Inevitable

Today's guest is Scott Arnold, a HVAC technician and small business owner based out of New York. With heating and cooling accounting for nearly 50% of energy costs, upgrading outdated appliances can not only save homeowners money but also provide a cleaner environment to live in and a healthier planet overall. Scott’s company is working to help customers purchase and install heat pumps as an alternative to gas furnaces. In his 22+ years of experience working in the space, Scott has built a business facilitating the transition not only with his customers, but also through his employee training and apprenticeship programs. In this episode, Scott and Yin talk about the history of heating, what it takes to make his business run, the importance of getting more young people working in the trades, and how in his vocabulary the word cold doesn't exist. You'll have to keep listening to find out why.In this episode, we cover: [2:30] Scott's background and HVAC expertise[5:47] Path to becoming a HVAC technician [9:54] Economic mobility working in the trades[12:40] History of HVAC space and key milestones that have changed the trajectory [19:30] An overview of heat pumps[20:36] Technology innovations in the past 20 years [23:27] An overview of Scott's company, Rycor [27:33] Scott's vision for expanding [31:36] Mitsubishi's heat pump product [35:23] The customer's mentality and where climate change fits in [37:37] Different refrigerants and how they're managed[39:41] What keeps Scott optimistic Get connected:Yin’s Twitter / LinkedInMCJ Podcast / Collective*You can also reach us via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded on September 15, 2022. Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.Connect with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today's guest is Sue Brown, Executive Group Director of Sustainability at Worley. As a leading global provider of professional project and asset services in the energy, chemicals and resources sectors, Worley is on the frontlines of doing the actual work to engineer and build everything we’re going to need for the clean energy transition, and they’re doing so across industries and the globe. Worley covers a full project lifecycle from guiding their customers with pioneering projects to finding innovative ways of sustaining and enhancing their existing assets. The company employs over 52,000 people, operates on all continents and is administered by its head office in North Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.Sue has been with the company for quite a while and she runs a sustainability team, so we dug in on her journey and experience working at Worley. We also talk about the mix of project work coming from traditional industries versus cleaner sources, how that mix is shifting over time, what barriers are holding back the transition and what we can do to unlock faster progress.In this episode, we cover: [4:47] An overview of Worley [5:51] Sue's climate journey and how she started working in sustainability [8:43] Role of an EPC like Worley [13:42] How big oil and gas companies are transitioning into global integrated energy companies[18:40] Breakdown of Worley's traditional customers vs new customers from emerging industries [20:17] Worley's aggressive sustainability revenue targets [25:33] Five key shifts service providers need to take for the delivery of projects [28:15] Biggest barriers to the transition [33:14] Balancing the tension between energy security and the energy transition [35:40] Environmental justice reforms needed and how those might come about [42:02] Talent bottleneck and ways to address them [43:19] Sue's sustainability team and its charter Get connected: Jason's TwitterMCJ Podcast / Collective*You can also reach us via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded on September 14, 2022. Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.Connect with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today’s guests are Dave Finocchio and Anna Robertson, co-founders of The Cool Down.Since the beginning, media businesses have been in the game of building audience segments and mobilizing those audiences to do something. Most American media has learned how to mobilize audiences on various platforms to click or view ads. To buy stuff. But in the wake of the climate crisis, there are certainly better uses of our time online and purchasing power. As you’ll see in this episode, some media companies are trying to get people to become local leaders in their communities or make climate conscious purchases. The Cool Down aims to do this and become America's mainstream climate brand. Dave and Anna have extensive digital media credentials that are as strong as they come, and (bonus!) they met via the MCJ member community. In this conversation, Cody learns more about Dave and Anna’s backgrounds as media leaders, how and why they decided to apply their skills to climate, the gaps in climate communication today, what audiences they are targeting, and how they plan to build a business or otherwise monetize The Cool Down. Since launching earlier this year, Anna and Dave are just at the beginning of figuring out who these climate-motivated audiences are and how they can be mobilized, but they made one thing abundantly clear: their goal is to reach mainstream audiences to have an even bigger impact in the climate fight.In this episode, we cover: [3:03] Anna's background at ABC News and Yahoo [6:26] Dave's media experience and transition to climate [12:19] Gap in media and climate communications [16:15] The Cool Down's storytelling strategy [19:18] Popular climate topics they’re experimenting with[22:15] Value-based actions that are good for people and the planet [29:45] Packaging tech innovation into engaging, digestible content [35:19] Taking local actions that benefit communities [38:27] Anna and Dave's business model and how they're starting to test it [48:16] What's next for The Cool Down Get connected: Cody's TwitterThe Cool Down TikTok / Instagram / WebsiteMCJ Podcast / Collective*You can also reach us via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded on September 7, 2022.  Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.Connect with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

