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Who's Saving the Planet?

Who's Saving the Planet?

By Planet Savers Org.

Discover how the minds, methods and money that fueled the explosion of innovation and disruption in silicon valley are working to build the technology, products and companies that will save the planet. Hosts: Lex Kiefhaber and Tony Noto. Music: Bill Gagliardi.
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Currently playing episode

Neutral.io: Marissa Brings Carbon Clarity to Amazon

Who's Saving the Planet?Sep 15, 2020

00:00
32:18
Sesame Solar: The All-In One Solution to De-Carbonized Disaster Relief

Sesame Solar: The All-In One Solution to De-Carbonized Disaster Relief

What happens when disaster strikes, a hurricane or fire, and communities are left stranded without power, water, or basic medical needs? Generally we rely on shipping in fuel to power generators, but that's not always an option, and certainly an imperfect one- burning the same fossil fuels which helped propogate the disaster in the first place.


Sesame Solar has a solution. Today CEO and co-founder Lauren Flanagan joins us today to discuss her all in one solution for a mobile disaster relief unit powered by, you guessed it, solar.

But that's not all Lauren brings to the table. From a lifetime of working in tech, she shares with us the teachings from working alongside none other than Steve Jobs.

Nov 14, 202344:03
TED: Turning Conversations into Action

TED: Turning Conversations into Action

Ted is famously known for their captivating talks on how to change our perception of, well, everything. But what comes next? How do we translate that attention into action? Lindsay Levin has a plan.

Lindsay is in charge of partnerships and impact at TED, her mandate is to mobilize the global platform beyond the role of educator to catalyst for action. We discuss how she sees how role of storytelling can unite disparate communities through a collective action platform, what challenges lay ahead in our fight against climate change, and how you can get involved.
Oct 26, 202338:37
Commons: How to Turn Your Credit Card into a Force for Good... Part 2

Commons: How to Turn Your Credit Card into a Force for Good... Part 2

When we last spoke to Sanchali Pal she was the CEO of Juro. Today, Juro is called Commons, and she has $10,000,000 reasons to be more optimistic about the future of personal carbon accountability.

Commons is an app that allows you to track your credit card spend and then offset your carbon footprint, a simple and elegant means of self-accountability. They've also partnered with pre-vetted businesses to offer more sustainable options to the products you purchase regularly.

Since we last spoke with Sanchali she's raised a Series A round from Sequoia Capital, the founders of Afterpay and the one and only Jay-Z. We dig into how she was able to achieve that milestone and what's in the store for the future of Commons.

Sep 20, 202334:24
Ample: Revolutionizing EV Battery Swapping (no recharge required)

Ample: Revolutionizing EV Battery Swapping (no recharge required)

What if recharging your EV was as easy as swapping out the batteries in your flashlight? That's exactly the future Ample is building.

In this episode we sat down with Ample president John de Souza to discuss the future of electric mobility, fighting entrenched legacy energy in the halls of congress, what it means to be an entrepreneur and more.

Sep 13, 202340:19
Earthforce.io: Saving the Forest from the Trees

Earthforce.io: Saving the Forest from the Trees

Understanding a forest has long been a marriage of art and science, but without the technology to scale. Earthforce is determined to bring forestry into the 21st century so we might better prepare for natural disasters while protecting one of most important natural resources.


In addition to being as serial entrepreneur, Justin Dawe is also a native Hawaiian. Here are a few of the charities working to support fire relief efforts in Maui.


Maui Strong Fund

Kokua Restaurant and Hospitality Fund

Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement

Sep 05, 202340:48
Hedgehog: Using Europe as a Roadmap to Predict the Future of US Corporate Climatism
Aug 29, 202330:32
ePlant: Using AI to Speak to Trees... Literally.

ePlant: Using AI to Speak to Trees... Literally.

It's morning, you walk into your backyard, stroll over to the Maple by the fence, and have a conversation about the weather. That, my friends, is exactly how the team at ePlant imagines your day will start, and sooner than you think.

On today's episode we sit down with ePlant.bio founder and CEO Graham Hine about the company he's built that allows us to, literally, commune with nature. Combining a custom built sensor that can measure tree growth, precipitation, humidity, and more, with cutting edge AI that leverage large language models, Graham and his team have built a means of bridging the gap between humans and nature through natural, everyday conversation.

This was a wild, fascinating, thought provoking and inspiring conversation, hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did.

Aug 23, 202355:39
Actual: Sim City, but for Real World Climate Change

Actual: Sim City, but for Real World Climate Change

What if you could build a virtual environment, a la Sim City, but with real world inputs about product pipelines, energy sources, construction cap ex, and environmental impact? That's exactly what Actual is building.

Tune in to this episode's interview with Actual President and co-founder Karthik Balakrishnan, and start planning for a better future.

Aug 15, 202346:51
Chemix: Using AI to Build Better EV Batteries
Aug 08, 202348:60
VSC Ventures: Bringing the Money and the Messaging to Climate Investing

VSC Ventures: Bringing the Money and the Messaging to Climate Investing

Jay Kapoor is the General Partner of VSC Ventures, an offshoot of the internationally lauded PR firm VSC. As a seasoned investor Jay, who spent the last decade advising teams and athletes in the NFL, NBA and other major US sports, is now entrenched in the climate world- he hosts the climate pod Climb which you can check out here.

Money is important to building a sustainable solution. So is policy, advocacy, corporate responsibility, personal accountability, technology, and collaboration. No one solution or tactic will provide a silver bullet to creating a sustainable solution. The unifying thread that binds them all together, and makes the sum greater than the parts: storytelling.

Jay works with his companies to develop a narrative that will supercharge their ability to attract and enrapture customers. By leveraging their PR prowess VSC is able to provide exposure, craft narratives, and make the problem of climate change feel personal through the companies they support.


