Edward Spang | University of California, Davis (original) (raw)
Papers by Edward Spang
Interest in animal cell-based meat (ACBM) or cultured meat as a viable environmentally conscious ... more Interest in animal cell-based meat (ACBM) or cultured meat as a viable environmentally conscious replacement for livestock production has been increasing, however a life cycle assessment for the current production methods of ACBM has not been conducted. Currently, ACBM products are being produced at a small scale and at an economic loss, however ACBM companies are intending to industrialize and scale-up production. This study assesses the potential environmental impact of near term ACBM production. Updated findings from recent technoeconomic assessments (TEAs) of ACBM and a life cycle assessment of Essential 8™ were utilized to perform a life cycle assessment of near-term ACBM production. A scenario analysis was conducted utilizing the metabolic requirements examined in the TEAs of ACBM and a purification factor from the Essential 8™ life cycle assessment was utilized to account for growth medium component processing. The results indicate that the environmental impact of near-term A...
Foods, 2021
The purpose of this multi-campus research was to investigate the relationships of food type and p... more The purpose of this multi-campus research was to investigate the relationships of food type and personal factors with food choice, consumption, and waste behaviors of college students at all-you-care-to-eat dining facilities. The amount of food taken and wasted was indirectly measured in units relative to the plate size using before and after photos taken by the diners themselves. Animal protein and mixed dishes (e.g., stir fry, sandwich) took up more of diners’ plate space and these items were correlated to both greater hedonic appeal as well as a higher likelihood of the item being pre-plated. Greater confidence in liking an item before choosing it was correlated to a larger portion being taken. Finally, increased satisfaction with the meal and frequency of visiting the dining commons was correlated to less food waste. Understanding these potential food choice drivers can help dining facilities better target healthier meals to diners while reducing food waste.
Environmental Research Letters, 2014
Producing energy resources requires significant quantities of fresh water. As an energy sector ch... more Producing energy resources requires significant quantities of fresh water. As an energy sector changes or expands, the mix of technologies deployed to produce fuels and electricity determines the associated burden on regional water resources. Many reports have identified the water consumption of various energy production technologies. This paper synthesizes and expands upon this previous work by exploring the geographic distribution of water use by national energy portfolios. By defining and calculating an indicator to compare the water consumption of energy production for over 150 countries, we estimate that approximately 52 billion cubic meters of fresh water is consumed annually for global energy production. Further, in consolidating the data, it became clear that both the quality of the data and global reporting standards should be improved to track this important variable at the global scale. By introducing a consistent indicator to empirically assess coupled water-energy systems, it is hoped that this research will provide greater visibility into the magnitude of water use for energy production at the national and global scales.
Environmental Research Letters, 2014
Discussion of the environmental implications of worldwide energy demand is currently dominated by... more Discussion of the environmental implications of worldwide energy demand is currently dominated by the effects of carbon dioxide (CO 2) emissions on global climate. At the regional scale, however, water resource challenges associated with energy systems are a growing concern. This paper, based on an inventory of national energy portfolios, posits an indicator-based framework for characterizing regional energy portfolios' relative water intensity. These calculations extend upon a previous paper that established a method for calculating the national water consumption of energy production (WCEP) at the global level. Intensity indicators are based on normalizing the WCEP results with a set of additional indicators (including population, gross domestic product, total energy production, and regional water availability). The results show great variability in water consumption across nations, as well as across the various water intensity measures that were applied. Therefore, it is best to apply this full suite of indicators to each country to develop an integrated understanding of the intensity of water use for energy across countries.
Journal - American Water Works Association, 2015
Resources, Conservation & Recycling Advances
Journal of Industrial Ecology, 2015
Using data from the water service area of the East Bay Municipal Utility District in Northern Cal... more Using data from the water service area of the East Bay Municipal Utility District in Northern California, we develop and discuss a method for assessing, at a high resolution, the energy intensity of water treated and delivered to customers of a major metropolitan water district. This method extends previous efforts by integrating hourly data from supervisory control and data acquisition systems with calculations based on the actual structure of the engineered infrastructure to produce a detailed understanding of energy use in space and time within the territory of a large-scale urban water provider. We found significant variations in the energy intensity of delivered potable water resulting from seasonal and topographic effects. This method enhances our understanding of the energy inputs for potable water systems and can be applied to the entire delivery and postuse water life cycle. A nuanced understanding of water's energy intensity in an urban setting enables more intelligent, targeted efforts to jointly conserve water and energy resources that take seasonal, distance, and elevation effects into account.
