Geography ~ Political Ecology ~ Sustainability
A geographer by training, my interests lie at the intersection of environment and society. Energy choices and development decisions - and how equitable those choices, decisions, and governance thereof are - impacts the sustainability of our social and environmental worlds. My research focuses on issues of energy, waste, development, and sustainability across scale. I continue ongoing research on the use of biogas (methane derived from decomposing organic matter) as an energy source and waste management strategy in Nepal and the United States.
Selection of Publications
Barnhart, S. 2014. "From household decisions to global networks: Biogas and the allure of carbon trading in Nepal," in The Professional Geographer. 66(3) 345-353.
Abstract:
Nepal has more than 250,000 household biogas digesters that replace firewood with methane for most cooking needs, thus conserving forest resources while reducing indoor air pollution, reducing workloads for energy procurement, and providing a fertilizer slurry by-product. Biogas is also an approved clean development mechanism that reduces carbon emissions, creating a potential revenue stream for the government from global carbon trading markets through aggregating household biogas plants into larger projects for carbon trading. This article traces the shift to biogas as a neoliberal development strategy in Nepal by exploring the connection between biogas as a household energy decision and global carbon trading. |
Barnhart, S. 2012. "Teaching sustainability across scale and culture: Biogas in context," in The Journal of Sustainability Education. Vol. 3
Abstract:
Teaching sustainability invariably involves teaching about energy – its use, its sources, its environmental impacts, and its social implications. This paper explores how one renewable energy alternative – biogas – is adapted and applied across scale and culture. Biogas is made by capturing the methane released during anaerobic digestion of organic matter such as manure, sewage, and food waste. In Nepal, biogas is a household scale technology used to create a cooking fuel that replaces firewood and improves both environmental and human health. In the United States, biogas is used as part of large-scale waste management systems for livestock, wastewater treatment, and landfills to create electricity for on-site use and for sale into electric grids. In Sweden, biogas is used as part of a regional effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fossil fuel usage by using locally generated biogas for district heating, electricity, and vehicular fuel. By comparing these three cases, we gain insight into how one technology is adapted across diverse needs and from household to regional scales in the pursuit of more sustainable energy practices. Such an exercise can be an asset in the classroom to teach students about the importance and relevance of place-based solutions that address diverse cultural and economic realities. |
Barnhart, S. 2011. "Advancing human rights through community forestry in Nepal," in Forests and People: Property, Governance, and Human Rights, edited by T. Sikor and J. Stahl. London: Earthscan. 85-98.
Reisner, A., S. Barnhart, K. Austin, L. Bell, and UIUC Laboratory for Community and Economic Development. 2005. "Illinois Consumers Talk about . . . " Urbana-Champaign, IL: University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences.
As part of a research team from the UIUC Laboratory for Community and Economic Development, I contributed to a discourse analysis project of how genetically modified foods are represented in the media and the public’s perceptions of such foods. The research centered on conducting and analyzing data from focus groups across Illinois. Click on the links to the left to see the reports.
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Other Publications
Barnhart, S. 2014. Authored entry: “Environmentality,” in Discard Studies Compendium. Available at http://discardstudies.com/discard-studies-compendium/#Environmentality.
Barnhart, S. 2013. “Biogas: Bringing Renewable Energy to Rural Communities,” in Quarterly Development Review. 27(31): 26-28. Kathmandu, Nepal.
Barnhart, S., contributor. 2013. Authored entries on “Baikal Lake” and “Brahmaputra River” in Biomes and Ecosystems: An Encyclopedia, edited by R. W. Howarth. Pasadena, CA: Salem Press.
Barnhart, S, contributor. 2013. Authored entry: “Individual Energy Choices,” in Climate Change: An Encyclopedia of Science and History, edited by B. Black, D. Hassenzahl, J. Stephens, and G. Weisel. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO.
Barnhart, S., contributor. 2012. Authored entries on: “Biogas Digester,” “Biography of M. King Hubbert,” “International Renewable Energy Agency,” “Kyoto Protocol,” “Marcellus Shale,” “Micro Hydropower,” “Sustainable Development,” and “Geography of Energy” entries for the countries Cambodia, Finland, Kiribati, Mongolia, Nepal, and Ukraine in Encyclopedia of Energy, edited by M.A. Pierce. Pasadena, CA: Salem Press.
Barnhart, S., L. Spess, and A. Ogden. 2009. “Tool 16: Community Partners” and “Tool 19: Global News” in Embedded Education Abroad Faculty Toolkit: Developing and Implementing Course-Embedded Faculty-Led International Programs. University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania State University. (nominated for IIE’s Andrew Heiskell Award)
Barnhart, S. 2013. “Biogas: Bringing Renewable Energy to Rural Communities,” in Quarterly Development Review. 27(31): 26-28. Kathmandu, Nepal.
Barnhart, S., contributor. 2013. Authored entries on “Baikal Lake” and “Brahmaputra River” in Biomes and Ecosystems: An Encyclopedia, edited by R. W. Howarth. Pasadena, CA: Salem Press.
Barnhart, S, contributor. 2013. Authored entry: “Individual Energy Choices,” in Climate Change: An Encyclopedia of Science and History, edited by B. Black, D. Hassenzahl, J. Stephens, and G. Weisel. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO.
Barnhart, S., contributor. 2012. Authored entries on: “Biogas Digester,” “Biography of M. King Hubbert,” “International Renewable Energy Agency,” “Kyoto Protocol,” “Marcellus Shale,” “Micro Hydropower,” “Sustainable Development,” and “Geography of Energy” entries for the countries Cambodia, Finland, Kiribati, Mongolia, Nepal, and Ukraine in Encyclopedia of Energy, edited by M.A. Pierce. Pasadena, CA: Salem Press.
Barnhart, S., L. Spess, and A. Ogden. 2009. “Tool 16: Community Partners” and “Tool 19: Global News” in Embedded Education Abroad Faculty Toolkit: Developing and Implementing Course-Embedded Faculty-Led International Programs. University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania State University. (nominated for IIE’s Andrew Heiskell Award)
Videos:
Webinar. 2017, October. Re-Envisioning Waste: The Growth of Small-Scale Biogas. Bucknell 360.
Interview. 2008, April. Accuweather’s Headline Earth. A series of video podcasts on issues relevant to climate change. Segment on biogas in Nepal based on my research.