Innovating to Solve Two Crises at Once

The world is locked down. My calendar, which weeks ago was full of flights and meetings, is now back to back to back Zooms. And yet – while so much has stopped – the glaciers are still melting, the emissions are still climbing, and the climatetech startups that are our best hope of reversing bothContinue reading “Innovating to Solve Two Crises at Once”

Why My Toddler and I Participated in Today’s Climate Strike

Today I took our toddler out of daycare (with his mom’s permission!) and participated in the Climate Strike in downtown Chapel Hill. It was a youth-organized, peaceful protest against climate inaction, featuring student and faculty speakers. The gathering started at Peace and Justice Plaza, where there was music, chanting, and some speakers. We then processedContinue reading “Why My Toddler and I Participated in Today’s Climate Strike”

The Paris Agreement

Much has been said recently about the US pulling out of the Paris Agreement and the vast majority of it has been highly politicized by people who have never even read the agreement. Opinions are quite polarized, ranging from “It was a perfect agreement and, now that we have pulled out, the sky is falling,”Continue reading “The Paris Agreement”

15 Years An Entrepreneur

Fifteen years ago I cofounded my first startup. Now, with seven startups under my belt, some big successes, some small successes, and some, ahem, “less than successes,” it’s amazing to think about how pivotal that decision to try the entrepreneurial path was. It was my junior year in college and I had been working partContinue reading “15 Years An Entrepreneur”

The Future of Energy

Last week I was honored to be asked to give a brief talk on the future of energy at 1776, Washington DC’s startup incubator. I was in town for less than 24 hours but it felt invigorating to present my ideas back in my home town. The event was called RebootEnergy, and its purpose wasContinue reading “The Future of Energy”

The First Cleanweb Hackathon in Texas

Last weekend marked the culmination of a special project I’ve been working on for many months: bringing the Cleanweb Hackathon to Houston! Cleanweb is a global movement of people developing IT-based “clean” technologies instead of the traditional “cleantech” like solar and wind which require massive investments and decades to commercialize. The purpose of a cleanweb hackathonContinue reading “The First Cleanweb Hackathon in Texas”

If Climate Change Isn’t Happening, Why Is the Arctic Melting?

The following question was asked on LinkedIn: “After Climate-Gate, skeptics say that man-made climate chaos and global warming are not happening yet the Arctic’s melting faster. What are your thoughts, observations and views?” My response: “I’m not a an expert in climate change, but I know many such experts. They are professors in environmental science,Continue reading “If Climate Change Isn’t Happening, Why Is the Arctic Melting?”

CleanTech Open Finals

Last week I traveled to San Jose, CA, for the finals of the CleanTech Open, for which Smart Office Energy Solutions had been selected as a finalist from the South Central region. I and 20 other finalists from the seven regions arrived in San Jose on Monday to begin two exhausting days of competition. EachContinue reading “CleanTech Open Finals”

CleanTech Open National Academy

I’ve just returned from the National Academy of the Cleantech Open, for which Smart Office Energy Solutions was selected as a Regional Semifinalist, in San Jose, CA. The Academy was a four-day affair of workshops and networking for Cleantech entrepreneurs who had made it into the semi-finals. The jury is still out on whether competingContinue reading “CleanTech Open National Academy”