abstract: Ground coupled heat pumps (GCHPs) have been used successfully in many environments to improve the heating and cooling efficiency of both small and large scale buildings. In arid climate regions, such as the Phoenix, Arizona metropolitan area, where the air condi-tioning load is dominated by cooling in the summer, GCHPs are difficult to install and operate. This is because the nature of soils in arid climate regions, in that they are both dry and hot, renders them particularly ineffective at dissipating heat. The first part of this thesis addresses applying the SVHeat finite element modeling soft-ware to create a model of a GCHP system. Using real-world data from a prototype solar-water heating system coupled with a ground-source heat exchanger installed in Menlo Park, California, a relatively accurate model was created to represent a novel GCHP panel system installed in a shallow vertical trench. A sensitivity analysis was performed to evaluate the accuracy of the calibrated model. The second part of the thesis involved adapting the calibrated model to represent an ap-proximation of soil conditions in arid climate regions, using a range of thermal properties for dry soils. The effectiveness of the GCHP in the arid climate region model was then evaluated by comparing the thermal flux from the panel into the subsurface profile to that of the prototype GCHP. It was shown that soils in arid climate regions are particularly inefficient at heat dissipation, but that it is highly dependent on the thermal conductivity inputted into the model. This demonstrates the importance of proper site characterization in arid climate regions. Finally, several soil improvement methods were researched to evaluate their potential for use in improving the effectiveness of shallow horizontal GCHP systems in arid climate regions. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Civil Engineering 2014

abstract: Many scholars agree that heritage tourism has grown in recent years. It has become a unique way for communities to diversify their economies while preserving local culture and heritage. One unique way communities are doing this is through heritage festivals. These festivals have a significant impact on local communities and are multifaceted as they do not just provide economic impact to host communities, but also positive or potentially negative social and environmental impacts. In recent years, a more sustainable approach integrating economic, socio-cultural and environmental impacts has been suggested when analyzing short term event such as festivals. It is important for event managers and scholars alike to understand these potential impacts as heritage festivals continue to evolve and prevalent part of heritage tourism. This study aims to measure and quantify the economic, social and environmental impacts of two heritage festivals – Gold Rush Days and Bluegrass Festival, closely following Andersson and Lundberg’s 2013 study on commensurability and sustainability utilizing willingness to pay (WTP) and willingness to accept (WTA). Both are annual heritage festivals and take place in Wickenburg, Arizona. Primary data collection methods are used to gather information regarding economic and social impacts. Paper questionnaires distributed via stratified random sample to festival attendees and town residents is the survey instrument used in the study. To determine environmental impacts, secondary data in the form of stakeholder interviews are conducted. Findings suggest a positive economic impact to the town of Wickenburg. Visitor expenditures, retained local spending and direct, indirect, and induced impacts are presented. Social impacts show a generally positive attitude toward the festival from a resident perspective. Environmental impacts show that collaboration among town stakeholders is needed to better determine festival environmental impact as no formal measures of impact are currently being recorded. Further empirical research is needed to better determine these impacts. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Community Resources and Development 2015

abstract: With the need to address the world's growing energy demand, many new alternative and renewable energy sources are being researched and developed. Many of these technologies are in their infancy, still being too inefficient or too costly to implement on a large scale. This list of alternative energies include biofuels, geothermal power, solar energy, wind energy and hydroelectric power. This thesis focuses on developing a concentrating solar thermal energy unit for the application of an on-demand hot water system with phase change material. This system already has a prototype constructed and needs refinement in several areas in order to increase its efficiency to determine if the system could ever reach a point of feasibility in a residential application. Having put additional control refining systems on the solar water heat collector, it can be deduced that the efficiency has increased. However, due to limited testing and analysis it is undetermined just how much the efficiency of the system has increased. At minimum, the capabilities of the research platform have dramatically increased, allowing future research to more accurately study the dynamics of the system as well as conduct studies in more targeted areas of engineering. In this aspect, the thesis was successful. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Engineering 2016

It is argued that sustainability today has become a mega-trend, where the consumers are more aware of their surroundings and businesses impact on the environment than ever. Companies have come to be critically observed by societies, which has put more pressure on them to act in more sustainable ways as well as becoming more transparent with their operational and sustainability communication towards stakeholders. In 1978 China opened up the country to the global economy and since then, the country has rapidly risen in the terms of international economic importance. However, China is suffering from large environmental concerns like immoderate pollution that has become a daily concern for the population. Due to the rapid economic growth that China has been going through the recent years, these environmental issues the country is facing are largely tied to the industrialization. One of the biggest factors contributing to China’s heavy pollution is the colossal number of both Western and Chinese production facilities opening up in China.The aim with this research was to investigate how three selected Swedish companies placed in Shanghai approach sustainability marketing and explore how they embed sustainability within their strategy and particularly in their marketing mix. This thesis was conducted with a qualitative approach and with semi-structured interviews with three Swedish companies; Greencarrier, Atlas Copco and Stora Enso.The findings from the interviews, conducted with the three mentioned companies, pointed out that sustainability today is well integrated in the company’s core business and that working with sustainability has become a critical success factor. Factors that were important for the companies was to have long-term sustainability strategies, being innovative and transparent in their operational and sustainability communication, being material efficient in the product development and promoting this on media channels like WeChat, internet websites, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. Also, more traditional ways of marketing themselves was important, like visiting universities and exhibit at fairs. This essay will provide knowledge that can help companies to further their understanding of what a big role marketing has and how they can support awareness of sustainability issues. We also hope that our essay can help to inform consumers on the issue and by that place higher demands on companies to act sustainable. Because our thesis focused on investigating Swedish companies in Shanghai, it would be interesting to continue further research on how Chinese companies approach sustainability marketing.