One quarter of the world’s tropical glaciers are found in the appropriately named Cordillera Blan... more One quarter of the world’s tropical glaciers are found in the appropriately named Cordillera Blanca of Peru (see Map 1).1 These glaciers play a crucial role in the local water cycle as the majority of the runoff from these glaciers flows into the heavily populated Rio Santa watershed.2 As the water runs to the Pacific, it is used by local households, industry, agriculture and hydroelectric power plants located in the Rio Santa river valley (see Map 2). During the dry season, the flow of the Rio Santa is made up almost entirely of glacial runoff, demonstrating the importance of the water storage and release capacity of the tropical glaciers for the populations living in the Rio Santa valley, also known as the Callejon de Huaylas.3 There is a dual management issue with the melting of the glaciers and the formation of glacial lakes. While the lakes can act as storage for the river system (and the bigger the lake the greater the storage capacity), they also represent a major avalanche/m...
Nutrients, 2020
Background: Dietary patterns affect both human health and environmental sustainability. Prior res... more Background: Dietary patterns affect both human health and environmental sustainability. Prior research found a ten-unit course on food systems and environmental sustainability shifted dietary intake and reduced dietary carbon footprint among college students. This research evaluated the impact of a similar, more scalable one-unit Foodprint seminar taught at multiple universities. Methods: We used a quasi-experimental pre-post nonequivalent comparison group design (n = 176). As part of the Menus of Change University Research Collaborative, research was conducted at three university campuses in California over four academic terms. All campuses used the same curriculum, which incorporates academic readings, group discussions, and skills-based exercises to evaluate the environmental footprint of different foods. The comparison group comprised students taking unrelated one-unit courses at the same universities. A questionnaire was administered at the beginning and end of each term. Resul...
The EGU General Assembly, 2018
Efforts to recover on-farm food losses by emergency food organizations or businesses serving seco... more Efforts to recover on-farm food losses by emergency food organizations or businesses serving secondary markets have been promoted as a “win–win” solution to both food waste and hunger. We examined what it will take to realize this potential, drawing on interviews with 35 fresh produce growers and 15 representatives from food recovery organizations in California. By taking grower constraints seriously and identifying key dynamics in their relationships with food recovery partners, we provide a textured account of the relevant logistical and relational challenges and promising solutions. Our research makes three specific contributions: (1) providing a straightforward conceptual rubric to clarify when food recovery partnerships are likely to be more or less difficult to achieve; (2) highlighting key relational strategies or approaches that make success more likely, even if logistical barriers appear daunting; and (3) emphasizing the dynamic, developmental, and context-specific nature o...
Using data from the water service area of the East Bay Municipal Utility District in Northern Cal... more Using data from the water service area of the East Bay Municipal Utility District in Northern California, we develop and discuss a method for assessing, at a high resolution, the energy intensity of water treated and delivered to customers of a major metropolitan water district. This method extends previous efforts by integrating hourly data from supervisory control and data acquisition systems with calculations based on the actual structure of the engineered infrastructure to produce a detailed understanding of energy use in space and time within the territory of a large-scale urban water provider. We found significant variations in the energy intensity of delivered potable water resulting from seasonal and topographic effects. This method enhances our understanding of the energy inputs for potable water systems and can be applied to the entire delivery and postuse water life cycle. A nuanced understanding of water's energy intensity in an urban setting enables more intelligent, targeted efforts to jointly conserve water and energy resources that take seasonal, distance, and elevation effects into account.
Journal of Environmental Economics and Management
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
The water sector demands significant energy inputs to deliver safe and reliable water to urban co... more The water sector demands significant energy inputs to deliver safe and reliable water to urban communities. It follows that water conservation efforts can lead to measurable upstream reductions in energy use, as well as complementary reductions in operational costs and greenhouse gas emissions. However, the complexity of many urban water infrastructure networks produces a high level of seasonal and spatial variability of the energy embedded in the water delivered across the utility service territory. This variability constrains the ability of water agencies to make defensible estimates of the energy savings that may be achieved from water conservation programs. To address this challenge, the Center for Water-Energy Efficiency (CWEE) at UC Davis has developed the WEMap (water-energy mapping) tool. At the core of the tool is the elaboration of a mathematical Directed Acyclical Graph (DAG) model that is informed by the actual layout of the water utility distribution system. Leveraging ...
Interest in animal cell-based meat (ACBM) or cultured meat as a viable environmentally conscious ... more Interest in animal cell-based meat (ACBM) or cultured meat as a viable environmentally conscious replacement for livestock production has been increasing, however a life cycle assessment for the current production methods of ACBM has not been conducted. Currently, ACBM products are being produced at a small scale and at an economic loss, however ACBM companies are intending to industrialize and scale-up production. This study assesses the potential environmental impact of near term ACBM production. Updated findings from recent technoeconomic assessments (TEAs) of ACBM and a life cycle assessment of Essential 8™ were utilized to perform a life cycle assessment of near-term ACBM production. A scenario analysis was conducted utilizing the metabolic requirements examined in the TEAs of ACBM and a purification factor from the Essential 8™ life cycle assessment was utilized to account for growth medium component processing. The results indicate that the environmental impact of near-term A...
