Janelle Kellman is the former mayor of Sausalito, an active member of the Sausalito City Council, and the founder and CEO of the Center for Sea Rise Solutions. Janelle's career spans environmental and policy roles, including leadership positions at the Environmental Protection Agency, PG&E, and advisory roles for organizations like Project Drawdown, Marin Clean Energy, and San Francisco Baykeeper. She chaired the Sausalito Planning Commission from 2016 to 2020, before joining the City Council in 2020.

In this episode, Janelle discusses recent initiatives she's been prioritizing, what coastal resilience means, and how she collaborates with neighboring cities and coastal cities around the world to prepare for the inevitability of rising sea levels.

On top of that, Janelle is an ultra-marathoner and a two-sport Division I athlete with degrees from Yale, Oxford, and Stanford. She also makes an exciting announcement at the end of the episode about her political future in California. You'll have to listen to the end to hear what it is!

In this episode, we cover: 

• [04:06]: Janelle's background in sports and leadership
• [08:39]: Navigating the challenges of 2020 as a mayor 
• [10:45]: Origins of Center for Sea Rise Solutions and climate risks in Northern California
• [16:14]: Distinction between "sustainability" and "resilience"
• [19:34]: Key priorities and needs around sea level rise resilience
• [24:32]: Similarities between wildfire and sea level rise resilience
• [26:18]: Janelle's international collaborations and knowledge sharing on sea level rise 
• [28:30]: International conferences like COP vs working with subnational leaders around the world
• [31:14]: Janelle's tips on getting involved local government, climate work, and finding your "ikigai"
• [39:01]: Natural overlap between outdoor athletes and climate activism
• [41:17]: An exciting announcement from Janelle on her political future
• [44:26]: How folks can follow and connect with Janelle 
• [45:07]: Shinrin-yoku, Friluftsliv and other concepts

Resources mentioned:

• Toxic Tides, UC Berkeley Sustainability And Health Equity Lab
• Katrina: A History, 1915–2015, by Andy Horowitz
• Gnar Country: Growing Old, Staying Rad by Steven Kolter

Get connected: 

• Janelle Kellman  LinkedIn
• Cody Simms X / LinkedIn
• MCJ Podcast / Collective / Instagram

*You can also reach us via email at [email protected], where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.

Episode recorded on Aug 11, 2023 (Published on Sep 11, 2023)

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