Decarbonize: The Clean Energy Podcast

In this engaging conversation, Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, a renowned marine biologist and climate policy expert, emphasizes the power of shifting the climate dialogue from problems to actionable solutions. She advocates for inclusive investments that uplift marginalized communities and explores the need for aesthetically pleasing infrastructure in the clean energy transition by 2050. Dr. Johnson also highlights personal responsibility within community engagement and fosters hope by encouraging collective efforts to tackle climate challenges for a brighter future.

The folks at the City Climate Corner podcast have given us permission to repost their latest episode featuring exciting clean energy work in Crookston, Minnesota! If you don't already subscribe to City Climate Corner, learn more here.Episode DetailsCrookston is a 7,000+ person community in the northwest corner of Minnesota that has big ambitions to improve the life of its residents by leveraging the clean energy transition. Co-hosts of City Climate Corner Abby Finis and Larry Kraft interviewed Crookston City Council Member Tim Lenard, Exec. Director of Crookston Housing Development Karie Kirshbaum, Exec. Director of NW MN Regional Sustainable Development Program Shannon Stassen, and John Vaughn, Fresh Energy's Managing Director of Community Development to learn about the Empower Crookston effort and how it spawned an I Love Crookston program. ResourcesEmpower Crookston websiteCity of Crookston websiteMinnesota information on local climate action grantsFresh Energy websiteFresh Energy’s mission is to shape and drive bold policy solutions to achieve equitable carbon-neutral economies. Together we are working toward a vision of a just, prosperous, and resilient future powered by a shared commitment to a carbon-neutral economy. Learn about Fresh Energy's work and our bold "Vision 2030: Fresh Energy's Strategic Framework" at our website fresh-energy.org.Follow us on Social Media!Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freshenergytoday/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/freshenergy.bsky.socialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/freshenergytodayLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fresh-energy/

In this engaging discussion, Justin Fay, a public affairs lead, and his Fresh Energy colleagues, including Eric Fowler, a buildings specialist, and Anna Johnson, a state affairs manager, reflect on Minnesota's bold clean energy legislation. They celebrate significant milestones like a 100% clean electricity standard and investments in environmental initiatives. The team dives into challenges with building emissions and emphasizes community engagement's vital role in achieving climate goals, wrapping up with upcoming educational events and strategies for sustainable energy.

Tune in to this recording of Fresh Energy's webinar from April 17, 2024. This in-depth discussion is an exploration of the inner workings of Minnesota’s natural gas distribution system from our latest whitepaper, "Hidden beneath our feet: Minnesota’s growing decarbonization challenge." Fresh Energy’s Joe Dammel, Curt Nordgaard, Caitlin Eichten, and Isak Kvam. Webinar viewers will dive deeply into the nitty-gritty details of Minnesota’s gas system, historical trends and future projections, and an analysis of gas use and emissions trends.View a PDF of the PowerPoint that goes along with this discussion here.View and download the white paper here.Follow us on Social Media!InstagramTwitterFacebookLinkedInFresh Energy’s mission is to shape and drive bold policy solutions to achieve equitable carbon-neutral economies. Together we are working toward a vision of a just, prosperous, and resilient future powered by a shared commitment to a carbon-neutral economy. Learn about Fresh Energy's work and our bold "Vision 2030: Fresh Energy's Strategic Framework" at our website fresh-energy.org.Follow us on Social Media!Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freshenergytoday/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/freshenergy.bsky.socialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/freshenergytodayLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fresh-energy/

The 2024 session of the Minnesota Legislature begins on February 12. Join the Fresh Energy team for a conversation about our plans and expectations for the coming session. We'll discuss what it takes to be effective advocates at the Minnesota Legislature, what a typical “bonding year” has in store, and Fresh Energy's priorities for the 2024 legislative session. Podcast Guests:Brenda Cassellius, Executive DirectorJustin Fay, Senior Lead, Public Affairs and Advocacy Anna Johnson, Senior Manager, State and Local AffairsHost: Jo Olson, Lead Director, Communications and EngagementFurther Reading:- Blog: Meet the Public Affairs team- Blog: Our top 23 accomplishments of 2023- Blog: 2023 legislative debrief Listeners can stay up to date on our work via our once monthly email list, blog at www.fresh-energy.org, or by following us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter. You can support Fresh Energy’s work for a clean energy Minnesota by making a donation today!Fresh Energy’s mission is to shape and drive bold policy solutions to achieve equitable carbon-neutral economies. Together we are working toward a vision of a just, prosperous, and resilient future powered by a shared commitment to a carbon-neutral economy. Learn about Fresh Energy's work and our bold "Vision 2030: Fresh Energy's Strategic Framework" at our website fresh-energy.org.Follow us on Social Media!Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freshenergytoday/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/freshenergy.bsky.socialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/freshenergytodayLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fresh-energy/

