Crowdsourcing Sustainability

In line with Crowdsourcing Sustainability's monthly theme of organizing for climate action in your community, we recently had the pleasure of interviewing Jessyn Farrell!

Jessyn brings a unique and helpful perspective to community climate action as she has been involved with it from several different angles - first as an advocate, directing a transportation-focused nonprofit, then as a lawmaker for the state of Washington’s House of Representatives, and now as the Director of Seattle’s Office of Environment and Sustainability.

We covered a lot of ground in this interview including:

• The most effective ways for people to influence local politicians.
• How policy actually gets written (for better or worse).
• Advice for anyone running for office.
• The importance of meeting people where they are, listening, and addressing injustices.
• A story about the time she prevented fossil fuel lobbyists from destroying a multi-billion dollar bill by hiding in the bathroom…

Crowdsourcing Sustainability links: 
- Sign up for the Crowdsourcing Sustainability newsletter! https://crowdsourcing-sustainability.ck.page/c34a46ed01 
- Join the Crowdsourcing Sustainability Community! https://crowdsourcingsustainability.community/
- CS Website: https://crowdsourcingsustainability.org 

Crowdsourcing Sustainability is a 501c3 nonprofit. Please consider supporting us so we can keep educating, inspiring, and empowering more people to act on climate where they live and work! https://crowdsourcingsustainability.org/donate 

And a huge thank you to Diego Rentsch as always for editing!!

Support the Show.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit actonclimatenewsletter.substack.com

This episode is thanks to the good people over at Brighter Future who recently reached out to interview me (hi, Ryan here 👋) for their Origin Story series which, in their words, is about "highlighting the path that planet-driven leaders walk on their journey to create a Brighter Future".

So I had the tables turned on me in this one and had a fun convo with Sandra Gouveia!

Figured I’d share it here for those of you who want to hear more about my story and some of the thinking behind Crowdsourcing Sustainability. Hope you enjoy - let me know what you think :)

You can find the lightly edited text version of the interview here.

Crowdsourcing Sustainability links: 
- Sign up for the Crowdsourcing Sustainability newsletter! https://crowdsourcing-sustainability.ck.page/c34a46ed01 
- Join the Crowdsourcing Sustainability Community! https://crowdsourcingsustainability.community/
- CS Website: https://crowdsourcingsustainability.org 

Crowdsourcing Sustainability is a 501c3 nonprofit. Please consider supporting us so we can keep educating, inspiring, and empowering more people to act on climate where they live and work! https://crowdsourcingsustainability.org/donate 

And a huge thank you to Diego Rentsch as always for editing!!

Support the Show.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit actonclimatenewsletter.substack.com

In this panel discussion, we talk about why equity is critical to decarbonization and ways to center it! 

If you'd like to learn more about the panelists and the great work they're doing you can find them/check out their work below:

- Jamal Lewis - Director of Policy Partnerships and Equitable Electrification, Rewiring America
https://www.rewiringamerica.org/about#leadership 
- Johanna Bozuwa - Executive Director of the Climate + Community Project
https://www.climateandcommunity.org/
- Carolina Paes - Geologist & Sustainability and Circular Economy Consultant
https://www.systemiq.earth/paris-effect/
- Dion Richardson - Founder & President of Community Dreams Foundation
https://cdreams.org/


Here are the resources that were discussed and shared throughout the panel:
- EU Corporate Responsibility Reporting: https://finance.ec.europa.eu/capital-markets-union-and-financial-markets/company-reporting-and-auditing/company-reporting/corporate-sustainability-reporting_en
- Climate + Community Project's report on Achieving Zero Emissions with Less Mining: https://www.climateandcommunity.org/more-mobility-less-mining
- Rewiring America's IRA Calculator (figure out how much money you can get to electrify!): https://www.rewiringamerica.org/app/ira-calculator
- Report on coalition-led low-carbon economies in the Amazon: https://www.systemiq.earth/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/The-Amazons-Report.pdf
 

Crowdsourcing Sustainability links: 
- Sign up for the Crowdsourcing Sustainability newsletter! https://crowdsourcing-sustainability.ck.page/c34a46ed01 
- Join the Crowdsourcing Sustainability Community! https://crowdsourcingsustainability.community/
- CS Website: https://crowdsourcingsustainability.org 

Crowdsourcing Sustainability is a 501c3 nonprofit. Please consider supporting us so we can keep educating, inspiring, and empowering more people to act on climate where they live and work! https://crowdsourcingsustainability.org/donate 

And a huge thank you to Diego Rentsch as always for editing!!

Support the Show.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit actonclimatenewsletter.substack.com

In this episode, we cover the ins and outs of sustainable investing and the impact it has with James Regulinski. James is the Co-Founder of Carbon Collective which is helping people to align their investments with solving climate change!

