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Community Owned Renewable Energy in North Coast NSW Social Housing
Get PDFThis study assesses the feasibility of implementing community owned renewable energy (CORE) technology in social housing units in North Coast NSW. I completed this study by conducting interviews with three renewable energy policy experts to ascertain the current state of renewable energy and CORE in NSW. Second, I conducted four interviews with separate social housing unit employees/residents to understand their interpretation of current barriers to implementing renewable energy in the social housing and if any of the units currently have any renewable energy technology or energy efficiency programs in place. After finishing this assessment, I did a comparative analysis with the barriers to CORE determined by academics and the barriers identified by social housing unit employee/resident interviews. This showed the significance of the capital and information barriers, as both academic and non-academic sources cited these as reasons against implementation of renewable energy.
After deciding the most significant barriers, I assessed unique benefits of CORE over standard renewable energy technology that can address these barriers. These benefits include the economic and social benefits of CORE, such as financing structures that enable high investment returns, possibility of donation based funding, community engagement, centralized location of renewable energy technology and ability for greater social cohesion. Understanding these benefits show the potential opportunities of CORE over standard renewable energy that social housing units should consider for future implementation.
The study shows the importance of innovating solutions as a way to connect low-access and vulnerable populations to renewable energy technology. As household and electricity costs continue to affect the North Coast NSW region, devising creative ways to address these impacts are essential to promote equity in achieving environmental sustainability. Therefore, if these barriers are addressed, CORE has the potential to be an effective way to transition social housing units to renewable energy and reduce their ecological footprint substantially
The Struggle Overseas: Risk Factors for Suicide among Female Migrant Workers in Nepal
Get PDFThis study aims to understand the various risk factors for suicide among female migrant workers in Nepal. Suicide is the leading cause of death among women in the country, and the prevalence of suicide among migrant women in particular warrants further investigation, especially considering the increasing number of women traveling abroad for foreign employment. What experiences do these women have that would lead to suicidal behavior? What personal and institutional challenges contribute to increased risk of suicide? How does the community respond to their needs? This research was conducted in the Kathmandu Valley, with the majority of data acquired through interviews, personal interactions with returnee migrant women, and field observation. This study found that although migration has empowered Nepali women to become financially and socially independent, it is clear that aspects of foreign employment can be detrimental to the mental and emotional well-being of female migrant workers. Risk factors for suicide exist for women over the course of foreign employment – from their departure to their time abroad, and even after their return to Nepal. Although organizations are working towards safer migration, suicide among female migrant workers deserves careful and proactive consideration, as these women are at risk due to societal and institutional factors widely outside of their control
Abejas silvestres (Himenóptera: Apoidea) en la neblina: Análisis de la diversidad, interacciones, y potencial para miel en un remanente de bosque nublado
No full textLas abejas (Himenóptera: Apoidea) se encuentran en casi cada una de las bioregiones en el mundo. Su composición es muy diversa en los neotrópicos. Las abejas silvestres (no-Apis) representan casi el 90% de las especies de abejas en todo el mundo (Parra, 2005). Los objetivos principales de este estudio fueron realizar un inventario de las especies de abejas al final de la estación seca, observar sus interacciones intra-específicas, y determinar el potencial de producción de miel medicinal de las abejas sin aguijón (Apidae: Meliponini). El estudio fue realizado en la Reserva Inti Llacta, un remanente de bosque nublado en el norte de Ecuador (Nanegalito, Pichincha, 1800 m). Se estudió el comportamiento de abejas durante 16 días, en dos áreas de estudio: cafetal con árboles de sombra y en el bosque. Las abejas fueron observadas una hora cada mañana en cada sitio y capturadas con una red entomológica dos veces por semana para el propósito de identificación. En el bosque se utilizaron atrayentes (eugenol, vanillin, y salicilato de metilo) para las observaciones y colecciones de las abejas de las orquídeas (Apidae: Euglossini). En total, se identificaron 24 especies en 6 tribus y dos familias, Apidae y Halictidae, con una cobertura de muestreo total de 99.1%. Euglossini y Meliponini tienen la mayor cantidad de especies en la Reserva y Meliponini tiene la mayor abundancia. Las áreas de estudio tienen una composición de especies con una similitud de 62.5% y valor p de .1917. La diferencia en la composición no es estadísticamente significativa y por eso no se rechaza la hipótesis nula que no hay una diferencia entre los sitios. Se listan las plantas visitadas por cada tribu y también su comportamiento observado. De las abejas detectadas en la Reserva, Scaptotrigona, Trigona, y Melipona son géneros usados a menudo en la meliponicultura. Se listan algunas sugerencias para la implementación de meliponicultura en condiciones lluviosas.
Bees belong to almost every bioregion in the world and are especially diverse in the neotropics. Native bees (non-Apis) represent almost 90% of bees in the world (Parra, 2005). The primary objectives of this were were to survey the species of bees during the end of the dry season, observe their inter- and intraspecies interactions, and determine the potential for medicinal honey production using stingless bees (Apidae: Meliponini). The study took place in the Reserva Inti Llacta, a reserve of remnant cloud forest in northern Ecuador (Nanegalito, Pichincha, 1800 m). The bees were studied for 16 days in two study areas: a shade coffee plot and cloud forest. The bees were observed for an hour each morning in each site and captured by net twice a week for the purpose of identification. In the forest, attractants (eugenol, vanillin, methyl salicylate) were used for the observation and collection of orchid bees (Apidae: Euglossini). In total, 24 species of bees were identified in 6 tribes and 2 families, Apidae and Halictidae, with a total sample coverage of 99.1%. Euglossini and Meliponini had the highest quantity of species in the reserve and Meliponini had the greatest abundance. The study areas have a Jaccard Similarity Index of 62.5% and p value of .1917. The difference in composition is not statistically significant and therefore we do not reject the null hypothesis that there is no difference in composition between the two sites. Plants visited by each tribe and those in flower in each site are listed along with observed behavior. Of the bees identified in the reserve, Scaptotrigona, Trigona, and Melipona are genera commonly used in meliponiculture. Recommendations for the implementation of meliponiculture in rainy conditions are listed as well
Not All Those That Are Buried Are Dead: An Analysis of Memorialization at the Prestwich Memorial
Get PDFMemorialization is an ongoing process in South Africa as narratives are attempting to be reclaimed and transformation continues to be an approach of ‘new’ nation building. This paper attempts to understand how and why the most common form of memorialization of slavery and colonialism in the postapartheid moment is that of the physical monument, memorial and museum as well as the repercussions of such a space. Through the lens of the Prestwich Memorial I examined themes of memory, erasure, historical production and landscape as artifact. I problematized the notion of primary data because all data is skewed by personal bias, experience and positionality. Thus I used a mixture of an extensive literature review, personal visits to the site, interpretation of other sites of memorialization to slavery around Cape Town and a personal reading of the exhibit and art to guide my research. My writing is framed as an ‘essay as form’ – a theory derived from Theodor Adorno – where ethics are my starting point and my writing should be interpreted as an art form rather than an objective assignment. From my research I can begin to understand that the most current forms of memorialization have been derived from the effective silencing and trivialization of certain narratives in relation to those in power and just how the physical site of Prestwich is highly problematic, as well as the power of memory in the new postapartheid topography of Cape Town. Yet all that remains are more questions surrounding memorialization in Cape Town and the US such as: How do you memorialize something that is ongoing
CHALLENGES IN IMPLEMENTING RESTORATIVE JUSTICE PRACTICES IN THE UNITED STATES
Get PDFThe purpose of this study was to research the challenges that restorative justice practices come across in their institutional and implementation phases within the United States. The modern concept or philosophy of Restorative Justice has been around for about four decades since the 1970s or 80s. There have been multiple studies made to prove that restorative justice practices might reduce recidivism incarceration costs, while also creating a more fulfilling experience for all parties involved, including minimizing feelings of revenge from the victim. So why has the United States criminal justice system not made more advancements to incorporate more restorative justice practices? Many people who are stakeholders in or are affected by the criminal justice system recognize that the current practices are unfulfilling in various ways.
The organization I was volunteering with wants to move its practices toward a complete restorative justice practice model, and has been coming across difficulties in the process. It was in my interest to conduct this research to pinpoint the challenges that current or future restorative justice programs might come across to prevent further conflict in their movement. Using semi-structured interviews and convenience sampling, I spoke to program managers, directors, and restorative justice advocates across the United States who share similar frustrations.
The research findings conclude many reasons creating these barriers. Of them include but are not limited to, a lack of resources, time commitment, lack of education, and the paradigm shift that contradicts the adversarial power system we currently have.
My hope for this research study is to help future and current organizations that are interested in implementing restorative justice practices for their own communities
The Industrial Impact on Wetlands in Jinja and the Nexus of Industry, Wetlands, and Community (A Rights-Based Sustainable Development Approach)
Get PDFUganda is a beautiful country filled with an extensive amount of natural resources, one of the most profound being wetlands. It is said that these wetlands are a crucial source of food and water for almost 3 million people (NEMA, 2012 and Oguttu et.al, 2008). They also provide many more invaluable socioeconomic benefits for the country. As Uganda experiences increasing development as well as a rapidly increasing population, the wetlands become increasingly necessary, at the same time they become increasingly threatened. It is written in the 1995 Ugandan constitution that Ugandan policy is aimed at ensuring sustainable development for the protection of the environment as well as the prosperity of the people, however this has been debatable.
This study looks at the nexus between industry, wetlands, and local villages in Jinja Uganda, analyzing the dynamics and views between various stakeholders. The overall goal was to evaluate how this nexus applies to rights-based sustainable development with a greater hope of gaining insight into how development can be done without compromising the environment as well as the rights of the people.
Guided interviews with various stakeholders such as, village leaders(LC), and ecologist, industrial personnel, and environmental officers were conducted to gain a range of point of views on a number of dynamics with in the study. In addition, informal interviews as well as a focus group was done to gain similar results. The other people consulted were a health care worker, development studies student, as well as other community members. Three villages, Masese, Loco, and Buhumbuli were visited for the study, as well as three factories, Steel Rolling Mills, Skyfat, and Nile Agro.
The study found that the relationship between the village and neighboring industries is complex. Both parties rely on the wetlands for various activities and everyone recognizes that these activities have detrimental effect on the wetlands as well as the future of Uganda. The respondents realize their county has various policies to prevent this degradation, but feel as though the implementation is faulty due to corruption, lack of communication, and underfunding. As a result the village members feel they are neglected and not considered when it comes to wetland protection and development. The study concluded that rights-based sustainable development is the necessary approach for Ugandan development, but that due to poor implementation of policy, this is not currently occurring. With better communication, lack of political influence, and increased respect for the local villages, Uganda can find the balance between development and environmental protection
A Case for an Ecological Approach and against Language Commodification in ELT
Get PDFThis paper aims to provide an alternative approach to the English language education practiced in many developing countries which can help reverse their current low-proficiency status, as revealed by standard international examinations such as the PISA scores and others. The author argues that this can be best accomplished by adopting an ecological approach to teaching which promotes language learning as emergent and socially situated phenomena, two concepts largely neglected by current teaching methods. In fact, many of these countries have long been dominated by an extremely commodified and cognitivist ELT market, where business interests have taken precedence over pedagogical considerations. Additionally, as courses are increasingly modified to accommodate the demands of this market, making them fit to be commercialized, the resulting conditions of learning cease to reflect the conditions of language use in real life situations. This misalignment, then, leads to linguistic knowledge that ultimately becomes inert, as students find themselves unable to transfer what they have learned in class to situations of use outside. In light of the above, an ecological approach is being proposed here as both an attempt to reconcile such contrived educational practices with language learning as observed in natural settings, and as a sign of resistance against the reproductive and capitalist ideals of language commodification
Tracking the Elephant (Lexodonta africana) Corridor and the Human-Wildlife Conflict in Selela Village
