This study examines the literature on identifying alternative methods of coming to a deeper understanding of one's physical, mental, and spiritual self. It provides information on one particular alternative program, and presents lesson ideas and options that demonstrate how an art-based emphasis in elective coursework can allow for the next step in each student's journey of personal growth and development.

Recently, research on community gardens and their benefits to health and community has become very popular. However, this influx of research has failed to investigate challenges to successful community gardening. Some articles examine issues between community gardeners and the land owners, but other than these conflicts community garden challenges, like lack of participation and quality leadership, have not been discussed in the literature (Draper and Freedman, 2010). To allow future gardens to be as successful as possible it is important to identify potential obstacles. Additionally, it is just as important to continue to examine possible benefits, for example, physical activity and health benefits of community gardening and the breadth of community issues possibly addressed by community gardeners. Continuing to research on community will allow for more successful gardens and encourage funding for these programs. This study examines how food insecurity, health and community cohesion issues can be affected by community gardens in Central Florida. It also investigates challenges community gardens often face. To do this I conducted structured interviews with community gardeners and semi-structured interviews with community garden leaders at several gardens throughout Orange County, Florida. The results show that community gardens have several benefits including increased consumption of fresh produce, improved physical activity, mental health and community cohesion. However, gardens are not without difficulties. About a third of the gardeners and the majority of the leaders said that lack of participation was a challenge they faced.

An emissions inventory of VOCs, NOx, and CO2 was conducted for three central Florida counties – Orange, Seminole, and Osceola (OSO) – for calendar year 2008. The inventory utilized three programs: MOBILE6, NONROAD2005, and EDMS (Emissions and Dispersion Modeling System) to model on‐road mobile, non‐road mobile, and airport emissions, respectively. Remaining point and area source data was estimated from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (U.S. EPA) 2008 emissions inventory. The previous OSO emissions inventory was done in 2002 and in the six years between inventories, there have been changes in population, commerce, and pollution control technology in central Florida which have affected the region’s emissions. It is important to model VOC and NOx emissions to determine from where the largest proportions are coming. VOCs and NOx are ozone precursors, and in the presence of heat and sunlight, they react to form ozone (O3). Ozone is regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through the FDEP. The current standard is 75 parts per billion (ppb) and Orange County’s average is 71 ppb. A new standard (which will likely be about 65 ppb) is being developed and is scheduled to be announced by July 2011. If OSO goes into non‐attainment, it will need to prepare a contingency plan for how to reduce emissions to submit to the FDEP for approval. The 2008 inventory determined that approximately 71,300 tons of VOCs and 59,000 tons of NOx were emitted that year. The majority of VOCs came from on‐road mobile sources (33%) and area sources (43%), while the majority of NOx came from on‐road mobile sources (64%) and non‐road mobile sources (17%). Other major sources of VOCs included gasoline powered non‐road mobile equipment (lawn and garden equipment), consumer solvents, cooking, and gasoline distribution. With the numbers iii that could be determined for CO2 emissions, on‐road mobile and point sources were responsible for 93%. Of the point source CO2 emissions, almost all of it (87%) came from one large coal‐fired power plant in Orange County.

The parenting style, level of acculturation and incidence of stress, were explored in order to identify the likelihood of intervention by child protective services to prevent child abuse. Additionally, concerns of whether reports of child abuse were related more to the lack of information about American parenting rules, rather than intentionally abusive behavior.

This study focuses on defining correctional education and correctional educators and identifying characteristics of correctional students. This study specifically focuses on the Tri-County Correctional Education Association. A Web site has been developed for this association in order to support and inform the correctional educators.

This study utilized a self-reported survey design to obtain information from 47 Latinas to determine their breast cancer knowledge levels and compliance with early detection methods.