New Research, Buildings Reinvented – Erin McLaughlin, The Conference Board
Release Date: 07/22/2024
Electric Ladies Podcast - Women Leaders Discuss Careers, Trends, Technologies and Innovation in Energy, Climate, and Corporate Responsibility
"The climate crisis has roots in fossil fuels, but at the same time, fossil fuels fund this Russian invasion to Ukraine. So it means this is a fossil fuel war. If we will actually fight against our overall actually dependency on fossil fuels in the same way we will fight against climate change." Svitlana Krakovska on Electric Ladies Podcast The climate emergency is a security threat, and a “threat multiplier,” as former Defense Undersecretary Sherri Goodman has written. Looking at security in the same way as it has been is no longer working. The old view leaves us very vulnerable....
info_outlineElectric Ladies Podcast - Women Leaders Discuss Careers, Trends, Technologies and Innovation in Energy, Climate, and Corporate Responsibility
“Food systems have to do with everything from production to processing, distribution, and the utilization. Then of course, end of life for food systems which includes food waste. In the United States, 40% of the food that we produce goes to waste. This means with distribution challenges that not everybody has equitable access to the kinds of foods that they need and want, at the times that they need them." Robin Currey on Electric Ladies Podcast Climate change is disrupting our food and agriculture systems, including the critical supply chains that feed and clothe us. Yet,...
info_outlineElectric Ladies Podcast - Women Leaders Discuss Careers, Trends, Technologies and Innovation in Energy, Climate, and Corporate Responsibility
“Most things when it comes to corporate sustainability do not happen in a vacuum. I am part of an environmental sustainability team, but we would not be able to accomplish anything without our energy teams, our network teams, and more. The ability to take what can be a complex idea and translate that into a compelling business case often comes down to dollars and cents. While it takes time, that's how we've been able to drive change.” Rosie Austin on Electric Ladies Podcast In a poll at The Earth Day Women’s Summit in Dallas, Texas, 100% of respondents said that business is...
info_outlineElectric Ladies Podcast - Women Leaders Discuss Careers, Trends, Technologies and Innovation in Energy, Climate, and Corporate Responsibility
“Our core business is harvesting and collecting the by-product from coal combustion plants historically, called fly ash. We introduce it into supplementary cementitious materials to create a Portland cement replacement. We are pushing for 20% and even 30% [replacement of traditional cement] and hopefully reaching 100% one day with our technologies that are still in development.” Marci Jenks on Electric Ladies Podcast We need infrastructure that’s safe, strong, durable and climate resilient. To build our cities, roads, bridges and more, 30 billion tonnes of concrete is poured around the...
info_outlineElectric Ladies Podcast - Women Leaders Discuss Careers, Trends, Technologies and Innovation in Energy, Climate, and Corporate Responsibility
“Change is a constant. This is the world that we live in. And so how do you decide what needs to change and transform? The best leaders have certain traits about them when it comes to leading an organisation through change. Great leaders have an ability to communicate and inspire and they never get tired of doing it. Or if they get tired, they keep doing it anyway because constant communication is essential when you're going through change.” Deborah Lee James on Electric Ladies podcast (previously Green Connections Radio) Many companies are scaling back their climate,...
info_outlineElectric Ladies Podcast - Women Leaders Discuss Careers, Trends, Technologies and Innovation in Energy, Climate, and Corporate Responsibility
“While the word ‘climate’ may be politically charged for some, the need for affordable, reliable, and secure energy is something we can all agree on. Americans are calling for action, and as Members of Congress it’s our responsibility to deliver. If we want long-term solutions that address both our constituents' concerns and growing climate risks, we must work together to strengthen our energy and climate security with urgency.” This week, Congress is set to debate legislation that could reshape the United States’ energy landscape. At stake is more than $700...
info_outlineElectric Ladies Podcast - Women Leaders Discuss Careers, Trends, Technologies and Innovation in Energy, Climate, and Corporate Responsibility
“How do we get people in the tent to even hear the story? With ‘Living with Ed’ and other projects, we were a family they could identify with. We were yelling, laughing, loving each other while talking about real issues. I represented the average person’s perspective on issues like taking the subway. There’s the funny, and there’s the conflict. If it’s not entertaining, it’s not going to connect.” Rachelle Begley on Electric Ladies Podcast Culture wars around climate change do more harm than good. As climate-driven extreme weather events become more frequent,...
