Summer Webinar Series: Energy + Health

Energy and climate issues play out across our society—in books and film, institutions of higher learning, our democracy, and in the very air we breathe.

Once again this July, Thursdays are Fresh Energy summer webinar series days! Join Fresh Energy and special guests for four separate fun and engaging discussions about the many facets of energy in our lives. Stay tuned to this page for speaker information, topic schedules, and more.

This conversation covered:

• Energy + Health: Tailpipe emissions, natural gas in our homes, and other reliance on fossil fuels impacts air quality across the state. How can we incorporate health impacts of energy decisions?

Meet the speakers!

Emma Hines | she/her | RMI

Emma Hines is an Associate in RMI’s Carbon-Free Buildings program, where she works on the climate, health, and air quality co-benefits of building electrification. Prior to joining RMI, Emma participated in a two-year fellowship with the Climate and Health Program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). She also previously served as a member of the teaching faculty for the Climate Change and Health Online Certificate Program with the Yale School of Public Health.

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Theresa “Tee” McClenty | MN350

Tee has witnessed the impact of the climate crisis first-hand. Her youngest son was born with asthma and continues to experience complications from it as a young adult. This story, she knows, is not unique. Many communities of color are hardest hit by the negative impacts of climate change. Tee joined MN350 in 2022 in a continuation of her career as a servant for all communities. She has dedicated her life to ensuring that all communities have ALL the resources available provided to them. She has worked more than 18 years in emergency medicine, seeing first-hand the impact of climate on people’s health. She has also worked in labor, advocating with school workers and health care union sisters and brothers for improved working conditions. In her most recent role, Tee connected the community to necessary resources in mental and behavioral health, dentistry, and human services.

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Jessie Carr Shmool | she/her | Minnesota Department of Health

Jessie Carr Shmool is an environmental epidemiologist at the Minnesota Department of Health, where she leads the Environmental Health Tracking and Biomonitoring programs. Jessie earned her MPH in environmental health policy from the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University and DrPH in environmental epidemiology from the University of Pittsburgh, where her training focused on air pollution epidemiology, cumulative exposure assessment, GIS and spatial statistics, community-engaged research methods, and environmental health disparities. Before joining MDH in 2016, Jessie has worked at the New York City Department of Health, at a clean energy advocacy NGO, and as an 8th grade science teacher. Prior research focused on environmental health disparities and mixed methods for assessing psychosocial stressors and susceptibility to air pollution exposure in chronic disease etiology and adverse birth outcomes. At MDH, Jessie’s team builds interdisciplinary projects to generate actionable and relevant science connecting environmental exposures, health and equity.

The final Energy PLUS conversation will cover:

• July 28 at 12 p.m. Central | Energy + the Arts: From science fiction to popular Hollywood films, energy and climate are part of the arts today. How accurate are these depictions, and can they spur action?

Thank you to our series sponsors!