Economic Valuation of the Guam Green Growth Initiative
Guam Green Growth (G3) is the most comprehensive public-private partnership ever created to achieve a sustainable future for Guam. G3 develops tangible solutions to sustainability challenges and contributes to a green economy for the island region. In September 2019, Governor Lourdes A. Leon Guerrero and Lt. Governor Joshua F. Tenorio promulgated Executive Order 2019-23, creating a 100-member Working Group of government, academia, private sector, non-profit, and youth partners to transition Guam toward a sustainable future. The executive order assigned the facilitation of the Working Group to the University of Guam Center for Island Sustainability.
A G3 conservation corps member holds up an invasive brown tree snake (boiga irregularis). The BTS has a devastating impact on islands that it is not native to because it is not controlled by predators, diseases, or competitors as it is in the snake’s native range.
The University of Guam (UOG) Center for Island Sustainability and Sea Grant (CIS/SG) leads and supports the transition of its island region toward a sustainable future. The Pacific Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments (Pacific RISA) NOAA CAP program supports Pacific island and coastal communities in adapting to the impacts of climate variability and change. Through a joint effort, led by RISA PI and UOGCIS Director Dr. Austin Shelton, along with Researcher Regine Biscoe Lee, UOG CIS/SG and Pacific RISA will support the goals of both programs through a focus on the G3 initiative.
The goal of this project is to assess and quantify the economic impact of the G3 Conservation Corps workforce development program & provide insight into the financial benefits and return on investment for these initiatives. The G3 Conservation Corps engages young adults in conservation and sustainability projects ranging from post-typhoon recovery and tree planting to invasive species removal and waste diversion. In the first months of the project, UOG team members worked with Pacific RISA PI Kirsten Oleson to select & customize economic valuation methodologies from available literature, and collaborated with stakeholders and experts in environmental economics to refine valuation models and develop a standardized framework.
Over the past year (2024-2025) Pacific RISA made significant progress in developing an economic valuation framework for the G3 Conservation Corps program. While the G3 Conservation Corps program is widely recognized for its social and environmental impact, the economic benefits had never been quantified. The team built a valuation framework grounded in methods such as ecosystem services valuation, avoided cost modeling, labor valuation, and social cost of carbon estimates. This framework was applied to real data from projects. Some examples include:
Food commodities distribution during post-Typhoon Mawar recovery: 60,000 lbs. of food distributed, reducing 137.32 metric tons of CO₂-equivalent emissions, for an annual benefit of $16,478 using the Environmental Protection Agency’s social cost of carbon estimates.
Aluminum can recycling: Over 146,000 cans collected, reducing 22.14 metric tons of emissions and generating $4,137 in annual benefits, including direct proceeds to local schools.
Brown tree snake removal: 30 snakes captured, with estimated annual benefits between $16,806 and $60,525 based on avoided damage to infrastructure, tourism, and health systems.
Invasive algae removal: Collaborative reef clean-up efforts yielded $1.7 million in estimated annual benefits based on improved recreational and ecological values.
Tree planting: Over 5,400 trees planted under the Guam Restoration of Watersheds (GROW) initiative, with a projected 20-year benefit of $234,885, including carbon sequestration and stormwater mitigation.
These quantified outcomes provided a powerful narrative: a total estimated return of $1.78 million in annualized benefits from G3 program activities, compared to $521,461 in Guam legislative appropriations for FY22–24. This equates to a $3.42 for every dollar invested in the G3 Conservation Corps program, validating its economic and social value to both local and federal stakeholders. By producing a replicable framework rooted in local data and conditions, the team is building a new regional asset that enhances long-term decision-making capacity. The valuation model can be adapted for other island sustainability efforts across the Pacific, making it a valuable contribution to the broader community of practice working on climate resilience and sustainable development.
Research Team Austin Shelton, Ph.D. (University of Guam Center for Island Sustainability & Sea Grant)
Regine Biscoe Lee, (University of Guam Center for Island Sustainability & Sea Grant)
Economic Valuation of the Guam Green Growth Initiative
Guam Green Growth (G3) is the most comprehensive public-private partnership ever created to achieve a sustainable future for Guam. G3 develops tangible solutions to sustainability challenges and contributes to a green economy for the island region. In September 2019, Governor Lourdes A. Leon Guerrero and Lt. Governor Joshua F. Tenorio promulgated Executive Order 2019-23, creating a 100-member Working Group of government, academia, private sector, non-profit, and youth partners to transition Guam toward a sustainable future. The executive order assigned the facilitation of the Working Group to the University of Guam Center for Island Sustainability.
The University of Guam (UOG) Center for Island Sustainability and Sea Grant (CIS/SG) leads and supports the transition of its island region toward a sustainable future. The Pacific Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments (Pacific RISA) NOAA CAP program supports Pacific island and coastal communities in adapting to the impacts of climate variability and change. Through a joint effort, led by RISA PI and UOGCIS Director Dr. Austin Shelton, along with Researcher Regine Biscoe Lee, UOG CIS/SG and Pacific RISA will support the goals of both programs through a focus on the G3 initiative.
The goal of this project is to assess and quantify the economic impact of the G3 Conservation Corps workforce development program & provide insight into the financial benefits and return on investment for these initiatives. The G3 Conservation Corps engages young adults in conservation and sustainability projects ranging from post-typhoon recovery and tree planting to invasive species removal and waste diversion. In the first months of the project, UOG team members worked with Pacific RISA PI Kirsten Oleson to select & customize economic valuation methodologies from available literature, and collaborated with stakeholders and experts in environmental economics to refine valuation models and develop a standardized framework.
Over the past year (2024-2025) Pacific RISA made significant progress in developing an economic valuation framework for the G3 Conservation Corps program. While the G3 Conservation Corps program is widely recognized for its social and environmental impact, the economic benefits had never been quantified. The team built a valuation framework grounded in methods such as ecosystem services valuation, avoided cost modeling, labor valuation, and social cost of carbon estimates. This framework was applied to real data from projects. Some examples include:
These quantified outcomes provided a powerful narrative: a total estimated return of $1.78 million in annualized benefits from G3 program activities, compared to $521,461 in Guam legislative appropriations for FY22–24. This equates to a $3.42 for every dollar invested in the G3 Conservation Corps program, validating its economic and social value to both local and federal stakeholders. By producing a replicable framework rooted in local data and conditions, the team is building a new regional asset that enhances long-term decision-making capacity. The valuation model can be adapted for other island sustainability efforts across the Pacific, making it a valuable contribution to the broader community of practice working on climate resilience and sustainable development.
Research Team
Austin Shelton, Ph.D. (University of Guam Center for Island Sustainability & Sea Grant)
Regine Biscoe Lee, (University of Guam Center for Island Sustainability & Sea Grant)
Resources
The University of Guam Center for Island Sustainability (CIS)
Guam Green Growth
G3 YouTube Channel
Our Vision
Pacific Island communities that are resilient to climate impacts and using climate information to manage risks.
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