Innovation at Saint Mary’s:Renewable Energy and the Environment

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By Anthony Rabello, Rovert Ennis Jr., & Tony Perazzo
Guest Columnists

Nature is at risk worldwide, and ongoing research at Saint Mary’s College could provide some solutions. Currently Dr. Jim Pesavento (Ph. D Biophysics and Computational Biology) is working on research into algae-based biofuels which could provide a source of renewable energy. This could help the environment by cutting down on the burning of fossil fuels, which contributes to negative effects on the global environment.

Dr. Pesavento’s study pertains to the creation of algae-based biofuel (Hayden). Algae-based biofuels have the potential to supersede oil, however there is the caveat of cost. In order to make these production plants viable, the facilities must be built to specific standards that maintain the health of the local environment (Debowski). Because of this, the fuel production process is highly complex, making commercial viability difficult. If however these plants could be made operational they could, by offering a renewable fuel source, help with sustainability efforts and reduce carbon emissions. 

Several Professors at SMC have concurring views on the state of our environment. From interviewing SMC faculty members Dr. Pesavento, Dr. Nekesha Williams (Ph.d Marine Science), Dr. Alice Baldridge, Dr. Keith Garrison, and Dr. Kenneth Worthy, we found out a great deal about the current state of on-campus research, as well as what they think about the state of the Earth’s climate.

Dr. Jim Pesavento is a well accomplished biology professor and department chair here at SMC. His research involving the photosynthetic compounds from algae lipids in order to find a sustainable way for energy production from biofuel sounds like something out of a dream for environmentalists. When asked about his views on the environment and how his research could possibly impact it, Pesavento had this to say, “I think right now, it really needs to be an all hands on deck kind of thing… It's going to take work transitioning away from burning fossil fuels -  burning non renewables, because burning non renewables makes a net increase in those gases in the atmosphere.” Without a doubt, biofuel research is not an easy process. There are many layers involved in making the project viable. Pesavento further elaborates on how biofuels and how the photosynthetic algae lipids could play a role in helping the environment, explaining “Biofuels are net neutral. Because what happens is, when you're burning a fuel that came from like a living organism that generated that fuel by photosynthesis, it's using energy from the sun, and carbon dioxide gas that was already present, and then it makes lipids. Those lipids get burned for energy, and the CO2 then goes back in the atmosphere. So it's completely circular.” Unlike fossil fuels, biofuels are a net neutral potential alternative that doesn’t create its own gases. Whereas biofuels have positive effects on the environment, they are just one aspect of a bigger picture.

Dr. Nekesha Williams gave us her opinion on the state of the Earth’s ecosystem. She has hope but also concerns, as she explained “there are places that are flourishing still. However there are some ecosystems that are impacted heavily…negatively in that regard.” (Dr. Williams). While the climate is still relatively healthy in some areas, there are multiple areas that are struggling. She elaborated, stating “a lot of tropical, forested ecosystems are…impacted for various reasons…for instance the ones that are in, I think Indonesia, they are being burnt in order to establish palm plantations, which are used for palm oil. There have been in the recent past a lot of fires in the Amazon” (Dr. Williams). There are many places that have been affected by climate change and human activities.
    
Dr. Williams’ work mainly focuses on research into wetlands ecosystems. While we were discussing the plethora of research going on at SMC, she stated “So, there’s Dr. Pesavento’s research. Professor Marchetti who’s next door. He’s an ecologist. And he does work with newts…but he’s more of an aquatic ecologist and looks at invasive species and so forth. My work in particular focuses on sediment pollution, carbon sequestration, in wetland systems around the Bay Area and other places.” (Dr. Williams). There are many different types of research going on at SMC. Dr. Williams’ research is mainly focused in the Bay Area, studying specific aspects of the local ecosystems, such as carbon sequestration. Whereas protecting ecosystems is important, and often requires an understanding of bodies of water, fossil fuels also come with their own set of challenges

