Episode 1.09 On Empowering Energy Champions with Katherine Lucey

Energy access affects health, safety, and education. Seventy-five percent of Africa’s population live without access to modern energy, and women are affected the most.

Our guest this week is Katherine Lucey, who is bringing the light to communities in Africa – literally. Her non-profit organization, Solar Sister, recruits women in sub-Saharan Africa and trains them in business skills. This provides women opportunities to distribute clean energy in underserved, off grid communities and to generate income for themselves and their families.

When people can access clean, renewable energy, families are healthier, children can study longer, and communities are more stable.

I’m a huge fan of entrepreneurship and using business as a force for good - not only to support the planet and see more clean energy fueling our world, but to support actual humans with the revenues coming in from the business...and this is the ultimate holistic solution.
Quotables

“Going green is not just a luxury. In this case, going green is beneficial for economics, for health, for safety.”

“These women are transforming the lives of their communities. People who were lighting their homes with candles or kerosene now have clean energy, solar powered lights, home systems, clean cookstoves that they can use in their homes...The two big impacts are access to energy for the community, and the economic opportunity for women entrepreneurs.”

“From an equity point of view, it's women and children who bear the brunt of the negative impacts of climate change.”

“I think the inertia caused by our privilege is one of our biggest challenges.”

All above quotes by Katherine Lucey

This week’s guest

Katherine Lucey is Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Solar Sister. Katherine is a Schwab Foundation Entrepreneur of the Year, an Ashoka Fellow, and a Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation Entrepreneur. She has received recognition and awards for her work with Solar Sister including Forbes “50 Over 50 Women of Impact”, Clinton Global Initiative, Social Venture Network, C3E, and International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) Champion of Change Award.

She holds an M.B.A. from Georgia State University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism from the University of Georgia. Prior to becoming a social entrepreneur, Katherine spent over 20 years as an investment banker on Wall Street providing structured finance solutions to the energy sector.
Resources:

Book discussed: Donut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st Century Economist by Kate Rayorth

Connect with Solar Sister on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

Check out Solar Sister’s website.

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Thank you for listening. See you at the whiteboard!