Inevitable

Today's guest is Ross Koningstein, Director Emeritus at Google.

Today's guest is Ross Koningstein. Ross is currently Director Emeritus at Google and works in the tech giant's Climate and Energy R&D group. He has led a number of efforts during his time at Google. Before joining Google in 2001 as its first Director of Engineering, he was a founder at Costa del Sol Systems and CriSys Ltd. He is co-author of the IEEE article "What would it really take to reverse climate change" and presented the talk "Why Incremental Advances are Inadequate to Solving Climate Change" at the 2015 MIT Low-Carbon Energy Workshop. Ross has contributed to Google's RE < C effort (Renewable Energy Cheaper Than Coal) and Google's breakthrough high-efficiency data center in The Dalles, Oregon. Ross holds a B.Eng. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Carleton in 1984 and a Ph.D. in Aerospace Robotics at Stanford University.

I was looking forward to sitting down with Ross because of his perch at Google and the climate sector. We cover so much in this episode, from nuclear energy as a climate solution to carbon offsets and the role of the oil & gas industry in the clean energy future to mobilizing folks to care about climate. We also explore Ross's role at Google and why he is a techno-optimist. Ross is a great guest, and this is a must-listen episode.

Enjoy the show!

You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.

Episode recorded September 28th, 2021

Ross's article: What It Would Really Take To Reverse Climate Change

For more information about this episode, visit: https://myclimatejourney.co/episodes/ross-koningstein

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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today's guest is Zach Stein, Co-Founder & CEO of Carbon Collective.

Carbon Collective is a sustainable investing platform that provides low-fee, diversified portfolios built for solving climate change. Zach and his co-founder, James, saw a gap in the climate investing market. There were avenues for wealthy people to invest in climate startups directly. Still, the existing paths don't have a climate impact for the average American who wants to invest their 401K, IRA, or general savings. That's where Carbon Collective comes in. Carbon Collective is not an ESG fund. Instead, the startup focuses on divesting from the sectors dependent on fossil fuels, reinvesting that share in companies building solutions, and vote and pressuring the remaining parts of the stock market to decarbonize as quickly as possible. And make it an attractive investment by making it cost the same and with a similar diversity as generic options.

Zach is a serial founder. Before co-founding Carbon Collective, he spent seven years as the CEO and co-founder of Osmo Systems, a company using novel sensing technology to help fish and shrimp farms be less wasteful. He was also the founder and retail director for Urban Worm, a worm farm in the Bay Area. Zach holds a BA in psychology from Hamilton College.

In this episode, Zach walks me through Carbon Collective, how the company was founded, and what sets the startup apart from its competitors. We also have a lively discussion about ESG investing, why it is falling short for the climate, and why divesting in fossil fuels is the future. Zach is a wonderful guest, and it was great to learn more about Carbon Collective.

Enjoy the show!

You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.

Episode recorded October 4th, 2021

To learn more about Carbon Collective, visit: https://www.carboncollective.co/

To learn more about this episode, visit: https://myclimatejourney.co/ctss-episodes/carbon-collective

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected].

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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today's guest is Brian Janous, General Manager of Energy and Renewables at Microsoft.

Brian is responsible for leading the development and execution of Microsoft's global data center energy strategy, including oversight of all energy supply agreements, renewable energy purchasing, distributed generation, and strategic partnerships to ensure a power supply that is reliable and sustainable. Brian joined Microsoft in 2011 after 12 years in the energy industry, where he worked as a Sr. Consultant at Brubaker & Associates, assisting Fortune 500 companies with energy procurement, policy, and sustainability matters. Brian holds an MBA from Webster University, a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Missouri, and a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from the University of Missouri.

I was very excited for this episode because Brian is at the forefront of corporate sustainability and the energy transition. Brian walks me through his role at Microsoft, how the tech giant began making climate commitments, and advice he has for those looking to advocate for climate action within their companies. We also dive into the role of policy, the problem with intermittency regarding renewable energy, and the Microsoft carbon tax. This is a fantastic episode, and Brian is a knowledgeable and engaging guest.

Enjoy the show!

You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.

Episode recorded September 30th, 2021

For more information about this episode, visit: https://myclimatejourney.co/episodes/brian-janous

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected].

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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today's guest is Henrietta Moon, Co-Founder and CEO of Carbo Culture.

Carbo Culture makes functional biocarbons and Biographite from waste to keep CO2 out of the atmosphere. They're working with green and blue infrastructure and carbon-negative materials developers to start a new era of Carbon Culturing. The startup describes its process as an "ultra-rapid conversion" where woody residues are turned into functional biocarbons at an extremely high temperature. The process then "locks" the carbon into a sort of charcoal that won't degrade for 1,000 years. Before Co-Founding Carbo Culture, Henriette was in the Spring 2019 StartX Cohort, ​​Stanford's prestigious founder community and supported by serial entrepreneurs. She also was a board member at Yleiselektroniikka (YE International) and a Helsinki Hub member in the Global Shapers Community, a World Economic Forum initiative.

In this episode, Henrietta and I deep dive into biochar, its impacts on climate, and why the climate community has been apprehensive about embracing it. Henrietta explains what motivated her to co-found Carbo Culture, the startup's mission, and why decarbonization is essential to addressing climate change. It was great to understand more about Carbo Culture's solution, and Henrietta is a fantastic guest.

Enjoy the show!

You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.

Episode recorded September 29th, 2021

To learn more about Carbo Culture, visit: https://www.carboculture.com/

To learn more about this episode, visit: https://myclimatejourney.co/ctss-episodes/carbo-culture

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected].

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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today's guest is Chase Lochmiller, Co-Founder and CEO of Crusoe Energy.

Crusoe is on a mission to eliminate routine flaring of natural gas and reduce the cost of cloud computing. The startup repurposes otherwise wasted energy to fuel the growing demand for computational power in the expanding digital economy.

Chase is an avid tech enthusiast passionate about enabling new technologies like AI and blockchain to impact people's lives positively. Before founding Crusoe, Chase was a General Partner at Polychain Capital, a $1 billion fund investing in blockchain technologies, digital assets, and energy-intensive computing applications. Chase was previously a quantitative researcher and trader at Jump Trading and GETCO, where he developed and managed a portfolio of algorithmic trading strategies. Chase holds undergraduate degrees in math and physics from MIT and a master's degree in computer science from Stanford, specializing in artificial intelligence. 

I was looking forward to this episode because cryptocurrency is a controversial topic in the climate space. Chase walks me through the problem of flaring for oil and gas companies and how Crusoe Energy came to be. We also have a lively discussion about the biggest blockers for cryptocurrency related to energy consumption, how the fossil fuels companies will exist in the clean energy future, and why powering data centers is a climate issue. This episode is a must-listen, and Chase is a fantastic guest.

Enjoy the show!

You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.

Episode recorded September 20th, 2021

For more information about Crusoe Energy: https://www.crusoeenergy.com/

For more information about this episode, visit: https://myclimatejourney.co/episodes/chase-lochmiller

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected].

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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today's guest is Kate Steel, Co-Founder and CEO of Nithio.

Nithio is an energy financing platform powered by a proprietary AI-enabled risk analytics engine. Nithio developed its innovative approach to standardize credit risk assessments to unlock and scale energy access in Sub-Saharan Africa. Nithio advances energy financing at scale through its Financial Intermediary, Nithio FI B.V., which offers receivables-backed funding to off-grid energy providers in Nigeria, Uganda, and Kenya. Driven by the Risk Analytics Engine, Nithio FI's innovative approach expands access to off-grid clean energy for households, micro-businesses, and smallholder farmers. 

Kate co-founded Nithio in 2018. Before Nithio, she had a long career in the off-grid power sector, most recently as Energy Director for Power Africa. In addition, Kate was on the Energy Access and Investments team at Google and the World Bank-IFC Lighting Africa initiative manager.

In this episode, Kate takes me through Nithio's approach and what led her to co-found the company. She explains why energy access is a climate problem and policy's role in the equity and clean energy transition. We also discuss the existing funding tools available to startups across Africa, the importance of integrating impact into the startup's mission, and what holds lenders back from investing in energy access startups. Kate is a great guest, and it was exciting to learn more about the important work Nithio is doing.

Enjoy the show!

You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.

Episode recorded September 27th, 2021

To learn more about Nithio, visit: https://www.nithio.com/

To learn more about this episode, visit: https://myclimatejourney.co/ctss-episodes/nithio

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected].

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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today's guest is Stuart Landesberg, Co-Founder and CEO of Grove Collaborative.

Grove Collaborative is a certified B Corp and e-commerce company providing eco-friendly sustainable consumer products focusing on home cleaning, personal and sexual wellness, and baby and child care. The company offers over 150 sustainable brands whose products are non-toxic, effective, sustainable, and cruelty-free.

Grove Collaborative was founded by three friends in San Francisco and sought to answer the question: what if it was easy to find healthier home essentials? Since then, Grove has become a billion-dollar company. In 2019 alone, the company saved over 1 million pounds of plastic and funded the planting of more than 100,000 trees. Before co-founding and serving as CEO of Grove, Stuart was an Investment Professional at Toro Investment Partners, an Analyst at TPG Growth, a Financial Analyst at Vincraft Group, and an Investment Banking Analyst at Lehman Brothers. Throughout his time in finance, he focused on global technology and retail investments. Stuart also holds a BA in economics from Amherst College. 

In this episode, Stuart and I have a lively discussion about Grove Collaborative, the company's business model, and its core customer base. Stuart explains why the consumer product market is broken, the definition of a "sustainable product", and how to balance government mandates in a voluntary market. We also dive into the role offsets play for Grove, how the company tracks and measures success, and the myth about plastic recycling. Stuart is a great guest with a wealth of knowledge. 

Enjoy the show!

You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.

Episode recorded September 17th, 2021

For more information about Grove (and open positions at the company), visit: https://www.grove.co/

For more information about this episode, visit: https://myclimatejourney.co/episodes/stuart-landesberg

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected].

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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today's guest is Dr. Michael Dorsey, Global Energy, Environmental, Finance, and Sustainability Expert.

Dr. Dorsey is a serial organization builder and leader in for-profit, non-profit, scholarly, and governmental realms. Dr. Dorsey is an active investor, and co-founder and principal of Around the Corner Capital. Through Around the Corner, Dr. Dorsey maintains active relationships and agreements in the U.S. and beyond with various partners from Barrett Capital, to the ​California Clean Energy Fund​, to Silverleaf Partners, the ​ Royal Bafokeng Holdings (South Africa), Univergy (Japan/Spain), the World Bank and many other institutions and high net-worth individuals driving the global renewable revolution. 

In non-profit realms, Dr. Dorsey helped to co-create the northern California headquartered Center for Environmental Health. In 2013,​ Dr. Dorsey and two former student collaborators co-created the predecessor to the Sunrise Movement​. Beyond this, Dr. Dorsey sits on several non-profit boards. In academia, Dr. Dorsey was a professor in the environmental studies program at Dartmouth College.

Dr. Dorsey's significant government engagement began in 1992 as a member of the U.S. State Department Delegation to the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, "The Earth Summit." Dorsey was a task force member of President Clinton's Council on Sustainable Development, a member of Senator Barack Obama's energy and environment Presidential campaign team, and was appointed to the EPA's National Advisory Committee. 

I was excited about this discussion because Dr. Dorsey is a profound climate activist, environmental investor, and public advocate. In this episode, Dr. Dorsey explains his theory of change and what motivated him to focus on climate. We also dive into a discussion on single-solution rhetoric, why our leadership is failing, and how to create a more sustainable and just future. Dr. Dorsey is an incredible guest. 

Enjoy the show!

You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.

Episode recorded September 16th, 2021

For more information about this episode, visit: https://myclimatejourney.co/episodes/dr-dorsey

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected].

Connect with MCJ:

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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today's guest is Joe Zhou, CEO of Quidnet Energy.

Quidnet Energy is transforming the power sector towards renewable energy through the deployment of low-cost energy storage solutions. Quidnet's innovative technology repurposes existing resources to quickly implement solutions to our most pressing energy and climate challenges. Attracting significant investment, including Bill Gates's Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Quidnet's solution is a potential game-changer in balancing the grid as intermittent renewable resources are added to the power generation system. 

In 2017, Joe assumed the role of CEO. Before Quidnet Energy, Joe was the Director of Business Development at Green Charge Networks, which ENGIE North America Inc. acquired in 2016. Joe also served as an associate at McKinsey & Company and a Process Engineer at ExxonMobil. Joe holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Alberta and an MBA from Harvard.

In this episode, Joe explains Quidnet Energy's unique solution, his motivations to work in climate, and how he ended up heading Quidnet. We also dive into the viability of battery storage, the role venture capital should play in accelerating climatetech solutions, and the future of Quidnet. Joe is a compelling guest, and I was excited to learn more about the startup.

Enjoy the show!

You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.

Episode recorded September 9th, 2021

To learn more about Quidnet Energy, visit: https://www.quidnetenergy.com/

To learn more about this episode, visit: https://myclimatejourney.co/ctss-episodes/quidnet-energy

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected].

Connect with MCJ:

• Cody Simms on LinkedIn
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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today's guests are Gaurab Chakrabarti, Co-Founder & CEO, and Sean Hunt, Co-Founder & CTO of Solugen.

Solugen is a venture-backed biotech startup that produces high-performance chemicals from plant-derived substitutes. Our award-winning hydrogen peroxide technology was developed in-house by a team of doctors, scientists, and engineers from MIT.

Before Solugen, Gaurab, who holds an M.D./Ph.D., researched the role of chemicals in cancer progression in medical school when he found an enzyme that turned sugar into hydrogen peroxide. Meanwhile, Sean, a graduate of MIT with a degree in chemical engineering, focused his research on improving traditional chemical manufacturing. Gaurab and Sean met playing poker at the University of Texas Southwestern, and in 2016, submitted their idea for Solugen to an MIT pitch competition. In 2017, Gaurab and Sean were named Forbes' 30 under 30 and joined the Y Combinator accelerator program, one of the rare startups outside software to get in. In September 2021, Solugen closed a series C round. 

I was looking forward to sitting down with Gaurab and Sean because I don't know much about the symbio world. Gaurab and Sean explain how Solugen started, the impact traditional chemical manufacturing has on climate, and what motivated them to focus on climate change. We also dive into Solugen's experience with Y Combinator, a discussion on a green premium, and how policy shapes the company's future. Gaurab and Sean are fantastic guests.

Enjoy the show!

You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.

Episode recorded September 10th, 2021

For more information about Solugen, visit: https://www.solugen.bio/

For more information about this episode, visit: https://myclimatejourney.co/episodes/chakrabarti-hunt

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected].

Connect with MCJ:

• Cody Simms on LinkedIn
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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant