Inevitable

Today’s guest is Emily Reichert, CEO of Greentown Labs. Dr. Emily Reichert serves as Chief Executive Officer of Greentown Labs, the largest clean technology startup incubator in the United States. As the company’s first employee, Emily has spearheaded the rapid growth of Greentown Labs into a global center for clean technology innovation, attracting visitors and partners from around the world. Emily started her career at Arthur D. Little as a Ph.D. scientist and progressed into R&D, business development and general management roles. Prior to Greentown Labs, she was the Director of Business Operations at the Warner Babcock Institute for Green Chemistry where she helped grow the angel-funded startup into a sustainable contract R&D business with a mission to minimize environmental impact of chemical products. Emily also served as a MIT Sloan Fellow in Innovation and Global Leadership as well as a Venture Labs Fellow at Flagship Ventures, a Boston-based Venture Capital firm. Emily has served as a board member or as a key advisor for a number of innovation and entrepreneurship-focused organizations including the Northeast Clean Energy Council, Cleantech Open Northeast, Cyclotron Road, the Incubatenergy Network and the MIT Enterprise Forum. She has been appointed to leadership positions on innovation, economic development, entrepreneurship and clean technology commercialization at both the state and federal level including Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker’s Economic Development Planning Council and the U.S. Secretary of Commerce’s National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Emily has earned international recognition for her leadership in cleantech innovation and has received invitations to speak at International Conferences such as Les Rencontres Economiques d’Aix-en-Provence, France, and the Fish Family Foundation’s Japanese Women’s Leadership Initiative in Tokyo, Japan. She holds a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and earned her MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management. When Emily isn’t at Greentown Labs, you’ll likely find her traveling the world with her husband, Chris Nielsen. As an avid outdoorswoman, Emily has experienced adventures in many corners of the globe including, tree-climbing in the Amazon, swimming with sea turtles off the island of Fernando de Noronha, climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, trekking the Andes of Ecuador, and cycling along the Danube River bend north of Budapest. In today’s episode, we cover: Overview of Greentown Labs Origin story and what problem it is solving Traction to date, long vision, and what is coming next Long vision and whats coming next How the model works - tools, resources, and benefits Some example member success stories How large companies can/are engaging Role of innovation in the climate fight Lessons from the first cleantech bubble Barriers holding back innovation today Encouraging signs 'Best ways to accelerate Greentown’s role Role of policy and how it interrelates with innovation How startups should know if right they are a fit for Greentown How Emily would allocate a large pool of money to maximize its impact in the climate fight Emily’s advice for others looking to find their lane to help with this problem Links to topics discussed in this episode: Greentown Labs: https://www.greentownlabs.com/ Department of Energy grants: https://www.grants.gov/learn-grants/grant-making-agencies/department-of-energy.html Ed Markey: https://www.markey.senate.gov/ You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests. Enjoy the show! Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today’s guest is Josh Bushinsky, Co-Founder & Partner at Trajectory Energy Partners. Trajectory Energy Partners brings together landowners, electricity users, and communities to develop solar energy projects with strong local support. Josh was born in Illinois, and at seven moved with his family to Rochester, New York, where he grew up backpacking. He brings to Trajectory Energy Partners a comprehensive appreciation and commitment to the environment, first working in energy as a visiting researcher at the University of Cape Town. An attorney by trade he has represented the renewable sector at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich and Rosati, as well as worked with the Microgrid Investment Accelerator, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, the White House Council on Environmental Quality, and the Natural Resources Defense Council in Beijing. Josh is proud to develop community solar in Illinois and remains an avid hiker — now sharing that skill with his children and family. In today’s episode, we cover: What led Josh to care about the environment, and his path before founding Trajectory Energy Partners The opportunity they saw with community solar, and specifically in the midwest, where it is lesser known Trajectory Energy approach, including how they handle community involvement Criteria that makes a land parcel a good fit Pitch to farmers and the benefits to them Some of the biggest recurring concerns that come up from farmers and why Benefits to the town of community solar Resistance from utilities and why, and how legislation is required Sellers market - more money out there than good projects What success looks like for Trajectory Long vision, and what opportunities lie in store in the future Broader discussion about climate change and some of Josh’s ideas for the most impactful ways to help Josh’s reflections, after many years working in this problem area Links to topics discussed in this episode: Trajectory Energy Partners: https://trajectoryenergy.com/ Stephen Schneider: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Schneider Waxman-Markey: https://grist.org/article/2009-06-03-waxman-markey-bill-breakdown/ Clean Air Act: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clean_Air_Act_(United_States) White House Council on Environmental Quality: https://www.whitehouse.gov/ceq/ Wilson, Sonsini, Goodrich & Rosati: https://www.wsgr.com/WSGR/Default.aspx OPEC: https://www.opec.org/opec_web/en/ The Paris Agreement: https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement/the-paris-agreement Jon Carson: https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/author/jon-carson Renewable portfolio standard: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renewable_portfolio_standard Green bank: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_bank You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests. Enjoy the show! Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today’s guest is Dan Lashof, Director of World Resources Institute, United States. He coordinates WRI’s work in the United States across climate, energy, food, forests, water and the sustainable cities programs. This includes overseeing the work of the U.S. climate team, which aims to catalyze and support climate action by states, cities, and businesses while laying the groundwork for federal action in the coming years. Dan has been working to promote solutions to climate change for more than two decades. Before the World Resources Institute, Dan was the Chief Operating Officer of NextGen Policy Center and previously served as the Director of the Climate and Clean Air Program at the Natural Resources Defense Council. His focus is developing federal and state regulations to place enforceable limits on carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping pollutants. He has participated in scientific assessments of global warming through the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and has monitored international climate negotiations since their inception. He was a member of Governor McAuliffe’s Climate Change and Resiliency Update Commission, and has testified at numerous Congressional and California legislative hearings. Dan earned his Bachelor's degree in Physics and Mathematics at Harvard and his Doctorate from the Energy and Resources Group at the University of California, Berkeley. Dan is married to Diane Regas and has three adult children. When not working Dan enjoys bicycling, hiking, eating, and cheering for the Golden State Warriors. In today’s episode, we cover: WRI history and the nature of their work The 4 pillars Dan believes are needed to solve climate change Some examples of WRI’s current initiatives How they measure success How WRI is different 'Unique nature of the climate problem Role of government Role of policy Role of natural gas in short and long-term Role of big oil Role of adaptation Where Dan would allocate a large pool of money to maximize impact Dan’s advice for others seeking to find their lanes to help Links to topics discussed in this episode: WRI website: https://www.wri.org/ NRDC: https://www.nrdc.org/ WRI renewables accelerator for cities: https://www.wri.org/events/2019/02/american-cities-climate-challenge-renewables-accelerator NYC’s Green New Deal: https://www1.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/209-19/action-global-warming-nyc-s-green-new-deal#/0 Science based targets: https://sciencebasedtargets.org/ You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests. Enjoy the show! Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today’s guest is Todd Allen, Chair and Professor, Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences at University of Michigan. An offer to skip history class in high school to listen to a Navy ROTC recruiter sent Todd Allen on a serendipitous journey that led to him becoming one of the top U.S. experts in nuclear energy, with focus on the material science of nuclear systems. Todd began his professional career as a submarine officer in the U.S. Navy where he learned the practical applications of operating a nuclear power plant as well as how to take a submarine to periscope depth. Following active duty, he built on that practical Navy experience by earning a Ph.D. in nuclear engineering with specific focus on how radiation changes the physical properties of metals. His first post-Ph.D. position was as a staff scientist at Argonne National Laboratory. While at Argonne, he joined the leadership team tasked with developing the Generation IV Roadmap, the document that framed the resurgence of the nuclear research programs early in the 21st Century. Following Argonne, he joined the faculty at the University of Wisconsin. While there, he split his time between establishing a premier material science program at the university and supporting the Idaho National Laboratory. At INL, he led the transition of the Advanced Test Reactor into a national user facility, creating a unique distributed network of national research facilities working together to support novel research ideas brought by universities and private industry. He also ran a six-institution Energy Frontier Research Center focused on answering fundamental questions about heat transfer in nuclear fuel. From 2013-2016, he helped lead the Idaho National Laboratory as the Deputy Laboratory Director for Science & Technology, including being an important contributor to the development of the Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) initiative announced at the White House in November 2015. He is the author of over 200 technical publications, many of which are readable. Todd has degrees in nuclear engineering and management information systems. He is a native of Michigan and tries very hard to find ways to watch baseball. His best summer ever (2016) was 64 different stadiums across the U.S. In today’s episode, we cover: Todd’s history, the history of the nuclear industry, and how those have intersected over his career Some of the opportunities of nuclear energy Some of the misconceptions about it Some of the risks and downsides The impact nuclear can have in the climate fight What else can be impactful in the climate fight Todd’s advice for others looking to find their lane in the climate fight Links to topics discussed in this episode: Enriched Uranium: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enriched_uranium International Atomic Energy Agency: https://www.iaea.org/ Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yucca_Mountain_nuclear_waste_repository Blue Ribbon Commission: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Ribbon_Commission_on_America%27s_Nuclear_Future Three Mile Island: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Mile_Island_accident Chernobyl: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernobyl_disaster Jesse Jenkins: http://energy.mit.edu/profile/jesse-jenkins/ You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests. Enjoy the show! Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today’s guest is Josh Freed, SVP of the Clean Energy Program at Third Way. Third Way is a national think tank that champions modern center-left ideas. Their work is grounded in the mainstream American values of opportunity, freedom, and security. As the founder and leader of Third Way’s Clean Energy Program, Josh promotes policies to use every tool possible to combat climate change—including scaled-up innovation, advanced nuclear, and carbon capture technologies in addition to the increased use of renewables and efficient storage. Since 2009, he has overseen Third Way’s clean energy and climate advocacy efforts, serving as the organization’s chief strategist on these issues. He regularly advises senior federal and state policymakers, philanthropies, academics, and business leaders. Under his leadership, his team’s accomplishments include Third Way’s groundbreaking research on advanced nuclear technology—which transformed federal support for nuclear innovation—and building new alliances to defend federal support for clean energy research and development. Josh regularly writes and speaks on climate, clean energy, and innovation issues, and his work has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR, National Journal, POLITICO, The Los Angeles Times and Wired. In today’s episode, we cover: Josh’s history and what led him to Third Way Third Way founding story What the climate team looked like when he got there vs today Their goal to get to net zero carbon emissions by 2050 Areas of focus, how they prioritize, and what they do in each area to help drive things forwards Current political climate and the path forwards Sober assessment of where we are with climate progress, and what it will take to solve Josh’s thoughts on GND, carbon tax, and other topics Josh’s advice for others looking to find their lane in the climate fight Links to topics discussed in this episode: Jim Kessler: https://www.thirdway.org/about/leadership/jim-kessler 2004 US Presidential Election: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_United_States_presidential_election Advanced nuclear: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_nuclear Rachel Pritzker: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelpritzker/ Ray Rothrock: https://www.energy.gov/ne/contributors/ray-rothrock Ross Koningstein: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosskoningstein/ Nuclear Regulatory Commission: https://www.nrc.gov/ ClearPath: https://clearpath.org/ Niskanen Center: https://niskanencenter.org/ You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests. Enjoy the show! Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today’s guest is Joseph Majkut, Director of Climate Policy at Niskanen Center. Joseph is an expert in climate science, climate policy, and risk and uncertainty analysis for decision making. He is frequently cited by prominent media outlets; his writing has been featured in scientific journals, public media, and environmental trade press; and he has been invited to testify before Congress on climate and scientific research. Before joining the Niskanen Center, he worked on climate change policy in Congress as a congressional science fellow, supported by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He holds a PhD from Princeton University in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, a master’s degree in Applied Mathematics from the Delft University of Technology, and a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from Harvey Mudd College. In today’s episode, we cover: Joseph’s background pre-Niskanen, including why he left academia and came to DC Overview of Niskanen and their work Niskanen origin story, including how it is similar and different to the Cato Institute Joseph’s role as director of climate policy and how his team fits in Initiatives they are currently working on, and how they select and prioritize Discussion about carbon pricing, viability and implications Discussion about political landscape and best way to make headway in polarized climate Advice to others looking to help Links to topics discussed in this episode: Niskanen Center: https://niskanencenter.org/ Joseph’s bio: https://niskanencenter.org/blog/staff/director-of-climate-science-2/ AAAS fellowship program: https://www.aaas.org/programs/science-technology-policy-fellowships Jerry Taylor bio: https://niskanencenter.org/blog/staff/jerry-taylor/ Cato Institute: https://www.cato.org/ Article on Supreme Court decision from 2014: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/supreme-court-limits-epas-ability-to-regulate-greenhouse-gas-emissions/2014/06/23/c56fc194-f1b1-11e3-914c-1fbd0614e2d4_story.html Waxman-Markey: https://www.c2es.org/document/waxman-markey-short-summary/ You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests. Enjoy the show! Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today’s guest is Steve Oldham, CEO of Carbon Engineering. Founded in 2009, CE is a Canadian-based clean energy company leading the commercialization of groundbreaking technology that captures CO₂ directly from the atmosphere, and a second technology that synthesizes it into clean, affordable transportation fuels. From a pilot plant in Squamish, B.C., CE has been removing CO₂ from the atmosphere since 2015 and converting it into fuels since 2017. Steve brings more than 20 years of executive experience to CE’s team, stemming from previous roles in technology, robotics, and aerospace sectors. Steve served as Senior Vice President, Strategic Business Development for MDA, a leading Canadian technology firm. At MDA, Steve held a variety of senior executive positions across Canada and the US, covering General Management, Business Development, and Strategy. He has secured financing from Government and commercial sources for a variety of complex technologies, including several large satellite programs. Steve holds a bachelor of science degree in Mathematics and Computer Science from the University of Birmingham in England. In today’s episode, we cover: Overview of direct air capture and how it works Progress to date, long vision, and what is coming next Cost drivers, and go to market strategy Discussion about carbon math and why carbon removal is so important Discussion on 45Q tax credits, LCFS credits, what they are and why they matter Discussion around price on carbon, whether it is essential, and why it may make sense to distinguish legacy carbon removal from removal at point of emission and also why incentives may make sense based on carbon intensity Discussion about enhanced oil recovery vs pure CO2 removal services, and Carbon Engineerings short and longterm plans Discussion around historic role of big hydrocarbon companies, role going forward, and how important they are to the equation Discussion around CE and how they are working with some of the big hydrocarbon companies, and the nature of those relationships CE’s licensing model, profile of partners to take into other parts of the world What policy initiatives Steve finds to be most impactful Steve’s advice for others trying to find their lane in the climate fight Links to topics discussed in this episode: Carbon Engineering: https://carbonengineering.com/ Chevron: https://www.chevron.com/ Occidental Petroleum: https://www.oxy.com/aboutOccidental/Pages/default.aspx BHP: https://www.bhp.com/ Jim McDermott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesacmcdermott/ Direct air capture: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct_air_capture 45Q: https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title:26%20section:45Q%20edition:prelim) California Low Carbon Fuel Standard: https://ww3.arb.ca.gov/fuels/lcfs/lcfs.htm You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests. Enjoy the show! Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today’s guest is John Larsen, a Director at Rhodium Group who leads the firm’s US power sector and energy systems research. John specializes in analysis of national and state clean energy policy and market trends. Previously, John worked for the US Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Policy and Systems Analysis where he served as an electric power policy advisor. Prior to working in government, John led federal and congressional policy analysis in the World Resources Institute’s Climate and Energy Program. John is a non-resident Senior Associate in the Energy and National Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He has lectured at several academic institutions including Johns Hopkins University and Amherst College. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and a Master’s degree in Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning from Tufts University. In today’s episode, we cover: Overview of Rhodium Group The state of the state in US in regards to climate policy, emissions projections, energy makeup looking forwards, and the role of specific technologies and policies Role of federal vs state government and what we can learn from history that applies looking forwards Links to topics discussed in this episode: Rhodium Group: https://rhg.com/ John’s bio: https://rhg.com/team/john-larsen/ Department of Energy: https://www.energy.gov/ Dr. Stephen Chu: https://www.energy.gov/contributors/dr-steven-chu Ernest J. Moniz: https://www.nti.org/about/leadership-and-staff/ernest-moniz/ Columbia Center on Global Energy Policy: https://energypolicy.columbia.edu/ Francis Rooney: https://francisrooney.house.gov/ Ted Deutch: https://teddeutch.house.gov/ California Low Carbon Fuel Standard: https://ww3.arb.ca.gov/fuels/lcfs/lcfs.htm Direct air capture: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct_air_capture 45Q: https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title:26%20section:45Q%20edition:prelim) You can find me on twitter at @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests. Enjoy the show! Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today’s guest is Nat Keohane, Senior Vice President of Climate at Environmental Defense Fund, where he leads EDF’s Climate program and helps to shape the organizations advocacy for environmentally effective and economically sound climate policy. EDF is one of the world's largest environmental organizations, with more than two million members and a staff of 700 scientists, economists, policy experts, and other professionals around the world. Guided by science and economics, they tackle urgent threats with practical solutions. An economist with expertise in energy and environmental policy, Nat also holds a position as Adjunct Professor of Law at New York University, where he teaches a seminar on climate change policy. Previously, Nat served in the Obama Administration as Special Assistant to the President for Energy and Environment in the National Economic Council and Domestic Policy Council, where he helped to develop and coordinate administration policy on a wide range of energy and environmental issues. Before joining the Administration, he directed economic policy and analysis at EDF, playing a lead role in the efforts to enact comprehensive cap-and-trade legislation in Congress. Prior to EDF, Nat was an Associate Professor of Economics at the Yale School of Management. He received his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 2001, and his B.A. from Yale College in 1993. In today’s episode, we cover: Nat’s history, what led him to care about climate change, and what led him to EDF What EDF does, and how Nat’s responsibilities have evolved at EDF since 1994 when he joined to today Nat’s time teaching at Yale, what he liked about it, and what ultimately led him back to the advocacy world at EDF His time at the White House in 2011/2012 as Special Assistant to President Obama for Energy and Environment in the National Economic Council and Domestic Policy Council The role of markets vs policy The importance of striking the right balance between urgency and hopefulness EDF’s focus on pragmatism and getting stuff done, not just what the right answer is in theory EDF’s bipartisan approach and the importance of that for any meaningful policy initiatives to be durable over the long term Importance of the 2020 US presidential election, and the stakes The role of China, and of geography in general when determining climate impacts and strategy Some reasons for optimism How Nat would allocate $100B to maximize its impact in the climate fight Nat’s advice for you and I on how to help Links to topics discussed in this episode: Nat Keohane’s Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathaniel-keohane-00809988/ Nat Keohane’s twitter: https://twitter.com/natkeohane?lang=en EDF: https://www.edf.org/ Yale School of Management: https://som.yale.edu/ Waxman-Markey bill: https://www.businessgreen.com/bg/glossary/1805110/waxman-markey-bill National Economic Council: https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/administration/eop/nec EPA: https://www.epa.gov/ Cap and trade: https://www.edf.org/climate/how-cap-and-trade-works China cap and trade: https://www.technologyreview.com/s/611372/china-is-creating-a-huge-carbon-market-but-not-a-particularly-aggressive-one/ You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests. Enjoy the show! Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today’s guest is Kathy Hannun, the co-founder & CEO of Dandelion. Originally conceived at X, Alphabet’s innovation lab, Dandelion is now an independent company offering geothermal heating and cooling systems to homeowners, starting in the Northeastern US. Previously, Kathy was a product manager and Rapid Evaluator at Alphabet's X. Prior to Dandelion, Kathy led a team that created technology to extract carbon dioxide from seawater to create carbon-neutral fuel. Kathy has been recognized as one of Fast Company's Most Creative People in Business, one of Albany Business Review's 40 under 40, and as a Leader of Tomorrow. Kathy graduated from Stanford with a B.S. in Civil Engineering and M.S. in Computer Science. In today’s episode, we cover: Founding story of Dandelion Overview of geothermal and how it works Its market potential and what has been holding it back Why now is the right time for it to flourish and how Dandelion plans to make that happen The process that went into identifying the Dandelion opportunity, and what led to the decision to spin out from X What utilities like about the approach The impact Dandelion/geothermal can have @ scale on decarbonization How special it is that a high impact opportunity like this fits neatly in the venture capital model and timelines Whether the process to select Dandelion could be repeatable to find other ideas The pros/cons of launching at X vs independently and how to decide The magic of finding a solution that makes people’s lives easier while having a meaningful impact Some key wishes Kathy has for things that would change that would help accelerate the clean energy transition Some surprising advice Kathy has for people concerned about climate change for how you can help Links to topics discussed in this episode: Kathy Hannun Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cooperkathy/ Dandelion website: https://dandelionenergy.com/ Geothermal: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geothermal_energy Google X: https://x.company/ Dan Yates: https://www.myclimatejourney.co/episodes/dan-yates Con Edison partnership: https://dandelionenergy.com/press-release/con-edison-dandelion-energy-partner-offer-westchester-homeowners-5000-off-geothermal-installation Impossible Foods: https://impossiblefoods.com/ You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests. Enjoy the show! Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today’s guest is Jessica Lovering, Director of Energy at The Breakthrough Institute. Jessica is the director of Breakthough’s Energy program and has worked on nuclear energy policy since 2012. Jessica’s research has focused on how innovation in nuclear energy can bring down costs and accelerate deployment to help mitigate climate change, as laid out in the reports How to Make Nuclear Cheap and How to Make Nuclear Innovative. Jessica was the lead author on the peer-reviewed paper, Historical construction costs of global nuclear power reactors, which was the top-rated paper in Energy Policy for over a year. She co-authored the report Atoms for Africa: Is There a Future for Civil Nuclear Energy in Sub-Saharan Africa?, with several Breakthrough Generation Fellows. She worked with experts from R Street Institute and ClearPath to publish a set of policy recommendation around micronuclear in Planting the Seeds of a Distributed Nuclear Revolution. And she has published more broadly on energy innovation and clean energy standards. Jessica has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Foreign Policy, Vox, Forbes, Wired, and The Australian. You can hear her interviewed on The Interchange podcast and on Titans of Nuclear. Jessica is a frequent public speaker and has given talks across the US as well as in Japan, Australia, China, France, and Argentina. She is featured along with Ted Nordhaus in the documentary The New Fire. Jessica holds a B.A. in Astrophysics from the University of California, Berkeley, as well as an M.S. in Astrophysics and Planetary Science and an M.S. in Environmental Policy, both from the University of Colorado, Boulder. She also worked for two years on NASA's New Horizons mission, which flew by Pluto in July 2015. Jessica grew up mostly in northern California, but has also lived in Texas, Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania. In her spare time she enjoys doing ballet, reading post-apocalyptic fiction, and pursuing a PhD. She is married to Linus Blomqvist. In this episode we cover: Jessica’s history and what led her down path to focus on climate change What led Jessica to BTI and to working on nuclear specifically What Jessica feels is the biggest thing holding nuclear back domestically, what led her to that conclusion and what we can do about it. The role, advantages, and stage of advanced nuclear development The role of the federal government versus the states The pros/cons of public utilities and deregulation The ecomodernist movement, and different flavors such as “hard ecomodernists” vs pragmatists The most impactful things that, if changed, would help accelerate rapid decarbonization What you and I can do to help Links to topics discussed in this episode: The Breakthrough Institute website: https://thebreakthrough.org/ The Breakthrough Institute funders: https://thebreakthrough.org/about/who-we-are/funders Jessica Lovering Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicalovering/ Jessica Lovering twitter: https://twitter.com/J_Lovering Fukushima nuclear accident: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fukushima_Daiichi_nuclear_disaster Ecomodernist Manifesto: http://www.ecomodernism.org/ Roger Pielke, Jr.: https://sciencepolicy.colorado.edu/about_us/meet_us/roger_pielke/ Vogtle Power Plant: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vogtle_Electric_Generating_Plant Climate Bathtub Model: https://scied.ucar.edu/climate-bathtub-model-animations Nuclear Energy Leadership Act: https://www.energy.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2019/3/murkowski-booker-and-13-colleagues-reintroduce Nuclear Energy Innovation Capabilities Act (NEICA): https://www.energy.gov/articles/president-trump-signs-bill-boost-advanced-nuclear-america Advanced nuclear: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_nuclear Highly enriched uranium: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enriched_uranium#Highly_enriched_uranium_(HEU) You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests. Enjoy the show! (show addendum: Jessica moved on from the Breakthrough Institute in September 2019) Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today’s guest is Jim McDermott, Managing Director of Rusheen Capital Management, LLC. Rusheen Capital Management is a Santa Monica, CA-based private equity firm that invests in growth-stage companies in the carbon capture and utilization, low-carbon energy and water sustainability sectors. Prior to co-founding RCM, Jim has started, invested in and run numerous companies. These include: US Renewables Group (Founder & Managing Partner), Stamps.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:STMP – Founder), Spoke Software, Inc. (Founder & CEO), Archive, Inc. (Founder & CEO – sold to Cyclone Commerce), NanoH2O, Inc. (Founder & Board Member – sold to LG Chemical), SolarReserve (Founder & Board Member), Fulcrum Bioenergy, Inc. (Founder & Board Member), Common Assets (Founder & Board Member – sold to NASDAQ:SCTY), SET Technology (Board Member) and OH Energy, Inc. (Founder & Board Member). Jim holds a BA in Philosophy from Colorado College and an MBA from the Anderson School at UCLA. In this episode we discuss: Jim’s transition from dot com entrepreneur (back) to energy/climate Formation and operation of US renewables group Some examples of companies Jim has backed His views on impact capital and how it returns relative to a more mercenary approach Importance and necessity of carbon removal Role of the big hydrocarbon companies looking backward and forward Importance of policies like the 45Q tax credit The emergence of the carbon-to-value economy Some of the most exciting innovations to keep an eye on What Jim would do with $100B if he could put it to work to maximize impact in the climate fight Jim’s advice to people trying to find a way to help Links to topics discussed in this episode: Jim McDermott Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesacmcdermott/ US Renewables Group: https://usregroup.com/ Fulcrum BioEnergy: http://fulcrum-bioenergy.com/ Bret Kugelmass: https://www.myclimatejourney.co/episodes/bret-kugelmass 45Q tax credit: https://www.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/CATF_FactSheet_45QCarbonCaptureIncentives.pdf Carbon Engineering: https://carbonengineering.com/ Renewable portfolio standard: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renewable_portfolio_standard Oil depletion allowance: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_depletion_allowance Low carbon fuel standard: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low-carbon_fuel_standard Electrolysis: https://www.energy.gov/eere/fuelcells/hydrogen-production-electrolysis Photocatalyst and hydrogen production: https://phys.org/news/2017-05-photocatalyst-hydrogen-production-efficient.html You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests. Enjoy the show! Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today’s guest is David Buzby. David has been starting, building and investing in “impact” businesses for the last 27 years with an emphasis on renewable energy generation, energy storage/grid services, wastewater treatment and e-commerce. He currently sits on the Board of Cambrian Innovation, Leading Edge Crystal Technologies, Paragon Power and Stem, as well as being a member of the Investment Committee at the PRIME Coalition. He has in the past been a founding investor and director of SunRun (NASD:RUN), SunEdison (NYSE: SUNE), Valueclick (NASD:VCLK), Brilliant Light Power, Bright Plain Renewable Energy, Prevalent Power, Resource Holdings and Best Internet. David has an MBA from the Harvard Business School and a BA from Middlebury College. In this episode we discuss: The two moments in David’s life that led him to focus on impact based businesses How David got his start in the impact business world Some of the companies that David has started, invested in, and advised The criteria David uses for his investments and the dual focus on impact and profits Some of the issues with funding impact businesses with traditional venture capital, and thoughts on how to solve A teaser of what David is thinking about doing next David’s thoughts on science risk, time horizons, upside, price on carbon, nuclear, and more Links to topics discussed in this episode: David Buzby LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-buzby-8840a217/ Johns Manville: https://www.jm.com/ SunEdison: http://www.sunedison.com/ Jigar Shah: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jigarshahdc/ SunRun: https://www.sunrun.com/ Stem: https://www.stem.com/about-us/executive-team/ You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests. Enjoy the show! Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today’s guest is Gregg Dixon, the CEO . of Voltus, Inc. Gregg connects customers, investors, teammates, and the world with Voltus value, ensuring that the vision for the company, and its culture, is meeting their expectations. Gregg is a world-renowned expert in commercial and industrial energy management and has pioneered many of today’s innovations that unlock the economic and environmental benefits of “intelligent energy.” Prior to co-founding Voltus, Gregg was the Senior Vice President of Marketing and Sales and a founding executive at EnerNOC, a leading provider of demand response, energy procurement, and energy intelligence software, where he led all facets of marketing, sales, product, and professional services. Gregg developed and executed EnerNOC’s award winning go-to-market strategy that took EnerNOC from $0 to nearly $500 million in revenue over the course of 10 years. Among his proudest achievements, he created more than 350 jobs, brought to market more than 10,000 MW’s of demand response around the world, delivered more than $1 billion in cash savings to customers, opened more than two dozen markets for the very first time to demand side resources, architected the company’s product strategy, and, before he left, led EnerNOC’s Supreme Court of the United States case on FERC Order 745, which was decided in favor of EnerNOC, ensuring that the demand response industry can continue to grow. Prior to joining EnerNOC, Gregg was Vice President of Marketing and Sales for Hess Microgen, the leading provider of commercial on-site co-generation systems and services in the United States, where he pioneered efforts to bring more than 100 co-generation systems to leading grocery, hospitality, commercial property, and manufacturing customers. Gregg was also a Partner at Mercer Management Consulting, where he advised Fortune 1000 companies on customer and product strategy, economic analysis, and new business development. Gregg has been the keynote and contributing speaker at hundreds of energy conferences, and his work in the industry has been cited broadly in the media, including The Wall St. Journal, The Economist, USA Today, Wired Magazine, and The Boston Globe, among others. Gregg graduated from Boston College with bachelor’s degrees in Business Administration and Information Systems and he is a Certified Energy Manager, Certified Demand Side Management Professional, and Certified Sustainable Development Professional with the Association of Energy Engineers with whom he was also recognized as a “Lifetime Legend in Energy.” Gregg was also voted one of Boston’s “40 Under 40” by Boston Business Journal as recognition for having established himself as a leader to be watched in the field of technology and energy. In this episode we discuss: Overview of Voltus, Inc., including founding story Gregg’s history with EnerNOC, and how Voltus is a natural extension of that work Overview of demand response and how it works Discussion on climate change and capitalism, and how the two interrelate Discussion on climate impact Voltus can have, if successful What Voltus skeptics would say, and how Gregg responds Voltus value prop to customers and pitch What Gregg does to help combat climate change in his own life His advice for others trying to figure out how to make an impact How Gregg would allocate $100B to maximize impact in climate fight Links to topics discussed in this episode: Gregg Dixon Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregg-dixon-4521b61/ Gregg Dixon Twitter: https://twitter.com/gregg_dixon Voltus, Inc: https://www.voltus.co/ EnerNOC: https://www.enernoc.com/index.php FERC Order 745: https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/supreme-court-rules-in-favor-of-demand-response You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests. Enjoy the show! Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today’s guest is Andrew Beebe, Managing Director at Obvious Ventures. Andrew brings to Obvious Ventures a lifelong passion for building companies around sustainable systems and people power. For over a decade, Andrew has focused on clean technology and clean energy solutions. He started down the clean tech path with Energy Innovations in 2003, which he grew from a business plan to a major solar developer serving customers like Google, Disney, Sony Pictures, and British Telecom. After selling the company to Suntech in 2008, Andrew served as Chief Commercial Officer at Suntech as well as Vice President of Global Product Strategy. During his tenure, Suntech became the largest solar company in the world. After leaving Suntech, Andrew spent two years as Vice President of Distributed Generation for Nextera Energy, the largest clean energy developer in the US. Before his clean tech career, Andrew spent a decade building companies in the early days of “Web 1.0.” In 1998 Andrew co-founded Bigstep.com, an e-commerce platform designed to serve the needs of small businesses entering the Internet age. He has been supporting the enterprising ideas of people power ever since. A graduate from Dartmouth College, Andrew lives in Burlingame, CA with his wife and three children. When he's not helping to build early stage companies, Andrew builds wooden boats and furniture. Andrew was born in New York City and spent his formative years on an avocado ranch in Ojai, California. In this episode we discuss: What Obvious Ventures does and the types of investments they make How Andrew and Obvious Ventures think about and apply the term “purpose-driven” Thoughts on investing in companies with science risk Thoughts on time horizon and how that factors into investment decisions Thoughts on upside potential and how that factors into investment decisions How Obvious screens for purpose and impact, as applied to startups they back, members of their investment team, and LPs Areas of investment they are excited about Other areas outside of their investment focus Andrew thinks will be impactful in climate fight Advice for anyone trying to find their lane to help with this problem Links to the topics discussed in this episode: Andrew Beebe LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewbeebe/ Andrew Beebe Twitter: https://twitter.com/andrewbeebe Obvious Ventures: https://obvious.com/ Beyond Meat: https://www.beyondmeat.com/ Diamond Foundry: https://diamondfoundry.com/ Amply Power: https://www.amplypower.com/ Good Eggs: https://www.goodeggs.com/sfbay/welcome/step/zip Lillium: https://lilium.com/ Canvas Technology: https://canvas.technology/ Article that Andrew wrote with Diann Eisnor: https://worldpositive.com/a-tale-of-two-cities-2030-edition-c9bceb8ea1e3 You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests. Enjoy the show! Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today’s guest is Bill Weihl.Bill was the Director of Sustainability at Facebook where he focused on energy efficiency initiatives. Prior to joining Facebook in early 2012, he spent 6 years as the Green Energy Czar at Google, where he led efforts in energy efficiency and renewable energy, spearheading Google's drive to become carbon neutral, founding the Climate Savers Computing Initiative, and leading the Renewable Energy Cheaper than Coal (RE Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today’s guest is Austin Whitman, Executive Director of Climate Neutral. Climate Neutral is an independent non-profit organization working to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon world by putting a price on carbon emissions. They are enlisting brands in the fight against climate change by showing them that measuring and paying for their carbon emissions is cheaper and easier than they think. Climate Neutral believes that brands, together with their consumers, can lead the transition to a low-carbon economy by placing a price on carbon within their business. In today’s episode we discuss: Overview of Climate Neutral Intro to carbon neutrality Intro to offsets Founding story Reason for being a non-profit Process of raising money for non-profit Pitch to brands Traction to date Future plans and long vision 'How it fits into broader climate fight Where Austin would put $100B to maximize its impact in the climate fight 'Advice to people trying to find their own paths to help with this problem Links to topics discussed in today’s episode: Austin Whitman LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/austinwhitman/ Climate Neutral Website: https://www.climateneutral.org/ Climate Neutral Twitter: https://twitter.com/climateneutral Natural Capital Partners: https://www.naturalcapitalpartners.com/ UN Climate Neutral Now: https://unfccc.int/climate-action/climate-neutral-now Science Based Targets Initiative: https://sciencebasedtargets.org/ Kleen Kanteen: https://www.kleankanteen.com/ Peak Design: https://www.peakdesign.com/ BioLite: https://www.bioliteenergy.com/ Alex Honnold: http://www.alexhonnold.com/ Connecticut Green Bank: https://ctgreenbank.com/ 'Chris Van Hollen: https://www.lcv.org/environmental-facebook/chris-van-hollen/ Project Drawdown: https://www.drawdown.org/ Paul Hawken: http://www.paulhawken.com/ I hope you enjoy the show! You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests. Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Marshall is the co-founder and Managing Director at Upstream Tech, a public benefit corporation that partners with nonprofit and for-profit organizations working towards ecological restoration, supply chain sustainability, and energy efficiency improvements goals, among others. Upstream Tech’s goal is to help translate data into better, faster resource use decisions. They use satellite data, sophisticated data processing, and easy-to-use applications to supercharge their customer’s conservation impact. Marshall oversees the product development, growth and partnerships at Upstream Tech. Prior to co-founding Upstream Tech, he worked in a number of early- and late-stage technical companies that have collectively raised over $100M USD in venture capital. He was awarded Forbes 30 Under 30 in Energy and has served on panels for the United Nations Economic and Social Council. Marshall holds a BA in Computer Science from Tufts University. In today’s episode we discuss: Upstream Tech overview and history Marshall’s background prior to Upstream Tech, including what led him to care about climate, how he went about making the transition, and what led him to this opportunity specifically Some projects they have worked on Upstream Tech’s acquisition by Natel Energy and what the combined entity can do together What are some other levers in the climate fight beyond Upstream Tech Marshall’s advice for anyone looking to make a similar transition Links to topics discussed in today’s episode: Marshall twitter: https://twitter.com/marsh?lang=en Marshall Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marshallmoutenot/ Upstream Tech: https://upstream.tech/ Natel Energy: https://www.natelenergy.com/ I hope you enjoy the show! You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests. Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today’s guest is Armond Cohen, co-founder and Executive Director at Clean Air Task Force, an organization whose task is to reduce climate change by applying an overwhelming amount of force to some of the biggest levers to reduce carbon and other climate warming emissions. Armond has led CATF since its formation in 1996. In addition to leading CATF, Armond is directly involved in CATF research and advocacy on the topic of requirements to deeply decarbonize global energy systems. Prior to his work with CATF, Armond founded and led the Conservation Law Foundation’s Energy Project starting in 1983, focussing on energy efficiency, utility resource planning, and electric industry structure. Armond has published numerous articles on climate change, energy system transformation, and air pollution; he speaks and testifies frequently on these topics. He is a member of the Keystone Center Energy Board, co-Chair of the Nuclear Innovation Alliance, and a member of the US Department of Energy Electricity Advisory Committee. Armond is an honors graduate of Harvard Law School and Brown University. In today’s episode we discuss: CATF overview and history CATF current focus areas, how they prioritize, and measure success Climate problem explained, including a look at various high leverage potential solutions, and barriers that make the issue difficult to solve Policy vs innovation, and the role of each How to make progress in a polarized world Armond’d thoughts on the term ‘environmentalist’ Armond’s advice for listeners on how to help Links to topics discussed in today’s episode: Armond’s Linkedin profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/armond-cohen-83a1484/ Armond’s twitter profile: https://twitter.com/armondcohen1?lang=en CATF website: https://www.catf.us/ Carbon180 website: https://carbon180.org/ EDF website: https://www.edf.org Bret Kugelmass: https://www.myclimatejourney.co/episodes/bret-kugelmass USA Today article on Chernobyl and nuclear: https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2019/06/17/hbo-chernobyl-tragic-nuclear-power-safe-clean-vital-column/1409096001/ Stewart Brand: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stewart_Brand Sheldon Whitehouse: https://www.whitehouse.senate.gov/ I hope you enjoy the show! You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests. Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today’s guest is Rob Day, General Partner at Spring Lane Capital. Spring Lane Capital partners with strong management teams who are selling or using distributed assets with compelling customer economics in the energy, water, food and waste sectors. In these sectors, they focus on solutions that have significantly positive impacts on the sustainability of our natural resources, which they believe offer advantaged long-term benefits economically and socially. They’ve found that in practice, most such solutions have major physical components – “distributed assets” are those solutions using equipment or facilities smaller and less concentrated than traditional project finance can address. Rob has been a sustainable resources private equity investor since 2004, and acts or has served as a Director, Observer and advisory board member to multiple companies in the energy tech and related sectors. Rob also serves on the Board at the New England Clean Energy Council. From 2005-2016 he authored the column Cleantech Investing, which appeared on GreentechMedia.com, and co-hosted several conferences with that group on the topic of new investment models for the sustainability sector. Formerly a consultant with Bain & Company, Rob has worked with companies and evaluated private equity transactions in the energy/ utilities, telecom, IT, medical/pharmaceutical, and retail industries. Earlier in his career, Rob was a member of the World Resources Institute's Sustainable Enterprise Program, where he co-authored the report The Next Bottom Line: Making Sustainable Development Tangible. Rob received his MBA at the Kellogg Graduate School of Management (Northwestern University), and his BA at Swarthmore College. In this episode we discuss: Overview of Spring Lane Capital Rob’s background & history and what got him initially caring about the planet and sustainability Spring Lane Capital model, target customers, what alternatives existed before they came along, and how they are different How they measure success, in terms of both financial returns and the mission What Rob would be doing to focus on climate change if he wasn’t doing this Rob’s advice to people trying to find their own ways to make a mark in this problem space Links for topics discussed in this episode: Aries Clean Energy: https://ariescleanenergy.com/ Generate Capital: https://generatecapital.com/ Ultra Capital: https://www.ultracapital.com/ Rob Day’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robday/ Rob Day’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/cleantechvc I hope you enjoy the show! You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and via email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests. Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today’s guest is Diego Saez Gil, co-founder & CEO of Pachama. Diego Saez-Gil is Co-founder & CEO of Pachama, a company focused on restoring the forests to solve climate change. Prior to Pachama, Diego co-founded Bluesmart (acquired by TravelPro) and WeHostels (acquired by StudentUniverse). Diego was awarded MIT 35 Under 35 and was selected High Impact Entrepreneur by Endeavor. Pachama is working to help restore the forests to solve climate change. They are developing technologies to bring trust, transparency, and efficiency to the Forest Carbon Market. They are combining machine learning with satellite and drone data to accelerate the verification of carbon in forests and increase the flow of capital from those offsetting their carbon emissions to those protecting and restoring the forests. They are backed by some of the best investors in Silicon Valley including Chris Sacca, Paul Graham, Y Combinator, among others. In this episode we discuss: Overview of Pachama Background on carbon offsets and how they work Overview of reforestation and why it is important Background on why reforestation has been difficult to certify land for historically, and how Pachama can help Progress of the company to date, long vision, and what is coming next What success looks like, and how it ties into broader climate fight What else can be high leverage on climate change, besides reforestation Role of policy, specific to Pachama and with broader lense in climate fight Role of venture capital in climate fight, and what types of climate solutions are the right fit for VC Advice to people trying to figure out how to help Links for topics discussed in this episode: Diego Saez Gil Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dsaezgil/ Diego Saez Gil twitter: https://twitter.com/dsaezgil Pachama website: https://www.pachama.com/ Project Drawdown: https://www.drawdown.org/ Why Forests? Why Now?: The Science, Economics, and Politics of Tropical Forests and Climate Change: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1933286857/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_.krdDbWWR127E I hope you enjoy the show! You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and via email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics and guests. Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today’s guest is Noah Deich, the Founder & Executive Director of Carbon180. Carbon180 is a new breed of climate-focused NGO on a mission to fundamentally rethink carbon. They partner with policymakers, scientists and businesses around the globe to develop policy, promote research, and advance solutions that transform carbon from a liability to an asset. Their vision is to build a prosperous, carbon-conscious economy that removes more carbon from the atmosphere than we emit. Noah is a cleantech professional with a passion for fighting climate change. Prior to founding Carbon180, Noah worked in consulting, and gained experience with environmental market and carbon offset modeling, financial valuation of renewable and fossil energy power plants, energy efficiency and demand response program design and implementation, and corporate social responsibility strategy assessments. Noah received his M.B.A. from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley and his B.A. from the University of Virginia, and his writing has been published in GreenBiz. In this episode we discuss: Carbon removal defined & why we need it Carbon180 overview, history, etc Where they are the journey today, the long vision, and what is coming next Types of projects they work on, some examples, and how they measure success State of carbon removal and where it needs to go Some barriers holding it back and the best way to unlock faster progress Role of policy vs innovation Carbon 180’s role How you and I can help What else matters in the climate fight Advice to people trying to find their lane Links for topics discussed in this episode: Noah Deich LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/noahdeich/ Noah Deich Twitter: https://twitter.com/thecarbonsink Carbon180: https://carbon180.org/ National Academy of Science: http://www.nasonline.org/ Carbon removal: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_dioxide_removal Occidental Petroleum: https://www.oxy.com/Pages/default.aspx I hope you enjoy the show! You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and via email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests. Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today’s guest is Alicia Seiger, a lecturer at Stanford Law School who leads sustainability and energy finance initiatives at Stanford Law, Graduate School of Business and the Precourt Institute for Energy. Alicia serves as Managing Director for both the Stanford Steyer-Taylor Center for Energy Policy and Finance and the Sustainable Finance Initiative. Her work focuses on business and financial innovations to accelerate the transition to a decarbonized and climate resilient global economy. In 2018, Alicia was appointed by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli to serve on the first-ever Decarbonization Advisory Panel for the $209 billion New York State Common Retirement Fund. She also serves on the boards of Ceres and PRIME Coalition, and co-founded Stanford Professionals in Energy (SPIE). In 2014, she created Investing in a New Climate, an investor workshop series to help asset owners manage climate risk and capitalize on innovation opportunities. A serial entrepreneur and pioneer of new business models, Alicia has been designing and executing climate and energy strategies for businesses, foundations, investors, and NGOs since 2004. She has served on the management teams of multiple startups, including at TerraPass, a pioneer of the US carbon offset market, and Flycast Communications, one of the world’s first web advertising networks. In this episode we discuss: The type of work Alicia does at Stanford with the Stanford Steyer-Taylor Center for Energy Policy and Finance and the Sustainable Finance Initiative How the financial world is thinking of climate change, including the disconnect between valuations and climate risk Where the US stacks up against the rest of the world in terms of sustainable investing Advice for people trying to figure out how to find their place in the climate fight What Alicia would do with a big pot of money, if she could put it to work to maximize its impact on deep decarbonization I hope you enjoy the show! You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests. Edit notes from Alicia: I failed to mention “minimum standards”, which was the third headline of our report. To read more on this check out the NYCRF climate action plan (https://www.osc.state.ny.us/pension/climate-action-plan-2019.pdf) or our panel’s recommendations (https://www-cdn.law.stanford.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/newer.PDF-NYCRF_DAP_FinalReport_Full.pdf.pdf). NYCRF did everything except adopt the headline. They didn’t actually publicly commit to 100% sustainable assets by 2030, but they started on the road towards that goal. Links for topics discussed in this episode: Alicia Seiger’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aseiger Alicia Seiger’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaseiger Alicia Seiger’s Stanford Bio: https://law.stanford.edu/directory/alicia-seiger/ Stanford Steyer-Taylor Center for Energy Policy and Finance: https://law.stanford.edu/steyer-taylor-center-for-energy-policy-and-finance/ Stanford Sustainable Finance Initiative, Precourt Institute for Energy: https://energy.stanford.edu/sustainable-finance-initiative Ceres: https://www.ceres.org/ FSB, TCFD Website: https://www.fsb-tcfd.org/ FSB, Mark Carney Video on TCMD: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvLsLJ7kl3E Sarah Kearney: https://www.myclimatejourney.co/episodes/sarah-kearney Matthew Nordan: https://www.myclimatejourney.co/episodes/matthew-nordan Prime Coalition: https://primecoalition.org/ Cyclotron Road: https://www.cyclotronroad.org/ Tom Steyer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Steyer Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today’s guest is Pat Brown, CEO & founder of Impossible Foods, a company at the forefront of making nutritious, delicious meat and dairy products from plants to satisfy meat lovers and address the environmental impact of animal farming. Founded in 2011, the Bay Area-based company has now raised a total of $687.5 million from a host of backers including Khosla Ventures, UBS, Bill Gates, Serena Williams and singer Katy Perry. In this episode we discuss: Pat’s background as a chemist and the sabbatical that led him to founding Impossible Foods What the company does, how it goes to market, and progress to date Mission, long-term vision, and how it ties back to broader climate fight What else can be impactful on climate change beyond the work of Impossible Foods Pat’s advice to consumers on the most impactful things they can do to be helpful in the fight against climate change I hope you enjoy the show! You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests. Links for topics discussed in this episode: Pat Brown’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-brown-338b467 Impossible Foods website: https://impossiblefoods.com/ Impossible Foods Impact Report 2019 https://impossiblefoods.com/mission/2019impact/ Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today’s guest is Saul Griffith, the founder of Otherlab. Saul is a prolific inventor and entrepreneur but was trained as an engineer. He received his Ph.D. at MIT in the junction between materials science and information theory. Prior to MIT, Saul studied in Sydney, Australia and at UC Berkeley in metallurgical engineering. Since graduating in 2004 he has started numerous technology companies based in the Bay Area including Makani Power 2007-acquired by Google, Instructables 2006-acquired by Autodesk and Squid Labs 2004-2007. Saul has been awarded numerous awards for invention and was named a MacArthur Fellow in 2007. Saul holds multiple patents and patents pending in textiles, optics, nanotechnology, energy production, manufacturing and smart geometry. Otherlab is an independent research & design lab that pairs creativity & rigor to innovations in sustainable energy and robotics. In this episode we discuss: Saul’s childhood experiences that led him to care about the environment and his interest in engineering and robotics, which resulted in his unique views on how to approach the problem of climate change The type of work Saul and his team are doing at Otherlab, including process, projects, success criteria, and how they partner with orgs like ARPA-E and the government The role and importance of hydrocarbon companies in the climate issue, and Saul’s unique idea for how to mobilize them effectively Saul’s idea for a new financial product focused on enabling home electrification for individual families The evolving role of Silicon Valley Saul’s thoughts on climate math and the future I hope you enjoy the show! You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and via email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share feedback on episodes and/or suggestions for guests/topics you'd like to see covered in the future. Links for topics discussed in this episode: Saul Griffith’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saulgriffith Otherlab: https://otherlab.com/ Otherlab Twitter: https://twitter.com/otherlab James Hansen: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Hansen Sunfolding: https://www.sunfolding.com/ Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today’s guest is Matt Rogers, the co-founder of Nest and now Incite.org. Incite turns big ideas to improve the world into big deals. They offer early money & support for changemakers through Incite Labs, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that makes grants and program-related investments to further charitable, educational, and scientific purposes, Incite Ventures, an investment fund that supports mission-driven enterprises through investments in businesses with the potential to scale, inspire others, and make a difference, and Incite Politics, the name of the work of Incite’s founders, Matt and Swati, to personally organize and support initiatives to pass legislation and elect candidates who approach our country’s issues from a fresh perspective. Matt is a builder at heart. He started at Apple, building the software team for 10 generations of the iPod. He was one of the first engineers on the original iPhone and involved in the development of 5 iPhone generations, and the first iPad. As co-founder of Nest, Matt built the team that built the first machine learning thermostat. And by doing so, has built the leading connected home brand — Nest. Matt is a Star Wars enthusiast and can often be spotted playing with his Airedale terrier friend, Bingley. In this episode we discuss: Matt’s time at Apple where he worked on the iPod, iPhone, and iPad The aha moment that led to Matt leaving Apple and founding Nest with Tony Fadell How Matt blended product and mission at Nest, which helped lead to it’s 3.2B acquisition by Google Matt’s time post Google acquisition and what led him and his wife Swati to found Incite.org The work Matt and his wife Swati are doing at Incite in startups, government, philanthropy, and politics Matt’s personal views on climate change and his expectations of those who have achieved success Links for topics discussed in this episode: Matt Rogers LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattrogers2/ Matt Rogers Twitter: https://twitter.com/nestmatt Swati Mylavarapu: https://www.linkedin.com/in/swatimylavarapu/ Incite.org: https://www.incite.org Yoky Matsuoka: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoky_Matsuoka Apple: https://www.apple.com/ Nest: https://nest.com/ Tony Fadell: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonyfadell/ Dan Yates: https://www.myclimatejourney.co/episodes/dan-yates Google acquires Nest: https://www.forbes.com/sites/aarontilley/2014/01/13/google-acquires-nest-for-3-2-billion/ Carbon180: https://carbon180.org/ Cyclotron Road: https://www.cyclotronroad.org/ Julio Friedmann: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julio-friedmann-86a83a44/ ClearPath: https://clearpath.org/ UC Davis: https://www.ucdavis.edu/news/can-seaweed-cut-methane-emissions-dairy-farms/ New York Times article w/ Matt Rogers: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/07/business/carbon-removal-technology-start-ups.htm I hope you enjoy the show! You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and provide suggestions for future topics or guests. One correction: In this episode Matt Rogers said Cyclotron Road will soon be called Activation Energy. In fact, Cyclotron Road is a program managed in partnership between Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Activate (formerly called Activation Energy), an independent nonprofit organization. Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today's guest is Joshua Posamentier, Managing Partner and Co-Founder at Congruent Ventures. Congruent partners with entrepreneurs to build companies addressing sustainability challenges, investing early across hardware, software, enterprise, consumer, deep technology, fin-tech, and business model innovation. Joshua oversees Congruent’s investments in PolySpectra, Sense Photonics, Energetic Insurance, TeleSense, Bellwether Coffee, Xtelligent, ArcByt, Fox Robotics, and Emergy Labs. He has rich experience in venture (Prelude Ventures, Intel Capital) and operating roles (Intel, National Semi, TI), and entrepreneurship (CEO of Blipstream). He was an integral member of Intel’s first wireless chip team, started and ran National Semiconductor’s EV, Energy Storage and Smart Grid business units and initiated investment in several new business lines. Joshua has over 50 patents issued or pending, holds a BA in physics from the University California at Berkeley, and holds MBAs from the Columbia Business School and the Haas School of Business. Josh is an avid cyclist, skier, sailor, surfer, and photographer and lives with his family in the SF Bay Area. In this episode we discuss: Joshua’s background in both operating roles and ventures roles that gave him the conviction to start Congruent and focus on sustainability investing How Joshua balances generating returns vs making impact through his investments Examples of some of the companies Joshua and Congruent have invested in and the impact they are having on sustainability markets Joshua’s views on the climate issue and his advice to others who are struggling with the decision on where to spend their time in the climate fight I hope you enjoy the show! You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and/or requests for topics/guests to cover on the show! Links for topics discussed in this episode: Joshua Posamentier's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/posamentier Joshua Posamentier's Twitter: https://twitter.com/posamentier Congruent Ventures Website: http://www.congruentvc.com/ Congruent Ventures Twitter: https://twitter.com/CongruentVC Abe Yokell's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abe-yokell Daniel Hullah: https://www.myclimatejourney.co/episodes/daniel-hullah Prelude Ventures: https://www.preludeventures.com/ Amp Robotics: https://www.amprobotics.com/ Energetic Insurance: https://www.energeticinsurance.com/ James Bowen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesbowen/ Jeff McAulay: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jlmcaulay/ Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today's guest is Adele Morris, a senior fellow and policy director for Climate and Energy Economics at the Brookings Institution. Her research informs critical decisions related to climate change, energy, and tax policy. She is a leading global expert on the design of carbon pricing policies. She joined Brookings in July 2008 from the Joint Economic Committee (JEC) of the U.S. Congress, where she advised members and staff on economic, energy, and environmental policy. Before her work in Congress, Morris was the lead natural resource economist for the U.S. Treasury Department for nine years. In that position, she informed and represented Treasury’s positions on agriculture, energy, climate, and radio spectrum policies. On assignment to the U.S. Department of State in 2000, she led negotiations on land use and forestry issues in the international climate change treaty process. Prior to joining the Treasury, she served as the senior economist for environmental affairs at the President’s Council of Economic Advisers during the development of the Kyoto Protocol. Morris began her career at the Office of Management and Budget, where she oversaw rulemaking by agriculture and natural resource agencies. She holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Princeton University, an M.S. in Mathematics from the University of Utah, and a B.A. from Rice University. In this episode we discuss: Adele’s background and her climate focused work at the Brookings Institution The political make up of the Brookings Institute and how they work on both the left and right side of the aisle Some of the recent projects Adele has been working on including a deep dive into carbon taxes The no nonsense straightforward approach Adele takes to her work and how she hopes it is received in this current polarized political climate we find ourselves in Adele’s advice to others: vote and educate yourself, and talk to others I hope you enjoy the show! You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share any feedback or requests for specific topics/guests to have on the show! Links for topics discussed in this episode: The event with the members of Congress on June 20: https://www.brookings.edu/events/leading-carbon-price-proposals-a-bipartisan-dialogue/ The paper on the policy insights from our big modeling study: https://www.brookings.edu/research/policy-insights-from-comparing-carbon-pricing-modeling-scenarios/ The book I mentioned: https://www.amazon.com/Implementing-Carbon-Tax-Explorations-Environmental/dp/1138825360 How to find your representative in Congress: https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative Contact information for U.S. Senators: https://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm?OrderBy=state Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

