In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we chat with Rob Alexander, CEO of AlumaPower, about a new way to generate clean, on-demand electricity using recycled aluminum. AlumaPower’s galvanic aluminum-air generator releases the energy already contained within aluminum through a chemical reaction with air and water — producing zero-emission power at the point of use and a reusable byproduct. We discuss how the company overcame the chemistry hurdles that held back aluminum-air systems for decades, the path to commercialization, and why aluminum could emerge as a global, circular energy carrier.

Key Points:

• Recycled aluminum as fuel – The system extracts stored energy from low-purity scrap aluminum, avoiding landfill and turning waste metal into a clean power source.
• Backup power focus – Early deployments target data centers and other critical infrastructure where reliability, quiet operation, and reduced emissions replace diesel generators.
• Modular scalability – Each cell generates 150 watts, stacking into containerized systems for megawatt-scale power; commercial launch planned for 2026.
• Rob Alexander, CEO of AlumaPower Corporation, LinkedIn
• Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
• LinkedIn
• Episode #99 – Beyond Lithium: How Air, Water, and Rock Could Power the Grid with Hydrostor

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In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we talk with Micah Truman, founder of a Seattle-based terramation facility called Return Home, about a new approach to human composting that uses the body’s own microbes — with no added heat or forced air — to naturally return a person to soil in about nine weeks. We explore how this process differs from cremation and burial, what families experience when they participate, the alternative method’s environmental benefits, and how rethinking death care can restore a sense of connection, continuity, and compassion. The conversation spans the science of decomposition, the emotional power of returning to the earth, and the growing movement to legalize human composting across the U.S.

Key Points:

• How teramation works – Bodies are placed on alfalfa, straw, and sawdust; microbes do the work with gentle airflow and no external energy; soft tissue transforms in 4–5 weeks, and bones complete the cycle by week nine.
• A connected goodbye – Families can decorate vessels, add letters or flowers, and, when safe, help cover their loved one with organics — restoring personal involvement to end-of-life rituals.
• Environmental and human benefits – Avoids cremation’s high energy use and toxic byproducts; no embalming chemicals; bodies can be shipped on ice without embalming.
• Micah Truman, Founder and CEO of Return Home, LinkedIn
• Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability, LinkedIn

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Greenlane, Ampion, Tigo, USBI, 247 Solar

In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we chat with Dr. Jehan Kanga, CEO and founder of Rux Energy, an Australia-based company developing advanced nanoporous materials to make hydrogen storage safer, denser, and up to ten times cheaper. While green hydrogen holds enormous promise for decarbonizing heavy transport, maritime, and construction sectors, storing and transporting it efficiently remains a major challenge. Rux Energy’s breakthrough lies in its metal–organic framework (MOF) technology — porous, tunable materials that can hold hydrogen at lower pressures and higher densities, dramatically reducing cost and improving safety. The conversation explores how this innovation could unlock affordable hydrogen logistics, the company’s upcoming maritime trials in the UK, and what the next decade holds for green hydrogen’s path to parity with fossil fuels.

Key Points:

• Hydrogen’s cost barrier – Current storage and distribution systems add $15–$25 per kg to hydrogen’s price, keeping it far from cost parity with diesel.
• Nanoporous innovation – Rux Energy’s MOF-based materials store hydrogen more densely at lower pressure, cutting storage costs by 10× while improving safety and scalability.
• Grid-independent potential – The same modules could power mobile EV charging hubs, construction sites, and remote operations without grid connections.
• Dr. Jehan Kanga, CEO and Founder of Rux Energy, LinkedIn
• Luis de Leon, Earthlings 2.0 Guest Host, Sr. Public Relations Account Executive at Technica Communications

🚀 Calling all Earthlings…  

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In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we speak with Mark Verhagen, CEO and co-founder of Renewable Iron Fuel Technologies (RIFT), a company turning rust into a clean heat source for heavy industry. You see, industrial heat, from cement kilns to steel plants, accounts for roughly 20% of global emissions, yet most facilities can’t electrify or switch to hydrogen because of grid and infrastructure limits. RIFT’s answer? Burn iron powder instead of fossil fuels, then recycle the “ash” (iron oxide) back into reusable fuel. We unpack how this closed-loop system works, the company’s 1 MW demo plant in the Netherlands, lessons learned as they scale, and why a grid-independent fuel could be the missing piece for decarbonizing the world’s hardest-to-abate sectors.

