I am convinced that transitioning to renewable energy can provide meaningful employment to many, energize economic prosperity, and be the agent to save our planet. People, profit, planet.

Find mentors and team members who share your vision and don't be afraid to fail.

Growing up in Honduras, Central America, I witnessed the rapid destruction of the natural resources supporting some of the country’s main activities: coffee, tobacco, bananas, lime for construction (calcium oxide), and precious hardwood. During my college years there, I conducted the design and testing of solar energy drying systems for coffee, with the potential to reduce deforestation caused by the use of wood in large dryers. While pursuing my graduate degree in energy engineering, with a focus on renewable energy at UMASS Lowell, I, along with two partners, founded a nonprofit organization to support small coffee growers in Latin America. This initiative aimed to have them enjoy the value added from further processing their products, participate more equitably in the coffee market, and reduce the environmental impact of their operations, including water effluents. Despite the high export value of many of these activities, growers and producers often bear the brunt of market risks and become indebted to fund their operations. It was then that I realized the importance of striving for a circular economy—one that provides a decent standard of living and preserves our environmental assets.

Be persistent, kind, and open minded; don't take 'no' for an answer, question everything.

When I had kids, my career kind of hit the breaks—I no longer seemed to be considered a fit for more traditional roles. And frankly, I didn’t want to fit those roles anymore. So I decided I needed to demonstrate for my 3 daughters that we women can create our own roles and our own goals. I also decided that I wanted to apply my skills to promoting more equitable and sustainable development for vulnerable people through technology innovation. Being Middle Eastern, I felt the best way to have cross cutting impact was to focus on water sustainability—water underpins every aspect of how people and the planet survive and thrive.

Don’t let imposter syndrome stop you!

I got exposed to the perils of fossil fuel systems growing up as a kid with my family in a one bedroom apartment in Brooklyn. We didn't have a heating system that worked in our apartment building. So when it got really cold in the winter and my parents would work nights, they would tell me to light a match, turn on the gas oven and open up the oven door to heat the apartment. But I also couldn’t forget to open up a window, because while heat was going to come into the apartment, so was carbon monoxide, which could cause us to suffocate. And millions of Americans across the country heat their buildings this way in the winter and worse. But it's not just low income buildings that are dangerous due to fossil fuel infrastructure. It turns out that the ovens and furnaces and other fossil fuel equipment that MOST of us have in our homes leak benzene, methane and nitrogen dioxide — even when they’re turned off. As a parent, the thought of our children breathing in methane and benzene while they sleep is terrifying. It turns out that gas stoves and furnaces are like lead paint, or cigarette smoke — things that we once thought were totally fine, but scientific research has discovered to be extremely dangerous. By electrifying our homes and community buildings we can solve two problems at once: we can reduce greenhouse gas emissions AND improve the health of our families.

In my opinion, building a startup should stem from a profound, internal motivation to solve a problem. Entrepreneurship isn't just about numbers; it requires a deep-seated passion. As climate entrepreneurs, we're eager to support anyone who shares our commitment to tackling climate issues because their success is our success in saving the planet for future generations.I often meet people thinking about creating a climate solutions startup but wonder if they should get experience working in a large, multi-national company first. What I know is the learning curve of running a startup far surpasses that of formal business education. While having experienced advisors with business training is helpful, the real value lies in the hands-on experience of solving problems in real-time. So, while formal education and experience shouldn't be a deterrent from starting a business, it's crucial to question whether you're genuinely fired up enough about the problem you want to solve to take the leap. It's a tough question that requires some introspection

My chosen field has resulted from the progression of my professional career growth. Originally, I started out working as an engineer in building automation systems, and from that turned my focus towards energy efficiency and energy optimization. Currently, my focus is on renewable energy and energy harvesting systems, and sustainable solutions. I have always had an entrepreneurial spirit and to this day continue to grow and expand my chosen field.

Trust your instincts and when you start to doubt yourself stop that thought. If you have a dream or goal follow it and find the people or organizations like Cleantech Open and NECEC who will support you in getting there. If you stumble (and you will) pick yourself up and move forward. As Henry Ford once said over a Century ago “Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off the goal”.

