Reading List for Climate

Action and Celebrating the Earth:

All We Can Save: Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis

Edited by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Katharine Wilkinson (OA Alum Sem8)

The More Extravagant Feast

Leah Green (OA Alum Sem8) Winner of the Walt Whitman Award of the Academy of American Poets

Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants

Robin Wall Kimmerer

Belonging: a culture of place bell hooks

The Cartographer Tries to Map a Way to Zion

Kei Miller

C onserving Carolina

NC Land and Water Fund

Waste Reduction Partners

Lime Energy

Rhino Renewables

Charlie’s Soap

Avery special thanks to the volunteers of our Energy Work Group for providing their time and knowledge to help guide us on the path towards a greener campus: Ana Sophia Mifsud (OA Sem32), Maddy Pearce (OA Sem34, Camp), Jeremy Akin (OA Sem37), Will Abberger (Camp, Trustee), David Gilbert (Trustee), and Laura Kraus Lovenshimer (Former OA Faculty). If you are in the energy, climate, or sustainability sector and would like to join this group or have questions, comments, or resources to share, PLEASE reach out to Cara Varney, Development Director at cara@enf.org.

Alumni Spotlight: Jeremy Akin

OA Semester 37

Q: Where did you go after High School?

A: I attended Haverford College where I majored in Economics with an Environmental Studies minor. As part of my Environmental Studies curriculum, I spent a semester abroad in Freiburg, Germany where I learned a great deal about the energy transition. During my senior year, I authored a thesis on the political economics of utility-scale battery storage.

Q: What are you doing now and how are you involved in the global climate community?

A: I am a developer in the renewable energy industry working on utility-scale projects, primarily in upstate New York. I work for a company called ConnectGen that develops, builds, and operates utility-scale renewable energy and energy storage projects across the United States. The development-stage projects that I work on, in aggregate, have the potential to power over 100,000 homes.

Q: What is your favorite memory, or the most influential thing you recall from your time at 43 Hart Road?

A: Susan Tinsley Daily’s environmental seminar course unquestionably inspired my life’s work. As a participant in her seminar, I honed my passion for pragmatic climate change mitigation which ultimately catalyzed my career in renewable energy. To this day, I look back on my four months at OA as a truly formative moment. I would not be where or who I am today without OA and ENF.

Alumni Spotlight: Maddy Pearce

OA Semester 34, Camper, Eagle’s Nest Counselor

Q: Where did you go after High School?

A: After high school, I attended the University of South Carolina where I formally studied electrical engineering (emphasis on renewable energy technology) with leadership distinction in civic and professional engagement. Outside of class, I was an active member of Sustainable Carolina, where I helped organize professional green networking events. This eventually led me to secure an internship with a construction management company where I focused on supporting the newly built Law school at USC to achieve LEED Gold certification.

Q: What are you doing now and how are you involved in the global climate community?

A: I am a Climate Change Consultant at Environmental Resource Management (ERM) where I help companies identify their climate impacts, such as GHG emissions, risks, and opportunities, and support them in creating a climate strategy to decarbonize their businesses.

Prior to working at ERM, I worked at ICF Inc as a Climate Change Researcher, working with government agencies, small companies, and local and state governments, in support of their climate projects and strategy programs.

Q: What is your favorite memory, or the most influential thing you recall from your time at 43 Hart Road?

A: That’s a hard one because there are so many! I would say one of the most influential aspects has been the community. From the start, each time I step foot on campus, I’ve met so many magical and caring people who have contributed greatly to the person I am today.