Electric Ladies Podcast

"Science can do amazing things and answer questions for us," she told me, "but then we can use that knowledge to do this in a responsible way or in an irresponsible way….Science is good to have. Then, what are you going to use it for and how do you do it responsibly?" Kay Gebhardt on Electric Ladies podcast   What do you use to clean your house? Do you buy "natural" or "green" cleaning products? T...

"A 40 foot electric bus can save up to 100 metric tons of greenhouse gas per year, which is really what a traditional…bus would emit per year." Margaret Lewis on Electric Ladies podcast Transportation is one of the top three contributors to climate change, responsible for about 40% of the CO2 that goes into our air, according to some studies. Listen to Margaret Lewis, SVP of Manufacturing and Faci...

"These women have had networks and support structures and other kinds of community support that helped them get there in spite of an uphill battle….For men, the narrative is that they made it on their own. We downplay the role that mentorship played in (men's) making their way into a leadership role." Heather Metcalf on Green Connections Radio   "Research has repeatedly demonstrated that diverse t...

"You have to take a long-term view, which means you may need to invest more up front in order to give people the flexibility or better benefits, and the returns we know we get with a more diverse workforce are greater innovation, we get an improved bottom line." Kristin Haffert on Green Connections Radio   One of the ways that many employee survey tools fall short, is that they don't measure how y...

"Comedy loosens the brain. It generates creativity. There's something physiologically that happens in our brains. We stop thinking linearly and start thinking non-linearly when we hear jokes, when we try to tell jokes." Courtney Bickert on Green Connections Radio   And now for something different….To solve today's most intractable problems – from climate change to inequality to combating terrorism...

"Plant-based diets are better for the planet....but meat is not necessarily to blame for climate change." Robin Currey on Green Connections Radio As we face climate week at the U.N. this week, one of the more delicate issues is the threat that climate change poses to our food supply and in turn, the way our current food systems exacerbate climate change. So, we thought  it's a great time to hear f...

"I think it's always about meeting people where they are. I think sometimes…people can go over the edge of just making the business case, where…I think people do want to do the right thing." Suzanne Fallender, on Green Connections Radio What if corporations took their responsibility to reduce their carbon footprint and as corporate citizens seriously and integrated it into their corporate strategi...

"There's endless innovation in this area (of sustainable products) because it's where people are focused essentially. When you think of values or voting with your dollars, this is one of the very first things people would think of...These products are not a compromise but an improvement in functionality."  Jules Pieri on Green Connections Radio   Jules Pieri and her company The Grommet have learne...

"It's going to happen, It's not so much a matter of 'if' it's going to happen, but 'when.' But we need a strategic roadmap and a policy framework….EVs are one of the most complex systems, just because it cuts across multiple stakeholders." Bonnie Datta on Green Connections Radio  There's a lot of buzz around electric vehicles (EVs), but adoption is still slow. Why? Bonnie Datta, Senior Director of...

If you're planning your Labor Day or holiday travel plans, listen to this interview of Green Connections Radio host Joan Michelson with Costa Christos of National Geographic Travel with important tips.    You'll  hear:The difference between "eco-tourism" and "sustainable travel."What to look for in places you want to stay. How to travel cheaper. What's included? Sustainable systems at top-of-the-l...

Buying Clothing With an Eco-Consciousness "85% of disposable apparel ends up in a landfill," Annie Gullingsrud, Cradle to Cradle Innovation Institute Think of all the stuff that you're buying for back-to-school this time of year...or new fashions for the fall season... What if you bought even 10 percent of it with sustainable clothing? Is it even possible? How? Listen to Green Connections Radio ho...

With a new Secretary of Defense coming in, and an Acting Secretary of Homeland Security, it's important to remember the national security implications of climate change.   Listen to Joan Michelson's fascinating (and a bit frightening) interview with former Deputy Secretary of Defense, and former Senior Vice President and General Counsel and Military Advisor at CNA, a top national security think ta...

