2023 in Review: Industry-Leaders in Responsible Renewables
For the final installment of the 2023 Responsible Renewables spotlight series, we want to highlight our incredible partners who have made 2023 such a successful year for responsible renewables initiatives around the globe.
Our team at Schneider Electric has been able to co-host this key series in collaboration with our partners at Korn Ferry. This blog series grew out of our shared goals to provide education on responsible renewables and highlight industry leaders who spearhead responsible renewables projects.
A Recap on Responsible Renewables: What Are They?
The introductory blog establishes the main initiative of the series: What are responsible renewables and why do they matter?
Simply put, although clean energy buying has become more commonplace for large corporations, a focus on the responsibility of those renewable energy projects is less widespread. What does that mean? Simply, some ways of procuring renewable energy are more environmentally and socially sustainable than others. We refer to this, the sustainable sourcing of renewable energy, as responsible renewables.
For more details on responsible renewables, we encourage you to review the introductory blog, which explores the issues and opportunities with responsible renewable projects.
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Keep scrolling for highlights from each of the industry-leading spotlights we shared throughout 2023. We encourage you to click the links and check out the full spotlight for more details.
Covanta’s Responsible Waste Solutions Are Powering Our Future
At Covanta, “Protecting Tomorrow” is more than just a tagline; it’s at the heart of their commitment to help build a cleaner world through responsible disposal of waste. Now the world’s largest Waste-to-Energy provider, Covanta is busy “Protecting Tomorrow” by helping other businesses overcome their waste challenges to deliver world-class sustainable solutions.
Executive Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer for Covanta, Tequila Smith, provides key insights about Covanta’s 40-year-long commitment to sustainable waste practices and more.
"We are firm believers that there's no one answer to our climate problem, and it takes everyone working together — private industries, public industries, academics, communities, NGOs, and partners like Korn Ferry and Schneider Electric."
-Tequila Smith
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Enel’s Actions Drive the Responsible Renewables Movement Forward
Enel North America, part of the Enel Group, is a pillar of the responsible renewables community because of their mission to empower sustainable progress for all by moving rapidly toward a decarbonized and electrified future. As a global renewable energy leader, their focus on sustainability, social equity, and inclusive practices creates economic, social, and environmental value for their stakeholders in North America and around the world.
Marcus Krembs, Head of Sustainability in the USA and Canada for Enel, shares how Enel’s approach to responsible renewables has evolved over time, as well as the company’s focus on community outreach.
“We listened early on to intensifying investor, employee, and community stakeholder expectations, and understood the importance of ensuring our projects contribute positively to the communities where they are built.”
-Marcus Krembs
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JackRabbit Development Is an Innovative Pioneer in Sustainable Living
JackRabbit Development is a native women-owned company that prioritizes resilient and sustainable solutions for adapting to a changing climate while designing with the community in mind. An industry-leader in sustainable building, JackRabbit creates self-sustaining, efficient, “smart” homes and structures that provide a better way to live.
In this spotlight, Tahda A. Ahton Esq., founder of JackRabbit, shares how her team partners with their community on sustainable building initiatives, which sometimes includes providing education on these practices.
"We started looking at living aspects like water, food, energy, healthcare, childcare, and elderly care, and how that has really impacted our idea around sustainability and building sustainable communities."
-Tahda A. Ahton Esq.
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Clean Energy Buyers Institute Educates Beyond Emissions Reductions
The Clean Energy Buyers Institute (CEBI) and their Beyond the Megawatt (BTM) program aims to provide industry-leading companies with new ways to advance procurement standards in their clean energy journey. This includes integrating environmental sustainability, resilience, and social considerations in procurement decisions. CEBI is a non-profit organization focused on solving the toughest market and policy barriers to achieving a carbon-free energy system
This unique spotlight highlights the BTM program and features three contributors: Phoebe Romeo, Sr. Manager of Equity; Sofia Mongeon, Associate; and Ornella Nicolacci, Director.
Dunamis Clean Energy Partners Light the Path to a Cleaner Future
Dunamis Clean Energy Partners is a woman-owned, MBE-certified leader in the commercial and industrial lighting, charging, environmental, and horticultural industries that specializes in creating energy cost savings for their customers.
CEO of Dunamis, Natalie King, highlights educating communities and how she’s prioritized responsible renewables at Dunamis.
"With proper education, we can demystify that process, so that there can be a greater understanding of the multiple layers of renewable benefits — where the tax incentives and the supplemental funding can come from to buy EVs, as one example."
-Natalie King
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Avangrid’s Approach to Responsible Renewables
Avangrid, a leading U.S. renewable energy firm, prioritizes responsible renewable practices, focusing on community and environmental impacts. In a discussion with Laney Brown, Avangrid's VP of Sustainability, we explored the company's commitment to managing the social and environmental aspects of their projects, emphasizing responsibility as a fundamental aspect of their business model.
"We believe that developing green energy projects is not enough. As an active member of our communities, it is our responsibility to play a positive role in the environmental and social impact in the regions we serve."
-Laney Brown
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Thank You to Our 2023 Responsible Renewables Leaders and Collaborators
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On behalf of Schneider Electric and Korn Ferry, we appreciate all of the above industry leaders for partnering with us for this key series highlighting responsible renewables.
We hope to continue this series next year and highlight even more important voices in the responsible renewables community. Stay tuned for more information to come in January 2024!