Electronic Green Journal

In Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency (Sackett v. EPA, 2023), the Supreme Court declared that many of the country’s remaining wetlands are not “waters of the United States,” which excludes them from protection under the federal Clean Water Act. Yet the excluded wetlands are critical for improved water quality, flood control, wildlife habitat, and other valuable functions. The Court’s decision left their protection to the individual states. Since Sackett, wetlands conservation in the United States has become a patchwork affair. Many states' wetlands, without federal protection, are at risk from agriculture and development; further loss is unsustainable. This article argues that wetlands must be protected at the federal level through a revised Clean Water Act, which will be difficult to achieve. Fortunatly, there are other ways to protect wetlands without federal support, and citizens have a few options to get involved.

This study examines sustainable practices in manufacturing Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), with particular attention to the challenges, drivers, and strategies that influence sustainable performance. A dual-method approach, combining Bibliometric Analysis and Systematic Literature Review (BASLR), provides a robust analytical foundation for understanding the current state of sustainable innovation in SMEs. The findings highlight key barriers, including limited eco-innovation, inadequate infrastructure, and sluggish digital transformation. Overcome these obstacles, the study underscores the importance of adopting sustainable practices such as promoting high-quality innovation, fostering entrepreneurial competencies, advancing digital transformation, and developing green capabilities. Based on these insights, a conceptual model is proposed to guide Indian SMEs in achieving sustainable performance across environmental, economic, and social dimensions through sustainable innovation practices.

This study explores solo librarians' perceptions of their role in sustainability and assesses their opinions, familiarity, and interest concerning the topic. It also examines their attitudes toward promoting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and evaluates professional perspectives on the level of management support for such initiatives, identifying factors that influence engagement and collaboration. Data was gathered from 180 solo librarians across Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka. The findings show librarians recognize their crucial function in advancing sustainability through inclusivity, lifelong learning, and open access. Those with higher qualifications and experience were significantly more active. While most solo librarians do promote sustainability activities, the research highlights a pressing need: varied management support and reliance on non-professional staff undercut their efforts. However, varied support from management and frequent reliance on non-professional staff highlight the need for greater institutional support and formal recognition to encourage librarians to undertake sustainability-related initiatives.

The evolving field of Library and Information Science (LIS) is undergoing a profound transformation as it navigates the complexity of the 21st century, fundamentally reshaping how information is accessed, managed, and delivered. This study explores the evolving paradigms of library services driven by the advent of digital technologies, the rise of immersive virtual environments, and an increasing emphasis on sustainability. It employs an exploratory literature review to investigate the integration of digital, virtual, and green libraries, encompassing their key components. As libraries stand at a pivotal crossroads, there is a pressing need for a comprehensive examination of these interconnected elements. By analyzing the synergies and potential overlaps between digital, virtual, and green library approaches, the study aims to provide valuable insight for librarians, administrates, and policymakers, ultimately fostering a more sustainable and user-centric library environment fulfilling the evolving needs of communities in the digital age. 

Institutional repositories (IRs) play a vital role in enhancing the visibility of a university’s intellectual and research output while also promoting more sustainable scholarly communication. This study examines the status of research visibility at Noakhali Science and Technology University (NSTU), Bangladesh, and evaluates the potential of an IR to improve the university’s global ranking. Using a mixed-method approach, data were collected through surveys of departmental offices (documenting 5,472 preserved student research reports) and interviews with the university librarian. Comparative insights were also drawn from five leading universities with established IRs, alongside faculty research output data retrieved from Scopus. Results show that although an IR can substantially increase research visibility, NSTU stays in the planning phase of implementation. The findings underscore the strategic importance of developing comprehensive IR to combine research output, expand accessibility, and strengthen institutional ranking.

Climate change is a global crisis that disproportionately impacts vulnerable regions such as the Caribbean and Africa, which contribute minimally to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions yet endure significant climate related damages. This study examines the structural inequalities driving these disparities and advances a climate justice framework centered on reparations through innovative finance mechanisms, including the proposed Global Climate Reparations Fund (GCRF). It highlights the scientific consensus on anthropogenic climate change and the severe consequences for affected regions, including rising sea levels, intensified hurricanes, and prolonged droughts. Strategies for mobilizing resources for mitigation, adaptation, and compensation are analyzed through the lens of international legal principles and climate finance policies. The study underscores the importance of equitable distribution of climate finance to address both historical emissions and current vulnerabilities. It further advocates for enhanced international cooperation and the creation of a Caribbean-African Alliance to strengthen advocacy for climate justice, while offering recommendations to reinforce climate finance mechanisms that support sustainable development and long term resilience.

This edited book consists of seven chapters, which are written from diverse perspectives and provide a comprehensive conceptual, historical, theoretical, and empirical case analysis on the global climate crisis, and suggest how to establish environmental justice and climate equity around the globe. 

On the Swamp presents a comprehensive application of Indigenous Environmental Theory in the case study of North Carolina’s Coastal Plain, with a focus on Robeson County and the Lumbee River.