Inevitable

This week's guest is Kate Gordon, Senior Policy Advisor on Climate to  Governor Gavin Newsom & Director of the Office of Planning and Research for California. The California Governor's Office of Planning and Research serves the Governor and Cabinet for long-range planning across three significant buckets: land use and planning, climate risk and resilience, and sustainable economic development. As...

This episode was previously for members only. In an effort to make important content more widely available, the audio for this episode is now available for everyone. Co-founder Peter Reinhardt walks me through a company overview and an in-depth explanation of bio-oil. He also talks about how a tech entrepreneur like him (or anyone else) that is motivated by climate change) can find a way to make a...

Today's guest is Sarah Saltzer, Managing Director of the Stanford Center for Carbon Storage. The Stanford Center for Carbon Storage focuses on applied and fundamental research to address critical questions around carbon storage in geological formations. The team also works on technological and economic analysis, public policy research, and carbon storage projects around the world. Sarah walks me t...

Today’s guest is Anshuman Bapna, Founder and CEO of Terra.do.  Terra.do is an online school working to solve climate change. Millions of people will need to transition into climate work in the years to come, and Terra.do is the platform to help make that happen. Since launching their flagship 12-week course, “Climate Change: Learning for Action”, they have rolled out new courses on hydrogen, clima...

Today's guest is Julia Collins, Founder and CEO of Planet FWD. Planet FWD is using the power of food the help tackle climate change. They created Moonshot, a brand of climate-friendly snacks made from regenerative ingredients. They also develop software that provides other food brands with regenerative resources to make climate-friendly products. Julia has always been involved in the plant-based a...

Today's guest is Paul Eremenko, Co-Founder and CEO of Universal Hydrogen. Before Universal Hydrogen, Paul served as Senior Vice President and CTO of United Technologies and CTO of Airbus. When he co-founded Universal Hydrogen, Paul felt hydrogen was the only solution the industry has to meet the Paris Agreement's goals and decarbonize. Universal Hydrogen is an end-to-end fuel logistics company mak...

Today's guest is Andrew Savage, Founding Team & Head of Sustainability at Lime. Lime is a micromobility transportation company with a fleet of shared e-bikes, e-scooters, and now e-mopeds providing fun, efficient, and sustainable ways to move around cities. Andrew and I have a stimulating discussion about his career path from policy to transportation and what inspired him to work in urban mobility...

Founder and CEO, Bim Adisa, takes me through his career path and background, how he became involved in grid management, and why he started Beacon Power services. We also discuss why BPS is in a unique position as a company, the future of BPS, and why the African grid needs a reboot. Bim is our first guest serving the African continent, and his story is essential as the climate crisis is a global i...

Today's guest is Ron Gonen, Co-Founder & CEO of Closed Loop Partners. Closed Loop Partners is an investment firm and innovation center building the circular economy. It focuses on a profitable, sustainable future through its four asset classes: venture capital, project finance, growth equity, and private equity. In this episode, Ron walks me through what inspired him to pursue sustainability and h...

This episode was previously for members only. In an effort to make important content more widely available, the audio for this episode is now available for everyone. Living Carbon is a San Francisco, CA based startup using biotechnology to develop trees that better capture and store carbon. By using biochemistry to enhance a tree’s natural ability to drawdown atmospheric carbon, the company is not...

Today's guest is Aaron Ratner, President of Cross River Infrastructure Partners. Cross River Infrastructure Partners is a platform of development companies deploying climate technology and capital into sustainable infrastructure projects. It focuses on conversion projects in the climate, renewable energy, and sustainable food spaces. We  have a great discussion about how Aaron got hooked on climat...

Founder and CEO, Jeff Engler, takes me through his path to zero-emission aviation, why he started Wright Electric, and how the landscape has changed. We also discuss the many critics of electric airplanes, what sets Wright Electric apart, and the industry's future. Jeff and his team are tackling one of climate change's biggest problems. It was great to have him on the show! Enjoy the show! To lear...

Today's guest is John Lochner, VP of Innovation at NYSERDA. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) is a government agency focused on clean energy and energy innovation. With a team of around 350 people, it supports clean solutions through catalytic capital and public policies.  In this episode, John and I explore what led him to focus on energy, his role on the inno...

