Training the Next Generation of Climate Heroes: CCC’s Second Higher Education Roundtable

Kat James,  Assistant Director of the Center for Smart Building Technology, Roxbury Community College, presents on Roxbury Community College's program opportunities to build and expand the skilled cleantech workforce.

It was wonderful to gather in mid-August with such an impressive group of MA sustainability and workforce development leaders to discuss equitably meeting the workforce development challenge for the cleantech revolution.

Thank you again to our seven wonderful speakers, representing State leadership, the higher ed community, MA unions, and the MassCEC:

• Katherine Antos, MA Undersecretary for Decarbonization & Resilience

• Melissa Lavinson, Executive Director of the Office of Energy Transformation

• Kat James, Assistant Director of the Center for Smart Building Technology, Roxbury Community College — Presentation Link

• Dr. Marvin Loiseau, Dean of Academic & Student Affairs, & Darwin Almonte, Assistant Director of Clean Energy Programs, Franklin Cummings Tech — Presentation Link

• Ryan Murphy, Executive Director, Climate Jobs MA (affiliated w/ MA AFL-CIO) — Presentation Link

• Jennifer Applebaum, Managing Director, Workforce Development, MassCEC — Presentation Link
  

Speakers and CCC Delegates worked to address two key questions:

1) How can MA’s higher ed institutions collaborate to help the State reach its workforce development goals ? 

2) How can the State support MA's higher ed institutions in developing and training the workforce to achieve them? 

As we heard Undersecretary of Decarbonization & Resilience Katherine Antos remark to open the meeting, climate change is MA's greatest challenge and opportunity. We will need to work across sectors to equitably develop the workforce to meet the need for at least 34,000 new CleanTech employees by 2030, in industries ranging from clean buildings, offshore wind, clean transport, and engineered solutions for sequestration and adaptation.
 
As our speakers shared the opportunities and challenges they've identified in meeting this goal, CCC Delegates outlined several potential pathways for collaboration. These pathways included:
 

1. Aligning Training Programs with Industry Needs: Kat James, Director of the Center for Smart Building Technology at Roxbury Community College, and Dr. Marvin Loiseau, Dean of Academic & Student Affairs at Franklin Cummings Tech, underscored the importance of aligning training programs (from non-credit certificates through terminal associate's or BS degrees) with identified industry needs, while gaining a clear understanding of potential career paths for their students.

• Opportunity: Bring industry to the table. Facilitate discussions between technical schools and employers to identify gaps and opportunities for new or expanded programs, such as FCT's EV charging station repair training. Partner on creating a unified pipeline from training to full employment.

2. Expanding and Scaling Union Apprenticeships: Ryan Murphy, Executive Director of Climate Jobs, MA (affiliated with the AFL-CIO), walked CCC Delegates through "How to Become a Clean Energy Worker." Step 1: guaranteeing staffing on large-scale projects through Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) to scale up union apprenticeship programs.

• Opportunity: Urge the higher ed community, following the example of schools like Harvard, to commit to signing Project Labor Agreements for campus projects. Additionally, explore using the PLA model as a blueprint to encourage the hiring of technical school graduates for specific projects. 

3. Fostering Ecosystem Alignment: Jennifer Applebaum, Director of Workforce Development at the MassCEC, shared that we need greater coordination within the workforce development ecosystem to avoid duplication of efforts and identify/alleviate "training deserts."

• Opportunity: Explore pathways for resource sharing among higher ed institutions and support ecosystem mapping initiatives. MassCEC's to-be-developed web platform will map and connect training providers, employers, community partners, and cleantech trainees.

4. Addressing Equity and Inclusion: Melissa Lavinson, Executive Director of the MA Office of Energy Transformation, used the example of the 60 highly-skilled gas workers staffing the Everett LNG facility as a reminder that the energy transition cannot leave anyone behind.

• Opportunity: Develop strategies to increase access to training programs, including transportation solutions, stipends, and support services, with a focus on addressing training deserts and barriers to entry in underserved communities. Streamline non-credit program grant funding to increase accessibility. 