Dr. Alice Baldridge (Ph. D in Geological Sciences) is the Director of the Department of Earth Sciences at Saint Mary’s. She works with scientists and engineers from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Program, and during an interview explained on April 26th this year “we have four astronauts who are going to go, who are going to orbit the moon on the Artemis two spacecraft, and then once that mission is complete, we'll set a timeline for landing humans on…the moon again”. NASA isn’t only interested in space however, but conditions on Earth. Dr. Baldridge elaborated “I look at places on Earth that we think are similar or have similar processes to what we think are happening on the Moon or Mars or the icy satellites of Jupiter and Saturn. Mostly I'm interested in evidence for water”. When asked about the current condition of the global environment, she stated “I'm nervous about our ecosystem. I think, you know, there's, we're seeing more and more endangered species and extinction events, we're seeing a loss of appropriate ecosystems for animals - plants and animals. You know, the ecosystems are shrinking over time”. She was aware of the research into algae-based biofuel, and said about fossil fuels “My trepidation right now is about expanding our own resources, right? Into drilling more off the coast and drilling in our public lands is that we're going to need to find renewable resources anyway”. Fossil fuels have been used heavily since the 20th century and with continued use will be depleted to the point where they can’t sustain energy needs. Global warming caused by burning fossil fuels has caused many other problems.
One of SMC’s Biology Professors Dr. Keith Garrison (Ph. D Genetics) states how climate change directly results in coral bleaching. In our interview with Garrison he emphasized:
 “A lot of the problems that we experience with coral bleaching result from climate change. The reason that corals bleach is because the water is too warm. In many cases, it's also the products of photosynthesis that come from the symbionts. They're producing too much of those photosynthetic products, and it causes the coral to reject those symbionts, but then they're left without the ability, really, to feed themselves fully and completely, because they're dependent on the symbionts. And so that's what causes bleach.”

Garrison further elaborates on how bad climate change is for coral reefs by explaining how excessive CO2 emissions in the atmosphere are directly attributed to the weakening of calcium in the water which the coral need to feed on to survive. Garrison elaborates stating, “coral reef building coral are dependent on there being a lot of calcium in the water. That's one of the reasons why climate change is so bad for corals. Ocean acidification, which occurs when there's too much CO2 in the atmosphere. It can really break down their calcium skeleton.” This is one reason why climate change should be dealt with. When asked Garrison’s opinion on Pesavento’s research regarding algae lipids not only thought it was great work but when asked if he has ever collaborated with Pesavento, he had this to say, “No, we don’t collaborate very much, mainly because we study pretty different things. I think if we were closer in terms of the end goals of our research, you know, he's really trying to develop those sorts of carbon neutral fuels… I'm really working towards addressing different aspects of the consequences of climate change, in terms of understanding coral bleaching. So our end points are different.” Their work may not be collaborative, but they both are trying to improve the environmental situation.

When we interviewed Dr. Kenneth Worthy (Ph. D Environmental Studies), we mainly discussed the state of the Earth’s ecosystem, our part in it, and how we can make it better. The main issue at hand is human activity. Human industry and activity, while only one part of a big problem, have played a significant part in the degradation of the environment. I asked Dr. Worthy what his opinion was on the state of the Earth’s ecosystem. In the Dr.’s opinion, we are “in a lot of trouble”. He listed off many issues centering around a climate crisis and a biodiversity crisis. One main point he discussed was the relationship between the climate and the biodiversity crisis. He stated there “are major crises unfolding. A climate crisis which intersects with every other aspect of human life, pretty much. But also, uhh the biodiversity crisis. And, they reinforce one another.” Later, he stated  “And even if you only look at it from an ecocentric perspective… and only care about the wellbeing of nature and not humans, it’s still a tragedy because there’s so much loss going on. Entire ecosystems and species, contamination of…bodies, human bodies, other bodies by toxic chemicals.” The problems stemming from these crises cause the overall environment to degrade. The contamination alone is enough to strain an ecosystem. Contamination from pollutants isn’t the end of the environmental disasters we are faced with, as there seems to be an increasing number of problems.

Wildfires have become more common globally as a result of excess carbon emissions in our planet’s atmosphere causing an increase in global temperatures. Researchers have discovered a correlation between climate change and the frequency and severity of wildfires (Corpuz). Public health is at risk from the fires as well as the smoke being emitted from them, with individuals such as children or those with asthma being especially vulnerable. The Paris Climate Agreement has set goals for all nations in order to limit the amount the global temperature rises by reducing carbon emissions. However, not all nations have shown a strong commitment to an environmental agreement like this, and different fires keep happening with greater frequency.


Many people can recall the recent damage from the fires in the Los Angeles Palisades area, and there have been many more losses from a continuing pattern of similar fires. As Dr. Baldridge reminded me there was “the Eaton fire as well in Altadena, I know a lot of it because it's so close to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. I did my postdoc there, and a lot of folks I know lost their homes in the Eaton fire”. The important work being done at Saint Mary’s stands to create a new opportunity for practices which would be less harmful to the environment and sustainable. Especially in California where wildfires have become too common, finding new ways to improve environmental conditions seems to be of increasing importance.