Coming Clean - An Environmental Podcast

Engineer, Physicist, Nat Geo Explorer, Businessman, and Founder/Executive Chairman of Rainforest Connections Topher White joins Coming Clean to talk about the lungs of the world’. Benji and Topher talk about the cabal that illegally harvests our forest resources, what Rainforest Connections and governments around the world are doing to stop it, and give Topher as an expert in the field a chance to...

ACC Executive Chairman Benji Backer is joined by Curtis Moore, VP of Corporate Development at Energy Fuels from Colorado talk about the Biden administration’s recent National Monument in Arizona near the Grand Canyon, Baj Nawahvjo and how that decision impacts Energy Fuels, Inc’s pursuit of minimal-impact uranium mining that provides clean energy to meet environmental goals, and responds to critic...

ACC Executive Chairman Benji Backer is joined in this SPECIAL RELEASE episode by Georgia Public Service Commissioner Tim Echols from the great state of Georgia for some exciting news and a deep dive into the Plant Vogtle nuclear project that is slated to deliver power to half a million homes for 60 to 80 years. Commissioner Echols dives deep on why this project matters, answers some hard questions...

ACC Executive Chairman Benji Backer is joined by Mike Sommers of the American Petroleum Institute. This episode is all about oil, and Benji and our guest cover the rise and history of oil from the Industrial Revolution to modern day. They explore the tough questions that have never actually been asked directly of the oil industry, and the ensuing conversation is a heartfelt discussion about the fu...

Recorded LIVE from ACC’s recent Summit event Utah Republican Congressman Blake Moore. Congressman Moore (UT-01) is the first ever Utah Republican on the powerful Ways and Means Committee, serves on the House Budget Committee, and is an Assistant Whip on the House Republican Whip Team and is co-chair of the bipartisan Depot, Air Force and future caucuses. He and host Benji talk to the crowd at the...

We're back! As another round of megafires blazed, many Twitter activists demanded Congress throw more paper at the problem. Or they might as well have... We don't need more red tape, litigation and misguided measures. As our guest Brian Yablonski will explain, what we need is forest management, not another bevy of environmental prescriptions like the ones that have been piling up since the 70s. Be...

Benji sits down with friend Zahra Biabani, author of Climate Optimism: Celebrating Systemic Change Around the World. They discuss the great advances that have been made to curb climate change versus the fear machine that keeps emitting pessimistic pollution. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brian Gitt—energy entreprenuer, investor, writer—joins Benji this week to discuss the primary myths that are fueling a great deal of environmental activism with hot air; some of which are 180 degrees wrong and cause a great deal of damage. They also get into last week’s BlackRock interview and ESG as a whole, along with a brief discussion on the exciting world of small modular nuclear reactors. Le...

This week Benji sits in-person with Rich Kushel, Senior Managing Director and Head of the Portfolio Management Group at BlackRock. His company has become caught up in the heated partisan fight over Enviromental, Social and Governance investing. Rich explains that BlackRock operates the same way any other investment firm does, working to maximize returns for investors within the parameters they set...

Ever since we were kids they told us what you get on Christmas when you're bad. Well, the states and countries that ignored all the warnings that solar, wind and all-electric technonlogies aren't ready yet won't have to wait until December to learn their lesson. Unfortunately everybody pays the price for their getting coal this year. But at least Lucy and Benji have some good news to go along with...

There's something special about environmentalists with engineering backgrounds. They have the same good intentions as the rest, plus the added bonus of ideas on real solutions. And if they go to Congress, then we're really getting somewhere! Benji sits down with Arkansas Representative and Natural Resources Committee Chair Bruce Westerman. Among other things, they delve into the Lower Energy Costs...

For our tenth episode of Coming Clean, Benji dives deep into the world of electric vehicles. First he chats with Kristen Siemen, Chief Sustainability Officer for General Motors, whose company is making a major transition to EVs in the years to come. Next he talks with Brent Bennett of Life:Powered, a project of the Texas Public Policy Foundation. He and Benji work through the limitations of our cu...

We've got big news! Yes, yes, it's mostly of the... bad variety. But if you're gonna get hot takes on bad news regarding the fight against Climate Change, why not get them from optimists like Benji and Coming Clean's top correspondent Lucy Biggers? They weigh into a Texas bill which will curb its booming renewable energy sector, along with Tesla's deal to build their 'megapak' batteries in China....

Most of the big changes that happen in life come down to the minor tweaks we make in our behavior. This is no less true in the effort to clean up our environment. Today Benji sits down with Kathryn Kellogg, founder of Going Zero Waste. Starting small and working her way up, she goes through the actions that anybody can make for more sustainable living. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megap...

It's a strange thing that America is simulatenously a "go-go-go!" society and yet simultaneously a sedentary one. Maybe you aren't ready to follow in the footsteps of today's guest Conrad Ankler by attempting a Mt. Everest ascent, you'd be wise to tune in to his chat with Benji—perhaps during a stroll through nature! They discuss the need for time unplugged from the world of glass, cement and stee...

For Coming Clean’s first in-person interview, Benji literally sits down (at an actual table!) with Congresswomen Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington’s Fifth District. Representative Rodgers is proud to be cutting the red tape that holds back America’s energy innovators from creating the reliable, affordable energy sources that will keep the country prosperous and clean. She gets into HR 1... Sour...

Many would roll their eyes if told that Miss America is going to share her opinions on energy production. But most Miss Americas aren’t nuclear engineers. Newly-crowned Grace Stanke joins Coming Clean to talk high hopes for a nuclear future. Grace knows that nuclear energy is essential to realizing carbon-free sources of reliable energy; she’s also aware of the failure of our education system to.....

Forget the bugs! We’re not short on delicious sources of protein, says chef Andrew Gruel. A great deal of it is underwater and the biggest obstacle comes from the officials who over-regulate and regulate poorly. In this installment of Coming Clean, Benji and Andrew dive into seafood’s sustainability, misconceptions about fish farms, conspicuous waste and the exceptional quality of the foods that.....

MIT’s Kerry Emanuel knows his stuff. He began studying the climate since before the term Global Warming entered the lexicon. Since then he’s watched irrational ideology capture the minds of believers and skeptics alike, along with the exponential heating up of debates over the climate. On the third installment of Coming Clean, Kerry and Benji discuss the risks of inaction... Source Learn more abou...

Even the best of the best come from humble beginnings. While Jessie Diggins is an Olympic gold medal-winning cross-country skier, she was no different than any other young person when she first became concerned about climate change. Today on Coming Clean, she and Benji discuss why being a novice shouldn’t discourage you from getting involved to tackle big obstacles. And before the interview... Sou...

For the premiere of Coming Clean, Benji chats with Al Robertson of the Duck Commander clan. We dive into Al’s lifelong passion for hunting and fishing along with his devotion to wildlife conservation. Despite contrasts between his way of life in Louisiana and environmentalists of the big city, he sees a big beautiful world that we all have an interest in preserving. Source Learn more about your ad...

The Ricochet Audio Network is pleased to announce the premiere of our latest podcast, Coming Clean. Host Benji Backer sits down with a wide array of guests concerned with the environmental challenges before us. He hopes to get people working together, regardless of their political persuasion, toward a common sense approach to climate change that protects our environment and our prosperity. Source...