Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2023, Animal Sciences

Increases in soil inundation events are projected in Central U.S. Literature supports the reduced nutrient loss to water under perennial forage systems in inundation-prone areas. However, consequences of recurring soil inundation on forage quality and mass and soil GHG emissions remain underexplored. A potential trade-off between improved water quality and increased nutrient losses to air and/or decreased forage quality and mass was hypothesized in this study. Soil inundation effects were evaluated on bare ground occurrence, soil bulk density, forage botanical composition, quality, and dry matter, and soil GHG emissions in two locations in Ohio. In the north of Ohio, three different levels of soil inundation propensity were monitored in a hayfield. In the south of Ohio, non- inundated and inundation-prone long-term grazed pasture, and non-inundated hayfields were monitored. Overall, recurring short-term soil inundation did not consistently increase GHG emissions - rather a tendency to decrease emissions was observed in the north. In addition, a CO2eq flux calculation that considered both N2O and CH4 emissions from soils was primarily determined by the N2O flux for both locations. CO2 and CH4 fluxes followed the soil water content while N2O fluxes decreased when soil water content increased. Moreover, soil inundation did not considerably affect forage production in any of the locations. Forage crops proved to be a sustainable and productive option for areas prone to recurring short-term soil inundation in Ohio.

Committee: Marília Chiavegato (Advisor); David Barker (Committee Member); Steven Lyon (Committee Member); Braden Campbell (Committee Member) Subjects: Agricultural Engineering; Agriculture; Agronomy; Animal Sciences

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, 2020, Engineering

This dissertation includes two research studies regarding economic and environmental modeling for Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) management strategies and reverse logistic system. Management strategies for municipal solid waste (MSW) have been studied and conducted concerning GHG emissions related to MSW treatment options for cities and large geographical regions, but few have been conducted related to social cost of GHG emissions from a single facility's waste treatment management strategy, specifically as it relates to a zero waste to landfill management policy. The first study fills that gap by evaluating economic cost, and social cost of CO2e for the treatment of MSW streams for a single large facility in Ohio, USA moving towards a zero waste to landfill strategy. A total of eight scenarios related to varying IWM strategies at the facility were studied. Life cycle assessment (LCA) was conducted using the Integrated Waste Management Model (IWM) to find the best potential integrated MSW management strategy that minimizes GHG emissions for the facility based on MSW amounts and compositions. A tool was built to analyze the environmental and economic cost for those scenarios that applied different MSW management strategies. The annual operation cost of the MSW management in the facility is applied in the economic modelling, and the GHG emissions from annual MSW generated in the facility is applied in the environmental modelling. MSW treatment options that were applied at the facility including landfill, recycling, Waste to Energy, composting, Anaerobic Digestion (AD). Scenarios were ranked based on the social cost of carbon and economic cost of the MSW management in the facility. The IWM modelling results shows that the facility generated 580 t CO2e from disposing 1377 tons of MSW in 2015, of which 90% was disposed of by landfilling, mostly was from methane emissions. The net GHG emissions were estimated to be -374.4 tons due to the virgin material displacement credit (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Matthew Franchetti (Advisor) Subjects: Industrial Engineering

BA, Oberlin College, 2018, Environmental Studies

Plastic straws are one of the most abundant items found in oceans and coastal cleanups around the United States and internationally. Plastic does not decompose over time, so all the plastic we have ever made is still around, affecting every ecosystem on the planet. Drinking straws are made of 100% recyclable material, but because of their small size most recycling plants are not able to process them so they are sent to landfills. Petroleum-based plastic production is also a large source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, making up 1-3% of the United States' carbon emissions alone. By considering green alternatives to PP drinking straws, we can see if there actually are affordable alternatives that can help reduce plastic waste and carbon emissions. This case study focuses on the Feve, a restaurant in the City of Oberlin, and aims to understand the cultural significance of drinking straws in town, and uses that information to suggest ways of changing straw distribution behavior and minimize plastic waste. This study also compares the environmental and financial costs of the Feve using petroleum-based polypropylene (PP) drinking straws versus “greener” alternatives by constructing a modified life cycle analysis to determine if switching to biodegradable polylactic acid (PLA) plastic drinking straws decreases the Feve's carbon and plastic waste footprint. By tracing GHG emissions created in the production of plastic resins, transportation of materials and products, and disposal of plastic straws, I compare the carbon footprint of three products to see if one is better for the environment than the others. I hope this study can be used as a model to help other restaurants make plans to reduce their plastic waste and carbon footprint at an affordable cost.

Committee: Cynthia McPherson Frantz (Committee Co-Chair); Roger H. Laushman (Committee Co-Chair) Subjects: Business Costs; Climate Change; Comparative; Conservation; Energy; Environmental Economics; Environmental Education; Environmental Science; Environmental Studies; Gases; History; Management; Marketing; Petroleum Production; Plastics; Polymers; Psychology; Sanitation; Social Psychology; Social Research; Sustainability; Transportation

Master of Science, Miami University, 2016, Environmental Sciences

Debt-finance is a growing opportunity to fund environmental solutions. Green Bonds are being used by investors wishing to improve their Corporate Social Responsibility positions while maintaining valid returns on their investments. Based on the well-established bond-finance model, Green Bonds put money into diverse environmental projects addressing impacts from climate changes, depletion of natural resources, biodiversity loss, and pollution control. “Green” is a voluntary designation, based on a set of guidelines known as the Green Bond Principles. With varying degrees of clarity regarding their use and environmental impact and whether they are a viable solution to climate damages or merely a “greenwashed” ploy used by some issuers to appear more sustainable were questions examined as part of this research. A concise summary briefing (Appendix A), case study draft, and targeted public engagements were completed. Adaptability and responsiveness, sustainability, credibility, legitimacy, and opportunity for social transformation through the use of Green Bonds were reviewed using a case study analysis method. A unique pool of investment capital being mobilized by Green Bonds is emerging through motivated environmental investment coalitions. A review of the integrated impacts of Green Bonds as well as practical knowledge for their issuance is described here.

