Extension School grad crunches the numbers on trees and tuition
Nothing lights up Amanda Rich’s face like numbers. Whether it’s about DNA, CO2 emissions, or census blocks, “I love data, I love numbers, I love everything about it,” Rich said. While she worked to earn a bachelor’s degree in biology, then a master’s in forensic science, then another master’s in liberal arts, she thrived on a diet of facts and figures, analysis, and hard data. And now, inspired by her work in Harvard Extension School’s Sustainability Program, Rich was able to combine her favorite interests in a capstone project that created an action plan to increase Boston’s tree canopy coverage to 35 percent by 2030 by strategically placing long-lived, hardy trees in low-income and minority neighborhoods. If her plan were implemented, she said, the city could increase its return on investment while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and energy costs in the affected neighborhoods. Rich attributes her environmental interests to growing up near Lake Erie,...