Ashley Ward, director of the Nicholas Institute's Heat Policy Innovation Hub, joined the Green Docs podcast to talk about why staying cool is a year-round job.  

At the eighth annual Energy Week at Duke, experts across diverse sectors shared insights on the global transition to clean energy. Hundreds of students, faculty, professionals and community members took part in the event series, which included a one-day conference in addition to panel discussions, a field trip, a business case competition and more.

Rachel Karasik, a senior policy associate at the Nicholas Institute, told Grist that a successful case by the New York Attorney General's Office could spur PepsiCo to invest in reuse systems throughout the Buffalo area. In the absence of a statewide extended producer responsibility law for plastic packaging, Karasik also said litigation could yield financing for plastic cleanup and collection activities.

Now in its 11th year, the competition engages diverse, creative teams of graduate students to address real energy challenges affecting the developing world. Teams from the University of Colorado at Boulder and the IESE Business School rounded out the top three, which were collectively awarded $15,000.

One of eight student-led events during Energy Week at Duke, "Bringing the Transition Home: Energy Justice in NC," explored the origins of energy injustice in North Carolina and the importance of ensuring a clean energy future for all. The session was sponsored by the Nicholas Institute and the Center for Energy, Development, and the Global Environment (EDGE) at the Fuqua School of Business.

In a virtual Duke Forever Learning Institute session, an expert panel discussed the qualities of foundational to high-impact volunteering and considered how unintended consequences can stand in the way of making a difference. The panel included Kay Jowers, director of Just Environments, a joint project of the Nicholas Institute and the Kenan Institute for Ethics.

Joseph DeCarolis, administrator of the U.S. Energy Information Administration, recently delivered the keynote presentation at the 2023 Energy Data Analytics Symposium.

During Energy Week at Duke (Nov. 6-10, 2023), members of the university community will explore strategies for swiftly advancing an equitable clean energy transition. Organized by Duke students from diverse undergraduate and graduate degree programs, this year’s Energy Week events feature insights from industry and community leaders along with opportunities to compete, network and share ideas.

Faculty and staff are invited to connect with Francis Bouchard, whose residency will focus on the insurance sector’s role in addressing the climate crisis. He will be on campus Nov. 14–16 ahead of the January start of his residency. He will give a talk to the Duke community on Nov. 14.

Toddi Steelman, Duke’s vice president and vice provost for climate and sustainability, will travel to Singapore and China from Nov. 6–18 to meet with Duke partners to discuss climate and sustainability efforts. Duke representatives joining Steelman for the Duke International Forum on Nov. 17 include Nicholas Institute experts Brian Murray, Jackson Ewing, Jonathan Phillips and Elizabeth Losos.