Ten in Two: Robin Lisowski, Slipstream
Ten in Two is a new series from WEHN. We engage with people across Wisconsin, share stories about their climate change work where they find inspiration, and their hopes for how it changes the public health landscape in Wisconsin. We will ask the same ten questions and their answers will take 2 minutes to read.
We hope their words will spark ideas, generate hope, and inspire you to take action on climate change.
1 . Name and job title
Robin Lisowski, Managing Director of Policy at Slipstream.
2. The Wisconsin community you call home and why
Madison is home. I've lived, worked, laughed, and played here for 25 years. My husband and I settled here when I went to grad school at the La Follette School of Public Affairs at UW-Madison. We've raised our family here. It’s small enough that you get to know people, and big enough to have city amenities.
3. How do you describe what you do?
Slipstream is a nonprofit with a mission to accelerate climate solutions for everybody. We mostly work in the building sector, but also some in transportation and the grid edge. So it’s a lot of energy efficiency, building electrification, and related work, all centered in equity—making sure these solutions are available to everybody, not just some.
My work is at the intersection of people, the built environment, and the policies and practice that we all live within. At Slipstream we learn and demonstrate what works in terms of technologies that work for people—or don’t—and raise awareness about that. This is all done toward realizing just and equitable climate solutions.
In terms of the policy work we do, it’s understanding what the policy parameters are and where there are barriers for doing the things we need to do in terms of equipment deployment, people access, or program design.
4. What was the first thing you did this week (personally or professionally) to counteract the negative health impacts of climate change?
The first thing that I did on Monday morning was participate in a board meeting for the Midwest Building Decarbonization Coalition. We work in coalition across midwest states with a mission to develop and implement equitable strategies to achieve zero emissions in the building sector by 2050. We share information and build power together focused on centering equity, and holding each other accountable to our shared goals.
Over the weekend the weather got really nice, and I think I triple checked that the heat was off and there weren’t any fans or furnace fans running. Don’t need to waste any energy!
5. How is climate change work and public health crucial to your work and life?
I feel fortunate that I get to work on an issue that is so personally important to me. My two kids are going to inherit this earth when I’m gone and I want it to be healthy. Our mission at Slipstream is literally to accelerate climate solutions for everyone, so I get to professionally focus on this personal passion.
6. How does your local community/environment impact your work?
I think of community broadly. For me it includes family, friends, chosen family, colleagues, my little city here in Madison. And it’s reinforcing and supportive, particularly in Madison and Milwaukee, there’s a robust network of nonprofits and local governments, organizations and individuals who do a lot of great complimentary work on climate and justice. We can and do lean on each other.
For example, I’m in regular conversations with Renew Wisconsin and the League of Wisconsin Conservation Voters. We’re working together to share knowledge and build power. Wisconsin clearly has an appetite for clean energy. Wisconsinites like clean water and clean air, a natural environment that promotes human health. The more we work together the more we can affect change. The Clean Economy Coalition is a good example of coming together to that end.
7. Where do you draw inspiration from in your work?
I’m not a star gazer (except for maybe Harry Styles or Christian Yelich!). I’m not someone who gets really excited and thinks that every speech I hear changed my life. But there’s one exception: Michael McAfee from Policy Link. He gave the greatest talk I think I’ve ever heard. He said,
“If you go to your social change job in the morning, and can’t credibly and honestly defend your work--that your to-do list delivers the impact you say it does, just get out of the way because you’re part of the problem.”
The message was about not getting busy with nonsense and activities that don't generate the impact you say you're about. The fact is we do get caught up in a lot of unnecessary nonsense that doesn’t have a clear path to change. I'm not exaggerating when I say I think about his speech every day and do my best to cut through the noise and distraction.
8. What impact do you hope to have?
I think you have to be audacious to achieve the vision of having solved climate change on the bed of justice and equity. Overall, I don't want this work to be a thing that has to be done. It’s the only way to think of that question. Otherwise it’s not aiming for what we say we’re aiming for and it feels dishonest.
9. What does a healthy life mean to you?
I probably don’t practice this as much as I preach, but I think it’s the intersection of a lot of physical, mental, and emotional things. Personally, I’m never happier or feeling more healthy than when I’m with my husband and my sons on or near a body of (clean) water and laughing. Loads of laughter makes most things much better.
10. If you could change one thing in our healthcare system to mitigate the impacts of climate change on public health, what would it be and why?
I’ll take two! First,equitable access and treatment. You need to be seen and treated in the system as well as anybody else. We know access isn’t shared equitably, and that people aren’t treated the same, even if they have access. Black women in particular are not getting the healthcare they need even when they get in the door. We need this not to be the case.
Second, I would love to see the widespread use of prescriptions for clean energy and healthy home measures. Medicine isn’t just pills. Let’s think about solutions like prescriptions for an induction cooking range and ventilation, so combustive cooking isn’t ruining human health through poor indoor air quality.