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With these emerging leaders, building the future of the clean economy starts now

The defining decade has started. The VERGE 20 Emerging Leaders hope they can make an impact on climate action. Read More

(Updated on July 24, 2024)

Illustration by Drawlab19 on Shutterstock.

The future of the clean economy depends on everyone. But as veteran sustainability professionals retire and mid-career professionals move up the ranks, companies, government agencies and nonprofit organizations will welcome newcomers who are recent graduates or budding young professionals.

GreenBiz Group, with sponsorship from Verizon, welcomed some of those young people to VERGE 20 through the Emerging Leaders program, which aims to elevate, cultivate and support the next generation of Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) leaders in sustainable business.

“Verizon is proud to sponsor the VERGE Emerging Leaders program. We are inspired by this passionate and talented group of future leaders driving change for a more sustainable world,” said Dylan Siegler, corporate social responsibility manager at Verizon.

After all, climate action and sustainability will continue to increase in importance. Emerging Leader Angela Luh pointed to Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac’s sentiment from their book “The Future We Choose,” observing that the next decade will be a defining moment.

“This decade is the most consequential in human history, and if anything, 2020 has energized me to play a role in forging a better future,” Luh wrote in response to questions GreenBiz asked the group of 12.

Luh isn’t the only Emerging Leader to share that sense of energy and urgency. Still, each of the VERGE 20 Emerging Leaders brings a unique perspective for their visions of the future clean economy. They shared their visions with GreenBiz, as well as insights from their time at VERGE. Here are their responses, organized in alphabetical order by last name.

KyleAlves_EmergingLeader

Kyle Alves

Environmental Science student, University of California, Los Angeles

From the powerful keynotes to the informative discussions, VERGE 20 provided one of the most eye-opening experiences to a fledgling environmentalist starting their career as myself and many others in the Emerging Leaders cohort. I came into the conference impassioned to address climate change through food systems, and was able to surround myself with the leaders and innovators of the field! I learned in depth a variety of mechanisms to address emissions through agriculture in equitable ways, how corporations and NGOs are creating such frameworks, and how to address challenges moving forward. All of these [learnings] I’m already directly taking into my consulting work and empowering informational actions.

At the broader level, the inspirational keynotes and networking gave me the structure within the conference to take important lessons and connections far into the future. In particular, many of my connections gave me a better idea of where I want to take my work: utilizing the innovative California sustainable policy landscape to empower local communities, instigate the next generation of technologies for carbon mitigation, and create measurable capacity for replication across sectors and localities. I recognize the privilege of being a Californian in a time when the United States desperately needs leadership in the clean economy field, and I want to use that for the betterment of those in need and eager for change. My most empowering moment in the conference was speaking at a roundtable on corporate responsibility and climate change in front of over 100 people, from experience I spoke to the fact so much that can be done for communities! Towards that future I want to see a nexus of community leaders, corporate partners, NGOs and governments coming together in spaces to rapidly accelerate technologies, policies, and funding mitigating climate change while lifting up people.

FaizaHaq_EmergingLeader

Faiza Haq

MPA candidate, Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs 

VERGE 20 allowed me to understand that while we are currently experiencing unprecedented times with the COVID-19 pandemic, the fight against global warming cannot take a backseat. The circumstances have not changed — we are still on a 10-year timeline to limit the climate catastrophe.  

The conference highlighted different solutions and pathways that can rapidly decarbonize the energy system. There are many industry silos that are preventing widespread communication and access to key information required to create a sizable change in emission reductions. The key takeaway that I gained was that in order for clean energy solutions to gain widespread adoption, there needs to be increased cross-collaborations across different markets and stakeholders.

Going forward, I would like to explore how we can align different stakeholders on strategies to amplify the clean energy economy. Beyond conferences, how can we continue the conversations and implement solutions that benefit us all equitably? How do we align our priorities? How can we have diverse voices on the table? No matter what role I pursue professionally in the clean energy space, I will remember these key questions when starting a new project. 

My vision for the future of the clean economy includes one where decision-making is focused on science and amplifying social good, instead of the bottom line.

AngelaLu_EmergingLeader

Angela Luh

Researcher, University of California, Berkeley’s California-China Climate Institute and Editor, Ecology Law Quarterly

Attending VERGE 20 helped me learn of the many pathways we have in forging a clean energy future. If I were to distill all of the varied sessions into one key takeaway, it is that the climate solutions we seek should impart co-benefits other than just sustainability. The Accelerate sessions underscored the potential of cleantech to address not only climate change but food and animal justice and sanitation in poor communities. I enjoyed that sessions on decarbonization and resilience strategies stressed the importance of including underserved communities in state and local decision-making. Finally, I was inspired by the parting words of NRDC President Gina McCarthy, who urged climate advocates to pivot from a singular focus on emissions reductions to “twofers and threefers” that achieve health, efficiency and equity benefits.

