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The adequacy of programs in NSW in supporting vulnerable households to transition to renewable energy
Get PDFRising electricity prices in Australia have caused low-income households to take drastic measures to reduce their energy consumption, cutting back on essential needs like food and heating. At the same time, prices for renewable energies like solar PV are decreasing, making renewable energy a more viable option for low-income households than grid electricity. In support of increasing the nation’s supply of renewable energy, the New South Wales government is funding the Zero Net Energy Town (Z-NET) project. The Z-NET project is a new initiative to create Australia’s first town that supplies all of its energy through renewable energy sources, using the town of Uralla as a model. A major concern in achieving this goal is how to ensure that Uralla’s low-income residents can effectively make the transition. The purpose of this study is to determine whether existing policies and programs in New South Wales will adequately support vulnerable households in transitioning to renewable energy. If Uralla is successful, it can serve as a model for other towns and can provide policy solutions that ensure all households are able to adopt renewable energies.
In this study, I conducted an academic literature review to identify major barriers to the implementation of renewable energy and energy efficiency measures in vulnerable houses. The final categories are as follows: financial and economic constraints, lack of awareness and information, technical risks, split incentives, behavioural barriers, and infrastructure. After creating an inventory of existing policies in New South Wales, I assessed each policy based on its adequacy in addressing the identified barriers.
Policies include: energy efficiency, renewable energy, solar PV, and financial assistance. My findings indicate that the available energy efficiency policies and financial assistance programs are adequate in addressing the identified barriers. The renewable energy policies and solar PV programs are inadequate, however, because they fail to address major barriers to the implementation of renewable energy in vulnerable households. These barriers include Internet access, split incentives, habit, and environmental values and connection. My recommendation is that the Z-NET project should take advantage of the available policies and programs in New South Wales and the assistance they can provide to vulnerable households. The Z-NET project will have to take additional measures, however, to address the barriers that the available policies do not meet
The Himalayan Gold Rush The untold consequences of Yartsa gunbu in the Tarap valley
Get PDFDespite the fact that it has been used in tradition medicine for centuries, the caterpillar fungus known as yartsa gunbu (Othiocordyceps sinensis), has only become a popular medical supplement in the last fifteen years. Demand in China has driven what has been dubbed ‘the Himalayan gold rush’, a scramble for the fungus that has utterly transformed the agro-pastoral economies of the remote Himalayan regions where cordyceps is found. In many cases, the locals have prospered economically from the commodification of yartsa gunbu. In one such region of Nepal, the Tarap valley of the Dolpa district, while the villagers have benefitted financially, nearly ten thousand additional Nepalis come to pick the fungus each summer, resulting in detrimental environmental impacts to the sensitive grasslands where the fungus grows. The valley is now littered with trash, its animals and pastures significantly weaker than ten years ago. Thefts, deceit, chaos and violence have now become commonplace during yartsa gunbu season in the Tarap valley. Last year, a dispute between locals and government officials in Dho Tarap resulted in the serious injury of over forty villagers and the death of two. As the price and demand for cordyceps continues to increase, the fungus become increasingly difficult to find and harvest, threatening this burgeoning economy. Yartsa gunbu has caused a cascade of social, environmental, political, and economic shifts in the Tarap valley. This paper is an attempt to understand the full consequences of yartsa gunbu. Forty villagers, two traditional doctors, several teachers and three government officials were interviewed in Dolpo as research. Special attention was given to the details of the clash and to the environmental impact of fungus harvesting. While no absolute conclusion as to the definite long-term impacts of cordyceps can be drawn from this study, one salient point is clear; the Dolpo-pa ancient way of life has undergone rapid change in the last ten years as a direct result of cordyceps, and these shifts are profoundly threatening the culture and society of the Tarap valley
PLACE REIMAGINED
Get PDFThis book shows the creative process and final product of my Independent Study Project, conducted in Prague as part of a semester study abroad program. The project started with interviewing four Czech graphic designers who described places in Prague that are especially meaningful to them. After collecting and transcribing their stories related to their places of inspiration, I visited the locations myself and photographed the locations with sensitivity to the details the artists had emphasized as unique to their experience of the place. While at each site, I also photographed elements of the locations that I personally found interesting and aesthetically pleasing. I then abstracted the photographs and created two new, graphic images for each location/artist-the first image inspired by the artist’s comments appear on the first spread of each section; while the second, inspired by my own observation, appears on the second spread of the section. The result is all eight developed graphic designs, juxtaposed with images that occurred at each step.
Michelle Unger, Spring 201
Applying Systems Theory as a Lens on Teacher and Student Perceptions of Assessment and Feedback in an Intensive English Program
Get PDFThe goal of this project was to apply systems theory, or more generally, systems thinking as a lens on the perceptions of teachers, students, and administrators who work together at an intensive English program (IEP). This goal necessitated a two-part project: a review of pertinent literature on systems theory and a limited qualitative study situated at the IEP. Sixteen participants, including seven teachers (more than half of the current faculty), two teacher/administrators, and seven students from different levels within the program, were invited to participate. The primary focus of the study was on participants’ awareness of and attitudes about two particular practices that are integral to the functioning of the school: assessment and feedback. In-depth interviews that centered on these two practices were utilized to gather the necessary qualitative data. This data was then analyzed to reveal topics and issues that were perceived by the participants to be of significance. Throughout the planning, execution, and analysis stages, the discipline of mental models served as a guiding principle. More generally, systems theory provided both a unique perspective and specific concepts that helped facilitate new, broadened understandings of the complex system known as the language school
ENTREPRENEURIAL VALUE CREATION: TRANSFORMING A COLLECTIVE OF INFLUENTIAL DIGITAL NATIVES INTO A SOCIAL VENTURE OPPORTUNITY
No full textThis Social Innovation-linked Capstone Papersurveys approaches to social entrepreneurship to develop a plan to transforming a collective of influential digital natives into a social venture opportunity. Concepts explored such as, but not limited to, “entrepreneurial value creation,” “social entrepreneurship,” and “social venture” are given context within the body through literature review, relevant experience and assessment. Drawing on social innovation course readings and other research, a synthesis is provided on the most important knowledge and concepts that were needed to produce this study. Additionally, In moving from theory to practice, this paper provides a framework for what it takes to transform a collective of influential digital natives into a full service social enterprise through the development of a company’s refined business model, market research, operations details, and financial considerations
El rol del parto mapuche en el mundo de la medicina moderna / THE ROLE OF MAPUCHE BIRTH IN A WORLD OF MODERN MEDICINE
Get PDFResearch Question: Is there existing demand for Mapuche birth practices and what are the barriers to incorporating them in the Chilean healthcare system? Objective: Analyze the current role of Mapuche birth practicesby determining what is the demand from the Mapuche for their use, describing the quality of communication between Mapuche women andmodern professionals, and identifying the perspectives of modern professionals on Mapuche birth practices. Background: Childbirth is an integral process for the human race. For many indigenous communities, the arrival of a new life holds cultural significance that is recognized through ceremonies during or after childbirth. Chile has implemented health guidelines to regulate pre and post-natal care. While this modernization, or “occidentalization” has been widely successful in improving childbirth safety, it is linked to the dramatically lower rate of home births, such as traditional Mapuche births, and practice of traditional post-partum ceremonies involving the placenta. Methodology: This was a descriptive study conducted in Temuco, Chile and Makewe, a rural area outside of Temuco. Information was collected fromsemistructured interviews with sevenhealthcare providers, an employee at SEREMI Health, a Mapuche cultural interpreter at the regional hospital in Temuco, a Mapuche midwife, and nine verbal questionnaires with Mapuche women in the waiting room at Hospital Makewe. Results:Mapuche women were not knowledgeable of traditional birth practices and were not interested in incorporating them, however they are comfortable communicating their wishes to the medical staff. Healthcare providers were not knowledgeable about Mapuche culture, but believed that Mapuche birth practices have physiological and emotional benefits. The lack of resources to intervene in case of a complication is a major disadvantage to traditional births. The existing lack ofphysical infrastructurein hospitalsis an obstacle in including traditional birth practices in the Chilean health system. Currently there is no formal protocol in place for women to take their placenta home for the post-birth ritual. Conclusions:The absence of protocol for women to take their placenta home from the hospital demonstrates how the occidental health system is still, intentionally or not, discouraging intercultural medicine. Lack of knowledge of Mapuche culture and medicine creates anoccidental medicine-dominated environment that discourages women from incorporating traditional practices in their births, which can have consequences on the attitudes of future generations. However,a more in-depth investigation of the demand of Mapuche women is necessary to identify the value of intercultural birth practices
Soil total organic carbon and farmers’ perceptions associated with bokashi application in Cerro Punta, Panama
Get PDFSustainable use and maintenance of agricultural soils are important for maintaining long-term agricultural productivity and environmental quality. These issues are especially important in Cerro Punta, known as the breadbasket of Panama, which is experiencing severe erosion. While current practices and agrochemical usage damage soil health and function over time, application of organic material improves soil physic-chemical properties such as nutrient and total organic carbon (TOC) content. Bokashi, a fermented organic soil amendment with effective microorganisms (EM), is thought to be especially beneficial due to its ability to augment populations of soil microbes, which deliver plant-available nutrients to crops and improve pest resistance. Since bokashi should contribute to the buildup of organic carbon in soils and increase soil microbial biomass, soils with bokashi are expected to be higher in TOC than soils without bokashi. However, little research has been done on the effects of bokashi under field conditions or its use in the tropics, and little is known about its effects in Cerro Punta. The purpose of this study is to compare TOC content in soils with and without bokashi and to examine farmers’ perceptions regarding bokashi’s effectiveness in terms of soil fertility and pest control in Cerro Punta. Soil samples were collected from fields with and without bokashi and were analyzed for TOC content. Interviews provided background regarding agrochemical and organic matter application history as well as farmers’ perceptions of soil fertility and pest control. This study found significantly higher TOC values for soils with bokashi than soils with other common organic amendments. While bokashi users did not describe difficulties with pests or fertility less frequently than other growers, all bokashi users did perceive benefits in terms of fertility and / or pest control. These findings indicate that bokashi application may correspond to greater productivity and increased soil microbe populations, in turn fostering pest control and long-term soil health. Further research regarding the effects of bokashi use in Cerro Punta as well as other intensively farmed areas is recommended
Historic Lessons: Gender Inequity in Middle and High School
No full textWhat happens in our classrooms shapes the thoughts and lives the students within them, not simply through the explicit curriculum, but also through what we do and do not address, our interpersonal relations, and our own unintended biases. This research focuses on the ways in which gender inequity and its relationship to production relations are reinforced in a rural school at the 6-12th grade level. In this case study, interviews, surveys, and extensive observations were used to analyze the ways in which social and historic inequality is reinforced or challenged within the school. Research is focused on lesson contents, student behavior and classroom management, and interpersonal interactions- specifically teacher-to-student, teacher-to-teacher, and administrator-teacher.
Subjects were interviewed on their thoughts on the need or lack of need for equitable practices within the school, as well as their interpretation of equity and equity practices. Additionally, subjects were surveyed on their perceptions of student behavior and participation within their classroom, as well as their perceptions of equity in the school environment in terms of physical artifacts, educational materials, and teaching methods.
This research informs how educators may inadvertently uphold inequitable social practices, and teach students unintended lessons about gender hierarchies. The research also compares the inequities seen in the classroom to historic inequities as they arise from class-based societies, and concludes that the current economic system is at the root of inequitable practices in education, as well as in the broader world
Research Analysis from a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer: How U.S. Foreign Policy Decisions Impact Agroforestry Sustainable Development Projects Implemented in a Rural West African Village
No full textThis Policy Advocacy course-linked Capstone paper emerged from my practicum as a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer serving as an Agroforestry Extension Agent in Senegal from September 2012 to November 2014. The beginning parts of this paper will describe the historical context and challenges of international development initiatives. Then, I will discuss the data I collected from my agroforestry trainings and projects to explain why the Peace Corps is an important foreign operations program being implemented in developing countries. While in Senegal, I learned that the Peace Corps obtained congressionally appropriated funds included in the State, Foreign Operations Bill and funds from the Presidential initiative called Feed the Future. I wanted to understand how the policy-making process worked for funding the Peace Corps so I could understand how that could positively and/or negatively impact the work of Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) on the ground.
Therefore, the next part of my paper describes how Peace Corps obtains its annual funding through the budget and appropriations process and from the Feed the Future initiative, and the implications from these two sources. The Peace Corps, with support from the National Peace Corps Association, uses policy advocacy concepts and approaches to support their international development mission and goals in order to support environmental sustainability, economic development, gender equality, education, health, and other programs in many developing countries around the world. They communicate to Congress through meetings, conferences, hearings, and correspondences. I have included a sample letter that could be adapted by other returned Peace Corps volunteers interested in supporting the budget advocacy process. The paper culminates with a section on key lessons learned from both my work in the field and research into the federal policy-making process. I hope that these findings help inform and inspire people interested in international development work
The Impact of Vaccine Hesitancy on the Polio Vaccine in South Asia
Get PDFA disease that paralyzes hundreds of children each year, polio is incurable but also entirely preventable through vaccination. Though part of the reason some children are not reached for immunization is that they are in areas too volatile for healthcare workers to access, vaccine hesitancy is increasingly being recognized as an important player. The objective of this study is to ascertain the degree to which vaccine hesitancy affects polio vaccine campaigns in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the countries in South Asia where polio continues to be endemic, to assess the drivers behind hesitancy in this region, and to present recommendations for how these challenges might be overcome.
To best assess vaccine hesitancy in Pakistan and Afghanistan and evaluate its causes, this study integrates two research methods: articles and reports from participating NGOs and governments, and formal and informal interviews with experts in this field. Articles and reports were selected with the purpose of either helping to construct an idea of the emotional and social environments in these countries or to provide reference for what research has been done on vaccine hesitancy in other regions or on a more global scale.
The first finding of this study is that vaccine hesitancy is the exception rather than the rule in almost every setting, but that in order to achieve the global eradication of polio, hesitancy must eventually be addressed. This study further finds that while confidence (trust in the safety of the vaccine and the motives of its providers) has historically been the leading cause of hesitancy by a wide margin and continues to account for most incidences of hesitation today, complacency (not deeming the risk of disease to outweigh the effort or perceived risk of immunization) will be a growing problem in the future as demand for the polio vaccine falls— ironically, as the campaign’s success grows and there are fewer observable cases. Finally, this study makes several recommendations for how vaccine hesitancy can be addressed in Pakistan and Afghanistan, taking into consideration current drivers, future risks, and decision-making psychology