The 2023 U.N. Climate Conference, also known as COP, will be held in the United Arab Emirates from November 30 through December 12. J. Drake Hamilton, senior director, science policy at Fresh Energy, was one of the more than 70,000 participants from around the globe to attend. Get the scoop from J. on some of the big discussions that  happened at the event. You can read J.'s blog from COP at fresh-energy.org/COP28.Listeners can stay up to date on Fresh Energy's work via our once-monthly email list, blog at www.fresh-energy.org, or by following us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter. You can support Fresh Energy’s work for a clean energy Minnesota by making a donation today!Thank you to the band Palms Psalm for providing our theme song, "DGAF" off of their album Otuhaka. Get the latest from the band at palmspsalm.com.Fresh Energy’s mission is to shape and drive bold policy solutions to achieve equitable carbon-neutral economies. Together we are working toward a vision of a just, prosperous, and resilient future powered by a shared commitment to a carbon-neutral economy. Learn about Fresh Energy's work and our bold "Vision 2030: Fresh Energy's Strategic Framework" at our website fresh-energy.org.Follow us on Social Media!Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freshenergytoday/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/freshenergy.bsky.socialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/freshenergytodayLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fresh-energy/

Minnesota’s natural gas utilities are planning to grow their gas distribution systems and the volume of natural gas they deliver over the coming decades. This poses a significant challenge for Minnesota as we strive to rapidly reduce emissions from the buildings sector to meet state emission goals. But in order to understand the problem, Minnesotans must first learn how the gas system beneath our feet works and how utilities invest in it. Fresh Energy shared a new report about Minnesota’s gas system in November and in this webinar, we unpack some of the report’s key findings and answer questions.Listeners can stay up to date on Fresh Energy's work via our once-monthly email list, blog at www.fresh-energy.org, or by following us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter. You can support Fresh Energy’s work for a clean energy Minnesota by making a donation today!Thank you to the band Palms Psalm for providing our theme song, "DGAF" off of their album Otuhaka. Get the latest from the band at palmspsalm.com.Fresh Energy’s mission is to shape and drive bold policy solutions to achieve equitable carbon-neutral economies. Together we are working toward a vision of a just, prosperous, and resilient future powered by a shared commitment to a carbon-neutral economy. Learn about Fresh Energy's work and our bold "Vision 2030: Fresh Energy's Strategic Framework" at our website fresh-energy.org.Follow us on Social Media!Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freshenergytoday/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/freshenergy.bsky.socialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/freshenergytodayLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fresh-energy/

J. Drake Hamilton, senior director at Fresh Energy, shares insights on the upcoming COP28 conference, including discussions on global emissions, oil and gas subsidies, and the Minnesota story. They highlight the four big questions for discussion and emphasize the importance of the U.S.'s role in addressing global warming. Follow J.'s daily updates from the COP event and support Fresh Energy through donations.

Hydrogen is a hot topic in the clean energy space and here in Minnesota. Thanks to the 100% clean electricity law, Minnesota’s electricity supply will be 100% carbon-free by 2040. This is a BIG deal. But to address the global climate crisis, we must be carbon neutral across the economy by mid-century or before—and this includes our industry and agriculture sectors. Fortunately, federal action from the Biden Administration in the past few years, including the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act and Inflation Reduction Act, are also opening up new funding and opportunities for Minnesota to leverage when we’re talking industry-wide decarbonization. Join Fresh Energy's Craig McDonnell and Jo Olson, with special guest Mike Reese from the UofM's West Central Research & Outreach Center in Morris, to get the scoop on hydrogen and its role in industrial decarbonization.Listeners can stay up to date on Fresh Energy's work via our once-monthly email list, blog at www.fresh-energy.org, or by following us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter. You can support Fresh Energy’s work for a clean energy Minnesota by making a donation today!Learn more about the UofM's West Central Research & Outreach Center in Morris, Minnesota, and subscribe to their listserv here.Fresh Energy’s mission is to shape and drive bold policy solutions to achieve equitable carbon-neutral economies. Together we are working toward a vision of a just, prosperous, and resilient future powered by a shared commitment to a carbon-neutral economy. Learn about Fresh Energy's work and our bold "Vision 2030: Fresh Energy's Strategic Framework" at our website fresh-energy.org.Follow us on Social Media!Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freshenergytoday/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/freshenergy.bsky.socialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/freshenergytodayLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fresh-energy/

Let’s talk about what happened at the Minnesota Legislature! Join Fresh Energy policy experts for a webinar to discuss why this year was the biggest yet for clean energy and climate—and why it means the work is just beginning.Join Fresh Energy policy experts for a webinar that was recorded on Tuesday, May 23 to learn what some key accomplishments were this session, what they mean for the work ahead, and more.Webinar guests:Michael Noble, executive directorJustin Fay, senior lead, public affairs and advocacyAnna Johnson, senior manager, state and local affairsModerated by Jo Olson, senior director, communications and engagementFresh Energy’s mission is to shape and drive bold policy solutions to achieve equitable carbon-neutral economies. Together we are working toward a vision of a just, prosperous, and resilient future powered by a shared commitment to a carbon-neutral economy. Learn about Fresh Energy's work and our bold "Vision 2030: Fresh Energy's Strategic Framework" at our website fresh-energy.org.Follow us on Social Media!Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freshenergytoday/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/freshenergy.bsky.socialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/freshenergytodayLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fresh-energy/