Todays episode is sponsored by See Change Sessions: Join a global crew of adventurous minds to solve some of the worlds biggest problems . For more information about their upcoming session in Vermont, September 12-14, check out their website here: https://www.seechangesessions.com/

Aug 01, 202354:42
Micro Grid Solutions: Powering the Future of Distributed Energy

Micro Grid Solutions: Powering the Future of Distributed Energy

Tim Hade is the COO and Co-Founder of Scale Microgrid Solutions. He founded Scale Microgrid Solutions to build distributed energy systems for businesses and electric vehicle transit fleets throughout the country. Before joining the cleantech industry, Tim served on Active Duty as an officer in the United States Air Force. His time in the military taught him how to achieve an objective, but when he became a civilian he found it virtually impossible to get the government to do anything about climate change.


Tim believes that the public sector is broken when it comes to climate change. He stresses we need to hold our leaders accountable for the dire future we are leaving to our children while also getting to work and taking matters into our own hands to create change.

Jun 27, 202301:06:20
KATLA: Creating the Future of Fashion Out of Seaweed and NFTs

KATLA: Creating the Future of Fashion Out of Seaweed and NFTs

The fashion industry is incredibly wasteful. Of the 100 billion garments manufactured in the world every year over 50 billion end up in landfill within 12 months.

Inspired by Iceland, where beauty and sustainability go hand in hand, Katla.com is an eco-friendly fashion brand built on the core values of respect for people, animals and the environment. KATLA is pioneering a regenerative fashion business model and recognizes that the needs of the world today demand that we strive further and put in more than we take out. It is not enough to simply limit our impact on the environment; rather, we need to also put our efforts into regeneration. Katla has a range of items made of seaweed blends that have been sustainably harvested in Iceland in the area surrounding Sleepy Islands.

Listeners of Who's Saving the Planet can get an exclusive $100 Credit by entering the code planet100 at checkout.


Seaweed regeneration is a key tool to solving the climate crisis as seaweed is an effective tool for carbon sequestration. More than land forest, seaweed is in fact up to 20x more effective at carbon sequestration. KATLA has set up an experimental hatchery in the Sleepy Islands for the development of best practices for seaweed cultivation in Iceland.

Katla works with leading fabric suppliers to develop vegan fabrics with minimal environmental impact. Katla uses small production runs and on-demand manufacturing to minimize wasted inventory. 

Katla is pioneering advances in Web 3 including the delivery of NFTs directly through clothing. Katla recently launched a series of NFTs, the Wonderful Beings, in collaboration with Icelandic artist Hendrikka Waage. A portion of the sales will go towards ocean regeneration.

 

Aslaug Magnusdottir, Founder & CEO Katla

 

Aslaug Magnusdottir is the Founder and CEO of Katla, a DTC, sustainable fashion brand that applies zero waste manufacturing practices. Aslaug is the Co-Founder and former CEO of luxury e-commerce site Moda Operandi. Previously, she launched TSM Capital, a retail and fashion investment company she co-founded with industry legend Marvin Traub. She served as a senior executive at Gilt Groupe, overseeing merchandising. Previously, Magnusdottir served as an Engagement Manager at McKinsey & Co and as a corporate attorney at Deloitte. A Fulbright Scholar, Magnusdottir holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, an LL.M from Duke University School of Law and an undergraduate degree in Law from the University of Iceland. She is a Forbes contributor on sustainable fashion.

 

Website: www.katla.com

Instagram: @katlaforce

Aslaug Magnusdottir

 

Listener $100 credit is code planet100 for use at check out at www.katla.com


Jun 20, 202350:24
Gaeastar: Creating a New Coffee Cup... Out of Dirt
Jun 13, 202355:31
Climate Culture on Tap: How Carbon Neutral Club is Climatizing the Workplace

Climate Culture on Tap: How Carbon Neutral Club is Climatizing the Workplace

It all started with a pizza box.


Jack Bruner, co-founder and CEO of Carbon Neutral Club, is a reformed consultant, some of our favorite people here at WSTP. After cutting his teeth building vast and complex solutions for the corporate 100's of the world, he wanted to create a company that imbued his values, not just got the job done. Thus was born Carbon Neutral Club, the one-stop solution for building a workplace culture which revolves around education about and action toward a more sustainable future.



Apr 26, 202349:09
The Optimistic Entrepreneur: Brooke Bowlin on Sustainability, Social Media and Meaningful Success

The Optimistic Entrepreneur: Brooke Bowlin on Sustainability, Social Media and Meaningful Success

When you’re faced with a giant systemic machine that looks like it’s really never going to change, adopting some sort of nihilistic view isn’t uncommon.

Brooke Bowlin’s giant machine is the Fast Fashion industry, which (for the record) creates more carbon emissions than the global shipping and aviation industries combined.

What makes Brooke’s situation unique is that despite facing down this giant for the last four years, she hasn’t succumbed to some doomsday-style climate nihilism.And that’s what makes her so uncommon.

Brooke Bowlin is a ray of sunshine when she enters a room. Or at least when she logs onto a zoom call. 

-She’s an artist, entrepreneur, content creator and sustainable fast fashion advocate. 

-In the past, she was the owner of Thrift 251, a thrift store aimed at reducing clothing waste. 

-Today, she is the voice of “Secondhand Sustainability,” a popular cross-platform media project for conscious fashion. It currently has over 18K+ followers on instagram, and she’s even planning a podcast for it.

Over the past three years, Brooke has cultivated a strong following of young adults eager to change the usually wasteful model that is the modern fashion industry. 




Brooke's Book Recs: -

Hope in the Dark by Rebecca Solnit

All We Can Save by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson & Katharine Wilkinson

Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler  (mentioned)

Consumed by Aja Barber



Follow her on Instagram: @Secondhand.Sustainability

Her Website Nuance Required

And Newsletter: Nuance Required Newsletter

Apr 11, 202349:44
A Yarn from the Sea: How Keel Labs is Turning Seaweed into Clothes

A Yarn from the Sea: How Keel Labs is Turning Seaweed into Clothes

Riddle me this: What if all of our clothes were made from seaweed? 

