Graduation Date: June 2010
Degree(s): M.S. Earth Systems; B.S. Earth Systems

At WRI Mariana was able to participate in interesting, challenging, and exciting projects alongside great teammates and to see the inner workings of an excellent, outcome-oriented organization. As a member of the Business Engagement in Climate and Technology team, she performed a literature review of roadmaps and visions of sustainability in 2050. This review helped establish the foundation for the Next Practice project. Mariana participated in the launch of the Next Practice Collaborative that took place in London in August 2010. At the London meeting, WRI introduced the concept of “next practice” to their corporate partners and challenged them to use climate change and sustainability as a business driver and strategy rather than barrier. She also contributed to the 2010 update of Bottom Line on Renewable Energy Tax Credits.

Other research projects will help identify and reach out to potential Latin American business partners to create a global, collaborative effort and make Next Practice mainstream. For the Greenhouse Gas Protocol team, Mariana compiled, read, and summarized the feedback from companies who were road-testing the Product and Scope 3 Accounting and Reporting Standards. This feedback helped the protocol team create rigorous yet practical standards. The standards will be released soon, and it is hoped that they will be widely used to create reliable, credible GHG inventories and better manage and mitigate GHG emissions.

“I never thought about working for a non-profit like WRI for the long term but because of the Fellowship I have started to consider a career in the non-profit world and can imagine myself at a place like WRI. Being a part of the MAP community has changed my life; I am really grateful that MAP created these opportunities for Stanford students and would like to ‘pass it (the opportunity to work with great mentors and great organizations in the sustainable energy field) forward.’”

“MAP Fellows have been an extremely valuable resource at WRI. Over the past several years, they have provided support and insights for several thought leadership projects at WRI. Without them, several projects and research initiatives simply would not be where they are today.“