Pecuniary and non-pecuniary determinants of household recycling behavior

2011 Fall.Includes bibliographical references.This article examines the effects of both the pecuniary variables (such as prices) traditionally favored by economists and the non-pecuniary variables (such as attitudes and beliefs) preferred by psychologists on household recycling behavior. In order to better explore what decisions households are actually making when they recycle, three dependent variables are examined: recycling rate, waste disposal container size, and time spent recycling. The recycling rate decision is well-explained by a combination of pecuniary and non-pecuniary variables, especially price, difficulty of recycling, and perceived social pressure to recycle. Non-pecuniary variables have the least influence on the how much time respondents spent recycling, which depends primarily on household size. Calculated consumer surplus from recycling activity is $386 per year

Second Nature: An Exploration in Planning and Design for a Place- and Community-based Museum Process

Museums are and have been engaged in a paradigm shift. Much has been written about the social roles of museums and many in the field have sought to define museums, taking a position on why the museum exists, who it is for, and why it continues. Is the museum a temple or a forum? I wondered why it could not be both— and more—more inclusionary, more participatory, and more reflective of community. Could this be the museum of the future? This project explores how a museum transforms both physically and theoretically by applying an educational mission onto a hypothetical museum: Second Nature Prairie Community Museum. I used the educational approach gaining popularity in the K-12 system called place- and community-based education as the basis of the museum’s mission which directed the design and became the scaffolding for the museum plan. I created a name for the museum, the logo, and the branding. By adaptively reusing an abandoned big box structure, I designed the physical interior space of the museum employing a preliminary interior design process to schematically arrive at public and private spaces that maximized learning opportunities. Collections, exhibits, and programs were developed including the reclamation of a natural ecosystem: tallgrass prairie, the largest exhibit and teaching tool. The project is process oriented and the face of the traditional museum changed as I explored aspects of museum planning that resulted in theoretical museum design concepts and positioned Second Nature as a future direction for museums

December 2008 Agricultural and resource policy report, no. 9

December 2008.There are fifteen titles in the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (known as the 2008 Farm Bill). Our focus is the conservation title, Title II, which has seven main conservation programs: the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), the Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP), the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP), the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), the Farmland Protection Program (FPP), and the Grassland Reserve Program (GRP). All of these programs are continuations of programs from the 2002 Farm Bill or earlier

October 2008 Agricultural and resource policy report, no. 4

October 2008.Includes bibliographical references.The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) is a voluntary program whereby the U.S. Department of Agriculture provides technical and financial assistance to active farmers and ranchers to address natural resource concerns such as soil conservation, water quality and quantity, nutrient management, and fish and wildlife habitat. The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is working with these landowners to maximize the environmental benefits gained for the expenditures made in the program. Funding has expanded significantly under the 2002 Farm Bill, with the amount of annual funding authorized reaching $1.3 billion by fiscal year 2007. The EQIP has been used to implement a wide variety of practices that are considered beneficial to many species of fish and wildlife. The NRCS is also beginning to use EQIP to address the needs of declining and other at-risk fish and wildlife species. Few data are available that document fish and wildlife response to EQIP. Program implementation to date is summarized, and recent information on planning of practices with the potential to benefit fish and wildlife resources is examined

2008 Agricultural and resource policy report, no. 6

October 2008.Includes bibliographical references.The Grassland Reserve Program (GRP) is a voluntary program that assists farmers and ranchers to maintain grasslands as grazing land and prevent conversion of grassland into other uses, such as cropping or urban development. The program focuses on supporting working grazing operations, protecting grassland, and enhancing biodiversity through provision of habitat. Normal haying and grazing activities are allowed under GRP. Producers must also restore and maintain appropriate grasses, forbs, and shrubs and address resource concerns such as soil erosion. The 2002 Farm Bill established the GRP, which is administered jointly by the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Farm Service Agency, and the Forest Service

October 2008 Agricultural and resource policy report, no. 7

October 2008.Congress established the Farmland Protection Program (FPP) in the 1996 Farm Bill to limit nonagricultural uses of certain agricultural lands. The program was renamed the Farm and Ranch Land Protection Program (FRPP) for the 2002 Farm Bill, and changed back to the FPP in 2008. The objective of the Farmland Protection Program is to help farmers and ranchers keep their working agricultural land in agriculture. Producers voluntarily sell conservation easements for their land in exchange for rental payments. Purchasing organizations for the conservation easements include the USDA itself, state and governmental organizations

October 2008 Agricultural and resource policy report, no. 5

October 2008.Includes bibliographical references.The Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), formerly called The Conservation Security Program (CSP) is a voluntary program that provides financial and technical assistance to promote the conservation and improvement of soil, water, air, energy, plant and animal life, and other conservation purposes on tribal and private working lands. Working lands include cropland, grassland, prairie land, improved pasture, and rangeland, as well as forested land that is an incidental part of an agriculture operation. In the first sign-up, CSP was offered in 18 watersheds located in 22 states. In 2005, the program is available in all 50 states, the Caribbean, and the Pacific Basin. The program provides equitable access to benefits to all producers, regardless of size of operation, crops produced, or geographic location

Complete mitochondrial genome of Carijoa riisei (Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1860) (Octocorallia: Alcyonacea: Stolonifera: Clavulariidae)

We report the first complete Stolonifera mitochondrial genome. Carijoa riisei (Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1860) isolate CLP2_A03 was collected by scuba at 32 m on the USTS Texas Clipper (27° 53.7827′N, 93° 36.2702′W). The complete mitogenome has the ancestral octocoral gene order for its 14 protein-coding genes, two rRNA genes, and one tRNA gene. It is 18,714 bp (30.7% A, 15.8% C, 18.8% G, and 34.7% T). Of the Alcyonacea mitogenomes published to date, it is most genetically similar (94% uncorrected) to Sinularia ceramensis Verseveldt, 1977 (NC_044122)

A Study of Self-Esteem and Grade Point Average (GPA) Among College Students

The study examined the possible relationship between self-esteem and grade point average (GPA) held by college students. One hundred forty college students completed a survey, through the Human Subject Pool, as well as at the end of five separate classes, to determine their level of self-esteem as well as to obtain their permission to view their GPA anonymously. Results suggest that there is a positive relationship between selfesteem and grade point averag

September 2007 Economic development report, no. 21

September 2007