Energy Coordinator helps Rural Development increase sustainability in Iowa, make a positive impact on Earth’s climate

On April 22 each year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Rural Development (RD) celebrate Earth Day.

Addressing environmental and climate change issues is an important part of programs RD administers, such as the Empowering Rural America (New ERA) program, the Powering Affordable Clean Energy (PACE) program, the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP), RD Water and Environmental Programs (WEP), the Rural Energy Pilot Program (REPP), the Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program (HBIIP) and the USDA BioPreferred Program, and it’s at the heart of many RD employees’ daily work.

As part of our celebration of Earth Day, we are highlighting RD employees who directly support RD programs and Biden-Harris Administration priorities related to the environment and climate change.

Rachael Christensen is an Area Specialist and Energy Coordinator with the Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBCS) in Iowa. She works out of the RD office in Atlantic, Iowa, and lives in a nearby small town with her husband and two teenage children.

Christensen has worked for RD for 26 years and joined the agency when she was still in high school. She applied for RD positions and promotions where she saw opportunities to be of service and expand her skills, and she has built her career by being open-minded and willing to learn new subject matter. Today, as an Energy Coordinator for RD, Christensen reviews applications for the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) to ensure projects are sensible and sustainable, are financially sound, and will have a positive impact on our climate.

“I work as part of a great team here in Iowa,” she said. “I try my best to support my co-workers, and they in turn are there for me when I need something.”

RD Iowa currently leads the nation in the number of REAP applications, so Christensen’s work keeps her very busy. It’s rewarding, though: “Best of all,” she said, “I have been able to live in the community that I grew up in. I’m helping make a difference for the folks in my hometown and for the climate.”

Q. One of RD’s key priorities is “Addressing Climate Change and Environmental Justice,” and RD works to reduce climate pollution and increase resilience to the impacts of climate change through economic support to rural communities. What does it mean to you to be part of a program that supports this key priority?

A. I think it’s very meaningful to be a part of something that’s bigger than oneself. By assisting farmers in adopting solar power and energy-efficient grain dryers, and by helping many small businesses get going with grants for more efficient lighting and heating and cooling systems, I am a part of a big move to make our environment better.

Q. I understand you’ve taken extensive training, including at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado. What keeps you motivated and inspired to continue learning?

A. USDA is involved in Justice40 initiatives to reach communities that are underserved and overburdened by pollution and underinvestment. When I spent time at the lab, I could see how the research done there would support efforts to see these communities prosper. Being inside the lab really helped me see the big picture on climate change and ways to mitigate it.

Q. The United States has celebrated Earth Day since 1970. What positive changes, regarding the environment, have you seen during your lifetime that give you hope?

A. As a youth, I remember seeing lots of garbage thrown in ditches in local neighborhoods, and today that pollution has improved. Now we have better systems in place that allow people to make better choices about how to treat the environment.

Q. What is one thing you do in your daily life, or one thing you wish more people would do in their daily lives, to help care for the environment or promote sustainability?

A. It sounds simple, but I can’t help but say, “Reduce, reuse, recycle.” I’m really glad my kids get the message at school and at home, and that is key to dealing with climate change.

Q. What is one of your early memories of being concerned about the environment? How did that shape how you live your life?

A. Like so many other children, I went to school and learned about the world outside of my own community. It was fun to see how other people lived and the kind of landscape they lived in. As part of school club activities, I picked up trash with my friends and made an immediate impact on places we drove past every day.

Q. Tell us about a time when you saw an RD program or project make a positive impact on the environment.

A. When Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Xochitl Torres Small visited our area a couple years ago, we went out to see a local grain farm’s storage operation [see photo]. The farmer had recently received a REAP grant for an energy-efficient grain dryer. He had it installed, and that one farm was set to save so much money—thousands over the operational lifespan of the equipment that the owner could then use to expand his business and better care for himself and his family. And the reduced load on the electrical grid is much better for the environment. I love seeing USDA-funded projects completed and talking with our recipients about how everything turned out.

Submitted by Sarah Sol.