Darts in the Dark

Working at the intersection of branding, design, and sustainability my day-to-day work allows me to meet, connect and get to know some of the most talented, creative, and inspiring folks out there on the front lines of climate action and communication. 

Today on the podcast, is Marc O’Brien. Who in my opinion exemplifies all of those things.

Marc is co-founder of Climate Designers.org, which is a global community of designers (and design adjacent creatives) across every industry who are committed to using their skills for climate action. He’s a Designer, a Strategist, as well as an instructor teaching climate design at California College of the Arts in San Francisco and is continually hell-bent on using design and design thinking to take on climate change and inspire action.
 
 I hope you enjoy my conversation with Marc O’Brien.
~Casey Hogue

Get in touch with Marc O'Brien:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcmobrien/
https://www.marcobrien.net/


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Please reach out to us via email for feedback, suggestions for future topics, or guest recommendations. [email protected]

Darts in the Dark Host:
Casey Hogue is the Founder and Executive Creative Director of Serotonin Creative Consultancy. Serotonin is a Creative Brand-Building, Content Creation, and Social Impact Consultancy that builds and amplifies the impact of purpose-driven brands and organizations in the public and private sectors.

Connect with Casey:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/caseyhogue/
[email protected]

Darts in the Dark is produced by Serotonin Creative Consultancy
2025 all rights reserved

This episode of Darts in the Dark is sponsored by SF Climate Week
https://www.sfclimateweek.org/

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As a seasoned marketer having worked on several brands over the last 15 years, Kalyani Menon has transitioned across the blurring lines of traditional and digital marketing.  A brand purist at her core, Kalyani works with startups as they form, grow, and scale.

Kalyani Menon
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kalyanimenon/

Sealed:
https://www.sealed.com/

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Please reach out to us via email for feedback, suggestions for future topics, or guest recommendations. [email protected]

Darts in the Dark Host:
Casey Hogue is the Founder and Executive Creative Director of Serotonin Creative Consultancy. Serotonin is a Creative Brand-Building, Content Creation, and Social Impact Consultancy that builds and amplifies the impact of purpose-driven brands and organizations in the public and private sectors.

Connect with Casey:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/caseyhogue/
[email protected]

Darts in the Dark is produced by Serotonin Creative Consultancy
2025 all rights reserved

Thomas Schumann Capital:
https://www.thomasschumann.com/

Thomas Schumann:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasdmschumann/

Topics we covered

[:28] UN SDG #6: Water Security/Stewardship

[1:18] Thomas’s journey to water

[4:18] Project Greenland overview

[12:48] The global implications of the water crisis beyond drinking water

[15:09] Energy implications of water scarcity

[16:42] Solutions: Awareness & Consciousness

[17:58] Less is more

[20:26] Life Guards project overview

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Please reach out to us via email for feedback, suggestions for future topics, or guest recommendations. [email protected]

Darts in the Dark Host:
Casey Hogue is the Founder and Executive Creative Director of Serotonin Creative Consultancy. Serotonin is a Creative Brand-Building, Content Creation, and Social Impact Consultancy that builds and amplifies the impact of purpose-driven brands and organizations in the public and private sectors.

Connect with Casey:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/caseyhogue/
[email protected]

Darts in the Dark is produced by Serotonin Creative Consultancy
2025 all rights reserved

Climate and Capital Connect:
The world's first professional networking platform for climate action
https://www.climateconnect.club/

David Garrison:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidgarrison/

Topics we covered
[2:16] experience in Networking on the platform
[3:50] Background leading up to creating the platform
[6:35] How Climate and Capital Connect was created
[7:35] The type of networking that happens on the platform
[8:35] Making meaningful connections to drive innovation 
[8:58] The role of empathy in networking
[13:17] Enterprise applications
[16:00] How the platform works
[20:28] Casey’s experience on the platform
[21:46] What makes for meaningful connections
[22:48] Curious generosity
[26:00] The future of Climate and Capital Connect
[32:57] Hidden benefits

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Please reach out to us via email for feedback, suggestions for future topics, or guest recommendations. [email protected]

Darts in the Dark Host:
Casey Hogue is the Founder and Executive Creative Director of Serotonin Creative Consultancy. Serotonin is a Creative Brand-Building, Content Creation, and Social Impact Consultancy that builds and amplifies the impact of purpose-driven brands and organizations in the public and private sectors.

