What A Director Of Programs At Greentown Labs Wishes They Had Known Before Entering The Climate Industry
Michela, a Director of Programs, learned that the climate industry's funding and policy incentives are heavily influenced by the US federal government, leading to fluctuations every four years; however, "state governments can really kind of make up for the lack of federal support," offering a more stable long-term perspective despite the cyclical nature of federal involvement.
Policy and Regulation, Climate Change, Investment and Funding, Government Funding, Industry Trends
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Michela Grunebaum
Director of Programs, Greentown Go
Greentown Labs
University of Vermont
N/A
Environmental & Related Sciences
Climate, Environment, Sustainability & Waste Management
Operations and Project Management
Scholarship Recipient, Took Out Loans
Video Highlights
1. The climate tech industry's funding and policy incentives are significantly influenced by the US federal government, leading to potential fluctuations every four years.
2. Despite federal government changes, there is often consistent investment from state and local governments, creating stability within the industry.
3. Understanding the broader policy environment at the federal, state, and local levels is crucial for success in the climate tech sector.
Transcript
What have you learned about this role that you wish someone had told you before you entered the industry?
Being in the climate industry means that things might look very different year to year, depending on the federal government in the US. For example, the president really changes the amount of funding going into the climate tech sector and policy incentives.
Everyone freaks out every four years because there might be a drastic change and the status quo of the factors surrounding the industry might be drastically different. I think that would have been something I wanted to know in advance.
It wouldn't change me going into this industry, but it would be helpful to have that context. Also, while everyone may freak out every four years, there's still a lot of investment going into the industry at the state and more local levels.
State governments can really make up for the lack of federal support if that's the case. Keeping in mind that broader policy environment I'm working within would have been helpful to know more about when I was entering the industry.