Today we’re joined by Jillian Hansen, Market Intelligence Lead at US Solar, who shares her journey from aspiring political campaigner to renewable energy expert and distributed generation advocate. Jillian walks listeners through her evolving roles in community solar development, subscriber origination, and now market expansion, while breaking down key industry concepts like distributed generation, non-wires alternatives, and the growing role of battery energy storage. 

She reflects on the mentors and peers who shaped her path, how graduate school unlocked her passion for energy markets, and how she brings sustainability into her community through St. Paul’s Climate Action Advisory Board. Packed with technical insights, career advice, and a clear-eyed view of where solar is headed, the episode shines a light on the rapidly changing energy landscape—and the people helping shape its future. 

Connect with Jillian on LinkedIn. 

Podcasts 

• Volts
• Catalyst
• Currents (Norton Rose Fulbright)
• The Energy Gang

News & Analysis Resources

• Utility Dive
• Constellation Energy weekly market updates
• RTO Insider (subscription-based but frequently referenced)

Conferences & Industry Events

• New Project Media DG Conference
• Wood Mackenzie Distributed Generation Conference
• VERGE (broader climate & sustainability conference, part of Trellis)

Energy & Policy Concepts Mentioned

• FERC Order 2222
• PJM 
• ERCOT market structure
• Energy Markets Explainer
• Non-Wires Alternatives 101
• Distributed Generation (DG) overview

Local Sustainability

• St. Paul, MN Climate Action

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Today we’re joined by Laurent Canneva, co-founder and CEO of Spare It. 

Trained as a pharmacist with a business background, he spent 17 years at Sanofi leading commercial operations across France, Belgium, and the U.S. Five years ago, he made the leap from human health to planetary health, founding Spare-it, a company using data and technology to help organizations cut waste, lower carbon emissions, and drive real sustainability impact.

Connect with Laurent on LinkedIn. 

Concepts, Terms, & Certifications mentioned: 

• TRUE Zero Waste Advisor Certification
• EPA Waste Stats
• Materials Recovery Facility (MRF)

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Today we’re joined by Peyton Ridland, Business Development Lead for FuelCell Energy across the western U.S. 

Peyton has dedicated his career to driving decarbonization through clean energy technologies like fuel cells, hydrogen production, and carbon capture. His work bridges technical innovation and commercial strategy—all with a focus on helping both people and the planet thrive.

Connect with Peyton on LinkedIn. 

Books mentioned: 

• The Hydrogen Revolution - Marco Alverà
• The Story of CO2 - Geoffrey Ozin, Mireille Ghoussoub 
• Drawdown - Paul Hawken

Terms mentioned: 

• Fuel cells 
• Electrolyzers 
• Carbon capture

Individuals mentioned: 

• Mark Feasel 
• Alan Leong
• Jim McNerny

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Welcome back to the Green Color Pod! Today we’re joined by Mahesh Ramanujam, co-founder, president, and CEO of the Global Network for Zero, and former CEO of the U.S. Green Building Council—an internationally recognized leader driving health, equity, and decarbonization in the built environment and beyond.

Connect with Mahesh on LinkedIn. 

Books mentioned: 

• Start With Why by Simon Sinek

Initiatives/Organizations mentioned: 

• Global Network for Zero 
• USGBC
• GBCI
• Arc
• LEED
• GRESB

Terms mentioned:  

• Scopes 1, 2, 3
• Net Zero 

Individuals mentioned: 

• Rick Fedrizzi
• Sarah Merricks 

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Forester, author, and social media educator Ethan Tapper joins the podcast to share his unconventional journey into forestry, from wilderness expeditions done for love to becoming a leading voice on ecosystem stewardship. He reflects on the dualities of forestry—how cutting trees or using tools like chainsaws can be acts of regeneration and love—while stressing the importance of communication, responsibility, and hope in caring for forests. Listeners will walk away with a deeper understanding of how to build more meaningful relationships with nature and how to embrace both nuance and action in environmentalism

Connect with Ethan on Instagram and his website.

Resources: 

Books & Authors

• How to Love a Forest — Ethan Tapper
• Nature’s Best Hope — Doug Tallamy
• Eager and Crossings — Ben Goldfarb
• The Hidden Forest: Biography of an Ecosystem — Jon Luoma
• Runes of the North — Sigurd Olson
• A Sand County Almanac — Aldo Leopold
• Braiding Sweetgrass and Gathering Moss — Robin Wall Kimmerer
• The Sixth Extinction — Elizabeth Kolbert
• Works by E.O. Wilson

 Apps

• Merlin Bird ID from Cornell Lab of Ornithology
• Seek (Android or Apple) from iNaturalist 

Organizations

• Audubon Vermont
• Vermont Land Trust
• Vermont Woodlands Association
• The Nature Conservancy

Terms mentioned: 

• Consulting Forester — A forester who works with private landowners to manage their forests sustainably.
• Service Forester / County Forester — A publicly funded forester who provides guidance and resources to landowners, conservation groups, and loggers (in Vermont, called county foresters).
• Production Forestry — A forestry approach focused on maximizing timber yield efficiently, often contrasted with ecological or conservation-focused forestry.
• Ecosystem Stewardship — The practice of managing forests (or other ecosystems) with a holistic focus on health, biodiversity, and long-term sustainability.
• Deep Environmentalism — A term Ethan coined to describe an evolved form of environmentalism that goes beyond preventing harm to actively healing and regenerating ecosystems.
• Introduced Invasive Plants — Non-native plants that spread aggressively, displacing native species and disrupting ecosystems.

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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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