http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification 720 https://escholarship.org/uc/rgpo_cai/rss Recent eScholarship items from Climate Action Initiative Wed, 26 Aug 2026 05:11:20 +0000 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/69j389hv The following report chronicles the professional project completed in partial fulfillment for the degree of Master of Science in Environmental Sciences and Management at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. This professional project spanned fifteen months and was conducted with the support of the Sustainable Land Initiative under the supervision of Professor Nicholas Babin. Two educational workshops resulted from the endeavor, thus contributing to the Central Coast’s agriculture community through increased knowledge access and professional networks. Additionally, a two-year road map was developed for future Sustainable Land Initiative events. This plan was intended to be used as a reference point as the organization continues to develop and uplift regenerative farming practices within the region. This report provides the context of the development of the workshops through a literature review, whereas the future outreach plan was informed by survey results... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/69j389hv Sun, 12 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Knight, Audrey https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5mg3f214 The United States agriculture sector needs to adapt to and mitigate its contributions to climate change, especially with adverse impacts such as intense and frequent drought, flooding, wildfire, and extreme heat that affect crop yields, livestock health, farm infrastructure, and farmer incomes. Recently, federal and state governments have introduced new ‘climate-smart agriculture’ (CSA) policies and programs to help farmers mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from farming operations. However, farmers face persistent barriers to accessing government resources, which necessitates an understanding of power dynamics among CSA program actors and existing institutions and structures in the agricultural sector. I used the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) CSA incentive programs to investigate these dynamics. I examined how farmer access to CSA programs and the broader program goal of GHG mitigation are enabled or constrained by program actors involved in program... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5mg3f214 Sun, 12 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Radulski, Brennan Grace https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8x05c26s Between 1995 and 2014, California wine production increased by 79%. While the industry has made significant efforts to improve environmental performance, existing data on water consumption and $CO_2$ emissions often rely on studies from foreign regions, which may not accurately reflect California's specific production schemes. Because environmental profiles vary widely based on life-cycle factors, this study utilizes Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) to assess the impact of red wine produced on the Central Coast of California under various production scenarios.The cradle-to-gate analysis examined variables including bottle weight reduction, transportation distances, and varying ratios of machine versus hand-harvesting. Results revealed that the bottling process contributes the most significant environmental impacts, accounting for 82.6% of total global warming potential (GWP) and 65.4% of eutrophication potential. Furthermore, transportation and bottle weight are critical factors, contributing... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8x05c26s Thu, 9 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Chiu, Yiwen Sanft, Ashley Peterson, Jean Dodson https://escholarship.org/uc/item/810664nm The hop industry is culturally and economically significant in the United States due to its central role in beer production, yet its environmental impacts remain understudied. To address this gap, this study conducts a cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment (LCA) of aroma hop production, beginning with seedling propagation via tissue culture and ending with packaged hop pellets ready for shipment. Results show that producing 1 kg of aroma hop pellets generates 5.19 kg CO₂-equivalent (kgCO₂e) of potential global warming impact (GWP) and eutrophication (EP) of 15.61 g N-equivalent (gNeq). Farm cultivation represents the largest contributor, accounting for nearly 60% of GWP and over 63% of EP. Scenario analysis indicates that shifting irrigation methods can reduce EP by 17–34% and GWP by 11–20% relative to the baseline. Air drying of hops can further reduce GWP by 24%, while complete reliance on solar energy decreases EP and GWP by 13% and 5%, respectively. The substantial contribution... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/810664nm Thu, 9 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Bristol, Carson Bowen, Luke Chiu, Yiwen https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4ng6d87w This paper investigates the persistence of agricultural practices funded by the California Department of Food and Agriculture's Office of Environmental Farming and Innovation (CDFA OEFI). The central inquiry revolves around determining the most effective behavior model for analyzing persistence, comparing the Reasoned Action Approach (RAA), Comprehensive Action Determination Model (CADM), and CADM augmented with structural variables. The study's methodology integrates literature review, analysis of OEFI-funded practices, and statistical modeling to assess persistence levels. Contrary to existing literature, our findings reveal significantly higher levels of persistence than anticipated. Moreover, through model comparison, CADM augmented with political economic variables emerges as the superior model for analyzing and predicting persistence in agricultural practices funded by CDFA OEFI. These results contribute to a deeper understanding of behavioral determinants in sustainable agricultural... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4ng6d87w Thu, 9 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Tan, Jet Jian-Hui https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1x9208qr This is a case study of City Farm SLO. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1x9208qr Thu, 9 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Tunnell, Carver https://escholarship.org/uc/item/97p1008b Wildland and wildland-urban interface (W/WUI) fires are increasing in frequency and intensity, increasing concerns about firefighters' exposure to hazardous smoke and the need for respiratory protection. This qualitative study explored the perspectives of California fire service personnel on the use of respiratory protective devices (RPDs), particularly powered air-purifying respirators, and a potential Cal/OSHA regulation mandating their use in W/WUI firefighting. Participants were experienced in W/WUI firefighting and had some role in their fire department related to respiratory protection or other aspect of firefighter safety. While all participants recognized the health risks associated with smoke exposure, including cancer and acute respiratory symptoms, and that RPDs would reduce their exposures, participants had concerns that RPDs would negatively affect fatigue, comfort, communication, mobility, and situational awareness. Some concerns specifically relate to the design... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/97p1008b Thu, 20 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Dawit, Eden Naeem, Shafaq Vinegar, Sophia Styles, Laura Jones, Rachael M https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1611-7900