The STE Lab conducts ongoing environmental policy research in several key areas including the global trade and exchange of genetic resources, adoption and use of alternative fuel vehicles and voluntary environmental behavior of public and private organizations. Although funding sources vary, the most recent project on genetic resources is funded by the National Institutes of Food and Agrigulture (NIFA) at the US Department of Agriculture, and the National Institutes of Health. Faculty involved in these projects include Vern Long, Meg Haller, Elizabeth Corley, Akira Hibiki and Eric Welch.
Knowledge for Policy: Critical Research for Understanding Potential Impacts of ABS on Eight Sectors of Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture
Access to and use of genetic resources, building blocks of food and agricultural products, are critical to US agriculture. Currently, an international regime governing terms of access to and benefit sharing (ABS) from the use of genetic resources is being developed. Hence, the goal of this project is to develop a policy-relevant understanding of genetic resources access, use and benefit sharing practices of the US food and agriculture user community, with an emphasis on examining the importance of foreign sources of genetic resources to US stakeholders. We will conduct a rapid assessment of the academic and grey literatures to describe sector level access and use patterns. For the comprehensive assessment of access, use and benefit sharing practices of US stakeholders, we will do in-depth case studies of industry/research communities within each sector. Case selection will be based on a theoretical sampling approach to represent the variation across sectors on norms of access and use of genetic resources and the relevance of international access. Using surveys, a modified Delphi method, interviews and a Q-study, we will examine stakeholder genetic resources access concerns and identify benefit sharing approaches. Detailed document/literature review, trade data analyses, and surveys will be used to quantify access patterns and to understand how stakeholders are strategizing in response to an emergent international ABS regime.
For further information please see the following:
http://www.csrees.usda.gov/
http://www.nifa.usda.gov/fo/rapidresponseafrigeneticresourcemovementanduseinusfoodagriculture.cfm
This study explores environmental practices of public sewage and wastewater treatment facilities, particularly related to their management of biosolids products, especially as they relate to Environmental Management Systems (EMS). Specifically it seeks to understand: (1) the predictors of voluntary EMS adoption in the public sector, and (2) the effect that EMS adoption has on environmental management practices of public sewage and wastewater treatment facilities.
Although recent legislation and policy has encouraged the use of alternative fuel vehicles in public fleets, full scale AFV adoption is still a new phenomenon. Past studies have examined select aspects of environmental impacts and purchase behavior for specific types of AFVs, a simultaneous comparison of implementation and effectiveness of different fuel types and engine technologies within a single fleet over time has not been undertaken. This project assesses the implementation and effectiveness of an ongoing mandatory AFV fleet replacement policy in DuPage County Forest Preserve (DCFP) in Illinois, which has adopted a self mandate to entirely replace its fleet with AFVs over a 10 year time span.