Students from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management, Law School and Humphrey School of Public Affairs hosted an Earth Day conference April 22 to discuss the impact of environmental issues such as climate change, water contamination and energy efficiency on rural areas in Minnesota.

The conference included three panels and was organized by the West Bank Energy and Environment Collaborative (WBEEC), a group of students that coordinates discussions and initiatives on environmental topics.

“The Earth Day panel was one of the best planned and thoughtful events I’ve been invited to attend,” said Kathryn Draeger, statewide director of Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships and University adjunct professor of Agronomy and Plant Genetics.

The 2022 conference theme was centered on rural perspectives and how people in rural communities can address climate issues.

Farmers have first hand experiences with how climate change and water contamination impact their ability to manage and grow agriculture, said managing director of the Carlson School of Management David S. Kidwell Funds Enterprise, Susanna Gibbons, at the event.

Students felt this topic had been left out of previous dialogues due to the location of the University in an urban setting, according to science, technology and environmental policy graduate student Katie Murphy.

“I especially appreciate that they centered some of the workshops on impacts to rural places and that students took this approach to the [conference] topic, which can otherwise be overlooked,” Draeger said in an interview.

During one panel, Draeger discussed how the sources of electricity and fuel, like wind, solar power, biogas and agricultural crops, come from rural communities, illustrating the connection between rural areas and the environment.

Another panel on water quality discussed how mining practices threaten contamination of the Mississippi River Basin, Boundary Waters, Lake Superior Watersheds and tribal land, including the Fond du Lac Reservation.

Science, technology and environmental policy graduate student Eric Barry said environmental issues often intersect and impact businesses, laws and government policies, and it is important to consider these things in tandem.

“You can’t change a policy and expect everything to change, or create a business and expect it to be received by the community, you need all facets to facilitate a transition to make significant change,” Barry said at the event.

Students said these panels are important in understanding how environmental issues affect different geographic communities.

“In the future, I think it would be great to discuss agriculture and food security in a conference to understand how these issues affect different people and perspectives,” Murphy said.

The University of Minnesota’s Facilities Management and Fleet Services are collaborating with Xcel Energy to convert all campus vehicles to electric power, a step toward the University’s goal of net zero carbon emissions.

Over the course of eight months, project leaders will evaluate the potential costs and logistics of this project by collecting data on campus buses and vans with a device called Geotab. The device tracks and records the number of miles traveled, location and average idle time, according to the Director of Parking and Transportation Services Ross Allanson.

This data will be collected from 100 vehicles over the course of 90 days. After this sample is complete, the Geotab software will be transferred to 100 other vehicles for an additional 90 day period, Allanson said.

The data collection will help the University determine the total cost of owning and maintaining electric vehicles in comparison to gasoline or diesel powered vehicles, according to Director of Central Services in Facilities Management Linda Weingarten.

Although the total cost of electrifying campus vehicles is unknown, it would include the purchase price of the vehicles, maintenance and operations costs and the cost of installing charging locations, Weingarten said. The cost of the data collection and assessment will be fully covered by Xcel Energy.

The data collected from the Geotab will help identify locations for charging stations where vehicles will recharge overnight. The data will also help determine how many stations will be necessary to charge all of the vehicles, Weingarten said.

The University already switched many campus vehicles from gasoline to hybrid electric, which have been shown to run three times more efficiently than gasoline and diesel vehicles, according to the University sustainability website.

According to reporting from the Minnesota Daily in June 2021, the University owns approximately 40 hybrid vehicles.

“Converting vehicles can save a significant amount of energy and emissions,” Director of Sustainability Shane Stennes said. “Electronic vehicles convert over 77% of the electrical energy from the grid to power at the wheels.”

In comparison, conventional gasoline vehicles only convert about 12% to 30% of the energy stored in gasoline to power at the wheels, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

The electric vehicle models will rely on batteries powered with renewable energy from Xcel Energy, such as solar and wind power, Stennes said.

Science, technology and environmental policy graduate student Eric Barry said electrification often happens as a form of greenwashing, where companies appear to be sustainable, but under the surface are still relying on fossil fuels such as coal.

“It comes down to a two-part solution, you can electrify your transportation [buses] as long as you decarbonize your source,” Barry said.

