Browsing by Author "Clark, Charlotte"
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Item Open Access A Farm-to-School Program Review and Implementation Guide for North Carolina Public School Parents Case Study: E.K. Powe Elementary School | Durham, North Carolina(2010-04-29T18:56:58Z) Shoecraft, KellynFarm to School is a phrase used to describe programs that connect locally-grown foods to schools (Farm to School, 2009). The medium that provides this connection varies, but it is typically made through school gardens, farm field trips, nutrition and culinary education, or serving local foods in the school meals program. Farm to School programs are implemented to provide students with a hands-on learning environment and experiential education, to increase the nutritional quality of food served to students and the amount of time students spend outdoors, and to teach students about the agricultural heritage of their region, among other features. Four approaches are typically utilized in North Carolina and other states to institute Farm to School program: (1)The North Carolina Farm to School Program; (2) Local purchasing through contracted produce vendors; (3) Individual school initiatives; (4) District-wide initiatives. The method that a school or school district uses to implement a Farm to School program depends heavily on stakeholder commitment, funding opportunities, and the support of the school community and the district’s Child Nutrition Services. In this project I have evaluated these four approaches to Farm to School programs, using examples in three North Carolina counties: Durham, Guilford and Wake, and one North Carolina City: Asheville. As a corollary case study, I documented my experiences working with stakeholders from E.K. Powe Elementary School in Durham, North Carolina as they worked to implement a Farm to School program during the 2009-2010 school year. In short, I evaluate Farm to School programs state-wide and determine the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of each program. Further, I describe a formative process in Durham and use this experience in conjunction with my research to create a Farm to School implementation guide geared to North Carolina public school parents.Item Open Access A Formative Evaluation of the Mount Kilimanjaro Roots & Shoots Community-based Conservation Project: Re-integrating participatory approaches into the program(2009-12-03T19:38:51Z) Gorczyca, AngelaThe purpose of my Masters project was to conduct a formative evaluation of the Mount Kilimanjaro Roots & Shoots Community-based Conservation Partnership Project (Conservation Site) in Northeast Tanzania. After one year of operation in 2008, Roots and Shoots staff sought to assess the Conservation Site’s initial progress in providing demonstration workshops on tree nurseries, beekeeping, fuel-efficient stoves, and fish farming to the students, teachers and members of the Mweka Village. A formative evaluation was especially pertinent because Roots & Shoots made significant changes to the original Community-based initiative for the Conservation Site. Due to a limitation in human and financial resources, Roots & Shoots did not conduct a Community assessment before the Conservation Site was established in 2007. I implemented a participatory survey that focused on three research questions: Awareness/Adoption of selected sustainable practices, Conservation Site Awareness/Participation and Conservation Site Effectiveness/Recommendations. The 223 participants were selected using the snowball method. I coded the responses to the questions in the NVivo8 qualitative data software program and calculated the frequencies. Chi-square analyses were conducted to test for significant associations between participant demographics and environmental behavior. The results of this evaluation indicate the Conservation Site’s limited progress in engaging the Community and promoting the adoption of the four activities. Beekeeping and tree nurseries were more familiar and established, while a minority of the sample was aware of and using the recently introduced activities, fish farming (42 %) and fuel-efficient stoves (30 %). Only 40 percent of the sample was familiar with the conservation site. The respondents’ main recommendations for the Conservation Site were to improve Community participation, outreach and management. Education, property size, years lived in village, age and gender were demographic variables that were found to be significantly associated with environmental behavior. The results of this formative evaluation are indicative of the lack of Community involvement during the formulation and implementation stages of the Conservation Site. I encourage Roots & Shoots to reintegrate participatory approaches at the Conservation Site through training of trainer seminars, a Conservation Site board of Community stakeholders, and a participatory rural appraisal.Item Open Access ACHIEVING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOAL 12: an exploratory study on sustainable consumption in Lima, Peru(2017-04-28) Hofmeijer, IreneIn 2015, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; a global action plan for people, planet, and prosperity. Sustainable Development Goal 12 (SDG12) aims to ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns. This research explored the attainability of SDG 12 in Lima-Peru through the lens of market-based, purpose-driven organizations. First, semi-structured in-depth interviews were held with founders of market-based, purpose-driven organizations in order to analyze their perspectives on