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  • Earth911 Podcast: Execnow's Founders On Greentech Leadership & Strategy
    2025/04/21
    In the race to address climate change, technology often steals the spotlight—solar breakthroughs, carbon capture, electrification, and AI. None of it scales without the right leadership. Green progress depends on the people who can fund, integrate, and lead technology-driven organizations to success. Meet Colin Smith and Kahlil Dumas, co-founders of Execnow, an executive placement firm focused on building leadership teams that can scale climate innovation. They connect mission-driven companies—from emerging startups to established companies—with leaders who can grow sustainable operations and adapt to fast-changing markets.

    Execnow often places fractional executives, giving companies flexible access to high-levelIt'sent. It's a model that aligns with the pace and complexity of climate tech and helps growing firms stay lean as they grow. Colin and Kahlil's work spans cleantech, regenerative agriculture, biotech, and AI industries, which are being transformed by leaders who can execute and achieve impact. We explore what makes an effective climate leader, how founders can attract the right talent, and why treating people with dignity is more than a personal preference—it's essential to competing in a global, interconnected market. At a moment when the government is erasing climate language from websites and regulatory systems, Execnow is helping companies double down—not pull back—on building the leadership that can navigate uncertainty and drive lasting change. You can learn more about their work at execnow.co
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    47 分
  • Earth911 Podcast: Project Censored's Andy Lee Roth on Under-Reported Environmental Stories
    2025/04/14
    In today’s media environment, disinformation and distraction are pervasive. The most troubling issue may not be misinformation but the critical information that is systematically ignored or underreported. Andy Lee Roth, Editor-at-Large of Project Censored, returns to Sustainability In Your Ear to discuss the top censored stories of 2023–2024, with a special focus on environmental reporting. Project Censored has tracked and amplified suppressed stories since 1976, drawing attention to the topics that corporate media tends to ignore. Roth highlights how the U.S. is witnessing explicit censorship of climate-related information alongside the erosion of regulatory frameworks and cutting federal support for scientific research. Media campaigns are designed to resist change and maintain the status quo, even at the expense of future generations.

    In 2024, most of Project Censored’s top stories involve environmental issues, signaling a critical moment in our media landscape. From the health risks associated with gas stoves to the underreported impacts of climate debt, from greenwashed net-zero pledges to global and domestic challenges in water security, vital environmental and climate issues often go unreported. The stories are not lacking in evidence, they are under-reported due to the incentives of media ownership and the influence of advertisers. Roth argues that people can practice media literacy to unpack the incomplete narratives that dominate the media to better understand the world around them. Ultimately, he believes that change lies in the hands of an informed and engaged public. Citizens are the ultimate arbiters of policy, values, and future direction—and it’s through independent journalism that society learns and debates a more sustainable and just future. You can learn more about Project Liberty and the Under-Reported Stories of the Year at projectcensored.org.
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    1 時間 1 分
  • Earth911 Podcast: Josh Dorfman Makes Environmentalism Supercool
    2025/04/07
    Josh Dorfman—known for his The Lazy Environmentalist book series—visites to share his latest efforts to make sustainability seamless, smart, and scalable. From hosting eco-living shows to launching climate tech ventures, Dorfman’s mission: make sustainable choices attractive and accessible. In the 1990s, while working in China, Dorfman saw the country’s shift from bicycles to cars and realized the environmental cost of global development. That insight set him on a path to shift consumer culture toward greener living. “People don’t respond to guilt,” he said. “They respond to practical, self-interested solutions that make their lives better.” Dorfman now leads two new initiatives: Plantd and Supercool. By blending smart storytelling with practical solutions, Dorfman shows how sustainability can be not just necessary—but undeniably cool.