Get PDFThe beastly journey of long-distance migration for the African Elephant (Lexodonta Africana) is important for upholding their connections between diminishing protected areas, especially in northeastern Tanzania. However, human development is encroaching into these corridors, creating a human-elephant conflict, which can ruin livelihoods of villagers, depending on the extent of conflict. This study focused on exploring the hypothesized human-elephant conflict on the Selela corridor, specifically in Selela village, as well as GPS (Global Positioning System) mapping evidence of elephant travel along the projected Selela elephant corridor connecting Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA), to Selela Forest Reserve (SFR), and finally to Manyara Ranch. 61 interviews were conducted in the Selela village that consists of about 7,000 Maasai and Wambulu people. The village is adjacent to the SFR, which backs up to the Rift Valley Escarpment. Opportunistic interviews were conducted along the corridor with pastoralists, agriculturalists, Askari gaurds, and one key-informant interview. Furthermore, the corridor was physically mapped by using Global Positioning System to mark each piece of evidence (dung, tracks, browsing, scratching, and wallowing). We found that, after compiling interviews and GPS waypoints of elephant evidence, we can conclude the Selela elephant corridor is currently used for migration during the rainy season. We support our hypothesis that elephants currently travel during the rainy season from NCA to SFR and from Manyara Ranch to Losimangori Mountains (LM), and possibly from LM to SFR, but there was not enough elephant evidence to confirm that area is still connected to the SFR. There is a large human-elephant conflict in Selela village, where elephants often kill humans and destroy farmland. Elephants might travel to the SFR in order to escape dangerous ants in NCA, to eat crops, and for the high phosphorous levels in the forest for lactating females. We hope that this study can be used to help conserve this vital elephant corridor and assist in resolving the human-elephant conflict in Selela village in the wake of increasing human development
Sexual and Reproductive Health Education for Boys in Kapchorwa, Uganda
Get PDFThis study examines the systems by which adolescent boys receive sexual and reproductive health (SRH) education in Kapchorwa, Uganda. Teenage pregnancy and early marriage are epidemics that hinder Uganda’s development. As girls have consistently been the targets of interventions, this study considers how boys are included in these strategies. The objectives of the study are three-‐fold: to research the ways that boys receive SRH education, to identify the successes and shortcomings of these education systems, and to seek ways for these systems to be improved.
The study was carried out over a six-‐week period in the spring of 2015. The researcher held qualitative interviews with two teachers and two student focus groups at each of three secondary schools within Kapchorwa District. The researcher then taught a brief lecture on SRH at each school in which students were given the opportunity to ask anonymous questions about sex. Three focus groups were also held with adult community members. Additionally, interviews were conducted with the a representative from the Ministry of Education, the Kapchorwa District Education Officer and three NGOs that operate in the Kapchorwa area: Kapchorwa Child Development Center, the Women’s Protection Center, and Reproductive Health Uganda.
SRH education was found to be inconsistent and spread thinly among many sources. The majority of education emphasized abstinence, and gave boys specific messages that may not be entirely effective in teaching them to respect females’ sexual autonomy, nor in how to protect themselves from unplanned pregnancy. Recommendations are made on how these systems may be improved to better benefit boys, girls, and the community as a whole
The Cognitive Effects of Chronic Malnutrition and Environment on Working Memory and Executive Function in Children
Get PDFChronic malnutrition, or stunting, occurs frequently in many developing countries such as Uganda. Stunting hinders physical growth and has been associated with delayed cognitive development, especially in young children. This study examined the effect of stunted growth on the function of cognitive processes involving the working memory and executive functions using neuropsychological assessments. Additionally, this study compared cognitive performances among rural and urban populations to analyze the environmental background differences which may affect cognition.
Population samples of fifteen five year old children classified as rural adequately nourished, rural stunted and urban adequately nourished were examined. Tests for working memory and executive control were employed including the digit span task, the Corsi Block task the Color Cancellation test and the FAS Phonemic Fluency test. Background information was collected for each participant including diet and health history.
Chronically malnourished children showed statistically significant deficits in selective attention, visual and auditory working memory and executive function compared to adequately nourished groups. Within the adequately nourished groups, urban and rural children showed statistically significant differences on tasks involving executive function, selective attention and visuospatial working memory. It can be inferred from the present study that stunted children have delayed development in the prefrontal cortex, causing impaired function of the working memory and executive function. The results also suggest that there may be other environmental factors that influence cognitive development in addition to adequate nutrition, which can have lasting effects on human development in Uganda