VERGE 20 could not have fallen at a more illustrative moment in time. (In fact, on Monday of the conference week, I was evacuated from my house when a Southern California wildfire broke out.) This year has shown us the devastating impact of converging global crises, a glimpse of things to come if climate change remains unchecked. Thankfully, as VERGE has demonstrated, we can avert the worst effects of climate change with global cooperation and ambitious actions by governments and businesses. Cooperation is also impactful on the subnational level — our work at the California-China Climate Institute at UC Berkeley is one example. As a law student and hopefully a practicing lawyer next year, I aspire to spend my career ensuring that our laws, regulations and policies encourage and facilitate a clean energy future. As Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac write in “The Future We Choose,” this decade is the most consequential in human history, and if anything, 2020 has energized me to play a role in forging a better future.

TeshaMakamae_EmergingLeader

Te’sha Makamae

Founder, Makamae’s Plastics LLC

During the roundtable [called] Ensuring Everyone Benefits from Climate Justice, Taj Eldridge said, “Do not just hire one of us!” “Empower that” when speaking about hiring diversity and the unique perspectives people of diversity [offer]. It was something I needed to hear right there at that moment. I was just feeling out of place in the Emerging Leaders Program since everyone seemed so accomplished and doing these amazing things like working for cities getting their degrees and Ph.D.s while I felt like I did so little compared to them since I only clean reefs and submit testimonies on environmental bills. Then I grasped that even my voice as the Hawaiian girl that fights plastic pollution by cleaning reefs with my little recycling startup business matters. I was the only one there that can give them the insight on how the communities and marine life are suffering from plastic pollution. It helped showcase to myself that what I am doing does matter and that I shouldn’t feel discouraged by the resumes of the others around me because I have something others don’t — a tako bag filled with trash. Something I was not ready or expecting to gain during this program was confidence, especially since I was trying to learn how to integrate carbon removal technologies into your supply chain during another roundtable at the same time.

GalileaMatias_EmergingLeader

Galilea Matias

Sustainability student, Brooklyn College

One of the biggest takeaways that I gained during VERGE 20 is all the work that is being done in different industries. I enjoyed hearing about the “lessons learned” and “what I wish I would’ve known” that some of the panelists touched upon. Andrew Savage, the vice president and head of sustainability at Lime, said he wished that he had set aggressive targets and been more ambitious in the beginning. He believes he wasn’t ambitious enough. Hearing about what people would’ve done differently makes me reflect on my own career trajectory and seeing so many people involved in working towards a clean economy is encouraging. I was also able to gain insight on the solutions that individuals are working on to address some of the most pressing issues, issues that have been exacerbated by the ongoing pandemic.

My vision for the future of the clean economy is a more agile and resilient system in which sustainability is at the forefront of the economy instead of it being more of an afterthought. Pivoting from our current system is necessary to avoid our current actions that are detrimental to our environment and our society. I hope that industries are able to put forth the necessary investments to transition to a more equitable economy.

Grid view of VERGE 20 Emerging Leaders, along with GreenBiz and Verizon staff, on Zoom call.

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Grid view of VERGE 20 Emerging Leaders, along with GreenBiz and Verizon staff, during a Zoom welcome call.

SaraNaghavi_EmergingLeader

Sara Naghavi

Master of Environmental Management candidate, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University

My vision of our future, clean economy builds on the essence of the GreenBiz community by being interdisciplinary, innovative, collaborative and adaptive. Its principles are decentralized and tailored to enhance the competitive advantages of communities and systems and stimulate resiliency. A crucial foundation of this approach is being transparent about the sustainable ventures we consider and trial. By fostering dialogue around this learning process, we will expand our perspective of what is feasible and pool our efforts to understand and circumvent barriers to implementing these strategies. I will accelerate this by developing circular programming that promotes cross-function and cross-industry approaches to reduce waste and optimize resource use. I will be intentional in nurturing such joint measures to improve our collective agility to advance our solutions and amplify our impact. Through creatively and strategically leveraging the strengths of our shared aspirations, our ambition of the stars may just land us among the moonshot goals we’ve seen pledged at VERGE and beyond.

OluwafemiOgunlalu_EmergingLeader

Oluwafemi Ogunlalu

Chemistry Ph.D. Candidate, Purdue University

VERGE 20 presented a mix of excitement, networking, learning and a rude awakening to various aspects of the clean economy that I had not given sufficient attention. All my past projects had centered on clean foods, materials and energy — and I was thrilled to see other adventurous things people were doing in making carbon and transportation sustainable. The insights I gathered from this conference would be instrumental to me in the short term and in the bigger picture of my career.

My Ph.D. research comprises projects that involve the synthesis of new polymers for end-use applications in a myriad of electronic devices. Going forward, there would be a greater sense of attention given to the sustainable handling of these projects — and specifically considering the potentials of resulting materials to be reused and/or recycled. 

