Ellen Bell is a Senior Specialist and Bill Bowes Fellow at the Environmental Defense Fund. Ellen works on accelerating energy efficiency project identification and implementation in commercial real estate through the EDF Climate Corps Building Energy Initiative in Chicago. Through year-round outreach and support from EDF Climate Corps fellows during the summer, she works to help properties achieve target energy reductions and educate building owners and operators about energy efficiency opportunities specific to Chicago by plugging them into local resources and incentives. She was previously global sustainability manager for the Chicago-based East Balt Inc. baking company, as well as a legislative aide for Chicago Alderman Ed Burke. At East Balt, Ellen led initiatives across the company’s global footprint and worked to implement a strategy to benchmark, set goals for and execute a global sustainability and corporate social responsibility mission statement that refined and streamlined the company’s direction. She also actively participated on the sustainability sub-committee of an industry council comprised of 16 independent North American baking companies.