Tariq Fancy | ESG investing and its discontents

Suzanne Singer | Empowering Indigenous communities to tackle energy poverty: In this episode, we speak with Suzanne Singer, Founder and Executive Director of Native Renewables, an Indigenous-led nonprofit organization that empowers Indigenous families to achieve energy independence by expanding renewable energy capacity and affordable access to off-grid power. by Climate Positive

47 min listen

Amanda Simpson | A sustainable aviation trailblazer: In this episode, Chad Reed sits down with Amanda Simpson, Vice President for Research and Technology and Head of Sustainability for Airbus in the Americas, to discuss her trailblazing career as the first openly trans woman appointed to an executive branch position by a U.S. president. Amanda shares the challenges she has faced and the opportunities she has seized throughout her career as an aerospace corporate executive and senior official at the U.S. Department of Defense. She also deep dives into the future of sustainable aviation—from Sustainable Aviation Fuels or SAF to ZEROe, Airbus’s hydrogen-powered concept aircraft, to the role of policy and consumers in decarbonizing the aviation sector. by Climate Positive

40 min listen

Nancy Floyd | Venture capital for climate tech: In this episode, we speak with Nancy Floyd, the founder and managing director of the venture capital firm Nth Power and a new member of Hannon Armstrong’s Board of Directors. Throughout the conversation, Nancy offers several insights on the past, present, and future of the clean energy venture space. She also provides plainspoken advice on effective board service, what makes a good pitch, and a good business plan from the perspective of someone who reads thousands a year. Additionally, Nancy talked with Gil about her time in the political spotlight, how the traits she developed in competitive ski racing and tennis help her in the venture world, and much more. We hope you enjoy this conversation with one of the true pioneers of climate tech investing. by Climate Positive

37 min listen

Jeff Eckel | A climate finance pioneer: For our inaugural episode, Hannon Armstrong Chairman and CEO Jeff Eckel joined us to talk about his experience growing up in deindustrializing Ohio, how he became committed to sustainability, his early start, and his eventual return to Hannon Armstrong, and his reflections on the company’s 2013 initial public offering. We also talked to Jeff about the case for carbon dividends, his views on the ESG movement, and how 2020 changed him as a leader. by Climate Positive

32 min listen

Michael Kobori | The evolution of corporate sustainability: Starbucks Chief Sustainability Officer Michael Kobori has been corporate sustainability changemaker for over two decades. From his time at Levi’s to his current role at Starbucks, Michael has been at the forefront of a movement that has evolved from a narrower focus on Corporate Social Responsibility to a broader conception of Stakeholder Capitalism. In this episode, Michael joined us to talk about how the intrapreneurship he exercised at Levi’s progressed and broadened its concept of sustainability. Chad and Michael also discuss the carbon footprint of coffee, how to discern greenwashers from true climate leaders, the role of business in combatting systemic racism, and how lessons from the Boy Scouts inform Starbucks’ recent commitment to become resource positive. by Climate Positive

30 min listen

Introducing Climate Positive | Presented by HASI: With the climate crisis igniting around us, it’s easy to let defeatism and complacency creep in. But there is so much to be hopeful for. And we know that hope breeds action, the action we need to sustain change. That’s why we’re starting Climate Positive. As investors in climate solutions, we only make investments that improve our climate future. Of course, Climate Positive means so much more than that. Join us, Chad Reed, Hilary Langer, and Gil Jenkins, as we talk with the business leaders, scientists, authors, advocates, and policymakers who are committed to making a difference in the climate fight. We’ll unpack their personal journeys and accomplishments and get their perspectives on emerging energy and environmental trends with the goal of driving all of us toward a more just and sustainable future. by Climate Positive

1 min listen

Michael Eckhart | The origins of U.S. renewables: In this episode, we speak with Michael Eckhart, former Global Head of Environmental Finance at Citigroup, founding chairman and former president of the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE), and co-author of the Green Bond Principles. Michael now serves as a board member for Hannon Armstrong and as an adjunct and visiting professor at Columbia University and the University of Maryland, respectively. Michael discusses the history of the global clean energy financing space, the benefits of financing—rather than funding—renewable energy, what the Green Bond Principles offer the market, how today’s clean energy financing models evolved, and more. by Climate Positive

