2013 ENVR 401 Project Sign-Up

The project:

Life Out Of Plastic (L.O.O.P.) is a Peruvian social enterprise whose mission is to raise awareness about plastic pollution using market tools to fund educational campaigns (www.lifeoutofplastic.com). Founded by MSE alumna Irene Hofmeijer, the company looks, “…to do our small part in contributing to the mitigation of plastic pollution. As such, the driver behind L.O.O.P.’s business model is not solely profit. Instead, L.O.O.P.’s business model looks to protect the environment…. L.O.O.P. also looks to generate important social benefits” (http://www.lifeoutofplastic.com/?p=759&lang=en).

While providing a number of services and products, L.O.O.P. maintains a particular interest in single-use plastic bags, which are one of the leading sources of plastic pollution. The company is moving towards a campaign to reduce the use of these bags, directed at both the private and public sectors. Well positioned to engage state-level and private supermarket interests at this time, L.O.O.P. is in need of thorough research to ground these efforts. This research project is intended to help provide important tools to be employed in such a campaign.

Questions to be explored by this research include:
• What is the current state of knowledge regarding campaigns to reduce single-use plastic bags around the world;
• What specific mechanisms have been put in place in other countries or cities and what their effects (e.g. bans, taxes);
• What is the role of Industry in such campaigns?

The final output of this research will be a document that provides L.O.O.P. with tools and data for their campaign, blog and Facebook extensions. This project will offer a multi-level analysis, and take a case study approach, drawing from both national and municipal examples. The final report will synthesize its investigation and identify priorities and constraints facing the reduction of single-use plastic bags for Lima and Peru in particular. The project will also provide a “road map” for the L.O.O.P. campaign, by identifying key next steps and by offering suggestions for their implementation.

Knowledge of Spanish is an asset.

Project: The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) was inspired by the world community's growing commitment to sustainable development. Emerging from working groups first convened by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) the CBD is an international legally binding treaty which represents a way forward for conserving biological diversity, its sustainable use, and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the use of genetic resources. The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity observes that, “biological diversity underpins ecosystems functioning and the provision of ecosystem services essential for human well-being. It provides for food-security, human health, the provision of clean air and water; it contributes to local livelihoods, and economic development, and is essential for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, including poverty reduction. In additional it is a central component of many belief systems, world views and identities” (http://www.cbd.int/doc/strategic-plan/2011-2020/Aichi-Targets-EN.pdf).

The Secretariat of the CBD is currently working on a mid-term assessment of the progress towards its Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 (https://www.cbd.int/sp/). This flexible framework is for use by all countries and other stakeholders, and consists of a shared vision, mission, and twenty clearly detailed targets that are at once ambitious and achievable. These “Aichi Biodiversity Targets” address the underlying causes of biodiversity loss; aim to reduce direct pressures on biodiversity as well as improve it by safeguarding ecosystems; and enhance the benefits to all from biodiversity and ecosystem services. Finally, the targets also aim to enhance implementation through participatory planning, knowledge management and capacity building.

The mid-term assessment underway is looking at the current status of the Aichi targets. This research project will assist the Secretariat of the CBD by identifying what actions (or incentives) are needed at different levels in order to reach the targets. This will include analyses at the national level (for example, for Canada as well as a developing world case study) as well as at a city level (for Montreal for example). The results of the mid-term assessment will be presented during the twelfth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, which will take place in Pyeongchang, Republic of Korea in October 2014.

Questions to be explored through this research project will focus on the identification of obstacles to meeting the Aichi targets, including:
• What concrete actions need to be taken in order to meet the Aichi targets in the selected case study contexts?
• What steps are required to move from current national or municipal plans to those concrete actions?

As part of the research, students will be encouraged to attend the seventeenth meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA-17) which will be held in Montreal from 14 to 18 October, 2013. (The agenda includes identifying scientific and technical needs related to the implementation of the Strategic Plan). This research project is suited to students interested in conservation science and social science. The final output of the research will include the development of a qualitative plan to enable any necessary changes. This plan, in the format of an extended research paper, will also develop potential solutions and identify what trade-offs might be involved in meeting the Aichi targets.