<p> One factor of the leadership stratagem is to account for the core values, operations, and growth of the organization. The purpose of this case study was to ascertain the financial strategies small business leaders incorporate to help ensure growth of small businesses. The conceptual framework of Schumpeter&rsquo;s innovation and entrepreneurship theory and the Grameen model were included to drive the scope and analysis of this study. A purposive sample of 8 leaders from successful small businesses in Islamabad contributed to a focus group session; 4 out of these participants originated from the finance and management department and 4 represented sales and product development departments working in 3 outlets of the firm. Transcript review and member checking were used to support the reliability of the interpretation of participants regarding what they said and meant from their responses. Moreover, company documents were reviewed to triangulate the data. Yin&rsquo;s 5-step data analysis plan was used for the final data analysis. Four major themes surfaced from data analysis: Microfinance, product quality, customer care, and strategic vision. These endorse business leader stratagem and association to their mission, financial strategy, overall business operations, and survival and growth. Product quality is vital to maintain and retain valuable customer for revenue generation. Customer care is emphasized for its importance as an ethical practice and gaining customers confidence. Strategic vision is recognized as the foremost leadership skillset to plan and organize future business strategies effectively, which impacts business growth and longevity. The outcome of this study may contribute to positive social change by enhancing understanding of the leadership strategies that impact the longevity of the business to secure jobs and benefit employees, their families, and the surrounding community.</p><p>

abstract: For some time it has been recognized amongst researchers that individual and collective change should be the goal in educating for sustainability, unfortunately education has generally been ineffective in developing pro-environmental behaviors among students. Still, many scholars and practitioners are counting on education to lead us towards sustainability but suggest that in order to do so we must transition away from current information-intensive education methods. In order to develop and test novel sustainability education techniques, this research integrates pedagogical methods with psychological knowledge to target well-established sustainable behaviors. Through integrating education, behavior change, and sustainability research, I aim to answer: How can we motivate sustainable behavioral change through education programs? More specifically: How do diverse knowledge domains (declarative, procedural, effectiveness, and social) influence sustainable behaviors, both in general as well as before and after a sustainability education program? And: What are barriers hindering education approaches to changing behaviors? In answering these questions, this research involved three distinct stages: (1) Developing a theoretical framework for educating for sustainability and transformative change; (2) Implementing a food and waste focused sustainability educational program with K-12 students and teachers while intensively assessing participants' change over the course of one year; (3) Developing and implementing an extensive survey that examines the quantitative relationships between diverse domains of knowledge and behavior among a large sample of K-12 educators. The results from the education program demonstrated that significant changes in knowledge and behaviors were achieved but social knowledge in terms of food was more resistant to change as compared to that of waste. The survey results demonstrated that K-12 educators have high levels of declarative (factual or technical) knowledge regarding anthropocentric impacts on the environment; however, declarative knowledge does not predict their participation in sustainable behaviors. Rather, procedural and social knowledge significantly influence participation in sustainable food behaviors, where as procedural, effectiveness, and social knowledge impact participation in sustainable waste behaviors. Overall, the findings from this research imply that in order to effectively educate for sustainability, we must move away from nature-centric approaches that focus on declarative knowledge and embrace different domains of knowledge (procedural, effectiveness, and social) that emphasis the social implications of change. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Sustainability 2013

abstract: Residential energy consumption accounts for 22% of the total energy use in the United States. The consumer's perception of energy usage and conservation are very inaccurate which is leading to growing number of individuals who try to seek out ways to use energy more wisely. Hence behavioral change in consumers with respect to energy use, by providing energy use feedback may be important in reducing home energy consumption. Real-time energy information feedback delivered via technology along with feedback interventions has been reported to produce up to 20 percent declines in residential energy consumption through past research and pilot studies. There are, however, large differences in the estimates of the effect of these different types of feedback on energy use. As part of the Energize Phoenix Program, (a U.S. Department of Energy funded program), a Dashboard Study was conducted by the Arizona State University to estimate the impact of real-time, home-energy displays in conjunction with other feedback interventions on the residential rate of energy consumption in Phoenix, while also creating awareness and encouragement to households to reduce energy consumption. The research evaluates the effectiveness of these feedback initiatives. In the following six months of field experiment, a selected number of low-income multi-family apartments in Phoenix, were divided in three groups of feedback interventions, where one group received residential energy use related education and information, the second group received the same education as well as was equipped with the in-home feedback device and the third was given the same education, the feedback device and added budgeting information. Results of the experiment at the end of the six months did not lend a consistent support to the results from literature and past pilot studies. The data revealed a statistically insignificant reduction in energy consumption for the experiment group overall and inconsistent results for individual households when compared to a randomly selected control sample. However, as per the participant survey results, the study proved effective to foster awareness among participating residents of their own patterns of residential electricity consumption and understanding of residential energy use related savings. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.S. Built Environment 2013

