Stone Living Lab joins 2023 Climate Beacon Conference Steering Committee
Committee will shape focus of inaugural Boston conference
taking place in October
BOSTON — The Climate Beacon Project announced 21 local experts in the energy, environmental, and business sectors, who have been named to the 2023 Conference Steering committee ahead of its inaugural conference happening in Boston this fall. The group, including Stone Living Lab Managing Director Joe Christo & Executive Committee members Kathy Abbott and Bob Chen, will help shape the focus of the conference, which will convene climate experts, local, state, and federal elected officials, policymakers, private sector leadership, and problem solvers to help transition Massachusetts to a clean energy economy and to take on some of the most pressing issues facing the environment.
“This impressive group of leaders demonstrates that the Climate Beacon Conference is serious about bringing together change makers who have a track record of achievement and a commitment to the critical work ahead in this space,” said Alex Richman, Climate Beacon Project’s Executive Director. “Our conference is about moving ideas from concept into action, and this group will provide the necessary insights to propel us forward.”
Members of the Climate Beacon 2023 Steering Committee are:
Kathy Abbott, Boston Harbor Now; Bob Chen, UMass Boston; Joe Christo, Stone Living Lab; Former Somerville Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone, Northeast Clean Energy Council; Kate Dineen, A Better City; John E. Fernández, MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative; Jason Hanna, Greentown Labs; Amy Longsworth, Boston Green Ribbon Commission; Mindy S. Lubber, CERES; Zeyneb Magavi, HEET; Keith A. Mahoney, The Boston Foundation; Jeremy McDiarmid, Advanced Energy United; Dr. Kari Nadeau, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; Nicole Obi, Black Economic Council of Massachusetts; Eneida Román, Amplify LatinX; Mary Skelton Roberts, Climate Beacon Project; Vikki N. Spruill, New England Aquarium; Katie Theoharides, The Trustees; Kannan Thiruvengadam, Eastie Farm; Rev. Vernon K. Walker, Communities Responding to Extreme Weather; and John Walkey, Greenroots.
“The Climate Beacon Conference will host national and local innovators for two days where they will highlight beacons of opportunities for addressing climate change throughout Massachusetts,” said Mary Skelton Roberts, who is also serving as an advisor to the Climate Beacon Project. “We are coming together to gain a common understanding about the problems we face, the scale at which we need to operate, and the strategies needed to achieve our climate goals, while ensuring that communities thrive. The steering committee includes an incredibly talented group with diverse backgrounds and the expertise to move forward at the pace that is needed, while ensuring we use this moment to create a more equitable Commonwealth.”
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey, Senator Ed Markey, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and Gina McCarthy, who served as White House Climate Advisor for President Joe Biden and as Environmental Protection Agency Administrator for President Barack Obama, will serve as honorary co-chairs of the event.
In addition to headline speakers and panels over the course of the two-day event, participants will visit and tour local companies and nonprofits that are on the leading edge of climate change research and solutions. More than 500 people are expected to take part in the conference which will take place Tuesday, October 10 and Wednesday, October 11 in Boston.
ABOUT CLIMATE BEACON:
Climate Beacon is building a platform for productive partnerships that challenge inertia and affect real progress toward a more resilient climate future. We’re convening experts and leaders around a common purpose: to share ideas across sectors, expand our knowledge base, and celebrate proven, scalable solutions at home and around the world. Learn more at www.climatebeacon.org.