Duke Alumni Gather To Fight Climate Change Resistance

UPDATE: A new program installment is set to take place in Boston, MA on June 13th, 2018. Stay tuned for more information.

The Duke Alumni Association, in collaboration with the Office of Development and Relations at the Nicholas School, recently held three programs focused on giving the Duke community an opportunity to listen to and voice opinions on the current issues surrounding climate change. The programs, called “Climate Change: US Pulls Out, Blue Devils Dig In” in lieu of the recent withdrawal of the United States from the Paris Climate Accord, took place on December 5th, December 7th, and January 19th, in San Francisco, CA, Chicago, IL, and Stamford, CT, respectively.

Program panelists, most of whom were Nicholas School and Duke alumni working in energy, sustainability, and conservation, headlined the programs and spoke on climate action and risk mitigation. Employers represented by panelists included ClimateWorks Foundation, PG&E, Nestle Waters North America, The Alliance for Water Efficiency, Cyclone Energy Group, Bluesource LLC, among others. Program attendees were given the opportunity to voice their thoughts and questions during the panel sessions and were also able to have one-on-one discussions with panelists and other attendees during a pre-panel breakfast.

Aleksandra Dobkowski-Joy, President of Framework LLC in Stamford and Nicholas School Alumni Council member, was one of the Nicholas alums who served as a panelist and helped arrange the program in their respective city. “It was inspiring to hear from the panelists about how, even with a leadership vacuum in our Federal government—municipalities, businesses, organizations, and individuals are jumping in to find climate change solutions”, Dobkowski-Joy stated.

The Office of Development and Alumni Relations, along with the Duke Alumni Association, would like to thank all the program panelists from San Francisco, Chicago, and Stamford, as well as the host companies at Pacific Gas & Electric Co., Interface, and Framework LLC.