Although a complete switch to electric vehicles could take years to complete, data samples will continue to be collected from additional vehicles, Stennes said.

“The conversion to EVs [electric vehicles] is expected to take place over a number of years, which will allow us to take advantage of new technology and expected lower costs of EVs as the market expands,” Stennes said.

Correction: A previous version of this story misstated the environmental impact of electric vehicles. 

The University’s Students for Climate Justice group held a “Living Wages, Living Planet Earth Day Rally” on Friday to advocate for higher wages for students and dining, waste and facilities management workers.

Representatives from the Teamsters Local 320 union, the Environmental Student Association (ESA) and the Minnesota Student Association (MSA) attended the rally to listen to the Teamsters members speak about living wages and discuss current contract terms. At the rally, a petition signed by more than 500 people was delivered to University President Joan Gabel’s office outlining their call for higher wages for Teamsters 320 workers at the University, according to Teamsters 320 staff organizer Jackson Kerr.

More than 100 students, faculty and union workers also gathered in Coffman Union to discuss the need for living wages at the University and fight for a more sustainable planet. Some people spoke at the event and student groups tabled and shared information with attendees.

The event follows recent activism to raise wages for student employees. Some campus employers, such as the Institute on the Environment and the College of Biological Sciences have raised wages to $15.91 and $15 from approximately $12.

The rally also discussed employment contracts for facilities management and waste workers represented by the Teamsters Local 320 union. Their contract expires on June 30, and negotiations are set to begin this spring. Dining services workers are also included in the contract negotiations.

Current terms will continue until both parties meet to negotiate and finalize new agreements and a contract, according to Mani Vang, senior director of Employee and Labor Relations in the University’s Office of Human Resources.

Kerr said they originally hoped to begin negotiations in mid-April.

“The University pushed back negotiations because there wasn’t a lead negotiator hired yet, and they don’t have the money from the Board of Regents,” Kerr said. “The longer the wait, the longer the contract stays the same.”

Buildings and grounds worker Sara Parcells said she felt that since the COVID-19 pandemic, workload for custodial and facilities management staff has increased with additional daily disinfecting practices.

Although workers received an additional $2 an hour in ‘hazard pay’ for a few months, there was no permanent compensation increase to match the additional workload, according to Christine O’Connor, an administrative senior building and grounds worker.

Senior building and grounds worker Jim Larson said many workers are content with benefits offered to employees, but wages don’t cover expenses such as rent and the cost of groceries with inflation.

“As part of the negotiating committee, people are concerned about the cost of living,” Larson said.

Workers said they want to see student wages increase as these workers are necessary to maintain campus dining and housing services.

“We want to be here and retire at the University, but they are making it really hard,” O’Connor said. “We want them to incentivize and keep people here.”

The University of Minnesota is considering two finalists for a new chief sustainability officer position that will oversee short and long term sustainability initiatives, like achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

The search for candidates began in December 2021, and finalists Shane Stennes and Lacey Raak participated in public question and answer panels on April 4 and 7, respectively. Stennes is the current University director of sustainability and Raak is the current sustainability director at California State University Monterey Bay.

Creating this position is part of the University’s system-wide strategic plan to advance sustainable development goals, according to Vice President of University Services Mike Berthelsen.

Responsibilities of the sustainability officer will include developing the next generation Climate Action Plans for 2030, according to the 2021 MPact accountability report.

The officer will also collaborate with researchers, educators and facilities managers at the University, and work with University organizations, like the Institute on the Environment, to address hunger and food insecurity, according to Berthelsen.

The position will also help maintain external partnerships with organizations like the Clean Energy Resource Teams and Climate-Smart Municipalities.

“What’s new and important about this position is its systemwide reach and focus on coordination of these efforts,” said Jessica Hellmann, director of the University’s Institute on the Environment.

While the University employs sustainability leaders and personnel on all of its campuses, other universities have a chief sustainability officer position, according to Hellmann.

The University of Southern California hired its first chief sustainability officer in July 2021 to help achieve their goals of carbon neutrality and zero waste by 2028.

Developing sustainability goals at the University is also important due to the size of the campus and its influence on communities and the state, Hellmann said.