In this episode I interview Kiran Bhatraju the Founder and CEO of Arcadia Power. Arcadia Power connects customers to local community solar projects and purchases renewable energy certificates from wind farms on their behalf. To date, Arcadia Power has 250,000 customers that have produced 680,000 megawatt hours of clean energy. In this episode we discuss: How Arcadia Power is making it easy for customers to transition to clean energy. How Arcadia Power uses offsets and renewable energy certificates and the impact those have on energy markets and innovation by demonstrating demand. The pricing strategy and freemium model Arcadia Power is using to attract customers. Kiran’s fear about societies tendency to adapt to the “new normal” and the consequences of tendency. Why Kiran believes its important for policymakers to remember those most significantly impacted by the transition to clean energy. I hope you enjoy the show! You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and provide suggestions for future guests or topics you'd like to see covered on the show. Links for topics discussed in this episode: Kiran Bhatraju’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kiran-bhatraju Kiran Bhatraju’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/KiranRaju Arcadia Power: https://www.arcadiapower.com Wealthfront: https://www.wealthfront.com/ Bettermint: https://www.betterment.com Runkeeper: https://runkeeper.com/ Solar Holler: https://www.solarholler.com/ Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

In this episode I interview Rich Powell, the Executive Director of ClearPath. Rich is the Executive Director at ClearPath and ClearPath Action, the DC-based organizations developing and advancing conservative policies that accelerate clean energy innovation. He educates policymakers on investing wisely in energy innovation, removing roadblocks to building and exporting American clean energy technology, and maintaining and promoting our baseload clean energy resources. Rich also leads ClearPath’s external advocacy and research partnerships with non profits, academia, and the private sector. Previously, Rich was with McKinsey & Company in the Energy and Sustainability practices. He focused on corporate clean energy strategy, government low carbon growth strategy, and clean tech market entry. ClearPath partners with in-house and external experts on nuclear, carbon capture, hydropower, natural gas, energy storage and energy innovation to advance their mission. In this episode, Rich and I discuss: Rich’s previous experience working at McKinsey and how that led to him meeting Jay Faison, the founder of ClearPath, and ultimately joining the company. How ClearPath prioritizes their efforts by evaluating impact vs likelihood of a particular policy passing. How ClearPath uses the conservative values of cost benefit analysis and performance technology in developing policy proposals. ClearPath’s non-dogmatic view on what it will take to solve the energy issues of climate change. How ClearPath hopes to achieve it’s long term goal of zero emissions by 2050. I hope you enjoy the show! You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and provide suggestions for future guests or topics you'd like to see covered on the show. Links for topics discussed in this episode: Rich Powell’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richpowell Rich Powell’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/powellrich ClearPath: http://clearpath.org/ Jay Faison: https://clearpath.org/about-us/jay-faison/ SnapAV: https://www.snapav.com McKinsey: https://www.mckinsey.com/ NetPower: https://www.netpower.com Oxy: https://www.oxy.com 45Q: https://clearpath.org/jay-and-richs-take/why-45q-matters-and-why-its-not-enough/ Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

