What ignites a lifelong passion for climate justice and energy transition? For Shana Gallagher, it was the haunting beauty of the ocean and the stark realization of how human actions can devastate marine ecosystems. Join host Marine Cornelis as she delves into the inspiring journey of Shana, the Dynamic Net Zero Engagement Manager at the British Standards Institution (BSI). Shana's transformation from political activism in the U. S. to a pivotal role in the private sector underscores the essential need for corporate engagement in achieving ambitious net-zero emissions targets.

In this enlightening episode of Energ’Ethic - Climate Justice and Energy Transition, Shana shares her insights on the significance of ISO standards as credible benchmarks for climate action. Discover the groundbreaking work behind the world's first formal certifiable net zero standard, which serves as a vital tool for organizations navigating the complexities of the energy transition. As the conversation unfolds, Shana candidly addresses the pressing challenges of greenwashing, emphasizing the urgent need for clear guidelines that ensure accountability in corporate climate strategies.

With the climate crisis accelerating, the role of businesses in fostering sustainability has never been more critical. Shana highlights the ISO net zero guidelines, offering organizations a roadmap to craft effective net zero strategies. This episode resonates with the core themes of energy justice and decarbonisation, illuminating how companies can contribute to a just transition while aligning with global climate goals. Shana’s work exemplifies the intersection of clean tech, renewable energy, and community energy initiatives, showcasing how innovative solutions can empower businesses to thrive in an evolving landscape.

Listen in as we explore the vital connections between energy access, electrification, and the broader implications of energy policy on our planet's future. Shana’s unique perspective not only sheds light on the corporate side of climate action but also inspires hope through frugal innovation and the pursuit of green jobs. This episode of Energ’Ethic is a clarion call for all stakeholders—business leaders, policymakers, and individuals—to engage actively in the energy transition, ensuring that we leave a sustainable world for future generations. Tune in and be part of the change!

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🎧 Guest:
Seda Orhan, Renewable Energy Programme Manager at Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe and board member at the Renewable Grids Initiative

🔎 Episode Summary:
If the first time locals hear about your wind or solar project is when the diggers arrive, you’ve already lost.

In this episode, Marine Cornelis is joined by Seda Orhan to discuss the invisible ingredient that makes or breaks renewable energy projects: trust. Seda unpacks CAN Europe’s latest report, Community Engagement and Fair Benefit Sharing of Renewable Energy Projects, which offers 14+1 concrete KPIs to help developers—and policymakers—move beyond box-ticking towards meaningful participation.

Because here’s the thing: community engagement isn’t a brochure. It’s a conversation. And when it works, it’s magic.

🌱 Highlights:

• From resistance to resilience: Why fair benefit sharing is essential to earning a social licence—and how failing to build trust delays or even kills projects.

• What bad engagement looks like: Seda lays out the patterns: poor site choices, vague timelines, late-stage notifications, and empty “consultations.”

• The 14+1 checklist for fairness: Practical indicators—from local jobs to co-ownership—to assess whether a project genuinely benefits its host community.

• Italy vs Germany: What different regulatory approaches reveal about who gets heard—and who gets sidelined.

• Why co-ownership matters: The transformative power of giving communities not just a voice, but a stake.

🛠️ Resource spotlight:
📄 Community Engagement and Fair Benefit Sharing of Renewable Energy Projects – CAN Europe Report

🗣️ Like what you hear?
Share the episode, rate the podcast, and follow us on LinkedIn for more unfiltered conversations about the future of energy.

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This episode is a call to action.

Recorded at the stunning Florence School of Regulation, this special episode of Energ’Ethic shines a very necessary light on the link between representation, power, and progress in the energy transition.

Let’s say it again: there’s no energy transition without equality. From gas platforms with no toilets for women, to boardrooms still stuck in the status quo, the energy sector has work to do. But there are people doing that work, and doing it brilliantly.

Enter Joana Simão Costa, who leads the European Commission’s Equality Platform, and Ilaria Conti, behind the Lights on Women initiative and the LUCE Awards.

Together, we unpack:

• why the Equality Platform is rewriting the rules from the inside,

• how Lights on Women and the LUCE Awards went from grassroots frustration to global celebration, and

• what it really takes to turn systemic bias into collective momentum.

This episode is for anyone who’s ever walked into a room and felt out of place, and for those ready to build rooms where everyone belongs.

Highlights:

“Should we fix the women or fix the system?”
Spoiler: it’s the system. Always.

“No ladies’ toilet at the gas substation? That’s the message.”
Inclusion starts with infrastructure.

