Stuart Powell
Climate Entrepreneur, Author, & Advocate
About
Climate change is the biggest issue to face humanity in our lifetime. It will take millions of people coming together to save our planet. That's why I decided to dedicate my life to this issue, as I'm passionate about making a difference.
I began my career in policy in the nation's capital, working at a policy advisory and consulting firm which was started by Ted Kennedy Jr. I saw how government could bring about big changes, as I saw the implementation of the Affordable Care Act and how it brought healthcare access to millions of Americans.
After 5 years in DC, I decided it was time for a career change, and I moved back to my home state of North Carolina. I wanted to move into sustainability, so I luckily found a startup called TransLoc, which provided technology in the mobility space. Public transit was an important part of my life when I lived in DC, so I knew a startup in this space could be impactful. Eventually, we were acquired by Ford Mobility (the innovation of Ford Motor Co).
In 2017, I had a wake up call from climate change, when hurricanes devastated parts of the US and Caribbean with Harvey, Irma, and Maria in a short time span. This was all happening the same month as my wedding, so my wife and I weren't sure if it would hit North Carolina. We were lucky, but thousands of people were not.
The second wake up call happened shortly after that during our honeymoon, when an oil spill happened off of the port that were leaving near Athens. I was seeing news on Twitter about the locals being devastated that their beaches and fishing spots had been destroyed by this oil spill. It was back-to-back signs from the universe of the direct impacts of climate change and fossil fuels.
After spending a year of doing research, I decided that policy was the best solution to address the climate crisis. I decided to write a book called EcoShot, which was about how the US needs a moonshot goal in order to compete in this new industrial revolution.
The book then lead me to realize that we need to mobilize around a grand vision for a better world. In order to achieve that vision, we needed collective action all across the US and the world. That's what led to the launching EcoApp, a mobile app that puts "the climate movement at your fingertips."
I'm now working to build a climate coalition today for a better tomorrow.
The Book
About the book:
It's a serendipitous time in history. The world is transitioning into the next industrial revolution — the Clean Revolution — which will transition the global economy away from fossil fuels and towards cleantech. The energy and transportation sectors account for a combined $4 trillion economic opportunity, which will only grow as the population and the middle class grow around the globe over the coming decades. Transitioning to a global clean economy will lead to the greatest economic opportunity for the most innovative countries.
Over the past three decades, China has made significant investments in cleantech through supportive industrial policies, making Chinese companies the top manufacturers for solar, wind, and electric vehicles. China is also entering the driver seat for climate leadership, as the US plans to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement.
We have a new space race against China, and it's time to launch a moonshot-scale initiative to regain our innovative leadership. America's national leaders need to put policies in place to ensure America is part of this $4 trillion opportunity by putting forward bold policies to support American scientists, investors, businesses, and jobs through innovation, tax reform, regulatory reform, and state grants. The door is closing to catch up to China and to address carbon emissions. It's time to mobilize as a nation and launch an EcoShot!
EcoApp
Contact
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