Ed.D., Antioch University, 2024, Education

Children lead poisoning disease causes irreversible neurological damage in children (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2022). The effects are lifelong for the children poisoned and their families. A major cause of childhood lead poisoning is the ingestion of peeling paint in old homes. Leaded paint was banned by the federal government in 1978 (Mayo Clinic, 2022). Leaded paint is mostly found in dwellings constructed before 1978. The purpose of this study is to identify barriers, social justice parameters, and solutions to and for the eradication of childhood lead poisoning in Connecticut. The methodology used was a qualitative interview design with a cross section of professionals working in the community in Connecticut. Key findings were the lack of education on childhood lead poisoning in community and the lack of state and federal enforcement to landlords and property owners for requiring remediation. The implication of this research is far reaching in bringing the knowledge of the impact of lead poisoning to the community. The data will allow for advocacy, accountability, and transparency in the delivery of services for children who are being poisoned in environments they cannot control. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu) and Ohio LINK ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu).

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2024, Environmental Science

Context: This study contributes to understanding how social and environmental factors are associated with health status and learning outcomes. It developed from a larger community-based participatory research study based in Columbus, Ohio. United States census data serves as rationale for this study, as it shows that adverse health outcomes are magnified in the vulnerable Columbus neighborhoods on the Near East Side when compared to Columbus city proper, Franklin County, and/or the state of Ohio. Environmental exposures and neighborhood factors influence these health outcomes. These exposures and factors include air pollution and sociodemographic characteristics, such as race and ethnicity, age, and income. It has also been shown that exposures to environmental stressors from the built, natural, and social environments can impact early childhood development. A community engagement model referred to as E6, Enhancing Environmental Endeavors via e-Equity, Education, and Empowerment was developed. Using this model, a multidisciplinary stakeholder team was established, and community engagement meetings were held to assess the needs of local community residents and identify potential environmental hazards associated with adverse health outcomes in those census tracts. This stakeholder team included Columbus Early Learning Centers, an early childhood education and care provider in Columbus, Ohio. Our community engagement efforts spanned from November 2019 through March 2020, as the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) "shutdown" began. Since then, COVID-19 has disrupted life and learning for everyone, particularly children living in higher-risk communities. Current national standardized test data reveals that COVID-19 has contributed to greater learning loss than the typical summer learning loss in elementary aged children. This has been termed the "COVID-19 developmental slide". It is unknown how these trends persist in pre-kindergarten aged children as they do not take standar (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2024, American Culture Studies

Everyone can relate to hearing stories about our changing world. Yet far fewer people ask how these stories change depending on where in the world they are told. Indeed, many ignore the wicked problem caused by garbage, and focus on narratives from the global North. This study aims to combat this by comparing the narratives of the global North and the global South through a decolonizing methodology. Specific groups from the global South include Indigenous American peoples, Aboriginal Australian peoples, as well as Bangladeshi and neighboring cultures. Specific groups from the global North include Americans and Canadians. To highlight these narratives, the art of storytelling is employed, focusing on scientific knowledge, Indigenous knowledge, narratives from fiction and documentary, and personal storytelling as sources to illustrate these points. The use of garbage as a commodity that intersects with cultural, social, and political influences is also explored. Issues of environmental justice and how it intersects with racism and colonialism to fuel the garbage crisis are investigated. The relationship between Indigeneity and garbage, along with traditional ecological knowledge, is another topic explored and expounded upon. Garbage as a wicked problem is analyzed through narratives, seeking a deeper understanding of its consequences, with a particular focus on how storytelling and wisdom may point to a way out of the crisis. This dissertation introduces the concept of the “Plasticocene,” a term coined within this study to encapsulate the era where plastic waste has become a defining feature of our environmental and cultural landscapes. This term highlights the pervasive influence of plastic pollution on global ecosystems and human societies, offering a critical lens through which to analyze the contemporary garbage crisis and potential sources of garbage justice. Through rigorous analysis of policy, literature, and cultural texts, this study contributes to a nuanced (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2024, English (Rhetoric and Writing) PhD

