Reining in the Bulls with Michael Marx

This podcast looks at artificial intelligence (AI) threats to climate change from two perspectives: the information environment and how AI reduces the cost of producing disinformation to almost zero and makes it easier to distribute; and information infrastructure and the energy costs of AI. Michael Khoo is the co-founder of Upshift Strategies, a communications strategy […]

As Amplify Eco’s Chief Strategist, Pam Wellner helps organizations focused on sustainability and economic justice by developing effective programs and communications campaigns. In this Reining in the Bulls episode, Michael and Pam discuss developing communications strategy and managing media for effective corporate ethics campaigns.

This podcast focuses on the paper industry which is among the largest drivers of forest destruction. Large scale clearcutting and the conversion of natural forests to plantations for paper production devastates watersheds and biodiversity. The International Paper campaign was a 13 year effort targeting the largest U.S. corporate paper consumers and producers, such as Staples, […]

This podcast delves into the history of campaigns against hospital chains. Gary Cohen provides a history of the evolution of the organization from battles against various hospital chains on issues like incineration of waste and use of mercury to an international network of organizations attacking a broad range of issues. He talks about the process […]

This podcast explores the power of the Mind the Store campaign to eliminate toxic ingredients from consumer products. The campaign targeted companies like the Home Depot, Lowes, Ace Hardware and others, and used a variety of tracks including shareholder, field and legal.

This podcast tells the story of the Great Bear Rainforest Campaign. Tzeporah Berman talks in separate interviews about the strategies for two seminal campaigns that focused on protecting old growth forests in Canada: The Victoria’s Secret Catalog Campaign and the Great Bear Rainforest Campaign The Great Bear Rainforest is one of the largest intact old […]

This podcast focuses on the global impact of the Victoria’s Secret Catalog Campaign. Tzeporah Berman talks in separate interviews about the strategies for two seminal campaigns that focused on protecting old growth forests in Canada: The Victoria’s Secret Catalog Campaign and the Great Bear Rainforest Campaign. Victoria’s Secret was creating a million catalogs a day […]

This podcast peeks behind the influential Beyond Coal Campaign. In the early 2000’s, existing coal plants in the United States were the single biggest source of greenhouse gases in the nation as well as the single biggest source of mercury pollution and  toxic water pollution. As a result, they were the single biggest contributor to […]

This podcast looks at the significance and impact of shareholder activism to push companies to assess, report and improve their environmental policies and practices. Companies need to be responsible for and reduce their carbon pollution not only in their own operations and sourcing, but in the companies whose materials they use to make their products, […]

This interview with Toben Dilworth, Art director of the Rainforest Action Network, explores the power of using art, images and video in campaigns. Toben shares examples and lessons learned through the use of images in corporate campaigns.

This podcast introduces 350.org’s fossil fuel divestment campaign. In the podcast May Boeve talks about the link between climate change and fossil fuel investments, and the moral and economic argument for divesting from fossil fuels. The fossil fuel divestment movement exists to demonstrate that if it’s wrong to cause climate change, it’s wrong to profit […]

This podcast introduces the US Tar Sands campaign network. In the podcast, Michael discusses strategy and tactics with Kenny Bruno, who was the US campaign coordinator of the bi-national campaign with Canada. “We aimed to stop the reckless and rapid expansion of the dirtiest project on earth, the tar sands industry in Alberta. One of […]

This podcast features Stacy Malkan, the Communications Director of the the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics which targeted the largest cosmetic and personal care product companies such as Johnson & Johnson, OPI, Estee Lauder, and Procter & Gamble. “We analyzed and reported on toxic chemicals in everyday products, pressured companies to reformulate, and engaged women across […]

In this podcast, Electica’s Jim Arkedis shares his insights on online corporate campaign strategy and tactics, from social media to ads on YouTube and streaming services, and how they have evolved over the last 20 years. Electica is a digital advertising technology company, spanning the US, UK, EU, and other countries around the world.

This podcast takes an inside look at the Challenging Big Tobacco Campaign which began in 1993 and targeted Philip Morris, RJR Nabisco and British American Tobacco. Tobacco addiction, disease and death is a preventable global epidemic that kills millions of people each year. Kathy Mulvey explains: “This campaign challenged tobacco transnationals to stop addicting new […]

This podcast looks at the Levi Strauss Campaign on Clean Renewable Energy also known as the “Too Dirty to Wear Campaign”. Calculations range from 5% to 8% that the fashion sector is responsible for that amount of global emissions. The goal of the campaign, as told by Todd Paglia, was to pressure Levi’s to be a fashion […]

This podcast focuses on tackling the issue of deforestation within the palm oil industry. Palm oil had destroyed more than 30,000 square miles of forest across Southeast Asia. It had destroyed habitat for tens or hundreds of thousands of orangutans and other endangered wildlife. The destruction of these ultra carbon rich peatlands was spewing carbon […]

This podcast focuses on the importance of framing and telling a compelling campaign story.

This podcast focuses on a campaign targeting insurance companies that insure fossil fuel companies and projects. The fossil fuel industry really depends on insurance. Unlike many other financial institutions, insurers are the professional risk managers of society. Insurers have always been concerned about climate risks. And yet, when The Sunrise Project started their Insure Our […]

This podcast introduces Payal Sampat and the No Dirty Gold Campaign. Gold mining is one of the most destructive industrial activities on the planet. It leaves communities with human rights abuses, contaminated drinking water, and degraded ecosystems. Gold isn’t the sparkling symbol of love and affection when it is also associated with, and has come […]

This podcast explores the influence and impact that employees can have on the company they work for. In this case, the company is Amazon and the campaign was “Amazon Employees for Climate Change”. In the podcast, we hear from Eliza Pan who talks us through the employee-led effort to get Amazon to report on its […]

This podcast tells the story of the influential “1in5” and “Go Time” campaigns targeting the five biggest US tech companies: Google, Apple, Microsoft, Facebook and Amazon. Both Bill Weihl and Jennifer Allyn were in this interview, with Bill providing his input via chat, and Jennifer Allyn spoke on their behalf. Bill Weihl’s vocal chords have […]

This podcast focuses on the Rainforest Action Networks’ campaigns against rainforest destruction when Michael Brune became the program director at Rainforest Action Network. This campaign targeted Citigroup because at the time, Citigroup was the world’s largest bank, and RAN found that in many industries, Citi was the largest financier of projects that were helping to […]