Spotlight on Hannah Davis, Building Boulder’s Climate Community
Using more than a decade of experience working with founders and investors at tech accelerators, Hannah Davis has created spaces for climate community, political action, and policy advising.
Our spotlight series shares real climate stories in Colorado. Missed the last one? Catch up here
In 2012, Hannah Davis moved to Boulder, drawn by the city’s active social entrepreneurship scene. More than a decade later, she is now at the core of Colorado’s growing climate scene. She worked at Impact Hub Boulder, then MergeLane, a business accelerator for women-led companies, and Techstars Sustainability Accelerator, supporting nature-based climate startups. Today, she supports the climate community in four core ways:
Organizes Boulder Climate Happy Hour, a welcoming space for climate professionals and enthusiasts (🥇 winner of COCT’s most regular event and the event that sparked the Colorado Climatetech newsletter)
Runs Climate Action Hour, aiming to elect climate champions up and down the ballot
Serves on Boulder’s Environmental Advisory Board, advising city staff
Writes the Spotlight post for this newsletter (except this issue)
Will Greenbohl conducted the interview, and it has been edited for length and clarity.
Finding Her Way to Climate
Hannah’s path to climate work wasn’t linear. Originally moving to Boulder in 2012, she landed a role at Impact Hub, a co-working space for social and environmental entrepreneurs. It was a fortuitous fit. “I started out volunteering while waitressing, just because I wanted to be around people who cared about the same things I did,” she says. “Eventually, I got hired full-time to run events, programming, and general community building.”
Hannah went on to work for MergeLane, a business accelerator for women-led companies, and later Techstars, managing a sustainability-focused accelerator in partnership with The Nature Conservancy. “It was 2018, and nature-based climate solutions were still a niche,” she says. “It was hard to find that sweet spot of nature-based, impactful businesses that fit venture models in terms of scalability and growth. And on the investor side, some of them had to be introduced to nature-based climate solutions. But by the time we ended it in 2022, there were a lot more companies available and a lot more interest from investors. It's really inspiring to see the change in just a few short years.”
One major lesson from her time there? The value of collaboration across sectors. “In the climate world, you’re not just working with startups,” she explains. “You need to bring together scientists, academics, government officials, and investors. They all move at different paces, and that can be challenging. But when you get the right mix of people in the room, that’s when the magic happens.”
Origins of the Boulder Climate Happy Hour
The Boulder Climate Happy Hour is one such space. Hannah co-launched the Boulder Climate Happy Hour over two years ago as a casual, inclusive space for anyone passionate about climate. From the beginning, her vision was to bring together individuals from various backgrounds—scientists, students, clean energy professionals, entrepreneurs, policy advocates, and more.
“At first, it was kind of selfish,” Hannah laughed, explaining her motivation to make more friends with similar interests. What began as a small gathering has grown into a reliable monthly event, with an average attendance of around 40 people. "It’s become a welcoming space that anyone involved or interested in climate work can join.
Expanding to Climate Action Hours
With her passion for climate policy, Hannah also started Climate Action Hours, a collaboration with Climate Changemakers and the Boulder Progressives. Unlike the happy hours, these gatherings focus on actionable steps to support climate champions and initiatives. From writing postcards to advocating for specific climate policies, the Action Hours offer people a way to directly support climate solutions through policy.
“Climate Action takes work, and these events make it easy,” Hannah shared. “We need to get the right people in the right seats, electing climate champions up and down the ballot and holding them accountable when they vote.” Attendance may be smaller than the happy hours, but the impact is significant, with each session engaging people in policy-oriented action.
Serving Boulder Beyond the Happy Hour
Hannah is also a member of Boulder’s Environmental Advisory Board, working to bridge policy and community interests. Through her involvement, she advocates for greater climate action at the local level. Her personal interest is on how to encourage the city to take more action at the intersection of food and climate. “Food accounts for a significant portion of emissions behind transportation,” she noted, highlighting opportunities for cities to explore climate-friendly food policies.
Advice for Future Community Organizers
“One of the keys to the happy hour’s success is that we’ve kept it simple and easy to maintain,” Hannah reflects. “There was a time, maybe a year and a half ago, when only two people showed up. We questioned whether to keep going and even toyed with the idea of adding speakers or turning the event into a more structured series.” Ultimately, they decided against it.
That decision to keep it low-friction was crucial. “As organizers, we’re not overwhelmed by logistics,” she says. “It’s just about sending out a reminder email, sharing it on LinkedIn, and getting the word out. We’re lucky to have support from local newsletters and groups that help with promotion.”
Her advice to fellow organizers is clear: “Make it easy on yourself. When it comes to community organizing, making sure it's sustainable for the organizers is key for longevity.”
Breaking into Climate
For those eager to make an impact in climate, Hannah suggests start with “showing up.” “There’s no substitute for being in the room,” she says. “Whether it’s at a happy hour, an action hour, or volunteering at events—being present is how you make genuine connections.”
She shares the story of a young volunteer who attended the happy hour, took a book recommendation from a fellow attendee, actually read the book, came back and talked about it at a future event, and eventually landed a job in the climate field through the connections he made in the conversation. “It’s about showing up consistently and being curious,” she emphasizes. “That’s how you build a network that can lead to opportunities.”
Creating the Next Wave of Climate Leaders
As for what’s next, Hannah is still figuring that out. Currently, she does part-time consulting and project-based work with climate organizations in addition to her volunteer endeavors. “Right now, I’m focused on balancing family life with my climate and community work,” she says. “I’m saying no to many things so I can say yes to my family.” While the transition can be difficult, Hannah sees an opportunity to enable the next generation of climate leaders. She hopes to give space for people who are in a different stage of their career.
As we wrap up our conversation, Hannah returns to the importance of nurturing new leaders. “I’ve seen this in the broader tech community in Boulder, and I think it’s something the climate space can do” she says. “The people who have been at this for a long time have so much to teach, we have to keep an eye on nurturing the next wave of leadership.”
However, she hints at a possible future project: a climate-focused co-working space in Boulder, similar to the 9Zero space in San Francisco. “If anyone wants to fund it, I’ll run it,” she laughs. For Hannah, it always comes back to the same principle: creating spaces where people can connect, collaborate, and take action.
Connect with Hannah on LinkedIn or in-person at a future Happy Hour or Climate Action Hour or Follow Hannah’s spotlight series.
Hannah’s dedication to creating spaces for climate connection and action is so inspiring! From fostering casual, inclusive gatherings at Climate Happy Hours to mobilizing policy efforts with Climate Action Hours, she’s bringing people together across sectors to drive real change. Her advice on keeping community organizing sustainable and showing up consistently rings true—it’s these grassroots connections that build lasting impact. Excited to see how her work continues to shape Colorado’s climate community and inspire future leaders!