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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Greenlane, Ampion, Tigo, USBI, 247 Solar

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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Greenlane, Ampion, Tigo, USBI, 247 Solar

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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Greenlane, Ampion, Tigo, USBI, 247 Solar

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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Q3 Tigo Pre-Roll

In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we chat with Pieter Smit, Head of Global Sales at Wright Energy Storage Technologies (WEST), about how the company is redefining energy storage with supercapacitor-based systems. Unlike lithium-ion, WEST’s electrostatic storage delivers high efficiency, rapid charge cycles, and extreme durability — tested everywhere from Africa to North America With applications spanning homes, data centers, shipping, and utility-scale projects, WEST is positioning supercapacitors as a safer, longer-lasting, and more sustainable path “beyond lithium.”

Key Points:

• Electrostatic Advantage – WEST’s supercapacitors store energy without the fire risks or chemical degradation associated with lithium-ion batteries.
• Built to Last – The systems are designed for up to 45 years of operation and come with a 20-year warranty to ensure reliability.
• Efficiency Edge – With 97% round-trip efficiency, nearly all the energy stored in the system can be recovered and used.

Voices: 

• Pieter Smit, Head of Global Sales at Wright Energy Storage Technologies, 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

In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we sit down with Whit Fulton, founder and Chief Product Officer of ConnectDER, to explore how a simple but powerful innovation, the meter socket adapter, is reshaping residential solar, storage, and EV adoption. By turning the meter socket into a universal plug-in point, ConnectDER removes one of the biggest barriers to home electrification: complex, costly, and time-consuming wiring upgrades. Whit discusses the origins of the idea, the industry’s over-reliance on policy incentives, the persistent challenge of soft costs, and the larger paradigm shift from hardwired to plug-and-play clean energy systems.

Key Points:

• Solar’s Soft Cost Problem – While panels themselves are cheap, permitting, sales, and installation overhead make solar feel like a construction project instead of an appliance purchase.
• The Plug-In Breakthrough – ConnectDER’s meter socket adapter lets homeowners plug solar, EV chargers, or batteries directly into the grid interface, cutting installation from days to minutes.
• Scalable and Universal – Compatible with 95% of U.S. homes, the technology has already reached ~30,000 deployments across 20 states, with California soon joining.
• Whit Fulton, Founder and Chief Product Officer of ConnectDER, LinkedIn
• Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability, LinkedIn
• Previous episodes discussed:
• #74 - Making Home Energy Storage Accessible For All
• 
  
• #91- Building Resilient, All-Electric Homes for the Future with Arch Rao

🚀 Calling all Earthlings…  

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Greenlane, Ampion, Tigo, USBI, 247 Solar