Year: 2023, 2023
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): Hoyt, Andrew Mitchell, Thesis advisor (ths): Bocking, Stephen, Degree committee member (dgc): Dunaway, Finis, Degree committee member (dgc): Rutherford, Stephanie, Degree committee member (dgc): Martin, Laura J, Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>Colonization has transformed the landscapes of the American Midwest and compromised the region's resources and ecologies. In response, governments, environmental scientists, and Indigenous nations have undertaken myriad efforts over the past century to restore Midwestern environments. Yet the appropriate goals and techniques for this work have been deeply contested. This thesis… more Year: 2023, 2023
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Faced with the intersecting environmental crises of the 21st century, conservation organizations are searching for practices that produce better, more sustainable outcomes. However, they have often relied on forms of conservation which shore up rather than disrupt settler relationships to land in the form of fortress conservation and assumptions about the human-nature dualism. In this… more Year: 2023, 2023
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>This study used literature from the social and ecological sciences to look at the practice of seed saving in the Global North for adaptation in the face of climate change. The hypothesis is that small-scale gardeners and farmers are adapting seeds to the changing climate as they grow them, which is not the case for growers who grow only food. However seed savers face obstacles and are… more Year: 2023, 2023
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): Hvenegaard, Carson, Thesis advisor (ths): Bocking, Stephen, Degree committee member (dgc): Hill, Stephen, Degree committee member (dgc): Rutherford, Stephanie, Degree committee member (dgc): Zohar, Asaf, Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>Local environmental initiatives can create visible and essential changes and inspire greater environmental action. Municipal governments and local environmental non-governmental organizations (ENGOs) are important local actors, but their partnerships and relationships have not received much attention. This thesis examines what activities and relationships have been developed between… more Year: 2022, 2022
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Human-wildlife interactions are inevitable and lead to decisions about wildlife. The current research investigated what demographic and psychological factors influence decisions in wildlife management. Also, a new measure, the Tolerance for Wildlife Scale, was developed. A student sample (n = 329) and a community sample (n = 213) completed measures on their nature relatedness,… more Year: 2022, 2022
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Food waste (FW) disposal has negative implications for the social, economic, and environmental sustainability of communities. While some municipalities in Canada have made improvements to their FW management, others have not been successful. Considering the complexity of the issues integrated into municipal FW management (MFWM), a mixed methodological approach was used to understand the… more Year: 2022, 2022
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>This dissertation is about Forests, their loss and the grieving that arises from their loss. The loss of ancient and old-growth forests by way of clearcutting and or anthropogenically driven disturbances, including climate change, presents the quandary of loss of both biological and cultural diversity. Following Umeek's/E. Richard Atleo's term, I suggest that "dis-ease… more Year: 2021, 2021
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>This thesis explores the perceptions of human-bear interactions in Ontario, suggesting that they have been shaped by narratives that have roots in colonial perceptions of nonhuman animals. Further, I seek to consider how these interactions could unfold differently if we rethought our relationships and responsibilities to these beings, in particular through an embrace of Indigenous-led… more Year: 2021, 2021
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): McLaughlin, Adam, Thesis advisor (ths): Holdsworth, David, Degree committee member (dgc): Hutchinson, Tom C., Degree committee member (dgc): Rutherford, Stephanie, Degree committee member (dgc): Classens, Michael, Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>This thesis re-imagines the social sustainability of civic agriculture. This entails critically examining the idea of sustainability and exposing why a tendency to undertheorize its social dimension is problematic for how we think about sustainability, and consequently for how we do sustainability. What is demonstrated is that we can overcome this tendency by adopting Stephen McKenzie… more Year: 2021, 2021
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>This research evaluates the role of GreenUP, a non-profit in Peterborough, Ontario, as the intermediary organization for NeighbourPLAN. The project examines GreenUP's role in facilitating and managing NeighbourPLAN, a participatory planning project with multiple local partners and actors. Six critical success factors are used to understand and conceptualize intermediary success (… more Year: 2021, 2021
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): Currier, Anna, Thesis advisor (ths): O'Manique, Colleen, Degree committee member (dgc): Attridge, Ian, Degree committee member (dgc): Seasons, Mark, Degree committee member (dgc): Rutherford, Stephanie, Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>Using the Official Plan as the case study, this research examines the extent to which underrepresented groups are engaged in public consultation in the planning process for the City of Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. The Official Plan, along with the tools and secondary plans and policies which reinforce it, shape how people navigate and benefit from the built environment, such as access… more Year: 2020, 2020
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>The contemporary denigration of poultry combined with the intensification of industrialized animal agriculture has deepened divides between humans and poultry, creating a disconnect that holds implications for both parties and the sustainability of North American food systems. This study explores how people with poultry keeping experience perceive these animals, how their views are… more Year: 2020, 2020
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>There are many barriers facing new, sustainably-focused, agriculturalists in Canada including access to land, capital, markets and practical training. These challenges are compounded by the flawed but powerful figure of the industrial agriculture model, a rapidly aging farmer population, changing demographics, and subsequent loss of valuable, place-based agricultural knowledge. This… more Year: 2019, 2019
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Blocking fossil fuel infrastructure projects like pipelines is increasingly being seen as a legitimate way for civil society groups to reduce global carbon emissions. This research project is an exploratory case study of the Trans Mountain pipeline in British Columbia and its opposition. My research question asks, 'What has each tactic/strategy of opposition in the campaign to stop… more Year: 2019, 2019
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>This qualitative study examines the applicability, impact, best practices, sustainability and livestock welfare implications of mobile processing service operation in central Ontario. Grounded theory concepts were utilized to analyze data generated from semi-structured interviews and a community focus group, supplemented by an initial exploratory literature review, and focused review… more Year: 2016, 2016
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Since British colonization of North America and the beginning of Anglo-speaking Euro-Canada and the United States, myth-making or representations of the forests have witnessed degradation and loss of old-growth forest ecosystems or intact sylvan landscapes. Canadian and American versions of the story of the North American Forests shared the same trajectory: forests as 'wasted-land… more Year: 2016, 2016
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>The North American conservation movement and modern conservation model was created in part because of the exploitative commercial hunting industry that caused the collapse of species such as the bison and auk in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These historical actions continue to shape views today and the public perception of hunting can often be negative. This thesis engaged… more Year: 2016, 2016
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>This thesis project explores landowner experiences of wind energy development through an inductive qualitative case study in Huron County, Ontario. The research included in-depth interviews with landowners focused on landscape and community change, participant observation of Environmental Review Tribunals (ERT), the gathering of participant photos, as well as relevant government and… more Year: 2015, 2015
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>In my Master's thesis, I consider how the space of the animal laboratory shapes human-animal relationships, and how, in turn, these relations impact the laboratory, and more specifically, the spatially-bound practices that unfold in this space. I use the frameworks of biopolitics and animal geography, both of which help in illuminating the space of the lab as a site of power, within… more Year: 2015, 2015
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Conservation organizations use strategic prioritization methods to order complex environments, evaluate landscapes, and distribute efficiently resources for conservation. This study explores how strategic prioritization decisions are made, drawing on a case study of the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC). This thesis identifies the factors affecting prioritization and their influence on… more Year: 2015, 2015
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>This thesis critically analyses the connection between ideology and nature, and in particular, aims to reflect on the dominant discourses on the topic of ecological crisis. The ecological thought framework that I adhere to rests on a combination of Frankfurt School and Žižekian theories. This combination is not without serious tensions and deviations; however, central to this project are… more
