Working on a just energy transition Formerly: NREL, University of Wyoming Currently: Facilitator and policy strategist Enviro Humanities PhD Book on water justice Based in the rural Westhttps://bsky.app/profile/menrywy.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/menrywy.bsky.social/post/3mqip4jr4ok25I spent 4/7 days rowing a raft down a Montana river last week, the other three working on energy policy. Why do anything else?13 Jul 2026 02:58 +0000at://did:plc:etbsjtghulp2irin5ch3nro6/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqip4jr4ok25https://bsky.app/profile/menrywy.bsky.social/post/3mpnarwbobs25I was happy to have been part of the effort to make this a reality over the last 10 months. [contains quote post or other embedded content]02 Jul 2026 05:00 +0000at://did:plc:etbsjtghulp2irin5ch3nro6/app.bsky.feed.post/3mpnarwbobs25https://bsky.app/profile/menrywy.bsky.social/post/3mpnarwbobs25I was happy to have been part of the effort to make this a reality over the last 10 months. [contains quote post or other embedded content]02 Jul 2026 05:00 +0000at://did:plc:etbsjtghulp2irin5ch3nro6/app.bsky.feed.post/3mpnarwbobs25https://bsky.app/profile/menrywy.bsky.social/post/3mpfqdxuvqk25Headed to Park City for the Western Governors Association Annual Meeting tomorrow. Was not on my career bingo card previously.29 Jun 2026 05:17 +0000at://did:plc:etbsjtghulp2irin5ch3nro6/app.bsky.feed.post/3mpfqdxuvqk25https://bsky.app/profile/menrywy.bsky.social/post/3mp5jfiwjy22wThe academic in me wants to launch a project tracing/connecting the anti-data center movement to other anti-infrastructure movements (dams, pipelines, MTR sites, renewables, coal and gas ports, etc.).25 Jun 2026 22:51 +0000at://did:plc:etbsjtghulp2irin5ch3nro6/app.bsky.feed.post/3mp5jfiwjy22whttps://bsky.app/profile/menrywy.bsky.social/post/3moj3ovupvc2mOver the last two weeks, I've begun working on a project driven by the theory of change underlying all of my academic work: narrative shift work can lead to just energy/climate policy outcomes. It's surreal, still tenuous, and I don't want to jinx it because we have a ways to go.17 Jun 2026 19:53 +0000at://did:plc:etbsjtghulp2irin5ch3nro6/app.bsky.feed.post/3moj3ovupvc2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/menrywy.bsky.social/post/3mo7a7njj5k25I’ve gradually withdrawn from social media and especially academic social media over the last two years and while I’ve no doubt missed out on some opportunities that come with having a big online footprint, my life has tangibly improved.13 Jun 2026 21:47 +0000at://did:plc:etbsjtghulp2irin5ch3nro6/app.bsky.feed.post/3mo7a7njj5k25https://bsky.app/profile/menrywy.bsky.social/post/3mnyi7tpkzk22I feel like lots of smart people in climate who should otherwise know better are hedging on AI and remaining publicly agnostic about data centers out of fear of offending those with funds and power and/or until they can figure out which way the wind is blowing. That sucks.11 Jun 2026 05:22 +0000at://did:plc:etbsjtghulp2irin5ch3nro6/app.bsky.feed.post/3mnyi7tpkzk22https://bsky.app/profile/menrywy.bsky.social/post/3mnyi7tpkzk22I feel like lots of smart people in climate who should otherwise know better are hedging on AI and remaining publicly agnostic about data centers out of fear of offending those with funds and power and/or until they can figure out which way the wind is blowing. That sucks.11 Jun 2026 05:22 +0000at://did:plc:etbsjtghulp2irin5ch3nro6/app.bsky.feed.post/3mnyi7tpkzk22https://bsky.app/profile/menrywy.bsky.social/post/3mnufm74hkc2dAcademic editors emailing my (non-academic) org’s info@ address to request a peer review two years after leaving higher ed, there is no escape ahhhhhh 😱09 Jun 2026 14:24 +0000at://did:plc:etbsjtghulp2irin5ch3nro6/app.bsky.feed.post/3mnufm74hkc2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/menrywy.bsky.social/post/3mnij26kr222bWhy is every single person with political aspirations in this country such an enormous piece of shit04 Jun 2026 20:54 +0000at://did:plc:etbsjtghulp2irin5ch3nro6/app.bsky.feed.post/3mnij26kr222bhttps://bsky.app/profile/menrywy.bsky.social/post/3mnic4g2yh22gThe premise that early community engagement from infrastructure developers is important to "de-risk" projects is based on the assumed inevitability of said projects.04 Jun 2026 18:50 +0000at://did:plc:etbsjtghulp2irin5ch3nro6/app.bsky.feed.post/3mnic4g2yh22ghttps://bsky.app/profile/menrywy.bsky.social/post/3mnflfm6nxs2nI so feel this. It's weird being a politics-oriented researcher who pro-actively moved into policy when the environment for it seemed favorable (IRA/BIL, etc.) and then realizing that it had been politics all along. It feels like whiplash and wasted time. [contains quote post or other embedded content]03 Jun 2026 16:58 +0000at://did:plc:etbsjtghulp2irin5ch3nro6/app.bsky.feed.post/3mnflfm6nxs2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/menrywy.bsky.social/post/3mnbnvx6ufc2pA huge loss. Dr. Pacheco-Vega always stood out to me as enthusiastic, collegial, enormously generous, and an example of how we all should be in academia. [contains quote post or other embedded content]02 Jun 2026 03:33 +0000at://did:plc:etbsjtghulp2irin5ch3nro6/app.bsky.feed.post/3mnbnvx6ufc2phttps://bsky.app/profile/menrywy.bsky.social/post/3mnbckoepvc2kI