Podcast

Wrap-up of Season Two and Kick-Off Season Three of Social Entrepreneur

November 30, 2020 Podcast, Social Entrepreneurs

We tell positive stories from underrepresented voices, focused on solutions. In season two, we’ve been telling stories of a just and equitable transition to a clean energy future. The Coronavirus is a wakeup call. If you don’t know by now, the way we’ve been living isn’t working for the earth. Most of all, it is not working for the poorest inhabitants of the earth. Climate change, extreme weather, hurricanes, floods, droughts, melting glaciers, rising sea level , wildfires, degraded food supplies, tick-borne diseases, mosquito-borne diseases, climate refugees, political instability  – these are just a few results of our current way of living. The way we produce, transmit, and store our…

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Dave Goebel, CEO and Founder, enVerde LLC

A Former Oil Executive Transforms Waste to Energy, with Dave Goebel, enVerde

November 22, 2020 Minnesota, Podcast, SDG07 - Affordable and Clean Energy

Dave Goebel, CEO and Founder, enVerde LLC enVerde converts organic waste into sustainable clean energy. The Office for Technology Commercialization (OTC) is the office at the University of Minnesota whose mission is to facilitate the transfer of technology to licensees. This allows for the development of new products and services that benefit the public good. It also fosters economic growth and generates revenue. Since 2006, the University has spun out 170 startup companies. But there is a challenge. Technology transfer is not simple. For a venture to be successful, it must be desirable (the market wants it), feasible (an organization can produce a market solution), and viable (the cost structure…

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An Ecosystem of Environmental Entrepreneurship, with Sebastian Sajoux, Arqlite

September 12, 2020 Podcast, SDG09 - Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

Sebastian Sajoux, Arqlite 93% of plastic is not recycled. Only seven to nine percent of the plastic that is generated on an annual basis is recycled. Sebastian Sajoux explains, “The plastics go to a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF, pronounced “Murph”), and then go into a recycling system. Still, 50% of plastics that are manufactured are impossible to recycle with current technologies.   “The number that’s really scary is, by 2050 the amount of plastic used and discarded will double.”   “We are in this race to become more efficient in separation and recycling, but we are still manufacturing products that cannot be recycled.”  Why Some Plastic is Born Unrecyclable “Plastics are divided into categories,” Sebastian told me. “Usually,…

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Turn on Your Heat Without Heating Up the Planet, with Steven Downey, Harmony Fuels 

September 10, 2020 Podcast, SDG07 - Affordable and Clean Energy

Steven Downey, Harmony Fuels How do you reduce your carbon footprint without breaking the bank? Did you turn on your heat this week? A lot of people in the northern hemisphere either already did, or they will soon. For 12 million homes in the US, that meant burning heating oil or propane, both of which contribute to climate change.   For single family homes, the cost of replacing oil and propane furnaces is unrealistic. According to Bankrate, only 40% of Americans could absorb an unexpected expense of $500 or more. Lots of people want to reduce their carbon footprint, but they don’t have extra money to spend.  That’s where Harmony Fuels comes in. They are…

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Lauren Gregor, Rent-a-Romper

Parents: Reduce Your To-Do List and Your Carbon Footprint, with Lauren Gregor, Rent-a-Romper

August 29, 2020 Podcast, SDG12 - Responsible Consumption and Production, Women

Rent-a-Romper makes parents’ lives easier while reducing the negative effects of the fashion industry.  For just a moment, think about your clothes. At some point in time, you chose each item and brought it into your home. Your neighbor did the same thing. So did the house down the street, and the one several miles away. The same thing happened in a house on the other side of the world.   The global population is increasing. The middle class is growing. And so is our demand for fashion.   By 2030, the world population will increase from 7.8 billion today to 8.5 billion. You can watch the world population increase in real time here.  …

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When Sustainability Isn’t Enough, with Mary Jane Melendez, General Mills

July 13, 2020 BIPOC Voices, Minnesota, Podcast, SDG15 - Life on Land, Women

Mary Jane Melendez, Chief Sustainability and Social Impact Officer for General Mills; and President of the General Mills Foundation. General Mills is blending regeneration and philanthropy to create impact. How do you feed a hungry world without destroying the planet? And, how do you do so in a way that is just and equitable? Agriculture and forestry activities generate 24% of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. The world population will reach 9.7 billion in 2050. And, a growing middle class in emerging countries is straining our global food supply. Mary Jane Melendez is Chief Sustainability and Social Impact Officer for General Mills. She also serves as President of the General Mills…

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Comfortable, Efficient, and Healthy Buildings, with Deepinder Singh, 75F

June 30, 2020 BIPOC Voices, Minnesota, Podcast, SDG07 - Affordable and Clean Energy

Optimizing building energy efficiency can be complicated and expensive. According to Deepinder Singh, it doesn’t have to be. The world has more than 230 billion square meters of building space with another 65 billion square meters coming online in the next decade. Buildings account for 6% of global greenhouse gasses. With the ongoing global pandemic, the CDC has developed guidelines that encourage more fresh air circulation. The goal is to maintain lower viral load in the work atmosphere. Those guidelines could increase energy consumption. Improving energy efficiency could make a significant dent in climate change. It Started with His Daughter Deepinder Singh is a computer network engineer by training. He…

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Robert Blake, Solar Bear

Healing is in the Environment, with Robert Blake, Solar Bear

June 25, 2020 BIPOC Voices, Minnesota, Podcast, SDG07 - Affordable and Clean Energy

Solar Bear is a Native American owned solar installation company. Robert Blake of Solar Bear has a habit of mashing up two problems and coming up with a solution. His driving philosophy is “healing is in the environment.” Solar Bear is a Native American owned solar installation company. They train people on the Red Lake Indian Reservation to install solar power. “If we can do this in Red Lake, we can bring this out to other tribal nations,” Robert explains. “We’re going to see that solar energy can solve a human health crisis. On Native Nations and reservations, there is a high poverty rate, alcohol addiction, and drug addiction. What…

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Delivering Efficiency with Marc Kuo, Routific

June 16, 2020 BIPOC Voices, Podcast, SDG13 - Climate Action

Routific uses AI to cut mileage and drive time by 20%-40%. Marc Kuo is the Founder & CEO of Routific. He is a routing expert with nearly a decade of experience in last-mile logistics. But he didn’t always work in logistics. “Being a fresh grad out of school, I just wanted to get into either management consulting or investment banking, simply because of its prestige,” Marc told me. “I was ambitious. I wanted to aim for something challenging. “Once I was in finance, I was on the equity trading floor for one of the investment banks in Hong Kong. It was a glamorous dream job. I was sitting on the…

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Janet McCabe, Environmental Resilience Institute at Indiana University.

Confronting Environmental Change in the Midwest, with Janet McCabe, Environmental Resilience Institute

May 19, 2020 Minnesota, Podcast, SDG13 - Climate Action, Women

The Environmental Resilience Institute helps midwestern communities understand and prepare for environmental change. There’s something powerful about understanding how a global trend impacts your local community. For example, it’s one thing to hear about world hunger. It’s another to hear about hunger in your state. But there’s a different feeling when you realize that there’s a hungry kid in your neighborhood. As Tip O’Neill said, “All politics is local.” It’s the same thing with climate change. You’ve probably heard about the global climate crisis. And, when your state is mentioned, you might pay attention. But, when you notice the impact on the health and wellbeing of your local community, well,…

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Welcome!

Tony Loyd speaking to 2,000 Climate Reality LeadersHi! I’m Tony Loyd, a former Fortune 500 executive turned podcast host and keynote speaker. Invite me to speak at your event.

Social Entrepreneur exists at the intersection of profit and purpose. We tell positive stories, from underrepresented voices, focused on solutions. You can subscribe on your favorite podcast app.