info_outlineElectric Ladies Podcast - Women Leaders Discuss Careers, Trends, Technologies and Innovation in Energy, Climate, and Corporate Responsibility
“We did lots of infrastructure investments over the last handful of years to make sure our communities are in the best possible place they can be. And we complemented federal investment with workforce investment to ensure Michiganders are getting access to those kinds of roles, some of which didn't even exist previously. [This ensures] that Michigan communities could benefit from learning to be solar installers and get access to new economic income streams.” Hilary Doe on Electric Ladies Podcast The Justice Department is suing Michigan over its climate initiatives under the Clean Air...
info_outlineElectric Ladies Podcast - Women Leaders Discuss Careers, Trends, Technologies and Innovation in Energy, Climate, and Corporate Responsibility
“Blue state pension funds are doubling down on sustainability while red state pension funds are firing you. Companies are challenged because for some constituencies, they have to demonstrate their sustainability credentials, and for others, they have to hide them. So it's a really challenging time. But if you can demonstrate the business case, then maybe you can navigate being more proactive with those constituencies that really want this, and alleviating the risks with those constituencies that don't understand why it matters.” Tensie Whelan on Electric Ladies Podcast Mother Nature...
info_outlineElectric Ladies Podcast - Women Leaders Discuss Careers, Trends, Technologies and Innovation in Energy, Climate, and Corporate Responsibility
“I've been particularly passionate about working with women in those communities to teach them about new techniques so they can understand how to run their farm more effectively, but also understand their rights as women in those communities so they have a stronger voice…. And because they were called an ‘ambassador,’ their status in the village rose.” Alison Ward on Electric Ladies Podcast Have you ever wondered where your shirt really comes from, or where the cotton in your jeans was grown? While the tag might tell you where they were made, it won't tell you where the cotton...
info_outline“I think we are really at an inflection point for a couple different reasons, the first being climate change and the fact that buildings are the cause of so much carbon emissions…(T)he second one, as you sort of referred to is the pandemic, and our intersection with how we use our residential and commercial buildings is different…(and) we also have to acknowledge the expense and the financing costs around some of the changes that we are seeing underway and what that may mean.” Erin McLaughlin on Electric Ladies Podcast
Multiple forces are transforming our buildings at once: how and where we work, climate change, reporting and financing structures, and even the materials we use to build those homes and commercial buildings. So, where are we?
Listen to Erin McLaughlin, Senior Economist at The Conference Board, explain the trends from their recent research in this fascinating discussion with Electric Ladies host Joan Michelson. She also shares insightful career advice.
You’ll hear about:
- The inflection point that our buildings and homes face today, and why it’s unique in history.
- What is changing as a result of these dynamics, in every aspect of buildings, from materials, to processes, to financing, to who uses them and how.
- The key role that mitigating climate change plays in where we live, play and work.
- Plus, insightful career advice, such as…
“Careers don't always go up, right? You shouldn't necessarily think of your career as, oh, I got promoted to the next position up and now I manage more people, or I manage a bigger budget. You should think of them like climbing a, a rock wall. Like sometimes you have to go sideways in order to go up… and to deepen your skillset and, also watch the trends and watch the policies and…thinking about how they'll impact your career.” Erin McLaughlin on Electric Ladies Podcast
Read Joan’s Forbes articles here.
You'll also like:
- Katie McGinty, Chief Sustainability Officer, Johnson Controls, on the power of building.
- Anna Siefken, Deputy Director, Federal Energy Management Program, Dept. of Energy, on how the federal government reduces the energy use and carbon footprint of its 350,000 buildings.
- Rachel McCleery, Senior Advisor, Treasury Dept. Inflation Reduction Act Program, on how to leverage the IRA to save money reducing a building or business’s energy use and carbon footprint.
- Rachel Frazin, Environment & Energy Reporter at The Hill, on Project 2025 and climate change.
- Laura Busse Dolan, CEO, Applied Imagination, which designs and builds miniature buildings from plants and botanicals.
Subscribe to our newsletter to receive our podcasts, blog, events and special coaching offers..
Thanks for subscribing on Apple Podcasts or iHeartRadio and leaving us a review!
Follow us on Twitter @joanmichelson