Project description: At the broadest level, the world is changing, largely through human actions: we have altered habitats, overused resources, and redistributed organisms, nutrients, and chemicals. These changes have resulted in large-scale physical effects (such as pollution and climate change) and biological effects (such as biodiversity loss, emerging infectious diseases, and species invasions) that have enormous societal impacts. Our activities influence the environment but are also dependent upon environmental services (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment 2005). $288 billion was directly generated from goods-producing sectors that utilized natural resources (Industry Canada publ. 2008), which are therefore important to Canada for a healthy economy and a prosperous society. Thus, a central challenge is to manage the environment and Canadian socio-economic wellbeing simultaneously.

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) is interested in examining whether there are better ways to manage the green crab (Carcinus maenas) in Atlantic Canada. The green crab has invaded the east coast of Canada, as well as other areas. Despite the connectedness between different facets of the environment, different industries and their interactions, most environmental issues, most industries, and most governmental regulations are treated in isolation. Species continue to be managed on an individual level, without consideration of their ecosystem interactions. Governmental bodies act in silos even within single institutions, even when optimization for one objective must affect other objectives. Specifically, the DFO has as part of its mandate the Fisheries Act, the Oceans Act, and the Species at Risk Act. C. maenas can affect species relevant for each of these mandates (e.g., soft-shell clams, eel grass, and the American eel, respectively), yet little coordination has occurred between these silos. At the specific level, green crab management is often viewed narrowly. More generally, it is an open question whether we can address our environmental challenges in a more integrated manner.

The students will examine the alternative ways to achieve management of C. maenas and their environmental and socio-economic challenges and ramifications. DFO is particularly interested in help understanding the broader socio-economic ramifications of management both in terms of fisheries and ecosystem services. For instance, instead of simply spending money to control green crabs, could they be used for animal feed, bait, food, etc? What are the opportunities? What are the scientific, regulatory, economic, social and political challenges associated with each, and how might they be overcome? What scientific knowledge exists on C. maenas, and how can we use it to help formulate or evaluate strategies? Is there an optimal level at which to control C. maenas? What are the ecosystem services affected by green crab? Who would pay and who would benefit, and how should management plans take these competing interests into account? The students will help inform DFO on these and other questions, and will develop a conceptual flowchart of the relevant interactions, the trade-offs between alternative goals, the data available, the uncertainties involved, and the ways forward. Additionally, there will be the opportunity for some members of the group to go on a field trip to Prince Edward Island to meet with our DFO partners and see the socio-ecosystem in Atlantic Canada.

Background:
Compared to other cities of its size, Montréal has very little green space area per citizen. Furthermore, heavily coiffed, non-native mono- or at least oligo-cultures dominate most of the green space we do have. This past May, the Plateau borough government took an important step in turning the tide against both of these deficiencies, and toward a greener, more biodiverse, more lively and livable urban landscape: they set aside "Le Champs des Possibles" (CdP) – tucked against the railroad at the north end of the Mile End – as a protected green space with a goal of promoting biodiversity. The borough designated our client, the citizens' group Les Amis du Champs des Possibles, as the steward for the CdP.

Project:
This ENVR 401 group will provide Les Amis with:
(1) Advice on which species to plant next spring and in subsequent years, in order to set in motion a semi-natural process of ecological succession that fosters local, regional, and perhaps even global biodiversity of not only plants but also animals and fungi; and
(2) A review and analysis of the scientific evidence for various ways in which a park like the CdP will benefit Montréalers, and especially children.

Sources:
Selhub, E. M. and A. C. Logan. 2012. Your Brain on Nature. Wiley. Mississauga, ON.
Tallamy, D. W. 2007. Bringing Nature Home. Timber. Portland, OR.
(http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/montreal/Mile+green+space+gets+prote...)

Background:
The mining of tar sand in Alberta has met resistance on all of the socio-ecological scales that it affects, from the local to the global. Vermont stands firmly opposed to one potential effect – the reversal of a pipeline that currently transports oil northwest across the state en route from the coast of Maine to Montréal (the Portland Montréal Pipe Line, or PMPL). If some people in the industry get their wish, it will soon pipe a different kind of oil – from the tar sands – in the other direction. From Portland, Maine it could be shipped anywhere in the world for refining. By town meeting day, March 5th, 2013, 29 out of the 30 Vermont towns that considered the issue passed motions against reversing the PMPL. And on June 17th, 2013, Governor Shumlin wrote US Secretary of State Kerry a letter opposing PMPL reversal.