37 min listen

Jonathan Webb | Reinventing farming on a changing planet: In this episode, we speak with Jonathan Webb, Founder and CEO of AppHarvest. AppHarvest, which went public in 2021, is building some of the largest indoor farms in the world, combining conventional agricultural techniques with today’s technology to grow non-GMO, chemical-free produce to be sold to the top 25 U.S. grocers. The company’s first controlled-environment agriculture facility, opened in 2020 in Morehead, Ky., spans 60 acres. It uses 90% less water than a typical farm because of a sophisticated circular irrigation system and 10-acre rainwater retention pond. In conversation with Gil and Chad, Jonathan talked about the unique aspects of AppHarvest’s business, his personal journey in starting the company, the parallels of ag-tech with the solar revolution, the specific advantages of Controlled Environment Agriculture, what it’s like to experience rapid growth while maintaining a culture of excellence, how ESG drives their by Climate Positive

40 min listen

Sara Kane | Insuring for accelerated climate change impacts: Sara Kane is the co-leader of the Power and Renewables Practice at CAC Specialty, an integrated specialty insurance brokerage business. She has focused on assessing, pricing, and insuring against climate risk for more than a decade. In this episode, Sara and Chad Reed discuss the impact of the increasing number and severity of catastrophic weather events on renewable energy projects as well as the sobering findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s recent Sixth Assessment Report, the promise of professional career growth from crisis situations, the difference gender diversity makes in the workplace, and much more. by Climate Positive

43 min listen

Erin Burns & Giana Amador | Building a world that removes more carbon than it emits: In this episode, we speak with Erin Burns (Executive Director) and Giana Amador (Co-Founder and Policy Director) of Carbon180, a new breed of climate-focused NGO on a mission to fundamentally rethink carbon. Chad and Gil talked to Erin and Giana about how their early years in rural West Virginia and the Central Valley of California drove their passionate interest in climate policy. We also discussed how Carbon180 has pivoted as an organization over the last six years, the most promising carbon removal technologies (including direct air capture, soil sequestration, and carbon tech), and the essential role of policy in driving solutions in the future. Finally, Erin and Giana give their takes on the most overused energy jargon we should retire and share what "climate positive" means to each of them. by Climate Positive

47 min listen

Donnel Baird | Making buildings greener, healthier, and smarter for all: Leading analysts estimate that more than 7% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions are generated by small-to-medium buildings. Too often, these buildings are terribly inefficient—wasting as much as 50% of the energy they consume, which significantly drives up energy bills—and unhealthy—with deadly viruses and other toxins circulating freely. What’s more, many of these buildings primarily serve low-to-moderate income Americans, who often lack the upfront capital needed for proven upgrades. In part driven by his childhood experience with energy poverty and the related localized pollution, Donnel Baird founded BlocPower seven years ago to ensure that everyone, especially those with lower incomes and/or from other disadvantaged backgrounds, has access to greener, healthier, smarter, and more cost-effective homes and buildings. To date, BlocPower has helped to identify, finance, and upgrade more than 1,200 buildings—many i by Climate Positive

38 min listen

Mike Casey, Emily Chasan, Gil Jenkins, Nico Johnson, Tim Montague, Bill Nussey, and Joshua Porter | Cleantech podcasters quarterly roundtable: This week we’re presenting a special bonus episode where Gil Jenkins joined fellow podcasters for the most recent edition of the Cleantech Podcasters Quarterly Roundtable, hosted by Tigercomm & SunCast Media. We covered topics such as the impact of the U.S. Supreme Court decision on EPA power plant regulations, the implications for energy markets due to the ongoing war in Ukraine, the escalating attacks by pro-fossil fuel pundits, and a whole lot more. Please note that we recorded this conversation before Senator Manchin’s surprise and welcome support for climate provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. In the show notes, we’ve linked to all the terrific podcasters included in this roundtable. Please give them a follow when you have a chance. We hope you enjoy this rich, one-hour discussion on the top clean energy trends, developments by Climate Positive

