For someone so busy, Susanne Rasmussen’s office is surprisingly tranquil. A single lamp casts a soft yellow glow, blending with the natural light streaming through the window. The cozy atmosphere quickly eases my nerves as we start the interview. Sensing my anxiety, Susanne shares a cheering anecdote: her best paper in graduate school, she says with a warm smile, was also an interview-based profile.
“When I’ve been asked to come and talk to students about job prospects,” Suzanne explains, “I always say, ‘Don’t think you can plan it all out because serendipity will arrive’” Her career path is a case in point. Susanne holds a master’s degree in Civil Engineering and Planning from the University of Aalborg in Denmark, as well as another in City Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. After graduating from MIT, she began working for the City of Boston, focusing on environmental issues and land use. Though her expertise was in planning for developing countries, she was always deeply interested in environmental work. Three years later, she transitioned to a nonprofit energy service and efficiency company.
In the mid-to-late 1990s, as climate change was emerging as a significant topic and community activists were pressuring the city to act, the City of Cambridge received a $3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to remove lead paint from affordable housing units. The local government sought someone to design and implement the program, and this pivotal opportunity marked the beginning of Susanne’s focus on sustainability in her role with Cambridge’s government.
“It is interesting…If you look at the energy efficiency work and lead paint removal, they don’t seem to have much in common…[but] actually the processes are the same.” While working at the energy efficiency company, Susanne managed tasks involved in securing new contracts with utility companies every six months, including hiring staff, setting up budgets, figuring out how to generate revenue, and ensuring quality control. These procedures closely mirrored the work she did for the lead paint removal project, highlighting the transferable skills that shaped her career.
After a year and a half working on the project, Susanne was reassigned to Cambridge’s Environmental and Transportation Division. By 2002, she and her colleagues had completed the city’s first Climate Action Plan. Their efforts contributed to the City of Cambridge reducing its energy consumption by over 25% compared to the 2008 baseline by 2016.
Since July of this year, Susanne has served as the Director of Climate Initiatives in the newly restructured Office of Sustainability. She oversees sustainable transportation planning and climate strategy. The office plays a key part in helping the city achieve its energy, greenhouse gas reduction, and sustainability goals—such as transitioning all buildings in Cambridge off fossil fuels within the next 25 years—to help meet the city’s target of carbon neutrality by 2050 or sooner. This effort is crucial, as buildings currently account for 80% of Cambridge’s greenhouse gas emissions.
While technology plays a role in achieving these goals, Susanne is more concerned about economic challenges. “Who is going to finance that?” she asks. “You can’t just tell people to rebuild their homes.” She emphasizes that the city must address financial barriers. “How do you actually make this energy transition in a way that doesn’t harm people?”
That is a question she is working to answer.
Cambridge is taking several pathways toward renewable energy: reducing greenhouse gas emissions in non-residential buildings, implementing the community electricity program, and expanding solar power.
The city mandates that large non-residential buildings significantly reduce emissions by 2035, with the ultimate goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. Starting in 2030, businesses will have the option to use carbon credits and cap-and-trade systems within specified limits to meet their emissions targets. This approach could encourage companies to invest in local communities, such as funding the rebuilding of Cambridge’s triple-deckers—residential homes whose owners may lack the resources—instead of retrofitting their own office buildings to achieve net-zero emissions. These investments may offer a more cost-effective way for businesses to meet their goals while simultaneously supporting community-wide improvements. Although this program is still in development, Susanne remains optimistic: “We have five years to figure out how carbon credits are going to work.”
The Cambridge Community Electricity Program leverages the community’s collective purchasing power to negotiate stable electricity rates with the supplier, offering residents an accessible way to contribute to renewable energy goals. Residents are automatically enrolled in the Standard Green plan, which sources 50% of their electricity from renewable energy projects in New England. They can also adjust their plans or opt out entirely based on their financial circumstances and needs. Currently, 66% of low-income residents and 76% of non-low-income residents participate in the aggregation program.
Why do some residents choose to opt out?
“Because of marketing,” Susanne says bitterly. Private electricity suppliers, often using exaggerated or temporary claims, lure customers away by promising greener and cheaper electricity options.
To provide the public with more options and encourage participation in government renewable energy programs, Cambridge has partnered with organizations like Sunwealth and Energysage. Sunwealth targets low- and moderate-income households, offering eligible residents annual electricity savings of 20% or more through community solar programs. EnergySage, available to all residents, provides both rooftop and community solar options with potential savings of up to 22%. These partnerships exemplify Cambridge’s commitment to making renewable energy more inclusive and accessible to a diverse range of residents.
Why solar? Cambridge’s geography limits its onsite renewable energy options. The area lacks sufficient wind for turbines, and installing them would disrupt the densely populated urban environment with constant noise.“There’re great limitations to what you can do with renewable energy in Cambridge. The only thing you can really do is solar,” Susanne explains.
In order to meet the city’s full energy needs, Cambridge invests in external projects to earn renewable energy certificates. Currently, the city has focused its investments in the Midwest, supporting a solar farm and a wind farm, both of which are still under development.
By leveraging those environmental attributes, the city will be able to get 100% renewable electricity for all municipal operations by 2026. Soon, Susanne’s office, along with the surrounding workspaces bathed in soft, dim light, will be fully powered by renewable energy. Stepping outside, I walk past the modern buildings lining Kendall Square. I can’t help but look forward to seeing these structures running entirely on renewable energy one day. Though challenges remain, I’m optimistic for the bright, sustainable future Susanne is helping to build.