the current state of sustainable consumption in Lima, Peru. Second, a comparative knowledge, attitude, and behavior survey was implemented to a group of followers of one of the market-based, purpose-driven organizations and a control group of non-followers of environmental organizations. Interview results show that the founders believe that they are actively contributing to achieving SDG12, but that even though sustainable consumption patterns are beginning to emerge in Lima, Peru, targets will unlikely be reached by 2030. Survey results showed that follower of the organizations had statistically different results for knowledge and behavior. They had a higher understanding of sustainability concept, actively informed themselves on environmental issues, and had adopted sustainable consumption habits. Study results show that market-based, purpose-driven organizations are actively contributing to the attainability of SDG 12 in Lima, Peru but also that challenges, primarily at the governance level, remain.Item Open Access Agroecology and Women-Run Farms: A case study of women farmers in the United States(2021-04-30) Gomori-Ruben, LiannaWomen’s farm labor has always been an integral part of agriculture in the United States. How that labor has been understood and documented has changed over time. Today, women are on record as the primary decision-makers of more farms than ever before. This shift in leadership may have implications for natural resource management, agriculture, and food systems. Experts at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations recognize the vulnerabilities of globalized food systems in the face of climate change and call for nations to transition to agroecology. The FAO has identified women as important leaders of agroecology projects worldwide due to their roles in families and communities. This research is an exploratory mixed-methods case study that collected and analyzed data from a total of 88 participants in the United States using a web-based survey and semi-structured interviews. The findings show that the women farmers who participated in the study realize benefits around food security, nutrition, healthy ecosystems, and social cohesion for their local communities, and their practices and approaches align with the FAO’s ten elements of agroecology.Item Open Access Aligning Elementary School Garden Curricula to Education Standards(2015-04-24) Hansen, ErikaGarden education programs have the academic documentation to prove that they are a creative, viable, and successful way to enhance learning. However, a key limitation to using gardens for learning is the lack of garden learning resources correlated to applicable science standards. The purpose of this project was to review and analyze the literature to determine the impacts of garden-based learning on students, obtain an understanding of the prevalence of school gardens in the state of North Carolina, and determine what tools elementary school teachers need to improve the access to and efficacy of school gardens for their classes. Based on this research and on input from my client, NC Cooperative Extension, I correlated four reputable garden-based curricula to the NC Science Essential Standards and produced a database that allows North Carolina educators to identify individual lessons within the curricula that are directly aligned with specific science standards.Item Open Access An Evaluation of the Food Desert Definition in Durham, North Carolina(2012-04-25) Parsons, SarahUrban food deserts are low-income communities located more than one mile from a vendor that supplies affordable, healthy food options. According to the USDA, 11.5 million Americans nationwide live in food desert areas. Before policymakers can effectively address food deserts, however, the parameters of food deserts need to be more clearly defined. This research challenges the two primary criteria currently used by USDA to define food deserts, distance from a grocery store and community socio-economic status, and presents new characteristics, which are vital to a redefinition. Additionally, it highlights the many barriers to accessing fruits and vegetables in low-income communities, and how these barriers can be used to more comprehensively define food deserts within the context of Durham, North Carolina. This study conducted eight focus groups in low-income communities in Durham and Chapel Hill, North Carolina to determine barriers to accessing fruits and vegetables. Additionally, this study used geospatial (GIS) analysis to locate food deserts in Durham, using the USDA’s criteria. The GIS map in this study used finer scale census block data to locate food deserts. Twenty-four major barriers to accessing fruits and vegetables emerged from the data. These barriers were found through researcher memos and qualitative coding in NVivo, a qualitative analysis software. From these twenty-four barriers, fourteen criteria were created to redefine food deserts. Each criterion was chosen based on how easily a local policymaker could access the data associated with the criterion. GIS results found that food deserts, when mapped with finer scale census block level data, more narrowly located food desert communities in Durham. The fourteen criteria used to define food deserts in this study, coupled with the GIS map produced from the study, could help Durham policymakers more accurately identify food deserts and help them devise more comprehensive policy solutions to eradicate them.Item Open Access An Integral Approach to Institutionalizing Sustainability in Higher Education: A Case