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Bard Office of Sustainability

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Sustainability News

Person installing monitoring equipment on building rooftop.

Bard College Launches New Online Platform in Partnership with JustAir to Give Public Access to Real-Time Hudson Valley Air Quality Information

CESH has partnered with JustAir, an environmental justice tech start-up, to create a platform that gives direct access to real-time, validated air quality data in an accessible format.

Bard College Launches New Online Platform in Partnership with JustAir to Give Public Access to Real-Time Hudson Valley Air Quality Information

Person installing monitoring equipment on building rooftop.
Bard Community Sciences Lab Manager Desiree Lyle installs an air quality monitor for the Poughkeepsie Regional Air Quality Station (Adriance Memorial Library). Photo by Julia Beeman
The Center for the Environmental Sciences and Humanities at Bard College (CESH) is thrilled to announce the launch of a new online tool that allows people in the Hudson Valley community to have better access to information about their air. CESH has partnered with JustAir, an environmental justice tech start-up, to create a platform that gives direct access to real-time, validated air quality data in an accessible format.

Joining the platform offers Hudson Valley residents the option to subscribe to “favorite” monitors based on locale. Subscribing enables users to receive updates on their phones when air quality reaches unhealthy pollution levels so people can take precautions and protect their and their family’s health. This feature will also include guidance on ways people can help to reduce local air pollution levels during that time. For example, community members can know when to avoid wood burning or to limit car and other exhaust.

Large swaths of the United States, especially in rural regions like the Hudson Valley, have been identified as air quality monitoring deserts, relying on remote data from monitoring sites, which may be located far from the actual locations where people are living. This can result in misleading data that can be harmful to public health. People make day-to-day decisions that impact their health, like whether to exercise or wear a mask outdoors, based on inaccurate air quality readings.

The new Hudson Valley Community Air Network x JustAir platform provides far more accurate readings using validated, real-time data from Bard College Community Sciences Lab’s four Regional Air Quality Stations located at the Stevenson Library on Bard campus in Red Hook, Andy Murphy Neighborhood Center in Kingston, Adriance Library in Poughkeepsie, and Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh. These stations are equipped with sensors from PurpleAir and QuantAQ which measure particulate matter concentrations in the air. The weather stations also collect weather data on rainfall, barometric pressure, temperature, wind direction, wind speed, and solar radiation.

Each regional air quality station will host a launch event where local community members can join and learn more about the impacts of air pollution on their lives. Event dates and details are listed below.

Since 2020, Bard College Community Sciences Lab has worked to establish Bard’s Hudson Valley Community Air Network (HVCAN), an outdoor air quality monitoring network of 45 street-level sensors spanning from Albany to Newburgh that capture data on a hyperlocal neighborhood level. Through the support of municipal, private, and community sponsors, Bard plans to implement the next phase of the JustAir platform resulting in the complete onboarding of HVCAN’s hyperlocal sensors, which will serve as a model for air quality monitoring that is functional for community needs and free from national-level tampering. The City of Kingston and Ulster County have already committed to sponsoring several street-level sensors, and more municipal involvement across the Hudson Valley is anticipated. The localized data provided through this app will be the first ground truthing—assessing the accuracy of remote sensing data—of air quality in the Hudson Valley.

“Knowledge is power, and access to real-time air quality data gives people the tools they need to protect their health and the health of their families,” said Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger. “This new platform empowers Hudson Valley residents to make informed decisions about their daily activities, whether it’s choosing when to exercise outdoors or taking precautions on high-pollution days. Ulster County is proud to be a partner in this initiative and we look forward to bringing our street-level sensors online so residents can access even more local data. Expanding air quality monitoring across the region is a crucial step toward ensuring cleaner air and a healthier future for all.”

“The City of Kingston has been proud to partner with the Bard College Community Sciences Lab and to host air quality monitors on one of our most prominent buildings in Kingston,” said Julie Noble, Project Manager and Sustainability Coordinator of the City of Kingston. “The new JustAir platform is going to be so valuable to our residents and continues to help us advance our sustainability as well as health and wellness goals for the City.”