We look forward to continuing to develop, implement, and scale these pathways at our next gathering on workforce development: the third CCC Higher Ed Roundtable, scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 1st, 4:30 - 6pm at the UMass Club in One Beacon.

We would welcome any introductions to employers who have open CleanTech roles and would be interested in speaking to their employment opportunities, as well as how best to partner with higher ed and job connectors to fill them.
 
The CCC has spent the last year building new and needed state-wide coalition value by uniting perspectives from a wide range of MA sustainability leaders, supporting conclusive evidence that the clean energy revolution is an outstanding business opportunity, an unparalleled workforce opportunity, and a much-needed equity opportunity.
 
Thank you for your continued leadership in moving MA to the forefront in the global CleanTech revolution.

Forging Innovative Pathways to Decarbonizing MA: CCC’s first Higher Education Roundtable

Julie Newman, Director of Sustainability at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, presenting on Pathways to Decarbonization to a rapt audience. Also pictured are Peter Crawley, MS, ALM, LEED-GA of SR Inc, Dano Weisbord, Chief Sustainability Officer at Tufts University, and Heather Henriksen, Chief Sustainability Officer at Harvard University.

It was great to convene the CCC’s first Higher Education Roundtable on June 6th, 2024 at the UMass Club. A special thank you goes to our key guests from the State of Massachusetts, Climate Chief Melissa Hoffer, Undersecretary of Decarbonization and Resilience Katherine Antos, and Executive Director of the Office for Energy Transformation Melissa Lavinson, as well as to the participating Higher Ed institutions: Bentley, BU, Franklin Cummings, Harvard, MIT, Northeastern, Roxbury Community College, Tufts, UMass Boston, and WPI.

Last Thursday's discussion was rich with opportunities for collaboration between Higher Ed and the State of Massachusetts, as well as between institutions. The conversations and presentations centered around five themes:

• Campuses as Living Labs: Higher education campuses can serve as living laboratories, offering space, resources, and the bandwidth needed to implement emerging strategies and technologies. Examples of potential activities include piloting renewable energy projects, transforming research into the development of frontier projects, and creating applied learning opportunities for students. Delegates discussed the opportunity to leverage higher ed data to create two new sections of the MA Data Hub including: Climate and Environmental Health (to serve as a resource for municipalities) & Higher Ed Decarbonization (to share progress with the State and stakeholders)

• Cultivating Partnerships Between Universities and Municipalities: The creation of a Sustainable Pathways Scholars Program would enable higher ed institutions to provide sustainability advisory and resources (including workforce) to municipalities, small businesses, and nonprofits in developing and implementing decarbonization strategies. This proposed program will be further fleshed out at next month's Higher Ed Roundtable on workforce development.

• Aggregated Procurement for Decarbonization: Institutions can use their collective buying power to procure renewable energy and other “stuff” (to use Chief Hoffer's term) critical to campus decarbonization (i.e. heat pumps, EVs, etc.). Climate Chief Hoffer raised the idea of a “Buying Club for Clean Energy," as funding nascent industries like offshore wind through aggregated procurement will smooth the path of implementation and drive down prices to increase the accessibility of new technologies.

• Leading by Example: Undersecretary Antos shared that thirteen public higher ed institutions have crafted Decarbonization Roadmaps through the Leading by Example program. This program could continue to catalyze and aggregate higher ed decarbonization planning., specifically for MA’s public insititutions. Once roadmaps are set, it is critical for institutions to initiate outreach to municipality, city, and State permitters and electrical utilities, even for projects that are 5 to 10 years away.

• Supporting the Next Generation of Sustainability Leaders: Higher education institutions are key communities in the climate movement, helping young people make meaning and actionable change in this moment. These institutions can begin to answer the questions: what do students need to be resilient in this crisis, and what skills do they need beyond what their coursework already provides? How can we transform and inspire students to create a force for action?

Following discussions during and after the meeting, the CCC identified three specific action items in the near-term:

1. The CCC will convene a Higher Ed Roundtable focused on workforce development with MA Higher Ed and MA State leaders on Tuesday, July 30th in the President's Parlor at the UMass Club.  

