Earthlings 2.0 Podcast

#155: How Sustainable Aviation Fuel is Taking Off with Universal Fuel Technologies

Tue, 07 Apr 2026 03:00:00 -0400

In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we sit down with Alexei Beltyukov, CEO and co-founder of Universal Fuel Technologies (Unifuel), to unpack why sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) has emerged as the most practical near-term pathway for reducing aviation emissions. Alexei explains the structural challenges facing SAF adoption, from the logistics of transporting alternative feedstocks to the cost of replicating in hours what nature took millions of years to produce. He also discusses Unifuel’s Flexiforming technology, a chemical process that converts a wide range of feedstocks into drop-in fuels compatible with today’s aircraft. The conversation explores why feedstock flexibility matters, what it takes to qualify new aviation fuels under rigorous industry standards, and how emerging technologies could significantly lower SAF costs.

Key Points:

Aviation’s legacy infrastructure limits rapid change – Aircraft and fuel systems are built for decades of safe operation, meaning new fuels must closely mimic conventional jet fuel rather than requiring entirely new engines or infrastructure.
Flexibility in feedstocks can lower costs – Unifuel’s Flexiforming process can convert multiple feedstocks, including alcohols and chemical byproducts, allowing producers to shift toward whichever inputs are most affordable and available.
Decarbonization must work for existing industry players – Technologies that allow refineries to adapt existing equipment and remain profitable may accelerate the transition faster than approaches requiring a complete overhaul of infrastructure.

Alexei Beltyukov, CEO and co-founder of Universal Fuel Technologies, LinkedIn

Sarah Malpeli, Earthlings 2.0 Guest Host, Account Director at Technica Communications, LinkedIn

#154: The Hidden Life of Wearable Technology with James Gilmore

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 03:00:00 -0400

In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we speak with James Gilmore, Associate Professor of Media and Technology Studies in the Department of Communication at Clemson University, and author of The Bringers of Order: Wearable Technologies and the Manufacturing of Everyday Life, about the promises and pitfalls of wearable technology. From Fitbits and Apple Watches to smart glasses, implantables, and Disney’s MagicBand ecosystem, James explores how wearables shape behavior, collect data, and blur the line between convenience and surveillance. The conversation looks at what these devices actually measure, why their outputs can be misleading, how shame and self-optimization can become built into the user experience, and why stronger public literacy, informed consent, and policy conversations are urgently needed as wearables become more embedded in daily life.

Key Points:

Wearables don’t measure reality, they interpret it – Devices like Fitbits and Apple Watches generate data through sensors and algorithms, meaning what users see as “steps” or “activity” is a constructed output, not a direct reflection of the body.
Convenience often masks surveillance – From fitness trackers to Disney’s MagicBand, wearable systems streamline experiences while simultaneously collecting detailed behavioral data that can be analyzed, modeled, and monetized.
Technical literacy is becoming essential for everyday life – Understanding even the basics of how wearables work helps users better interpret their data, question outputs, and make more informed decisions about consent and usage.

James Gilmore, Associate Professor of Media and Technology Studies in the Department of Communication at Clemson University, Author of Bringers of Order: Wearable Technologies and the Manufacturing of Everyday Life, LinkedIn
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability, LinkedIn

🚀 Calling all Earthlings…

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#153: The Portable Solar Revolution with Gismo Power

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 03:00:00 -0400

In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we sit down with Antonia Ginsberg-Klemmt, CEO of Gismo Power, to explore a deceptively simple idea that could reshape access to clean energy: portable solar infrastructure. Antonia explains how her company’s MEGA (Mobile Electricity Generating Appliance) turns a standard parking space into a solar-powered EV charging station using a foldable, mobile solar carport. Originally inspired by her own experience charging an EV in a sunny Florida parking lot, the system is designed to remove the biggest barrier many people face in the energy transition—the need to own a home or rooftop.

Key Points:

Portable solar could close the clean energy access gap – Gismo Power’s mobile solar carport allows renters and EV drivers without rooftop access to generate their own electricity wherever they park.
Distributed solar may strengthen, not weaken, the grid – Research from national labs suggests systems like these can help balance demand by generating power directly where it is consumed.
Portable solar has resilience benefits – During outages and disasters, systems like the MEGA can operate off-grid with batteries, providing essential electricity for homes, vehicles, and emergency response.
Antonia Ginsberg-Klemmt, CEO of Gismo Power, LinkedIn
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability, LinkedIn

🚀 Calling all Earthlings…

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#152: The Future of Drone Delivery with Flytrex

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 03:00:00 -0400

In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we speak with Yariv Bash, CEO and co-founder of Flytrex, about how autonomous drone delivery is becoming a scaled commercial reality. With more than 200,000 completed deliveries in U.S. suburbs and major partnerships with DoorDash and Uber Eats, Flytrex is helping redefine last-mile logistics. The conversation explores FAA certification beyond visual line-of-sight approval, unit economics, safety protocols, restaurant integration, and what it takes to build a fully autonomous delivery stack from drone manufacturing to cloud-based air traffic coordination.

Key Points:

Autonomy scales labor efficiency, not just aircraft – By allowing one operator to oversee dozens of drones simultaneously, Flytrex transforms last-mile delivery from a one-driver-per-vehicle model into a centralized, air-traffic-control system.
Owning the full stack enables optimization – By designing, manufacturing, certifying, and operating its own drones and software platform, Flytrex reduces third-party dependencies and tightens operational control.
Suburbs are the proving ground – Private backyards, lower airspace congestion, and predictable delivery radii make U.S. suburban markets the most viable near-term environment for scaling drone logistics.

Yariv Bash, CEO and co-founder of Flytrex, LinkedIn

Luis de Leon, Earthlings 2.0 Guest Host, Sr. Public Relations Account Executive at Technica Communications

🚀 Calling all Earthlings…

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#151: Decarbonizing Industry Without Starting From Scratch with Petra Power

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 03:00:00 -0400

In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we sit down with Aaron Goodman, CEO and co-founder of Petra Power, to explore a practical bridge solution for hard-to-abate sectors like trucking, shipping, and defense. As hydrogen infrastructure remains limited, Aaron explains how solid oxide fuel cells can convert diesel or hydrogen directly into electricity without combustion, and even reverse the process to generate hydrogen from electricity. We discuss why Petra Power is targeting auxiliary power units (APUs) on heavy-duty trucks rather than replacing engines outright, how support from the Department of Defense helped accelerate development, and why incremental efficiency gains may be more realistic than sweeping infrastructure overhauls in the next decade.

Key Points:

Bridge technologies matter in infrastructure gaps – Petra Power’s solid oxide fuel cells improve efficiency within existing diesel systems, allowing emissions reductions without waiting for widespread hydrogen fueling networks.
APUs are the entry point, not engines – By replacing auxiliary power units rather than propulsion systems, the company lowers adoption risk for trucking fleets operating on thin margins.
Defense funding accelerated commercialization – Early Department of Defense backing focused on reducing fuel transport in combat zones, where efficiency gains can directly impact operational safety.
Aaron Goodman, Founder and CEO of Petra Power, LinkedIn

Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability, LinkedIn

🚀 Calling all Earthlings…

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#150: Reimagining Spiritual Community Through Psilocybin with Psanctuary

Tue, 03 Mar 2026 03:00:00 -0400

In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we sit down with Eric Osborne, Co-Founder, Board President and Community Minister of Psanctuary, to explore the rise of mushroom church communities and what intentional psilocybin practice can offer that clinical or purely recreational models often miss. We discuss why nature-based experiences can deepen spiritual connection, how Sanctuary is structured as a peer-led community designed to restore a modern “third space,” and why group support and integration may matter as much as the medicine itself. The conversation also zooms out to the broader psychedelic landscape while grappling with the risks of commercialization, ego-driven “guru” culture, and the challenge of building communities resilient enough to work through conflict rather than fracture under it.

We also discussed this topic in different capacities on a few previous episodes. You can watch or listen here:

Key Points:

Community is becoming the missing infrastructure for psychedelic healing – Eric argues the church model helps rebuild the third space many people have lost, where belonging, ongoing support, and integration can happen beyond a single experience.
Sanctuary is designed to keep ceremonies accessible and non-transactional – Donation-based ceremonies and the Friends & Family ministry aim to reduce the energetic “obligation” that money can introduce, while training people to responsibly support their own circles.
Legal recognition is evolving, but the landscape remains uneven – Eric explains how religious protections and court precedents shape Sanctuary’s approach, while noting that broader legalization frameworks can still create high costs, limited access, and rules that don’t always reflect lived facilitator experience.
Eric Osborne, Co-Founder, Board President and Community Minister of Psanctuary, LinkedIn
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability, LinkedIn

🚀 Calling all Earthlings…

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#149: Rethinking Waste as a Climate Solution with Carbogenics

Tue, 24 Feb 2026 03:00:00 -0400

In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we sit down with Professor Ed Craig, a longtime sustainability pioneer and CEO of Carbogenics, an Edinburgh-based start-up engineering biochar from difficult-to-recycle organic waste and wastewater screenings. Drawing on decades of experience across academia, policy, and applied climate solutions, Ed breaks down what biochar actually is, how it’s made through pyrolysis, and why it represents one of the most practical and scalable tools for carbon sequestration available today. The conversation also explores how Carbogenics uses engineered biochar to enhance anaerobic digestion, increasing biogas output while locking carbon into stable, long-term storage.

Key Points:

Biochar is engineered carbon with real-world applications – At Carbogenics, biochar is produced from hard-to-recycle organic waste and wastewater screenings, turning disposal problems into long-lived carbon assets.
Biochar can materially improve biogas economics – When added to anaerobic digesters, engineered biochar can increase biogas yields by up to 20%, directly displacing fossil fuel gas while improving system efficiency.
The next growth phase goes beyond soil – Emerging use cases, from water treatment and cement applications to wildfire mitigation and orphan well remediation, could rapidly expand biochar’s role across multiple sectors.

Ed Craig, CEO of Carbogenics, LinkedIn
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability, LinkedIn

🚀 Calling all Earthlings…

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#148: The Future of All-Electric Heat Pumps with Jetson

Tue, 17 Feb 2026 03:00:00 -0400

In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we sit down with Stephen Lake, founder and CEO of Jetson, to unpack why heat pumps are becoming a cornerstone of the all-electric home. Stephen breaks down what heat pumps are (and aren’t), why outdated misconceptions still slow adoption, and how Jetson is rethinking home heating and cooling by combining cold-climate heat pump hardware with modern software, predictive maintenance, and vertically integrated installation. The conversation explores the economics behind electrification, the role of incentives, grid impacts, and what it will take to move clean homes from early adopters to the mainstream over the next decade.

Key Points:

Heat pumps aren’t a “new tech” problem—they’re a perception problem – Stephen explains that cold-climate heat pumps now reliably operate well below freezing, but outdated beliefs from 10–15 years ago still drive homeowner hesitation and contractor advice.
Home electrification is happening, but today’s devices mostly don’t talk to each other – Heat pumps, solar, batteries, EV chargers, and smart panels are all part of the same “electric home” future, yet Stephen notes they’re still largely siloed, limiting automation and cost optimization.
Software is becoming the competitive advantage in HVAC – Jetson’s thesis is that heating/cooling should work more like an EV: remotely monitored, continuously optimized, and improved via updates, instead of a 15-year “black box” that only gets attention when it breaks.

Stephen Lake, CEO and founder of Jetson, LinkedIn
Luis de Leon, Earthlings 2.0 Guest Host, Sr. Public Relations Account Executive at Technica Communications

🚀 Calling all Earthlings…

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#147: Predictive AI for the Green Economy With Taza

Tue, 10 Feb 2026 03:00:00 -0400

In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we speak with Mary Wilson, founder and CEO of Taza, about why sustainability has become an operational bottleneck for many organizations, and how it can instead become a strategic advantage. As ESG reporting requirements fragment globally and political pressure softens in the U.S., sustainability leaders are increasingly stuck in reactive compliance mode, overwhelmed by shifting regulations, data gaps, and reliance on consultants. Mary explains how Taza’s vertical AI marketplace helps companies move beyond static ESG reports by translating sustainability goals into prioritized, actionable business projects, connecting teams with vetted solution providers, and embedding sustainability into everyday decision-making across the enterprise.

We also discussed our previous episode with Schneider Electric: #109 – Inside Schneider Electric’s Ambitious Decarbonization Plan

Key Points:

ESG reporting is consuming sustainability teams, not empowering them – Constantly changing regulations and complex data requirements leave little time for innovation, execution, or long-term impact.
From compliance to execution with AI-driven prioritization – Taza maps company goals, industry benchmarks, and regulations into concrete use cases, helping organizations focus on the initiatives that deliver near-term wins and long-term resilience.
Sustainability works best when it’s shared across the organization – By aligning IT, procurement, HR, and supply chain partners around clear projects and timelines, sustainability becomes an operational function, not a siloed reporting role.
Mary Wilson, Founder and CEO of Taza, LinkedIn

Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability, LinkedIn

🚀 Calling all Earthlings…

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We want to learn more about you! It’ll take just a few moments to complete our survey. Thank you for helping us make your listening experience the best it can be!

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#146: Fixing the Clean Energy Logjam with Daniel Dus

Tue, 03 Feb 2026 03:00:00 -0400

In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we sit down with Daniel Dus, Founder and CEO of Cleantech Industry Resources (CIR), to unpack the oftentimes quiet development work that determines whether clean energy projects ever reach construction. We explore CIR’s commoditized development-as-a-service (DaaS) model, which combines deep engineering expertise, advanced software, and AI-enabled workflows to bring projects to true bankability and construction readiness. The conversation spans repowering aging solar assets, the rise of battery storage, data center-driven power demand, policy uncertainty, and why community engagement is becoming one of the most critical success factors for developers navigating today’s clean energy landscape.

Key Points:

Development, not deployment, is slowing clean energy scale-up – Permitting, interconnection, engineering, financing, and documentation remain the biggest sources of delay, often adding years to otherwise viable projects.
Development-as-a-service replaces rigid teams with flexible expertise – CIR allows developers to access on-demand, end-to-end development or targeted services without carrying large internal teams through uneven project cycles.
AI is embedded across the entire development workflow – From engineering validation and procurement to communications and process optimization, AI enables CIR’s global team to operate at several times the traditional capacity.

Daniel Dus, CEO of Cleantech Industry Resources (CIR), LinkedIn
Luis de Leon, Earthlings 2.0 Guest Host, Sr. Public Relations Account Executive at Technica Communications

🚀 Calling all Earthlings…

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#145: Wearable Tech to Monitor Cardiovascular Health with Nanowear

Tue, 27 Jan 2026 03:00:00 -0400

In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we chat with Venk Varadan, CEO and co-founder of Nanowear, to discuss how wearable medical technology is redefining diagnostics, prevention, and clinical research. Venk explains how Nanowear’s FDA-approved textile-based nanosensors enable cardiometabolic assessments at home, capturing richer, more personalized data than traditional, episodic doctor visits. The conversation spans the limitations of today’s healthcare system, the role of AI and clean data in early diagnosis, and how decentralized monitoring could lower costs, improve equity, and reshape the future of medicine.

Key Points:

From reactive to preventative care – Continuous, at-home monitoring can surface early warning signs before chronic disease progresses, addressing a system that currently profits more from treatment than prevention.
Textile-based sensors unlock richer health data – Nanowear’s cloth nanosensors capture heart, lung, vascular, and metabolic signals simultaneously, without invasive prep or bulky equipment.
Clinical research is a near-term catalyst – Remote diagnostics can lower trial costs, reduce patient dropouts, and dramatically expand participation across more diverse populations.
Venk Varadan, CEO and co-founder of Nanowear, LinkedIn

Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability, LinkedIn

🚀 Calling all Earthlings…

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#144: The Quiet Shift Away from Investment in Oil and Gas with Mitchell Beer

Tue, 20 Jan 2026 03:00:00 -0400

In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we speak with longtime renewable energy journalist Mitchell Beer, founder and publisher of The Energy Mix, about the widening gap between political promises to supercharge fossil fuel production and the financial reality facing oil and gas companies today. We explore why fossil fuel companies, despite political pressure, can’t return to unchecked expansion, how global markets from China to Pakistan are rewriting the demand outlook for oil and gas, and why North America is falling behind countries that have embraced electrification as a strategic advantage. Mitchell also unpacks Canada’s evolving energy politics and whether he sees reason for optimism in a decade defined by climate emergencies and rapid technological change.

We also discussed several stories that his team covered this year, including:

Key Points:

Investor pressure is reshaping the future of fossil fuels – Even with political support, oil and gas companies cannot revive large-scale drilling because investors are prioritizing clean energy, stability, and long-term value over new fossil expansion.
Clean energy now attracts roughly twice the investment of fossil fuels – According to the International Energy Agency, global capital is flowing toward renewables, storage, and efficiency technologies, reflecting their falling costs and proven ability to scale.
Momentum for clean tech is strong, but timing is critical – Mitchell emphasizes that the climate crisis is severe, yet not predetermined. Progress since the Paris Agreement shows what's possible, but the outcome depends on accelerating solutions and resisting disinformation.

Mitchell Beer, Founder and Publisher of The Energy Mix, LinkedIn

Luis de Leon, Earthlings 2.0 Guest Host, Sr. Public Relations Account Executive at Technica Communications

🚀 Calling all Earthlings…

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#143: Rethinking Home Energy Resilience with Pila Energy

Tue, 13 Jan 2026 03:00:00 -0400

In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we talk with Cole Ashman, founder and CEO of Pila Energy, about a new class of home energy storage designed for the way people actually live today. While grids around the world face increasing strain from extreme weather, aging infrastructure, and rising electricity demand, from AI data centers to air conditioning, most households still lack affordable, accessible backup power. Pila aims to change that with a plug-in, room-by-room battery system that installs in minutes, works like a mesh network, and brings resilience to renters and homeowners alike.

Key Points:

Grid outages are accelerating globally – Extreme weather, heat waves, and rising electricity demand are straining infrastructure, while renters and low-income households often lack access to traditional backup power solutions.
Pila offers plug-in, appliance-level resilience – Instead of a single, expensive whole-home battery, Pila distributes multiple 1.6 kWh LFP batteries throughout the home, each placed where power matters most—refrigerators, home offices, sump pumps, or medical devices.
A future with billions of intelligent nodes – Cole predicts that within a decade, most buildings will have multiple distributed batteries acting as local grid resources, making the power system more resilient, flexible, and affordable.
Cole Ashman, CEO and Founder of Pila Energy
LinkedIn
Pila LinkedIn
Pila Energy's Mission: Energy Independence for All
Instagram, TikTok, X: @pilaenergy

Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability, LinkedIn

🚀 Calling all Earthlings…

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We want to learn more about you! It’ll take just a few moments to complete our survey. Thank you for helping us make your listening experience the best it can be!

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Mentioned in this episode:

Q3 End Credits

Greenlane, Ampion, Tigo, USBI, 247 Solar

#142: What’s in Store For Cleantech in 2026 with Cleantech Group

Tue, 06 Jan 2026 03:00:00 -0400

In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we speak with Anthony DeOrsey, head of research at Cleantech Group, to break down the biggest forces shaping clean technology heading into 2026. Anthony explains why cleantech is better understood as a broad theme spanning energy, agriculture, materials, chemicals, transportation, and waste — and why some sectors are accelerating regardless of policy while others are feeling the impact of shifting U.S. incentives. We also discuss what we can expect to come out of Cleantech Forum North America happening on January 26 - 28 in San Diego, California. The event connects investors, corporates, and innovators to fuel the cleantech sector. There’s still time to register! For more details, click here: https://cleantech.swoogo.com/CFNA-26/begin.

Key Points:

AI-driven baseload demand is reshaping the market – Technologies like small modular reactors, geothermal, and fusion are accelerating due to market pull, not policy, with rising electricity demand driving new partnerships, PPAs, and capital flows.
Renewables face a temporary slowdown from policy shifts – The early phaseout of the ITC and PTC under OBBBA has created a short-term rush to build, followed by expected cooling, blunting the pull-through for storage but not eliminating long-term momentum.
The next frontier: reducing energy use inside data centers – Innovations in liquid cooling, direct-to-chip cooling, and advanced heat-transfer materials could become one of the most impactful ways to curb electricity demand from AI infrastructure.

Anthony DeOrsey, Head of Research at Cleantech Group, LinkedIn

Luis de Leon, Earthlings 2.0 Guest Host, Sr. Public Relations Account Executive at Technica Communications

🚀 Calling all Earthlings…

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We want to learn more about you! It’ll take just a few moments to complete our survey. Thank you for helping us make your listening experience the best it can be!

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Mentioned in this episode:

Q3 End Credits

Greenlane, Ampion, Tigo, USBI, 247 Solar

#141: Supercharging Utilities with AI with Senpilot

Tue, 30 Dec 2025 03:00:00 -0400

In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we sit down with Mike Hejmej, CEO and co-founder of Senpilot, to explore how AI agents can help modernize one of the world’s largest and most complex machines: the electric grid. Mike explains what AI agents actually are, how they differ from simple chatbots, and why utilities are starting to use them for everything from wildfire risk detection to regulatory research. The conversation covers how Senpilot trains AI agents, how retrieval-based models and verification layers dramatically reduce hallucinations, why utilities are both cautious and eager to adopt AI, and what the next few years might look like for grid operators who embrace (or ignore) these tools.

Key Points:

AI agents behave like digital coworkers – Instead of simple prompt-and-response tools, agents can clarify tasks, run multi-step workflows, and return with full research reports, spreadsheets, or recommendations.
Wildfire and regulatory use cases deliver immediate value – Utilities are already using AI agents to scan grid data for fire risks and to digest thousands of pages of regulatory filings, cutting months of manual work into minutes.
AI boosts capacity without replacing people – In an industry where teams are overloaded, and regulators limit hiring, agents take on the “busy work” so humans can focus on analysis, planning, and decision-making.

Mike Hejmej, CEO and co-founder of Senpilot, LinkedIn
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability, LinkedIn

🚀 Calling all Earthlings…

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We want to learn more about you! It’ll take just a few moments to complete our survey. Thank you for helping us make your listening experience the best it can be!

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Mentioned in this episode:

Q3 End Credits

Greenlane, Ampion, Tigo, USBI, 247 Solar

#140: The Circular Economy of Chemicals and Carbon Emissions with CERT Systems

Tue, 23 Dec 2025 03:00:00 -0400

In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we speak with Alex Ip, co-founder and CEO of CERT Systems. CERT is a Canadian startup developing an electrochemical process that converts captured CO₂ into high-value chemicals, such as ethylene, using only electricity and water. Alex explains why these chemicals are so foundational to modern life, and why they’re also responsible for a significant share of global emissions. We unpack how CERT’s room-temperature “CO₂-to-chemicals” process works, what it means to replace both fossil fuel energy and feedstocks, and how circular carbon feedstocks could reshape supply chains on Earth, and maybe even enable local manufacturing on Mars.

Editor's Note: This episode was recorded and edited before the National Renewable Energy Laboratory was renamed to the National Laboratory of the Rockies

Key Points:

Chemicals are a major but overlooked emissions source – Products like ethylene, ammonia, and methanol are essential to modern life yet account for a significant share of global greenhouse gases, making chemical manufacturing a critical and often ignored sector for decarbonization.
CERT turns CO₂ into chemicals at room temperature – Using electrochemistry instead of heat, CERT’s process converts CO₂ and water into valuable chemicals like ethylene using only electricity, eliminating fossil feedstocks and enabling a low-temperature, modular approach.
Circular feedstocks can reshape supply chains – As CO₂ capture scales from point sources today to direct air capture in the future, chemical production could become more distributed, climate-aligned, and locally sited, breaking dependence on fossil infrastructure.
Alex Ip, CEO and co-founder of CERT Systems, LinkedIn
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability, LinkedIn

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#139: Designing the Next Generation of Aircraft with Natilus

Tue, 16 Dec 2025 03:00:00 -0400

In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we speak with Aleksey Matyushev, CEO and co-founder of Natilus, about how a new generation of blended wing-body aircraft could reshape both air cargo and, eventually, commercial passenger flight. The conversation explores why e-commerce has created a perfect moment for rethinking aircraft design, how starting with freight helps de-risk the path to passenger service, and what it will really take, from certification to autonomy, for these unusual-looking planes to start quietly moving our packages (and later, us) across the sky by the end of the decade.

Key Points:

Blended wing-body design changes the fundamentals – Unlike traditional tube-and-wing aircraft, Nautilus’ configuration lets the fuselage generate significant lift, cutting drag and improving aerodynamic efficiency.
Lower emissions per ton and per passenger – The aircraft targets around 30% lower fuel burn and can carry substantially more volume, which together translate into up to 50% lower emissions per pound of cargo or per passenger-trip.
Cargo first, passengers next – Nautilus is starting with a regional freighter to connect smaller airports and remote communities to major hubs, then scaling the same core architecture into a passenger narrow-body aircraft for longer routes.

Aleksey Matyushev, CEO and co-founder of Natilus
LinkedIn
YouTube
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn
#12: Flying the Sustainable Skies

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#138: Streamlining the Shift to the Electric Home with Treehouse

Tue, 09 Dec 2025 03:00:00 -0400

In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we speak with Eric Owski, CEO and co-founder of Treehouse, to explore how electrification is reshaping the way we power and operate our homes—and why upgrading the underlying electrical infrastructure remains one of the biggest hurdles. Eric explains how Treehouse is rethinking the entire homeowner journey by bringing technology, automation, and coordinated service delivery to a traditionally manual and fragmented industry. The conversation looks at what it takes to simplify electrification at scale, how software can support an overstretched electrical workforce, and why improving the customer experience is essential for accelerating the transition to cleaner, all-electric living.

Key Points:

Electrification demand is rising quickly – Heat pumps are now outselling gas furnaces, and interest in EV chargers, home batteries, and electric appliances continues to grow.
Electrical service upgrades are the biggest barrier – About 70% of U.S. homes need electrical improvements, and today’s upgrade process is slow, fragmented, and requires coordination across multiple trades.
Treehouse streamlines the entire electrification process – Their software delivers instant, often guaranteed pricing, automates permit plans, and manages projects end-to-end to make upgrades far easier for homeowners.
Eric Owski, CEO and co-founder of Treehouse, LinkedIn
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn
#14: Electrification: The Smart Home Upgrade

#137: How Hydrogen Can Actually Compete with Diesel with Celadyne Technologies

Tue, 02 Dec 2025 03:00:00 -0400

In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we talk with Gary Ong, CEO of Celadyne Technologies, a company focused on making hydrogen a more accessible energy source through its membrane technology. We explore why hydrogen adoption has lagged, how issues such as hydrogen crossover and membrane degradation hold back today’s fuel cells and electrolyzers, and how Celadyne’s low-permeability membrane addresses these problems and significantly improves durability. Gary explains how the technology functions as a true drop-in solution, why Celadyne is focusing on supplying membranes to partners like General Motors and the U.S. Army, and how he expects hydrogen to scale across heavy transportation and energy systems by 2035.

Key Points:

Hydrogen for heavy transport and industry – Hydrogen is emerging as a strong option for decarbonizing heavy-duty sectors—trucks, logistics, shipping, rail, aviation, and other long-life industrial applications—where today’s energy solutions, including diesel and natural gas, face limitations in meeting long-range, continuous-operation demands.
Why membranes matter so much – Proton exchange membranes must block gases, conduct protons, and block electrons; today’s mostly Teflon-based membranes let too much hydrogen cross over, causing unwanted side reactions like hydrogen peroxide formation that drive degradation and limit durability and efficiency.
Celadyne’s low-permeability membrane – By more effectively blocking hydrogen while still conducting protons, Celadyne’s membrane reduces crossover and side reactions, which Gary says can quintuple durability in applications like fuel cell trucks, bringing lifetimes closer to 15–20 years.
Gary Ong, CEO of Celadyne Technologies, LinkedIn
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability, LinkedIn

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#136: Cracking the Code on Low-Cost Hydrogen with Power to Hydrogen

Tue, 25 Nov 2025 03:00:00 -0400

In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we talk with Alex Zorniger, Chief Commercial Officer at Power to Hydrogen, about how new hybrid electrolyzer technology could make green hydrogen more affordable and reliable. Power to Hydrogen’s system combines the best parts of existing designs to work directly with renewable energy while using common materials like nickel and iron instead of costly precious metals. We discuss how this technology could bring hydrogen production closer to the $2-per-kilogram goal, the challenges of storing and moving hydrogen, where green hydrogen is most likely to scale first, and how it fits into the global clean energy transition.

Key Points:

Cheaper materials – Power to Hydrogen’s hybrid electrolyzer replaces platinum and iridium with nickel and iron, reducing stack costs by roughly 65% while maintaining performance.
Flexible performance – The system can operate efficiently with variable wind and solar power, allowing hydrogen production even when the renewable energy supply fluctuates.
Built-in pressure boost – By generating hydrogen at high pressure electrochemically, the system reduces or eliminates the need for expensive compressors, making transport and storage more economical.
Alex Zorniger, Chief Commercial Officer at Power to Hydrogen, LinkedIn
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn
Episode #12: Flying the Sustainable Skies
Note on hydrogen from the episode: high pressure doesn’t make hydrogen more stable; it just makes it easier to move and store
Hydrogen Delivery | Department of Energy
Hydrogen Storage | Department of Energy

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#135: Turning Recycled Aluminum into Energy with AlumaPower

Tue, 18 Nov 2025 03:00:00 -0400

In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we chat with Rob Alexander, CEO of AlumaPower, about a new way to generate clean, on-demand electricity using recycled aluminum. AlumaPower’s galvanic aluminum-air generator releases the energy already contained within aluminum through a chemical reaction with air and water — producing zero-emission power at the point of use and a reusable byproduct. We discuss how the company overcame the chemistry hurdles that held back aluminum-air systems for decades, the path to commercialization, and why aluminum could emerge as a global, circular energy carrier.

Key Points:

Recycled aluminum as fuel – The system extracts stored energy from low-purity scrap aluminum, avoiding landfill and turning waste metal into a clean power source.
Backup power focus – Early deployments target data centers and other critical infrastructure where reliability, quiet operation, and reduced emissions replace diesel generators.
Modular scalability – Each cell generates 150 watts, stacking into containerized systems for megawatt-scale power; commercial launch planned for 2026.
Rob Alexander, CEO of AlumaPower Corporation, LinkedIn
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn
Episode #99 – Beyond Lithium: How Air, Water, and Rock Could Power the Grid with Hydrostor

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#134: The Life After Life of Human Composting with Return Home

Tue, 11 Nov 2025 03:00:00 -0400

In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we talk with Micah Truman, founder of a Seattle-based terramation facility called Return Home, about a new approach to human composting that uses the body’s own microbes — with no added heat or forced air — to naturally return a person to soil in about nine weeks. We explore how this process differs from cremation and burial, what families experience when they participate, the alternative method’s environmental benefits, and how rethinking death care can restore a sense of connection, continuity, and compassion. The conversation spans the science of decomposition, the emotional power of returning to the earth, and the growing movement to legalize human composting across the U.S.