In this episode, I interviewed Susanne Brooks, Senior Director, U.S. Climate Policy & Analysis at Environmental Defense Fund. Susanne’s areas of expertise include climate change, U.S. climate and energy policy, and carbon pricing. Specifically, she works to develop and advocate environmentally responsible and economically sound policies aimed at reducing emissions of greenhouse gases and other air pollutants. Susanne’s areas of expertise include U.S. federal and state climate and energy policy, the economic impacts of climate change, and the design of carbon pricing programs. The Environmental Defense Fund is one of the world's largest environmental organizations, with more than two million members and a staff of 700 scientists, economists, policy experts, and other professionals around the world. EDF’s work focuses on four main areas including: Climate & Energy, Health, Oceans, and Ecosystems. In this episode, Susanne and I discussed: What sets EDF and their work apart from other NGO’s Where EDF’s work fits into the broader picture of climate change What Susanne does specifically for EDF which includes looking years ahead to make sure EDF is prepared for future legislation proposals How EDF has been helping legislators by providing suggestions for carbon tax proposals using EMIs How Susanne found her way into climate and climate policy related work I hope you enjoy the show! You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and provide suggestions for future guests or topics you'd like to see covered on the show. Links for topics discussed in this episode: Susanne Brooks LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susanne-brooks-28a0894/ Susanne Brookers Twitter: https://twitter.com/susannebrooks EDF’s Website: https://www.edf.org Nat Keohane: https://www.edf.org/people/nathaniel-keohane EIM’s: http://blogs.edf.org/markets/2016/11/03/ensuring-environmental-outcomes-from-a-carbon-tax/ Resources for the Future: https://www.rff.org/ CEO Climate Dialogue: https://www.ceoclimatedialogue.org/ Climate Leadership Council: https://www.clcouncil.org/ World Resources Institute: https://www.wri.org/ IPCC: https://www.ipcc.ch/ Brookings: https://www.brookings.edu/ Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

In this episode, I interviewed Bret Kugelmass, the Managing Director of the Energy Impact Center. We covered a number of topics, including Bret’s background and what led him to focus so passionately on nuclear, his atypical entry point and tremendously successful podcast, the work he is doing at Energy Impact Center, and his ultimate vision for what Energy Impact Center can become and the mark he wants to leave on the world. Out of all of the people I’ve met so far in my journey, Bret is the closet to my spirit animal - recovering technology entrepreneur looking to work on something more purposeful, concerned about climate change, deep dive into climate brought him to nuclear, and had many discussions and started a podcast on his quest to enter this new field without a historical background in it. Bret put out some pretty bold, controversial viewpoints. Definitely thought provoking, and whether you find yourself agreeing or disagreeing, a worthwhile listen, for sure. I would love to hear your thoughts after listening to the episode. His bio here: Bret Kugelmass is an American technology entrepreneur who's turned his focus to climate and energy advocacy. One the early pioneers in commercializing drones (Airphrame - acq. 2017) for environmental surveys and emergency response he's experienced first-hand market growth within complex technical, regulatory, and public opinion framework. He received his Masters in robotics from Stanford and his earlier work includes designing a lunar rover controller for NASA, a concept electric car for Panasonic, and automating solar manufacturing processes for Nanosolar. Motivated by the climate crises he moved to DC to set up a research initiative (Energy Impact Center) focused on exploring nuclear power and its role in deep decarbonization. He also hosts a podcast (Titans of Nuclear) where he’s conducted hundreds of audio interviews with experts throughout the nuclear sector communicating to a tech savvy and environmentally concerned audience the unique complexities and benefits of the technology. In this episode, Bret and I discuss: Bret’s background and what caused him to join the climate fight His journey talking to scientists and experts and the three a-ha moments that led to his focus on nuclear Bret’s view on the single only solution to climate change A deep dive into the world of nuclear including a line by line rebuttal of all the common concerns with nuclear energy and reactors Bret’s ultimate goal and definition of success with his work I hope you enjoy the show! You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and provide suggestions for future guests or topics you'd like to see covered on the show. Links for topics discussed in this episode: Bret Kugelmass: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bkugelmass Titans of Nuclear: https://www.titansofnuclear.com/ Fukushima: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fukushima_Daiichi_nuclear_disaster Bret Kugelmass’s Lecture Series on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgTfjKxO_dTeFNOjWZXUCM0ghpDBVc2oO Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