“Introducing this seamless public access to real-time outdoor air quality comes after years of unique collaborations between Bard College and Hudson Valley leaders. Although we often don’t think about it, clean air is a precious resource that needs to be protected in the same way we protect our beautiful waterways,” stated Eli Dueker, Associate Professor of Bard Environmental Studies and Director of the Center for Environmental Sciences and Humanities. “Bard students and faculty are thrilled to participate in ongoing community work to equitably address both indoor and outdoor air quality in our region – forming the Hudson Valley Community Air Network is a big step in this process.”

“In Newburgh, we face serious environmental challenges and often lack the information needed to protect our health. This platform changes that. It gives our community real-time air quality data so families can make informed decisions. At Outdoor Promise, we believe knowledge leads to action, and this partnership with Bard and JustAir puts that power in the hands of the people,” said Ronald Zorilla, cofounder and CEO of Outdoor Promise in Newburgh.

“The Poughkeepsie Public Library District is thrilled to be part of this important quality-of-life program offered through a collaboration with Bard College. Public libraries play a critical role in providing information, and this is another innovative way in which we can bring the information to our residents,” said Tom Lawrence, director of  the Adriance Memorial Library in Poughkeepsie.

“The Just Air app is an exciting next step in our collaborative efforts to protect air quality, residents' health, and the health of our environment,” said Lorraine Farina, coordinator of HVAQ.  “During these times of increased wildfire activity, knowledge is increasing that fine particulate matter, from wildfires and from local wood burning, are major challenges to these goals. This app will make it more apparent and easier for people to  keep track of their air quality and to recognize we have control of local contributions to poor air quality.”

“We at JustAir are proud to be partnering with Bard College's Community Sciences Lab to publicly launch the Hudson Valley Community Air Network,” said Darren Riley, cofounder and CEO of Just Air. “In this project, our platform will support the work that residents and researchers with the Hudson Valley Air Quality Coalition have been doing in their communities for years. We expect this data will further encourage community science and provide a basis for actions to improve residents’ health. We look forward to where this partnership will lead.”

Bard College Community Sciences Lab’s work is conducted with the idea that academic institutions can be powerful community partners in developing climate resilience locally. One focus of the lab is quantifying and tracking energy-related aerosols linked to activities such as commercial and residential heating, construction, and transportation at the local scale. Bard collaborates with communities by providing them the data they need in order to move forward on the development and implementation of unified community response to pollutants that may pose a public health concern. The JustAir Bard College Community Sciences Lab platform builds on prior projects including the Kingston Air Quality Initiative (KAQI), which released a four-year air quality study report with the city of Kingston last year.

Bard College is grateful to work in partnership and collaboration with Hudson Valley Air Quality Coalition, Outdoor Promise, City of Kingston, Poughkeepsie Adriance Memorial Library, Mount Saint Mary’s College, Ulster County, Kingston Air Quality Initiative, Town of Red Hook, and all of the libraries participating in the  Hudson Valley Library Air Quality Network.
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JustAir Bard College Community Sciences Lab Launch Events

Poughkeepsie JustAir Launch Event
Tuesday, June 24
5:30 to 7:30 pm
Adriance Memorial Library
93 Market Street, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601

Newburgh JustAir Launch Event
Wednesday, June 25
5:30 to 7:30 pm
Desmond Center at Mount Saint Mary College
330 Powell Avenue, Newburgh, NY 12550

Kingston JustAir Launch Event
Thursday, June 26
5:30 to 7:30 pm
Andy Murphy Midtown Neighborhood Center
467 Broadway, Kingston, NY 12401


Learn more about HVCAN and join the JustAir x Bard platform

Post Date: 06-10-2025
Eban Goodstein Wins 2025 United Nations PRME Leadership in Education Award

Eban Goodstein Wins 2025 United Nations PRME Leadership in Education Award

Goodstein was recognized for founding and continuing to lead Bard’s innovative MBA in Sustainability, one of the few graduate programs worldwide that fully integrates a focus on sustainability and mission-driven leadership into a core business curri

Eban Goodstein Wins 2025 United Nations PRME Leadership in Education Award

Eban Goodstein Wins 2025 United Nations PRME Leadership in Education Award
Director of the Bard MBA in Sustainability Eban Goodstein.
Director of the Bard MBA in Sustainability Eban Goodstein was honored at the United Nations headquarters in New York City as the winner of the PRME (Principles of Responsible Management Education) Educational Leaders Award for 2025. Goodstein was recognized for founding and continuing to lead Bard’s innovative MBA in Sustainability, one of the few graduate programs worldwide that fully integrates a focus on sustainability and mission-driven leadership into a core business curriculum. On receiving the Leadership in Education Award, Goodstein acknowledged the program’s faculty and students, saying, “Our teachers are all mission-driven people who work on the cutting edge of business sustainability. They are  the engine of our community.” He added that “the faculty are inspired by the creativity and commitment of our students to creating a better world.” PRME works with over 800 business and management schools worldwide to promote the integration of sustainability and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into higher education. 
 
