the current research show that the global economic crisis has had an influence on the relationship between governance and economic growth. In addition, this study found that different levels of development affect the relationship between governance and growth differently during times of crisis. Consequently, the results of the current research show the instability in the relationship between governance and economic growth during the economic crisis ; this unsteadiness is a sign of the need for long-term strategies to promote global and national good governance practices that are not adversely affected by crises.
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Date Issued: 2012
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/3360745
Subject Headings: Globalization, Economic aspects, Financial crises, History, Sustainable development, Government policy, Industrial organization (Economic theory)
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Civic environmentalism: A model for Everglades restoration and a sustainable South Florida.
Creator: Jabour, Teresa U., Florida Atlantic University, Lenz, Timothy
Abstract/Description: The Everglades restoration is now the centerpiece for environmental policymaking in South Florida. The 1991 settlement of the Everglades lawsuit marked a new era of environmental politics known as civic environmentalism. Concepts of civic environmentalism are used in this study to determine if policies developed since the 1991 lawsuit settlement support a successful Everglades restoration and a sustainable South Florida, a vital connection that ensures the socio-economic health of the built...
Show moreThe Everglades restoration is now the centerpiece for environmental policymaking in South Florida. The 1991 settlement of the Everglades lawsuit marked a new era of environmental politics known as civic environmentalism. Concepts of civic environmentalism are used in this study to determine if policies developed since the 1991 lawsuit settlement support a successful Everglades restoration and a sustainable South Florida, a vital connection that ensures the socio-economic health of the built environment as well as the environmental health of South Florida's unique ecosystems. Indicators reveal that legislation supports a democratic process, but a nonformal model of civic environmentalism demonstrates that there are weaknesses in many areas, especially on the local level. Results of the study suggest that even though civic environmentalism prevails in some cases, stronger policies that connect both the built and natural environment will be necessary to ensure a successful Everglades restoration and a sustainable South Florida.
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Date Issued: 2003
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/13014
Subject Headings: South Florida Water Management District (Fla), Restoration ecology--Florida--Everglades, Sustainable development--Florida, Environmental policy--Florida--Everglades
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: From Economics to Resources: Teaching Environmental Sustainability in Peru's Public Education.
Creator: Adriazola-Rodriguez, Ana, Keaton, Kenneth, Diaz, Carlos F., Florida Atlantic University
Abstract/Description: This dissertation examines the teaching of environmental awareness in Peru's public educational system and how it needs to be consciously taught and improved in order to overcome contamination and pollution of resources and decrease poverty. This is a situation afflicting a significant percentage of Peruvians, who face difficulty in surviving and living well because the scarcity of clean air and water, unpolluted land, and affordable energy, which are basic environmental resources. The...
Show moreThis dissertation examines the teaching of environmental awareness in Peru's public educational system and how it needs to be consciously taught and improved in order to overcome contamination and pollution of resources and decrease poverty. This is a situation afflicting a significant percentage of Peruvians, who face difficulty in surviving and living well because the scarcity of clean air and water, unpolluted land, and affordable energy, which are basic environmental resources. The teaching of environmental awareness, as mandated by Educational Peruvian Laws and curriculum, should be redesigned to promote environmental ethical awareness and sustainability to guard Peru's natural and cultural resources, bounty and beauty before it is too late. In this way, education will promote a better level of life for the majority of Peruvians. Peruvian public education is presently in a state of emergency, as has been recognized by the former minister of education Javier Sota Nadal (2004-2006). Only 1 0% of students leaving high school understand what they read and only 4% do well in mathematics. A number of reasons contribute to this tragedy. Among them is principally the low quality of teaching and the inadequate budget available for public education. Peru's laws, echoing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and mandate good and free education and guarantee the right to live well. The reality is that none of these rights are properly given to the majority of poor Peruvians. This dissertation offers a course of action to teach and spread out not only environmental awareness, but also environmental ethics and sustainability from a personal perspective. This rounded concept, if applied, will form citizens able to guard, protect, and preserve natural and cultural resources. The needed environmental ethics and sustainability education will gradually guarantee, from early in life, a truthful way to love, care, protect and preserve the ecosystem. Also encompassed within this concept is to positively influence the behavior of professionals, economists, politicians, and citizens. It envisions interconnectedness between humans and the environment based on the teaching of environmental ethics and sustainability, educating children to develop critical thinking, and creativity, as well as adopting eco-design principles. This different approach could definitely better the new generation's contribution to preserve natural and cultural resources and to reduce poverty as well as contribute an example to other countries. Present and future Peruvian generations will be able to connect, care, protect, and sustain resources, so when it comes to sustainable development, they will be fully aware of the consequences of their actions toward the environment, themselves and their children's well being. In this way, education would truly fulfill its responsibility.
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Date Issued: 2007
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00000564
Subject Headings: Education and state--Peru, Environmental education--Peru, Sustainable development--Study and teaching--Peru
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Spatial and Temporal Mapping of the Evolution of the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA).
Creator: Rochelo, Mark, Roberts, Charles, Florida Atlantic University, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Geosciences
Abstract/Description: Urbanization is a fundamental reality in the developed and developing countries around the world creating large concentrations of the population centering on cities and urban centers. Cities can offer many opportunities for those residing there, including infrastructure, health services, rescue services and more. The living space density of cities allows for the opportunity of more effective and environmentally friendly housing, transportation and resources. Cities play a vital role in...
Show moreUrbanization is a fundamental reality in the developed and developing countries around the world creating large concentrations of the population centering on cities and urban centers. Cities can offer many opportunities for those residing there, including infrastructure, health services, rescue services and more. The living space density of cities allows for the opportunity of more effective and environmentally friendly housing, transportation and resources. Cities play a vital role in generating economic production as entities by themselves and as a part of larger urban complex. The benefits can provide for extraordinary amount of people, but only if proper planning and consideration is undertaken. Global urbanization is a progressive evolution, unique in spatial location while consistent to an overall growth pattern and trend. Remotely sensing these patterns from the last forty years of space borne satellites to understand how urbanization has developed is important to understanding past growth as well as planning for the future. Imagery from the Landsat sensor program provides the temporal component, it was the first satellite launched in 1972, providing appropriate spatial resolution needed to cover a large metropolitan statistical area to monitor urban growth and change on a large scale. This research maps the urban spatial and population growth over the Miami – Fort Lauderdale – West Palm Beach Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) covering Miami- Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties in Southeast Florida from 1974 to 2010 using Landsat imagery. Supervised Maximum Likelihood classification was performed with a combination of spectral and textural training fields employed in ERDAS Image 2014 to classify the images into urban and non-urban areas. Dasymetric mapping of the classification results were combined with census tract data then created a coherent depiction of the Miami – Fort Lauderdale – West Palm Beach MSA. Static maps and animated files were created from the final datasets for enhanced visualizations and understanding of the MSA evolution from 60-meter resolution remotely sensed Landsat images. The simplified methodology will create a database for urban planning and population growth as well as future work in this area.
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Date Issued: 2017
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004904, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004904
Subject Headings: Geographic information systems., Sustainable urban development--Florida--Miami--Planning., Sustainable urban development--Florida--Fort Lauderdale--Planning., Sustainable urban development--Florida--West Palm Beach--Planning., Urbanization--Florida--Miami-Dade County., Urbanization--Florida--Broward County., Urbanization--Florida--Palm Beach County., Remote sensing., Spatial analysis (Statistics)
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Cultivated food plants: culture and gendered spaces of colonists and the Chachi in Ecuador.
Creator: Fadiman, Maria
Abstract/Description: Colonists and indigenous groups living in and around Ecuador’s Mache-Chindul Reserve cultivate various subsistence food plants. The data reveal various differences between the two groups in regards to gendered agricultural spaces. Colonists maintain distinct planting areas, while the Chachi do so less. While each group plants some of the same crops, their basic staples differ: rice for the colonists and plantains for the Chachi. The gendered spaces are also distinct. In colonist households,...
Show moreColonists and indigenous groups living in and around Ecuador’s Mache-Chindul Reserve cultivate various subsistence food plants. The data reveal various differences between the two groups in regards to gendered agricultural spaces. Colonists maintain distinct planting areas, while the Chachi do so less. While each group plants some of the same crops, their basic staples differ: rice for the colonists and plantains for the Chachi. The gendered spaces are also distinct. In colonist households, women take primary care of plants closest to the home, while men’s domain is furthest from the home. Among the Chachi, the reverse pattern is the norm. This spatial organization is looked at in the context of previous theories regarding gender and agricultural. These distinctions are important to be considered in the context of better understanding gendered space among rural groups, and also for developing and implementing effective land use programs in and around protected areas.
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Date Issued: 2005
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/165377
Subject Headings: Ethnobotany--Ecuador, Plants, Cultivated, Indigenous peoples--Ecology--Ecuador, Sustainable agriculture--Ecuador--societies, etc., Sustainable development--Envrionmental aspects--Ecuador, Gender identity--Ecuador, Natural resources--Ecuador
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Attitudes and perspectives about backyard food gardening: a case study in South Florida.
Creator: Zahina-Ramos, John G., Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Geosciences
Abstract/Description: As cities grew throughout the past century, the availability of locally grown food declined, mostly because urban expansion occurred at the expense of adjacent agricultural land. As a result, city dwellers turned to commercial food market systems that import food from distant production areas. Private greenspace, which is one of the largest land cover types in cities, offers the potential for substantial agricultural production. Because urban food production on private land, such as backyards...
Show moreAs cities grew throughout the past century, the availability of locally grown food declined, mostly because urban expansion occurred at the expense of adjacent agricultural land. As a result, city dwellers turned to commercial food market systems that import food from distant production areas. Private greenspace, which is one of the largest land cover types in cities, offers the potential for substantial agricultural production. Because urban food production on private land, such as backyards, requires the willing participation of landowners, resident's feelings about and experience with food growing are important to understand. The demographic groups that were most likely to food garden were those in long-term relationships, higher income brackets, those with college education and residents over 50 years old. Incentives and programs focused on producing more from existing gardens may be most appropriate for people in these demographic groups, while other groups will most require basic food growing information. Study participants highly valued intangible benefits of food gardening (e.g., relaxation, feelings of happiness and satisfaction), often more than the provision of food. Most barriers and problems with backyard food growing, such as a lack of space and the need for gardening information, were similar for those who food garden and those who do not. Results from this study indicate that traditional agricultural incentives and perspectives must be rethought if they are to be applied in urban settings. By creating incentives and initiatives that reflect the needs and challenges faced by urban growers, urban agriculture will become an integrated part of the community, improving food quantity and quality while enriching residents' lives.
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Date Issued: 2013
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/3361258
Subject Headings: Backyard gardens, Food chains (Ecology), Garden ecology, Green movement, Sustainable development
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Generating space-time hypotheses in complex social-ecological systems.
Creator: Forbes, Dolores J., Xie, Zhixiao, Florida Atlantic University, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Geosciences
Abstract/Description: As ecosystems degrade globally, ecosystem services that support life are increasingly threatened. Indications of degradation are occurring in the Northern Indian River Lagoon (IRL) estuary in east central Florida. Factors associated with ecosystem degradation are complex, including climate and land use change. Ecosystem research needs identified by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) include the need to: consider the social with the physical; account for dynamism and change; account for...
Show moreAs ecosystems degrade globally, ecosystem services that support life are increasingly threatened. Indications of degradation are occurring in the Northern Indian River Lagoon (IRL) estuary in east central Florida. Factors associated with ecosystem degradation are complex, including climate and land use change. Ecosystem research needs identified by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) include the need to: consider the social with the physical; account for dynamism and change; account for complexity; address issues of scale; and focus on ecosystem structure and process. Ecosystems are complex, self-organizing, multi-equilibrial, non-linear, middle-number systems that exist in multiple stable states. Results found are relative to the observation and the frame of analysis, requiring multi-scaled analytical techniques. This study addresses the identified ecosystem research needs and the complexity of the associated factors given these additional constraints. Relativity is addressed through univariate analysis of dissolved oxygen as a measure of the general health of the Northern IRL. Multiple spatial levels are employed to associate social process scales with physical process scales as basin, sub-basins, and watersheds. Scan statistics return extreme value clusters in space-time. Wavelet transforms decompose time-scales of cyclical data using varying window sizes to locate change in process scales in space over time. Wavelet transform comparative methods cluster temporal process scales across space. Combined these methods describe the space-time structure of process scales in a complex ecosystem relative to the variable examined, where the highly localized results allow for connection to unexamined variables.
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Date Issued: 2014
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004284
Subject Headings: Environmental sciences -- Mathematical models, Indian River (Fla. : Lagoon) -- Environmental aspects, Marine ecosystem management -- Florida -- Indian River (Lagoon), Sustainable development, Wavelets (Mathematics)
Format: Document (PDF)

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