Cities across North America are paving the way for wide-spread building electrification. Although there are many benefits associated with going all-electric, there are also many barriers that stand in the way.
Building Electrification Institute acts as resource for cities in their equitable transition to building electrification through education, training, and program support. They work with 11 different cities, providing them with the necessary “tools in their toolbox” to ensure their buildings are as energy efficient, healthy, equitable, and cost effective as they need to be.
In this episode, our host Robb and guest Laura talk about electrification strategies, costs, and the importance of policy as it relates to building electrification and climate goals in cities.

Episode Guest: Laura Tajima

 
Laura Tajima works across many of Building Electrification Institute’s cities overseeing and implementing projects to advance equitable building electrification. Laura was previously with the NYC Mayor’s Office of Sustainability, where she worked on policies and programs to decarbonize buildings and often led the office’s technical analysis and research. Laura has a Master of Science in Sustainability Management from Columbia University.
 
 
 
 
Episode Information & Resources

* Pragmatists for Clean Air– https://pragmatistsforcleanair.org/

* An open source project for all-electric buildings in Utah supporting building professionals with plans and data on all-electric construction.

* The Greenlining Institute– https://greenlining.org/

* An organization focused on racial and economic justice, including working on the challenges and opportunities that building electrification presents for low-income communities.

* Emerald Cities Collaborative– https://emeraldcities.org/

* National non-profit working to create high-road local economies, including developing programs and initiatives around building electrification, training, and transitioning the workforce.

* Inclusive Economics–