Fresh Energy is excited to welcome our newest summer fellow, Chaz Contag! Chaz brings a passion for environmental policy and a love for the great outdoors to his work, and we’re excited to welcome him to the team this summer.
Chaz hails from Edina, Minnesota, and is currently pursuing a double major in Environmental Science and International Studies at the University of Denver, with a minor in sustainability. His unique academic path combines rigorous STEM coursework, including chemistry, physics, and geography, alongside a specialization in environmental and energy policy. This blend of science and policy equips Chaz with a holistic understanding of the environmental challenges we face today, and how we can best create policy solutions for a carbon-free Minnesota by midcentury.
This summer Chaz has been contributing to several key projects at the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission with Fresh Energy’s Shubha Harris. Chaz has been analyzing public comments on dockets, incorporating quotes from studies and stakeholders to strengthen arguments, and researching Fresh Energy’s equity work. He’s worked on Xcel Energy’s automatic bill credit, as well as other dockets that address the disproportionate impact of utility disconnections on communities of color.
Chaz has experience in writing climate narratives, a key asset he brings to his work when researching and contributing to dockets. Last summer, he interned with a law firm and with Upstream Minnesota, where he honed his ability to craft compelling stories about climate change in Minnesota.
He was first drawn to environmental policy work after a trip to the Boundary Waters ignited a passion for wild places. Soon after, he started tearing through science and environmental books.
“I was spending a lot of time reading books about the history of the environmental movement on my camping trips, and I thought to myself, ‘wow, there’s so much change happening, but not nearly enough,’” says Chaz. “So I kept reading books, learning more, and I finally decided I wanted to study environmental science and policy to make a greater impact.”
From the Boundary Waters to Glacier National Park, Scenic State Park to the Porcupine Mountains, Chaz’s passion for policy is deeply rooted in his love for the outdoors. When he and his friends turned 16, they began a tradition of taking a spontaneous camping trip each summer, with the only rule being they must travel a little further from home each year. They drove up to northern Minnesota for their very first camping trip, but these days, they’re driving as far as Alberta, Canada to keep the trend going.
Chaz was drawn to Fresh Energy after spending time learning about many of Minnesota’s different non-profit organizations, knowing he wanted to come back to his home state for his internship this year. Outside of his work, he enjoys skiing and hiking in Colorado, especially Winter Park, and going on camping trips near and far with both his high school friends from Minnesota and college friends in Denver.
