Marsha Johnston

Arlington, VA USA

Professional Experience

Exceptionally talented, multilingual writer, journalist and project manager has covered myriad aspects of society's most compelling issues, from wildlife and wilderness conservation to sustainable development and renewable energy. Skilled at interpreting and translating abstract and technical concepts into easily understood English, as well as motivating and managing multicultural research and editorial teams. Writing and media outreach for political events regularly generate financial support and extensive media coverage. Fluent in spoken and written English, French and Italian, conversant in Spanish, once fluent in Japanese.

Expertise

Editor
26 Years
Reporter
26 Years
Researcher
15 Years

Specialty

Environment & Nature
15 Years
International
16 Years
Technology
24 Years

Industries


Magazine - Large Consumer/National magazines
15 Years
Magazine - Trade magazines/publications (B2B)
30 Years
Online/new media
7 Years

Total Media Industry Experience

30 Years

Media Client List (# assignments last 2 yrs)

Modern Farmer (3-5), BioCycle (10+), RenewableEnergyWorld.com (6-10)

Corporate Client List (# assignments last 2 yrs)

Conservation International (1-2), Rabble Rouser Media (1-2), Lydia's Fields LLC (3-5)

Other Work History

Renewable Energy Reporter/Project Manager, OTR Global (investment research)

Technical Skills

Wordpress, MailChimp

Foreign Language Skills

French, Italian and Spanish

Computer Skills

MS Office, Mac OSX,

Equipment

Digital camera, audio recorder, video camera

Work Permits & Visas

French carte de sejour (valid for work through 2012)

References

Kraig Butrum, strategic partnerships & fundraising at Skoll Global Threats Foundation, Tel: (202)-262-9931, Email: kbutrum@gmail.com Nora Goldstein, editor, BioCycle Magazine, noragold@jgpress.com, 610-967-4135, x26 Robert Schubert, Lydia's Fields LLC, rschubert@lydiasfields.com, 202-487-6493

Awards

OTR Global, 2007 Outstanding Team Award, Cyclicals (Renewable Energy). Rotary International Journalism Scholar, Tokyo

Associations

Society of Environmental Journalists

Showcase

Environmental Policy

CAP AND TRADE OR CAP AND EVADE?
(EnviroWonk 5/20/2008)
Discussion among Gary Hart, Michael Dworkin, director of the Institute for Energy and the Environment at Vermont Law School, and Van Jones on the merits/demerits of cap and trade.
VAN JONES SPREADS THE GREEN
(EnviroWonk 8/12/2008)
Van Jones spreads his green for all message at solar energy show.
GREENING MULTI-TENANT BUILDINGS
(EnviroWonk 8/18/2008)
Rocky Mountain Institute analysts unveil their integrated leasing process that would provide multi-tenant building owners a more equitable return on greening investments.
FIT FEVER CATCHING FIRE?
(EnviroWonk 6/18/2008)
Some evidence emerges that US solar energy industry favors German-style feed-in tariffs.
Stimulus Gives Wind A Choice
(EnviroWonk 3/8/2009)
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act gives wind energy developers a choice between investment tax credit or production tax credit.
Will Cities, States Lead Way To Solar FITs?
(EnviroWonk 3/10/2009)
Florida’s municipal utility Gainesville Regional Utilities becomes first to adopt first true feed-in tariff for solar in the US, in what could be a trend.
Note To GOP: Stimulus Will Help Solar
(EnviroWonk 2/25/2009)
SunEdison founder and former CEO Jigar Shah tells solar integrators how Obama's stimulus improves solar project ROIs and funding availability.
Equal Taxation for Solar Representation!
(EnviroWonk 11/19/2008)
Materials for building concentrated solar energy field should qualify for sales tax exemption says industry exec, just like burning natural gas.
Water, Water, Anywhere?
(EnviroWonk 11/26/2008)
BLM is most concerned with whether solar projects will have water for cooling solar collectors. A cautionary tale...
NEW ITC FIRES UP UTILITIES FOR SOLAR
(EnviroWonk 12/8/2008)
New evidence that new 8-year solar tax credit is making utilities the most important new client for solar power purchase agreements.
Nuclear in Hawaii?
(EnviroWonk 3/26/2009)
How nuclear power almost got started in...Hawa'ii...
Will Arnold Tackle Toxic E-Waste?
(EnviroWonk 4/30/2008)
Analysis from Californians Against Waste director Mark Murray as to whether Gov. Schwarzenegger would sign legislation to phase out use of all toxic materials in consumer electronics by 1/1/10.
Bearing Down on Poachers
(EnviroWonk 5/1/2008)
Look at rise in bear poaching in US to meet Asia demand for their gallbladders, and H.R. 5534 (Grijalva, Campbell) designed to end the trade.
BROTHER, CAN YOU SPARE SOME CARBON?
(EnviroWonk 5/13/2008)
A look at the Presidential Climate Action Project, a project of former US Senator Gary Hart, Oberlin College environmental department chair David Orr and Yale economist Robert Repetto.
Congress and Renewable Tax Credits: The Never-ending Story
(EnviroWonk 6/18/2008)
A look at why Congress failed half a dozen times to renew tax credits for the solar and wind energy industries.
Wonk of the Week: Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer
(EnviroWonk 6/2/2008)
Just before Montana presidential primary, Gov. Brian Schweitzer distinguishes his state's wolf management practices from those of Idaho and Wyoming.

Renewable Energy

LOOKING NORTHWEST FOR GREEN BUILDING
(EnviroWonk 8/13/2008)
BIRA reports at solar show that Washington and Oregon lead the country in energy-efficient, solar home building that produce a positive cash flow for the buyer and higher profits for builders.
Calling All Desert Rat Solar Technicians!
(EnviroWonk 11/24/2008)
Utility-scale solar projects face numerous obstacles, including getting O&M guys to live in the middle of desert wilderness.
Transitioning to Renewable Energy
(RenewableEnergyWorld.com 4/1/2009)
How some traditional energy companies are reusing and re-purposing their technology to develop renewables.
Harnessing the Tides: Marine Power Update 2009
(RenewableEnergyWorld.com 2/20/2009)
International survey of the state of commercial commercial ocean energy (wave, tidal or in-stream current) installations.
Residential Solar PPAs Continue To Drive Solar Market Growth
(RenewableEnergyWorld.com 1/20/2009)
Power purchase agreements, which have captured the lion's share of commercial solar projects, are driving residential demand in California as well.
Technological Innovation in Thin-film PV Manufacturing Takes Hold in Ohio
(RenewableEnergyWorld.com 10/24/2008)
A little-known 21st-century transformation of the Wood County Ohio region's 150-year-old glass-making tradition has created a small mecca for start-up manufacturers of thin-film PV, primarily delivered in a glass panel sandwich.
Surviving in Solar: Go East?
(EnviroWonk 3/12/2009)
One national solar integrator believes Obama Administration's focus on renewable energy means more commercial and government projects on the East Coast.
Cool Earth Is Scaling Up Solar Energy Generation
(RenewableEnergyWorld.com 12/5/2008)
Cool Earth's solar balloons claim cost advantage over traditional solar panels. But is it practical and feasible?
Considering Cogeneration: Clean Power Whose Time Has Come...Back
(E Magazine 1/3/2008)
A look at how combined heat and power (CHP) electricity plants may be an old idea that makes increasing sense in a carbon-restricted world.
SAVING WATTS IN THE SOUTHEAST?
(EnviroWonk 8/24/2008)
A look at Southeast's vast, untapped potential for energy-efficiency.
RENEWABLES: THE PEACE DIVIDEND
(EnviroWonk 8/11/2008)
Michael Dworkin, director of the Institute for Energy and the Environment and professor at Vermont Law School, holds forth on the peaceful geopolitical advantage renewables hold over fossil fuels.

Politics

For Politi-geeks, a Dizzying Whirlwind...
(EnviroWonk 8/27/2008)
Blogging as a delegate for Barack Obama to the 2008 Democratic National Convention....
Checking In (Literally) At The Convention
(EnviroWonk 8/25/2008)
DNC tries to replace plastic room keys...
THE "GREEN" DELEGATE GOODIE BAGS
(EnviroWonk 8/27/2008)
Humorous aside on the "green" convention goodie bags for delegates...
The Bosses' Worst Nightmare (profile of Michael Moore, FRENCH)
(Le Nouvel Observateur 3/15/2001)
Le Pire Cauchemar des Patrons is a wide-ranging interview with social activist filmmaker Michael Moore, conducted just over a year before "Bowling for Columbine" became the first documentary film accepted into competition at Cannes in 46 years. PART ONE English translation upon request
The Greening Of Inaugural Partying
(EnviroWonk 1/26/2009)
President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration was the first to feature "Green" Balls, and not one, but two, confusing eco-conscious party-goers!
The Bosses' Worst Nightmare (profile of Michael Moore, FRENCH)
(Le Nouvel Observateur 3/15/2001)
PART II

Wildlife/Wilderness Conservation

The State of the World's Sea Turtles
(Conservation International 2/20/2009)
State of the World's Turtles is a critical organization to protecting them from extinction.
Pantanal: Volunteer Travel Program Helps Save Jaguars
(BrazilMax 10/22/2006)
The excitement for Earthwatch Institute travelers of hearing a real jaguar call is a highlight of their week-long stay in the Pantanal, where they have come to help a jaguar expert protect the fabulous cats.
To Fish or Not to Fish: Rodrigo de Moura, Abrolhos Protector
(Conservation International 4/1/2009)
Rodrigo de Moura, a Conservation International (CI) marine protected areas specialist, helps fellow Brazilians discover, as he did, the benefits of restricted fishing areas to the health of fish populations.
Saving Forests from the Ground Up
(Conservation International 5/7/2009)
How Gerry Hertel’s painstaking legwork surveying overall forest health in eastern Africa has been a critical component of proving to local communities how protecting their forest also sustains their lives.

Sustainable Development

ULSAB and New Steels: Will They Preserve Steel's Automotive Market Share?
(Sustainable Business Investor 6/1/2002)
At first blush, the steel industry's newest incarnation of its Ultra-Light Steel Auto Body (ULSAB) project would appear to be a godsend for an industry so financially troubled and plagued by a reputation as a throwback to an antiquated Industrial Age.
Sustainable Agricultural Initiative: Three Food Giants Reinvent 21st Century Agriculture
(Sustainable Business Investor 1/15/2002)
A look at why Danone, Nestle and Unilever were brought together to form the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative by a common conviction that they had to find a solution other than organic farming to ensure food quality for masses of increasingly skeptical consumers.

Corporate Travel

Tomorrow's Airline Industry, Hub & Spoke or Point to Point?
(ACTE Business Journal 3/1/2005)
Over the next 20 years, will business travelers pay a premium for planes with the most amenities or for travel that avoids congested hubs? The debate.
EU Report
(ACTE Business Journal 12/1/2004)
A look at the impact on corporate travel of the addition of 10 new countries to the European Union.
Open Skies Agreements
(ACTE Business Journal 6/1/2005)
How "open skies" agreements between countries modernize archaic ownership and legal constraints, making travel to lesser served locations easier.