Brittney Boyd, Solar, Virginia
Brittney Boyd, who has been in the industry for 3 months, is the Enterprise Partnerships Manager at Solstice and lives in VA.
Why is clean energy important to you? Actually it was never even something I thought about. I started to look for new career opportunities that impacted people like me and I found Solstice's CEO. They convinced me to read the Carbon Almanac, and it said the people who will feel the most significant effects of global warming were 6 years old when the book was written. I have a 6 year old and immediately I knew I wanted to be a part of the solution.
What’s your proudest accomplishment in clean energy? I am most proud of the passion that I have ignited around energy equity and corporate responsibility to usher in an equitable and just clean energy transition. Historically low income communities have been left out of wealth building innovations, but not this time.
What did you do before entering clean energy? Senior leader for a Fortune 7 telecommunications company.
When were you first introduced to clean energy? I was just looking for more fulfilling work. I suffered greatly from survivor's remorse once I found success in my career.
What should more people know about your role? I wish people knew how important it is for them to support corporations that support them and their communities.
How does clean energy impact your community? Clean energy is taking Virginia by storm by implementing community solar programs to the active solar development happening throughout the state. Providing energy for the 80% of Americans that are locked out of the solar market due to credit challenges, income restrictions, and people living in multi dwelling units is a great way to deliver environmental justice to low income communities.
What does clean energy mean to you and your family? Before working in clean energy, my job meant more to me than anything else. Not necessarily the work I was doing, but what it provided for my family (safer housing, quality education, etc.). Excelling in a large corporation changed my family's living situation for the better. Today the work that I do means more to me than the place where I do it. Making the planet a better and more habitable place for my grandkids and the grandkids of all my friends means a lot to me.
Why should Congress invest in clean energy jobs, not fossil fuel jobs? What you permit, you promote. Investing in fossil fuel jobs is a silent indication that we are not serious about fixing global warming. Congress should be investing in training programs to help people working in fossil fuel plants transition to new clean energy jobs.