2. As the June 6th meeting made clear, we have the opportunity to examine how a Sustainable Pathways Fellowship Program could best build on existing efforts to make an appreciable contribution to accelerating decarbonization in MA. An SPFP program could leverage support from the State and MA universities, as well as private and corporate philanthropic funding, to provide administrative bandwidth to towns and municipalities across MA. This will be particularly impactful in helping municipalities take advantage of State and federal funding opportunities. See Sabrina Shankman's relevant Boston Globe article on sustainability in MA's cities and towns from early this month: Sustainability Officers Help Deliver Federal Funding. The CCC will continue to examine this action item at the next Higher Ed Roundtable.

3. The June Roundtable and follow-up discussions identified the need to build on existing efforts to create a clearinghouse of MA decarbonization-related research being done across universities and colleges in MA. Additionally, delegates identified the opportunity to leverage university-driven data to create two new sections of the MA Data Hub including: Climate and Environmental Health (to serve as a resource for municipalities) & Higher Ed Decarbonization (to share progress with the State and stakeholders).

Thanks again to all those who participated. We're looking forward to continuing the development of these action items at the next Higher Ed Roundtable Meeting, tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, July 30th at the UMass Club at One Beacon. This meeting will focus on workforce development.

Planning for a Breakthrough Roundtable

Convening the Planning Meeting for the Higher Education Roundtable on June 6th, 2024

It was great to join earlier this week with MA State and higher ed sustainability leaders, including Katherine Antos, Undersecretary for Decarbonization and Resilience, as well as leaders from MA utilities, unions, and corporations, to plan for the CCC's June 6th Higher Ed Roundtable. 

Participants identified key themes and developed the focal question for June 6th, which currently stands as: How can MA higher ed institutions best collaborate with the State and each other to achieve their mutual climate goals, and more specifically, 100% clean electricity by 2035?

The Planning Meeting discussion centered around the following:

1. Decarbonization & Clean Energy: Higher ed institutions already model for different iterations of the MA grid in their campus decarbonization planning. These institutions and the State of MA are mission-aligned on the need to collaborate to decarbonize the grid to meet their respective climate goals.

2. Research Gaps & Academic Contributions: Higher ed delegates underscored the intellectual horsepower of their institutions, and proposed collaborating with MA in fulfilling State research needs, offering campuses as a "Living Lab," and co-developing fellowship programs with municipalities.

3. State Support & Resources: Undersecretary Antos provided CCC delegates with possible areas for partnership with higher ed, including the Lead by Example program, joint applications for federal funding, and close partnership as the State stands up the Office of Energy Transformation.

4. Practical Outcomes for June 6th: CCC delegates will continue to explore how higher ed and the State can partner. One proposal is a Climate Pathways Program to unite graduate students with MA municipalities to drive decarbonization on the local level. Undersecretary Antos shared that capacity in many municipalities is too low to take on needed clean energy and resilience projects; we propose developing a program to fill that gap while developing in-place capacity. 

We look forward to continuing this conversation in June with Climate Chief Melissa Hoffer, Unsecretary Antos, and a dozen leading MA higher ed institutions. Your insights and continued support are invaluable as we drive towards global leadership in the clean energy revolution in MA. Thank you!

Massachusetts’ Renewable Energy Opportunity: Insights from the Cornell Climate Jobs Report Launch at IBEW 103

Last week at IBEW 103, members of the CCC joined Senators Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren, MA Senator Mike Barrett (a CCC supporter and previous guest speaker), MA Representative Marjorie Decker, and hundreds of labor leaders and supporters at the launch of the much-anticipated Cornell Climate Jobs Institute report, Building the Clean Energy Commonwealth. The launch was organized by leading CCC participant and Executive Director of Climate Jobs MA Ryan Murphy.

The new report, sponsored by Massachusetts labor, outlines ambitious recommendations to support MA in meeting climate, jobs, and equity goals through greater investment in the clean energy economy. Particularly interesting are the insights on pages 32 and 33, where the report outlines strategic recommendations for ramping up renewable energy production to meet 2040 goals alongside notable environmental benefits.

