Marissa Pitchford didn’t plan to lead climate strategy. She started behind the scenes as an executive assistant at a global cybersecurity company — managing calendars, planning events, and supporting leadership. But she began to notice: her company could be doing more.

In this episode, Marissa shares how she turned that quiet awareness into a full-scale sustainability and corporate responsibility program at ESET North America. We talk about how to gain influence without a title, how to embed sustainability into everyday decisions, and what it really takes to lead change from the inside out.

Whether you're in operations, admin, HR, or tech — this is an inspiring reminder that any job can be a climate job.

⏱️ Chapter Markers:

00:00 Introduction and Background

01:15 ESET: Company Overview and Role Evolution

02:06 Sustainability Journey Begins

05:31 Transforming Philanthropy into Corporate Social Responsibility

07:33 Doing a Materiality Assessment

08:35 Building a Strategic Framework for Sustainability

11:28 Aligning to Company Values

13:10 Navigating Change & Resistance

15:10 Building the Case for Sustainability

18:41 Landfill Neutral Guarantee

21:04 Empowering Sustainable Choices in Business

23:07 Starting Sustainable Actions in the Workplace

25:23 The Role of ESG in Corporate Strategy

26:54 Navigating Diversity and Inclusion in Changing Times

30:58 Measuring Impact and Progress in Sustainability

33:19 Strategies for Achieving Net Zero by 2050

37:47 Innovative Approaches to Vendor and Travel Management

41:15 Personal Growth and the Journey to Sustainability

45:00 Wrap Up & Thank You

🔗 Resources Mentioned:

• Learn more about ESET’s sustainability efforts: eset.com/about/environment

• Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship: ccc.bc.edu

• How to do your own double materiality assessment: opinionx.co/blog

• Zero Waste Chef — Anne-Marie Bonneau

• Connect with Marissa on LinkedIn

How one animated video helped Springfield pass clean-energy policy—and what it teaches us about moving people and systems.

• Guests: Kathryn Taccone (Open Pixel Studios) and Samantha Hamilton (Public Health Institute of Western Mass).
• Host: Louisa Henry

If you'd like to support the show, please follow, like, and share.

Reach out and join the conversation on Subtack.

Links mentioned in the show:

• LiveWell Springfield
• Community Choice Energy
• Public Health Institute of Western MA
• OpenPixel Studios
• Check out the Animation Video on YouTube
• Local News article about City Council Approval
• Looking to learn from people who have made the switch into climate-specific careers? Check out Climate Swings Podcast.

A compost bin. A bold question. A re-written conference agenda. This special Earth Day episode brings back two past guests—Charlie Sellars and Gabe Dover—and introduces Shruti Chander, showing how small, surprising workplace actions can launch big climate impact.

🎙 New here? Check out our earlier one-on-one conversations with Charlie and Gabe after this episode for a deeper dive into their journeys.

In this episode:

🎯 Chapters:

0:00 Intro

4:30 Start Small (Shruti)

11:20 Ask the Question (Gabe)

18:40 Make the Business Case (Charlie)

24:00 Build Culture & Ripples

31:10 Q&A: Land a role, start where you are

🔗 Show Notes:

• Climate Action Resource Library (CARL)

🎤 Know someone turning their job into climate action? I want to hear from you: [email protected]

What if you could turn your existing career into a climate job — no matter what your title says?

In this inspiring conversation, Charlie Sellars, a sustainability leader at Microsoft and author of What We Can Do, shares how he embedded climate action into his work at Gartner and later at Microsoft.

He reveals how personal branding, customer focus, and small strategic actions helped him drive big change inside global companies — and how you can do it too.

🌎 Key topics:

Mentioned: Gartner: Making An Impact With Sustainability: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQFzFwx1sYE 

➡️ Read Charlie’s book: https://www.charliesellars.com/

➡️ Connect with Charlie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlessellars/

Michael Freedman helped design Amazon’s donation and liquidation programs—keeping millions of products out of landfills.

In this episode of Any Job Can Be a Climate Job, host Louisa Henry sits down with Michael to unpack how he helped reshape how corporate giants think about sustainability—from the inside out.

