Three Women Leading in Sustainability and Climate Action

What inspired you to pursue your career path? 

I enjoy helping others and facing challenges impacting my community throughout my life. Over the last 20-30 years, I have been inspired by my husband and the company we started together, Pacific Biodiesel. With my background in marketing and my husband’s expertise as a diesel mechanic, we were pioneers in biodiesel energy before there was a national biodiesel board. Then, through collaboration with researchers at the University of Idaho, we built the first biodiesel plant with retail sales, where we had the first biodiesel pump in America. 

We began focusing on how Pacific Biodiesel fits into the global perspective of mitigating climate change. I traveled across Hawaii, talking about the importance of biodiesel and the vision of where we want to be in 20 years. Community members appreciated my holistic, visionary perspective on the needs of our community. As a result, I was inspired to get involved with public service, where I first started my career by implementing a holistic view of development and affordable housing. We have 4-5 housing projects in our community and affordable rent projects, such as 2-bedroom for under $600/month. Communications are crucial to bringing together stakeholders with community projects.

What accomplishment are you most proud of?

Over the last 25 years, I worked in fields that I was not initially trained in, focusing on art and journalism. Since journalism is the basis for communication, my success has come from my communications skills. I am deeply immersed within my work at any given time since all my endeavors are significant to my community. Upon reflection, I am proud of several legislative accomplishments, such as the groundbreaking bill prohibiting non-mineral sunscreen and reaching a settlement agreement in the West Maui injection well case.

I am proud of being involved in the biodiesel industry for 27 years. I thoroughly enjoyed focusing on this industry as being community-based and a part of the circular economy. Sharing a message of hope and amplifying community-based approaches is critical for collective action. I aspire to give hope to people so everybody takes a step in the right direction. If you get enough people taking a step in the right direction, we can move forward together. 

What advice would you give to the next generation of women and women-identifying leaders/workforce?

Since being on the council, I would say my mantra is, “Good leaders gain power by giving it away.” For leaders, collaborate and bring people into your sphere to work together. Leaders should not be afraid to share credit, share the spotlight and address any issues that may occur. As a leader, you can support others’ success by elevating their voices and providing tools. If you reach out and help other people succeed, you will succeed more than you would have if you didn’t. 

For aspiring leaders, I believe the first step is to view yourself as a champion first. Ask yourself what do you want to see happen. Be the change you want to see and become a champion for the cause. You will matriculate into a leader by being a champion for a cause, not by holding a title. Leading by example and your actions will make you a leader. Don’t be intimated by others or technical experts- show up and ask questions. You do not need to know everything to be a champion; you need the drive and passion to make a change. 

I always suggest identifying three messages you want to get across instead of focusing on yourself during a presentation or a meeting. Identifying and setting goals for yourself will help you define and gauge success. Know your values and stay true to your values. Every step in my career results from moving forward, staying true to my values, and making those values known when no one else was speaking up.

What inspired you to pursue your career path? 

Like many practitioners of my generation, I pivoted into sustainability after beginning my career in a related discipline. I have always been interested in cities, their evolution over time into being what they are today, and the historical and present-day dynamics that influence so much within their jurisdictional borders and beyond. My interest in cities was the impetus for my initial pursuit of urban planning as a career, specifically focusing on economic development and neighborhood revitalization. As the field of sustainability, green building, and climate action began to emerge, the integration of environmental responsibility and social justice within the built environment as a critical ingredient to placemaking really fascinated me. I wanted firsthand experience centering this perspective into my work and joined the U.S. Green Building Council in 2009 to learn how the principles of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Rating Systems were beginning to transform the marketplace for green buildings and green communities.  From my experience with the U.S. Green Building Council, I leveraged my expertise and strategic partnerships in my work at the City of West Hollywood. Since 2016, I have managed a diverse set of citywide sustainability projects and programs related to electrical vehicle charging readiness, clean energy initiatives, water efficiency and conservation, green building, and climate action planning.

What accomplishment are you most proud of?

