Over the course of the year, MENV will feature various Capstone Projects to keep the community updated on the accomplishments of our students and partner organizations. The Capstone is the centerpiece of the MENV program and is a year-long project that partners students with an organization from the public, private, or non-profit sector. Students gain real-world, professional experience that serves as a springboard for their future careers.

Capstone Project: Food Waste Awareness Week

Partner Organization: City of 麻豆影院

Student Team: Sarah Ditton and Skye Fabrizio 

Food Waste Awareness Week, a partnership between the City of 麻豆影院 and 麻豆影院 County, grew in its outreach and impact in its second year thanks to MENV students Sarah Ditton and Skye Fabrizio. In partnership with Jamie Harkins with the City of 麻豆影院 Climate Initiatives team, the group drove the effort to create robust events and a social media campaign in order to drive awareness for their topic, food waste.     

As Sustainable Food Systems students in the MENV program, focusing on food waste was a way to explore a symptom of what they believe is an unjust food system. For Sarah, food waste is the reason she decided to be a part of the MENV program. She found her passion for food waste after graduating from Cornell and volunteering at a food rescue organization, 鈥淎ll I did was sort raspberries, but it was one of the most satisfying experiences I had ever had because everyone was so passionate and excited to be working on something they believed in.鈥� For Skye, the links between food waste and food security drive her passion for this project. Skye explained, "After realizing that around 40% of food produced is not eaten and 13% of Colorado鈥檚 population suffers from food insecurity, it seems like an incredibly silly problem. Crafting ways to waste less food by feeding more people and reducing greenhouse gas emissions need to be at the forefront of our nation鈥檚 food policy initiatives."

The pair spent their summer creating three main events for Food Waste Awareness Week; a 鈥淔ood Waste Challenge" for local restaurants, encouraging the use of World Wildlife Fund weeklong lesson plans for 麻豆影院 Valley School District schools, and hosting several panels focused on various aspects of the food system. The keynote event, Talking Food Waste: Moving the Conversation Forward, was the highlight of the week. Sarah and Skye worked hard to bring a group of experts together to talk about the necessary change in implementing ideas and solutions in the food waste space, while also inspiring action. The event had a great turnout and sparked loads of excitement for many members of the audience.

We caught up with Sarah and Skye at the end of the week to ask the one thing the public needs to do to have better food waste practices. 鈥淰ote!鈥� they say, 鈥淎sk questions of politicians. No politician should be voted into office unless they have a comprehensive food policy that steers our food system to one that takes care of us and the planet instead of corporate interests. After you鈥檝e done this, on an individual level, don鈥檛 feel scared to ask for smaller portion sizes and make sure to eat your leftovers!鈥� If you鈥檇 like to learn more about food waste, start by exploring the content on their website, . We鈥檒l be sure to keep you posted on details for next year鈥檚 event. Awesome job on a fantastic capstone project, Sarah and Skye! 

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Anna Kaelin and Jeremy Stefek, from the very first MENV cohort, have worked hard over the past three years studying the economic impacts of the Rush Creek Wind Farm. This research originally stemmed from Anna and Jeremy鈥檚 capstone with NREL. Along with their colleagues, Suzanne Tegen, Owen Roberts, and David Keyser, their work was published this past week. The article about their work, written by NREL, has been posted and linked below:

Colorado Case Study Demonstrates In-State and Rural Economic Impacts from Wind Manufacturing and Plant Construction

Sept. 16, 2019

In-state wind turbine manufacturing and installation support both short-term and long-term jobs and account for other economic impacts, according to a National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) case study of Xcel Energy鈥檚 600-MW Rush Creek Wind Farm鈥擟olorado's largest wind energy project. NREL researchers who conducted the study also gained a deeper understanding of how wind plant construction impacts the economies of rural communities, where wind plant construction often occurs.

The recently published report, , provides the results of quantitative and qualitative analyses. By using modeled and empirical data, the NREL team developed an informative picture of the economic impacts of wind energy development in rural Colorado鈥攔esults that could apply to other states as well.

Highlighting the importance of domestic manufacturing, the study focused on the economic impact of jobs, earnings, gross domestic product (GDP), and gross economic output during the relatively short construction phase and the longer-term operation and maintenance phase.

鈥淩ush Creek is unique because its 300 2-megawatt (MW) wind turbines were all manufactured in Colorado facilities,鈥� said Jeremy Stefek, NREL researcher and lead author of the report. 鈥淭his gave us the opportunity to study the jobs and economic activity supported by wind energy鈥檚 manufacturing and supply chain in Colorado.鈥�

The Rush Creek Wind Farm spans four rural counties on the Colorado's eastern plains (see Figure 1). Installing wind turbines manufactured in the same state increased the farm鈥檚 economic impacts to Colorado. Using an in-state manufacturer also decreased transportation time and costs, as wind turbine components were delivered to the installation site by truck rather than rail. Wind turbine components, such as the blades, towers, and nacelles, were manufactured and assembled in Colorado using several in-state suppliers for subcomponents. Some parts and materials, however, were sourced from out of state. For example, nacelles were assembled in Colorado, but the subcomponents within the nacelles (such as generators and electronics) were manufactured elsewhere.

Quantitatively, NREL鈥檚  Wind Energy Model was used to estimate the gross economic impacts from the Rush Creek Wind Farm. JEDI models are user-friendly screening tools that estimate some of the economic impacts of energy projects.

Using empirical data, modeled data, and market research, NREL researchers created a set of assumptions to represent the economic scenario for the Rush Creek Wind Farm. Based on the analysis, the Colorado statewide economic impacts from Rush Creek are shown in Figure 2. Another JEDI analysis estimates the economic impacts of Rush Creek in the area where the development is located.

The JEDI analysis shows that it's not just the construction phase of a wind plant that creates economic impact. The Rush Creek Wind Farm will support 180 long-term jobs and $20 million in GDP in Colorado annually throughout the operation and maintenance phase of its anticipated 25-year lifespan. In addition, Rush Creek will provide an estimated $45 million in landowner lease payments and approximately $62.5 million in property taxes during the 25-year life of the project.

Qualitatively, researchers interviewed 39 community members near the Rush Creek Wind Farm to collect empirical economic data as well as first-hand knowledge of community-level impacts during wind farm construction. Interviewees included local business owners, managers, employees, county commissioners, and economic development office representatives. Providing insight into actual effects of the wind farm on the local people and economy, most interviewees stated that the Rush Creek Wind Farm is one of the reasons business had increased over the past year.

"Our research into economic development from wind energy in rural communities can inform other communities across America as they consider future wind development,鈥� Stefek said. 鈥淭he idea of engaging communities to understand the on-the-ground effects of wind development makes this research unique and offers a powerful message about wind energy鈥檚 economic impact.鈥�

 The empirical research found that:

• 67% of businesses experienced increases in revenue from the previous year鈥攁nd 11% saw significant increases
• 28% of respondents hired new people in the previous year
• 56% of employees worked more hours than the previous year.

Although interviewees were overall supportive of wind development, many reported challenges from wind farm construction stemming from the influx of temporary workers to their communities, including:

• Local housing shortages
• Increased housing prices
• Lack of infrastructure to house temporary workers
• Inability for some local businesses to keep up with increased demand
• A small pool of qualified local candidates from which to hire.

However, even in the face of these challenges, community members indicated that local businesses and business development organizations support wind construction.

By considering the results of this Colorado case study, rural communities can be better informed and prepared to maximize local economic benefits of future wind development and address the challenges as well

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