Tell us about your internship! [Kai]

Kai stayed in San Luis Obispo for the summer to help create Cal Poly’s first Climate Action Plan as well as working for Aquaya, a San Francisco based non-profit research and consulting firm focused on improving water quality in the developing world.

Working with Professor Adrienne Greve, Professor Billy Riggs and the Cal Poly Facilities Department, Kai began a year long process of creating Cal Poly’s first Climate Action Plan (CAP), a document to help mitigate Cal Poly’s greenhouse gas emissions and help the campus adapt to the short and long term effects of climate change. This summer the CAP team focused on creating the campuses greenhouse gas emissions inventory, analyzing various components of campus life contributing to the greenhouse gas emissions including Transportation, Buildings, Agriculture, Solid Waste and Water Use. In the Fall and Winter quarters, the CAP team will be working with an undergraduate planning studio to develop the background report and policy recommendations for the Climate Action Plan.

At Aquaya, Kai worked with several colleagues on the Monitoring for Safe Water program in partnership with the International Water Association and the World Health Organization. The Monitoring for Safe Water program works with 23 institutions across six countries in sub-Saharan Africa, providing program participants with grants, financial incentives and technical assistance for water quality monitoring. As part of the program, Kai worked to analyze water quality test results from participating institutions, highlighting barriers and constraints to improving water quality within each country. Kai will be continuing his work with Aquaya, helping the firm to research and design an upcoming book on water sector politics in Africa.