Work on Climate

Green workforce developers need to expand their scope to workforce challenges that aren't "obviously green". Today, almost all organizations identifying as green workforce developers focus on one of the following problems: - Helping people who are looking for climate jobs - Providing training on some form of "traditionally green" skills - basic climate solutions literacy, carbon accounting, etc. - Creating talent pipelines into skilled trades roles such as solar/wind/HVAC technicians And in all these cases, organizations focus on helping a large number of people. Super needed stuff, but it's not everything. I think that we, green workforce developers, need to ask ourselves "what are the most critical human capital bottlenecks to climate progress" and solve those. Framed this way, we'll find that there are more challenges that escaped our eye. Here's just a few examples: - In some areas, such as project permitting, or scope 3 emissions, some of the bottlenecks have to do with basic digitalization. "Start tracking stuff in a computer system and train staff on how to use it" is not what green workforce developers traditionally do, but we should. - In some areas, progress is bottlenecked by lack of know-how among a very small but very powerful group. For example, I heard that many capital allocators would want to invest in scaling climate deployment, but don't know how to structure that with a risk/return profile acceptable to them. "Create and disseminate innovative project financing best practices among capital allocators" is also not something that most green workforce developers think is in their scope. - I heard from someone at the DOE that projects are often bottlenecked by the fact that contractors don't know how to comply with the Davis-Bacon act; if someone trained them, it would be a boost. Also not a traditionally green skill, but a workforce bottleneck to climate progress. That's the framing that I use now for explaining Work on Climate's approach. We look at areas where climate progress is bottlenecked by a workforce or innovation challenge, and we solve the bottlenecks. Usually the bottleneck is too large and complex for us (or anyone) to solve alone, so the solution involves creating an ecosystem of organizations that can solve it together. I'd love it if more organizations joined this approach.

Are you passionate about climate action and data-driven solutions? We’re looking for a dedicated Data & Metrics Team Lead Volunteer to help build tools and infrastructure (from pipelines to visualizations) to help track the health of Work On Climate’s community programs. 🏆 What’s in it for you? - Build a strong network in the climate space - Gain hands-on data/research and team leadership skills - Play a crucial role in addressing the climate talent bottleneck 👷🏼 What will you do? - Partner with internal stakeholders to identify critical data questions - Motivate and coordinate a talented group of volunteer engineers and analysts - Drive the adoption of your team’s products across the organization Apply now: https://lnkd.in/g68s9FMa #VolunteerOpportunity #JoinUs #NewRole #DataAnalytics #ClimateAction

We have an announcement to make! Work on Climate is offering a climate-aligned 401(k) for our employees with Carbon Collective. We are transforming the workforce to unblock climate progress; retirement accounts are a huge work-related climate lever and a way to move more of the economic value of all talent towards climate. Thank you Carbon Collective for facilitating this movement and offering our employees the option to invest in a world we actually want to retire into! We like working with good people, and working with CC has been a joy - Tavis Boise has been extremely helpful in setting up the plan, educating our employees, and answering our questions so our team can focus on our mission rather than on the paperwork. Breene Murphy and Zach Stein have also been long-time allies and champions of our mission!

This week at The Nest Climate Campus, we continued the conversation on how to accelerate green job development and drive growth in the green economy. Key takeaways from the panel discussion included: 🏢 The green workforce transition impacts all jobs—not just those traditionally seen as green, like solar installers or climate scientists. 🌱 Most of the work in decarbonizing companies is done through functional roles across the organization, not just in specific sustainability positions. Sustainability needs to be embedded in everyday operations across all roles. 🔎 For job seekers, it’s important to expand your search beyond roles with "sustainability" in the title. Look at how your current skills can contribute to a company's green goals, especially if the company shows credible signs of commitment to sustainability. As Bill Weber from 3M mentioned, we’ve moved beyond the era of software and entered the era of chemistry and materials science. This is creating a significant demand for engineers at all levels to drive innovation and build the factories of tomorrow. A special thanks to the panelists: Bill Weber, Business Building Director, 3M Ventures Ben Holzemer, TPG Rise Climate Taj Ahmad Eldridge, Jobs for the Future Estefanía Pihen González, California Academy of Sciences Eugene Kirpichov, Work on Climate And thank you to 3M for hosting this important discussion! Check out the trailer for their new docuseries spotlighting the opportunities in the green economy: https://lnkd.in/gDnRtNDp

New York Climate Week is fully underway, and we’re honored to be hosting Work on Climate’s Design Summit 2024 today! We're bringing together over 50 leaders from 40 organizations to tackle the critical challenge of building a more diverse and inclusive green #STEM workforce across New Jersey and New York. How can we create more equitable pathways to green STEM careers? Industry, education, and government leaders will unite to reshape the future of green STEM education. We’re excited to share what the Advanced STEM Working Group comes up with to ensure more people can effectively participate in the sustainable economy. To learn more about the STEM Working Group, check out our blog article below! https://lnkd.in/gkk3KfnY #NYCW #NewYorkClimateWeek #NYCW2024 #WorkOnClimate #GreenCareers

