Emily Morton, Senior Sustainability Specialist, City of Renton, Washington
Why did you join the EECBG Program Blueprint Cohorts?
Our team had big aspirations for implementing and growing our energy efficiency programs at the city, but with limited budget and staff capacity, we needed efficient and knowledgeable support to help us plan and execute projects. We joined the Blueprint Cohorts to tap into expertise from Electrification Coalition and ACEEE, and also for an opportunity to learn from and bounce ideas off of peers.
Why did you choose your cohort, specifically?
We joined the cohort for Blueprint 2A (Energy Efficiency - Energy Audits & Building Upgrades), because our EECBG project tracks with that Blueprint. We joined cohorts for Blueprints 4A (Electric Vehicles & Fleet Electrification) and 4B (EV Charging Infrastructure for the Community) because we are also actively working on projects related to EV fleet transition and charging infrastructure, and the Blueprints have been an incredibly helpful way to track our progress, look at next steps and plan for the future. The EV landscape is rapidly changing, and with limited staff and funding, can be hard to stay on top of. The cohorts have been a great way to learn and stay up to date on the most relevant changes and evolutions in the EV sphere. The cohorts have also been helpful for learning from peers about stumbling blocks and avoiding potential pitfalls and getting expert feedback from facilitators.
What impact has participating in an EECBG Blueprint Cohort had on your EECBG Program project or other local clean energy and efficiency work?
Our participation in the EECBG Blueprint Cohorts have helped expedite progress with our clean energy and efficiency-related project, by helping us avoid or navigate pitfalls. We have learned from peer best practices and expert advice, which allows us to develop better, more effective programs.
What have you learned, and how has it helped your government?
Particularly for our EV-related projects, the cohorts have helped us keep up-to-date in a rapidly changing EV landscape. When our projects are more efficient and successful, we use our funding and resources more effectively and provide better service to the residents, businesses, and visitors of Renton.
What has been your favorite part of participating in the Blueprint Cohorts, so far?
Hearing success stories from peers has been one of my favorite parts - often we focus on the challenges, so it is inspiring to hear about how fellow cities have successfully delivered their projects. Another favorite element is the organization of the cohorts: content is organized logically, and it a way that makes it easy to track along with our own projects. Additionally, having easy access to industry experts has been invaluable to us and has truly improved the quality of our energy efficiency/clean energy projects, without requiring us to spend a lot of funding on contracts and consultants.
