2024 Green Future Gala Awards Voting

Cast your votes for this year's Green Future Gala Awards!

We are very excited to announce that the public voting period for our Green Future Gala Awards is now open! Each year, at our Green Future Gala, NECEC recognizes exceptional companies, organizations, and individuals in the climate economy who have gone above and beyond in six specific categories.

The Northeast Clean Energy Council (NECEC) hosts the Green Future Gala to honor and recognize individuals, organizations, and startups making outstanding contributions to drive the clean energy transition. These awards highlight innovative achievements within the clean energy sector and emphasize the importance of leadership, collaboration, and dedication to sustainability. By celebrating these awardees, NECEC aims to inspire others to pursue groundbreaking solutions that address climate change, promote economic growth, and ensure a just and equitable energy future for all.

By making the awards voting process public this year, our goal is to spotlight the important work being done by companies in our ecosystem, as well as engage a broader audience in the conversation about combating climate change in the Northeast and beyond.

Form responses will be kept confidential and only reviewed by NECEC staff. The Green Future Gala Award Committee (top-tier sponsors) will be informed of the total number of votes that each company receives, but all names and contact information associated with submissions will be kept strictly confidential. The forms linked below collect emails only to ensure that individuals cannot vote more than once.

Clean Energy Company of the Year

This award is given to a clean energy company that has substantially impacted the region’s clean energy industry and stands out from the crowd. The company must have made a breakthrough in its sector, hit an inflection point in revenue growth or the commercialization process, and established itself as both an industry leader and market-maker. The Clean Energy Company of the Year should show workforce growth, a strong corporate culture, a high-quality work environment for employees, and the provision of quality jobs in the region. It should be able to demonstrate a positive impact on people (in diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice) as well as in the technical and business realms.


Past winners include: Vineyard Offshore, Solstice Power Technologies, SparkCharge, BlueWave Solar, Schneider Electric, and Nexamp.


Votes are due August 16 by 5:00 pm. 

Nominees

Click on the logos below to read more!

Founded in 2000, Ameresco, Inc. (NYSE:AMRC) is a leading cleantech integrator and renewable energy asset developer, owner and operator. Our comprehensive portfolio includes solutions that help customers reduce costs, decarbonize to net zero, and build energy resiliency while leveraging smart, connected technologies. 

From implementing energy efficiency and infrastructure upgrades to developing, constructing, and operating distributed energy resources – we are a trusted sustainability partner. Ameresco has successfully completed energy saving, environmentally responsible projects with Federal, state and local governments, utilities, healthcare and educational institutions, housing authorities, and commercial and industrial customers. 

With its corporate headquarters in Framingham, MA, Ameresco has more than 1,500 employees providing local expertise in North America and Europe.

FirstLight is a leading clean power producer, developer, and energy storage company serving North America. With a diversified portfolio that includes over 1.6 GW of operating clean energy and energy storage technologies and a development pipeline with 4+ GW of solar, battery, hydro, onshore wind, and offshore wind projects, FirstLight specializes in hybrid solutions that pair hydroelectric, pumped-hydro storage, utility-scale solar, large-scale battery, and wind assets. The company currently operates the largest portfolio of clean energy generation in New England today.

The company’s mission is to accelerate the decarbonization of the electric grid by supporting the development, operation, and integration of renewable energy and storage to meet the world’s growing clean energy needs and deliver an electric system that is clean, reliable, affordable, and equitable. FirstLight is a steward of more than 14,000 acres and hundreds of miles of shoreline along some of the most beautiful rivers and lakes in North America.

Highland Electric Fleets, Inc. (Highland) is the national leader in school bus electrification. Established in January 2019, the U.S. based firm has provided its bus electrification and related services for five years.

Highland is the market leader in vehicle electrification-as-a-service (EaaS), focusing on serving school, municipal, and other government agency fleets. Highland’s innovative solution offers a public-private partnership that reduces the costs and complexity of transitioning a fleet to electric. Highland’s primary product offering includes a comprehensive turnkey package of equipment and services for a fixed annual per vehicle fee for contract periods ranging from 5 to 15 years. This package typically includes an electrification impact study, grant writing services, infrastructure design, engineering and construction, equipment (charger and vehicle) procurement, charge management, fueling (electricity) costs, charger maintenance, and vehicle maintenance. Highland’s model utilizes a fleet’s existing staff, including their drivers and maintenance technicians, to efficiently implement an electrification transition. 

LineVision is a rapidly growing technology company that’s helping utility partners around the world lead the energy transition by enabling enhanced grid flexibility, capacity, resilience and security. 

LineVision provides electric utilities with patented non-contact sensors to provide the real-time monitoring and predictive analytics needed to accelerate the net zero grid. LineVision’s Dynamic Line Ratings (DLR) can help utilities safely unlock upwards of 40% additional capacity on our aged and congested power lines – helping utilities adapt to a modern grid powered by sources of renewable power generation. Combining patented non-contact LiDAR sensors and advanced analytics, a single system continuously monitors up to six conductors, without the need for disruptive line outages or costly specialized installation equipment. 

LineVision’s platform is rapidly deployed at scale and is already helping utility partners around the world lead the energy transition by increasing the capacity, resilience, and safety of the grid.

New Leaf Energy is a solar and energy storage developer working to accelerate the transition to a world powered by renewable energy. Headquartered in Lowell, Massachusetts, New Leaf has a diverse portfolio of both distribution- and transmission-scale renewable energy projects in New England and across the country. Through the leadership and collaborative engagement of its staff, New Leaf’s team shares their technical and policy expertise to forge broad consensus and durable solutions that drive progress towards the clean energy future. New Leaf strives to not just represent its own interests, but to advocate for policies that accelerate the clean energy transition and support state climate and decarbonization goals.

Unplug no more. Integrating AI and utility grid analytics, reVert power adapters optimize household appliance energy use, reducing electricity bills and maximizing savings. Adapting to your usage patterns and local grid costs, reVert technology automatically identifies phantom loads from parasitic devices consuming energy, powering them off until needed.

Rise Light & Power is a Queens, New York based energy asset manager and developer, and is actively transforming its core asset, Long Island City's Ravenswood Generating Station, into a new clean energy hub Renewable Ravenswood. By redeveloping New York City's largest power generating facility, Rise will permanently replace fossil fuel power with homegrown renewable energy, while providing a just transition for its existing union workforce and economic opportunities for surrounding communities. Renewable Ravenswood is at the forefront of the ambitious clean energy transition taking place in New York State and will continue to provide reliable and cost-effective electricity for New York City for decades to come. Rise Light & Power is a wholly owned affiliate of LS Power. 

Schneider Electric, the world's most sustainable company, is a global leader in digital transformation, energy management, and automation. With a rich history spanning over 180 years, the company has evolved into an innovative provider of integrated solutions for homes, buildings, data centers, infrastructure, and industries. Schneider Electric's commitment to sustainability and efficiency is evident through its cutting-edge technologies and services that empower customers to manage and optimize energy usage effectively. With a strong emphasis on sustainability, Schneider Electric is dedicated to creating a positive impact on the environment and society while enabling its customers to achieve their energy and sustainability goals.

VEIC is a national clean energy nonprofit, headquartered in Winooski, Vermont, that delivers high-impact energy solutions focused on equity and innovation. Since 1986, VEIC has been recognized as a leader in decarbonization strategies, working with governments, utilities, foundations, and businesses to reduce GHG emissions and create a sustainable energy system that benefits everyone. Learn more about our work at www.veic.org.

Emerging Company of the Year

This award is given to a rising star organization that has emerged from its development phase with tremendous momentum and is poised to build on that momentum with rapid sales growth. Nominees must demonstrate innovation, growth, and leadership in their field and should be able to demonstrate a positive impact on people (in diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice) and in the technical and business realms.


Past winners include: Boston Materials, LineVision, XL, Deepwater Wind, Cambrian Innovation, and Ambri.


Votes are due August 16 by 5:00 pm. 

Nominees

Click on the logos below to read more!

Active Surfaces, is on a mission to redefine solar energy's role in combating climate change by unlocking vast solar potential where it was previously unimaginable. Pioneering an MIT-patented, ultra-thin film flexible solar technology, they envision transforming urban landscapes and other structurally limited areas into power-generating assets, significantly increasing solar adaptability to the built environment. 

Founded in 2022, Active Surfaces is a venture-backed company supported by Safar Partners, Lendlease, QVT, MassCEC, amongst others. Their team boasts decades of experience in roll-to-roll manufacturing and has been recognized on TEDx and the Forbes 30 under 30 list. Active Surfaces has already garnered strong support from F500 firms, national labs, and top accelerators that all believe their efficient, low-cost, flexible panels can significantly accelerate solar deployment, achieving gigaton-scale CO2 emission reductions.

AIR COMPANY is paving a pathway to global decarbonization by transforming CO₂ into an endless resource via industrial scale applications. Working with nature rather than against it, its proprietary AIRMADE™ Technology mimics photosynthesis to transform carbon dioxide and hydrogen into a suite of innovative products that create a circular carbon economy.

The company has commercial partnerships with airlines including JetBlue and Virgin Atlantic, and has been awarded multiple government contracts from NASA and the United States Department of Defense. 

AIR COMPANY is headquartered in New York City and co-founded by Gregory Constantine (CEO) and Dr. Stafford Sheehan (CTO). Its team spans a diverse group of experts in chemistry, engineering, and technological development and deployment. AIR COMPANY is backed by capital partners aligned with the company’s mission to transform industry including Toyota Ventures, JetBlue Ventures and Carbon Direct and collaborates with the US Department of Defense and NASA. 

buildee® is not just another Software as a Service (SaaS) energy efficiency platform; it's a transformative tool reshaping how commercial and multi-family portfolio owners navigate the complexities of energy management. By seamlessly integrating ESG and compliance reporting into actionable insights, buildee® redefines the paradigm of energy efficiency. It simplifies the aggregation of energy data from diverse sources without relying on expensive control or monitoring systems. Powered by a robust analysis engine, buildee® identifies and prioritizes energy-saving opportunities based on crucial financial and carbon reduction metrics. This holistic approach offers a panoramic view across portfolios and individual buildings, fostering streamlined collaboration and informed decision-making. The result? Enhanced Net Operating Income (NOI), increased property valuation, lower energy costs, and reduced carbon footprints. buildee® isn't just about efficiency—it's about sustainable profitability and environmental stewardship, paving the way for a greener, more prosperous future in real estate management.

Half the world's people live without access to a safe, clean toilet, largely because they live in places with no sewage plumbing, so they can't flush away their waste. So, change:WATER Labs has come up with a clean and sustainable alternative to flushing or frequent collection of sewage waste: we SHRINK it! The “iThrone” is a portable, no-flush/waterless toilet that eliminates daily waste at the point-of-production by EVAPORATING its water-content. The iThrone collects waste in bags made of a proprietary breathable membrane to soak up and dehydrate waste, converting it into pure molecular water and eliminating 95% of waste-volumes onsite. The iThrone not only doesn’t need, use or pollute water, it converts waste back INTO pure water [vapor]. It eliminates waste in a way that’s clean, sustainable, low-cost and good for the planet. Shrinking waste fast onsite completely transforms the economics and effort of “off-line” sanitation, affecting real systems-level transformation in terms of scalability and access.

Croft builds the world's most thoughtful buildings. We manufacture super-insulated, factory-crafted wall, floor, and roof panels using natural materials like Maine-grown spruce, pine, and organic straw gathered from the fields and forests of our region. We aren’t just making better buildings; we’re seeking to improve the future for the whole darn planet.

Ecotone Renewables is eliminating waste from our world by deploying the industry’s most reliable and cost effective waste diversion systems. This positive impact is already underway through the deployment of their innovative ZEUS biodigesters. This system sustainably converts food waste into organic fertilizer and renewable energy on-site for all businesses with food waste including universities, offices, and restaurants.

The industrial sector is responsible for 25% of U.S. GHG emissions and over 20% globally, significantly contributing to climate change. Decarbonizing this sector is difficult due to the high heat demands of manufacturing materials like steel, glass, chemicals, and concrete, which are traditionally reliant on fossil fuels. Electrified Thermal Solutions (ETS) is transforming the industrial economy with its Joule Hive Thermal Battery (JHTB), which uses renewable off-peak electricity to generate and store heat up to 1800℃, eliminating fossil fuel combustion. 

ETS has driven innovation and growth through vast partnerships and funding, including grants from the U.S. DOE. ETS exemplifies excellence in providing scalable solutions for industrial decarbonization.

EnergySage is the simplest, most trusted way to comparison shop and save on high-quality clean energy and energy-saving solutions including rooftop solar, energy storage, heat pumps, EV chargers, and community solar. As the trusted partner for hundreds of vetted and accredited solar, HVAC, and electrical installers, EnergySage enables shoppers to request multiple high-quality quotes in minutes. With in-depth resources and unbiased support, EnergySage makes the entire process simple, low-stress, and more affordable for consumers, while serving as the conduit for clean energy companies and providers across the country to grow their business, reduce costs, and simplify their operations. For these reasons, leading organizations and brands point their audiences to EnergySage to begin their clean energy transitions.

GridX is the Enterprise Rate Platform that modern, customer-centric utilities and technology providers rely on to usher in our clean energy future. Our comprehensive suite of products accurately design, implement and measure emerging rate structures; manage the complex billing needs of an increasingly distributed grid; and increase consumer investment in Distributed Energy Resources (DERs). The GridX platform is used by leading utilities, retail energy suppliers and energy ecosystem OEMs to serve more than 27 million homes and businesses across North America.

Hub Controls is the developer and provider of Hub Controller, an award-winning automated personal energy management system that saves users money while reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions.

