BE-Ex welcomes new Projects Associate, Christian Bergland, and Programs Associate, Will DiMaggio to the team!
Christian Bergland
1. Share your favorite energy factoid.
While geologically active countries like Iceland and New Zealand get all the love, the
United States actually leads the world in geothermal energy production.
2. What energy campaign would you start in your office or want to share with
other offices?
Though not directly energy-related, composting! Having grown up on an erstwhile farm
on a mountaintop in Massachusetts, composting is second-nature to me. Anaerobic
decomposition of food in landfills represents a major, often overlooked source of
greenhouse gases globally, and composting represents an easy way for offices to limit
their GHG footprints.
3. What are you currently reading?
I have a terrible (great?) habit of reading several books at any given time. Having
focused on paring down my pile, I’m currently working on Stalking the Wild Asparagus,
a wild food foraging guide (just in time for spring); Song for the Blue Ocean, focusing on
the science, politics, and lived experience of the global fishing industry; and The
Overstory, dubbed “the best novel ever written about trees.” I have no idea what I’ll
finish first.
4. What are some ways you reduce your carbon footprint at home?
Having been exposed to circular economy thinking while studying at Carnegie Mellon, I
have tried to integrate it into my everyday life. This means – you guessed it –
composting, but also repurposing food scraps into something new (and delicious),
minimizing meat consumption, and repairing clothing and shoes when possible.
5. What is your personal superpower?
An ability to think that the Mets might actually be good this year for about three weeks
every season. Hope springs eternal.
Will DiMaggio
1. Share your favorite energy factoid.
A classic but important nonetheless — cities, while only two percent of world’s landmass, consume over two-thirds of the world’s energy and account for more than seventy percent of global CO2 emissions. A great indication of why we need to focus in on cities when talking about energy efficiency and climate change mitigation.
2. What energy campaign would you start in your office or want to share with
other offices?
At NRDC’s NYC office, I was able to lead a zero-waste effort as part of the Office of Sustainability’s Zero Waste Challenge. These programs have a lot of energy-related benefits. Take composting — beyond the climate impact (reducing methane emissions), there’s an opportunity to generate biogas, and you’re substituting away from synthetic fertilizers.
3. What are you currently reading?
Ocean of Sound by David Toop, and a book about IoT, recommended by another BE-Ex “Meet the Board” post.
4. What are some ways you reduce your carbon footprint at home?
I compost regularly, turn off lights and unplug appliances, minimize AC use, opt for local goods when possible, things like that.
5. What is your personal superpower?
My ability to stay calm, cool, and collected during hectic times.