The Emerging Leaders in Environmental and Energy Policy (ELEEP) Network is an ongoing, outcome-oriented dialogue dedicated to sharing best practices in sustainable economic transformation across the Atlantic. The Atlantic Council and Ecologic Institute established ELEEP in 2011 as the first transatlantic network of its kind, with the goal of harnessing Web 2.0 technology to connect leading young professionals in these fields, and facilitate discussions that would shape the energy and environmental policy landscape of the future.

ELEEP’s unique approach focuses the network’s collective expertise on addressing specific issues across the Atlantic Community and empowers young leaders to engage decision makers directly with pragmatic, actionable, and replicable solutions to common challenges faced in the EU and US. Since its founding, ELEEP has organized eight study tours, three conferences, and over 200 closed door consultations and meetings between members of the network and leaders in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors in Germany, Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland, Hungary, France, England, Scotland, and throughout the United States. ELEEP driven publications have featured in many prominent media outlets, including The Atlantic, Bloomberg, and Popular Science, and discussions in the ELEEP forum have led to over twenty member-organized events, mini-tours, webinars, and proposed legislation.

ELEEP has over 100 members, aged 25 to 40, representing eighteen nations and a variety of professional and academic backgrounds. They include professionals from both the traditional and renewable energy industries, as well as elected officials, CEOs, lawyers, urban planners, PhD researchers, entrepreneurs, legislative staff, and others.

Under the ELEEP umbrella, members of the ELEEP network, in coordination with the Atlantic Council and Ecologic Institute, launched the Arctic Climate Change Emerging Leaders Fellowship (ACCEL) in 2014. The fellowship aims to train the next generation of Arctic Ambassadors while raising public awareness about important, but under-discussed Arctic issues, leveraging intuitive and easy-to-understand mediums such as video, infographics, and blogs. In 2014 the program will offer two unique summer fellowship opportunities to graduate students or recent graduates pursuing careers in fields related to the Arctic to help launch the program. For more information about ACCEL, please follow the fellows on Twitter at @ArcticAmb, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ACCELProgram, or read more about the program here.

ELEEP is financially supported by the European Union, the Robert Bosch Stiftung, and the Allianz Foundation for North America. To learn more about ELEEP’s activities visit www.eleep.eu.