Read more in Lead the Change

Post Date: 06-10-2025
a large group of students stand for the camera with work vests

Hannah Arendt Center and Bard Athletics Hosted “Spring Cleaning” of Bard Campus

After an hour of picking up trash, the dedication organizers and volunteers put in was enough to leave the whole campus community inspired.

Hannah Arendt Center and Bard Athletics Hosted “Spring Cleaning” of Bard Campus

a large group of students stand for the camera with work vests
Over 40 volunteers showed up for the campus-wide Spring Cleaning event. Photo by Julián Donas Milstein
The Hannah Arendt Center (HAC) and Bard Athletics joined together last weekend to organize a campus-wide “Spring Cleaning” event. Working quickly in anticipation of the upcoming admitted students weekend, fellows at the HAC and student athletes gathered supplies and began recruiting volunteers to clean up across Bard’s Annandale campus, drawing more than 40 volunteers to help. The large turnout came as a pleasant surprise to the organizers, with volunteers covering six zones across the campus, picking up everything from abandoned soccer balls to discarded Kline dishware. “It’s not usually work that makes people proud,” one of the fellows later remarked. And yet, after an hour picking up trash, the dedication organizers and volunteers put in was enough to leave the whole campus community inspired.

Post Date: 04-08-2025

Sustainability News by Date

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March 2014

03-20-2014
Bard High School Early College senior Alexandra Gumas has been awarded the $10,000 Wangari Maathai Award for Civic Participation in Sustainability for her work founding and running the BHSEC bottle cap recycling contest.
Read More

Meta: Type(s): Student | Subject(s): Environmental/Sustainability | Institutes(s): BHSECs,Center for Civic Engagement |
03-18-2014
Jess Scott brings her background in global economic and environmental issues to her work training young sustainability leaders with C2C Fellows, a program of the Bard Center for Environmental Policy.
Read More

Meta: Type(s): Staff | Subject(s): Environmental/Sustainability | Institutes(s): Bard Center for Environmental Policy,Bard MBA in Sustainability,Bard Undergraduate Programs,Center for Civic Engagement |
03-13-2014
C2C Fellows Lay Foundation for Environmental Careers During Weekend Intensive<br />
How do you get a room full of young environmentalists, budding entrepreneurs, and aspiring policymakers ready for an intensive weekend workshop at Bard College? Ask them a lot of soul-searching questions to break the ice. At this year’s Northeast Regional C2C Fellows Workshop at Bard, 61 young leaders had gathered in the Olin Language Center on a chilly Valentine’s Day evening. Workshop Director Jess Scott fired questions at the audience: “What would you change about the way you were raised? What are your passions and goals?” The participants—most of whom were strangers to each other—paired up to share stories. They laughed, cringed, and searched for the right words. When Scott finished, she explained the exercise: expressing empathy and building relationships are crucial to effective leadership and advocacy. She was laying the groundwork for a weekend that would be heavy on communication strategies and helping the participants build the network of young professionals that make up the core of C2C.
C2C Fellows during Friday night's Q&A

C2C stands for Campus to Congress, to Corporation, to City Hall, and to Capitol Hill, emphasizing the importance of sustainable leadership in all of these areas. For C2C, environmental, social, and economic work are intertwined in a larger vision of sustainability. A program of Bard’s Center for Environmental Policy (CEP), it trains and connects undergraduates and recent graduates aspiring to leadership positions in sustainable politics and business. C2C holds several workshops a year at colleges around the country. The one at Bard—this year’s was the third in Annandale—being on home field, tends to draw the biggest crowd, and opening night was no exception. There were 17 students from Bard, one student each from Bard College at Simon's Rock and Bard High School Early College (BHSEC) Manhattan, as well as students from 26 other colleges and recent graduates from six organizations. The farthest traveled student came from the College of Idaho.

