Staff Spotlight: Sarah Gledhill
Sarah advances clean energy throughout the Pacific Northwest, focusing on rural and Indigenous communities. Her specialty is getting funding to make community-led clean energy projects pencil out.
“I came to Sustainable Northwest to bring my private sector experience to community-based energy development work. I’m excited to dive into local projects and focus on market transformation.”
How did your childhood influence your decision to work in sustainability?
When I was in high school, I had a truly impactful AP Environmental Science teacher. He was the first person to really teach me about climate change and to get me thinking about where things go when you throw them away, or where our power comes from when we turn on a switch. That class turned my life upside down, and I knew from that moment that I would dedicate a significant portion of my career to figuring out how to improve those systems so that humans can live sustainably in the world. I think we all have teachers in our lives who change us, and that class was the first experience that had that effect on me.
My parents were also very cognizant of resource conservation. They were always mindful of not wasting food and turning off the lights when leaving a room. So, they taught me about conservation from an early age and the importance of not consuming in excess.
How did your educational and career path lead you to Sustainable Northwest?
I took that AP Environmental Science class and knew I wanted to do environmental work. I pursued an environmental studies major at Middlebury College, which I chose because they were said to have the first environmental program in the country. I studied conservation biology, a concentration within environmental studies, and realized that I deeply cared about the natural world and the effects of climate change. However, I also learned that it was a human issue, and I was drawn more to the business and implementation world. I wanted to go straight to the source: how do we use energy and where does it come from? So that’s how I got into energy efficiency. I don’t think I ever wanted to be a biologist, but I wanted to help save these natural resources through mitigation work. That’s my “why” for energy efficiency, and it’s an easy hop to renewables from there.
As I was working in energy efficiency and solar, I noticed that most of the people I was helping were from high-income backgrounds in the city. I wanted to work more in the space of getting these technologies to the people who need them the most, which are low-income and marginalized folks. I got my Master's in Environmental Management from Yale School of the Environment, focusing heavily on energy equity and finance so that I could help advance an equitable energy transition.
After graduate school, I worked at an impact investment firm where I really learned how impactful projects can get developed and financed. I liked the work I was doing from an investor perspective. There are simply projects that don’t pencil out. If those projects didn’t pencil out in the private sector, we couldn’t work on them. At the same time, I was seeing nonprofits and community-based organizations do a lot of great organizing around community resilience hubs. I came to Sustainable Northwest to bring my private sector experience to community-based energy development work. I’m excited to dive into local projects and focus on market transformation.
What do you like most about your position at Sustainable Northwest?
So far, it’s the people. The team at Sustainable Northwest is so capable, intelligent, and kind, but I’ve also gotten the chance to meet a number of our partners already. It’s fantastic to step in and be standing on the shoulders of a lot of relationship building and coalition building that’s been going on for 30 years.
Passions outside of work: Camping, hiking, cycling (gravel and road), and community building in my own personal life
Something you think is overrated: Pie - I’d rather have cake or crumble any day!
Favorite thing to do on a day off: Go surfing at the coast, specifically Short Sands
Favorite place in the PNW: Portland
Book recommendation: For the energy nerds: Revolutionary Power by Shalanda Baker
Cats or dogs?: Both!
