Plugged In (Megan Bennett)

In this first episode of Plugged In I speak to Ersilia Serafini, CEO and President of Summerhill, about some of the freshest and newest concepts in the energy efficiency industry including a market based system which pays customers for energy they are saving so that energy efficiency itself becomes a resource valued in the market.

We talk about the future of the energy efficiency industry, how the changing market is transforming Summerhill’s business and what keeps Ersilia up at night.

To be honest, my favorite part of the conversation is when we talk about Ersilia's personal journey to becoming a CEO, her views on women, gender and leadership. Her very practical strategies for being a CEO, an active mom and actually having a life too. We talk about courage and speaking our truth and sharing those values with our children.

We laughed and had a lot of fun. I hope you enjoy it too.

I sat down with Corey at the Efficiency Canada offices in Toronto in August, and we cover quite a bit of ground.

We talk about gender equality and leadership, what Efficiency Canada is doing to lead on gender equality and ensure equal pay, equal leadership and equal opportunity for women within Efficiency Canada and beyond. You will find out what got Corey hooked on working in the sustainability sector originally and we learn what has surprised him about working in the advocacy industry

He shares insights on the role he sees for financing and partnering with banks and green banks in the future on energy efficiency as well as the opportunity and new role that municipalities are going to have in the future as they take on more climate action work.

Finally, I am always curious what inspires people and also what keeps them grounded and focused – so Corey and I chat about what keeps him rocking.

It's a super fun conversation – I really would expect nothing less from him. I hope you enjoy it!

On this episode I speak with Fatima Crerar, the Vice President of Strategy and Partnerships at The Atmospheric Fund. Recorded in February of 2020, we chatted about change (maybe ironically – given the deep layers of systematic change that were coming barreling at us unknowingly). We talked about change in the context of climate, carbon and gender, and what is going to be required to make the necessary pivots to a low carbon future and why it is hard for organizations, cities, movements and markets to change. She shared insights on the importance of using our voices as citizens and as women. Needed now more than ever, this conversation provides a healthy dose of inspiration and tact. It was an absolute joy and privilege to bring you this conversation, may it serve you well.

Stephanie has been working at Yukon Energy Corporation for over 8 years and shares her unique insights of what it's like to be a resource planning engineer working for a small, remote, isolated utility with a grid in a geography and climate that are really not for the faint of heart.   

Dr. Emily Eaton, Associate Professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies at the University of Regina, finds hope in the prospect of systemic changes like decarbonization, decolonization and democratization for a just, clean energy transition.

Quinn Parker, CEO of Encolor, shares what sparked her to set out to make the energy sector more equitable, diverse, inclusive and socially just. Not a small undertaking. 

She is now six months into running this business and the response, the work, and how she and her family feel about it, well, it’s not quite what she imagined it would be. 

It’s a journey of learning, reflection and exploration for Quinn and for her clients. 

“A lot of people I'm talking to, although they are looking for process and method, they are also looking for a conversation. What is equity, inclusion, and belonging and anti-racism? What is it for me as well as for the organization I work for?” 

Not only is Quinn finding joy in this work, she has deep gratitude for all those who are supporting her.

And I am so grateful to Quinn for sharing her story. 

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This past spring I took a podcast storytelling workshop through the StoryCentre. This episode benefitted from the teachings, insight and reflection of my thoughtful instructors and supportive fellow students. Thank you.

Talking about climate change and having conversations about how climate is impacting the things we love can be powerful.  

How confident are you about starting a conversation with family about climate change? How comfortable are you bringing up the topic of climate impacts when chatting with friends? Today’s episode is all about how to talk about climate and why it matters.

Katie Harper is a Senior Advisor at Project Neutral and is currently helping to design and facilitate Talk Climate To Me, a fun, free, unscary online climate education experience for women-identifying people in Canada.

Jordyn Burnouf, an Indigenous leader in clean energy, climate and community divides her time between many impactful pursuits including advising the Vice President of the Métis Nation-Saskatchewan, Co-Charing Student Energy’s SevenGen Indigenous Youth Energy Summit, starting a new podcast with the David Suzuki Foundation, advising Efficiency Canada and getting out onto the land as a guide with her family’s land-based camp.

Being connected to the land is an important influence for Jorydn’s work and she shares in this episode about what’s at risk when we lose our connection to land and it’s teachings, using getting out onto the land as an example:

“You need to get out on a canoe and you need to struggle for hours, and there's lessons in that. You need to get outside and be rained on, you know, you need to get outside and experience the earth for all her beauty and all of that struggle, because that's, that's what it's really about.”

Jordyn shares why Indigenous perspectives, knowledge and leadership matter for a just, clean energy transition and what she thinks the biggest opportunity for non-Indigenous people is to learn from Indigenous teachings on the topic of climate.

Be sure to follow Jordyn on Instagram and Twitter and visit her website: https://jordynburnouf.com/

Kim Nicholas’ book, Under the Sky We Make: How to be Human in a Warming World, was the book that had the most impact on me in 2022. 

It woke me up to the urgency of the climate crisis in a way that I hadn’t felt before.

Specifically, how laser focused we need to be on eliminating fossil fuel consumption and extraction for a livable planet for humans. Period. 

Dr. Kim Nicholas, a climate scientist at Lund University in Sweden, is ringing the alarm bell and connecting with the issue and the solutions in new ways - often through personal storytelling and even poetry. 

Calling on all of us to go beyond-net-zero to actual zero. 

She acknowledges the need to centre voices, perspectives and solutions that aren’t typically at the centre if we are going to solve this crisis.

It’s a hard topic. These are not easy truths to grapple with. But there are solutions.

Take a listen to this episode. Pick up her book. Get shook up. 

Then let’s get to work and stay well and resilient, so we can fix it. 

I tried something new with this episode. I moderated a panel session at the Association of Energy Services Professionals (AESP) Annual Conference in New Orleans earlier in 2023, and recorded it in front of a live audience.   

The topic of the session was "exploring our (climate) emotions as energy services professionals" and I shared the stage with three incredible women: Pamela Fann, Principle Owner of Impact Energy, Jhane Wilcox, Director of Marketing at PosiGen, and Larissa Crawford, Founder and Managing Director of Future Ancestors Services. 

The questions we explored about climate emotions took us deep into the work of climate justice and the impacts of systemic racism and colonization.  

Jinhwa offers workshops based on the Climate Action Venn diagram created by Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson - a framework that helps us match our skills, passions and what brings us joy and delight with the climate solutions that we need. Drawing inspiration from Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, adrienne marie brown, Rebecca Solnit, and Deepa Iyer, Jinhwa’s discussion on Finding Joy in Climate Solutions ignites our imagination, encouraging an exploration of the diverse ways we can each engage in climate and justice solutions. While acknowledging that the urgency and crises we find ourselves in are hard on our nervous systems.