College and university environmental programs as a policy problem (part 1): integrating knowledge, education, and action for a better world?

The environmental sciences/studies movement, with more than 1000 programs at colleges and universities in the United States and Canada, is unified by a common interest??ameliorating environmental problems through empirical enquiry and analytic judgment. Unfortunately, environmental programs have struggled in their efforts to integrate knowledge across disciplines and educate students to become sound problem solvers and leaders. We examine the environmental program movement as a policy problem, looking at overall goals, mapping trends in relation to those goals, identifying the underlying factors contributing to trends, and projecting the future. We argue that despite its shared common interest, the environmental program movement is disparate and fragmented by goal ambiguity, positivistic disciplinary approaches, and poorly rationalized curricula, pedagogies, and educational philosophies. We discuss these challenges and the nature of the changes that are needed in order to overcome them. In a subsequent article (Part 2) we propose specific strategies for improvement.     

Electrokinetic ion transport through unsaturated soil: 1. Theory, model development, and testing

An electromigration transport model for non-reactive ion transport in unsaturated soil was developed and tested against laboratory experiments. This model assumed the electric potential field was constant with respect to time, an assumption valid for highly buffered soil, or when the electrode electrolysis reactions are neutralized. The model also assumed constant moisture contents and temperature with respect to time, and that electroosmotic and hydraulic transport of water through the soil was negligible. A functional relationship between ionic mobility and the electrolyte concentration was estimated using the chemical activity coefficient. Tortuosity was calculated from a mathematical relationship fitted to the electrical conductivity of the bulk pore water and soil moisture data. The functional relationship between ionic mobility, pore-water concentration, and tortuosity as a function of moisture content allowed the model to predict ion transport in heterogeneous unsaturated soils. The model was tested against laboratory measurements assessing anionic electromigration as a function of moisture content. In the test cell, a strip of soil was spiked with red dye No 40 and monitored for a 24-h period while a 10-mA current was maintained between the electrodes. Electromigration velocities predicted by the electromigration transport model were in agreement with laboratory experimental results. Both laboratory-measured and model-predicted dye migration results indicated a maximum transport velocity at moisture contents less than saturation due to competing effects between current density and tortuosity as moisture content decreases.     

College and university environmental programs as a policy problem (part 2): strategies for improvement

Environmental studies and environmental sciences programs in American and Canadian colleges and universities seek to ameliorate environmental problems through empirical enquiry and analytic judgment. In a companion article (Part 1) we describe the environmental program movement (EPM) and discuss factors that have hindered its performance. Here, we complete our analysis by proposing strategies for improvement. We recommend that environmental programs re-organize around three principles. First, adopt as an overriding goal the concept of human dignity??defined as freedom and social justice in healthy, sustainable environments. This clear higher-order goal captures the human and environmental aspirations of the EPM and would provide a more coherent direction for the efforts of diverse participants. Second, employ an explicit, genuinely interdisciplinary analytical framework that facilitates the use of multiple methods to investigate and address environmental and social problems in context. Third, develop educational programs and applied experiences that provide students with the technical knowledge, powers of observation, critical thinking skills and management acumen required for them to become effective professionals and leaders. Organizing around these three principles would build unity in the EPM while at the same time capitalizing on the strengths of the many disciplines and diverse local conditions involved.     

Effects of bleached kraft mill effluents on the swimming activity of Monoporeia affinis (crustacea, amphipoda) lindström

The crustacean Monoporeia affinis Lindström was exposed to two different concentrations of bleached kraft mill effluent (BKME) containing, originally, 8.3 mg/g organic chlorine determined as adsorbable organic halogen (AOX). The swimming activity of the animals was recorded by pairs of infra-red sensitive photocells attached to 5.6 1 aquaria having a seawater inflow rate of 12 ml/min. The test sequence included a control phase, an exposure phase and a recovery phase. During the exposure phase the total swimming activity decreased in three of the four test aquaria containing effluent, indicating that the animals had retreated into the sediment. Total activity increased during the recovery phase and, in the case of the lower organic chlorine concentration, activity almost achieved the original control-phase level. Statistical differences in swimming activity changes during experiment were evaluated using ANOVA. Experimental methods are explained in detail.     

Effects of low dissolved oxygen on organisms used in freshwater sediment toxicity tests

Minimum dissolved oxygen requirements are part of standard guidelines for toxicity testing of freshwater sediments with several benthic invertebrates, but the data underlying these requirements are somewhat sparse. We exposed three common test organisms to ranges of dissolved oxygen concentrations to determine their responses in 10-d exposures, relative to published guidelines for sediment toxicity tests. The oligochaete, Lumbriculus variegatus, showed 100% survival in all exposures down to the lowest concentration tested, 0.7 mg O(2)l(-1). Midge (Chironomus dilutus) larva showed a more pronounced response; while survival was less than 90% only below 1.0mg O(2)l(-1), the biomass endpoint showed EC(50), EC(20), and EC(10) values of 1.00 (0.91-1.10), 1.41 (1.16-1.71), and 1.67 (1.25-2.24) mg O(2)l(-1). The amphipod, Hyalella azteca, showed no adverse effects at concentrations as low as 2.12 mg O(2)l(-1). The combination of these data with other literature data suggest that DO minima in current North American 10-d sediment test guidelines are reasonable.     

The South African Experience of Conservation and Social Forestry Outreach Nurseries

Outreach nurseries are favored conservation and social forestry tools globally, but, as with many integrated conservation and development programs (ICDPs), they do not always produce anticipated results. A synopsis of the experience of South African practitioners is provided in this study of 65 outreach nurseries. South African outreach nurseries frequently include financial objectives, creating additional challenges in simultaneously attaining conservation and socioeconomic goals. Progress was hindered by biophysical problems (e.g., lack of water, poor soils, etc.) as well as the harsh socioeconomic conditions facing most communities in which nurseries had been established. Attaining financial viability was challenging. Business management skills were often restricted, and few viability studies included adequate market research. Costs to community participants were usually high, and benefits were limited. Conservation objectives were frequently lost in the struggle to attain financial viability. The management of social processes also proved challenging. Although small scale and relatively straightforward compared with many ICDPs, nurseries usually require substantial institutional support, including a range of technical, business, and development services. Project time frames need to be reconsidered, as practitioners estimate that it takes 5–10 years for nurseries to start meeting objectives, and donors and implementing agencies often operate on 2–3-year project cycles. Detailed viability studies are essential, incorporating a social probe and an assessment of potential impacts of projects on community participants. Progress needs to be continuously evaluated to enable institutions and community participants to adapt to changing conditions as well as ensure that the spectrum of objectives are being achieved.