In this episode, I interviewed Alex Flint, the Executive Director of The Alliance for Market Solutions. Alex joined AMS as executive director in May 2017. He previously served as staff director of the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, senior vice president of governmental affairs at the Nuclear Energy Institute, and as a member of President Trump’s transition team. The Alliance for Market Solutions (AMS) is an organization of conservative leaders addressing two of America’s most pressing challenges: the need to reduce carbon pollution and grow the economy. AMS respect’s climate change science and supports replacing regulations with a revenue-neutral carbon tax—a policy that would efficiently protect the environment and deregulate and grow the economy. AMS engages directly with influential conservatives, including policymakers, to cultivate support for a revenue-neutral carbon tax. We also conduct research on key aspects of carbon tax policies to provide policymakers insights into issues including the impact of a revenue-neutral carbon tax on economic growth, income, and innovation. In this episode, Alex and I discuss: Alex’s background and childhood that led to his awareness and appreciation for the environment The early days of The Alliance for Market Solutions and how it came to be Alex’s time working in nuclear and then on Trump’s transition team Alex’s case for why and how conservatives should address the issue of climate change The specific solution that AMS proposes to address climate change Why Alex does not think any solution is better than no solution when it comes to climate policy I hope you enjoy the show! You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and provide suggestions for future guests or topics you'd like to see covered on the show. Links for topics discussed in this episode: Alex Flint: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-flint-0a294574/ The Alliance for Market Solutions: https://amsresearch.org/ Alex's Op Ed from Dec of 2018: https://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/energy-environment/419392-republicans-are-losing-on-climate-issues-we-can-change Article on the email Alex wrote about climate change deniers: https://www.eenews.net/stories/1060162805 Interview of Alex - Addressing Climate Change with a Carbon Tax | White House Chronicle: https://vimeo.com/278688768 Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

In this episode, I interview Nathaniel Stinnett, the Founder and Executive Director of the Environmental Voter Project. Nathaniel Stinnett founded the Environmental Voter Project in 2015 after over a decade of experience as a senior advisor, consultant, and trainer for political campaigns and issue-advocacy nonprofits. Hailed as a "visionary" by The New York Times, and dubbed "The Voting Guru" by Grist magazine, Stinnett is a frequent expert speaker on cutting-edge campaign techniques and the behavioral science behind getting people to vote. He has held a variety of senior leadership and campaign manager positions on U.S. Senate, Congressional, state, and mayoral campaigns, and he sits on the Board of Advisors for MIT’s Environmental Solutions Initiative. Formerly an attorney at the international law firm DLA Piper LLP, Stinnett holds a B.A. from Yale University and a J.D. from Boston College Law School. He lives in Boston, MA with his wife and two daughters. In this episode, we discuss: Nathaniel's background in law and politics which led to him founding the Environmental Voter Project What the Environmental Voter Project is and what kind of work they are doing Insights into voter behavior and how it factors into climate policy How voting records and your voting file factors into climate policy regardless of which candidate you support The results and progress Nathaniel and his team at the Environmental Voter Project have made to date along with their future plans Ways people can get involved with EVP and Nathaniel’s advice to those looking to join the climate fight I hope you enjoy the show! You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and provide suggestions for future guests or topics you'd like to see covered on the show. Links for topics discussed in this episode: Nathaniel’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/NCStinn Environmental Voter Project: https://www.environmentalvoter.org/leadership Environmental Voter Project: How Much Do People Lie About Voting?: https://www.environmentalvoter.org/sites/default/files/documents/how-much-do-people-lie-about-voting.pdf Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

In this episode, I interview Gustaf Alstromer, Partner at Y Combinator and former Product Lead of Growth at AirBnB. Prior to AirBnB, he led Growth at Voxer and was the Co-Founder and CEO of Heysan (YC W07), which was acquired by Good Technology in 2009. In October of 2018, YC published a Request for Startups that remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere which YC President Sam Altman described as “the most elaborate RFS we have put out.” Gustaf is one of the partners at YC that spends a portion of their time working with these companies that are focused on addressing climate change. In this episode, we discuss: Gustaf’s background in consumer tech working at AirBnB and Voxer Where Gustaf spends most of his time at YC The background and reason for YC’s carbon removal focused Request for Startups (RFS) Why YC decided to focus specifically on carbon removal Gustaf’s view on the similarities and differences between “traditional” YC companies vs climate focused companies A few of the climate focused companies YC has invested in What YC looks for in climate focused companies I learned a lot about the YC model from talking with Gustaf and I hope you enjoy the show! You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and provide suggestions for future guests or topics you'd like to see covered on the show. Links for topics discussed in this episode: Gustafs LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gustafalstromer/ Gustaf’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/gustaf Y Combinator: https://www.ycombinator.com/ YC’s Carbon RFS: https://www.ycombinator.com/rfs/#carbon YC’s Carbon specific website: carbon.ycombinator.com Pachama: https://www.pachama.com/ Watsi: https://watsi.org/ ACLU: https://www.aclu.org/ Tarjimly: https://www.tarjim.ly/en Vote.Org: https://www.vote.org/ Good Food Institute: https://www.gfi.org/ Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

In this episode, I interview Matthew Nordan, the Managing Director at Prime Impact Fund and the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of MNL Partners. Matthew also sits on numerous boards including Greentown Labs, Sense, and Quidnet Energy. As you may know from listening to Sarah Kearney’s episode, Prime Impact Fund is an early-stage venture capital fund focused on breakthrough climate innovation. Before Prime, Matthew was a venture capital investor at Venrock, one of the world’s oldest and most successful VC firms, where he and colleagues drove the firm’s investment in Nest Labs (acquired by Google for $3.2 billion). Prior to Venrock, Matthew was President of Lux Research (acquired by private equity firm Bregal Sagemount), an advisory services firm for science-driven innovation that he co-founded in 2004. Under Matthew’s leadership, the Lux Research analyst team became a globally recognized authority on the business impact of emerging technologies. Earlier, Matthew held a variety of senior management roles at emerging technology advisor Forrester Research (NASDAQ:FORR) in the U.S. and Europe. In addition to Prime, Matthew is co-founder and Managing Partner at MNL Partners, which develops energy and environmental projects in China. Matthew also co-founded and serves on the board of Prime Coalition, Prime Impact Fund’s non-profit parent organization. Matthew has testified before the U.S. Congress four times on emerging technology issues, was a founding member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Emerging Technologies, and is a widely sought-after speaker and commentator. He serves on the boards of MicroByre, Lilac Solutions, Sense Labs, Quidnet Energy, and Greentown Labs (the world’s largest incubator for energy and environmental companies). Matthew graduated from Yale, where he conducted cognitive neuroscience research on emotion and memory. In this episode we discuss: The a-ha moment Matthew experienced at a conference that sparked his climate journey. The differences between traditional VC and the investments Matthew makes through Prime Impact Fund specifically as it relates to moon shot ideas and climate focused companies. How Matthew and Prime balance the return of capital vs impact along with the differences between catalytic capital and market based capital. Matthews view on the role and importance of policy in the climate fight. I hope you enjoy the show! You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and provide suggestions for future guests or topics you'd like to see covered on the show. Links for topics discussed in this episode: Prime Coalition: https://primecoalition.org/ Life Alive in Cambridge: https://www.lifealive.com/ Lux Research: https://luxresearchinc.com/ Richard Smalley: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Smalley Quidnet Energy: http://fortune.com/2015/06/16/philanthropists-back-energy-startups/ Venrock: https://www.venrock.com/ Ray Rothrock: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ray-rothrock-75b9403/ Nest Labs: https://nest.com/ Lucid Motors: https://lucidmotors.com/ Kyoto Protocol: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyoto_Protocol Sarah Kearney: https://www.myclimatejourney.co/episodes/sarah-kearney Program Related Investments: https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/private-foundations/program-related-investments Genocea Biosciences: https://www.genocea.com/ Gates Foundation: https://www.gatesfoundation.org/ Breakthrough Energy Ventures: http://www.b-t.energy/ventures/ Evok Innovations: https://www.evokinnovations.com/ Opus12: https://www.opus-12.com/ Nicholas Flanders: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholas-flanders-378a6044/ Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

In this episode, I interview Gary Yohe, the Huffington Foundation Professor of Economics and Environmental Studies at Wesleyan University. Most of his work has focused on the mitigation and adaptation sides of climate change. A quick reading of Professor Yohe’s bio will give you a sense of what a heavy hitter he is: He is the author of more than 175 scholarly articles, several books, and many contributions to media coverage of climate issues. He has been involved since the early 1990’s with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), he received a share of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize as a senior member. He was a Lead Author for four different chapters in the Third Assessment Report that was published in 2001 and as Convening Lead Author for the last chapter of the contribution of Working Group II to the Fourth Assessment Report that was published in 2007. He was a Convening Lead Author for Chapter 18 of the Contribution of Working Group II to the Fifth Assessment Report on “Detection and Attribution” and a Lead Author for Chapter 1 on “Points of Departure”. Most recently, he has been a contributing author to the IPCC Special Report on a 1.5 degree temperature target for mitigation. Professor Yohe continues to serve as a member of the New York (City) Panel on Climate Change (NPCC); the NPCC was created in 2008 by then Mayor Michael Bloomberg to help the City respond to the risks of climate change. The third iteration of NPCC reports was released on March 15, 2019, at the offices of the New York Academy of Sciences. He has testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the “Hidden (climate change) Cost of Oil” on March 30, 2006, the Senate Energy Committee on the Stern Review on February 14, 2007, and the Senate Banking Committee on “Material Risk from Climate Change and Climate Policy” on October 31, 2007. In April of 2011, Professor Yohe was appointed Vice Chair of the National Climate Assessment Development and Advisory Committee for the Obama Administration by then Under-Secretary of Commerce Jane Lubchenko for the Third National Climate Assessment. The Third National Climate Assessment Report was released by President Obama in a Rose Garden ceremony on May 6, 2014. He served as a member of the National Research Council Committee on America’s Climate Choices: Panel on Adapting to the Impacts of Climate Change between 2008-2011 and the National Research Council Committee on Stabilization Targets for Atmospheric Greenhouse Gas Concentrations that was chaired by Susan Solomon from 2009 through its release in 2010. His more recent activities include the National Academies serving as the Review Editor for their report on the “social cost of carbon” and as a member of their Panel to review the 4th National Climate Assessment. He was also a member of their Panel that prepared the 2017-2027 Decadal Survey for Earth Science and Applications from Space for NASA in 2018. Professor Yohe is currently Co-editor-in-Chief, along with Michael Oppenheimer, of Climatic Change (since August of 2010). His opinion pieces now frequently appear in various national media venues. All of that is a long way of saying Professor Gary Yohe is an expert that has dedicated much of his career towards the fight against climate change, and anything I may accomplish on my journey is standing on his (and people like his) shoulders. In this episode we discuss: Professor Yohe’s history at Wesleyan and how his views of climate change have and have not changed since he entered the field in the early 80’s. His views on the three choices our planet has in response to climate change. How an economist approaches the issue of studying and addressing climate change as well as Professor Yohe’s work with the IPCC. Professor Yohe’s views on the political climate and the role policy and regulations play in climate change, including his thoughts on the Green New Deal. Professor Yohe’s thoughts on Tobacco, Big Oil, President Trump, Bill Gates, Michael Bloomberg, and Michael Bennet. His advice to people who are looking for ways to get involved in the fight against climate change. I hope you enjoy the show! You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and provide suggestions for future guests or topics you'd like to see covered on the show. Links for topics discussed in this episode: Gary Yohe Biography from Wesleyan University: https://gyohe.faculty.wesleyan.edu/ Bill McKibben: http://billmckibben.com/ Michael Mann at Penn Station: https://www.michaelmann.net/ Doughnut Economics by Kate Raworth: https://www.kateraworth.com/doughnut/ Michael Bennett: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Bennet The Paris Agreement: https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement/d2hhdC1pcy Center for American Progress: https://www.americanprogress.org/ Resources for the Future: https://www.rff.org/ Environmental Defense Fund: https://www.edf.org/ National C