In 2019, The Lake Erie Bill of Rights (LEBOR) was voted onto the city charter of Toledo, Ohio. The charter amendment made it possible for citizens of the city of Toledo to sue polluters on behalf of the Lake, effectively giving Lake Erie more standing in court closer to that of legal personhood. A year later, LEBOR was deemed unenforceable by Judge Jack Zouhary, who critiqued it as vague and reaching too far beyond the jurisdiction of Toledo. This dissertation starts from those two critiques, analyzing how LEBOR fell short in 1. specifically connecting to the thousands of years of landscape practices and relations Indigenous residents had developed in the time before the region was colonized and 2. understanding the Lake as a place with a dynamic set of naturecultural relations with deep ties to the watershed and landscape within the jurisdiction of Toledo. This analysis uses theories from spatial rhetoric, placemaking, naturecultural critique, Indigenous scholarship, and postcolonial studies focused on the U.S. to understand why these shortcomings occurred and how future activist composers can possibly benefit from avoiding them. At the center of the analysis is an oral history composed using only the words of the activists in order to ground the work in their more immediate context. The dissertation concludes by evaluating how my analysis of LEBOR can be applied to teaching writing in and outside of the classroom and to scientific research projects that may otherwise be falling short in their connection with the public connected to the knowledge they gather and the organisms and entities they research.

Psy. D., Antioch University, 2024, Antioch Seattle: Clinical Psychology

The present study investigates the phenomenon of climate denial through a new theoretical framework of privilege. The analysis utilizes a feminist orientation that builds on a historical interpretation through the lens of colonialism. Through the dissection of current multidisciplinary understandings of climate denial and new concepts discovered in the review of academic literature and popular media, a compilation of theory, relationship, and connection is made. Systems of power and privilege are examined and connected to the mechanisms and maintenance of climate denial. The resulting analysis illuminates that settler colonialism, supported by connected ideologies of White supremacy, ableism, and patriarchy inform the creation and perpetuation of climate denialism. Privileges grant invisibility, insulation from climate change and discomfort, and innocence in the maintenance of climate denial and subsequent power structures. Implications of communication and dismantling climate denial and systems of power are discussed. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu). Keywords: climate denial, climate change, privilege, settler colonialism

Master of Arts (MA), Ohio University, 2024, Geography (Arts and Sciences)

This research seeks to establish an understanding of Appalachian women and their experiences of environmental justice through an arts-based analysis of their poetry. I ask two research questions that inquire how Appalachian express their experiences of EJ through poetry, as well how Appalachian women associate and relate gender to environmental injustices through their poetry. To investigate this process, I perform a poetry-based analysis of ten different poems by Appalachian women. Ultimately, I find that Appalachian women engage themes of empathy, othering, and gender to portray their connections to, relationships with, and understandings of environmental justice. This research is important because it addresses intersectional themes of both geography and environmental justice, however in new ways. Ultimately, this research portrays Appalachian women's use of poetry as an expression of their experiences with environmental justice, and as such, provides a different method and outlook from which to view environmental justice issues.

Master of Arts in English, Youngstown State University, 2024, Department of Languages