To me, the beauty of life, both personally and professionally, is about connectedness and relationships. Our work in climate action is so people-centered, which necessitates centering our humanity in all we do, be it working with the community, elected officials and city leadership, community-based organizations, schools, private and institutional partners, advocacy groups, and more. While I am proud of the sustainable programming and policymaking that we have put in place in West Hollywood, I am moreso humbled by the incredible effort undertaken to do this work in partnership with many groups and with people from different backgrounds, lived experiences, and expertise. Bringing in the wisdom of these perspectives meant that we have been able to curate approaches to our climate work that target meeting the unique needs of different subpopulations in West Hollywood and our own unique municipal needs as a small 1.9-square-mile contract city located in the heart of Los Angeles County.

What advice would you give to the next generation of women and women-identifying leaders/workforce?

No one can thrive alone, and no one can do the crucial work of climate action in a vacuum. It is so important that the next generation of women build and nurture a strong professional community and their own community of care that goes way beyond networking. Invest time and effort into making genuine relationships with people. Learn about their story, what motivates them, what is the source of their radical energy, what makes them come alive, and where they might need support.  Then, wholeheartedly take in their responses and reflect on those answers for yourself. People can form deep connections and harness trust from these revelations and reflections.  When people trust and connect, impactful progress can be made on multiple fronts—climate action, inclusivity, equity, reciprocity, justice, solidarity, and care.

Angie Fyfe

What inspired you to pursue your career path? 

My introduction into the sustainability field was completely by chance during my career as a project manager for the State of Colorado. At the time, I was managing the construction of an addition to an existing state-owned building near the capital of Denver. Shortly after getting started, Lance Shepard, the state architect, asked me if I would be interested in pursuing a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. I was unfamiliar with the program but immediately understood the importance of green buildings and energy efficiency. I thought of my grandmother, who was sustainable to her core, and passed along the importance of natural resources and conserving natural resources.

When pursuing LEED certification, these were the early days of green buildings, and we had to work through the political system at that time. We hired a consultant, Lauren Yarmuth, who helped us through the LEED process. I promoted and celebrated our LEED certification to the public and internal stakeholders in 2004. The next governor, Bill Ritter, made green government a cornerstone of his administration. As a result, I had the opportunity to work as the Greening Government Program Manager for the State of Colorado to help state agencies, colleges, and universities meet the governor’s sustainability goals.

What accomplishment are you most proud of?

I have had several opportunities to mentor and connect with young professionals, especially younger women interested in sustainability. The broad scope of work in sustainability, ranging from buildings to community-wide efforts, challenges young professionals. I have enjoyed helping young professionals hone in on the area that interests them the most, then feel inspired and capable of moving forward with taking the first steps towards their ultimate career goals. Often, I advise professionals to jump right into the work before pursuing a certification, master’s, or Ph.D. By getting hands-on experience, young professionals can hone in on interests and focus on transferable skills. 

At ICLEI USA, I’m most proud of the team that we built here and their ability to really put ICLEI back on the map and grow our membership tremendously. In addition, the level of technical support offered by ICLEI USA’s experts is really valuable. As a result, our membership retention has been incredibly strong, and word of mouth is a significant recruitment source for us. Also, I am proud that ICLEI USA has a strong group of women on our board.

What advice would you give to the next generation of women and women-identifying leaders/workforce?

It is unfortunate that, even at my age, I have never lived in a city, state, or country where the highest elected official was a woman. We need to change the power structure that men control to have more gender equality across all fields. We need to start opening up leadership opportunities to women to be the highest-level decision-makers. It is incumbent on all of us, regardless of our gender or gender identity, to provide these opportunities. Unfortunately, many individuals, including other women, are willing to support the status quo and existing structures.

When we think about sustainability, we often talk about how important it is to drive less, recycle and use canvas bags. All of those actions are important, but one of the most crucial actions we can take is to address systemic issues and big fossil fuels, such as investments, companies, and structures that support them. Similarly, I believe gender equality will only come when we tackle the deep-rooted systems that uphold such inequities. So my advice to women is to do what they want to do! Do not underestimate your ability to learn, grow and succeed, and surround yourself with people who will support you in that.

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