Papers by Anna C McCreery
Green Culture: An A-to-Z Guide
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U.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information - OSTI OAI, Sep 25, 2020
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ISEE Conference Abstracts, 2021
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Science of The Total Environment, 2021
Mechanical ventilation systems are used in residences to introduce ventilation air and dilute ind... more Mechanical ventilation systems are used in residences to introduce ventilation air and dilute indoor-generated pollutants. A variety of ventilation system types can be used in home retrofits, influencing indoor air quality (IAQ) in different ways. Here we describe the Breathe Easy Project, a >2-year longitudinal, pseudo-randomized, crossover study designed to assess IAQ and adult asthma outcomes before and after installing residential mechanical ventilation systems in 40 existing homes in Chicago, IL. Each home received one of three types of ventilation systems: continuous exhaust-only, intermittent powered central-fan-integrated-supply (CFIS), or continuous balanced system with an energy recovery ventilator (ERV). Homes with central heating and/or cooling systems also received MERV 10 filter replacements. Approximately weeklong field measurements were conducted at each home on a quarterly basis throughout the study to monitor environmental conditions, ventilation operation, and indoor and outdoor pollutants, including size-resolved particles (0.3-10 μm), ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), and indoor formaldehyde (HCHO). Mean reductions in indoor/outdoor (I/O) ratios across all systems after the intervention were approximately 12% (p = 0.001), 10% (p = 0.008), 42% (p < 0.001), 39% (p = 0.002), and 33% (p = 0.007), for CO2, NO2, and estimated PM1, PM2.5, and PM10, respectively. There was a reduction in I/O ratios for all measured constituents with each type of system, on average, but with varying magnitude and levels of statistical significance. The magnitudes of mean differences in I/O pollutant concentrations ratios were generally largest for most pollutants in the homes that received continuous balanced with ERV and smallest in the homes that received intermittent CFIS systems, with apparent benefits to providing ventilation continuously rather than intermittently. All ventilation system types maintained similar indoor temperatures during pre- and post-intervention periods.
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International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 2016
Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship of sustainability knowledge to p... more Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship of sustainability knowledge to pro-environmental behaviour. A common misperception is that unsustainable behaviours are largely driven by a lack of knowledge of the underlying societal costs and the contributing factors leading to environmental degradation. Such a perception assumes if individuals “only knew better” they would engage in more sustainable behaviours. The “knowledge deficit model” has been critiqued for not including social psychological research about how knowledge is incorporated into decision-making and its subsequent effect on human behaviour. The theory of planned behaviour (TPB) model has been used extensively to examine intention to engage in a variety of behaviours, therefore this model is applied to examine the effect knowledge has in predicting behaviour. Design/methodology/approach To better understand these relationships, the authors examined the relationships between sustainability behaviours...
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This time-series analysis (1959-1998) tests the effect of environmental movement actions, politic... more This time-series analysis (1959-1998) tests the effect of environmental movement actions, political opportunities, policy and its implementation, and media attention on changes in national emissions of 5 types of air pollution: Sulfur Dioxide, Carbon Monoxide, and Volatile Organic Compounds (combined into an index with Cronbach’s Alpha = 0.904); Nitrogen Oxides (NOx); and Particulate Matter smaller than 10 micrometers (PM-10). The data were first-differenced to correct for non-stationarity; OLS Regression was used to determine the direct influence of political processes on air pollution. Multiple interactions between movement effects, the media, and political opportunities were also investigated. Media attention to the environment is an important predictor of all 3 dependent variables; the environmental social movement is only effective at combating highly visible pollutants when given specific political opportunities, media attention to environmental issues, and effective policy. T...
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Widespread automobile use has left a distinctive mark on urban transportation in the United State... more Widespread automobile use has left a distinctive mark on urban transportation in the United States, where growth has been tailored to automobiles. Although cars enable people to travel farther than at any point in human history, evidence of their costs has grown. In particular, the environmental impacts of automobiles are extensive, including air and water pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and reductions in urban transportation ecoefficiency (TE). Overall, TE is the environmental impact per unit of travel; as a concept it can capture differential impacts of different transportation modes and travel distances. There are large variations in TE between metropolitan areas, and it is important to investigate factors that influence it to determine what measures can reduce the environmental impact of transportation. This dissertation describes the concept of TE in depth, arguing that it captures the systemic environmental impacts of transportation and is ideal for macro-level transporta...
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Efforts to promote sustainability literacy come naturally to many colleges and universities, as i... more Efforts to promote sustainability literacy come naturally to many colleges and universities, as imparting knowledge is part of the core mission of higher education. But “sustainability across the curriculum,” sustainability majors and minors, and sustainability offices’ social marketing campaigns usually aim to do more than just impart knowledge. They aim to promote behavior change, so that campuses – and communities – become more sustainable. These two goals (imparting knowledge and promoting behavioral change) have resulted in considerable interest about how environmental knowledge and sustainability literacy can be used to promote environmental and sustainable behavior. A primary model that has guided this research is the Knowledge Deficit Model, which centers on the assumption that the public is largely ignorant about sustainability and would behave in a more pro-environmental manner if they simply had more knowledge or information about the environment. This assumption has beco...
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Codebook for Congressional Hearings on Air Pollution Craig Jenkins, Anna McCreery, Basem Rashwan ... more Codebook for Congressional Hearings on Air Pollution Craig Jenkins, Anna McCreery, Basem Rashwan Ohio State University 6/26/2013 Suggested citation: Jenkins, J. Craig, Anna C. McCreery and Basem Rashwan. 2013. "Contesting Air Pollution: Congressional Hearings on Air Pollution and Air Quality" Columbus, OH: Mershon Center for International Security Studies & Dept. of Sociology, Ohio State University. The object of this codebook is to summarize the method used to construct an annual time series of U.S. Congressional hearings held on air quality between 1940 and 2001. The basic method is to construct a count of annual hearings held according to ProQuest Congressional Publications accessed through the Ohio State University Library system. Once on the ProQuest Congressional electronic database site, go to “advanced search” and then insert the keywords listed below to bring up a list of relevant hearings. Since the object is to count the number of hearings annually, it is necess...
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Organization & Environment, 2010
This study tests the effect of the environmental movement, political opportunities, and media att... more This study tests the effect of the environmental movement, political opportunities, and media attention on air pollution in a time-series analysis (1959-1998). It examines changes in national emissions of five types of air pollution: sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, and volatile organic compounds (combined into an index with Cronbach’s α = .904); nitrogen oxides; and particulate matter smaller than 10 µm. Results show that media attention to the environment is an important predictor of all three dependent variables. Additionally, the environmental social movement is only effective given specific political opportunities, namely, Democratic Party control of the federal government, media attention to environmental issues, and effective policy. The environmental movement also only appears to be effective at combating highly visible pollutants that are on the political agenda. This study demonstrates the complexity of air pollution, the importance of media attention, and the limited impa...
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Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology
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Environment & Planning A, 2013
In this study, the concept of transportation ecoefficiency (TE) is described, and it is argued th... more In this study, the concept of transportation ecoefficiency (TE) is described, and it is argued that this concept offers coherence to theoretical discussions of the environmental impact of transportation. A TE measure using readily available data is proposed, with four components: (1) percentage of commuters driving to work; (2) percentage of commuters taking public transit; (3) percentage of commuters walking or riding a bicycle; and (4) population density. A confirmatory factor analysis suggests that these components are useful for measuring TE and consistent in their relationships over time. This TE index is used to analyze TE in metropolitan areas in the United States (1980–2008) and in the United Kingdom (1981–2001): TE is decreasing in both countries despite very different starting points, with worrisome implications for climate change and other transportation related environmental impacts. The paper concludes with a discussion of some uses for the TE metric in empirical research and planning practice, and how the concept could enhance the literature on transportation and the environment.
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Conference Presentations by Anna C McCreery
In this study, the concept of Transportation Ecoefficiency (TE) is described, and it is argued th... more In this study, the concept of Transportation Ecoefficiency (TE) is described, and it is argued that this concept offers coherence to theoretical discussions of the environmental impact of transportation. A TE measure using readily available data is proposed, with four components: 1) percent of commuters driving to work; 2) percent of commuters taking public transit; 3) percent of commuters walking or riding a bicycle; and 4) population density. Although these components load onto two factors in a confirmatory factor analysis, they are effective for measuring TE due to their conceptual and theoretical relatedness. This TE index is used to analyze TE in the United States (1980-2008) and United Kingdom (1981-2001): TE is decreasing in both countries despite very different starting points, with worrisome implications for climate change. This TE index has features that other transportation measures do not, and is a useful new tool for studying transportation and the environment.
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As environmental impacts from automobiles have grown, more research is needed to determine what s... more As environmental impacts from automobiles have grown, more research is needed to determine what social and policy forces can influence transportation ecoefficiency (TE). TE is the environmental impact per unit of travel, including accessibility and mobility, and it is measured by proxy as the index of four z-scores: percent drive-alone commuting (sign reversed); percent commuting by public transit; percent of commuters walking or riding a bicycle; and population density. A higher TE index indicates more ecoefficient transportation, compared to the average. This study presents a macro-level analysis of institutional and structural predictors of TE in a sample of 225 United States Metropolitan Statistical Areas. Specifically, Ordinary Least Squares regression with robust standard errors points to several conclusions. A New Political Culture, measured by education and income (real per capita income and % change in real per capita income) increases TE, although professional status could reverse this effect. High and rising incomes interact to increase TE, with an effect size over 10 times larger than other effects. State-mandated urban growth management increases TE, demonstrating the beneficial effects of comprehensive planning. This is enhanced by higher incomes, and the combination of high incomes and state-mandated planning also has an effect size over 10 times larger than other effects. Percent African American has a quadratic influence, presumably due to the effects of tolerance and racial threat. Overall, this analysis demonstrates that macro-level social processes, including race, comprehensive planning, and the presence of a new political culture, have a significant impact on TE.
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Papers by Anna C McCreery
Conference Presentations by Anna C McCreery