    Plantd is a carbon-negative building materials startup using ultra-fast-growing grass to produce high-performance panels that outperform and underprice traditional plywood. Backed by former SpaceX engineers, Plantd’s electric, zero-smokestack production line locks atmospheric carbon into walls, floors, and roofs—without cutting down trees. Their work has caught serious attention: DR Horton, the largest U.S. homebuilder, recently placed an order for 10 million panels. The Supercool podcast and newsletter spotlight climate innovation that resonates across political lines. Dorfman’s storytelling targets the middle ground—where sustainability aligns with health, economics, and lifestyle. Episodes feature stories like upcycled e-bike marketplaces, AI-optimized HVAC systems, and green retrofits of federal buildings. “We already have the technology to solve climate change,” Dorfman said. “What we need is faster adoption—and that comes from telling the right stories.” You can learn more about Plantd's carbon-negative building materials at https://www.plantdmaterials.com/ and tune into the Supercool podcast at https://getsuper.cool/
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    38 分
  • Earth911 Podcast: Accelerating Adoption of Low-Carbon Concrete with Eco Material Technologies' Grant Quasha
    2025/03/31
    As trade dynamics shift and tariffs reshape supply chains, construction companies must rethink how they source materials, balance costs, and integrate sustainable solutions. The push for greener, more resilient construction materials is at the heart of this transformation. Grant Quasha, CEO of Eco Material Technologies, returns to the show to share an update. Since his last appearance in October 2023, the company has made significant strides—including securing an $800 million Green Term Loan Facility, which will significantly accelerate the development and adoption of low-carbon cement alternatives. With goals to double production to 20 million tons per year, Grant and his team are working to redefine how we build the world around us.

    Hear what sustainable business sounds like when a green product makes its case on economic terms. Adopting green materials becomes a no-brainer decision when they are cheaper and better (because pozzolanic concrete lasts longer) and deliver the sustainability consumers want. Grant explains the potential for using low-carbon concrete to build low-income housing, for which Americans are in severe need due to a shortage of 7.1 million affordable housing units. Providing climate-resilient housing is a potentially vast opportunity to drive the rapid adoption of low-carbon concrete. Concrete printing systems can be rolled up to a home site and complete the production of a house in hours, saving labor time spent on framing a traditional home. If you’re considering starting a sustainable company, consider 3D concrete printed construction as a business. There are only 32 of these construction companies in the U.S. That may be the entrepreneurial opportunity of the decade. Imagine the demand for affordable, fast homes just in LA. So, business goes on, and sustainability is on the menu. You can learn more about Eco Material Technologies at ecomaterial.com.
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    35 分
  • Earth911 Podcast: Pursuing Sustainable Packaging with AE Global's Elizabeth Corbett
    2025/03/24
    Plastic and paper waste from product packaging remains an environmental crisis, with millions of tons of packaging ending up in landfills and the ocean every year. Despite growing consumer demand for sustainable alternatives, many companies still struggle to balance eco-responsible packaging with cost, performance, and branding needs. Discover the challenges and opportunities shaping sustainable packaging alternatives with Elizabeth Corbett, President of Enterprise Sales at AE Global, a leading packaging maker. Elizabeth helps brands in the cannabis, health & beauty, and consumer goods industries transition to packaging solutions that are both smarter and greener. With over 25 years of experience, she has developed growth strategies and designed sustainable packaging for some of the world’s most iconic brands, including Estée Lauder, Starbucks’ Teavana, and Tiffany & Co. Elizabeth argues that businesses don’t have to choose between aesthetics, functionality, and environmental responsibility—they can have it all.

    She also works closely with the Ocean Recovery Group, a pioneering initiative dedicated to collecting, cleaning, and recycling ocean-bound plastics to turn waste into valuable materials in an increasingly closed loop that can eventually eliminate plastic pollution. We’ll also discuss innovations in reusable, recyclable, and compostable packaging and how brands can achieve sustainability without sacrificing cost-effectiveness. Elizabeth suggests the best way to get sustainable packaging widely adopted is to establish rules that require post-consumer materials be used in new packaging. She points to New York’s post-consumer recycled paper bag requirements that changed design decisions for brands across the country. New York, California, Florida, or Texas, four big markets from which no national brand can afford to be absent, could transform the national packaging scene. Join the conversation for a discussion about extended producer responsibility, America's fragmented, fractured recycling infrastructure, and the benefits brands can enjoy when they lead the way toward green packaging. You can learn more about AE Global at aeglobal.com.
