"TURNING WASTE INTO BIOFUEL," by DANIELLE UFHEIL (IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY): SUSTAINABILITY AND THE ENVIRONMENT INTERNSHIP

This past October I interned under Justin Welch, in Monteverde, Costa Rica, to help with his startup company Vision to Reality Consultants (VTR). My internship specifically focused on determining the feasibility of producing biodiesel in Monteverde and determining the best preparation methods and uses for Effective Microorganism mixes. Over the next year, VTR seeks to experiment with different collection and composting techniques in order to lay the groundwork for a large-scale composting operation run by the Monteverde Municipal District.

When I arrived in Monteverde, I was already pursuing my undergraduate degree in Biological Systems Engineering at Iowa State University, but I was unsure about what area of focus I wanted to follow. During my first month in Costa Rica, I learned about an abundance of environmental issues, but one problem that stuck with me was the challenges encompassing waste management. Growing up in the United States, I had always done my best to recycle but was ignorant about the current management practices and problems that waste management posed. It wasn’t until I visited La Carpio, the location of San Jose’s landfill, that I was truly exposed to the issues of waste management and understood that improvements to the system were a necessity.

I knew I wanted to intern under Justin because of the excellent opportunity it provided me to learn more about the components of the waste stream produced by humans, as well as the different options for waste management. As the internship progressed, I was enlightened by what I learned about all the different forms of waste humans generate and enthralled by the enormous potential for improvement within the waste management system. My experience in this internship has inspired within me a passion for developing improvements in the waste management system and has helped me decide to pursue a focus in Biorenewable Resources within my degree when I return to Iowa State next semester.     

I began this internship with very limited knowledge about the different forms of waste and how they are managed, and I couldn’t even begin to comprehend the complex connectivity of Justin’s waste management plan for the Monteverde Municipality. I gained valuable knowledge and research skills when investigating the process and components that go into making biodiesel. I was required to investigate biodiesel from not only a technical basis, but also a business point of view in order to assess the feasibility of biodiesel production.  I conducted interviews to practice communicating in Spanish and to learn about the different components of the organic waste stream produced by local businesses. I had to consider the different management techniques of the organic waste stream that could be used to simultaneously minimize environmental impacts, improve productivity within Justin’s business and enhance overall waste management practices within the municipality. Overall, my greatest contribution to this internship was the information I accumulated for VTR that helped clarify the goals and capabilities of the company, and my greatest accomplishment was obtaining the knowledge that helped clarify my personal future goals.