Connect with Casey:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/caseyhogue/
[email protected]

Darts in the Dark is produced by Serotonin Creative Consultancy
2025 all rights reserved

As water demand increases and sea levels rise, desalination becomes a more sought-after solution to provide clean water to coastal communities, Less than 2% of the earth’s water is fresh water and accessible for us to use. Current clean water demand is already high and continues to increase, while freshwater sources are dwindling. 

The process of desalination increases our water supply by converting seawater to fresh water, but it produces a saline solution, called brine, three times saltier than the ocean threatens sea life, and can contribute to more carbon emissions.  Key minerals used to expand agriculture and industry exist in those brine waste streams but are currently being under-utilized and thrown back into the ocean.

Our guest for this episode is Lacey Reddix and her company Olokun Minerals seeks to solve global clean water security by sustainably harvesting those ocean minerals from desalination brine to create a renewable source of power and provide key compounds for the supply chains of the future.

Olokun Minerals:
 https://www.olokunminerals.com/

Lacey Reddix:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lacey-reddix-7b53b540/

Topics we covered
[:50] What Olokun Minerals has been up to
[3:05] What are the sources of water?
[5:10] Meaning of Olokun
[7:10] Lacey’s background and path to founding the company
[12:20] The Urban Future Lab prize
[13:50] Business Resources
[15:11] Who are their customers?
[17:33] Work-life balance
[18:15] Personal Branding (SERO)
[20:34] Shifting the narrative on climate
[23:20] Looking ahead to the future

____________________________
Please reach out to us via email for feedback, suggestions for future topics, or guest recommendations. [email protected]

Darts in the Dark Host:
Casey Hogue is the Founder and Executive Creative Director of Serotonin Creative Consultancy. Serotonin is a Creative Brand-Building, Content Creation, and Social Impact Consultancy that builds and amplifies the impact of purpose-driven brands and organizations in the public and private sectors.

Connect with Casey:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/caseyhogue/
[email protected]

Darts in the Dark is produced by Serotonin Creative Consultancy
2025 all rights reserved

Started in 2020 as a sort of Lincoln Project for the Climate Crisis The Climate Ad Project is a small team of creative writers, designers, videographers, and scientists working together to create content and activate as many of us as possible to take action. 

The team is made up of scrappy, smart, and downright funny people including Peter Kalmus, Aaron Hagey-MacKay, Harold Moss, Brian Emerson, and Sarah Harrison.

Recently we caught up with Aaron who is a copywriter and former editor for The Beaverton,  which is like the Canadian version of The Onion.

Aaron’s main goal with the Climate Ad Project is to craft compelling stories to spur action and raise awareness, whether that’s through primal emotions or sardonic humor.

Together they’re Producing and promoting some truly funny and poignant content shedding light on some pretty grim topics in the hopes to spark action and raise awareness.

We hope you enjoy our conversation with Aaron Hagey-MacKay.

Climate Ad Project:
https://climateadproject.org/
https://www.instagram.com/climateadproject/

Aaron Hagey-MacKay
Tiktok:
 https://www.tiktok.com/@aaronh_m

LinkedIn:
 https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-hagey-mackay-8421a442/

Twitter:
@aaronhm

Topics we covered

[:50] What is the Climate Ad Project?
[2:49] What is Climate Anxiety?
[4:37] Belief VS Understanding
[8:28] Carbon Offsets
[13:00] Shifting the Climate Narrative
[14:50] What is the role of advertising in climate change?
[15:53] Clean Creatives
[18:00] Voting with your talent
[19:00] Du Maurier & the Just for Laughs Festival
[20:00] Thinking in Systems:  Donella H. Meadows
[21:24] Peter Kalmus
[26:16] Donut Economics
[27:42] Star Wars VS Star Trek

Task of Cosmic Importance:
https://climateadproject.org/task-of-cosmic-importance/

Aaron’s Reading List:

Merchants of Doubt: Naomi Oreskes & Erik Conway
Doughnut Economics: Kate Raworth
Thinking in Systems: Donella Meadows
Braiding Sweetgrass: Robin Wall Kimmerer
Ishmael: Daniel Quinn 
Demon-Haunted World: Carl Sagan
Capital and Ideology: Thomas Piketty
The Ministry of the Future: Kim Stanley Robinson
Homo Deus: Yuval Noah Harari
Don't Think of an Elephant: George Lakoff

____________________________
Please reach out to us via email for feedback, suggestions for future topics, or guest recommendations. [email protected]

Darts in the Dark Host:
Casey Hogue is the Founder and Executive Creative Director of Serotonin Creative Consultancy. Serotonin is a Creative Brand-Building, Content Creation, and Social Impact Consultancy that builds and amplifies the impact of purpose-driven brands and organizations in the public and private sectors.

Connect with Casey:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/caseyhogue/
[email protected]

Darts in the Dark is produced by Serotonin Creative Consultancy
2025 all rights reserved

Recently we had the honor to join forces with Marc O'Brien from Climate designers.org and Capitol Creative Alliance for a talk on Design Solutions for Climate Change at Design Week Sacramento.

Marc O’Brien
https://www.marcobrien.net/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcmobrien/

ClimateDesigners.org
https://www.climatedesigners.org/

Design Week Sacramento
https://www.designweeksac.com/

Capitol Creative Alliance
https://www.capitolcreativealliance.org/

 Topics we covered

[:50] What is design, and why is it important to address the climate crisis?

[4:58] How does design show up in our lives?

[7:40] How can designers show up in taking climate action?

[12:50] Ayana Elizabeth Johnson on how you – specifically you – can help with climate solutions: Climate Venn Diagram

[16:18] Nature-inspired design in fashion

[19:00] Speaking up in the workplace

[20:05] Voting with your dollar

[24:50] How to have influence with your clients

[29:30] How to lean fully into sustainability in your business

[35:25] Creative Climate resources: 2040, Kiss the Ground, Seeding Change, the Story of Stuff, The Breakdown, earthrise, Pique Action, Century of the Self, Exterminate all the Brutes, Shepard Fairy, Banksy, Culture Jamming, Brandalism, Climate Town, Climate Base, Clean Creatives, climatedesigners.org, Serotonin Creative Consultancy.

[43:50] How to get into creative firms/orgs as a student/recent grad

Thank you to Amanda Sebastiani for being a great host and Amanda Sanchez for the gracious invitation.

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Please reach out to us via email for feedback, suggestions for future topics, or guest recommendations. [email protected]

Darts in the Dark Host:
Casey Hogue is the Founder and Executive Creative Director of Serotonin Creative Consultancy. Serotonin is a Creative Brand-Building, Content Creation, and Social Impact Consultancy that builds and amplifies the impact of purpose-driven brands and organizations in the public and private sectors.

Connect with Casey:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/caseyhogue/
[email protected]

Darts in the Dark is produced by Serotonin Creative Consultancy
2025 all rights reserved

Lauren Murray
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-murray-kettle-129605a1/

Lauren is the Pyrolyzer Front-End Lead Engineer at Charm Industrial working to bring the atmosphere back to 280ppm CO2 and reverse the damaging effects of climate change through the development of a carbon-negative pyrolysis process. 

Charm Industrial
https://charmindustrial.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/charm-industrial/
https://www.instagram.com/charmindustrial/?hl=en

Charm Industrial is working to return the atmosphere to 280 ppm CO₂. They design, build and operate a fleet of mobile fast pyrolyzers that convert ag and forest biomass residues into bio-oil for use in carbon removal and direct-reduced-iron steelmaking.

Charm uses plants to capture CO₂ from the atmosphere. They convert biomass into a stable, carbon-rich liquid and then pump it deep underground. This removes CO₂ permanently from the atmosphere, out of reach of wildfires, soil erosion, and land use change.

Topics we covered

[1:20] Lauren’s Path to Charm Industrial

[2:50] Goal to 280 ppm

[3:25] Having fun in clean-tech

[5:50] The two sides of the business: Carbon removal & Emissions reduction

[10:55] Early challenges and opportunities

[13:08] Who are their customers?

[14:50] How individuals and companies can work with Charm

[16:07] Being part of an early-stage start-up

[18:55] The importance of mentorship

[20:06] The culture at Charm

[21:33] The future of Charm

[23:15] Turning problems into solutions

[25:30] What keeps Lauren hopeful for the future

[27:00] Where does the name Charm come from?

[27:35] How to get involved


____________________________
Please reach out to us via email for feedback, suggestions for future topics, or guest recommendations. [email protected]

Darts in the Dark Host:
Casey Hogue is the Founder and Executive Creative Director of Serotonin Creative Consultancy. Serotonin is a Creative Brand-Building, Content Creation, and Social Impact Consultancy that builds and amplifies the impact of purpose-driven brands and organizations in the public and private sectors.

Connect with Casey:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/caseyhogue/
[email protected]

Darts in the Dark is produced by Serotonin Creative Consultancy
2025 all rights reserved

Andy Behar leads As You Sow, a nonprofit organization, based in Oakland, CA, dedicated to corporate accountability and increased environmental and social change through corporate engagement, shareholder advocacy, and innovative legal strategies. They are focused on climate change, sustainability, human rights, and environmental health; engaging companies including ExxonMobil, Chevron, Southern, FirstEnergy, Duke, Dow, DuPont, Monsanto, HP, Dell, Apple, Proctor & Gamble, Coca-Cola, Starbucks, and many others. He is a board member of the US Social Investing Forum (US-SIF) and was named one of 30 “Eco Rock Stars and Environmental Mavericks” in Origin Magazine, in August 2015.

As You Sow is a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing corporate environmental and social responsibility. Founded in 1992, As You Sow envisions a safe, just, and sustainable world in which environmental health and human rights are central to corporate decision-making. Its Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Enforcement programs engage in corporate dialogue, shareholder advocacy, grant-making, and innovative legal strategies to effect positive, industry-wide change.

Links:
www.asyousow.org
https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewbehar/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/as-you-sow/


Topics we covered
[:60] What spurred the beginning of As You Sow 30 years ago (Tom Van Dyck)
[2:34] Toxic compounds in chocolate
[4:30] Andys background and career path
[9:09] As You Sow's mission and research
[11:07] Shareholder power
[12:10] Make sure your investments align with your values
[12:37] The extractive economy
[12:15] investyourvalues.org
[14:08] Conscious consumerism
[17:50] Dispersion of goods and services
[18:47] The Business Roundtable: New purpose of a corporation
[19:07] 4th industrial age
[20:50] Shifting the narrative
[22:18] Action toolkit
[24:26] What’s it like being an Eco-Rockstar?
[25:30] Excitement for the future
[27:56] Best way to engage

____________________________
Please reach out to us via email for feedback, suggestions for future topics, or guest recommendations. [email protected]

Darts in the Dark Host:
Casey Hogue is the Founder and Executive Creative Director of Serotonin Creative Consultancy. Serotonin is a Creative Brand-Building, Content Creation, and Social Impact Consultancy that builds and amplifies the impact of purpose-driven brands and organizations in the public and private sectors.

Connect with Casey:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/caseyhogue/
[email protected]

Darts in the Dark is produced by Serotonin Creative Consultancy
2025 all rights reserved

Manuela Zoninsein is an entrepreneur, and founder of 3 companies, and is on a mission to eradicate single-use plastics with her latest endeavor named Kadeya.

As a Brazilian-American fluent in Mandarin-Chinese, Spanish, and Portuguese, she takes a global and inclusive view in everything she does. 

Her company Kadeya is disrupting unsustainable supply chains by building an interlinked circular network where materials are infinitely reused. It is a closed-loop water vending service powered by digitally-connected reusable water bottles and mini bottling stations. They deliver convenient, quality, low-cost water that reduces carbon footprints and digitizes water consumption for users. 

Connect with Manuela and Kadeya:
https://kadeya.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/kdy/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/manuelaz/
[email protected]
https://twitter.com/ManuelasWeb

Topics we covered
[:60] Week in the life of a founder
[2:53] Background and upbringing
[5:50] Traveling to China
[7:45] Writing for Newsweek in Bejing
[10:48] Starting a business in China
[14:02] Breaking down barriers
[15:45] Naming Kadeya
[20:35] Relationship building through brand name
[23:35] Solving single-use plastic waste
[26:00] Potential for the Kadeya stations
[30:00] Solving for CPG distribution
[32:00] The future of packaging
[36:18] Digitizing hydration

____________________________
Please reach out to us via email for feedback, suggestions for future topics, or guest recommendations. [email protected]

Darts in the Dark Host:
Casey Hogue is the Founder and Executive Creative Director of Serotonin Creative Consultancy. Serotonin is a Creative Brand-Building, Content Creation, and Social Impact Consultancy that builds and amplifies the impact of purpose-driven brands and organizations in the public and private sectors.

Connect with Casey:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/caseyhogue/
[email protected]

Darts in the Dark is produced by Serotonin Creative Consultancy
2025 all rights reserved