Billy Parish (born September 11, 1981) is an American environmental entrepreneur, author, and activist. He is the co-founder and CEO of
Mosaic Inc.
Mosaic is a clean energy fin-tech company based in Oakland, California. Founded in 2010, Mosaic created its initial business model using crowdfunding principals to offer loans for commercial solar development projects.
After shifting its model in ...
, a leading financing platform for U.S. residential
solar and sustainable home improvements.
Early life
Parish grew up in Manhattan, New York City. His father, a lawyer, specialized in finance for electronic utilities. His mother, also a lawyer, met his father while working on a securitization deal.
He spent a semester of high school at
The Mountain School
Milton Academy (also known as Milton) is a highly selective, coeducational, independent preparatory, boarding and day school in Milton, Massachusetts consisting of a grade 9–12 Upper School and a grade K–8 Lower School. Boarding is offered ...
in Vermont, where he was turned on to working for the environment. In July 2005 he led a three-day fast in front of the White House to draw attention to the 150,000 deaths caused each year by climate change.
He designed his own major in sustainable economic developments at Yale University.
However, in 2002, he left
Yale University
Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...
and went on to found the Energy Action Coalition, renamed the
Power Shift Network.
[ The Coalition became the largest youth-led clean energy advocacy network in the world, bringing together 50 environmental and social justice groups and over 340,000 members.][ The coalition raised nearly $10 million in four years and helped more than 600 colleges make commitments to climate neutrality.][
In March 2009, the Energy Action Coalition organized Power Shift '09, which brought over 12,000 young people to Washington D.C. for the largest climate-focused training, lobby day and non-violent civil disobedience action in U.S. history. 1Sky states Parish is on the Board of Directors.]
Career
Parish played a leading role in creating the Clean Energy Corps proposal to create 5 million new green jobs in the U.S.,
Personal life
Billy lives in Washington, D.C.
)
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, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
with his wife and two daughters.
Awards and honors
* 2017
Rolling Stone's 25 People Shaping The Future
*2014
Fast Company's "20th Most Creative People in Business"
*2012 - Middlebury College CSE Vision Award
*2005 - Rolling Stone Magazine "Climate Hero"
*2004 - Brower Youth Award"New Leaders Initiative 2004 Award Winners"
, Earth Island Institute
The Earth Island Institute is a non-profit environmental group founded in 1982 by David Brower. Located in Berkeley, California, it supports activism around environmental issues through fiscal sponsorship that provides the administrative and org ...
. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
Writing
Parish has written over 50 articles for publications Inc., The Atlantic
''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science.
It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...
, HuffPost, and Grist.
*''Making Good: Finding Meaning, Money & Community in a Changing World'' ()
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parish, Billy
Living people
1981 births
American environmentalists
Sustainability advocates
American non-fiction writers
HuffPost writers and columnists
Environmental bloggers