Climate Changers

Colorado is currently facing one of its most warm and dry winters on record, with snowpacks hitting historical lows and March heatwaves shattering 500-year records. In this episode, we sit down with Noah Molotch, Professor of Geography at CU Boulder, Research Scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and a leading expert in snow hydrology, to make sense of this changing landscape. As Colorado faces record-shattering heat and historic snow lows, Noah joins us to break down the physics behind and implications of our changing landscape and climate.

In this episode, tech visionary and ECL CEO Yuval Bachar joins the conversation to unveil how hydrogen is solving the massive power and sustainability crisis currently facing the AI industry. Drawing on his leadership experience at Microsoft and Facebook, Bachar explains how ECL is moving beyond the traditional electrical grid to deploy modular, off-grid data centers that run entirely on hydrogen fuel cells, effectively eliminating carbon emissions and the need for external water cooling. The discussion dives into the radical efficiency of 3D-printed facility "blocks" that can be deployed in just months rather than years, the strategic importance of their new one-gigawatt site in Texas, and why Bachar believes that integrating localized energy generation is the only way to support the "unprecedented demand" of 100-kilowatt server racks without breaking the planet's infrastructure.

How does your dinner table connect to climate change, corporate giants, and the future of life on Earth? Landscape designer and award-winning filmmaker Louis De Jaeger isn't afraid to ask the hard questions. Drawing from his work as an author and international speaker, Louis pulls back the curtain on the fight to save our soils. Follow Louis as he travels the globe, consulting top experts and challenging the status quo to find out what kind of food system truly benefits everyone. Tune in to transform your understanding of what you eat and how it shapes our world.

Anthony Myint, a celebrated chef and restaurateur, is best known for his work as the co-founder and Executive Director of the nonprofit organization Zero Foodprint (ZFP). His innovative approach to climate activism through the food industry earned him two prestigious James Beard Awards. Zero Foodprint is a nonprofit that mobilizes the food and beverage industry to address climate change. It operates on a "Table to Farm" model, where participating restaurants add a small, opt-out surcharge to customer bills. ZFP then aggregates these funds and distributes them as grants to local farmers and ranchers. These grants help farmers implement regenerative agricultural practices, such as compost application, cover cropping, and reduced tillage. The goal is to improve soil health, which naturally sequesters carbon from the atmosphere, creating a powerful, scalable climate solution.

Growing up in rural Indiana, author Kelsey Timmerman saw the toll of industrial agriculture firsthand. Think polluted ponds, air thick with manure — a system that's disconnected us from our food, our land, and each other. But Kelsey, a farmer's grandson, believes it doesn't have to be this way. In this podcast, we're diving into Kelsey's global journey, inspired by his book, Regenerating Earth. He's traveled the world — from Hawaiian kalo patches and the Amazon rainforest to the fields of Kenya with Maasai warriors and innovative American farms — to find people who are turning agriculture into a powerful solution. Join us as we explore how regenerative farming practices are rebuilding soil, boosting biodiversity, creating meaningful livelihoods, and even sequestering enough carbon to combat climate change. Kelsey weaves together local stories with global insights, showing us how our food choices, our lifestyles, and our connection to nature are deeply tied to environmental and social justice. Discover how embracing a regenerative future can add meaning and purpose to your life, connecting you to everything from microscopic fungi to majestic lions. It all starts with understanding our role in creating a healthier planet.

Join us for a powerful conversation with Dr. Jonathan Foley, a scientist whose work is shaping the future of our planet. We discuss his impactful research on climate change, food security, and global sustainability, and how his insights are translated into real-world solutions. Learn from a leading voice who advises governments and organizations worldwide and has dedicated his career to understanding and protecting our natural world. Get ready to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges we face and the hopeful possibilities for a sustainable future.

