What’s the role of tech in environmental change? Tell us this month

From quickly vanishing ice in the Arctic to water shortages in the western United States, stories of climate change’s increasingly devastating impacts are coming in from all over the globe. And that was just Thursday.

The many different data points are all leading up to increasing urgency for bold new approaches to the way we live on this planet. At the same time, environmental efforts can be a local story. Climate change affects everyone, so there are choices individuals can make and power in the ways they influence their corner.

This mantra of building locally and acting globally is familiar to startups and technologists. In communities around the mid-Atlantic, Technical.ly tracks companies going after big markets, while marshaling resources to build these ventures in the city they’re in. This July, we’re devoting extra reporting to the ways that technology and innovation are influencing the way humans interact with the Earth. It’s Tech and the Environment Month 2021.

Look out for stories of startups and technologists building software and hardware that can play a role in the push to curb climate change. We’ll also dig into how emerging companies can be mindful of their footprints while building systems and workforces, and take a look at how sustainability plays a role in setting agendas for institutions.

Some big questions we’ll seek to answer: What are the areas of environmental change where software and other emerging technologies can have the most impact? What infrastructure is needed for environmental technologies to scale? How can companies build to reduce their carbon footprint from their earliest days? How are organizations making progress on sustainability goals? How are cities building for resiliency?

Some recent stories we’ve covered include:

• With $20M investment initiative, Exelon taps startup energy to address climate change
• How climate change impacts Delaware agriculture
• How I Got Here: Jenny Fung’s tech career path from environmental science to Azavea apprentice to full-stack software engineer
• A ‘clean cloud community’ is coming to Frederick, Maryland

Are you an expert we should talk to, or do you know of one? Is there a report we need to read to better explain this topic? Are you working on a product or solution addressing climate change? Want to write a first-person guest post about your relevant experience, or to share some relevant resources? Let us know: