{"id":41974,"date":"2021-03-04T09:32:34","date_gmt":"2021-03-04T15:32:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bemidjistate.edu\/news\/?p=41974"},"modified":"2021-08-31T09:11:00","modified_gmt":"2021-08-31T14:11:00","slug":"edberg","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bemidjistate.edu\/news\/2021\/03\/04\/edberg\/","title":{"rendered":"Love of the North Woods Leads Alum to a Career in Renewable Energy"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Bemidji State University alumni Hunter Edberg ‘16, has always had an affinity for the outdoors. Having spent much of his childhood in Minnesota’s north woods, Edberg felt there was no better choice of college than Bemidji State.<\/p>\n

In addition to its unique position on the shores of Lake Bemidji, Edberg was also attracted to BSU’s psychology program, Office of Sustainability and affordable tuition.<\/p>\n

“I really need to enjoy the place that I am in,” he said. “My whole life has revolved around being in the outdoors. I look back and I’m convinced that Bemidji was the best place for me.”<\/p>\n

An avid outdoorsman, Edberg has a deep connection with the environment. His desire to better understand the relationship between humanity and the environment led him to pursue a degree in psychology and work in Bemidji State’s sustainability office which serves to uphold the university’s commitment to the environment.<\/p>\n

“The sustainability office had a huge impact on me and became a big component of what I wanted to do in the future,” he said. “I do the work I do to ensure that I – and others like me – can continue hunting and fishing. To do that we need to take a hard look at the lasting consequences of climate change and try to fix them.”<\/p>\n

Bemidji State’s Dr. Anna Carlson, assistant professor of environmental studies, said Edberg was involved in a number of sustainability projects on campus and in the community during his time as a student.<\/p>\n

“Hunter was a key mover and shaker getting BSU’s Fossil Fuel Free Fish House from idea to completed product,” she said. “During his time in Bemidji, he interned with the Headwaters Regional Development Commission and worked on clean energy projects in collaboration with the Clean Energy Resource Teams.”<\/p>\n

After graduating from Bemidji State, Edberg went on to get his master’s degree from Western Colorado State University in Gunnison, Colorado. Now he is a project development associate at SolarisEnergy in Fort Collins, Colorado, where he is coordinating renewable energy initiatives locally.<\/p>\n

Currently working with Colorado State University to implement solar energy on campus, Edberg is helping the university reach its goal of utilizing 100% renewable energy by 2030.<\/p>\n

“I’m glad that I’ve gotten to explore and try new things in terms of working with renewable energy,” he said. “I think Bemidji State equipped with a lot of valuable experiences that helped direct me in my career path.”<\/p>\n

Contact<\/h5>\n