Embedding Environmental Advocates: EDF Climate Corps

Abstract

Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), a nonprofit organization founded in 1967, combines policy, economics, and science to design market-based solutions to environmental problems in climate and energy, toxins and human health, oceans and fisheries, and ecosystems. In 2007, EDF had noted that while energy efficiency was widely understood as valuable, both as a business solution and as a climate solution, adoption rates among large corporations were surprisingly low. As a result, it began exploring potential solutions. To accelerate corporate adoption of energy-efficient solutions, EDF designed Climate Corps, a program that places top-tier graduate students as Climate Corps fellows inside corporations. Over a 10–12-week summer, Climate Corps fellows design customized energy efficiency proposals for their host organizations with the business case for return on investment. Since the program’s inception, fellows have identified $1.5 billion in potential energy cost savings, and 90 % of host organizations have implemented at least one recommendation from their Climate Corps fellows. Today, the EDF Climate Corps network consists of over 1000 people who work on a broad array of energy and sustainability issues. This successful partnership between EDF and large organizations produces value for the participants, supports EDF’s climate agenda, and has created an effective cadre of engaged climate change professionals from its alumni.