EPA's Taddonio Illustrates a New Generation of Thinking

As a graduate student at George Washington University, Kristen Taddonio was taught that environmental protection was a trade-off: one could choose either economic or environmental progress, but not both.

Unwilling to accept the conventional wisdom, Taddonio is now using her position at the Environmental Protection Agency to bridge this gap with new technologies that help both industry and the environment.

Currently, Taddonio is working with General Motors on alternative refrigerant systems for automobile air conditioners designed to reduce pollution.

"This translates into money saved and better A/C reliability for drivers like you and me, all while protecting the environment," she said.

Taddonio's work could not come at a better time, with the financially struggling auto industry seeking to shift to production of "greener" cars, and the Obama administration committed to tackling the global warming crisis.

"Companies like GM invest a lot of resources in finding replacements with the high environmental and economic benefits," said Stella Papasavva, a senior researcher at General Motors. "Kristen's leadership has already made a significant impact."

Twenty years ago, Taddonio said cars used refrigerants that damaged the earth's protective ozone layer.

"Today, refrigerants are much better, but they are still powerful greenhouse gases: one pound of refrigerant in your car has the same global warming impact as over 1,400 lbs of carbon dioxide," said Taddonio.

Taddonio, 26, is part of a new generation of young federal workers choosing to use their tech savvy and advanced degrees to bring about change in the public sector, often forgoing the bigger salaries that lure others to private industry.

Her boss and mentor at EPA, Stephen Andersen, described Taddonio as an innovative powerhouse.

"Kristen has the right combination of skills to accomplish the impossible," said Andersen. "She's very smart, highly educated, widely experienced, environmentally concerned, technically optimistic, and consistently demonstrates people skills equally effective with environmentalists, engineers, and business managers."