Committee: Steven Elliott Dr. (Advisor); Sarah Dumyahn Dr. (Committee Member); David Prytherch Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Alternative Energy; Atmospheric Sciences; Climate Change; Environmental Justice; Environmental Management; Environmental Science; Environmental Studies; Finance; Natural Resource Management; Sustainability; Urban Planning

MCP, University of Cincinnati, 2009, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning : Community Planning

The project is an attempt to develop a useful, reasonable, and accessible model for a greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory at the scale of a city neighborhood. It is useful because neighborhood groups, city administrations, and other interested parties can use it to compare and contrast the GHG emissions of different neighborhoods in a meaningful way, and so inform policy decisions. It is reasonable because, while it may not precisely quantify every GHG emitted in a neighborhood, it gives a fair representation of the differences between neighborhoods. It is accessible because the components that produce the final inventory are readily available and understandable to competent lay people (non-planners), or are provided and explained to make them so.Review of the relevant literature on greenhouse gas inventories and thermal forcing revealed no previous GHG inventories at the neighborhood scale. Procedures at the scale of an entire city were used as guideposts, but the procedures were modified to make sense at the neighborhood scale. Literature review further suggested that the fact that a given area is organized as a neighborhood plays a role in a GHG emissions inventory, apart from the simple scalar issue arising from addressing an area smaller than a city. Specifically, organization as a neighborhood necessitates looking at varied residential types, commercial types, building scales and how they use energy. Conversely, an inventory of a randomly-defined area of a city could be meaningful by simply using a city-scale inventory, arithmetically scaled down to reflect the smaller scale and population. Finally, the fact that different inputs to the inventory are treated discretely gives the model the quality of robustness - a category of data that is unattainable can be substituted with more generalized data and still produce meaningful comparisons. This is especially true if there is an existing larger-scale GHG inventory as a standard. The initial study area is the Clifton (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Carla Chifos PhD (Committee Chair); Edelman David PhD (Committee Member); Blume Elizabeth MCP (Committee Member); Grundy Terry MA (Committee Member) Subjects: Ecology; Environmental Engineering; Public Administration; Urban Planning

BA, Oberlin College, 2003, Economics

After years of intense debate, global climate change has finally been acknowledged as a serious threat to global biological, political and economic systems. There is overwhelming evidence that the atmospheric warming observed over the course of the past 50 years, as well as the increasing incidence of extreme weather events and floods, is being caused by the acceleration of the rate in which greenhouse gases (GHGs) produced by the burning of fossil fuels are being released into the atmosphere. The extreme weather and weather-related events associated with climate change, such as landslides and flooding, totaled roughly $40 billion in the 1990s. It is not surprising, then, that the governments of many developed and developing nations, as well as intergovernmental bodies like the United Nations and the World Bank, have adopted a variety of measures to reduce GHG emissions and mitigate the potential impacts of climatic change. The government of Slovakia sold credits for 200,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents to a Japanese trading house at an undisclosed price on December 6, 2002, making history by signing the first deal to be officially credited within the international Kyoto Protocol, a global agreement to reduce the GHG emissions of participating countries seven percent relative to their 1990 levels by 2010. Nor is it surprising that environmental interest groups and active citizens in the United States and elsewhere are pressing their elected leaders to pass stricter regulations on the emission of GHGs. What is somewhat baffling, though, is the number of privately owned companies that have taken it upon themselves to voluntarily reduce GHG emissions as a way to address climate change in recent years. Dozens of companies are voluntarily participating in the design and implementation of GHG emission reductions programs. For example, the International Emissions Trading Association (IETA) lists 47 international members including Gaz de France, British Petrole (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Hirschel Kasper (Advisor) Subjects: Economic Theory; Economics; Environmental Economics; Environmental Management; Environmental Studies

Master of Science, Miami University, 2012, Environmental Sciences

In the recent past there has been an emphasis on energy and fuel efficiency in transit systems across the United States. Transit systems continue to attempt to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions while enhancing efficiency and aiming to do so in a cost-effective manner. This study which was conducted in the months of May- August 2011 looks at a small transit system, the Miami Metro Bus Service, which serves the students, faculty and staff of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. In determining the relationship between route planning and energy efficiency, the existing bus routes and the proposed changes to the bus routes are analyzed. The key factors which are used in this analysis include; the total miles driven, energy savings, fuel costs savings (mpg) and emissions (GHG) associated with the existing and the proposed bus routes. The results indicate the proposed changes to the bus routes are more fuel and energy efficient.

Committee: David Prytherch PhD (Advisor); Steve Elliott PhD (Committee Member); Sandra Woy-Hazleton PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Energy; Environmental Science; Sustainability; Transportation; Transportation Planning