This Week in MCJ (10/10/20)
Hey everyone,
Lots going on in the MCJ community this week! Tons of great updates from the community below. On the internal MCJ side we’ve been pretty focused on getting the fund off the ground, which is going well, but is a lot of work! We also hired our content intern, who we will plan to introduce in the next newsletter. She starts Monday! And lastly, a number of people have been asking me what climate non-profits they should support. There are a ton of great ones doing important work, but I picked a few up-and-comers I really like to do a campaign for, alongside my friend’s at Wren. Attaching here, in case it is helpful. Until next week!
Jason
📼Episodes
Here’s this week’s episode, in case you missed it.
If you’re already an MCJ Member, you can listen to the full episode here.
A Houston-based renewable energy executive and former Democratic candidate for Texas' seventh congressional district, Skelly served as the Chief Development Officer for Horizon Wind Energy from 1999 to 2008. The company was the third largest wind company in the United States. Skelly also co-founded and served as president of Clean Line Energy Partners, an independent developer of high voltage direct current long-hall transmission lines. Skelly is also the protagonist in Russell Gold's book, “Superpower: One Man's Quest to Transform American Energy.”
I was excited for this discussion as I have not had enough representation on the pod from Houston, and Skelly is a great one to break the ice with. We have a good discussion in this episode about clean energy (wind in particular), transmission, Skelly’s career and what has motivated his work in clean energy. We also talk about climate change, the oil and gas industry and their role in the transition. We had a great discussion, and I'm excited for you to hear it.
📼Climate Tech Startup Series (CTSS)
CTSS is a series for members, where we feature founders of early-stage companies, sharing their startup’s business and mission. Members can check out our recent episode below and find an updated list here.
CTSS Episode 12: Genecis with COO, Abdul Khogali, and Partnerships Lead, Robert Celik
Genecis converts organic waste into a polymer ("PHAs") extracted from bacteria, which can be used to manufacture various products that biodegrade in as little as 8 months. Because of this ability, Genecis' polymers are friendlier for the environment; and unlike other commercially available biodegradable polymers that may require the intense heat and pressure of an industrial facility, Genecis' PHAs can decompose in natural environmental conditions (e.g. a backyard). In addition, Genecis is able to reduce its cost of production by 40% through its circular economy approach, in which waste residue is used as the feedstock. Through this model, Genecis is paid by its clients to take in food waste and develop a variety of end-applications from their polymer that is created through their process.
Genecis' COO, Abdul Khogali, and Partnerships Lead, Robert Celik, walk me through a company overview and how the company is helping to produce biodegradable materials that reduce plastic waste in the world.
🙏Member Appreciation
We’ve seen many members put time and thought into making the community a dynamic and engaging space for climate-focused individuals to immerse themselves in. Whether it’s organizing regular study groups, assembling a stellar panel of experts to discuss the importance of this election or hosting idea jams, we are extremely appreciative of the heart and effort many put into the community. We wanted to give a special shout out to Brianna, who’s consistently taken the lead in helping new members acclimate to the community by organizing volunteers to greet them as well as virtual meetups via Icebreaker. Our deepest thanks to her and everyone else whose efforts are making the community a better place each day!
👋Volunteers Wanted: MCJ Welcome Committee
Do you like meeting new MCJers? The MCJ Welcome Committee is looking for volunteers to greet new members on Slack and provide them with tips on navigating the community. If you’re interested, please DM committee leader, Brianna Miller, on Slack.
🏗 What You’re Building
Projects and ventures being pursued by fellow MCJers.
The Regenerates: A Climate-Focused Consultancy
MCJers Merrill Feather and Kristen Winzent have recently launched a climate-focused marketing, brand, and communications firm they’re calling The Regenerates. Their focus is helping teams turn an idea into a compelling vision, find product-market fit faster, deliver a big launch, or establish a strategic marketing and communications program. And just for the MCJ community, they are offering one-off workshops to help you understand how marketing can help reach your 2021 goals. Drop them a note via hello@weregenerates.com or DM either of them on Slack.
👋 Welcome New MCJers!
Below are new members who joined the community and introduced themselves in the past week. You can learn more about them on #introductions, where you can welcome them to the community.
Jay Lurie: Recently assumed the role of Chief Investment Officer at the D.C. Green Bank, Jay has over a decade’s worth of experience structuring clean energy and transport projects. He seeks to connect with developers, financiers, nonprofits and other parties interested in growing the clean economy in D.C.
Eliza Erskine: The founder of a sustainability consultancy, Eliza provides strategy, consulting and B Corp certification to small businesses. Based in NY, she hopes to serve as a resource for those interested in making sustainability changes in their place of work.
Josh Bushueff: Previously leading the development of a makerspace serving VT and NH, Josh is exploring new opportunities in climate with a particular interest in the role of the arts.
Nitin Iyer: A former PM at Niantic (makers of Pokémon GO) and an analyst at Nest, Nitin is exploring pivoting his career toward climate. He’s excited to meet others in the community and seeing what new opportunities lay in store.
Ellie Stanton: Pursuing Environmental Studies and International Affairs at UC Boulder, Ellie is currently working on a thesis focused on how environmental degradation caused by Chinese foreign direct investment affects current and future sexual violence patterns in Sub-Saharan Africa. She seeks to connect with others with backgrounds in climate science and policy.
Scott Burns: The Director of Product at Weave Grid, Scott works on driving decarbonization by intelligently connecting EVs to the energy grid. With prior experience in climate finance, he’s looking forward to collaborating with others on new projects.
