Sustainably Speaking

Latest Episodes:

Restoring Historic Greenwood Cemetery Jul 28, 2025

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Greenwood Cemetery is the final resting place of over 50,000 African Americans whose legacies stretch back generations. But for years, erosion and neglect made the site nearly impossible to access. That changed when a group of volunteers decided not to let history disappear.

In this episode of Sustainably Speaking, we visit with the Greenwood community about how they worked with engineers, nonprofits, and recycled materials to reopen the cemetery's main road and preserve the stories buried there.

In this episode, you'll hear:

● How recycled materials and permeable pavers were used to restore the cemetery for years to come

● Why Engineers Without Borders, the ACC and the community came together to support the project

● What the restoration has meant for families across the country

● How Greenwood is now inspiring similar restoration efforts nationwide

AI Powered Recycling Jun 23, 2025

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Recorded live at SXSW, this episode brings together leaders from Van Dyk Recycling Solutions, Dow, and Greyparrot to explore how AI is reshaping the recycling system. From real-time data and material tracking to smarter packaging design and policy reform, it's a conversation about what's working, what's broken—and what could finally close the loop.

In this episode you’ll hear:

How AI helps sort waste faster, better—and more accurately than humans
What the data tells us about redesigning packaging for recycling and remanufacturing
Why transparency tools like QR codes matter for consumers
How companies test products for recyclability before they hit the market

Moonshot Madness and Smarter Textiles: Inside X, the Moonshot Factory May 27, 2025

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In the second installment our SXSW conversation with Rey Banatao and Peter Chauvel from Google X, we explore what it looks like to build ambitious ideas from the ground up. This episode dives into early ‘Moonshot’ experiments with textile recycling, the role biology could play in the future of materials, and how big ideas move from the whiteboard to the real world.

We also go behind the scenes of Moonshot Madness — a company-wide tradition at X to identify big ideas that could change everything.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

How clothing could be transformed into new, reusable materials
How bioplastics and synthetic biology could shape the next era of manufacturing
How teams at Google’s X, the Moonshot Factory test ideas— and learn as they go
What Moonshot Madness is, and how it fuels a culture of experimentation
How Rey and Peter’s experiences have influenced their approach to sustainability and innovation

This episode encourages you to imagine what a circular future could look like across industries — from plastics to fashion and beyond.

How Google's X, The Moonshot Factory is Rethinking Recycling Apr 28, 2025

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What if the future of recycling isn't just about managing 'waste'—but unlocking its value? At Google's X, the Moonshot Factory, turning moonshots into reality means rethinking the impossible. And in this episode, you'll hear how that vision could help build a smarter, more circular world—one molecule, algorithm, and bold idea at a time.

Recorded live at SXSW, this episode features Rey Banatao and Peter Chauvel - two of the brightest minds of Google's X, the Moonshot Factory. They're leading a bold effort to change how the world uses and reuses materials, starting with plastics. With help from AI, robotics, and new molecular data, their team is reimagining how recycling works and how we can build better systems to keep materials in use and out of the landfill.

In this episode we dive into:

How advanced recycling is opening the door to reuse materials once destined for the bin
Why the moonshot factory believes plastics can be recycled and remanufactured—without extracting more petroleum
The role of AI, machine learning and better data are building smarter recycling infrastructure
How better data is transforming the economics of recycling
What it takes to try bold ideas from inside one of the world's most audacious incubators
What happens when you treat waste as a resource

The Future of Automotive Recycling Mar 31, 2025

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Live from SXSW in Austin, Mia sits down with Rich James of Dow and Gina Oliver of the American Chemistry Council to talk all things automotive recycling. They break down how new plastics are making vehicles safer, lighter, and more efficient—and discuss breakthroughs that are keeping valuable materials out of landfills. This episode explores the path to sustainable automotives and why America has a real opportunity to lead the way.

Sustainably Speaking: Plastics Advocacy - Pivotal Moments in 2024 Jan 27, 2025

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Sustainably Speaking: Building Prosthetics with Hands of Gratitude | America’s Plastic Makers® Oct 28, 2024

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When Matt Campana saw a YouTube video of a 3D printer creating prosthetic hands, what he really saw was an opportunity to make a difference. Little did he know how big a difference he would make.

As Matt tells us, “The whole thing has been organic—from finding clients to participate to finding recipients. It's just happened exactly the way that it was supposed to.”

It’s true, cutting-edge technologies and giving back to those in need are not often associated with one another. However, as 3D printing technologies advance and become more accessible it has opened the door to using them for good.

On this episode of Sustainably Speaking, we’ll share Matt’s incredible story and how he came to found Hands of Gratitude. The project works with corporate and school partners to assemble 3D printed prosthetic hands and distribute them to people around the world.

While assembling a prosthetic hand may seem like a challenging endeavor, Gina Oliver, Senior Director, Automotive, at American Chemistry Council, shares her experience participating in the program.

This is an episode that will pull on your heart strings – and it might just inspire you to participate or, find your own unique way to give back.

Sustainably Speaking: Recycling Electronics | America’s Plastic Makers® Sep 23, 2024

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In an era marked by rapid technological advancement and an ever-increasing reliance on electronic devices, the need for effective recycling has never been more crucial. But how do we go about recycling our electronic devices? Leaders in sustainability like Cody Oliver from evTerra are working to make that easier than ever before by improving and developing the technology to enable more recycling in this space.

On this episode of Sustainably Speaking, Cody shares how the old electronics collecting dust in our junk drawers can be given new life.

While advancements in electronics typically take center stage, Cody makes the compelling case that it's equally important to ensure that electronics are designed to be recycled. Plus, we’ll share tips on where you can drop off some of your old gadgets.

Sustainably Speaking: (Un)Covering the Global Recycling Industry Part 2 | America’s Plastic Makers® Aug 26, 2024

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Adam Minter has been traversing the globe throughout his career as an award-winning journalist and author of two best-selling, critically acclaimed books, “Junkyard Planet: Travels in the Billion-Dollar Trash Trade” and “Secondhand: Travels in the New Global Garage Sale”.

His objective? To uncover the facts about recycling.

In the second installment of our two-part episode, Adam weighs in on the nuances that determine what makes something sustainable. Throughout our conversation, Adam shares several anecdotes to show how he makes sense of recycling and offers advice for his fellow reporters.

Adam shares why the unprecedented demand for products that use recycled plastic will transform how materials are designed, used, and recycled over the next decade.

Sustainably Speaking: (Un)Covering the Global Recycling Industry Part 1 | America’s Plastic Makers® Jul 22, 2024

Show notes

From scraps to facts. How does a kid who grew up working in his family’s scrap yard become an award-winning journalist and author of two best-selling, critically acclaimed books about recycling?

“They always say, write what you know about. It turned out I knew something about scrap!”

Adam Minter’s career trajectory is undoubtably a fascinating story in and of itself, but his reporting on global recycling is equally as intriguing. Both “Junkyard Planet: Travels in the Billion-Dollar Trash Trade” and “Secondhand: Travels in the New Global Garage Sale” flipped the script on the discussion around recycling as Adam travels the world to uncover facts about modern day recycling.

In the first installment of our two-part episode, Adam shines a light on the complicated factors that inform our perceptions about recycling and explores the way this influences our beliefs surrounding waste and recycling. Join us on Sustainably Speaking to hear Adam discuss his global adventures in recycling and his personal mission to get the facts out. This journalist’s journey might completely change the way you think about trash.

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