Perspectives on Sustainable Development

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We are starting something special with this episode. Many professionals write a book at some point in their careers, but few do so really try to move the needle, really trying to add something positive to the conversation. The Impactful Authors Series will highlight people who I believe are doing just that.

Leah Kral has an interesting background in the Peace Corps and consulting and has dedicated her professional career towards helping nonprofits scale and innovate. Her book, Innovation for Social Change is practical, inspiring, and actionable. We all like to talk about innovation and trying to make a positive impact, Leah helps show you how to make that happen. 

I chose to start the series with Leah with my friends in Camden, NJ in mind. Over the years I have met so many big-hearted entrepreneurs with ideas on how to help their communities. It can feel too big to get started, or you may doubt that your idea is innovative at all. Leah's book can help you get started and provide useful steps to grow and reach for larger impact. Highly recommend.

I hope you all enjoy the conversation. 

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Someone told me last night that they have no idea how I do so much, how I am so active on these topics. The truth is twofold; you need a great support team (thank you Uzziah Davis), and you have to be passionate about the topics. What's the old adage, when you love what you do, it isn't really work? I love environmental education. I love helping to educate the next generation and supporting those who come up with innovative ways to empower students.

My guests this week embody that same mindset. Dominique Johnson (Co-Founder) and Steve Weiner (Director of Innovation) of Future Climate Collective employ a project-based learning model for middle school and high school students in Portland, Oregon that has quickly grown to reach more than 350 teens across six public schools. 

Climate can feel debilitating, too big to take on, too complex to make a difference. Future Climate Collective helps show us the benefits of hyperlocal action and how they can act as a force multiplier to empower people towards larger collaborative efforts. Sometimes the best thing you can do is just start. Take small steps and seek others around you looking to do the same. You'll be amazed at the results. 

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The United States of America was once tribal lands. One of the things that I have always respected about those cultures are their deep ties to the natural world. In a capitalist society that can feel pretty unattainable, but we would do well to at least appreciate the fact that our land is one of the most precious resources that we have. We rely on the natural world to support every aspect of our lives, and if our extraction occurs without consideration, it has tangible detrimental impacts. One of the most glaring is exacerbating the effects of climate change. 

For this episode, I was fortunate to be joined by Jacob Malcom (Founder and Executive Director, Next Interior) and Taj Schottland (Director of Climate Resilience, Trust for Public Land) to discuss our current trajectory for land use and climate impacts. I started this discussion a bit grumpy after spending a few hours on episode prep but somehow ended it on a hopeful note. My hope is that it will have a similar effect for you.

Enjoy, Taj and Jacob have a wealth of knowledge and passion on these topics.

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I've never liked video games. I've never been able to sit still for very long. Growing up in Central New Jersey in the early 90s, meant I spent much of my time climbing trees, playing huge games of manhunt with friends in the neighborhood, and basically doing anything I could to be outside all day. I have always loved the outdoors but first gained an understanding of it and connection to it in the summer of 1994. My mom agreed to send me to 4H sleepaway camp for the first time. The experience was pivotal. We spent a week swinging from tire swings into a river, learning about watersheds and local animal life, and talking with environmental professionals. I didn't know it then, but looking back on it now, that was one of the first major steps toward my career.

So when my friend Dennis Toft (Chair Environmental Department, Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi) emailed a few months ago suggesting that I do an episode on the New Jersey School of Conservation (NJSOC), and explained the school and his connections to it, I jumped at the chance. 

For this episode I was joined by Dennis and Kerry Pflugh (Executive Director, Friends of the NJSOC) to talk about the NJSOC. The property is located in northwest New Jersey in Stokes State Forest, and offers among other things, the sort of transformational getaway experience that once meant so much to me eons ago. 

New Jersey was named the Garden State for a reason, and the NJSOC is a hidden treasure in the state that I am glad to now support. I hope you enjoy the episode and to learn more about the NJSOC or support their programing please visit https://njsoc.org/. 

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Immigration. That one word alone likely makes most of us want to run back to our designated corners and start regurgitating talking points. This topic is an objective reality and challenge that should never have been so politicized. People choose to come to the US for a myriad of reasons, but they can most often boil down to seeking better opportunities for their families.  Many still carry a deep love for their native country, but they decide to come to America due to slipping economic, safety, and social systems at home. No matter which side of the aisle you fall on, I'd hope that we could treat people with respect and dignity and follow established processes. With that said, there are many flaws in our immigration systems, and rising impacts from climate change will only highlight those areas as we see more people elect to immigrate. 

Carlos Claussell (PennFuture) and Daniel Gonzalez (DJourneys) both came to the US to study climate change and dedicate their lives to affecting positive changes on critical issues. They have both also experienced multiple stages of our immigration system and have important stories to tell. Daniel is now in Madrid in part due to some of these challenges.

I invite you to listen to this episode with an open mind. You will learn something. Thank you to Carlos and Daniel. I enjoyed this conversation. 

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Welcome back everyone!

It is a challenging time for climate policy. As you may know, the endangerment finding was just repealed by the US Supreme Court. Almost as soon as that ruling went live, so did a great deal of half-truths and misconceptions on potential applicability. We walk through a number of them on this episode.

I was fortunate to be joined by Michael Gerrard (Founder and Faculty Director, Sabin Center for Climate Change Law) and Alexa White, Ph.D. (Co-Founder, Ase Analytics and Aya Research Institute). 

We focus on overburdened communities for much of this discussion as they are often located near highways and would be directly impacted by any relaxation of environmental safeguards related to motor vehicles. We also go into some impacts from the repeal that you might not have immediately considered. The conversation looked to the future and (perhaps unsurprisingly) addressed projected impacts and stresses related to data centers. 

I learned a good deal from this discussion and enjoyed the time. I hope you will too. 

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NIMBY - Not in my backyard. If you let that play out for long enough, eventually you risk running out of backyards, and running out of trust. 

I have been wanting to do this episode for at least a year and was excited to be able to sit down with Roishetta Sibley Ozane (Founder, Vessel Project of Louisiana) and Sharonda Allen (Founder and Executive Director, Operation Grow Inc.). I spend an obscene amount of time looking at modeling, EXCEL sheets, and reading papers that study undue levels of environmental and public health impact in overburdened communities. All of that is no substitute for lived experiences. Roishetta and Sharonda have raised families in these communities, started impressive organizations, and center much of their work around educating youth and helping those most in need. 

Some of this conversation got pretty raw. There is clear frustration and distrust, but also hope, such as in state EJ compliance models. 

I chose this as the Season Finale to try and highlight the importance of really listening to these communities. We have only had environmental regulation in the country for about 50 years and despite considerable macro progress, we have only just begun trying to address cumulative impacts and overburdened areas. Getting this right is important.

Happy Holidays all, and we will be back for Season 3 in Feb 2026.

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Our climate is changing due to anthropocentric activities over the past 120 years. We are seeing increasing impacts nearly every year due to these changes, with the poor and those living in low-lying areas often taking the brunt. Policy choices today will inform the scope and range of these future impacts, and who is most affected. But we also must meet rising energy demands while not forgetting about affordability. 

Let's start there. Everything I have said thus far is true, and a massive challenge, but one that we have no choice but to take on. 

Our guests this episode are Sunny Wescott (Chief Meteorologist: Federal Emergency Response and Operations Support) and Matthew Tejada (Sr VP of Environmental Health, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)). Sunny and Matt have dedicated their lives to public service and were mainstays on climate policy development during the Biden Administration. Matt also led the USEPA's Office of Environmental Justice. Our talk centers around objectively taking on climate challenges, taking big swings at policy, and the effects of federal changes over the previous ten months. 

Climate risks are not just going away on their own. They are not just going away if you call them something else. Less warming equates to lives saved, fewer financial shocks, and protecting high risk areas. Let's keep working on that. 

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Somehow people still underestimate the impact of water on our lives. We don't think about it a lot, and often take it for granted, unless there is a problem. It is fundamental to our natural systems and public health, as well as recreation, cultural heritage, religions, and now unfortunately many climate-related detriments. Storms are getting stronger and more frequent, inland and coastal flooding is increasing, with each instance forcing us to question our planning paradigms. We have options available to us on the mitigation and resiliency sides and need to make some informed choices. There are many tools available now, such as Drawdown Explorer, that can help inform potential projects. 

Our guests this week are George Schuler (Co-Founder and Principal at Connecting for Change, LLC) and Furhana Husani (Director of Programs and Climate Initiatives at the Waterfront Alliance). I love talking with people clearly smarter than me on a certain topic, because I always learn so much, and walk away inspired by their work. For one thing, I never knew so many natural waterways were covered over in Manhattan. 

George and Furhana share a similar practical approach with an aspirational mindset, in that the choices we make today can have incredible impact. I hope you enjoy this episode and invite you to follow George and Furhana's work.

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Water management will be one of the critical issues of the 21rst Century. Between increased volatility in weather events, climate driven droughts, and historical cleanups...well that's plenty to keep us all busy. Now add data center proliferation and nearly unprecedented water demands. Challenging to say the least.

My guests this week are Pete Malinowski (Executive Director of the Billion Oyster Project) and Mark McDonough (President, New Jersey American Water). Both men are passionate speakers who are taking on different parts of this topic. For those who haven't seen Pete's Ted Talk, I'd highly recommend it. Mark has been a friend for a few years, and I am constantly impressed by his work in Camden. 

After you watch this, you will have questions, and if you are like me, you will also likely want to dig into these topics. Clean water is a public health necessity as well as an economic imperative. You cannot have sustainable growth without it.  

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