EcoMotion

Check out Part 1 of #flanigansecologic Climate Resolve Series, featuring Catherine Baltazar, a Policy Analyst and Organizer, and Lia Cohen, a Coordinator for Climate Planning and Resilience at Climate Resolve, a nonprofit organization based in Los Angeles, building collaborations to champion #equitableclimatesolutions. Ted, Catherine, and Lia discuss current projects that they are working on at Climate Resolve, both background and front-facing #communitywork. Catherine starts with the Boyle Heights Community Plan Update, a plan that is supportive of #environmentalquality, #economicvitality, and #urbandesign that promotes safe and #walkableneighborhoods. The draft plan includes many policies that address #climatechange and build #resilience such as #treeplanting, #coolroof replacement, #solarpanelinstallation, #sidewalkimprovements, #resiliencehubs, and #communityengagement. Lia also discusses coordinating the Sustainable Transportation Equity Project (STEP) #grantimplementation in the City of Commerce, and helping lead project implementation efforts for the Baldwin Hills Community Resilience and Access Plan, as well as the South LA Eco-Lab Transformative Climate Communities grant. They also discuss tools for #displacementavoidance, #grassroots #environmentaljustice efforts, and creating #vibrantcommunities with access. https://lnkd.in/gfyRcEQk

Check out #flanigansecologic featuring Brian Thurston, an #environmentalentrepreneur, currently serving as a Sustainability Solutions Sales Director at APTIM, an #environmentalsolutions firm. He's also worked as a Senior Advisor for multiple companies and nonprofits in the #environmentalsector, focusing on #businessdevelopment and #strategicpartnerships. He and Ted met when he worked at EcoMedia, where he was hired to be a Program Director, developing and managing public/private partnerships. He then worked for Waste Management as a national business development manager, where he focused on #customized and #scalableprograms for Waste Management’s Fortune 500 customers, leveraging #internalassets and #technology. Brian then moved on to #consulting with #climatetechcompanies. He and Ted discuss some recent ventures, including Blue Box Air #energyefficient #HVACSolutions, Hytch Rewards #mobility app, Oceanworks #recycledplasticsolution, and being a board member of #sustainablesurf. Working with all of these #missiondrivencompanies that tackle big problems, Brian believes that the concept that the #environment and profit are at odds is a myth, and that #creativity and #innovation prove that every day! https://lnkd.in/g9cnqHgM

In this month's edition of #Econet News, Ted Flanigan highlights two #highspeedrail projects coming to #southerncalifornia: the #californiahighspeedrail, linking #losangeles and #sanfrancisco, and the #brightlinewest, linking #losangeles to #lasvegas. He also highlights ZIPs (#zeroemissionvehicles #implementationplans) and ZEVs (#zeroemissionvehicles), the #climateprotection superstar #hemp, #southaustralia nearing 100% #netwind and #solar, #lineargenerators, #sanfrancisco's #hydrogenfueledferry, #corryong in Victoria, Australia's #communitymicrogrid, #thermalenergynetworks (TENs), #sodiumbatteries, and #renewableenergycertificate (REC) #arbitrage. Read the articles on our website, or listen on #flanigansecologic. https://lnkd.in/gCYtia5X https://lnkd.in/gNHhnVW7