Key Points:

How teramation works – Bodies are placed on alfalfa, straw, and sawdust; microbes do the work with gentle airflow and no external energy; soft tissue transforms in 4–5 weeks, and bones complete the cycle by week nine.
A connected goodbye – Families can decorate vessels, add letters or flowers, and, when safe, help cover their loved one with organics — restoring personal involvement to end-of-life rituals.
Environmental and human benefits – Avoids cremation’s high energy use and toxic byproducts; no embalming chemicals; bodies can be shipped on ice without embalming.
Micah Truman, Founder and CEO of Return Home, LinkedIn
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability, LinkedIn

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Greenlane, Ampion, Tigo, USBI, 247 Solar

#133: Decarbonizing Transport with Smarter Hydrogen Storage with Rux Energy

Tue, 28 Oct 2025 03:00:00 -0400

In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we chat with Dr. Jehan Kanga, CEO and founder of Rux Energy, an Australia-based company developing advanced nanoporous materials to make hydrogen storage safer, denser, and up to ten times cheaper. While green hydrogen holds enormous promise for decarbonizing heavy transport, maritime, and construction sectors, storing and transporting it efficiently remains a major challenge. Rux Energy’s breakthrough lies in its metal–organic framework (MOF) technology — porous, tunable materials that can hold hydrogen at lower pressures and higher densities, dramatically reducing cost and improving safety. The conversation explores how this innovation could unlock affordable hydrogen logistics, the company’s upcoming maritime trials in the UK, and what the next decade holds for green hydrogen’s path to parity with fossil fuels.

Key Points:

Hydrogen’s cost barrier – Current storage and distribution systems add $15–$25 per kg to hydrogen’s price, keeping it far from cost parity with diesel.
Nanoporous innovation – Rux Energy’s MOF-based materials store hydrogen more densely at lower pressure, cutting storage costs by 10× while improving safety and scalability.
Grid-independent potential – The same modules could power mobile EV charging hubs, construction sites, and remote operations without grid connections.
Dr. Jehan Kanga, CEO and Founder of Rux Energy, LinkedIn
Luis de Leon, Earthlings 2.0 Guest Host, Sr. Public Relations Account Executive at Technica Communications

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#132: Turning Rust into Renewable Energy with RIFT

Tue, 21 Oct 2025 03:00:00 -0400

In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we speak with Mark Verhagen, CEO and co-founder of Renewable Iron Fuel Technologies (RIFT), a company turning rust into a clean heat source for heavy industry. You see, industrial heat, from cement kilns to steel plants, accounts for roughly 20% of global emissions, yet most facilities can’t electrify or switch to hydrogen because of grid and infrastructure limits. RIFT’s answer? Burn iron powder instead of fossil fuels, then recycle the “ash” (iron oxide) back into reusable fuel. We unpack how this closed-loop system works, the company’s 1 MW demo plant in the Netherlands, lessons learned as they scale, and why a grid-independent fuel could be the missing piece for decarbonizing the world’s hardest-to-abate sectors.

Key Points:

Industrial heat’s blind spot – Roughly 80% of industrial sites can’t electrify or adopt hydrogen today due to grid and infrastructure constraints.
Iron fuel explained – Iron powder burns like coal dust, generating up to 2,000 °C heat with zero CO₂ and ultra-low NOₓ/SOₓ emissions.
Circular chemistry – The by-product iron oxide is reduced back into metallic iron using hydrogen, creating a closed, recyclable fuel loop.

Mark Verhagen, CEO and co-founder of RIFT
LinkedIn
YouTube
Luis de Leon, Earthlings 2.0 Guest Host, Sr. Public Relations Account Executive at Technica Communications

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#131: Why AI + Robotics Could Be The Future of Reclaimed Lumber with Urban Machine

Tue, 14 Oct 2025 03:00:00 -0400

In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we speak with Eric Law, CEO and Co-founder of Urban Machine, about how robotics and AI are transforming one of construction’s dirtiest secrets — wood waste. Every year, the U.S. generates over 37 million tons of discarded lumber, most of which ends up burned or buried. Urban Machine’s automated system, fittingly named The Machine, scans, “cooks,” and removes metal fasteners from used lumber, turning what was once landfill-bound debris into reusable, high-value wood. The conversation explores the evolution of this technology, the economics of competing with virgin lumber, new building-code pathways for reclaimed materials, and how scaling local reuse could reshape construction’s carbon footprint.

Key Points:

The scale of waste is staggering – Each year, construction and demolition sites across the U.S. generate more than 600 million tons of debris — twice the amount of household waste. As demand for low-carbon building materials grows, this overlooked waste stream represents one of the construction industry’s largest untapped sustainability opportunities.
Automation unlocks circularity – Until recently, reclaiming wood at scale was slow, expensive, and labor-intensive. Urban Machine changes that equation with a robotic system that uses AI-driven computer vision to identify and remove fasteners, nails, screws, and staples at industrial speed.
Sustainability benefits multiply – Every board that’s reused instead of discarded extends carbon storage, reduces deforestation, and cuts the emissions tied to manufacturing and long-distance transport of virgin lumber. Because Urban Machine’s model relies on local sourcing and processing, it also minimizes trucking miles and landfill methane emissions, while supporting regional supply chains.

Eric Law, CEO and Co-Founder of Urban Machine, LinkedIn
Luis de Leon, Earthlings 2.0 Guest Host, Sr. Public Relations Account Executive at Technica Communications

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#130: De-Sensationalizing the News with The Boring Report

Tue, 07 Oct 2025 03:00:00 -0400

In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we talk with Vasishta Kalinadhabhotla and Akshith Ramadugu, co-founders of the Boring Report — an app that strips sensationalism from the news and delivers concise, neutral summaries. We dig into why doom-driven headlines push audiences away, how their automated pipeline clusters “trending” events across multiple outlets, and the prompt-engineering they use to emphasize widely corroborated facts. The conversation covers their nonprofit approach, reader feedback loops, product roadmap, and their aim to act as a bridge that helps people re-engage with credible reporting — without the emotional hangover.

Key Points:

Why neutral news matters – Sensational, repetitive coverage drives disengagement; neutral summaries help people stay informed without burnout.
How it works – Crawlers cluster stories multiple outlets are covering; AI “borifies” them into a single, fact-focused summary, citing sources.
Fully automated pipeline – From detecting trends to generating summaries, the system runs continuously with human feedback guiding prompt refinements.

Vasishta Kalinadhabhotla, Co-Founder of the Boring Report, LinkedIn
Akshith Ramadugu, Co-Founder of the Boring Report, LinkedIn

Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn
Poynter Institute episode

#129: The All-in-One Platform Behind Smarter Fleet Electrification with Siemens Smart Infrastructure

Tue, 30 Sep 2025 03:00:00 -0400

In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we speak with Alan White, Global Head of Siemens Smart Infrastructure’s Emerging Transportation Platforms, about Depot360 — Siemens’ all-in-one fleet electrification solution. As more companies electrify their fleets, operators face mounting challenges: ensuring vehicles are charged and ready, managing energy costs, and keeping chargers online. Depot360 blends AI-driven optimization with 24/7 human support to reduce risk, lower total cost of ownership, and simplify the path from electric fleets to intelligently managed operations. The conversation explores real-world deployments, the importance of combining predictive software with human oversight, and how policy differences across markets are shaping the pace of adoption.

Key Points:

Depot complexity is rising – Fleet managers must juggle energy costs, charger uptime, and route demands, making post-installation operations as critical as charger deployment.
Depot360 offers full-stack support – The solution combines AI predictions with a human network operations center to cut downtime and optimize charging schedules.
Savings are tangible – Deployments have shown energy cost reductions of up to 40% while protecting critical uptime for buses, trucks, and delivery fleets.

Alan White, global head of the Siemens Smart Infrastructure’s incubator Emerging Transportation Platforms, Depot360, LinkedIn
Luis de Leon, Earthlings 2.0 Guest Host, Sr. Public Relations Account Executive at Technica Communications

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#128: Insurance Tech for Adapting to Climate Change with the Demex Group

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 03:00:00 -0400

In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we sit down with Bill Clark, former CEO and President of the Demex Group, to explore how climate change is reshaping the insurance industry. As extreme weather events grow more frequent and unpredictable, traditional insurance models are struggling to keep up with the scale and type of risks they must cover. Bill shares how Demex is creating new ways to assess and price risk, particularly around secondary perils like severe storms, floods, and wildfires — events that don’t always make headlines but drive significant losses. The conversation also unpacks the critical role of reinsurance in spreading risk, the slow pace of industry adoption of new models, and why advanced data modeling is key to building financial resilience in a warming world.

Key Points:

Traditional insurance models are struggling – Historic methods of pricing risk can’t keep pace with the rising frequency and intensity of extreme weather.
Secondary perils are becoming costly – Events like floods, hail, and wildfires may not grab headlines, but their growing frequency is straining insurers’ balance sheets.
Data modeling drives resilience – Advanced modeling can help insurers anticipate future losses and build fairer, more sustainable pricing structures.
Bill Clark, Advisory Board Member, former CEO and President of the Demex Group, LinkedIn
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability, LinkedIn

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Q3 Tigo Pre-Roll

#127: A Cleaner Way To Reinvent Lithium Extraction with Novalith

Tue, 16 Sep 2025 03:00:00 -0400

In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we chat with Steven Vassiloudis, founder & CEO of Novalith Technologies, about a simpler “direct-to-chemical” route that turns spodumene ore into battery-grade lithium carbonate using water and CO₂—skipping the sulfuric-acid roast and many downstream cleanup steps. The result aims to cut costs, slash emissions, and build refining capacity across the globe. Steven discusses Novalith’s pilot plant operating in Sydney and how the company is preparing a U.S. demonstration refinery to help onshore supply for EVs and (increasingly) large-scale energy storage.

Key Points:

Traditional refining is broken – Today’s hard-rock lithium refining depends on acid roasting and complex conversion steps, which drive up costs, energy use, and waste.
Novalith offers a new path – Their process uses water and CO₂ to directly produce lithium carbonate, eliminating the need for hazardous acids and multiple intermediate steps.
The environmental benefits have great potential – The approach cuts carbon emissions by about 50% compared to conventional methods, and up to 75% when powered by renewable energy.

Steven Vassiloudis, founder & CEO of Novalith Technologies, LinkedIn
Luis de Leon, Earthlings 2.0 Guest Host, Sr. Public Relations Account Executive at Technica Communications

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Greenlane, Ampion, Tigo, USBI, 247 Solar

#126: Jigar Shah and Modern Energy Tech for a 100-Year-Old Grid

Tue, 09 Sep 2025 03:00:00 -0400

In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we sit down with clean energy visionary Jigar Shah, former director of the Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office, to imagine how we’d build the U.S. grid if we started fresh today. Instead of patching 100-year-old infrastructure, what if we designed around the tools of now — microgrids, distributed energy resources, and vehicle-to-grid (V2G) integration? In this episode, we explore interconnection bottlenecks, the path to V2G readiness, and how data centers might actually stabilize the grid rather than strain it. The conversation points toward a future of abundant, affordable electricity powering human flourishing.

Key Points:

Local First – Microgrids that connect regionally create resilience, cost control, and a diversified mix where no resource dominates.
Flexibility Over Peakers – Distributed batteries, V2G, and flexible demand can replace expensive peaker plants and defer costly upgrades.
Data Center Dividend – With co-investment in storage, data centers can stabilize the grid and lower bills while apps and incentives make participation effortless.

Jigar Shah, former director of the Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office, LinkedIn

Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability, LinkedIn

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#125 - Why Supercapacitors are the Future of Long-Duration Storage with Wright Energy Storage Technologies

Tue, 02 Sep 2025 00:00:00 -0400

In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we chat with Pieter Smit, Head of Global Sales at Wright Energy Storage Technologies (WEST), about how the company is redefining energy storage with supercapacitor-based systems. Unlike lithium-ion, WEST’s electrostatic storage delivers high efficiency, rapid charge cycles, and extreme durability — tested everywhere from Africa to North America With applications spanning homes, data centers, shipping, and utility-scale projects, WEST is positioning supercapacitors as a safer, longer-lasting, and more sustainable path “beyond lithium.”

Key Points:

Electrostatic Advantage – WEST’s supercapacitors store energy without the fire risks or chemical degradation associated with lithium-ion batteries.
Built to Last – The systems are designed for up to 45 years of operation and come with a 20-year warranty to ensure reliability.
Efficiency Edge – With 97% round-trip efficiency, nearly all the energy stored in the system can be recovered and used.

Voices:

Pieter Smit, Head of Global Sales at Wright Energy Storage Technologies, LinkedIn
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability, LinkedIn

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Q3 End Credits

Greenlane, Ampion, Tigo, USBI, 247 Solar

Q3 Tigo Pre-Roll

#124: The Plug in Future of Solar with Whit Fulton

Wed, 27 Aug 2025 09:00:00 -0400

In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we sit down with Whit Fulton, founder and Chief Product Officer of ConnectDER, to explore how a simple but powerful innovation, the meter socket adapter, is reshaping residential solar, storage, and EV adoption. By turning the meter socket into a universal plug-in point, ConnectDER removes one of the biggest barriers to home electrification: complex, costly, and time-consuming wiring upgrades. Whit discusses the origins of the idea, the industry’s over-reliance on policy incentives, the persistent challenge of soft costs, and the larger paradigm shift from hardwired to plug-and-play clean energy systems.

Key Points:

Solar’s Soft Cost Problem – While panels themselves are cheap, permitting, sales, and installation overhead make solar feel like a construction project instead of an appliance purchase.
The Plug-In Breakthrough – ConnectDER’s meter socket adapter lets homeowners plug solar, EV chargers, or batteries directly into the grid interface, cutting installation from days to minutes.
Scalable and Universal – Compatible with 95% of U.S. homes, the technology has already reached ~30,000 deployments across 20 states, with California soon joining.
Whit Fulton, Founder and Chief Product Officer of ConnectDER, LinkedIn
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability, LinkedIn
Previous episodes discussed:
#74 - Making Home Energy Storage Accessible For All
#91- Building Resilient, All-Electric Homes for the Future with Arch Rao

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Greenlane, Ampion, Tigo, USBI, 247 Solar

#123: Rewiring the Mind with Sens.ai with Advanced Brain Wellness

Tue, 19 Aug 2025 03:00:00 -0400

In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we sit down with Paola Telfer, CEO and founder of Sens.ai, to explore how neurotechnology is reshaping personal development, wellness, and mental health. By combining neurofeedback and biofeedback, Sens.ai delivers real-time insights into brain activity, helping people enhance focus, regulate emotions, and measure cognitive health through biological brain age. Paola discusses early dementia detection, the gamification of meditation, and the role of AI in accelerating personal growth to foster inner safety and collective consciousness in a technology-driven world.

Key Points:

The Brain is Trainable – Just like physical fitness, cognitive performance can be improved through consistent, targeted training. Sens.ai’s technology works with specific brainwave states to enhance focus, calmness, and resilience, giving users the tools to actively shape how their mind responds to everyday challenges.
Real-Time Feedback for Real Change – By merging neurofeedback and biofeedback, Sens.ai offers a continuous stream of data on both brain and body, creating a feedback loop that speeds up self-awareness and self-regulation. This combination helps turn insights into lasting behavioral shifts.
Beyond Chronological Age – Instead of simply counting years, Sens.ai measures biological brain age using more than 35 biomarkers, offering a richer, more accurate picture of cognitive health and identifying changes long before symptoms appear.
Paola Telfer, CEO and founder of Sens.ai
LinkedIn
Sens.ai headset
Sens.ai's Sharp Mind Mission Protocol

Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability, LinkedIn

Mentioned in this episode:

Q3 End Credits

Greenlane, Ampion, Tigo, USBI, 247 Solar

#122: The Dirt-Simple Power of Biochar with USBI

Tue, 12 Aug 2025 03:00:00 -0400

In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we sit down with Myles Gray, Executive Director of the U.S. Biochar Initiative (USBI), to explore how the ancient technique of biochar is making a modern comeback. He unpacks the science, market momentum, and growing demand around biochar — from vineyards and urban forests to concrete and stormwater management. With Microsoft and Google recently signing record-setting biochar carbon removal deals, it’s clear this is more than just a niche soil amendment — it’s a technology whose time has come once again.

Key Points:

Triple Climate Win: Biochar is a rare climate solution that checks three boxes at once — sequestering carbon, improving soil health, and generating renewable energy. It’s made by heating waste biomass without oxygen, creating a stable material that stores carbon for centuries.
Biochar’s Ancient Roots, Modern Applications: Indigenous cultures, especially in the Amazon, used biochar to create rich, fertile soils known as terra preta. Today, it’s being rediscovered as a climate solution with wide-ranging applications in agriculture, infrastructure, and industry.
Big Tech Buys In: Microsoft and Google have committed to the world’s largest biochar-based carbon removal purchases, signaling a turning point in how biochar is valued in carbon markets. The deals reflect a growing preference for durable, measurable, and scalable climate solutions.
Myles Gray, Executive Director at the U.S. Biochar Initiative
LinkedIn
North American Biochar Conference

Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability, LinkedIn

Previous episodes discussing PFAS:
#31: Carbon Price, Power, and Politics with Neal Dikeman- Part 1
#33: Carbon Price, Power, and Politics with Neal Dikeman- Part 2
#44: Ending the Timeline for PFAS Forever Chemicals

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Greenlane, Ampion, Tigo, USBI, 247 Solar

#121: Personal Autonomous Shuttle Transport with SNAAP

Wed, 06 Aug 2025 13:00:00 -0400

In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we speak with Christen Courville, President and COO of SNAAP Transportation about the future of autonomous, sustainable urban transit. Christen breaks down why SNAAP prioritizes personal over public, how its modular track doubles as energy infrastructure, and why a franchise model may be key to localized transportation solutions. We also tackle skepticism around self-driving tech, the socioeconomic barriers traditional systems overlook, and what it will take to scale bold transit ideas in a cautious market.

Key Points:

Human-Centered Design: SNAAP pods are designed for individual riders, reflecting how most people actually commute today. This approach keeps the system lightweight, scalable, and optimized for personal convenience.
Chattanooga Testing Site: SNAAP has built a full-scale test track at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga's Advanced Vehicle Test Facility. This real-world demo site allows the team to refine the technology before wider rollout.
Autonomous, But Safer: Unlike autonomous cars navigating complex roads, SNAAP pods operate on a controlled, elevated passive track. This closed system eliminates many common hazards, making autonomy safer and more reliable.
Christen Courville, President and COO of SNAAP
LinkedIn
SNAAP™ Transportation: The Future Is Now, Take It For A Ride
Luis de Leon, Senior Account Executive at Technica Communications, LinkedIn

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Greenlane, Ampion, Tigo, USBI, 247 Solar

#120: Innovative Solutions for Global Water Challenges with Brian Richter

Tue, 29 Jul 2025 12:00:00 -0400

In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we’re joined by Brian Richter, president of Sustainable Waters and author of Chasing Water, for a deep and wide-ranging conversation about global water scarcity, climate-driven drought, and the politics of sharing a resource none of us can live without. From Cape Town’s infamous Day Zero to water truck deliveries in Arizona suburbs, Brian explains how water shortages evolve, why they’re getting worse, and what we can do to prepare for a more water-stressed future. The conversation explores cutting-edge innovations in wastewater reuse and desalination, the surprising economics of water efficiency, and how embracing “local water democracy” can help us share and safeguard this life-sustaining resource

Key Points:

Local Water Democracy Can Drive Smarter Solutions: From Texas to New Mexico’s Acequia communities, involving citizens in water decisions could lead to more sustainable choices.
703 Million People Lack Access to Clean Water: That’s 1 in 10 people worldwide — a statistic that reframes how urgent and widespread water access issues truly are.
We Can Grow and Still Use Less Water: Cities in the Colorado River Basin increased population by 24% while cutting water use by 18%, showing what’s possible with smart management.
Brian Richter, President of Sustainable Waters
LinkedIn
Chasing Water
Opportunities for Restoring Environmental Flows in the Rio Grande–Rio Bravo Basin Spanning the US–Mexico Border
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability, LinkedIn

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#119: How Utilities Can Unlock Capacity Without Building More with Switched Source

Wed, 23 Jul 2025 09:00:00 -0400

In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we speak with Charlie Murray, CEO and co-founder of Switched Source about a deceptively simple idea with massive implications for the future of electricity: unlocking hidden capacity on our existing power grid without building new wires or generation plants. Switched Source’s power flow technology helps utilities dynamically balance electricity across their distribution circuits — almost like unblocking a three-lane highway at rush hour. Charlie unpacks how utilities can get smarter, not just bigger, to meet the explosive demand from data centers, EVs, heat pumps, and more.

Key Points:

Our Grid Faces a Demand Tsunami: Rising electricity needs from AI data centers, electrification, and heat pumps are outpacing what utilities can deliver, creating bottlenecks that threaten economic growth and reliability.
Building New Infrastructure Isn’t Always the Answer: Traditional solutions like adding more wires or constructing new generation are capital intensive, slow, and often impractical for rapid deployment.
Switched Source Developed a Real-Time Balancing Solution: Switched Source created a pad-mounted device that dynamically redirects power between the three phases of a distribution circuit, freeing up 10–25% more capacity that was otherwise trapped by imbalance.
Charles Murray, CEO and co-founder of Switched Source
LinkedIn
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

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#118: The Modern Age of Misinformation and Journalism with the Poynter Institute

Thu, 17 Jul 2025 03:00:00 -0400

In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we chat with Neil Brown, president of the Poynter Institute for Media Studies, for a wide-ranging conversation about the evolution of journalism and the growing challenge of misinformation. Neil explores how the 24/7 news cycle and the rise of social media have accelerated the spread of false information, and why the role of investigative journalism remains essential in a democratic society. From the history and eventual decline of the Fairness Doctrine to the present-day influence of AI, Neil discusses how journalists can adapt to technological disruption without compromising ethics, how fact-checking empowers audiences, and why media literacy is more crucial than ever.

Key Points:

Misinformation Has Always Existed — but Its Reach and Speed Are Unprecedented: The rise of social media and the 24/7 news cycle has supercharged the spread of false information, making it harder for audiences to separate fact from fiction.
Media Literacy Empowers Consumers: Audiences must take an active role in questioning sources, understanding different types of news, and pausing before sharing information.
AI Brings Both Challenges and Possibilities for Journalism: Ethical and transparent use of AI can strengthen reporting and efficiency, but it also poses risks to trust and authenticity if not carefully managed.
Neil Brown, president of the Poynter Institute for Media Studies
LinkedIn
X
The Poynter 50
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability, LinkedIn

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#117: Eliminating The ‘Middle Mile’ In Food Distribution with Relocalize

Tue, 08 Jul 2025 03:00:00 -0400

In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we connect with Wayne McIntyre, CEO of Relocalize, about how autonomous microfactories placed at distribution centers could revolutionize food production by eliminating transport emissions and reducing costs. They explore why packaged ice was the ideal starting point for helping this idea become reality, how robotics and AI streamline operations to make decentralized food production and distribution possible, and why reimagining the entire supply chain, not just improving individual links, is critical for building a more sustainable and resilient food system.

Key Points:

Food Supply Chains Are a Major Climate Contributor: Nearly 18% of food-related greenhouse gas emissions come from packaging, transport, and processing — underscoring the need to rethink how food gets from farm to plate.
Relocalize Pioneers Autonomous Microfactories: By installing small, fully automated factories at distribution centers, Relocalize eliminates most transportation and cold storage, reducing emissions and costs.
Better Economics and Sustainability for Retailers: Retailers benefit from dedicated supply, lower shrink and waste, reduced emissions, and better product quality — all while improving their bottom line.

Voices on The Show:

Wayne McIntyre, CEO and co-founder of Relocalize, LinkedIn
Luis de Leon, Senior Account Executive at Technica Communications, LinkedIn

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#116: How Robotics and AI Are Making Recycling Economical with AMP

Tue, 01 Jul 2025 03:00:00 -0400

In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we chat with Joe Castagneri, Director of Software at AMP, about why so much recyclable material still ends up in landfills, and how the economics of waste sorting are at the heart of the problem. Joe explains why recycling in rural areas often doesn’t pencil out, how the legacy systems incentivize hauling and burying waste, and how AMP’s computer vision and robotics are helping build a new model for diversion facilities that could finally scale circularity. Joe shares insights into the history of recycling, the limitations of current systems, and why the future may look like integrated diversion facilities rather than separate recycling programs.

Key Points:

Recycling Only Works Economically Where Density Justifies It: Castagneri explains that recycling programs depend on having enough people generating waste in a concentrated area to offset the costs of sorting and transporting material. In rural regions or freight-constrained areas, recycling simply doesn’t pencil out, and landfilling becomes the default option.
AI and Robotics Are Unlocking a Cheaper, Scalable Model: AMP’s approach replaces expensive optical sensors and manual labor with neural networks and low-cost vision systems that can sort materials with high speed and precision. By building facilities that cost less to construct and operate, this technology makes it possible to recycle more materials in more places profitably.
Diversion Facilities Can Redefine Waste Management: Rather than maintain separate recycling and trash systems, AMP envisions integrated diversion facilities that automatically extract recyclables and organics from all waste streams. This shift could fundamentally change how landfills are used, increasing circularity while reducing methane emissions and disposal costs.

Joe Castagneri, Director of Software at AMP, LinkedIn

Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability, LinkedIn

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#115: Fusion’s Magnetic Mirror Magic for a Low-Carbon Energy Future with Realta Fusion

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 03:00:00 -0400

In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we chat with Kieran Furlong, CEO and co-founder of Realta Fusion, about the promise and progress of nuclear fusion as a sustainable energy solution. The discussion touches on the mounting pressure of rising global energy demand and why nuclear, specifically fusion, could be a game-changing response. Kieran explains the fundamental differences between nuclear fission and fusion, the risks and legacy of fission reactors, and the promise of fusion technologies that don’t carry the same waste or meltdown threats. He also explains Realta’s modular, cylindrical “magnetic mirror” design that offers a simpler, more scalable path to fusion energy.

Key Points:

Fusion Could Be the Energy Breakthrough the World Needs: With abundant hydrogen fuel, no long-term waste, and no risk of runaway reactions, fusion offers a clean, scalable solution to meet rising global energy demand.
Realta Fusion Uses a Simpler, Cylindrical Magnetic Mirror Design: Unlike the complex donut-shaped tokamaks and stellarators, Realta’s straight-line magnetic mirror system is modular, easier to build, and designed for practical deployment.
A Commercial Fusion Plant Is Targeted for the Mid-2030s: Realta aims to build its first commercial-scale system by the mid-2030s, with some other startups pushing for even earlier timelines.

Kieran Furlong, CEO and co-founder of Realta Fusion
Kieran’s LinkedIn
Realta Fusion's LinkedIn
Realta Fusion's Magnetic Mirror Technology

Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability, LinkedIn

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#114: The New Reality of Extreme Weather with Victor Gensini

Tue, 17 Jun 2025 03:00:00 -0400

In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we speak with Victor Gensini, professor of meteorology at Northern Illinois University, who explains how climate change is altering the frequency, intensity, and geographic reach of extreme weather events like hailstorms and tornadoes. He explains how the changing statistical distributions of climate make it harder to rely on historical models, and discusses his fieldwork through the ICECHIP hail research campaign. Gensini highlights the power of AI, Doppler radar, machine learning, and even drones to transform prediction, and stresses that exposure and development patterns are just as critical as climate change itself in determining damage.

Key Points:

Extreme Weather Events Are Becoming More Frequent and More Damaging: Gensini explains that climate change is shifting the statistical distribution of weather, making extreme events like hailstorms and tornadoes more likely. Though rare in occurrence, these events now carry an outsized impact on society in terms of destruction, disruption, and insured losses.
Tornado and Hail Risk Is Moving — and So Should Our Thinking: The classic idea of “Tornado Alley” is outdated. Gensini’s research shows that tornado and hail activity is shifting geographically, affecting new regions with greater intensity. Relying on outdated maps or assumptions could leave entire communities unprepared.
Technology Is Rapidly Enhancing Our Forecasting Capabilities: From upgraded Doppler radar systems to AI, machine learning, and even drone-based atmospheric sampling, the tools available to meteorologists are evolving fast. These technologies allow for more precise and timely predictions, helping people make smarter decisions in the face of severe weather.

Victor Gensini, Certified Consulting Meteorologist, Associate Professor for the Department of Earth, Atmosphere and Environment at Northern Illinois University
LinkedIn
X

Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability, LinkedIn

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#113: Concentrated Solar that’s Full of Hot Air with 247Solar

Tue, 10 Jun 2025 03:00:00 -0400

In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we speak with Bruce Anderson, CEO of 247Solar, about the next generation of Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) and how it’s being reimagined to overcome the challenges that have long held the technology back. Anderson explains why traditional CSP struggled with complexity, high costs, and molten salt storage, and how 247Solar’s modular, air-based systems are addressing those issues head-on. From a commercial demonstration plant in India to localized manufacturing in emerging markets, the conversation dives deep into how this technology can provide reliable, baseload clean energy and spur economic development.

Key Points:

Concentrated Solar Power Has Deep Roots but Slow Growth: CSP dates back to ancient civilizations but has struggled in the modern era due to cost, complexity, and infrastructure demands.
247Solar’s Solution Is Modular, Air-Based, and Scalable: Bruce discusses how their systems use ambient-pressure hot air, not steam or salts, and are built in small, repeatable units — lowering cost and enabling fast deployment.
Real-World Projects Are Already Underway: The company is building a 400 kW demonstration plant in India, with plans for larger installations and a growing global pipeline.

Bruce Anderson, CEO of 247Solar, LinkedIn

Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability, LinkedIn

#112: Part 2: The Unsupervised Rise of a New Digital Civilization

Tue, 03 Jun 2025 03:00:00 -0400

In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we continue our conversation with technologist and author Daniel Doll-Steinberg, Co-Founder of EdenBase. This is part two of a two-part series exploring the societal transformations driven by six foundational technologies: AI, quantum computing, smart data (blockchain), always-on communications, immersive tech, and self-replicating systems. While part one focused on the technologies themselves, this episode zooms out to examine their global ripple effects—touching on geopolitics, economic inequality, cyber warfare, and the potential for techno-authoritarianism. Daniel also shares how developing countries may have an opportunity to get ahead by embracing new technologies, and why the next global superpowers may not be determined by industrial strength, but by who controls AI and quantum systems.

Key Points:

Cyber Conflicts and Technological Arms Races Are Already Underway:
The global competition over AI and quantum computing is not just economic, it's geopolitical. Daniel warns that we may already be engaged in a low-grade cyber war, where attacks on infrastructure and digital retaliation could escalate rapidly. He compares it to the nuclear arms race, but with fewer rules and far more participants.
Tech May Displace Currency, Labor, and Democracy Itself:
As technologies scale, traditional economic and political systems may struggle to keep up. If human labor becomes obsolete in many sectors, what happens to money? And if fear, inequality, or climate-driven instability take hold, will populations turn to authoritarian solutions for order and security?
Now Is the Time to Engage, Before Systems Are Locked In:
Daniel encourages listeners to stay involved, from understanding AI’s built-in biases to giving feedback and influencing tech development. He outlines five traits of the tech-driven future: persistent, personalized, immersive, predictive, and directed, and stresses that even small individual actions today can help shape a more inclusive tomorrow.
Daniel Doll-Steinberg, Author of Unsupervised, LinkedIn, Co-Founder of EdenBase, LinkedIn

Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability, LinkedIn

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#111: Part 1: The Unsupervised Rise of a New Digital Civilization

Wed, 28 May 2025 03:00:00 -0400

In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we sit down with technologist Daniel Doll-Steinberg who is also Co-Founder of the active innovation and ecosystem fund, EdenBase. This special episode is part one of a two-part series on six foundational technologies shaping a new digital civilization: AI, quantum computing, smart data (blockchain), always-on communications, immersive tech, and self-replicating systems. Daniel argues we are witnessing the end of the Industrial Age, marked by geopolitical instability and outdated institutions. He explains how technologies now adopt instantly and dematerialize physical tools, raising concerns about persistent connectivity, data interpretation, and the emergence of AI agents that act autonomously.

