Contact
Email
Location
160 Holdsworth Way, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003

Advisor: Craig Nicolson (Environmental Conservation)

Committee: Ezra Markowitz (Environmental Conservation), Michael Ash (Economics)

Current Research
Consumption and Income-Based Environmental Footprinting

Broadly, my research analyzes how economic inequality – particularly at the very top of the income distribution – shapes the distribution of environmental benefits and harms through the global economy. Specifically, I use big data to trace the flow of CO2 emissions through approximately 9,000 global industries and 10,000 global commodities and link this to annual United States household-level environmental benefits (income received and goods and services purchased), over a 19 year period. Novel to this research, I move beyond national averages and decile-level analysis to reveal in unprecedented detail the CO2 footprint of economic elites: the top 1% and 0.1% of U.S. households.

This analysis reveals the significant inequality in the scale and distribution of environmental benefits, shows sub-decile trends from 1996-2015, and explores the socio-economic and policy factors that shape inequality of harm. In doing so, it provides policy guidance on which categories of goods and services or income could be targeted for CO2 reduction efforts and which households would be affected by such policies. Finally, by monitoring this data over time, it can post-hoc reveal if certain policy choices are having the intended effects.

To do this work, I draw on approximately a half billion data points per year and combine multiple sources and methods, including: EORA MRIO environmentally extended input-output database, direct emissions data, BLS Consumer Expenditure Surveys, and Census Bureau Current Population Survey data.

Prior Research
Consumption and Municipal Recycling

Previously I have analyzed the recycling rates of all 351 Massachusetts cities and towns over a 12 year period to identify key economic, social, public policy, and recycling program design factors associated with high recycling rates. This used multiple linear regression econometric techniques. My work was the very first panel study to observe the impact of single stream (comingling of paper, metal, plastic, and glass in one bin) recycling programs on recycling rates. Interestingly, we found this popular program design had little effect on recycling success. The market-driven mechanism Pay-As-You-Throw, where households are charged per bag of trash, had the greatest effect on improving recycling rates. These insights provide policy guidance to municipal governments and recycling companies on how to effectively boost recycling rates.

Citizen Science – Testing Remote vs In-Person training methods

In another research line, I developed invasive species identification videos to test the effectiveness of remotely training citizen scientists, via smartphones. While citizen science, the crowdsourcing of data from volunteers, has been around for over a century, the power of smartphone technology provides novel opportunities to collect high quality data from millions of volunteers. Here, we compared the effectiveness of training citizen scientists with app-embedded videos, app-based text, and in person training. Excitingly, we found volunteers trained with the videos had the highest success at invasive species identification. These findings inform efforts on remotely providing highly effective citizen scientists training, at low cost.

Publications

Starr, J., Nicolson, C., Markowitz, E., Ash, M. (in prep). Shopping for Carbon: A sub-Decile Consumption-Based Analysis of U.S. Household CO2 Footprints (1996-2015).

Starr, J., Nicolson, C., Markowitz, E., Ash, M. (in prep). How much Carbon is in your Paycheck? A sub-decile analysis of Income-based U.S. Household Carbon Footprints (1996-2015).

Starr, J., Nicolson, C., Markowitz, E., Ash, M. (in prep). Reflecting Reality: Moving to A  Total Responsibility Framework for Household Carbon Emissions Allocation.

Starr, J. and Nicolson, C. (2015). Patterns in trash: Factors driving municipal recycling in Massachusetts. Resources, Conservation, and Recycling, 99, 7-18.

Starr, J., Schweik, C., Bush, N., Fletcher, L., Finn, J., Fish, J., Bargeron, C. (2014). Lights Camera…Citizen Science! Assessing the Effectiveness of Smartphone-Based Video Training in Invasive Plant Identification. PLOS ONE.

Recent Teaching

Instructor Global Challenges, Scientific Solutions (2015 – present)

UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST, MA

Case study-based, team taught, team-based learning class for interdisciplinary STEM students

 

Instructor Perspective on Sustainability (2015 – 17)

UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST, MA

Team-taught graduate-level class focusing on systems thinking and sustainability analysis

 

Assistant Director of Academic Sustainability Programs (2014 – 17)

DEPT. OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION, UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST, MA

Worked with the Director to run the program and shape the long term vision

Video Publications

Starr, J. September 2015. Recycling: 3 years of research in 4 minutes. YouTube.

Starr, J. Aug 2014. Goldspotted Oak Borer Identification. The Nature Conservancy.

Starr, J. Aug 2014. Polyphagous Shot Hole Borer ID. The Nature Conservancy.

Starr, J. Aug 2014. Thousand Cankers Disease ID. The Nature Conservancy.

Starr, J. June 2013. Asian Longhorned Beetle Identification. The Nature Conservancy.

Starr, J. June 2013. Emerald Ash Borer Identification. The Nature Conservancy.

Starr, J. June 2013. Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Identification. The Nature Conservancy.

Starr, J. June 2013. Gypsy Moth Identification. The Nature Conservancy.

Starr, J. June 2013. Winter Moth Identification. The Nature Conservancy.

Starr, J. September 2012. Autumn Olive Identification. Outsmart Project.

Starr, J. September 2012. Exotic Honeysuckle Identification. Outsmart Project.

Starr, J. September 2012. Glossy Buckthorn Identification. Outsmart Project.

Starr, J. September 2012. Multiflora Rose Identification. Outsmart Project.

Starr, J. September 2012. Japanese Knotweed Identification. Outsmart Project.

Starr, J. April 2012. Invasive Species are coming to Massachusetts. Outsmart Project.

Education

MS, University of Massachusetts Amherst – Environmental Conservation

BA, George Washington University – Political Science