Academic

Long M, P Stretesky, M Lynch, and E Fenwick. Org & Environment 25(3)

This research examines the connection between political donations, lobbying, levels of production, and state enforcement efforts in the coal industry. The authors draw on treadmill of production theory as developed by Schnaiberg to situate the analysis within green criminology. Specifically, based on treadmill of production theory the authors hypothesize that coal companies are more likely to increase political donations and lobbying efforts prior to the conclusion of any state enforcement effort (administrative, civil, or criminal violation). In addition, and consistent with treadmill of production theory, the authors hypothesize that the probability of environmental enforcement will be lower for coal companies that are more embedded in the treadmill of production and higher for companies less embedded in the treadmill. To test these hypotheses, a case-crossover design is used that allows for comparisons within companies by looking at treadmill-related characteristics at the time of the violation and at randomly chosen points in time before and after that violation. The authors discovered that while lobbying efforts and level of embeddedness in the treadmill were unrelated to state enforcement, political donations significantly increase for companies just prior to the conclusion of an enforcement event (odds ratio = 6.36). It is also discovered that corporate restructuring is related to environmental enforcement. The article concludes by offering insights into alternative analysis and uses of treadmill of production theory as it relates to green criminology.

Colorado K-12 Education Strategies for "The Wave" Environmental Movement

The Oceanic Preservation Society (OPS) is one of the organizations best-known for their media initiatives highlighting some of the most disturbing environmental, biological, and oceanic issues of our time. After their success with the 2009 film The Cove, OPS is positioning itself for an entire environmental movement in 2014 entitled OPS: The Wave. The Wave is focused on sparking a movement to halt ocean acidification and prevent mass species extinction by providing interactive experiences that inspire people and take individual and collective action in reducing fossil fuel consumption and shifting to clean energy.

Part of inspiring this kind of action is through education. Located in Colorado, OPS represents a unique opportunity in inspiring landlocked individuals to become more aware about oceanic issues even though they may not feel they are directly tied to aquatic ecosystems and wildlife. This report focuses on how The Wave initiative can inspire and educate Colorado K-12 students and teachers and focuses on what types of educational strategies would best complement the rollout of OPS’s messages and calls to action with Colorado K-12 students and teachers.

Sifting through inquiries to OPS, distributing teacher reference/interest surveys, and speaking with existing environmental education organizations in Colorado, this report provides OPS with several recommendations on curriculum development and dissemination, K-12 school/teacher partnerships, and overcoming the barriers associated with getting materials into the classroom.

The Impact of a 3D Virtual Learning Environment in Diverse 9th Grade Earth & Space Science Classes

Problem-based learning in the sciences has been demonstrated to be a successful educational approach to engage students and increase content knowledge. However, the power of collaborative learning to engage students, increase content knowledge and develop problem-solving skills in the sciences has not yet been fully researched. Collaborative learning has an enormous potential not only to foster student learning, but also to increase interest in the sciences and promote cutting-edge education strategies worldwide.

Collaborative learning tactics in this study take place within the virtual learning environment entitled “GeoWorlds.” GeoWorlds is an online educational gaming program within the Second Life 3-D Teen Grid. The curriculum was developed as a collaborative, investigative and engaging program to promote learning of Earth science content. The program allows students to be submersed-in and explore different geologic time periods; enabling them to observe species and geological structures while interacting with one another to complete tasks. This study investigates the educational impact, emotional response and overall feedback of the GeoWorlds virtual learning environment on Midwest ninth graders.

Economy and Ecology of Emerging Markets and Credits for Biosequestered Carbon on Private Land in Tropical Australia

A central question addressed is whether emerging carbon markets have the potential to provide an economic incentive for private landholders to reforest without recourse to subsidy. A second question is whether bio-sequestration in theWet Tropics of Queensland is cost-competitive with southern Australia. A third, given that plantations of monocultures also provide carbon sinks, is: are the goals of carbon sequestration and biodiversity mutually exclusive or complementary?

Australia intends to meet its Kyoto greenhouse gas emissions target even though it has not ratified the Protocol. While a national system of carbon emission cap and trade does not exist, unilateral action by some states to mandate industry caps has generated a demand for offsets.

However, it is the voluntary market for offsets, stimulated by demand by companies and government departments that is most active. The favourable climate and soils of theWet Tropics Region of north Queensland have enabled the evolution of unique ecosystems. Deforestation of these has been greatly reduced by World Heritage listing of the Wet Tropics.

Nevertheless, much of the landscape remains fragmented. An official priority is the encouragement of rainforest plantations on private land with the aim of augmenting endangered ecosystems and the habitat of iconic species, but reforestation is heavily subsidised by the Australian government.

Using methodology that allows the comparison of uneven streams of costs and benefits, it is found that – at present prices – payments for sequestered carbon defray only a small proportion of costs, providing a level of incentive insufficient to stimulate restoration. Comparative analysis shows that monocultures sequester carbon at a much lower price per tonne. However, despite the relatively high growth rates of monocultures in the region, their cost per tonne of carbon are greater than costs in southern Australia. A decreasing supply of suitable land for bio-sequestration offsets in southern Australia may well force brokers to look to the Wet Tropics.

In this event – the economic analysis suggests – land in areas that carried endangered or threatened ecosystems will be devoted to monocultures rather than restored rainforest. The paper highlights the asymmetry between the availability of credits for carbon and of credits for biodiversity and the need for public investment in conservation and restoration. Requiring further investigation is the potential demand for carbon offsets with high biodiversity benefits – so called “boutique abatements” – that could readily be supplied in the Queensland Wet Tropics.

Computer Energy Consumption on Knox College Campus: A Cost-Benefit Analysis

Energy consumption, especially in the United States, is extremely irresponsible. Small but significant changes can be made to help prevent unsustainable use of our dwindling energy sources. On college campuses, energy consumption through irresponsible computer use is a major factor in environmental degradation and energy costs to the schools. By changing student, faculty, staff and school owned computer settings there can be a significant decrease in energy consumption. The majority of energy consumed by computers is when computers are on and not in use. Therefore, turning computers off or enabling the hibernation setting, this study proves that there are ways to make Knox College greener. Not only can changing computer settings create environmental and economic benefits, but the type of computers used on campus can also conserve energy. Laptops use dramatically less energy than desktops and therefore it is recommended, if economically viable, that Knox promote laptop usage over desktops. By measuring the kWh of a number of computers or various types and testing multiple setting, calculations (such as cost benefit analyses) were made to support several recommendations for change.