Study of Colorado College(2010-04-26T00:53:14Z) Schild, RebeccaRecently, institutions of higher education (IHE) have moved toward greening their campuses and incorporating sustainability principles into strategic planning, operations, education, research, and public engagement. While many IHE have some form of sustainability initiative, project, or policy, there are no examples of an institution that has successfully achieved a whole-systems transformation or institutionalized sustainability. Using qualitative case study methods, this Masters Project analyzes the catalysts and barriers to institutionalizing sustainability at Colorado College. I then apply a theoretical framework adapted from Integral Theory to evaluate the degree of institutionalization and whole-system change at Colorado College. Further, I extend the successes and lessons learned from the case, arguing that the integral model of institutionalization is applicable and useful to sustainability transformation in many IHE.Item Open Access Citizen Science Butterfly Monitoring: Improving Volunteer Engagement and Data Usability(2016-04-25) Moore, KatherineCommunity-based monitoring programs produce a wealth of data, but little of it makes into the peer-reviewed literature. These programs face challenges in three areas: organizational issues, data collection issues, and data use issues. This study uses qualitative analysis to examine how these three challenges manifest in citizen science butterfly monitoring programs and how leaders of these program address these issues. Results show that programs that use opportunistic data collection and programs that use structured protocols face similar challenges in all three areas with a few key differences. Based on the challenges programs face and potential approaches programs may take to address these challenges, recommendations are offered for improving volunteer engagement and increasing the usability of butterfly citizen science data by researchers.Item Open Access Consumer Perceptions of the Connection Between Food Production and Climate Change at Five Farmers’ Markets in North Carolina(2009-04-24T20:29:35Z) Hozyash, KristaFarmers’ markets have been increasing in number across the United States since the 1970s, rising to 4, 685 in 2008. An alternative form of agriculture has increased along with the rise in farmers’ markets, focused on sustainable farming practices and civic engagement. Many reasons have been identified for increased support of alternative food systems, including the ability to purchase fresh foods of high quality, to support local farmers, to address environmental concerns, and to avoid mass production that can lead to food security problems. This study examines the main reasons for shopping locally that were identified by respondents at five farmers’ markets in North Carolina. In particular, focus is placed on environmental reasons for shopping and on whether an effort to limit personal or household climate footprints is part of the decision to shop at farmers’ markets. In 2005, the agricultural sector in the United States was responsible for 7% of total greenhouse gas emissions of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide (7260 Tg CO2 eq). Sustainable agriculture is capable of lessening greenhouse gas contributions to global climate change through farming practices that avoid petro-chemical pesticides and fertilizers, that adopt reduced tillage techniques, and that limit fossil fuel-based inputs. Survey results showed that most respondents did not shop at farmers’ markets to reduce climate footprints, but did state that environmental concerns were important in the decision to shop locally at markets. Evidence of support for sustainable farming practices from respondents could encourage more farmers in the state to adopt sustainable farming practices. The most significant reasons given for shopping at farmers’ markets were to purchase fresh foods of high quality that were healthy for consumers, and to support local farmers. Information from and education by farmers about their farming practices may help inform more market customers of agricultural effects on the environment.Item Open Access CREATING A WATER-EFFICIENT FUTURE FOR NORTH CAROLINA(2009-04-24T02:27:22Z) Ward, Teagan E.North Carolina has become increasingly vulnerable to drought events in recent years as a result of population growth and the effects of climate change. While many western states began managing for water scarcity decades ago, water conservation is a relatively new management goal in much of the southeast. The aim of this study was to develop a set of recommendations for an effective water efficiency program for the state of North Carolina by applying the lessons learned by a select group of successful water- and energy-efficiency programs. Specifically, this research set out to answer the following questions: 1) what are some of the accomplishments and challenges faced by successful water- and energy-efficiency programs, 2) what drivers are responsible for motivating conservation-oriented behaviors, and 3) what is the most effective organizational framework for advancing water efficiency efforts? Research questions were addressed using a comparative case study approach. Data for this study were collected using document analysis methods and phone interviews with program administrators from five programs. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were analyzed using NVivo 8, a qualitative research software program. Results of this study suggest that the creation of partnerships between utilities and environmental groups is the most effective organizational framework for advancing water efficiency efforts.Item Open Access Developing a Climate Action Plan for the Nicholas School of the Environment(2018-04-27) Price, Taylor; Liu, Yige; Lee, Dominic MinhoIt has been nearly 10 years since Duke University's formal commitment to climate action via the creation of the first campus-wide climate action plan, "Growing Green: Becoming a Climate Neutral Campus". As the Duke Office of Sustainability, looks to continue its journey towards carbon neutrality, they are exploring additional avenues to create change. At the same time, the Duke University Marine Lab, based in Beaufort, North Carolina, also has sights set on reducing their campus carbon emission. This study investigates the feasibility of each school creating their own specific Climate Action Plans to supplement the university-wide plan. Furthermore, this study will provide insights into the feasibility of school-specific climate action plans at the university at large as well as provide recommendations for the Nicholas School and the Duke Marine Lab. The results provide an assessment of the greenhouse gas footprint of the Nicholas School and the Duke Marine Lab both long and short recommendations to drive the campus towards carbon neutrality.Item Open Access Driving Energy Efficiency at Self-Help Credit Union's Retail Banks(2012-04-26) Du, Chongyang; Fletcher, Derek; Breisblatt, DebbieSelf Help Credit Union, a leading provider of loans to small businesses and disadvantaged persons across the country, is seeking to improve the energy efficiency of its North Carolina retail bank buildings in accordance with its company-wide sustainability objectives. Improving energy efficiency may be achieved through a balance of investing in energy efficient technologies and reducing energy consumption through behavioral change. This masters project’s objectives included conducting an energy audit of a retail bank branch to identify energy-related savings opportunities and creating a retail bank branch competition framework to heighten employee awareness of energy efficiency and instigate behavioral change. Our recommendations include implementing this competition and investing in a variety of energy efficient devices and technologies.Item Open Access Driving Energy Efficiency at Self-Help Credit Union's Retail Banks(2012-04-26) Breisblatt, Debbie; Du, Chongyang; Fletcher, DerekSelf Help Credit Union, a leading provider of loans to small businesses and disadvantaged persons across the country, is seeking to improve the energy efficiency of its North Carolina retail bank buildings in accordance with its company-wide sustainability objectives. Improving energy efficiency may be achieved through a balance of investing in energy efficient technologies and reducing energy consumption through behavioral change. This masters project’s objectives included conducting an energy audit of a retail bank branch to identify energy-related savings opportunities and creating a retail bank branch competition framework to heighten employee awareness of energy efficiency and instigate behavioral change. Our recommendations include implementing this competition and investing in a variety of energy efficient devices and technologies.Item Open Access Driving Energy Efficiency at Self-Help Credit Union's Retail Banks(2012-04-26) Fletcher, Derek; Breisblatt, Debbie; Du, ChongyangSelf Help Credit Union, a leading provider of loans to small businesses and disadvantaged persons across the country, is seeking to improve the energy efficiency of its North Carolina retail bank buildings in accordance with its company-wide sustainability objectives. Improving energy efficiency may be achieved through a balance of investing in energy efficient technologies and reducing energy consumption through behavioral change. This masters project’s objectives included conducting an energy audit of a retail bank branch to identify energy-related savings opportunities and creating a retail bank branch competition framework to heighten employee awareness of energy efficiency and instigate behavioral change. Our recommendations include implementing this competition and investing in a variety of energy efficient devices and technologies.Item Open Access Ecological Assessment of the Flamingo Mangroves, Guanacaste, Costa Rica(2011-04-29) Fedak, Derek; Windstein, MarieMangroves are tropical and subtropical ecosystems found in intertidal zones that provide vital ecosystem services including sustenance of commercially important fishery species, improvement of coastal water quality through nutrient cycling and sediment interception, and protection of coastal communities from storm surge and erosion. However, land use conversion and water pollution are threatening these ecosystems and their associated services worldwide. This master’s project conducted an ecological assessment on a mangrove forest adjoining the property of the Flamingo Beach Resort and Spa in Playa Flamingo, located in the Guanacaste province of Costa Rica. The project analyzed vegetation health, water and soil quality, bird species richness, and identified threats to the forest. It also assessed several options for the resort’s development of ecotourism, such as community involvement, the construction of an educational boardwalk, and the creation of a vegetation buffer adjoining the mangroves. The results indicate that the Flamingo Mangroves are generally in a healthy state. Vegetation structure like canopy height, biomass, vegetation importance values, and species distribution compares