This Week in MCJ (7/4/20)
The beginnings of momentum.
Hey all,
A few points I want to call out this week, in this top section here. One, if you know of an early stage climate tech startup that you are super excited about, let us know. We have an initiative we are working on, and want to talk to some of the best early stage climate tech startups out there. Pre-seed, seed, and maybe series A stage, please.
Two, since the most valuable part of being in the MCJ community is interacting with other members, check out our shiny new member directory here. And if you haven’t filled out your profile yet, please do so here.
On that note, we are going to experiment with an Icebreaker event soon, which is like speed dating meets professional networking. Details below, and you can RSVP here. We are excited to experiment and find more ways to foster connections within the MCJ community, over time.
And finally, I attended the first MCJ Idea Jam event this week, put on by members Candice Ammori and Nicolo Giorgi. The turnout was great, people were engaged and interested, and I came away with my gears cranking, after hearing all of the great ideas and discussion that ensued. You can view a recording of the event here. They are going to make it a regular thing! And thanks to Candice, Eli Kariv, and Tanya Barham for pitching their ideas, and to Shayle Kann and Monica Varman for serving as resident experts, and providing their input.
It was inspiring to see such a high quality event being put on by members, for members. Instead of only benefiting from the small handful of events that Thai and I would have the bandwidth to provide, our hope is that the community will be able to benefit from a wide range of choices for programming, catering to a wide variety of interests. The only way to scale that effectively is with the help of all of you! This event was more good early evidence that the model can work effectively. And speaking of which, there is another community-organized event this Thursday, on “how to get involved with climate policy”, that I will also be attending. Details below, and you can RSVP here.
There’s bunch of other activity from within the community, and in the broader climate world, to report below. While the challenge is daunting and the stakes are high, I am also finding that the people working in this area are amazing, it is the most intellectually stimulating problem I’ve ever worked on, and with this great challenge comes great opportunities, as we work to put ourselves and our planet on a more just and sustainable path.
Enjoy your weekend, and for those in the US, Happy 4th!
Jason
📼Episodes
Here’s this week’s episode, in case you missed it.
Episode 110: Mindy Lubber, CEO and President of Ceres
Ceres is a non-profit advocacy organization that works to push companies and capital markets to integrate climate change risks and other world-changing crises into their strategy and planning.
Mindy leads an all-women executive leadership team and 125 employees, working to mobilize the most influential investors and companies to tackle the world's biggest sustainability challenges. This not only includes climate change, but also the problems of water scarcity, pollution and workplace inequities.
She's been at Ceres’ helm since 2003 and, under her leadership, the organization and its powerful network have grown significantly in size and influence. I've had a couple of other Ceres people on the show: Alicia Seiger, a board member, and Barney Schauble, who is chair of the board. Both of them have raved to me about the work that Mindy and the organization do, so I was very excited to bring her on the show.
This is a great one, you don’t want to miss it!
💼Climate Jobs
Here are some jobs shared by members of the MCJ community that we think might be of interest to you.
Sr. Software Engineer at Patch (Remote) (contact MCJer & Patch CEO Brennan Spellacy at brennan at usepatch dot com)
Product Engineer, Designer & Business Generalist at Watershed in San Francisco, CA (temporarily remote in near term) (jobs page)
Software Engineering (all levels), Modeling and Control Engineers at Optimal (job listings; contact founder at david at optimal dot ag)
Distributed Systems Engineer at Upstream Tech (Remote) (job listing)
Marketing Manager at LineVision (Remote or various locations) (job description)
Program Director, Pilots at The Los Angeles CleanTech Incubator (LACI) (job description)
Interested in sharing a job or internship with the community? Use the button below to let us know, or just post it in #climatejobs in the MCJ slack room.
🙋🏾Help Wanted
Modeling the impact of converting lawns to woody vegetation
MCJer James Marks is looking to hire a climate modeler for a short-term compensated project. (link to Slack thread)
📢Climate News
The House Democrats this week issued a 538-page climate plan with the aim of achieving net-zero by 2050 (see a summary on House Select Committee website). Additionally, the proposal calls for setting a price on carbon dioxide, eliminating pollution from cars by 2035 and from power plants by 2040.
📰🎧Recommended Reading/Listening
Below are recently published articles and content that we find interesting and/or that were shared by fellow MCJers.
The Washington Post: “House Democrats unveil ambitious climate package, steering toward a net-zero economy by 2050”
As mentioned earlier, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Kathy Castor released an ambitious proposal to reduce the U.S.’ carbon emissions to zero by 2050.
PBS News Hour: “This environmental justice activist breaks down deep ties between racism and climate change”
In this interview with co-chair of the Climate Justice Alliance, Elizabeth Yeampierre, the inequities of climate change are discussed, as well as how communities of color are disproportionately impacted.
Bloomberg: “Norway’s $2.6 Billion Green Bet Could Help the Whole Planet”
Europe’s largest producer of oil, Norway is contemplating $2.6B initiative to bury the nation’s carbon emissions in its coastal seabed as a means of combatting climate change.
The New York Times: “With Much of the World’s Energy Slowed Down, Green Energy Powers On.”
While the fossil fuel industry is reeling from the economic fallout brought about by the pandemic, renewable energy projects, the article reports, continues to make progress.
👤MCJ Member Directory
As mentioned previously, we have rolled out a new MCJ Member Directory. In the header tabs, you’ll find a “Vol. I,” containing entries from an earlier version, and a “Vol. II,” representing more recent entries. It’s one of the relationship-buidling resources available to members. We ask that, if you’re a member, please take a moment to add your information using this form so that we can help foster connections within the community.
🎟Climate Events
Past and upcoming events organized or surfaced by your fellow MCJers.
Past
MCJ Idea Jam
MCJers Candice Ammori and Nicolo Giorgi hosted the first MCJ Idea Jam on Wednesday. If you missed it, you can view a recording of it here.
Upcoming
Meet a MCJer with Icebreaker (Monday, July 6th, noon EST)
Having recently demoed Icebreaker (thanks Cody Simms!), we’re organizing an opportunity for members to meet one another. Icebreaker is a service that connects attendees randomly in brief 5-minute video sessions in which they can casually meet a new face in the community and learn about their background. Thai (MCJ CoS) and I found it to be a fun way to meet others, especially during a time when many of us face limited social activities. If you’re interested, RSVP and we’ll add you to the invite list.
MIT Webinar: “Scaling up low-carbon energy: Economic, geopolitical, and environmental impacts” (Tuesday, July 7th, 10 AM EST)
The energy sector is facing unprecedented challenges, with the global Covid-19 pandemic complicating an already challenging transition toward a low-carbon future. One of the key elements in addressing both the current pandemic and climate change is with forward-looking collaborations in technology development and innovation—which have long been a hallmark of MIT’s approach to problem solving. You can register here.
GiveGreen Presents “Virtual Reception for Sara Gideon, Theresa Greenfield, Jaime Harrison, and Doug Jones” (Wednesday, July 8th, 8 PM EST)
MCJer Eliza Nemser is co-organizing an event to hear from and raise money for a panel of pro-climate senatorial candidates running for (re)election: Sara Gideon, Theresa Greenfield, Jaime Harrison and Sen. Doug Jones. To learn more about the event as well as the organizer, check out the GiveGreen website.
Community Chat: “How to get involved with climate policy” (Thursday, July 9th, 1 PM EST)
Members of the #communitychat channel are organizing a panel discussion (panelists TBD) focused on getting involved in climate policy. You can RSVP for the event here.
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