In addition to having massive environmental and public health impacts, the livestock sector of the farming industry raises important ethical questions about the humane treatment of workers and animals. One response to the industrialized animal food system has been a push to eat ethically sourced meat from family farms. In theory, this allows the consumer to trace back their food to the source, interact with the people handling their food, and support a more humane treatment of animals. Eating locally sourced meat is a part of the larger “local food movement”, or campaign to eat foods from within 400 miles. However, there has been backlash against the local food movement, with critics arguing that the movement itself has its own set of problems. This study aimed to achieve two goals. First, I critically examined the local meat movement to determine whether or not I believed “local” food was a viable solution to the problems that exist within industrial agriculture. Second, I aimed to raise public awareness about family-farmed meat and the broader local food movement. To accomplish this task, I conducted interviews and reviewed the current literature about food issues. I interviewed chefs from local restaurants that serve family-farmed meat to gain a better understanding of their motivations. I also read primary literature, magazine articles, newspaper articles, and books related to the local food movement. I concluded that the local food movement, in addition to “local meat”, offers many benefits that industrial agriculture does not. However, as pointed out by many critics, the movement does not fully address the wide array of environmental, economic, and ethical concerns within the agriculture industry. To summarize my conclusions and raise awareness about the subject, I created a booklet about local food. The problems in the food industry will not be solved overnight and the first step is to generate an educated public that is willing to make necessary changes.

The world faces mounting environmental problems and environmentally-minded citizens are necessary to help find solutions. Education is a critical component in shaping future citizens who think globally and act locally. However, the current system of education often disconnects concepts and ideas from geographic locations. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of place-based lesson plans on student learning, and to explore whether or not place-based examples help to stimulate environmental stewardship and engagement in school and local issues. To this end, I conducted qualitative interviews with local high school science teachers and performed a meta-analysis of current literature about place-based education and methods for environmental education. In addition to this research, I developed several place-based biology lesson plans for Alaskan high schools. The results thus far support the idea that place-based examples are effective tools for teaching science, and do in fact help facilitate student engagement in the classroom. Through the process of creating the lesson plans, I found that a real life example contextualized the lessons and gave them greater meaning. The use of place-based examples within science education has the potential to stimulate a connection between students and local environments. It is essential that today’s students, as future citizens and decision makers, have an established connection with the environment to prepare them for creating positive change in the world.

The U.S. food system has been de-localized from decades of industrialization and globalization. There have been many environmental and social repercussions, including loss of farmland, devaluing of farmers, loss of food sovereignty, and a consumer disconnect. How can we support a strong local food economy and shorten the distance from farm to table? Organizations and agencies play a key role in facilitating the increasingly popular local food movement in the Puget Sound region. The purpose of this project was to analyze the capacity and affinity of each group, and investigate how a communication network could lead to greater success. My internship with American Farmland Trust researched these groups and organized them based on focal area. This served as a preliminary effort to map the overarching shared goals of the movement. Supplemental research was conducted through an extensive review of published literature and interviews. The results suggest that defining the “center” of the movement through a formal communication network and regional planning will increase overall success. Additionally, there are severe gaps in the local food supply chain and excessive emphasis in other areas that could be reallocated to better serve the broader community. A local food system with strong coverage from farm to table is imperative for the future of sustainability and food security in the region, and similar efforts elsewhere could serve to strengthen food systems nationwide.

The Western honey bee (Apis mellifera) is the principal pollinator for commercial agriculture and is estimated to provide over $200 billion in pollination services worldwide per year. In 2006, observations of widespread honey bee colony collapses initiated research on the cause or causes of their decline. Since then, pesticides, such as neonicotinoids (a class of newly popular agricultural pesticides), have received attention as a possible leading component in colony collapse disorder (CCD). However, regulations and research on neonicotinoids have been inconsistent in the United States (US) and the European Union (EU). The aim of this study was to compare registration and labeling standards for pesticides, and to review recent regulations to prevent bee declines in the US and the EU. I researched US pesticide regulations in chapter 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations and EU pesticide regulations published in the Official Journal of the European Union. I also compared published CCD research in the US and the EU in order to find correlations between pesticide regulations and instances of CCD. From my research I found that CCD is a complex issue with multiple compounding causes; neonicotinoids appear to be only one of the factors involved in colony collapse. I also found that some of the major differences in pesticide regulations are caused by the speed and extent of invoking the Precautionary Principle, which would support limiting the use of a pesticide with unknown effects; the EU tends to use the Precautionary Principle more often and implements it earlier. This research is important because the success of honey bee colonies has a large effect on worldwide agriculture and economics. By evaluating different approaches to CCD in the US and the EU, I have found certain regulations and farming methods that appear to have an effect on the number of cases of CCD.

Bats are a critical component of ecosystem function. For this reason it is important to acquire information about bat abundance, species composition, and activity of bats around Seattle City Light property. The study sites are two sloughs located near the Skagit River: Harrison Slough and Barnaby Slough. This research is in preparation for a habitat restoration project on Barnaby Slough geared towards salmon. Seattle City Light is interested in acquiring baseline habitat information to determine the impact of the restoration project on bats. My work in analyzes bat echolocation calls using sonograms to estimate species presence, and understand their daily and seasonal activity patterns. Preliminary analysis shows that I detected nine species of bats. Myotis lucifigus was most commonly detected (>3000), followed by Myotis yumanensis (>2000). Lasionycteris noctivagans and Myotis californicus were also detected at high (>500) rates. Other species detected were Eptesicus fuscus, Lasiurus cinereus, Myotis evotis, Myotis thysanodes, and Myotis volans. Bat activity was highest between mid April and mid May. However, unlike other species, Myotis lucifugus activity continued at a high rate into June. These data will provide a baseline for the effects of future salmon habitat restoration efforts on bat activity.