2.05 On Solar Reuse for Low Income Communities & a Whole-Life Approach with Maria Agazio

Power Flow

Maria Agazio is a sustainability and renewable energy professional who serves the rocky mountain region. She is the Co-founder of Equitable Solar Solutions(TM), a nonprofit program that reallocates discarded solar panels that still have a useful life by installing them in low income communities in an effort to close the gap in access to solar. She was awarded the Forbes 30 under 30 class of 2022 for her efforts.
She is passionate about preserving and restoring diverse, resilient communities that fit the needs of both the landscape and its inhabitants. She has a B.A in Environmental Sustainability a B.A in Business Administration and a minor in art from Western Colorado University. She is a LEED Green Associate, EcoDistrictsAP, and Post landfill Action Network certified Zero Waste Lead, and is pursuing a TrueAdvisor Zero waste certification.
Maria has worked with the global leader in waste diversion, Terracycle, on their zero waste box team and industrial design team. She has also worked with the second largest manufacturing company in America, Goodman, as a Sustainability and Energy Efficiency Lead for their multifamily and student housing division. Along side her role at ESS(TM) she currently works for a sustainability consulting and energy engineering firm called Iconergy. In that role she helps commercial and multifamily developers, architects and owners reduce their energy consumption through on-site renewable installations, energy modeling, commissioning, design review, and many other services centered around creating healthy, sustainable low polluting buildings.
In her free time, she enjoys crafting pottery and cruising in her bio-fueled 1969 Chevelle.
Quotables

“It’s crucial that we are very delicate with our resources right now and that we are ensuring we are using every piece of the raw material that we pull out for good.” – Maria Agazio

“I just hope that we as a collective put a focus on the beginning processes of innovations where we are gathering raw materials and also the end process of innovations because its so crucial we are taking a holistic view of these wonderful innovations… because in twenty years, where is it going to go?” – Maria Agazio

“That’s the cultural shift that has to happen towards sustainability: We have to start thinking about where things go when we’re done with them – whether that’s the banana peel you just put in the garbage or a solar panel.” – Amy Simpkins

“A new solution can be built every day, so take the opportunity to really push those boundaries and challenge what traditional renewable energy looks like.” – Maria Agazio

You can connect with Maria on LinkedIn.

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Thank you for listening. See you at the whiteboard!