How can a simple idea blossom into a movement that plants over a million trees and reshapes an entire industry? Join us as we delve into the inspiring story of MasayaCo, a global brand proving that beautiful furniture and a thriving planet can go hand in hand. Discover how their innovative "reforestation through design" philosophy tackles deforestation at its root, not by pointing fingers, but by creating economic opportunities through sustainable forestry in developing nations. We'll explore their unique whole-tree approach, minimizing waste and crafting timeless, handcrafted pieces from the very forests they cultivate. Learn how MasayaCo is not just making furniture; they're cultivating hope, one seedling at a time, and emerging as a true beacon for a more sustainable future.

Robert Politzer, Founder and CEO of GreenStreet Global, joins us to discuss navigating the complexities of green building and energy efficiency. He shares his expertise on reducing operating expenses and increasing net operating income for commercial real estate, with a focus on decarbonization regulations like NYC Local Law 97. Robert, NYC's first green building contractor, brings decades of experience in clean energy and smart building projects to the conversation.

In this episode, we dive into the innovative world of sustainable toys with Kate Reiman, founder and CEO of RogueWave Toys. Kate shares her journey of transforming beach toys from environmental hazards to eco-friendly alternatives through plant-based materials and compostable design. Learn how RogueWave Toys is tackling plastic pollution, the challenges of sustainable manufacturing, and the future of eco-conscious play. Kate offers valuable insights for entrepreneurs in the sustainability space and discusses emerging trends in sustainable materials. A must-listen for anyone interested in environmental innovation and the future of sustainable consumer products.

In this episode, we speak with Sarah Currie-Halpern from Think Zero LLC. Sarah and her team help businesses transform waste into valuable resources, exceeding environmental regulations and driving the circular economy. We'll discuss the challenges of waste management, the importance of strategic planning and implementation, and how Sarah's expertise as a TRUE Zero Waste Advisor guides their work towards a more sustainable future.

Eugene Kirpichov left his job at Google to focus on climate solutions and co-founded Work on Climate, a community for people who want to transition into climate jobs. The community offers resources, events, and job listings to help people find work in climate tech, clean energy, and other sustainability-focused fields. Work on Climate aims to make climate jobs more mainstream and connect employers with skilled professionals who are passionate about solving climate change.

Clean Energy for America (CE4A) is a leading network of business leaders, workers, and advocates driven by a common goal: decarbonize our economy and protect our planet. We’re committed to clean energy action by engaging and catalyzing our base, advocating on behalf of the industry, holding elected officials accountable, and amplifying worker stories.

Kristy Drutman, otherwise known as “Browngirl Green” is a speaker, consultant, media producer, and environmental educator passionate about working at the intersections between media, diversity, and environmentalism. As a young entrepreneur, Kristy has educated hundreds of thousands of people across the globe about modern-day environmental issues through speeches and media content as well as facilitates workshops centered around environmental media and storytelling in cities across the United States. Kristy is also the Co-Founder of the Green Jobs Board, a climate tech start-up bridging the equity and inclusion gap within the green economy through conversations, resources, and pathways to bring more diverse talent into the environmental field.

