Browsing by Subject "Best management practices"

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6

Open Access
Best Practices in Port Management: An Assessment of Two Ports
(2008-04-24T14:26:55Z) Bacchioni, Abra
Corporation X owns and operates Port Y in Indonesia and will begin using Port Z in Australia, a public port, in late 2008. The ports are used to export copper concentrate, while Port Y is also used to move commodities, cargo, and people. Analysis based on field observations and personnel interviews revealed strengths and weaknesses in best management practices at each location. As the Corporation aims to demonstrate best port practices, this assessment of environmental practices and protocols addresses handling of cargo, protocols for ships, environmental controls, monitoring, and general practices. Research found that Port Y could lessen environmental impacts by enclosing the copper concentrate conveyor system. Best practices at Port Y include ballast water management and monitoring practices. Port Z could improve its management practices by increasing environmental monitoring frequency; best practices include movement of copper concentrate and air quality maintenance.
Open Access
Buying in to Local Foods: A Market and Sociopolitical Analysis of the U.S. Food System
(2008-04-25T19:35:55Z) Sayles, Kathryn
Earth’s natural resources are undeniably finite. As such, it is increasingly important to recognize how humans manage these fleeting supplies as they seek to balance exponential population growth with sustainable human and environmental health. A truly enduring solution must be socially desirable, economically feasible and ecologically viable. For agricultural matters, food scarcity and extreme environmental variability makes obtaining these three essential components even more challenging. A considerable number of materials have been prepared ranging from “how to” booklets for local farmers to highly quantitative economic analyses of the United States food system. Despite this great abundance of resources, few people have taken on the daunting challenge of integrating these materials into effectual public policy. This report examines the economic and sociopolitical factors that must be overcome for local agricultural to be a truly sustainable solution to a slough of environmental problems. Local farmers are typically more intimately tied to environmental issues, and are thus more willing to adopt sustainable practices. Academics and professionals alike recognize the extreme hardships of transforming American agricultural policies. Nonetheless, a few comparatively simple measures can be taken to spur local farming initiatives. Overcoming the present barriers will require educational efforts, political reform and a fundamental shift in the current market paradigm. Each of these components can be driven by well-designed, clear and appropriate legislation. This document shows that a reasonable public policy must work to shift funding to sustain small farmers, provide incentives for businesses to support local farming initiatives, standardize food labels and publicize the benefits of buying local products in order to secure Earth’s natural resources and ensure community stability.
Open Access
Case Study for Adoption of Semi Private Complete Streets Program Funding in United States Cities
(2014-04-23) Robles, Cheryn
The deteriorating conditions of aging infrastructure in United States cities have been challenging municipalities for years. In 2013, the American Society for Civil Engineers gave US infrastructure a D+ for the current conditions of infrastructure including roadways, waterways, levees and bridges1. When the current need to improve ailing infrastructure is combined with the 1990s shift in transportation planning, Best Management Practices call for transportation systems to consider the needs of drivers, pedestrians, bicyclists, and people with physical and metal challenges, the elderly and children equitably.3 Smart Growth America’s National Complete Streets Coalition touts more than 600 member cities as of January 2014.4 Each of the member cities is altering its existing transportation system by adopting “laws, resolutions, executive orders and policies” that ensure all stakeholders have equitable access to their local transportation system.4 Cities across the nation, including San Francisco, Philadelphia and New Orleans, have passed Executive Orders and ordinances to help ensure their constituents have equitable access to the transportation system. Working closely with organizations such as Smart Growth America and local advocacy groups, these cities are attempting to fulfill the intentions of their CS policy. Some of the greatest challenge these cities have in implementing their CS policy to its maximum potential is a lack of appropriate funding. Using in-person and telephone interviews this Masters Project: • Develops case studies for public-private partnerships that fund full or partial Complete Streets projects in San Francisco, Philadelphia and New Orleans • Compares and contrasts the CS policies in San Francisco, Philadelphia and New Orleans to one another • Identifies characteristics of public-private funding sources that could be available for Complete Streets implementation • Identifies Best Management Practices for Complete Streets funding including barriers and possible solutions • Discusses appropriate public education/outreach campaigns that accompany implementation of Complete Streets projects
Open Access
Examining data gaps in best management practice implementation and monitoring in the Chesapeake Bay: a multi-method approach
(2024-04-26) McClaugherty, Megan; Brentjens, Emma; Eastman, Nicole
The Chesapeake Bay, the largest estuary in the United States, experiences substantial levels of nutrient pollution. Despite widespread implementation of best management practices (BMPs), agencies have acknowledged that the Bay will not reach its nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment reduction goals for 2025. To understand the disconnect between BMPs and achieving water quality goals, we focused on the Lower Eastern Shore of Maryland, a largely agricultural region. Using a multi-method approach, we examined water quality trends, determined surface water connectivity to agricultural land, and interviewed experts to identify data gaps and barriers to implementing BMPs and assessing their impacts on water quality. We conclude that an insufficient monitoring network, lack of accessible data, and inadequate resource allocation are inhibiting a more comprehensive approach to water quality management.