Ehren Foss: With a background in product at various tech companies, Ehren, who is based in Seattle, is exploring new career opportunities in climate tech.
Andrew Angus: Having led sales and marketing at various SaaS companies, Andrew is seeking new opportunities in climate tech. He’s offering a $10K placement bounty to whomever connects him with his next full-time climate position!
Rob Fraley: Based in NY, Rob is the founder of a data analytics company, called WhatToOrder, that provides the food and beverage industry insight into consumer demand for sustainable ingredients. With a background in market research and financial analytics, Rob is happy to assist anyone seeking guidance in those areas.
James Redd: Having worked in brain-machine interfaces (e.g. embedded systems, ML), James is seeking new career opportunities in climate tech.
A warm welcome to the MCJ Community!
📝Interviewees Wanted
MCJer Ellie Stanton is seeking to interview those with the below background for her college thesis:
Has first hand experience with and/or studied the effects of environmental degradation and climate changes on local security, especially within Sub-Saharan Africa.
Is employed by an agency using FDI in the Sub-Saharan region - especially those knowledgeable of their agency's environmental impacts.
Academics studying the intersection of FDI and environmental degradation.
Activists, academics, and industry leaders working on reducing sexual violence domestically and/or internationally.
If you fit the above profile (or know someone who does), you can DM Ellie on the MCJ Slack.
💼Climate Jobs
Here are some jobs shared by members of the MCJ community that we think might be of interest to you. Many of these opportunities and the MCJers who shared them can be found in #climatejobs in the MCJ Slack.
Grants Manager at Climate Finance Solutions (Remote) (PDF job listing).
Var. Engineering & Scientist Positions at Phoenix Tailings Woburn, MA (careers page).
Communications Lead at Terra.do (Remote) (PDF job listing).
Renewable & Storage Analyst at Form Energy in Somerville, MA or the Bay Area, CA (job listing).
Project Manager at Probable Futures in Boston, MA (PDF job listing).
Analyst (Associate) at Congruent Ventures in SF Bay Area, CA (job listing).
Marketing Generalist, Marketing Intern at Wren (Remote in time zones close to PST) (careers page).
Research Manager (Low Carbon Innovation Policy) at Niskanen Center (Remote) (job listing).
Product Analyst at Weave Grid (job listing).
Sr. Developer (Co-Founder) at ecountabl (Remote) (Slack post).
Head of Finance and Administration at Pale Blue Dot in Malmö, Sweden (or Remote) (job description).
Business Development at Mandatum (Slack post).
📢Climate News
Highlights of news this week related to climate change.
The Wall Street Journal reported this week that investigators are looking into whether equipment owned by California utility, PG&E, may be what sparked the recent spate of fires in parts of Northern California.
According to the New York Times, a group of European scientists announced that globally September was the warmest on record. This news follows findings that Arctic sea ice plunged to its second-lowest levels on record.
📰🎧Recommended Reading/Listening
Below are recently published articles and content that we find interesting and/or that were shared by fellow MCJers.
Bloomberg: “Exxon’s Plan for Surging Carbon Emissions Revealed in Leaked Documents”
Deutsche Welle: “Climate finance hits hurdle in greening meat and dairy”
Financial Times: “Save the planet — and make money too” (PDF)
🎟Climate Events
As a reminder, we have a MCJ Events Calendar, where you can view and post events for the rest of the MCJ community to attend. When posting an event, please refer to this checklist.
*We’re highlighting a few upcoming events below; please refer to the events calendar for a complete list.*
Upcoming
MCJ #NYC Virtual & Park Meetup (Wednesday, October 14th & Saturday, October 17th)
MCJer Meghan Bush, who leads the #NYC community, is hosting two events, one virtual and the other socially-distant in the park. The virtual event is scheduled for Wednesday, 10/14 at 12 PM EST and the event at the park is slated for Saturday, 10/17 at 4 PM EST. Details still pending but check out the postings on the MCJ Calendar or reach out directly to Meghan on Slack.
Meet-a-MCJer via Icebreaker (Friday, October 16th at noon EST)
Back by popular demand, we’re hosting an Icebreaker for members of the MCJ community. Come join us for several rounds of casual 1:1 conversations with a fellow MCJ Member whom you have not met. Each round of conversation is 10 minutes and there’s fun questions to help break the 🧊! RSVP by dropping us a note.
Co_Invest Cleantech 2020 (Thursday, October 22nd at 3pm EST)
Join Clean Energy Trust on the cutting edge of cleantech innovation for a free and online event. Hear from Clean Energy Trust's early-stage cleantech portfolio companies, their newest investments, and sit in on a live recording of the My Climate Journey podcast with Jason Jacobs interviewing special guest Rodrigo Prudencio, who leads investments for Amazon's $2 billion Climate Pledge Fund. Register here to attend.
Cleantech Open Presents: Global Forum 2020 (Friday, October 23 11 AM - 3 PM EST)
Cleantech Open, the world’s largest cleantech accelerator, is hosting the Global Forum, its flagship annual event. Meet 100+ of the most innovative cleantech companies creating solutions to the world’s most pressing environmental and sustainability challenges, and network with over 400 industry leaders, cleantech entrepreneurs, sustainability experts, investors, and partner organizations. The event includes a series of shark tank-style pitches from the regional winners of this year’s Cleantech Open accelerator program, a Showcase Expo, an awards ceremony, and lots of networking opportunities. Sign up here.
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