A group of nine people standing together, facing the camera.

Back row, left to right: Bartlomiej Walentynski (Tiffany & Co.), Joshua Yiangou (REI), Tanvi Umarje (Express), Brad Waters (Under Armour), Lisa Lieberbaum (PVH). Front row, left to right: Nitin Raviprasad (Best Buy), Lillian Mirviss (The Gap), Shuvya Arakali (American Eagle Outfitters), Linh Tran (Guitar Center).

The Energy Department (DOE) was pleased to help Better Buildings Alliance affiliate Environmental Defense Fund prepare a new class of Climate Corps fellows during their training this past week in New York City.  EDF Climate Corps is an innovative summer fellowship program connecting public and private sector host organizations across the country and abroad with talented graduate students to support clean energy and energy efficiency projects. During the weeklong training, fellows are equipped with best practices and sustainability tools by a robust network of sustainability professionals. DOE introduced fellows to numerous relevant resources and programs including the Better Buildings Initiative, Commercial Building Asset Score, technology demonstration opportunities, and technology campaigns such as the Interior Lighting Campaign.

Several EDF Climate Corps fellows from this year’s cohort will also support the work of the DOE-funded Financial Management for Retail Energy Efficiency project led by the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) during their placements with host retailers. The RILA project goal is to drive energy savings by developing resources to facilitate better communication between energy teams and the finance staff who fund energy projects. EDF Climate Corps Fellows matched with retailers will be in a unique position to leverage resources developed through the RILA project to capture energy savings for their hosts. 

Best of luck to the incoming class of Climate Corps Fellows as they embark on their clean energy adventures!