The Power of Entrepreneurial Leadership, with Chris Castro Ep #48

In this episode of Smart Energy Voices, host John Failla is joined by Chris Castro, Director of Sustainability & Resilience and Co-Chair of the ‘Future-Ready’ initiative for the City of Orlando. Chris has accomplished a tremendous amount with the city in an amazingly brief time. Listen in to learn more about the thrilling work Chris is currently doing and about this fascinating personal journey in the field of sustainability.  You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in... Chris’ beginning in sustainability [02:40] Effectively building and creating teams [10:06] Orlando’s sustainability program [11:21] Seven key priority areas for urban sustainability [17:11] Climate strategies for cities [20:52] What’s next for Orlando? [25:30] Chris’ entrepreneurial projects [29:18] The biggest challenge in Chris’ career [36:20] Click here for detailed show notes Resources & People Mentioned Penelope Canan - Sociology IDEAS For Us - Advancing Environmental Action Worldwide Climate First Bank Buddy Dyer Epcot Theme Park Kenneth LaRoe - Founder & CEO - Climate First Bank Paris to Pittsburgh Connect with Chris Castro Their website On Twitter On LinkedIn On Facebook Chris serves as the Senior Advisor to Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, Director of Sustainability & Resilience, and 'Future-Ready' steering committee member at the City of Orlando — developing a comprehensive set of policies & programs that has turned Orlando into one of the leading cities in America accelerating sustainability, resiliency, and climate action. Chris is best known for his entrepreneurial efforts prior to coming to the City, including as Co-founder and President of the global sustainability nonprofit, IDEAS For Us, a clean energy consulting firm Citizen Energy, and a renowned urban farming social enterprise Fleet Farming. In 2020, Chris also joined partners to launch ‘Climate First Bank’, the first B-Corp community bank in Florida working to advance ESG and local sustainable investing. Outside of work, Chris serves on many nonprofit and academic boards, including the UCF Energy Research Center, US Green Building Council of Florida, Project Greenschools, and Goodwill Industries of Central Florida. In December 2018, Chris starred in the National Geographic documentary on climate change called "Paris to Pittsburgh" to share the Orlando journey on climate action with millions of people around the World. Connect With Smart Energy Decisions https://smartenergydecisions.com Follow them on Facebook Follow them on Twitter Follow them on LinkedIn Subscribe to Smart Energy Voices If you're interested in participating in the next Smart Energy Decision Event, visit smartenergydecisions.com or email our Event Operations Director, Lisa Carroll at [email protected] Audio Production and Show notes by PODCAST FAST TRACK https://www.podcastfasttrack.com