This was a fun one - James has quite the story and brings a refreshing, holistic perspective to investing and why it matters.

As I mentioned at the end of the episode, Carbon Collective can help your company to offer sustainable investment options for you and your co-workers. After this recording, Crowdsourcing Sustainability partnered with Carbon Collective as we're aligned on addressing climate change and getting more people to switch to sustainable investing options. Because of this partnership, if your company ends up making the switch to having Carbon Collective as their advisor (and you let them know that you found them through CS!), our nonprofit will get a referral bonus. We see that as a mission-aligned win win win, and, quite frankly, every little bit helps our scrappy nonprofit!

Relevant Links:

Carbon Collective: https://www.carboncollective.co/
CS Referral link: https://hubs.li/Q01JwLlY0
Fossil Free Funds tool to see your investment's grades: https://fossilfreefunds.org/
Invest Your Values: https://investyourvalues.org/

Lots more on this topic in our latest newsletter which you can always find on our website! https://crowdsourcingsustainability.org 

Additional Crowdsourcing Sustainability links: 
- Sign up for the Crowdsourcing Sustainability newsletter! https://crowdsourcing-sustainability.ck.page/c34a46ed01 
- Join the Crowdsourcing Sustainability Community! https://crowdsourcingsustainability.community/

Crowdsourcing Sustainability is a 501c3 nonprofit. Please consider supporting us so we can keep educating, inspiring, and empowering more people to act on climate where they live and work! https://crowdsourcingsustainability.org/donate 

And a huge thank you to Diego Rentsch as always for editing!!

Support the Show.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit actonclimatenewsletter.substack.com

This episode features an all-star panel we spoke with recently about climate-positive banking and investing, and how you can make sure your money is supporting climate solutions rather than climate collapse. 

We specifically covered: 
- How your and/or your organization's money is currently supporting fossil fuels through the mainstream banking and investing industry.
- What you and your organization can do to change your money's impact, and affect the financial industry overall.
- Why it all matters  - the difference in impact between the status quo and climate-positive financial solutions so you feel clear about why making the switch is so important.

Our panel for this event:
Andrew Behar - CEO of As You Sow
Vanessa Fajans-Turner - Executive Director of BankFWD
Ravi Mikkelsen - Cofounder & CEO of Atmos Bank

Relevant Links!
- Find your banking climate footprint: https://bankfwd.org/toolkit/calculator/
- Questions to ask your bank (for individuals and companies): https://bankfwd.org/questionsforbanks/
- Find out where your 401K is invested: https://investyourvalues.org/
- The Clean 200 - list of the cleanest global public companies to invest in: https://www.asyousow.org/clean200
- Find values-aligned investment funds for issues including climate, weapons, prisons, and gender equity: https://www.asyousow.org/invest-your-values
- Atmos Financial: https://www.joinatmos.com/invite/crowdsourcing-sustainability

Crowdsourcing Sustainability links: 
- Sign up for the Crowdsourcing Sustainability newsletter! https://crowdsourcing-sustainability.ck.page/c34a46ed01 
- Join the Crowdsourcing Sustainability Community! https://crowdsourcingsustainability.community/
- CS Website: https://crowdsourcingsustainability.org 

Crowdsourcing Sustainability is a 501c3 nonprofit. Please consider supporting us so we can keep educating, inspiring, and empowering more people to act on climate where they live and work! https://crowdsourcingsustainability.org/donate 

And a huge thank you to Diego Rentsch as always for editing!!

Support the Show.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit actonclimatenewsletter.substack.com

In this episode, we got to chat with Saul Griffith about what it means to electrify everything, why it matters, and what people like you can do to help electrify your community!

Saul is an inventor, engineer, MacArthur Genius award winner and much much more. He probably knows more about the US's energy system than anyone and helped shape the Inflation Reduction Act with his teammates at  Rewiring America . 

(The graph mentioned can be viewed here! https://youtu.be/TxeD1Y68tLM?t=1627)

Timeline:
0:00 Intro & Saul's climate journey.
7:20 What electrification is and how much more efficient it is than fossil-fueled machines.
15:45 Committed emissions from existing fossil fuel infrastructure would take us to 1.9°C or 2°C.
18:20 IPCC's pathways to 1.5°C over-rely on negative emissions.
21:25 What the mobilization we need right now looks like.
23:35 Electrification is anti-inflationary.
28:25 Community-level activism.
35:30 Our laws were made for a fossil-fueled world. What regulations need to change? What should people invest their time and energy into to change these rules and laws?
42:00 Why we need climate loans.
47:45 Public vs. private infrastructure.
51:20 Final message and call to action!


