Jennifer Holmgren of LanzaTech
Jennifer Holmgren, CEO of LanzaTech, is a force of nature. Sheโs not your typical CEO โ aggressive, type A, โall about the company.โ Rather, sheโs an Energy Whisperer. Her company uses science (biology, chemistry, environmental science, engineering, etc.) to discover new tools to develop sustainable power. Capturing carbon, making fuel from waste, these are some of the genius solutions her company is engaged in.
Sheโs been an influential figure in the Energy sector for almost three decades. On top of making renewable energy her lifeโs work , Jennifer has also created a company culture thatโs transparent, open, empathetic and focused on changing human behavior.
Her insights from the front line of sustainability tech:
- One of the biggest realized shifts in the past several years is that renewable energy has become mainstream. Itโs no longer considered sci-fi or a joke.
- โBeing Greenโ for greenโs sake is not necessarily attractive to consumers. But when we make it economically beneficial to families, it does become attractive. While this isnโt the ideal mindset in environmentalistsโ eyes, we need to account for peopleโs irrational responses to calls for any major life-changing behavior.
- We canโt depend solely on government to take care of the sustainability problem. Government will catch up, but in the meantime, we need to rely on our ourselves and our communities to make behavioral changes.
- Simple things such as turning off lights, coffee pots, etc. when theyโre not in use make a big difference, and so this gives us a chance to make a difference through small behavior changes.
- The vote is powerful. If energy issues matter to you, vote for candidates who believe in this cause.
- In addition to talking about climate change and the sea level rising, we need to consider and discuss the destruction of specific ecosystems. Imagine the world without coffee, or certain animals disappearing forever.
- We canโt debate around โIf we believe in climate change.โ Belief is a word thatโs used when weโre having conversations about religion. Ecosystem destruction and climate change is not about belief, as itโs been proven time after time by facts and data. So, we should teach our children to think with data, and not confuse them with the word โbelief.โ
- Equate social and economic justice by talking about energy democracy: giving people clean water to drink, lights to read a book, and schools with power so that children can study and learn.
Jagruti Bhikha is an engineer, women-in-tech advocate, and a Diversity and Inclusion Coach for fortune 500 companies.
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