Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, 2018, Manufacturing and Technology Management

Manufacturing companies have been successful in increasing their productivity since the beginning of the industrial era.. However, in the course of production of goods to satisfy customer demand, production companies have, intentionally or unintentionally, produced emissions, effluents, and solid waste giving rise to a new problem. During the last couple of decades, companies have been putting ample efforts to reduce detrimental impacts on society and environment; while trying hard to keep up with their financial goals. Sustainability related objectives of companies and their realization of responsibility towards environment has enabled companies to make sustainability a part of their business framework. Building upon literature of Resource-Based View (RBV), Structure-Conduct-Performance Paradigm, and Transactional Cost Economics, this dissertation proposes a theatrical framework where the first step towards making sustainability a competitive advantage is to develop sustainability orientation by adopting clear policies urging environmental awareness, recognizing stakeholders' ecological requirements, and outlining responsible use of natural resources. Furthermore, to transform sustainability orientation into business processes, this dissertation suggests byproduct management practices, which can attain desired outcomes. Implementation of sustainable product design, sustainable process design and production are the results of the sustainability orientation. However, the ultimate aim for the manufacturing firms must be to become zero waste throughout its supply chain. It can be achieved by eliminating emissions, effluents and waste. Drawing upon the concepts of industrial ecology and cradle to cradle, this dissertation proposes that when companies attempt to manage waste within their supply chain and turn it into byproducts with commercial value, they end up performing better environmentally, socially, and economically. Additionally, this research also aims to exam (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Paul Hong (Committee Co-Chair); Anand Kunnathur (Committee Co-Chair); Marcelo Alvarado-Vargas (Committee Member); Dwlight Haase (Committee Member) Subjects: Business Administration; Management; Operations Research; Technology

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2010, Civil Engineering

Efficient energy use during construction and operation of buildings and sustainable building design are important issues in both modern society and the engineering community. Innovative methods are needed to address the environmental impact, energy use and other sustainability issues faced during planning and design of buildings. This study investigates sustainable design methodologies, the relationships between structural system and the 2009 Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system, the impact that project size and type can have on project sustainability, sustainable properties associated with construction materials (such as steel, cast-in-place concrete and prestressed/precast concrete) and computer programs aimed at determining the properties of sustainable structural design alternatives. This study investigates some sustainable structural design methodologies including minimizing material use, minimizing material production energy, minimizing embodied energy, life-cycle analysis/inventory/assessment and maximizing building reuse and presents their positive and negative sustainable qualities. This study discusses and reviews the categories of the 2009 LEED rating system in which points could be awarded to a project for sustainability of its structural frame. This study presents the role that project size and structural system-type play on aspects of sustainable design including the design and analysis phase, land use, investments in sustainable technologies, use of timber as a primary load bearing material and other sustainable issues. This study reviews the structurally applicable sustainable properties associated with structural steel, cast-in-place and prestessed/precast concrete. Finally, this study provides a review of life-cycle analysis computer programs focusing on three (Building for Environmental and Economic Sustainability (BEES) v4.0, SimaPRO v7.1 and Athena Impact Estimator v4.0) aimed at assessing the sustainability of desi (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Halil Sezen PhD (Advisor); Shive Chaturvedi PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Architecture; Civil Engineering

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2007, Horticulture and Crop Science

