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Title: Building Community with Earth: An Ethnography of Long Lane Farm
Creator: Lam, Kelly (Kelly Lam) (Author), (Krishna Winston) (Thesis advisor)
Date: 2019-04-15
Description: Drawing from ethnographic research and my personal experience as a Long Lane farmer, I argue that Long Lane Farm represents a radical space within a capitalist institution in which farmers’ practice of anarcho-collectivism promotes a vision of a just and sustainable future. Long Lane farmers come to understand themselves as part of a human and non-human Earth Collective, through community-building with Middletown and Wesleyan, and encounters with the farm’s non-human creatures. Farmers’ sense of belonging to a collective help them deconstruct hierarchical understandings of their personal relationships with the human and non-human, and practice justice that supports the flourishing of all life forms., 2019, Old URL: https://wesscholar.wesleyan.edu/etd_hon_theses/2191, In Copyright – Non-Commercial Use Permitted (InC-NC)

Title: Emerging from Crisis: The Paris Climate Agreement and the New Development Paradigm
Creator: Hardesty, Garrett D (Garrett D Hardesty) (Author), (Gary Yohe) (Thesis advisor)
Date: 2018-04-15
Description: The overuse of fossil fuels has catapulted humanity into its third historical energy crisis: climate change. Following the protracted history of climate change policy formation, the Paris Climate Agreement?s adoption has been timely and momentous. Its arrival and universal acceptance represent the foremost milestone in climate change policy for denunciating the use of fossil fuels. As history has shown, solving the impending crisis will require an evolution in our energy reliance. The transition currently taking shape is one away from hydrocarbons and towards renewable energy, as seen through the case studies of Morocco, Chile and Bangladesh. These countries? acceptance of the Paris Climate Agreement and the Agreement?s reciprocal support provision have together yielded commitments to renewable energy adoption far more ambitious than was ever before expected or independently capable. The policy strategies, economic standings, and energy systems differ in each country, but a shared, farsighted perspective is being built from the Paris Climate Agreement?s momentum, bringing with it a new paradigm for development that decouples economic growth from fossil fuel emissions and does not compromise the longevity of the planet?s stability in the pursuit of economic prosperity., 2018, Old URL: https://wesscholar.wesleyan.edu/etd_hon_theses/1948, In Copyright – Non-Commercial Use Permitted (InC-NC)

Title: From the Mouth of the River
Creator: Oza, Janika Amit (Janika Amit Oza) (Author), (Barry Chernoff) (Thesis advisor)
Date: 2015-04-15
Description: On the Saptakoshi River in Nepal, local communities are fighting against the proposed construction of a hydropower dam that will have many consequences on their land, homes, and indigenous cultures. This thesis draws on the experiences of the people living in the villages by the river who will be affected by the high dam. Based on field research and interviews from the Koshi Basin, the thesis is a creative nonfiction account of the experiences and perspectives of the local populations that will be most directly affected by the dam. It explores the themes of displacement, loss of the sacred river and spiritual sites, and environmental degradation as the three greatest consequences of the dam to the local communities. It then explores the anti-dam resistance movement that has formed as a result of the exclusion of village residents from the project planning process. Finally, the thesis examines the larger development interests of the Koshi Basin communities and outlines alternate possibilities to the process of development that would be more inclusive and equitable and would address local needs and desires., 2015, Old URL: https://wesscholar.wesleyan.edu/etd_hon_theses/1383, In Copyright – Non-Commercial Use Permitted (InC-NC)

Title: One Size Fits None: Urban Food Insecurity and the Need for Community-Based Interventions
Creator: Fils-Aime, Allegra T. (Allegra T. Fils-Aime) (Author), (Courtney Fullilove) (Thesis advisor)
Date: 2019-04-15
Description: People in low-income and minority communities often struggle to achieve long-term access to healthy foods – a phenomenon known as food insecurity – and experience higher rates of food-related health issues as a result. While food insecurity is often tied to the geographical patterns of large food retailers (“food deserts”), there are many economic, political, and social factors that exacerbate food insecurity and that must be directly addressed. The “food desert” concept shifts attention toward spatial considerations of food access and oversimplifies the issue. Research that focuses on the significance of “food deserts” supports tax incentive programs that are not only unable to adapt to the needs of specific food environments but can also be influenced by corporate political interests. Many studies have shown that the simple addition of a supermarket to an underserved area is not enough to change the neighborhood’s prominent food behaviors or improve community health outcomes. To truly combat food insecurity, interventions must simultaneously disrupt the cycles of poverty while constantly readapting to unique communities. Neither the supply-side programs that aim to build new supermarkets nor the uniform food-distribution programs run by large organizations can be effective in evolving with the unique characteristics of urban food environments. Using observations of a real food access program support by the Children’s Aid Society and my understanding of the causes and consequences of food insecurity, I am able to distinguish the structural, financial, and social aspects that will allow a program to have positive, long-term impacts on the local food environment. This project concludes with guidelines for a food-based community revitalization program that adapts to the needs of the community in order to empower residents and address the food insecurity issue from multiple angles., 2019, Old URL: https://wesscholar.wesleyan.edu/etd_hon_theses/2220, In Copyright – Non-Commercial Use Permitted (InC-NC)