This week we sit down with two phenomenal women who are changing the fashion industry from the inside out. Keel Labs was founded by fashion industry alumni Tessa Callaghan and Aleksandra Gosiewski. They’re two business partners who met at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York and founded Keel Labs to create ocean based solutions, including their flagship product which is a kelp based yarn. 

Here's a breakdown of some of the highlights:

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:03:34) - United By Zero

(00:04:09) - Interview

(00:05:05) - What is Keel Labs?

(00:13:44) - Changing existing systems to be plant-based

(00:20:24) - Market challenges for seaweed-derived yarns

(00:26:52) - Changing systems from the inside the fashion industry

(00:42:34) - Dealing with doubts about how much you’re helping

(00:44:33) - Advice to your younger self

(00:50:11) - Credits


And, we'd love to thank our sponsor, and our adored sister organization, United by Zero!

Mar 14, 202350:54
Moving Forward with PlanetFWD

Moving Forward with PlanetFWD

Let’s say you’re a big company. You’ve been making all these commitments recently at press conferences to get “carbon neutral”.” it’s been great for publicity, but now you’re worried because you have to actually follow through on them. You look through your contacts and you’re coming up short. Who do you call? Who can help your company actually go carbon-neutral?

Julia Collins. That's who. Julia is the CEO of
PlanetFWD, a company that bills itself as a brand’s “ultimate climate ally.” PlanetFWD specializes in reducing emissions for companies that have made these promises and works with them to become carbon-neutral and (with a little magic) get brands on the path to becoming net zero. Not bad for someone in an industry expected to be worth $30-40 billion in 2030.

Julia is also the founder of Moonshot Snacks, the world’s first climate-friendly, truly carbon neutral snack brand. She’s a start-up entrepreneur, mother and a fantastic optimist who believes that everyone can do something today to fight climate change.

—--

SHOW HIGHLIGHTS

[00:03:33] - How do you raise children when you own a company?

[00:08:47] - What is PlanetFWD?

[00:09:58] - How did PlanetFWD start?

[00:11:14] - Creating Moonshot: the world’s first climate-friendly snack brand

[00:17:12] - How do you get big companies to change?

[00:24:21] - The Cartographer’s Paradox

[00:28:21] - What can we do to save the planet?

[00:33:24] - If you could go back to the beginning, what would you change?

[00:37:16] - Credits

—--

Our host, Lex, also runs an eco-friendly fashion company called United By Zero. You can find out more about it at www.unitedbyzero.com.

Jan 25, 202338:10
How Patch is Building the Future of Unified Climate Action

How Patch is Building the Future of Unified Climate Action

Every brand worth their sustainable (or marketing...) salt is claiming a path to carbon neutrality, the bridge between the marking claims and the climate realities is being built in real time. This week we sit down with the hyper-successful startup Patch, Brennan Spellacy, to unpack how they are building the tools necessary to make corporate climate neutrality a reality. 

Patch was founded in 2020 but has already raised over $80 million in venture funding from blue chip firms like Andreessen Horowitz. They serve companies in two main ways: understanding what drives carbon emissions in the company, and building a plan to offset that carbon through internal reductions and when appropriate buying carbon offsets. 

Jan 12, 202345:52
Arrival Navigates Headwinds in the EV Market

Arrival Navigates Headwinds in the EV Market

Prior to becoming the President and Chief Strategy Officer of Arrival, Avinash Rugoobur, led General Motor's billion dollar acquisition of autonomous driving company Cruise. Understanding frontier technology in the world of automotive advancement is squarely in his wheelhouse, which is why it created quite a stir when he left Cruise in 2020 for the startup electric bus company, Arrival. 

Since he joined, they've been on a roller coaster of valuations and product launches. In 2021 Arrival went public through a SPAC, listing at a $13 billion valuation. Today the valuation is less than down 97%, to under $300 million. But, where there's a will there's a way, and Avinash is in it for the long term. We touch on the future of the electric vehicle industry, the need for innovation on a scale to equal the threat of climate change, and not the least, what working in a chocolate factor can teach you about running an billion dollar car manufacturer. 

Note: This interview was recorded in May of 2022. 

Nov 18, 202240:15
How To Turn Your Credit Card Into a Force for Climate Prosperity

How To Turn Your Credit Card Into a Force for Climate Prosperity

As with most things magically, Joro was once an excel spreadsheet. Sanchali Pal was concerned with her personal carbon footprint when she was in undergrad at Princeton, so did as anyone would: she started tabulating the specific carbon weights of all of her choices on what became a massive excel sheet. After Harvard Business School, Ms. Pal was ready to turn this hobby into a force for empowering every consumer with better information about- and the means to offset- their personal consumption choices.

Joro was founded in 2019 backed by one of (if not the) world's most preeminent venture capital firms, Sequoia. The app connects with a consumer's credit card to track and analyze spending habits, proving automated insight into what our most carbon intensive activities are, how to curb those habits, and opportunities to offset the carbon we consume in our daily lives. 

More broadly, Sanchali's mission goes to the heart of consumer behavior, and human nature. How can we make it so simple to save our planet, that not doing so is actually less convenient?

Jul 05, 202238:18
How to Invest in A Sustainable Future

How to Invest in A Sustainable Future

Put your money where your mouth is, perhaps more effect would be to put your moneys where your values are. Carbon Collective is an investment platform that identifies companies dedicated to creating the technology, infrastructure, commerce and business necessary for a sustainable future, and they put your money to work supporting those companies. The value proposition is simple: if you think that not destroying the earth is good business, then investing in the businesses doing the most to save the planet while divesting from the companies actively destroying it is a great long term investment strategy.

This week Zach Stein, CEO and Co-Founder of Carbon Collective joins us to talk about how his company is using simple metrics to unlock an investment strategy appropriate for anyone keen on the survival of civilization and the environment. We discuss the path to creating carbon collective, how their model differs from the status quo, and what makes for a winning investment strategy. Or, at least one that won't kill us along the way. 

Note: Nothing in this podcast (and certainly nothing from me) should be taken as financial advice. 


May 11, 202243:47
The Rise of a Fashion Entrepreneur

The Rise of a Fashion Entrepreneur

We often discuss saving the planet in terms of technological breakthroughs, political movements or individual choices. This week we examine a more fundamental element necessary for our survival: empathy.

Jordana Guimaraes is many things. She is an author, an entrepreneur, a global ambassador for fashion, and a champion of human rights. She joins us to peel back the curtain on how her journey unfolded, the challenges she had to overcome both personally and professionally to realize her vision. The through line for all of her works has been a deeply held compassion for her fellow humans, expressed in many forms but always a driving force in her life story.

Jordana is the co-founder of Fashinnovation, a global platform at the frontier of technology and sustainability in the fashion industry. After a career in PR she built fashinnovation to highlight the changing landscape of one of the world's largest and important industries. Along the way she also authored a book, It Could Be You, an exploration of homelessness, that is a vehicle for philanthropy. 

May 04, 202233:10
Sustainable Ride Sharing... but with Soul

Sustainable Ride Sharing... but with Soul

They say culture eats strategy for breakfast, and if that's true it's unlikely Raven Hernandez, CEO and founder of Earthrides, will be hungry any time soon. She's an attorney, entrepreneur, and visionary rebuilding the relationship between ride sharing companies and the people who actually drive the cars. 

Earthrides offers a fully electric fleet of cars, largely owned by the company themselves, with employees rather than just contract workers. She's taken the proven model for ride sharing but infused it with a deeply felt conviction of honesty, integrity and purpose. In the episode we get into the company, how and why she founded it, and how her lived experiences are informing the culture of Earthrides, which sets it apart from the competition. 

Apr 27, 202251:28
Saving the Planet Takes All of Us

Saving the Planet Takes All of Us

Who gets a voice when it comes to the environment? After all, we all have to live on this little blue dot together. Everyone, regardless of identity, has a right to define humanity’s relationship with the environment. However, environmentalism has a long and unfortunate track record of exclusion towards BIPOC and other marginalized groups. If we truly want to save the planet, we need to work towards a future that is just and equitable for all.

Who’s Saving the Planet is celebrating Earth Day this year by collaborating with Isaias Hernandez, (@queerbrownvegan), Sally Garcia (@callmeflowerchild), and Reza Cristian from Sustain the Mag to discuss how sustainability and social justice intersect!

Isaias Hernandez is an environmental justice activist and influencer, and he is the creator behind Queer Brown Vegan, an educational platform and safe space for other like-minded individuals to learn terminology in the environmental movement.

Sally Garcia is a BIPOC environmental activist and influencer who is working to make America’s National Parks more safe and equitable for all.

Reza Cristián is the founder and editor-in-chief of SUSTAIN THE MAG, an online media platform where eco-conscious warriors cultivate a healthy, planet-friendly lifestyle. Sustain disrupts complacency and refuses the old habits of our over-consuming, throw-away society.

Listen, share with friends, and get out there to keep saving the planet!

Apr 23, 202257:33
The Future of Retail, Empowered by Information

The Future of Retail, Empowered by Information

Imagine if you could wave your phone across a hoodie and instantly get information about where the cotton was sourced, how much the workers were paid, what the carbon impact of your purchase would be, specific to that individual product and delivered straight to your palm. 

That's the world EON is building, and it's going to be here sooner than you think. 

Natasha Franck, CEO and founder of EON Group, is pioneering technology that uses Near Field Communication to deliver information directly to the consumers about the products their buying and unlock a treasure chest of insights in how consumers interact with their stuff. They are powering the technology that can accelerate circular business models, resale channels, authentication, and, the ability to build integrity into fashion industry. 

Recently EON announced a $10 million series A round, providing the fuel to carry Natasha's vision into the future. But, for the better part of a decade, she had just the vision to keep her going, well before the dollar showed up. Tune in to hear about the transformative potential of the technology, the impact it could have on sustainable manufacturing, and the people who made it happen.  

Apr 06, 202234:43
The Regenerative Alternative to Plastic

The Regenerative Alternative to Plastic

Imagine a substance which is as durable, malleable, and practical as plastic, except it's produced through extracting methane from the atmosphere, making it carbon negative, and is fully biodegradable by microorganisms, the same "as a leaf or a twig." No need to imagine it, just hop into a Target and you'll find Aircarbon cutlery on the shelves. 

It's been a nearly two decade journey for CEO Mark Herrema, starting in a converted garage and landing, for the moment, behind the counter of Shake Shack. That's where you'll find Newlight's cutlery, made from their flagship product Aircarbon.  In this episode we dig into the transformative potential of their technology, the moment of epiphany which lead to its creation, and the journey from an idea to a decades long struggle against doubt and biology. Today Newlight is an ascendent technology company with over $100 million in venture funding, but that's hardly how the story begins. Join us for this episode as Mark recounts their early beginnings, the fortitude to see it through and leaves us with a vision for a more sustainable future. 

Mar 29, 202242:53
What's Old Is New Again: The Circularity Tech That's Reshaping the Fashion Industry

What's Old Is New Again: The Circularity Tech That's Reshaping the Fashion Industry

92 million tonnes of clothes end up in the garbage every year. That's more than one full dumpster truck every second. The fashion industry has long been built on a model of planned obsolescence: each season new styles pushed out the now arcane pieces from last year. Except, with the rise of fast fashion, seasons are compressed into weeks, at times days. As these companies push out new product, generally low quality, designed to be destroyed, we need to get rid of the old. Hence, 92 million tonnes of waste, every year.

Re/Curate is combatting this cycle of waste through providing brands the technology to verify and re-sell clothes under their label on their own digital platforms. They work with top brands like Steve Madden and Outerknown to securely re-sell items that they've vetted on the brand's own platform. Effectively, this means when you buy something new you have a fair sense of what its value will be when it's resold, sort of a baked in discount if/when you decide to move on from the product while opening up the brand to customers who may not be able to afford a new purchase but love the brand. 