Key Points:

Six Foundational Technologies Will Reshape Society: Daniel identifies six core technologies — AI, quantum computing, smart data (blockchain), always-on communications, immersive technologies, and self-replicating technologies, as the key enablers of future change. These systems are converging to alter how we work, communicate, and organize society.
The End of the Industrial Era Is Already Underway: Daniel argues that we are witnessing the end of the Industrial Age, with many of its systems — economic, political, and social — struggling to adapt. This transition is bringing geopolitical instability and societal confusion, as old institutions and rules no longer fit emerging realities.
Technology Is Creating Massive Asymmetries in Power and Access: Tools like AI agents and immersive tech will create large gaps between adopters and non-adopters. For example, an individual using a contact lens interface could know everyone in a room by name, creating unfair advantages in both personal and professional interactions. Those who don’t adopt will be left behind or excluded.
Daniel Doll-Steinburg, Author of Unsupervised, Co-Founder of EdenBase
LinkedIn
EdenBase
LinkedIn
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability, LinkedIn

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#110: The Social Equity Revolution in Solar with Solar Stewards

Tue, 20 May 2025 03:00:00 -0400

In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we speak with Dana Clare Redden, founder of Solar Stewards, about the intersection of clean energy, equity, and community empowerment. Drawing from her Appalachian roots and years of experience in solar development, Dana shares how Solar Stewards is transforming the traditional solar model by ensuring frontline communities are not just included—but are leading and benefiting from the clean energy transition.

Key Points:

Centering Communities in Climate Action: Dana founded Solar Stewards to ensure that clean energy benefits flow to the communities most impacted by climate change, rather than bypassing them. The model focuses on local wealth-building and co-ownership, not charity.
Corporate Commitments with Real Impact: By linking corporate ESG and sustainability goals with community-led solar projects, Solar Stewards creates a win-win situation—helping companies meet their climate targets while advancing energy equity on the ground.
The Power of Trust-Based Partnerships: Dana highlights how long-term relationships with grassroots organizations are essential for success. In contrast, larger institutions often struggle to cede power and collaborate authentically.

Voices on The Show:

Dana Redden, Founder of Solar Stewards
LinkedIn
Luis de Leon, Senior Account Executive at Technica Communications
LinkedIn

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#109 - Inside Schneider Electric’s Ambitious Decarbonization Plan

Fri, 16 May 2025 16:30:00 -0400

In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we speak with Vanessa Miler-Fels, VP of Climate and Environment at Schneider Electric, about the complexities of decarbonizing global supply chains. Drawing on her extensive expertise in climate strategy, Vanessa discusses how Schneider Electric is helping its top one thousand suppliers work towards net zero. The conversation covers everything from tracking various levels of Scope emissions when pledging corporate sustainability goals, to the importance of supplier engagement, the influence of climate regulation, and the geographic variations in decarbonization efforts.

Key Points:

Starting with Measurement and Strategy: Vanessa emphasizes the importance of measuring Scope 1 and 2 emissions as the first step in a company’s sustainability journey. This foundation enables businesses to develop tailored strategies before tackling Scope 3 emissions in their supply chains.
Decarbonizing Electricity: With electricity being a major contributor to carbon emissions, Vanessa highlights the necessity of transitioning to renewable energy sources as a key action for companies aiming to reduce their environmental impact and align with global climate targets.
Navigating the Path to 1.5°C: The conversation also touches on the importance of science-based targets and the need for companies to stay on track to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C, ensuring their decarbonization strategies are aligned with the latest climate science.

Voices on The Show:

Vanessa Miler-Fels, Vice President of Climate and Environment at Schneider Electric
LinkedIn

Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

Web Resources:

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#108: Autonomous Robots Driving Down Costs for Sustainable Infrastructure with Civ Robotics

Tue, 06 May 2025 03:00:00 -0400

In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we speak with Tom Yeshurun, CEO and Founder of Civ Robotics, about how his company is transforming the construction industry with autonomous layout robots. From military service to construction tech, Tom shares his journey with building the company, how their robotic solution, the CivDot rover, replaces months of manual layout work with precise robotic automation, and why he believes building reliable, “boring” infrastructure tech can have the biggest impact.

Key Points:

Robots augment the workforce, not replace it: CivDot helps fill labor shortages — particularly in remote areas — by automating repetitive, hazardous tasks and enabling workers to focus on supervision and tech-driven roles, rather than replacing human jobs.
A 'boring' robot that quietly transforms infrastructure: While not flashy, Civ Robotics builds behind-the-scenes systems that radically improve efficiency, safety, and repeatability for massive infrastructure projects like solar farms.
CivDot automates the layout process to boost speed and safety: Civ Robotics’ autonomous robots streamline the process of marking layout points — doing it faster and more precisely — while working alongside surveyors to accelerate timelines and reduce manual, high-risk tasks.

Voices on The Show:

Tom Yeshurun, CEO and Founder of Civ Robotics
LinkedIn
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

Web Resources:

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#107 - The Lawsuits Demanding Accountability on Climate Change

Wed, 30 Apr 2025 10:15:00 -0400

In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, Nikki Reisch, Director of the Climate & Energy Program at CIEL, joins us to unpack the global rise of climate litigation. From landmark cases in the Global South to parallels with Big Tobacco, she explores how legal strategies are holding fossil fuel companies accountable, defending human rights, and driving systemic change. As political action stalls, the courtroom is emerging as a powerful arena for climate justice.

Key Points:

Litigation as a Tool for Climate Justice: Nikki highlights how climate lawsuits are shifting the power dynamic, giving communities a legal avenue to challenge fossil fuel companies for environmental harm and human rights violations.
From Big Tobacco to Big Oil: Drawing parallels with tobacco litigation, Nikki explains how courts are examining decades of corporate deception — aiming to make fossil fuel giants financially and morally accountable for climate damages.
A Call for a Fossil Fuel Treaty: Nikki underscores growing calls for a fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty, arguing that legal action through international courts can reinforce global efforts to hold polluters accountable for climate-related damages.

Voices on The Show:

Nikki Reisch, Director, Climate & Energy Program at Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL)
LinkedIn
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

Web Resources:

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#106: Rethinking Fish Farms for Regenerative Agriculture with Pine Island Redfish

Wed, 23 Apr 2025 03:00:00 -0400

In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we explore how Pine Island Redfish is flipping the script on aquaculture. Megan Sorby, CEO of Pine Island Redfish, shares how they're raising redfish in a land-based recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) while restoring mangrove ecosystems—nature’s original coastal defense. It’s a model they believe could be replicated to help tackle seafood supply issues, enhance climate resilience, and build community engagement. Megan talks about navigating regulations, partnering with scientists to track environmental impact, and creating local-to-global solutions through sustainable seafood and education.

Key Points:

Aquaculture as Coastal Climate Resilience: Megan frames land-based fish farming as a critical tool in bolstering coastal communities against rising seas and intensifying storms. With mangroves reducing coastal flooding by up to 70%, integrating restoration into food production is a win-win.
Challenges in Restoration: Megan outlines the regulatory hurdles faced by restoration projects. While private landowners may easily plant mangroves, restoring public or protected areas requires navigating complex state and federal permitting—often delaying urgent action.
Scalable, Replicable Model: Pine Island Redfish is creating a blueprint for how sustainable aquaculture can co-exist with, and even enhance, coastal ecosystems. By collecting real-time data on fish production and plant survival rates, they’re building a measurable case for aquaculture as ecosystem restoration.

Voices on The Show:

Megan Sorby, CEO of Pine Island Redfish
LinkedIn

Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

Web Resources:

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#105 - Unlocking the Magic of Weird Thinking with the Octopus Movement

Wed, 16 Apr 2025 03:00:00 -0400

In this episode, we explore the transformative power of nonlinear thinking with Perry Knoppert, founder of The Octopus Movement. This global community connects nonlinear thinkers to address complex challenges and spark meaningful change. In the discussion, Perry shares how embracing chaos and breaking free from rigid, linear structures can unlock creativity, innovation, and new ideas. We explore the vital balance between linear and nonlinear thinking, the role of neurodiversity, and how human connection, meditation, and even improv can enhance problem-solving. Tune in to discover why nonlinear thinkers are essential for shaping the future.

Key Points:

The Power of Nonlinear Thinking: Perry explains how stepping beyond structured, linear thought patterns unlocks creativity, innovation, and new ways of solving problems.
Building a Global Network of Nonlinear Thinkers: The Octopus Movement connects individuals who think outside the box to tackle complex global challenges in new and unexpected ways.
Redefining Leadership and Education: Perry explains how a balanced approach between linear and nonlinear thinking can transform organizations, leadership, and learning systems for a more dynamic future.

Diversions:

Interview with Paul Stamitis’ Professor Michael Beug - #60: The Magical Future of Mushrooms

Voices on The Show:

Perry Knoppert, Founder of the Octopus Movement
LinkedIn
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

Web Resources:

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#104: The Role of Rocks in Carbon Sequestration with Eion

Tue, 08 Apr 2025 03:00:00 -0400

In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we sit down with Anastasia Pavlovic Hans, CEO of Eion, to explore enhanced rock weathering (ERW) — an innovative carbon removal technology that leverages minerals to pull CO2 from the atmosphere. Anastasia discusses how ERW integrates seamlessly into agriculture, its long-term effectiveness, and the financial incentives driving farmer adoption. She also shares her journey into climate tech and why collaboration between farmers and technology developers is essential for scaling sustainable solutions.

Key Points:

Enhanced Rock Weathering (ERW) as a Climate Solution – ERW uses naturally occurring minerals to permanently sequester CO2, providing a scalable and effective method for carbon removal.
Farmers as Key Players in Carbon Sequestration – ERW can be easily implemented into existing agricultural practices, offering both environmental benefits and financial incentives through carbon credits.
Scaling Carbon Removal for a Sustainable Future – With a goal of removing 10 million tons of CO2 annually starting in 2030, Eion is proving that climate tech can align with business needs while driving meaningful environmental impact.

Voices on The Show:

Anastasia Pavlovic Hans, CEO of Eion
LinkedIn
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

Web Resources:

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#103: Navigating the Polycrisis with the Post Carbon Institute

Thu, 03 Apr 2025 03:00:00 -0400

In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we chat with Richard Heinberg, Senior Fellow at the Post Carbon Institute, about the polycrisis—the convergence of environmental, social, and technological challenges shaping our world today. Richard explains how climate change, economic instability, inequality, and artificial intelligence are interconnected, making this moment in history uniquely complex. He discusses why technology alone cannot solve these crises and emphasizes the need for systemic shifts in behavior, governance, and economic structures. The conversation also explores the importance of community resilience, natural carbon sinks, and rethinking success beyond economic growth.

Restoring our faith in humanity this week is Patricia St. Alms, a leading voice in community resilience and post-carbon living. Drawing on her Haudenosaunee and Quebecois heritage, she empowers communities to embrace a future beyond fossil fuels through self-sufficiency, local economies, and regenerative practices.

Key Points:

Understanding the Polycrisis: Richard breaks down how environmental, social, and technological crises are reinforcing each other, creating unprecedented global challenges.
Building Resilient Communities: Investing in local economies, land access for young farmers, and strengthening social networks can help societies weather the impacts of the polycrisis.
Rethinking Economic Growth: Alternative indicators of success—such as happiness, well-being, and sustainability—are essential for creating a thriving future.

Voices on The Show:

Richard Heinburg, Senior Fellow at the Post Carbon Institute
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-heinberg-78081411/
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisaannpinkerton/
X - @LisaPinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications: https://technica.inc/
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability: https://www.womenincleantechsustainability.org/

Web Resources:

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#102: Optimizing the EV Ramp-Up at the Grid’s Edge with Rhythmos.io

Wed, 26 Mar 2025 03:00:00 -0400

In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we chat with Ken Munson, CEO and Founder of Rhythmos.io, about how the rapid electrification of vehicles and buildings is reshaping the electric grid. Ken shares insights into the challenges utilities face, including major infrastructure investments, and how innovative tools—like managed charging and advanced data analytics platforms such as Rhythmos.io’s Cadency EdgeAI℠—can optimize grid performance and reduce energy costs. We also dive into Rhythmos.io’s groundbreaking pilot program in Michigan, which could save utilities billions while supporting the transition to clean energy.

Key Points:

Electrification Strains the Grid: The surge in electric vehicles and building electrification requires utilities to rethink infrastructure and manage new load demands.
Managed Charging Saves Costs: Rhythmos.io’s AI-driven managed charging platform helps utilities optimize EV charging, reducing the need for costly grid upgrades.
Michigan Pilot Demonstrates Potential: A $170,000 pilot with Consumers Energy and Optiwatt in Grand Rapids showcases how optimized charging could save utilities $7-9 billion by 2035.

Voices on The Show:

Ken Munson, CEO and Founder of Rhythmos.io
LinkedIn
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

Web Resources:

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#101: From Gray To Green: Producing Clean Hydrogen Through Electrolysis with Cipher Neutron

Tue, 18 Mar 2025 03:00:00 -0400

In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we chat with Gurjant Randhawa, CEO and President of Cipher Neutron, about the future of green hydrogen and the innovations making clean hydrogen production more sustainable and accessible. Gurjant breaks down why green hydrogen—produced through electrolysis using renewable energy—is critical for decarbonizing industries like steelmaking, ammonia production, and mining. He highlights Cipher Neutron’s PFAS-free anion exchange membrane (AEM) electrolyzers, which eliminate the need for precious metals like iridium and platinum, reducing environmental harm and supply chain vulnerabilities. The conversation also explores how locally manufactured electrolyzers can strengthen energy independence and why shifting away from gray hydrogen is essential to achieving a clean energy future.

Key Points:

Innovating Electrolyzers: Cipher Neutron’s AEM electrolyzers are PFAS-free and eliminate the need for precious metals like platinum and iridium, unlike conventional PEM systems.
Decarbonizing Heavy Industry: Green hydrogen’s greatest potential lies in hard-to-abate sectors like ammonia production, steelmaking, oil & gas, and mining—not just transportation.
Making Green Hydrogen Accessible: Cipher Neutron’s scalable, affordable technology helps accelerate global green hydrogen adoption without long supply chain delays.

Voices on The Show:

Gurjant Randhawa, President and CEO of Cipher Neutron
LinkedIn
Luis de Leon, Senior Account Executive at Technica Communications
LinkedIn

Web Resources:

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#100: 100 Interviews, Infinite Futures with Lisa Ann Pinkerton

Tue, 11 Mar 2025 03:00:00 -0400

Greetings, Earthlings! Welcome to a very special episode of Earthlings 2.0. Today marks our 100th episode, a milestone in our journey exploring the biggest challenges and opportunities facing humanity in the 21st century. Typically, we cover topics like climate change, robotics, agriculture, and the energy transition—but today, we’re turning the spotlight inward.

This episode is all about our guest of honor, host and founder of the podcast, Lisa Ann Pinkerton. Beyond the show, Lisa Ann is also the founder and CEO of Technica Communications and founder and Vice Chairwoman of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability. To mark this occasion, we interview Lisa Ann about her journey, the evolution of Earthlings 2.0, and what’s next for the show.

Key Points:

The Evolution of Earthlings 2.0: Lisa Ann discusses why she rebranded the show from The Earthlings Podcast to Earthlings 2.0—expanding its scope beyond just a podcast into a full-fledged media platform.
Lessons from 100 Episodes: After interviewing countless innovators and thought leaders, Lisa Ann reveals key themes that have emerged, the trends she’s most excited about, and how the show has shaped her own worldview.
Bridging Media and PR: Lisa Ann reflects on how her journalism background shaped her approach to storytelling in PR and podcasting, emphasizing the power of knowledge-sharing and making information actionable for audiences.

Voices on The Show:

Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
Luis de Leon, Senior Account Executive at Technica Communications
LinkedIn

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#99: Beyond Lithium: How Air, Water, and Rock Could Power the Grid with Hydrostor

Tue, 04 Mar 2025 03:00:00 -0400

In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we speak with Jon Norman, President of Hydrostor, about the critical role of energy storage in supporting a cleaner grid. Jon discusses Hydrostor’s Advanced Compressed Air Energy Storage (A-CAES) technology, which leverages air, water, and rock to store and release energy efficiently. The conversation covers how this scalable solution addresses renewable energy intermittency, the potential to replace fossil-fuel-driven peaker plants, and the increasing policy support for long-duration energy storage as the grid transitions away from fossil fuels.

Key Points:

Long-Duration Storage for a Reliable Grid: Jon explains that as fossil fuel plants retire, scalable energy storage like A-CAES is crucial for balancing renewable energy and ensuring grid stability.
A-CAES as a Clean Alternative to Peaker Plants: By using compressed air, water, and underground rock formations, Hydrostor’s technology provides a sustainable and efficient way to store energy and reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
Growing Policy & Market Support: Governments worldwide are recognizing the need for long-duration storage, driving investments and policy mandates to accelerate clean energy adoption.

Voices on The Show:

Jon Norman, President of Hydrostor
LinkedIn
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

Web Resources:

🚀 Calling all Earthlings…

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#98: Beyond Organic: Understanding Regenerative Agriculture

Tue, 25 Feb 2025 03:00:00 -0400

In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we chat with Dr. Allen Williams, Founding Partner of Understanding Ag, about the core principles and practices of regenerative agriculture, as well as its economic advantages. Allen highlights how regenerative agriculture plays a vital role in restoring soil health, boosting crop yields, and fostering sustainable farming systems. He distinguishes regenerative farming from organic practices and shares real-world examples that showcase how regenerative methods can transform degraded lands into thriving ecosystems. The conversation also touches on the challenges farmers face, including debt, resistance from big agribusiness, and barriers to widespread adoption.

Key Points:

Regenerative Agriculture and Conventional Farming: Allen explains how regenerative agriculture counters the fallacies of conventional farming and emphasizes the critical role of soil health in agricultural success.
Building Resilient Farming Systems: Practices like animal integration and frequent livestock movement are vital for restoring degraded lands and creating resilient, productive farming systems.
Economic Benefits: Regenerative methods can increase crop yields without synthetic inputs and create higher nutrient density, leading to better pricing for farmers and increased profits through direct marketing.

Voices on The Show:

Dr. Allen Williams, Founding Partner of Understanding Ag
LinkedIn
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

Web Resources:

🚀 Calling all Earthlings…

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#97: Autonomous Trucking: The Future of EV Freight and Transport

Wed, 19 Feb 2025 03:00:00 -0400

In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we speak with Joanna Buttler, Head of the Global Autonomous Technology Group for Daimler Truck North America, about the future of autonomous trucking and the steps Daimler is taking to bring this technology to market. Joanna discusses the company’s testing strategies, the challenges of regulatory frameworks, and the potential impact of autonomous trucks on the logistics and transportation industries.

Key Points:

Revolutionizing the Trucking Industry: Daimler Truck is driving innovation in autonomous trucking, focusing on delivering safer, more efficient, and scalable solutions for long-haul transportation.
Building Trust with Early Adopters: By collaborating with early adopter fleets, Daimler is fine-tuning its autonomous truck systems with the goal of achieving full-scale commercial deployment by 2027.
Scalable Technology for Global Markets: Daimler’s autonomous trucks are designed with a common platform, making them adaptable for both U.S. and international markets, ensuring the technology can be scaled and customized for different regions.

Voices on The Show:

Joanna Buttler, Head of the Global Autonomous Technology Group for Daimler Truck North America
LinkedIn
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

Web Resources:

🚀 Calling all Earthlings…

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#96: Skipping the Lines with Autonomous EV Charging

Tue, 11 Feb 2025 03:00:00 -0400

Greetings Earthlings! In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we speak with David Alspaugh, CTO and co-founder of Inductive Robotics, about the challenges and solutions surrounding electric vehicle (EV) charging. David discusses the growing need for EV charging infrastructure, the challenges parking lot operators face, and the cutting-edge autonomous charging solutions emerging to meet these demands. The conversation covers the technology behind autonomous charging, advancements in battery chemistry, and the future of EV charging—highlighting the push to make EV ownership more accessible and convenient for consumers.

Key Points:

Autonomous Charging as a Game-Changer: Inductive Robotics is pioneering autonomous charging solutions to simplify EV charging, ease burdens on parking lot operators, and improve accessibility for drivers.
Overcoming Infrastructure Barriers: Battery-backed docking stations and mobile charging solutions help optimize efficiency, cut installation costs, and maximize charger utilization.
The Future of EV Charging: With a shift toward passive, user-friendly charging, Inductive Robotics is shaping the next generation of EV infrastructure—prioritizing convenience to drive widespread adoption.

Voices on The Show:

David Alspaugh, CTO and co-founder of Inductive Robotics
LinkedIn
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
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#95: Women Investing in Women Pays Dividends with True Wealth Ventures

Tue, 04 Feb 2025 03:00:00 -0400

Greetings, Earthlings! In today's episode of Earthlings 2.0, we delve into the powerful world of venture capital and its significant role in shaping industries by empowering women as leaders and investors. Our guest, Dr. Sara Brand, founding general partner at True Wealth Ventures, shares her insights on investing in women-led companies and how this not only promotes greater equity but also drives superior financial performance.

Restoring Our Faith in Humanity this week is Everlyne Siololo–a trailblazing Maasai woman reshaping conservation efforts in the Masai Mara. As a leader in the Ripoi Conservancy, Everlyne’s work is forging new paths for women in community leadership and conservation, proving that when women lead, society at large benefits.

Key Points:

Disparities in Venture Capital: An overview of the gender gap in venture funding and executive leadership roles, emphasizing the necessity for more equitable opportunities.
Impact of Women-Led Ventures: A look at how ventures with female leadership tend to outperform their male counterparts financially, demonstrating the value of diverse leadership.
Cultural and Systemic Shifts in Venture Capital: Insights into the evolving landscape of venture capital, influenced by changing demographics and investor behavior favoring ethical and inclusive practices.
The Future Role of Women in Investments: Dr. Brand discusses how the anticipated significant wealth transfer to women could drastically alter investment strategies, focusing more on social and environmental returns.

Voices on The Show:

Dr. Sara T. Brand, founding general partner of True Wealth Ventures
LinkedIn
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

Web Resources:

Restoring Our Faith in Humanity: Everlyne Siololo

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#94: How EV Charging Can Build Grid Resilience

Tue, 28 Jan 2025 03:00:00 -0400

Greetings Earthlings! In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we speak with Anurag Kamal, CEO and co-founder of ElectricFish, about their innovative approach to ultra-fast EV charging. ElectricFish’s solution is designed not only to speed up EV charging but also to enhance grid stability and provide backup power during outages. Anurag shares the inspiration behind the company's name, their technology’s unique advantages, and the future of bidirectional EV charging.

Key Points:

Grid-Friendly EV Charging: ElectricFish's ultra-fast charging solution uses a 400-kilowatt-hour battery that charges slowly from existing grid power and rapidly delivers energy to EVs. This avoids placing stress on local electrical grids, making it easier to deploy chargers in areas with grid constraints.
Bidirectional Power Capability: The system isn’t just for EV charging. It offers grid support during times of stress and can feed power back into the grid or local buildings. ElectricFish’s chargers even support vehicle-to-grid (V2G) applications for large batteries like those in school buses.
Nature-Inspired Innovation: ElectricFish draws inspiration from the electric eel, mimicking its ability to store and rapidly discharge energy. This philosophy extends to the company’s design of modular, containerized energy storage systems that are easy to deploy and maintain.

Voices on The Show:

Anurag Kamal, CEO and co-founder of ElectricFish
LinkedIn
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

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#93: Unlocking Cleantech’s Funding Future with the Cleantech Group

Thu, 23 Jan 2025 03:00:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! In this week’s episode, we are joined by Richard Youngman, CEO of the Cleantech Group, a pioneer in championing clean technologies since 2002. Richard provides a masterclass on the importance of perseverance and strategic funding in fostering sustainable technologies and driving innovation. Discover how the Cleantech Group, through initiatives like the Cleantech 100 list, keeps a pulse on emerging companies shaping our sustainable future. Through Lisa Ann and Richard’s conversation, we’ll learn how we can all contribute to a cleaner, more sustainable planet and how Richard and his team are utilizing their crucial work in powering the cleantech revolution.

Restoring our faith in humanity this week, the spotlight is on Sirish Subash, a young innovator from Snellville, Georgia. Sirish, a ninth-grade student, has created a groundbreaking device called "PestiSCAND" designed to detect pesticide residues on produce. His invention, which uses spectral photometry and an AI-based machine learning program, won the 3M Young Scientist Challenge and aims to address significant health risks associated with pesticide residues found in 70% of produce. We salute Sirish’s creativity and determination, celebrating his efforts to make a tangible difference in public health and safety.

Key Points:

The Evolution of Cleantech Funding: Richard discusses the transition in the cleantech sector from a focus on software solutions to more capital-intensive deep tech innovations, highlighting the unique challenges and substantial impacts of these changes on investment strategies.
The Role of Cleantech Group in Driving Innovation: The Cleantech Group has been at the forefront of supporting sustainable technology since 2002. The episode delves into their role in fostering the industry through research, the annual Cleantech 100 list, and their efforts to connect startups with necessary capital and strategic advice.
Impact of Political and Economic Shifts: Richard shares insights into how political and economic environments affect cleantech investment and development. He emphasizes the importance of navigating these challenges with strategic adaptability to maintain progress towards sustainable goals.
Advice for Investors and Founders: The episode offers practical advice for both investors and founders in the cleantech space. Richard stresses the importance of persistence, the need for a strategic approach to investment, especially in tighter capital environments, and the opportunities that arise from technological integration and collaboration.

Voices on The Show:

Richard Youngman, CEO of Cleantech Group
LinkedIn
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

Web Resources:

Cleantech Group
LinkedIn
Restoring Our Faith in Humanity: Student Alumni: Sirish Subash | 2024 Winner | Young Scientist Lab
Cleantech 100 list for 2025
#44: Ending the Timeline for PFAS Forever Chemicals - Earthlings Podcast

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#92: Making EV Batteries More Sustainable

Tue, 14 Jan 2025 03:00:00 -0400

Greetings Earthlings! In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we speak with Steven and Zora Chung, co-founders of ReJoule and CEO and CFO respectively. ReJoule is a company transforming battery diagnostics and repurposing used batteries for second-life applications. This innovation not only extends battery life but also reduces waste, helping pave the way for a sustainable energy transition. As we navigate the challenges of a more electrified world, from electric vehicles to grid-scale energy storage, ensuring the efficiency and safety of our battery systems has never been more important.

Key Points:

Electrification's Role in Decarbonization: ReJoule underscores the importance of extending battery life and enabling reuse as critical steps in reducing carbon emissions, particularly through innovative diagnostic technologies that enhance battery efficiency and extend their lifecycle.
Challenges and Solutions: The discussion dives into the challenges faced in diagnosing battery health, such as time-consuming conventional methods, and highlights ReJoule’s solutions, including their electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) technology, which provides accurate results in a fraction of the time.
Economic Drivers: The episode explores how the reuse of batteries can reduce the demand for raw materials, leading to cost savings and broader environmental benefits.

Voices on The Show:

Steven Chung, Co-founder and CEO of ReJoule
LinkedIn
Zora Chung, Co-founder and CFO of ReJoule
LinkedIn
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

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#91: Building Resilient, All-Electric Homes for the Future with Arch Rao

Wed, 08 Jan 2025 03:00:00 -0400

Greetings Earthlings! In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we explore the transformative potential of home electrification with Arch Rao, founder and CEO of Span.IO. Arch shares his journey from Tesla to revolutionizing the electrical panel industry to facilitate the transition to all-electric homes. We discuss the technological innovations that make electrification more accessible and economically feasible, and why this shift is essential for decarbonization.

Restoring Our Faith in Humanity this week is Marcella Connery, founder of The Kelsey, who is pioneering inclusive housing solutions for people with disabilities, demonstrating the profound impact of thoughtful, inclusive community planning.

Key Points:

Home Electrification's Role in Decarbonization: Arch emphasizes the critical role of home electrification in reducing carbon emissions, particularly through innovative technologies like smart electrical panels that manage home energy use more efficiently.
Challenges and Solutions: We dive into the challenges homeowners face when upgrading to electric systems and the solutions Span.io offers, such as avoiding costly infrastructure upgrades with smarter, integrated technologies.
Economic and Policy Drivers: Discussion on how current economic incentives and future policies could shape the adoption of home electrification, highlighting the potential for significant environmental and economic benefits.
Broadening Impact: Arch also talks about how electrification extends beyond individual homes, influencing broader energy consumption patterns and utility practices to support a sustainable energy transition.

Voices on The Show:

Arch Rao, founder and CEO of Span.IO
LinkedIn
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

Web Resources:

Restoring Our Faith in Humanity: https://thekelsey.org/projects/

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#90: Powering Sub-Saharan Africa with Solar Solutions and EVs

Tue, 31 Dec 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! In this week’s episode, we explore the innovative role of solar energy in solving South Africa's power crisis. We’re joined by Sabatha Mthwecu, Founder of Solar Rais to discuss how solar systems are helping combat blackouts and offer solutions to the country’s ongoing energy challenges. Sabatha sheds light on the growing use of solar energy to support the grid, reduce electricity costs, and drive energy independence for homeowners and businesses. We also dive into the future of energy in South Africa, including the rise of electric vehicle charging solutions.

Key Points:

Solar Energy's Role in Combating Blackouts: Solar systems help mitigate blackouts by supporting the grid and reducing dependence on outdated, fuel-intensive machinery.
Bill-Busting and Energy Independence: Solar panels are used to reduce energy costs, especially in areas with high electricity rates or unreliable power supply. Sabatha explains how solar helps homeowners and businesses save on electricity bills.
Innovative EV Charging Solutions: Sabatha highlights the challenges of EV charging in areas with unreliable grids. Solar-powered charging stations are being developed to ensure that EVs can charge even during blackouts.
Future of Energy in South Africa: The energy landscape in South Africa is expected to evolve with more inter-country agreements, increased access to solar energy through financing models, and catalytic finance initiatives aimed at accelerating the adoption of sustainable energy solutions.

Voices on The Show:

Sabatha Mthwecu, Founder of Solar Rais
LinkedIn

Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

Web Resources:

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#89: Revolutionizing Farming with Solar-Powered AI Robots

Tue, 24 Dec 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! In this week’s episode, we explore a fascinating intersection of technology and sustainability: the innovative application of robotics, artificial intelligence, and solar energy in agriculture. Our conversation centers on Aigen, a trailblazing startup developing autonomous, solar-powered robots that manage weeds without chemicals. By reducing agriculture's carbon footprint and helping regenerate soil—a vital natural carbon sink—this technology offers a path to healthier food systems and more sustainable farming practices.

Key Points:

The Challenges of Modern Agriculture: Usman discusses how farmers face mounting environmental and economic pressures, with industrialized farming contributing to soil degradation and pollution. Persistent battles with herbicide-resistant weeds perpetuate a harmful cycle of increasing chemical use.
Aigen's Innovative Solution: Solar-powered autonomous robots equipped with advanced AI and computer vision mechanically remove weeds, eliminating the need for chemical herbicides. A "set-it-and-forget-it" model minimizes farmer intervention while maximizing efficiency.
How It Works: The robots operate autonomously for up to 12 hours daily, using a straightforward design of solar panels, wheels, sensors, and mechanical arms for weed removal. They also collect data to provide actionable insights for improving farm operations.
Impact on Farmers and the Environment: Aigen's solution boosts yields by reducing crop-weed competition, avoids soil degradation and ecosystem harm from traditional practices, and offers a scalable approach suitable for farms of all sizes.

Voices on The Show:

Usman Khan, Senior Data Scientist at Aigen
LinkedIn

Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

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88: Community Solar Cuts Costs and Carbon for Anyone

Tue, 17 Dec 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! In this week’s episode, we explore the accessible and innovative world of Community Solar. This model allows individuals and businesses to subscribe to solar energy without installing panels. We’re joined by Vihann Kong, Senior Executive Director of Enterprise Acquisition at Ampion, to discuss how community solar projects democratize solar energy, making it feasible and financially beneficial for participants. Vihann sheds light on the rapid expansion and significant impact of these projects across the U.S., emphasizing their role in making renewable energy accessible to all.

Restoring Our Faith in Humanity This week, we highlight the residents of Goulburn, Australia, who have pioneered the country’s first community-owned solar farm with a battery. This grassroots initiative, driven by local frustrations over government inaction, showcases how community efforts can lead to sustainable energy solutions.

Key Points:

Community Solar Explained: Vihann Kong discusses how community solar projects allow for greater accessibility to solar energy, with significant cost savings and no installation required.
Expansion and Impact: Community solar has seen substantial growth, with installations in 44 states and Washington, D.C. The episode delves into how this growth is influencing energy accessibility nationwide.
Economic and Social Benefits: The discussion covers how community solar reduces energy costs and supports local economies by creating jobs and fostering community development.
Challenges and Future Prospects: Vihann discusses community solar’s obstacles, such as regulatory and logistical challenges, and the potential for future expansion and innovation in the industry.

Voices on The Show:

Vihann Kong, Senior Executive Director of Enterprise Acquisition at Ampion
LinkedIn

Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

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#87: Decarbonizing Aluminum Through Upcycling

Tue, 10 Dec 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! In today's episode of Earthlings 2.0, we explore the cutting-edge realm of upcycled aluminum with our guest, Eric Donsky, CEO and Chairman of Atomic13. Atomic13 is making waves by transforming scrap aluminum into durable, low-carbon aluminum extrusions, reducing embodied carbon by an incredible 95%. We delve into the science behind this innovative process and discuss its potential to revolutionize sustainable manufacturing practices globally.

Key Points:

Innovative Upcycling of Aluminum: Discover how Atomic13 utilizes advanced recycling technologies to turn scrap metal into high-quality aluminum extrusions, offering a sustainable alternative to traditional manufacturing processes.
Significant Carbon Reduction: Eric explains the process that cuts down aluminum's carbon footprint by 95%, a major leap toward greener production methods in heavy industries.
Economic and Environmental Impact: We cover the dual benefits of Atomic13's technology—cost-effectiveness and environmental protection, highlighting how upcycled aluminum can compete economically with traditional materials while significantly reducing environmental impact.
Future Applications and Expansion: Learn about Atomic13’s plans to expand its technology to other metals and industries, illustrating the broad potential of upcycling in global supply chains.
Challenges and Opportunities: Eric discusses the challenges of introducing a new technology to a traditional industry and the opportunities for scaling up to meet global sustainability goals.

Voices on The Show:

Eric Donsky, Chairman and CEO of Atomic13
LinkedIn

Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

Web Resources:

Atomic13

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#86: Unlocking the Power of Soil for Carbon Sequestration

Tue, 03 Dec 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! This week on Earthlings 2.0, we dive deep into the ground beneath our feet with Yard Stick, a company harnessing the transformative potential of soil carbon measurement in sustainable agriculture. As the backbone of food production and a vital carbon sink, soil health is critical—but it’s often overlooked in broader climate conversations. Yard Stick is tackling this challenge with cutting-edge spectroscopy technology to make soil analysis cost-effective and accessible for farmers.

In this episode, Chris Tolles, co-founder and CEO of Yard Stick explores the barriers to soil carbon sequestration, the economic challenges farmers face, and why effective measurement is the key to sustainable land management. From debunking myths about the limitations of harvests to uncovering opportunities for long-term soil stewardship, this episode offers a fresh perspective on the role of soil in the fight against climate change.

Key Points:

Revolutionizing Soil Carbon Measurement: Spectroscopy technology enables precise, cost-effective soil analysis, giving farmers actionable data to improve their practices and sequester carbon.
Addressing Farmer Incentives: Many farmers face financial and systemic barriers to adopting soil carbon sequestration practices. Yard Stick focuses on bridging this gap by offering accessible measurement tools rather than agronomic advice.
The Impact of Industrial Agriculture: Decades of industrial farming have degraded soil health, impacting food security and ecosystem stability. Soil regeneration is essential for a sustainable agricultural future.
The Path Forward: Long-term thinking and robust measurement tools are foundational for addressing soil health challenges, ensuring the agriculture sector plays its part in mitigating climate change.

Voices on The Show:

Chris Tolles, CEO and co-founder of Yard Stick PBC
LinkedIn
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

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#85: Powering Utilities with Big Data for Cleaner Grids

Tue, 26 Nov 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! This week on Earthlings 2.0, we connect with Camus Energy, a company providing a cutting-edge grid orchestration platform designed to help utilities operate and build a reliable, affordable, and zero-carbon grid. Their technology platform enables utilities to navigate the transition to a two-way grid—one that integrates local renewable generation and customer flexibility to achieve decarbonization and affordability goals.

In this episode, Astrid Atkinson, CEO and co-founder of Camus Energy, discusses how their software integrates diverse data sources to provide utilities with a comprehensive view of their grid. She explains how this integration allows utilities to manage the growing complexity of distributed energy resources like rooftop solar, EV charging, and virtual power plants while also preparing for increasing loads due to electrification.

Key Points:

Utility Empowerment: Camus Energy’s technology equips utilities with a comprehensive view of their grid, allowing them to optimize local resources.
Data Integration: By consolidating information from multiple sources, Camus Energy facilitates seamless management of grid operations.
Policy & Standards Matter: Data standardization and innovative policies are essential for scaling resilient and zero-carbon grid solutions.
Climate Resilience: A stronger, more reliable grid is critical to withstand increasing climate-related disruptions, and swift action is required.

Voices on The Show:

Astrid Atkinson, CEO and co-founder of Camus Energy
LinkedIn

Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

Web Resources:

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#84: Closing the Loop with Plastic Waste with Enzyme Recycling

Tue, 19 Nov 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! This week on Earthlings 2.0, we explore an exciting breakthrough in recycling with Emmanuel Ladent, CEO of Carbios, a French biotech company that’s revolutionizing how we handle plastic waste. As the world grapples with plastic pollution, Carbios has developed a game-changing enzymatic process that breaks down PET plastics and textiles to their base components, allowing for high-quality recycling without losing material integrity. Emmanuel explains how this biological solution is different from traditional methods and how it could provide a truly circular solution to the plastics and textile industries, paving the way for sustainable, waste-free production.

We also discuss how Carbios is helping the fashion industry transition from linear to circular, addressing the challenge of microplastics and waste in apparel. Through partnerships with global brands like L'Oréal, Nestlé, and PepsiCo, Carbios is making strides in creating closed-loop systems for plastic and textile waste, ensuring that materials are recycled back into products of the same quality as new ones. Emmanuel highlights how this technology could have a profound impact on reducing CO2 emissions and promoting sustainability in various industries.

Key Points:

Enzymatic Recycling Technology: Carbios uses a natural enzyme optimized to break down PET plastics and textiles into their basic components in just a few hours, offering a faster and more sustainable alternative to chemical recycling methods.
High-Quality, Circular Recycling: Unlike traditional methods, Carbios’ process ensures that recycled materials are of the same quality as virgin plastic, creating a closed-loop system where plastics and textiles can be recycled repeatedly without losing quality.
Sustainability and CO2 Reduction: The enzymatic process requires lower energy consumption compared to traditional recycling and offers a significant 90% reduction in CO2 emissions compared to virgin plastic production, making it a sustainable solution.
Broad Industry Impact: Carbios is working with leading brands in cosmetics, food, and apparel to implement its technology, helping industries transition to a circular economy by recycling polyester and PET waste into high-quality, reusable materials.

Voices on The Show:

Emmanuel Ladent, CEO of Carbios
LinkedIn
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

Web Resources:

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#83: Capturing Carbon with Direct Air Capture

Tue, 12 Nov 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! Today, we're diving into a pioneering approach to carbon capture with direct air capture (DAC), a technology that pulls CO₂ directly from the atmosphere. While DAC alone can’t reverse climate change, it could be instrumental in maintaining critical temperature limits if it scales up efficiently. Host Lisa Ann Pinkerton interviews Anca Timofte, CEO and co-founder of Holocene, whose innovative, low-energy DAC method has secured a $10 million contract with Google. Anca explains how Holocene’s process leverages chemical reactions to trap CO₂ at low temperatures, maximizing efficiency and minimizing energy use. With plans for commercial-scale plants in the early 2030s, Anca envisions DAC as a crucial component in global carbon reduction efforts.

Restoring Our Faith in Humanity this week is the inspiring story of Mr. Trash Wheel, a solar and hydro-powered trash interceptor transforming Baltimore's waterways. This quirky, googly-eyed invention reminds us that every action counts in the fight for a sustainable future.

Key Points

Direct Air Capture (DAC) Technology: Anca Timofte, CEO and co-founder of Holocene, discusses how DAC can remove CO₂ directly from the atmosphere. This technology isn’t a total solution to climate change but could play a crucial role in reducing atmospheric carbon if scaled effectively.
Path to Commercialization: Holocene is preparing to scale its DAC technology with a commercial plant expected in the early 2030s. Anca outlines the stages of development, from pilot to demonstration plants, aiming for a meaningful impact on carbon capture capacity.
Economic and Policy Drivers: The episode covers how financial tools, like the 45Q tax credit and government programs, such as DAC hubs, are supporting the growth of the carbon capture industry. These incentives aim to make DAC more viable and attract broader industry investment.
Carbon Capture’s Broader Impact: Beyond simply removing carbon, DAC could make CO₂ a marketable commodity. This potential new market could incentivize further CO₂ removal, showcasing DAC as a tool for both environmental and economic impact.

Voices on The Show:

Anca Timofte, CEO and co-founder of Holocene
LinkedIn

Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

Web Resources:

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#82: A ‘Fitbit’ Monitor for Battery Safety

Tue, 05 Nov 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Greetings Earthlings! This week on Earthlings 2.0, we explore the world of battery safety and renewable energy with Dr. Kai-Philipp Kairies, CEO and Co-founder of ACCURE Battery Intelligence GmbH, a leader in battery monitoring and safety. As the world moves toward cleaner energy and electric mobility, batteries play a central role, but with them come risks that need careful management. KP shares insights into why traditional battery management systems (BMS) are limited and how ACCURE’s advanced, predictive battery analytics platform is closing the gap by detecting battery issues before they lead to costly and dangerous failures.

We also explore the larger picture of renewable energy's future, and how the need for efficient, safe, and scalable energy storage solutions is growing rapidly. KP provides fascinating examples, including the story of how their management system flagged a critical issue for an energy storage system operator on day one, allowing the operator to shut down a compromised battery before any incidents occurred, showcasing the technology's capability to prevent failures and enhance safety. This shows how renewable energy is becoming the pragmatic choice, even in traditionally fossil-fuel-dependent regions, signaling a broader shift in the energy landscape.

Key Points

Enhanced Battery Safety through Cloud-Based Intelligence: While traditional battery management systems are limited to basic safety, ACCURE’s predictive battery analytics platform goes further by detecting patterns and outliers across millions of cells, providing more advanced and predictive safety monitoring.
Proactive Fleet Safety and Management: ACCURE’s technology is already helping transit fleets in cities like New York and Berlin identify and replace faulty batteries before they cause disruptions, demonstrating how data-driven monitoring is boosting reliability and safety for electric bus systems.
Rising Demand for Renewable Storage Solutions: As AI and tech industries drive up electricity demand, storage solutions like batteries will be essential to harness and stabilize renewable energy, especially solar. KP underscores that pairing solar with storage can create cost-effective, firm power sources needed to meet growing demands.

Voices on The Show:

Dr. Kai-Philipp Kairies, CEO and Co-founder of ACCURE Battery Intelligence GmbH
LinkedIn: Dr. Kai-Philipp Kairies

Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

Web Resources:

https://www.accure.net/

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#81: How Slowing Ocean Currents are Rewriting Climate Predictions

Wed, 30 Oct 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! 🌊 This week on Earthlings 2.0, we dive into the deep blue with Professor Matthew England, an expert in ocean and climate dynamics. Our warming oceans are doing a lot of heavy lifting for us, absorbing over 90% of trapped heat from greenhouse gasses. But there’s a cost, and we're already seeing a 30% slowdown in the critical Atlantic overturning circulation—a shift climate scientists once thought would take another 100 years!

Together, we explore how this slowdown affects everything, from extreme weather patterns to coral reefs and fisheries. Professor England explains the complex and pressing implications of ocean acidification, sea level rise, and the future of our climate systems. Yet, he ends on a hopeful note, predicting a tipping point in global energy transition, away from fossil fuels, that could shift humanity onto a path toward a more sustainable future.

Key Points

Accelerated Ocean Circulation Slowdown: The Atlantic overturning circulation has already slowed by 30%, a shift scientists initially predicted would happen closer to the end of the century. This slowdown has significant impacts on global climate, contributing to extreme weather and heat retention in tropical oceans.
Warming Oceans and Increased Storm Intensity: Our oceans absorb more than 90% of the excess heat from greenhouse gasses, intensifying storms and contributing to the rapid escalation of hurricanes, with categories intensifying quickly.
Ocean Acidification and Marine Life Stress: Oceans are acidifying due to increased CO₂ absorption, which weakens the shells of marine life and disrupts ecosystems, notably causing frequent coral bleaching events.
Disruptions to Global Weather Patterns: Slower ocean circulation is shifting weather patterns, affecting rainfall distribution and altering agricultural suitability worldwide. This may lead to unpredictable food production areas and extreme weather where it’s least expected.

Voices on The Show:

Professor Matthew England, Professor of Ocean and Climate Dynamics at the University of New South Wales Center for Marine Science and Innovation
UNSW Profile

Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

Web Resources:

NOAA - Climate Change and Hurricanes

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#80: Helping Farmlands Underground: The Advancement Of Soil Carbon Measuring

Tue, 22 Oct 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! This week, we're exploring the critical role of soil carbon measurement in combating climate change with Tom Sadan, Senior Business Development Consultant at Agricarbon, a company pioneering the field of soil carbon measurement and restoration. By utilizing advanced robotics, Agricarbon conducts large-scale soil carbon audits that support regenerative farming and carbon sequestration efforts.

Soil, often called a "hidden hero" in the fight against climate change, is a massive carbon sink capable of sequestering billions of tons of CO2. However, its benefits remain elusive, buried below ground, making accurate measurement and verification a challenge—until now. In this conversation, Tom highlights the growing financial incentives, with carbon credits that could be reach up to $100 per tonne, making regenerative farming a profitable option.

Key Points

Scalable Soil Carbon Measurement: How Agricarbon's streamlined lab process is transforming soil testing efficiency, enabling farmers to adopt regenerative practices faster.
Financial Incentives for Farmers: Exploring the growing profitability of carbon credits, now reaching up to $100 per tonne, and how it motivates farmers to sequester more carbon.
Regenerative Agriculture's Climate Role: How soil, as a key carbon sink, is emerging as a natural solution to climate change, often outperforming engineered alternatives like direct air capture.
Carbon Markets on the Rise: The expanding ecosystem of carbon credits and how farmers can capitalize on increasing demand to boost revenue while improving soil health.

Voices on The Show:

Tom Sadan, Senior Business Development Consultant at Agricarbon
LinkedIn

Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

Web Resources:

https://www.agricarbon.co.uk/

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#79: Bridging Political Divides on Climate Change

Tue, 15 Oct 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! This week, we journey into the world of clean energy advocacy and climate policy with Julia Pyper, co-host of the Political Climate podcast and Vice President of Public Affairs at Grid Leap. Together with host Lisa Ann Pinkerton, they delve into the growing bipartisan support for clean energy and the impact of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Julia shares how framing climate issues as local concerns, like job creation and economic benefits, is shifting voter perspectives across the political spectrum.

We also discuss how policies, like transmission reform and energy infrastructure, are evolving to support the clean energy transition. Whether it's large-scale manufacturing or local community benefits, this episode explores the tangible ways that clean energy is impacting lives today.

Key Points

Bipartisan Climate Action: How clean energy is gaining support from both Republicans and Democrats, transforming political landscapes.
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA): Exploring the long-term impacts and challenges in sustaining this landmark legislation.
Localizing Climate Issues: How focusing on local job growth and economic benefits can drive action on clean energy.
Transmission Reform: The ongoing battle to upgrade U.S. energy infrastructure and the importance of permitting reform in clean energy projects.

Voices on The Show:

Julia Pyper, Vice President of Public Affairs at Good Leap and Co-Host of The Political Climate Podcast
Linkedin
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

Web Resources:

Political Climate Podcast
Political Climate DNC dispatches:
DNC dispatches: It’s the climate economy, stupid!
DNC dispatches: Navigating America’s skyrocketing energy
Political Climate RNC dispatches:
RNC dispatches: The GOP’s nascent climate pivot
RNC dispatches: The fate of the IRA
Earthlings 2.0 Podcast Episodes Mentioned:
#50: The Real Future of Virtual Power Plants
#31: Carbon Price, Power, and Politics with Neal Dikeman- Part 1
#33: Carbon Price, Power, and Politics with Neal Dikeman- Part 2

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#78: Drone Constellation for Critical Infrastructure

Tue, 08 Oct 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! For this week’s episode, we take a deeper look into a fascinating new realm of Earth observation, not from outer space but from the "low sky." We are joined by Keith Miao, the CEO of Birdstop, a company pioneering the use of autonomous drones to monitor critical infrastructure. These drones operate beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) at low altitudes, providing high-detail monitoring at scale. This technology has immense potential to enhance how we monitor power grids, telecom networks, and even respond to natural disasters like wildfires and hurricanes.

We explore how Birdstop's constellation of drones delivers the best of both worlds: the comprehensive coverage of satellite imagery and the fine detail you'd expect from on-the-ground inspections. Keith shares his journey from working at Google on real-time decision-making models to launching Birdstop, along with insights on the future of drone-based infrastructure monitoring.

Key Points

Low Sky Observation: How Birdstop’s drone-based solution fills the gap between satellite and ground-level inspections by offering detailed, scalable data.
Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS): Unlocking the potential of drones to operate remotely without the need for human operators on-site.
Critical Infrastructure: How Birdstop helps monitor power grids, telecom networks, ports, and airports, allowing companies to remotely assess and address issues before they become larger problems.

Voices on The Show:

Keith Miao, CEO of Birdstop
Linkedin
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

Web Resources:

https://www.birdstop.io/

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#77: The Scope of Agriculture’s Future

Tue, 01 Oct 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! For this week’s episode, we dive deep into the evolving world of agriculture and agritech with Venky Ramachandran, the visionary behind Agribusiness Matters. Joining us from Hyderabad, India, Venky shares insights on the transformative technologies shaping food production systems amidst climate change and market volatility. His firm and popular newsletter provide a global snapshot of agritech’s digital transformation and its impact on farmers worldwide.

We explore key topics, including the differences in technological adoption on a global scale, the role of mechanization in addressing labor shortages, and the ongoing debate between optimizing nature versus understanding its complexity.

This week, our faith in humanity is renewed by the remarkable leadership of India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former Minister of Railways Piyush Goyal, and former Chairman of the Railway Board Vinod Kumar Yadav. Together, they spearheaded the electrification of nearly all of India's railways, delivering this transformative project on time. This monumental achievement not only significantly reduces the railway's carbon footprint but also serves as a global model for sustainable infrastructure.

Key Points

Shifting to Economies of Scope: Venky discusses the importance of moving from large-scale monoculture to diversified farming, where farmers grow a variety of crops and are compensated based on quality, fostering resilience in food systems.
Farmers' Adaptation and Decision-Making: Farmers are clear about their needs from technology and adapt to new innovations each season, despite challenges like labor shortages and market volatility. They focus on practical solutions with a clear value proposition.
Agriculture's Role in a Changing World: With the rise of climate change and shifting economic paradigms, there is a growing re-evaluation of agriculture's role, including a potential reversal of the long-held belief that fewer farmers are needed as economies grow.

Voices on The Show:

Venky Ramachandran, Agritech Analyst, Consultant and Researcher at Agribusiness Matters
Linkedin

Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
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Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
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Web Resources:

https://www.agribizmatters.com/

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#76: Unlocking the Vast Potential of Geothermal Power

Tue, 24 Sep 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we explore the future of renewable energy with Trenton Cladouhos, Vice President of Geothermal Resource Development at Quaise Energy. He shares how Quaise’s gyrotron-powered drilling technology is breaking new ground by vaporizing rock to reach extreme depths, making geothermal energy viable in areas where it was previously impossible. This innovation could provide a limitless source of clean, baseload energy, transforming how we power the world by tapping into the Earth’s heat more efficiently.

We also discuss how this breakthrough could scale geothermal energy globally and repurpose existing fossil fuel infrastructure to accelerate the shift to sustainable energy. With its potential to reshape energy production, Quaise Energy's approach offers hope for a future where geothermal power becomes a mainstream, globally accessible resource.

Key Points

Breakthrough Geothermal Technology: Quaise Energy's gyrotron-powered drilling can reach unprecedented depths by vaporizing rock, unlocking geothermal energy in areas previously unsuitable for it.
Scalable, Clean Energy: This innovation could provide a limitless, sustainable power source, repurposing existing fossil fuel infrastructure to accelerate the transition to renewable energy.
Global Impact: Quaise’s approach could make geothermal energy viable worldwide, transforming it into a mainstream, baseload energy resource accessible across diverse geographies.

Voices on The Show:

Trenton Cladouhos, Vice President of Geothermal Resource Development at Quaise Energy
Linkedin

Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

Web Resources:

Quaise Energy: https://www.quaise.energy/

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#75: Balancing Pronatalism and Population Decline for a Sustainable Future

Tue, 17 Sep 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! In this episode of the Earthlings 2.0 podcast, we tackle the multifaceted issue of pronatalism and its global impact. Rachel M. Cohen, a policy correspondent for Vox, joins us to explore why declining birth rates, once seen as a challenge for other regions, are now affecting the U.S. and many countries with traditionally higher birth rates. We discuss the economic and social ramifications, including potential strain on welfare systems, increased unemployment, and intergenerational conflicts as fewer young people are available to support an aging population.

Throughout the discussion, we examine various approaches to address decreasing population growth rates, such as financial incentives, improved childcare systems, and better housing policies. Additionally, we explore the role of immigration as a temporary solution, the evolving cultural attitudes toward family life, and the broader societal expectations. Finally, Rachel offers insights into potential solutions and policy changes that could help balance the challenges posed by declining birth rates.

Restoring our faith in humanity this week is Alejandro Ramon, who leads the "Requiem in Power" project, transforming Valencia's cemeteries into Spain's largest urban solar farm by installing 7,000 panels to reduce carbon emissions and demonstrate innovative land use for sustainable energy.

Key Points

Economic and Social Challenges: As global birth rates decline, countries face potential economic problems due to shrinking labor forces that support welfare and pension systems, leading to increased unemployment, poverty, and intergenerational conflict. Pronatalism advocates argue that a growing population is essential for economic stability and innovation.
Impact of Social Factors: Rising child care costs, poor public education systems, student loans, and high housing costs contribute to the decision to delay or forego having children. Supportive policies and financial incentives could make it easier for those who want to have children to do so.
Cultural Shifts and Policy Response: There is less social stigma around not having children compared to previous generations. While some countries have implemented supportive policies, like generous parental leave and affordable child care, no country has yet reversed a decline in birth rates solely through financial incentives.

Voices on The Show:

Rachel Cohen, Policy Correspondent for Vox
Linkedin

Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

Web Resources:

The movement desperately trying to get people to have more babies

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#74: Making Home Energy Storage Accessible For All

Tue, 10 Sep 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! In this episode of the Earthlings 2.0 podcast, we shine our tech spotlight on Blip Energy, a pioneering startup making smart home batteries available to millions of homes, particularly those often excluded from energy innovation. Host Lisa Ann chats with Sophia Wennstedt, CEO and co-founder of Blip Energy, about how her company is creating affordable, renter-friendly energy storage solutions.

Sophia shares her personal journey that led to the creation of Blip Energy, inspired by the lack of energy storage solutions for renters living in apartments or multi-unit buildings. Learn how Blip’s innovative battery system, which plugs directly into a regular wall outlet and connects to Wi-Fi, is helping consumers save money on their energy bills by intelligently managing when to charge and discharge power. We also dive into the larger impact of Blip Energy's mission, from reducing reliance on fossil fuel peaker plants to supporting grid stability.

Discover how Blip Energy is piloting their product with utilities and commercial buildings, and how they plan to roll out their solution to a broader audience in the near future!

Key Points

Blip Energy's Mission: Making energy storage accessible to those who are typically left out of energy innovations, such as renters in multi-unit buildings.
Product Overview: Blip’s standalone battery system is a simple plug-and-play device that can significantly reduce electricity costs by storing energy when it's cheaper and using it when it's more expensive.
Grid Impact: How Blip Energy helps reduce the need for fossil fuel peaker plants and supports grid stability during high-demand periods.
Future Plans: The company is currently in the pilot phase with utilities and commercial buildings, aiming for a full commercial launch by late 2025 or early 2026.

Voices on The Show:

Sophia Wennstedt, CEO and co-founder of Blip Energy
Linkedin

Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

Web Resources:

Blip Energy

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#73: The EV Truck Stop of the Future

Tue, 03 Sep 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! For this week’s episode, we talk with Patrick Macdonald-King, CEO of Greenlane, who sheds light on the transformative potential of electrifying freight routes. With strategic partnerships from industry giants like Daimler, NextEra, and BlackRock, Greenlane is leading the charge in revolutionizing the trucking industry by developing EV infrastructure across key freight corridors.

Join us as we explore how Greenlane is leveraging Daimler’s 43% market share in medium and heavy-duty trucks to electrify the critical route from the Port of Los Angeles to Las Vegas. Patrick takes us through the phased approach of establishing strategically located Greenfield sites, complete with state-of-the-art amenities, to create a superior experience for truck drivers.

This new wave of EV truck stops promises to be the "Apple of truck stops," offering modern, safe, and efficient facilities designed to encourage the transition to electric vehicles.

In Restoring Our Faith in Humanity, we’re spotlighting Karl von Kries, founder of Light Manufacturing, who created portable, solar-powered factories that can produce essential plastic products anywhere in the world. These innovative mini-factories offer a sustainable solution for disaster relief and rural development, providing critical resources at a lower cost and with minimal environmental impact.

Key Points

Electrification of Freight Routes: Greenlane is developing EV infrastructure along key freight corridors, leveraging Daimler's 43% market share in medium and heavy-duty trucks to electrify the route from the Port of Los Angeles to Las Vegas, with strategically located charging sites.
Data-Driven Strategy: The company uses telematics data from Daimler and Uber Freight to optimize the placement of charging stations, ensuring that the infrastructure meets the needs of freight operators while minimizing range anxiety for drivers.
Superior Driver Experience: Greenlane's new EV truck stops are designed with modern amenities, safe facilities, and advanced technology platforms to provide a better experience for truck drivers, encouraging the transition to electric vehicles.
Industry Collaboration and Market Position: With strategic partners like Daimler, NextEra, and BlackRock, Greenlane is well-positioned to lead the electrification of the trucking industry, setting itself apart from competitors by combining deep expertise, comprehensive funding, and innovative infrastructure development.

Voices on The Show:

Patrick Macdonald-King, CEO of Greenlane
Linkedin

Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

Web Resources:

Drive Greenlane

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#72: Using AI to Make Smarter, Greener, and More Efficient Buildings

Tue, 27 Aug 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! In this week’s Tech Spotlight, we feature BrainBox AI, a company at the forefront of using artificial intelligence to revolutionize energy efficiency in commercial real estate, starting with the most energy-intensive systems—HVAC.

Our host Lisa Ann is joined by Sam Ramadori, CEO of BrainBox AI, a pioneer in leveraging AI to create intelligent, self-adapting building systems. Sam shares how BrainBox AI's technology can reduce energy consumption in commercial buildings by 28%, making a significant impact on both the environment and operational costs.

Join us to learn how BrainBox AI is leading the charge towards smarter, more sustainable buildings that are better for the planet and the bottom line.

Key Topics:

AI-Driven Energy Optimization: BrainBox AI uses artificial intelligence, specifically autonomous AI, to optimize energy consumption in commercial buildings, focusing initially on HVAC systems.
Scalability and Flexibility: The AI technology is flexible and can be applied to various building types, from small retail stores to large airports.
Significant Impact and ROI: BrainBox AI’s technology can reduce electricity consumption by about 25% and gas consumption by 34%, leading to a 28% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
Data Utilization: The system gathers extensive data on building operations, which can be used to make informed decisions about maintenance and further efficiency improvements.

Voices on The Show:

Sam Ramadori, CEO of BrainBox AI
Linkedin
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

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#71: Turning Climate Science in Public Action with Dr. Aaron Thierry

Tue, 20 Aug 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! Welcome aboard our proverbial spaceship to another Earthlings 2.0 rerun! This August, in the last month of summer, we have experienced Earth Overshoot Day – a time that marks when humanity’s demand for ecological resources and services in a given year surpasses what Earth can regenerate in that same time frame. To address the need for humanity to re-evaluate our actions towards climate change, today’s rerun features Dr. Aaron Thierry, who discusses the benefits and challenges involved in climate activism.

In this conversation, Aaron and Lisa Ann explore the multifaceted world of climate science, from the nuances of online advocacy to active, on-the-ground involvement and the crucial influence of science in shaping the planet's destiny with scientists stepping up to drive real change.

Aaron shares his insights on why this shift towards activism is essential, highlighting the obstacles he has encountered along the way. Together, Aaron and Lisa Ann navigate the intricate landscape of climate science, unraveling the complexities from virtual engagement to taking to the streets.

Finally, this week, our faith in humanity was restored by 11-year-old activist Kamea Ozane from Sulphur, Louisiana, or, unfortunately, better known as “Cancer Alley.” Kamea Ozane, along with her mother Roishetta, is raising awareness of the harmful health effects of living near fossil fuel plants. We commend Kamea, Roishetta, and all those who are fighting the good fight in reminding us of our ability to instigate change.

Key Topics:

Climate activism and scientists' roles in social movements
The benefits and drawbacks of climate activism and its effectiveness
Why Climate activism is important for scientists
The importance of transitioning to a sustainable society

Voices on The Show:

Aaron Thierry, Researcher at Cardiff University’s School of Social Sciences
Wales Institute of Social and Economic Research and Data (WISERD) Bio
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

Web Resources

Restoring Faith in Humanity Spotlight: Kamea Ozane

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#70: The Syzygy of Converting Light into Carbon-Free Chemicals

Tue, 13 Aug 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! In this week’s episode, we dive into a fascinating intersection of science, technology, and the future of carbon-free chemicals and fuels - all through the power of light.

Our host, Lisa Ann Pinkerton, is joined by Trevor Best, CEO and co-founder of Syzygy Plasmonics. Trevor explains how Syzygy is revolutionizing the chemical manufacturing industry by eliminating combustion—a process that contributes over two gigatons of CO2 annually. By using a groundbreaking technology based on plasmonic photocatalysis, Syzygy has developed a light-driven chemical reactor that can decarbonize hard-to-abate sectors.

The word "syzygy" might sound like an obscure term, but it represents the alignment of three critical forces shaping our future: energy, technology, and sustainability. Just like the perfect alignment during an eclipse, these three elements converge to create Syzygy, a company at the forefront of industrial decarbonization.

Tune in to learn how Syzygy's innovative approach is not only reducing emissions but also turning greenhouse gasses into valuable fuels.

Our faith in Humanity is restored this week by Laxman Singh, who when he was 18, he returned to his home village of Lapodia, India and discovered his friends and family were suffering acute water scarcity. Laxman set out to expand the pond himself with a few friends. By the end of the week, 20 villagers had joined the cause. Two months later, the monsoons came and rainwater filled the pond for the first time in decades.

Key Topics:

Efficient Plasma Technology: Syzygy is developing a Rigel™ photoreactor and proprietary photocatalyst technology designed to convert chemical reactions into more energy-efficient processes, particularly for hydrogen production and other chemical processes.
Environmental Impact: The technology has the potential to significantly reduce carbon emissions by replacing conventional, energy-intensive industrial processes with more sustainable methods.
Scalability and Versatility: Syzygy's plasma technology is scalable and can be applied across various industries, making it versatile for different applications beyond hydrogen production, including ammonia synthesis and CO2 conversion.
Market Disruption Potential: By lowering energy consumption and operational costs, Syzygy's technology could disrupt traditional chemical manufacturing, leading to more sustainable industrial practices and influencing market dynamics.

Voices on The Show:

Trevor Best CEO and co-founder of Syzygy Plasmonics
Linkedin
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

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#69: Cutting Carbon in the Skies Today with Hybrid-Electric Airplanes

Thu, 08 Aug 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! In this week’s Tech Spotlight, we feature a company that says the fastest way to get carbon out of aviation isn't electric or hydrogen, but instead hybrids, similar to how hybrid cars were a precursor to electric cars.

Our host Lisa Ann is joined by Kevin Noertker, CEO and co-founder of Ampaire, a leader in developing hybrid electric propulsion for aircraft designed specifically to reduce emissions, noise, and operational costs. Prior to founding the company, Kevin held various roles in engineering at Northrop Grumman and got his start as an undergraduate research fellow at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Join us to learn about how Ampaire has completed over 30,000 miles of successful test flights and proven that it’s possible to run their propulsion system on 100% SAFs produced from electricity and carbon dioxide.

Key Topics:

Hybrid Electric Propulsion for Aviation: Ampaire is developing hybrid electric propulsion systems for aircraft, which combine combustion engines with electric systems.
Operational Benefits and Flexibility: The hybrid system provides significant fuel savings, approximately 50%, by using electric power for takeoff and climb and combustion engines for cruising.
Regulatory and Market Acceptance: Hybrid electric systems are expected to gain faster regulatory approval and market acceptance than fully electric or hydrogen-powered planes.
Economic and Social Impact: The adoption of hybrid electric propulsion is anticipated to lower operational costs, which could benefit airlines and passengers.

Voices on The Show:

Kevin Noertker, CEO and co-founder of Ampaire
Linkedin

Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

Web Resources:

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#68: Sustainable Aviation Fuels Are Gaining Altitude with Gene Gebolys

Thu, 01 Aug 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! We’re continuing our summer scheduling with another Earthlings 2.0 rerun! With the Paris 2024 Olympic games currently underway, we thought of revisiting our conversation with Gene Gebolys, founder and CEO of World Energies. As the world gathers for this grand event, the carbon footprint associated with air travel becomes a significant concern.

This episode discusses the nuances of sustainable aviation, from fuel performance to the tokenization of emission reductions, and how these initiatives pave the way for a greener future in aviation and beyond.

Picking up from our previous discussion in S2E3: Flying the Sustainable Skies, we dive deeper into how the aviation industry is tackling sustainability, especially through SAFs. With global aviation contributing approximately 2.1% of all human-induced CO2 emissions, the importance of this conversation has never been more pressing. We also explore the industry's informal goal of achieving net zero by 2050 and the interim solutions offered by SAFs as we await the certification of electric or hydrogen planes.

In this episode, our "Restoring Faith in Humanity" segment takes us to Japan, where a poignant story unfolds about a man's final journey with his late wife's ashes. A flight attendant's compassionate gesture of moving the ashes to an adjacent seat illustrates the profound impact of human kindness and empathy

Key Topics:

Analysis of aviation's contribution to global CO2 emissions and the urgency for change.
The industry-wide objective is to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by the year 2050.
A historical perspective on the evolution of SAFs, from Virgin Atlantic's initial use in 2008 to recent transatlantic flights powered solely by SAFs.
The critical role of SAFs in decreasing lifecycle emissions, includes production, transport, and utilization impacts.
The concept of tokenization in emission reductions and its potential to transform the economics of sustainable fuel adoption.
Projections for the future development and increased utilization of SAFs in the aviation industry.

Voices on The Show:

Gene Geboyls, CEO of World Energy
LinkedIn
WE X: @NewsWorldEnergy
WE Instagram: @officialworldenergy
WE Linkedin: World Energy, LLC
WE Facebook: World Energy
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

Web Resources

Restoring Faith in Humanity spotlight: @Com_Kada's Flight
S2E3: Flying the Sustainable Skies

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#67: The Path to a Green Cement Future

Tue, 23 Jul 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! In this week’s episode, we dive deep into one of the most carbon-intensive industries on the planet: cement production. Cement is a crucial component of concrete, the second most consumed material on Earth after water, and its production accounts for approximately 8% of global carbon emissions.

Our host Lisa Ann is joined by Ryan Gilliam, CEO and co-founder of Fortera, a company at the forefront of the green cement revolution. Ryan shares his journey from a PhD in fuel cell design to becoming a leader in the clean tech industry. Fortera’s innovative technology transforms traditional cement production processes, significantly reducing carbon emissions while leveraging existing infrastructure.

Learn about the history of cement, its environmental impact, and how Fortera’s low-carbon cement solutions can potentially change the landscape of the industry.

Restoring our faith in humanity this week is the remarkable achievement of two high school seniors from New Orleans, Kelsey Johnson and Nakia Jackson. These students made a groundbreaking mathematical discovery by finding a new proof for the Pythagorean theorem using trigonometry, a feat previously thought impossible by mathematicians for over 2000 years. This accomplishment not only showcases the immense potential of young minds but also serves as a testament to the power of dedication and innovation in overcoming long-standing academic challenges.

Key Topics:

Cement Production and Carbon Emissions: This episode discusses how traditional cement production is highly carbon-intensive, accounting for around 8% of global carbon emissions.
Fortera’s Low-Carbon Cement Technology: Ryan Gilliam explains Fortera’s innovative approach to reducing carbon emissions in cement production by using a technology that mimics natural processes.
Challenges in Scaling Green Cement: The conversation explores the difficulties and strategies involved in integrating Fortera's technology into existing cement production infrastructure.
Future of Sustainable Construction: The episode envisions a future where low-carbon cement solutions are widely adopted, significantly reducing the environmental impact of the construction industry.

Voices on The Show:

Ryan Gilliam, CEO and co-founder of Fortera
Linkedin

Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

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#66: Rethinking Reforestation with Grant Canary

Tue, 16 Jul 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! We’re continuing our summer scheduling with another Earthlings 2.0 rerun: Mast Reforestation with Grant Canary, the visionary CEO behind Mast Reforestation. As of this week, over 1.6 million hectares of forest around the world has been lost to wildfires– and that’s just in 2024 alone! We need these forests to regrow if we want any hope of turning back the worst effects of climate change and that’s why we’re revisiting our conversation with Grant surrounding new technologies and business models that can help ensure forests to regrow.

Reforestation stands as a powerful weapon in our arsenal against climate change, and Grant passionately elaborates on its transformative impact. Discover the manifold benefits this practice offers to our planet while exploring the cutting-edge technologies Mast Reforestation employs. From pioneering drone applications to boots-on-the-ground strategies, these innovations are pivotal in fortifying our planet's resilience against carbon emissions.

Our faith in humanity was restored by Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit. The Prime Minister has officially declared a marine reserve spanning approximately 300 square miles (or 800 square kilometers), a critical habitat known to be the only place on Earth where sperm whales congregate year-round for breeding purposes. This marine sanctuary, by prohibiting commercial shipping and fishing activities, offers a much-needed refuge for sperm whales. Scientists highlight that this initiative is not only beneficial for these majestic creatures but also plays a vital role in combating the climate crisis due to the essential nutrients that sperm whales contribute to the ocean ecosystem through their deep-water dives.

Key Topics:

Supply chain challenges in reforestation
The Four Pillars of reforestation strategy- sourcing the seed, using software for seed collection organization, growing seeds into seedlings efficiently, and the logistics of planting these seedlings on-site
Advanced techniques and technologies in reforestation, such as sophisticated greenhouses and software for managing seed collections
The future of the world's forests in the face of ongoing climate change and the essential role of reforestation in mitigating its impacts

Voices on The Show:

Grant Canary, CEO of Master Reforestation
LinkedIn
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

Web Resources

Mastreforest website
Mast Reforestation socials:
X
LinkedIn

Restoring Faith in Humanity Spotlight: Dominica’s Sperm Whale Reserve

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#65: A Fresh Outlook on Fruit Logistics

Tue, 09 Jul 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! In this week’s episode, we once again dive into the pressing issue of food waste, a problem that results in the loss of nearly 50% of produce before it even reaches our plates. We explore how an innovative solution from RYP Labs, co-founded by Moody Soliman, is using biomimicry to extend the shelf life of fruits and vegetables. Moody shares insights into how their bioactive, plant-based stickers mimic natural processes to keep produce fresh longer, reducing waste and helping to address food security challenges.

We'll also discuss the broader implications of this technology, its applications across different supply chain stages, and how it could significantly impact both developed and developing countries.

Restoring Our Faith in Humanity this week is La Linea Vieja’s rooftop farming project in Canada, showcasing how innovative solutions are making a difference in our fight against climate change.

Key Points

The Problem of Food Waste: Discussion on the significant amount of produce wasted before reaching consumers and its economic and environmental impacts, including greenhouse gas emissions.
Innovative Solutions from RYP Labs: Moody explains how their bioactive, plant-based stickers use biomimicry to extend the shelf life of fruits and vegetables.
Application Across Supply Chains: Examination of the effectiveness of RYP Labs’ technology at various stages of the supply chain, with case studies and success stories from global deployments.
Impact on Food Security and Climate Change: Exploration of the potential for the technology to address food security issues, particularly in developing countries, and its role in reducing food waste and combating climate change.

Voices on The Show:

Moody Soliman, CEO and co-founder of RYP Labs
Linkedin

Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

Web Resources:

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#64: The Magical Solution of Beans with Andy Jarvis

Tue, 02 Jul 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! For this week’s episode, we’re continuing our summer schedule where we’ll be posting a rerun of a relevant episode every other week. National Eat Your Beans Day falls on July 3rd this year, so we hope you consider the simple legume in your summer menus: beans! Here’s an amazing recipe that’s always a hit as a side to any summer BBQ: Cherry Tomato and White Bean Salad from NYTimes Cooking.

In this episode, our host Lisa Ann Pinkerton (CEO of Technica Communications), and guest Andy Jarvis (Director of The Bezos Earth Fund) explore the answer to everything… Beans! Join us on this enlightening journey as we delve into the unassuming world of beans and their surprising impact on global health and the environment. In this episode, Andy walks us through the Beans is How campaign from the SDG2 Advocacy Hub. We cover the variances in bean consumption across the globe and explore how these little powerhouses can be pivotal in addressing some of the world’s most pressing food and environmental challenges.

Discover why regions with lower bean intakes, such as North America, could hold the key to a more sustainable future and how cultural adaptations could make beans a staple in diets worldwide. Also learn about the advancements in agricultural science that are making beans more resilient in the face of climate change and how this could revitalize our soil and minimize fertilizer use.

Don't miss this compelling episode that promises to change the way you think about the humble bean and its place in our diets and our world.

In "Restoring Our Faith in Humanity," segment for this episode, we feature Shirley Bellows, a dedicated Canadian gardener whose tireless efforts may have single-handedly rescued the Blue Jay Bean from the brink of extinction!

Key Topics:

How promoting increased bean consumption, especially in regions with low consumption like North America, can help address food and environmental challenges.
Doubling bean consumption by 2028 could have significant planetary impacts, especially when beans are developed to be more climate-resilient.
The importance of bioavailability in nutrition and the potential for revolution in understanding the gut microbiome is highlighted.

Voices on The Show:

Andy Jarvis, Director of the Future of Food at the Bezos
X: ajarviscali
LinkedIn: Andy Jarvis
Instagram: beansishow
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram: @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

Mentioned in The Show:

Beans is How Campaign Website
Devex Article on ‘Why beans are key to accelerating a change to our food system’
CGIAR Article spotlight
Article on the latest research by the University of Helsinki about the benefits of replacing meat with beans https://veganfta.com/2023/09/21/new-research-from-finland-highlights-the-benefits-of-replacing-meat-with-beans/
Join the Beans is How Challenge https://sdg2advocacyhub.org/beans-is-how/menu-challenge/
#beansonthemenu!

Restoring Faith in Humanity Spotlight:

Shirley Bellows' Efforts to Rescue the Blue Jay Bean from the Brink of Extinction https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-blue-jay-bean-seed-conservation/

🚀 Calling all Earthlings…

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#63: Sailing the Silent Seas with Michael Köhler

Tue, 25 Jun 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! For this week’s episode, we’re continuing our summer schedule where we’ll be posting a rerun of a relevant episode every other week. The Earthlings 2.0 team have been dreaming about spending our summers lounging on a quiet, peaceful deck, drinking Mai Tais under a clear sunny, blue sky ever since we heard this episode: Sailing the Silent Seas!

In this exciting episode, we set sail into the transformative waters of the marine transport sector, navigating the currents of change towards a sustainable future with zero-emission yachting at the helm. Our guide through this voyage is none other than Michael Köhler, CEO of Silent Yachts, and a visionary who has been steering the solar-powered yacht movement since 2009. His vision was clear: to navigate the world's waters with minimal environmental impact, harnessing the power of the sun to create a silent, serene boating experience that aligns with the urgent need for conservation and sustainability.

So, fasten your life jackets and prepare to be inspired as we explore the silent revolution transforming marine transport, one solar panel at a time. This episode is not just a conversation; it's a call to action for cleaner seas, greener yachts, and a sustainable future for our planet.

Restoring Our Faith in Humanity this week is Paolo Fanciulli, an Italian fisherman who is credited with creating the Atlantis of Tuscany in a fight against illegal trawling. Beginning in 2002, he, the Tuscan government, and World Wildlife Fund Italia deployed a strategic formation of 126 underwater cement bollards to ruin the extremely expensive deep sea trawling nets used by the illegal fishing outfits.

Key Topics:

Energy Transition in Marine Transport: shift from fossil fuels to electric and solar power in marine vessels, highlighting the environmental urgency and potential benefits of clean energy in maritime travel.
Innovations in Solar-Powered Yachting: Michael shares his journey with Silent Yachts, from concept to creation of solar-powered yachts, emphasizing the technological innovations and visionary drive behind sustainable marine design.
Sustainable Sailing Experience: Lisa Ann and Michael discuss the benefits of solar yachting, including silent navigation, renewable energy generation, and the luxurious slow travel experience, underscoring its positive impact on the environment and boating lifestyle.
Future of Zero-Emission Marine Transport: Michael talks about the impact of solar-powered yachting on the marine industry and environment, considering market trends, customer profiles, and the growth potential for solar yacht sales, while addressing the sector's challenges and opportunities in embracing sustainability.

Voices on The Show:

Michael Köhler, CEO of Silent Yachts
LinkedIn

Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

Web Resources

Restoring Faith in Humanity: Paolo Fanciulli, Founder of La Casa dei Pesci

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#62: Diving Deep with DNA Today

Tue, 18 Jun 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! For this week’s episode, we talk with Kira Dineen, host of the award-winning podcast DNA Today, who sheds light on the incredible advancements in genetic research. From personalized medicines tailored to your genome to the ethical dilemmas of embryo selection in IVF, Kira provides a comprehensive look into the future of healthcare.

Join us as we discuss the implications of CRISPR technology, the promise of precision medicine, and the potential of whole genome sequencing. We also tackle the ethical considerations surrounding genetic advancements, ensuring that the benefits of this research are accessible to all.

Learn how genetic research is poised to revolutionize healthcare and how 22 years later, the movie Gattaca (1997) is more relevant than ever.

In Restoring Our Faith in Humanity, we’re spotlighting conservationist Ripi Yanur Fajar and his friend, who spotted a big cat in a community plantation. Their discovery led to the identification of a hair strand with a 97.8% similarity to the long-extinct Javan tiger, suggesting that this magnificent creature may still roam the island.

Key Points

Implications of CRISPR Technology: Steve emphasizes the need for high-quality carbon offset standards to ensure genuine and measurable emissions reductions.
Personalized Medicines Revolutionizing Healthcare: Learn how personalized medical treatments based on your genome are revolutionizing healthcare.
Ethical Dilemmas in Embryo Selection: Kira and Lisa Ann talk about the ethical implications of trait selection in IVF.

Voices on The Show:

Kira Dineen, host of DNA Today Podcast
Linkedin
DNA Today Podcast

Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

Web Resources:

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#61: Solving the Rubik’s Cube of Carbon Markets with Steve Boyle

Tue, 11 Jun 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! For this week’s episode, we’re starting our summer schedule where we’ll be posting a rerun of a relevant episode every other week. We’re starting our summer schedule off with a very timely episode we did with Steve Boyle of Rubicon Carbon back in 2023. Once again, carbon credits are back in the hot seat after The Biden Administration issued recommended guidelines for increased participation and credibility within the credits system. Listen to learn about the complicated puzzle that is the carbon credits industry and how their biggest problems still persist today.

If you follow this industry, you know the ability of companies to purchase carbon credits to offset their emissions can be as complicated as a Rubik’s Cube. Steve walks us through the industry’s reputational challenges, Verra’s carbon credits scandal, and the differences between nature-based solutions and industrial-based solutions. Steve and Lisa Ann also discuss how Rubicon Carbon is changing the industry to make it easier for corporations to verify and trust the carbon offsets they are purchasing.

In Restoring Our Faith in Humanity- we have the privilege of spotlighting journalist Fathi Mohamed Ahmed, who, in 2022, pioneered Somalia's inaugural all-women newsroom, Bilan Media. Despite confronting pervasive prejudice, this remarkable news team fearlessly tackles previously taboo social topics, such as puberty, the female drug epidemic, and the lives of women living with HIV. Fathi and her dedicated news team exemplify extraordinary courage, and we wholeheartedly commend their endeavors.

This is the fourth episode in our series on carbon emissions. To hear more, other episodes in this series are:

Key Points

Focus on High-Quality Carbon Offsets: Steve emphasizes the need for high-quality carbon offset standards to ensure genuine and measurable emissions reductions.
Challenges and Credibility Issues in the Carbon Market:Steve addresses the challenges in the carbon offset market, including the credibility issues and the need for offsets that wouldn't occur without investment.
Impact of Policy and Market Trends: The conversation touches on recent policy changes, such as the Biden Administration's guidelines, and market trends, including the significant drop in the carbon offset market in 2023

Voices on The Show:

Steve Boyle, VP of Sales, Rubicon Carbon
Linkedin
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

Web Resources:

🚀 Calling all Earthlings…

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#60: The Magical Future of Mushrooms

Wed, 05 Jun 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Greetings In this week’s episode, our away mission takes us underground to explore mushrooms, the most widely distributed organisms on our planet. Without them, life on Earth might not have occurred. Terence McKenna even suggested that mushrooms might have originated in space due to their spores' resilience.

If you listened to our 2022 episode, "The Psychedelic Therapist Will See You Now," you know I'm interested in psychedelics' impact on mental health. Beyond this, mushrooms can slow cancer growth, improve cognitive functions, enhance forest health, and act as an exit drug for fentanyl addiction. Our guest today, Michael Beug, a mycologist and former professor at Evergreen State College, will enlighten us on these magical organisms.

Michael, active in the North American Mycological Association and the Pacific Northwest Key Council, has studied psilocybin since the 70s. We explore fungi's role in ecosystems, their health benefits, and innovative uses, from sustainable materials to dietary enhancements.

Also, restoring our faith in humanity this week is Taryn Foster, a coral scientist and CEO of Coral Maker. Witnessing mass bleaching while researching climate change for her doctoral thesis, she partnered with Autodesk to use AI and automation to create coral skeletons for nursery-grown corals. Coral reefs, vital to 25% of marine species and benefiting a billion people, face catastrophic losses by the 2030s if global temperatures continue to rise. Taryn's work aims to combat this threat.

Join us as we explore the incredible world of mushrooms and their potential to transform our health and our planet. Don’t forget to check out the full interview on our Patreon page!

Key Topics:

The Role of Fungi in Ecosystems: Exploring how fungi contribute to the health and sustainability of various ecosystems, including their symbiotic relationships with plants and trees.
Health Benefits of Mushrooms: Discussing the various health benefits of mushrooms, including their antiviral, anti-cancer, and cognitive-enhancing properties.
Innovative Uses of Mushrooms: Highlighting the innovative and sustainable uses of mushrooms, such as in packaging, insulation, and as alternatives to conventional materials.
Psilocybin and Mental Health: Examining the use of psilocybin mushrooms in mental health treatment, including their potential to treat PTSD, depression, and addiction.

Voices on The Show:

Michael Beug, Mycologist
Mushrooms of Cascadia: About Author
Facebook: Michael Beug
Youtube: @mushroomwonderland1

Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

Web Resources:

Michael’s Upcoming Book: Mushrooms of Cascadia
Paul Stamets at TEDMED 2011
How to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan

Earthlings 2.0 Episode: The Psychedelic Therapist Will See You Now

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#59: Lab-Grown Chicken, the Ethical White Meat

Wed, 29 May 2024 12:30:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! In this eye-opening episode of Earthlings 2.0, we sit down with Josh Tetrick, CEO of GOOD Meat, to explore the revolutionary world of cultivated meat. Discover how a single cell can transform into billions of pounds of meat without the need for traditional animal farming. Josh delves into the ethical and environmental implications of our current food system, highlighting the potential of cultivated meat to create a kinder, more sustainable future.

Learn about the groundbreaking technology behind cellular agriculture, the challenges of scaling production, and the promising future of meat that doesn’t involve slaughter.

Key Topics:

The Concept and Technology Behind Cultivated Meat: Understanding how GOOD Meat uses cellular agriculture to produce meat from a single cell and the science involved in the process.
Ethical and Environmental Implications: Discussing the current food system's impact on animals and the environment, and how cultivated meat offers a kinder, more sustainable alternative.
Challenges and Opportunities in Scaling Production: Exploring the hurdles faced in bringing cultivated meat to market and the potential for widespread adoption in the future.
Regulatory Approvals and Market Launches: Insights into the approval process for cultivated meat in different countries, including the groundbreaking retail launch in Singapore, and future plans for global distribution.

Voices on The Show:

Josh Tetrick, co-founder and CEO of Eat Just, Inc.
Linkedin: Josh Tetrick

Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

Web Resources:

Vox Article: Chickens are taking over the planet
Restoring Our Faith in Humanity: Songs of survival: scientists confirm blue whales frequent Seychelles

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#58: WIRED’s Take on Sustainable Products

Tue, 21 May 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! In this week’s episode, we delve into the complexities of making sustainable choices in today's consumer landscape. Joining us today is Medea Giordano, a dedicated gear writer for WIRED magazine. Medea shares her expertise on sustainable consumer products, from recycled clothing to eco-friendly home goods.

Together, Lisa Ann and Medea explore the pitfalls of online shopping, the scarcity of sustainable products on store shelves, and the importance of trustworthy product reviews. They also discuss greenwashing, the need for transparency in the industry, and practical tips for spotting genuinely sustainable products. Medea shares her insights on standout sustainable products, like the Revival denim rug and clothing made from recycled materials. She also addresses concerns about lead in popular reusable water bottles and provides advice on selecting safer alternatives.

Restoring Our Faith in Humanity this week is the inspiring story of Margaret and Robert Isdale, a couple from Lincolnshire, England, who have fostered 150 children over 46 years. Their dedication to providing a safe and loving home reminds us of the impact individuals can make in their communities.

Key Topics:

Challenges of Making Sustainable Consumer Choices: Exploring the difficulties consumers face when trying to purchase sustainable products, both online and in stores.
Role of Product Reviewers in Guiding Consumers: Highlighting the importance of reliable product reviews in providing trustworthy information.
Greenwashing and How to Avoid It: Discussing the issue of greenwashing, how to recognize it, and tips for identifying genuinely sustainable products.
Sustainable Product Recommendations: Sharing specific recommendations for sustainable products, including clothing, home goods, and safer alternatives to popular items like reusable water bottles.

Voices on The Show:

Medea Giordano, Gear Writer for WIRED Magazine
Linkedin: Medea Giordano
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

Web Resources:

Read more of Medea’s reviews here

Products mentioned in the show:

Restoring Our Faith in Humanity: Grantham: Award for 'incredible' octogenarian foster carers

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#57: Following Portugal’s Lead on 100% Renewables

Wed, 15 May 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! In this episode, we dive into an inspiring story of renewable energy success. Our guest is Julian Spector, a senior reporter at Canary Media, who was the first to report on Portugal’s remarkable achievement of powering its grid with 100% renewable energy for six consecutive days. We discuss how Portugal, despite not having easy access to geothermal or extensive hydro resources, managed to achieve this milestone and what lessons other countries can learn from their experience.

Lisa Ann and Julian discuss the significance of Portugal's achievement, the history of 100% renewable energy goals, and the future of renewable energy worldwide. We also delve into the practicalities of grid management, the role of energy storage, and how different regions can adapt similar strategies to their unique contexts.

Restoring Our Faith in Humanity this week is Connie Sanchez and the National Audubon Society’s Lights Out initiative, which aims to protect migratory birds from the hazards of city lights.

Be sure to take our listener survey and subscribe to our Substack newsletter for more Earthlings content!

Key Topics:

Portugal's Achievement of Six Days of 100% Renewable Energy: Portugal powered its grid entirely with renewable energy for six consecutive days, showcasing a significant milestone in the global shift towards sustainable energy.
Practical Strategies for Other Regions to Replicate Portugal's Success: Portugal's intentional and strategic planning, including the development of wind and solar power, serves as a model for other regions. Their approach demonstrates that even countries without extensive natural resources can achieve significant renewable energy milestones.
The Importance of Energy Storage and Grid Management: Effective grid management and energy storage are crucial for maintaining a stable supply of renewable energy. Portugal's use of hydropower as a base load and their exploration of battery storage solutions highlight the importance of a diverse energy portfolio.

Voices on The Show:

Julian Spector, Senior Reporter at Canary Media
Linkedin: Julian Spector
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

Web Resources:

Article mentioned in the show: Portugal just ran on 100% renewables for six days in a row
11 countries leading the charge on renewable energy | Climate Council
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#56: The E-fuel Oil Fields of the Future

Tue, 07 May 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! This week we delve into the transformative potential of e-fuels in achieving a carbon-neutral future. Our guest, Tim Boeltken from Ineratec, discusses how synthesizing fuels from green hydrogen and captured CO2 can leverage existing infrastructure and vehicles, providing a practical path away from fossil fuels without waiting for newer technologies to mature.

Explore how e-fuels, produced through innovative modular chemical plants, offer a scalable solution that could democratize energy globally.

Restoring Our Faith in Humanity this week are the efforts of Kate Hanley and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds in rejuvenating the Dove Stone reservoir's peat bogs.

Also we have a shiny new newsletter! Subscribe to get the inside scoop on future episodes and the latest news on past covered topics. We also want to hear from you! Take our listener survey so we can produce the best content for our audience.

Key Topics:

The Role of E-Fuels in Achieving Carbon Neutrality: Exploring how e-fuels—synthetic fuels made from green hydrogen and captured CO2—can utilize existing infrastructure and vehicles to reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
Innovations in E-Fuel Production: Discussing the modular chemical plant technology developed by Ineratec, which enables scalable and efficient production of e-fuels in areas with abundant renewable resources.
Comparison of E-Fuels and Biofuels: Examining the advantages of e-fuels over traditional biofuels, particularly in terms of feedstock availability and environmental impact.

Voices on The Show:

Tim Boeltken, Founder and Managing Director of INERATEC
Linkedin: Tim Boeltken

Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

Web Resources:

Ineratec
Life at 3C Episode

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#55: Hyperspectral Satellite Data Putting Many Eyes on the Earth

Wed, 01 May 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! On this week’s episode, we explore the transformative potential of hyperspectral imaging technology, a tool that was once exclusive to space agencies like NASA but has recently become accessible for commercial use. Join our host Lisa Ann, as she delves into the myriad applications of this advanced imaging technique that captures data across the electromagnetic spectrum to reveal the unseen details of our planet.

Our expert guest, Max Joshua, provides a deep dive into how hyperspectral imaging helps monitor environmental changes, detect methane leaks, and even assess agricultural health from space. Discover how commercial hyperspectral satellites, like those operated by Planet Labs, are democratizing data access, allowing us to verify corporate emission reports and potentially hold polluters accountable. Learn about the challenges and future potential of this technology in various sectors, from agriculture to energy.

Restoring Our Faith in Humanity this week is Australian research scientist Berin Mackenzie. He’s one of several scientists who are actively saving from the brink of extinction, a type of pine tree that evolved 91 million years ago. The Wollemi Pine was thought to have gone extinct 2 million years ago, but, in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney, a stand of 90 specimens were found high in the more remote peaks. Listen to the full episode to hear the full story!

Key Topics:

Hyperspectral Imaging 101: Max explains the fundamentals of hyperspectral imaging technology, discussing its development from a specialized tool used by NASA to its current commercial applications for monitoring Earth.
Applications and Impacts: Hyperspectral imaging’s various applications, such as detecting methane leaks, assessing environmental health, and its potential for enhancing transparency in corporate environmental reporting.
The Future of Accountability, ESG, and CSRD: Max and Lisa Ann discuss how hyperspectral imaging can be used to hold companies more accountable

Voices on The Show:

Max Joshua, Hyperspectral Satellite Imaging Expert
Linkedin: Max Joshua
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

Web Resources:

Restoring our faith in humanity: “Real sense of achievement: The next step to preserve the Wollemi pine” Sydney Morning Herald

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#54: Hydrogen Horizons: Pioneering Clean Energy Education

Tue, 23 Apr 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Hello, Earthlings! In today’s episode, we focus on the new technology set to redefine our energy landscape. We’re speaking about the potential energy of the future: Hydrogen! We met Max Accordino, Head of Business Development at Horizon Educational. We discuss the need to educate the younger generation about the value of hydrogen energy through educational play!

According to some scientific studies, learning a new skill or concept can take as many as 400 repetitions to create new neural synapses! But, interestingly enough, if you make it feel like play, which cuts that down to 10-20 repetitions making play 98.5% more times more effective when learning something new! To fix our climate issues we need a new perspective, one that only comes from the new generation. Horizon Educational has been hosting the Hydrogen Grand Prix where children build and race hydrogen fuel cell-powered RC cars to educate children on the benefits of hydrogen!

In this week's "Restoring Our Faith in Humanity" segment, Indonesia welcomes its first sanctuary for farmed animals on Sumatra Island. Founded in 2017 by Loo Shih Loong and Sing Hui, Sehati Animal Sanctuary shelters 300+ animals saved from the meat industry. Sing's bond with five piglets sparked the sanctuary's creation. The couple's dedication, including pawning their gold, sustains the sanctuary. In 2020, Bali locals initiated crowdfunding to support Sehati, aiming for sustainability and growth. This tale of compassion reminds us of our interconnectedness on our marvelous planet Earth. 🌱🐷🌍

Key Topics:

Innovative hydrogen fuel cell cars and student engineering projects: The program offers a unique platform for students to present their solutions to industry experts, receive feedback and mentorship, and gain a step ahead of their peers.
Hands-on learning and its impact on future workforce: Lisa Ann Pinkerton and Max discuss the importance of hands-on learning and resilience in students.
A hydrogen fuel cell racing program for high school students: The Grand Prix highlights the importance of the program in providing opportunities for students from low-income areas, to pursue careers in clean energy and mobility.

Voices on The Show:

Max Accordinio, Head of Business Development at Horizon Educational
Linkedin: Max Accordinio
Horizon Educational
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

Web Resources

Watch the RE+ 2023 Hydrogen Grand Prix here
Learn more about H2 Education and watch videos here
Article on female electricians here

Watch students chat about their car catching on fire here

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#53: Earth Day’s Mission to End Plastic Pollution

Tue, 16 Apr 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! This week we’re celebrating Earth Day by delving deep into the pervasive issue of plastic pollution, a subject that touches on the health of our planet and ourselves. Our guest, Aidan Charron, the Director of End Plastic Initiatives at Earthday.org, shares his journey from witnessing the impact of plastic on the beaches of North Carolina to spearheading efforts to combat plastic pollution globally. Aidan and our host, Lisa Ann, explore the daunting realities of microplastics and the chemicals they introduce into our ecosystems and bodies, highlighting the urgent need for action.

The forecast might seem bleak but there’s hope: Aidan outlines Earthday.org's ambitious goal for a 60% reduction in plastic production by 2040, emphasizing the necessity of local and global policy changes to make this a reality. From the success and setbacks of local legislation to the intricacies of international treaty negotiations, Lisa Ann and Aiden take us for a behind-the-scenes look at the challenges and strategies in the fight against plastic pollution.

In this week's "Restoring Faith in Humanity" segment, we honor the enduring legacy of U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson, whose visionary leadership catalyzed the creation of Earth Day in 1970. Senator Nelson's commitment to environmental conservation galvanized twenty million Americans across the nation, uniting individuals from all walks of life in a powerful grassroots movement. This unprecedented mobilization of communities, educational institutions, and local governments across thousands of U.S. cities and schools underscored the collective determination to prioritize the planet's health and sustainability.

Key Topics:

Impact of Plastic Pollution: Discussion on the widespread issue of plastic pollution, especially microplastics, and their detrimental effects on environmental and human health.
End Plastic Pollution Initiative: Exploration of Earthday.org's mission to significantly reduce plastic production by 2040, focusing on the reduction of single-use plastics and the necessity for global and local policy interventions.
Legislative Efforts and Barriers: Insights into the successes and challenges in passing laws to mitigate plastic pollution, highlighting the importance of local action and the obstacles posed by industry resistance and regulatory preemption.
International Treaty Negotiations: Overview of the complex global efforts to forge an international treaty on plastic pollution, including the negotiation dynamics, challenges, and the hopeful path forward for substantial policy changes.

Voices on The Show:

Aidan Charron, Director of End Plastic Initiatives, Earthday.org
Linkedin: Aidan Charron
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

Web Resources:

🚀 Calling all Earthlings…

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#52: Zeroing in on Hydrogen for Marine Transportation

Tue, 09 Apr 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! In this week’s episode of "Earthlings 2.0," Lisa Ann talks to guest Joseph Pratt, CEO and CTO of Zero Emission Industries, on the potential of hydrogen fuel cells in decarbonizing the maritime industry. The episode delves into the groundbreaking work of Zero Emissions Industries and the positive findings that herald the viability of hydrogen as a sustainable power source for commercial vessels. Pratt shares insights into the challenges and opportunities of implementing hydrogen technology in the maritime sector, including the importance of infrastructure development and regulatory considerations. We also explore broader implications for the hydrogen industry, touching on ZeroEI’s innovative fueling system and its potential to address current infrastructure bottlenecks.

Join us as we navigate the potential of hydrogen to revolutionize marine transport, from the science behind fuel cells to the launch of the groundbreaking Sea Change ferry.

Restoring Our Faith in Humanity this week is Brent Hughes, a marine ecologist from Sonoma State University, Christine Angelini, a coastal ecologist from the University of Florida, and their team's significant research. Their work reveals how reintroducing sea otters to the California coast catalyzed the revival of dwindling coastal marshes, offering a hopeful narrative of ecological recovery. For a dose of cuteness and inspiration, don't miss the episode's video on YouTube, featuring delightful sea otter footage.

Key Topics:

The Potential of Hydrogen Fuel Cells in Maritime Decarbonization: An exploration into how hydrogen fuel cells work and their application in decarbonizing the maritime industry, highlighting the environmental benefits and the technological breakthroughs that make this green alternative viable for commercial vessels.
The Journey of the Sea Change Ferry: The story behind the world's first hydrogen-powered commercial vessel, the Sea Change ferry, including the challenges, innovations, and collaborative efforts that contributed to its development and the implications for the future of marine transport.
Innovative Hydrogen Fueling Systems: Zero Emissions Industries’ innovative hydrogen fueling system that addresses the current infrastructure bottlenecks, showcasing its broader applicability beyond maritime uses to other industries like trucking and aviation.

Voices on The Show:

Joseph Pratt, CEO and CTO of Zero Emission Industries
Linkedin: Joseph Pratt
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

Web Resources:

🚀 Calling all Earthlings…

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#51: The Grass is Greener with Carbon-Negative Building Products

Tue, 02 Apr 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, Lisa Ann Pinkerton delves into an innovative solution addressing the global housing crisis without exacerbating our climate emergency with Plantd. With the collective future of 3 billion Earthlings at stake by 2030, the episode navigates the pressing need for sustainable construction methods that align with our carbon budget.

In an era where traditional building materials contribute significantly to carbon emissions, this episode spotlights Plantd - a North Carolina-based startup led by Haude Tan and Nathan Silvernail, former NASA and SpaceX engineers. They've reimagined construction by creating carbon-negative structural boards from perennial grass, challenging the status quo of the timber industry and paving the way for environmentally sustainable building materials.

Discover how Plantd's revolutionary non-tree based wood is not just an eco-friendly alternative but a practical solution offering the same, if not better, quality and convenience without altering traditional building practices. From their futuristic manufacturing processes that resemble a space station to their collaboration with local farmers, Plantd's journey represents a beacon of hope for a greener future in construction.

Restoring Our Faith in Humanity this week are the extraordinary efforts of Erica Hart. Inspired by her father's suggestion, Erica used her drone to locate a missing local dog. Since then, she has harnessed the power of thermal imaging technology to reunite over 330 dogs with their guardians across the UK and Scotland. Erica's story is a testament to the impact one person can have, turning a simple act of kindness into a life-changing mission for hundreds of families and their beloved pets.

Key Topics:

Sustainable Construction Solutions: Exploring innovative building methods to address the housing needs of a growing population without compromising environmental sustainability. The focus is on reducing the climate impact through eco-friendly materials and practices.
Carbon-Negative Materials by Plantd: Highlighting Plantd’s breakthrough in creating structural boards from perennial grass, offering a carbon-negative alternative to conventional building materials. This approach could significantly reduce the construction industry’s carbon footprint.
Environmental Impact of Traditional Building: Discussing the considerable carbon emissions from traditional construction materials like concrete and steel, and the need for sustainable alternatives.

Voices on The Show:

Huade Tan, Co-founder and Co-CEO of Plantd
Linkedin: Huade Tan
Nathan Silvernail, Co-founder and Co-CEO of Plantd
Linkedin: Nathan Silvernail
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

Web Resources:

Plantd
Plantd Linkedin
Plantd Instagram
Plantd Facebook
Book mentioned: The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan
Restoring Our Faith in Humanity: Erica Hart

🚀 Calling all Earthlings…

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#50: The Real Future of Virtual Power Plants

Tue, 26 Mar 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! In this electrifying episode of Earthlings 2.0, host Lisa Ann Pinkerton and expert guest, Sarah Minczeski Delisle, VP of Government Affairs and Communications at Swell Energy, dives deep into how Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) are becoming the unsung heroes in the transition to renewable energy. These systems are not only changing the way we think about energy generation and distribution but are also empowering communities worldwide to contribute to a more reliable and environmentally friendly electric grid.

Sarah explains how VPPs harness solar, battery storage, and other distributed energy resources to provide a cleaner, more resilient power supply and potentially reduce the need for traditional fossil fuel plants. By aggregating the energy from individual homes, VPPs offer a unique solution to the challenges of modern electricity demands and climate change, all while providing economic benefits to the participants.

From discussing the 140-year-old electrical grid's evolution to exploring the potential of VPPs in the US and beyond, this episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in the future of energy and environmental sustainability. Join us as we explore how leveraging technology and community can lead to innovative solutions that combat climate change, one virtual power plant at a time.

Restoring Our Faith in Humanity this week is the inspiring story of 14-year-old Davis Marthin Damaledo from Indonesia, who discovered a new species of giant stick insect while taking a walk with his father. Thanks Davis for reminding us of the endless wonders our planet holds!

Key Topics:

Virtual Power Plants (VPPs): VPPs combine solar panels and battery storage from multiple locations via a central system, offering a greener, more efficient alternative to traditional energy generation, reducing fossil fuel dependence and emissions.
Benefits for All: VPPs offer dual advantages; consumers enjoy lower bills and rewards for energy contributions, while utilities gain a more stable, greener grid that integrates renewables more effectively without expensive, polluting peaker plants.
Addressing Energy Challenges: VPPs address the intermittency of renewable energy and rising demand by ensuring consistent power supply, thereby boosting grid reliability and efficiency.

Voices on The Show:

Sarah Minczeski Delisle, VP of Government Affairs and Communications at Swell Energy
Linkedin: Sarah Minczeski Delisle
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

Web Resources

Restoring Our Faith in Humanity: Nesiophasma sobesonbaii

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#49: Green Hydrogen’s Unsung Hero

Wed, 20 Mar 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! In this week’s episode, our host Lisa Ann Pinkerton (CEO of Technica Communications),, delves into the indispensable yet underappreciated role of rectifiers in the green hydrogen economy with guest Bryan Allen, Director of Hydrogen and Energy Storage at DynaPower. Together they explore how rectifiers, devices converting AC to DC, are pivotal in hydrogen production systems, particularly in green applications involving renewable energy sources like solar.

Allen, with over two decades in the electrical power space, explains the role of rectifiers in connecting the AC and DC worlds, thus facilitating the operation of hydrogen electrolyzers. This episode not only demystifies the technical aspects of green hydrogen production but also celebrates rectifiers as the unsung heroes in this crucial sustainable energy process. Additionally, Allen highlights DynaPower's contribution to the Advanced Clean Energy Storage Hub in Delta, Utah, underscoring the project's significance in the US hydrogen economy landscape.

Restoring Our Faith in Humanity this week are recent marine biology discoveries off Costa Rica's Pacific coast by the Schmidt Ocean Institute's Falkor research vessel, spotlighting the discovery of new octopus species and emphasizing the importance of preserving deep-sea biodiversity.

Key Topics:

The Role of Rectifiers in the Green Hydrogen Economy: Exploring how rectifiers, devices that convert alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC), are fundamental in enabling the production of green hydrogen from renewable energy sources.
Insights from Bryan Allen: Featuring insights from Bryan Allen of DynaPower, discussing his experiences in the electrical power space, the importance of rectifiers in hydrogen production systems, and DynaPower's involvement in the Advanced Clean Energy Storage Hub project in Delta, Utah.
Historical AC/DC Debate: A brief exploration of the historical debate between Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla over AC and DC power, providing context on how this debate impacts current energy infrastructure and technology choices in renewable energy production.

Voices on The Show:

Bryan Allen, Director of Hydrogen and Energy Storage at DynaPower
LinkedIn
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram: @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

Mentioned in The Show:

Restoring Faith in Humanity Spotlight:

Schmidt Ocean Institute's Falkor research vessel

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#48: Talking Circular Economy with the Trash Magic! Podcast

Wed, 13 Mar 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! In this week’s episode, we dive deep into the enchanting world of waste with our host, Lisa Ann and the dynamic duo behind the Trash Magic! Podcast, Oakley Jennings-Fast and Sara Eve Fuentes. Sara and Oakley share the origins of the Trash Magic! Podcast, unravel the complex relationship we have with trash, and challenge the prevailing norms around waste disposal and recycling. Our conversation takes a deep dive into the vital topic of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), unraveling how it compels manufacturers to account for the life cycle of their products, thereby reducing waste and fostering a more sustainable approach to production and consumption.

In a world where disposable culture has become the norm, Sara and Oakley illuminate the art of repair — a powerful practice that not only conserves resources but also enriches our connection to the objects we own. Enjoy this fun conversation between three friends about their shared passion for sustainability, science communication, and the circular economy.

Restoring Our Faith in Humanity this week is the inspiring story of Nik Robinson and his sons, Harry and Archie, who, motivated by a conversation about plastic pollution, launched a sustainable sunglass line made from recycled plastic bottles called Good Citizens. We salute their initiative exemplifying the power of creative solutions in addressing environmental challenges!

Key Topics:

Circular Economy and Its Impact: We need to switch from a linear economy to a circular economy, where waste is minimized and resources are reused or recycled to create a sustainable loop, ASAP. This shift is crucial for reducing environmental impact and fostering innovation in product design and waste management.
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR): Producers should be held accountable for the entire lifecycle of their products, including post-consumer waste. EPR aims to encourage manufacturers to design products that are easier to reuse, recycle, or dispose of responsibly, thus reducing waste and environmental harm.
The Power of Repair and Reuse: Repairing and reusing items is a key aspect of the circular economy- these practices can reduce waste, save money, and support local economies. It challenges the disposable culture and promotes a shift in consumer behavior towards valuing and sustaining the lifespan of products.
Community Engagement and Education: The biggest impact comes from community involvement and education in promoting sustainable practices! Sara and Oakley describe how by engaging with the community through cleanups and other activities, they were able to provide accessible information on waste management and sustainability with communities.

Voices on The Show:

Oakley Jennings-Fast, Trash Magic Co-host, Founder of Level Up Planet

Sara Eve Fuentes, Trash Magic Co-host, CEO of SmartWaste USA

Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

Web Resources

Restoring Our Faith in Humanity: Good Citizen Sunglasses

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#47: Hydrogen Horizons: Unveiling the Power of Fuel Cells

Wed, 06 Mar 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! In this enlightening episode, we sit down with Philipp Ruez, Head of Sales for Industrial Applications at EKPO Fuel Cell Technologies, and our host, Lisa Ann Pinkerton, to delve into the transformative world of hydrogen fuel cells. They discuss the basic principles of how fuel cells generate power to their significant impact on decarbonizing heavy industries, Phillip shares his insights on the technology that might just be our planet's green savior.

Discover why fuel cells, producing only water and electricity, are considered a pivotal eco-friendly energy solution, especially for heavy-duty applications where lithium-ion batteries fall short. Learn about the intricate process that turns hydrogen into energy, the unique advantages of Philipp's company's fuel cell designs, including their unparalleled power density and efficiency, and how these innovations are paving the way for a cleaner, sustainable future.

Lisa Ann and Philipp talk about the diverse applications of fuel cells across various sectors, including marine transport, heavy machinery, and even the potential in the steel production industry. With special attention to the role of hydrogen in hard-to-electrify sectors, they discuss the blend of technologies, including the complementary use of batteries and fuel cells, to achieve optimal energy solutions.

Restoring our Faith in Humanity this week is David Milarch, founder of the Archangel Ancient Tree Archive in California. The Archangel Ancient Tree Archive focuses on cloning the world's oldest trees to combat climate change. Their aim is to reforest the Earth with trees that are resistant to warming temperatures and wildfire. The 130 species Milarch has cloned include sequoias, redwoods, and thousand year old oaks from Ireland. From his point of view, he says that these ancient trees have the capacity to sequester ten times more CO2 than an average tree. Thanks for all your wonderful work David!

—----------------------------------------------------

Tune in to “Hydrogen Horizons: Unveiling the Power of Fuel Cells” for a deep dive into the challenges, innovations, and potential of hydrogen fuel cells in driving the global energy transition towards a sustainable and eco-friendly future.

Key Topics:

Hydrogen Fuel Cell Basics: Understanding how fuel cells work and their environmental benefits.
Sector Applications: The role of fuel cells in decarbonizing heavy-duty and hard-to-electrify sectors.
Technology Innovations: Advancements in fuel cell design, efficiency, and capacity.
Hydrogen Economy Outlook: Developments in hydrogen production, infrastructure, and the push towards a sustainable future.

Voices on The Show:

Philipp Ruez, Head of Sales for Industrial Applications, EKPO Fuel Cell Technologies
LinkedIn
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

Web Resources

Restoring Faith in Humanity: David Milarch, founder of the Archangel Ancient Tree Archive

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#46: Sailing the Silent, Solar-Powered Seas

Wed, 28 Feb 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! In this exciting episode, we set sail into the transformative waters of the marine transport sector, navigating the currents of change towards a sustainable future with zero-emission yachting at the helm. Our guide through this voyage is none other than Michael Köhler, CEO of Silent Yachts, and a visionary who has been steering the solar-powered yacht movement since 2009. His vision was clear: to navigate the world's waters with minimal environmental impact, harnessing the power of the sun to create a silent, serene boating experience that aligns with the urgent need for conservation and sustainability.

Key Topics:

Energy Transition in Marine Transport: shift from fossil fuels to electric and solar power in marine vessels, highlighting the environmental urgency and potential benefits of clean energy in maritime travel.
Innovations in Solar-Powered Yachting: Michael shares his journey with Silent Yachts, from concept to creation of solar-powered yachts, emphasizing the technological innovations and visionary drive behind sustainable marine design.
Sustainable Sailing Experience: Lisa Ann and Michael discuss the benefits of solar yachting, including silent navigation, renewable energy generation, and the luxurious slow travel experience, underscoring its positive impact on the environment and boating lifestyle.
Future of Zero-Emission Marine Transport: Michael talks about the impact of solar-powered yachting on the marine industry and environment, considering market trends, customer profiles, and the growth potential for solar yacht sales, while addressing the sector's challenges and opportunities in embracing sustainability.

Voices on The Show:

Michael Köhler, CEO of Silent Yachts
LinkedIn
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

Web Resources

Restoring Faith in Humanity: Paolo Fanciulli, Founder of La Casa dei Pesci

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#45: How Thermal Batteries are Bottling the Sun

Wed, 21 Feb 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Welcome back, Earthlings, to another electrifying episode where we shine a light on the innovations set to redefine our energy landscape. Today, we're diving into a breakthrough poised to crack the code of the clean energy future: thermal batteries. We talk with Asegun Henry, founder and chief technology officer of Fourth Power, who sheds light on the inception, development, and future aspirations of thermal battery technology. We discuss the innovation's foundational principles, its advantages over traditional storage methods, and its role in achieving a cost-effective, long-duration energy storage solution.

As we navigate away from conventional solutions, we understand that lithium isn't going to cut it for the long haul. We need a fresh perspective, a radical departure from the norm, which brings us to the crux of today's discussion: the potential of thermal batteries to serve as the holy grail of clean energy by offering a cost-effective solution for long-duration energy storage. By embracing this totally different way of thinking about energy storage, we edge closer to unlocking the holy grail of cheap, long-duration energy storage. The future is not just bright; it's thermal.

In this week's "Restoring Our Faith in Humanity" segment, we celebrate Allen [Sha-ji] and Sobin Matthew from India, who leverage their software and programming expertise to combat wildlife crime. Founders of Leopard Tech Labs, they've introduced the WildWatch program, employing machine learning to pre-empt human-wildlife conflicts. This program analyzes data on animal movements, historical wildlife incidents, and human activities near nature reserves to predict and prevent conflicts before they occur. Their innovative use of technology for environmental conservation exemplifies how digital skills can contribute significantly to protecting our planet, truly inspiring a hopeful outlook on humanity's capacity to nurture nature.

Key Topics:

Innovative Approach to Energy Storage: Asegun Henry details the groundbreaking use of high-temperature graphite systems and liquid metal to store energy in carbon blocks, offering a scalable and efficient alternative to conventional storage technologies.
Cost Reduction and Power Density Enhancement: Fourth Power's strategy focuses on reducing costs and increasing power density by leveraging the unique properties of carbon and graphite and operating at higher temperatures.
Commercialization Roadmap: Asegun outlines the steps towards commercializing thermal battery technology, highlighting its potential to significantly impact global energy storage solutions by 2028-2029.
Thermal Batteries vs. Traditional Storage: The discussion emphasizes thermal battery technology's unique capability to mimic natural heat storage and transfer processes, presenting it as a superior alternative to lithium-ion batteries and other existing storage solutions.

Voices on The Show:

Asegun Henry, founder and chief technology officer of Fourth Power
Linkedin: Asegun Henry
Fourth Power
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

Web Resources

Fourth Power

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#44: Ending the Timeline for PFAS Forever Chemicals

Tue, 13 Feb 2024 03:00:00 -0400

In this enlightening episode, we delve into the pervasive and concerning issue of PFAS (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) contamination with Nigel Sharp, the forward-thinking founder of Aquagga. PFAS, often referred to as the "forever chemicals," pose a significant challenge to water quality and environmental safety worldwide. Nigel shares his journey of discovery, the impact of PFAS, and the innovative efforts his company is making to not just remove, but destroy these persistent contaminants.

This episode not only sheds light on the critical issue of PFAS contamination but also inspires hope and action through the innovative work of Nigel Sharp and his team. As we look towards the future, it's clear that addressing the PFAS crisis will require a concerted effort from all sectors of society. Join us in exploring the complexities of this challenge and the promising solutions on the horizon.

Our faith in humanity was restored this week by Edgar Mora, the visionary former mayor of Curridabat, Costa Rica. During his twelve-year tenure, Mora led an extraordinary transformation of the city into a sanctuary for wildlife. His innovative approach included bestowing citizenship upon crucial pollinators such as bees, hummingbirds, bats, and butterflies, as well as recognizing the rights of native plants and trees. We are profoundly grateful to Mora for championing the recognition and sovereignty of all living beings in Curridabat.

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#43: The Captivating Promise of Carbon-Negative Plastics

Tue, 06 Feb 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! In this week’s episode, join us as Karin Calvinho, co-founder and CTO of RenewCO₂, takes us through her journey from witnessing the environmental impacts of Brazil's petrochemical industry to leading the charge at RenewCO₂. Her story, marked by firsthand experiences with pollution and oil spills, fuels her commitment to sustainable chemistry.

Alongside host Lisa Ann, Karin dives into how her company transforms CO₂ emissions into eco-friendly plastics, leveraging renewable energy and innovative catalysts from her PhD research. This breakthrough technology not only aims to revolutionize the plastics industry by maintaining its benefits but also contributes to global decarbonization and encourages sustainable consumer behaviors.

Tune in for an inspiring look at how Karin's efforts are shaping a greener future and the role of technology in creating sustainable plastics.

This week, our faith in humanity was restored by Hannah Testa, founder of Hannah4Change. Since the tender age of four, Hannah has championed environmental causes, tackling critical issues such as plastic pollution, climate change, and the protection of animal rights. Her efforts have led to monumental policy shifts, notably the passage of The Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act in the U.S., and she has enlightened over 30,000 individuals globally on environmental stewardship. A proponent of a healthy, organic, and vegan lifestyle, Hannah's collaborations with brands like Kashi and her successful campaign to have Starbucks adopt sustainable coffee cups underscore her impact. We are deeply grateful to Hannah for her extraordinary contributions and for reminding us that the love for our planet transcends generations.

Key Topics:

RenewCO₂'s Innovative Technology: The development of technology at RenewCO₂ that converts CO₂ emissions into sustainable, high-quality plastics, emphasizing the scientific breakthroughs and the use of renewable energy sources.
Impact on the Plastics Industry: The potential of RenewCO₂'s technology to revolutionize the plastics industry by providing a sustainable alternative to traditional petrochemical processes, without sacrificing the benefits of plastics.
Global Decarbonization Efforts: The broader implications of RenewCO₂'s work for global decarbonization, highlighting the role of innovative technologies in reducing carbon emissions and combating climate change.

Voices on The Show:

Karin Calvinho, RenewCO₂ co-founder and CTO
LinkedIn
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

Web Resources

RenewCo2
RenewCo2 socials:
X
LinkedIn

Restoring Faith in Humanity spotlight: Hannah Testa, founder of Hannah4Change

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#42: Sustainable Aviation Fuels Are Gaining Altitude!

Tue, 30 Jan 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! In this episode, our hosts Lisa Ann, and our guest Gene Gebolys (CEO and Founder of World Energy), take to the skies in discussing Sustainable Aviation Fuels or SAFs. SAFs are becoming more necessary year by year as the fight to combat climate change intensifies. Gene shares enlightening insights on the evolving SAF market and the company's groundbreaking transatlantic flight. We discuss the nuances of sustainable aviation, from fuel performance to the tokenization of emission reductions, and how these initiatives pave the way for a greener future in aviation and beyond.

Key Topics:

Analysis of aviation's contribution to global CO2 emissions and the urgency for change.
The industry-wide objective to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by the year 2050.
A historical perspective on the evolution of SAFs, from Virgin Atlantic's initial use in 2008 to recent transatlantic flights powered solely by SAFs.
The critical role of SAFs in decreasing lifecycle emissions, which includes production, transport, and utilization impacts.
The concept of tokenization in emission reductions and its potential to transform the economics of sustainable fuel adoption.
Projections for the future development and increased utilization of SAFs in the aviation industry.

Voices on The Show:

Gene Geboyls, CEO of World Energy
LinkedIn
WE X: @NewsWorldEnergy
WE Instagram: @officialworldenergy
WE Linkedin: World Energy, LLC
WE Facebook: World Energy
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

Web Resources

Restoring Faith in Humanity spotlight: @Com_Kada's Flight
S2E3: Flying the Sustainable Skies

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#41: Autonomous Vehicles: The Future of the Fastlane

Tue, 23 Jan 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! In this thought-provoking episode, our hosts Lisa Ann and our guest Timothy Papandreou, the CEO of Emerging Transport Advisors (ETA), dive into the transformative world of autonomous vehicle (AV) technology. They discuss the potential global impact, current advancements, and the ethical and societal implications of this rapidly evolving technology. Embracing the potential of technology, Timothy sheds light on the often-debated benefits of AVs, despite their inherent risks, emphasizing their safe integration for the collective well-being of all earthlings.

Most importantly, the episode highlights the human aspect of AV technology – its potential to improve the quality of life and promote empathy. Join Lisa Ann and Timothy as they explore how autonomous vehicles are more than just a technological innovation; they are a step towards a more connected and empathetic society.

This week our faith in humanity was restored by Selene Estrach, a 28-year-old dedicated environmentalist. Selene is the founder of Proyecto Sirena, an innovative initiative that harnesses the collective effort of thousands of volunteers who donate their hair. This hair is skillfully transformed into nets or 'booms', designed to contain and absorb oil slicks. Demonstrating the effectiveness of this eco-friendly approach, Selene and her team of volunteers successfully deployed these hair booms in Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela, where they managed to clean up an oil slick, effectively removing between 11 and 17 pounds of oil. This inspiring story not only highlights the power of community-driven environmental action but also humanity's ability to find creative solutions to environmental challenges.

Key Topics:

The potential of autonomous vehicles to drastically reduce traffic accidents, transform urban landscapes, and alter the dynamics of car ownership
Autonomous vehicles following a Moore's law-like trajectory, yet the technology is still facing significant challenges in replicating human perception and decision-making.
The job market shifts AVs might cause in changing the nature of certain jobs, particularly in the transportation sector.

Voices on The Show:

Timothy Papandreou, CEO of ETA
LinkedIn
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

Web Resources

1956: A Future Vision of Driverless Cars Musical

Restoring Faith in Humanity spotlight: Proyecto Sirena

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#40: COP 28 and the Conundrum of International Anarchy

Tue, 16 Jan 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! Join us for a compelling discussion on COP28 that cuts through the noise, offering essential insights for anyone passionate about our planet's future with our host, Lisa Ann, a former NPR Environmental journalist with over 15 years in clean technology PR. We’ll unravel how decision-making processes can dilute impactful climate action, discover the crucial role of community and individual initiatives in driving climate policy, and hear about the positive future developments emerging from COP 28.

🌍 Come along as we discover the paths that individuals and communities can take to make a real difference in our global climate crisis. This isn't just a conversation; it's a call to action for everyone who cares about our planet's future.

Key Topics:

The pitfalls of decision-making by committee in addressing climate change
The impact of economic considerations and the reluctance of governments to alter the status quo
The role of COP meetings as a networking hub for clean energy and sustainability leaders
An emphasis on the importance of community and individual actions in driving policy change

Voices on The Show:

Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

Web Resources

COP28 Website

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#39: Rethinking Reforestation with Mast Reforestation

Tue, 09 Jan 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! In today’s episode, join us as we speak with Grant Canary, the visionary CEO behind Mast Reforestation. Grant delves into the intricate journey of ideating and refining reforestation initiatives, shedding light on the challenges faced and the invaluable role of feedback from peers and collaborators.

This week our faith in humanity was restored by Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit. The Prime Minister has officially declared a marine reserve spanning approximately 300 square miles (or 800 square kilometers), a critical habitat known to be the only place on Earth where sperm whales congregate year-round for breeding purposes. This marine sanctuary, by prohibiting commercial shipping and fishing activities, offers a much-needed refuge for sperm whales. Scientists highlight that this initiative is not only beneficial for these majestic creatures but also plays a vital role in combating the climate crisis due to the essential nutrients that sperm whales contribute to the ocean ecosystem through their deep-water dives.

Key Topics:

Supply chain challenges in reforestation
The Four Pillars of reforestation strategy- sourcing the seed, using software for seed collection organization, growing seeds into seedlings efficiently, and the logistics of planting these seedlings on-site
Advanced techniques and technologies in reforestation, such as sophisticated greenhouses and software for managing seed collections
The future of the world's forests in the face of ongoing climate change and the essential role of reforestation in mitigating its impacts

Voices on The Show:

Grant Canary, CEO of Master Reforestation
LinkedIn
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

Web Resources

Mastreforest website
Mast Reforestation socials:
X
LinkedIn

Restoring Faith in Humanity Spotlight: Dominica’s Sperm Whale Reserve

🚀 Calling all Earthlings…

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#38: Turning Climate Science into Public Action with Dr. Aaron Thierry

Tue, 02 Jan 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! In today’s episode, we’re joined by Dr. Aaron Thierry to discuss the challenges involved in climate activism. We talked about the pivotal role science has in determining the planet's future and why scientists need to take more active social responsibility to enforce meaningful change.

Aaron breaks down the criticality of this transformation, shedding light on the challenges he's faced firsthand. Together, Aaron and Lisa Ann navigate the intricate landscape of climate science, unraveling the complexities from virtual engagement to taking it to the streets.

Finally, this week our faith in humanity was restored by 11-year-old activist, Kamea Ozane from Sulphur Louisiana, or unfortunately better known as “Cancer Alley”. Kamea Ozane, an 11 year old activist, along with her mother Roishetta, are raising awareness of the harmful health effects of living near fossil fuel plants. We commend Kamea, Roishetta, and all those who are fighting the good fight in reminding us of our ability to instigate change.

Join us as we explore the dynamic world of climate activism, where passion and science meets purpose.

Key Topics:

Climate activism and scientists' roles in social movements
The benefits and drawbacks of climate activism and its effectiveness
Why Climate activism is important for scientists
The importance of transitioning to a sustainable society

Voices on The Show:

Aaron Thierry, Researcher at Cardiff University’s School of Social Sciences
Wales Institute of Social and Economic Research and Data (WISERD) Bio
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

Web Resources

Restoring Faith in Humanity Spotlight: Kamea Ozane

🚀 Calling all Earthlings…

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#37: Earthlings 2.0 x Trash Magic Episode Swap: Producer's Responsibility in End of Life of Products with Heidi Sanborn

Tue, 26 Dec 2023 03:00:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! In today’s episode, we’re doing an episode swap with the incredible Trash Magic podcast, hosted by the dynamic duo Sara Fuentes and Oakley J-Fast! In this wonderful episode, Oakley and Sara talk to the remarkable Heidi Sanborn, an esteemed pioneer in the field of extended producer responsibility with over thirty years of experience. As they explore the intricacies of sustainable packaging, Heidi reveals the vital importance of transparency in the recycling process. She demystifies the complexities of end-of-life product management and shares practical strategies for manufacturers to streamline recycling efforts.

Join Oakley, Sara, and Heidi on their journey through the multifaceted challenges affecting the product life cycle. They will discuss the identification of obstacles and offer innovative solutions, illuminating the path to a more sustainable consumer environment. Discover how Heidi has navigated political obstacles to hold producers accountable, driving significant positive change.

Don't miss this enlightening conversation that delves into the critical issues shaping our consumption patterns and the inspiring progress towards a sustainable future.

Key Topics:

Producers need to make the life cycle cost of products easily accessible!
Value and importance of transparency for consumers
The unseen damage of plastics in the recycling process
How can we avoid and mitigate the pushback from producers and consumers?

Voices on The Show:

Heidi Sanborn, President of SMUD Board - Executive Director National Stewardship
LinkedIn- Heidi Sanborn
Oakley J-Fast, Chemical Engineering and Circular Economy
LinkedIn- Oakley J Fast
Sara Fuentes, Co-Founder and President at Smart Waste Inc.
LinkedIn- Sara Fuentes
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

🚀 Calling all Earthlings…

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We want to learn more about you! It’ll take just a few moments to complete our survey. Thank you for helping us make your listening experience the best it can be!

Are you new to Earthlings 2.0 and don’t know where to get started? Check out our Life at 3C episode on our website

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Thanks to Resource Labs for having us on the network!

#36: Our Super Capacity to Wean Remote Communities off of Diesel with Marty Snyder

Tue, 19 Dec 2023 03:00:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! In today’s episode, our host Lisa Ann Pinkerton (CEO of Technica Communications), and guest Marty Snyder (President at SuperCapicitor Energy) delve into the amazing technology of supercapacitors, the damaging effects of diesel, and energy storage.

Lisa Ann and Marty speak about the challenges related to providing power supplies to communities that live off-grid. Marty gives insight into SuperCapicitor’s objectives to achieve a cleaner solution to powering communities currently reliant on diesel fuels and the other alternatives that are on offer!

This week, our faith in humanity is restored by a school in Assam, India that doesn’t accept money for tuition. Instead, students must bring 25 plastic bottles, filled with trash, every week to pay for their education. Parmita Sharma and Mazin Mukhtar started the school to help kids become more literate in the area and use the trash as payment to make it both affordable and beneficial to the local community. Thanks for all your amazing work Parmita and Mazin!

Key Topics:

Energy storage and remote communities' reliance on diesel generators
Hybrid supercapacitor technology as a solution to power remote communities
Lithium ion vs supercapacitors
Energy storage solutions for utilities and grid resilience

Voices on The Show:

Marty Snyder, President at SuperCapicitor Energy
LinkedIn: Marty Snyder
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram: @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

Mentioned in The Show:

FutureBridge article on SuperCapacitors

SuperCapacitor energy website

🚀 Calling all Earthlings…

Visit our website for more episodes!

We want to learn more about you! It’ll take just a few moments to complete our survey. Thank you for helping us make your listening experience the best it can be!

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Thanks to Resource Labs for having us on the network!

#35: The Charge of the Electric Farm with David Meyers

Tue, 12 Dec 2023 03:00:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! In today’s episode, our host Lisa Ann Pinkerton (CEO of Technica Communications), is joined by David Meyers (founder of GridTractor) to explore the future of agriculture. David shares his passion for reducing carbon emissions in agriculture through ⚡️electrification ⚡️

Lisa Ann and David discuss GridTractor and the misconceptions about the farming industry’s adoption of innovative technologies- they’re mostly all for it but turns out, that Mother Nature doesn’t care if you need to launch your pilot program next week, it’s all contingent on seasonal factors!

David also gives examples of how damaging tractors are to the environment- did you know that one mid-size tractor gives off as much emissions as 45-passenger cars? Yikes! They also give context to some common objections against electrifying farm equipment and David clarifies where electrification makes sense (spoiler: we’re not looking to electrify mega tractors like the Big Bud 747 👀).

Restoring Our Faith in Humanity this week, we probably have the cutest story thus far: Catia Lattouf of Mexico City has turned her apartment into a hospital to treat injured and sick hummingbirds! Didn’t think it could get even cuter? Well, buckle up Catia’s first bird patient was named “Gucci” after the designer eyeglasses case that became its temporary shelter. What a bougie bird! Make sure you check out our video episode on YouTube to see the most adorable pictures of Catia with her rescued patients. We salute Catia for reminding us that anyone can make a difference, and even a small, positive contribution can change the world of the smallest creature, like in the case of little Gucci.

Key Topics:

The shift to electric tractors and other farm equipment to reduce carbon emissions and diesel fuel costs, with the potential to significantly lower operational expenses for farmers.
Vehicle-to-grid technology and on-farm renewable energy sources, like solar power, power electric tractors, store and supply energy back to the grid, enhancing overall energy efficiency and sustainability.
The balance between economic benefits and environmental impact focuses on how electrification can lead to substantial cost savings for farmers while also contributing to climate change mitigation.
Hurdles in adopting electric farm vehicles, such as charging infrastructure and technology trust, and predicting a gradual increase in adoption driven by economic incentives and the evolution of technology

Voices on The Show:

David Meyers, Founder and CEO of GridTractor
LinkedIn- David Meyers
GridTractor socials:
X- @GridTractor
LinkedIn- GridTractor
Gridtractor
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

Mentioned in The Show:

Gridtractor website

Restoring Faith in Humanity Spotlight:

Catia Lattouf’s Hummingbird Hospital

🚀 Calling all Earthlings…

Visit our website for more episodes!

We want to learn more about you! It’ll take just a few moments to complete our survey. Thank you for helping us make your listening experience the best it can be!

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Thanks to Resource Labs for having us on the network!

#34: Reinventing Solar from the Ground Up with Daniel Flanigan

Tue, 05 Dec 2023 03:00:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! In today’s episode, our host Lisa Ann Pinkerton (CEO of Technica Communications), and guest Daniel Flanigan (Chief Marketing & Product Officer at Erthos) explore the varied problems that come from switching to solar power as well as their exciting possible solutions!

Solar energy, while promising, has not yet reached its full potential as a comprehensive energy solution for the future. Nonetheless, innovative companies like Erthos are at the forefront of advancing the solar sector. As Dan puts it, envision an "Uber for solar" model: Erthos is championing the development of highly efficient solar panels, complemented by ingenious placement and design tactics. Their ambition is to harmoniously blend automation with solar technology, aiming to create a more efficient, cleaner solar energy market.

In this week's feature on Restoring Our Faith in Humanity, we journey to London to applaud Dr. Wade's exceptional dedication to promoting female participation in STEM fields. Her notable work includes authoring over 1,750 Wikipedia biographies for remarkable women in STEM, many of whom had previously been overlooked. Moreover, Dr. Wade is actively involved in elevating the recognition of these talented individuals, nominating numerous top female and minority scientists for prestigious awards and fellowships, thus helping to correct historical underrepresentation in these areas.

Key Topics:

How is Erthos paving the way for more solar power utilization?
What are the current challenges in solar power?
How can we maximize energy output in solar panels while using fewer resources?

Voices on The Show:

Daniel Flanigan, Chief Marketing & Product Officer at Erthos
LinkedIn- Daniel Flanigan
Erthos Linkedin
Erthos Website
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn- Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

Mentioned in The Show:

Restoring Faith in Humanity Spotlight:

Dr. Jesica Wade
RFH - Dr. Jessica Wade - Professional Page
Dr. Jessica Wade's Wiki page

🚀 Calling all Earthlings…

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We want to learn more about you! It’ll take just a few moments to complete our survey. Thank you for helping us make your listening experience the best it can be!

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#33: Carbon Price, Power, and Politics with Neal Dikeman Part 2

Tue, 28 Nov 2023 03:00:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! In today’s episode, our host Lisa Ann Pinkerton (CEO of Technica Communications), and guest Neal Dikeman (founder and Partner at Energy Transition Ventures, Chairman of Cleantech.org) continue their discussion on the politics, legislation, and ethics of carbon credit and carbon offset.

Lisa Ann and Neal delve deeply into the conflicting objectives behind using carbon credits to counterbalance carbon emissions and critically assess whether this approach is genuinely effective or merely a futile expenditure.

Neal also provides a candid critique of corporate strategies for addressing climate change, highlighting how some companies minimally contribute to environmental conservation. He also emphasizes the urgency of transitioning from our current energy sources, which are unsustainable, to renewable ones. Neal's insights reveal the stark reality of our current complacent attitude towards climate change and the potential dire consequences for humanity if this issue remains unaddressed!

Key Topics:

Neal and Lisa Ann talk about political polarization and the urgent need for active communication
Neal emphasizes the importance of optimism and taking action in addressing climate change, despite the complexity and challenges involved

Voices on The Show:

Neal Dikeman, Founder and partner at Energy Transition Ventures
LinkedIn: Neal Dikeman
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram: @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

Mentioned in The Show:

Energy Transition Ventures website https://energytransitionventures.com/

🚀 Calling all Earthlings…

Visit our website for more episodes!

We want to learn more about you! It’ll take just a few moments to complete our survey. Thank you for helping us make your listening experience the best it can be!

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#32: The Future of Solar Farming - Earthlings 2.0 x SunCast Episode Swap

Tue, 21 Nov 2023 05:00:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! This week we’re bringing a very special episode swap with SunCast, hosted by Nico Johnson. We're showcasing an exceptional episode featuring Dan French, Executive Producer of the Solar Farm Summit. In this enlightening conversation, Nico and Dan delve into the intricacies of agrivoltaics, an innovative fusion of agriculture and solar power generation. We found this episode very insightful and exciting, and hope you find it just as captivating.

Tune in and let's explore the exciting world of agrovoltaics together!

Key Topics:

The Promise of Agrivoltaics: Combining solar energy and agriculture (agrivoltaics) can result in increased crop yields, improved soil health, and pollinator habitats, making it a promising avenue for sustainable development.
Applying the 'Brownfield Playbook': Strategies used in brownfield redevelopment, such as engaging stakeholders and defining end goals, can be effectively applied to solar development.
Community Engagement is Key: Successful implementation of solar projects requires active community engagement. The benefits of agrivoltaics can help address local concerns and gain support.

Voices on The Show:

Dan French, Executive Producer of the Solar Farm Summit
LinkedIn: Dan French
Solar Farm Summit
Nico Johnson, host of SunCast Podcast
Linkedin: Nico Johnson
SunCast Podcast
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram: @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

🚀 Calling all Earthlings…

Visit our website for more episodes!

We want to learn more about you! It’ll take just a few moments to complete our survey. Thank you for helping us make your listening experience the best it can be!

Are you new to Earthlings 2.0 and don’t know where to get started? Check out our Life at 3C episode on our website

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Thanks to Resource Labs for having us on the network!

#31: Carbon Price, Power and Politics with Neal Dikeman (Part 1)

Tue, 14 Nov 2023 11:55:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! Buckle up for an exciting episode where we tackle carbon prices, power dynamics, geopolitics… oh my! In today’s episode, our host Lisa Ann Pinkerton (CEO of Technica Communications), and guest Neal Dikeman (Partner at Energy Transition Ventures) delve deep into the world of clean energy and the energy transition. With Neal's extensive experience in the industry, they explore climate change solutions, political movements, and the need to address trade issues to combat the climate crisis.

The conversation also delves into climate change's impact on the environment and economy, including the skepticism around current policies and the views of the younger generation. Neal emphasizes the importance of optimizing energy efficiency and addresses global trends. They also touch upon navigating renewable energy costs, the complex world of carbon pricing, and the need for better communication and collaboration.

Tune in for a deep dive into the realm of clean energy and climate solutions with these experts.

Key Topics:

The episode covers the challenges and innovations in clean energy and climate change solutions, including carbon tariffs and decarbonization efforts.
Lisa and Neal explore the impact of climate change on the environment and the economy, with a focus on the skepticism surrounding current policies and the perspectives of the younger generation.
The episode highlights the importance of effective communication and collaboration in addressing climate change, as well as the complexities of carbon pricing and the need for better coordination.

Voices on The Show:

Neal Dikeman, Partner, Energy Transition Ventures
LinkedIn: Neal Dikeman
Energy Transition Ventures
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram: @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

Mentioned in The Show:

Any pertinent link mentioned in the show- shortened link

Restoring Faith in Humanity Spotlight:

[Short snappy summary] [shortened link] [ex: Shirley Bellows' Efforts to Rescue the Blue Jay Bean from the Brink of Extinction]

🚀 Calling all Earthlings…

Visit our website for more episodes!

We want to learn more about you! It’ll take just a few moments to complete our survey. Thank you for helping us make your listening experience the best it can be!

Are you new to Earthlings 2.0 and don’t know where to get started? Check out our Life at 3C episode on our website

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Thanks to Resource Labs for having us on the network!

#30: The Magical Solution of Beans with Andy Jarvis

Tue, 07 Nov 2023 03:00:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! In today’s episode, our host Lisa Ann Pinkerton (CEO of Technica Communications), and guest Andy Jarvis (Director of The Bezos Earth Fund) explore the answer to everything… Beans!Join us on this enlightening journey as we delve into the unassuming world of beans and their surprising impact on global health and the environment. In this episode, Andy walks us through the Beans is How campaign from the SDG2 Advocacy Hub. We cover the variances in bean consumption across the globe and explore how these little powerhouses can be pivotal in addressing some of the world’s most pressing food and environmental challenges.

Don't miss this compelling episode that promises to change the way you think about the humble bean and its place in our diets and our world.

Key Topics:

How promoting increased bean consumption, especially in regions with low consumption like North America, can help address food and environmental challenges.
Doubling bean consumption by 2028 could have significant planetary impacts, especially when beans are developed to be more climate-resilient.
The importance of bioavailability in nutrition and the potential for revolution in understanding the gut microbiome is highlighted.

Voices on The Show:

Andy Jarvis, Director of the Future of Food at the Bezos
X: ajarviscali
LinkedIn: Andy Jarvis
Instagram: beansishow
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram: @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

Mentioned in The Show:

Beans is How Campaign Website
Devex Article on ‘Why beans are key to accelerating a change to our food system’
CGIAR Article spotlight
Article on the latest research by the University of Helsinki about the benefits of replacing meat with beans https://veganfta.com/2023/09/21/new-research-from-finland-highlights-the-benefits-of-replacing-meat-with-beans/
Join the Beans is How Challenge https://sdg2advocacyhub.org/beans-is-how/menu-challenge/
#beansonthemenu!

Restoring Faith in Humanity Spotlight:

Shirley Bellows' Efforts to Rescue the Blue Jay Bean from the Brink of Extinction https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-blue-jay-bean-seed-conservation/

🚀 Calling all Earthlings…

Visit our website for more episodes!

We want to learn more about you! It’ll take just a few moments to complete our survey. Thank you for helping us make your listening experience the best it can be!

Are you new to Earthlings 2.0 and don’t know where to get started? Check out our Life at 3C episode on our website

Thanks for tuning in! If you like what we’re doing over at Earthlings 2.0, you can support us by heading over to our Patreon Page.

Let’s stay connected! Follow Earthlings 2.0 Socials for the latest updates and news:

Thanks to Resource Labs for having us on the network!

#29: Living, Breathing, Beautiful Buildings with Lindsay Baker

Wed, 01 Nov 2023 03:00:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! In today’s episode, our host Lisa Ann Pinkerton (CEO of Technica Communications), is joined by Lindsay Baker (CEO and Chief Strategist of the International Living Future Institute) to explore a future where living buildings give more to the environment and society then they take. To hear Lindsay say it, designing buildings that use materials that won’t make us sick, reuse their water, generate their own energy and create economic and community benefits is not a far-fetched idea.

Lisa and Lindsay discuss the Living Building Challenge work of the International Living Future Institute, as well as examples of buildings already in existence like the Kendeda building in Atlanta. Digressions include the tiny home movement, composting toilets, and the healing power of plants.

In Restoring Our Faith in Humanity this week are Sebastião and Lélia Salgado, a Brazilian couple who spent over 20 years restoring their section of Atlantic Rainforest from a barren land to a thriving forest full of wildlife.

This is the third episode in our built environment series, to hear the other episodes in this series please see the links below:

S2E5 - Electrification: the Smart Home Upgrade
S3E4 - The Big Idea Behind Tiny Homes

Key Topics:

What Living Buildings are and how they are used
Examples like the Kendeda building in Atlanta, and the Bullitt Center in Seattle
The Red List - a program that screens building materials for a set of chemicals that are known to be harmful for human health, especially carcinogenic materials
How the living building challenge fits in with the other types of certifications, such as the LEED, the Green Building certification and Zero-Carbon certification.
Building codes and Living Buildings

Voices on The Show:

Lindsay Baker, CEO and Chief Strategist of the International Living Future Institute

X: Lindsay Baker
LinkedIn: Lindsay Baker
Instagram - Living Future Institute
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
X - Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

Mentioned in The Show:

International Living Future Institute
Introduction to Living Building Challenge
Living Future Institute Red List
Living Buildings Mentioned on the Show

The Bullit Center

The Kendeda Building

Restoring Faith in Humanity Spotlight:

Sebastião and Lélia Salgado, Instituto Terra

🚀 Calling all Earthlings…

Visit our website for more episodes!

We want to learn more about you! It’ll take just a few moments to complete our survey. Thank you for helping us make your listening experience the best it can be!

Are you new to Earthlings 2.0 and don’t know where to get started? Check out our Life at 3C episode on our website

Thanks for tuning in! If you like what we’re doing over at Earthlings 2.0, you can support us by heading over to our Patreon Page.

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Thanks to Resource Labs for having us on the network!

#28: Solving the Rubik’s Cube of Carbon Markets with Steve Boyle

Tue, 24 Oct 2023 03:00:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! In today’s episode, our host Lisa Ann Pinkerton (CEO of Technica Communications), and our guest Steve Boyle (Rubicon Carbon VP, Head of Sales) discuss how we solve the puzzle of carbon markets.

Restoring our Faith in Humanity today is journalist Fathi Mohamed Ahmed. She launched Somalia’s first all-women newsroom in 2022. Known as Bilan Media, the news team has overcome prejudice to disseminate news on taboo topics such as puberty, the female drug epidemic, and women living with HIV. Fathi and her news team are displaying tremendous courage and we salute them.

This is the fourth episode in our series on carbon emissions. To hear more, other episodes in this series are:

Key topics covered in this episode include:

The different types of carbon offsets available
Nature-based solutions and industrial decarbonization solutions.
The Vera scandal and the problem with nature-based carbon credits.
What Rubicon is doing differently to avoid situations like Vera
Rubicon Carbon’s standards and philosophy on carbon credit quality

Web Resources:

Link to Life at 3C episode on the website
Our podcast website
To support the show, head over to our Patreon Page!
Thanks to Resource Labs for having us on the network!
Rubicon Carbon
Technica's website
Bilan Media, Somalia’s first all-women newsroom

Previous Episodes in this Series:

Connect with Steve Boyle and learn more about Rubicon here:

Steve’s Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/--steve-boyle/
Rubicon’s Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rubicon-carbon/
Rubicon’s X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/RubiconCarbon

Learn more about Fathi Mohamed Ahmed and Bilan Media:

Restoring Faith in Humanity Spotlight: https://www.bilan.media/
Fathi Mohamed Ahmed’s Linkedin: https://so.linkedin.com/in/fathi-mohamed-ahmed-b12158152
Rubicon Carbon

Connect with our host Lisa Ann Pinkerton here:

Lisa Ann’s Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisaannpinkerton/
Technica’s Website: https://technica.inc/
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability’s Website: https://www.womenincleantechsustainability.org/

Visit our website for more episodes: https://earthlingspodcast.com/

New to Earthlings 2.0 and don’t know where to get started? Check out our Life at 3C episode on the website - https://earthlingspodcast.com/episodes/life-at-3-c/

Thanks for tuning in! If you like what we’re doing over at Earthlings 2.0, you can support us by heading over to our Patreon Page: http://patreon.com/TheEarthlingsPodcast

🚀 Calling all Earthlings…

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We want to learn more about you! It’ll take just a few moments to complete our survey. Thank you for helping us make your listening experience the best it can be!

Are you new to Earthlings 2.0 and don’t know where to get started? Check out our Life at 3C episode on our website

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Thanks to Resource Labs for having us on the network!

#27: Future-Proofing Batteries the EV Battery with Virginia Klausmeier

Tue, 17 Oct 2023 03:00:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! In today’s episode, our host Lisa Ann Pinkerton (CEO of Technica Communications), and our guest Virginia Klausmeier (President and CEO of Sylvatex) dive into how to prepare the electric vehicle industry now for the revolution that’s coming, by rethinking one component of EV lithium-ion batteries - cathodes. They explore how costs and carbon emissions could be brought down and make scaling EV battery manufacturing more sustainable in preparation for the demand that’s expected in the near future.

Virginia outlines how cathodes could be manufactured reduce costs and carbon emissions, as well as water consumption. These innovations hold the promise of not only streamlining production but also making battery manufacturing more sustainable and recyclable, but also fit into the ESG mandates automotive OEMs are focused on achieving.

The Earthling we are spotlighting this week to restore our faith in humanity, is artist Oscar Olivares who has completed what he says is one of the world’s largest ecological murals made entirely out of bottle caps, in Guatire, Venezuela.

This episode is the second in our series on electric vehicles. The first one was in Season 1, Episode 2 “Your Next Car will be an EV.”

Join us as we explore the transformative potential of these advancements in lithium-ion battery components, envisioning a more eco-conscious and efficient future.

Key Topics:

Future-proofing battery material manufacturing for electric revolution
Scaling up sustainable battery technology for electric vehicles
Why focusing on cathode material to reduce carbon emissions and costs in battery production is the next step for the industry
Sylvatex’s development of a more sustainable cathode active material for electric vehicle batteries
How a rethinking of cathode material fits with automotive OEMs' ESG mandates
Battery technology, recycling, and market trends
Sustainable battery production and its impact on society

Web Resources:

First episode in the exploration of EVs “Season 1, Episode 2 “Your Next Car will be an EV”
Restoring Faith in Humanity Spotlight: Oscar Olivares website and article in The World
Sylvatex website
Our podcast website
To support the show, head over to our Patreon Page!
Thanks to Resource Labs for having us on the network!
Technica's website

Women in Cleantech & Sustainability website

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#26: The Forever Fuel in Nuclear Fusion with Randall Volberg

Tue, 10 Oct 2023 03:00:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! In today’s episode, our host Lisa Ann Pinkerton (CEO of Technica Communications), and our guest Randall Volberg (Type One Energy), discuss the potential benefits of Nuclear Fusion. We speak about the differences between the different types of nuclear fusion reactor design and how they can be used to provide clean highly dense energy for the planet.

Throughout the episode, we have a comprehensive discussion about the challenges associated with nuclear power and insights and potential solutions to address the issues of clean renewable energy and nuclear waste. Join us on this enlightening journey as we explore pathways to a more sustainable and secure future for our energy!

This episode is a continuation of our exploration of nuclear energy which began in Season 1 episode 6 titled, “To Nuclear or Not.” The focus of that show centered around the nuclear fission technology such as small modular reactors (SMRs) and the question of keeping existing plants open.

Key Topics

What is the difference between a stellarator and a tokamak?
What is nuclear fusion? Why is it better than fission?
How nuclear fission helps the environment
How long until we can actually use this amazing technology?

Also, on today’s show we are starting a new segment where we highlight people using their creativity and passion to make the world a better place. Today’s focus is on Sungai Watch, a company founded by the siblings Gary, Kelly and Sam Bencheghib in Bali, Indonesia. Their simple trash barriers and community organizing is reducing the plastic pollution in Indonesia’s waterways. So far they, along with their 85 river warriors, have successfully removed 3 million pounds of plastic waste, in 9 villages, with 180 floating plastic barriers and over 700 community cleanups.

Web Resources:

S1E6 - To Nuclear or Not
Our podcast website
To support the show, head over to our Patreon Page!
Thanks to Resource Labs for having us on the network!
Technica's website
Randall’s website https://typeoneenergy.com/
Type One Energy website
Article explaining the Kardashev scale from which Type One Energy gets its name
Article that explains stellarator and tokamak designs with photos/illustrations
Quora article on what a megajoule is
Randall Volberg LinkedIn
Link to Season one episode on the website To Nuclear or Not
Sungai Watch
Website
Instagram

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#25: A Mighty Urban Wind Future with Erika Boeing

Tue, 03 Oct 2023 03:00:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! In today’s episode, our host Lisa Ann Pinkerton (CEO of Technica Communications) and our guest Erika Boeing (CEO and founder of Accelerate Wind) discuss how we can generate energy from small wind turbines, similar to solar power!

Historically, small wind technology has faced obstacles, but Erika Boeing's background sets her apart. With her impressive experience as a NASA mechanical components intern and her work on "Project Drawdown," Erika brings a wealth of expertise in engineering and research to the table.

Erika and Accelerate Wind are unlocking the potential of untapped renewable energy in urban environments, without disrupting the urban landscape! Join us as we explore the world of small wind technology, redefining the possibilities for clean and sustainable energy right in the heart of our cities. Stay tuned for an enlightening conversation on the future of urban energy solutions!

Web Resources:

To see a photo of what the Accelerate Wind system looks like, visit their website
Our podcast website
To support the show, head over to our Patreon Page!
Thanks to Resource Labs for having us on the network!
Technica's website

Women in Cleantech & Sustainability website

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#24: The Fast Future of AI with David Kruguer

Tue, 26 Sep 2023 03:00:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! In today’s episode, our host Lisa Ann Pinkerton (CEO of Technica Communications) and our guest David Krueger (Assistant Professor at Cambridge University) discuss the blisteringly fast future of AI!

In his work at Cambridge, David helps with the computational lab and its machine learning departments. He focuses on deep learning algorithms, AI alignment and in his words “whatever we can do to prevent the chance that AI leads to human extinction.” David has a vast knowledge of the ways an AI system could potentially disrupt and in some cases even jeopardize human life as we know it.

We explore the fundamental differences between Narrow AI and General AI, analyze potential risks, and ponder the implications of Superhuman AI. Join us on this journey through the evolving landscape of artificial intelligence!

Web Resources:

Our podcast website
To support the show, head over to our Patreon Page!
Thanks to Resource Labs for having us on the network!
Technica's website
Women in Cleantech & Sustainability website

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#23: The Perils and Payoffs of Carbon Credits with Sasha Mackler

Tue, 19 Sep 2023 03:00:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! In today’s episode we are joined by our host Lisa Ann Pinkerton (CEO of Technica Communications), and our guest Sasha Mackler (Executive Director of The Energy Program at the Bipartisan Policy Center). We zoom in on the promising concept of compensating projects that drawdown carbon emissions.

In this discussion of voluntary carbon markets, Sasha and Lisa Ann discuss how carbon credits work, and the reputation challenges the industry faces; most recently with the scandal from credit provider Vera. Sasha outlines how we could improve voluntary carbon markets to encourage more participation and why there’s a move from natural based carbon projects, to ones that are more technology based, plus much, much more!

Web Resources:

Our podcast website
The Guardian's Investigative reporting of Verra - read the report
To support the show, head over to our Patreon Page!
Thanks to Resource Labs for having us on the network!
Technica's website
Women in Cleantech & Sustainability website

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#22: The Land of the Lost Food with Lisa Johnson

Tue, 05 Sep 2023 03:00:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! In today’s episode, our host Lisa Ann Pinkerton (CEO of Technica Communications), and our guest Dr. Lisa Johnson (a), discuss the impact of global food waste! Dr. Johnson is a researcher and Adjunct Assistant ProfessorAdjunct Assistant Professor North Carolina State University, private consultant in food loss and agriculture, and serves as the Board Chair of UpRoot Colorado.

We delve into the pressing issue of the climate crisis and its far-reaching implications for food security especially for the global south. As temperatures continue to rise worldwide, agriculture yields are dwindling, prompting farmers to adapt by switching to more resilient crop varieties. We underscore the gravity of the global food security crisis, which affects regions across the globe, irrespective of their level of development. What often remains concealed is the issue of food loss, overshadowed by the attention given to harvest yields.

Throughout the episode, we engage in a comprehensive discussion about these interconnected challenges, featuring expert insights and potential solutions to address the multifaceted issues of climate change, agriculture, food security, and food loss. Join us on this enlightening journey as we explore pathways to a more sustainable and secure future for our global food supply!

Web Resources:

Our podcast website
Gleaning in Colorado: National gleaning project.org
To support the show, head over to our Patreon Page!
Thanks to Resource Labs for having us on the network!
Technica's website
Lisa’s website

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#21: The Big Idea Behind Tiny Homes with Lindsey Wood

Tue, 29 Aug 2023 03:00:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! In today’s episode, our host Lisa Ann Pinkerton (CEO of Technica Communications) and our guest Lindsey Wood (CEO of Go Tiny Academy) discuss, you guessed it, tiny home living!

Lindsey’s journey into tiny home living began with a series of challenges that ultimately shaped her into an expert in the field. She's now committed to sharing her insights through the Tiny Home Academy, helping others downsize, create living space solutions, and explore the possibilities of tiny living. Lindsey and Lisa Ann share personal experiences of living in a tiny home on wheels while traveling extensively. Lindsey also shares how people can think about tiny home living depending on the type of home they want, the land they have or the ordinances where they live.

Web Resources:

Our podcast website
Tiny Home Lady website
To support the show, head over to our Patreon Page!
Thanks to Resource Lab's for having us on the network!
Technica's website

🚀 Calling all Earthlings…

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#20: Digitizing Democracy with Hannes Astok

Tue, 22 Aug 2023 03:00:00 -0400

Hello Earthlings! In today’s episode, host Lisa Ann Pinkerton (CEO of Technica Communications) we explore the concept of using the internet for government interactions and services, also known as e-governance. Our guest Hannes Astok(Executive Director, Chairman of the Management Board - Estonia’s e-Governance Academy) talks to us about Estonia's advanced e-governance system and how other countries are taking advantage of their experience.

Estonia's online services encompass a range of tasks, yet some, like marriage and divorce, require in-person presence due to cultural reasons rather than technological limitations.

Implementing e-governance presents challenges in inclusivity and accessibility, particularly for citizens with limited digital access. Hannes shares insights from diverse regions, enriching the conversation on practical implementation and impact while touching on topics such as AI and what the future of e-governance will look like.

Web Resources:

Our podcast website
To support the show, head over to our Patreon Page!
Thanks to Resource Lab's for having us on the network!
Technica's website

🚀 Calling all Earthlings…

Visit our website for more episodes!

We want to learn more about you! It’ll take just a few moments to complete our survey. Thank you for helping us make your listening experience the best it can be!

Are you new to Earthlings 2.0 and don’t know where to get started? Check out our Life at 3C episode on our website

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#19: Fossil Fuel Misinformation with Duncan Meisel Executive Director, Clean Creatives

Tue, 15 Aug 2023 03:00:00 -0400

Welcome back! We’re back in communications range to continue our collective journey of exploration into what the future holds for all living things on our planet.

In the second episode of the season, we explore the hidden work that helps oil and gas companies undermine the many efforts of forward-thinking Earthlings to combat climate change. Our guest today is Duncan Meisel, Executive Director of Clean Creatives, who advocates the crucial yet sensitive role of PR firms in clean energy transition!

The discussion will touch upon the F-list, an independent analysis from Clean Creatives revealing over 230 creative agencies working on global marketing strategies in support oil and gas companies. Mentioned in this podcast is how Hill & Knowlton promotes their support of a net-zero future on their website here, even as they manage the Oil and Gas Climate Iniative.

Please tune in for an engaging discussion that delves into the possibilities that lie ahead and the potential of PR to shape a better narrative towards clean energy transition in the world.

Stay curious, stay engaged, and stay tuned!

Voices featured on the show:

Duncan Meisel, ED of Clean Creatives
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO Technica Communications

Requisite Shameless Plugs

Thank you to Resource Labs for having us on the network.
Follow us on our social channels to get the latest on episodes and other content.
Please consider donating to our Patreon page to support the show.

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We want to learn more about you! It’ll take just a few moments to complete our survey. Thank you for helping us make your listening experience the best it can be!

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#18: The Recycler for Spaceship Earth with Brittany Zimmerman, CEO of Yummet

Wed, 09 Aug 2023 03:00:00 -0400

Welcome to Season 3! We’re back in communications range to continue our collective journey of exploration into what the future holds for all living things on our planet.

In this first episode of the season, we explore how technology developed for space travel is being reused here on planet Earth. Our guest is Brittany Zimmerman, CEO of Yummet, a remarkable female entrepreneur who has pioneered a groundbreaking innovation.

Using her deep expertise as one of the youngest NASA Principal Investigator and Aerospace Systems Engineers and experience developing life support systems for long-duration spaceflight and habitation, Zimmerman is transforming those solutions to benefit life on Earth. Yummet’s technology solution mimics the natural process of mother nature to break down waste and transform it into valuable minerals, soils, water, clean air, green hydrogen and green concrete.

Please tune in for an engaging discussion that delves into the possibilities that lie ahead and the potential of technology to shape a better future for us all.

Stay curious, stay engaged, and stay tuned!

Voices features on the show:

Brittany Zimmerman, CEO of Yummet
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO Technica Communications

Requisite Shameless Plugs

Thank the Resource Labs for having us on the network
Follow us on our social channels to get the latest on episodes and other content.
Please consider donating to our Patreon page to support the show.

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Visit our website for more episodes!

We want to learn more about you! It’ll take just a few moments to complete our survey. Thank you for helping us make your listening experience the best it can be!

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#17: Season Three Preview

Tue, 01 Aug 2023 09:30:00 -0400

An Earthling Evolution

Welcome Earthlings to Season 3! In this special episode, creator and host Lisa Ann Pinkerton previews what’s new on the podcast, how it’s elevated to Earthlings 2.0, and highlights some of the captivating you’ll hear in the first few episodes.

Join us as we speak to entrepreneurs, researchers, scientists, and policy advocates to explore a wide range of topics, including innovative climate solutions, groundbreaking emerging technologies, and intriguing glimpses into the future.

Whether you're passionate about sustainable living, fascinated by cutting-edge advancements, or curious about the world we'll inhabit in the coming years, The Earthlings 2.0 Podcast has something for everyone. Prepare for insightful discussions and thought-provoking conversations that will inspire you to take action and make a positive impact on our planet.

Guest Voices featured in this preview in order of their appearance:

Brittany Zimmerman, CEO of Yummet
Duncan Meisel, Executive Director, Clean Creatives
Hannes Astok, Executive Director and Chairman of the Management Board at e-Governance Academy
Lindsay Wood, CEO, Go Tiny Academy
David Krueger, Assistant Professor at the University of Cambridge
Dr. Lisa Johnson, Food Loss in Agriculture, Author, Advisor

Tune in to Season 3 of The Earthlings Podcast and embark on a journey of knowledge, hope, and discovery as we come together to create a better future for all Earthlings.

Stay curious, stay engaged, and stay tuned!

🚀 Calling all Earthlings…

Visit our website for more episodes!

We want to learn more about you! It’ll take just a few moments to complete our survey. Thank you for helping us make your listening experience the best it can be!

Are you new to Earthlings 2.0 and don’t know where to get started? Check out our Life at 3C episode on our website

Thanks for tuning in! If you like what we’re doing over at Earthlings 2.0, you can support us by heading over to our Patreon Page.

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Thanks to Resource Labs for having us on the network!

#16: Life at 3° C with Dr. Bill Mcguire, Dr. Camille Paramsean, Dr. Edmon Totin, and Dr. Peter Howard

Sun, 02 Apr 2023 05:09:00 -0400

You are living on a planet that is 1.1°C hotter than 100 years ago. By 2100, your future family members could be living in a 3°C world. This means mass deaths from extreme heat. Failing agriculture and food scarcity. Lack of drinkable water. Mass climate migration. Cities underwater. Civil unrest, and other dangers that you may not have even thought about. It’s not IF these things will happen, it’s how soon and how bad it will get.

Buckle up.

In this episode, we look at the path we are currently on and attempt to illustrate what daily life could be like as the earth warms to 3°C. We explore where we might adapt and where adaptation could be impossible.

With our four guests, we look at just how dependent we are on natural systems and talk about what will happen as these systems break down. We explore the changes that are already happening in food production and what we will have to do as temperatures rise and weather patterns shift, and speak to how the climate crisis is going to change myriad other aspects of our lives on Earth.

Our guests are some of the top scientists and economists who have studied these issues for decades, written sections of IPCC reports, and books, and compiled meta-studies of existing literature. Each one echoes the same message - Life at 3°C is very, very bad: but that doesn’t mean it’s inevitable. While there is still time to prevent further danger, the window is closing.

In this episode, our guests include:

Dr. Bill McGuire, Emeritus Professor of Geophysical & Climate Hazards at University College London, author of several books including Hothouse Earth.
Dr. Camielle Paramsean, Professor at CNRS (SETE - Experimental and Theoretical Ecology)
Dr. Edmond Totin, Research Scientist at ICRISAT
Dr. Peter Howard, Economic Fellow at Institute for Policy Integrity

Resources:

Hothouse Earth (Bill McGuire)
Ministry for the Future (Kim Stanley Robinson)
The Sixth Extinction (Elizabeth Kolbert)
Special Report: Global Warming of 1.5C (IPCC)
Extreme Heat Will Change Us (New York Times)
UN Emissions Gap Report 2022 covers how policies currently in place point to a 2.8°C temperature rise by the end of the century.
Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (National Weather Service)
IPCC 6th Assessment Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability - Authors Camille Parmesan (Chapter 2: Terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems and their services), Edmond Totin (Chapter 9: Africa)

Websites:

#15: Space Inc. with Neeraj Gupta, Ryan Hartman, and Marcia Smith

Wed, 08 Feb 2023 10:00:00 -0400

Humanity is moving into space, and our businesses are coming with us. In recent years we have seen the beginnings of a new wave of human activity in space, from new commercial ventures, to exploration and even space tourism. But what does the future of our species in space look like? And will we recreate our problems and carry our political dysfunction with us into the final frontier?

Join us for the latest episode of Earthlings Podcast as we ask these and more questions about our collective journey. We will look at current plans and challenges to building a commercial space station and explore the potentially life-changing experience of visiting space as a tourist. Finally, we will examine how terrestrial politics are being translated into space, and look at thorny issues of who will control and exploit resources on the moon and other celestial bodies.

Our guests:

Neeraj Gupta, general manager and SVP of Space Destinations at Sierra Space
Ryan Hartman, president and CEO at World View
Marcia Smith, founder and editor of SpacePolicyOnline.com

Resources:

Websites:

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#14: Electrification: The Smart Home Upgrade with Ari Matusiak, Alex Bazhinov, and Claire Broido Johnson

Wed, 21 Dec 2022 10:01:00 -0400

The home of the future is electric and dynamic. In this episode, we look at the how-to of smart home electrification and the integrations coming to maximize the transformation from the ordinary home to a live-in power plant. And we explore how the US federal government is providing incentives for home upgrades like heat pumps and induction stoves,

With our guests, we examine how homes are moving to a future of generating their own power, storing it and selling it to their neighbor or back to the grid. This includes an exploration of how car owners can get paid to provide grid services using their batteries. And in this winter of skyrocketing oil and gas prices, we bring a pathway to significantly save on energy costs while reducing greenhouse gas emissions, mitigating the risk of blackouts, and more. Without leaving your front door.

In this episode, our guests include:

Ari Matusiak, co-founder and CEO, Rewiring America
Alex Bazhinov, founder, president and COO, Lumin
Claire Broido Johnson, COO, Fermata Energy

Resources:

IRA Savings Calculator

Websites:

Rewiring America

Lumin Energy

Fermata Energy

Thanks to Yan Mora and Eduardo Prosperi for audio editing.

#13: Chilling Out Urban Mobility with Melinda Hanson, Carlos Pardo, and Charlie Welch

Wed, 16 Nov 2022 06:01:00 -0400

E-bikes, e-scooters, and other forms of micromobility are changing how we get around cities and cities. In this episode, we examine multiple angles of this change to smaller, more efficient forms of transportation, looking at the benefits to individual riders and how and why we can change cities to allow people to meet their travel needs more efficiently. We also explore the danger of fires from today’s lithium-ion batteries and new chemistry that could make micromobility safer.

In this episode, our guests include:

Melinda Hanson, co-founder of Electric Avenue and the Equitable Commute Project: Getting e-bikes into the hands of low-income people and how this can change lives
Carlos Pardo, senior advisor to the New Urban Mobility Alliance: Working with cities to accommodate simpler forms of mobility and better meet the needs of residents - and Bogota’s experience doing this
Charlie Welch, co-founder and CEO of ZappBatt: Lithium-titanate battery chemistry and how it can help to make e-bike batteries safer and shared micromobility more efficient

Resources:

The Equitable Commute Project

The Banality of Joyfulness (in Transportation) by Carlos Pardo

Lithium-titanate could prove the new driver of micromobility by Charlie Welch

How to Prevent an E-Bike Fire (Consumer Reports)

Websites:

Electric Avenue

Zapbatt

New Urban Mobility Alliance

Thanks to audio editors Yan Mora and Eduardo Prosperi, and special thanks to Zachary Subin of RMI for research support.

#12: Flying the Sustainable Skies with Graham Warwick, Val Miftakhov, and Blain Newton

Tue, 01 Nov 2022 05:00:00 -0400

The future of flight is evolving. From battery electric airplanes to hydrogen power to sustainable aviation fuels, new technologies are opening up new vistas of what is possible. As an industry, airlines and aircraft manufacturers are informally aiming to make aviation net zero by 2050. But decarbonizing how we fly people and goods isn’t just about new airplane technology; it requires new fueling and charging infrastructure and new business models.

In Flying the Sustainable Skies, co-hosts Lisa Ann Pinkerton (former NPR reporter) and Christian Roselund (formerly of Rocky Mountain Institute, Pacifica) explore this new Golden Age of Aviation with three guests with different perspectives on how this new future will evolve.

We start at 10,000 feet with Graham Warwick, Senior Editor of Aviation Week. He covers the basics of sustainable aviation fuels and synth fuels that today’s planes can burn to make their flights carbon-neutral without disrupting engine design or airline operations.

Next, serial entrepreneur, pilot, founder and CEO of ZeroAvia Val Miftakhov outlines the potential for hydrogen-electric aviation, how it works, and his vision of green hydrogen hubs at airports to power the planes.

Finally, Blain Newton, COO of Beta Technologies, demonstrates how battery-electric airplanes are running actual cargo missions today for real customers. He illustrates how the fuel independence of electric flight opens up new possibilities for flying that were previously unimaginable.

Subjects Discussed:

Sustainable Aviation Fuel or SAFs
The carbon accounting of SAFs
Hydrogen fuel cell airplanes
Hydrogen combustion to power airplanes
Battery electric airplanes
Electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) technologies
The need for new aircraft designs
The limits of different zero-emission technologies
Green hydrogen
Why renewable power for zero-emission aviation is expected to be available at very low cost
Regulations necessary to certify new configurations and aircraft designs
Airlines and large companies invested in and working to develop zero-emission aviation
The economic benefits of electric aviation for companies and the military

Resources

Aviation Week
Beta Technologies - Alia Flies to Bentonville
ZeroAvia - Dornier228 High-Speed Taxi Testing

#11: Plastic Diet with Patricia Kombo, Kam Sripada, and Beth Rattner

Tue, 18 Oct 2022 08:01:00 -0400

Plastic is everywhere. And it could be making you sick. As higher concentrations of microplastic particles are found throughout the world, in the air, soils and water, more and more research is suggesting that all this plastic could have negative health impacts, including on babies, children, and our ability to have children. This is particularly a danger for the Global South, which is suffering disproportionately from plastic pollution.

In Plastic Diet, co-hosts Lisa Ann Pinkerton (former NPR reporter) and Christian Roselund (formerly of Rocky Mountain Institute, Pacifica) look at where plastic waste comes from, where it goes (hint: not some magical “away” place), what’s in it, and what research tells us it is likely doing to our bodies. And we look at what we can do about it, including how we can design for a different world without plastic pollution.

Plastic Diet features UN-recognized Land Hero, social entrepreneur, and journalist Patricia Kombo, scientist and researcher Kam Sripada, centre manager at the Centre for Digital Life Norway, and Beth Rattner, the executive director of the Biomimicry Institute.

Subjects discussed

Sources of plastic pollution
Impact of plastic pollution on the Global South
Documented health risks from toxins in plastics
Status of research on health effects of plastic pollution
Challenges in studying health impacts of microplastics and nanoplastics
The false promise of recycling as a solution to plastic pollution
Fashion’s role in microplastic pollution
Techniques for redesigning textiles to mimic nature
Plastic-eating fungus, (yes, you heard us- a new magic mushroom)
Alternatives to single-use plastics (a.k.a. Milk ATMs)

Resources/Links

Do away with plastic additives wreaking havoc on our health (Patricia Kombo, The Standard)
Report: A Children’s Health Perspective on Nano- and Microplastics (Kam Sripada et al.)
Report: Nature of Fashion (Biomimicry Institute)
Report: The Real Truth About the U.S. Plastics Recycling Rate (Beyond Plastics, The Last Beach Cleanup)

Also: Want more information about children’s health, microplastics, and other environmental hazards? Check out Little Things Matter, where Kam and an international team of scientist-advocates share the latest research and tips for families to reduce their exposures. You can find videos and more information on their website: littlethingsmatter.ca/

#10: Living with Wildfires with Dustin Mulvaney, Molly Hunter, Tim Barat, and Carrick Detweiler

Tue, 04 Oct 2022 08:00:00 -0400

Wildfires in the 21st Century feel more intense, burning more acres, taking more lives, and encroaching closer to where people live. And they are raising big questions about how we can live close to nature when that means the risk of fire.

In this show, we look at what is causing these megafires, whether or not their size and intensity are really a new phenomenon, and how we can learn to adapt and live with wildfires, discovering solutions both indigenous and high-tech.

Living with Wildfire features guests Dustin Mulvaney, Santa Cruz resident, environmental scientist, and amateur forest documentarian, Molly Hunter, Associate Research Professor at the University of Arizona and science advisor to the Joint Fire Science Program, Tim Barat, the co-founder & CEO of GridWare, and Carrick Detweiler, the CEO of Drone Amplified.

Talking points

First-hand accounts of what it was like to live near the 2020 CZU Lighting Complex Fires in California
The history of wildfires in the United States
Factors causing increased & more intense wildfires
The ecology of the forest and how it has evolved to depend on fires
Prescribed burns, intentional fires & other management techniques
New technology to help prevent catastrophic fires and protect the lives of fire crews

Resources/Links

#9: Bonus Who Are We Anyway?

Tue, 24 May 2022 15:00:00 -0400

We’ve received a number of questions from listeners, asking us about ourselves and what we do. So here's a bonus episode on our journey, ourselves, and the origin story of this podcast. We also go into our plan for Earthlings.

Talking Points:

Who is Lisa Ann? What is her background?
Christian’s journey and background
How did we meet?
Why did we start the Earthlings podcast?
What do we plan to cover in future episodes?

Resources/Links:

The RMI article that started it all

Promo video of the WCS Event

Lisa Ann Pinkerton:

Christian Roselund:

#8: How Green Is Your Steel? with Thomas Koch Blank, Anders Wiliamsson, and Anne-Claire Howard

Tue, 10 May 2022 13:01:00 -0400

How do you make steel without cooking the planet? What is "green steel"?

Steel is a fundamental part of our world, but the process we use to make it is inherently carbon-intensive. In this latest episode, we talk about new developments in both the production of fossil-free steel and how it is making its way to global markets with experts Thomas Koch Blank, Anders Williamsson, and Anne-Claire Howard.

Chiefly, we discuss the implications of a new, cleaner process being used in Sweden to make fossil-free steel using hydrogen. We also examine what this means for both the global steel industry and consumers, as well as the timeframe for green steel take over brown steel.

Thomas Koch Blank is a global expert on green steel and senior principal at RMI's Climate Aligned Industries program. Anders Williamsson is an executive VP and head of industrial operations at Swedish truck maker Scania. Anne-Claire Howard was the chief executive officer of Responsible Steel at the time of the recording. She has since moved on to a different role as the director of procurement at the UNOPS.

About us: Earthlings Podast looks at the decisions that we can make today to ensure that the future we have is one we want to live in. Hosts Lisa Ann Pinkerton (former award-winning NPR and PBS environmental science reporter) and Christian Roselund (founding editor of pv magazine USA) take a close look at our relationships with technology, science, the planet, and each other.

Talking Points:

Why is the steel-making process such a carbon-intensive process?
The process of using hydrogen to make steel
Developments in hydrogen-based steelmaking in Sweden
Recycled steel versus primary steel
The prospects for direct reduced iron made with hydrogen
Volvo’s first autonomous electric mining vehicle with green steel
Scania’s use of green steel
At what time will green steel take over brown steel?
Which sectors are the most effective uses of hydrogen
The potential for a differentiated market for green steel
Carbon pricing and how that plays a role in the production of steel

Resources/Links:

“Volvo unveils world’s first vehicle using fossil-free steel” video

“The Story of TARA | Volvo Group's autonomous electric dumper TA15” video

Scania

Responsible Steel

RMI Climate Aligned Industries

UNOPS

#7: The Psychedelic Therapist Will See You Now with Ronan Levy

Tue, 26 Apr 2022 12:01:00 -0400

In the 21st Century, experts predict the growth of mental health treatments using psychedelics for clinical treatment of disorders such as depression, PTSD, bipolar disorder, anxiety, and other challenges. Blossoming out of an extensive body of well-respected research, medical professionals are now using psychedelics as a tool for treatment-resistant disorders where pharmaceuticals may have failed to provide people with long-term healing. Today, ketamine is a legal and broadest available treatment option, while psilocybin and MDMA are on their path to gaining legal status in the U.S.

In this episode, we discuss the extensive research and potential benefits that can be achieved with ketamine with Ronan Levy from Field Trip Health.

In the Earthlings podcast, we talk about the challenges and opportunities coming in the 21st Century, and the information we have today to make better decisions for tomorrow. Hosts Lisa Ann Pinkerton (former award-winning NPR and PBS environmental science reporter) and Christian Roselund (founding editor of PV Magazine USA) take a close look at our relationships with technology, science, the planet, and each other.

Talking Points:

The history of psychedelics in American society
The research behind the effectiveness and use of Ketamine
Transformative mental health with ketamine
Psychological and physiological effects of ketamine
Ketamine and psychedelic medication in the future
The most important, recent studies about psychedelics
The work that Field Trip Health does
An example of treatment with psychedelics
The changing perspectives of psychedelics

Resources/Links:

Compass Pathways

Field Trip Health

Field Tripping Podcast

#6: To Nuclear or Not with Dr. Jessica Lovering, MV Ramana, and Chris Vlahoplus

Fri, 18 Mar 2022 21:08:00 -0400

Nuclear power - the question we come to as a society time and time again. Do we keep it? Get rid of it? Build more? Do the benefits outweigh the challenges, costs, and risks? To tackle these questions and more are hosts Lisa Ann and Christian speak with three experts in the field of nuclear energy, Dr. Jessica Lovering of the Good Energy Collective, MV Ramana of the University of British Columbia, and Chris Vlahoplus formerly of Scott Maddan's energy practice.

Dr. Jessica Lovering is co-founder and co-executive director of the Good Energies Collective. MV Ramana is a physicist and a professor at the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs, University of British Columbia. Chris Vlahoplus is a former management consultant to the energy industry, specifically in the area of nuclear.

About the show:

The Earthlings Podcast explores the technology and social challenges and opportunities facing us in the 21st century, and what knowledge we have to make the best decisions for tomorrow. Co-host Lisa Ann Pinkerton is a former award-winning NPR and PBS environmental science reporter, now providing startups with public relations support at Technica Communications and leading Women in Cleantech & Sustainability. Co-Host Christian Roseland is a self-described energy wonk, analyst, and founding editor of PV Magazine USA.

Talking Points:

Understanding microreactors and small modular reactors (SMRs) and the promise for near-term mass commercial deployment
The challenges with mass-producing new nuclear technology
The aftermath of the nuclear renaissance
When and if we should shift our funding to renewable energy
Keeping current plants versus building new plants
Clean versus low carbon nuclear energy
The prospect of phasing out nuclear energy

Resources/Links:

#5: Foraging for Future Tech with Oleg Dre, John Roth, Dan Park, and Nicholas Duprey

Thu, 17 Feb 2022 14:01:00 -0400

The metaverse, vertical farming, robots, autonomous vehicles, and space all have one thing in common - the Consumer Electronics Show.

Lisa Ann attended CES this year in Las Vegas and brought back some of the most interesting and innovative ideas brought up at the show. There are some fascinating and amazing things to look forward to in the near and far future including innovative tech. Many countries and companies were represented at the show, so there was something for everyone.

While there weren’t any flying cars just yet, there were plenty of other forms of technology represented. Science fiction in the past is no longer fiction, or in the past. Some of those things will be available in the near future! Lisa Ann talked with a number of representatives from various companies to show us what we can look forward to.

Oleg Dre is the CEO and founder of Manna (an interactive 3D media production platform). John Roth is the Vice President of Business Development at Sierra Space. Dan Park was the representative from N.thing. Nicholas Duprey is the United States representative from Moon Bikes.

Talking Points:

The 2022 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas
The future of the metaverse and virtual reality
Functional uses for the metaverse
Virtual reality sickness
Space and space travel in the future
zero gravity manufacturing
Vertical farming and farming in zero gravity
Robotics and autonomous vehicles
Robotic restaurants and servers to help with increased sanitation
Transportation in the future

Resources/Links:

The Earthlings podcast is about all of the decisions that we’ll have to make to ensure that the future we have is one we want to live in. Hosts Lisa Ann Pinkerton (former award-winning NPR and PBS environmental science reporter) and Christian Roselund (founding editor of PV Magazine USA) take a close look at our relationships with technology, science, the planet, and each other. Today we’re focusing on future technology.

#4: Decrypting the Future of Money with Alejandra Argueta, Laura Shin, and John Paul Barrick

Tue, 01 Feb 2022 13:59:00 -0400

Will cryptocurrency be the future of money? What does that mean for society?

Welcome to the Earthlings podcast, where we’ll talk about all of the decisions that we’ll have to make to ensure that the future we have is one we want to live in. Hosts Lisa Ann Pinkerton (former award-winning NPR and PBS environmental science reporter) and Christian Roseland (founding editor of PV Magazine USA) take a close look at our relationships with technology, science, the planet, and each other. Today’s focus is on the opportunities facing us in the 21st century.

Will cryptocurrency be the future of currency? And what does that mean for investors and what does that mean for us? What about the energy used in mining cryptocurrency? What does it even mean to “mine” crypto?

There are so many questions around cryptocurrency. To many people, it is still a huge confusing concept. The aim of today’s episode is to decrypt these myths, stereotypes, and defog the haze around cryptocurrency. Lisa Ann and Christian bring three expert guests together in order to talk about the use, the security, and the mining of crypto. They also help to define the buzzwords and tackle some of the misconceptions.

Alejandra Argueta is the owner of Requisite, and he's been a crypto enthusiast since 2017. Laura Shin is the senior editor at Forbes. She also runs the Unchained Podcast and she's the author of the The Cryptopians: Idealism, Greed, Lies, and the Making of the First Big Cryptocurrency Craze. John Paul Barrick is the CEO at the MiningStore.

Talking Points:

How people are using crypto right now
Sone currencies to research
Decentralized finance and how coins interact with it
What are NFTs and how are they different from cryptocurrencies
The security of cryptocurrency
The benefits (to the user) in crypto
How cryptocurrency is like being your own bank
Why cryptocurrency has been the currency of choice for ransomware
How other countries are utilizing cryptocurrency
The future trends in cryptocurrency and mining
Mining cryptocurrency and the energy needed
What is blockchain?

Resources/Links:

Forbes

Unchained Podcast

The Cryptopians: Idealism, Greed, Lies, and the Making of the First Big Cryptocurrency Craze

MiningStore

#3: Coming Down From the Oil High with Gregor Macdonald

Tue, 18 Jan 2022 12:12:00 -0400

The oil and gas industry is powerful but not invulnerable, and faces an existential threat. In this episode, we talk with a leading energy writer about the future of global oil markets, and what this means for all of us.

Welcome to the Earthlings podcast, where we talk about the big issues facing humanity in the early 21st century. In today’s episode, hosts Lisa Ann Pinkerton and Christian Roselund interview Gregor Macdonald, the author of Oil Fall. Gregor cuts through the noise of short-term market fluctuations to talk about the big trends that are shaping global demand for oil, what the coming plateau of demand means, and what we can do to cut fossil fuel use now.

About Our Guest:

Gregor Macdonald is a freelance journalist who covers cities, climate, and energy—as well as a former oil trader. His work has appeared in Nature, The Economist Intelligence Unit, The Harvard Business Review, Next City, Atlantic Media’s Route Fifty, The Petroleum Economist, PV Magazine, and Talking Points Memo.

Talking Points:

The factors underlying the future of global oil demand
What it means for both the climate and the oil industry oil demand to “plateau” versus falling
How electric vehicles make a long-term fall in oil demand inevitable
What cities can do now to reduce oil demand and prevent the worst effects of climate change
What the oil industry does and does not control around policy
Why plastics and other non-fuel applications will not save the oil industry
Why the United States and other developed countries can and should invest in infrastructure

Resources/Links:

Oil Fall

The Gregor Letter

#2: Your Next Car Will Be an EV with Kamaele Terry, John Fitzgerald Weaver, and Charles Morris

Tue, 04 Jan 2022 13:36:00 -0400

EVs are taking over the car market. And in this show, we look at what this means for you as a driver or passenger. We speak with an editor who has been covering EVs for decades, an entrepreneur working in EV charging, and a new Tesla owner to get the ins, outs, and rapid acceleration of driving an EV.

Welcome to the Earthlings podcast, where we’ll talk about all of the decisions that we’ll have to make to ensure that the future we have is one we want to live in. In today’s episode, hosts Lisa Ann Pinkerton (former award-winning NPR and PBS environmental science reporter) and Christian Roselund (founding editor of PV Magazine USA) dive into the EV world. They’re talking about charging issues, the history and future of motor vehicles, and the current status of EVs. What is it like owning an EV right now? What does the future hold?

These questions and more are answered by charging industry expert Kamaele Terry, current EV owner John FItzgeral Weaver, and EV industry expert Charles Morris. They’ll help clear the air–the air pollution–around the transportation industry right now by defining some of those EV buzzwords, talking about the issues around EV charging stations, and what it’s going to take in order to make EVs more attainable for everyone.

Kamaele Terry is the founder and CEO of ChargerHelp!, and she's also a board member who leads the LA chapter for Women in CleanTech and Sustainability. Charles Morris is the senior editor at Charged Electric Vehicles Magazine. He's also the author of the book, Tesla: How Elon Musk and Company Made Electric Cars Cool, and Remade the Automotive and Energy Industries. John Fitzgerald Weaver is a solar developer who is known online as “The Commercial Solar Guy.”

Talking Points:

The expiration date of internal combustion engines (ICE) vehicles
What is considered an electric vehicle (EV)?
Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV) versus other types of EVs
Who will be buying EVs in the near future?
Countries who have banned ICE vehicles
What is holding back the EV push in the US
What it is like to own an EV
Regenerative braking and why it’s better than the brake pedal
Autopilot and full self-driving (FSD) in a Tesla
Charging issues with EVs and how they are being resolved

Resources/Links:

ChargerHelp!

Women in CleanTech and Sustainability

EV Magazine

Charged Electric Vehicles Magazine

Tesla: How Elon Musk and Company Made Electric Cars Cool, and Remade the Automotive and Energy Industries by Charles Morris

#1: Energy Predictions Are Hard with Jenny Chase, Rick O’Connell, and Anna Ebers Broughel

Tue, 14 Dec 2021 00:01:00 -0400

What we can know, what we can't, and what is possible in the future of energy.

Welcome to the first episode of the Earthlings podcast, where we’ll talk about all of the decisions that we’ll have to make to ensure that the future we have is one we want to live in. Hosts Lisa Ann Pinkerton (former award-winning NPR and PBS environmental science reporter) and Christian Roseland (founding editor of PV Magazine USA) take a close look at our relationships with technology, science, the planet, and each other. Today’s focus is an in depth look at our relationships with energy. What do we know? What can’t we know? What can we do to have a stable, livable climate so we can all have a prosperous future?

The inaugural guests on today’s episode are Jenny Chase, Rick O’Connell, and Anna Ebers Broughel. Jenny is head of solar analysis at Bloomberg New Energy Finance. She is also the author of the book, Solar Finance Without the Jargon. Rick is the executive director of GridLab. Rick and GridLab did a report with the Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley. Anna works for the US Department of Energy as a statistician and as an energy economist at Terra Tech. All three of our guests bring their unique perspectives on the different aspects of energy predictions.

Talking Points:

IPCC Report and what it means for us
How short-term forecasting influences the growth of renewable energy
The difference between forecasting a prediction and a model
Jenny’s outlook for climate change versus the IPCC models and forecasts
Why analysts are so conservative and what they have to deal with
Why GridLab chose 90% by 2035 instead of 100% by 2050
Rick’s thoughts on how high penetrations like the 70% modeled are going to work on nation-sized grids
Can the market push for 90% by 2035 or will it need to be aided by policy as well?
Scenario planning for Anna’s report for the Government of Estonia
Different regions of the world will have different scenarios
Change isn’t linear
What we can do as individuals

Resources/Links:

Solar Finance Without the Jargon, by Jenny Chase

IPCC Report

GridLab

Technica Communications

Women in Cleantech & Sustainability