Services

Our Next Economy, LLC.

John Passacantando was the environmental movement’s leader when it came to stopping corporate environmental destruction. I am thrilled that he is now focusing his savvy and skills in moving renewable energy projects through the labyrinth of roadblocks. We now have the best in the business working directly for our clean energy future. 

Jim Gordon, Cape Wind

I provide the strategic thinking for sustainable energy and development projects and help deploy them in order to get the job done in “real time.”  Many green projects face community resistance due to lack of understanding or transparency, as well as paid resistance from traditional energy groups (e.g. coal companies) funding front groups to oppose wind, geothermal and large-scale solar projects, for example. These projects need different combinations of strategic guidance, on-the-ground organizing support and story telling.  My unique background in the private sector, analytical community, and as leader of major environmental organizations allow me to provide counsel as well as intervention to establish pathways for deliver projects with broad-based community support.

My background as an economist, philanthropist, non profit entrepreneur, fundraiser and leader of America’s best known environmental group gives me an unusual and thorough understanding of the many critical steps it takes to get to success for renewable energy projects.

I first got an education about the world of institutional investors as the Director of Marketing for Polyconomics (1985-1990), a firm of economic visionaries who helped drive and foster an understanding of 1980’s stagflation.  Working as director of the Florence and John Schumann Foundation (1990-1992) gave me a broad perspective of the environmental movement.  That perspective inspired me to found Ozone Action (1992-2000), the first national environmental organization devoted exclusively to stopping climate change.  Success there brought me to Greenpeace and a merger of the two organizations (2000-2008), adding massive scale and global reach.

My business goal is to help establish a new economy based on renewable energy and sustainable development.  With my unusual experience and skill sets, I advise my clients how to surmount inevitable local, political and bureaucratic hurdles in order to establish flourishing renewable energy projects.  As director of Greenpeace USA for eight years, I deployed the latest tactics to stop businesses from destroying the environment.

I now want to use this knowledge to help guarantee success for those businesses that will help the green energy revolution. My work is dedicated to making the undoable, doable. To shorten the delay.  To help communities get on board.  To show politicians the benefit of supporting your project, and the political liability if they don’t.

For a generation activists have pushed for an end to society’s dependence on fossil fuels.  From production to transportation, heating and cooling and even communication, fossil fuels have served as a seemingly inexhaustible source of power.  That game is over.  The cost of fossil fuels in the form of air pollution, contamination of heavy metals, mountaintop mining, dependence on foreign oil and the military implications of shortages (peak oil) are now a roadblock to US prosperity.  Alternatives can no longer wait.

Through these experiences I have pushed for major carbon free energy projects (utility scale and distributed) and pushed back against the status quo (the energy policies of the Bush Administration, ExxonMobil, the auto companies).  I have built teams that have worked to bring large solar efforts to fruition (San Francisco, San Diego).

I have built teams that helped keep viable the country’s first major offshore wind project (Cape Wind off Massachusetts) and created the only large-scale Congressional district by district organizing effort to push for a federal solution to climate change (American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, a.k.a. the Waxman Markey bill).

Contact:

Google Voice: 571.403.0166

Email: j.passacantando@gmail.com