Key Points:

• Industrial heat’s blind spot – Roughly 80% of industrial sites can’t electrify or adopt hydrogen today due to grid and infrastructure constraints.
• Iron fuel explained – Iron powder burns like coal dust, generating up to 2,000 °C heat with zero CO₂ and ultra-low NOₓ/SOₓ emissions.
• Circular chemistry – The by-product iron oxide is reduced back into metallic iron using hydrogen, creating a closed, recyclable fuel loop.

• Mark Verhagen, CEO and co-founder of RIFT
• LinkedIn
• YouTube
• Luis de Leon, Earthlings 2.0 Guest Host, Sr. Public Relations Account Executive at Technica Communications

🚀 Calling all Earthlings…  

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In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we speak with Eric Law, CEO and Co-founder of Urban Machine, about how robotics and AI are transforming one of construction’s dirtiest secrets — wood waste. Every year, the U.S. generates over 37 million tons of discarded lumber, most of which ends up burned or buried. Urban Machine’s automated system, fittingly named The Machine, scans, “cooks,” and removes metal fasteners from used lumber, turning what was once landfill-bound debris into reusable, high-value wood. The conversation explores the evolution of this technology, the economics of competing with virgin lumber, new building-code pathways for reclaimed materials, and how scaling local reuse could reshape construction’s carbon footprint.

Key Points:

• The scale of waste is staggering – Each year, construction and demolition sites across the U.S. generate more than 600 million tons of debris — twice the amount of household waste. As demand for low-carbon building materials grows, this overlooked waste stream represents one of the construction industry’s largest untapped sustainability opportunities.
• Automation unlocks circularity – Until recently, reclaiming wood at scale was slow, expensive, and labor-intensive. Urban Machine changes that equation with a robotic system that uses AI-driven computer vision to identify and remove fasteners, nails, screws, and staples at industrial speed. 
• Sustainability benefits multiply – Every board that’s reused instead of discarded extends carbon storage, reduces deforestation, and cuts the emissions tied to manufacturing and long-distance transport of virgin lumber. Because Urban Machine’s model relies on local sourcing and processing, it also minimizes trucking miles and landfill methane emissions, while supporting regional supply chains. 

• Eric Law, CEO and Co-Founder of Urban Machine, LinkedIn
• Luis de Leon, Earthlings 2.0 Guest Host, Sr. Public Relations Account Executive at Technica Communications

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In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we talk with Vasishta Kalinadhabhotla and Akshith Ramadugu, co-founders of the Boring Report — an app that strips sensationalism from the news and delivers concise, neutral summaries. We dig into why doom-driven headlines push audiences away, how their automated pipeline clusters “trending” events across multiple outlets, and the prompt-engineering they use to emphasize widely corroborated facts. The conversation covers their nonprofit approach, reader feedback loops, product roadmap, and their aim to act as a bridge that helps people re-engage with credible reporting — without the emotional hangover.

Key Points:

• Why neutral news matters – Sensational, repetitive coverage drives disengagement; neutral summaries help people stay informed without burnout.
• How it works – Crawlers cluster stories multiple outlets are covering; AI “borifies” them into a single, fact-focused summary, citing sources.
• Fully automated pipeline – From detecting trends to generating summaries, the system runs continuously with human feedback guiding prompt refinements.

• Vasishta Kalinadhabhotla, Co-Founder of the Boring Report, LinkedIn
• Akshith Ramadugu, Co-Founder of the Boring Report, LinkedIn

• Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
• LinkedIn
• Poynter Institute episode

In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we speak with Alan White, Global Head of Siemens Smart Infrastructure’s Emerging Transportation Platforms, about Depot360 — Siemens’ all-in-one fleet electrification solution. As more companies electrify their fleets, operators face mounting challenges: ensuring vehicles are charged and ready, managing energy costs, and keeping chargers online. Depot360 blends AI-driven optimization with 24/7 human support to reduce risk, lower total cost of ownership, and simplify the path from electric fleets to intelligently managed operations. The conversation explores real-world deployments, the importance of combining predictive software with human oversight, and how policy differences across markets are shaping the pace of adoption.

Key Points:

• Depot complexity is rising – Fleet managers must juggle energy costs, charger uptime, and route demands, making post-installation operations as critical as charger deployment.
• Depot360 offers full-stack support – The solution combines AI predictions with a human network operations center to cut downtime and optimize charging schedules.
• Savings are tangible – Deployments have shown energy cost reductions of up to 40% while protecting critical uptime for buses, trucks, and delivery fleets.

• Alan White, global head of the Siemens Smart Infrastructure’s incubator Emerging Transportation Platforms, Depot360, LinkedIn
• Luis de Leon, Earthlings 2.0 Guest Host, Sr. Public Relations Account Executive at Technica Communications

🚀 Calling all Earthlings…  

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In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we sit down with Bill Clark, former CEO and President of the Demex Group, to explore how climate change is reshaping the insurance industry. As extreme weather events grow more frequent and unpredictable, traditional insurance models are struggling to keep up with the scale and type of risks they must cover. Bill shares how Demex is creating new ways to assess and price risk, particularly around secondary perils like severe storms, floods, and wildfires — events that don’t always make headlines but drive significant losses. The conversation also unpacks the critical role of reinsurance in spreading risk, the slow pace of industry adoption of new models, and why advanced data modeling is key to building financial resilience in a warming world.

Key Points:

• Traditional insurance models are struggling – Historic methods of pricing risk can’t keep pace with the rising frequency and intensity of extreme weather.
• Secondary perils are becoming costly – Events like floods, hail, and wildfires may not grab headlines, but their growing frequency is straining insurers’ balance sheets.
• Data modeling drives resilience – Advanced modeling can help insurers anticipate future losses and build fairer, more sustainable pricing structures.
• Bill Clark, Advisory Board Member, former CEO and President of the Demex Group, LinkedIn
• Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability, LinkedIn

🚀 Calling all Earthlings…  

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In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we chat with Steven Vassiloudis, founder & CEO of Novalith Technologies, about a simpler “direct-to-chemical” route that turns spodumene ore into battery-grade lithium carbonate using water and CO₂—skipping the sulfuric-acid roast and many downstream cleanup steps. The result aims to cut costs, slash emissions, and build refining capacity across the globe. Steven discusses Novalith’s pilot plant operating in Sydney and how the company is preparing a U.S. demonstration refinery to help onshore supply for EVs and (increasingly) large-scale energy storage.

Key Points:

• Traditional refining is broken – Today’s hard-rock lithium refining depends on acid roasting and complex conversion steps, which drive up costs, energy use, and waste.
• Novalith offers a new path – Their process uses water and CO₂ to directly produce lithium carbonate, eliminating the need for hazardous acids and multiple intermediate steps.
• The environmental benefits have great potential – The approach cuts carbon emissions by about 50% compared to conventional methods, and up to 75% when powered by renewable energy.

• Steven Vassiloudis, founder & CEO of Novalith Technologies, LinkedIn
• Luis de Leon, Earthlings 2.0 Guest Host, Sr. Public Relations Account Executive at Technica Communications

🚀 Calling all Earthlings…  

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Greenlane, Ampion, Tigo, USBI, 247 Solar

In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we sit down with clean energy visionary Jigar Shah, former director of the Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office, to imagine how we’d build the U.S. grid if we started fresh today. Instead of patching 100-year-old infrastructure, what if we designed around the tools of now — microgrids, distributed energy resources, and vehicle-to-grid (V2G) integration? In this episode, we explore interconnection bottlenecks, the path to V2G readiness, and how data centers might actually stabilize the grid rather than strain it. The conversation points toward a future of abundant, affordable electricity powering human flourishing.

Key Points:

• Local First – Microgrids that connect regionally create resilience, cost control, and a diversified mix where no resource dominates.
• Flexibility Over Peakers – Distributed batteries, V2G, and flexible demand can replace expensive peaker plants and defer costly upgrades.
• Data Center Dividend – With co-investment in storage, data centers can stabilize the grid and lower bills while apps and incentives make participation effortless.

• Jigar Shah, former director of the Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office, LinkedIn

Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability, LinkedIn

🚀 Calling all Earthlings…  

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Greenlane, Ampion, Tigo, USBI, 247 Solar

Q3 Tigo Pre-Roll