Open Access
Impacts of green infrastructure implementation within the Neuse River Basin
(2015-04-24) Green, Benjamin
American Rivers is advocating for implementation of Green Infrastructure (GI) as a stormwater management strategy within the City of Raleigh. Incorporation of GI into future development plans is an appealing option for growing urban centers to minimize their impact upon surrounding aquatic ecosystems. Since Raleigh lies outside the regulatory boundary of the Falls Lake Nutrient Strategy, there is not a significant driver in place to encourage a shift towards GI. This study provided American Rivers with estimates of potential scale of GI retrofit implementation within a highly developed stormwater drainage basin, as well as the benefits those retrofits would provide in terms of nutrient load and peak flow reductions from stormwater flow. This was accomplished through the development of a GIS tool that identifies potential GI retrofit locations within Raleigh stormwater drainage basins, expediting the retrofit field reconnaissance process. The outputs of this tool were then incorporated into PLOAD, a GIS-based pollutant load modeling application for watershed-scale management, which provided estimates of mass loading rates of TN, TP, and TSS. The study area consisted of 11 subcatchments within Pigeon House Branch stormwater drainage basin (3200 acres, ~32% mean impervious coverage). Estimated annual pollutant load reductions resulting from GI implementation were 0.67, 9.92, and 16.82 tons of TP, TN, and TSS, respectively, although the accuracy of these numbers is questionable due to the coarse scale at which PLOAD operates. Ideally, other modeling efforts can be applied within this study’s framework to produce more informed scenarios within other drainage basins throughout the Neuse River Basin.
Open Access
Working towards environmental restoration through small scale engagement in coastal North Carolina
(2011-04-29) Rootes-Murdy, Kirby
Nonpoint source (NPS) pollution is a pervasive problem throughout the United States. In coastal North Carolina, NPS most commonly takes the form of stormwater carrying large quantities of bacteria into neighboring estuarine waterways. Elevated levels of bacteria can have significant effects on water quality and result in area closures for commercial shellfish harvesting. This masters project investigates stormwater retrofitting potential in a small coastal neighborhood located within the White Oak River watershed. Applying Geographical Information Systems (GIS) to estimate impervious surface and model stormwater runoff, a mixed method approach is used to better evaluate areas of concern within a subwatershed of the White Oak River. In analyzing both state-level stormwater management guidelines and interviewing local residents on their perceptions of water quality, a goal of this study is to determine what considerations are needed to guide current and future stormwater projects. The results of this study indicate that the current stormwater regulatory framework operates on a temporal scale that hinders comprehensive funding, implementation, and monitoring of Best Management Practices (BMP) retrofitting projects. Modifications on the subwatershed level highlight impervious surface coverage from development may be significantly increasing sheet stormwater runoff. Qualitative findings demonstrate the educational outreach could be useful in gaining community support for future BMP projects. Further research in applying participatory mixed methods to study local stormwater may provide greater stakeholder engagement and successful implementation of low-cost BMPs in continuing efforts of water quality improvement.