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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons™

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Agricultural and Resource Economics

Colby College

2014

Articles 1 - 8 of 8

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Potential Investment In High-Efficiency Snowmaking At Sugarloaf, Lindsay C. Jarrett Aug 2014

Potential Investment In High-Efficiency Snowmaking At Sugarloaf, Lindsay C. Jarrett

Journal of Environmental and Resource Economics at Colby

Northern Maine will potentially suffer from temperatures increases, effecting the recreational value of the skiing industry. Sugarloaf currently has 300 high-efficiency snowguns that allow the mountain to make snow at higher temperatures and lower costs than the old equipment. With the threat of increasing temperatures, there is a need to invest in new technology in order to maintain ski season length and maintain a reputation as one of the largest, best skiing in New England. With current hourly temperatures in November, Sugarloaf would need to invest in 540 new high-efficiency snowguns at a cost of about $1.8. The costs incurred …

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Leap: Land Endowment Action Plan For Sustainable Colby, Victoria Palffy Aug 2014

Leap: Land Endowment Action Plan For Sustainable Colby, Victoria Palffy

Journal of Environmental and Resource Economics at Colby

This paper proposes that Colby College purchase land endowments to fuel its recently constructed campus biomass plant. Rather than contract with a third party, the college should invest in 30,000 acres2 and sustainably harvest its own renewable fuel. Beyond this, LEAP, the land endowment action plan, presents an opportunity to improve forest health, conserve valuable ecosystems, implement major additions to the curriculum, gain fuel independence, and create a constant annual revenue stream. With a 40-year payback period, the long-term investment brings profits of over $260 million in its 100-year outlook.

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Modeling Maine’S Rockweed Harvest, Meagan Hennessey Aug 2014

Modeling Maine’S Rockweed Harvest, Meagan Hennessey

Journal of Environmental and Resource Economics at Colby

Currently, Maine is in a political struggle over the best way to manage the harvesting of Rockweed, or Ascophyllum nodosum. As the dominant macro algae along the state’s rocky intertidal zone it supports over 150 different species, meaning its loss could impact food web stability, protection of endangered species, and support of economically viable harvests. This work takes parameters found in the literature to create a Stella model, which is then manipulated to explore the relative impact of possible management strategies. It is found that a strictly accurate model is not possible to create given the current biological knowledge and …

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A Choice Experiment Survey Analysis Of Public Preferences For Renewable Energy In The United States, Lucy O'Keeffe Aug 2014

A Choice Experiment Survey Analysis Of Public Preferences For Renewable Energy In The United States, Lucy O'Keeffe

Journal of Environmental and Resource Economics at Colby

In recent years, the need to address anthropogenic contributions to climate change and develop more sustainable energy sources has placed pressure on U.S. policymakers to expand the development of renewable energy sources. The creation of renewable portfolio standards (RPS), production tax credits, and investment tax credits have been an impetus for the recent growth in U.S renewable energy capacity; currently, renewable energy accounts for 13% of the U.S. Electricity Supply and this figure is projected to grow (Energy Information Agency, 2013). Therefore, economic analysis related to public preferences toward renewable energy has become increasingly critical to help inform renewable energy …

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A Cost Benefit Analysis Of Improving Energy Efficiency Of A Fitness Facilty, Inuri A. Illeperuma Aug 2014

A Cost Benefit Analysis Of Improving Energy Efficiency Of A Fitness Facilty, Inuri A. Illeperuma

Journal of Environmental and Resource Economics at Colby

Abstract: Nearly 40% of the total U.S. energy consumption in 2012 was consumed in residential and commercial buildings, as recorded by U.S. Energy Information Administration. With the urgent need to reduce overall energy consumption in the U.S., many efforts are made to improve the energy efficiency of buildings. However, energy managers identify budget constraints as one of the main obstacles in improving the energy efficiency of buildings. Hence this study focuses on a cost benefit analysis of improving the energy efficiency, with a special focus on fitness facilities in college environments. As a case study, the author focuses on improving …

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Perceptions Of Climate Change, Cole T. Kleinberg Aug 2014

Perceptions Of Climate Change, Cole T. Kleinberg

Journal of Environmental and Resource Economics at Colby

With the help of students from Environmental & Natural Resource Economics course (EC 231), a survey was distributed to hundreds of respondents across the nation with the intention to study beliefs about climate change. More than 70 students from EC231 conducted 5-10 surveys while traveling for Spring Break. The questions included in the survey address each respondent’s knowledge of climate change as well as the various influences that may alter ones beliefs as to how they are affected by climate change. This paper investigates all variables and looks for potential patterns in the survey data in the hope of finding …

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Clean Cooking: The Value Of Clean Cookstoves In Ethiopia, Shannon H. Kooser Aug 2014

Clean Cooking: The Value Of Clean Cookstoves In Ethiopia, Shannon H. Kooser

Journal of Environmental and Resource Economics at Colby

This project investigates how demographic differences affect the way people value clean cookstoves in Ethiopia. Previous research indicates that traditional cooking methods are harmful to human health as well as the environment, as people need to cut down trees or collect other biomass sources for fuel. However, clean stoves can solve both these environmental and health problems, as well as provide a sustainable method for cooking and heating in developing countries. Using choice survey data, this study examines Ethiopian households’ valuations of different characteristics of stoves, including durability, fuel reduction, smoke reduction and the amount of time they may save …

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The Economic Impact Of Shale Gas Development: A Natural Experiment Along The New York And Pennsylvania Border, Brendan Cosgrove Jan 2014

The Economic Impact Of Shale Gas Development: A Natural Experiment Along The New York And Pennsylvania Border, Brendan Cosgrove

Honors Theses

In the United States, the rapid increase in shale gas production has recently stimulated local economies. This paper investigates the regional economic impact of shale gas development. The border of New York and Pennsylvania provides a natural experiment for its economic impact because of the moratorium on fracking in NY and the supportive fracking regulations in PA. Using BLS data from 2001-2013, results show that shale gas development has a statistically significant impact at the industry level, but not across the entire economy. The findings contribute new evidence to the economic benefits and the boom-bust cycle of shale gas extraction.

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