This episode is part of our new Skilled Labor Series hosted by MCJ partner, Yin Lu. This series is focused on amplifying the voices of folks from the skilled labor workforce, including electricians, farmers, ranchers, HVAC installers, and others who are on the front lines of rewiring our infrastructure.Today’s guest is Josh Svaty, a farm owner and operator who also happens to be the former secretary of agriculture of the state of Kansas, among other hats he's worn. Farming practices have dramatically shaped human development and the structure of our society. We may not see the every day implications, but farming will continue to impact land management and food systems around the world. Since climate change has altered the predictability of crops, innovative solutions addressing agriculture’s biggest issues are cause for optimism. Josh provides a lot of insight in this topic as he oversees a diversified crop and livestock operation at Free State Farms. In this conversation, we learn about the evolution of farming, the role climate change has played in the day to day operations of Josh’s farm, his views on regenerative agriculture and promising trends in agricultural innovations. This episode is great for anybody interested in the food, agriculture and land use areas of the climate fight.In this episode, we cover: [1:46] Josh's upbringing and extensive background[5:26] The role agriculture has played in human development[7:24] Large-scale monoculture practices and Josh's feelings about them[10:24] Climate change impacts felt on Free State Farms[15:11] Solutions addressing the growing lack of predictability for farmers, including increasing crop diversity and livestock[19:06] An overview of regenerative agriculture[25:03] Role of water in farming operations[27:11] Local and global trends as the result of drought[29:00] What happens when we run out of water[32:45] What keeps Josh optimistic about the future of agriculture[35:50] Nitricity's unique solution to addressing the GHG impact of fertilizerGet connected: Yin’s Twitter / LinkedInMCJ Podcast / Collective*You can also reach us via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded on August 31, 2022 Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.Connect with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today’s guest is Rachel Delacour, co-founder and CEO of Sweep. Carbon accounting helps organizations measure their emissions so they can understand their overall footprint, share findings, and plan future reductions. Sweep’s business intelligence tools specialize in using data to map a company’s carbon emissions and helping them realize feasible goals while managing future growth. In doing so, Sweep is shifting the way companies view carbon from a limitation to a creative force for innovation.Rachel has a background in business intelligence, having sold her previous startup to Zendesk. She felt that she could best contribute to the climate problem by leveraging the skills and expertise she and her team already had around data management, modeling, and forecasting. Sweep recently announced a sizable Series B in funding led by Coatue, and they've raised over a hundred million dollars in aggregate in a little less than two years. In this conversation, Cody and Rachel discuss her journey, how Sweep views the market need, how companies source scope 3 emissions data, the potential role of regulation and carbon reporting, and whether or not recommending offsets or contributions creates any incentives. Rachel’s story is great for people looking to make the transition, but not quite sure where to start. In this episode, we cover: [2:27] Rachel's financial background and climate journey[8:51] How she took existing skills and applied them to carbon[18:14] Sweep's approach to building a diverse team of experts from the carbon, tech, and political backgrounds[24:19] Rachel's views of carbon accounting vs. carbon management[29:15] An overview of scope 3 emissions[33:09] How companies are accessing accurate emissions data[38:32] The role of carbon management platforms in accelerating regulations[41:17] Sweep's success with companies so far[44:27] Future targets vs short-term reality in emissions reductions[48:59] Rachel's interactions with sustainability teams and financial directors[56:29] Where global climate justice fits into Sweep's solution[1:01:19] How Sweep balances customer reductions and credits[1:05:02] What's next for Rachel and SweepGet connected: Cody's TwitterRachel’s TwitterSweepMCJ PodcastMCJ Collective*You can also reach us via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded on September 7, 2022. Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.Connect with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today’s guest is David Roberts, aka Dr. Volts, who runs the Volts newsletter and podcast.David has been reporting on and explaining clean energy topics for almost 20 years. He talks to politicians, analysts, innovators, activists, and more about the latest progress in the world's most important fight. David’s work is deeply researched and an invaluable resource for people who want a better understanding of what a clean energy transition and viable future could look like. And he isn’t afraid to share his strongly held opinions. In this conversation, Jason learns more about David’s background, his views on the issue and how they’ve evolved throughout his career. They discuss some of the fundamental politics ingrained in climate, and some of the solutions that are accelerating our transition away from fossil fuels. There’s a lot of insight packed into this episode and we hope you enjoy it.In this episode, we cover: [4:49] How David got involved in journalism and climate [9:10] His thoughts on the climate issue early in his career and how they've evolved [13:54] How concerned he thinks people should be [23:32] Approaching solutions to climate that also solve other issues [27:25] Importance of celebrating small victories to motivate future progress [34:37] David's optimism for a clean energy future[44:16] The human need to feel some sense of control and how that impacts their views on climate [54:07] U.S. journalism today [57:54] Intersection between environmentalism and climate [1:01:03] David's thoughts on tech and how it’s approaching clean energy [1:05:02] Speed round including solar geoengineering, nuclear, carbon capture, offsets, and moreGet connected: Jason's TwitterDr. Volts TwitterMCJ Podcast TwitterMCJ Collective Twitter*You can also reach us via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded on September 23, 2022. Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.Connect with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today’s guest is Insiya Jafferjee, CEO ad Co-Founder of Shellworks. When we talk about excellence in packaging today, we typically think of companies who create an elegant and exciting unboxing experience. Think Apple. But as sustainability continues to gain awareness in the popular conscience, how far away are we from celebrating companies who create small footprints from their packaging? How do you celebrate something if the goal is for it not to be noticeable in the first place? Shellworks is developing sustainable packaging alternatives to plastic that don't compromise on performance or aesthetic. Based in the UK, the company recently raised a seed round of funding to help them scale their micro based mono-material packaging via cosmetics companies that are looking for natural packaging alternatives. Insiya brings a no-compromises spirit to what she's doing at Shellworks. She believes her company can develop packaging that has minimal footprint and is stunning and brand-forward. In this conversation, Cody and Insiya cover her background, the state of plastic packaging today, how Shellworks came to be, their initial approach to product development, current product lines and traction, and how their non-compromising culture turns internal innovations into a robust product pipeline.In today’s episode, we cover: [2:38] Insiya's background and climate journey [8:15] The world of packaging and different types of plastics involved[14:04] Industrial shift away from plastic packaging [18:03] Challenges to addressing packaging in cosmetics [19:46] Shellworks' go-to-market strategy [24:33] An overview of Shellworks and their focus on mono-material products [27:27] The company's commercial traction [29:47] Use cases that aren't a good fit for Shellworks' offerings [36:53] The company's core value ads[41:44] What's next for Shellworks [45:20] Funding to date, early challenges and how Insiya overcame them Get connected: Cody's TwitterMCJ Podcast TwitterMCJ Collective Twitter*You can also reach us via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded on August 31, 2022. Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.Connect with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

*This episode is part of our new Skilled Labor Series hosted by MCJ partner, Yin Lu. This series is focused on amplifying the voices of folks from the skilled labor workforce, including electricians, farmers, ranchers, HVAC installers, and others who are on the front lines of rewiring our infrastructure.To kick off our new Skilled Labor Series, this episode is co-hosted by Yin Lu and Sam Steyer, CEO and Co-Founder of Greenwork, with guest Andy Martinez, PV Field Performance Technician at Sunrun. The solar market represents approximately 5% of the current U.S. energy mix. While this may seem insignificant, the industry is expected to grow at a record pace in coming years, especially following the Inflation Reduction Act. But to reach the clean electricity goals set by President Biden, employment in solar-related positions will need to exceed 900,000 workers by 2035. Greenwork is facilitating this transition by helping climate tech companies build their construction teams, both by adding new employees and by partnering with local specialty contractors like Andy. After attending electrical trade school, Andy landed a job with Sunrun as has been with the company for 4 years. In this conversation, Yin and Sam learn about Andy’s background and how he started working with Sunrun. We learn about his day-to-day experience as a field performance technician and where Andy sees his career progressing in the space. Like any job, we also hear about some of the challenges Andy faces and how he continues to overcome them while maintaining a positive and optimistic outlook. We cannot create a clean energy future without people like Andy, and are extremely grateful for him sharing his story and inspiring others. In today’s episode, we cover: [1:49] Intro to Sam and Greenwork [3:30] Andy's background and