Strategic Recommendations to Boost MA’s Clean Energy Economy

The report recommends “dramatically increasing renewable energy production by 2040.” Specific targets include:

1. Installing 20 GW of solar energy by 2030 and a total of 30 GW of solar energy by 2040 

2. Installing 10 GW of offshore wind by 2030 and a total of 26 GW of offshore wind by 2040 

3. Installing 4 GW of battery storage by 2030 and a total of 6 GW by 2040

According to the Cornell researchers, meeting these goals will create immense opportunities for direct job creation and regional avoided emissions. Specifically:

Job Creation: Total Direct Jobs

• Solar: 293,664 

• Offshore Wind: 30,634 

• Energy Storage: 3,636 

Emission Reduction: Regional Emissions Avoided

• Solar: 33,895,999 MT CO2eq 

• Offshore Wind: 77,315,161 MT CO2eq 

• Energy Storage: 160,358 MT CO2eq 

More details from the IBEW event can be found in the Boston Globe article covering the event: Massachusetts Democrats pitch energy transition to union workers.

In our monthly meetings of the Commonwealth Climate Coalition, we've been building new and needed coalition value between MA climate tech, labor, academia, and municipalities. In our previous meetings, we’ve been joined by Ryan Murphy of Climate Jobs MA, who was instrumental in driving the Cornell Jobs Institute Report across the finish line with the support of a coalition of MA unions.

The CCC has been working to provide conclusive evidence that the clean energy revolution is an outstanding business opportunity, an unparalleled workforce opportunity, and a much-needed equity opportunity — a "win-win-win" for the Commonwealth. The Climate Jobs Institute Report underscores this immense opportunity, and outlines innovative pathways for MA to build an equitable and resilient clean energy economy — allowing us to unlock the "triple win."

We are looking forward to continuing the conversation at our next meetings (May 14th & June 6th), focused specifically on strategic partnerships between over a dozen leading MA higher education institutions and State officials, including Climate Chief Melissa Hoffer and the Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.

President of the AFL-CIO Chrissy Lynch; Sustainability Roundtable Inc. CEO & Founder Jim Boyle; and Ryan Murphy, Executive Director of Climate Jobs MA

Third Formal Meeting: March, 2024

It was wonderful to gather with such an impressive group of MA sustainability leaders from corporate sustainability, academia, non-profits, utilities, and unions to discuss accelerating the move to 100% clean electricity in MA by 2035. We were delighted to host MA Senator Marc Pacheco, a longtime catalyst for climate action and first Chairman of the Global Warming & Climate Change Committee in the MA Senate, as well as Ryan Murphy, Executive Director of Climate Jobs MA, representing a diverse group of labor unions from electricians to pipefitters to teachers.

The CCC is building new and needed coalition value between MA climate tech, MA labor, and MA municipal leaders to provide conclusive evidence that the clean energy revolution is an outstanding business opportunity, an unparalleled workforce opportunity, and a much-needed equity opportunity -- a "win-win-win" for the Commonwealth. In order to unlock this strategic advantage, we need to:

1. Move faster and more decisively with a larger investment. 

Senator Pacheco shared his frustration with the pace of investment in the sustainability revolution in MA. CCC delegates discussed the recently announced Mass Leads Act, which earmarks $1 billion for investment in the cleantech economy, to be housed and allocated by the MassCEC. Senator Pacheco discussed with delegates how $1 billion over 10 years is not nearly enough to address the magnitude of the transition, instead calling for strategies to incorporate private sector financing and to access MA's "rainy day fund," which exceeds $8 billion. MA has best practices in the clean energy revolution in offshore wind and geothermal; we need to invest in scaling these and doing the same across sectors to lead nationally in cutting-edge clean energy technologies.

2. Partner with union labor to unlock significant financial advantages and uplift MA workers.

Ryan Murphy of Climate Jobs MA shared that the 'worker shortage' in clean energy is a misunderstanding; rather, there is a shortage of project labor commitments. Project labor commitments would unlock the potential of the union apprenticeship programs, which could train far more workers if there were contractual obligations for post-training job opportunities in place. Vineyard Wind, for example, had a project labor commitment with unions that created 900 new good-paying jobs. In addition to uplifting MA workers, there is a strong business case; contractors who put these commitments into place can access substantial IRA tax credits that make the economics more favorable.

