Everybody in the Pool

This week on Everybody in the Pool, we’re heading to Governors Island in New York Harbor, where a new anchor institution for climate solutions is taking shape. The New York Climate Exchange is a nonprofit backed by a coalition of universities, community organizations, corporations, and the City of New York, all working to make the city a front door for climate action and innovation.

My guest is Shaina Horowitz, Director of Program Innovation and Acceleration at the New York Climate Exchange. Shaina explains how the Exchange is building both a physical climate campus and a year-round platform for climate tech founders, researchers, students, community groups, and policymakers. We talk about why New York is such a natural home for urban resilience work, how the Exchange’s Climate Tech Fellowship helps very early-stage innovators bridge the lab-to-market gap, and why communication, community engagement, and environmental justice have to be part of a climate startup’s strategy from the very beginning.

We also get into what the Exchange is showcasing during Climate Week, including its newest fellowship cohort focused on energy innovation and urban resilience; why New York’s density, financial power, public-sector experience, and very real climate risks make it different from Silicon Valley; and what kinds of technologies are coming next, from long-lived batteries for environmental sensing to modular heat engines and compact turbines. Plus, Shaina shares the vision for the Governors Island campus itself: the largest mass timber project in New York, an undulating solar canopy, and a public invitation to see what climate solutions can look like in practice.

• The New York Climate Exchange: https://www.nyclimateexchange.org/
• Shaina Horowitz: https://www.nyclimateexchange.org/shaina-horowitz
• Governors Island: https://www.govisland.com/
• All episodes: https://www.everybodyinthepool.com/
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This week on Everybody in the Pool, we’re talking about batteries — one of my favorite topics — but not the expensive, contractor-installed, whole-home kind that requires permits, electrical-panel upgrades, and homeownership. Pila Energy is building a plug-in, modular battery system designed to bring backup power, bill management, and grid flexibility to renters, condo owners, small businesses, and basically anyone with a wall outlet.

Founder and CEO Cole Ashman, who previously worked on Tesla Powerwall and led product at Span, explains how Pila’s battery “nodes” can sit next to the appliances that matter most — a fridge, Wi-Fi router, sump pump, window AC, or media console — and provide backup power during outages, shift energy use away from expensive peak hours, and even help utilities manage grid stress through virtual power plant programs. We also get into why the product works locally even when the internet is down, how the batteries are designed for durability and safety, and why distributed batteries could become a whole new layer of climate resilience infrastructure.

• Pila Energy: https://www.pilaenergy.com/
• All episodes: https://www.everybodyinthepool.com/
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This week on Everybody in the Pool, we’re talking about solar: already the cheapest and fastest-growing source of energy on the planet, and still very much a frontier for innovation. Swift Solar is working on next-generation solar technology called perovskite-silicon tandems, which stack two different solar materials to capture more of the sun’s energy and push panels past the efficiency limits of conventional silicon.

Founder and CEO Joel Jean explains why even “solved” climate technologies still need to get better, how perovskites could make solar panels more efficient, cheaper, lighter, and easier to deploy, and why Swift is taking a two-step path to market: first building proven, bankable silicon cell manufacturing in the U.S., then using that foundation to scale higher-performance tandem cells. We also get into the geopolitics and supply-chain challenge of domestic solar manufacturing, and why space — yes, space — could become a surprisingly important early market for next-gen solar.

• Swift Solar: https://www.swiftsolar.com/
• All episodes: https://www.everybodyinthepool.com/
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This week on Everybody in the Pool, we’re going way back in time to a company we first interviewed way back in 2024 — it was futuristic then, and still is. Swyft Cities is a startup that spun out of Google and is trying to reinvent urban mobility. And by that I mean they’re developing modular electric tram systems that would take passengers around dense urban areas, hospital or college campuses, or maybe, you know, Google, on a series of cables suspended above buildings and streets. This means reducing the number of cars on the road, sure, but it also means we can build new cities, housing developments, and urban centers that have density without resource-hogging skyscrapers, and which don’t need a ton of extra land for parking and multi-lane highways and such. Wild? Sure. Doable? We’ll see. Interesting? Absolutely. With Swyft Cities founder and CEO Jeral Poskey.

• Swyft Cities: https://swyftcities.com/
• All episodes: https://www.everybodyinthepool.com/
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This week on Everybody in the Pool, we’re revisiting one of the most interesting and impactful tools in the individual and corporate arsenal! The bummer news: your bank deposits could be funding the climate crisis? But we’d never give you bummer news without a solution! This week, Molly Wood speaks with Paul Moinester, founder of Topofinance, who reveals the shocking climate impact of conventional banking. Discover how just $10,000 in a major bank generates emissions equivalent to driving 10,000 miles yearly, and why moving your money to climate-friendly banks might be the easiest climate action you've never considered. Paul explains how corporations' banking emissions often exceed all their other emissions combined, and introduces innovative solutions that make greener banking both simple and profitable.

• Topo Finance
• Paul Moinester
• All episodes: https://www.everybodyinthepool.com/
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This episode is a re-air of Molly’s conversation with Jonathan Gilmour about the urgent effort to preserve federal climate data—and why that data matters even more as climate risks, public health threats, and climate tech needs keep growing. Since our last conversation, Jonathan and team have launched a nonprofit called The Impact Project, and possibly inspired the folks at climate.us to rebuild what used to be the federal government’s home for climate data and resources.

• Why federal climate data is essential infrastructure for researchers, startups, insurers, policymakers, and communities
• How government datasets help predict extreme weather, track public health risks, and guide climate resilience planning
• What happens when long-standing climate data infrastructure is defunded, removed, or made harder to access
• Jonathan Gilmour’s work with a team racing to preserve vulnerable datasets and keep them available for public use
• Why protecting climate data is not just an academic concern, but a practical necessity for building climate solutions

• Jonathan Gilmour - Website
• The Impact Project: https://theimpactproject.org/
• All episodes: https://www.everybodyinthepool.com/
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This week on Everybody in the Pool, we’re revisiting a conversation about ocean intelligence — especially relevant in light of the US’s recent attempts to dismantle hundreds of ocean sensors around the world. Despite covering more than 70% of the Earth, the ocean remains one of the least understood parts of our climate system — and that knowledge gap has huge consequences for weather prediction, global commerce, and climate resilience.

Our guest is Tim Janssen, co-founder and CEO of Sofar Ocean, a company building the world’s largest privately deployed network of ocean sensors. Their inexpensive, solar-powered Spotter buoys collect real-time data on waves, weather, and water conditions — information that fuels better climate models, safer shipping routes, and more sustainable ocean economies.

• The massive “ocean data gap” and why it hinders weather and climate forecasting
• How Sofar’s 2,500+ Spotter buoys are creating the largest private ocean sensor network
• Wayfinder, Sofar’s “Google Maps for ships,” and how it saves fuel and cuts emissions
• Why more ocean intelligence is critical for industries from aquaculture to shipping
• Partnerships with researchers, governments, and nonprofits to democratize ocean data
• The bigger vision: turning ocean information into a foundation for climate solutions

From global trade to Pacific Island communities, ocean intelligence has the potential to save money, reduce emissions, and protect vulnerable coastlines. Janssen explains why data may be the most important climate solution of all.

• Sofar Ocean: https://www.sofarocean.com/
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To kick off our summer vacation, we’re revisiting a conversation with Chris Dickerson, co-founder of Players for the Planet, discusses his journey from being a professional athlete to becoming an advocate for environmental awareness in sports. He shares insights on the impact of sports on the environment, the importance of community engagement, and the need for systemic change in how sports organizations handle waste and sustainability. The conversation highlights the evolution of Players for the Planet, the challenges faced in promoting climate action, and the innovative solutions being explored to create a more sustainable future in sports.

• Players for the Planet: https://www.playersfortheplanet.org/
• All episodes: https://www.everybodyinthepool.com/
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Philanthropic director Abby Axelrod-Wunderman of Fiduciary Trust International joins Molly Wood to talk about the overlooked role of philanthropy in funding climate solutions. Even though only a tiny share of global giving currently goes toward climate, Abby explains why that definition is expanding to include health, resilience, infrastructure, food systems, education, and community well-being—and how younger donors and the great wealth transfer could shift priorities. They dig into donor-advised funds, private foundations, unrestricted giving, climate as a lens across issue areas, and why philanthropy can act as catalytic capital by taking early risks that government and business often can’t.

• Why climate philanthropy still receives only a small fraction of total global giving, even as climate impacts touch nearly every other issue area
• How wealth advisors help donors connect their values to climate-related giving through health, education, food, agriculture, resilience, and infrastructure
• Abby’s path into climate philanthropy through a family foundation in South Florida, where the conversation has shifted from “is climate change real?” to which solutions can scale
• Why philanthropy cannot solve the climate crisis alone, but can act as catalytic capital by piloting ideas, funding advocacy, and taking early risks
• How donor values, timelines, resources, and risk tolerance shape philanthropic strategy
• Fundable climate strategies Abby sees gaining traction, including clean energy, batteries, methane, food systems, conservation, restoration, resilience, public engagement, and education
• Why younger generations are often initiating climate giving conversations—and how those interests can pull older generations into the work
• How donor-advised funds work, why they can be simpler than private foundations, and why some donors value the ability to give anonymously
• The debate over whether donor-advised funds can become “holding cells” for charitable money—and how education and advising can help move funds out the door
• The difference between restricted and unrestricted grants, and why flexibility and long-term support are especially important for climate-vulnerable regions
• How modern philanthropy may be moving toward a hybrid model that combines rigorous due diligence and metrics with trust-based, flexible giving
• Why the great wealth transfer, AI wealth creation, and a new generation of donors could create a major opportunity to move more money into climate solutions
• How to tell the broader climate story: climate is not a niche issue, but a lens through which to understand health, education, infrastructure, migration, air quality, heat, and community resilience

• Fiduciary Trust International: https://www.fiduciarytrust.com/
• Everybody in the Pool: https://www.everybodyinthepool.com/
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Climate resilience planner and Earthworks host Marina Psaros joins Molly Wood to talk about why the old climate communication playbook—scary charts, technical jargon, and doom-heavy messaging—so often fails, and how creative mediums can help people imagine and build better futures. They dig into Marina’s work with the King Tides project, tabletop games, virtual reality, video games, and artists who are using beauty, play, and storytelling to make climate action feel more tangible, less overwhelming, and maybe even fun.

• Why one-way climate communication, especially heavy science and “bummer” messaging, can shut people down instead of moving them to act
• How the King Tides project helped people see sea-level rise in their own communities through citizen science and local photography
• Why climate models can be useful but incomplete—and how community observations can help validate and improve them
• What tabletop games, classroom projects, and immersive experiences can teach us about making climate resilience more understandable
• Marina’s work at Unity Technologies, including funding games and projects that used real-world action, climate data, and storytelling
• How games like Pokémon Go, Ahi Kaa Rangers, Fathomverse, Minecraft climate challenges, and other playful tools can connect digital worlds with real-world conservation and climate action
• Why “not being cringe” matters when adults try to reach younger audiences through games and popular culture
• Marina’s podcast Earthworks, which highlights creatives using art, games, music, painting, and storytelling for climate solutions
• Why joy, beauty, nature, and creativity can sustain climate work when business and government fall short
• The case for valuing breathable air, weird animals, and a livable world without needing to justify them through a business rationale

• Earthworks podcast: https://www.marinapsaros.com/earthworks
• Marina Psaros: https://www.marinapsaros.com/
• Everybody in the Pool: https://www.everybodyinthepool.com/
• Subscribe to the Everybody in the Pool newsletter: https://www.mollywood.co/
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