Relevant Links:
- Rewiring America: https://www.rewiringamerica.org/
- Other Lab: https://www.otherlab.com/
- Diagram of how US Energy flows through society: https://www.otherlab.com/blog-posts/us-energy-flow-super-sankey
- 1 billion machines: https://saulgriffith.medium.com/one-billion-machines-48a7c3cf0694
- Personalized Savings Calculator for the Inflation Reduction Act: https://www.rewiringamerica.org/app/ira-calculator

Crowdsourcing Sustainability links: 
- Sign up for the Crowdsourcing Sustainability newsletter! https://crowdsourcing-sustainability.ck.page/c34a46ed01 
- Join the Crowdsourcing Sustainability Community! https://crowdsourcingsustainability.community/
- CS Website: https://crowdsourcingsustainability.org 

Crowdsourcing Sustainability is a 501c3 nonprofit. Please consider supporting us so we can keep educating, inspiring, and empowering more people to act on climate where they live and work! https://crowdsourcingsustainability.org/donate 

And a huge thank you to Diego Rentsch as always for editing!!

Support the Show.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit actonclimatenewsletter.substack.com

In this episode of the Crowdsourcing Sustainability Podcast, Bill McKibben shares his 30,000-foot view with us on the past, present, and future - How did we get here? Where we are now? And what do we need to invest our time and energy in going forward to co-create the best possible future?

Timeline
0:00 Intro
1:30 Bill's climate story
6:29 Why "the choices we made in those years around 1980 will turn out to be more important than any choices any nation ever made."
12:45 On the "non-trivial chance of civilizational collapse"
17:00 The good news is...
21:20 Bill's theory of change
25:50 Third Act & the important role of people over the age of 60
31:50 On threats to democracy
33:40 Effective organizing
35:40 The role of religious communities and how to shift the zeitgeist
39:40 Final thoughts

Relevant links!
Get Involved with Third Act! https://thirdact.org/get-involved/
Banking on our Future Pledge: https://thirdact.org/act/bank-on-our-future-pledge/
Check out Bill's latest book, "The Flag, the Cross, and the Station Wagon": http://billmckibben.com/the-flag-the-cross-and-the-station-wagon.html


Crowdsourcing Sustainability links:
Sign up for the Crowdsourcing Sustainability newsletter! https://crowdsourcing-sustainability.ck.page/c34a46ed01
Website: https://crowdsourcingsustainability.org

Crowdsourcing Sustainability is a 501c3 nonprofit. Please consider supporting us so we can keep helping to educate and empower more people to act on climate where they live and work! https://crowdsourcingsustainability.org/donate

And a huge thank you to Diego Rentsch for editing!!

Support the Show.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit actonclimatenewsletter.substack.com

In this webinar we were lucky to be joined by Mike Condon and Matt Schuler to walk us through how to go solar! 

Mike and Matt both work at EnergySage which really is second-to-none when it comes to making the solar process easier, more transparent, and much cheaper for homeowners and renters alike in the US thanks to their free online marketplace and free unbiased energy advisors who are there to help you every step of the way.

See if solar is a good fit for you with the EnergySage calculator here and start getting free quotes! https://www.energysage.com/p/crowdsourcingsustainability/ 

Timeline
0:00 Intro
2:45 Where does the residential solar industry stand in the US?
7:15 EnergySage: Mission & what they do to help people
10:54 What it's like using EnergySage's online solar marketplace
19:00 How does someone determine what the right solar option is for them?
23:50 Community solar: what states it's available in & other useful info
30:05 Best practices & key things to consider in going solar
33:00 Vetting solar installers  
36:25 Most common hurdles people face and how to overcome them
39:45 Q&A on energy storage, range of panel options in quotes, solar roofing, do you still get power if grid goes down?, calculating future electricity needed for EVs
52:35 Final thoughts & calls to action


Crowdsourcing Sustainability links:
Sign up for the Crowdsourcing Sustainability newsletter! https://crowdsourcing-sustainability.ck.page/c34a46ed01
Website: https://crowdsourcingsustainability.org

Crowdsourcing Sustainability is a 501c3 nonprofit. Please consider supporting us so we can keep helping to educate and empower more people on climate action! https://crowdsourcingsustainability.org/donate

And a huge thank you to our volunteer, Diego Rentsch for editing!!

Support the Show.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit actonclimatenewsletter.substack.com

For this Crowdsourcing Sustainability webinar, we were joined by Adrienne Greve and Michael Boswell to talk about how to create and implement local climate action plans.

Michael Boswell and Adrienne Greve are Professors of City & Regional Planning at California Polytechnic State University and co-authors of the book: "Climate Action Planning: A Guide to Creating Low-Carbon, Resilient Communities". The book is “intended to be a practical guide, helping readers navigate the principal actions and critical considerations for managing a climate action planning process in their communities.” 

