Degrees: Real talk about planet-saving careers

It’s become clear to both hosts of Degrees that some of the most important things they can do in the climate fight are training people to work on climate and connecting people from all corners of that work together. That idea of scaling people and relationships as a climate solution was the heart of this season. In this special finale, they reflect on their own journeys as mentees and mentors, and...

We all have an idea of what mentorship is, but what does a really effective relationship look like in practice? How can mentors set up their mentees for success? Barbara dos Santos joins us to explain how she approaches these relationships with intentionality and generosity. She makes it a point to mentor people, and is driven to share career knowledge with those who come from disadvantaged backgr...

Finding climate jobs, or groups of like minded professionals to network with, can be so challenging. But how do you get out of the networking slump, and build lasting, authentic connections that might support you in the long run? Our guest Daniel Gonzalez has become really good at both those things. Daniel is the founder of DJourneys, an organization helping build connection, mentorship and advoca...

We form a lot of different kinds of relationships in our careers. Some are transactional, and others are more personal. Drew Wilkinson, founder of the Climate Leadership Collective, makes the case that understanding the various natures of these relationships – and fostering as many as possible – can help both individuals and the planet. After working his way from musician to the leader of Microsof...

What can you do when you know you want a job in sustainability, but have no idea how to get there? When Nidhi Kaul graduated college, the pathway to her ideal career felt murky. Unsure of how to find the right job, she spent several years in consulting, developing skills and learning her strengths. After finding her way to a job in product management at LinkedIn, she joined an internal group at th...

Degrees, real talk about planet saving careers, is a production of Environmental Defense Fund. The show is hosted by Yesh Pavlik Slenk and Daniel Hill. Our producers are Gabby Bulgarelli, Anna Van Dine, and Amy Morse. Our Executive Producer is Emily Shaw. The show is mixed by Aja Simpson and Jacob Winik is our Technical Director. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for in...

Dr. Katharine Hayhoe’s research focuses on understanding what climate change means for people and the places where we live. She is the Horn Distinguished Professor of Public Policy and Public Law at Texas Tech University. Her book Saving Us: A Climate Scientist's Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World, followed her 2018 TED Talk, “The most important thing you can do to fight climate change:...

Betony Jones is a nationally recognized expert in labor-climate issues, with a focus on the intersection between climate jobs, clean energy, and unions. As the director of the Office of Energy Jobs, she oversees workforce development strategies and engages with organized labor and other stakeholders to ensure that the Department of Energy’s (DOE) policies and program implementation result in high-...

Rev. Dr. Ambrose F. Carroll, Sr., is the founder and CEO of Green The Church , a catalyst for environmentalism and sustainability built for and by the Black Church. Pastor Carroll serves on the National Environmental Justice Action Committee for the United States Environmental Protection Agency. He’s also been a fellow with the Atlantic Fellows for Racial Equity . He earned his B.A. in psychology...

Solitaire is a renowned sustainability expert who works with some of the world’s most influential organizations. She is co-founder and Chief Solutionist at Futerra and trustee of the Solutions Union . In 2023 she was named ‘Agency Lead of the Year’ at Adweek’s Sustainability Awards. Her popular TED Talk , Forbes column and most recent book – The Solutionists: How Businesses Can Fix the Future – ar...

Shannon Houde is the multi-lingual International Coaching Federation (ICF)-certified coach and talent strategist behind Walk of Life Coaching , where she has mentored and trained 1000+ change leaders to maximize their personal brands to advance their impact careers. After working as a financial analyst, eco-tour guide, recruiter, and then ESG consultant for clients like Adobe, BlackRock, and World...

Scott Z. Burns is a screenwriter, director, producer and playwright. His film writing credits include “ The Bourne Ultimatum ,” “ The Informant! ," " Contagion ,” “ Side Effects ,” and “ The Laundromat .” As a director, his work includes “ Pu-239 ” and “ The Report .” He also was a producer for the Academy Award-winning documentary “ An Inconvenient Truth ” and served as an executive producer of t...

Pooja Tilvawala is an Indian-American climate justice advocate, opportunity curator, and youth engagement expert with five years of experience in the global climate movement. Since 2020, she has served as the founder and executive director of Youth Climate Collaborative (YCC), which is creating a more just, inclusive, and intergenerational climate movement that sustains youth and their initiatives...