Hub Controller is a fully automated intelligent system that helps consumers take control of their energy usage with very little effort. By focusing on the underserved low-income household market, we are proud to deliver energy, environmental, social, and financial impact.

Designed with thoughtful precision and guided by four years of robust data analytics, the Hub Controller offers a seamless and user-friendly experience, enabling households to effortlessly manage their energy consumption. Once installed, the system autonomously optimizes energy use, ensuring that savings and efficiency are maximized without compromising comfort.

Named as one of the products that will define technological innovation for the rest of this decade and beyond, it’s electric is a public charging solution that addresses the infrastructural and environmental justice barriers cities face deploying electric vehicle charging. Instead of requiring costly and time consuming new utility connections, it's electric’s Level-2 charging posts connect behind-the-meter to draw spare electrical supply from adjacent buildings; allowing them to install at zero cost to property owners or cities. it's electric then shares revenue earned at each charger with the property owners bringing clean transportation infrastructure and the benefits of the green economy into all neighborhoods. With a critical focus on frontline and Justice 40 or disadvantaged communities. it’s electric is bringing affordable EV charging to the millions of city drivers across the United States who cannot charge at home as they park their cars on the street. 

Nth Cycle is building a carbon-free economy to protect our planet. Recognizing the need for a humanely sourced, environmentally respectful and sustainable supply of cobalt, nickel and other critical metals. Nth Cycle began as a response to critical material supply chain demands, production constraints and environmental harm in current processes. 

Nth Cycle's Electro-Extraction refining technology, The Oyster, revolutionizes metal refining for recyclers and miners. Unlike traditional methods, our system uses electricity to produce the chemicals needed, allowing for a modular, scalable system that can be installed on-site, wherever these feedstocks are, and allows critical metals to be recovered from waste streams and mine tailings at 92% lower carbon emissions compared to conventional recovery techniques. The need for a distributed and resilient supply of critical metals to aid electrification while reducing dependence on any single nation also deters the growth of artisanal mines with the potential use of child labor.

Osmoses is a cleantech company transforming the way molecular gas separations are performed. Founded in 2021, our mission is to decarbonize industrial processes by eliminating energy waste and rebuilding century-old infrastructure for molecular separations.  

Gas separations are crucial in the chemical, petrochemical, and energy industries, consuming 15% of global energy and contributing significantly to carbon emissions. Gas separation is difficult and often energy-intensive because gasses are among the smallest molecules on Earth and the most difficult to separate. Existing separation solutions are insufficiently selective (traditional membranes), energy intensive (cryogenic distillation), or performance limited (pressure-swing adsorption), highlighting the need for innovative solutions.

Osmoses tackles this issue with high-performance, energy-efficient membranes. Our novel polymer chemistry provides unprecedented performance, significantly reducing greenhouse gasses (GHG), costs, and energy use. Osmoses membranes can be implemented for a wide variety of high-value applications, including: hydrogen separation, biogas upgrading, refrigerant recovery, oxygen generation, and helium extraction.

Establishing a scalable, circular economy for carbon dioxide (CO2), Oxylus Energy is using an innovative, one-step process that converts recycled CO2 waste into high-value byproducts like renewable methanol, a net-zero fuel. Gallon by gallon, this revolutionary approach offers a transformative solution for hard-to-decarbonize sectors and industries, displacing the need for virgin fossil fuels.

Peoples Energy Analytics has developed an algorithm capable of analyzing energy use data from millions of households which provides a unique understanding of the energy challenges of the people living in those homes. In short, their technology allows them to identify specific households at risk of having freezing pipes in the winter or at risk of heat stroke in the summer – BEFORE these issues arise. They will deliver this functionality through a DAaaS platform to electric and gas utilities, as well as to social service programs.

PTech is an innovative early-stage company revolutionizing materials science with its groundbreaking nanofilm technology. This technology, created by converting CO2 into raw materials for our product, offers exceptional strength-to-weight ratios and durability while promoting sustainability. PTech is making strides in the aerospace, electronics, and medical device industries, garnering significant interest from leading companies and the military. Committed to environmental stewardship and economic inclusion, PTech actively partners with minority-owned, women-owned, and veteran-owned businesses. Recognized by NSF I-Corps and CSIT, and part of the Cleantech Open 2024, PTech is poised for rapid growth and impactful contributions to multiple high-demand sectors.

Solomon Consulting Group LLC is a Black-led innovative data-driven tech company poised to bring energy efficiency solutions across America. 

Swift Current Energy is trailblazing a path for clean energy now. Founded in 2016, the company develops, owns and operates highly competitive, utility-scale wind, solar and energy storage projects across the United States.

At Swift Current Energy, we pride ourselves on establishing meaningful relationships that translate into long-term partnerships. We strive to build trust and credibility by working in close coordination with our partners through the lifecycle of our projects. 

Volexion commercializes a multi-functional, drop-in pristine graphene encapsulation solution, stabilizing Li-ion cathode and anode materials, and driving comprehensive performance improvement (>3x cycle life, rate capability improvement, voltage range extension, low-temperature, and high temperature/safety stability). Beyond current commercial materials, Volexion enables next generation cathode materials, driving 30%+ increase in energy density and 30%+ cost reduction, a 10-year leap forward vs. today’s state of the art. Volexion is drop-in, immediately scalable using commercial manufacturing equipment, and compatible with existing, emerging, and future battery technologies and chemistries. Developed at Northwestern University and Argonne National Lab, Volexion received numerous awards and is experiencing significant traction from Industry partners.

Wada Hoppah is Massachusetts's first clean electric water shuttle and service for the Charles River and surrounding cities. Emissions-less, reliable, clean marine transportation will transform how we come and go West to East into the city and back daily. Take Wada Hoppah to a Red Sox game, a Celtics/Bruins game, downtown to dine, or simply to work daily. It'll be the best commute you've had and a game changer for Boston and surrounding cities.

Partnership of the Year

From strategic partnerships between startups and global corporations, public-private partnerships that break down barriers to deployment, and coalitions to advance clean energy policy, NECEC believes partnerships are essential to setting and achieving bold climate economy goals. The Partnership of the Year award will recognize collaborations between two or more stakeholders driving the advancement of clean energy in the Northeast in innovative and effective ways.


Past winners include: Schneider-Electric and Sense, Gridtwin and Eversource, and EIT InnoEnergy and the Village of Ossining, NY.


Votes are due August 16 by 5:00 pm. 

Nominees

Click on the logos below to read more!

ClimateHaven is a global community for climate tech entrepreneurship rooted in New Haven, CT. The ClimateHaven incubator offers workspace and prototyping support, targeted programming, and best-in-class professional guidance to dedicated entrepreneurs tackling climate change through commercial ventures. Rooted in downtown New Haven, ClimateHaven startups benefit from partnerships with some of the brightest minds from Yale University and the greater New Haven academic ecosystem, and from proximity to our deep networks in New York City and Boston.

Connecticut Innovations (CI) serves as the strategic venture capital arm and leading source of financing and continued support for innovative, growing businesses operating within Connecticut. In response to the climate crisis, CI launched the ClimateTech Fund. With $100 million of intended investments, the fund will support emerging companies, create high-paying jobs in Connecticut, and help the state achieve its decarbonization goals.

Kennedy Community Health serves to “help people live healthier lives.” EMK believes everyone has a right to accessible, high-quality, comprehensive, integrated, and compassionate health care and provides services to everyone, regardless of ability to pay. 

EMK serves over 100 communities across Central and MetroWest Massachusetts.  Founded in 1972 by seven women seeking better access to health care for their families, these women lived in the largest public housing complex in Worcester, Massachusetts. They relied on the hospital emergency room for care. They did not have access to regular, preventive, and primary care services for their families; true to the origin of the sector, founded during the civil rights movement, they endeavored to change the paradigm. These pioneers founded a corporation and obtained space from the Worcester Housing Authority. They negotiated for a nurse practitioner to come to the Valley, opening up the opportunity.

Fermata Energy, Enterprise Mobility, BlueHub Energy, BlueHub Capital, and Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corporation have been nominated for their innovative collaboration on a groundbreaking Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) pilot in affordable housing developments. Fermata Energy spearheaded the initiative with its cutting-edge Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) bidirectional charging technology, enhancing energy efficiency and sustainability. Enterprise Mobility brought its extensive operational expertise and innovative fleet management to the table. BlueHub Capital provided crucial financing and project management support, ensuring the project's viability and scalability. Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corporation played a vital role in community engagement and outreach, ensuring the program's success and positive impact on local, underserved residents. Together, these organizations exemplify the power of strategic partnerships in driving innovative, community-focused renewable energy solutions.

Lightshift Energy is a utility-scale energy storage project developer, owner and operator, developing a diverse, multi-gigawatt pipeline of energy storage projects located throughout the U.S. With leading energy storage analytics, application design, finance and development expertise, Lightshift deploys energy storage projects to generate cost-savings for communities while reducing emissions across the grid. 

MMWEC is the Commonwealth’s designated joint action agency for municipal utilities in Massachusetts. Serving over 20 municipal utility members in Massachusetts and all 40 municipal utilities as project participants, MMWEC provides lower electric rates and better service to public power utilities.