• The “Four Zeros” framework behind Amazon’s return strategy

• Why donating products was a harder business case than you’d think—and how it still got leadership support

• The difference between a climate job and a climate title

• How any role—yes, even yours—can drive meaningful environmental change

• Stories from inside Amazon’s warehouses and the third-party resale economy

Resources & Mentions:

• Good360 – Amazon’s product donation partner

• Net Impact – nonprofit supporting social + environmental careers

• Michael Freedman on LinkedIn - include a note that you heard him on the podcast

💬 Have a question about your Amazon returns? Drop it in the comments—we’d love to answer or include it in a future episode.
📧 Got a story about making your job a climate job? Email us: [email protected]

Did you know that online ads and data centers have a massive carbon footprint? In this episode of Any Job Can Be a Climate Job, we uncover the hidden environmental impact of the internet—and meet Gabe Dover, a former ad tech employee who asked one simple question that sparked real change.Learn how Gabe went from employee Slack chats to influencing his company's sustainability strategy, and eventually launching Moon Five, a startup making EV charging accessible for renters. 🚗⚡This episode dives into:

• The climate cost of digital advertising and data centers

• How employee action can lead to top-down change

• Turning your day job into a climate job

• What it's really like to build a climate tech company

• Gabe’s unforgettable start as a bike-powered activist (yes, really)

🎧 Don’t miss this story of hope, strategy, and how one person inside the system helped shift it.

🔗 Show Notes🎙 Guest: Gabe Dover📧 [email protected]🌐 ⁠https://www.moonfive.tech/⁠🔗 ⁠Gabe on LinkedIn⁠

Mentions:

• Index Exchange
• Scope3 – Green ad tech
• Project Drawdown: Every Job Can Be a Climate Job
• CARL – Climate Action Resource Library

Learn more: - Web Neutral Project - Decarbonize your carbon footprint- Does your site run on green energy?

Want to get involved?✅ Join a climate Slack group at your job✅ Ask your company about its digital carbon footprint✅ Attend or host a climate week event✅ Support climate tech startups like Moon Five#ClimateJobs #ClimateTech #AdTech #Sustainability #EVCharging #InternetCarbonFootprint #DigitalAdvertising #GreenBusiness #WorkplaceClimateAction

Inside Shedd Aquarium’s Conservation Efforts

Ever wonder how aquariums help protect wildlife and ecosystems? Whether you work with animals, love visiting aquariums, or are just curious about conservation, this episode will change how you see these institutions.

Join us as we talk with Jaclyn Wegner, Senior Director of Conservation Action at Shedd Aquarium, about how aquariums are going beyond exhibits to lead real-world conservation efforts. From restoring urban waterways to partnering with restaurants to cut plastic waste, Shedd is proving that even in the heart of a city, nature can thrive—and we can help.

In this episode, you’ll learn:🌿 How Shedd Aquarium is bringing wildlife back to the Chicago River🐟 Why zoos and aquariums are key players in fighting climate change🚣 How a kayak trip through the city can shift your perspective on conservation🍽️ How restaurants, coffee shops, and even aquarium gift shops are reducing plastic waste💡 How you can integrate conservation into your own career—no matter what you do

This episode is for animal lovers, educators, aquarium enthusiasts, and anyone looking to take climate action in their work.

🔗 Links & Resources:

• Learn more about Shedd Aquarium’s Conservation Programs

• Find out if your local aquarium or zoo is certified by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums 

• Host your own Climate Café

• Read What If We Get It Right? by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson

• Connect with us: [email protected] 

👉 If you enjoyed this episode, leave us a review and share it with a friend! Any job can be a climate job—what’s your story?

This episode of Any Job Can Be A Climate Job was produced by Louisa Henry. Original music by Run Riot Run.

Think running a restaurant is all about hustle, stress, and razor-thin margins? Think again.

Meet Lumi Gardner, the visionary owner of Fuki Sushi, a third-generation restaurant flipping the script on food service. In an industry notorious for burnout and high turnover, Lumi is proving that climate-conscious practices aren’t just good for the planet—they can transform how we do business.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone in the food industry, from chefs to servers and even customers who want to make more sustainable dining choices. Lumi shares the secrets behind her success, from sourcing responsibly to creating a thriving workplace culture.

Discover how one restaurant is redefining the rules—and inspiring a new way forward for food service.

Mentioned: 

Fuki Sushi restaurant 

Restaurant Technologies - Automated cooking oil management 

Santa Clara County Food Recovery Program feature on Lumi

Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch - the leading source of science-based information for sustainable seafood

Restaurants looking for advice from Lumi can email us, and we’ll connect you. 

Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Want to share your story? Email us at [email protected]

This episode of Any Job Can Be A Climate Job was produced by Louisa Henry. Original music by Run Riot Run.

What if every job could be a climate job?


Small actions at work—like better choices in policy, supply chains, or purchasing—could create massive change. Imagine the ripple effect across industries and countries.

This is about sharing stories of people making a difference from their desks, showing what works, and inspiring others to act. Together, we can turn everyday work into a force for good.

Let’s do this. Any job can be a climate job.