Earth+30

Jeff Gracer is an Environmental lawyer, former head of the Environment Committee of the NY Bar Association and co-Founder of the New York City Climate Action Alliance. Not only does Jeff know a lot about the environment and our laws, but he knows how the system works and understands that we have all the tools we need to make a major dent in the threat to climate change. His analysis is solid, interesting, and compelling. After our conversation I now understand that current efforts, with a bit of help, can have a huge impact on the greater NY area. The most interesting part of me is that this is a model that can not only transfer to many other cities in the country, and world, but also scale significantly beyond a metropolitan level. I hope you find our conversation as interesting as I did.

The problems related to water extend far beyond rising sea levels. Marc Robert, COO of Water Asset Management and President of the Board of Trustees of the non-profit, Water Aid America, talks with me about clean water, access, infrastructure, water politics, finances and a host of other issues most of us seldom consider about our future world and water.

Dr. Jo Child runs an ER unit in a hospital in Santé Fe, New Mexico. He was a Philosophy major in college and is exceedingly well read in sociology, psychology and literature. He is a good friend and former neighbor of Mike Doolittle, who I interviewed on a previous podcast about Education and Sports in our Colleges, and he is the first cousin of my girlfriend, which was an incredible coincidence. Visiting us last fall with his family, Jo and I had a fascinating conversation about politics, biology, sociology, philosophy, and a host of other labels that you could throw in, all over a wonderful dinner. I thought he would provide an extremely interesting subject for a podcast. I caught up with him on evening while he was on vacation while he was sitting on a veranda at a resort in Nicaragua. He certainly opened my eyes to new perspectives, I hope he does the same for you. Please join our conversation.

Tom Strumolo has been at the forefront of Energy conservation for longer than almost anyone thought about shortages, the environment, pollution and pricing models. He developed processes and models that we take for granted today. Though Tom works in what many now consider an "Old School" energy sector, his understanding of issues and potential solutions could significantly impact our lives through cost savings and more efficient use of resources.

Occasionally one meets a person, or discovers an organization that makes you see the world a little differently. Jill Kubit, and Dear Tomorrow, which she co-founded, fall into that category. To Jill, the future is about your family, your friends and children. She wants to ensure all the people dear to her heart have an opportunity to live in a healthy, happy, and beautiful world. Who does not want that? Whether rich or poor, left or right, we all have something to learn from her message. Give a listen.

Steph Speirs co-founded Solstice, a company providing more Americans the opportunity to take advantage of clean solar energy. Did you know that in order to take advantage of solar power you have to have a FICO score of 650? Why is that? What are we doing about that? Once again we see ways that the status quo is reinforcing entrenched businesses and preventing many people from taking advantage of new, clean energy. Steph tells an interesting story, describing the current solar industry and the problems it faces to build a more sustainable future. Give a listen.

Little did I know that we are quickly destroying our earth. In this case I am not referring to the planet, but our Earth’s earth, the soil. Hilary Noonan, Yale grad, with a Masters from Kansas State University in Landscape Architecture has become something of an expert in soil. She takes me on an eye opening tour of our country and world, exploring how and why we are literally killing the soil that feeds us. It is a fascinating story, one whose lessons we should all learn. If we don’t pay more attention to what we are doing to our soil, we will have much more barren land and much more expensive food on our tables.

Cameron Brown is a man of positive energy, hope and action. He challenges everyone to dream bigger and act on those dreams. DO NOT HOLD BACK. We only live once. Why is this important for Earth +30? Because changing the way the world works today is a challenge unlike any that we have ever faced. If we do not figure out a way to fix the mess that we are creating by our every day actions, we very well could be in deep shit. Cameron is a true inspiration, and we could all use a little of that, don’t you think?

Tim Askew is an accidental entrepreneur. As the founder of Corporate Rain, Tim has helped my Fortune 500 companies and smaller startups, expand their markets and open opportunities for growth. Tim has a varied career which has helped him provide clients with wise consul. He is thoughtful, insightful and generous in ways that are truthful and sometimes unexpected.

This was originally published as part of my previous site, America +30. Join me for an interview with John Grant, environmentalist, Harvard MBA and a long time consultant on Food Waste. A fascinating, compelling and totally engaged individual, John is a real treat for the ears and mind. He sure made me think about things bigger. Please join me, he might do the same for you.