MMWEC is a not-for-profit, public corporation and political subdivision of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts created by an Act of the General Court in 1975 and authorized to issue tax-exempt debt to finance a wide range of energy facilities.  MMWEC provides a variety of power supply, financial, risk management and other services to the state’s consumer-owned, municipal utilities.  It is the largest provider of asset-owned generation for municipal light departments in New England. 

CET, a regional nonprofit, operates on the front lines of climate action by helping people and businesses decarbonize through waste reduction, energy efficiency, and electrification. With nearly 50 years of experience, CET envisions a world that has embraced and advanced just and resilient climate solutions.

Resource Innovations (RI) is a women-led energy transformation firm focused on impact.

Building on our expertise in energy efficiency, RI is constantly expanding its portfolio of clean energy solutions to guide utilities through increasingly complex, connected challenges. Load flexibility. Electrification. Carbon reduction. With every step, RI is leading the charge to power change.

REsurety provides software and services to support both the financial and sustainability goals of clean energy buyers, sellers, and investors. 

S&P Global Commodity Insights is the leading independent provider of information, analytics and benchmark prices for the commodities and energy markets.

Springfield Partners for Community Action (SPCA) and the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) have partnered in order to maximize the efficiency and reach of the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP). 

SPCA is Springfield’s premier non-profit anti-poverty agency dedicated to providing resources and addressing the needs of the Springfield community in order to create a better way of life. The EEA is an office of the Massachusetts government that works to enhance the Commonwealth’s quality of life through the stewardship of open space, protection of environmental resources, and enhancement of clean energy. Together, these two organizations strive to enhance Massachusetts residents’ livelihoods through savings, energy conservation, and education.

Startup Supporter of the Year

This award is given to an organization or individual who has gone above and beyond in supporting cleantech startups and entrepreneurs and the growth of the cleantech innovation ecosystem in the Northeast.


Past winners include: Activate, New England CFO Strategies, FORGE, Clean Energy Ventures, ACRE, E2Tech, Tim Hoffman, Emily Reichert, and Jason Hanna.


Votes are due August 16 by 5:00 pm. 

Nominees

Click on the images/logos below to read more!

Browning the Green Space (BGS) is an MA-based nonprofit working to advance Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in clean energy and climatetech. BGS seeks to facilitate a just energy transition by putting Black and Brown communities first, and enabling systems change at the intersection of social, environmental, and economic justice. BGS is powering a just energy transition by creating jobs, building wealth, and reducing energy burden in Black and Brown communities across the Northeast. By removing barriers and expanding access, BGS seeks to close the racial wealth gap while combating climate change. BGS’s entrepreneur support initiatives enable entrepreneurs and founders from historically underrepresented groups to gain access to resources including networks, contracts, capital, accelerators and incubators, and technical assistance. These initiatives include a 10-week business boot camp for new and aspiring clean energy entrepreneurs of color, and a 12-month accelerator for BIPOC-led climatetech startups in partnership with Greentown Labs.

Beth Zonis

Beth has been the Senior Director for the CleanTech Open Northeast for the past seven years after serving as a mentor for years before that. For more than 15 years, she has supported entrepreneurs and the climatetech innovation ecosystem with a passion for combating climate change, growing the green economy, and promoting environmental equity.

ClimateHaven is a global community for climate tech entrepreneurship rooted in New Haven, CT. The ClimateHaven incubator offers workspace and prototyping support, targeted programming, and best-in-class professional guidance to dedicated entrepreneurs tackling climate change through commercial ventures. Rooted in downtown New Haven, ClimateHaven startups benefit from partnerships with some of the brightest minds from Yale University and the greater New Haven academic ecosystem, and from proximity to our deep networks in New York City and Boston

ClimateHaven has established a vibrant community that offers access to state-of-the-art facilities, tools, and laboratory spaces, plus a diverse range of supplementary resources such as mentorship and investment to further enhance our commitment to creating a resilient and sustainable future for all.

The Commission on Science, Innovation and Technology (CSIT) is responsible for strengthening the innovation economy within New Jersey, encouraging collaboration and connectivity between industry and academia, and the translation of innovations into successful high-growth businesses. CSIT is committed to advancing innovation-based economic development and job growth, and to creating a stronger, fairer economy for all New Jersey citizens by keeping the Garden State at the forefront of scientific and technological innovations.

CSIT links and leverages resources and collaborates with other NJ agencies to implement programs and policies to address the challenges faced by entrepreneurs, especially gaps in services and support for early-stage startups focused on technology commercialization with the potential for high growth and further investment. Emphasis is also placed on programs that drive increased academic industrial cooperation and accelerate the commercialization of new technologies from New Jersey’s public and private research institutions.