In this episode, I interview Dan Yates, the Co-Founder and former CEO of Opower, an energy software company he took public and ultimately sold to Oracle for $532 million. I was eager to speak with Dan, as he started Opower from a place of concern about the planet. It was clearly a financial win, but I had so many questions. Was it a win in terms of fulfilling the initial mission? How does he feel now about climate change vs when he started Opower in 2007? How is he evaluating what kinds of projects he takes on moving forward? What advice does he have for other people trying to figure out the same thing? Dan is a consummate professional and clearly a great leader. I also found him to be quite humble and introspective. His perspective was quite helpful to me as I am figuring out my next moves as it relates to helping with climate change, and I hope you find it helpful as well. I hope you enjoy the show! You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and provide suggestions for future guests or topics you'd like to see covered on the show. Links for topics discussed in this episode: Jason Diamond’s Collapse: https://www.amazon.com/Collapse-Societies-Choose-Succeed-Revised/dp/0143117009 Map from EIA.gov consumption categories: https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=36412&src=%E2%80%B9%20Consumption%20%20%20%20%20%20Residential%20Energy%20Consumption%20Survey%20(RECS)-b1 Robert Cialdini Understanding and Motivating Energy Conservation via Social Norms: http://media.cbsm.com/comments/168079/09+PE+Cialdini+Hewlett+Foundation.pdf Opower: https://ux.opower.com/ Oracle Opower acquisition: https://www.oracle.com/corporate/acquisitions/opower/ Dandelion Geothermal: https://dandelionenergy.com/ Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

In this episode, I interview Bob Mumgaard, the Co-Founder & CEO of Commonwealth Fusion Systems. I was looking forward to this interview for many reasons. I had many questions about fusion, how close it is to primetime, what the benefit to the world would be if it gets there, and what barriers stand in its way. And also about CFS, how it came to be, how it is positioned in the fusion landscape, and where it is in its evolution. Bob is a great guy, as knowledgeable as they come, and also pretty funny! While the discussion was airy and lighthearted, it was also substantive and he gave an incredibly candid look inside the CFS machine. I hope you enjoy the show! You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and provide suggestions for future guests or topics you'd like to see covered on the show. Links for topics discussed in this episode: Commonwealth Fusion Systems: https://www.cfs.energy/ Light-water Reactor: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light-water_reactor ITER: https://www.iter.org/ Kitty Hawk & The Wright Brothers: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright_brothers Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

In this episode, I interview Sarah Kearney, founder and executive director of Prime Coalition. Sarah founded Prime Coalition in 2014 to build a tribe of courageous philanthropists that believe market-driven technology innovation and deployment is critical to our fight against climate change. Prime's approach is based on her prior experience with the Chesonis Family Foundation, graduate research at MIT, and her personal drive to ensure that our children won't have to confront increased geopolitical conflict over dwindling global resources. She believes the world needs a robust marketplace of catalytic capital investment intermediaries like Prime and that she will spend her whole career trying to help build it. We cover a number of topics, including an overview of PRIME and how the model works, why it matters for philanthropists and for the breakthrough innovation that is needed to help address climate change, and where else this model can apply beyond climate change over time. Sarah was a terrific guest, in that she is quite knowledgable, mission driven, and as high energy as they come. She’s also patient with all of my beginner questions, as “catalytic capital” was not a topic that I was very familiar with. I hope you enjoy the show! You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and provide suggestions for future guests or topics you'd like to see covered on the show. For more information and to sign up for updates on My Climate Journey visit: www.myclimatejourney.co Links discussed in this episode: Prime Coalition: https://primecoalition.org/ The Fink Family Foundation: http://www.thefinkfamilyfoundation.org/about-us.html Program Related Investments: https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/private-foundations/program-related-investments Quidnet Energy: http://fortune.com/2015/06/16/philanthropists-back-energy-startups/ Breakthrough Energy Ventures: http://www.b-t.energy/ventures/ Evok Innovations: https://www.evokinnovations.com/ Donor Advised Funds: https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/charitable-organizations/donor-advised-funds Impact Assets & Tim Freundlich: https://www.impactassets.org/about_us/team/timothy-freundlich Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

In this episode, I interview Sanchali Pal, the co-founder and CEO of Joro, and app and community to help people automatically track their carbon footprints, discover and stick with low-carbon habits, and see their small steps add up to big impact for for themselves and the planet. I have known Sanchali for a while and have found her to be both very smart, and incredibly mission driven. I was a little apprehensive to bring her on as a guest, because I have found myself a bit skeptical about the impact that changing consumer behavior can have on the problem, given how deep the hole we are in is and how limited our time horizon is to act. But this is an important topic and debate, and Sanchali is as knowledgable on the issue as anyone. We cover a number of topics in this episode, including the role of consumer behavior change in the climate fight, what types of behavior change is most impactful, and what levers we have to impact consumer behavior most effectively. We also chat about what other areas can be helpful to the problem beyond the role of consumers. I really enjoyed this discussion, and Sanchali did a good job of educating me and making the case for why consumers play an important role. I hope you find this episode as valuable and informative as I did! Enjoy. You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and provide suggestions for future guests or topics you'd like to see covered on the show. For more information and to sign up for updates on My Climate Journey visit: www.myclimatejourney.co Links: Food, Inc.: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food,_Inc. IPCC: https://www.ipcc.ch/ Joro: https://joro.tech/ Ant Forest by AliPay: https://www.alizila.com/how-alipay-users-planted-100m-trees-in-china/ Carbon Offset: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_offset Mobile Carbon Footprinting Project at MIT: https://climate.mit.edu/projects/mobile-carbon-footprinting-project-mit Katharine Hayhoe: https://twitter.com/khayhoe Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

In this episode, I interview Pamela Templer, ecologist and biology professor at Boston University. Pamela is broadly interested in ecosystem ecology and the influence that plant-microbial interactions have on nutrient cycling and carbon exchange, and is particularly interested in the effects that human activities such as climate change, urbanization, and air pollution have on forest ecosystems. Her lab currently examines a variety of nutrient sources, including rain, fog, and atmospheric deposition, and how plant-microbial interactions influence nitrogen and carbon retention and loss within natural and managed ecosystems. It was fascinating to talk to Pamela, as her and her students are literally on the front lines in the woods, getting a first-hand look at how climate change is impacting our forests. She also helped shed light for me on how research labs at universities get funded, and what steps she is taking to make sure that the work they do isn’t just academic, but ends up having impact in the world. I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did! You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and provide suggestions for future guests or topics you'd like to see covered on the show. For more information and to sign up for updates on My Climate Journey visit: www.myclimatejourney.co Links for topics discussed in this episode: Pamela Templer's Bio: https://www.bu.edu/biology/people/profiles/pamela-templer/ Templer Lab at Boston University: http://people.bu.edu/ptempler/ Boston University URBAN Graduate Program: http://sites.bu.edu/urban/ The "Climate Change Across the Seasons Experiment" in New Hampshire that Pamela's students and lab conducted: http://people.bu.edu/ptempler/workDetails/climateChangeWinter.html National Science Foundation: https://www.nsf.gov/ Feasibility of Harbor-wide Barrier Systems for Boston Harbor: https://www.greenribboncommission.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Feasibility-of-Harbor-wide-Barriers-Report.pdf Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

In this episode, I interview Joseph Stagner, the Executive Director, Sustainability and Energy Management at Stanford University. Over the past several years, Joe and his team transformed Stanford’s energy infrastructure by electrifying its heating system, replacing its gas-fired power plant with grid power, creating a unique system to recover heat, building massive tanks to store hot and cold water, and building a solar power plant. This project cut the campus’s total greenhouse gas emissions 68 percent and is lowering the system’s operating costs by $425m over 35 years. Joseph was very gracious to come on and talk about the origins of this project, the hurdles his team met along the way, the results so far, and where it is going in the future. We also covered how these learnings can be applied to get other universities and entities with large campus infrastructures to follow suit. I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did! Joseph is a rare one, in that he not only has a firm grasp on the problem and what is needed, but he’s gone out and deployed it at scale and is posting amazing results. His story struck me as a real bright spot in what, at times, can feel like an uphill battle. Enjoy! You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and provide suggestions for future guests or topics you'd like to see covered on the show. For more information and to sign up for updates on My Climate Journey visit: www.myclimatejourney.co Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Welcome to the inaugural episode! Our first guest is Daniel Hullah. Daniel is a longtime cleantech investor, who has seen it all, yet is still smiling. We had a great convo about some of the history of cleantech investing/innovation, where some of the biggest opportunities are, the role of strategics vs startups in pursuing that innovation, and how it all fits into our broader climate change problem. Tune in, and enjoy! You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and provide suggestions for future guests or topics you'd like to see covered on the show. For more information and to sign up for updates on My Climate Journey visit: www.myclimatejourney.co Links for topics discussed in this episode: Blackrock’s Report on climate-related risks in the market: https://www.blackrock.com/us/individual/literature/whitepaper/bii-physical-climate-risks-april-2019.pdf Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Hello everyone, and welcome to My Climate Journey! I created this podcast to bring you along on my journey to better understand the climate change problem, and to identify areas where I or other people concerned about this problem (like you?!) might be able to help. Here's what you can expect: This will be a journey in every sense of the word. We will be learning in public as we go, as we interview guest after guest, and as we work to develop mastery in all aspects of the podcasting medium. Each week we will bring on a new guest, from a wide range of backgrounds, to talk through this problem space with them, learn more about their area of focus, and talk about what things can be done to make their area move faster, and for our path towards a solution to move faster overall. We will do our best to bring on guests from multiple sides of contentious issues, to further our own efforts to better understand the issues, as well as those of our listeners. We will not hold back from asking hard questions or engaging in lively debate, but our aim is to make sure every guest feels like they have been treated fairly and given a chance to express their views. Our goal is not only to surface the differences, but to find common ground across people with opposing viewpoints as well. If done right, you should leave each episode feeling more informed and better armed with actionable steps you can take to help out, all while being entertained along the way. You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22, where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and provide suggestions for future guests you’d like to hear on the show. For more information visit: www.myclimatejourney.co Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant