Life Cycle Analysis of Food Waste Generated on University Campuses: A Case Study of Montclair State University, New Jersey
Oyindamola Atinuke Fadipe 1, Robert Taylor 2
1,2 Montclair State University, USA.
Volume 13, Issue 07, Pg. 11-18, 2020.
Abstract: Food waste is a critical problem globally with the United States having the second highest food waste generation in the world. Research has shown that about 30 million tons of food is wasted on a yearly basis in the United States, which accounts for almost 40% of the total food produced. This translates to over $160 billion dollars wasted annually in terms of cost. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), food waste is the highest contributor to municipal landfills. This waste type decomposes overtime to give off methane gas, which has a global warming potential that is 25 times more than carbon dioxide. A study by the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) indicate that one in eight Americans find it difficult to feed adequately. Meanwhile, the United Nations have found that over 800 million people in the world cannot afford sufficient food. These indicate that there are other issues associated with food waste asides the actual waste issue, some of which include, food insecurity, greenhouse gas emissions, depletion of water, land and energy resources, and economic loss. Addressing the food waste issue on a national scale may be daunting, difficult to manage and ineffective. It is important to be strategic in dealing with the food waste problem in order maximize the productivity of solutions. One way to achieve this is to identify sectors that contribute the most to the nation’s total food waste, in terms of volume per capita. Educational institutions can be considered as one of the densely populated places having a large number of people residing or commuting per time. Out of the total amount of food waste generated in the United States, college campuses are said to account for approximately 12%. An average college student discards about 140 pounds of food yearly, while campus dining halls account for 22 million pounds of food waste annually. There are various challenges in addressing food waste generated on university campuses, one of which is the identification of key areas within the food waste life cycle that have the highest impacts on human health and the environment. To properly examine these hotspots, a food waste life cycle analysis is imperative. The aim of this study was to assess the life cycle of food waste generated on University campuses using Montclair State University (MSU) as a case study. Data was obtained from the University Auxiliary services and the analysis was done using Recipe 2016 Mid-Point method in the Sima pro 9.0 LCA software. The results of the study indicated that waste obtained from meat and fish contributed the highest, with a range of 25% to 35% across all impact categories. Also, the life cycle of the food waste generated in MSU contribute mostly to human toxicity and aquatic ecotoxicity. Scenario analysis was also conducted to quantify the impacts of diverting some of the waste generated by composting at various percentages. Results show that composting 30% – 70% of the waste-to-landfill reduces life cycle impacts across all categories by 25% – 50%.
Keywords: Food Waste, Life Cycle Analysis, Universities
Criminalizing Marital Rape in India: A Step towards Sustainable Development
Karan Dhillon
University Institute of Legal Studies, Panjab University, Sector 14, Chandigarh, India.
Volume 13, Issue 07, Pg. 19-26, 2020.
Abstract: The United Nations in the year 2015 adopted certain Sustainable Development Goals with an aim to reduce discrimination of all forms including violence against women. Thus, Gender equality was adopted as the fifth goal for achieving Sustainable development. For any society to progress and prosper, it is imperative that it accords respect to women and provides an environment free from abuse, violence and discrimination. In an attempt to protect the rights of women various laws have been enacted from time to time to criminalize the different types of violence and abuse against women. However, from time immemorial, it has been thought that violence especially sexual assault including rape can only be perpetrated by strangers or outsiders. Within a marriage, a husband could never be thought to have committed the act of rape against his wife as her consent was presumed to be given by the fact of marriage itself. Marital rape is a part of the larger offence of sexual violence perpetrated by a husband against his wife. The term generally implies forced sexual intercourse by a husband with his wife without her consent. In the present scenario it could also include any kind of sexual abuse of the wife by the husband. Marital rape has also been classified as one where force only is used, a battering rape or a sadistic rape. The main concern of the researcher in the present paper is that the act of marital rape is not seen as a criminal offence by the Indian legal regime except in few circumstances. The reason for this is the notion that a wife gives her implied consent to marital intercourse at the time of entering the marital relation. The origin of this marital rape exemption can be traced to a statement by Lord Mathew Hale, a seventeenth century English jurist who enunciated the presumption of “matrimonial consent” which cannot be retracted. The patriarchal Indian society imposes an obligation and duty upon the wife to perform the marital obligation to her husband. Thus a dutiful wife, bound by the concept of sacramental marriage must always obey the command of her husband. Despite the repeated suggestions from international community as well as various committees in India, the government has failed to recognize marital rape as a criminal wrong. Thus reinforcing the age old notion that wife must consent to sexual intercourse in a marriage. In this paper, the researcher aims to present a brief historical perspective of the concept of marital rape, study the definition of marital rape and to critically analyze the existing legal provisions in India. A brief reference shall be made to the laws prevailing in other countries with regard to this subject. The present paper proposes the criminalization of marital rape in India and suggests that penalizing the same will help in preserving and regaining the lost dignity of a woman in marriage and would pave the way for Sustainable Development of future generations.
Keywords: Marital rape, implied consent, gender equality, sustainable development
Consequences of Urbanization on Wildlife Survival in India and USA – Relevance of Adoption of Legislations
Akriti Gupta 1 and Mahima Sharma 2
1 Symbiosis law school, Noida, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India.
2 Symbiosis International University, Pune, India.
Volume 13, Issue 07, Pg. 27-44, 2020.
Abstract: Urbanization has always been a sign of growth, but it has created its own set of issues, concerns and challenges to tackle. One such issue is the destruction of wildlife’s natural habitat in the form of deforestation which contributes to killing and chocking of wildlife.
On a cynical note, both the countries are welfare nations, but is this welfare extended to the wildlife too? India has achieved an unprecedent level of urbanization, and the United States is already an urban society, yet a dunking rate of events in untamed wildlife is a serious legal problem for both the nations.
India has adopted various legislation such as The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and Endangered Species Act of USA and these legislations had been formulated in the nation-state with regards to urbanization and ecological law while both the nations are parties to the UN Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. The goal was to economically develop the country, stimulate urbanization, and sub-mix the untamed wildlife regime. By comparing both the countries, the paper will jointly present a reformation that needs to be considered under one legislation by bridging the gap between the developing nations and developed nations. The empirical method of research will be adopted to compare both the legislations.
In light of the aforementioned scenario, this paper by way of a doctrinal search attempts to endeavour into the following:
- Relationships between the growing population, the ecology principle, change towards urbanization and the establishment of wildlife laws in India and the United States.
- Urbanization analysis and wildlife law requirements on a global aspect.
- Recommend sustainable urbanization improvement along with biodiversity and natural life insurance solutions.
Keywords: India; Sustainable Development; Urbanization; USA; Wildlif
Perceived Impact of External Quality Assurance on Public and Private Higher Education Institutions in Namibia
Simon E. Akpo 1, Franz Ernst Gertze 2
1 International University of Management, Windhoek- Namibia
2 Namibia Qualifications Authority, Windhoek, Namibia.
Volume 13, Issue 07, Pg. 45-54, 2020.
Abstract: The increasing demand for higher education in Namibia has led to the setting up of mechanisms to provide public assurances about the quality of higher education. Government and Higher Education Institutions (GHEIs) make significant investments to implement quality assurance mechanisms be these internal or external to the Public and Private Higher Education Institutions (PPHEIs).
The majority of the stakeholders agree that External Quality Assurance (EQA) enhances acceptability of quality statements, but there seems to be no empirical evidence to this effect. There is, therefore, a need to assess the usefulness and benefits of EQA on private HEIs in Namibia. The aim of this study will therefore be to assess the impact of EQA on public and private higher education institutions (PPHEIs) in Namibia.
External Quality Assurance (EQA) is becoming an important aspect of Higher Education Institutions(HEIs) in both developed and developing countries as reflected in the development of policies, structures, and systems at national and HEIs levels(NQA 2011:12).This descriptive case study investigated the impact of External Quality Assurance in the Public and private Higher Education Institutions (PPHEIs) in Namibia. To accomplish the stated objectives above, the inputs, process, and output model was used as the basis of this study and the descriptive survey method approach was adopted for the collection of the data. The researchers adopted a concurrent mixed methods research design to collect both qualitative and quantitative data at the same time. Seven out of ten fully accredited public and private Higher Education Institutions (PPHEIs) participated in this study. Twenty questionnaires that consisted of both open-ended and closed items were distributed among the ten PPHEIs. Fourteen questionnaires from seven PPHEIs representing a response rate of 70% were completed and returned to the researcher. The literature review focused on the impact of quality assurance in PPHEIS.
On the whole, the PPHEIs were aware of the concept of NQA external quality assurance with regards to the processes and role as well as its strengths. The EQA also had more than moderate impacts on PPHEIs’ governance, strategic planning, teaching and learning as well as administrative and support services.
The findings of NQA external quality Assurance on the PPHEIs in Namibia were mixed due to the fact that this was the first EQA carried out on PPHEIs where each institution was held accountable to maintain a high standard of institutional quality.
In sum, the PPHEIs have acquired the essence of quality requirements as each PPHEI subjected itself to the EQA conducted by NQA. Similarly, the EQA had made moderate impact on the PPHEIs’ governance and strategic planning, teaching and learning as well as physical development of infrastructures and administrative support systems.
The focus of EQA must be more on continuous improvement as well as compliance. All accredited PPHEIs should complete quality improvement plan after the receipt of the EQA report and should submit an annual conformity to the quality report body each year.
Keywords: Accreditation, Assessment, Effectiveness, External Quality Assurance, Quality Assurance policy