Clean energy lacks a talent pipeline. Jackie Weidman trains the next generation of energy leaders.

Clean energy lacks a talent pipeline.

Back when Jackie Weidman was a special assistant at the Center for American Progress, a progressive think tank, she recognized a gap in clean-energy leadership: Where were all the young people? She knew that tackling the challenges posed by climate change would require a whole new skillset.

For Weidman, that meant stepping up to recruit, train, and network the talent to help lead this new workforce. “It’s really important that our generation is stepping up and leading companies and other organizations,” she says. This thinking laid the groundwork for what would become the Clean Energy Leadership Institute.

[pullquote share=”true” tweet=”“We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to solve the world’s most complex energy challenges”” hashtag=”Grist50″]“Right now, we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to solve the world’s most complex energy and climate challenges.” [/pullquote]

Since 2013, Weidman’s D.C.-based group has trained more than 150 young professionals. The organization has already made an impact: Two CELI fellows, for example, recently coordinated a city-wide energy assessment competition between D.C. university student groups, who in turn helped 46 city businesses find $126,000 in energy savings. Weidman is now building out the effort nationwide. The first set of Bay Area fellows will be announced soon.

Next Fixer

The world feels pretty broken right now. That’s why we need Fixers — bold problem solvers working toward a planet that doesn’t burn and a future that doesn’t suck. For our annual list of emerging green leaders, Grist brings you 50 innovators with fresh, forward-thinking solutions to some of humanity's biggest challenges. Credits

Ready for more? See Grist 50: 2016