Natalie Britton, a second-year master’s student at the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS), spent last summer working for the City of Ann Arbor through the Catalyst Leadership Circle Fellowship. Britton helped the city update its website with tips on how renters can save energy in their homes without breaking their lease. 

Britton was one of nine students selected to participate in the fellowship program, the goal of which is to assist host communities in advancing sustainability and clean energy projects. 

Britton applied for the fellowship after encouragement from her academic advisor. Originally from Pennsylvania with an interest in local government, Britton thought that participating in the program would be a good way to learn more about local government in Michigan. 

An Environmental Justice student with a specific focus on energy justice, Britton’s interest was sparked by the focus on renters and their energy use in Ann Arbor’s proposed project. 

“I took a class on energy justice [at SEAS] that helped me to think more about the people aspects of energy systems,” Britton said. “Renters are often left behind in the clean energy transition because they often only live in a building for a year at a time, so it can be challenging for them to invest in energy efficiency changes to their homes.” 

Britton also is part of the Energy Equity Project at SEAS. Led by SEAS Lecturer Justin Schott, one of the primary goals of this project is to develop ways to discuss highly technical subjects (such as energy development and distribution) with local communities who may not have a background in the subject but are still impacted by the system. This, combined with an interest in local government, city ordinances, and other tools to “allocate resources for and incentivize change,” made the City of Ann Arbor’s proposed project perfect for Britton to expand her knowledge and professional experience.  

The Catalyst Leadership Circle Fellowship is a statewide program administered through the U-M Graham Sustainability Institute. The program is geared toward graduate students interested in sustainability and local government. Fellows work closely with a city or region to help local governments achieve their sustainability goals. Cities that host Catalyst Fellows outline a project that would help them obtain sustainability and decarbonization goals. Each of these projects addresses a specific need that fellows work to address throughout the 10-week program. 

In addition to updating the city's website, Britton's major deliverable from the summer was a toolkit for renters to reduce energy use and implement updates in their homes that were renter safe and would not result in a broken lease. The toolkit also included information about tenant rights and how renters might talk to landlords about updating facilities. Britton had the opportunity to talk with the local renters commission to better understand what would be important to local renters to include in the Green Rental Housing Ordinance and how landlords may be held accountable to reduced energy use through weatherization agreements for rented properties. 

“Talking with the commission can give renters more agency in city energy and housing ordinances,” Britton said.

During her time with the city, Britton primarily worked with sustainability professionals employed by Ann Arbor, “which has a lot of capacity to work on sustainability initiatives,” she said. “They had a lot of time to support me on my projects and work.” 

Britton also notes how lucky she was to have had this experience of working closely with local sustainability professionals. “Working on sustainability in local government varies based on the region, and it also depends on funding, number of staff, and other resources. Even in Ann Arbor, day-to-day capacity is always changing.” 

For Britton, this experience solidified her interest in local government action and advocacy. “I want to be grounded in local things and communities,” she explained. “I loved traveling to the sites of the Fellows’ projects and seeing the responsibilities and bandwidth of sustainability professionals in different regions. I would recommend this experience to other students to increase professional experience, but also to be a part of the Catalyst Fellow Cohort and experience the incredible support from the Graham Institute.”