Planetary Solutions in Clean Energy Fellow Feature: Emily Khym

The Yale Center for Business and the Environment (CBEY)'s Planetary Solutions in Clean Energy Fellowship matches 10 undergraduate and graduate students with non-profit, low-profit, and governmental organizations committed to energy equity and the deployment of clean energy into low- and middle-income communities. The program provides summer research and internship opportunities to students at Yale who are committed to advancing energy equity and pursuing a career in the clean energy field. The Forum had the pleasure of speaking with Emily, a rising junior at Yale College pursuing a Political Science degree with a certificate in Energy Studies. Emily is a summer fellow at the Virginia Conservation Network (VCN) experiencing clean energy policy hands-on and shaping her understanding of conservation and environmental action in Virginia. VCN is a coalition with over 150 network partners working across the state to protect land and waterways and to promote sustainable energy, land use, and transportation practices.

 

What initially drew you to the Virginia Conservation Network, and what excited you most about working with them this summer?

 

I was drawn to VCN because I’m really interested in the connection between policy, economics, and energy. I think there's a lot of potential in the future of energy information, and I wanted to see how policy can impact our environment — especially in places like Virginia, where regional policy is shaped by a lot of large institutions.

 

It’s exciting to work in a network like this that brings together so many different nonprofit organizations. I’m not only working with VCN, I’m also connecting with other environmental nonprofits. That’s what makes it really exciting — being part of a bigger group that’s trying to figure out energy policy and how to actually advocate for it, especially since energy is such a big factor in helping the environment.

 

Can you share what your main responsibilities or projects are during your fellowship? What does a typical day look like for you?

 

I’m working with my supervisors, Wes Gobar and McKenna Dunbar, on the Virginia Green Buildings policy. The main goal is to lobby for stronger energy efficiency and green building policies in Richmond, Virginia. That includes model stretch codes, energy benchmarking, and building codes, because Virginia currently doesn’t have those.

 

Right now, my day-to-day is a lot of research. I’m creating spreadsheets and organizing data on what other states have done. For example, Colorado is a leader in benchmarking, so we spoke with the operations manager in Denver to see how they developed their ordinance.

 

Since Virginia is a Dillon Rule state, it creates challenges for passing local ordinances. We might run into legal hurdles where we have to pass state legislation to even allow benchmarking ordinances in places like Richmond.

 

VCN works across several focus areas — Healthy Rivers, Clean Energy and Climate, Land Conservation, and Land Use and Transportation. Which of these areas does your summer work touch on, and how?

 

My work mainly focuses on clean energy and green buildings. Sometimes I do work around rivers or transportation through VCN work, but my main area is energy efficiency and how it relates to environmental policy.

 

How does your role support or interact with VCN’s larger network of over 150 partner organizations across the Commonwealth?

 

Each fellow is assigned to an organization within VCN’s network. The network has been super helpful — I’ve been able to reach out to other organizations and learn from them. I also attend a monthly energy meeting that brings together a lot of different groups. That’s helped me get a better understanding of what’s happening in Virginia and connect with people I find interesting or whose work stands out to me.

 

Have you had the opportunity to collaborate with or learn from colleagues at other conservation organizations through VCN’s network? If so, what stood out to you?

 

Yes, I’ve had the opportunity to learn from people at other organizations through VCN. I haven’t worked directly with all of them, but I’ve been surprised by how collaborative everyone is. Even though VCN is a small team, they manage so many different groups. It’s like they’re the umbrella for all these other organizations. Everyone has been so welcoming, and my supervisor has been amazing — he helped me understand the importance of work-life balance in the nonprofit space, which I really appreciate.

 

What’s something you’ve learned so far this summer that has surprised or inspired you about conservation work in Virginia?

 

Something that’s really inspired me is just the amount of motivation and effort people put into this work. It’s rare to be in a space where people actually want to come to work and explore what’s happening — but here, I see that every day, and it motivates me too. It’s also affirmed that there are people who care deeply about the future of the environment and energy. That’s important to me, because I was drawn to energy through my interest in the American political economy, and energy is such a big part of that. Another big takeaway has been the importance of marketing — especially in areas where there’s a lot of controversy or debate. It matters how you communicate, who you’re targeting, and how you frame energy efficiency as something worth investing in — not just now, but for future generations.

 

Looking ahead, how do you see this experience influencing your academic or career path? Has it shifted or affirmed any of your goals?

 

This experience has really affirmed my interest in energy. I was already curious about it because of my interest in political economy, and now I’ve gotten to explore the policy side more deeply. I think I’d like to keep looking into the economics side too, since I’ve gotten more familiar with the policy piece. Energy is the future and I want to be part of figuring out what comes next.