MENV

MENV Specialization Lead Gregor MacGregor Featured in Colorado Arts and Science Magazine

Liz Holland — Fri, 26 Sep 2025 17:25:20 +0000

MENV Specialization Lead Gregor MacGregor Featured in Colorado Arts and Science Magazine Liz Holland Fri, 09/26/2025 - 11:25

Originally published on July 17, 2025 in Colorado Arts and Science Magazine in an article by Cody DeBos.

On a quiet street in Lafayette, Colorado, the smell of rosemary and fresh bread often drifts from a solar-powered oven just before dawn. It’s where you’ll find Gregor MacGregor, a ��ɫ��Ƶ assistant teaching professor with the Masters of the Environment Graduate Program in the Department of Environmental Studies and the online Outdoor Recreation Economy program, conducting a carefully orchestrated dance of timers, dough balls and donut boxes.

His micro-bakery is a far cry from the courtroom or a university lecture hall, where he also spends his time. But to MacGregor, there’s a through line to it all: caring for the planet and the people in his community.

“During the COVID lockdown, I was looking for activities to do with my daughters. As my wife characterizes it, we baked a loaf of bread and a dozen donuts, then decided to open a bakery,” he says.

That spontaneous project eventually became Vulcan Mine Bakery. The name, a nod to the former coal mine near his home, reflects MacGregor’s dedication to environmental awareness.

Sustainability you can taste

MacGregor brings his experience as a water attorney and former U.S. Army officer to the bakery in many ways. Having extensively researched circular economies, he built Vulcan Mine Bakery as a truly local operation.

“My milk comes from a dairy in Longmont, I use duck eggs from a farm in Lafayette, I purchase Colorado sugar beet sugar and my grain comes from a farm in Hugo that I mill in house,” he says.

Even the energy source is intentional. Vulcan Mine’s singular oven is powered by rooftop solar panels. MacGregor sees these choices as essential not just for sustainability, but for flavor—and education.

He says, “The public imagination hasn’t quite adopted the fresh food, farm-to-table movement for baked goods yet. That changes when you let someone take in a breath of freshly milled flour.”

Operating under Colorado’s Cottage Foods Act (CFA) helps MacGregor keep his overhead low and his connections local.

“The CFA unlocks opportunities for entrepreneurs to experiment, grow their chops and see if moving on to a food truck or brick-and-mortar store makes sense for them,” he says.

MacGregor adds, “We should explore every avenue to help locals succeed so we all have options to spend and keep money in our communities, with people we care about, and with people who care where our food comes from.”

Flour and fellowship

For MacGregor, food is also a tool for justice.

“Food justice is absolutely a part of environmental justice—having the basic necessities to survive at the low end and having the opportunity to participate in the system in a culturally and economically significant way at the high end,” he says.

MacGregor embraces the opportunity to live out this philosophy through Vulcan Mine Bakery and regularly donates baked goods to those in need.

In 2021, MacGregor created a special menu of Afghan and American treats for newly arriving families of Afghan refugees.

“I got to visit some of the families with their sponsors to share food and stories. It was an incredible way to meet our new neighbors and help them feel welcome,” he says.

MacGregor’s service work also extends far beyond Colorado’s borders.

“Last summer, I spent about two weeks in Ukraine baking bread with Kharkiv’s ‘Hell’s Kitchen’

organization. We supplied about 900 meals and 1200 rolls a day to hospitals, refugees and other groups. We also drove and delivered food, medicine and clothing out into the countryside to villages in need,” he says.

As someone who has spent years working in environmental law and teaching policy, MacGregor is acutely aware of the systems that shape equity and resilience. Baking has given him a new way to get involved.

“Very few people smile when you show up as an attorney, but almost everyone smiles when you show up as a baker,” he says.

A taste of history

MacGregor’s loaves do more than just nourish. Thanks to his interest in holiday baking, they also spark curiosity and conversations about heritage.

Inspired by an old cookbook titled Celebration Breads, MacGregor often bakes traditional and seasonal recipes that let customers taste the intersection of history, culture and community.

“There’s a recipe for the boozy Hartford Election Cake, which I have not seen baked anywhere else, but which used to be a vital part of early-American democracy,” he explains.

“Like many of our other celebratory breads, it contains a great amount of cultural history within it that relates to the why and when of our consumption.”

Lessons from a loaf

Though Vulcan Mine Bakery is now a part of MacGregor’s daily life, it hasn’t replaced his identity as a champion of the environment. It’s only strengthened his desire to have an impact.

“I love baking because I get to work with my hands, chat with people and see how much they appreciate my bread. I think that last bit, the connection with others and serving them, is what really makes it worthwhile,” he says.

MacGregor sees his bakery as an extension of his environmental teaching, a chance to live out sustainability and connection in a tangible way. He also encourages others to look for similar opportunities in their own lives.

“If you already have a skill, you can probably put it to good use for yourself and others,” he says. “There is great need in the world, but you don’t need great means to have an impact.”

Most recently, Gregor MacGregor published a new book, the Environmental Law for Non-Lawyers, 6th Edition, with co-author David B. Firestone. In his words, "Our environmental challenges are evolving quickly and professionals need tolls they can carry beyond the classroom. This book offers both students and practitioners a concise, practical guide to navigating and influencing the laws that shape our environment." You can read more about the book and order your copy on the Vulcan Mine Press website.

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Audubon Rockies Capstone Team Makes Strides in Stream Restoration

Liz Holland — Mon, 22 Sep 2025 15:17:33 +0000

Audubon Rockies Capstone Team Makes Strides in Stream Restoration Liz Holland Mon, 09/22/2025 - 09:17

Originally from Audubon.org on September 18, 2025 by Leah Bilski.

Colorado’s streams face mounting pressures from climate change, development, and over a century of historical degradation. While the recent passing of Senate Bill 23-270 (SB23-270) allows six categories of minor stream restoration activities to move forward exempted from water rights administration, practitioners across the state still face challenges when getting projects off the ground. The missing piece? A comprehensive understanding of Colorado’s “restoration landscape” – who’s doing what, where, and what barriers stand in their way. This has prompted an innovative partnership between Audubon Rockies, Water for Colorado, and ��ɫ��Ƶ (CU) students to map Colorado’s restoration landscape and identify opportunities for scaling impacts for functioning and healthy riverscapes. This work builds on Audubon’s commitment to shaping Colorado’s water future for people, birds, and the habitats that we all depend on.

A Proven Solution is Gaining Ground

Process-Based Restoration (PBR) offers a spectrum of cost-effective approaches for addressing climate and drought resilience for healthy riverscapes while furthering Colorado’s Water Plan objectives. From simple, hand-built structures using natural materials to more sophisticated engineering solutions, these techniques focus on addressing stressors and boosting natural stream processes that allow rivers to heal themselves. The passage of SB-270 created unprecedented opportunities for implementing Low-Tech Process-Based Restoration (LTPBR) across Colorado by providing legal clarity for six categories of minor stream restoration activities.

Despite these advances, critical questions remained unanswered:

Which stakeholders are leading restoration efforts, and where?
What motivates organizations to pursue stream restoration projects?
Most importantly, what barriers prevent or slow down implementation, and how has SB-270 influenced restoration practices on the ground?

CU Masters of the Environment: The Perfect Partner

Enter ��ɫ��Ƶ’s Master’s of the Environment (MENV) program. Each year, MENV students are paired with organizations addressing pressing issues in the fields of environmental policy, renewable energy, and sustainability. The students work as student consultants while simultaneously completing their master’s capstone project. The program’s focus on practical, need-driven solutions makes it an ideal partner for Audubon’s efforts to elevate stream restoration in Colorado.

Three dedicated students—Pearl McLeod, Josie Rivero, and Leah Bilski—have brought fresh perspectives and social science expertise to complement Audubon Rockies’s experience as a leader in policy and project implementation for stream restoration. This collaborative approach ensures that research directly serves the needs of the restoration community while building the next generation of conservation and stream restoration professionals.

By combining Audubon’s on-the-ground experience with the students’ in-depth analysis, the partnership can reach across Colorado’s eight major water basins to engage everyone from NGOs and federal agencies to private consultants and watershed groups.

Mapping Colorado’s Stream Restoration Efforts

The project’s primary objective is ambitious yet essential: create a comprehensive map of LTPBR projects across Colorado to identify gaps in geographic coverage and stakeholder engagement. This foundation will inform where resources and support are most needed to scale effective restoration approaches statewide.

Phase one involved launching a statewide survey to capture the broad restoration work happening across the state, while phase two will focus on in-depth case studies to understand how successful projects overcome barriers. The collaborative approach ensures findings focus on learning from both challenges and successes.

Early Success: Education Efforts Are Paying Off

Initial results reveal encouraging trends and some surprising insights. Audubon’s educational efforts regarding SB-270 have been largely successful across many regions of Colorado, with 38% of survey respondents reporting that SB-270 has benefited their stream restoration projects, while only 4% report it as a barrier.

The data shows that hydrology is the primary motivation driving most restoration projects, followed closely by wildfire recovery efforts, reflecting Colorado’s recent fire impacts and ongoing drought concerns. Restoration work is happening across all of Colorado’s major river basins, though with varying intensity, and projects consistently involve multi-partner teams applying diverse techniques to meet multiple goals simultaneously.

However, significant barriers persist, despite SB-270’s passage. Permitting challenges remain the top concern, followed by limited funding and agency coordination issues. These findings suggest that while legal clarity has improved, practitioners still need support navigating implementation processes and securing adequate resources.

The restoration community has demonstrated strong engagement and willingness to participate in research that could benefit their work. Practitioners are actively sharing knowledge and experiences, building a foundation for a deeper understanding of Colorado’s restoration landscape.

Looking Ahead: Supporting Colorado’s Restoration Community

This research will help address specific needs identified by practitioners, such as connecting isolated restoration workers with peer networks, creating guidance for navigating restoration implementation, and identifying which regions need additional technical support or funding. By identifying non-policy barriers, such as limited technician capacity and technical implementation concerns, that limit restoration work, Audubon and partners support stream restoration stakeholders in better addressing their challenges, shifting social perceptions, and ultimately restoring healthy stream habitat throughout the state. The findings can also inform potential sound policy moving forward, ensuring that future legislation builds on SB-270's success.

Through continued partnership, community engagement and support, and innovative restoration techniques, we’re working to revive Colorado’s streams for generations of birds, wildlife, and people who depend on them.

Join the Effort

We are continuing to capture important data about restoration projects throughout Colorado and challenges faced through our survey. Participation helps build a complete picture of Colorado’s restoration landscape and ensures that findings reflect the full diversity of approaches and challenges across our state. Share your restoration experience through our survey (open until midnight on October 12th, 2025) and help us identify exactly what Colorado’s restoration community needs to succeed.

Help Us Map Riverscape Restoration Efforts Across Colorado

If you have taken part in a low-tech process-based stream restoration project in Colorado between 2018 and 2025, we want to hear from you! Take our survey to help us map and better understand riverscape restoration throughout the state.

Take the Survey

Take the survey here. For questions, please contact the Audubon Rockies Western Rivers team at nathan.boyer-rechlin@audubon.org.

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Departmental Leadership Leading the Sustainability Charge at ��ɫ��Ƶ

Liz Holland — Wed, 17 Sep 2025 17:15:19 +0000

Departmental Leadership Leading the Sustainability Charge at ��ɫ��Ƶ Liz Holland Wed, 09/17/2025 - 11:15

From ��ɫ��Ƶ Today on September 4, 2025.

In alignment with ��ɫ��Ƶ’s strategic sustainability priorities, the university has appointed two faculty members to lead transformative campus efforts in education and infrastructure.

Max Boykoff, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) fellow and former chair of the Environmental Studies (ENVS) department, has been named the inaugural faculty executive director of the newly launched Buckley Center for Sustainability Education.

Josh Radoff, Masters of the Environment (MENV) Renewable and Sustainable Energy Specialization lead, will serve as director of campus climate action, sustainability and resilience within the Office of Infrastructure and Resilience.

“These appointments reflect our commitment to integrating faculty expertise into the heart of our sustainability strategy,” said Andrew Mayock, vice chancellor for sustainability. “Max and Josh bring deep knowledge and collaborative spirit to efforts that will elevate ��ɫ��Ƶ as a global leader in sustainability education and climate action.”

Boykoff, Buckley Center to elevate sustainability communication

Boykoff, a CIRES fellow and faculty member in ENVS since 2009, brings deep expertise in sustainability, interdisciplinary collaboration and student engagement. For this position, he will report to Andrew Mayock.

“Max is a visionary leader who understands how to connect sustainability education inside and outside the classroom,” Mayock said. “This is an exciting moment for ��ɫ��Ƶ. With new leadership across campus and a clear set of priorities, we have unprecedented opportunities to serve our students and elevate ��ɫ��Ƶ as a global hub for sustainability education.”

The Buckley Center was made possible by a transformational gift from donor Spike Buckley, whose vision emphasizes agility, innovation and student-centered programming. Funds will enable the center to launch initiatives that build student capacity, confidence and competence in sustainability. In addition to hiring staff for the new initiative, the Buckley Center will start to develop student-centered programming, including fellowships and experiential learning.

Boykoff’s leadership will focus on engaging students through fellow and scholar programs, experiential learning and cross-campus collaboration. The center will also work closely with faculty to co-produce sustainability curricula and integrate sustainability themes into diverse disciplines.

“I’m honored to help launch the Buckley Center and excited to work with students and faculty to build something transformative,” Boykoff said. “We have a real opportunity to connect sustainability education with student success, graduation rates and global impact. This is about empowering students to lead in their communities and careers.”

The Buckley Center will align closely with ��ɫ��Ƶ’s sustainability goals, which include the Climate Action Plan (CAP), emphasizing connectivity, communication and coordination. Programming will be flexible to support a wide range of student ambitions, from guided projects to independent initiatives.

Radoff to help bring Climate Action Plan to life

Radoff will lead the implementation and evolution of the CAP, with a particular focus on Scope 3 emissions (or emissions caused by ��ɫ��Ƶ’s actions but coming from sources it doesn’t directly own or control), as well as zero-waste initiatives and the elimination of single-use plastics. For this position, he will report to Chris Ewing, vice chancellor for infrastructure and resilience.

Radoff will lead efforts to reduce carbon emissions and improve sustainability across campus operations—covering energy systems, building design, waste management, transportation and educational integration. This includes coordinating infrastructure upgrades, supporting sustainable construction and using campus sustainability data for student learning and engagement.

Radoff will continue his faculty role as renewable and sustainable energy specialization lead within the MENV program, and he was recently appointed as a commissioner on Colorado’s Solid and Hazardous Waste Commission.

“��ɫ��Ƶ is at an inflection point,” Radoff said. “We’re turning the CAP into reality through projects people can see and feel. These efforts are imminent, challenging and essential—not just for us, but for other institutions like ours.”

Radoff emphasized the importance of celebrating the “unsung heroes” who are driving sustainability efforts across campus—from building an electric vehicle infrastructure to advancing zero-waste logistics. He sees himself as part of a new team, working alongside Boykoff (with whom he shares a professional history) to shape ��ɫ��Ƶ’s sustainability action and education.

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Celebrating Impact: Highlights from MENV’s Inaugural Alumni Recognition Night

Liz Holland — Tue, 01 Jul 2025 16:42:53 +0000

Celebrating Impact: Highlights from MENV’s Inaugural Alumni Recognition Night Liz Holland Tue, 07/01/2025 - 10:42

A few weeks ago, the Masters of the Environment (MENV) program hosted its very first Alumni Recognition Night—and what a night it was!

Held at ��ɫ��Ƶ, the evening brought together nearly a decade’s worth of MENV alumni, current students, faculty, staff, and even some proud family members. The energy in the room was electric as friends reconnected, new relationships were formed, and the shared spirit of environmental leadership and innovation filled the space.

The heart of the evening centered on celebrating three exceptional alumni: Bridger Tomlin, Jennalee Battson, and Taylor Clayton. These inspiring professionals were honored for their standout contributions to the sustainability sector since graduating from MENV. Whether through policy, corporate sustainability, community engagement, or environmental justice, their work exemplifies the mission and values of the program—and the kind of real-world impact our graduates continue to make.

As we recognized these changemakers, we were reminded of the power of a connected, passionate community committed to driving meaningful environmental solutions. It was a special moment for the program: reflecting on how far we've come in nine years, and looking forward to where we’re going next.

If you weren’t able to make it, don’t worry—this is just the beginning. We’ll be sharing in-depth features on each of our honorees in the coming weeks, diving into their career journeys and the incredible work they’re doing across the country. You can read more about Taylor, Jennalee, and Bridger's work using the buttons below.

Taylor Clayton Write Up

Thank you again to everyone who joined us in person or in spirit. We can’t wait to continue this tradition and celebrate even more MENV alumni in the years to come!

Stay tuned for more stories, photos, and ways to get involved.

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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 Boulder Housing Partners (BHP) and Boulder 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 Boulder 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 Boulder 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 Boulder. 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 Boulder County Housing Authority and Boulder 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 ��ɫ��Ƶ'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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