abstract: For most of our history humans have been closely tied to energy provided by the sun. Phases of light and dark initiate major biological functions within each day and regulate patterns of sleep and heightened alertness. Daylight was historically synonymous with sophisticated architecture, providing a mysterious play of light and illuminating productive tasks. It is only within the last 150 years that humans have sought to improve upon daylight, largely replacing it with artificially fueled systems. A new scientific approach to providing interior light has focused on the visible spectrum, negating the remainder of energy from our lives. This thesis considers the full spectrum of natural daylight, and its potential for improving human health, and well being. The literature review explores a brief history of solar architecture leading into the 21st century. A case study of the award winning Arabian Library in Scottsdale Arizona reveals four methods of passive daylight integration. A phenomenological ethnographic methodology assessed the impact of these four strategies on interior lighting quality, documented from the designer's perspective. As the science of photobiology continues to advance, it has become clearly evident that natural daylight provides more than mere illumination, and should be considered an essential element of the interior built environment. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.S.D. Design 2013

abstract: Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is used in the chemical process sector to compare the environmental merits of different product or process alternatives. One of the tasks that involves much time and cost in LCA studies is the specification of the exact materials and processes modeled which has limited its widespread application. To overcome this, researchers have recently created probabilistic underspecification as an LCA streamlining method, which uses a structured data classification system to enable an LCA modeler to specify materials and processes in a less precise manner. This study presents a statistical procedure to understand when streamlined LCA methods can be used, and what their impact on overall model uncertainty is. Petrochemicals and polymer product systems were chosen to examine the impacts of underspecification and mis-specification applied to LCA modeling. Ecoinvent database, extracted using GaBi software, was used for data pertaining to generic crude oil refining and polymer manufacturing modules. By assessing the variation in LCA results arising out of streamlined materials classification, the developed statistics estimate the amount of overall error incurred by underspecifying and mis-specifying material impact data in streamlined LCA. To test the impact of underspecification and mis-specification at the level of a product footprint, case studies of HDPE containers and aerosol air fresheners were conducted. Results indicate that the variation in LCA results decreases as the specificity of materials increases. For the product systems examined, results show that most of the variability in impact assessment is due to the differences in the regions from which the environmental impact datasets were collected; the lower levels of categorization of materials have relatively smaller influence on the variance. Analyses further signify that only certain environmental impact categories viz. global warming potential, freshwater eutrophication, freshwater ecotoxicity, human toxicity and terrestrial ecotoxicity are affected by geographic variations. Outcomes for the case studies point out that the error in the estimation of global warming potential increases as the specificity of a component of the product decreases. Fossil depletion impact estimates remain relatively robust to underspecification. Further, the results of LCA are much more sensitive to underspecification of materials and processes than mis-specification. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.S. Chemical Engineering 2014

<p> This study explores the use of sustainability education, in terms of the work of Prince Charles&rsquo; <i>Harmony: A New Way of Looking at Our World,</i> and the principle of oneness, at the Ashley Church of England Primary School in Walton-on-Thames, England, and its replicability within an early childhood education classroom setting in the United States. The study&rsquo;s methodology, a qualitative analysis, was conducted in two stages, consisting of individual interviews and focus groups, which provided identification of a conceptual framework present in the Ashley Church of England Primary School and the creation of a plan for implementation and replicability within an early childhood education setting in the Midwestern United States. Stage One occurred during interviews and focus groups conducted at the Ashley Church of England Primary School outside of London, England. The purpose of this stage was to identify the process in which sustainability education and the principle of oneness were implemented in a cross-curricular, school-wide manner. It was during this stage that problem-based learning was identified as the conceptual framework necessary for implementing sustainability education at the Ashley Church of England Primary School. Stage Two analyzed data collected and produced a month-long curriculum for the implementation of instruction aimed at promoting the principle of oneness in an early childhood education classroom setting. Throughout this stage, the researcher identified mindsets regarding curriculum implementation. This study ultimately identified the conceptual framework of problem-based learning at the Ashley Church of England Primary School as a method of teaching sustainability education. However, the analysis revealed only partial replicability of the implementation of the principle of oneness in an early childhood education classroom setting. This study explored the roles of socioeconomic status, affluence, teacher preparation, problem-based learning, and mindsets required for the successful implementation of sustainability education in a classroom setting. The study also suggests the need for future research regarding the use of all Harmony principles, as well as a longitudinal study on the effects of sustainability education at the Ashley Church of England Primary School.</p><p>