Each year, as much as 40 percent of food produced in the United States is wasted by producers or consumers. When food waste is sent to landfills, it competes for limited space and generates the greenhouse gas methane. Globally, food loss and waste represent 8 percent of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. Restaurants are known to be a contributor to food waste, both in the kitchen and from consumers. The purpose of this research is to examine food recovery efforts of restaurants in Fort Worth. We sent a survey to 371 restaurants in Fort Worth asking about their food waste management practices. The survey was designed to document restaurants’ current food waste practices, interest in food donation and composting programs, and business characteristics. We analyzed the responses through descriptive statistics and other statistical methods to evaluate how practices varied by business demographics and type of establishment. From this survey, we discovered local barriers to food recovery and from these, we suggest forms of outreach or programming that would help restaurants to reduce food waste. We also used responses to identify and map ideal food waste drop-off locations for restaurants that the city could use to plan recovery efforts.

Urban forests are a common way to integrate nature into heavily populated areas. Urban forests provide a range of benefits to urban communities. Trees provide economic, social, and cultural benefits. For instance, trees provide opportunities for individuals to engage with the environment, reduce stress, and increase property values. Trees also contribute to ecosystem services as well by filtering air pollution, providing habitat for wildlife, and mitigating storm water runoff. The purpose of this research is to assess the biodiversity and the climate resiliency of trees in an urban forest in Arlington, Texas that was part of a program for environmental mitigation of a flood plain. To assess the biodiversity and climate resiliency of the area’s trees, we collected the following data: tree diameter measured at 4.5 feet above the ground (DBH), GPS coordinates of trees, species, and tree condition. We analyzed the data using the Simpson’s Biodiversity Index and the Shannon Diversity Index values to assess the biodiversity of present tree species and identify their climate resiliency. We compared these results to two Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) to understand the potential impact of climate change on the urban forest. Finally, we offer suggestions to increase the resiliency of this urban forest and the potential for incorporating these findings in future urban forest management plans.

At the Water and Society Lab at TCU, we are studying the presence of Escherichia coli (E. coli). The Village Creek tributary of the Trinity River is the subject of this testing, and it is one of the many water bodies monitored by the US Geological Service. Using information provided by the monitoring location alongside the data gathered from our research, we can assess and monitor the concentration of E. coli in the Village Creek.

Through weekly sample collection and analysis, we can determine the prevalence of E. coli in the Village Creek. Our method is to collect water samples, add EPA-approved Colilert testing chemicals, and incubate the samples at 35℃ for 24 hours. During analysis, the presence of E. coli is quantified by colony forming units (CFU). This research indicates whether or not the sample contains unsafe levels of E. coli. According to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the US EPA, 126 CFU per 100 mL of water is deemed unsafe. In addition to recording CFU, we also document certain hydro-climatological variables such as ambient and water temperature, rainfall, and turbidity. Through these findings, we can be applied to water management and quality decisions throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth and north-central Texas regions.

Wildfires are a global concern as they are unpredicted fires that cause harm to their surrounding environment, local wildlife, and humans. The negatives of these wildfires outweigh the positives as their occurrence is natural but also caused by human negligence. This past year there were about 69,000 wildfires reported nationally; of these fires, 835 were from Colorado. This study assesses the risk of wildfires in Colorado by using GIS and spatial data to map fire risk and determine possible mitigation techniques through utilizing livestock.
For the past 20 years, Colorado has experienced their largest wildfires, and with no decrease in the number of wildfires each year, mitigation techniques are crucial. In determining what method to use, it is valuable to focus on all the factors that add to these fires, such as the amount of rainfall, elevation, humidity, human activities, and more. Multiple past studies have used livestock as a form of wildfire mitigation. Using grazers to eat the fuel these fires thrive on can decrease the spread of future fires. Grazers are an environmentally stable form of fire mitigation as they eat the vegetation and then process it to become nutrients for the soil. We can determine the areas of high risk in Colorado by assessing how the stated factors contribute to Colorado wildfires and see if grazers are a possible mitigation method.

The objective of this research is to conduct wind farm suitability analysis (for energy generation) with a focus on areas that either heavily rely non-renewable sources of energy (parts of Australia) or areas that have limited access to energy. The study will combine several spatial datasets (road networks, population distribution, high mean windspeed, etc.) and analysis products (proximity to roads, national grids, etc.) to determine, through the suitability analysis, whether the wind energy is ideal and economical source of energy for the investigated areas.