Climate Positive
82 episodes - English - Latest episode: 19 days ago - ★★★★★ - 70 ratingsFeaturing candid conversations with the leaders, innovators,
and changemakers driving our climate positive future. Hosted by Chad Reed, Gil Jenkins, and Hilary Langer.
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Episodes
Sheldon Kimber | The nexus of deep decarbonization
June 09, 2022 09:00 - 45 minutes - 42.1 MBSheldon 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...
Joe Britton | Supercharging federal climate policy
May 25, 2022 09:00 - 41 minutes - 94.5 MBJoe 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 ...
Tim Hade | Securing a clean energy future with microgrids
May 11, 2022 09:00 - 46 minutes - 107 MBIn 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 securi...
Bonnie Schneider | How climate change is affecting your health and what you can do about it
April 27, 2022 09:00 - 26 minutes - 24.1 MBThe 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 & Wellne...
Tim Wildin | The quest for delicious and sustainable plant-based cheese
April 14, 2022 09:00 - 26 minutes - 24.4 MBPeople want performance. As sustainability focused as a new product can be, if it is truly attempting to dominate the market, the new product has to be as good as or better than the less sustainable incumbent it is looking to replace. This is especially true with sustainable food. To this end, many of us have searched – often in vain – for plant-based dairy products, such as ice cream and cheese, that are both delicious and environmentally sustainable. In this episode, Chad Reed sits down...
Nick Dilks | The role of ecosystem restoration in economic development
March 31, 2022 09:00 - 41 minutes - 38 MBAre 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 variou...
Paula Glover | The power of efficiency
March 17, 2022 09:00 - 38 minutes - 35.3 MBIn 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 productivel...
Jeff Hooke | Demystifying private equity
March 02, 2022 10:00 - 32 minutes - 30.1 MBIn 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...
Jeff Hooke | Demystifying Private Equity
March 02, 2022 10:00 - 32 minutes - 30.1 MBIn 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 subje...
Amanda Simpson | A sustainable aviation trailblazer
February 16, 2022 10:00 - 39 minutes - 36.3 MBIn 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 d...
Amanda Simpson | A Sustainable Aviation Trailblazer
February 16, 2022 10:00 - 39 minutes - 36.3 MBIn 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 d...
Kiran Bhatraju | Bringing clean energy to the masses
February 02, 2022 10:00 - 27 minutes - 25.3 MBIn 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. Links: Arcadia Kiran on Twitter Arcadia on Twitter Arcadia on LinkedIn Kiran Essay on Community Solar in Fast Company Arcadia’s Acquisition of i...
Ravi Mikkelsen | Changing your bank to fight climate change
January 20, 2022 10:00 - 30 minutes - 27.7 MBIn 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. Links: ATMOS Financial Ravi on LinkedIn Ravi ...
Andrew Winston | Inspiring companies to become net positive
January 06, 2022 10:00 - 45 minutes - 42.1 MBProfits 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, h...
Lee Taylor | Measuring and maximizing the carbon impact of clean energy projects
December 15, 2021 10:00 - 34 minutes - 31.2 MBU.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...
Donnel Baird | Making buildings greener, healthier, and smarter for all
December 01, 2021 10:00 - 38 minutes - 35.2 MBLeading 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 par...
Tariq Fancy | ESG Investing and Its Discontents
November 17, 2021 11:00 - 40 minutes - 37.5 MBThe recent meteoric rise of ESG or sustainable investing is both compelling and undeniable. Today, more than 3,500 asset managers and related organizations representing more than $120 trillion in assets under management subscribe to the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), which are a set of voluntary and aspirational principles that encourage the incorporation of ESG factors into investment decisions. But as more and more professional investors publicly proclaim thei...
Tariq Fancy | ESG investing and its discontents
November 17, 2021 11:00 - 40 minutes - 37.5 MBThe recent meteoric rise of ESG or sustainable investing is both compelling and undeniable. Today, more than 3,500 asset managers and related organizations representing more than $120 trillion in assets under management subscribe to the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), which are a set of voluntary and aspirational principles that encourage the incorporation of ESG factors into investment decisions. But as more and more professional investors publicly proclaim thei...
Bren Smith | Farming the ocean to fight climate change
November 03, 2021 10:00 - 40 minutes - 37.4 MBIn 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...
Suzanne Singer | Empowering Indigenous communities to tackle energy poverty
October 20, 2021 10:00 - 46 minutes - 42.9 MBIn 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. It may be surprising to learn that by some estimates, up to one third of U.S. households suffer from some form of energy poverty, meaning that they find it difficult to afford the energy they need to heat and ...
Jonathan Webb | Reinventing farming on a changing planet
October 06, 2021 10:00 - 39 minutes - 36.4 MBIn 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 s...
Michael Eckhart | The origins of U.S. renewables
September 23, 2021 11:40 - 37 minutes - 34 MBIn 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 benefi...
Sara Kane | Insuring for accelerated climate change impacts
September 09, 2021 10:00 - 42 minutes - 39 MBSara 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 Re...
Alice Hill | Building climate resilience
July 29, 2021 04:00 - 40 minutes - 36.7 MBIn 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 G...
Nancy Floyd | Venture capital for climate tech
June 30, 2021 05:00 - 36 minutes - 33.6 MBIn 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...
Michael Kobori | The evolution of corporate sustainability
June 03, 2021 04:00 - 29 minutes - 27.4 MBStarbucks 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 sustai...
Erin Burns & Giana Amador | Building a world that removes more carbon than it emits
May 19, 2021 10:00 - 46 minutes - 42.9 MBIn 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 carb...
Zach Knight | Financial innovation for forest restoration
May 03, 2021 09:00 - 40 minutes - 37.5 MBBlue 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 c...
Jeff Eckel | A climate finance pioneer
March 30, 2021 04:00 - 31 minutes - 29 MBFor 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. Links: Official Bio www.hannonarmstrong.com/...
Jeff Eckel | A Climate Finance Pioneer
March 30, 2021 04:00 - 31 minutes - 29 MBLinks: Official Bio www.hannonarmstrong.com/about/leadership-team/jeff-eckel/ Jeff’s Annual Letter to Stakeholders (March 2021) https://www.hannonarmstrong.com/about/annual-letter/ Diet for a Small Planet www.goodreads.com/book/show/199107.Diet_for_a_Small_Planet The Verge: Tesla’s $1.5 billion bitcoin purchase clashes with its environmental aspirations https://www.theverge.com/2021/2/9/22275243/teslas-bitcoin-purchase-clashes-climate-change-mission Climate Change & Birds https://abcbi...
Introducing Climate Positive | Presented by HASI
March 22, 2021 18:04 - 1 minute - 2.28 MBWith 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 leader...
Introducing Climate Positive | Presented by Hannon Armstrong
March 22, 2021 18:04 - 1 minute - 2.28 MBWith 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 leader...