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 energy, hurts the poorest among us.
The way we grow, waste, and consume food hurts the poorest among us.
The way we transport ourselves, and our goods, hurts the poorest among us.
We way we produce and consume goods, hurts the poorest among us.
The way we build, heat, and cool buildings, hurts the poorest among us.
The climate crisis is a social justice crisis.
But there are solutions: wind energy, solar, energy efficient lighting, smart buildings, regenerative agriculture, alternative transportation systems, and consumer trends are available to us.
We must change. We can change. And we will change – if not for ourselves, for the poorest among us.
That is why we produced season two of Social Entrepreneur where we’ve been telling stories of a just and equitable transition to a clean energy future.
Season Two Wrap-up
The season kicked off with Jonathan Foley of Project Drawdown. He reminds us that the pandemic is part of an underlying pattern. We can’t just look at one disease, wildfire, or flood. We must look at our relationship with nature.
He shared the Drawdown Framework that looks at sources of greenhouse gasses, sinks that absorb greenhouse gasses, and broader transformations of our system.
We had Jessica Hellman on. Jessica is the Director of the Institute on Environment at the University of Minnesota. She is also the Chief Scientist at Geofinancial Analytics. Jessica helps us to look ahead. What is the opportunity we have in front of us because of the pandemic? How can we imagine a better world? The Institute on the Environment is accelerating the transition to the future by supporting breakthrough research.
We talked to Ry Brennan. Ry reminds us that the problems with electrical generation and distribution are systemic and complex. The solutions are at the systems level.
Janet McCabe of the Environmental Resilience Institute came by to talk about climate change in the Midwest. Rural communities are hurting. We must prepare for environmental change.
Mark Kuo of Routific talked about transporting goods. Routific uses AI to cut milage and drive time by 20 to 40 percent.
I talked to Robert Blake of Solar Bear. Solar Bear is a Native American owned solar installation company. They train people on the Red Lake Indian Reservation to install solar power.
Deepinder Singh of 75F explained why optimizing building energy efficiency doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. 75F helps customers achieve an average savings of 41.8 percent in energy consumption and carbon footprint.
Mary Jane Melendez talked about how General Mills is blending regeneration and philanthropy to create impact. General Mills has committed to advance regenerative agriculture practices on one million acres of farmland by 2030. General Mills also set a goal of utilizing 100% renewable electricity worldwide by 2030.
Lauren Gregor of Rent-a-Romper told us how parent can reduce their to-do list and their carbon footprint at the same time.
In September, Steven Downey of Harmony Fuels talked about how to turn up your heat without heating up the planet.
Sebastian Sajoux of Arqlite described how they are turning unrecyclable plastic into smart gravel, a product that is highly desired by the construction industry.
Recently, Dave Goebel of enVerde told us how they are converting organic waste into sustainable clean energy. They’re taking a product produced at the University of Minnesota and taking it to market. He talked about how enVerde is bridging the commercialization gap.
Looking Ahead to Season Three of Social Entrepreneur
In season three, we’re talking about products and services that have a social impact.
We’re kicking things off with someone I admire and consider to be a friend, Tom Dawkins of StartSomeGood.
Karima Ladhani will tell us about Giving Cradle and Barakat Bundle.
Ruth Biza will tell us about #ThisisMyEra.
One of my favorite storytellers, Denise Withers will talk about Story Design.
And Nichol Beckstrand will talk about YardHomesMN.
Still Looking for Guests for Season Three
We have more stories ahead.
Our commitment is this: We tell positive stories from underrepresented voices, focused on solutions.
If you know someone we should interview, here is what we’re looking for in a guest: https://tonyloyd.com/guest.
I can’t wait to share these stories with you.
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