Amy Canavan, The New School
Amy Canavan, The New School

Participants spent the weekend doing the kind of intensive skill building that is the hallmark of a C2C workshop. “With C2C Fellows we ask the students, ‘What do they need to make a difference in their 20s? How can they change the world in their 20s?’” says Eban Goodstein, director of Bard CEP and the Bard MBA in Sustainability Program. “They tell us, ‘We have a vision; we need to know how to network; and we need to know how to raise money and ask for things.’ What we do on the C2C weekend is really give them those opportunities and start to build that skill set.”

New School student Amy Canavan made the trip from New York City for her second C2C workshop, serving as a public speaking mentor for new Fellows. Canavan is in her fourth year of a five-year, dual-degree B.A./B.F.A. program in environmental studies and fashion design. She attended a workshop last October at Bentley University in Waltham, Massachusetts. “It’s really easy to get bogged down by the issues. This weekend is all about solutions, and that’s my favorite part of the program. I came back from the program last year so inspired and renewed.” At Bentley, as with every C2C workshop, industry professionals spoke on a panel. “It was inspiring to hear people in real jobs, making real money, in real time doing things that are going to change and benefit the planet.” She’s remained in touch with people she met at the Bentley event and she’s now writing her thesis on a project she presented to that group.

Bard first-year Carl Amritt
Bard College first-year Carl Amritt

Fellows practice in several areas over the course of the weekend. They hone their elevator pitches, discuss effective fundraising, and meet leaders in their fields. The weekend begins and ends with the Ideas Marketplace. On Friday night, everyone has one intense minute to propose a project to the group. Participants then vote on the best proposals, and a few winners each give a five-minute presentation as part of Sunday’s closing events. Proposals on Friday night ranged from building a compost bioreactor at Bard to teaching environmental literacy to elementary and middle school students. In the end, among the six chosen for final presentations were BHSEC Manhattan’s Ginger Simms and three Bard students: Logan Hollarsmith ‘14, Mildred Kissai ‘15, and Dana Miranda ‘14.

Bard first-year Carl Amritt made a pitch for green bonds, a financial instrument similar to war bonds that the Department of Treasury and Energy would issue to promote green capital. Like the other participants, he spent a lot of time over the weekend addressing an audience. Amritt appreciated the emphasis on storytelling and networking. “One of the most important things that I took away from the workshop was the phrase that “your net worth is your network”. What Dr. Goodstein had meant by this was that our value as professionals out in the world is dependent on the network of individuals that you know. It is through this network that you make those connections to fuel your career. It was this very network that I entered by attending this weekend conference and becoming a C2C Fellow.”




Meta: Type(s): Event | Subject(s): Bardians at Work,Career Development,Division of Science, Math, and Computing,Division of Social Studies,Economics,Environmental/Sustainability,Politics and International Affairs,Student,Wellness | Institutes(s): Bard Center for Environmental Policy,Bard MBA in Sustainability,Bard Undergraduate Programs,Center for Civic Engagement |
03-13-2014
C2C Fellows Lay Foundation for Environmental Careers During Weekend Intensive<br />
Sixty-one young environmentalists, budding entrepreneurs, and aspiring policymakers gathered at Bard for the annual C2C Fellows workshop on Valentine's Day weekend. C2C stands for Campus to Congress, to Corporation, to City Hall, and to Capitol Hill, emphasizing the importance of sustainable leadership in all of these areas. A program of Bard’s Center for Environmental Policy, C2C trains and connects undergraduates and recent graduates aspiring to leadership positions in sustainable politics and business.
Read More

Meta: Type(s): Event | Subject(s): Bardians at Work,Career Development,Division of Science, Math, and Computing,Division of Social Studies,Economics,Environmental/Sustainability,Politics and International Affairs,Student | Institutes(s): Bard Center for Environmental Policy,Bard MBA in Sustainability,Bard Undergraduate Programs,Center for Civic Engagement |
03-11-2014
When internships turn into full-time jobs for students in the Bard Center for Environmental Policy, they can finish their degrees from off campus while pursuing their careers.
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Meta: Type(s): Student | Subject(s): Environmental/Sustainability | Institutes(s): Bard Center for Environmental Policy |
03-07-2014
"Homesteading isn’t a typical subject that you see represented in opera," admits composer Shawn Jaeger. His Payne Hollow, premiering at the Fisher Center this weekend, is based on the play by Wendell Berry about the lives of the self-sufficient Harlan and Anna Hubbard, who lived at the bank of the Ohio River from 1951 to 1986.
Read More