Last week we went to 3M's premiere of Green Works, a docuseries that spotlights the vast opportunities available in the green economy and aims to inspire more professionals to join the movement. Today, we're excited to continue the conversation at The Nest Climate Campus. Bill Weber, business building director for 3M Ventures, will share the stage with Eugene Kirpichov; Ben Holzemer, head of human capital management at TPG Rise Climate; Taj Ahmad Eldridge, managing director of climate innovation for Jobs for the Future; and Estefanía Pihen González, chief of education and learning at California Academy of Sciences; to discuss how we can accelerate green jobs development and the green economy. Join us as climate leaders from across sectors—spanning global science, impact investing, climate-focused education, and pivotal nonprofit action—come together to share insights and drive transformational impacts. Watch the Green Works trailer here --> https://lnkd.in/gDnRtNDp

🌍 Calling all aspiring climate founders! 🚀 We’re excited to announce a pilot of Startup Springboard, a 3-month pre-accelerator designed to support underrepresented founders in the earliest stages of entrepreneurship. Our first cohort will focus on tackling clean energy challenges using AI/ML, and we invite you to go on this pilot journey with us. Find out more and apply here --> https://lnkd.in/gCtguVmm 🔹 What we offer: - Hands-on entrepreneurial training - Networking with potential co-founders - Insights and feedback from industry experts 🔹 What you’ll gain: - A clear problem statement and validated customer needs - Market insights and potential business opportunities - A path to developing your Minimum Viable Product (MVP) 🌱 Who should apply? Pre-idea climate founders aiming to solve energy issues with AI/ML. We especially encourage women, LGBTQIA , people of color, and individuals from rural areas to apply. 📅 Program Dates: Late October 2024 - Early February 2025 📝 Apply by: September 30, 2024

🌍🌱 We’re thrilled to partner with 3M as they premiere their groundbreaking global docuseries, Green Works, highlighting the inspiring stories of individuals driving the green economy and making a real impact on our planet. 🌱🌍 Watch the trailer here --> https://lnkd.in/gDnRtNDp In this series, award-winning actor and producer Lana Condor takes us through the journeys of five individuals who are creating sustainable solutions through innovation, hard work, and diverse skillsets. At Work on Climate, we believe that the future of climate action depends on growing the green workforce, and we’re excited to be part of this important conversation. Our founder Eugene Kirpichov, will be speaking on a panel following the Green Works premiere at the Fast Company Innovation Festival on September 18th! Eugene will be discussing how community-driven efforts like ours are essential in cultivating a robust ecosystem that will support the transition to a green economy. Don’t miss the premiere and be sure to stay tuned for strategic insights from leading experts on the future of green jobs!

Founders - join us for a panel on key legal topics this Thursday! The topics we'll cover in this session are: 💼 Entity Formation - choose the right legal structure for your startup 🧠 Intellectual Property - protect your brand and innovation 💸 Fundraising - navigate the legal landscape of raising capital 🛂 Immigration - secure the necessary visas for your team Sign up: https://lu.ma/l2ioeplq We're excited to welcome four panelists: 🎤 Ivan Golden (Taft Law): With a deep understanding of corporate, tax, and transactional matters, Ivan will guide you through the complexities of entity formation. 🎤 Lauren Bercuson (Storylock Legal): A passionate advocate for innovators, Lauren will share her expertise on protecting your intellectual property. 🎤 Leslee Cohen (AllRise Legal Counsel): With a focus on securities law and corporate finance, Leslee will provide valuable insights on fundraising strategies. 🎤 Christina Coleman (Coleman Immigration): An immigration law expert, Christina will discuss visa options and strategies for building your international team. This is the first in a series of in-depth legal webinars designed to support founders at every stage of their journey!

The path into climate work is rarely straightforward! What if you could easily improve your job search by identifying key challenges for climate companies and offering solutions proactively? On Tuesday, Marco Morawec, cofounder of Climate Drift, will share how identifying climate companies' challenges can help you start working on climate. He’ll discuss ways to identify them, how to navigate climate sectors, and strategies for finding a climate niche that fits your skills. 👉 Sign up: https://lu.ma/kfsdwjcd Participants will learn how to: 🌿 Identify climate companies’ top pain points that you could solve 🎯 Leverage these solutions to accelerate your climate career 🗺️ Navigate climate sectors and identify a climate niche that fits your skills Marco has taught hundreds of students at top universities, helped thousands of people transition into new careers, and built and scaled multiple education companies to support people in achieving their full potential. He is a co-founder of Climate Drift, which gives professionals a pathway into a climate career by directly solving real-world climate company challenges, building their network, and understanding which climate niche is best for their skills.