experience as a field technician at Sunrun [5:09] Andy's educational journey toward becoming a solar installer [6:05] The Sunrun interview process and employee training [7:56] A typical day for Andy as a solar installer [9:32] Some day-to-say frustrations, including disconnections between sales and field work[11:59] How Andy views the environmental factor of his work[12:57] Where climate change fits in when communicating customers [15:36] The evolution in solar technology [20:04] What's working in terms of companies building construction and installation teams [23:42] Importance of treating contractors like a second customer [24:52] What Andy wishes more people knew about solar installation work [28:16] Andy's future career path [29:32] Jobs needed to meet electrification demands in the US [30:43] How to get more people into trade schools [32:57] Initial challenges of the job and how to overcome them[36:27] The little things that keep Andy optimistic and happy at work Get connected: Yin’s TwitterYin’s LinkedInMCJ Podcast TwitterMCJ Collective Twitter*You can also reach us via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded on September 7, 2022. Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.Connect with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today’s guest is Michele Demers, Founder and CEO at Boundless Impact Research & Analytics. As companies pursue sustainability targets, having an accurate measure of their carbon footprint provides transparency, accountability, and benchmarks to reach and improve on. Boundless is an industry research and impact analytics platform that provides quantitative and evidence-based research and data for investors, companies, and funds. They offer Scope 1, 2, and 3 climate data, analysis and market intelligence across a growing number of emerging sectors that address significant environmental challenges. In this episode, Jason and Michele dig deeper on this important area to better understand what the landscape is, how well adopted these frameworks are, how much standardization there is out there, what types of incentives exist, which ones are helpful, and which ones cause friction. They also cover the types of companies that are taking advantage of this work, how consistent it is across sectors, and of course, what we can change to help get to where we need to be.In today’s episode, we cover: [3:19] An overview of Boundless Impact Research and Analytics [4:54] The company's origin story[9:35] How companies understand their true carbon footprints [14:32] Tooling available to understand risk and environmental impact[21:25] Boundless' balance of software vs services [24:31] Which industries the company is focused on and why [29:12] How the annual assessment process changes across industries  [31:24] The role of life cycle assessment as the standard [33:09] The process for companies working with Boundless [37:22] The future of a real-time dashboard for emissions [39:02] What happens when reports are not favorable[42:10] How Boundless works with companies on improvements based on first analysisGet connected: Jason's TwitterMCJ Podcast TwitterMCJ Collective Twitter*You can also reach us via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded on September 8, 2022. Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.Connect with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today’s guest is Khaled Hassounah, CEO and Co-Founder of Ample. When entirely new platforms emerge, the initial product attempts on those platforms often look like what we already know, and they typically don't take full advantage of inherent differences from the historical way of doing things. For example, when the internet first emerged, media resembled digital newspapers. When mobile first emerged, apps looked like small versions of websites. With EVs, the way they are sold and powered mirrors how internal combustion vehicles are sold. After all, you wouldn't buy a gas-powered car without a gas tank!But Ample is rethinking all of that. The company’s mission is to accelerate the transition to electric mobility by offering an energy delivery system that is as fast, as convenient, and as cheap as gas, while being powered by 100% renewable energy. They do this by deploying robotic pods that enable modular battery swapping for EVs. Ample's take on all this is to rethink how energy is delivered to EVs and to reconsider the unit economics around powering your car. This episode will inspire you to think of all the possibilities of what things can look like when you reconsider them from first principles. In today’s episode, we cover:[2:57] Khaled's background and transition to climate[5:11] State of EVs today[8:38] Nuances around EV charging networks and associated challenges[13:15] Outlier geographies that have done well with EV charging networks[17:20] Battery swapping and leasing alternatives[22:10] An overview of Ample and its battery swapping solution[32:54] How Ample's solution scales while reducing the amount of batteries across their system[37:06] Different use cases for Ample's different batteries[40:23] Details of Ample's charging pods[43:41] The company's go-to-market[47:21] Ample's pod setup and servicing[54:11] How Ample is sharing profits with OEMs, landowners, and municipalities[59:16] How Khaled is building the business from a venture capital and debt financing perspectiveGet connected: Cody's TwitterMCJ Podcast TwitterMCJ Collective Twitter*You can also reach us via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded on August 25, 2022. Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.Connect with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant