Posted by Rosana Francescato
Anyone who was lucky enough to attend the recent Women in Cleantech and Sustainability (WCS) happy hour knows that for founder Lisa Ann Pinkerton, the organization is a labor of love — one that springs out of a deep love for our planet. At the happy hour, she told us about early experiences that led her to realize how precious our earth is. And she offered hope for its future.
The metamorphosis is now
That began with a quote from Rachel Carson, author of Silent Spring: “We stand now where two roads diverge. The road we have long been traveling is deceptively easy, a smooth superhighway on which we progress with great speed, but at its end lies disaster. The other fork of the road — the one less traveled by — offers our last, our only chance to reach a destination that assures the preservation of the earth.”
Anyone who was lucky enough to attend the recent Women in Cleantech and Sustainability (WCS) happy hour knows that for founder Lisa Ann Pinkerton, the organization is a labor of love — one that springs out of a deep love for our planet. At the happy hour, she told us about early experiences that led her to realize how precious our earth is. And she offered hope for its future.
The metamorphosis is now
That began with a quote from Rachel Carson, author of Silent Spring: “We stand now where two roads diverge. The road we have long been traveling is deceptively easy, a smooth superhighway on which we progress with great speed, but at its end lies disaster. The other fork of the road — the one less traveled by — offers our last, our only chance to reach a destination that assures the preservation of the earth.”
Pinkerton believes this crossroads has led us to a metamorphosis — one that is happening now. What’s out? The top-down way we’ve been operating. What’s in? Unlimited networks.
And who’s great at networking, making connections, and working in a more inclusive, circular manner? Women. With our ability to multitask, keeping our families and careers going simultaneously, women are particularly well-equipped to manage today’s complex issues — the most pressing of which is our environment.
If this sounds good to you, you might want to consider getting more involved with WCS. You can be part of achieving our mission: To foster an influential network of professionals to further the roles of women in growing the green economy and making a positive impact on the environment.
And who’s great at networking, making connections, and working in a more inclusive, circular manner? Women. With our ability to multitask, keeping our families and careers going simultaneously, women are particularly well-equipped to manage today’s complex issues — the most pressing of which is our environment.
If this sounds good to you, you might want to consider getting more involved with WCS. You can be part of achieving our mission: To foster an influential network of professionals to further the roles of women in growing the green economy and making a positive impact on the environment.
Opportunities to get involved with WCS
At WCS, we’ve been making changes to our own organization to facilitate our working together toward this goal. Our org chart is now circular — after all, we are women, so it was no wonder that the male model wasn’t working for us. Everyone is now empowered to take an active role and make decisions, so we all have a chance to lead and shine. And we sprinkle in a healthy dose of fun events to make it a truly enjoyable experience for all.
We have a range of opportunities that you can participate in, at different levels of commitment. We’re looking for both Board Members (especially Marketing Joint Chairs) and volunteers to move our mission and vision forward.
Any Board Member (or members working together) can start a project and take it through to completion. Even volunteers can start a project, and we’re looking for some to help us plan events. Once a project is approved, the member (or volunteer) can get guidance from our manual as they organize the project, and they are assigned a Board Mentor that they can go to with ideas, questions, and concerns.
What does a Board Member do? Board Members participate in leadership, help shape events, manage our ongoing activities, and mentor volunteers. We ask that Board Members make a 1- to 2-year commitment. Current board needs include two Marketing Joint Chairs, Event Planning Joint Chairs, a Treasurer, and Board Mentors.
What does a volunteer do? Volunteers can focus on one project at a time, teaming up with a Board Mentor. This means helping to plan, promote, and manage an event. Other opportunities for volunteers include marketing, guest blogging, working on our newsletter and social media, and helping with research.
Upcoming events and percolating ideas
To give you an idea of what’s cooking, here’s our events lineup for the coming year, in addition to our current events:
2015 events:
At WCS, we’ve been making changes to our own organization to facilitate our working together toward this goal. Our org chart is now circular — after all, we are women, so it was no wonder that the male model wasn’t working for us. Everyone is now empowered to take an active role and make decisions, so we all have a chance to lead and shine. And we sprinkle in a healthy dose of fun events to make it a truly enjoyable experience for all.
We have a range of opportunities that you can participate in, at different levels of commitment. We’re looking for both Board Members (especially Marketing Joint Chairs) and volunteers to move our mission and vision forward.
Any Board Member (or members working together) can start a project and take it through to completion. Even volunteers can start a project, and we’re looking for some to help us plan events. Once a project is approved, the member (or volunteer) can get guidance from our manual as they organize the project, and they are assigned a Board Mentor that they can go to with ideas, questions, and concerns.
What does a Board Member do? Board Members participate in leadership, help shape events, manage our ongoing activities, and mentor volunteers. We ask that Board Members make a 1- to 2-year commitment. Current board needs include two Marketing Joint Chairs, Event Planning Joint Chairs, a Treasurer, and Board Mentors.
What does a volunteer do? Volunteers can focus on one project at a time, teaming up with a Board Mentor. This means helping to plan, promote, and manage an event. Other opportunities for volunteers include marketing, guest blogging, working on our newsletter and social media, and helping with research.
Upcoming events and percolating ideas
To give you an idea of what’s cooking, here’s our events lineup for the coming year, in addition to our current events:
2015 events:
- February – Divesting from Coal
- March Co-Hosted Happy Hour
- April – Virtual Summit
- May – Future of Sustainable Transportation
- June Silicon Valley Co-Host Happy Hour
- July – Solar Happy Hour
- September – Meet the Board Happy Hour & WCS Talks 2015 — to follow on the huge success of our inaugural event last month
- October – Elections panel
- December – Holiday Happy Hour
Yearlong research ideas:
- Green companies with female Board Members
- Green companies with females in the C-Suite
- Green companies with family benefits
Yearlong organizational ideas:
- Grant search & application
- Budgeting and tracking
- Update website
- New logo
Join the metamorphosis!
We’re looking for women who want to be at the forefront of the metamorphosis. What will you get? Business skills you can take to your career, a chance to take your “Green Game” to the next level and be part of a thriving sisterhood — and, of course, a way to have fun!
Interested? Contact us! What do you want to create? We want to hear from you.
Rosana Francescato is Director of Communications at Sunible.com, an online marketplace that’s radically simplifying the home solar buying experience. She’s on the board of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability and the steering committee of theLocal Clean Energy Alliance. She’s been the top individual fundraiser at the GRID Alternatives Bay Area Solarthon five years in a row.
We’re looking for women who want to be at the forefront of the metamorphosis. What will you get? Business skills you can take to your career, a chance to take your “Green Game” to the next level and be part of a thriving sisterhood — and, of course, a way to have fun!
Interested? Contact us! What do you want to create? We want to hear from you.
Rosana Francescato is Director of Communications at Sunible.com, an online marketplace that’s radically simplifying the home solar buying experience. She’s on the board of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability and the steering committee of theLocal Clean Energy Alliance. She’s been the top individual fundraiser at the GRID Alternatives Bay Area Solarthon five years in a row.
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