Title: Power To The People: Regenerative Design for the Just Transition to a Renewable Energy Commons
Creator: Nodiff, Joshua Gabriel (Joshua Gabriel Nodiff) (Author), (Anthony Hatch, Makaela Kingsley) (Thesis advisor)
Date: 2019-04-15
Description: Anthropogenic climate change is the most cataclysmic issue facing all life on our planet. The IPCC recently announced that 12 years remain to prevent 2.7ºC of warming in order to avert a complete climate catastrophe. It is up to my generation to mitigate this calamity, as today’s young people will inherit the brunt of extreme weather events, rising sea levels, biodiversity loss, and global temperature increases. In particular, low-income folks, indigenous people, and communities of color are disproportionately affected by climate change, as made evident by the Flint water crisis, the Dakota Access Pipeline, and the proximity of working class neighborhoods to coal-fired power plants. Furthermore, as economic inequality worsens, greenhouse gas emissions increase. The Carbon Disclosure Project reported that 100 companies are responsible for 71% of global carbon emissions. Therefore, climate change is an issue of justice, equity, and power — upheld by unremitting legacies of colonialism, white supremacy, neoliberalism, and patriarchy. Fossil fuels account for the majority of greenhouse gas emissions contributing to climate change. Therefore, we need to transition to 100% renewable energy immediately. However, we must also transform the structures of power that preside over our energy system to ensure the just transition to a democratic and cooperative energy economy. Political power, or governance, and economic power, or capital, over the renewable energy sector must be redistributed to communities impacted by climate change to establish autonomy, self-determination, and ownership. Combining theoretical analysis with field research, case studies, scientific data, and current events, this thesis proposes a solution to our climate crisis by eradicating ecological violence and fostering a renewable energy commons. This capstone comprises of an interdisciplinary project-based thesis that culminates in the launch of a startup organization called Power To The People. The written component of my thesis is separated into two parts that investigate the nexus between regenerative design, energy democracy, and social ecology. Part I explores the causes and consequences of climate violence — specifically, the role of capitalism and the state in perpetuating hierarchies of power across race, class, and gender. Part I concludes with a social, political, economic, environmental, and technological blueprint for shifting our energy system into a commons by designing infrastructure for an ‘energy internet,’ inspired by phenomena observed in the ecosphere and consciousness. Part II describes a business plan for the operations of Power To The People. The business plan is a response to the problems and proposals illustrated in Part I, outlining the organization’s strategy to mitigate climate change, dismantle ecological violence, foster energy democracy, and cultivate a renewable energy commons. At its core, the organization’s strategy is 1) to advance the movement for climate justice through the application of regenerative design, and 2) to develop community-oriented energy economies, models of social ownership, and platforms for energy democracy. Power To The People is an incubator for the renewable energy commons, and this thesis is a primer for the just transition towards a more regenerative and equitable future. As the Green New Deal rightfully gains popularity across the United States, this project aims to push conversations about energy democracy, social ownership, and the commons into popular discourse. Therefore, the proposals and analyses herein can be considered an addendum to the Green New Deal. By synthesizing interactive media, design-oriented methodologies, civic engagement, and traditional analysis into a project-based capstone, I hope this thesis can transcend the academy and inspire a comprehensive strategy and manifesto for mitigating our climate crisis. As college students, we have the radical ability to transform our communities into microcosms of the world we wish to inherit. That is the intention of this thesis., 2019, Old URL: https://wesscholar.wesleyan.edu/etd_hon_theses/2239, In Copyright – Non-Commercial Use Permitted (InC-NC)

Title: Women Who Lead: Environmental Activism and Gender Performance
Creator: Ruchman, Allison Jamie (Allison Jamie Ruchman) (Author), (Lori Gruen) (Thesis advisor)
Date: 2016-04-15
Description: This thesis explores the ways in which three key female environmental activists, Rachel Carson, Lois Gibbs, and Erin Brockovich, were able to manipulate their performances of gender, that is, alter their self-presentation of femininity, in order to contribute to the environmental movement. It considers the ways in which presentations of femininity differ according to historical contexts and societal influence. Given that women have traditionally been barred from speaking out in public spaces, I will investigate transgressions of feminine boundaries. Using gender theory as a frame, I will describe how these women were able to overcome this barrier in order to communicate their ideas and further the environmental agenda., 2016, Old URL: https://wesscholar.wesleyan.edu/etd_hon_theses/1643, In Copyright – Non-Commercial Use Permitted (InC-NC)