At the public panels, Stennes and Raak shared their perspectives on the importance of sustainability at the University and in Minnesota.

“Climate mitigation and adaptation is crucial to our University’s work,” Stennes said during the public panel on April 4. “If we fail to take swift action, warming across the planet, including here in Minnesota, will be catastrophic, harming people, communities and ecosystems.”

According to the systemwide strategic plan, more than 70% of Minnesota’s health care practitioners, like dentists, pharmacists and veterinarians, are trained through the University. The healthcare industry is also a major producer of waste worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.

“Over 70% of Minnesota’s health care practitioners are trained by the University,” Raak said during a public panel on April 7. “What if all those health care practitioners left the University with tools to reduce waste in the medical field?”

In the past year, student groups have advocated for more accountability from the University in meeting sustainability and climate action goals.

The Environmental Student Association (ESA) said they want an officer with a background in sustainability and environmental justice who is willing to collaborate with Minneapolis neighborhoods, according to ESA member Louisa Brody.

ESA member Piper Gallevin said she hopes the officer position will speak up about “bigger issues,” like divestment from fossil fuels or environmental justice.

“I would like to see more transparency and communication to the student body, even if things don’t go exactly as planned,” Brody said. “Even if they can show us what they’re working on, how it’s going, challenges or what we can do to help.”

The University of Minnesota’s School of Public Health received an award on March 27 for its work teaching students about the connection between healthcare and climate change.

The 2022 Award for Sustainability in Healthcare Management Education and Practice recognizes academic programs that teach students how to incorporate sustainable practices and ways of thinking into their work as healthcare providers. These teachings include how to properly dispose of technological waste and how to be prepared for natural disasters that could harm human life.

The award also recognizes the curriculum for emphasizing how inequities may make it harder for underserved populations to receive healthcare and how to incorporate equity in hiring practices, according to Janette Dill, associate professor in health policy and management.

“This award recognizes how the University of Minnesota [Master of Healthcare Administration] program provides a student learning experience focused on sustainability, accessibility and community involvement,” President and CEO of the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME) Dr. Anthony Stanowski said. “Students learn how healthcare services need to address disparities by ensuring equitable access to resources.”

The University’s curriculum in this program focuses on drawing connections between climate change and human health, two topics people may think are unrelated or wouldn’t be taught together, according to Ryan Armbruster, Senior Fellow in Health Policy and Management.

Armbruster said he thinks demand will increase for healthcare professionals with knowledge on sustainability and environmental issues due to the ongoing climate crisis.

In the program, students learn how the effects of climate change, like extreme heat, lengthen allergy seasons and natural disasters, impact human health and how to respond to these events as healthcare providers, Armbruster said.

Students also consider how the pollution emitted from cars and power plants can contribute to premature deaths, hospital visits and acute respiratory symptoms, according to MHA student Becca Ruff.

“Creating environmentally sustainable policies and practices in healthcare organizations can make a big difference in improving the health of our environments and communities, now and in the future,” Ruff said.

The curriculum also discusses how healthcare organizations contribute to carbon emissions, Armbruster said. The United States healthcare system contributes 10% of the nation’s carbon emissions, according to the Journal of American Medical Association.

Developing sustainability goals can be difficult for healthcare organizations with different focuses and large numbers of employees. The increased stress and burnout of healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic has also made it difficult to develop these goals, Ruff said.

Ruff worked with an organization to implement a new, more effective system for disposing of electronic equipment used in healthcare settings, like computers, work phones, tablets and printers.

Before this change, some departments in Ruff’s organization were not properly utilizing the recycling program for technology waste, she said.

When properly disposed of, some technology can be reused or recycled for future use. Ruff said she added additional disposal stations to the healthcare center so technological waste could be disposed of in an environmentally responsible way.

“After taking the class, I feel better prepared to engage in conversations about the importance of environmental sustainability and now have better tools to assess and propose recommendations for where a healthcare organization may have opportunities to improve it,” Ruff said.

The University of Minnesota’s School of Public Health received an award on March 27 for its work teaching students about the connection between healthcare and climate change.