Vivek Soni

Vivek have more than 30 years of global leadership experience as a senior executive, board member, investor, and advisor with 16 years in the ClimateTech sector and with startups. He has a comprehensive investment, technical and operations background. As a Partner at Prithvi Ventures, he is very focused on all material topics for ClimateTech. This includes energy storage, cement, plastics, textiles, carbon capture etc.

Vivek is the EVP and Board Director at Monterey Capital Acquisition Corporation, which is a clean transition SPAC which raised $92 Million on the Nasdaq recently. He is also a Board Director of the holding company for the A.T.E. Group in India and Boards of their Group companies. They have a keen focus on textile equipment, cleantech and wastewater treatment. He is the Vice Chair of the Advisory Board of Massachusetts’ largest municipal electric utility and have a firsthand perspective on how utilities are undergoing the clean transition.


Ratel Consulting LLC is a growth strategy and advisory firm catering to cleantech innovators. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts we have built our service portfolio around the needs of the cleantech cluster in the Greater Boston area and beyond. Since our founding in 2017 we have helped our clients raise tens of millions of dollars, acquire F500 customers, and develop their brand in a competitive global marketplace.

Ratel Consulting provides market intelligence and value added services to its clients throughout the global cleantech ecosystem. We focus on commercialization in emerging technology for startups by creating business cases, technical marketing content, competitive analysis, product benchmarking, and other custom solutions that add value and build industry presence for our clients.

Ratel seeks to be an advocate and force multiplier for the cleantech community in its home market as well as a dedicated business partner for its clients.

Community Impact Award

This award is given to an organization that has made a substantial community impact connected to clean energy and climate tech. The organization should be able to demonstrate leadership and tangible gains for people and places in the communities they serve. Factors such as innovation, community engagement, and inclusive hiring practices will be paramount in deciding who will win this award. The Community Impact Awardee should be an organization that has leveraged the opportunities and advances presented by the climate economy to positively affect the health, prosperity, and resilience of often overlooked communities. 


Votes are due August 16 by 5:00 pm.

Nominees

Click on the logos below to read more!

Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD) is a nonprofit Community Action Agency that creates pathways out of poverty in partnership with families and communities so that everyone can thrive. Through more than 75 programs, the organization creates access to essential tools and resources that assist and empower people who have been systemically marginalized. These actions crystallize ABCD’s vision to create racial, social, health, wealth, and climate equity for all. Learn more at bostonabcd.org.

Beacon Climate Innovations is a community energy resource facilitation and consultancy firm striving to build a platform to help communities gain greater agency over their energy transition and climate destiny. The primary elements of this platform are roadmapping capabilities, ready access to diverse suite of local resources and a vibrant, streamlined Information exchange program.  The company is building this platform around a suite of active project in diverse community settings.  At the core of BCI’s services is its evolving ecosystem.   Its clients are municipalities, CBOs, climate tech firms and climate solution providers.  Its clients and ecosystem are one.  

Founded in 2019, Building Audacity is a nonprofit organization that creates STEM-focused pathways and provides supporting resources within the agriculture field, otherwise not available to Black and other youth of color. Through BA's Food Justice programming, Building Audacity works to increase food sovereignty. Food sovereignty is a food system in which the people who produce, distribute, and consume food also control the mechanisms and policies of food production and distribution. BA does this by sharing local fresh food resources, providing nutrition courses on how to use food grown on New England Farms, and offering an AgTech pathway that includes a hydroponic center, makerspace, and paid to learn AgTech opportunities.

Founded in 2009, Emerald Cities Collaborative (ECC) is a national nonprofit network of regional offices working together to advance racial, economic, and climate justice to build communities that are more equitable, economically just, and sustainable through replicable strategies in community powerbuilding, economic inclusion, and equitable implementation. ECC currently provides services in five regions across the nation, including Northeast, Northwest, Bay Area, Southern California, and DC). ECC centers and collaborates with frontline communities, especially communities of color, to ensure that they are at the forefront of decision making, that they benefit from the economic opportunities of the transition to clean energy, and to drive climate investments back to those communities. ECC’s main areas of focus include: clean energy, water & food, economic inclusion, community climate resilience, and participatory democracy & climate justice.

NY Green Bank, a sustainable infrastructure investment fund and division of New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), is a state-sponsored specialized financial entity dedicated to filling financing gaps in clean energy and sustainable infrastructure markets. Our investments contribute to greenhouse gas emissions reductions, energy efficiency, clean energy generation, achieving statewide climate equity, and the mobilization of private capital in key market sectors.    

 Since its inception in 2013, NYGB has committed over $2 billion in capital, across multiple technology segments including building decarbonization, clean energy, energy storage, sustainable transportation and other sustainable infrastructure, to advance New York’s green economy. We have grown to become the largest green bank in the nation. 

