#005. Danny Kennedy: The clean energy transition, local coalitions, equity and the green economy workforce

Policy Works

In this episode, we discuss the transition to clean energy with guest Danny Kennedy. Danny is the CEO of New Energy Nexus, a global platform organization for funds and incubators with chapters around the world. Danny has spent 25 years playing different roles to facilitate the transition to clean energy. He also co-hosts, with Cate Blanchett, "Climate of Change", an Audible original podcast.

In this episode, we talk about:

• how activism and innovation enable each other to facilitate change,
• the challenges faced by clean energy entrepreneurs,
• the importance of taking a localized ecosystem approach,
• workforce development considerations for the clean energy economy, and
• how we can ensure that local & indigenous communities participate more fully in the new energy economy, with the example of the Navajo Nation

Links:

- Climate of Change with Cate Blanchett and Danny Kennedy: https://www.audible.com/pd/Climate-of-Change-with-Cate-Blanchett-and-Danny-Kennedy-Podcast/B09WF8DHQR

- The importance of focusing on jobs and fairness in clean energy transition, https://www.iea.org/commentaries/the-importance-of-focusing-on-jobs-and-fairness-in-clean-energy-transitions

- Building Lithium Valley: Opportunities and Challenges Ahead for Developing California’s Battery Manufacturing Ecosystem, New Energy Nexus, https://www.newenergynexus.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/New-Energy-Nexus_Building-Lithium-Valley.pdf

- Danny Kennedy, How the Navajo got their day in the sun, https://www.greenbiz.com/article/how-navajo-got-their-day-sun

Learn more about the Reimagining the Economy project: http://reimagining-the-economy.hks.harvard.edu