Meanwhile, however, Vermont residents drive more, per capita, than folks in 41 out of 50 states in the US. Thus, a vital complement to Vermont's fight against PMPL reversal and other industrial assaults is to find superior alternatives to private automobile transportation. Vermonters will thereby reduce their demand for a world supply of oil that becomes ever smaller, and – as the tar sands epitomize – more ecologically damaging to extract.

Project:
This ENVR 401 group will provide 350VT.org with (1) an up-to-date assessment of corporate and governmental plans for transporting tar sand oil out of Canada, with a focus on the relative importance given in those plans to reversal of the PMPL; and (2) a summary of successful rural public transportation programs from around the world, with analysis of their applicability to Vermont, and quantification of their potential for reducing the state's ecological footprint.

Summer opportunity:
350VT.org is organizing an important event related to this project, to occur on Friday July 19th and Saturday July 20th: The "Tar Sands Free Kingdom Walk" from North Troy to Irasburg, Vermont. I encourage any and all students who sign up for this section of ENVR 401 to participate in this event with me. See the third source listed below for details, and to sign up for the walk.

Sources:
(http://www.governor.vermont.gov/sites/governor/files/Gov-Peter-shumlin-l...)
(http://www.vtdigger.org/2013/03/06/canadian-officials-counter-town-meeti...)
(http://world.350.org/vermont/current-campaigns/tar-sands-free-vermont)
(http://world.350.org/vermont/transportation-for-livable-communities)
(http://www.rabble.ca/print/news/2013/01/reversing-flow-quebec-says-no-ta...)
(www.rita.dot.gov/bts/sites/rita.dot.gov.bts/files/publications/state_tra...)

Project Description:Dealing with urban organic waste is a large and complex problem. Within McGill a significant contribution to the urban organic waste stream is created by the various food services that exist on the downtown campus. There are a number of players who contribute to the university’s food waste system including McGill Food and Dining Services (MFDS), the downtown Faculty Club and the Student Society of McGill University (SSMU) building food services. In 2010, following suggestions from Gorilla Composting and with funding from different levels of government, McGill began to develop an internal composting system with the purchase of an in-vessel composter Big Hannah T240. Since its installation a number of fairly clear technical problems have arisen, including: the weather has become too cold (even with a heat blanket) and the reactions slow to a near halt; it is unable to take certain raw organic materials; it is unable to take much meat or oil; the machinery breaks down every once in a while, and complaints of odours. In addition, there are serious questions about the capacity of Big Hannah and it abilities to handle the large amounts of food wastes produced by the various food system providers that currently exist within McGill.

During its three years of operation MFDS has been the biggest contributor to Big Hannah, but MFDS has found that Big Hannah is not able to handle the quantity of food waste that is generated by its four primary residence food service locations. Because of the shortfall in Big Hannah’s composting capacity, MFDS recently began to use Compost Montreal as an alternative. Through their experience with Compost Montreal and the opportunity to see what a minimum composting service would look like, MFDS has come to realize that Big Hannah does not meet the minimum requirements for a food service department and is strongly thinking of continuing to use Compost Montreal. As with all complex systems there are additional issues related to the organic waste management challenges that exist within McGill. Following the results of an internal McGill 2013 Greenhouse Gas audit of its four primary residence food service locations, it was determined that food waste—post consumer waste, in particular—was the largest contributor to MFDS’ carbon footprint. Given the above discussion and the fact that McGill should be taking a leadership role in the urban organic waste management process a number of stakeholders feel this is a good time to examine the effectiveness of the urban organic waste management system within McGill.

This research project aims to examine the food waste management system within McGill with a special focus on MFDS and its needs to be able to manage its food waste in an efficient and sustainable manner. By examining the current food waste management system and exploring various alternatives to food waste management this project hopes to develop measures that will better manage composting at McGill as a whole and MFDS food service locations in particular. It is hoped that the results of this study will help determine McGill and MFDS’ course of action and identify a set of “best practices” to increase its food waste composting potential.

Some potential questions to consider:
- What benefits can the continued existence of Big Hannah have for MFDS and other stakeholders?
- What other composting initiatives exist in North America that can be applied to MFDS and other potential food composters at McGill?
- What are the advantages & disadvantages of a centralized/ on-site composting system versus an external company-run compost management system?
- What are the financial and environmental benefits or costs of a new system?

