All the King’s Horses, All the King’s Elephants: The Fates of Royal Animals in Nepal’s Post-Monarchy Period

In May of 2008, Nepal’s 240-year-old monarchy was legally dissolved. In the wake of this dissolution, the new interim government sought to replace royal institutions, procedures, and ceremonies with new, parallel processes. One unexpected royal legacy that politicians needed to resolve was that of the former royal animals that had been connected to the position of the King. The king of Nepal and palace institutions had been responsible for the welfare of a range of animals: private royal horses, a palace dairy herd, elephants in Chitwan, and an aviary of pheasants. Many of Nepal’s ex-royal animals have survived for years after the monarchy’s collapse, and many of them were left vulnerable, with no one clearly responsible for or dedicated to them in the new political context. The peculiar and marginalized fates of Nepal’s ex-royal animals highlight the profound institutional complexity the monarchy once entailed, and the far-reaching consequences of its dissolution. They also reveal the grudging and complex ways that parliamentary politicians and bureaucrats have handled some of the more inconvenient legacies of the institution they eliminated

Economic Revitalization in the Lower Anthracite Coal Region

Conference materials distributed at the Economic Revitalization in the Lower Anthracite Coal Region convening event organized in collaboration with Bucknell University, Bloomsburg University, Susquehanna University, Greater Susquehanna Valley Chamber of Commerce, Anthracite Region for Progress, Mother Maria Kaupas Center, Shamokin Area Businesses for Economic Revitalization, and the City of Shamokin. The convening focused on collaborative opportunities across the communities of Shamokin, Coal Township, Mount Carmel, and Kulpmon. Event materials include an eight page booklet with speaker biographies, descriptions of event partners, and descriptions of sponsors. Supplementary materials include a welcome letter and the electronic version of a printable flier. Convening committee included Chris Berleth of the Greater Susquehanna Valley Chamber of Commerce, Kathy Jeremiah of the Franciscan Center, Jacob Betz of the Mother Maria Kaupas Center, Heather Feldhaus of Bloomsburg, Sarah Farbo of Susquehanna University, and chair Shaunna Barnhart of Bucknell University. Recorded videos from the event are available on session records for the event

The Pennsylvania Environmental Resource Consortium: A State-Wide Collaborative Network for Sustainable, Outreach, Education, and Action

This paper explores the organizational theory, programs, and concomitant challenges faced by a state-level higher education consortium for sustainability in the United States, the Pennsylvania Environmental Resource Consortium (PERC). We provide insights for other institutions of higher education that may want to form consortia or consider changes to existing consortia. PERC members collaborate to advance sustainability on member campuses, in local communities, and across the Commonwealth. PERC envisions thriving, just communities on a healthy planet, and seeks to inspire higher education communities throughout the Commonwealth to lead transformational sustainability efforts through example, expertise, and collaboration. This chapter provides a brief theoretical background in PERC as a collaborative. It shares history and context for PERC’s mission and activities as well as an overview of its programs. It includes reflections on challenges to collaboration and coordination, including from COVID-19, changing digital technology, disparities among PERC institutions, accelerating sustainability challenges in the Anthropocene, anti-intellectualism and hyperpartisanship in the Commonwealth and the United States, and PERC’s own staffing, volunteerism, participation, and funding challenges. The chapter closes by revisiting the organization’s 2021–2025 Strategic Plan as an invitation to consider how cooperation, coordination, and collaboration among higher education institutions can positively impact sustainability across sectors

Re-envisioning Waste

Shaunna Barnhart, director of the Place Studies program with the Bucknell Center for Sustainability and the Environment, discussed why some households in Nepal and the United States have changed their energy strategies to utilize small scale biogas for domestic energy use. Bucknell 360º is a learning event series sponsored by The Center for Alumni and Family Engagement. Events are open and upcoming events are available online at Bucknell 360º

Exploring Expansion of Biogas Energy Production on Homesteads, Small-Scale, and Large-Scale Farms

This project analyzes how the perception and implementation of biogas differs across large-scale farms, small-scale farms, and homesteading operations. Its end goal is to better understand the economic feasibility and practicality of biogas at different scales with the hope of establishing a more solid foundation for the sustainability community to operate on and more widespread use of biogas. Both a survey and in-person interviews were conducted during this research. The results of both indicate that existing literature does not accurately represent the state of biogas in Pennsylvania. While public perception and existing studies indicate that biogas is most effective on large-scale farms, this study finds that biogas on a micro scale is overall more affordable, accessible, and easy to maintain. Poster originally presented at the Susquehanna Valley Undergraduate Research Symposium on Wednesday, July 16, 2023. Funded by the William Corrington Renewable Energy Fund and Center for Sustainability & the Environment. For full report, see: https://digitalcommons.bucknell.edu/student-project-reports/14/.https://digitalcommons.bucknell.edu/student-posters/1005/thumbnail.jp