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Outdoor News: “Deer ‘stakeholders’ group does due diligence
I couldn’t be happier to read Steve Pollick’s review of the Ohio Division of Wildlife’s deer stakeholder process. It was a lot of time and energy spent not only by the ODW, but also by the stakeholders who attended five meetings spread out over a year. These individuals were fully committed to the process and… Read more
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The Global Climate Action Summit a missed opportunity?
Last week’s 2018 Global Climate Action Summit provided an opportunity for corporate executives and politicians from around the world to gather in San Francisco and announce, to considerable fanfare, their new carbon mitigation targets. Initiated by Governor Jerry Brown (D-CA) immediately following Trump’s announcement that the US would withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord, the… Read more
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Deer Stakeholder Engagement Process: Informing the Ohio Department of Natural Resources-Division of Wildlife 10-year Deer Management Plan: Final Report
Beginning in the fall of 2016, the Ohio Division of Wildlife began a 1.5 year deliberative stakeholder engagement process aimed at informing their 10-year deer management plan. Then at OSU, myself and Jeremy Bruskotter, an Associate Professor at OSU, helped facilitate that process. Attached is the final report describing the process, its results and our… Read more
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In the weeds: distinguishing organic farmers who want information about ecological weed management from those who need it
The benefits of farming organically in the USA are increasingly known; however, organic farmers also encounter considerable risks, especially from weeds. Without herbicides, organic farmers can rely only on crop rotations, mechanical cultivation, manual weeding, beneficial insects and other cultural practices, termed ecological weed management (EWM), to control weeds. Despite promising results and the many… Read more
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Engaging attribute tradeoffs in clean energy portfolio development
Governments and privately-held utilities will have to drastically reduce their carbon emissions to mitigate climate change. Such reductions will require transitioning electrical infrastructure to rely on cleaner fuels and power-generation technologies. Despite the myriad factors influencing both the process and eventual outcome of these transitions, it is typically transitions’ cost and individuals’ willingness to pay… Read more
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The social, economic and environmental benefits of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) in Michigan.
DISCLAIMER: I’m an applied decision researcher and professor for energy systems at Michigan State University. My research focuses principally on helping people to identify their values, concerns and objectives and then engage the trade-offs between those values, concerns and objectives and the many options available. The trade-offs between purchasing and operating a conventional gasoline vehicle… Read more
Doug Bessette, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Community Sustainability, Michigan State University
Energy Values Lab 