University of Florida Office of Sustainability

Research Opportunity Ideas will be posted here.

It would be interesting to research the effects of outsourcing on the environment.

I suppose a lot of U.S. companies have outsourced their textile plants to countries, partly because of less stringent environmental standards. Reading about the toxic leak in Bhopal, India, I wonder if the citizens of those countries are going to have legal ground to seek retribution from these U.S. companies.

I also wonder why the U.S. and other industrialized nations haven't signed the Kyoto Protocol, when these countries (such as China) are going to house all of the plants for the world's products, it seems like they would need much more protection from industrial hazards.

A Review of Environmental, Social and Economic Concepts for Sustainable Development in Florida.

Commissioned by the Governor's Century Commission for a Sustainable Florida.

Edited by Stephen S. Mulkey, PhD
Chair, People and Land Use Strategies (PLUS) Work Group

i-conserve

The i-conserve website is an online resource dedicated to providing information to improving energy efficiency in the home and small business sector. This resource will inform users how to save money and protect the environment through the use of energy efficient products, services, and practices.

Toward Sustainable Campus Communities
EVALUATING ALTERNATIVE DEVELOPMENT SCENARIOS

This study identifies and attempts to address three common shortcomings of today's campus sustainability initiatives: difficulties in measuring social and economic factors; a lack of consideration for integrative issues such as land use; and a generally reactive approach to proposed development. To engage these concerns, we develop a model for predicting the relative sustainability of different campus land use configurations.

You can find the REPORT here and as an attachment.