65 min listen

Lee Taylor | Measuring and maximizing the carbon impact of clean energy projects: U.S. power markets are evolving. Three factors—(1) the increasing penetration of generation from more intermittent renewable resources; (2) an increasing number of extreme weather events; (3) and the influx of new, especially corporate, buyers and sellers into the market—together are driving the development and adoption of new contracted revenue structures, risk management strategies, and products to measure emissions at a granular level. Born and bred to be an environmentalist, Lee Taylor founded REsurety nine years ago to develop new critical data analytics and risk management products to address the challenges faced by buyers and sellers in these evolving power markets. In this episode, host Chad Reed dives deep with Lee into the shift of focus from commodity price risk faced by fossil generation to volumetric risk faced by renewable generation. Chad also speaks with Lee about REsurety’s innovative by Climate Positive

34 min listen

Kiran Bhatraju | Bringing clean energy to the masses: In this episode, Hilary Langer speaks with Kiran Bhatraju, CEO and founder of Arcadia—a tech company that allows consumers to opt-in to clean energy. Kiran and the Arcadia team believe data will catalyze the decarbonization of the grid and community solar will help to tackle climate change and racial injustice while spurring economic growth. by Climate Positive

28 min listen

Nick Dilks | The role of ecosystem restoration in economic development: Are there unavoidable tradeoffs between human economic development and environmental conservation? Long before there were carbon offsets to help address climate change, there were environmental offsets – or projects undertaken to counterbalance significant but unavoidable negative impacts to wetlands, streams, and other important natural resources caused by infrastructure, commercial, industrial, or residential development. In the U.S., these sorts of projects are actually mandated by various state and federal environmental permitting regulations. But many of us – including many environmentalists – are completely unaware of the environmental offset market and how it works. In this episode, Chad Reed sits down with Nick Dilks, Managing Partner at Ecosystem Investment Partners (or EIP). EIP acquires, restores, and permanently protects conservation properties and sells the mitigation credits generated by the project by Climate Positive

42 min listen

Alice Hill | Building climate resilience: In this episode, we speak with Alice Hill, senior fellow for energy and the environment at the Council on Foreign Relations, and author of the upcoming book, The Fight for Climate After COVID-19. As a former federal prosecutor, judge, special assistant to President Barack Obama, and senior director for resilience policy on the National Security Council, Alice has a unique and powerful perspective on the risks, consequences, and responses associated with climate change. In conversation with Gil and Hilary, she discusses her journey in becoming an expert on catastrophic risk and climate resilience, which countries are doing well on climate adaptation, and where the U.S. government is falling short Additionally, Alice talks about what the pandemic can teach us about fighting climate change, how the democratization of data could improve climate security for the world’s most vulnerable populations, how she finds joy in her work, and more. by Climate Positive

40 min listen

Zach Knight | Financial innovation for forest restoration: Blue Forest Co-Founder and CEO Zach Knight joined us to talk about the Forest Resilience Bond – an innovative public-private partnership focused on deploying private capital to fund proactive forest management practices that reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire and generate other ecosystem services and community benefits. We also spoke with Zach about his transition from Wall Street to conservation finance, the role of policy in scaling solutions, and the long-term perspective children can open our eyes to. by Climate Positive

41 min listen

Ravi Mikkelsen | Changing your bank to fight climate change: In this episode, hosts Gil Jenkins and Chad Reed speak with Ravi Mikkelsen, co-founder of ATMOS Financial -- an exciting new climate fintech startup that offers ethical banking and savings accounts for a fee-free and climate positive future. Ravi and the ATMOS team are on a mission to develop the best technology solutions and banking experience available so that you never again have to give up convenience or yield for doing the right thing. by Climate Positive

30 min listen

Bren Smith | Farming the ocean to fight climate change: In this episode, we talk with Bren Smith, a former commercial fisherman who is now the co-founder and co-executive director of Greenwave, a nonprofit dedicated to creating jobs and protecting the oceans through regenerative ocean farming. The oceans are taking a beating from climate change. It’s estimated that they have absorbed nearly a third of the carbon released by humans. This creates a whole host of problems as the carbon dissolves in saltwater, making it more acidic while making it harder for calcifying organisms like oysters and coral to grow. Fishermen like Bren are on the front lines of the changing climate, but Bren shares how the oceans can be a source of renewal. Bren discusses how his inexpensive system for regenerative ocean farming avoids the vices of land-based agriculture: it requires no inputs of pesticides, fresh water, or even land. But, it produces nutrient dense foods while absorbing carbon and nitrogen, cre by Climate Positive