well with previous ecological studies on mature tidal mangroves. The ecosystem supports 42 resident bird species and likely up to 30 migratory species. However, water quality is a major concern, which reported elevated levels of nitrogen and phosphorus through runoff and discharged wastewater in the northern section of the forest. Additionally, the western edge of the forest adjoining the beach road is frequently disturbed by automotive traffic and runoff, displaying reduced or stunted vegetation and sandy soil. This report contains several recommendations on how to preserve the mangroves by improving water quality, reducing physical and chemical disturbances, and engaging the community. The results of the project will be incorporated into our client‘s and Flamingo community‘s future management practices to conserve the Flamingo Mangroves and emphasize the value of this ecosystem.Item Open Access Ecotourism Sustainability in Thailand: a formative evaluation of Andaman Discoveries(2014-04-25) Flam, AnnaAndaman Discoveries (AD) is a social enterprise based in Southern Thailand that aims to “support community-led development by acting as a bridge to respectful visitors and volunteers through sponsorship of education, conservation, and cultural empowerment.” AD facilitates community-based ecotourism that aims to balance social, economic, and environmental needs, while not acting invasively. AD asked me to explore “how sustainable do local community members find AD’s programs?” and “how can AD ensure and improve program sustainability?” I conducted a formative evaluation to find what has been done well, and what needs improvement. Results show that locals believe AD’s programs improve social, environmental, and economic outcomes, with minimal detrimental impact. Some communities experienced tourism related conflict, but most find tourism’s community building effect far stronger. Primary recommendations include continuing community development and conservation projects consistently; ensuring AD staff attend community meetings regularly; and utilizing codes of conduct to ensure continued visitor respectfulness.Item Open Access Evaluating an Environmental Sustainability Program and Related Metrics at a Continuing Care Retirement Community(2022-04-22) Guo, Xinyi; Sloggy, ChelseaXinyi Guo (MEM Cadindate) and Chelsea Sloggy (MEM/MBA Candidate) Charlotte Clark (Advisor) Spring 2022 Masters Project Executive Summary Evaluating an Environmental Sustainability Program and Related Metrics at a Continuing Care Retirement Community More than 2,000 Continuing Care Retirement Communities, or CCRCs, exist across the United States. CCRCs provide a variety of amenities for their residents, including multiple types of residences, dining services, medical facilities, gyms, and more. CCRCs have the potential to implement numerous sustainability initiatives on their campuses and to influence local efforts to mitigate climate change. This Master’s Project sought to help Carol Woods, a non-profit CCRC located in Chapel Hill, NC, understand its current environmental footprint focusing on Dining Services and Buildings & Facilities, develop possible sustainability metrics, and explore potential interventions to improve its environmental sustainability. The methods we used in this project can be summarized as comparative benchmarking and current state analysis. For comparative benchmarking, this project examines both other CCRCs’ sustainability efforts and small-to-medium colleges and universities with outstanding sustainability practices. Our current state analysis focuses on Dining Servies and Buildings & Facilities. We adopt a mass-balance framework to identify the amount of input and the corresponding output. Specifically, we looked into Carol Woods’ food purchasing records to identify the food products with significant environmental impacts. For the output measurements, we conducted a food waste audit and calculated its environmental footprint. In the sector of Buildings & Facilities, we conducted an energy audit focusing on annual electricity consumption and natural gas consumption from 2016 to 2020 as well as evaluated Carol Woods’ institutional vehicle fleet. The outputs of the analysis are greenhouse emissions in terms of electricity and natural gas consumption as well as the environmental performance of Carol Woods’ vehicles. In the Dining sector, results have shown that GHGs led by Carol Woods’ animal protein ordering total around 135,730 kgCO2e in one month. Results of the waste audit show that Carol Woods composts between 400 and 500 pounds of food waste per day. Additionally, Carol Woods has a significant amount of animal protein in their food waste and beef is a key contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. In the Buildings & Facilities sector, Carol Woods’ GHG emissions from electricity consumption over six years stabilize at around 3,100 metric tons annually. The dining building and Building 4 (medical center) account for major parts of the emissions. Natural gas consumption has witnessed a decline from 2017 to 2019, a drop of over 40%. Fifteen vehicles owned by Carol Woods were included in our analysis with the cleanest vehicle being the 2018 Chrysler Pacifica van and the dirtiest being the 1999 Chevrolet C2500. To improve sustainability in its Dining Services, we recommend Carol Woods reduce the amount of animal protein ordered, switch to buying a number of its ingredients locally instead of from large food vendors, increase its internal tracking of recipes and resident complaints, switch to reusable to-go containers, and