Project:  The Gault Nature Reserve at Mont Saint-Hilaire is one of the great natural jewels of Quebec. Located 45 minutes east of Montreal, the Reserve Naturelle Gault has witnessed a rapid and continual expansion of eco-tourism: in the last 15 years, the number of annual visitors has nearly tripled from 70,000 to more than 200,000 per year. This has increased stress on visitors and the natural environment alike, and care must be taken to avoid diminishing this valuable resource.

The board of Directors of the Gault Nature Reserve recently developed an ad-hoc committee with the challenge of improving the services for visitors. How can new services be provided to visitors, and how best can they be implemented without harming the park itself?

In winter 2013, the committee reported the following goals:
● Augmenter la sensibilisation des visiteurs à l’importance et à la fragilité des milieux naturels afin de diminuer leur empreinte écologique.
● Améliorer la qualité de la visite et protéger la biodiversité en regard de la hausse de la fréquentation de la montagne.
● Harmoniser le contrôle des visiteurs de la Réserve naturelle Gault et de son périmètre pour assurer l’atteinte des objectifs de conservation.

With these goals, the board made recommendations for future studies and plans, including the improvement of service infrastructures and visitor welcome; permitting access to the Gault Nature Reserve though secondary routes; improving the trail network in the short term and for the long term; and improving the understanding among members of the state of the system.

At this important time in its history, the Gault Nature Centre could benefit greatly from a clear understanding of its user base. How should visitors be made aware of the fragility of the environment? Do users of the reserve mostly have the same goals? Should there be a different approach for occasional users vs regular users? What might the reserve look like in 10 or 20 years? In this course, students will pursue these questions, principally through surveys of the users of the Gault Nature Reserve. By analyzing these results and making recommendations at a future board meeting, students will have the chance to directly influence the future of this great resource.

Needed:
Statistical base understanding, with skills to analyze data gathered from a variety of sources
Access to transportation to reserve
Bilingual students
GIS or Google Earth is possible

Project: The focus of Food Security issues has mostly been on the availability and access dimensions. This has been operationalised by increasing yields through application of inorganic inputs and introducing welfare schemes for public distribution. In countries like India, where a welfare based approach is fast changing into a rights based approach, nutrition i.e., the utilization dimension of food security has also entered into discussion for policy framing. Apart from this, feedbacks from interventions, like enhanced usage of artificial inputs, ecosystem functioning, and challenges of public distribution services are coming into focus. However, the stability dimension remains largely out of policy discussions and practice. There is a need to manage resilience in the agro-food system, which is a dynamic social-ecological system. Capacity has to be built to strategise action when novel issues for availability, access and utilization emerge.

Earlier, Indigenous communities had traditional ways for regulating demands on ecosystem services while maintaining the diversity of the agro-ecosystems for sustaining their nutritional and dietary needs. They sold their farm products in localized markets which in most cases were governed by values of their social system. Such a local food system can be assumed to be conditioned with seasonal variations in the stocks of the ecosystem and more resilient to stresses. However, when elements of such a local food system starts to become integrated with a more dynamic and globalized political economy, the production and consumption patterns alter and the cultural values which governed the system start eroding. The proposed project, to be done in collaboration with The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) based in New Delhi, India, is a review of issues of risks and vulnerabilities to food security faced by farmers in dryland and fluvial agro-ecosystems systems in India. It will involve an in-depth analysis (via the literature review, and interaction with field workers of Indian NGOs via email) of current agricultural practices and crop production in the two ecoregions, followed by an exploration of external risks (such as changing consumption patterns, water availability, and climate change). The overall goal of this project will be to build a database of current and viable future agricultural practices that can be deployed in response to the external risks and used to mitigate them, thus building future resilience in the system.

Project: Certain riverine areas form important habitat areas for Aquatic Turtles. In 2012, Nature Action Québec in collaboration with Éco-Nature, began an observation program for Aquatic Turtles in the south river region of the Deux-Montagnes Lake. The goal of the project was to use GIS in combination with data collected by volunteers to understand the specific habitat characteristics of the Aquatic Turtles. Such models are quite common in the literature, and are developed to better understand the habitat use by a specific species. Identifying habitats helps in the development of future conservation plans. Thus, students volunteering for this project will be expected to utilize GIS and the data provided by Nature Action Quebec to extend the existing habitat model (developed thus far by Nature Action Quebec) for Aquatic Turtles. This will entail understanding current trends for such models via a literature review, and incorporating additional biophysical data available with McGill to improve the accuracy of existing model. Basic GIS knowledge (i.e., knowledge of ArcGIS or QGIS software) is desirable.