Institutional Climate Projects
Addressing the climate crisis has required leadership from educational institutions. As a student at Dickinson College and Columbia University, I have helped shape these institutions with the mission of creating a more sustainable and equitable world. These projects are each distinct in their direct impacts, but are alike in their broader purpose.
Adapting the Existing Built Environment Fellow
Columbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation(GSAPP): Earth Networks
As a fellow for Columbia University's Existing Built Environment Earth Networks team, I help push for existing buildings to be more energy efficient, resilient to climate hazards, and ameliorate existing inequalities. This team, which is on the right, comprises of architects, engineers, academics, and policy experts. The goals of this network include reducing the energy consumption of Columbia's properties, expanding research opportunities to enable better policy decisions at all levels, and strengthening curricular and professional development for students focused on the network's ideals. My responsibilities include managing planning and communications, identifying funding opportunities, supporting efforts to improve curricula.
Dickinson College Climate Action Plan (2021 - 2022)
In my third year of climate action planning, I had the opportunity to work on Dickinson College's climate action plan. I strengthened my asset management skills with this project because I oversaw all of Dickinson's assets that used energy. I gathered and processed data from stakeholders throughout the college to calculate Dickinson's net greenhouse gas emissions. To complete this project, I led the passage of a carbon sequestration policy that utilizes study abroad funds to increase revenue for regional forest maintenance.
Dickinson Center for Sustainability Education
Renewable Energy Legal Defense Initiative (RELDI)
Columbia Law School: Sabin Center for Climate Change Law
The Renewable Energy Legal Defense Initiative (RELDI) supports the energy transition by filing amicus briefs to defend the development of renewable energy projects. As a research assistant for RELDI, I conducted research about renewable energy infrastructure. My research includes renewable energy production, transmission, and electric vehicle deployment. The purpose of this research is to clarify misinformation, weaken local opposition to renewable energy projects, and support the safe deployment of renewables. The RELDI project has had important impacts, including supporting the construction of New York's first offshore wind farm.