Any Job Can Be A Climate Job

Jack, a self-described "low-level, powerless bureaucrat," didn't let that stop him from pushing for what he saw was right after the 1989 earthquake. What he knew: freeways don't reduce traffic - they invite more. This episode is part of Any Job Can Be a Climate Job, a podcast exploring how people bring climate impact into everyday work, even in roles that aren't labeled 'climate.' Jack Lucero Flec...

Find the customers that could churn. Do the math. This episode is part of Any Job Can Be a Climate Job, a podcast exploring how people bring climate impact into everyday work, even in roles that aren't labeled 'climate.' Ryan Sholin lives in Loudoun County, Virginia, the heart of what locals call "data center alley." He drives past 20 data centers on the way to the grocery store, and those data ce...

James Connelly is an architect who ended up running My Green Lab, the sustainability certification now adopted by many of the world's largest pharma companies. In this episode, we get into how and why scientists are stepping up to certify their labs, without a required law or mandate. Why James believes life sciences will be the first industry to separate growth from carbon impact. Real life examp...

Mastercard saved $28M cutting digital waste. Three more companies in this episode did the same. This episode is part of Any Job Can Be a Climate Job, a podcast exploring how people bring climate impact into everyday work, even in roles that aren't labeled 'climate.' If you're in tech, reducing emissions might be easier than you think. While it accounts for 4% of global emissions (and rising), most...

Sometimes saving the planet starts with a banana slug on your face. Alex Sherry is a 23-year-old naturalist at Mission Springs Outdoor Education in the Santa Cruz Mountains. We talk about what happens when you put city kids in the redwoods for a week, what it's like to grow up inside the climate crisis instead of watching it approach, and how small moments outside can stick with kids for years. Th...

The tech industry talks about AI's carbon footprint. Nolwenn Godard says the real issue is resource limits: energy, water, rare earth minerals. " Tech doesn't want any limit, but the world has limits, nature has limits. " Nolwenn spent 13 years at PayPal, where she pitched a carbon calculator that was too early for a US conversation. She went on to help write California's first executive order on...

Building ventilation eats 10% of all US energy — just for temperature. Most systems are on autopilot. Dr. Suresh Dhaniyala (Clarkson University, sensors on the International Space Station) explains how sensor-driven ventilation cuts energy 30-40% while improving the air we breathe. If your work touches buildings, facilities, or public health, your job can be a climate job. In this episode, we cove...

The U.S. Air Force was planning multi-million dollar combat missions on a whiteboard covered in magnets. It took three people, twelve hours every night. A product manager showed up, built a tool in 90 days, and accidentally created one of the biggest climate wins in the Department of Defense. 🌎 This episode is part of Any Job Can Be a Climate Job — a podcast about bringing climate impact into wor...

Your utility bill is a behavior-change problem (and a benefits opportunity). Lizzy Kolar explains the Carbon Savings Account and why employees actually use it. This episode is part of Any Job Can Be a Climate Job - a podcast exploring how people bring climate impact into everyday work, even in roles that aren't labeled 'climate.' ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Lizzy Kolar grew up in West Virginia, worked...

If you work in a lab, one small habit can save a surprising amount of energy: Shut the sash. Architect Jacob Werner explains why airflow, safety, and infrastructure choices are some of the biggest (hidden) climate levers. This episode is part of Any Job Can Be a Climate Job — a podcast exploring how people bring climate impact into everyday work, even in roles that aren’t labeled “climate.” 👉 Sub...

What does it really take to make sustainability stick? Pam Greenley shares how she brought the Green Labs concept back to MIT, and adapted it to a culture driven by metrics, incentives, and competition. By designing contests around resource savings and innovation, she helped turn an idea into everyday practice without forcing behavior change. This episode is for anyone working inside complex, high...

Teddy Salgado , a Senior Manager of Continuous Improvement at Boston Children's Hospital, loved the idea of using his education to help combat climate change. He had the opportunity to help a brewery in Thailand cut waste with the help of the process improvement methodology, Six Sigma. Disappointed in the lack of manufacturing opportunities to take the same climate action in Boston, he joined Bost...

For many inhaled anesthetic gases, very little is metabolized. So a lot of what’s delivered ends up getting exhausted/vented out (for staff safety), and not processed. They go up and out into the atmosphere. In the third episode of the Greener Hospitals, Healthier Futures series, I sat down with Dr. Prabhakar Devavaram, Director of Environmental Sustainability in the Division of Peri-operative Ane...

Hospital operating rooms are an impressive dance of teamwork and timing. At Boston Children's Hospital , when the operating team wraps up, the cleaning team enters, each with specific assignments to clean and prep the room for the next surgery. On top of that, the team is always on the lookout for ways to reduce the environmental impact. We start today's episode with a conversation with Kr...

Hospital labs aren’t where most people look for climate solutions. But Chuck Blanchette did — and found more than anyone expected. As Manager of Research Facilities at Boston Children’s Hospital, Chuck oversees 200+ labs and more than 800 freezers. When he joined the Freezer Challenge, it sparked a transformation: turning routine lab maintenance into a nationally recognized climate program that’s...

Marissa Pitchford didn’t plan to lead climate strategy. She started behind the scenes as an executive assistant at a global cybersecurity company — managing calendars, planning events, and supporting leadership. But she began to notice: her company could be doing more. In this episode, Marissa shares how she turned that quiet awareness into a full-scale sustainability and corporate responsibility...

How one animated video helped Springfield pass clean-energy policy—and what it teaches us about moving people and systems. Guests: Kathryn Taccone (Open Pixel Studios) and Samantha Hamilton (Public Health Institute of Western Mass). Host: Louisa Henry If you'd like to support the show, please follow, like, and share. Reach out and join the conversation on Subtack . Links mentioned in the show: Liv...

A compost bin. A bold question. A re-written conference agenda. This special Earth Day episode brings back two past guests— Charlie Sellars and Gabe Dover —and introduces Shruti Chander , showing how small, surprising workplace actions can launch big climate impact. 🎙 New here? Check out our earlier one-on-one conversations with Charlie and Gabe after this episode for a deeper dive into their jour...

What if you could turn your existing career into a climate job — no matter what your title says? In this inspiring conversation, Charlie Sellars, a sustainability leader at Microsoft and author of What We Can Do , shares how he embedded climate action into his work at Gartner and later at Microsoft. He reveals how personal branding, customer focus, and small strategic actions helped him drive big...

Michael Freedman helped design Amazon’s donation and liquidation programs—keeping millions of products out of landfills. In this episode of Any Job Can Be a Climate Job , host Louisa Henry sits down with Michael to unpack how he helped reshape how corporate giants think about sustainability—from the inside out. The “ Four Zeros ” framework behind Amazon’s return strategy Why donating products was...

Did you know that online ads and data centers have a massive carbon footprint? In this episode of Any Job Can Be a Climate Job, we uncover the hidden environmental impact of the internet—and meet Gabe Dover, a former ad tech employee who asked one simple question that sparked real change. Learn how Gabe went from employee Slack chats to influencing his company's sustainability strategy, and eventu...

Inside Shedd Aquarium’s Conservation Efforts Ever wonder how aquariums help protect wildlife and ecosystems? Whether you work with animals, love visiting aquariums, or are just curious about conservation, this episode will change how you see these institutions. Join us as we talk with Jaclyn Wegner, Senior Director of Conservation Action at Shedd Aquarium , about how aquariums are going beyond exh...

Think running a restaurant is all about hustle, stress, and razor-thin margins? Think again. Meet Lumi Gardner, the visionary owner of Fuki Sushi, a third-generation restaurant flipping the script on food service. In an industry notorious for burnout and high turnover, Lumi is proving that climate-conscious practices aren’t just good for the planet—they can transform how we do business. This episo...

What if every job could be a climate job?
 Small actions at work—like better choices in policy, supply chains, or purchasing—could create massive change. Imagine the ripple effect across industries and countries. This is about sharing stories of people making a difference from their desks, showing what works, and inspiring others to act. Together, we can turn everyday work into a force for good. L...