Meta: Type(s): Event | Subject(s): Environmental/Sustainability,Opera | Institutes(s): Fisher Center |

February 2014

02-27-2014
Bard CEP and MBA director Goodstein on Chevrolet's innovative carbon investment plan that incorporates higher education.
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Meta: Type(s): Faculty | Subject(s): Environmental/Sustainability | Institutes(s): Bard Center for Environmental Policy,Bard MBA in Sustainability,Center for Civic Engagement |
02-27-2014
Bard College Landscape and Arboretum Program and New York Botanical Garden to Offer Continuing Education Classes
The Landscape and Arboretum Program at Bard College and the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) are offering noncredit continuing education classes on gardening at Bard College this winter and spring. Open to the public, these classes feature some of the top names in the horticulture industry and cover a wide array of topics.
Read More

Meta: Type(s): Event | Subject(s): Environmental/Sustainability | Institutes(s): Center for Civic Engagement |
02-13-2014
Read More


Meta: Type(s): Student | Subject(s): Bard Farm,Environmental/Sustainability | Institutes(s): Bard Undergraduate Programs,Center for Civic Engagement |

January 2014

01-21-2014
The metric of gross domestic product, developed in the 1930s and 1940s, leaves out many measures of a nation's progress, write Hunter Lovins and her fellow authors.
Read More

Meta: Type(s): Faculty | Subject(s): Economics,Environmental/Sustainability | Institutes(s): Bard MBA in Sustainability |
01-21-2014
Students Give TED Talks a New Spin with Bard Talks<br />
On Sunday, January 19, Bard's Office of Student Activities held it’s inaugural first-year lecture series, Bard Talks, inspired by the widely known TED Talks conferences. Six students presented on a range of topics that showcased social and political issues of global concern, as well as ways to engage with those issues on campus. Topics addressed included malaria in sub-Saharan Africa, food initiatives at Bard, climate change, organ trafficking, and information security. Bard Talks took place in conjunction with the Martin Luther King Day of Service and the Citizen Science program. The event was well attended by students and faculty at the Bito Auditorium in the Reem-Kayden Center.

Photo: L-R: participants Kristin Prunskis ‘17, Justin Shin ‘17, David Yu ‘17, Alyssa Freeman ‘16, Ethan Quinones ‘17, and Carl Amritt ‘17.
Meta: Type(s): Student | Subject(s): Bardians at Work,Division of Science, Math, and Computing,Division of Social Studies,Environmental/Sustainability,Wellness | Institutes(s): Bard Undergraduate Programs,Center for Civic Engagement |
01-21-2014
Bard Observes Martin Luther King Day with Volunteer Activities<br />
Bard participated in the nationwide Martin Luther King Day of Service on Saturday, January 18. More than 300 first-year students—who are on campus for three weeks of Citizen Science courses—marked the occasion by participating in volunteer activities and trainings on campus and at 25 sites in the Hudson Valley. Organized by the Center for Civic Engagement at Bard, events included a social justice workshop for Bard students in the Campus Center, several campus activities for local Girl Scouts led by Bard students, a recycling day for electronic waste in Red Hook, and a junior detectives event at the Tivoli Library.

Photo: Bard students teach fingerprinting techniques to local youth during a junior detectives activity at the Tivoli Library.
Meta: Type(s): Student | Subject(s): Bardians at Work,Environmental/Sustainability | Institutes(s): Bard Undergraduate Programs,Center for Civic Engagement |
01-16-2014
Bard Center for Environmental Policy to Host C2C Fellows Sustainability Leadership Workshop February 14–16<br />
During the weekend of February 14–16, Bard College will host the third annual Northeast regional C2C Fellows Sustainability Leadership Workshop. Directed by Eban S. Goodstein, director of the Bard Center for Environmental Policy (Bard CEP) and dean of the Bard MBA in Sustainability, the three-day workshop offers training to college students and recent graduates aspiring to become sustainability leaders in politics and business.
Read More