Michael and Adrienne have done climate action work internationally with the United Nations and the World Bank. They've also worked on dozens of climate action plans professionally in California. And they have researched extensively the state of climate action planning in the US, as well as published studies based on that research. 

(You can check out their excellent book here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42480484-climate-action-planning)


Timeline:
0:00 Intro
1:33 Adrienne & Michael’s climate stories
7:05 What is a climate action plan?
10:07 Why they wrote the book & how they collected data from around the world
15:30 Where local climate action planning stands in the US
20:55 Towns and cities that are leading the way around the world
36:55 The most important areas for citizens to focus on (building political will, building partnerships, education, and co-benefits) & messaging that works
48:18 How to get started (local government perspective)
53:50 Common problems and advice to avoid them
58:05 Letting go of guilt and finding joy in the process
1:05:30 Making the economic case for action
1:11:00 How do you get money to do this stuff and allocate it effectively?
1:14:15 Strategies to accelerate implementation and account for real results
1:16:40 Adrienne and Michael's final thoughts

Links from Adrienne:
CA Adaptation Planning Guide: https://www.caloes.ca.gov/HazardMitigationSite/Documents/CA-Adaptation-Planning-Guide-FINAL-June-2020-Accessible.pdf
Georgetown Climate Center: https://www.georgetownclimate.org/
EU taxonomy: https://ec.europa.eu/info/business-economy-euro/banking-and-finance/sustainable-finance/eu-taxonomy-sustainable-activities_en
Resilience Dividend (and Rockefeller): https://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/blog/valuing-resilience-dividend/
ICLEI: https://iclei.org/
City of Portland: https://www.portland.gov/bps/climate-action/history-and-key-documents
World Resources Institute: https://www.wri.org/climate
City of Boulder: https://www.bouldercounty.org/climate-action-2/
City of San Luis Obispo: https://www.slocity.org/government/department-directory/city-administration/sustainability/climate-action-p

Crowdsourcing Sustainability links:
Sign up for the Crowdsourcing Sustainability newsletter! https://crowdsourcing-sustainability.ck.page/c34a46ed01
Website: https://crowdsourcingsustainability.org

Crowdsourcing Sustainability is a 501c3 nonprofit. Please consider investing in us so we can keep helping to educate and empower more people on climate action! https://crowdsourcingsustainability.org/donate

Linktree with other socials: https://linktr.ee/crowdsourcingsustainability

And a huge thank you to our volunteer, Diego Rentsch for editing!!

Support the Show.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit actonclimatenewsletter.substack.com

For this Crowdsourcing Sustainability webinar, we are joined by Luis Aguirre-Torres & Rebecca Evans. 

Luis and Rebecca are in charge of designing and implementing the Ithaca Green New Deal, which focuses on two main areas: city-wide decarbonization by 2030 and climate justice. 

They are taking a unique, innovative approach to getting this done, leveraging public and philanthropic funds to unlock large amounts of private capital to decarbonize the city at low or no cost to citizens. 

Timeline:
0:00 Intros
1:57 Luis & Rebecca's climate stories.
5:00 The story of how Ithaca passed its Green New Deal.
11:28 Where should people getting started focus their time and energy? 
18:30 Vision & goals of Ithaca's GND.
24:50 Roadmap & elevating social capital.
33:20 Determining your community's greenhouse gas emissions inventory.
36:50 What types of organizations are needed for this to succeed?
43:30 The innovative financial model created to fund the initiative.
54:40 What this electrification & retrofitting initiative looks like from your average citizens' perspective.
59:36 What do people need to do/understand to replicate Ithaca's ambition and successes to date?
Q&A Section:
1:04:05 How can the average person get involved?
1:07:12 Challenges/strategies on securing buy-in from city staff.
1:11:14 Cornell's energy tool.
1:13:10 The transportation side of the plan.
1:18:52 Embedded emissions from consumption.
1:21:00 Building retrofit and electrification checklist.
1:22:45 Luis & Rebecca's call to action.

Crowdsourcing Sustainability links:
Sign up for the Crowdsourcing Sustainability newsletter! https://crowdsourcing-sustainability.ck.page/c34a46ed01
Website: https://crowdsourcingsustainability.org
We're a 501c3 nonprofit. Please consider investing in us so we can keep increasing our climate impact! https://crowdsourcingsustainability.org/donate
Linktree with other socials: https://linktr.ee/crowdsourcingsustainability

And a huge thank you to our volunteer, Diego Rentsch for editing!!

Support the Show.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit actonclimatenewsletter.substack.com