Jacob works in the RMI Buildings Practice with a focus on transforming the residential energy upgrade market through the Residential Energy+ program. He also led the creation of The Carbon-Free City Handbook. He has worked in sustainable community development for 20 years with a focus on sustainability innovation, program design, community-based solutions, and collaboration building.
Jacob was previously the Executive Director of EcoWorks, a nonprofit in Detroit that creates opportunities to learn and practice the sustainable use of energy and other natural resources through education, consulting, social business, job training and advocacy. While energy was our main focus, we also worked on water conservation, deconstruction of homes, an amazing youth program and a broad set of sustainable efforts. While EcoWorks provides thought leadership, it has a hard focus on implementing projects on the ground at the home, business, city and state level. Jacob’s work at EcoWorks included many innovations from low-income behavioral changes to launching Eco-D, a national model for ecodistrict development.
Jacob was also the Co-Founder and President of the Southeast Michigan Regional Energy Office, an innovative collaboration of 26 local governments tackling energy improvements in their communities. Jacob was also a co-founder and regional manager of the BetterBuildings for Michigan program, one of the largest and most successful of the DOE’s BetterBuildings programs.
Jacob was also a pioneer in the ecovillage movement, actually enjoys public speaking, was an adjunct professor teaching sustainable design at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Architecture, and does work in facilitation and conflict resolution.
University of Michigan, Environmental Mediation Seminar
Dispute Resolution Center, State of Michigan Mediation Training
B.A., Kalamazoo College, Sociology and Anthropology, with unofficial concentrations in Mathematics, Art and Women’s Studies
Boulder, CO
@JCorvidae
How many people in your community are at risk during extreme weather events? The heat waves wracking the nation right now can cause heat exhaustion, heatstroke, dehydration, and even death. Last year over 90 people died in Quebec (over 50 in Montreal) due to a heat wave. And during…
The 2019 polar vortex has passed, leaving behind many harrowing stories in its wake. The new Cold Climates Addendum of Rocky Mountain Institute’s Economics of Zero Energy Homes report illuminates how our homes can be better prepared for weather extremes cost-effectively, even in some of the coldest climates in…
NEW: Cold Climates Addendum offers additional guidance for ZE and ZER homes built in climate zones 6 and 7. This report demonstrates that the cost increase to build a zero-energy or zero-energy ready home is modest—far less than consumers, builders, and policymakers realize—and highlights methods builders and policymakers can use…
Finance cuts across all of the sectors covered in this book, and is a key enabler for all of the recommendations. Regional governments operate at a scale that lends itself well to organizing and delivering financial solutions, and realizing scale benefits. These finance recommendations are highly variable, with…
Land use issues present both a great threat and a great opportunity to climate goals. Some 24% of global greenhouse gas emissions come from agriculture, forestry, and other land use, but this sector can also offset this impact by 20% by removing carbon from the atmosphere.
Buildings account for almost one-third of global emissions, so they’re a critical sector to address climate change.
Transportation currently produces 14% of global greenhouse gas emissions—we can decrease the carbon intensity of transportation while increasing mobility choices and health benefits.
Waste management is part of the basic infrastructure of a community. How waste is managed has huge implications on local health, aesthetics, and economics.
The future is electric. Buildings, vehicles, industrial processes, and consumer products are increasingly turning to electricity for power.
Industry is the foundation of many regional economies. Yet the industrial sector creates 28% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and its impact is growing faster than other sectors.