Supercool

At Holabird Academy and Graceland Park, two net-zero energy Baltimore public schools, the future is already in session. Solar panels line the roofs, geothermal wells lie below the ballfields, and energy-efficient features keep these buildings running entirely on renewable power. But while these schools are a win for the planet, the real story is how they’re transforming the lives of everyone who steps inside—students, teachers, administrators, and the surrounding community. Stephanie Novak Pappas, the award-winning Principal of Holabird Academy, joins the conversation along with Amy Upton, Director of Environmental Design and Principal at Grimm & Parker Architects, the visionary behind these modern, sustainable, 21st-century schools where carbon emissions are down and performance is up.

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Guests: Stephanie Novak Pappas and Amy Upton

School: Holabird Academy

Company: Grimm + Parker Architects (see the Holabird project)

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Cities are in a race against time to cut carbon, and the stakes are high. Responsible for 70% of global emissions, urban centers around the world are stepping up. At the heart of this global movement are mayors. Through C40 Cities—a network of nearly 100 leading cities—mayors are sharing, learning, and spreading the most effective climate solutions worldwide. David Miller served as Mayor of Toronto from 2003-2010, where he transformed the city into a climate leader with a strategy rooted in innovation, inclusion, and opportunity. Now, as a Managing Director at C40, David is guiding cities toward a sustainable future—where addressing climate change also means improving city life.

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Guest: David Miller

Organization: C40 Cities

Podcast: Cities 1.5, hosted by David Miller and produced by the University of Toronto Press. It features progressive policy conversations with urban leaders taking action to limit global heating to 1.5 degrees.

Book: Solved: How the Great Cities of the World are Fixing the Climate Crisis

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Across America, a quiet revolution is unfolding—autonomous electric mowers are gliding silently across parks, ballfields, and backyards. These zero-emission machines couldn’t have arrived at a better time. Lawn care and gardening account for 4-5% of the U.S.'s total greenhouse gas emissions—a staggering number for a single industry. Adam Sloan is the founder and CEO of Greener, which provides climate-friendly robots to landscaping companies that install them in customers' backyards. Hundreds are in the field. More on the way. Landscapers love the mowers because they free up time for more skilled tasks. Homeowners love them because their lawns look pristine. And neighborhoods? Well, they finally get their peaceful, quiet Saturday mornings back.

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Guest: Adam Sloan

Company: Greener

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Geothermal energy's roots in America run deep. Before the Wright Brothers took flight and the first Ford Model-T rolled off the assembly line, residents of Boise, Idaho, were heating their homes with geothermal energy. Today, Boise’s system heats over 100 buildings and six million square feet in the downtown core and even pulls off some supercool feats—like melting snow off sidewalks in the winter. In Boise, you can wash your clothes at a geothermal-heated laundromat, swim in a geothermal-heated pool at the YMCA, and buy flowers grown in a geothermal-heated greenhouse. Tina Riley manages Boise’s geothermal system—the largest of its kind in the U.S.

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Guest: Tina Riley

Climate Initiative: Geothermal Energy in Boise, Idaho

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After a determined two-year campaign, thirty Denver Public Schools (DPS) students convinced the School Board of Education to approve a climate policy to make the school district a national leader in climate action. LeeAnn Kittle, Executive Director of Sustainability for Denver Public Schools, now leads the charge, overseeing the Climate Action Plan, which already saves the district $5 million annually through carbon-cutting initiatives. LeeAnn joins host Josh Dorfman to discuss what it takes to guide a large organization toward ever-greater climate goals. Riley Loveland Falvey, Associate Director at the New Buildings Institute, also joins the conversation to discuss how districts and students nationwide are collaborating and stepping up to build a supercool, climate-forward future.

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Guests: LeeAnn Kittle and Reilly Loveland Falvey

Initiative: Denver Public Schools Climate Action Plan

Organization: New Buildings Institute

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Though over a hundred solar companies fled the state when its utility, Rocky Mountain Power, cut solar incentives four years ago, Utah is one of the fastest-growing states for residential solar—but with a twist. Many new customers also purchase grid-connected batteries. While others left, ES Solar, a local solar company, went all-in on solar-plus-storage. That move paid off; the company has installed 96% of Utah's residential solar-plus-storage systems. Zach Randall, ES Solar's VP of Sales, joins the show to share how his company has succeeded and why other states are playing catch-up to emulate Utah's success.

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Guest: Zach Randall

Company: ES Solar

Initiative: Rocky Mountain Power Wattsmart Battery Program

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Vancouver boasts the lowest carbon emissions per capita in  North America and consistently ranks among the world’s most livable cities. That's no coincidence. This week, Josh speaks with Gregor Robertson, former Mayor of Vancouver, who championed many climate innovations during his three terms in office, including installing North America's largest waste sewer heat recovery system—delivering zero-carbon space and water heating to over 6,000 apartment units. Josh is also joined by Lynn Mueller, founder of Sharc Energy, who invented the technology, which is now spreading to cities across the U.S.

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Guests: Gregor Robertson and Lynn Mueller

Company: SHARC Energy

Organization: Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy

Initiative: Sewer Heat Recovery System Vancouver's False Creek Neighborhood

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in 2014, Gundersen Health, headquartered in La Crosse, Wisconsin, became the nation's first health system to eliminate fossil fuels, transitioning to 100% local renewable energy. Today, Gundersen saves $5 million annually on energy, helping to control healthcare costs for its patient populations across 11 hospitals and 100+ clinics in Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan (Gundersen merged with Bellin Health in 2022 to become Emplify Health). Alan Eber led the effort at Gundersen. Today, as CEO of Eneration, Eber's job is to show the rest of the healthcare industry how to pursue a clean, low-carbon, renewable energy future. He joins Josh to share the playbook. 

 
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Guests: Alan Eber

Company: Eneration

Initiative: Gundersen Envision

Health System: Emplify Health

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Supercool is a new conversation about extraordinary climate solutions that cut carbon and improve modern life. From tech innovation to policy implementation, host Josh Dorfman pinpoints the stories and data behind the low-carbon economy as it spreads to towns and cities across the globe.

The starting point for Supercool is, "What if solving climate change improves life?" 

The evidence is increasingly clear: Climate innovation enables safer city streets, improved education, stronger national security, more economic opportunity, and better health - the issues Americans routinely say we care about most.

Not all climate solutions are created equal. Some are unrealistic. Others are uninspired. Yet, in the hands of forward-looking entrepreneurs, engineers, policymakers, and everyday professionals, the low-carbon economy delivers. We’re excited to share it with you.