Inevitable

Latest Episodes:

Benji Backer, American Conservation Coalition Aug 08, 2022

Show notes

Today's guest is Benji Backer, Founder and President of the American Conservation Coalition (ACC).

ACC is focused on building grassroots environmental movement amongst the right-of-center space for climate action, with 150 chapters across the country. Benji is a passionate environmentalist and out to change the minds of people who think conservative and climate change advocate don't belong in the same sentence.

In today’s episode, we cover:

An overview of the American Conservation Coalition and the work they do
Benji's background and his passion for the environment
His transition from conservative activist to climate activist
How he reconciles his passions and conservative viewpoints
The two-party system and its shortcomings
Increasing polarization in the US
Who controls the narrative in Washington vs. who gets bills passed
The Build Back Better Bill
The Republican party's shift away from conservation in the early 2000s
Issues with the climate narrative leaving people out
Benji's views on how to balance self-interest and taking action on climate solutions
The role of government in addressing the climate crisis
Consumer behavior changes
The intersection between of climate change and environmental justice in cities and rural communities
Benji's key priorities over the next 12-24 months
ACC's Climate Commitment plan
Who he wants to hear from

Enjoy the show!

You can find me on Twitter @jjacobs22 (me), @mcjpod (podcast) or @mcjcollective (company). You can reach us via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.

Episode recorded July 15, 2022.

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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Startup Series: Epoch Biodesign Aug 04, 2022

Show notes

Today's guest is Jacob Nathan, CEO and Co-Founder of Epoch Biodesign.

Plastics are among the most visible and ubiquitous environmental issues plaguing Earth today. Hundreds of millions of tons of plastics are produced every year, but they weren't mass produced until after World War II (that's just one human lifetime ago). As a byproduct of the fossil fuel industry, plastics contribute significantly to the value of a barrel of oil, they create considerable emissions when produced, and they release carbon into the atmosphere when they are incinerated at the end of their lifecycle. So while plastics are a key building block of our modern world, they're also very problematic.

Epoch Biodesign is on a mission to scale and industrialize biology to solve the world's biggest climate challenges, starting with an enzyme that eats plastic and converts it to industrial chemicals. The company is currently working with unrecyclable plastics that would otherwise go to landfill or incineration. The resulting molecules from their unique biological process can be used to create new products like adhesives, cleaning products, and fertilizers.

In today’s episode, we cover:

An overview of plastics, their origin, widespread uses, and impacts on the environment
Plastics and the fossil fuel industry
Problems associated with recycling
End of life pathways most plastics take
Epoch Biodesign's solution to addressing the plastic problem
How enzymes can break down plastics and convert them into useful chemicals with a reduced carbon footprint
The company's cell-free fermentation process and target outputs
CO2 emissions associated with producing and incinerating plastic chemicals
The origin of Epoch Biodesign
Jacob's background and how he met his Co-Founder, Douglas Kell
Douglas Kell's extensive background in systems biology, machine learning, etc.
How Epoch Biodesign uses machine learning and tooling to design a computing platform for plastic-eating enzymes
Future applications of the company's proprietary methods of designing biology
How Epoch Biodesign's software enables them to scale and solve climate problems faster
The company's business model
Adjacent opportunities including textiles
Epoch Biodesign's seed round and future financing
Who Jacob wants to hear from and open positions at Epoch Biodesign

Enjoy the show!

You can find Cody on Twitter @codysimms, @mcjpod (podcast) or @mcjcollective (company). You can reach us via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.

Episode recorded July 15, 2022.

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@ovr.vc.

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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Ketan Joshi Aug 01, 2022

Show notes

Today's guest is Ketan Joshi, a writer, data analyst and communications consultant working on climate and energy.

Ketan Joshi has been at the forefront of clean energy for eight years, starting out as a data analyst working in wind energy, and expanding his knowledge base to community engagement, climate science and new energy technology. He’s written for the Guardian, The Monthly, ABC News and has penned several hundred blog posts digging into climate and energy issues, building a position as a respected and analytical energy commentator in Australia. Ketan is also the author of Windfall: Unlocking a Fossil Free Future, and has a large following on social media.

Before coming on the show, Ketan and Jason had a few heated exchanges on Twitter. Despite what appeared to be opposing views around climate, this conversation shed light on an important lesson about the polarization of social media platforms. When we actually take the time to meet and discuss these topics live, we might find out that we’re in agreement more than we think.

In today’s episode, we cover:

Ketan's background and personal climate journey
His experience working in data science, communications, community engagement, and climate policy within organizations
How his feelings about climate and theory of change have evolved over time
The level of urgency of the climate crisis and the level of disruption we should expect in order to adequately address it
Our dependence on fossil fuels
The rate of change in emissions reductions and some of the impacts associated with it
Benefits of engaging community members in climate solutions
The role of corporate decision making in heavily fossil reliant companies
How society impacts individual decision making
Benefits of reducing carbon emissions and examples where it's not easy to do
The role of natural gas in the clean energy transition
Ketan's thoughts about carbon removal and its role in the transition
Transforming carbon offsets
Ketan's thoughts on nuclear and if we should be deploying it at scale
Who he'd like to hear from

Enjoy the show!

You can find Jason on Twitter @jjacobs22, @mcjpod (podcast) or @mcjcollective (company). You can reach us via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.

Episode recorded July 7, 2022.

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@ovr.vc.

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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Startup Series: Zero Acre Farms Jul 28, 2022

Show notes

Today's guest is Jeff Nobbs, CEO and Co-Founder of Zero Acre Farms.

It turns out 20% of our daily caloric intake is made of vegetable oils that are not only harmful to human health, but also have a massive impact on the environment and deforestation. So when thinking about systems problems that impact climate change, how we produce oils for food consumption is a big lever that's yet to be pulled. Zero Acre Farms is on a mission to change that. The company is developing a new category of healthy oils and fats made by fermentation.

In today’s episode, we cover:

Broad overview of vegetable oil
Environmental impacts of different vegetable oils
The shift away from animal toward trans fats in the 1980s & 1990s
Drivers of vegetable oil growth, including consumer advocacy groups and large fast-food restaurants
An overview of Zero Acre Farms
How the startup is solving the problem of vegetable oils using fermentation
An overview of the fermentation process for food
The company's direct-to-consumer launch and future plans to scale to restaurants and packaged foods
Jeff's background in food, health, and nutrition
Zero Acre Farm's externalities
How the company creates its cultured oil
Their seed round, series A, and future funding sources
Zero Acre Farms as a Public Benefits Corporation (PBC) their initial product has just become available on their website, you can try cultured oil for yourself and see what you think.

Enjoy the show!

You can find me on Twitter @codysimms (me), @mcjpod (podcast) or @mcjcollective (company). You can reach us via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.

Episode recorded July 14, 2022.

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@ovr.vc.

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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Cris Stainbrook, Indian Land Tenure Foundation Jul 25, 2022

Show notes

Today's guest is Cris Stainbrook, President of the Indian Land Tenure Foundation (ILTF).

ILTF is a national community-based organization serving Indian nations and Indian people in the recovery and control of their rightful homelands. They work to promote education, increase cultural awareness, create economic opportunity, and reform the legal and administrative systems that prevent Indian people from owning and controlling reservation lands. The organization has provided over $98 million of grants, loans and services over the past 20 years.

In today’s episode, we cover:

An overview of the Indian Land Tenure Foundation (ILTF)
How the organization came to be and its mission to restore rightful land ownership of 90 million acres
Cris' personal climate journey
His background in fisheries biology and transition to Indian land
The role of the federal government in Indian land ownership
The Dawes General Allotment Act
ILTF's tactics at the beginning and how they've changed over time
Importance of education for Indian history and land issues
The organization's theory of change and how they measure progress
Changes on tribal land related to climate
How climate impacts day-to-day life of tribal members
How the tribes became interested in carbon markets and some of the issues they're working to overcome
The Indian Land Capital Company, a CDFI subsidiary of ILTF
Buyer incentives for the tribe's carbon credits
The National Indian Carbon Coalition and its assessment of additionality credits, setting prices, finding buyers, etc.
What Cris sees as the biggest barriers to moving forward on climate change
His thoughts on government's role in solving certain issues
Cris' message to listeners both in terms of the problem of climate change and Indian lands

Enjoy the show!

Episode recorded June 30, 2022.

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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Startup Series: ONE Jul 21, 2022

Show notes

Today's guest is Mujeeb Ijaz, Founder and CEO of ONE.

Widespread adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) not only face technical challenges, but also psychological barriers that consumers need to overcome. ONE has the audacious goal to design a battery that can double the range of EVs while using sustainable and safe materials, avoiding nickel and cobalt in particular. The company is also working to develop and localize raw material supply chains to bring down costs associated with this clean energy solution.

In today’s episode, we cover:

Mujeeb's background in EVs and battery innovation at Ford, A123 Systems, and Apple
Battery range anxiety and its impact on widespread adoption
ONE's solution to double the range of EV batteries to 600 miles
Density of charger networks and the implications for EV drivers
Predictions for the used market for EVs
Impact of local driving conditions on EV range and comparisons to ICE vehicles
Impacts of location and climate on battery range
ONE's latest accomplishments, including their partnership with BMW
The company's two types of batteries: Gemini and Aries
Differences between battery chemistries like lithium ion, manganese, and nickel cobalt
How ONE avoids nickel and cobalt in their batteries
The predictability of commercial fleets like package delivery trucks and buses
Cost structures associated with different battery chemistries
ONE's go-to-market roadmap and funding to date
Gaps in talent and training for battery manufacturing
ONE's focus on sourcing the right talent and workforce development efforts

Enjoy the show!

Episode recorded July 11, 2022.

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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Marcius Extavour, XPRIZE Jul 18, 2022

Show notes

Today's guest is Marcius Extavour, Chief Scientist, Executive Vice President Energy and Climate at XPRIZE.

XPRIZE is a global future positive movement of over a million people and rising. They are a trusted, proven platform for impact that leverages the power of competition to catalyze innovation and accelerate a more hopeful future by incentivizing radical breakthroughs for the benefit of humanity. The organization began supporting climate projects with a $20 million prize for breakthrough technologies to convert CO2 emissions into usable products. Now, they’re hosting their largest prize initiative in history funded by Elon Musk and the Musk Foundation, and awarding $100 million for Carbon Removal solutions.

This episode covers XPRIZE’s mission, how they decide on and evaluate competitions, key takeaways from their climate prize experiences, and how they measure success. We also dig into some of the nuances of the carbon removal conversation, how Marcius deals with naysayers, and why he focuses on solving the climate crisis instead of punishing polluters.

Enjoy the show!

Episode recorded July 1, 2022.

In today’s episode, we cover:

An overview of XPRIZE and the organization came to be
XPRIZE's model expansion over time
Where XPRIZE's money comes from
How the org's external partnerships help XPRIZE support an innovative ecosystem
Marcius' climate journey and background in academia, utility, policy, and fundraising
An overview of the AAAS Science & Technology Fellowship Program
Characteristics XPRIZE uses to determine where prizes can be helpful, including impact, an identifiable problem, public awareness, and a specific and measurable goal
Differences between short and long-term impact
The NRG COSIA Carbon XPRIZE and key takeaways from the competition
How XPRIZE started to explore climate topics
The moral hazard argument
XPRIZE Carbon Removal, the org's largest incentive prize in history with Elon Musk and the Musk Foundation
How Marcius responds to critics
XPRIZE's plans to improve CDR measurements
Differences between measurement processes and tooling across solutions MRV
3 evaluation factors, including operational performance, cost, and scalability
Marcius' predictions for how CDR can develop
His thoughts on the role of voluntary and compliance markets
Marcius' stance on whether we should punish polluters or focus on solving the climate problem
How people can get involved with XPRIZE and the org's new Carbon Removal cohort
The community's role in moving things forward, growing globally, and maintaining inclusivity

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@ovr.vc.

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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Startup Series: Calwave Jul 14, 2022

Show notes

Today's guest is Marcus Lehmann, CEO and Co-Founder of CalWave.

Our planet’s surface is mostly covered by ocean, but harnessing the power of our ceaseless water world has not been a considerable part of the energy mix to date. CalWave is on a mission to provide reliable, cost-effective ocean wave technologies for sustainable energy access. The company’s award-winning technology transforms the motion of ocean waves into electricity to equip communities of scale with localized power.

In this conversation with Marcus, we discuss the potential of wave energy and unpack some of the challenges to operating in dynamic and complex marine environments. We also cover Marcus’ background, CalWave’s origins, the company’s roadmap for getting to market, and how wave power and offshore wind power can be combined in the future.

Enjoy the show!

Episode recorded July 5, 2022.

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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Kerry Bowie, Browning the Green Space Jul 11, 2022

Show notes

Today's guest is Kerry Bowie, Founder, President and Executive Director of Browning the Green Space.

Browning the Green Space (BGS) is a voluntary coalition of leaders and organizations primarily in the New England region that share a passion to advance diversity, equity and inclusion in clean energy. The organization's goal is to increase the participation and leadership of people in underrepresented groups, including people of color and women in the clean energy space and beyond.

In today’s episode, we cover:

Origin story of Browning the Green Space (BGS)
Overview of the nonprofit and its mission
Kerry's background in environmental engineering, environmental justice, and consulting
BGS's focus on the 5 C's: careers, companies, capital, contracts, and communities
The intersection between environmental, social, and economic justice issues
The importance of cultural connections in community development
The threat of climate change to underrepresented communities on a day to day level
Differences of energy burden between urban centers and BIPOC communities vs wealthy neighborhoods
How money and wealth are major contributors to environmental inequality
Kerry's motivation in workforce development
The luxury of thinking about climate change as an existential threat
Barriers to alleviating environmental issues faced by lower income communities
Regulations that need to be upheld, including the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act
Kerry's thoughts on government and its shortcomings
Hopeful action from younger generations
BGS's fundraising goals and who they want to hear from

Enjoy the show!

Episode recorded June 29, 2022.

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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Startup Series: BOLT Jul 07, 2022

Show notes

Today's guest is Mohit Yadav, co-founder of BOLT.

BOLT was founded in 2017 with the dream of making electric vehicles more accessible by easing and accelerating the transition of emerging markets to cleaner mobility. Currently, the company manages India’s largest EV charging network with over 10,000 charging points across 100 different cities.

Although we haven't spent much time on the region here on the My Climate Journey podcast, this episode is particularly important given India's population and emerging economy. How the country’s economy evolves in the years to come will be critical to global emissions reduction as its population is unfortunately feeling the effects of climate change today in a major way.

We have a great discussion about the state of the EV market in India, BOLT's business model, their future expansion plans, and how the company started in software and evolved to include a hardware component.

Enjoy the show!

Episode recorded June 29, 2022.

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@ovr.vc.

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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant