During my field visits with organic growers in California’s Central Valley, one farmer offered a perspective that underscores the complexity of sustainability in practice:
- “I’ve tried growing organic almonds but couldn’t make it through the required three-year transition period. You’re asking about sustainability? I’m a fourth-generation farmer - that’s sustainable. Meeting certification standards only to face a market downturn in almonds - that’s not sustainable.”
GIS Wind Farm Site Evaluation Final Project
As part of the GIS Fundamentals class, every student individually completed a project encompassing material from the entire class. Final project PDF.
Getting to the bottom of it - producing organic fertilizer
While getting both environmental management and MBA (Duke NSOE Article), I realized the importance of understanding foundations. Therefore, after graduation, I joined a startup where I led R&D effort in producing organic fertilizer from hog manure. If United Nations effort is ten thousand feet above the ground - this job in the ag space was surely the foundation as we all need food.