I think it is important to not just talk the talk, but to walk the walk when it comes to sustainability. That’s why in addition to dedicating my career to advancing sustainability, I’ve also taken steps to embrace a more sustainable lifestyle including driving an electric vehicle, hosting a honeybee hive at my home, and having an extensive garden of native pollinator plants. In addition, I profoundly understand the value of sustainability education. That is one of many reasons that I’ve served as adjunct professor of sustainability strategy and entrepreneurship in the Sustainability and Environmental Management Program at the Harvard University Extension School. Before this, I was on staff at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a postdoctoral researcher before spending five years as the Executive Director of the Earth System Initiative. Finally, I recently agreed to serve as the Chair of the Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM) Energy, Environment & Sustainability (EES) Committee, and I am proud to have served as the chair of the Conservation Committee for 20 years in my hometown of Natick, MA.

My simple advice is don’t wait to go green or to embrace sustainability – future generations are counting on us, and it is also a path for future success. I’m living proof that you can build a successful career in this field – over the past 20+ years in ESG consulting, I have been blessed to work in a field that resonates with my values regarding how humans, organizations, and the planet can (and must!) coexist harmoniously. We can do this, but it will take significant work, and we will need everyone on board – especially the next generation. I’m particularly proud to have had the opportunity to work with and mentor so many young people as they start their careers in the sustainability field. To see them succeed, learn new skills, and grow within our organization – or at times move onto new roles where they can further grow – continues to serve as a great source of inspiration and motivation.

I was drawn to mechanical engineering because of its broad applicability to solving the big challenges facing our people and planet. Born and raised in rural Wisconsin, I learned about the power, beauty, but also fragility of nature. Pursuing Mechanical Engineering was my chance to use my passion for STEM to become a steward for the environment.

I invested a lot of time early in my career journey to intentionally define my values and to understand my motivation for why I wanted to pursue the cleantech path. Regardless of the journey I took, taking the time to be unwaveringly honest with myself and to reflect on my choices allowed me to shape my daily actions so they would be aligned with what I truly cared about: positive impact for people and the planet. We all have to wrestle with questions that don’t have a ‘right’ or ‘popular’ answer, but when I look to understand my personal truths first I find the confidence to make even the toughest decisions seem clear. Mediation, therapy, peer support groups, mentor networks, etc. have supported me and given me amazing new perspectives and I constantly look for new resources and tools to try!

I am all-in to support development of energy systems which will provide for our energy needs while serving people, planet, and profit. From extended periods living in South America and the Caribbean, I have experienced the impact on people’s lives, economic development, and the environment absent reliable, accessible, and sustainable energy systems.

Surround yourself with really bright people and remain laser-focused on your project, with eyes wide-open tracking the surrounding markets. Listen deeply, and take time to reflect, so that you may support a team in accomplishing meaningful work.

I believe strongly in sustainability, both from the urgency of combating climate change, and also from the perspective that it's a more efficient and responsible use of our resources. In my professional life, our work at Uplight helps connect people and their smart and sustainable devices more strongly with their utility energy use. All of the rooftop solar, community solar, electric heat pumps, EVs, batteries and more that we're all installing can be cheaper, smarter and even make money and help the grid work better by connecting them with your local utility programs. In my personal life, we replaced our oil furnace with an electric heat pump when our AC unit died—with great rebates from MassSave through Eversource and the Eversource Demand Response program. Our plug-in hybrid only rarely needs to go to the gas station; and while our home has too many trees nearby for solar, our town offers clean energy aggregation program, where we can have our regular power supplied through clean sources.

It's getting easier and cheaper than it's ever been, and a better investment. Between prices of clean energy and devices going down, utility programs that pay you and your devices to assist the grid, and the actual savings, it's a no-brainer in addition to being a net positive to the community and the world. My one piece of advice: When you get a new sustainable home device (EV, smart thermostat, solar, battery), connect it to your utility with a demand program. It's free money that keeps you comfortable, reduces cost to you during peak grid times, pays you, and helps the grid keep running well at a lower cost to everyone. Total common sense, but often flies under the radar.