The goal of achieving global net-zero emissions by 2050 is daunting—not unlike committing to get up early on near-freezing mornings to row on Lake Ontario. Rebecca SINGER’14 attributes four years on Branksome’s rowing team for giving her the “dedication and grit” to work toward that vital 2050 goal.
“The early mornings, the long race days, the 2,000-metre erg tests were a very formative experience,” says Rebecca. (For non-rowers, an ergometer is a rowing machine.) In tandem with that experience, she adds, “Branksome’s demanding curriculum gave me many opportunities to challenge myself and taught me that with hard work I can overcome obstacles. This helped me gain the confidence to contribute toward tackling one of the world’s greatest challenges: climate change.”
As vice-president with Decarbonization Partners in New York City, Rebecca is an integral part of the initiative to make our planet environmentally safer. “Over the next several decades I’m excited to see widespread adoption of technology that is both better for the environment and simply makes sense,” she says.
Like any world-changing move, the conversion to new tech takes time and effort, as does convincing industries of why they should join in. “Scaling up a new technology from lab to pilot to full commercial scale is hard,” Rebecca explains. “The scale-up journey is not a straight line, and there will be bumps along the way. At the same time, new clean technologies are essential to address climate change. Despite the challenges of scaling up a new technology, the imperative to do so is clear, and with the right mix of skill and luck, many will succeed.”
“The scale-up journey is not a straight line and there will be bumps along the
way. At the same time, new clean technologies are essential to address
climate change.”
One example of the new tech Decarbonization Partners is supporting: “a novel component for electric vehicles batteries that extends vehicle range and speeds up charging time,” says Rebecca. Developed by a leading battery materials innovator, the component will facilitate range and charge time, currently “two of the greatest barriers that push people away from buying an electric vehicle. By alleviating those challenges, this company will accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles globally.”
In working with other companies to adapt to change, Rebecca draws on another strength that Branksome nurtured: teamwork. Again, being on the rowing team was pivotal. “A rowing shell moves fastest when all of its rowers are moving in sync with one another. Head Coach Scott Fleming was an important mentor who showed me how to be loyal, keep my chin up and put others ahead of myself.”