Check out #flanigansecologic featuring Andy Lipkis, Founder of TreePeople, who served as President for five decades. He is currently a Project Executive at Accelerate Resilience LA (ARLA). Andy is a pioneer of #urban and #community #forestry, #urbanwatershed management, and #urbanclimateresilience, dedicating his life to #healingtheenvironment while improving the lives of individuals and #communities. Andy grew up in southwest LA and began #plantingtrees to #rehabilitate #smog and fire-damaged Los Angeles–area #forests when he was 15 years old. At 18, he founded TreePeople, bringing together people, #trees, and #forest-inspired ‘#greeninfrastructure’ to protect cities against #droughts and #floods, prevent water and #airpollution, and #mitigate and adapt to #climatechange. TreePeople’s work in LA provided a model for #environmental, #economics, and #social #sustainability in cities everywhere. He created a #greenerfuture for Los Angeles by inspiring people, along with their local governments, to plant and care for #trees and #harvest and #conserve the #rain. Since its founding, TreePeople volunteers have been responsible for the planting of more than 2 million #trees and counting. Its #environmentaleducation program reaches more than 200,000 students per year, with millions of children touched over the decades. With #climatechangeimpacts already creating a chronic #emergency for cities around the world, Andy's work has demonstrated promising new ways for individuals, communities and government agencies to collaboratively reshape #urbantreecanopy and #waterinfrastructure to save lives and grow a more #livablefuture. After retiring from TreePeople in 2019, Andy launched Accelerate Resilience LA, a fiscally sponsored project of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors to inspire and enable people and local governments to equitably #accelerate #climateresilience in Los Angeles. He shares with Ted that his personal mission is to inform, inspire, engage, and #support people and communities to participate in #restoring the #healthyfunctioning of an #ecosystem so it can abundantly provide #lifesupportservices. He highlights the power of individuals and #communities to make a #positiveimpact, and the great need that exists to heal our #environment. https://lnkd.in/g3VSfRAW

Check out #flanigansecologic featuring Professor Michael Gerrard from Columbia University. He is the founder and faculty director of the groundbreaking Sabin Center for Climate Change Law, and one of the foremost #environmentallawyers in the nation. Michael is an #advocate, #litigator, #teacher, and #scholar who has pioneered cutting-edge #legaltools and strategies for addressing #climatechange. He writes and teaches courses on #environmentallaw, #climatechangelaw, and #energyregulation. He was the chair of the faculty of Columbia University renowned #earthinstitute from 2015 to 2018 and now holds a joint appointment to the faculty of its successor, the Columbia Climate School. Before joining the Columbia Law School faculty in 2009, Michael practiced law in New York for three decades, most recently as the partner in charge of the New York office of Arnold & Porter. As an #environmentallawyer, he tried numerous cases and argued many appeals in federal and state courts and administrative tribunals. He also handled the environmental aspects of diverse transactions and #developmentprojects and provided #regulatorycompliance advice to an array of clients in the private and public sectors. He highlights some of his most impressionable career cases, and shares that he is currently leading a legal effort to sue the Governor for New York, Kathy Hochul, for indefinitely pausing the rollout of #congestionpricing in New York City. He also shares with Ted his work with the government of the Republic of the #marshallislands on the #legalissues caused by #risingsealevels that threaten the #islandnations. https://lnkd.in/gxtiANSf

Check out #flanigansecologic featuring Mary Nichols, who served as the chair of the California Air Resources Board (CARB) for a total of 18 years. Mary is widely recognized for a career as one of the world’s most important #environmentalregulators. Over a career as an #environmentallawyer spanning over 45 years, she has played a key role in California and the nation’s progress toward #healthyair. She and Ted discuss her background receiving her J.D. from Yale Law School, devoting her career to #fightingairpollution from then on. She shares that her interest in the #environment came about as a result of having been involved in the #civilrights and #antiwar movements, believing in the need for activism at the community level. After law school, she worked as an attorney for the Center for Law in the Public Interest in Los Angeles where she brought the first litigation under the then recently passed #cleanairact. During her #leadership at the CARB, California became a national leader at developing #cleanenergy and #cleantransportation solutions that many other states and nations have adopted. She shares with Ted that her current climate-related work is focused in China, travelling there twice a year in her capacity as a member of the board of The Energy Foundation. https://lnkd.in/giS8hrFq

Check out #flanigansecologic featuring Steven Lewis, FAIA, NOMAC, Urban Design Principal with the Portland-based firm, ZGF Architects. Steve was also a candidate for the 2026 President at the The American Institute of Architects (AIA). He is a facilitator of #partnerships and #alliances between groups and individuals who seek to use #architecture and #design to effect #positivechange to our world. Steve brings to ZGF a wealth of experience across #urbanplanning and #design, from Southern California to Detroit and back, Steve's #ethicsdriven #urbanplanning and #design has made the cities he’s worked in not only more aesthetically beautiful, but also more #equitable and representative of the surrounding #communities. Following in the footsteps of his father, an #architect with a drive for #justice, #equity, #diversity, and #inclusion, Steve #designs, #speaks, #mentors, and #volunteers tirelessly to #advocate for what he believes in and to see those values embodied in the #builtenvironment. He and Ted discuss his AIA Presidential candidacy and campaign experience, the elements of #sustainabledesign, digging into #embeddedmaterials, #energyuse, #buildingdecarbonization, and #electrification. Steve concludes that he is dedicated to #equity in #design to effect #positivechange for the #future of #architecture. https://lnkd.in/gfR-e86j