Foods, 2021
The purpose of this multi-campus research was to investigate the relationships of food type and p... more The purpose of this multi-campus research was to investigate the relationships of food type and personal factors with food choice, consumption, and waste behaviors of college students at all-you-care-to-eat dining facilities. The amount of food taken and wasted was indirectly measured in units relative to the plate size using before and after photos taken by the diners themselves. Animal protein and mixed dishes (e.g., stir fry, sandwich) took up more of diners’ plate space and these items were correlated to both greater hedonic appeal as well as a higher likelihood of the item being pre-plated. Greater confidence in liking an item before choosing it was correlated to a larger portion being taken. Finally, increased satisfaction with the meal and frequency of visiting the dining commons was correlated to less food waste. Understanding these potential food choice drivers can help dining facilities better target healthier meals to diners while reducing food waste.
Environmental Research Letters, 2014
Producing energy resources requires significant quantities of fresh water. As an energy sector ch... more Producing energy resources requires significant quantities of fresh water. As an energy sector changes or expands, the mix of technologies deployed to produce fuels and electricity determines the associated burden on regional water resources. Many reports have identified the water consumption of various energy production technologies. This paper synthesizes and expands upon this previous work by exploring the geographic distribution of water use by national energy portfolios. By defining and calculating an indicator to compare the water consumption of energy production for over 150 countries, we estimate that approximately 52 billion cubic meters of fresh water is consumed annually for global energy production. Further, in consolidating the data, it became clear that both the quality of the data and global reporting standards should be improved to track this important variable at the global scale. By introducing a consistent indicator to empirically assess coupled water-energy systems, it is hoped that this research will provide greater visibility into the magnitude of water use for energy production at the national and global scales.
Environmental Research Letters, 2014
Discussion of the environmental implications of worldwide energy demand is currently dominated by... more Discussion of the environmental implications of worldwide energy demand is currently dominated by the effects of carbon dioxide (CO 2) emissions on global climate. At the regional scale, however, water resource challenges associated with energy systems are a growing concern. This paper, based on an inventory of national energy portfolios, posits an indicator-based framework for characterizing regional energy portfolios' relative water intensity. These calculations extend upon a previous paper that established a method for calculating the national water consumption of energy production (WCEP) at the global level. Intensity indicators are based on normalizing the WCEP results with a set of additional indicators (including population, gross domestic product, total energy production, and regional water availability). The results show great variability in water consumption across nations, as well as across the various water intensity measures that were applied. Therefore, it is best to apply this full suite of indicators to each country to develop an integrated understanding of the intensity of water use for energy across countries.
Journal - American Water Works Association, 2015
Resources, Conservation & Recycling Advances
Journal of Industrial Ecology, 2015
Using data from the water service area of the East Bay Municipal Utility District in Northern Cal... more Using data from the water service area of the East Bay Municipal Utility District in Northern California, we develop and discuss a method for assessing, at a high resolution, the energy intensity of water treated and delivered to customers of a major metropolitan water district. This method extends previous efforts by integrating hourly data from supervisory control and data acquisition systems with calculations based on the actual structure of the engineered infrastructure to produce a detailed understanding of energy use in space and time within the territory of a large-scale urban water provider. We found significant variations in the energy intensity of delivered potable water resulting from seasonal and topographic effects. This method enhances our understanding of the energy inputs for potable water systems and can be applied to the entire delivery and postuse water life cycle. A nuanced understanding of water's energy intensity in an urban setting enables more intelligent, targeted efforts to jointly conserve water and energy resources that take seasonal, distance, and elevation effects into account.
One quarter of the world’s tropical glaciers are found in the appropriately named Cordillera Blan... more One quarter of the world’s tropical glaciers are found in the appropriately named Cordillera Blanca of Peru (see Map 1).1 These glaciers play a crucial role in the local water cycle as the majority of the runoff from these glaciers flows into the heavily populated Rio Santa watershed.2 As the water runs to the Pacific, it is used by local households, industry, agriculture and hydroelectric power plants located in the Rio Santa river valley (see Map 2). During the dry season, the flow of the Rio Santa is made up almost entirely of glacial runoff, demonstrating the importance of the water storage and release capacity of the tropical glaciers for the populations living in the Rio Santa valley, also known as the Callejon de Huaylas.3 There is a dual management issue with the melting of the glaciers and the formation of glacial lakes. While the lakes can act as storage for the river system (and the bigger the lake the greater the storage capacity), they also represent a major avalanche/m...
Nutrients, 2020
Background: Dietary patterns affect both human health and environmental sustainability. Prior res... more Background: Dietary patterns affect both human health and environmental sustainability. Prior research found a ten-unit course on food systems and environmental sustainability shifted dietary intake and reduced dietary carbon footprint among college students. This research evaluated the impact of a similar, more scalable one-unit Foodprint seminar taught at multiple universities. Methods: We used a quasi-experimental pre-post nonequivalent comparison group design (n = 176). As part of the Menus of Change University Research Collaborative, research was conducted at three university campuses in California over four academic terms. All campuses used the same curriculum, which incorporates academic readings, group discussions, and skills-based exercises to evaluate the environmental footprint of different foods. The comparison group comprised students taking unrelated one-unit courses at the same universities. A questionnaire was administered at the beginning and end of each term. Resul...
The EGU General Assembly, 2018
Efforts to recover on-farm food losses by emergency food organizations or businesses serving seco... more Efforts to recover on-farm food losses by emergency food organizations or businesses serving secondary markets have been promoted as a “win–win” solution to both food waste and hunger. We examined what it will take to realize this potential, drawing on interviews with 35 fresh produce growers and 15 representatives from food recovery organizations in California. By taking grower constraints seriously and identifying key dynamics in their relationships with food recovery partners, we provide a textured account of the relevant logistical and relational challenges and promising solutions. Our research makes three specific contributions: (1) providing a straightforward conceptual rubric to clarify when food recovery partnerships are likely to be more or less difficult to achieve; (2) highlighting key relational strategies or approaches that make success more likely, even if logistical barriers appear daunting; and (3) emphasizing the dynamic, developmental, and context-specific nature o...
Using data from the water service area of the East Bay Municipal Utility District in Northern Cal... more Using data from the water service area of the East Bay Municipal Utility District in Northern California, we develop and discuss a method for assessing, at a high resolution, the energy intensity of water treated and delivered to customers of a major metropolitan water district. This method extends previous efforts by integrating hourly data from supervisory control and data acquisition systems with calculations based on the actual structure of the engineered infrastructure to produce a detailed understanding of energy use in space and time within the territory of a large-scale urban water provider. We found significant variations in the energy intensity of delivered potable water resulting from seasonal and topographic effects. This method enhances our understanding of the energy inputs for potable water systems and can be applied to the entire delivery and postuse water life cycle. A nuanced understanding of water's energy intensity in an urban setting enables more intelligent, targeted efforts to jointly conserve water and energy resources that take seasonal, distance, and elevation effects into account.
Journal of Environmental Economics and Management
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
The water sector demands significant energy inputs to deliver safe and reliable water to urban co... more The water sector demands significant energy inputs to deliver safe and reliable water to urban communities. It follows that water conservation efforts can lead to measurable upstream reductions in energy use, as well as complementary reductions in operational costs and greenhouse gas emissions. However, the complexity of many urban water infrastructure networks produces a high level of seasonal and spatial variability of the energy embedded in the water delivered across the utility service territory. This variability constrains the ability of water agencies to make defensible estimates of the energy savings that may be achieved from water conservation programs. To address this challenge, the Center for Water-Energy Efficiency (CWEE) at UC Davis has developed the WEMap (water-energy mapping) tool. At the core of the tool is the elaboration of a mathematical Directed Acyclical Graph (DAG) model that is informed by the actual layout of the water utility distribution system. Leveraging ...
Discussion of the environmental implications of worldwide energy demand is currently dominated by... more Discussion of the environmental implications of worldwide energy demand is currently dominated by the effects of CO2 emissions on our global climate. However, at the regional scale, the water resource challenges of energy are a growing concern. Water is required throughout the supply chain to a varying degree for different energy systems, so the composition of regional energy portfolios has significant implications on the demand for water resources. The focus of this research is to expand our understanding of the spatial distribution of various energy portfolios and the associated impacts on regional water resources.
Energy and water are tightly coupled resource systems, and this interdependency is commonly referred to as the "water- energy nexus". Both resources are critical to basic survival, as well as ongoing economic development, at all scales and in every region of the world. Similar in many regards, a key divergence in their system characteristics is the spatial reach of their environmental impacts. For energy systems, the combustion of fossil fuels has led to increased concentrations of CO2 in our atmosphere that is associated with global warming. In contrast, the environmental impacts of water resource use occur within bounded regional watersheds. Addressing this spatial discrepancy of the key environmental impacts of energy and water systems is critical for improved understanding of the water-energy nexus.
Based on an inventory of national energy portfolios I have developed an indicator-based framework for characterizing the relative water needs of regional energy portfolios. Spatial mapping of these indicators is used to identify geographical "hot spots" of water-stressed energy resource systems. Finally, I apply existing global energy system projections to define the evolution of energy portfolios and calculate regional forecasts of water demand for energy. Exploring these trends can help to reveal potential water constraints on energy systems and can inform policymakers working to coordinate across these two critical sectors to improve resource sustainability.