 By using public capital to mobilize private investments into underserved green sectors, NYGB serves a gap-filling function and structures financial products that are both replicable and standardized such that the private sector may expand their sustainable infrastructure portfolios in a meaningful way.    

Environmental Justice Achievement Award

This award is given to an individual who has made a substantial impact in environmental justice throughout their career, positively affecting the health, prosperity, and resilience of often overlooked communities. The individual should be able to demonstrate leadership and tangible gains for people and place in the communities they serve.


Votes are due August 16 by 5:00 pm. 

Nominees

Click on the photos below to read more!

Aziz Dehkan

Aziz Dehkan is a seasoned advocate for social and environmental justice. His passion for sustainable living led him to construct an award-winning passive solar house and pioneer one of New Jersey’s first organic farms in 1976. He has worked for many social and environmental organizations, including the Humane Society of the United States, the NYC Coalition for the Homeless, and STRIVE, which promotes adequate workforce development opportunities.

Aziz has held critical roles throughout his career in organizations such as The Coalition for the Homeless and Mother Jones, demonstrating a steadfast commitment to positive change. As a community organizer and the Executive Director of the NYC Community Garden Coalition, Aziz has been a leading figure in the fight for land tenure and food security, with a particular focus on addressing systemic racism. Currently serving as the Executive Director and Lead Organizer of the CT Roundtable on Climate and Jobs, Aziz has built alliances among diverse constituencies to combat climate change, create jobs, and promote racial, economic, and environmental justice.

Jared Duval

Jared Duval is the Director of the Energy Action Network (EAN). EAN's mission is to achieve Vermont’s climate and energy commitments in ways that create a more just, thriving, and sustainable future. The Network leads hundreds of public sector, non-profit, utility, business, and higher education partners working collaboratively to achieve this mission.

The EAN mission ensures that Vermont makes evidence-based energy and climate decisions grounded in high-quality data and analysis and collaboratively developed for practical and durable progress. The organization conducts climate and energy data tracking, research, and analysis on behalf of all Vermonters and facilitates effective collaboration across the state.

Since 2020, EAN has structured its collaborative work through Network Action Teams and Coalitions selected by their members for their potential to help Vermont rapidly, cost-effectively, and equitably reduce fossil fuels and greenhouse gas pollution and support EJ communities.  

Nakia Navarro

Founded in 2019, Building Audacity is a nonprofit organization that creates STEM-focused pathways and provides supporting resources within the agriculture field, otherwise not available to Black and other youth of color. Through BA's Food Justice programming, Building Audacity works to increase food sovereignty. Food sovereignty is a food system in which the people who produce, distribute, and consume food also control the mechanisms and policies of food production and distribution. BA does this by sharing local fresh food resources, providing nutrition courses on how to use food grown on New England Farms, and offering an AgTech pathway that includes a hydroponic center, makerspace, and paid to learn AgTech opportunities."

Shalaya Morissette

Shalaya Morissette is the Chief of the Minority Business and Workforce Division, Office of Economic Impact and Diversity for the United States Department of Energy. Shalaya's career began in education and quickly transferred to energy by first joining National Grid. Her energy career has spanned over thirteen years where she has proven to be a strategic thought leader in Diversity, Equity & Inclusion programs for customers, the energy industry, BIPOC individuals, and Environmental Justice Communities.  Shalaya’s proficiency in the Office of Minority Economic Impact Legislation, Section 641, Title VI, Part 3 of the National Energy Conservation Policy Act (Public Law 95-619) has been applauded and recognized by many energy and business organizations across the United States. Shalaya’s educational attainment includes a Master of Education - Interdisciplinary Studies and, a Bachelor of Science - Business Administration. Shalaya is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Nuclear Engineering Tech. 

Tarun Bothra

Saathi, co-founded by Tarun Bothra, is a company dedicated to menstrual health equity and environmental sustainability. They offer affordable, biodegradable sanitary pads made from banana and bamboo fiber, empowering women in underserved communities with access to safe hygiene solutions, providing additional income to farmers, employing an all-women staff in their manufacturing unit, avoiding plastic waste and reducing CO2 emissions.  Saathi not only improves women's well-being but also reduce landfill waste, promoting a healthier future for both people and the planet. 

They've developed biodegradable sanitary pads from agri-waste materials with a focus on sustainability and social impact. They improve women's health, empower communities and minimize environmental impact through a unique business model that combines using sustainable raw materials to manufacture our product which is sourced ethically, striving for a circular economy where waste is upcycled, minimized or eliminated and addressing the social taboo around menstruation. They believe that social and environmental issues are interconnected and require a holistic approach.