Reflecting on Parallelism: Clean Energy Transition, Transportation Electrification, Circular Economy, and Diversity and Equity in India and the US

This month, I had the extreme privilege to participate in the US Speaker Program through the 美国国务院 as an invited speaker on topics covering the clean energy transition, transportation electrification, supply chain sustainability and EV battery circularity, and - a personal imperative of mine - increasing the representation of women in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) fields and STEAM leadership positions. The program granted me access to my first-ever trip to India; to call my experience "memorable" would be an understatement considering the profound insights I gained, meaningful connections I made, beautiful sights I enjoyed, and - of course - delicious food I savored. I focused on aggregating not only my learnings a year into my service at the Michigan Public Service Commission , but from a career dedicated to advancing clean, equitable, and sustainable supply chains, mobility, and infrastructure at organizations like RMI and 福特 .

One LinkedIn post cannot do justice to the enriching engagements and exchanges that occurred over the course of nearly two weeks, but let this be a start.

First, with support of the US Consulate and American Center in Chennai, I was able to visit IIT Madras Research Park (IITMRP) where I met the trailblazing Dr. Ashok Jhunjhunwala and his team. I participated in a fascinating tour of energy and e-mobility labs and innovation at the Research Park, a seminal example of India's commitment to commercializing its research in activating a sustainable future. I had the extreme honor of presenting to an audience of students, entrepreneurs, and startup leaders - many of whom identify as women - on the topic of transformational business opportunities emerging through the urgent and necessary global response to mitigating the worst impacts of climate change. I also had lunch with female startup leaders, and nothing beats hearing about lived experience in starting and building a new company that aims to revolutionize society for the better - including the challenges and wins that come along with the experience. While in Chennai, I also participated in a panel titled “EV30@30: Envisioning Sustainable Electric Vehicle Adoption" that explored policy frameworks for equitable transportation electrification and battery circularity in different states (and countries), featuring Chennai Consul General Chris Hodges, Vishnu Venugopalan, IAS, MD & CEO, and T.R Kesavan, President of the Madras Chamber MCCI . Notably, in Chennai, I also spoke to and learned from an audience of emerging and established leaders on the topic of fostering the participation and retention of women in STEAM fields. Thank you to Brindha Jayakanth and the entire team in Chennai for the warm welcome to India and for setting a very high bar in programming by starting my trip on such a positive note!

Next, along with my kind hosts from the US Consulate and American Center in Kolkata, I embarked on a series of meetings with local West Bengal-based government and commercial agencies to benchmark how their state is approaching climate change mitigation and pollution control, as well as fostering innovation in the promotion of carbon-free electricity and transportation. I met with the The Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the West Bengal Pollution Control Board , hearing first-hand accounts on how the state is leading in innovative approaches to measure, monitor, and curb air pollution, as well as identifying novel business opportunities to accelerate their clean energy transition across sectors like recycling, agriculture, and EV manufacturing. I also met with battery recycling, EV ridesharing, and green materials entrepreneurs and social enterprise leaders forging a path towards a Just Transition, highlighting ways I perceive EV battery circularity tying into the clean energy transition as a source of new jobs and value chain innovation. While in Kolkata, I also had the affirming and inspirational opportunity to hear presentations from nearly 60 female-identifying students from local schools on science and technology solutions for critical infrastructure and engineering challenges facing society today. I was lucky to conclude my time in Kolkata by watching a stunning performance of an Odissi dance on Ramayana at the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) . My sincere gratitude to ANUTOSH BISWAS , Sucharita Bhattacharjee , and the entire team at the American Center in Kolkata with whom I had the privilege to spend a couple of days immersed in and appreciating Bengali culture, context, and climate action goals.

At the onset of week two, on to the country's capital I flew. New Delhi both greeted and prepared me for my voyage back home, but not without rounding out my time in India with a rich new set of encounters and lessons. I first met with TERI - The Energy and Resources Institute to discuss battery circularity and the higher-ed opportunities in training for jobs in a new, clean energy economy. I also had a chance to tour the offices of the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) , whose multi-faceted research and media has global relevance and implications on any community or regional economy interested in integrating more procedural equity, data-driven decision-making, and engagement methods in resilience planning for climate change. Next, I visited the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi Centre for Automotive Research and Tribology (CART), where I learned how this world-class institution is preparing a future generation of leaders to design, manufacture, and safely handle high-performing, sustainable vehicles at all stages of their life cycle - from well (or mine) to wheel, and into the recovery of valuable materials for future uses. At CART, I also heard from and exchanged notes with with Richa Parmar , Deputy Director at National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE) , who is leading important work in the deployment of renewables and transportation electrification in India centered on principles of equity and gender equality. While in New Delhi, I had a chance to learn about the national context and approaches to state electricity regulation, grid operation, and project financing. Finally, as with every city I visited, a major highlight for me was meeting with enterprising high school-aged women from schools across the region who had questions about STEAM and careers in sustainability. Their perspective taught me a lot about the importance of material recovery and reuse in a clean energy transition, and why re-imagining the battery lifecycle was important to them and their generation.?To Madhuri S. , Neetu, Kashish, and team in New Delhi - thank you for the wonderfully curated program and the hospitality; you took great care of me before my very long and, thankfully, uneventful flight home.

What did I take away after almost two weeks of meetings, presentations, engagements, and tours?

1. Preparing, recruiting, retaining, and empowering today's and tomorrow's students, skilled trades, graduates - virtually all job seekers! - is necessary globally to equip us to embark on and successfully implement a transition to clean energy, clean transportation, and all ensuing clean industries and sectors that will emerge from their growth.
2. Regardless of local, regional, state, or national policy that governs the responsible and sustainable management of end-of-life energy infrastructure - including EV batteries - there are abundant opportunities to optimize related value chains for greater innovation, efficiencies, and societal and environmental benefits. Learn about the entrepreneurs near you working on this now and ask: What will help them succeed? If you see a gap - that's an opportunity to fill the gap for them and accelerate sustainable new technology for the world's benefit at large.
3. Increasing representation of women across STEAM fields isn't enough; there are wage gaps to close and leadership roles to fill. Progress in gender diversity alone is not sufficient; teams necessarily perform better with a range of diverse backgrounds, identities, and perspectives.

And, finally, because it's important enough of a lesson to stand on its own, I'll note that I only scratched the surface of conversations, collaborations, and connections I could make between Michigan and the US more broadly with the myriad leaders and organizations I met in India. I have countless notes, reminders, and marked up business cards - but the invitation to continue learning and exchanging ideas holds. I look forward to nurturing and following up on all the wonderful contacts I have made, and working together towards a commonly held vision of a clean and prosperous future for all.

This cannot and will not be an endeavor I tackle on my own by any means. The call to action here for anyone interested in these topics is to answer these questions for yourself first, then communicate your findings: What policies will help drive us toward this commonly held vision for an equitable and sustainable future, for our own generation and forthcoming generations? Where can policy and technology development better align and intersect? What is an opportunity you see that we need to address now to prepare for the future? Share your ideas and action plans with your local policymakers, communities of entrepreneurs, or own employers. There's room for everyone and the urgency to mitigate climate change requires all hands on deck!