CU Ā鶹¹ŁĶų undergradās honors thesis sheds light on sustainability of milk alternatives
If you live in Ā鶹¹ŁĶų County and want to consume the most sustainable dairy milk alternative, choose soy, oat or pea milk, in that order. Thatās the conclusion of Mickey Redmondās honorās thesis, which drew high praise from professors who worked with him.
During spring 2019, Redmond finished his college career with a flourish, graduating with distinction from the Ā鶹¹ŁĶų College of Arts and Scienceās prestigious Honors Program with a degree in environmental studies, specializing in climate and energy, with minors in geology and theatre.
āIt (the Honors Program) started almost 100 years agoā in 1926, Redmond says. āItās one of the leading undergraduate honors programs in the country. I just wanted that little bit extra, just to challenge myself.ā
Perhaps thatās no surprise for a man who grew up on his familyās farms and ranches in the West, participated in hobbies such as equestrian acrobaticsābasically, gymnastics on the back of moving horsesāand worked as both a firefighter-medic and horse wrangler.Ģż
āI didnāt want a linear path of college, career, retirement,ā Redmond says.
Passionate about the environment, he approached Beth Osnes, associate professor of theatre, affiliate of environmental studies and co-founder of the innovative Inside the Greenhouse climate-communication project, about his final project.
āWhen he approached me ... he had grand ideas of how to focus on various solutions,ā Osnes says. āAfter many conversations, he came to understand the value of making a focused contribution within his own community.ā
āBeth helped me narrow the scope,ā Redmond says. āItās like ants. They canāt just take the whole cookie on the ground. They have to take it one bite at a time.ā
Aiming to help people make choices with their carbon footprint in mind, he decided to research and analyze plant-based milk alternatives. On March 20, after more than 18 months of work, he successfully defended the resulting honors thesis, āSearching for the Optimal Plant-Based Milk Alternative as it relates to the Environmental Impact for residents of Ā鶹¹ŁĶų County, Colorado.ā
For the first stage of his research, Redmond identified 16 plant-based milk alternatives made from almonds, bananas, cashews, chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans), coconuts, hemp, flax, macadamia nuts, oats, peas, pistachio nuts, quinoa, peanuts, rice, soy and walnuts.Ģż
He then narrowed the list down to 12 based on reliable accessibility.
āThis primary stage is about availability, accessibility by both producers and consumers,ā he says. āIs it legitimately sustainable in a market?ā
Itās not every day that a CU studentās honors thesis has such potential for broad appeal. ā¦ The committee agreed that he made an authentic contribution to his own community,ā"
The second stage eliminated three more based on nutritional profiles, for example, removing alternatives that were high in sugars or low in healthy protein or fats. The remaining nine alternatives were then thoroughly evaluated for the environmental impact of production, distribution and consumption, specifically for residents of Ā鶹¹ŁĶų County.Ģż
He ultimately found that the best choices are soymilk, oat milk and pea milk, in that order.
āThis was largely based on the fact that these are stable crops, ubiquitously grown from Texas to Canada, having low carbon footprints and high accessibility for both producers and consumers,ā Redmond says.Ģż
These crops are stable in different environments, require less water than, say, growing an orchard, and all are high in protein. Soymilkās nutrient profile most closely matches that of dairy products, he says.
Redmond spent a full year developing and synthesizing quantifiable measurements for comparing the unique alternatives.
āActually, there was a huge amount of quantification, way more than youād think,ā he says. āThe data sources are difficult; how do you compare the water use and carbon output of a cashew tree to a legume? ā¦ One method is to start with the final product-output and work backwards. How many cashews or peas are required to make one gallon of milk? Take that volume and work backwards to determine unit inputs.ā
Redmondās honors-thesis committee was impressed by the quality and practical applicability of his research.
āItās not every day that a CU studentās honors thesis has such potential for broad appeal. ā¦ The committee agreed that he made an authentic contribution to his own community,ā Osnes says. āHe achieved many of the most effective methods for successful climate communication through his work, such as focusing on a single solution, keeping it local, leveraging peopleās already held values and emphasizing co-benefits for pro-environmental behaviors.ā