How is this different from your normal re-sale platform, or thrift store for that matter? Tune in to find out! 

Mar 22, 202246:51
The Future of Farming Comes In A Box

The Future of Farming Comes In A Box

Nate Storey, the Chief Science Officer of Plenty, has a vision for the next evolution of agriculture, and it has nothing to do with a farm. At least not the kind humans have cultivated, so far. 

Plenty is a unicorn a few times over, having raised over half a billion dollars to recreate our conception of how our food is produced. They have created a means of farming indoors, using hydroponics and carefully crafted lighting, to maximize the crop yield while minimizing the resources needed to produce staples of the modern cuisine, including fruits and vegetables we need for a balanced diet. The bet Nate, and his team, are making, is that when we run out of room, in order to survive here on earth, we'll need to go up.

However, with every technological innovation, especially in the world of agriculture, costs are often unforeseen but never avoided. Pesticides increase yields but destroy ecosystems, the plow explodes the productivity of the farm but at what cost to the soil health? Nate discusses how he views Plenty's role in evolving our relationship with food, what we can learn from the past and how it will help inform the decisions we make today which will impact the future to come. We all need to eat lunch, and that lunch is never free. 

This episode was edited and mixed by David Weitzenhoffer. The Watermelon was entirely his idea, and he has my full support. 

Feb 01, 202230:43
The Future of Beef (No Cow Was Harmed In the Making of this Future)

The Future of Beef (No Cow Was Harmed In the Making of this Future)

Within our lifetimes, actually within this decade according to our guest today, your grocery store will have three options for a burger: traditional (a la once living cow), plant based, and cultivated meat

If you're new to cultivated meat yet, you're not alone. But soon, you will, and Leonardo DiCaprio is going to make sure of that. 

Our Guest today is Dr. Neta Lavon, the VP of Research and Development (VP of R&D, great ring to it) for Aleph Farms, one of the largest and fastest growing cultivated meat companies on earth (and soon, in space, too). In the summer of 2021 they closed a $100 million fundraising round to bring their cultivated meat products into commercial production, and secured the backing of a very vocal climate advocate, the one and only Leo. 

Cultivated meat is cellularly identical to meat harvested from once living cows. The cells are grown in a controlled setting and grafted to an organic skeleton, which provides the structure so the product resembles what we've come to expect from a traditional steak. All, with no cow on the premises.

Meat production today accounts for 60% of the GHG of overall food production, and beef is the worst offender of the lot. That's before considering the clear cutting of forests, water use, pesticides and fertilizers grown for feed, and downstream effect of the waste. Aleph's technology promises a future where we are able to enjoy the luxury of beef, without the cost to the environment. 

Jan 13, 202226:57
Solving Fashion's Waste Problem from the Fiber Out

Solving Fashion's Waste Problem from the Fiber Out

Over one hundred million tons of fabric is produced for the textile industry ever year. The scale of that production is hard to comprehend, but for comparison, the Empire States Building weighs about 365,000 tons, so we make about 274 empire states buildings worth of textiles each and every year. 

Circ is here to answer the question: what are we going to do with all the clothes made from that mountain of textiles once we're finished with them? The traditional alternatives have been to trash clothes we no long use, accounting for 17 million tons of textiles added to landfills in the US alone.  Recycling has long been a better alternative, but the process of untangling fibers so they can be reused was prohibitively expensive and technically bedeviling. Enter stage left, Circ. 

Without getting into the details (which Peter does with elegance in our conversation) Circ has created a means of taking clothes made from multiple types of fibers and breaking them down into component parts so those fibers can be reused again. They've already attracted serious interest from investors and international brands who see the clear need for their technology, both from an environmental and business perspective. 

Join us as we talk with Peter Majeranowski, CEO and founder of Circ, about the problem they're tackling, the potential impact the solution could have on the fashion industry and the environment writ large, as well as his journey from Navy officer entrepreneur. 

Jan 06, 202226:20
Orange EV: Electrifying the supply chain, one Yard Dog at a time

Orange EV: Electrifying the supply chain, one Yard Dog at a time

As e-commerce has swallowed consumerism, we take for granted the speed and ubiquity of shopping online. Get anything ever in a day at most, feels like magic. But, all of those products have a story to tell in the journey they made from factory, to warehouse, to shipping depot, to transport, and finally the last miles to your door. Along that journey, the lowly, but none the less crucial, Yard Dog plays a pivotal role. And boy, is he dirty. 

The Yard Dog or Terminal Tractor is a short-haul truck designed to move industrial grade shipping containers from one place to another. It's a workhorse of a beast, lifting and angling giant metal boxes from truck to loading dock and back, but most of the time it just sits idling, burning fuel, emitting GHG, and slowly wearing down.

Kurt and his team at Orange EV saw an opportunity in the unsung and largely unseen terminal tractor to create an electric substitute that could operate on a fraction of the energy cost, last longer, and outperform his gas-guzzling cousins. They built the company on the premise that they could build a profitable enterprise, support the industry in which they were working, all while contributing to the fight to electrify the global supply chain. Since launching they've grown into a tremendous success story, operating a national network of fleets and service facilities.

As with most success stories, it was a hard fought road, requiring determination, sacrifice and at times blind optimism. Kurt shares with us his evolution from the Ford Motor company, to a failed entrepreneur before he found success with Orange EV. 

Dec 16, 202139:42
Recurate: Democratizing Re-Sale Technology for Independent Brands

Recurate: Democratizing Re-Sale Technology for Independent Brands

This week Karin Dillie, VP of Partnerships for Recurate, joins us to talk about how they're building the technology for independent brands to resell their products on their own platforms. Love Frye boots? Now you can shop their site and decide whether you want a crisp new pair or one that's been pre-loved, for a fraction of the cost, all on the same trusted Frye website. 

