Research

Publications

Hoch, M.P., C.Y.S. Siu, S.E. Clark and K.H. Baker.  2009.  Codorus Creek Restoration - A Case Study for the Chesapeake Bay.  Proceedings of the World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2009: Great Rivers, American Society of Civil Engineers. pp 1-7.

Hoch, M.P., 2008. Enzymatic assessment of nitrogen and phosphorus bioavailability to stream periphyton communities at different velocity regimes. J. Freshwater Ecol. 23(2): 245-264.

Hoch, M. P., K. S. Dillon, R. B. Coffin and L. A. Cifuentes.  2008. Sensitivity of bacterioplankton nitrogen metabolism to eutrophication in sub-tropical coastal waters of Key West, Florida.  Mar. Poll. Bull. 56(5): 913-926.

Critical Review of LCA Treatment of Feedstock Energy

Liv Haselback, Ph.D.

This final report to the National Asphalt Pavement Association is a critical review of LCA treatment of feedstock energy.  The first seciton is the Introduction in which Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), Product Category Rules (PCRs), Feedstock Energy, Allocation in LCA and the Research Questions are introduced. The second section is the Literature Review, including a Literature Synthesis on Energy Definitions and a Literature Synthesis on LCAs and EPDs (and PCRs) in Practice. The third section then analyzes the consistency in definitions relating to feedstock energy and other related energy terms, and then the consistency in reporting of energy use in various sectors. This is followed by summary conclusions and a section providing suggestions for schemes that might better handle some of the unique life cycle characteristics of asphalt, particularly its high recyclability and its stored energy (feedstock energy) and carbon. 

The Development of Rural Sustainability Using Participatory Action Research:  A Case Study from Guatemala

Faye Anderson

Rural sustainability, although ambiguous at times, is an evolving science on the right way to higher shared value. Despite the rising demand for sustainability, its parameterization is still underdevelopment and differs spatiotemporally. This is a case study of developing rural sustainability using participatory action research (PAR) in small farms in the southern tropical Pacific coast of the Departments of Retalhuleu and Suchitepequez in Guatemala.

Sustainability Atlas of Texas Ecoregions

Faye Anderson

Since the introduction of the triple bottom line sustainability assessment accounting, a variety of approaches have been developed to quantify sustainability using the three axes of social, economic and environmental sustainability. The aim of this atlas is to assess the sustainability of Texas natural ecoregions: the Piney Woods, the Gulf Prairies and marshes, the Post Oak Savanah, the Blackland Prairies, the Cross Timbers, the South Texas Plains, the Edwards Plateau, the Rolling Plains, the High Plains and the Trans-Pecos, by identifying a set of indicators. These are unemployment, children in poverty, severity of housing problems, daily PM2.5 concentrations, population affected by drinking water violation, total water use, organic production, non-obesity and attainment of post-secondary education.