Last month, I had the pleasure of attending a climate tech meetup in Madison Square Park. The event was hosted by NY Climate Tech, a hybrid newsletter/special interest group on Substack. At the meetup, I had the opportunity to speak with so many bright minds in and adjacent to the climate tech industry. This is also where I met Alec Turnbull, the organizer of the Climate Tech Substack and the Founder/CEO of ScopeTwo. Alec brings with him a long history of software development, professional climate activism, SaaS product management, and community building.

ScopeTwo is a SaaS tool for startup to mid-size companies that aim to transition to renewable energy. It tracks the energy usage of a business, and provides a platform to purchase equivalent energy credits, which can then be pooled with similar companies to make a sizable impact on the renewable energy industry.

A couple weeks later, I had the pleasure of speaking 1:1 with Alec regarding some topics related to the climate tech space. We discussed topics related to larger pressures on the industry, while also discussing how individuals can look to align their careers closer with the fight against climate change. So, let’s get into it.

Tell me about your story. What motivates you to take charge in the climate industry?

Initially, we discussed Alec’s original reasons for getting into the climate industry. His impetus was a resolution spurred by the current evidence of climate change in the real world, as opposed to a goal to reach by 2050. The realization that climate change is a contemporary problem with contemporary effects. From this point, I reflected on the examples of world changing effects like the storms on the east coast, flooding in south Asia, and unseasonably warm temperatures throughout the year.

Alec started his involvement by jumping into the space on a self-directed learning journey. He employed and recommended resources like My Climate Journey, Project Drawdown, and the Ondeck Climate Fellowship. Additional resources for networking that were important in this effort were Meetup and Substack. We also touched on Alec’s change in career from software engineering to product management, and how this transformation is common in a lot of engineers that choose to enter the climate space.

When I followed up with a question about how it could be possible to start working on tasks that could have real effects within the industry before having a dedicated position, Alec raised the opportunity of bringing sustainable practices to my current position. Mainly, what efforts are my current company undertaking in fighting the climate crisis, and what can I do to assist?

The elections are today and based on their results it may be hard to keep driving federal funding towards tackling climate change. Where do you think the responsibility for handling these issues will lie in the next few years, and what can people do to keep the push going?

It was necessary to discuss this topic as we had this conversation on November 7th, the day where a good portion of Americans casted their ballots for candidates to represent their communities in congress. Projections showed that we would likely have a Republican controlled legislature, but as we know now control is split between the House and Senate. However, this means federal legislation on climate will most likely be paused for the next two years at the very least. So, who would lead the focus on climate in American government?

Alec pointed out that the state governments have been and will continue to focus on their own, radical climate initiatives no matter what happens in Washington D.C.. States like New York and California have economies larger than most countries, and as a result have sustainability programs with massive impact. They can define market trends with their economic influence, that can have widespread effects outside of the state. Government organizations like EPA also function at the state level.

We then shifted the conversation over to policy decisions in state governments. While it was important that Hochul won the election for Governor, ultimately the policy put in place by the winning party is what matters. Organizations like the Spring Street Climate fund have power to influence policy and effects through the market. NY state residents can also affect policy decisions, by participating in local government. In a city like New York, “local” politics can affect a population many times the size of most countries. Local Law 97 resulted from local politics, and can be supported by any resident. Public utility commissions are also affected, which then affects the energy infrastructure and how sustainable we choose to make it.

Alec finished off this discussion by bringing it back to the open market. While policy is important, we cannot rely on it completely. Private investment, especially from sustainability-friendly businesses on the tech side will be necessary. While it is a capitalist outlook, if sustainable products are better than the alternative people are more likely to use them! A combination of sound marketing and development practices will be important to drive overall adoption.

How did you get the ball rolling on NY Climate Tech and other Volunteer Efforts you’ve done?

The most pressing question I had going into this conversation was regarding the story behind NY Climate tech. New York has countless climate policy advocate groups, and even more general networking circles. The space is incredibly daunting as someone who moved to the city within the last 2 years. Finding the Climate Tech newsletter came by chance to me, after a brief conversation with another professional in the Climate tech space during a product manager meetup. I wanted to find out how these initiatives get started, and how could someone possibly get to the point where they could start aggregating all these events together in one location.

Unsurprisingly, Alec’s answer lied in the development of a network centered around climate. Finding local activism groups and working on problems with them builds a base of experience, which can then be leveraged to find other similar groups. Alec started by doing this, and organically started to aggregate events he came across over time. Local groups are the key for mobilization.

One of the recurring questions I got from people during the meetup were from people like me, those whose jobs are at standard profit driven companies who are looking for a change in what they aim to do. What would you want to say to people getting started in that position?

I asked this question to document the response, so I could shamelessly refer to it later as a guide for my career journey. However, it is true that most of the attendees at events like these are doing so to build a network that can assist with a career transition to climate. Most professionals came to this realization long after graduating university, which makes learning/credentialing nonlinear.

Alec’s first point applied specifically to those in my situation (working at a large, established, corporation). Bigger companies have initiatives in almost every sector, including ESG. While you may not be working in a climate role now, it is likely that at a large company there are people who work there. Connecting with those coworkers is key in finding out where opportunities may lie at the company you already work for. In addition, they can connect you with learning initiatives, advocacy groups, and similarly minded professionals. Outside of work, organizations like Climate Tech NYC exist, with many online communities and in-person meetup groups. Ultimately, taking the initial dive and focusing on self-driven learning is key to making the transition.

Talk about the impetus for ScopeTwo, the issues you want to tackle with it, and where you see it going?

Before we finished speaking, I wanted to get some information regarding ScopeTwo. Mainly, how does it benefits climate and the environment alike?

We first talked about the overall state of the carbon credit marketplace. Alec talked about the need for companies to buy carbon credits to reach their renewable energy goals. Bigger companies can fund their own teams or hire brokers to evaluate the right options and determine the quantity/type of credits to purchase to meet their goals. These options aren’t truly available for small and midsize company. ScopeTwo exists to help companies in this middle area by monitoring energy usage, calculating the right options, and grouping purchases together for carbon credit purchases with higher impact. This allows for smaller companies to ensure that their money is going to tangible causes.