The environmental technology of vegetated roof systems depends on collaboration between designers and scientists. But this collaboration is difficult to carry out due to well-entrenched differences in disciplinary methods. To compensate this dissertation attempts to improve our conceptualization and dissemination of vegetative roof system projects and to extend our scientific knowledge of how these systems function. In Chapter 1, I identify current problems and offer designers a framework for the conceptualization of ecoroof projects and dissemination of knowledge about such systems. I propose a design-research framework for the inclusion and communication of research agendas into design projects. In Chapter 2, I describe the first scientific study, which was designed to evaluate experimentally the effect of substrate depth on net primary productivity, water retention, and water quality. My data revealed that deep substrate roofs retained 18% more rainwater while producing 2.5 times more biomass than shallow substrate roofs. Roofs using water recycling or run-on water produced up to 26% more biomass than those receiving only direct precipitation and did so without any significant reduction in retention. In Chapter 3, I quantify animal diversity on two vegetated roof systems using rapid assessment method for insects, spiders and birds. The Renyi family of diversity indices was used to compare diversity between the two ecoroofs. My data revealed relatively low similarity between the species assemblages, but a relatively strong similarity in community structure. Overall, the intensive ecoroof supported slightly higher diversity. Finally, in Chapter 4, I use emergy analysis to quantify and compare the sustainability of three vegetated roof systems: an agricultural roof garden, a shallow-substrate ecoroof, and a deep-substrate ecoroof. The shallow-substrate ecoroof was the most sustainable (least unsustainable) of the three, followed by the deep-substrate ecoroof and the (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Claudio Pasian (Advisor) Subjects:

MFIS, Kent State University, 2023, College of the Arts / School of Fashion

The study aims to discover how co-creation can inform research through practice and a fashion designer's creative process when reusing 3D printer waste to create more sustainable garments. Co-creation methods can be used to increase the connection between the customers and the products. The researcher first explores prototyping with 3D printer waste through various levels of everyday creativity. Then hosted co-creative workshops for people to engage in their own creative process to help develop more sustainable fashion products while using the 3D printer waste. After the workshops, the researcher returned to exploring new samples and prototypes based on inspiration obtained during the workshops and reflected on how co-creation influenced the designer's creative process. This cycle repeated as many times as needed. The primary outcome of this research is a new Concentric Co-Creative Design Framework for research through practice, also referred to as CCC Design Framework, which evolved from Gray and Malins' (2004) loop of reflection for action. In the new framework, co-creative workshops serve as a tool for understanding the customer and a source of inspiration for the designer's creative process. The research also revealed four significant sub-findings that further support the newly developed framework: (1) involving participants in the design process helps generating more ideas, (2) ideal participants are high scoring in the Change Seeker Index (CSI), (3) working with 3D printer waste in fashion leads to an adaptive process, and (4) co-creation is an enjoyable activity for participants.

Committee: Kendra Lapolla (Advisor); J.R. Campbell (Committee Member); Jasmine Kornel (Committee Member) Subjects: Design

Master of Fine Arts, The Ohio State University, 2017, Design

Design for Sustainability (D4S) is the process of incorporating environmental considerations into design practice (including environmental impacts, renewable and recyclable materials, material and project processes, etc.). Graphic and Print Designers have yet to fully embrace D4S incorporation for various reasons—fear of losing clients, not knowing how to apply D4S without negatively impacting their work, and a lack of education on the subject are among them. The purpose of this thesis is to explore ways to motivate a change in Graphic Design processes toward more environmentally sustainable processes. The original path of this research was to create a tool for Graphic Designers to use to assess the potential environmental impacts of their projects at the beginning of the design process. Through a series of surveys and interviews with design professionals, it became clear that the issue could not be resolved by a tool alone. The challenge was reframed to focus on the larger context of who could use the tool as well as how they might collaborate in its use on print projects. The reframing resulted in a Journey Map that encompasses the tool concept and all of the `players' that might use it, including Design players (e.g., Graphic and Production Designers, Art and Creative Directors) and Design-Adjacent players (e.g., Clients, Management, Project Managers, and Vendors) in an ongoing process. Its purpose is to motivate them to start, as well as guide them along the journey toward sustainable design. There is a significant need for the Graphic Design field to evolve and become a greater advocate for the environment, given the resources we require of it for our work. This research offers an opportunity for Designers to educate themselves and take the lead on making print projects that showcase D4S thinking. Designers should take the lead, and also collaborate with Design-Adjacent partners to move the industry forward.

Committee: Elizabeth Sanders (Committee Chair); R. Brian Stone (Committee Member); Blaine Lilly (Committee Member); Noel Mayo (Committee Member) Subjects: Design; Environmental Studies; Sustainability; Technology

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Akron, 2017, Integrated Bioscience

Biomimicry is innovation through emulation of biological forms, processes, patterns, and systems. What motivates practice is a basic understanding of natural selection as a process that favors high-performance, resource-efficient survival strategies – strategies that can be abstracted to address technical challenges from the molecular to systemic scale. Biomimicry has generated commercial solutions in diverse sectors, but industry practice is limited by a lack of clarity around quantitative / qualitative benefits and best practices. This body of work starts to unveil the different dimensions of value biomimicry can offer business, providing evidence of its potential to enhance creativity, increase rates of intellectual property generation, and inform environmentally sustainable solutions. It also details an iterative five-phase biomimicry process, validated in a corporate context, that can serve as a template for industry implementation. Perhaps most importantly, it describes how biomimicry helps us recall a fundamental truth we managed to forget: humans are a part of rather than apart from nature. Innovating from this point of view, we brighten prospects of a flourishing life on this planet.

Committee: Peter Niewiarowski PhD (Advisor); John Huss PhD (Committee Member); Bob Gray PhD (Committee Member); Steve Ash PhD (Committee Member); Ven Ochaya PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Biology; Design; Entrepreneurship; Management; Mechanical Engineering; Philosophy; Sustainability

MDES, University of Cincinnati, 2017, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning: Design

This paper advances new proposals to address the Planned & Perceived Obsolescence conundrum. Coming from a Net Energy Economy perspective and founded in natures resilience and regeneration principles it integrates these perspectives into the Product Design process. The goal is to build societies that move beyond heavy dependence on fossil fuel and finite materials throughput to maintain economic stability into a culture that enjoys the relative conveniences of western living without the ecological impacts. Proposed in these strategies are ways to build ecological resilience and economic liberation into our culture provided by proper investment of energy and resources into Products, Buildings, Businesses and Agriculture to provide for our basic needs freeing us from constant insecurities. It offers a simple step by step design guide with foundational strategies at each step in the lifespan of the product. It addresses issues like appropriate strategies for different clients, durable vs. consumable, finite vs. renewable, sustainable qualities of products, proper investment to create long lasting products, scaled resilience and global leverage of technology for the greatest impact with least ecological footprint. These are foundational strategies to leverage the greatest ecological change for the least amount of effort. It was tested with 4th year ID students and results are included.

Committee: Dale Murray M.A. (Committee Chair); Brigid O'Kane MFA (Committee Member) Subjects: Design

Master of Fine Arts, The Ohio State University, 2016, Theatre

Theatre is a liminal environment between performers and a live audience, and between the past, present and future. Theatre practitioners often bring to life old scripts that have graced the stage many times while highlighting the relevance of key themes and motifs in relation to a modern audience. The work of playwright Henrik Ibsen is produced worldwide because of its modern subjects, despite having been written in the late nineteenth century.Under the direction of Lesley Ferris, I designed the scenic environment for Rebecca Lenkiewicz's version of Henrik Ibsen's An Enemy of the People at The Ohio State University. I used a combination of sketches, digital modelling, and a physical white model to communicate my scenic design. By way of reducing, reusing, and recycling, I executed a sustainable scenic environment that complimented the themes of environmental awareness within the play without compromising the aesthetic of the design.

Committee: Brad Steinmetz M.F.A. (Advisor); Mary Tarantino M.F.A (Committee Member); Lesley Ferris PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Architectural; Architecture; Art History; Design; Environmental Education; Environmental Health; Environmental Management; Environmental Studies; Fine Arts; Gender; Gender Studies; Performing Arts; Scandinavian Studies; Theater; Theater History; Theater Studies; Womens Studies

