Achievement

The international piece of our IGERT compares buildings, transport, and water/waste infrastructures across US cities and India. A team of students/faculty travelled to India from 3/10-5/11. Trainee Abel Chavez completed a comparative analysis of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of Delhi versus US cities. He found household energy use and total per capita GHG emissions are lower in Delhi than the US, while energy intensity in commercial buildings was similar. Trainee Leslie Miller compared wastewater infrastructures between US and Hyderabad, India. Based on fieldwork she analyzed trade-offs among energy use, GHG emissions, and pathogen reduction for wastewater reuse in urban agriculture. Trainee Andrea Solis performed a small demo project on how pervious concrete could help control stormwater or replenish groundwater in Rajkot. Our IGERT team has strong international projects that systematically compare the sustainability of urban infrastructures across countries.