Emily Williams

Energy Associate

Emily believes smart development decisions and resourceful use of the environment make a community sustainable.  To remain sustainable and a nourishing place to live, communities must provide public services, affordable and efficient buildings and maintain natural environments.

Professional Experience

Raised in a small community in the Sierra Nevada foothills, Emily watched her own community develop rapidly.  During this growth she became curious about how decisions were being made regarding land-use and community development. Throughout school she focused her studies on environmental land-use planning and policies, and the science behind those decisions. After college she traveled through Latin America and extensively through Europe.  In Europe she visited many cities and towns where urban planning was evident.  While spending time in Bend, Oregon, Emily learned how creative planning could provide alternative transportation, various housing options, and access to public spaces and outdoor recreation. In Bend, she worked with leaders in sustainable design who were innovators in green building and community development. For two summers she traveled to Guatemala to build Habitat for Humanity homes, seeing firsthand how another area of the world is responding to immense growth.  Her most recent projects include a xeriscape master landscape plan for a six-home development for Bend Area Habitat for Humanity, a Sustainable Toolkit listing measures and strategies for improving the efficiency and durability of buildings, and the creation and implementation of a package to purchase 2.2 kilowatt solar panels at no cost for Bend, OR Habitat homes to be built between 2009 to 2011.

Education

Emily holds a BA in Biology and Environmental Studies from the University of California Santa Cruz.  In 2009 she completed a nine-month course with the National Association of Sustainable Building Advisor program to be a certified Sustainable Building Advisor.

Personal Highlights

Emily likes clear, inviting rivers, mountains, the snow, skiing and snowboarding, California native wildflowers, biking, art, practicing Spanish, food, wine and is always up for a trip to an adventurous location.  It has been a dream of hers to be able to return to her roots in the Sierra Nevada and work for the communities and environment in which she grew up.