Master of Fine Arts, The Ohio State University, 2015, Design

Household products are purchased, used, and disposed of nearly everyday. Consumer demands and trends such as “fast fashion” have lead to accelerated product cycles that fulfill the wants, and sometimes needs, of the American marketplace. The result has been an economy based on the consumer thought process of “take, make, and dispose” where natural resources are continually being used up to make cheap, short-lived products which are often quickly turned over to the landfill once they break or consumers no longer find them useful or desirable to keep. The overall purpose of this thesis was to explore some of the small steps that could be taken today, or in the near future, to lead society as a whole to be less wasteful by keeping products in use longer. Because it will take time and effort to make drastic changes within the product design industry (which involves business, manufacturing, marketing, etc.), this study focuses on what regular people are doing, or could do, in their everyday lives to achieve this. The overall outcome sought to develop design implications related to product qualities as well as service and/or system opportunities relating to household products. To identify these design implications, the primary research was designed to answer the questions: Why are some things more likely to be kept or held onto for a longer periods of time? Why are other items more likely to be discarded after a shorter period of time, and how could those stay in use somehow? This was achieved through an exploratory and qualitative case study on kitchen products using a small number of participants, followed by an online survey to validate the preliminary findings with quantitative data. Through a three-phase research plan, which is described in Chapter 6, the participants, who are all from the Millennial Generation, were immersed in thinking about their individual kitchen items through the completion of multiple activities, including interviews, a workbook, and a (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Scott Shim (Advisor); Carolina Gill (Committee Member); Richard Jagacinski (Committee Member) Subjects: Design

MARCH, University of Cincinnati, 2014, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning: Architecture

Much of contemporary architectural design does not capitalize on the advantages of nature's processes. An over-reliance on conventional design practices and an ignorance of local ecosystems has distanced humans from their origins in nature and encouraged a built environment that excludes and subjugates nature's potential. Architects have become complacent to adopt new technologies that combat natural forces at the expense of local habitat and occupant well-being; nature has been value-engineered out of architecture. Ecological design improves the performance of buildings and enhances the health of occupants, and therefore should be an architectural imperative. Rather than subjugated as adversaries that diminish the experience of the built world, natural materials and processes should be valued elements hosted by and embedded into building design. By integrating climate and context into design, an ecological architecture will emerge that supports the health of life systems and the symbiotic relationship between humans and nature. To investigate the limits of this approach, a proposed hybrid project will aim to integrate natural elements and engage local ecosystems through the design of a contemporary addition to a historical building. A design ethic that supports healthy relationships between buildings, inhabitants, and nature will shape this expansion of the modern urban office. As a result of this project, more creative strategies for ecological design within a difficult urban context could be imagined.

Committee: Udo Greinacher M.Arch. (Committee Chair); Jeffrey Tilman Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Architecture

MDES, University of Cincinnati, 2012, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning: Design

In mass production, customization has been employed by device providers to allow customers to design products that they desire. By accommodating customer's needs and wants, brands are supported and emotional bonds between customers and products are enhanced. Products that customer's perceive as unique to their personal needs, create strong bonds with customers and instill brand loyalty. The purpose of this paper is to examine a strategy to help reduce this problem by extending the life of cellular phones in particular through the strategy of customization. This paper proposes specific principles for customization of cellular devices and then attempts to test those through a survey to determine viability of those principles.

Committee: Dale Murray MA (Committee Chair); Gerald Michaud MA (Committee Member) Subjects: Design

MDES, University of Cincinnati, 2012, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning: Design

Overwhelming consumption has resulted from bad user–product relationships and bad service, which allow consumers to easily get frustrated, and abandons otherwise fine products. This paper proposes a new emphasis on designing a service model, moving from ownership to leasing. A service model by leasing puts emphasis on designing products with an extension of the user–product relationship, providing users with products that will be personal treasures. This is a major change in business-as-usual for most product categories, but results in creating new and different design goals that may have significant impact on achieving economic viability and environmental stewardship. This model ultimately provides user satisfaction by advocating the design of meaningful products that facilitate long-term use, and reduces the numbers of products being made, being sold, becoming obsolete, and ending up in landfills. This concept is introduced with sustainable design principles through precedents, and is then applied in the cellular phone industry for testing, in the hope of appropriate appreciation for a sustainable service model as well as providing ideas for its application to current industry.

Committee: Dale Murray MA (Committee Chair); Gerald Michaud MA (Committee Member) Subjects: Design

MCP, University of Cincinnati, 2007, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning : Community Planning

A holistic perspective of LID principles in land use planning is a topic that has not been explored greatly, forming the basis for my thesis project. The integration of LID principles in land use planning process, results in a much clearer understanding of the concept of site-specific sustainability, as well as a better grasp of how to steer the conventional development procedure closer to more sustainable site development practices. This thesis will explore the issues related to conventional land use planning and zoning by investigating the impact of on-going suburban growth pressures that has been brought about by the conventional growth pattern. In Such situations LID plays a vital role in promoting environmental stewardship and protecting the available natural resources which otherwise would vanish soon in the conventional development process. It uses the land use planning perspective to evaluate LID principles as a better site sustainability option for the available study area, Grailville in Miami Township, Clermont County, OH.

Committee: Menelaos Triantafillou (Advisor) Subjects:

MDes, University of Cincinnati, 2005, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning : Design

In spite of its popularity, auto-mobility has never been an accessible transportation medium to the majority of the world's population. Big amounts of resources are spent every day to support auto-mobility yet, only about 12% of the world's population has the possibility to acquire a car, and even less has the option to acquire a new one. (Humphrey 122) The automobile however, is still the most desired type of transportation because of its freedom of routes. In this scenario, if automobiles are meant to be the main tool for human transportation in the years to come, it is crucial to promote changes in the way we consume cars in order to ensure that they can be accessed by most people. Lower segments of the population usually have access to older vehicles because of their low cost, however, as they age most of these vehicles retain little or almost no value to offer to their customer and quite often their usage conveys a high price that has to be paid in exchange for the transportation. One way in which automobile's access could be expanded to lower segments of the population is by expanding their lifespan. If cars remain unchanged in the market for a longer time, then the costs associated with their acquisition and operation would tend to be lower. A good example to this is the VW bug in Mexico or the Nissan Sentra. If we can ensure that old automobiles retain their fundamental value as mobility providers, then the lower segments of the population would find value in a platform whose cost of operation is reasonable. This thesis project will explore a possibility to design a multipurpose auto-mobile platform. A vehicle intended to remain unchanged in the market as long as the basic technologies it employs do not change. This basic mobility platform in the form of an automobile will enhance the experience of new-cars and old-cars users by providing them with the basic value of mobility, while letting them adapt their vehicles to their specific needs, and by allowing t (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Soo-Shin Choi (Advisor) Subjects:

MDes, University of Cincinnati, 2003, Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning : Design

Industrial designers gather references from a multitude of sources, synthesize it, and convey those influences in the design of products. Looking only at competitors for inspiration can potentially limit the perspective of contemporary designers and subsequently the innovation of products. Just as people feel connected to nature, designers can create products that consumers feel connected to through the reference of nature. This document focuses on how nature can be used as a model in order to address many of the problems confronting designers today. There has been no clear and practical methodology for modern industrial designers to observe and reference nature. The Metabolic Design Methodology is a design strategy that represents the culmination of the four categories, I have recognized, in the design of products. The categories are: Surfaces/Finishes, Form/Structure, Materials, and Processes/Production. The four categories represent common topics industrial designers consider in the design of products. They represent a tool meant to facilitate the systematic referencing of nature in the design of products. They were developed to present designers with opportunities for invention by establishing some parameters as they wade through the design process. The report is comprised of four primary parts. Part I includes; the introductory chapter as well as a chapter entitled, Contemporary and Classical Methodologies for Understanding Nature. Part II; presents and explains the four categories I am proposing. Part III; analyzes two case studies in which I demonstrate varying degrees of application of the Metabolic Design Methodology. Finally, Part IV; is the concluding chapter. The two case studies represent varying degrees of metabolic influence into an otherwise traditional design strategy. Through the case studies I demonstrate how each category can be systematically incorporated into traditional design approaches independently, or how the categories may be used collect (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Dr. J. Chewning (Advisor) Subjects: Design and Decorative Arts

Master of Fine Arts, The Ohio State University, 2011, Industrial, Interior Visual Communication Design