Tuesday's meeting continued a vitally important agenda-setting discussion about what the CCC can do to educate Commonwealth climate leaders to the advantages of leading with needed vision, ambition and urgency, while recognizing that the faster we go, the more we will save in terms of both dollars and lives.

We are looking forward to continuing the conversation with a rapidly-growing group of CCC delegates and friends at our Fourth Formal Meeting on Tuesday, April 16th from 4:30pm - 5:30pm at the UMass Club in One Beacon. 

Information on guest speakers are forthcoming -- we are extending invitations to Rebecca Tepper, Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs, and Emily Reichert, CEO of MassCEC.

We'd like to thank Senator Pacheco for his service in rising to the climate challenge in MA. We look forward to addressing the CCC's action items on April 16th at the UMass Club.

Second Formal Meeting: February, 2024

Thanks to the outstanding group of MA sustainability leaders across corporate, academic, grassroots advocacy, and local government sustainability who helped host MA Climate Chief Hoffer.

The CCC is missioned to move the Commonwealth to leadership in the global clean energy revolution, beginning with helping MA understand the advantages of 100% clean power before 2035.

In light of our mission, CCC delegates and friends joined in conversation with Chief Hoffer on the specific question we posed: What three things can the CCC help you with over the next two years to help MA move to leadership in the global revolution to 100% clean power?

Highlights from Chief Hoffer's response include:

• An incredibly important decision came out of the DPU in December, highlighting a pathway to unwind utility gas service. This legislation, and public opposition to it, underscores the status quo bias inherent in climate decision-making. In addition to making administrative changes, you must shift public perceptions and socialize positive acceptance of the clean energy transition on a broader scale.

• MA has never gone through the exercise of understanding the needed investment to get to Net Zero and lacks the in-house analytic capacity. Strategic researchers and MA's leading universities could work to define this investment in partnership with the state.

• Renewables, including networked geothermal, present one of the biggest opportunities for workforce development. There is a 30,000-40,000 person shortage in the MA clean energy workforce. Leading MA corporations can incentivize the clean energy transition by realigning business models with climate science and offering relevant internships and job opportunities.

Thank you for helping the CCC build and deliver new and needed coalition value between MA growth economy leaders, MA labor, MA universities, MA local governments, and nonprofits in the transition to the Commonwealth's global leadership on healthier, more affordable, and more reliable clean power.

On Tuesday evening we began a vitally important agenda-setting discussion with Gov Healey's administration about what, together, we can do to educate our Commonwealth to the advantages of leading with ambition, speed, and needed change. Jim has invited Sec of Energy & Environment Tepper to continue this conversation with us in the near future.

Finally, we'd like to thank Chief Hoffer for her service in developing and implementing MA's climate response. The CCC is committed to continuing to accelerate the Commonwealth's progress in the move to leadership on the national and global stage.

First Formal Meeting Updates: December, 2023

Thanks to those who were able to join us on December 5th for the 1st Formal Meeting of the CCC. We were pleased to hold a productive discussion on educating MA legislators and climate leaders on setting a Zero-Based target to accelerate to 100% Clean Power for 100% of MA, as well as to move a flagging MA to leadership in the global green transition.

Senator Mike Barrett, Chairman of the MA Telecommunications, Utilities, & Energy Committee, offered remarks, including three top priorities of his own that align with the CCC's goal: (1) smoothing the path for renewable energy development (particularly offshore wind), (2) modernizing the grid towards a bidirectional, intelligent power system, & (3) demonstrating decisive leadership on RE in today's uncertain political climate.

CCC participants heard from delegates across MA leadership, from large energy developers, academia, corporate sustainability, grassroots activism, innovation economy leaders, political strategists, & utility representatives. Some informal renderings of more articulate in-person remarks from delegates:

• A leading large-scale energy developer spoke on the need for a simple, strong leadership statement from MA legislators to continue to drive the robust large scale generation industry and tap into massive workforce opportunities.

• A climate action leader in academia discussed the need for scientific literacy among legislators and community members, as well as for low carbon transportation.

• A former leader of top relevant statewide grassroots activist groups & now innovation economy leader shared on workforce development initiatives in clean energy working to uplift residents from justice communities in NYC and soon Boston.

• An accomplished statewide political strategist discussed the need to express the affordability of the green transition in plain language (in municipalities, there is a lack of administrative capacity and understanding)

• An accomplished strategist at an MA utility echoed Senator Barrett's commitment to grid modernization and workforce development, particularly as one out of two of the field workers needed to meet our doubling electric demand over the next 10-14 years will retire.

• A leading relevant foundation executive reminded us of the importance of considering environmental justice from the very beginning; in the transition to the clean energy economy, communities everywhere will experience opportunities and costs, as MA communities like New Bedford and Nantucket already have.

The CCC shared on the need for strategic research in MA, in the spirit of Bob Pollin at PERI UMass's Colorado Green Transition report, which shows that strong investment in renewable energy could enable the creation of 100,000 good paying jobs in the state annually over nine years, & reduce the average energy consumer's bill by 36% annually, from $4600 to $2900.

We were energized by the productive discussion , and look forward to continuing to make strides as we prepare for our Jan 2nd Second Formal Meeting, with Climate Chief Melissa Hoffer confirmed as a participant.

Thanks to Senator Barrett for his more-than-decade of service in developing MA's climate action legislation. The CCC is committed to accelerating the Commonwealth's progress in the move to leadership on the national and global stage.

Planning Meeting #4 Updates: November, 2023

We were happy to see those who could join us at the Commonwealth Climate Coalition's Planning Meeting #4, including surprise guest Chairman Jeff Roy, MA Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities, & Energy.

Key takeaways from our Tuesday meeting include:

• The power of Zero-Based Goal Setting affirmatively expressed (i.e. 100% clean electricity) when leading complex organizations or complex systems

• Exemplified by the remarkable success of the RE100 movement in corporate America

• As further exemplified by Candidate Maura Healy and President Joe Biden’s smart commitments to 100% clean electricity (Healey by 2030, Biden by 2035)

• Other states' leadership: NJ Governor Phil Murphy's commitment to 100% clean electricity by 2035

• The CCC's opportunity to help Governor Healey bring forward 100% clean electricity by 2035 to organize MA's move to leadership in the clean energy revolution

• The need for a tight focus on clean electricity to transform the grid in preparation for full electrification of the energy system

We are delighted to add, at his request, Mike Mattera, Director of Corporate Sustainability & ESG Officer at Akamai Technologies, as a delegate following this meeting. This was the fourth and final Planning Meeting; we are looking forward to the first Formal Meeting of the CCC on December 5th at the UMass Club.

Planning Meeting #3 Updates: October, 2023

The CCC has met three times to discuss accelerating the move to 100% clean power; in particular, the Coalition has focused on building on the success of the “Billion Dollar Bond for Life Sciences” in Massachusetts to create a repeatable state bonding opportunity, unlocking jobs in alignment with policymakers’ goals. Dan Rivera, President & CEO of MassDevelopment, joined Planning Meeting #2 as a guest to discuss MA’s relevant state finance and development authority and the process for drawing on state bonding to achieve an outcome such as accelerating the transition to 100% clean, healthy energy.

The CCC has named this potential opportunity the “Billion for a Million” bond, tying our desired sustainability outcomes with the provision of at least a million Union Job Hours, or 25,000 full-time, family-supporting Union Jobs. In pursuing this opportunity, Massachusetts would be working to surpass New York State’s success with their $4.2 Billion Environmental Bond Act in 2022. This repeatable bonding opportunity as proposed by the CCC would support the MA governor’s state goals along with the state legislatures’ approach to helping Massachusetts move to leadership in the global revolution towards increasingly clean, healthy, and just power systems.

John Judge: Boston Business Journal

Viewpoint: Mass. can lead the way from commonwealth to 'ClimateWealth', April 15, 2022

Cabell Eames: CommonWealth Magazine