Teaching Kids About Rapid Advancements in Solar Technology

Today I had the opportunity to speak with Holocene’s  CEO, Ralph Thompson. We talked about the evolution of solar as a  technology and as an industry. Here is an industry that has always shown  promise, and yet had one major obstacle that seemed to crush all hopes  of it ever becoming the dominant energy source. It was impossible to use  solar energy as a replacement for fossil fuels. 

Energy from the Sun is  plentiful, and free, unlike fossil fuels. However, electricity  generation from solar energy requires direct sun light, meaning you  can’t get power if it’s cloudy, or bad weather, or night. The answer, of  course, was to create some sort of energy storage solution, or  batteries, so we can create energy when the Sun is shining, and use it  when we actually need it. But this was an obstacle that for years seemed  insurmountable, until all of a sudden, it wasn’t.

Teaching Kids to Think Creatively About Climate Solutions

This week I discussed solar culture and how to teach kids to think outside the box with Ben Catt, CEO of Pine Gate Renewables.  Ben and his team have pioneered a unique initiative in the solar  industry called Solar Culture - finding ways to use the land of a solar  farm to enrich the local community. Ideas include using the land to  house an apiary - bee hives for honey bees to pollinate local crops - or  using sheep to maintain the farm's landscape by grazing on the grass.  These ideas don't generate any more electricity from the solar farm, but  they do add value to the community, and get more value from the  farmland.

One Day Kids Will Get Their Fuel from Garbage!

Today I spoke with Dane McSpedon and Sheila Hughes from Hughes Energy Group.  They are the innovators of a waste process called high-speed  composting. This remarkable technology can solve two major problems at  the same time - eliminating landfills and creating clean fuel from all  that trash. The tech is over 100 years old, and can do the job in one  hour!

Teaching Kids About Food Waste and the Waste Stream

Today we're learning about the waste stream with Anna Dengler from Great Forest.  What if we worked on ways to reduce our garbage from the beginning of  the waste stream? What if we strived to produce zero waste? What would  that look like, and how would we even start? Understanding the waste  stream within a home, school, or commercial building is a critical first  step in how to achieve zero waste. This episode is sponsored by Great  Forest - a leading consultancy rethinking sustainability and  transforming waste.

Kids Can Grow Up to Inspire Sustainability

Today I am speaking with Zena Harris from Green Spark Group.  We talked about how the entertainment industry as a whole is aware they  need to practice what they preach. Entertainers have a unique talent to  articulate and focus thought, and then inspire people into action. But  they can do so as an industry by practicing sustainability within their  craft. It’s our filmmakers, song writers, actors, dancers, and all  artists who venture out onto the leading edge of philosophy and thought.  Scientists and engineers can create technology that does a thing, but  our artists dream of what can be done in the first place.

Preparing Kids for Future Careers in Clean Energy

My guest today is Michael Lumbley, COO at Alternative Resource Group,  and we're speaking about the future of clean energy. In our  industrialized society, we face a major uphill climb to make the changes  that will actually make a difference. We are encumbered by the very  systems that made us industry leaders in the first place. It is  difficult to switch from fossil fuels to alternative energy because our  entire system depends and runs on fossil fuels. We continue to live with  a few massive power grids because, well, they’re already there.

Inertia is a major player in our society. We created a system in the  20th century that established us as the leaders of the world. That very  system may hold us in place as emerging societies shoot right past us.

Teaching Kids About Climate Change with Optimism and a Bright Outlook

How do we teach kids about the environment, climate change, or renewable  energy with optimism and fun? That's what this green technology series  aims to answer. This week I interview Michael Shore and Sally Beth  Shore, the husband and wife team running Tipping Point Renewable Strategies.  They share their reasons we should all be optimistic about the future  of our environment despite all the doom and gloom the news likes to tell  us about hourly. 

We are reaching a tipping point for climate change. We  discuss how to teach kids about global warming and the environment.  They also share their insights into how all kids - and grown ups too -  can use their passions and talents to make a difference for our planet and environment. Everyone is important and can play a crucial part.

Podcast Trailer

Greentech is saving the world, and nobody knows about it. Kids, as well as their parents and teachers, have no idea these industries exist.

I’m Bobby Donohue, and this is Kids & Greentech - my podcast where I interview greentech experts to discuss how we can teach kids about climate change with optimism and empowerment, and introduce them to amazing careers just waiting for them when they grow up.