East to West

I moved to Durango, CO from Chapel Hill, NC two months ago to work as an intern at 4CORE, and to aid 4CORE in completing the Climate and Energy Action Plan (CEAP) for La Plata County.  I graduated in May from the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill with a degree in Environmental Studies, and a concentration in Environmental Policy.  After an epic solo cross-country road trip, I arrived in Durango in June astounded and excited by the natural beauty surrounding me.  I was born and raised on the east coast, and had never been to Colorado before.  I came here to experience a completely new part of the country, and to gain practical skills and knowledge associated with working on and writing a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Such a plan, often referred to as a Climate Action Plan (CAP), or CEAP in our case, lays out a strategy that an entity will use to address climate change and reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.  There are currently 30 states and a multitude of local governments with a CAP in place, and many more in the works.  Establishing a CAP for a government or organization is becoming an increasingly important way to identify and reduce the emissions that these entities produce.  In addition to mitigating the effects of climate change, emissions reductions also serve to create economic opportunities and ensure our quality of life.

While in Chapel Hill, I worked with the Town to help them complete their own CAP.  In 2006, the Town of Chapel Hill committed to a Community Carbon Reduction Pledge, becoming the first U.S. municipality to commit to a 60 percent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions from town operations.  As a student at UNC I was able to work with the Town as an intern to provide carbon accounting services and to recommend policy measures with which to reduce the emissions from town activities.

It is very exciting to have the opportunity to use the experience I gained in Chapel Hill to work on the CEAP for La Plata County.  To me, the CEAP is an incredibly interesting and engaging project, as its intention is to identify problems within our community, and then work to come up with creative solutions that have wide-spread benefits.  For example, the primary mission of the CEAP is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in La Plata County, but by doing so it also seeks to strengthen our local economy and to ensure the social integrity of our community.

I am also excited to be working on the CEAP, as I am learning so much about the land and community in which I now live.  Originally, I had only intended to stay in Durango for the summer, but I have fallen in love with the town, as well as my work.  Many of the environmental issues I am faced with here are very different from those I experienced on the east coast, both due to geographic, as well as social differences.  But these differences are what make this experience exciting, and I am looking forward to learning as much as I can.

About the Author
Amanda was born in Florida, but attended college at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  Upon graduating this May, with a degree in Environmental Studies, she drove across the country to Durango, CO to work as an intern at 4CORE.  Amanda has spent her entire life on the east coast, but is really enjoying the beauty and lifestyle of the west.  Amanda enjoys hiking, kayaking, traveling, reading, soccer, team handball and the beach.