EDF Climate Corps Blog: Posts from Climate Corps Fellows

  • EDF Fellow Shares GM Experience

    EDF Climate Corps fellow | September 9, 2014

    Ten weeks ago, if you had asked me what I know about automotive paint, I probably could have told you everything I knew in 25 words or less. Half of those words would have been “um” or “uh…” Now, having immersed myself this summer in everything paint-related, I still don’t consider myself an expert, but I can safely say that I learned more than I thought possible, due in no small part to the patience of my coworkers and their eagerness to share knowledge.

  • Changing Light Bulbs Can Mean a Wealth of Energy Savings

    EDF Climate Corps fellow | September 4, 2014

    A few months ago, I traveled halfway across the world from the bright, hot tropical beaches of south-east Asia into a gloomy, chilly Chicago summer to begin my journey as an EDF Climate Corps fellow. A week before I started at Associated Materials, a thunderstorm flooded the entire ground floor of the corporate office, and the place needed to be completely restored. 

  • The First US City to Run out of Water?

    EDF Climate Corps fellow | September 2, 2014

    Experts predict that by 2025 Sana’a, Yemen will become the first capital city to run out of water. They predict that by 2030 India will need to double its water-generation capacity or face the same fate, and water supplies in Istanbul, one of the world’s largest cities, is at just 28 percent. 

  • Fellow Reflection: District Energy for a District City

    EDF Climate Corps fellow | August 27, 2014

    There is no substitute in this town for knowing the streets and walking them yourself. Likewise, to move an energy project along, you have to get out from your desk and start shaking hands to make real progress.

  • How CA Technologies is using its Namesake to Boost Sustainability

    EDF Climate Corps fellow | August 25, 2014

    Upon entering my fellowship, I knew my work at CA Technologies in Islandia, NY would involve machinery in some way. From mainframe servers to laptop computers, I was immersed in an eclectic array of hardware and software that fuel CA’s business approach. But, what I did not know then was how I would interact with technology to help CA reduce its energy consumption.

  • The Solution to Accurate Energy Data May Be Closer Than We Think

    EDF Climate Corps fellow | August 21, 2014

    As Lord Kelvin famously said, "If you cannot measure it, you cannot improve it." Here at 77 West Wacker, despite extensive metering relative to comparable buildings, we have found a lack of visibility into energy consumption data is one of the greatest barriers to implementing energy conservation measures (ECMs).

  • Studying Solar in Texas: Big Energy Savings Opportunities on Small Campuses

    EDF Climate Corps fellow | August 20, 2014

    Distributed generation solar has been a growing trend around the country. Home owners, large commercial entities and other facilities all have looked to their rooftops to cash in on a previously underutilized asset. 

  • Sustainability Careers: A New “Traditional” Path?

    EDF Climate Corps fellow | August 18, 2014

    One of the biggest hurdles I face in my transition from graduate school into my career is that my chosen career path – corporate sustainability – is not a traditional profession. I went to The London School of Economics and Political Science, which is a fantastic institution with a supportive and enthusiastic Careers center. However, most of the job postings and career fairs on campus were geared towards more classic trajectories like finance, accounting and consulting.

  • Demand Response 201: Implementation at 77 West Wacker

    EDF Climate Corps fellow | August 13, 2014

    Demand response has been at the core of my work this summer as an Environmental Defense Fund Climate Corps fellow. My host company, Jones Lang LaSalle, is the property manager for 77 West Wacker Drive, a 50-story office building in downtown Chicago. Here, I am focusing on maximizing the benefits of demand response which have already been implemented through multiple technologies.

  • Demand Response 101: How it works and the incentives

    EDF Climate Corps fellow | August 11, 2014

    Demand response. It’s been called the “killer application for the smart grid” by John Wellinghoff, former Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). But what is it?

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