The resale market has exploded from independent thrift shops to billion dollar public companies in the past decade, fueled by a desire to escape the model of constant consumption and planned obsolescence. Consumers at the point of purchase can also see the estimated resale value of their products, potentially enticing them to shop for higher quality, longer lasting items knowing there's a better than decent shot they'll be able to recoup the value of that product down the road

 Recurate offers an option for brands to keep the resale in house, offering products that have provenance- a known history of when it was first sold and the ability to authenticate it as a genuine article. Karin knows a thing or three about provenance from her time working at Southeby's, and a heck of a bunch about the resale econonomy from four years at the RealReal. Tune in to get her perspective on how the technology is advancing today and her vision about what's next for second hand markets. 

Dec 02, 202133:57
Another Tomorrow: Vanessa Makes Fashion Sustainable from the Farm to the Cloud

Another Tomorrow: Vanessa Makes Fashion Sustainable from the Farm to the Cloud

What if superior clothing retained re-sale value enough to justify a reach purchase, knowing you'd be able to recoup a hefty sum when you were ready to move on? We think that way about cars, why not suits? Why not indeed. Vanessa, CEO and founder of Another Tomorrow joins us to discuss how we can shift our thinking about clothes from a disposable commodity to a durable asset class. 

Another Tomorrow is built on the premise that the best products are crafted with care, intention and integrity. Their garments are sourced back to the farm, with providence clearly - and proudly- delineated through their store. In order to reveal this inherent value to the customer they've embedded trackable QR codes into select garments affording consumers the ability to look beyond the physical product into the story about who made it, how the fibers were sourced and what that means for understanding the overall environmental impact of their purchase.  

That QR code serves another purpose: it tags the garment as authentic, so at re-sale the buyer knows that their purchase is the real deal. This isn't a new concept- auction houses have long dealt in the nebulous arena of provenance with everything from first growth vintage wine to antique furniture. Vanessa and her team at Another Tomorrow have applied this philosophy to clothes, because we should care about the things we buy, where they came from, what they stand for, and how our decisions in purchasing them will impact the future. Nothing is too small; saving the planet can start with socks, it all counts. 

Nov 24, 202131:06
Barent Brings Sustainable Manufacturing to the Masses

Barent Brings Sustainable Manufacturing to the Masses

Imagine if you could actually see sustainability in manufacturing manifested, immediately and obviously. That's exactly what the team at Circular Economy Manufacturing have done with their creation and launch of the world's first Micro-Factory. The concept is simple: show people what it looks like to build closed loops into manufacturing using a living demonstration.

The visionary behind the project is Barent Roth, a professor, engineer, designer, and sustainability advocate since well before it was hip to be green. Barent has worked in and out of the classroom to bring to life the principles that guide his teachings, culminating most recently with the erection of the Micro Factory. 

The Micro-Factory itself is devilishly simple- you (the student, consumer, human, all of the above) watch as reclaimed plastic bottles are fed into a shredder, broken into pieces small enough to be heated via solar energy into a material that can be molded right before your eyes into something useful. It's self contained, runs on renewable energy, requires no transportation of materials, and is delightfully clever to behold. 

Step into the world of sustainable design as Barent walks us through his methodology, philosophy, and infectious delight with all things sustainable. 

Nov 11, 202126:24
Furniture that Won't Weight You Down

Furniture that Won't Weight You Down

This week we return to the world of furniture with Kristin Smith, COO, President, and even an early investor, of Fernish. The EPA estimates that  12.2 million tons of furniture ends up in a landfill every year, a product of our disposable relationship with the furniture we buy and eventually, throw away. Furnish is one of a new crop of companies seeking to break that model through offering rental options that allow their customers to return the furniture when they're done, breaking the cycle of planned disposal. 

Tune in to hear how Furnish baked sustainable principles into their production and fabrication processes, how Kristin sees the world of consumer behavior evolving, and learn about her personal journey to becoming COO. 

Nov 02, 202129:07
How Mushrooms Can Reduce Our Dependance on Livestock
Oct 26, 202125:29
Recycling Isn't Cutting It, and the GoodGoods is Here to Solve That

Recycling Isn't Cutting It, and the GoodGoods is Here to Solve That

Zach Lawless is one of the few people I've met who's gets just as worked up about all the ways recycling isn't all it's made out to be as Jess Miles does. And that's saying something. 

Zach founded the GoodGoods to step in where recycling falls short, creating a closed loop process of reusing products instead of the energy intensive, largely wasteful, and often downright duplicitous promise of recycling. They work with local wine shops to collect empty bottles from customers, wash them, then reuse them. Simple, but also wildly complicated... tune in to get in the weeds. 

Before it was the GoodGoods, Zach started another company focused on delivering fresh meals to people in reusable containers. That model was largely focused on office spaces, and when the pandemic hit they had to pivot the business pretty much over night. Zach pull back the curtain on what that it's like being a CEO in times of stress and transition, why he believes sustainability is a good business and what it takes to take the leap of entrepreneurship. 

Sep 10, 202142:49
How Madeline Fraser Created The Warby Parker of Jewelry Companies

How Madeline Fraser Created The Warby Parker of Jewelry Companies

Madeline Fraser came up with the idea for Gemist when she tried to design herself a custom ring. The ordeal proved successful but a headache. How is it that the custom jewelry process is so antiquated? The serial entrepreneur had an idea: let the consumer be in charge. After all, one size does not fit all when it comes to jewelry design. And so she brought the industry into the modern age with a unique home try-on experience (akin to Warby Parker eyeglasses). Not only that, the company's jewelry is handmade in Downtown Los Angeles using sustainable materials and ethical practices. That's enough to bring a twinkle to our eyes!

Sep 02, 202141:14
Public Habit is Breaking the Fashion Supply Chain to Rebuild A Better One

Public Habit is Breaking the Fashion Supply Chain to Rebuild A Better One

After six years working at Amazon, Sydney Badger had bigger dreams than maximizing efficiency. But, she also had a black-belt in maximizing efficiency. Public Habit is the marriage of expert supply chain optimization and, that most human of things, soul. 

Public Habit is a made-to-order clothing company specializing in high end wool and cashmere products. Fashion, as we know it, is built on a model of planned obsolescence: items either go out of style or break down, forcing the customer to continuously refresh their wardrobe and further perpetuating the wasteful machine of commerce. Sydney seeks to flip that model on its head by only making clothes after the consumer has ordered them, reducing returns, virtually eliminating overstocked inventory, and allowing for optimization of material use and supply chain dynamics by shipping directly from factory to consumer. 

Sustainability is a many faceted concept, and as of yet, perfection is still an ambition rather than a crossable rubicon. Sydney sources her materials from high-quality farms in Mongolia and other Asian sources, and manufactures the garments in China. The shipping is by far the most costly (in environmental terms) aspect of the business. But she believes that if we can slightly change consumer preferences, scale up the business model, and reach a threshold of demand, than the processes of manufacturing which are currently only available in China can be re-created in domestically, cutting down on the travel time while keeping all the efficiency. 

We're all in the process of progress together, and as someone famous once said (my money's still on Voltaire but the debate continuous), we can't let better the be enemy of good. Public Habit is showing the fashion industry how to create supply chains that reduce waste to the benefit of the collective good while itself always striving to do better, and in our book, that's damn fine work. 

Aug 25, 202134:48
What If Chemicals Were Made Out of Corn Instead of Carbon?

What If Chemicals Were Made Out of Corn Instead of Carbon?

The answer, at its most maximalist expression, a significant reduction in the 30% of greenhouse gasses released through the production of heavy industry. The people making that hypothesis a reality? Meet Sean and G, founders of Solugen.

The chemical industry is a multi-billion dollar dynamo that most consumers rarely, if ever, confront in their day to day lives. We don't spend much time digging into how our treatment plants work, what goes into the manufacturing of plastic, or any of the other countless industrial processes which use chemicals. However, the chemicals used to facilitate the production of the stuff we buy, use, and experience every day, are a massive contributor to our global greenhouse gas emissions and use of petro-chemicals in manufacturing. 

Solugen has developed a means of using an enzymatic reaction to create cost-competitive chemical substitutes from corn syrup instead of synthetics. They've built something less expensive, safer, and better for the planet. No surprise they're hurtling their way to unicorn status- by the time you're reading this they'll likely have announced the close of their series C round vaulting them to past the billion-dollar valuation into the unicorn stratosphere. 

In this episode we talk about the business, how it is and will continue to infuse sustainable practices into a notoriously intransigent business segment, and also the journey they went on from sleeping on warehouse floors to maximizing the time value of their terrestrial existence. For those brands out there considering a better, more sustainable alternative, reach out at info @ solugentech dot com. 

And for those wondering, that picture on the show cover, that's their original sketch of how this good work. If you were wondering what a billion dollar cocktail looked like, now you know.

Aug 19, 202138:27
Picturing a Better World with KT Merry

Picturing a Better World with KT Merry

Yes, that's a photography pun. I'm a dad, the jokes come with the gig. 

KT Merry is an internationally recognized high-end destination photographer who moonlights as a conservationist, traveling the world capturing images of endangered and at risk animals to generate revenue for the organizations seeking to keep those animals this side of extinct. Render Loyalty is her side-hustle and soul-salve, using the talents she's acquired professionally to explore and develop the passion she has for the environment. She's proving every day that when we do whatever we can, big or small, it matters, and our lives are made richer for it. 

Aug 11, 202132:55
Making Sustainable Jewelry from (below) the Ground Up

Making Sustainable Jewelry from (below) the Ground Up

Extracting metals from the earth is, by nature, not a sustainable practice. We have a finite amount of resources, after all. However, that doesn't mean that all methods of mining are created equal.

Anna Bario, one half of the Bario Neal team, joins us this week to discuss how her company created a whole new vocabulary to define sustainability in the jewelry industry. From working with Artisanal Small-Scale Minors (ASM), developing a standardized code of conduct with her suppliers, using re-furbished or reclaimed metals and gems when possible, and educating her customer base about what sustainable practices they should be aware of and seek out, Bario Neal is establishing a new paradigm for wholistic, conscious and sustainable jewelry.

And, because Jess Miles is invovled, you know there has to be a book list. Some of the titles discussed here:

The Ends of the World, by Peter Brannen

The Sixth Extinction, by Elizabeth Kolbert

This Changes Everything by Naomi Kline


Aug 03, 202140:37
How Humanscale Turned Sustainability Into A Competitive Advantage

How Humanscale Turned Sustainability Into A Competitive Advantage

A net positive product is a new concept: a thing which by virtue of it having been made, has improved the outlook for earth and the humans who live on her. Simple in conception, but wildly difficult in execution. Humanscale, a company which makes office furniture, dedicated itself to becoming more than a company which makes office furniture a long time ago. Today, they have lapped the industry a dozen times over, with an unprecedented 26 products certified as Net Positive. Jane Abernethy, the Chief Sustainability Officer, joins us to pull back the curtain on how they achieved this laudable milestone, and why when sustainability is part of your company's root DNA it can elicit a cascade of positive effects for the team morale, creativity, and the bottom line.
Jul 27, 202139:32
Food For Thought: CEA Exec Marni Karlin Teaches Us About *Indoor Farm-to-Table

Food For Thought: CEA Exec Marni Karlin Teaches Us About *Indoor Farm-to-Table

Agriculture and farming can play a tremendous role in reducing America's carbon footprint and farmers can lead the way in offsetting greenhouse gas emissions. One way of doing this is through Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) — a method designed from the ground up with sustainability in mind. CEA growers include greenhouses, vertical farms, and other indoor farms that combine traditional farming know-how with engineering, plant science, and technology to optimize the life of the plant. They don't have to worry about seasonal constraints; they use less water; use zero pesticides; they reduce virgin land use for crop production; they have shorter supply chains to reduce food waste; and much more. Special guest Marni Karlin is the perfect source to walk us through how all this works. She's the executive director of the CEA Food Safety Coalition. Tune in to learn all about how agriculture can reduce carbon emissions and improve overall impact to the environment. 

