MENV

2025 Urban Resilience and Sustainability Clinic Presentation Recap

Liz Holland — Wed, 30 Apr 2025 19:44:37 +0000

2025 Urban Resilience and Sustainability Clinic Presentation Recap Liz Holland Wed, 04/30/2025 - 13:44

On Thursday, the MENV Urban Resilience and Sustainability Clinic students delivered their final presentations. The Clinic model seeks to bring the ideas and resources of supervised MENV students to bear on real-world, real-time resilience and sustainability challenges facing Colorado communities and organizations, emphasizing supporting underserved and at-risk populations and places. Through research, written reports, stakeholder interviews, and other methods, MENV students gain critical skills and knowledge while providing valuable professional services to community partners.

Following up on the Spring 2022 URS Clinic with �鶹ӰԺ Housing Partners (BHP) and �鶹ӰԺ County Housing Authority (BCHA), the Spring 2025 Clinic again teamed up with BHP and BCHA to undertake a set of discrete but related projects aimed at advancing each organization's resilience, sustainability, and climate goals.

To start, the first BCHA team showcased their work on sustainability and policy recommendations for Willoughby Corners in Lafayette, CO. Willoughby Corners, when complete, will be home to 400 affordable housing units made of apartment-style, multi-family, and for-sale homes. Throughout their findings, the team determined high-level recommendations for BCHA based on successful case studies from around the US. Recommendations include: establishing objective design standards; determining pre-approved housing plans/housing types catalogs; facilitating land banking and community land trusts; providing technical assistance and digital infrastructure (to support the design and development process); and defining staff succession plans. Through these recommendations, the team believes that the county could reduce costs during the entitlement process, improve project efficiency, and, support the BCHA goal of housing more folks in �鶹ӰԺ County.

Next, we heard from the second BCHA team that focused on creating a disaster response plan for all BCHA properties. Increases in climate hazards present a variety of potential impacts to BCHA properties and populations. To best understand the hazard impacts, the team performed GIS analyses for extreme heat, air quality, wildfire, extreme snow, flood, and drought. This data, cross-referenced with staff survey data, helped the team determine high-vulnerability areas to inform prioritization for BCHA actions. Large multi-family units, mountain properties, and senior living facilities ranked highest among vulnerable as determined by the team’s risk priority matrix. The team included this matrix and other resources in their Climate Risk Assessment & Mitigation Report. At a high level, the team recommended that: 1. BCHA work with the Office of Disaster Management to create an emergency preparedness and response plan; 2. BCHA trains staff on the plan; 3. BCHA provides preparedness training for residents; 4. BCHA utilizes partnerships across �鶹ӰԺ County to support their work; and 5. BCHA prioritizes physical resilience measures and properties using resources like the team’s property manager resilience checklist.

Lastly, the BHP team presented their work with BHP’s newest property, Golden West. Golden West is a 250 resident 62 year-old+ living community located in South �鶹ӰԺ. In 2025, BHP acquired the property to maintain its current community and extend its reach as a resilience hub through community support and a decarbonization plan. “Golden West has the opportunity to serve as a resilience hub not just for its residents, but for the entire BHP portfolio. [The project goal is to] provide resources, support, and services to the BHP community on blue sky days and in extreme climate events.” To meet this goal, the team first met with residents to ensure there was a need/desire for this type of work from the community members. Focus groups and survey data determined the following recommendations: supporting food access in the community through streamlined grocery deliveries and pantry support; engaging with CU Serves to increase student community support in the facility where needed; investing in generators; installing filtration units; expanding emergency communication; formalizing disaster preparedness communication materials; and working with various transportation services to ensure safe and reliable rides in the event of an emergency. In their decarbonization efforts, the team identified low-, medium-, and high-lift ways the property can become net-zero. BHP carried out phase one tasks like LED retrofitting, replacement with low-flow fixtures, and thermostat upgrades. Phases two and three include ideas like electrification of the mezzanine building and full systems upgrades for their air-to-water heat pump.

It was incredible to see the work that our students did in just one semester! Each community partner from BCHA and BHP commended the students' work and reiterated that this work would support them in implementing goal-aligned strategies for their organization's future work. Following the presentation, Tanya Jimenez, Senior Housing Developer at BCHA wrote, "Thank you all for your deliverables. I’m so happy we got to work with you all this semester. We were all so impressed by your research and work. Thank you, again!"

MENV 2025 Urban Resilience and Sustainability (URS) Clinic student teams share their findings and recommendations for with community partners �鶹ӰԺ County Housing Authority and �鶹ӰԺ Housing Partners.

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MENV Students Win at Two Competitions

Liz Holland — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 20:17:09 +0000

MENV Students Win at Two Competitions Liz Holland Tue, 04/29/2025 - 14:17

Over the last several weeks, MENV students won several competitions in the environmental and sustainability space.

To start, MENV students Kasrah Eslami, Colin McDonald, Brooke Miller, Erin Spencer (Team Captain), and Nolan Welsh competed in the US Department of Energy’s Geothermal Collegiate Competition and took home first prize!

“The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Geothermal Collegiate Competition (GCC) invites teams from collegiate institutions to develop real-world geothermal solutions while competing for cash prizes and gaining resume experience in the renewable energy industry. Students of all majors, minors, and career paths are encouraged to participate. Competing in the GCC provides an introduction to the renewable energy field, opportunities to engage with industry professionals as well as local communities, and a deeper understanding of how geothermal energy can provide efficient, reliable energy solutions to communities. “

This was our students’ second year competing and we came out on top in a competition with dozens of teams from across the country. The team produced an excellent proposal for a single-building geothermal system proof-of-concept in Louisville, Kentucky, with a second-phase district geothermal system. This included assessing permitting requirements, tax benefits, cost-benefit analysis and carbon reduction, community outreach and stakeholder engagement, and the team worked with the City of Louisville and provided their materials to the city for its use.

Judges from the competition remarked that “This is the most comprehensive assessment of a district scale geothermal heating and cooling project [in the competition]. The sources and bibliography bear testimony to the level of research and effort the team has undertaken in evaluating their project. Excellent work. The presentation video is top quality with a conclusion that brings the assessment together justifying it from all the studied angles.”

Later in the week, MENV students Jazlyn Nie, Sasha Skibitskaya, and Cayden Parris competed in the 32nd Annual Campus Sustainability Summit and won the “Climate Impact” category with their community-powered furniture rental marketplace, Loop!

Loop was created in an effort to reduce furniture waste. "In the U.S., 90% of rental apartments come unfurnished, forcing renters to repeatedly purchase and discard furniture, causing tons of usable furniture to end up in landfills. Meanwhile, local furniture owners spend billions on storage. This is why we are creating Loop, a marketplace that connects people who need furniture with those who have extra. Renters access quality, affordable furniture, owners earn passive income, and together, we build a circular economy that benefits the planet."

We are so proud of these teams and the incredible work they’ve put forth!

MENV students win first place at the Department of Energy's Geothermal Collegiate Competition and at the �鶹ӰԺ's Campus Sustainability Summit!

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MENV Alumni Publish Informative NREL Report

Anonymous — Sat, 21 Sep 2019 19:20:07 +0000

MENV Alumni Publish Informative NREL Report Anonymous (not verified) Sat, 09/21/2019 - 13:20

NREL

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’s 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’s 600-MW Rush Creek Wind Farm—Colorado'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, Economic Impacts from Wind Energy in Colorado—Case Study: Rush Creek Wind FarmPDF, 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—results 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.

“Rush Creek is unique because its 300 2-megawatt (MW) wind turbines were all manufactured in Colorado facilities,” said Jeremy Stefek, NREL researcher and lead author of the report. “This gave us the opportunity to study the jobs and economic activity supported by wind energy’s manufacturing and supply chain in Colorado.”

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’s 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.

Figure 1. The four-county area of the Rush Creek Wind Farm in relation to Colorado manufacturing facilities for MHI Vestas.

Quantitatively, NREL’s Jobs and Economic Development Impact (JEDI) 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.

Figure 2. Summary of statewide economic impacts from the 600-MW Rush Creek Wind Farm supported during the construction phase and operating years.

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,” Stefek said. “The 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’s economic impact.”

The empirical research found that:

67% of businesses experienced increases in revenue from the previous year—and 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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