"If you don’t see anyone like you in the room, it’s because you are unique. Find what makes you you—and build on it.”
Yes. That’s a quote worth framing.

From idea to impact
How Lights on Women handed out over 50 training scholarships, and why visibility is still half the battle.

Mentoring, but smarter
Inside the Equality Platform’s B2B mentoring: because no one should have to reinvent equality on their own.

LUCE means light, and action
Why celebrating legacy leaders and emerging talents matters. For confidence. For visibility. For change.

Want More?

• Equality Platform – European Commission

• Lights on Women

• LUCE Awards

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ISnUkpKsz7o

---

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This episode is about the people who got tired of waiting their turn — and built their own table instead.

Marine Cornelis sits down with Federico Barbieri and Carlotta Ferri, President and Vice-President of EYEN – the European Youth Energy Network, a buzzing coalition of young minds who decided that youth in Europe didn’t need another panel slot or empty round of applause — they needed power, presence, and purpose.

🚀 From sidelined to central: It all began in 2019 at a flashy international conference in Canada where youth delegates were invited... but kept out of the room where it happened. So what did they do? They took their post-its and ideas to a bar outside the European Commission and sketched out a new vision: an organisation built by and for youth to have a say in shaping Europe’s energy future.

💡 Not another talking shop: EYEN doesn’t just publish position papers or run events — it’s become a think-and-do tank, launching initiatives like:

• The European Youth Energy Forum

• The Young Energy Consumers Task Force

• The Energy Transition Career Compass

• And (soon) the first-ever survey on youth energy poverty in Europe

  
  

🧠 Real talk, no tokenism: Federico and Carlotta are refreshingly honest about what it takes to build something meaningful — from struggling with Belgian bureaucracy to navigating what "youth" really means when you’re trying to serve students, young parents, electricians and policy nerds all in one go.

🔧 Behind the scenes: EYEN’s secret? A network of over 2000 active volunteers across Europe, fuelled by mutual support, shared purpose — and zero membership fees. Because no one should be priced out of shaping the future.

💬 “Every time a local youth organisation dies out, a connection between society and the energy transition disappears.”
💬 “We don’t just want to be included. We want to bring value.”

Why listen?
Because if we keep talking about democratisation without asking who’s in the room, we’re missing the point. This episode is a celebration of doing things differently — and a roadmap for those brave enough to start from scratch.

🎧 Listen now — and if you’re under 35, join EYEN. If you’re over 35, send this to someone who isn’t. Or better yet, help fund the next youth-led breakthrough.

Thanks, Energy Traders Europe, for sponsoring this episode!

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In this episode of Energ’Ethic, host Marine Cornelis sits down with Mark Copley, CEO of Energy Traders Europe, to pull back the curtain on one of the most misunderstood parts of our energy system: trading.

Energy trading often feels like a secret society—shrouded in jargon, heavy with high stakes, and, let’s be honest, not the most relatable part of the transition narrative. But Mark shows us a different side: one where traders act as the shock absorbers and oil in the engine of Europe’s energy system.

Together, they explore:

🔹 Mark’s Journey: From childhood train journeys across Europe to shaping policy at Ofgem, BEIS, and ACER, and ultimately championing energy trading at the European level.

🔹 What Traders Actually Do: Far from the Wolf of Wall Street stereotype, traders manage risk, stabilise volatile markets, and enable investments in renewables. Without them, fixed energy prices and large-scale renewable projects would be almost impossible.

🔹 The Role of Markets in Crisis: During the energy crisis, trading proved its strength—not its weakness—by keeping the system afloat amidst historic shocks.

🔹 Decarbonisation and Trading: Mark shares how efficient, well-regulated markets are key to supporting Europe’s decarbonisation goals—and why trading will become even more crucial as renewables dominate.

🔹 The Gender (and Diversity) Gap: We tackle the uncomfortable realities of trading’s male-dominated culture, the excuses still floating around, and why meaningful action is urgently needed.

🔹 A Call for Systemic Thinking: No single solution will deliver the energy transition. It is about integration—large-scale grids and local energy communities, innovation and regulation, policy ambition and market efficiency.

🔹 A Vision for Europe: Mark dreams of an "energy Hanseatic League," a Europe where collaboration and smart rules drive a cleaner, fairer, and more resilient system.

💬 “There is no shortage of smart ideas. The real challenge is working together, across borders, across sectors, to make the energy transition happen.” — Mark Copley

🌍 Why You Should Listen

If you want to understand why energy markets are essential to Europe’s green future—and how we can make them work better for people and the planet—this conversation is for you.

Expect honesty, wit, and a few bad bee metaphors (yes, really).

A big thanks to Energy Traders Europe for their generous sponsorship.

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In this episode, Marine Cornelis swaps roles and becomes the guest on Decisions Now, a podcast by Evalueserve exploring how AI and data are reshaping business decisions across sectors.

Together with host Erin Pearson, Marine dives into a topic close to her heart: how to make sure that innovation in the energy sector actually serves people—not just systems or markets.

This candid and wide-ranging conversation explores what it takes to build trust in a world increasingly driven by algorithms and automation.

🎧 Originally aired on Decisions Now, this episode is shared on Energ’Ethic as part of our partner content series.

Highlights

🔌 What energy fairness really means—from global access gaps to the silent struggles of European households making impossible choices between heating and eating.

🧠 AI as ‘augmented intelligence’—Marine explains why the human touch still matters, and how to use automation without losing accountability.

💬 The power of good communication—Why the energy sector needs less jargon and more empathy. Spoiler: your marketing team might be your best asset in the transition.

🧺 Toasters, transparency, and trust—A witty (and slightly unsettling) look at what our connected devices know about us, and why clear rules around data use matter more than ever.

🧓🏽 Consumer segmentation meets compassion—How different generations relate to energy providers, and why the best businesses learn to listen first.

Why listen?

This episode will resonate with anyone working in or around the energy transition—especially those curious about how to keep people at the centre of it all.

It’s also a great introduction to Decisions Now, a podcast that brings smart, engaging perspectives on how data and AI shape our world—without losing sight of human values.

🎙️ Listen now, and discover why the energy transition is as much about hearts and minds as it is about grids and algorithms.

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In this episode, Marine Cornelis welcomes Fabrizio Chiara, founder and CEO of Sunspeker — an Italian startup proving that energy does not have to stand out to make a difference.

At Energ’Ethic, we have often asked what it takes to make the energy transition feel right.

With Mirte Jepma, we explored how homes carry more than walls — they carry dignity, stories, and belonging.
With Giulia Ulpiani, we stepped into cities — places where energy meets public space, beauty, and identity.
With Rune Kirt, we reflected on the power of design in building trust and acceptance.

Fabrizio brings these conversations to life — very practically.

With Sunspeker, he is developing recyclable films that make solar panels disappear — blending into rooftops, landscapes, and facades, especially in places where beauty and heritage matter most.

But this story is not just about technology. It is about love for a place. It is about industry coming back home. It is about making energy part of the scenery — not the problem.

Highlights:

🟡 “Who wants to see an ugly world?”
This simple question sparked Fabrizio’s entrepreneurial journey — turning frustration with visual pollution into an industrial innovation rooted in beauty.

🟡 From Canavese with Ambition
Sunspeker was born in Italy’s Canavese valley — an area shaped by Olivetti’s industrial legacy and now home to a new generation of clean energy manufacturing.

🟡 Energy Should Fit In
Fabrizio believes that in cities, beauty is not decorative — it is essential. Aesthetic integration can make the energy transition acceptable, desirable, and local.

🟡 Invisible Does Not Mean Less Powerful
Sunspeker’s technology maintains 80% panel efficiency — while overcoming regulatory and social barriers in heritage and urban areas.

🟡 Building Energy Communities, Building Pride: For Fabrizio, the future of energy is both technical and human: empowering buildings to produce and share energy — while reconnecting people to their local industrial pride.

Links

→ Learn more about Sunspeker: https://www.sunspeker.com/

→ Support their crowdfunding campaign (until May 2025): https://www.crowdfundme.it/projects/sunspeker/

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Can urban renewal be fair?

In this episode of Energ’Ethic, host Marine Cornelis meets Mirte Jepma, a PhD researcher, feminist activist, and documentary maker whose work explores how cities can be made more liveable—without pushing out the people who already live there.

Mirte shares the story behind her film The Sinking Fringe, which follows the residents of a social housing neighbourhood in Amsterdam resisting displacement under the guise of urban “improvement.”

With a background in politics, philosophy, and urban studies, she brings a sharp, grounded lens to the very human cost of gentrification and top-down planning.

Together, we reflect on:

Why housing is never just about housing

What it means to co-create research and tell stories ethically

The risk of renovictions in the name of climate-friendly cities Lessons from Amsterdam, Milan, and Barcelona on collective housing and energy transitions, based on her research for the PREFIGURE project https://prefigure.eu

How care-based, feminist urbanism can shift how we plan our cities

🎬 We also go behind the scenes of documentary-making in an activist context—and what it means to hold the mic with, not for, a community.

For those working on climate, housing, or citizen participation, this episode is a must-listen reminder: resistance often begins at home.

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