Jul 20, 202133:08
Looking Behind the Curtain of Carbon Offsets

Looking Behind the Curtain of Carbon Offsets

Microsoft says it's going carbon negative. You just bought an offset for a flight you're taking (congrats, welcome back). Credit cards have carbon-neutral lifestyle plans in the works. All sounds great, but what does it really mean? And will these offsets actually reduce the amount of carbon they promise? 

This week we speak with Margaret Kim, CEO of GoldStandard.org. Goldstardard is one of the organizations that certifies the carbon offset you just bought is actually going to go to work sequestering, avoiding or otherwise reducing the carbon you paid for. We go down the rabbit hole in to the murky realm of what a carbon credit can entail, how it's changed over the past two decades, and why you shouldn't always be so sure your money is going where you think it is. 

Jul 13, 202137:58
From the Kitchen Table to the Shark Tank in One Swift Bite

From the Kitchen Table to the Shark Tank in One Swift Bite

Generally when Mark Cuban makes you an offer, it's a good idea to take the deal and run. Lindsey McCormick had a different idea.

Lindsey is the CEO and co-founder of Bite, the tablet toothpaste company which charged into the oral hygiene scene in 2018 and hasn't looked back since. Only a few months into what was then a project, Bite struck internet gold, going viral with a youtube video that collected over 2 million views with in a few hours of launching. Within weeks Bite had orders worth hundreds of thousands, which, as Lindsey puts it, felt like the baby bird she had been nurturing just grew into a pterodactyl, that was trying to rip her face off. But in a good way. 

We're featuring Lindsey not just for her incredible story and absolutely winning personality, both which are fascinating, but because of the innovations she's popularized in plastic reduction and more thoughtful chemical use. Through this journey Lindsey has been able to retain 100% ownership over the company with her partner and co-founder, allowing them the freedom to make choices according to their ethics and morals. That creative latitude allowed them to focus on making the most sustainable, environmentally conscious and human friendly product possible. 

Often young companies with immediate and immense success are pressured into chasing growth or padding the bottom line by outside investors looking to recoup their investments. Much to Mark Cuban's chagrin, we assume, though it's been a while since he's had us over to the owners box for cocktails so, hard to say, Linsdey and Bite took a different route. We're thrilled to have her on the podcast and excited to see what this young company evolves into next. Uber-pterodactyl? Who knows, but we're on board for the ride. 

Jul 06, 202140:31
Building the Anti-Zara: How Traceability In Fashion is the Future

Building the Anti-Zara: How Traceability In Fashion is the Future

What if we knew everything about everything we bought? Nuts to bolts, cradle to grave, all of it. Would we make better choices? Would we treat our stuff better? Jakob and August, founders of ASKET, are betting the farm on YES. 

ASKET was founded on the principles that we should buy better stuff, less often, treat it with care, and wear it until, well, as long as possible. This is  the antithetical business model to some of the world's most successful fashion companies that rely on our need to chase the next and newest trend through continuous consumption and irreverent waste. We can't continue to live like that (quite literally), but convincing people to abandon their addiction to the cheap, pretty, disposable lifestyle is a heavy ask. 

In order to prove their quality ASKET took an unusual step: they make public all of the thinks the know about their clothes, form how the fibers are sourced, the mills where the clothes are assembled, all the way through to how often you should wash it (hint: not as often as you think). They have a stated goal of 100% traceability and transparency, a lofty, but noble pursuit. In this episode we talk about how far along they've come, but also what it takes to create a business that is the polar opposite from what success has looked like in the fashion industry. 

Jun 29, 202139:27
Sustainabae Speaks! Her 'Perfect' Solution To The Hideous Side of Fashion

Sustainabae Speaks! Her 'Perfect' Solution To The Hideous Side of Fashion

Third-generation sustainability superstar Alex Shadrow is our guest. She's an entrepreneur who says it's in her DNA to solve the fashion waste crisis! Better known by her moniker "Sustainabae" — a name she certainly lives up to — Alex tells us the story of her eco-warrior family, how she became a member of Al Gore's Climate Reality Leadership Corps, her passion for fashion and why being the COO of resale website List Perfectly is a dream come true. Also, she's an Instagram star with some 65K followers! But before heading over to her IG, hear what she has to say. There's a strong case to be made that resale and secondary sales can significantly reduce carbon footprints, not just with clothes, but all types of items — and that's where ListPerfectly comes in: an e-commerce solution for sellers to crosspost products on a bunch of major channels (i.e. Poshmark,  Mercari, Instagram, Shopify, eBay etc.). We also discuss Alex's past startup ventures, the challenges women entrepreneurs face, her year of not buying anything new, why Adidas beats Nike and the next step in her professional journey. 

Jun 22, 202133:19
How to Power the Electric Vehicle Revolution
Jun 15, 202153:34
Shari Makes Make Up for the Super Hero in All of Us

Shari Makes Make Up for the Super Hero in All of Us

Before Shari Siadat was a children's book author, before she was a corporate executive, or a mother of three, she was a child struggling with the distance between the way she thought she should look and person she saw in the mirror. We all have our own issues with body image, self-esteem, representation, all reflected through an internal kaleidoscope of how we imagine the world sees us. Shari ran the gauntlet of self discovery, from conforming to an imposed ideal to realizing her natural beauty, and she's built a suit of glitter and gloss armor for the rest of us as we wage that war of self acceptance.

TooD is a beauty brand founded in the idea that we're all different, that make up should be about celebrating those differences rather than covering them up, and in doing so we should accept nothing less than the best ingredients of ourselves, the planet, and the people who make the products. Founded in 2019, TooD has since become a viral sensation among people of all ages and proclivities for its bold, bright aesthetic, stereotype defying mantra and honest composition.

We discuss in this episode the very personal journey Shari took to become a founder of a cosmetics company- something she'd never imagined for herself- how the birth of her third daughter taught her to recognize something within her own identity and the process of rejecting the status quo when it comes to sourcing ingredients for beauty products.

Jun 08, 202150:12