In her memoir, Unbowed, Wangari Maathai, the Kenyan environmental activist, has demonstrated with literary accomplishment how the environment is a vital component of our ecosystem. Mathaai shows that significant ecological degradation has occurred over the last two centuries due to the agrarian and industrial revolutions. In connection to the parallel ecological concerns in her African activism, women from all walks of life have borne the brunt of racial and ecological challenges. This study utilizes interconnected theories of womanism and ecofeminism by recognizing their interchangeability in analyzing the parallel subjugation of women and the environment within patriarchal structures. Womanism, originating from African American feminism, emphasizes Black women's unique experiences and struggles while advocating for justice and liberation. Ecofeminism, on the other hand, examines the intersection of gender and environmental issues, highlighting the exploitation and oppression of both. This thesis examines womanism through the lens of African American writers such as Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Alice Walker's In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens, Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower, and Toni Morrison's Beloved, alongside Wangari Maathai's memoir Unbowed. These works collectively illuminate the intersectionality of race, gender, and environmental activism, showcasing the resilience and struggle against oppressive structures while advocating for justice and liberation. The existing African eco-critical analyses are notorious for ignoring the literariness of works by women if they acknowledge the work in passing. Using Womanism and ecofeminism as theoretical frameworks interchangeably, this study closely reads Mathaai's study to propose that Maathai's personal experiences and activism demonstrate the intersectionality of environmentalism and feminism and the crucial role of women in protecting and preserving the natural world.

BS, Kent State University, 2024, College of Public Health

Air pollution disproportionately affects minoritized populations, which has been studied extensively in environmental justice, public health, and environmental policy research. However, due to the complex nature of air pollution management, it is especially difficult to keep under control. While strides have been made since the environmental protection agency (EPA) was formed in 1970, current air pollution levels are still accelerating climate change and those who are producing the most emissions are experiencing the least of their effects. For this research, I examined what is currently hindering progress in air pollution management. I looked at where siloing, or the separation between fields, exists in current air pollution management, and how communication between air pollution experts, community members, and industries can be improved to reduce emissions. After analyzing historical newspaper articles from Northeast Ohio between the years 1870-2020 and conducting interviews with air pollution experts in the fields of environmental justice, environmental policy, and public health, I examined how siloing has evolved over time, and how it shaped the siloing that exists today. I found that siloing is a complex issue with extensive historical context, and that it is faced in nearly every aspect of air pollution regulation. With these findings, I propose strategies to more effectively manage air pollution.

Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, 2024, Management

In a world grappling with energy poverty, Africa, especially sub-Saharan Africa, faces profound challenges marked by extreme disparities in energy access. Study 1 advocates for the integration of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles as a linchpin for alleviating energy poverty by enhancing reliability and affordability and catalyzing low greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. It emphasizes the urgent need for a shared language among diverse stakeholders to pursue sustainable energy solutions. Study 2 introduces "coopetition" as a groundbreaking strategy across 54 African nations, combining cooperation and competition to drive energy access while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Challenging prevailing assumptions about the direct influence of financial development through official development assistance and foreign direct investment, the study highlights the pivotal role of transparent regulations and risk mitigation in fostering sustainable energy solutions. Study 3 further explores the interplay of coopetition and climate policy, introducing a model encompassing the Sustainable Development Index, GDP Growth Rate, and Corruption Perception Index. Coopetition emerges as an independent variable, moderated by climate policy, revealing a nuanced understanding of collaborative efforts' impact on energy poverty and emissions. The tripartite exploration underscores the call for a harmonious symphony of ESG principles, coopetition strategies, and tailored collaborations to illuminate the path toward a sustainable and equitable energy future for Africa.

Doctor of Education , University of Dayton, 2024, Educational Administration

The research undertaken was a qualitative grounded action research case study. The researcher had the opportunity to work as part of a team seeking to alleviate energy-burdened neighborhoods within a southeastern State. The team was formed from members of the city, county, the federal government, and local not-for-profit organizations. The research questions were twofold. First, what were the project team members' initial individual approaches to achieving the project's goals of clean energy, addressing energy burdens, and community resiliency? Second, how do the team members reach a consensus over time toward achieving the project's goals? As part of the consensus building, how much of a sense of community is developed amongst the members of the team? The theoretical framework that this research was performed under was a sense of community comprised of four elements: membership, influence, reinforcement, and shared emotional connection (McMillan & Chavis, 1986). A literature review was conducted to identify initial themes that were further developed through focus groups and interviews. Two focus groups were held that involved a total of three unique members of the team per focus group who were asked the same semi-structured questions. As a follow-up to the focus groups, four participants were asked to participate in one-on-one interviews to develop further data revealed by the focus groups. The resulting data was then coded, and themes were generated from the analysis. The three themes identified through the analysis involved the Bringing Energy Efficiency Home team members' knowledge (or lack thereof), perceptions, and their bonding and sense of community. Where knowledge leads to perception and the development of a sense of community within the team the recommended course of action identified by this research is the development and implementation of a public-facing website. The development and implementation of the website will lead to readily accessible i (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2024, Environment and Natural Resources