41 min listen

Bonnie Schneider | How climate change is affecting your health and what you can do about it: The impacts of climate change are front and center. Rising temperatures, volatile weather events, and poor air quality affect our physical and mental health in dangerous new ways. From increasing the risk of infectious disease to amplifying emotional stress and anxiety—even the healthiest among us are at risk. Bonnie Schneider has tracked environmentally linked physiological impacts throughout her career as a Peabody Award-winning TV journalist, meteorologist, and founder of Weather & Wellness©—a platform that explores the connection between weather, climate change, and health. In this episode, host Gil Jenkins speaks with Bonnie about her most recent book, Taking the Heat, How Climate Change Is Affecting Your Mind, Body, and Spirit and What You Can Do About It. In Taking the Heat, Bonnie provides crucial and practice advice from a broad range of science experts and medical professionals. by Climate Positive

26 min listen

Paula Glover | The power of efficiency: In this episode, host Gil Jenkins speaks with Paula Glover, president of the Alliance to Save Energy – a bipartisan, nonprofit coalition of business, government, environmental, and consumer leaders advocating to advance federal energy efficiency policy. Since its founding 45 years ago, the Alliance has played an integral role in nearly every major energy efficiency policy achievement on the national stage. Paula and the Alliance team believe that a nation that uses energy more productively can achieve economic growth, a cleaner environment, and greater energy security, affordability, and reliability. It was wonderful to sit down with Paula roughly one year into her tenure as president of the Alliance. We are lucky to have such a wise, passionate, joyful, and dedicated person leading the charge for energy efficiency in America! by Climate Positive

39 min listen

Jeff Hooke | Demystifying private equity: In this episode, Chad Reed and Jeff Eckel sit down with Jeff Hooke, senior finance lecturer at the Johns Hopkins Carey School of Business and acclaimed author, to discuss his new book, The Myth of Private Equity, An inside Look at Wall Street’s Transformative Investments. Jeff dives deep into his thesis that certain private equity funds aren’t nearly as successful as they claim to be and that, as a result, many of their investors, including the pension funds of public employees, are subject to more risk than they think—with taxpayers potentially and ultimately on the hook for unexpected underperformance. Jeff also explores a similar dynamic plaguing the ESG investment space. While more financially focused than many other Climate Positive episodes, we chose to focus on this topic as we believe it is of increasing importance to both taxpayers and investors—including anyone with retirement savings—as we all look to put our dollars into investmen by Climate Positive

33 min listen

Andrew Winston | Inspiring companies to become net positive: Profits should come not from creating the world’s problems but from solving them. Companies must ask themselves: Is the world better off because your business is in it? These are just a few of the urgent and inspiring lessons offered by the globally renowned sustainable business author and advisor Andrew Winston in his recent book, “Net Positive: Courageous Companies Thrive by Giving More Than They Take,” co-authored with Paul Polman, the visionary former CEO of Unilever. In this episode, host Gil Jenkins speaks with Andrew about the principles and practices of net positive companies that are outlined elegantly and colorfully in his seminal new book. Gil and Andrew talked at length about the growth of clean energy and sustainable businesses, what ultimately convinced Andrew to write his fourth book on the subject, and what makes his co-author’s journey so compelling and instructive for others. They also discussed the Golden by Climate Positive

46 min listen

Tariq Fancy | ESG investing and its discontents: In this episode, Chad Reed and Jeff Eckel dive deep with Tariq into the heart of ESG investing and the sustainable capitalism movement. We also speak with Tariq about the mission and initiatives of the education technology nonprofit he now leads—Rumie. by Climate Positive

