ep. 17: Footprint Project; Operationalizing Sustainability for Humanitarian Response
In this episode, we are speaking with an awe-inspiring clean energy pioneer and leader in the extremely carbon-intensive disaster response sector. Will Heegaard shares with us the inspiring history and ongoing work of Footprint Project, a small but mighty New Orleans-based non-profit that has gained national recognition for its grassroots work helping communities to not only restore critical power supplies with renewable energy generator sets, but providing the training and know-how to transform normally marginalized groups and communities into resilient, well-prepared, clean energy pioneers. Will teaches us about Footprint Project’s important post hurricane relief efforts and mission to provide clean energy to communities in crisis.
Footprint Project believes that we should not just be reacting to the next storm - we should be ready for it! They are working to break the negative feedback loop of responding to climate emergencies with fossil fuels, reimagining the traditional, response-centered cycle of disaster relief. To find out how you can engage to support their important work, contact the Footprint Project on their website.
Will Heegaard
Footprint Project.org
Operations Director
Will Heegaard sees every disaster as an opportunity to build back greener. Before launching Footprint Project, Will worked as an EMT / Paramedic in Minneapolis, and deployed with International Medical Corps (IMC) to the Philippines after Typhoon Haiyan (2013) and Liberia during the Ebola outbreak (2015). In 2016, Will managed an epidemic disease surveillance program for IMC in Guinea, West Africa, where he piloted the installation of solar refrigeration at five remote laboratories to safely collect, store, and refer blood samples for Ebola recovery. Domestically, Will has volunteered with Team Rubicon after disasters in Louisiana, Minnesota, and Puerto Rico.
Will founded Footprint Project in 2018 to accelerate the humanitarian response industry's transition off of fossil fuels, and has steadily grown the organization from inception into a nationally-recognized leader in community-led, climate-conscious disaster response, recovery and resilience. Footprint Project's model has received accolades from Time Magazine (2022 Best Inventions), and Building Green (2023 Top 10 Industry Transforming Products), and in 2022 Will was named "Person of the Year" by Microgrid Knowledge. Will received his B.A. in Peace and Conflict Studies from University of California, Berkeley, where he wrote his honors thesis on the socio-political history of existential risk.
EPISODE REFERENCES AND LINKS:
Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) cares for people affected by conflict, disease outbreaks, natural and human-made disasters, and exclusion from health care in more than 70 countries.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; CDC is the nation’s leading science-based, data-driven, service organization that protects the public’s health. For more than 70 years, we’ve put science into action to help children stay healthy so they can grow and learn; to help families, businesses, and communities fight disease and stay strong; and to protect the public’s health.
International Medical Corps; A preeminent first responder, IMC provides emergency relief to those struck by conflict, disaster and disease—no matter where they are, no matter what the conditions—working with them to recover, rebuild and gain the skills and tools required for self-reliance.
Imagine Water Works is place-based with a global vision. Since 2012 they have helped lead local changes in how we think about living with water, working at the intersection of reducing risk from flooding, pollution, and natural hazards.
Solar Alternatives, Inc. is the Gulf Coast’s leading provider of clean energy systems and management solutions, including solar and battery storage design, installation, and maintenance.
PosiGen is working to implement solar power for all. We want solar to be affordable and easy to access, especially for underserved communities.
Together New Orleans is a broad-based coalition of congregations and community-based organizations in the greater New Orleans area, with the capacity to address community problems large and small. The coalition is deliberate about crossing the lines of race, religion, neighborhood, and political affiliation.
Project Drawdown is the world’s leading resource for climate solutions. Their mission is to help the world stop climate change—as quickly, safely, and equitably as possible.
The Appliance and Equipment Standards Program provides a resource to help consumers make informed decisions when selecting products in order to save energy and money.
The Cajun Navy Relief’s mission is to save lives. They are a group of volunteers who work tirelessly without pay to provide immediate rescue and relief during natural disasters.
Burners Without Boarders; BWB promotes activities around the globe that support a community's inherent capacity to thrive by encouraging innovative approaches to disaster relief and grassroots initiatives that make a positive impact.
Sunnova solar energy and storage helps make clean, renewable energy more accessible, reliable, and affordable by providing a better energy service at a better price.
Team Rubicon is a veteran-led humanitarian organization, built to serve global communities before, during, and after disasters and crises. For us, no operation is too large or small. We go where disaster strikes, helping the people that need us most in the moments they need us most.
World Central Kitchen; WCK is first to the frontlines, providing meals in response to humanitarian, climate, and community crises. WCK teams have serves meals to people recovering from crisis every single day.
The Black Rock City Emergency Services Department at Burning Man leverages volunteers from all over the United States and beyond to work towards a common goal of supporting the denizens of Black Rock City when they need it most, providing critical first aide and medical triage services.
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