Walden (1854) defined American environmentalism. A Sand County Almanac (1949) reinvented the field of conservation. Silent Spring (1962) alerted the world to persistent environmental toxins. The Ecology of Commerce (1994) offered a new vision for sustainable economies. Into this lineage, and at the eleventh hour of global environmental struggle, comes TERRIBLE BEAUTY: Reckoning with Climate Complicity and Rediscovering Our Soul, an expose on the failure of modern environmental movement and a roadmap for a new environmentalism in a world headed towards catastrophe. But TERRIBLE BEAUTY is less a climate polemic or environmental history and more a love letter to the world, an homage to beauty and fun, and a tribute to human aspiration and potential. Harvard Professor Naomi Oreskes called it “weirdly fun and compelling.” Perhaps the world’s leading environmentalist, Bill McKibben, said that “nobody has more credibility” on the topic of sustainable business than author Auden Schendler. Obama’s climate czar and former EPA head said that reading TERRIBLE BEAUTY was like “picking the lock on someone’s personal diary.” This isn’t your standard climate book. It starts with friends in the Utah desert chasing a dust devil, trying to get inside it. The first chapter is partly about the art of wood chopping—though it also covers topics as varied as garden gnomes, Kurt Vonnegut, and the Arab Spring. There are many Springsteen quotes, references to Jack Kerouac, and at least once mention of the band “Florence and the Machine.” Buckle up—this is a wholly different animal than any environmental book you’ve ever read. TERRIBLE BEAUTY posits that the modern environmental movement—which in recent decades has been based in free market ideologies—has failed abjectly. Carbon emissions—and their associated superstorms, fires, and droughts—increase ever year. Yet the environmental community continues to pursue token solutions and half measures— performative actions like setting carbon targets or buying offsets—that don’t come close to a fix. They—and the “green” corporations that pledge climate salvation—are following a playbook that could have been written by the fossil fuel industry. The hard truth is that environmentalists themselves have become complicit with a carbon economy, and unless something changes, our future includes more than 4C warming over preindustrial times. Schendler tells the story of environmentalism’s failure and America’s way out more in stories than in facts, though the book is replete with those. But, as it makes clear, the way to understand what we have to lose, and the opportunity ahead, is to understand what makes us human: teenagers playing baseball above the Lincoln tunnel in the polluted 70s; a “turtle boil” on Hatteras Island with family; or floating down the Green River with a friend twenty years your senior. We’ve badly failed in the climate fight using technical means; our politics have lacked ambition and been co-opted by the enemy. What we need to solve climate change is a movement of people, like revolutions through the ages. The only way to get to massive social change is through the heart. TERRIBLE BEAUTY asks and answers the famous questions posed by French painter Gauguin: “Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?” in deeply human, inspiring, and often hilarious ways. Readers will never look at their lives the same again.

Join Carly Peters, the visionary founder of Patchwork with Purpose. Discover how this inspiring organization is empowering young people to take action on climate change. Learn about their innovative approach to environmental sustainability that not only benefits the planet but also strengthens local communities. Tune in to hear about the passion and dedication driving this youth-led movement.

Aniya Butler is a 18 year old spoken word poet, published author, and youth organizer with Youth Vs. Apocalypse (YVA) from Oakland, California. Within YVA, she leads the Hip Hop & Climate Justice Team, writing workshops, and organizes community events that mobilizes youth throughout the Bay Area to learn creative writing skills and use their creative writing skills to target power holders and demand action. Through her poetry and organizing, she demands immediate and radical action to dismantle the foundational systems of oppression that are responsible for the climate crisis. Aniya believes through unity, resistance, and creativity we can rebuild a world where every living thing is allowed to thrive.

Aishani Garg is a senior in high school and the co-chair of environmental youth organization BAYCS. She is passionate about youth organizing and bringing people together to fight for a common cause. Aishani is also the host of an environmental career podcast and launched a green career curriculum at her school, and hopes to encourage more high school students to pursue green careers after college. Listen to her podcast here: https://www.theclimatecareerkit.com

Cherish Lodico is a 17 year old Climate and Social Justice activist from Quezon City, Philippines and Daly City, California. She is a proud environmental leader in her high school's environmental action club, where she tackles multiple projects locally such as promoting a climate petition to pass a school board policy, a thrift store on campus, a local native plant garden, and more. Outside of school, she serves her Filipino-American migrant community with GABRIELA Daly City -- a Filipina women's organization fighting for national democracy in the Philippines and the fights for the rights and welfare of all women and children. Outside of community organizing spaces, Cherish loves to read, write, and create ceramics pieces. You can connect with her on Instagram on @cherishlodiko.

Avery Roslansky is a climate activist from San Francisco, California, studying architecture at UC Berkeley. Her work in climate activism ranges from public policy to aquatic insect research, and she's enthusiastic about doing whatever she can to stop the crisis. Currently, she is working on building mycelium-engineered living materials to replace conventional building materials that are harmful to the environment. When she's not working on school or research, she loves to hike, play guitar, or visit the beach.

Miki Agrawal, a renowned entrepreneur and social activist, joins us to discuss her journey of challenging societal norms and revolutionizing industries. Known for her bold and provocative approach, Miki has successfully launched companies that tackle taboos head-on, such as feminine hygiene, poop, and diapers. In this episode, Miki shares her insights on: - Breaking barriers: How she has challenged societal taboos and stigma surrounding personal care products. - Building successful businesses: The lessons she has learned through her entrepreneurial ventures. - Social impact: Her commitment to creating products that improve people's lives and contribute to a better world. Join us as Miki shares her inspiring story of turning challenges into opportunities and making a positive impact on society.

Radha Agrawal is an entrepreneurial force. She is the co-Founder, CEO and Chief Community Architect of Daybreaker, the global morning dance, music and wellness movement in five continents with a community of almost half a million people around the globe. She co-founded, sold and invested in multiple nine-figure businesses in the wellness space including THINX underwear, is a best-selling author, speaker, DJ, inventor, and investor in mostly female-owned businesses. She and her Daybreaker team spent the first 3 months of 2020 touring with Oprah and WW on a 9-arena sold-out tour where Radha opened every stop of the tour and led 155,000 people through a motivational movement experience with 30 dancers, musicians and performers behind her. She and her team recently launched a science-backed platform called DOSE by Daybreaker, a first of its kind membership to practice JOY and developed a movement Method connected to the 8 virtues of joy. Her goal is to make "practicing joy" as ubiquitous as practicing yoga and meditation. Her book BELONG peels back the curtain and shares how she and her team built the Daybreaker community around the world with zero ad spend and answers the questions, "how do I find my people?" and "How do I create large and meaningful communities in the real world?". She was named by MTV as "one of 8 women who will change the world" and has won numerous entrepreneurship awards and accolades on disruptive innovation. Radha is currently teaching joy practices on DOSE every week supporting her members on their journey to joy, she is pioneering the field of Functional Happiness and writing her next book, "The Joy Ride". She lives between Brooklyn and her farm in Rhinebeck with her family and her most coveted title is mother.

The Blue Plate: A Food Lover's Guide to Climate Chaos is the latest book by ecologist Mark J. Easter. Did you know more than a quarter of the dangerous climate-heating greenhouse gas emissions produced around the world today come from the simple steps of growing, catching, processing, transporting and cooking food—and then dealing with leftovers? This alarming statistic motivated Easter to dramatically change what and how he and his family eat. Easter researches the carbon footprint of food as part of a CSU team of “greenhouse gas accountants” whose mission is to understand how greenhouse gases move into and out of soils and plants on farms and ranches. He has traveled globally to collaborate with farmers, ranchers, foresters, and others to learn how the ways people grow food and fiber make agriculture healthier and less damaging to the climate. Offering an education on how to eat in a way that nourishes both our bodies and the planet, he wrote The Blue Plate, the first book by a scientist to provide a detailed picture of the carbon impact of our favorite foods on the Earth.

Allison Wolff is CEO of Vibrant Planet PBC which builds platforms that help build community and landscape resilience in the face of climate change and wildfire. After building the Netflix brand and digital experience, Allison advised corporate and nonprofit leadership teams on vision, strategy, and social and environmental innovation. Clients include Google, eBay, Facebook, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Omidyar Network, Patagonia, Nike, HP, Drawdown, Conservation International, and GlobalGiving. She is now leveraging her experience and network to develop solutions for forest and landscape resilience and carbon drawdown.

From prison to produce. This episode dives into the critical work of Restorative Farms, led by Director Owen Lynch, to combat the food desert crisis by creating a path to meaningful employment for those seeking a fresh start. Lynch's organization goes beyond simply growing food, focusing on planting careers through paid vocational training; this leads to incredible success stories where program graduates, including those leaving jail, secure stable, high-value jobs as farmers and agricultural trainers.

