Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI)

The Multiple Benefits of Federal Housing and Energy Programs

Please RSVP to expedite check-in
A live webcast will be streamed at 2:00 PM EST at www.eesi.org/livecast (wireless connection permitting)
Energy Efficiency for All (EEFA) and the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invite you to a "101" briefing about federal programs that reduce housing and energy cost burdens for people in need. National policy experts who interact closely with state and local organizations will provide an overview of key programs, including statutory authority and appropriations, and how they impact the lives of recipients. Panelists will discuss how energy efficiency services result in lower home energy bills, which is critical for low-income families that spend a greater percentage of their income on energy.

Reframing Energy for the 21st Century

Please RSVP to expedite check-in
A live webcast will be streamed at 3:00 PM EST at www.eesi.org/livecast (wireless connection permitting)
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to a facilitated discussion on how we can make our economy much more energy-efficient, to generate wealth and combat climate change. In 2018, the 329 million residents of the United States spent more than $1.1 trillion to meet their many energy needs. Current projections suggest those expenditures—whether to light and cool homes, power business enterprises, or enable daily commutes—may triple to $3.4 trillion (in nominal dollars) by the year 2050. Shockingly, a huge share of that spending is wasted. As detailed in a variety of recent studies, the U.S. economy may only be 16 percent energy-efficient. In other words, an estimated 84 percent of the energy resources consumed within American communities are wasted.

Energy Efficiency: America’s Job-Creation Powerhouse

Please RSVP to expedite check-in
A live webcast will be streamed at 3:00 PM EDT at www.eesi.org/livecast (wireless connection permitting)
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) and E4TheFuture invite you to a briefing on the growing number of Americans employed in the energy efficiency sector. The latest report from the nonprofit groups E4TheFuture and Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2) reveals a vibrant and growing part of the economy focused on helping homeowners and businesses make the most of their power supply. The briefing will showcase the perspectives of industry analysts and insiders on why energy efficiency is one of the most dynamic parts of the U.S. economy today.

Wood: The Building Material of the Future?

Please RSVP to expedite check-in
A live webcast will be streamed at 3:00 PM EDT at www.eesi.org/livecast (wireless connection permitting)
In recognition of National Forest Products Week, the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to learn more about an innovative class of structural wood building materials, known as mass timber, which is poised to open up new markets for sustainable, domestic forestry products. Mass-timber products, such as cross-laminated timber (CLT) (dubbed "plywood on steroids"), consist of lumber panels layered and joined together, creating a strong, safe, and sustainable building material.
The unique properties of mass timber differentiate it from light-frame construction and include fire safety, resistance to seismic and explosive forces, thermal performance, and aesthetics. A light, renewable material, its use not only lowers carbon emissions from the building sector but also provides long-term carbon storage—turning buildings into carbon sinks. Policymakers are interested in mass timber for its role in rural economic development, forest health and preservation, resilient infrastructure, and climate change mitigation. This briefing will bring together experts to tell the emerging story of the U.S. mass timber industry and how to capitalize on its potential.

How Businesses, Cities, and States Are Leading Climate Action Efforts

Please RSVP to expedite check-in
A live webcast will be streamed at 2:00 PM EDT at www.eesi.org/livecast (wireless connection permitting)
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) and the Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE) invite you to a briefing on some of the outcomes of the Global Climate Action Summit, which was held in San Francisco September 12-14. The briefing will showcase some of the carbon reduction actions being taken by a wide range of sub-national actors, including states, regions, cities, and companies.
The summit, the first of its kind, brought together 4,500 representatives to discuss what can be done at the regional and local levels to meet the Paris Climate Agreement goal of keeping global warming well below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit). Co-hosts included California Governor Jerry Brown, former mayor of New York and now U.N. Special Envoy for Climate Action Michael Bloomberg, and China's Special Representative for Climate Change Affairs, Xie Zhenhua, who headed a 120-strong Chinese delegation. Participants included the mayors of Beijing, Bonn, Dacca, Mexico City, Paris, and Tokyo, as well as the CEOs of Unilever, Kaiser Permanente, and Starbucks—among many others.

Federal Programs for Energy and Housing

Please RSVP to expedite check-in
A live webcast will be streamed at 9:00 AM EDT at www.eesi.org/livecast (wireless connection permitting)
Energy Efficiency for All (EEFA) and the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invite you to a briefing to discuss the role of energy efficiency in reducing the cost of housing, especially for low-income families who must spend a greater percentage of their income on energy bills and so have a heavier “energy burden” than higher-income households. According to a 2016 study of America’s largest cities by EEFA and the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), the median low-income household spent 7.2 percent of its income on energy, twice as much as the median for all households (3.5 percent). The energy burden is even greater for rural households. A new EEFA/ACEEE report released this month finds that rural households have a median energy burden of 4.4 percent, and rural low-income households are even worse off, shouldering a median energy burden of 9 percent. In this forum, a panel of experts on housing and energy policy will review federal energy efficiency services and programs that are serving the most vulnerable U.S. citizens.

Decommissioning Nuclear Power Plants

Please RSVP to expedite check-in
A live webcast will be streamed at 2:00 PM EDT at www.eesi.org/livecast (wireless connection permitting)
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to a briefing on the urgent need to safely decommission nuclear power plants, which are increasingly shutting down. The United States is facing a significant wave of nuclear plant closures for which it is unprepared. Most of the existing U.S. reactor fleet will inevitably close over the next two decades, as plants near the end of their operational lifespans. Decommissioning is the process of dismantling the closed plant and securing or removing radioactive waste while lowering the site’s residual radioactivity to safer levels. Getting decommissioning right is critical to communities’ health and safety, while getting it wrong could pose an existential threat.
Leading scientists, policy experts, NGO advocates, and local elected officials with experience on decommissioning will speak at the briefing. It will cover the impacts of decommissioning, current decommissioning options, waste storage vs. transport, thorny unsolved problems and best practices, financing and liability, a just transition for communities and workers, how communities and states can and can’t weigh in on these issues, and how they should inform the fast-changing legislative and regulatory landscape.

The State of Germany’s Energy Transition

Please RSVP to expedite check-in
A live webcast will be streamed at 12:00 PM EDT at www.eesi.org/livecast (wireless connection permitting)
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) and the Embassy of Germany invite you to a briefing showcasing how Germany has been successfully integrating renewable energy into its electrical grid and decoupling energy demand from economic growth. Indeed, Germany's energy policies have led to the creation of new, technologically advanced industries and the addition of about 350,000 jobs. High-level representatives from the public and private sectors on both sides of the Atlantic will discuss parallels between the German and American economies and how the United States may benefit from energy policies Germany has developed and implemented over the course of its nearly 20 year-long national Energiewende ("energy transition") program.

Biogas as a Waste Management Solution

Please RSVP to expedite check-in
A live webcast will be streamed at 2:00 PM EDT at www.eesi.org/livecast (wireless connection permitting)
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) and the American Biogas Council (ABC) invite you to a briefing about the numerous challenges posed by organic wastes—to human health, water and air quality, and to businesses that must manage these wastes—and how anaerobic digestion offers solutions to these pressing issues. Anaerobic digestion is the process of converting organic materials, typically viewed as wastes, into usable products, including biogas, renewable natural gas (RNG), as well as valuable organic fertilizer and compost. These biogas systems turn a waste management issue into a revenue opportunity for America’s farms, dairies, food processing, and wastewater treatment industries. Speakers for this forum will discuss the tremendous opportunities for rural and urban communities alike to use anaerobic digestion systems to foster healthy communities and businesses.

Growing Jobs and Rural Economies: The Farm Bill’s Energy Title

Please RSVP to expedite check-in
A live webcast will be streamed at 2:00 PM EDT at www.eesi.org/livecast (wireless connection permitting)
Since their inception in the 2002 Farm Bill, Energy Title (Title IX) programs have helped farmers, ranchers, small businesses, and rural communities generate thousands of jobs and millions in economic development. The sectors impacted by the Energy Title range from renewable energy—including wind, solar, geothermal, biogas, and advanced biofuels—as well as energy efficiency and biobased chemicals and products. The Farm Bill Energy Title programs have played an important role in the greater diversification of rural economies across the country.
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) and the Agriculture Energy Coalition invite you to a briefing examining the outsized positive impact on rural America of the investments made through the Energy Title and how to make its suite of innovative programs even stronger.