Projects
Throughout my academic and professional career, the following are just some of the projects have allowed me to engage with a few the of fields and processes that interest me the most. These include environmental justice and energy equity, technology, community engagement, cross-sector collaborations, etc. Whether completed, ongoing or on-hold, I'm always happy to talk about these projects!
Earth Hacks' Environmental Justice in Tech Project
The Environmental Justice in Tech (EJIT) Project, by Earth Hacks, started as a series of conversations between environmental hackathon organizers, alongside external environmental justice activists and technologists. In 2021, we launched The Environmental Justice In Tech Blueprint, as a first step in exploring these themes with our community. The Blueprint highlighted five key tech sectors: Energy, Geospatial and Remote Sensing, Conservation Technology, Robotics and Hardware, and Computer Science and Software Engineering.
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We have continued to learn more and interact with people and organizations from a variety of backgrounds and experiences. In Summer 2022, we launched the second iteration of the project, featuring several creative projects and our EJIT Principles, including a zine and a futurist-anthology which features a story on my hometown, Nassau, Bahamas. To learn more about what we've done this Summer 2023, head on over to www.environmentaljustice.tech.
Community-Based Investing: $20M Solar & Agrivoltaic Impact Fund Modeling
In my final semester—in a 'Community Based Investing' course taught by Deborah Frieze (Founder and President of Boston Impact Initiative)—I was a part of a student team modeling a $20M impact investing fund.
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My all-woman team graciously supported my desire to manage a fund dedicated to solar energy, food and agrivoltaics, with a namesake inspired by Octavia Butler's 'Earthseed Collection'. Through a robust pilot syllabus, complemented by site visits to and conversations with entrepreneurs that BII had invested in, we:
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Developed fund assumptions
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Featuring Community (unaccredited investors) and Solidarity (accredited investors) Notes, among others.
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Produced a comprehensive term sheet, and;
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Conducted fund modeling that resulted in:
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60% debt investments | 40% equity investments
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$5M+ profit after 10 years
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$870K profit after 15 years
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13 years of solvency
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Jumbos Community Fridge & Pantry
at Tufts University
In February 2022, I co-authored a grant proposal for a community fridge and pantry, alongside two other students in my cohort. This initiative started after understanding the lack of access to food security solutions for graduate students on Tufts University's campus, in contrast to those available to undergraduate students. Our proposal was initially rejected but then redirected to support the development of a Food Solutions Coalition (FSC). One of the greatest challenges to this project was dissolving the stigma around the presence of food insecurity on elite private institution's campus. After months of planning, university-wide coordination, establishing systems to ensure the sustainability of the project, the Jumbos Community Fridge and Pantry officially launched this past Spring 2023! The fridge and pantry will serve the entire Tufts community, including students, faculty and staff.
Camille is passionate about promoting sustainable communities and environmental justice in all areas, but especially through energy and food. She is a founding member of the Food Solutions Coalition (FSC) and co-authored the proposal that launched the community fridge and pantry. While she hopes that the Tufts University community will continue to benefit from this initiative, her deeper desire is for sustainable systems change that will lead to the eradication of food insecurity so that resources like this are no longer needed."
Guidance Report for Utilities on Distributional Equity Analysis (DEA)
I recently worked as an Energy Justice Intern at Synapse Energy Economics. Synapse is a co-author of the National Standard Practice Manual (NSPM) for Distributed Energy Resources (DERs), including distributed generation, energy storage, demand response, and energy efficiency. Partnering with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and E4TheFuture, Synapse is currently building on the foundation of the NSPM for DERs to develop guidance on distributive equity analysis for assessing the impact of investments in DERs on systemically disadvantaged communities relative to other customers. In my role as an Energy Justice Intern at Synapse Energy Economics, I supported a team led by Tim Woolf (Senior Vice President, Consulting) and Alice Napoleon (Principal Associate) in co-authoring chapters of this guidance.
The report, set to be release late 2023, recognizes the need to improve affordability of electricity services and access to distributed energy technologies for historically underserved communities. Building on the conceptual DEA frameworks developed by the National Energy Screening Project and the Energy Equity Project, this involves research on the current state of equity metrics and measurement in DER valuation. Ultimately, we are developing a how-to guide for stakeholders to conduct DEA, and an example case study that applies the DEA framework.
Climate Resilience Planning through Community Collaboration for Municipalities
In this project, our graduate student research team, served as consultants to the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) Program. The MVP program is tasked to address climate change challenges and streamline resilience planning in Massachusetts providing financial support and guidance to 335 cities and towns across the state to conduct climate planning and action projects.
Our project team improved upon the tools and guidance that the state provided to municipalities around engagement with community-based organizations (CBOs). We conducted research with 25+ stakeholders, including municipal staff and CBO leadership to better assess the needs and offerings of each entity. The ultimate goal of this project was build restorative relationships within by bridging silos between local government offices and communities they aim to serve. The final output included recommendations and
supplemental materials to do so.
Environmental Justice Workshops for Organizational Equity Integration
While working as the Program Assistant for Climate & Energy at Ceres, I co-developed a quarter-long environmental justice training for our team. This workshop series involved bringing in external environmental justice leaders to educate and advise our team on how environmental justice intersected with our industries and sectors of focus. I designed related educational materials for team members and developed follow-up sessions to develop benchmarks. This initiative supported the accelerated development of Ceres' Just and Inclusive Economies (JIE) team and the need for an dedicated DEIJ focus.​
Topics and speakers included:​
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GHG Emissions - Peggy Shepard (WE ACT for Environmental Justice)
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Transportation - Angelo Logan (Moving Forward Network)
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Oil & Gas - Winona LaDuke (Honor the Earth)
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Energy Efficiency - Jason Walsh (Blue Green Alliance)
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Utilities & Electric Power - Chandra Farley (Partnership for Southern Equity)