reconsider its approach to food disbursement and handling of leftover foods. As for improving sustainability in Buildings & Facilities, we recommend that Carol Woods perform ongoing maintenance of building equipment, install LED lights in places where they are not currently, expand solar arrays, and establish an energy dashboard for tracking. To make its transportation operations more sustainable, we recommend Carol Woods conduct an annual transportation survey for institutional fleets, residents, and employees, and purchase a hybrid van and electric truck to replace the most polluting vehicles they currently have. To continue gaining a deeper understanding of Carol Woods’ environmental impact, we suggest multiple avenues for further research. For Dining Services, we recommend that an updated purchase audit be conducted to align with their most recent menu. We also recommend continuing the waste audit, which we believe is an ideal opportunity for residents to get involved. Lastly, further research should be conducted to better understand the sustainability certifications held by food suppliers and which foods are most beneficial to buy locally. For Buildings & Facilities, we recommend that Carol Woods implement the use of the Energy Use Index (EUI) and conduct a more in-depth study of the Siemens electricity data to better interpret the variations in energy usage across the campus.Item Open Access Evaluating and Prioritizing Duke’s Natural Landscapes(2015-04-24) Li, Siying; Upshaw, MarshallDuke University prides itself as being a “university in a forest”. But, Duke must also continue to advance its academic mission, provide space for the world-renowned hospital system, and a myr-iad of other things. In order to inform built environment planning and natural resource manage-ment decisions, our work provides a framework with which to evaluate natural spaces on Duke’s campus and offers a relative value (high, medium, low) of these spaces based on five key crite-ria: ecological, programmatic, cultural, pedagogical, and aesthetic values. The study was carried out at the request of, and with feedback from, the University’s Campus Sustainability Committee and its Natural Resources Subcommittee. We then tested the validity of the framework on a test site on campus. We believe the framework can be used to further the conversation about Duke’s natural areas, and that it will be a useful tool in campus development decisions.Item Open Access EVALUATION OF THE PROJECT DELIVERY PROCESS FOR DUKE GREEN BUILDINGS(2009-04-24T03:33:32Z) Dao, AmySince 2003, Duke’s sustainable buildings policy has required that all new and retrofit buildings be LEED certified at a minimum, while “every reasonable effort will be made to achieve silver or higher ratings.” As Duke University strives to achieve its commitments to become carbon neutral, green building will play an increasingly important role for campus sustainability. However, to date Duke has conducted no internal evaluations of the LEED process, and recent reviews of LEED scorecards show that Duke green buildings are achieving the least points possible in the energy category. Using qualitative interviews and case studies of LEED certified buildings, this study aims to evaluate the green building design and implementation process at Duke, and to provide useful feedback for improvements that might aid in the decision-making process. The results of this study emerged under five themes: (1) Environmental goals, (2) Motivation and perceptions, (3) Methods and criterion for financial analysis, (4) Communication and interaction of stakeholders, and (5) Timeliness. The results were analyzed from a Conventional versus Integrated Design framework, and concluding recommendations were made that would increase the practice of integrated design.Item Open Access Exploring the Potential Influence of Citizen Science Water Monitoring Programs on Water Resources Management and Policy in the Global South(2019-04-26) Sahay, Apoorva; Perez-Viscasillas, JimenaThis study explores the potential of citizen science (CS) water monitoring programs to influence water policy and management in Global South countries. CS, the involvement of “non-science” community members in the research process, offers a broad range of benefits beyond science that include an increase in scientific literacy in its participants and in public involvement in decision-making. However, the majority of such studies on CS are seemingly based on cases in developed countries (Global North), with less focus being placed on developing countries (Global South). Given that platforms for community involvement in water resource decision-making tend to be less common in the Global South and that hydrological data in these countries are usually lacking, there is great incentive to explore the potential of using CS water monitoring programs in these regions as a tool towards community empowerment in decision-making. In this study, we set out to learn about CS initiatives in the Global South which aim to influence water resource management or policy through the process of community-involvement, and not exclusively through data-acquisition. We focused on five programs in different countries – India, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, and the Philippines – to study as exploratory, comparative case studies, analyzing major themes that emerged in order to better understand existing best practices, challenges, and barriers surrounding these programs. This study was undertaken on behalf of our client, the World Wildlife Fund - United Kingdom (WWF-UK).