With 6 extreme weather events costing over $1 billion each in 2019 already (as of early July), we know we need to adapt to this new normal caused by climate change.  But how? A new The Resilience Center is embracing this challenge, with a goal of reaching one billion people with resilience solutions by 2030.. So, where do we start? Listen to this Kathy Baughman McLeod, the inaugural director of th...

" Big companies need people to stay inside and change the culture from the inside, because that's where a lot of the market power sits," Rasha Hasaneen on Green Connections Radio  As record heats spread across the U.S. (and the globe), air conditioning systems and the power systems they depend upon are getting a workout.  These HVAC systems – heating, cooling and ventilation – "account for approxi...

"Decades and generations of fighting for equality and against discrimination can be almost erased by one line of code." Miriam Vogel on Green Connections Radio Listen closely the next time you get directions on your smartphone or order Alexa to do something. Did you notice that the voices of personal digital assistants like GPS systems, Siri and Alexa are female? Why is that? Especially when the s...

We did it! In case you missed it, the event Joan Michelson and Green Connections Media produced and moderated last week at the Newseum celebrating 100 years of women voting – the centennial of the 19th Amendment – was a big hit! Thank you to the Newseum for being fabulous hosts and to Politico's Women Rule initiative for supporting us! Thanks to the fascinating and engaging panelists, Anna Palmer...

"To me, creativity is the ability to connect, in often unexpected ways, observations or experiences or skills from completely different realms ," Ingrid Daubechies on Green Connections Radio The next time you send a photo to someone from your smartphone, and it asks you for which size to send, you'll think about that decision differently after listening to Green Connections Radio host Joan Michels...

AAs we commemorate the centennial of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote, here is a glimpse into an untold part of the story: a woman journalist who supported the cause by using her work to keep the movement in the headlines: Miriam Michelson, She also happens to be my great-great aunt.    Listen to professor Lori Harrison-Kahan share stories about how Miriam used her platforms...

"Climate change is expected to increase the frequency and intensity of some natural disasters….. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) strongly recommends that pre-­incident planning be documented," says a brand new report from the EPA. In other words: prepare for the imminent consequences of climate change-related natural disasters and extreme weather events.  But how? And, how...

"(T)here's an enormous opportunity to talk about sustainability and environmentalism in a way that captures the imagination of an everyday consumer or an everyday fashion lover and find a way to make it exciting and interesting and accessible." Laura Jones on Green Connections Radio Celebrity stylist Laura Jones found herself overwhelmed when she realized the field she had dedicated her career to...

You'll never look at your friends' photos of riding an elephant the same way again after watching Ashley Bell ' s documentary, "Love and Bananas." It's the story of rescuing Asian elephants from the cruelty they endure to be housed in zoos and "entertainment" in circuses, as well as rides. Ashley calls the film "an action adventure story," yet it's so much more .  It's also a love story between th...

" We recognize that women add fundamentally different and unique and a very powerful contribution to creating new ideas, new products, new services."    Alfia Ilicheva on Electric Ladies podcast If you think only the "ah-ha" ideas become successful businesses (or nonprofits), then Alfia Ilicheva and Maria Potoroczyn want to talk to you.  They believe it's a deliberative process that anyone, especi...

"It's really important that we think about cooling the areas where people are living, working and playing, and parks do that," Diane Regas on Green Connections Radio. Whether you hang out in your local park with your kids or dogs enjoy reading on a park bench, or hiking in a national park this spring, you probably didn't realize the park is also helping to mitigate climate change.  Listen to Diane...

" "It's really about voting …Commit to the greenest candidate you can. Period. For any office. Board of supervisors. School boards. Mayors. City Councils. Tweet at candidates. It's all about politics. We've got the technology. We've got the capacity We have brilliant people, but…It's about voting.." Kathleen Rogers on Green Connections Radio Happy Earth Day/Earth Month! It's been almost 50 years s...

"There is some sense that women lead differently than men, but it's hard to parse out if it's because of gender differences or because women have historically been in the non-dominant group and men have been in the dominant group."  Laura Liswood on Green Connections Radio Cultural dynamics drive the ability to innovate, hirings and promotions, whether it invests in sustainability and responsibili...