On Thursday, June 14th, Leaders in Energy held the fourth Green Career Momentum (GCM) event at Green America. The GRM series has been held to assist Leaders in Energy members in find or create a dream green job. Each session has a specialized topic, speakers, skill, and green economy focus area.
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How 3 Cities Are Navigating the Transition to Electric Buses
As today’s urban areas house more than half the world’s population and produce more than 80 percent of global economic activity, cities are uniquely positioned to deliver sustainable solutions. However, poor local air quality and issues related to global climate change are negatively impacting the lives of millions. Promising solutions exist – cities are increasingly turning to low- and zero-emission buses to decrease environmental impacts while creating economic, environmental and health benefits, for example. Transitioning bus fleets to clean technologies can also improve quality of service and reduce costs in the long run. So why aren’t all cities closing the curtain on diesel-fueled fleets and transitioning to electric?
To better understand this question and evaluate the barriers that cities face when taking on electric buses, the Financing Sustainable Cities Initiative interviewed three experts in three different cities going through the process, each with the objective of improving quality of life for residents and their urban environment.
The People of Bogotá Want Cleaner Air. Will the City Listen?
Bogotá is one of Latin America’s most polluted cities – but thanks to its citizens, its air may be getting cleaner.
A decision from the mayor’s office to keep using diesel fuels in the next generation of buses in the city’s bus rapid transit (BRT) system, TransMilenio, set loose a series of events, led by citizens, demanding cleaner air and challenging the local paradigm that less-polluting fuels are too expensive to consider. Today, Bogotá is closer than ever to a cleaner BRT fleet.
What can we learn from Bogotá? Citizens have the power to promote sustainable development, even when there is an apparent lack of political leadership through sustained political organizing and pressure.
Sprynt – A Sustainable Urban Mobility Solution from the U.S.
Sprynt is in an innovative startup that provides 100% free transportation to the passengers. It started its operation in June 2017 in the Rosslyn-Ballston Corridor in Arlington, Virginia (United States), covering five different neighborhoods. This original business model includes highly targeted and customized advertising solutions to local businesses and national brands, while keeping the rides 100% free of charge for passengers. Sprynt is an on-demand transportation mode, similar to Uber and Lyft, where passengers request the service through an app on their phone. Different than the others on-demand ride services, Sprynt is 100% free of charge and is 100% electric.
The company not only contributes to sustainable urban mobility, but also to the economic development of the area in which it operates, by creating local jobs, and fostering the sales of local businesses, including restaurants and shops. The company currently employs ten people and is planning to hire more in the future. With 13,000 mobile app downloads, Sprynt connects residents to local businesses with an average of 5,000 rides per month, with both recurrent passengers and new ones.
Highlights from Sold-Out January Green Career Workshop
This past January I led a sold-out Green Career Workshop for Leaders in Energy, and I left feeling quite inspired by all the energy that was in the room!
In her welcoming remarks, Executive Director Janine Finnell highlighted how Leaders in Energy is building a community of leaders to advance solutions for a sustainable energy system, economy, and world.
During the workshop that followed, participants discovered insights about their career strengths and preferences and how these can be tailored for application to the new green economy, e.g. clean energy, sustainability, circular economy, resiliency, etc.
Leaders in Energy Awards & Holiday Event Recap: Honoring 4 Generations of Clean Energy and Sustainability Leaders
By KERRY WORTHINGTON, Leaders in Energy Reporter At the second annual Leaders in Energy “4 Generations: Leadership in Clean Energy & Sustainability” event on December...
Necessity Leads to New Ventures
By SHIRA HARRINGTON Chief Engagement Officer Purposeful Hire, Inc. Shira Harrington will be the Keynote Speaker at the Leaders in Energy 4 Generation Event: Leading...
Growing a Canopy of Action on Urban Forestry and Green Infrastructure
By KERRY WORTHINGTON, Leaders in Energy Leaders in Energy partnered with the Center for Leadership in Global Sustainability at Virginia Tech in Arlington, Virginia along...
The Challenge and Potential Savings of Managing Plug and Other Energy Loads in Buildings
By SHAWN SILVER, Budderfly Note: Budderfly is a company sponsor of Leaders in Energy’s professional networking event on “Building a Smart City: Global and Metro...
Cities of The Future: Integrating Climate Planning and Smart Technologies
By ARMANDO GAETANIELLO, Leaders in Energy In 2012, the economic cost of climate change related damages had already topped the US government’s spending for transportation...