Meta: Type(s): Student | Subject(s): Environmental/Sustainability | Institutes(s): Bard Center for Environmental Policy |
01-15-2014
Jaime DiPuppo, M.S. '12 is now pursuing a master's in teaching through the American Museum of Natural History as part of a national effort to add 100,000 STEM teachers in the U.S. by 2021.
Read More

Meta: Type(s): Alumni | Subject(s): Division of Science, Math, and Computing,Environmental/Sustainability | Institutes(s): Bard Center for Environmental Policy |
01-14-2014
Ghosts, goblins, and poetry ... Environmental and Urban Studies executive administrator Tom O'Dowd writes about the inspirational Hudson River.
Read More

Meta: Type(s): Staff | Subject(s): Division of Languages and Literature,Environmental/Sustainability | Institutes(s): Bard Undergraduate Programs |
01-13-2014
Biologist Bruce Robertson's Research Shows There's More to Biofuel Production Than Yield<br />
Biology faculty member Bruce Robertson has coauthored a paper showing that perennial grasses can effectively be used as biomass crops while preserving species and ecosystem services. While corn leads biomass crops by yield, that high production comes at a high price for the environment. This research is part of Professor Robertson's ongoing collaboration with the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center at Michigan State University.

Read the article in PNAS.

Learn more about the story from the National Science Foundation.

Meta: Type(s): Faculty | Subject(s): Division of Science, Math, and Computing,Environmental/Sustainability | Institutes(s): Bard Undergraduate Programs |

December 2013

12-03-2013
Bard Senior Jess Lambert Pursues Her Passion for Sustainability<br />
Environmental and urban studies major Jess Lambert '14 came to Bard from the small town of Liberty, New York. As a student representative for the Bard Sustainability Council, she’s committed to improving environmental practices on campus. "I’m glad I found a place that really recognizes the importance of pursuing the work you’re most excited about," she says. "That’s been really empowering for me."
Read More

Meta: Type(s): Student | Subject(s): Division of Social Studies,Environmental/Sustainability | Institutes(s): Bard Undergraduate Programs,Center for Civic Engagement |

November 2013

11-27-2013
Class of 2003 alumni and freshman dorm-mates Bjorn Quenemoen and Jamie O'Shea have combined their skills in farming and solar energy to create a unique snack.

Read More

Meta: Type(s): Alumni | Subject(s): Alumni/ae,Career Development,Environmental/Sustainability,Wellness | Institutes(s): Bard Undergraduate Programs,Center for Civic Engagement |
11-22-2013
<p>Solar-Powering Cambodia: Daniel Pacheco ’07</p>
In the Bardian

When Daniel Pacheco ’07 accepted a job through Engineers Without Borders (EWB) to work in Cambodia, he had no idea that he would end up launching his own sustainable energy company there. “I was interested in solar energy, so started out working on projects with local companies, but they were all very commercial,” he says. “My motivation is not just about making money, but bringing solar energy to villages. Cambodia is a beautiful country. Coming from New York City, it was shocking in a good way. Life can be relaxed without stress. People are generous and friendly. I felt safe, and realized there are lots of opportunities.”

The Venezuelan-born Pacheco, a Distinguished Scientist Scholar and graduate of Bard’s 4+2 engineering program, received a B.A. in economics with a focus on global economic development. He went on to Columbia University to earn his B.S. in mechanical engineering, specializing in renewable energies. Upon graduation, EWB—an international nonprofit organization that partners with developing communities to improve quality of life—offered him a job in Cambodia designing a green building for a school. After leaving that project, he stayed on in the country’s capital, Phnom Penh, for the next four years.

Pacheco’s vision was to distribute solar power systems and bring energy independence to communities throughout Cambodia. He began his venture as a sustainable energy initiative under an established nongovernmental organization (NGO). But once he saw the potential for solar energy, he launched his own company, NRG Solutions, which he started with a Cambodian colleague. “A lot of commercial businesses or NGOs sell or donate solar products to communities, then walk away,” he says. “After a few weeks or months, the products stop functioning, which is how solar gained a reputation for not working.”

Pacheco and his team decided to build trust in the technology and their services through fact-finding, education, and training. They visited every house that had a previously installed solar system, made sure everything worked, collected feedback, then followed up with phone calls. NRG Solutions rolled this procedure into its unique business plan: By focusing on building a network and distributing solar energy and related products to the village, Pacheco was able to help other entrepreneurs with business decisions and microfinancing (small loans and other services to low-income individuals who do not have access to banks), and to create a feedback loop. “We give them access to the technology and business vision, or we do it on consignment, so if the business doesn’t work, they don’t lose money,” he says.

Pacheco says that after getting some great feedback, NRG Solutions started installing systems for larger businesses—schools, hospitals, and community centers—with 10 percent of profits channeled back into microfinance. But Pacheco wants to stay small: “It’s tempting to expand in this field because it’s easier money; we saw other corporations going in this direction. But we were chosen by a business incubator sponsored by the World Bank to select promising small businesses and help them grow.” Pacheco’s aim for 2013 is to reach 2,000 residential solar systems. To assist him in this, he partnered with an Australian social enterprise company, Barefoot Power, which supplies solar products in developing countries, and the nonprofit organization Kiva, whose mission is to alleviate poverty by managing loans.

While Cambodia is a booming economy, the market for solar energy is tricky, says Pacheco, because 80 percent of the country, which doesn’t have access to the grid, depends on kerosene or car batteries for power. Gaining access to these customers presents a challenge. And while product satisfaction has been excellent, he’s taking the next steps slowly. He doesn’t advertise; his company’s buzz travels entirely by word of mouth. “They contact us, we don’t push. We are invited to come into a village and analyze whether it is worth installing solar or not.” On the second visit, Pacheco and his team bring products, offer training and workshops, talk about technology, products, and business opportunities, and leave samples. Two months later, they call for feedback. On the third visit they train entrepreneurs, set them up with a business vision, and teach them about accounting, customer follow-up, marketing, and how to create inventories.

Today, NRG Solutions consists of two project managers in charge of distribution; a French engineer dealing with solar systems; a business development and technical supervisor; and a volunteer from EWB–Australia, who helps with fund-raising. The World Bank assists with strategy and administration. Demand is burgeoning: NRG’s latest projects involve installing solar power in orphanages and clinics and in a school inside the Angkor Wat temple complex, the largest Hindu religious monument in the world. The group is also starting its own line of solar systems that can power TVs and fans.

Politically, Cambodia is still a complex place with much corruption. Pacheco says, “It’s very poor; a lot of money is concentrated with just a few people. We’re also dealing with the first generation to graduate from university since the days of the Khmer Rouge [the ruling Communist Party from 1975 to 1979 that orchestrated country-wide genocide], so the skill levels are low. But it’s actually one of the easiest countries to start a small business in—considering I’m someone with no money, no experience, and no contacts.”

Pacheco took Khmer language classes when he first arrived, but no longer has the time. “Many people speak English, especially in cities,” he says. “Once we get into the villages, not so much English is spoken, but I can get by.” He is out in the field two to three times a month, but is trying to remove himself from the process by hiring and training local technicians. “I see myself here for a few more years and then ideally transferring everything over to Cambodians,” he says. “But it’s hard to make plans. Things happen very quickly here in some ways, and very slowly in others. When you get here you think it’s so messed up, but after four years you realize how quickly everything is changing.”


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Photo: Daniel Pacheco ’07 installs a temporary solar frame for a family whose house
sank in heavy rain. Credit: Photo Courtesy of NRG Solutions
Meta: Type(s): Alumni | Subject(s): Bardians at Work,Career Development,Environmental/Sustainability,Politics and International Affairs | Institutes(s): Bard Undergraduate Programs,Center for Civic Engagement |
11-22-2013
Solar-Powering Cambodia: Daniel Pacheco ’07
When Daniel Pacheco ’07 accepted a job through Engineers Without Borders to work in Cambodia, he had no idea that he would end up launching his own sustainable energy company there. Four years later, he's helping to bring energy independence to communities throughout the country. Working with Cambodian colleagues, Pacheco installs solar in homes, orphanages, and clinics, and makes sure these systems are sustainable for local people in the long term.
Read More

Meta: Type(s): Alumni | Subject(s): Alumni/ae,Career Development,Environmental/Sustainability,Inclusive Excellence,Politics and International Affairs | Institutes(s): Bard Undergraduate Programs,Center for Civic Engagement |
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