The 2022 Award for Sustainability in Healthcare Management Education and Practice recognizes academic programs that teach students how to incorporate sustainable practices and ways of thinking into their work as healthcare providers. These teachings include how to properly dispose of technological waste and how to be prepared for natural disasters that could harm human life.

The award also recognizes the curriculum for emphasizing how inequities may make it harder for underserved populations to receive healthcare and how to incorporate equity in hiring practices, according to Janette Dill, associate professor in health policy and management.

“This award recognizes how the University of Minnesota [Master of Healthcare Administration] program provides a student learning experience focused on sustainability, accessibility and community involvement,” President and CEO of the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME) Dr. Anthony Stanowski said. “Students learn how healthcare services need to address disparities by ensuring equitable access to resources.”

The University’s curriculum in this program focuses on drawing connections between climate change and human health, two topics people may think are unrelated or wouldn’t be taught together, according to Ryan Armbruster, Senior Fellow in Health Policy and Management.

Armbruster said he thinks demand will increase for healthcare professionals with knowledge on sustainability and environmental issues due to the ongoing climate crisis.

In the program, students learn how the effects of climate change, like extreme heat, lengthen allergy seasons and natural disasters, impact human health and how to respond to these events as healthcare providers, Armbruster said.

Students also consider how the pollution emitted from cars and power plants can contribute to premature deaths, hospital visits and acute respiratory symptoms, according to MHA student Becca Ruff.

“Creating environmentally sustainable policies and practices in healthcare organizations can make a big difference in improving the health of our environments and communities, now and in the future,” Ruff said.

The curriculum also discusses how healthcare organizations contribute to carbon emissions, Armbruster said. The United States healthcare system contributes 10% of the nation’s carbon emissions, according to the Journal of American Medical Association.

Developing sustainability goals can be difficult for healthcare organizations with different focuses and large numbers of employees. The increased stress and burnout of healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic has also made it difficult to develop these goals, Ruff said.

Ruff worked with an organization to implement a new, more effective system for disposing of electronic equipment used in healthcare settings, like computers, work phones, tablets and printers.

Before this change, some departments in Ruff’s organization were not properly utilizing the recycling program for technology waste, she said.

When properly disposed of, some technology can be reused or recycled for future use. Ruff said she added additional disposal stations to the healthcare center so technological waste could be disposed of in an environmentally responsible way.

“After taking the class, I feel better prepared to engage in conversations about the importance of environmental sustainability and now have better tools to assess and propose recommendations for where a healthcare organization may have opportunities to improve it,” Ruff said.

By replacing light bulbs and doing other improvements, the University of Minnesota saved more than 8 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of energy in 2021 — which saves money and helps keep tuition rates down.

University engineers upgraded lightbulbs to LED lighting and improved ventilation in buildings like Pillsbury Hall and Mondale Library over the past year. These updates will reduce future maintenance costs and decrease the cost of purchasing energy from utility companies like Xcel Energy or CenterPoint Energy, according to Energy Management Assistant Director of Engineering Jeff Davis.

So far, about 70% of lighting has been converted to LED bulbs on campus, Davis said.

The University uses student tuition to help pay for the energy needed to operate campus buildings. The money saved by lowering energy consumption, worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, could be used to lower tuition or invested in other areas, according to Davis.

“Any energy we save is money that can be used elsewhere on campus in other ways such as tuition, programs and construction,” Davis said.

Although the 8.2 million kWh represents only 2.5% of the University’s annual energy consumption, this percentage is still significant, according to Director of Sustainability Shane Stennes.

The LED light bulbs will last for years and ultimately reduce maintenance costs, Stennes said.

In addition to lowering maintenance and energy costs, decreasing energy consumption is also part of the University’s long-term commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Over the past year, student groups and staff have called upon the University for increased accountability around sustainability and energy efficiency.

Although installing LED light bulbs and improving ventilation will make the University more efficient and reduce maintenance costs, upgrading this technology is expensive and requires significant investment, according to Davis.

“We try to offset heating and cooling costs by strategically using equipment [already] in place,” said Alex Poor, District Engineer for the North campus. “Instead of running the air conditioning, we take advantage of some lab buildings that require outdoor air.”

