O’Brien, William

This thesis explores the concept of precarity in relation to sustainability efforts within the United States through a comparison of victory gardens during World War II and the contemporary garden movement in the twenty-first century. Victory gardens were used as a means to promote civilian action in war efforts to supplement food rationing and contemporary gardening has encouraged the average homeowner to grow backyard gardens in the name of sustainability. Both demonstrate how the marketing strategies during perceived crises have utilized precarity rather than progress to propel action among the common man. While some tactics employed then still remain useful now, others have lost relevance since then. I will compare and contrast how persuasive speech and marketing have changed to suit the target audience of those marketing sustainability goals, focusing on the influence of optimism as a driving motivator during both time periods.

Milkweeds (genus Asclepias) are the host plants for caterpillar stages of milkweed butterflies (subfamily Danianae), notably the monarch butterfly, Danaius plexippus (Linnaeus). Loss of suitable habitat and host plants threaten monarch populations. For my thesis research, I examined artificial propagation of milkweed plants, specifically the effects of three different soil substrates and exposure to hormone powder on the survival rates of cuttings from two milkweed species, A. tuberosa rolfsii and A. curassavica. Fifty-four cuttings of each species were transplanted to substrates of a mixture of peat moss and perlite, only peat moss, and potting soil. Half of each of the groups of cuttings were exposed to rooting hormone powder. A binomial logistic regression model was developed to determine the significance of each of the independent variables in the likelihood of survival of any individual cutting. The model specified had an 84.3% accuracy in correctly predicting the survival of the cuttings. This experiment may offer insights on the best environment for the propagation of native species of milkweed, which could be beneficial in the development of more native habitats for monarch butterflies in Florida.

With Fidel Castro’s takeover of the Cuban government in 1959, Cuba’s relationship with the United States deteriorated significantly. Since 1962, the United States has maintained a comprehensive trade embargo on the communist Caribbean state, despite criticism from the international community, including the closest partners of the only remaining superpower. As the most frequent imposer of economic sanctions, the United States has employed this coercive measure unilaterally on the Cuban government, ignoring calls from allies and adversaries alike to end the embargo. This thesis investigates the role that world structure has on support for the U.S. embargo against Cuba, and what implications this has on the future role the United States will play on the international stage as the world shifts to a multipolar world structure.

The COVID-19 outbreak forced institutions around the world to integrate remote work into their business operations for the purpose of maintaining continuity throughout the pandemic. During the pandemic, rapid enhancements were made in virtual technologies that facilitated the practice of using them for work-related tasks, which has caused speculation as to whether these resources will remain useful in a post-pandemic workforce. Numerous academic and institutional studies suggest that the evolution of remote work will inspire significant changes in workplace activity, and will be adopted within workplaces to some degree. This thesis considers the data produced in previous reports, and conducts a case study on the City of Fort Lauderdale to better understand how remote work will impact the demand for office property in a post-pandemic world. Additionally, this thesis provides researchers with a starting point for re -evaluating the need for offices in consideration of the changing market for office space.

This project will assess and define a connection between Florida’s native animal populations and their significance to the environment and the cultures of Florida’s Indigenous Peoples. The main Florida indigenous groups referenced are the Muscogee (Creek) and The Seminole Tribe of Florida. The main points of focus are animal symbology, relationships between native animals and group social structure, kinship relationships, and hunting practices. I also consider the adaptation of these practices as cultural diffusion and assimilation occurred between the indigenous groups and early non-indigenous settlers. I include an in-depth discussion about several animals around which the Muscogee Creek created their clans, connecting to creation stories, social structure, and ancestry. The sacred relationships between native animals and peoples goes widely unnoticed by the present-day occupants of Florida; therefore, educating the public on these connections can help them better understand the importance of wildlife preservation and conservation in the state.

The legal egg harvesting of olive ridley marine turtles in Ostional, Costa Rica, has warranted much attention in the United States. Despite the evident ecological sustainability of the project and positive economic and social benefits for local residents in Ostional, observers in the U.S. have expressed criticism of this community-based conservation program. Such critics often express a preference for a "hands off' approach to turtle eggs as key to species' survival. This study assesses this geographic contrast in perception between two key factions in environmental thought--conservationism and preservationism--as they apply to such biodiversity conservation efforts. These points of view result in varying policies in different parts of the world, shaped by economic and cultural circumstances: Ostional's residents prioritize economic growth while Palm Beach County, Florida, highly values marine turtles. Depending on the socioeconomic context, different conservation approaches will be considered appropriate in different places.

Many political theorists accept that focusing events effect the cycle of environmental policy change without agreeing on the specifics of how events impact the construction of legislation. Pessimistic theories (consisting of Down’s “Issue Attention Cycle” and
Freudenburg’s “Atrophy of Vigilance”) and optimistic theories (including the
“Punctuated Equilibrium Model” and Busenberg’s “Evolution of Vigilance Model”) offer
opposing views of policy creation. As focusing events, the Exxon Valdez and Deepwater
Horizon oil spills together serve as effective cases for assessing and comparing the
validity of pessimistic and optimistic policy change models. The analysis of each set of
theories adds to the understanding of the construction of environmental and oil spill
policy in the United States. These two major incidents, in Prince William Sound and in
the Gulf of Mexico, when linked provide a long-term, multi-event continuum that more
closely mirrors optimistic crisis-motivated policy change theories.

Scientists agree that human activity, particularly the burning of fossil fuels to produce energy, is a major contributor to climate change. Recent global efforts to curb climate change involve the investment in carbon-cutting renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar. Despite being known as “the Sunshine State,” only 0.26% of Florida’s energy production came from solar sources in 2016. Florida ranks third in the U.S. for rooftop solar potential but only twelfth in the cumulative amount of solar capacity installed. Distributed generation (DG) solar refers to electricity generated near the point-of-use via photovoltaic (PV) solar panels, which includes rooftop solar. Distributed solar remains a controversial topic in Florida. This study attempts to identify the political barriers to distributed generation solar in Florida and examines the connection between political ideology and the success rate of renewable energy legislation in Florida.

What are the features of environmentally sustainable student housing? How might
these features be reflected in the design of a new residence hall on FAU’s Jupiter
Campus? As enrollment in the Wilkes Honors College expands, the necessity for more
housing also grows. This new need brings the opportunity to construct a residence hall
according to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards,
focusing on reducing environmental harm caused by new infrastructure. Toward this end,
I investigate best practices of sustainable residence hall design, considering features of
existing LEED buildings on the Boca Raton campus and those at other colleges and
universities nationwide. I compile a comprehensive list of design features that have been
implemented as well as a list of the types of materials and practices that should be
considered in designing the future Honors College residence hall and consider additional
sustainable practices to incorporate on the Jupiter Campus.

China and the United States are respectively the largest emitters of carbon dioxide in the world. The human production of carbon dioxide along with other greenhouse gases, mainly associated with the burning of fossil fuels, has led to an increase in the average global surface temperature. To combat climate change, both the United States and China entered the Paris Agreement in late 2015 and made commitments aimed at reducing their greenhouse gas emissions. While the United States is working towards reducing emissions per capita, China’s current goal is to peak emissions with all best efforts by the year 2030. Pre-existing policies in both countries suggest that they should be able to reach their goals, but China’s rising emissions per capita will likely eclipse the levels in Europe and possibly reach the same very high level as the United States.