Elena Kocherovsky | February 7, 2014
EDF Climate Corps' fourth annual Network Event was held in Cambridge, MA, and gathered around 120 EDF Climate Corps hosts, fellow alumni and partners. The event was facilitated by MIT professors Jason Jay and Peter Senge who led the audience through a two-day workshop focused on three key areas of energy management: goal setting, revolving fund financing and employee engagement. Guest speakers included Sprint’s, Amy Hargroves, adidas’s, Elizabeth Turnbull Henry and City of Boston’s Joe LaRusso, among others. The diversity of sectors, industries and job titles represented was a testament to the need and desire for continuing conversations around effective energy management amongst all these groups.
We asked some of the attendees to reflect back on the event, here’s what they had to say:
Who was one person you connected with at the EDF Climate Corps Network Event? What did you learn about or share with them?
"I enjoyed sharing challenges and lessons learned with others that work within the public sector - local, state and federal officials. Beyond the networking, it was interesting to see how each organization empowered its fellow - as it is a reflection of an organization's values, including energy use and efficiency." – Melinda Harrington (Contractor), Energy Program Planner, USAG Bragg
Having sat on the alumni panel on “Using EDF Climate Corps to Build a Career,” what one piece of advice you would reiterate for fellows who were unable to make it to the event?
“The network is very strong, and you'll get out of it what you put into it. Many alumni are happy to pay it forward, but the ball is in your court to reach out to us and let us know how we can collaborate. My last three jobs (plus many mentors and multiple clients) were each a result of engaging the EDF Climate Corps Network.” – Chris Gassman, Senior Client Relationships Manager, Great Place to Work Institute, 2010 EDF Climate Corps Alumnus
What is one thing you learned about at the EDF Climate Corps Network Event? OR What speaker left you with the most interesting idea or useful piece of advice to think about?
“While at the EDF Climate Corps Network Event, I learned that being able to relate and work with every level of a business, from housekeeping to the C-suite, is paramount to the success of an energy efficiency or sustainability project. You must become a Blue and White Collar “Chameleon.” – John Culver, 2013 EDF Climate Corps Alumnus
For me, the biggest take-away from this year’s event was that the latest leading practices in energy are certainly important and need to be shared and continuously improved, but the real magic happens when all of us who work on transforming the way we use and manage energy can put our heads together, support and challenge one another, and ultimately find the best paths forward as a network. This focus on networks will be a theme for us moving forward into 2014: Look out for the launch of regional network events around the country, more collaboration and access to tools and resources, the addition of hundreds more EDF Climate Corps hosts and fellows and, of course, the annual network event in the Fall. We look forward to making big strides with you to improve our energy system this year!
About EDF Climate Corps
EDF Climate Corps (edfclimatecorps.org) taps the talents of tomorrow's leaders to save energy, money and the environment by placing specially trained EDF fellows in companies, cities and universities as dedicated energy problem solvers. Working with hundreds of leading organizations, EDF Climate Corps has uncovered nearly $1.3 billion in energy savings. For more information, visit edfclimatecorps.org. Read our blog at edfclimatecorps.org/blog. Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/edfbiz and on Facebook at facebook.com/EDFClimateCorps.