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| A Newsletter from Carbon Solutions |
| | | Carbon Solutions’ Annual Meeting: A Week of Connection and Strategy in Estes Park, Colorado |
|  | Carbon Solutions’ annual meeting is the one time each year that our fully remote team comes together in person, and this year’s event in Estes Park, Colorado, was both productive and energizing. Over the course of the week, we tackled a range of business priorities, from strategic planning sessions and DEI activities to a comprehensive CliftonStrengths workshop that gave us tools to better understand our team dynamics. Between sessions, we also took advantage of our surroundings, with highlights like the hike on Kruger Rock Trail, offering team bonding alongside stunning panoramic views of the Estes Valley. The week was not just about aligning business goals, but also about building stronger connections, fostering collaboration, and setting the tone for our work together in the upcoming year. |
| | Carbon Solutions on the Move: CUSP Travel Highlight |
|  | We had a meaningful and productive time at the CUSP West 2024 Annual Meeting, where we presented innovative strategies to advance technology deployment aimed at reducing carbon emissions. Our team actively engaged with industry leaders and experts to enhance our understanding and collaboration in the carbon storage and sequestration space.
Marcos Miranda, Christopher Gilhooley, Jessi Eidbo and Richard Middleton played key roles throughout the event, participating in thought-provoking discussions and deepening connections with fellow project partners. Their engagement with leaders from various Tribal Nations sparked insightful conversations about the impacts and opportunities of CCS initiatives.
Jessi presented an informative overview of our community benefits plans and by participating in a panel focused on Community Engagement and Workforce Development for CCS projects, while Richard presented an overview of Carbon Solutions’ ongoing regional carbon management projects. |
| | | Employee Spotlight: Chris Gilhooley |
|  | This month, we’re shining the spotlight on Chris Gilhooley, one of our talented developers at Carbon Solutions. Chris has been working on a major project designing a scalable database schema for our expanding geology database. Although still under development, this project will streamline data entry and reduce debugging time, enhancing our overall workflow. When asked what he enjoys most about working here, Chris highlighted the creativity required to solve complex technical challenges, strong coworker support, and the positive global impact of our work. The recent annual meeting was a memorable experience for him, as it provided an opportunity to deepen connections with the team—and he even survived the hike! In the near term, Chris aims to finalize the geology database in preparation for API development and web mapping integration. Outside of work, he enjoys gardening, exploring the outdoors with his wife, and gaming. A fun fact: Chris is double-jointed, and he’s also restored the structural elements of a 1937 wood frame house in central Florida! |
| | Harnessing the Power of Education: Science Festival Partnership |
|  | We’re excited about our growing partnerships on CarbonSAFE projects. As part of the Community Opportunity Plan for the Sutter County CO₂ Capture and Storage Project, GTI Energy, Frontier Energy, Carbon Solutions, Calpine, Projeo, and 1PointFive organized a Science Festival.
On August 23, Robins Elementary School buzzed with hands-on activities introducing kids and families to carbon capture and storage. Attendees enjoyed interactive exhibits, such as building electric circuits and racing in a rain gutter regatta, while collecting stamps in their “passports” for fun rewards like balloon helicopters.
These collaborations not only strengthen our outreach but also enhance community understanding of science and sustainability, emphasizing the vital link between education and environmental stewardship. Carbon Solutions looks forward to more projects like this in the future. |
| | Staff Publication Sheds Light on Environmental Justice and Health Impacts of Decarbonizing the US Electric Grid |
|  | We are proud to highlight the recent publication by Carbon Solutions’ team member, Qasim Mehdi. Titled “Assessing the Environmental Justice Implications of Decarbonizing the US Electric Grid: Estimating Changes in Asthma Exacerbation by Race and Income,” co-authored by Petros Vasilakos, the paper was published in Environmental Research Health on August 28, 2024.
This research explores the air quality improvements resulting from a fully decarbonized US power sector by 2040 and their potential impact on reducing asthma exacerbations among children, particularly those differentiated by poverty status, race, and geography. The study finds that children in households below the poverty line receive a disproportionate share of the health benefits. By employing data from the American Community Survey, BRFSS, and US Census poverty thresholds, it highlights that Black children and children living in poverty generally experience greater reductions in exposure to PM2.5. Nationally, approximately 235,372 asthma exacerbation cases could be averted by 2040 under a decarbonization policy, with children in poverty experiencing notably larger health benefits compared to those above the poverty line.
The publication offers methodological insights for quantifying environmental justice impacts and underscores the importance of evaluating health improvements through the lens of race and poverty status to assess regulatory policies’ contributions to environmental justice goals. |
| | | – New Webinar October 30th! – |
| Strategic Approaches and Methods for Community Engagement in Direct Air Capture (DAC) |
|  | Presenters: Jessi Edibo, Erin Middleton – 12:00pm EST – |
| We invite you to this month’s webinar by Jessi Eidbo and Erin Middleton to hear about community engagement for direct air capture (DAC) projects. As decarbonization technologies emerge, they present both unique challenges and opportunities for engaging communities. In a landscape already rich with diverse energy and decarbonization technologies, effective community engagement is crucial to developers and communities alike. This webinar will provide an overview of community engagement through the lens of DAC, a rapidly evolving carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technology. The presenters will discuss how community engagement looks through the lens of federal projects, with particular attention to how engagement can be supported by community benefits plan requirements. In addition, they will highlight accessible strategies to early-stage technology developers looking to increase practical competency in community engagement best practices. |
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