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    39 分
  • Earth911 Podcast: Molecular Farming of Potato-Sourced Egg Proteins With PoLoPo's Maya Sapir-Mir
    2025/02/10
    Humanity is grappling with the effects of climate change, and one urgent challenge is ensuring a stable and sustainable supply of protein for human consumption and agricultural use. That's where molecular farming, an innovative technology that uses the power of plants to produce high-quality proteins, may present a unique solution. Tune into Sustainability In Your Ear for a conversation with Maya Sapir-Mir, co-founder and CEO of PoLoPo, to explore how molecular farming could transform food production, and make potato chips better for us.

    We’ll discuss the science behind PoLoPo's approach, the potential for reducing the environmental footprint of protein production, and what this means for the future of global food security. Genetic modification remains a subject of debate. While extensive studies confirm its safety for human consumption, concerns about its impact on biodiversity persist. Simply replacing one monoculture with another would not address biodiversity loss or solve global food production's more profound systemic challenges. One thing is sure: how we eat in the future will be different. Just as a meal today looks nothing like one from 1960, 1900, or 1770, the food landscape of 2040 will evolve—likely toward a more plant-centric, sustainable plate. However we get there, it will shape not just our diets but the future of our planet. Learn more about PoLoPo at https://polopo.tech
    • Subscribe to Sustainability in Your Ear on iTunes and Apple Podcasts.
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    Check out previous Earth911 interviews about food innovation
    • Earth911 Podcast: Alter Eco Foods CEO Keith Bearden Is All-In On Regenerative Chocolate Farming
    • Best of Earth911 Podcast: Re:Dish CEO Caroline Vanderlip on Creating a Circular Food Service System
    • Earth911 Podcast: Safe Catch CEO Sean Wittenberg on Making Seafood Sustainable
    • Best of Earth911 Podcast: Wild Planet Founder & CEO Bill Carvalho on Making Seafood Sustainable
    • Earth911 Podcast: Farmstead’s Pradeep Elankumaran on Building Sustainable Food Delivery
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    34 分
  • Earth911 Podcast: Meet Carbon Capture Innovator Varin Sikka, Barron Prize Young Hero Prize Winner
    2025/02/03
    Climate Change has terrible impacts today, and youth coming of age face depressing prospects. However, they are stepping up to the challenge and could see the fruits of their efforts in a restored climate during their lifetime. Climate restoration requires extraordinary efforts of young people, who are already leading the charge. On this episode, Sustainability In Your Ear introduces another winner of the Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes, which recognizes each year a dozen youth for their innovation and action. The program considers kids between 8 and 18. In 2024, one of the remarkable individuals awarded $10,000 by the program is Varin Sikka, a 16-year-old innovator from California. Varin has invented AirCat, a groundbreaking Direct Air Capture (DAC) system designed to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere on a large scale. He's doing more than imagining the technology. Varin has a 3D-printed home version and is working with Siemens Energy after taking AirCat to the COP28 meeting in Dubai held in 2023.Varin was motivated to develop the AirCat by the apocalyptic wildfires that brought red skies to the San Francisco Bay Area in 2020. On today's show, he shares how he came to be a 16-year-old inventor, the feelings his friends have about climate change, and the advice he would give youth who feel climate anxiety: Get involved. This year's awards will be announced in the fall. Fiction writer T.A. Barron created the prize and named the program after his mother to help inspire kids to make a positive difference in the world. You can learn more about the Gloria Barron Prize, and if you are between 8 and 18 years old, consider entering to be considered for the 2025 awards at https://barronprize.org/ Subscribe to Sustainability in Your Ear on iTunes and Apple Podcasts.Follow Sustainability in Your Ear on Spreaker, iHeartRadio, or YouTubeCheck out previous Earth911 interviews about carbon capture technologiesBest of Earth911 Podcast: Nikki Batchelor and Mike Leitch Share XPRIZE Carbon Removal ProgressEarth911 Podcast: Talking Carbon Capture Investments with Rick ParnellEarth911 Podcast: Talking Eco-Anxiety and Carbon Capture With the Foundation for Climate Restoration’s Dr. Erica DoddsEarth911 Podcast: Global Thermostat’s Graciela Chichilnisky on Distributed Carbon Capture EconomiesBest of Earth911 Podcast: Nikki Batchelor and Mike Leitch Share XPRIZE Carbon Removal ProgressBest of Earth911 Podcast: Author Peter Fiekowsky on Climate RestorationTalking Direct Air Capture of Atmospheric CO2 with Peter FiekowskyBest of Earth911 Podcast: How To Build a Just & Equitable Carbon Removal IndustryBest of Earth911 Podcast: Dr. Marcius Extavour on the $100M XPRIZE Circular Carbon Network Competition
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    32 分
  • Earth911 Podcast: Eco-Stylist Garik Himebaugh On Creating Your Sustainable Style
    2025/01/27
    Meet Garik Himebaugh, the founder of Eco-Stylist.com, a site dedicated to promoting sustainable fashion choices. Garik's journey into the world of sustainable fashion began with a background in peace studies and an MBA, and he discovered social entrepreneurship as a grad student and launched Eco-Stylist in 2018. There, he helps consumers make informed, sustainable fashion choices with a directory of brands that meet his criteria for ethical production and environmental responsibility.encouraging individuals to "dress like you give a damn." He was kind enough to contribute a recent article on Earth911, How to Build the Sustainable Wardrobe of Your Dreams. He points to how the fast fashion crisis is burying some countries in the global south in synthetic trash that can take decades or centuries to breakdown into potentially toxic plastic byproducts. Garik joined the Sustainability In Your Ear conversation to discuss how to check the sustainability claims made by clothing companies, the power of reuse and upcycling as a way to reduce your personal environmental impact, and his favorite responsible fashion brands, including Adelante, Outerknown, Naadam, and Patagonia.Fast fashion is a plague on the planet and your wallet. Fast fashion is responsible for approximately 10% of global carbon emissions and nearly 20% of wastewater production, according to the World Economic Forum. The World Resources Institute reports that producing just one cotton shirt uses approximately 713 gallons of water — that’s enough water to meet one person's drinking needs for over two years. But, hey, you get a $10 shirt instead. The fast fashion industry is so destructive that the U.S. Government Accounting Office wrote in December 2024 that the nation needs a coordinated effort to reduce textile waste and promote recycling. But we can dress for success and the planet. Garik explains that the brands he admires “take responsibility for their clothes” by making them with organic and sustainable materials, providing repairs and take-back programs, as well as delivering durable products that can be made to last. You can learn more about sustainable fashion and shop Garik's curated selection of clothing at https://Eco-Stylist.com.Subscribe to Sustainability in Your Ear on iTunes and Apple Podcasts.Follow Sustainability in Your Ear on Spreaker, iHeartRadio, or YouTubeCheck out previous Earth911 interviews about sustainable fashionEarth911 Podcast: EVRNU’s Stacy Flynn On Creating Circular Fiber For Sustainable FashionBest of Earth911 Podcast: The Apparel Impact Institute’s Kurt Kipka Maps the Path to Sustainable FashionEarth911 Podcast: tentree CEO Derrick Emsley on Sustainable Fashion & ReforestationBest of Earth911 Podcast: Keel Labs’ Tessa Gallagher Introduces Kelsun Kelp-Based TextilesBest of Earth911 Podcast: Mike Baker’s ReCORK Recycling Puts The Circular Into FootwearBest of Earth911 Podcast: Cotapaxi Partners With Customers & Suppliers To Achieve Sustainability
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    38 分