Norwegian economist Ingrid Eileen Stevens joins us to share her journey from oil & gas to sustainable waste and water management, exploring biogas, circular economy innovations, and how Norway balances oil wealth with climate leadership.

Connect with Ingrid on LinkedIn and learn more about IVAR. 

Resources: 

• In Good Company - podcast
• Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson - book
• Venomous Lumpsucker by Ned Beauman - book
• Read up about how folks set a max price on electricity by looking at a recent case study from the PJM capacity market. 

Terms mentioned: 

• Biogas
• VAT
• Biochar

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 Featuring Scott Tew, founder of Trane Technologies’ Center for Energy Efficiency and Sustainability, we talk about growing up on a small farm, translating science into action, embedding sustainability into business strategy, and leading the company’s bold Gigaton Challenge. 

Connect with Scott on LinkedIn. Learn more about Trane Technologies.

Resources:

• Books:
  • Make Work Matter: How to Create Positive Change in Your Company and Meaning in Your Career by Nancy McGaw
  • Net Positive by Paul Polman
  • Navigating Sustainable Growth: A Roadmap for Boards and Corporate Leaders Perfect by Gib Hedstrom
• Others:
  • Gigaton Challenge
  • ESG Navigator

Terms Mentioned:

• Refrigerant
• Materiality Assessment
• Pareto Principle
• Electric Arc Furniture vs Traditional Furnaces

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Featuring Stacy Savage, the "Texas Trash Talker," we talk about the journey from slinging margaritas to lobbying for landmark e-waste legislation, starting her own business, and diving deep into circularity. 

Connect with Stacy on LinkedIn.

Stacy's website: Zero Waste Strategies

Resources:

• Books:
  • Cradle to Cradle by William McDonough & Michael Braungart
• Certifications: 
  • TRUE Zero Waste 
  • LEED 
  • WELL 
  • SITES
• Organizations:
  • Zero Waste International Alliance 
  • Ellen MacArthur Foundation
  • The Story of Stuff Project

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A conversation with Debi Rednik, Senior Director of Legal and Compliance at Solstice! 

Connect with Debi on LinkedIn. 

Terms mentioned: 

• Community solar
• PPA

Individuals mentioned and resources: 

• Career coach Beth Offenbacker
• TerraCycle snack & candy wrapper box

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Featuring Bob Keefe, the Executive Director of E2! We talk the economic impact of IRA, depoliticizing climate action, and advice to future sustainability leaders!

Connect with Bob on LinkedIn. 

Resources:

• Books
  • Clean Economy Now: Stories from the Frontlines of an American Business Revolution by Bob Keefe
  • Climatenomics: Washington, Wall Street, and the Economic Battle to Save our Planet by Bob Keefe
  • Freeing Energy: How Innovators Are Using Local-scale Solar and Batteries to Disrupt the Global Energy Industry from the Outside In by Bill Nussey
  • Creating Climate Wealth by Jigar Shah
  • David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants by Malcolm Gladwell
  • Following the Equator by Mark Twain
  • The War Below: Lithium, Copper, and the Global Battle to Power Our Lives by Ernest Scheyder 
  • The Heat Will Kill You First: Life and Death on a Scorched Planet by Jeff Goodell
• Digital Tools
  •  E2’s Clean Energy Projects Tracker 
     

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Sarah Fisher from ICF joins us to talk EV charging, fleet electrification, and making clean transportation more accessible. From career advice to range anxiety myths, this episode is packed with real talk and practical insights.

Resources: 

• Alternative Fuels Data Center (AFDC)
• EV News Daily - podcast
• Volts - podcast and newsletter
• Green Tech Media
• EV owners group/local meetups 
• City and state government programs around EVs

Facts checked: 

• DC's Circulator bus is indeed electric!  But sadly for public transit lovers, this service was discontinued at the end of 2024. 

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Featuring Justin Den Herder, who is not only a structural engineer from TY Lin, but also a professor of Structural Poetics, and a poet! 

Connect with Justin on LinkedIn. 

Terms mentioned:

• Adaptive reuse - "In architecture, adaptive reuse (also called building reuse) refers to the repurposing of an existing structure for new use." 
• Mass timber - "Mass timber is a new category of wood product that can revolutionize how America builds. It is comprised of multiple solid wood panels nailed or glued together, which provide exceptional strength and stability."
• Circularity - "Circularity is the economic concept of reusing or regenerating products and resources throughout the value chain to reduce waste. It is the foundational idea behind the circular economy."

Resources:

• Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest by Suzanne Simard
• Designing the Forest and Other Mass Timber Futures by Lindsey Wikstrom 
• Migration: New & Selected Poems by W.S. Merwin 
• Pilot Projects
• Cities4Forests
• Design for Freedom by Grace Farms

Fact Checks:

Justin mentions that 66% of the of the world's population will live in urban centers by 2050 but wasn't sure - he was pretty close! According to the UN, "55% of the world’s population lives in urban areas, a proportion that is expected to increase to 68% by 2050." 

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There's so much buzz around Episode 9 of Green Collar! We have a fun conversation with Natalie here about the importance of pollinators, recognition days like Bee Day and No Mow May, and even get some insight on how Natalie BEE-came an expert in her field! (Hint: it might be from watching a classic movie about bees). 

Connect with Natalie on LinkedIn. 

Resources:

1. The Bee Movie - available on Apple TV, YouTube TV, Google Play, and Amazon Video
2. National Bee Day
3. No Mow May

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Featuring Dr. Kiran Mohanraj, a serendipitous sustainability pal made by chance on a flight.

He is a pavement engineer who breaks down myths about zero-emission vehicles, pavement-vehicle interaction, and what true sustainability really means—plus drops some solid dad jokes along the way. 

Connect with Kiran on LinkedIn.

Terms mentioned:

• Heat Island Effect

Resources:

• Energy and Civilization: A History by Vaclav Smil
• APLCA and the LCA Certified Professional

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Featuring Veni Mittal, a dear friend and proud volunteer for Etna Community Organization. 

We'll talk about how to revitalize vacant parking lots, how to create community centers from scratch, and how to empower yourself and others to make grassroots change.  

Terms mentioned: 

• Energy burden

Resources mentioned:

1. Environmental Welfare Society 
2. Rebuilding Together Pittsburgh
3. BPI Certification Program
4. Etna Community Organization 
5. Evolve EA's website with EcoDistricts
6. EcoDistricts (Just Communities) certification 

Individuals mentioned: 

• Megan Tuñón
• Robert Tuñón
• Mary Ellen Ramage

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