Browsing by Author "Johnson, Lily"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    The City of Ramsey Tree Survey Plan: Protecting Ramsey's Green Assets
    (Resilient Communities Project (RCP), University of Minnesota, 2018) Nunvar, Ivy; Chen, Kevin; Moser, Lane; Walhowe, Jared; Miller, Alex; Lochner, Mat; Cloutier, Calli; Titus, Chris; Johnson, Lily; Cesarini, Gabe; Cotton, Alissa; Hinrichs, Hannah; Voth, Lydia
    This project was completed as part of the 2017-2018 Resilient Communities Project (rcp.umn.edu) partnership with the City of Ramsey. Ramsey is an exurban community with an abundance of natural resources. Despite its wealth of trees, the City has no record of its urban forest. To assess the locations, species and conditions of City-owned trees, the City of Ramsey partnered with students in FNRM 5501: Urban Forest Management: Managing Greenspaces for People, taught by Dr. Gary Johnson. Students worked with Ramsey city planner Chris Anderson to establish a sampling protocol, and to teach the protocol to local volunteers. Data collection took place over several weeks as volunteers were available. The students’ final report, presentation, and training packet are available.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Effective Environmental Nonprofit Outreach & Stakeholder Engagement Strategies
    (2022-05) Husein, Samira; Johnson, Lily; Thees, Barb
    We collaborated with the local environmental non-profit MN350 over the course of a five month period to help them improve their organizational effectiveness. The goal of this project was to gather information from the literature as well as from staff and key volunteers within MN350 as a means of identifying opportunities to improve the functionality of the organization as a whole to more effectively engage a multiracial, statewide base of Minnesotans in the climate justice movement. We conducted a literature review to develop a foundation for our analysis, identifying the key areas from which to assess organizational effectiveness. Volunteer engagement and retention, effective environmental engagement and outreach strategies, as well as internal nonprofit communications strategies were identified by the graduate student team as crucial elements to address in the literature review. We found that the four key volunteer engagement strategies that lead to greater retention are volunteers’ ability to identify with the organization’s values, sense of community, perception of autonomy, and perception of competence. We also found that the literature highlighted the importance of knowledge sharing in nonprofit settings as a vehicle for innovation, problem-solving and enhancing organizational effectiveness. Knowledge sharing within an organization can occur via formal methods such as data management systems, digital communications, meetings, or informal methods such as conversations between staff members.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Feasibility Report: Electric Vehicle Car-Sharing Program for Use by Low and Mid Income Communities in North-Central Minnesota, USA
    (2021) Johnson, Lily
    Carsharing programs have been developed and improved by researchers and scientists throughout the past few decades and have developed into a viable alternative vehicle-use method. Carsharing reduces the need for private vehicle ownership, in turn reducing vehicle purchase and maintenance costs to individuals and families. According to one program study in New York, through replacing routine personal car trips with use of a carshare program, families saved an average of $154 to $435 per month. These cost benefits are true across the board, but are especially present when considering rural mileage. Electric carsharing programs have begun emerging over the past decade, which save users money otherwise spent on fuel, as well as reduce environmental impact through the use of electric zero-emission vehicles. Now is an important time to pay attention to electric vehicles, as they are quickly integrating into consumer culture with the current Presidential administration announcing a plan to implement 500,000 L3 chargers nationally in the next decade . Currently, the state of Minnesota currently has 1,192 publicly available charging sites. Nearly 35% of the region has either one or zero vehicle access. Nearly 35% of the population is a cost-burden household (30% of income goes toward rent/housing payment). Including over 50% of renters. 13% of Beltrami County citizens live in severely cost burdened households (when 50% or more of income goes toward rent/housing payment). 43% of Bemidji, last of the 99 largest MN cities, in cost burden households. Cost burden results in less money available for transportation; less transportation results in a reduced quality of life. Reducing the barriers to access of sufficient transportation is important, especially because rural communities can be ‘left behind’ in technological advancement. This feasibility study investigates the possibility for the implementation of an electric rural vehicle sharing program in north central Minnesota. Included in this study are potential operation models, funding models, and implementation recommendations. A graduate researcher from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities conducted this feasibility study in cooperation with the Regional Sustainable Development Partnership (RSDP) through the University of Minnesota Extension, and the Headwaters Regional Development Commission (HRDC) staff. The HRDC is a quasi-government agency that serves communities in the counties of Beltrami, Clearwater, Hubbard, Lake of The Woods, and Mahnomen. The study will be a product for the Headwaters Regional Transportation Coordination Council, a MnDOT funded program to improve accessibility and mobility for transportation disadvantaged individuals. RSDP Supports localized sustainability projects through the partnerships of communities and the University of Minnesota. Energy resources have been provided through Clean Energy Resource Teams, an organization committed to helping increase energy sustainability in Minnesota. Research methods included collecting information and data from similar studies, conducting internet surveys, and conducting informational interviews with industry professionals and community members.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Understanding Minnesota's Wool Economy
    (2022-02) Johnson, Lily