Steve Behnke
Steve helped found Renewable Juneau. He brings a lifetime of Alaskan experience to bear:  growing up on a Mat-Su Valley homestead, getting degrees from UAF and McGill, studying village subsistence economies, and working for ADF&G and a statewide ecotourism business association. Juneau has been home since 1983, where he continues to sink his roots deeper as a fisherman, sailor, and gardener.

Steve built an energy efficient house in Dillingham in 1980, and has improved his 1936 Juneau home by air-sealing, reinsulating the roof, and in 2010 installing a ground source heat pump.  He’s delighted to heat without fossil fuels while reducing costs to an average $100 per month.  Adding a used Nissan Leaf in 2017 barely moved the needle on electricity costs.

“Take a look at Renewable Juneau’s logo.  I really like how Juneau’s water and mountains — defining characteristics of life here— provide the hydropower that is key to reducing our climate impacts.  I don’t buy the argument that because Alaska’s population is small we don’t bear much responsibility for climate change.  The opposite is true — our economy is based on oil extraction, our supplies have to be transported long distances, and we all travel a lot by air, giving us some of the highest per capita carbon footprints in the world.  So we have a huge responsibility.  And our renewable energy wealth gives us an equally great opportunity to come up with local solutions.”

Margo Waring
Margo Waring is one of the co-founders of Renewable Juneau. She is a retired state government policy analyst and planner and former university professor. She is a child of survivors of the Great Depression who fervently believed in recycling and making do. The concept of resource scarcity, in the form of water, was the theme of a college novel outline (never written, but the work earned an A!). Margo’s interest in sustainability and renewable energy has remained and strengthened over the decades, Ten years ago she set up a website, “I want a livable planet.” Margo’s published and unpublished poetry is informed by the environment she lives in and loves.

John Neary
John Neary is retired from a 37-year career with the US Forest Service in Juneau, first as wilderness manager then as Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center Director. He is a returned Peace Corps volunteer and consultant experienced in helping African countries manage parks and tourism. He loves biking everywhere, skiing uphill, and soaking up the heat from his masonry fireplace.

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Andy Romanoff
Since receiving a B.S. in Environmental Toxicology and Industrial Hygiene from New York’s Clarkson University, Andy has worn a variety of hats: community organizer for SEACC; wilderness guide for Alaska Discovery; owner, captain and guide of Wilderness Swift Charters; graphic designer for Alaska Litho and his own business, Island Design, and most recently, Executive Director of Alaska Heat Smart.

Environmental health is a central pillar of Andy’s life and the natural world fuels his passions for life, love and happiness and is the driving factor in nearly all of his decisions, endeavors and interests. Andy is honored to be able to bring this passion and energy to Renewable Juneau, as designer, organizer and activist, and as the project lead for Renewable Juneau’s Carbon Offset Fund. Ask Andy about his dream vision for Juneau and he is likely to describe,  “Alaska’s capital city graced with only electric vehicles, home and businesses heated primarily with heat pumps, and a community that is striving together to create a world-class, sustainable, low-carbon city.”

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Sally Saddler
Sally Saddler is a retired economist who spent 35 years in the world of community &economic development, education, and workforce development in Alaska. She believes in empowering people to change the world through education, and is excited to work toward a greener future by supporting the development of environmentally sound communities and the creation of green jobs. She is happiest anywhere outdoors in her kayak, on her skis, on her skates, and on her feet. She is committed to Renewable Juneau to ensure a better world for her children and three grandchildren, is married, serves on the board of Alaska Heat Smart, has served two terms on the Juneau Board of Education, and hold a BA in Economics from The George Washington University.

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Kate Troll
Kate Troll is currently an op-ed columnist and speaker on conservation and climate issues. She retired from a career in Natural Resource Management wherein she dedicated twenty-two years to fisheries, timber, climate and energy policy. Kate was appointed by Governor Palin to serve on the Alaska Climate Mitigation Advisory Board, and was the only Alaskan invited to participate in Governor Schwarzenegger’s 2008 Global Climate Summit. As Executive Director of the Alaska Conservation Voters, Kate helped draft the creation of the Alaska Renewable Energy Fund and lobbied for the Sustainable Energy Act, a comprehensive roadmap to generate 50% of Alaska’s electrical energy from renewable sources by 2025. She was elected to public office twice, serving on the Juneau-Douglas Borough and Ketchikan Borough Assembly. Prior to serving on the Board of Renewable Juneau, Kate served for 5 years on the Board of Directors for the Renewable Energy Alaska Project (REAP).