Nearly 30 years have passed since Executive Order 12898 put environmental justice (EJ) issues on the policy agenda. Since this time environmental justice has technically remained a policy priority at all levels of government. However despite this apparent commitment to EJ, research has shown over the decades after the passage of the Executive Order, we still see persistent trends in inequality of air pollution exposure by race (Ard, 2015). This begs the question: are environmental justice policies actually working to create environmentally just outcomes? This research seeks to evaluate this question by examining the impact of state environmental justice policies on disproportionate exposure to air pollution, with the goal of understanding what types of state actions, if any, are associated with decreases in pollution inequality.

Psy. D., Antioch University, 2023, Antioch New England: Clinical Psychology

The animal rights movement, despite its historical roots, has only recently garnered attention in the realm of social sciences, increasingly being recognized as a facet of social justice. This dissertation delves into the intersection of animal rights activism and gender, primarily focusing on the parallels drawn between the oppression of women and animals/nature. The noticeable dominance of women in the animal rights movement, as suggested by previous studies, formed the basis for adopting an eco-feminist approach to explore this issue, highlighting the shared oppression and exploitation faced by women and animals. In-depth, in-person interviews were used to collect data on the experiences of animal rights activists, probing how their interest was piqued, the nature of their participation, and the influence of their activism on their personal lives. This study also sought to explore potential gender-based differences in the experiences of activists. A constructionist research paradigm guided the qualitative inquiry, while a thematic analysis was employed to interpret the data. The results showed a significant female representation, aligning with existing research, with only one participant identifying as male. Emerging themes revealed the formative influence of early childhood experiences in fostering an interest in animal welfare, such as familial influence or key events. Participants' involvement in animal activism manifested in various forms, such as volunteer work, fostering, lobbying, outreach, and education. Activism resulted both in benefits including social connectivity and personal growth and challenges like burnout and compassion fatigue. These findings enrich the current understanding of the animal rights movement and its relationship to eco-feminism, intersectional environmentalism, and eco-psychology, adding further weight to its relevance in social justice discourse.

MS, Kent State University, 2023, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Geography

The Colorado River supplies water for over 40 million people throughout the North American Southwest, a region that has experienced prolonged stress on water resources for more than two decades. Through the lens of critical physical geography, this research synthesizes a physical and social science approach to explicate the many human and physical distinctions that are fueling the overuse of this waterway. The Southwest region economically benefits from settler colonialism yet lacks inclusivity of access to natural resources, including water. An investigation into the intricate dynamics of land use, water policy, and climate change in the Colorado River Basin provides a holistic understanding of environmental and climate disparities gripping parts of the region. Mixed-methods consisting of a correlation and trend analysis, along with a policy analysis, were employed to identify these evolving issues. Hydroclimatological patterns over the 1956-2022 period reveal disconcerting trends, further aggravating water supply. Historical water policies from 1922-1968 demonstrate their misalignment with evolving river dynamics and contribute to inequities in resource allocation. By extracting historic to modern-day climate and adaptation data, the evidence of this study leads to the conclusion that previous and modern-day policy not only is unsuitable to withstand the future of climate-induced changes to the hydrologic health of the river, but the impact of water scarcity faced by Indigenous communities across the North American Southwest could persist. The study emphasizes the ongoing importance for policies to be more attuned to the shifting climate and landscape while ensuring equitable resource access for all.

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2023, Antioch New England: Environmental Studies

We know that when children feel a sense-of-relation within local natural environments, they are more prone to feel concern for them, while nurturing well-being and resilience in themselves and in lands/waters they inhabit. Positive environmental behaviors often follow into adulthood. Our human capacities for creating sustainable solutions in response to growing repercussions of global warming and climate change may grow if more children feel a sense of belonging in the wild natural world. As educators, if we listen to and learn from students' voices about how they engage in nature, we can create pedagogical experiences directly relevant to their lives. Activities that relate to learners' lives inspire motivation, curiosity, and furthers understanding. Behaviors supporting environmental stewardship, environmental justice, and participation in citizen science and phenology are more probable when children feel concern for ecological landscapes. Internationally, some educators are free to encourage a sense-of -relation by bringing students into natural places. Yet, there are many educators who are constrained from doing so by strict local, state, and national education policies and accountability measures. Overcoming restrictions requires creative, relevant, and enjoyable learner-centered opportunities. Research shows that virtual nature experiences can provide for beneficial connections with(in) nature for children and adults. It is best to bring children outside. When this is not possible, a sense of wonder may be encouraged in the classroom. Our exploratory collaborative digital landscape-lore project makes this possible. We expand awareness about how we, educators, and children alike, are engaged within the landscapes and waterscapes significant to us. The term landscape-lore articulates the primacy of the places we find meaningful. Our intercultural investigations took place in collaborative public schools in colonized landscapes. New Hampshire and New Zealand, k (open full item for complete abstract)

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2023, Antioch New England: Environmental Studies

Previous research has demonstrated that practicing forest bathing has significant positive effects on well-being. However, few studies have investigated whether forest bathing increases adolescent well-being despite the growing adolescent mental health crisis in the United States. Similarly, few studies have explored forest bathing's impacts on connectedness to nature. Considering the ongoing environmental crisis, determining if forest bathing increases connectedness to nature is a critical expansion of forest bathing research, as connectedness to nature is linked to environmental care and concern. This study investigated the possibility that forest bathing, a nature-based mindfulness practice, could increase adolescent mental well-being and connectedness to nature and sought to determine participants' experiences of practicing forest bathing. This study used a convergent parallel mixed-methods design that was partially co-created with 24 participants aged 16-18 as part of a youth participatory action research (YPAR) project where participants practiced forest bathing three times over three weeks. After practicing forest bathing, participants' mental well-being increased significantly, as measured by the Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well Being Scale. Connectedness to nature also increased significantly as measured by the Connectedness to Nature Scale. Participants described reduced stress and increased feelings of relaxation, peace, and happiness as well as increased connection to nature, gratitude for nature, concern for nature, and desire to care for nature. Although this is one of the first studies to examine forest bathing impacts on participants' connectedness to nature, these findings correlate with other studies showing that spending time outside in nature increases connectedness to nature and care and concern for the environment. People working with adolescents could consider forest bathing as a practice that increases connectedness to nature while also incr (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2023, Environment and Natural Resources

Is urban agriculture a ‘real utopia' (Wright 2010)? In other words, does urban agriculture provide a viable solution to inequalities within the dominant industrial agri-food system? Urban agriculture is part of an alternative food movement that aims to solve social and environmental problems created by industrial agriculture. Urban agriculture organizations frequently embrace food justice goals such as racial equity and improved food access for people with low-income. Research has found benefits associated with urban agriculture, including improved nutrition and increased food security (Audate et al. 2019) and opportunities for community development (Ilieva et al. 2022). However, scholars also criticize urban agriculture for failing to challenge the underlying values and economic system that support industrial agriculture (Davidson 2017; McClintock 2014). This dissertation furthers critical research into urban agriculture and other alternative food system strategies by examining to what extent urban agriculture in Ohio provides benefits that are equitable. First, I use a geocoded dataset of 426 urban agriculture sites to test the relationship between a count of urban agriculture sites in each of the 1,895 census tracts within an urbanized area in Ohio and tract demographics, measures of food access, vacant housing, gentrification, and historic redlining. I find a positive association between more urban agriculture sites and a higher proportion of Black residents, and a negative association with low food access designation. These findings challenge representations of urban agriculture as pervasively White and raise questions about the role food access rhetoric plays in establishing urban farms and community gardens. Additionally, I find a positive association between a higher number of urban agriculture sites, specifically urban farms, and gentrification. Second, I present case studies of two urban agriculture organizations in gentrifying neighborhoods in Columbus (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Arts, Miami University, 2023, Geography

Resilience planning seeks to respond to and mitigate climate change effects. Such planning can reduce vulnerability and build the capacity to adapt but must take care in addressing issues of equity in the process. To address physical and social vulnerabilities, Charleston, South Carolina has turned to equity and resilience planning. However, these terms can be as ambiguous as they are important. How do planners and stakeholders define and operationalize resilience and equity? How are they integrating equity within both their city plans and the planning process? While scholarly literature and policy increasingly emphasize resilience and equity in theory, more research is needed to understand how cities, particularly coastal cities with significant physical and social vulnerabilities, make sense of these ideas in practice. This thesis uses textual analysis and interviews with stakeholders in resilience planning to understand Charleston's evolving approaches to vulnerability and equity in the planning process, culminating in a system-wide, integrative City Plan. Additionally, this research looks at the breadth of equity built into Charleston's City Plan. While Charleston has been consistent in defining and addressing the issues impacting the city, continued and deepened integration of equity within the planning process may strengthen the city's adaptive and overall resilience.

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2023, Antioch New England: Environmental Studies

Climate change affects everyone but lack of racial diversity in the climate movement makes it challenging for it to be truly inclusive, champion solutions that are equitable, and affect transformative change. This dissertation describes a two-part study of diversity in the climate movement using a survey of 1,003 climate activists and interviews with 17 people of color who work or volunteer in the U.S. climate movement. The study analyzes differences between Whites and people of color in terms of their (a) demographics, (b) engagement in climate action, (c) experience of climate impacts, (d) worries, (e) challenges and barriers to participation, and (f) proposed strategies for diversity, equity, and belonging. My research provides the following takeaways: (a) Progress has been made in terms of diversity in the U.S. climate movement, but diversity is insufficient without equity belonging. (b) Anti-racism must go beyond symbolic gestures towards deep transformation at the individual, interpersonal, institutional, and systemic levels. (c) Oppression is intersectional, with racism intersecting with other oppressions of gender, age, class, physical ability, among other identities. (d) People of color and those with marginalized identities contribute essential perspectives and skills to the climate movement. The discussion includes implications for theory, practice, and further study.

Bachelor of Science (BS), Ohio University, 2023, Environmental Studies

Ramps are a type of Onion found throughout the Appalachian region. They have been valued by Native American and Appalachian people for thousands of years, but have recently gained popularity with foodies. This popularity has led to an increase in harvesting, which puts pressure on ramp populations. This thesis deconstructs the impact that the foodie movement has had on ramps and their traditional users, as well as how ramps are perceived as a source of authenticity for foodies to consume. These ideas parallel greater trends of Appalachian resource extraction, media portrayal, and economic and cultural exploitation.

Bachelor of Arts, Ohio University, 2023, Geography

Ramps are a type of Onion found throughout the Appalachian region. They have been valued by Native American and Appalachian people for thousands of years, but have recently gained popularity with foodies. This popularity has led to an increase in harvesting, which puts pressure on ramp populations. This thesis deconstructs the impact that the foodie movement has had on ramps and their traditional users, as well as how ramps are perceived as a source of authenticity for foodies to consume. These ideas parallel greater trends of Appalachian resource extraction, media portrayal, and economic and cultural exploitation.