Daniel Goldsmith is Chief Product Officer and Co-Founder of Julius, a company that is on a mission to address the talent needs of the energy transition by providing inclusive solutions - powered by AI and data - to start and grow green careers.

"The cheapest and most efficient kW of electricity is the one you don't use." -Bob Hinkle Bob established Metrus in 2009 and created the Efficiency Services Agreement (ESA) and Sustainable Energy Services Agreement (SESA) that are the contractual backbone of financing large-scale energy efficiency retrofit and renewable energy projects. Bob helped develop and grow the Energy as a Service market which is currently a $5.4 billion industry. He has developed and implemented over $500 million of large-scale energy efficiency projects and clean energy investment programs in the U.S. and in emerging global markets for utilities, major energy end-users, government agencies, export credit agencies and international donors.

Raviv Turner is a serial big data and AI entrepreneur and the founding member of the Nature Tech Collective, a non-profit coalition of nature tech companies covering satellite imaging, drones, IoT, LIDAR, eDNA, bio-acoustics and other tech that helps financial institutions and corporations measure, report and verify their nature-related impact claims and disclosures, to fight greenwashing and accelerate investment in nature-based solutions. Raviv also sits on the TNFD (Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures) nature data working group. He speaks on the topics of biodiversity ESG, natural capital, spatial finance, and digital MRV.

Hannah Bellamy is Managing Director of charity: water, a nonprofit organization bringing clean and safe water to people around the world.

Recently named one of “Time 100 Most Influential Companies of 2023,” Patagonia has been widely regarded over the years for its ground-breaking environmental and social practices. The company that pioneered corporate responsibility is now in its 50th year and has plans to thrive responsibly for another fifty. The Future of the Responsible Company: What We’ve Learned from Patagonia’s First 50 Years reveals how businesses and nonprofits can (and should) prioritize purpose over profit to restore and protect our home planet. Written by Vincent Stanley, Patagonia's Director of Philosophy (also one of the company's original employees), with Yvon Chouinard, founder and former owner of Patagonia, the book challenges business owners and leaders to rethink their business in a time of cultural and climate chaos. The advice is simple, but powerful: reduce your environmental footprint (and its skyrocketing cost), make legitimate products that last, reclaim deep knowledge of your business and its supply chain to make the most of opportunities in the years to come, and earn the trust you’ll need by treating your workers, customers, and communities with respect.

Steve Pantano is the Head of Market Transformation at Rewiring America, where he leads efforts to build and share comprehensive working knowledge of how to replace more than one billion fossil fuel devices with clean electric alternatives. For the past fifteen years Steve worked with CLASP and ICF International to develop policy, market development programs, research, and technical analysis aimed at maximizing the climate benefits that can be achieved with energy efficient appliances and equipment. He spent years before that tinkering with and testing everything from Hydrogen fuel cells to Space Shuttle hardware. He has a Master of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from The Johns Hopkins University.Rewiring America is the leading electrification nonprofit, focused on electrifying our homes, businesses, and communities. They develop accessible, actionable data and tools, and build coalitions and partnerships to make going electric easier for households and communities. Rewiring America helps Americans save money, tackle nationwide emissions goals, improve health, and build the next generation of the clean energy workforce. They believe in an abundant, flourishing, climate-safe future, and know that, together, we can realize one.  

Jo is an architect specialized in green home design and passive solar strategies. That means, the things you can do to your house that don't cost money running them (unlike your aircon).You can find out more about Jo's projects here: https://maven.com/jopetroni/climateproof https://thecarbonalmanac.org/connect-the-dots https://permarchitecture.net/ https://jopetroni.substack.com/ 

As Head of Product and Sustainability, and founding member of Better for All, Raegan Kelly works with biopolymer engineers and manufacturing experts to create a unique line of PHBH™ home compostable bioplastic cups. Prior to Better for All, she produced creative projects for USC Annenberg, Warner Bros Records, LACMA, Otis College of Design, Disney’s Epcot Center and more.

