Some of you may remember that loud and dramatic Bonnie Tyler song lyric from the 1980s movie Footloose. Last week, I was reminded that if you care about life on Earth, there is no shortage of impressive heroes--and many of them are women and girls. On March 19th, I attended a screening of the documentary Women of Carbon at The Engine in Cambridge which coincided with Women’s History Month in the US. The event was sponsored by the Carbon Leadership Forum, which is an independent nonprofit dedicated to reducing the greenhouse gas emissions from materials in buildings and infrastructure. Directed and produced by Basia and Leonard Myszynski, the film tells the stories of “innovative women redefining our relationship with carbon by repurposing living materials, reengineering waste into valuable chemicals that clean the climate, and driving decarbonization in our built environment.” After the screening, a panel moderated by Bonny McClain included four women leaders: 1) Leah Ellis, CEO and Co-Founder of Sublime Systems, 2) Nicole St. Clair Knobloch, Co-Founder of Fort Point Timber, 3) Kari Hewitt, Lecturer, Tufts University and 4) Meghan Shaw, Cambridge Energy Alliance Outreach Director. These were not the only inspirational female change agents in the room. They were everywhere--sitting next to me in the audience, speaking with me after the film, and facilitating the event.
I’m proud to work at the woman-led Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC), a quasi-public state economic development agency focused on climate innovation, reducing emissions, and growing our clean energy economy. As a team-building exercise, we recently asked our staff an open-ended question: “Who is your personal equity or environmental hero?” Well guess what? Most of the heroes were female and names you may know: Rachel Carson, Greta Thunberg, Majora Carter, Gina McCarthy, Shalanda Baker, and Robin Wall Kimmerer to name just a handful.
I also reflected on some of the leaders that MassCEC works with in Massachusetts. Our state government partners include the Governor, Lt. Governor, Climate Chief, Secretary of Economic Development, Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs, Commissioner of the Department of Energy Resources, Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development, and the Director of the Office of Energy Transformation. We also partner with MIT’s The Engine (Tough Tech) and Greentown Labs (Climate Tech), and are learning from the Mayors of Boston, Cambridge, and Somerville on their sustainable building initiatives. We’re drafting climate finance programs with MassHousing and MassDevelopment. The Environmental League of Massachusetts, Built Environment Plus, Passive House US, and PowerOptions are also key MassCEC partners.
Question: “If you count them up, what is just one of the common threads of the nineteen people leading these organizations above, plus our own MassCEC CEO?”
Answer: That’s right--they are all women.
If you think I selectively picked organizations that happened to be female-led, please go back and read their leadership positions again. These are among the top visionaries, leaders, and decision-makers in our state, and there are many more, too numerous to list in a short article here. You know who you are!
However, this not a battle of the sexes--I’m not meaning to exclude the non-binary and male heroes that are doing equally incredible work and leading ground-breaking research, organizations, and companies focused on climate. Also, I shouldn’t paint too rosy of a picture here. While I’m highlighting female climate leadership in this article, we know that there is still serious equity work to do in other sectors. In 2024 only 10.4% of Fortune 500 companies were led by women. According to median income data from the US Census Bureau, last year women earned 16% less than men--and pay is only one facet of equity. Women in the clean energy sector in Massachusetts are doing amazing work, but we want to see more. According to the MassCEC 2023 Industry report, women are underrepresented at 31.4% of the clean energy workforce. MassCEC’s workforce training programs, internships, and partnerships with industry and career technical schools prioritize inclusive and supportive pathways, placing these good paying jobs within closer reach for everyone. Our MassCEC workforce partners like Building Pathways are advancing under-represented groups in the union building trades, particularly women, people of color, and young adults. Massachusetts Girls in Trades is another powerful advocacy organization working to prepare young women for jobs in the clean energy economy.
You must admit, at least here in Massachusetts, women are helping envision and lead our path to a healthy planet and clean energy future. So, if you need a climate hero, a mentor, or role model, look around locally--there are plenty to choose from. And if you’re curious for some explanation of why women and girls are leading in this space, no spoilers here--maybe start by watching the film.
Jim Stanislaski is the Managing Director of Accelerating Decarbonization at MassCEC and is a supporter of the career advancement, pay equity, and voices of women in the workforce and professions.