Need More Sustainable Ideas in Your Life? Read This
Hey, welcome back, on this edition of the Cleantechies newsletter, we’re jumping in with some podcast recaps. Let’s go!??
Utilizing Carbon in Everyday Products w/ Aaron Fitzgerald of Mars Materials
Commercialization is a uniquely global issue in climatetech because of the industry’s novelty. According to CEO Aaron Ftizgerald, the need for R&D, complicated regulations, and lack of social awareness are difficult hurdles for an industry so specialized. Our risk-averse economic climate makes it challenging for people interested in climatetech to get key people behind a new idea. Aaron goes on to give insight into what it was like to break into the industry as a new business owner driven by responsibility and stewardship of the planet, and as a queer, black man.
If you want authentic industry experience from an under-represented voice, this episode is just what the doctor ordered.
COP27 Feedback, IRA Insights, & Investing in the Era of Climate Change w/ Bruce Usher (Columbia Prof.)
Professor Bruce Usher, previous CEO of Eco Securities Group, and author of Investing in the Era of Climate Change, brings a fresh perspective to climate change. He points out that the dialogue around climate change is often unproductive. We constantly hear accusations of “you’re not doing enough”, connected to an all-or-nothing mentality that prevents compromise. Bruce reminds us that greenhouse gas emissions peaked back in 2007, and have been shrinking ever since- but it's not happening fast enough. The real question is, “What has been working, and how can we do more of it??
If you like political ponderings grounded in ethics, then this is the episode for you!
Combating Fast Fashion using Sustainable Cotton with Graham Stewart from Fibre52
Fast fashion gets a lot of criticism due to its wasteful practices, but the industry isn’t going away anytime soon. Graham Stewart, founder of Fibre52, points out the power of a simple solution in a fast-paced, insatiable industry. Fibre52 is a sustainable dyeing method which creates more sustainable cotton. It reduces CO2 emissions by up to 50%, water usage by roughly 40%, all from the same machines widely used in today’s textile mills. Graham connects that with the backdrop of inflation on utilities, companies can benefit greatly from choosing more eco-friendly processes such as the Fibre52 method.
Do you want details about where the future of textiles could go? Check this episode out!?
Demystifying Alternative-Protein and How its Made with Sharyn Murray from Good Food Institute (GFI)
Alternative proteins are far less mad science and more common than most people realize, according to Sharyn Murray, an Investor Engagement Manager at Good Food Institute. Alternative protein research is extremely important to tackling the meat industry’s emissions, which make up 20% of all GHGs globally. To be able to do that, the infrastructure necessary will need to be dramatically scaled up, a landmark that Sharyn believes is about 5 years ahead of us. With the work that GFI’s grant program is doing, even early-stage ideas like carbon-negative meats are possible!
Interested in food science? Looking for opportunities in the space? This episode is the springboard you’re looking for.
Removing the Barriers of Going Green for Building Owners w/ Al Subbloie
To have a big impact, to save the world, you need capitalism behind you.? Al Subbloie, lifelong entrepreneur, used this philosophy to found Budderfly. His rapidly-growing Energy-Efficiency as a Service solution is changing the landscape of climate tech in an unprecedented way. The Budderfly model incentivizes chain companies to do virtually nothing as Al’s team updates their lighting and appliances, fitting the new electronics with devices to measure electricity usage. They then monitor and manage consumption while offering free maintenance on every appliance they installed. Every month, instead of the usual elaborate energy bill, customers receive a bill from Budderfly clearly showing their savings, allowing them to benefit from an updated, efficient infrastructure without ever having to lift a finger.?
Al notes that business owners don’t want the headache, they want “a better outcome.”?
Before Budderfly, Al was already a successful entrepreneur, having founded and run two companies, which he speaks more about along with his transition to Budderfly on the podcast. Budderfly itself came from a problem Al feels very strongly about: “Everybody agrees that there is about a 30% waste factor in the use of energy in the commercial marketplace...And that drives me crazy in a world where the world is ending, and yet we waste a third. And the truth is the technology exists to remove about 30% of that use, and still do business the way we do it today.”
Al notes that the technical solutions he uses existed before Budderfly, but they get overlooked due to cost, lack of verifiability, and sheer choice overload. Budderfly’s business model eliminates the friction of change, making scalable sustainability more accessible. Finding creative ways to sweeten sustainable solutions for business is as important as having them in the first place. As word about Budderfly gets around, how could other industries take advantage of Al’s business philosophy?
Do you want more details about anything you just read? Do you want to share the knowledge with a climate-tech loving friend? The CleanTechies Podcast hosted by Silas Mahner has you covered. Listen, subscribe, and share, anywhere you get your podcasts.???