Different building designs across campus require different styles of lighting depending on how the space is used. Replacing fixtures and bulbs in the University Recreation and Wellness Center was straightforward because lighting fixtures are similar throughout the building, whereas the St. Paul plant growth chambers required replacing specific old bulbs, according to Poor.

Davis said engineers are looking for ways to update older buildings and decrease energy consumption further in the future.

“As we continue to identify projects, we collaborate with people in these spaces to make sure it fits in with what they are trying to achieve,” Poor said. “If we do the project and no one likes it, it’s a lot of money spent for people who don’t want to use it.”

The University of Minnesota is researching how to make harmful “forever chemicals” less dangerous for ecosystems in Minnesota with a naturally occurring bacteria capable of breaking down these chemicals in the environment.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), commonly referred to as “forever chemicals” is often found in non-stick cookware, stain protectors, firefighting foam and cosmetics. They can potentially cause cancer and pose dangers to fetal development and young children, according to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA). The MPCA expanded its PFAS monitoring plan to include additional industrial facilities in the Twin Cities on March 22.

Expanded monitoring in the Twin Cities
The monitoring will determine if PFAS chemicals are being released into groundwater, wastewater and surface waters and collect data on concentration levels. Monitoring will also help build regulations and legislation around PFAS in Minnesota, as there are not currently any statewide water quality standards. Regulations have been difficult to develop because of PFAS’ mobility and persistence in the environment, according to MPCA PFAS coordinator Sophie Greene.

The expanded MPCA plan will monitor 137 manufacturing and industrial facilities, eight regional airports, 143 landfills and solid waste management facilities and 91 municipal wastewater treatment plants. MPCA will summarize and report this data to the public in 2024 and use the information to implement further pollution prevention efforts.

“[PFAS] are known as ‘forever chemicals’ because they don’t break down in the environment once they are released,” University environmental health sciences professor Matt Simcik said. “We are still trying to find something that is efficient, inexpensive and highly concentrated that we can use to destroy these things.”

Student researcher takes on PFAS
PFAS are difficult chemicals to eliminate because they have a high resistance to degradation and tend to stay in water and soil for long periods of time. This eventually leads to accumulation in humans and fish, according to graduate student researcher Maddy Bygd.

With assistance from University biology professor Lawrence Wackett, Bygd has researched and identified a bacteria, “Pseudomonas putida,” that can break down pollutants similar to PFAS in soils.

The bacteria breaks down chemicals into less harmful compounds such as fluoride and carbon in a process called defluorination. This process decontaminates the PFAS chemical so it is less harmful to the environment.

“By understanding these reactions, we can apply an effective enzyme in soil without causing any ecological damage or hazardous effects to remediate chemicals such as PFAS,” Bygd said.

PFAS and big corporations
Some companies have received growing attention over their release of PFAS into the environment and have been pressured to change manufacturing practices, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

Twin Cities based-company 3M has used these chemicals for over 50 years to the manufacturing of products according to the 3M website. In February 2018, Minnesota reached an $850 million settlement with the company for PFAS production that caused damage to natural resources and drinking water in the east metropolitan area.

According to 3M’s website, the company has invested over $200 million worldwide towards PFAS remediation.

“By monitoring these facilities, we can understand the amount [of PFAS] present and make strategic decisions in order to create future regulations that are comprehensive,” Greene said.

The University of Minnesota Medical School is responding to the nationwide physician shortage through the Rural Physician Associate Program (RPAP), a program that trains students to practice as physicians in rural areas across Minnesota.

The physician shortage in Minnesota has worsened throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, but ultimately stems from the uneven distribution of physicians between rural and metro areas in Minnesota, according to Medical School Vice Dean of Education Dr. Mark Rosenberg.

Finding students to work and live in these areas is difficult, because most universities and graduate schools where students receive training are located in bigger cities, according to RPAP Director Dr. Kirby Clark.

Predictions suggest the shortage will continue on a national scale too, as increasing numbers of physicians will retire in the near future, Rosenberg said.

Although the physician shortage has highlighted the need for workers in rural communities, the University has trained medical students to work in these areas for more than 50 years. Through the RPAP program, third-year medical students at the University spend nine months working and studying in rural locations in Minnesota, such as Staples and Hastings.

After completing the experience, students are more likely to work in rural practices after graduation, Rosenberg said.

“RPAP and other programs like the Metropolitan Physician Associate Program (MetroPAP) are designed to encourage students to serve these populations before committing to a career and learn what it’s like to be a part of the community,” Clark said.

The program gives students experience outside of the traditional medical setting, allowing them to interact with patients in other geographic areas, according to Rosenberg.

As a result of the shortage, patients in rural communities may not have the same access to healthcare as patients in heavily resourced areas. Financial constraints, proximity to healthcare services, lack of insurance, medical literacy and internet access also contribute to this, Clark said.

Clinics have also closed during the pandemic, meaning patients may have to travel further to receive care, according to Medical School alumni Allicen Waxlax, who completed the RPAP program in 2020 at the Riverwood Healthcare Center.

“I always knew I wanted to practice in a rural setting,” Waxlax said. “Participating in RPAP helped me grow in nine months and make connections by staying in one community.”

For physicians and medical students, the shortage has meant they may need to offer more services to patients, Clark said. Rather than having specialized caregivers, a single practitioner’s responsibilities may include delivering babies, performing surgery and operating a family practice.

“These experiences allow you to see how a smaller medical system interacts as a team, rather than a small portion of a unit in an urban area,” Waxlax said.

In a separate effort to combat the physician shortage impacting rural Minnesota, the Medical School is also learning how to predict if a student will choose to practice in a rural area, Rosenberg said.

The Medical School is working with the Minnesota Department of Health to complete a study on the healthcare workforce that collects data on when practitioners will renew their license, where they grew up, loan repayment and questions about how they decided where to practice.

The information from these surveys will help the Medical School learn what makes a student choose to practice in a rural area after graduation and help attract more of these students to University programs, according to Rosenberg.

“We are addressing this shortage by taking advantage of the way we train physicians [through the University Medical School] and designing programs so they will end up in rural practice,” Rosenberg said.

The College of Liberal Arts (CLA) Student Board hosted a Sustainability Resource Fair Tuesday to get University of Minnesota students involved in sustainability organizations on campus and raise awareness on environmental issues.

The Environmental Student Association (ESA), Food Recovery Network, 365 Green, Clean Energy Recovery Team and Eureka Recycling all participated in the resource fair. The groups interacted with prospective students and provided information on implementing sustainable practices in everyday life and on plant growing techniques.

“We want to bridge the gap between students and [sustainability] resources in order to find ways to centralize information that is digestible,” CLA student board president Layne Bower said.

Climate change, food insecurity and air and water pollution are also being discussed by these student groups. Part of the student board’s role is to bring demands and ideas from student groups to the University administrators who can make changes, according to Bower.

“The student board is a platform for students and groups to bring concerns about sustainability and waste management to [CLA Dean] Dean Coleman and other CLA administrators,” Bower said.

In addition to students, employees at the University are discussing how to make the University more environmentally sustainable. One concern among staff is addressing the improper disposal of waste on campus.

ESA said they want to involve those outside of environment-related majors in learning and practicing sustainability, and also partner with organizations like Students for Climate Justice, who have focused on the University’s intent to divest from fossil fuels, according to ESA president Gaby Gutenkauf.

“I would like to see a real commitment away from fossil fuels, including a detailed plan about how the University will be held accountable for meeting their goals,” Gutenkauf said.

Several student groups said they want to see campus become more energy efficient so sustainability is built into the student experience, according to Gutenkauf and CLA Event Officer Zaynab Somani.
To implement these changes and make buildings more efficient, CLA administrators are partnering with Facilities Management and Energy Management, according to CLA Chief Financial Officer Brent Gustafson.

To begin this work, CLA installed more efficient LED lighting fixtures in Johnston Hall prior to the pandemic, according to Gustafson.

“These additions included installing many more motion-activated lighting sensors to reduce energy consumption when spaces are unoccupied,” Gustafson said.

Bower said sustainability and accountability go hand-in-hand, and both students and the University need to be held responsible for maintaining sustainable practices.

“We don’t want students to not know where to go if they have interests or passions in sustainability or environmental issues,” Somani said. “We can help ensure that the University is offering students a sustainable experience.”