In this month's edition of #Econet News, Ted Flanigan shares his highlights from his trip to #sanfrancisco to cheer on Matlock, daughter Kristin’s boyfriend who was competing in the #escapefromalcatraztriathlon. He also highlights that #renewables provided more than 30% of all U.S. #electricalgeneration in the month of April, a German research team testing new #modules concepts, integrating #solar into sound walls along busy #highways and #railway, integrating Energy Vault's #gravityenergystorage (GES) into #skyscrapers, Kit Carson Electric Cooperative in northern New Mexico's clean and #greenposition, #AI #energyintensity, the quest for #climatefriendly #food, and #lufthansa #environmentalcost surcharge. Read the articles on our website, or listen on #flanigansecologic. https://lnkd.in/gGSBcqzu https://lnkd.in/gPDEdTUm

Check out #flanigansecologic featuring Sean Neman, Founder and CEO of Cal Solar Inc. Cal Solar Inc. proudly delivers reliable, full service #renewableenergysolutions for new construction, existing buildings, and #retrofitprojects throughout California. Their experienced in-house team of #designers, #engineers, and #installers is equipped to deliver #renewableenergysolutions for multifamily, commercial/industrial, and public works projects of any size. To date, they have successfully completed 600+ large-scale #renewableenergyprojects, 200+ #prevailingwageprojects, and worked within 13 #electricutility territories throughout the state. Sean has been an entrepreneur and CEO in the #renewables and #energyefficiency construction space since 2008. Since founding Cal Solar Inc., Sean has executed $150MM in such projects and has led the company through continuous exponential growth, breaking through the barriers to #solarincalifornia, proving that #rooftopsolar is alive and well in Southern California. He and Ted discuss Cal Solar Inc.'s diverse portfolio of projects, including the installation of what at the time was the tallest #solarwaterheating system in the world, atop the 42nd floor of 399 Fremont Street in San Francisco. They also focus on #panellevel #energystorage #technology that Cal Solar Inc. is deploying. Sean concludes by sharing the sentiment with Ted that the "#solarcoaster" is an interesting one, especially with so many #policychanges across the board, but the industry in California is the industry to join. There is still tremendous #opportunity and a need to tap this free, #renewableresource. https://lnkd.in/gBMbW7Dr

Check out #flanigansecologic featuring Sean Neman, Founder and CEO of Cal Solar Inc. Cal Solar Inc. proudly delivers reliable, full service #renewableenergysolutions for new construction, existing buildings, and #retrofitprojects throughout California. Their experienced in-house team of #designers, #engineers, and #installers is equipped to deliver #renewableenergysolutions for multifamily, commercial/industrial, and public works projects of any size. To date, they have successfully completed 600+ large-scale #renewableenergyprojects, 200+ #prevailingwageprojects, and worked within 13 #electricutility territories throughout the state. Sean has been an entrepreneur and CEO in the #renewables and #energyefficiency construction space since 2008. Since founding Cal Solar Inc., Sean has executed $150MM in such projects and has led the company through continuous exponential growth, breaking through the barriers to #solarincalifornia, proving that #rooftopsolar is alive and well in Southern California. He and Ted discuss Cal Solar Inc.'s diverse portfolio of projects, including the installation of what at the time was the tallest #solarwaterheating system in the world, atop the 42nd floor of 399 Fremont Street in San Francisco. They also focus on #panellevel #energystorage #technology that Cal Solar Inc. is deploying. Sean concludes by sharing the sentiment with Ted that the "#solarcoaster" is an interesting one, especially with so many #policychanges across the board, but the industry in California is the industry to join. There is still tremendous #opportunity and a need to tap this free, #renewableresource. https://lnkd.in/gBMbW7Dr