From Top To Bottomby Laura Kirkpatrick
For Mica Odom, a summer spent with the Clinton Foundation’s Climate Initiative in Houston, TX was a summer spent trying to mesh hearts and minds. Not heart and mind in the Robert McNamara sense of the phrase, but in reconciling the cerebral with the emotive, the theoretical with the practical, the academic with the person on the street. Hearts and minds in the sense that in your heart you know you should recycle, but your mind says you’re one of 8 million people on the island of Manhattan alone, what good do the acts of one person do.
For Odom, who spent the summer in Houston as a Summer Fellow through Columbia Business School’s Social Enterprise Program, her position was the ideal blend of both of her passions, and her background, which will also hopefully help her transition from a non-profit and policy background to a career in the green business sector – her goal after achieving her MBA from Columbia.
“I have always been in love with nature and would spend every second outdoors if I were able. I enjoy camping, hiking, rock climbing, biking and snowboarding. Nature – it is where I do my best thinking,” says Odom of her passion. “My passion for environmental sustainability has evolved from that bond with the natural world.”
Climate change, to Odom, is her generation’s greatest challenge, and one with a great many opportunities, with changes to lead revolutionizing endeavors that make a substantial difference. Her desire to drive positive and sustainable impacts in the environmental sector is what lead her to Columbia’s Social Enterprise Program, which prepares students to be leaders driving double and triple bottom line ventures.
And through this program, she spent the summer in Houston, working on a wide variety of issues, including advancing the design of a residential energy efficiency retrofit program, building a financial model intended to raise capital for the opening of four new, local composting sites, lobbying on legislation drafted to reduce carbon emissions and assisting in the creation of a grassroots community outreach program that educates Houston residents about environmental sustainability and energy efficient lifestyle changes. Odom has had to use her full business school arsenal, as she has dealt with and needed to communicate to engineers, business leaders, bureaucrats and policymakers.
The Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI) is less than two years old, but has already transitioned Houston to new LED light intersections and a hybrid fleet of city vehicles, and is aggressively targeting buildings and residences for energy efficiency retrofits.
“The work we do here, though, seems to be even more challenging because Houston is the fourth largest city in the nation and most everyone drives a car, especially SUVs,” notes Odom. “We are a nation dependent on oil, and because Houston is the energy hub of this nation, I would venture to say that the region I am working in is the MOST dependent of any other city in the US. So, the greatest challenge isn’t that CCI is only two years old, its that people are just now becoming aware of climate change and CCI is way ahead of the curve – what we’re proposing is sometimes daunting for the everyday consumer.” Odom points out that many people have worked on environmental initiatives for years and are only now gaining a voice on a national level.
How well are people listening? Odom points out that even Walmart, the nation’s largest retailer, has started to demand that its suppliers adopt sustainable practices and threatens to stop doing business with those that don’t comply. Walmart’s support of this initiative will have an enormous impact on the retail industry, as suppliers will need to meet these demands to remain comptetitve. It is nothing but positive for the environment. And, in most cases, the bottom line.
“When I met the Director of Sustainability for Wal-Mart, she did not have greenhouse gas reduction in mind for the proposed Houston composting sites.” Odom wrily recounts. “She wanted hard numbers that could be analyzed and projected over a ten year period. She was concerned more with her company’s bottom line than its carbon footprint.
The most engaging aspect of her work this summer was interacting with state-elected officials and their staff regarding emissions reduction legislation. To Odom, the best model for profit was engaging the consumer with and educating them about what government subsidies exist. Even the strongest solar company with the best tools, technology and sales staff needs customers who can afford their goods to stay in business for very long. Odom looks to the upcoming change in political administrations to drive pro-conservation decisions that will re-build our nation and set an example for others. Government must mandate the direction companies take, especially in this new economy. Companies must comply with federal and state laws, so it all begins at the Capitol.
“I am thrilled to be a part of something that puts social enterprise into action instead of sitting on the sidelines with a picket sign,” Odom says of her summer experience. “Of course I would like for everyone to share my opinions on environmentalism and love for nature, but I am quickly learning that there is no place for pure idealism in a market-based economy.”
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