left academia in early 2024 and made another career transition (due to Trump 2.0) in late 2025. I feel like I’m just now coming up for air and while I’m in a very good role, I feel a bit disoriented about my place in climate and energy work and the path ahead.02 Jun 2026 00:09 +0000at://did:plc:etbsjtghulp2irin5ch3nro6/app.bsky.feed.post/3mnbckoepvc2khttps://bsky.app/profile/menrywy.bsky.social/post/3mmyzpj72dc2bShout-out to the Boomer guy in my co-working space who takes loud calls in the shared work area, stays in conference rooms past the time he books, and who is generally obnoxious as fuck. Appreciate you perpetuating the stereotype as the most selfish and least self-aware generation.29 May 2026 17:10 +0000at://did:plc:etbsjtghulp2irin5ch3nro6/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmyzpj72dc2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/menrywy.bsky.social/post/3mmscspzpbc2bPaxton is awful but don’t lose sight of the fact that Cornyn is also a pile of shit who deserves endless humiliation.27 May 2026 01:04 +0000at://did:plc:etbsjtghulp2irin5ch3nro6/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmscspzpbc2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/menrywy.bsky.social/post/3mmroqzimxk2hNot enough attention is paid to stock photos attached to climate journalism. These aren't innocuous choices. I wrote about images used in drought coverage in the Colorado River Basin that gave the impression that the main consequence was fewer party boats on Lake Mead. Not great! [contains quote post or other embedded content]26 May 2026 19:05 +0000at://did:plc:etbsjtghulp2irin5ch3nro6/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmroqzimxk2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/menrywy.bsky.social/post/3mmevbt6okk2gOne thing that feels weird in the post-academia journey is how so much of my academic work over a decade-plus - teaching, writing a book, grants, articles, conferences, talks - is effectively erased or invisible in my day-to-day.21 May 2026 16:57 +0000at://did:plc:etbsjtghulp2irin5ch3nro6/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmevbt6okk2ghttps://bsky.app/profile/menrywy.bsky.social/post/3mm3sv42uuk2kThe fact of the matter is, people of all stripes don’t want big infrastructure built in their backyards, whether it’s wind and solar or data centers and petrochemical plants. It’s completely understandable. And developers completely suck at presenting value propositions in ways that make sense.18 May 2026 02:20 +0000at://did:plc:etbsjtghulp2irin5ch3nro6/app.bsky.feed.post/3mm3sv42uuk2khttps://bsky.app/profile/menrywy.bsky.social/post/3mm3mx4utys2ewhy does our school district assume parents don’t work and have limitless time18 May 2026 00:34 +0000at://did:plc:etbsjtghulp2irin5ch3nro6/app.bsky.feed.post/3mm3mx4utys2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/menrywy.bsky.social/post/3mlqhp2uaas24The loose local anti-data center coalition is posting AI-generated flyers on social media about opposing data centers.13 May 2026 14:01 +0000at://did:plc:etbsjtghulp2irin5ch3nro6/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlqhp2uaas24https://bsky.app/profile/menrywy.bsky.social/post/3mljax7a4pc2oHow is “The Dems should stop campaigning on climate” not another form of institutional acquiescence to an assumed but actually non-existent “mandate” of the far right? Besides, I think Dems are given too much credit for being pro-climate because they don’t engage in familiar forms of denialism.10 May 2026 17:11 +0000at://did:plc:etbsjtghulp2irin5ch3nro6/app.bsky.feed.post/3mljax7a4pc2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/menrywy.bsky.social/post/3mljax7a4pc2oHow is “The Dems should stop campaigning on climate” not another form of institutional acquiescence to an assumed but actually non-existent “mandate” of the far right? Besides, I think Dems are given too much credit for being pro-climate because they don’t engage in familiar forms of denialism.10 May 2026 17:11 +0000at://did:plc:etbsjtghulp2irin5ch3nro6/app.bsky.feed.post/3mljax7a4pc2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/menrywy.bsky.social/post/3ml5xktv2722qThere was a business manager/department admin at my university before I left academia that was almost completely unresponsive until the third or fourth email. Gave a talk there to my old department last month and *surprise,* honorarium is in the wind. 😵‍💫06 May 2026 05:24 +0000at://did:plc:etbsjtghulp2irin5ch3nro6/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml5xktv2722qhttps://bsky.app/profile/menrywy.bsky.social/post/3ml5bjx4tzs2bHave begun to think of myself less as a failed academic and more as a dude who works on energy and climate policy with a lot of other interests and qualities beyond a career. Progress.05 May 2026 22:50 +0000at://did:plc:etbsjtghulp2irin5ch3nro6/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml5bjx4tzs2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/menrywy.bsky.social/post/3mktsyo63hk2uToday I gave a guest lecture to students who were reading my book and man, it was nice to talk theory and history and big ideas again.02 May 2026 04:36 +0000at://did:plc:etbsjtghulp2irin5ch3nro6/app.bsky.feed.post/3mktsyo63hk2u