Nowadays, when we talk about sustainability or environmentally friendly practices, we try to convince groups or individuals to be good citizens or good people. Especially young people do not care deeply about pursuing an environmentally conscious lifestyle if it requires an effort on their part. What if one uses fun to influence (i.e., motivate and inform) students about sustainability in their daily life? Would this approach be more successful in changing their behavior? Can sustainability even be considered to be fun? As we already know, behavior change requires motivation and fun could be used as a motivational factor. Proposing that we need to develop programs and concepts that make a sustainable lifestyle fun instead of perceiving it as a negative influence on our quality of life provides new opportunities for projects and interventions. When we make sustainable practices fun, the likelihood to adapt such a new behavior increases. Behavioral change results from a combination of three factors, namely, awareness, information and motivation, which is the most important starting point for fun. This thesis addresses the difficulties in informing and motivating students to choose a sustainable lifestyle by focusing on their consumer behavior. With a fun and playful application, the user should be able to learn and inform herself or himself about a sustainable lifestyle and be motivated to integrate it into her or his own daily life. By offering multiple choices of action as well as the opportunity to be and act as a part of a whole group (i.e., collective action), competition and therefore motivation should be raised. This results from the idea that fun can be experienced both individually or as a group. Design Research is the main tool to develop this informational and motivational application. Research on the target group, in combination with existing case studies in design and the psychological aspects of human decision making, will lead to a design application. T (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Paul Nini J (Committee Chair); Elizabeth Sanders B.-N. (Committee Member); Carolina Gill (Committee Member) Subjects: Demographics; Design; Fine Arts; Sustainability; Systems Design

MARCH, University of Cincinnati, 2024, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning: Architecture

Over the course of human history, people have predominantly lived in rural areas relying on the land for basic needs like food water and shelter. The shift from nomadic lifestyle to agricultural communities marked a significant turning point in human development. Over time, these agricultural communities transitioned into urban centers which brought both positive and negative consequences. While urbanization offers benefits, it has also contributed to heightened stress, anxiety, and mental health issues that were comparatively less prevalent in agrarian societies. In response to the dynamic shifts due to urbanization, this thesis proposes the design of urban greenhouse dwellings that reconciles the historical connection between people and agriculture with the demands of contemporary urban living. The core premise of this thesis is to create a housing community that reintegrates farming into the urban fabric, seeking to strike a harmonious balance between the historical agricultural lifestyle and the complexities of modern urban existence. The envisioned greenhouse dwellings aim to serve low-income communities in Cincinnati, Ohio. The greenhouse acts a transformative space where individuals can reconnect with their agrarian roots while navigating the challenges of urban life. Through innovative design, the program will offer a holistic approach, addressing physical, mental, and environmental well-being by merging urban living with the therapeutic aspects of farming. The ultimate goal is to provide a model for sustainable urban development that fosters a sense of community, mental well-being, and a rekindled connection to the land. By integrating farming into the urban landscape, the project not only address the immediate challenges related to housing and well-being but also serve as a platform for economic empowerment by creating opportunities for local entrepreneurship. The greenhouse would function as a communal hub where the cultivation of crops is (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Vincent Sansalone M.Arch. (Committee Member); Edward Mitchell M.Arch (Committee Chair) Subjects: Architecture