Rebecca Weston, LCSW and JD is a metro-New York psychotherapist and co-president of the Climate Psychology Alliance of North America. She supports climate-aware mental health practitioners and professionals on the front lines of climate work. She’s also written multiple pieces and spoken on the mental health impacts of the climate crisis, and how other systems of inequity affect climate mental iss...

Ciara Imani May is the founder of Rebundle , the first U.S.-made, plant-based hair extensions brand on a mission to provide more comfort and less waste through eco-friendly and non-toxic hair extensions. The idea for Rebundle sparked in 2019 when Ciara suffered from one too many itchy scalps from wearing braids made from plastic synthetic hair. In researching alternatives, Ciara came to understand...

Drew Wilkinson is a climate activist and co-founder of Microsoft’s 10,000-member employee sustainability community , which has pushed the company to protect natural resources and operate with more sustainable practices. Now, as founder of Climate Leadership Collective , he helps organizations on the people side of sustainability: employee engagement, culture and change management, community buildi...

🌎 Job hunting? Visit our comprehensive Green Jobs Hub for job listings, networking resources, skills and certification information and more. 💚 Follow and rate Degrees on Apple , Spotify , CastBox , or your favorite listening app .  📧 Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date on green careers, upcoming episodes and more. 🔗 Connect with Yesh Pavlik Slenk on LinkedIn 👉 Follow up on social me...

Jamie Beck Alexander is the director of Drawdown Labs , a division of the climate nonprofit Project Drawdown. In 202, Alexander developed and launched Drawdown Labs, which works with the private sector to accelerate their adoption of climate solutions. She’s been heralded for her TEDx Talk about empowering workers to be the driving change for the climate crisis within companies. Prior to Project D...

The Carbon Copy is a co-production of Post Script Media and Canary Media. In a special collaboration with Grist , reporter Emily Pontecorvo discusses where to find all the electricians we need to electrify everything and how we can train enough new entrants to the field to meet our climate goal. Read Emily’s feature article. Read a transcript of this episode: The great electrician shortage . *** R...

Anshuman Bapna is CEO and founder of Terra.do , an international platform with educational opportunities designed to help people get jobs working on climate. The aspiration is to get 100 million more people working in the climate economy in the next decade. Bapna is a serial entrepreneur, having co-founded and launched several startups. He’s also worked with Deloitte, Google, and MakeMyTrip. He sa...

Eugene Kirpichov co-founded Work on Climate , an online community for people passionate about solving the climate crisis, in 2020. Prior to WoC, Kirpichov spent more than seven years as a software engineer with Google. But learning how severe the climate crisis was, he felt he could no longer stay in his job. The resignation letter he shared on LinkedIn went viral. Read the transcript of this epis...

Technologist and entrepreneur Nick Martin founded the social impact company TechChange . He’s taught graduate courses at several colleges, including Columbia University. Martin is also known for his LinkedIn presence. Known as Nick@Noon , he has more than 200,000 followers who come to him for social impact career tips and resources.  Episode transcript   Resources from this episode: Follow Nick Ma...

Kristy Drutman is a speaker, content producer, consultant and environmental advocate. Much of her work is focused on where media, diversity, equity and environmentalism intersect. She founded the storytelling site Browngirl Green and co-founded the Green Jobs Board , where she curates good, paid jobs in the climate space. Drutman has been invited to speak on environmental issues at the White House...

🌎 Job hunting? Visit our comprehensive Green Jobs Hub for job listings, networking resources, skills and certification information and more. 💚 Follow and rate Degrees on Apple , Spotify , CastBox , or your favorite listening app .  📧 Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date on green careers, upcoming episodes and more. 🔗 Connect with Daniel Hill on LinkedIn 👉 Stay up to date by following...

Elected at age 27, Heather McTeer Toney knows what it means to be a public servant. She was the first African-American, first female and the youngest to serve as mayor of Greenville, Mississippi from 2004-2012. In 2014, President Barack Obama appointed her as regional administrator of the EPA’s Southeast Region, at eight states the largest EPA region in the country. Currently, Heather is vice pres...