Additionally, as an early-stage scientist, I am naturally endeared to the more technical details (chemistry, physics and engineering) of new projects and have not deeply considered the implications that policies and political climates could have on the adoption of technologies that result from these endeavors — multiple, eye-opening sessions from VERGE 20 have spurred up new perspectives. I believe these would, in the big picture, also strengthen my goal to be a big player at the intersections of science, policy and business. My vision for the future of the clean economy comes from a standpoint of optimism. I envision a world where global, political leaders will make more science-driven decisions about our changing environment, increased commitment of industries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero and rapid generation of technologies that would allow sustainable conversion of “wastes” into reusable, marketable products.

AswiraPasha_EmergingLeader

Aswira Pasha

Climate and Environmental Planning Fellow, BERDO Program at the city of Boston

It is easy to become jaded when working in climate issues as it feels like we aren’t solving issues fast enough. VERGE has completely shaken me out of this due to the progressive and radical issues and solutions that were discussed. Now, I find myself speaking up for more unconventional solutions and am more inspired to bring about a positive change. I met countless exceptional sustainability professionals (including my fellow leaders) and intend to strengthen my circle by building strong relationships with them.

When I was younger, I’d say that I wanted to live like the Jetsons. Fortunately, I am still very young and would love to live like that but would like to be much more greener. This utopia is now more in our reach than ever before due to fast-evolving green technologies and growing interest in green finance, clean energy and carbon-neutral products and buildings. Living in a clean economy would mean easier access to an ethical life for the human population. It would mean flipping our paradigm to allow for more value to nature than money. A clean economy means a future where I am not afraid of what the future will bring.

SaimaRahman_EmergingLeader

Saima Rahman

Public Accounting/Business Management student, Brooklyn College

Through the experience of VERGE 20, there were many concepts and activities that I was able to take away in regards to the eco-environmental world. VERGE’S Accelerate program was an event that stood out to me greatly in terms of ambition. It was inspiring to connect and hear the ideas of many young entrepreneurs in the advancement of their startups. I was influenced by the diversity of the participants, and I hope that many of them get future opportunities to support their eco-friendly businesses. As a student in the financial sector of business, I additionally aspire to look for a connection between money management and environmental research for the purpose of helping future entrepreneurs find success and financial stability in greener development.

In my vision for the future of the clean economy, I see a connection between business leaders and their consumers in making the world an environment-friendly place. I also see diverse groups of people getting research, financial and networking opportunities in the advantage of their own ideas.

MatthewRivas_EmergingLeader

Matthew Rivas

Technical Associate, K2 Environmental Consulting

The connections and decision-making tools forged from VERGE will undoubtedly prove to be vital as I continue in my career. The goal of advancing climate action through shared expertise is no longer on the horizon; but is waiting at our front step. Thankfully the engineers and scientists have given us the ability to swiftly usher in the clean energy economy. This change has been realized as solar installers and wind turbine technicians are amongst the fastest-growing jobs in America. With this information, I plan to embolden these careers and create entirely new career pathways. A circular economy powered by renewable energy presents a tremendous opportunity for businesses and governments alike. The clean energy future that I picture includes rethinking the scaffolding that enables the continued use of fossil fuels and empowering communities that have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19 and climate change.

NicoletteSantos_EmergingLeader

Nicolette Santos

Communications Associate, David Gardiner and Associates

I am extremely hopeful about the future of the clean economy. I believe that through innovation, advocacy and true dedication, we can build a future that is not only decarbonized and sustainable but one where everyone in society can reap the benefits. We must clean up our economy and have to ultimately rethink how we operate as a society. Where the sustainable options are the most affordable and where clean energy is considered a right, not a privilege. Seeing all the great ideas presented at VERGE 20 and the energy that leaders in the climate space bring gives me confidence in our path to a more equitable society. I am determined to be a part of this future and positive that we can work together to make it a reality. 

PriyaShrestha_EmergingLeader

Priya Shrestha

Green Process Engineering student, Western University

VERGE 20 inspired me and opened the door to a lot of things I didn’t know about. I will continue to engage and learn about advancements in our strides to a clean economy outside of VERGE 20. When I make decisions in my daily life about the products I use and topics I interact with, thinking critically and evaluating the lifecycle of processes and products will help me see the whole picture. In my career, I will be committed to optimizing processes wherever I can to reduce emissions. I hope to share what I know with the people around me and empower others to get involved as well.

The future of the clean economy is holistic. It cannot exist in a silo. Everything from energy to transport to food systems and beyond need to be engaged. My vision is that developed countries that have benefited most from pollution will take responsibility and be the leaders of a clean economy. Inherent sustainability and prevention will be prioritized in new designs rather than treatment. The clean economy will be approached through an intersectional lens so that all people are considered in environmental decisions. 

Want to be an Emerging Leader at GreenBiz 21 (Feb. 9-11)? Know someone who might be a good fit? Applications are open and will be accepted until Dec. 18. Apply here.

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