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2022, Chemical Engineering

A significant flaw of current sustainability assessment methods is their lack of simultaneously capturing the environmental, economic, and social dimensions of sustainability. This has led to many incomplete evaluations of current processes and their effects on ecological systems. Additionally, traditional chemical process design has been ignoring the supply and limits of ecological systems to provide goods such as materials and energy and services such as water provisioning and pollution mitigation. By doing so, most engineering designs had a significant role in ecosystem degradation due to surpassing their limits. Studies focusing on working with nature and including ecosystems in process design have shown promising results. However, there needs to be more implementation of these solutions in practice and the engineering discipline. Moreover, sustainable process design and current sustainability evaluation methods ignore the effects on social systems and their associated costs. This thesis contributes a novel approach to sustainable design, bridging the gap between theoretical and practical work by developing accessible tools and modules for ecological systems as unit operations in simulation software. For example, we have developed a module for constructed wetlands in the chemical simulation software CHEMCAD to assess the viability of integration between technology and ecological systems, resulting in very beneficial designs. Furthermore, we have expanded the unit operation library by developing a module for the vegetation ecosystem for carbon sequestration and air quality regulation. Including ecological models within simulation software enables others to explore innovative designs by working with nature. Furthermore, the generality of the modules allows the implementation of different processes and applications relative to the chemical industry. This work improves current sustainability assessment methods to attain more holistic evaluations by accounti (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Bhavik Bakshi (Advisor) Subjects: Chemical Engineering; Engineering; Environmental Engineering; Sustainability; Systems Design

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Akron, 2021, Integrated Bioscience

Biomimicry has become increasingly popular within corporate R&D departments, as a design process to drive sustainable innovation. However, there is limited research to inform best practice. In addition, given the current climate crisis government regulations, consumers, and stakeholders are demanding that corporate sustainability practices advance beyond business-orientated sustainable innovation to include ecology orientated sustainability practices. Business as usual in the pursuit of profit does not address the environmental damage of our consumer society or support the transformational shift in the human-environmental relationship that is required to combat the climate crisis. This body of work begins to reveal the potential of biomimicry to advance a diversity of corporate sustainability goals from sustainable innovation, sustainable marketing and even human resource metrics regarding employee engagement, retention and recruitment. This work also provides evidence for biomimicry practice to advance corporate sustainability to include ecological-orientated practices. Through design, by advancing biomimicry as an approach to sustainable innovation, and through behaviour, by intrinsically motivating corporate practitioners to engage in collaborative and immersive biomimicry practice to reconnect to the natural world to begin to transform the human-environment relationship and address our climate crisis.

Committee: Peter H. Niewiarowski (Advisor); Joelle D. Elicker (Committee Member); Tom Weis (Committee Member); Jacquelyn Nagel (Committee Member); Gary M. Holliday (Committee Member) Subjects: Behavioral Psychology; Climate Change; Cognitive Psychology; Conservation; Curriculum Development; Education; Environmental Education; Environmental Studies; Experimental Psychology; Organizational Behavior; Sustainability; Teaching

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2021, Chemical Engineering

Traditional process and sustainable design methods provide many approaches for determining possible and optimal solutions; however, these often ignore the role of nature. To claim sustainability, the demands human activity imposes on ecosystems must be less than the capacity provided. Therefore, it is essential to include ecosystems and their services into design methods if we are to ensure sustainability. The concept of Techno-Ecological Synergy (TES) has developed recently proposing this exact notion. Existing work shows analyses and design approaches for including these ecosystems at a coarse-level, yet many characteristics of ecosystem services have yet to be included. One particular characteristic that is addressed in this thesis is the spatially-explicit interactions between industry and landscapes, particularly with air pollution dispersion. Including these interactions within sustainable design frameworks enables insight towards where land use changes should be considered for maximum pollution uptake and how industry and landscapes impact or mitigate health risks on local populations. Although criteria air pollutants pose a direct threat to local human health, global warming and climate change also present a number of threats and impacts to the well-being of lives across the planet. The TES concept has been previously employed to consider net-zero carbon manufacturing; however, has not been used to provide solutions for long-term transitions or for multi-activity institutions. Through the development of The Ohio State University's Climate Action Plan, it was found that decision-making and prioritizing between all possible actions was challenging. This thesis provides the framework for an optimization-based tool that considers technological and ecological actions, identifying lowest-cost pathways towards carbon neutrality. Many higher education institutions use various planning tools, yet none of these are based in optimization nor explicitly include ecol (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Bhavik Bakshi (Advisor); Gil Bohrer (Committee Member); Joel Paulson (Committee Member) Subjects: Atmospheric Chemistry; Chemical Engineering; Engineering; Environmental Engineering; Environmental Health; Environmental Science; Sustainability; Systems Design