My name is Elliot Carleton, and I am a junior Economics major interning at Earth Economics in Tacoma, Washington. Earth Economics is an ecological economics firm that works to quantify and value the benefits provided by nature to ensure they are included in the decision making process at all levels. This summer, I am working as a research assistant on a variety of projects. One of the main projects I am working on seeks to value the social and economic costs of displacement in Puerto Rico as a result of recent hurricanes. By highlighting the detrimental effects of displacement, we hope to help Puerto Ricans advocate for an emergency response plan that is centered around mitigation rather than forced displacement. Most of the time I spend on this project involves reading over emergency action plans to develop a displacement and mitigation framework, while also analyzing the costs and benefits associated with each of the emergency response scenarios. 
A second project I am working on seeks to value the benefits of green infrastructure projects within New Orleans. By undergoing cost-benefit analysis on a variety of green infrastructure projects, we can demonstrate that green infrastructure not only increases a community’s resilience to environmental threats such as flooding and climate change, but it is also economically beneficial when compared to grey infrastructure. Through this project, we hope to provide communities in New Orleans with the tools to advocate for green infrastructure projects that will simultaneously save communities money and increase their resilience to future environmental disasters.
Finally, I am working on a project for the Washington State Department of Ecology to value the economic benefits of the Salish Sea. This project makes use of environmental service valuation, which is used to provide an economic value to services that are not sold within traditional economic markets. For example, an ecosystem service valuation could include the value a local ecosystem provides in terms of recreation, storm prevention, climate stability, and water filtration, among a host of other potential benefits. By highlighting the economic value provided by the Salish Sea, we hope to inspire policies and decisions that protect this region, so the benefits of the Salish Sea can be enjoyed for generations to come.
Ultimately, this internship is an incredible opportunity for me to learn how to use economics as a tool through which to protect the environment. Although many people view an economics major as one’s ticket into the investment and banking world, I believe that economics is one of the most useful and overlooked tools through which we can protect the environment. By valuing the benefits nature provides, we can convince society, including those usually not interested in protecting the environment, that conserving the goods and services nature provides is not only good for the environment, but it is an economically beneficial decision as well. I am extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to learn from the Earth Economics team over the course of the summer, and I am excited to continue using my economics knowledge to create positive environmental change.
Experiences like Elliots’s are made possible by the Whitman Internship Grant, which provides funding for students to participate in unpaid internships at both for-profit and non-profit organizations. To learn how you could secure a Whitman Internship Grant or host a Whitman intern at your organization, click here or contact Assistant Director for Internship Programs Mitzy Rodriguez