It was a house packed with women (and a few men) for a Renewable Energy Career Panel at the Hub.  This event was organized in partnership with SF Women’s Environmental Network (WEN), Bay Area Women of Wind Energy (WoWE -- pronounced wow-ee!). Our partners did a great job putting together a panel of women working in the field in a variety of capacities.

Each panelist presented briefly on their work history, and the events and decisions that shaped the course of their careers. They used their personal stories, relating to the audience through lessons learned.  

A handful of themes emerged, leading to the big take a-ways from the evening:

•          Dare to Transition
•          Be Flexible
•          Aim High
•          Be the Best
•          Have a Guiding Principle
•          Is Work and Life in Balance? This is not always the right question.

Stephanie Wang (we’ll call Stephanie an All-Star because this was her second dynamic performance on an NISFP panel) spoke with great enthusiasm about her current work and the mission of the Clean Coalition. Stephanie works on policies and programs that accelerate the adoption of cost-effective clean local energy across the United States; this represents a significant career transition for Stephanie from a more conventional law practice. Stephanie’s story and her considerable reflection brought out some of the evenings most salient points.  The reward for daring to transition into the renewable energy field will be directly proportional to the meaning you derive from the work, the passion you bring to it and your commitment to working hard and continued learning. Stephanie pointed out “you aren’t helping the Movement by getting a sustainability job if there was someone that could do the job better, so you must commit to working really hard”.

Sonita Lontoh helped frame the discussion by sharing how she developed her career upon guiding principles. Sonita knew that she had to apply her business and engineering skills to something that would create more good in the world. When the opportunity arose to work on carbon and renewable programs and smart grid technology it was simple – it met her criteria.

Having a sound, yet broad guiding principle can be very useful, it allows for adaptation and flexibility, which every panelist agreed is important. Seizing the opportunities that arise and making the most of them is a key to advancing your career. For Pamela Lippe, flexibility is the willingness to adapt your skill sets; this allowed her to survive and thrive through the early tumults of the green movement and today’s economy. Daphne Li cautioned all to “aim higher”. Women tend to undersell themselves, while most men are conditioned to do the opposite. This puts the female job searcher at a real disadvantage. Sonita added that many aspects of the renewable economy are so new it doesn’t take long to be considered an expert. She gave the example that if you’ve been working in smart grid for 2 or 3 years you are an expert!       

There was a subtle undertow of Work/Life balance questions. Or should I say rip tide? There was a diversity of experience and attitudes, and yet total agreement that it remains an issue society at large is still not adequately addressing. Sonita’s view posed the question nicely; she advised “of course it is easier without children, but don’t think of it as work/life balance; think of it as work/life choice, as an integration”.  Stephanie’s approach? She declared with a huge enthused smile “Work is my life!”  The only panelist with young children Daphne Li, described how her company accommodated her during a difficult pregnancy, which prompted all to agree that the enlightenment quotient of one’s employer was the most important factor in determining experience, especially for those with dependents.

Here are some career advice highlights from the Q&A session:

•          Energy work is at the intersection of engineering, finance and business development; think about where you fit in.
•          If you are still in school take classes that will give you expertise (related to above).
•          Publish something; you’ll be considered an expert!
•          Use the clean tech and women’s networks. They are strong, active and supportive.
•          Keep track of your colleagues and contacts if you change companies, you’ll need them.
•          Negotiate a “Board Observer Status” as a way to gain a foothold up the ladder.
•          Look for mentors, gender is not important, dedication is.

Much thanks to….  panelists: Pamela Lippe, Sonita Lontoh, Stephanie Wang, Daphne Li and Liz Oh (moderator); media sponsors: the Solar Marketing Group, Women in Cleantech and Sustainability/Technica Communications and AWWEE (Association of Women in Water, Energy, and the Environment); Rico’s Catering; Frey Winery; The Hub SF; and Andrea Taber (lead organizer). 

Photos courtesy of Anne-Franziska Sinner

Organized by Avary Kent. Facilitation by Jim Turner, Maura Dilley, and Avary Kent.

• To stabilize the climate, we need to reach 80% below 1990 GHG emissions by 2050. Even opponents to climate legislation agree with this.
• In the absense of binding international agreement with teeth, current solution is to "pledge and review" - where each nation makes voluntary pledges (based on what they can get past parliament, congress, etc). These are not based on ecological limits.
• Putting a price on carbon is a market-based response to a market failure (we're paying the cost collectively as a society). The problem is that we can't agree on how to price it - so tangible action is being stalled. If we just started with a price of $10/ton, we'd at least move forward.
• The future of renewables is local. Sound policy and incentives is key to decentralizing power production. Feed-in-Tarriffs (FIT) are much more effective than current net-metering schemes. Generatenow.org has more information and resources.

• Clean technology continues to evolve. The U.S.  will buy this techology from whoever makes it. Companies based in countries that have set the right market conditions will be the leaders. The U.S.'s fundamental underlying policy on the Climate is the same as it was in 2007 - which is not enough to stimulate demand for CleanTech.
• However the recovery act provides incentives and funding for clean tech ventures. Many of these dollars haven't "hit the street" yet. Energy.gov/recovery is full of business opportunities. Also, the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Export Initiative (export.gov/reee) offers resources to promote trade for U.S. based firms.

• One of the most important things that businesses can do is to educate their employees and their customers on the climate. The underlying knowledge base in the U.S. is slim and more understanding is necessary for widespread public conviction.
• Democracy takes time - but to make things happen, start getting involved locally. 99% of life is just showing-up. Show up at local government meetings/hearings and write "letters to the editor" (they will listen!).
• Peter Brown from the SFMTA made the point that planners and public officials usually meet staunch opposition from the business community when they try to change "business as usual" (i.e. congestion pricing). More businesses need to come out in favor of change - and the Net Impact community is perfect to help. Specifically, letter writing and attending public hearings in support of bold, sustainable, business enhancing practices will be critical to moving our electeds in the right direction. He's working on an updated Climate Action Plan and will need our help!