41 min listen

Sheldon Kimber | The nexus of deep decarbonization: Sheldon Kimber has built from scratch multiple successful enterprises over his two decades in the energy industry. Now the CEO and Co-Founder of Intersect Power, a developer and owner of some of the world’s largest clean energy resources, Sheldon is working to bring innovative and scalable low-carbon solutions to customers across North America. Earlier this year, Sheldon published an article entitled, “The Nexus of Deep Decarbonization,” in which he discusses the five inevitable industries that have the potential for exponential growth as we work to decarbonize the global economy by leveraging increasingly affordable and available clean energy. These five industries include: Green Hydrogen and E-Fuels, Direct Air Capture, Electrification of Industrial Thermal Loads, Mass Electric Vehicle Charging, and Desalination and Water Transportation. In this episode, Chad Reed and Jeff Eckel dive deep into Sheldon’s unique background and disc by Climate Positive

46 min listen

Tim Hade | Securing a clean energy future with microgrids: In this episode, host Gil Jenkins speaks with Tim Hade, Co-Founder & COO of Scale Microgrid Solutions – a New Jersey-based company that designs, builds, finances, and operates distributed energy assets that are cheaper, cleaner, and more resilient. Tim talks about his journey since founding the company in 2015, how customer demand for resilient energy solutions is evolving, the intersection of EV fleets and microgrids, the merits of cogeneration technology, his perspective on energy security as a U.S. Air Force veteran, the prospects for federal climate legislation, and much more. by Climate Positive

47 min listen

Ryan Gilliam | Building the world of low carbon cement: In this week’s episode, we explore the world of cement. Concrete is the second most consumed material on earth behind water and is essential to the infrastructure that will enable the transition to renewable energy. But producing cement, which is the material that glues concrete together, is incredibly carbon intensive. As CEO of Fortera, Dr. Ryan Gilliam looks to nature and how coral and shells are strengthened by imbedding ambient carbon. Fortera’s first plant, in Redding, California, will come online by the end of 2023 and Fortera cement is construction ready. Throughout the conversation, Dr. Gilliam discusses how he partners with existing concrete suppliers, why the first iteration of Fortera failed to gain traction, and how he has built a business savvy team to bring Fortera cement to market. by Climate Positive

32 min listen

Mark Danzenbaker | Optimizing building efficiency for a more resilient grid: As CEO of GridPoint, Mark Danzenbaker believes that energy efficiency can be harnessed to make the power grid more sustainable and resilient. GridPoint does this by installing energy optimization hardware in mid-sized commercial buildings that are often overlooked by efficiency programs. GridPoint works with corporations that have many sites across the country and provides real time data on savings and energy consumption for a client’s portfolio of buildings. As their reach has expanded, the network of buildings GridPoint serves has become an important way to partner with utilities to manage energy demand during heat waves and other periods of high energy use. In this episode, Hilary Langer talks with Mark about how GridPoint engages clients both in front of and behind the meter to accelerate the transition to a more sustainable grid. by Climate Positive

31 min listen

Peter Krull | The evolution of sustainable investing: In this episode, Gil Jenkins speaks with Peter Krull, Partner & Director of Sustainable Investing at Earth Equity Advisors, A Prime Capital Investment Advisors Company. Peter focuses on creating and managing Earth Equity’s sustainable, responsible, and impact investment portfolios as well as writing thought leadership pieces and elevating the responsible investing story. Gil talks with Peter about his background and journey into the industry, how sustainable investing has evolved from socially responsible investing (SRI), which focused on exclusion, and the differences between impact investing, ESG investing, and sustainable investing from his point of view. Peter also shares his thoughts on a few of the energy and environmental sectors that excite him most. by Climate Positive

28 min listen

Joe Britton | Supercharging federal climate policy: Joe Britton is the Executive Director of the Zero Emission Transportation Association (ZETA), a federal coalition focused on advocating for 100% electric vehicle (EV) sales by 2030. ZETA is committed to enacting policies that drive EV adoption, creating hundreds of thousands of jobs, securing American global EV manufacturing dominance, dramatically improve public health, and significantly reducing carbon pollution. In this episode, Gil Jenkins speaks with Joe about his experience working on climate policy on Capitol Hill, how the politics around the environment and energy have changed, and what that might mean for passing a massive clean energy incentives package that deals with emissions. Joe also talks about the future of transportation (hint: it’s electric), the top policy priorities at ZETA, the key consumer selling points for EVs and charging, and how to overcome common misperceptions in the marketplace. by Climate Positive

41 min listen

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Tariq Fancy | ESG investing and its discontents

Tariq Fancy | ESG investing and its discontents

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