This episode was previously for members only. In an effort to make important content more widely accessible, the audio for this episode is now available for everyone. Camus Energy Co-Founder & CEO, Astrid Atkinson, chats with me about her background and her motivation for starting Camus Energy. I enjoyed our conversation, which covered grid management and the future of energy providers. Enjoy the...

Today's guest is Mark Frayman, Head of BHP Ventures at BHP. BHP is an Anglo-Australian mining company that is based in Melbourne. One of the biggest mining companies in the world, they extract oil & gas and process minerals, such as coal, copper, and iron. Mark is part of the new Venture Investments group which is the trading arm of BHP. As the world hurtles towards the Paris Accord goals, mining...

This Startup Series episode was previously for MCJ members only. In an effort to make important content more widely available, the audio is now available for everyone. Co-Founder & CEO, Brennan Spellacy, walks me through the gap he saw in the carbon market and why he started Patch. We talk about how Patch works and where he sees the future of the company, of carbon markets, and the best ways to ad...

Today's guests are Jeremy Freeman, Founder & Executive Director, and Danny Cullenward, Policy Director, at CarbonPlan.   We have a great discussion in this episode about carbon markets, why they matter, what is broken about them, the best ways to fix it, and how CarbonPlan is setting out to help. They have a unique perch in the market, and this is a must listen for anyone with carbon markets on yo...

In this episode, Co-Founder and CEO, Nick Myers, explains how Phoenix Tailings got started, why mining tailings are such a problem, how they have been dealt with to date, and the benefits of the Phoenix Tailings approach. We also talk about the company’s traction to-date, key priorities, and what is coming next. Given the electrification that is to come and the increasing demand for precious metal...

Today's guest is Dave Riess, Co-Founder & CEO of Wunder Capital.  In this episode, Dave walks me through his career path and how he got hooked on energy. We talk about Wunder Capital, its initial hypothesis, and how the company has evolved. We also dive into how the solar revolution has developed, Dave's thoughts on the future of solar, and how to accelerate the clean energy transition. I enjoyed...

Emrgy’s Founder and CEO, Emily Morris, and I have a lively discussion as she takes me through her path to entrepreneurship, Emrgy's beginnings, and the lessons she has learned looking back on her career. We talk about Emrgy's technology and its process for identifying sites. Emily also explains why hydropower is essential to a successful energy transition and the distinction between clean and sust...

Today's guest is Josh Felser, Angel investor and Co-Founder of Freestyle VC. I was excited for this episode, as Josh is among a growing group of very successful people coming from other industries who are looking to get serious about addressing climate change.  Josh is a several time entrepreneur, (founded Spinner, acquired by AOL Time Warner and Grouper, acquired by Sony), and went on to co-found...

unspun co-founder and CTO Kevin Martin walks me through what motivated him and his co-founders to tackle this massive challenge within the fashion industry. We also discuss the future of apparel in a COVID world, how unspun's core robotics technology fits with their consumer-facing brand, and Kevin's vision for the future of automated and localized manufacturing. Kevin was a great guest, and I lea...

Today's guest is Nili Gilbert, Investment Committee Chair of the David Rockefeller Fund and Synergos. Nili and I have a really enjoyable discussion in this episode about her personal journey to find meaning in her work, and the dual tracks that took along the way, with a high profile finance career where she injected her values at every step, and through her philanthropic efforts. We also have a b...

Founder and CEO, Julia Kumari Drapkin, walks me through her background as a climate journalist, why she started ISeeChange, what the company has accomplished so far and where it is heading. To learn more about ISeeChange, visit their website: https://www.iseechange.org/ This episode is available wherever you get your podcasts. The pitch presentation and slides are exclusively available to My Clima...

Today's guest is Rob Niven, Founder and CEO of CarbonCure Technologies.  Rob and I have a fascinating discussion about concrete versus cement, how he got started working in concrete, and what drew him to help solve this problem. We also talk about his experience in public policy in regards to clean cement legislation. I learned a lot from Rob about the concrete market and the future of CarbonCure...