Leslie Chang is Director of Strategy & Policy at Caelux Corporation, a pioneer in utilizing perovskites to make solar energy more powerful and cost-effective. Caelux’s proprietary technologies improve the performance of any new crystalline silicon module. Headquartered in Baldwin Park, California, Caelux is at the forefront of the emerging science of perovskites, a special class of nanomaterials. Its flagship product, Caelux™ One is an innovative product that integrates seamlessly into existing PV module manufacturing processes, boosting performance, reducing installed costs, and accelerating the proliferation of solar.

Andrea is back for his second episode of Climate Changers. In this conversation he describes what to expect and why he is optimistic about the potential impact of the upcoming COP 28 in the UAE on climate, gender equality and the global economy.

Marios is passionate about finding innovative ways to preserve the planet's wild spaces. As part of the AMES foundation, he is the founder of the AMES-habitatfund which aims to scale the conservation of protected areas through nature-positive investment models. Previously he founded several Nature based initiatives, such as the ecolodge consulting company called Fjällbos in Sweden. Marios believes in finding ways to revalue biodiversity for its natural capital, which remains integral as we build resilient ecosystems in the face of climate change.

Ubiquitous Energy is the world leader in transparent solar technology working towards a goal of helping solve climate change by creating truly transparent renewable energy for every surface across the globe. Ubiquitous Energy’s patented technology, UE Power™, is the world’s first invisible electricity-generating alternative to traditional windows. UE Power™ harvests solar energy and serves as an invisible, onboard source of electricity for greater energy efficiency. Founded by scientists from MIT, Ubiquitous Energy is now producing its highly transparent, efficient solar cells in a production facility in Silicon Valley. Veeral Hardev is VP of Corporate Strategy at Ubiquitous Energy. Veeral has over a decade of experience commercializing novel nano-materials products for the electronics industry. This includes his time at Nanosys, Inc. where he led materials development, product management, and business development. Hardev holds an MBA from the Berkeley Haas School of Business, and bachelor’s degrees in Materials Science and Economics from UCLA.

Graham Hill is one of Fast Company's "100 Most Creative People in Business" and has been featured on the cover of Inc. and Dwell Magazines, is a highly sought-after speaker known for his ability to eloquently explain how we can all create a simpler, wealthier, greener and happier planet. He has presented at many prestigious conferences around the world, including two main-stage TED Talks that have received 11M+ views. Graham is the founder and CEO of The Carbonauts. They help Fortune 1000 companies build climate-literate, sustainability enthusiastic cultures via tools such as live, interactive sustainability workshops. Their clients include giants such as Amazon, Chanel, News Corp, Toyota, AT&T, Warner Brothers, Discovery, Netflix, Dow Jones, and HarperCollins. Many companies have or are developing sustainability strategies. While this is a positive development, it is said that “Culture Eats Strategy” and as such for these strategies to succeed, it’s critical to develop a culture of sustainability. It is for this reason that The Carbonauts focus on cultural transformation. The Carbonauts believe that if companies can find and support internal sustainability change-agents that their ranks will start to grow and once they reach 25% of the company, a rapid transition to a powerful, sustainability-forward culture will take place. Graham has worked in the environmental field for over 22 years. Before Carbonauts, he founded the ground-breaking website TreeHugger, which was the most trafficked green site for years, with billions of page views. In 2007, he sold this website to the Discovery Channel. He also worked on the topic of small living (architecture, possessions, behavior) under LifeEdited for a decade. Additionally, he designed an iconic New York souvenir that has been a best seller at MOMA for over 15 years.

Alyssa Rade is Chief Sustainability Officer at Sustain.Life, a SaaS platform that helps organizations across industries understand how to measure, manage and report their carbon emissions. They empower business owners to take actionable steps towards being a net-zero organization through the insights captured through the platform.

Listen in as Atlantic Packaging President Wes Carter and Cruz Foam Co-Founder and CEO John Felts discuss the continued growth in global plastic packaging and the alternatives available on the market today, including new innovations in recovering, reusing and recapturing materials. Working together to tackle a massive issue – and one that continues to surge due to e-commerce – these companies team up for an inspiring conversation about what’s possible and what’s next.

Wyatt Roberts is Head of Channel Development for Dandelion Energy. He is a builder and a building scientist, and is passionate about reducing the impact of our built world on the global environment. Dandelion Energy is committed to freeing homes from fossil fuels through the adoption of geothermal HVAC systems. Wyatt works with partners across a variety of sectors to better understand, design, and deploy geothermal in all of our buildings. For more information, visit www.dandelionenergy.com.

David Fenton is the author of the new book The Activist’s Media Handbook: Lessons from 50 Years as a Progressive Agitator. David earned the moniker “the Robin Hood of Public Relations” from The National Journal for creating the first PR agency for social change organizations to adopt corporate PR tactics to win major victories for freedom, democracy, and the environment. Through his firm, Fenton, he has spear-headed history- making activism, including the campaigns to free Nelson Mandela and end apartheid in the late 1980s, the No-Nukes Concerts in 1979 with Bruce Springsteen, banning fracking, and legalizing mariuana. He's now working exclusively on bipartisan efforts to address the climate crisis, co-founding organizations like Families for a Future and Science Moms.

Victoria Brunner is the co-founder of FATTE Bikes, the first ebike company to operate in Denver, and one of just a few ebike companies to actually build their ebikes in the U.S.A. Victoria and her partner Kenny learned early on that if ebikes are built overseas, they just aren't as well put together as when they do it themselves in their factory. By building their ebikes in the U.S.A, they are able offer more color options, better quality paint and assembly, more customization than anyone. This makes FattE-Bikes the most customizable ebike brand in the world. While they use premium globally-sourced ebike components, FATTE strives to source locally, create local jobs, and most importantly, provide industry-leading quality control and customer care.

Brad Liski is a social entrepreneur and the CEO of British Columbia-based Tru Earth, a global household cleaning product company focused on biodegradability and the elimination of waste. The company is one of several founded in his lifetime, but the first that inspires him to wake up every morning excited to make a difference. Liski is a member of the Board of the Salish Sea Research & Education Society and is passionate about the environment and causing disruption for the betterment of the planet. He has also built a strong partnership between Tru Earth and the global conservation organization, Ocean Wise. Together, the two organizations have founded the American Shoreline Clean-up Program to encourage others to get involved in the fight to save the oceans and the planet. In addition, Liski is a leader in positioning companies and brands for dynamic growth and profitable expansion; he has a long and verifiable record of success leading start-up, high growth, acquisition, merger and receivership operations. Liski believes that the best thing we can do to save the planet is to educate young people. He lives out this passion as a mentor at Entrepreneurship @ University of British Columbia focusing on climate solutions. Liski was recently named a Sustainability Leader by Canada’s Clean50 for 2022. As the leader in the Retail Product category, he has been recognized for making the most significant impact in helping Canada reach our climate targets. Other awards Liski and Tru Earth have received include B.C.’s CEO of the year, B.C.’s Top Exporter of the Year, and Best Eco-Friendly Household Product Company 2022.

Andrea is Founder of Confidente and Empower Capital. With 25 years of entrepreneurship, operations, sustainability and technology experience, Andrea brings a hands-on approach to partnering with investors, corporate boards, management, to create accelerated returns, resilient investment, and market leadership. Andrea Specializes in Resilience, Investment Promotion, and Women Entrepreneurship. Andrea was the Risk Management Coordinator for the World Bank in the Middle East for 8 years. Andrea continues to advise International Financial Institutions, and entrepreneurs on clean tech, sustainability, impact investments. Andrea is a Science and Foreign Policy Graduate from Georgetown University and has a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and Foreign Languages from Bologna University.