Inevitable

Today's guest is Gerald Butts, Vice Chair of the Eurasia Group and former Principal Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister of Canada and Premier of Ontario. He also served as the CEO of the World Wildlife Fund Canada. In 2014, McLean's Magazine declared Gerald to be the 14th most powerful Canadian. And as the former Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Trudeau, Gerald was praised as the architect behind the Liberal Party of Canada's platform that led to their victory in October of 2015. He was also one of Prime Minister Trudeau's most senior staffers.I was excited about this one on a number of levels. One, it's just great to hear from someone that's operated in the political realm at such a high of given how important politics is for climate action. Two, it was great to hear from someone outside of the walls of the U.S, but a pretty close neighbor about the U.S' role. It's also interesting that after hundreds of MCJ episodes, conventional wisdom is while a carbon tax might be super impactful, no one thinks it's possible or most people certainly don't and yet Canada did it. And Gerald was a key person that helped get that over the line.Enjoy the show!You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 (me), @mcjpod (podcast), or @mcjcollective (company) and via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded April 4, 2022To learn more about Eurasia Group, visit: https://www.eurasiagroup.net/To learn more about this episode, visit: https://mcjcollective.com/my-climate-journey-podcast/gerald-butts 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 Mike Kelland, CEO of Planetary. Planetary has an accelerated carbon transition platform that creates effective carbon removal at gigaton scale and reduces emissions through a clean alternative to fossil fuels. Their platform results in permanently sequestered carbon through ocean air capture, ocean deacidification, and clean hydrogen. They also recently won the XPRIZE Milestone Prize.Mike was actually one of the earliest listeners of this podcast, one of the earliest members of the My Climate Journey member community, and he also has a similar story to mine, coming from the traditional software startup world and finding his way into climate tech. In this episode, we talk about Mike's journey, why it came about, how it came about, the different phases and stages that he went through between becoming determined to work in climate and anchoring where he did.We talk about the Planetary origin story and Mike's evaluation process, in which he was talking to different labs and assessing different technologies. And we talk about what he learned about determining commercial viability and commercial readiness. We also talk about the Planetary approach, where they're at today, the different risks, the business model, building pilot plants, how those will be financed, who their customers will be, what the value proposition is for those customers.And we have a great discussion about carbon removal in general and some of the debates that have been occurring, what Mike's thoughts are on those debates, what gives him the confidence that carbon removal is not only important, but ultimately will be viable, and also just how the landscape plays out. Is there one winner? Are there a few winners? Is there a huge long tail, where there'll be lots of different winners? Are there no winners? At any rate, really great discussion, and I think you'll learn a lot.Enjoy the show!You can find me on twitter at @jjacobs22, @mcjpod, and @mcjcollective, and via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded April 28, 2022To learn more about Planetary, visit: https://www.planetarytech.com/To learn more about this episode, visit:  https://mcjcollective.com/my-climate-journey-podcast/planetary 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 Dr. Johanna Wolfson, General Partner at Azolla Ventures. Azolla Ventures, created by Prime Coalition, invests in early-stage technology companies with the potential for gigaton-scale climate impact.This is a discussion that was actually done live at the MIT Energy Conference on April 1st. It was a great discussion, so we figured we'd publish it as a podcast so that all of you can benefit from this discussion as well.We cover a lot in this episode, including Johanna's background and what led her to doing the work that she's doing today, Azolla's origin story, it's recent spin out from Prime Coalition, the criteria that they use for making investments, and some of the recent investments they've made. We also have a great discussion about the role of catalytic capital in general, how it's different from other types of capital in climate tech investing, and what it will take to help these technologies reach wide scale deployment and impact. We talk about some of the barriers, some changes that would help the clean energy transition happen faster, and how you and I can help.Enjoy the show!You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 (me), @mcjpod (podcast), or @mcjcollective (company) and via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded April 1, 2022To learn more about the Azolla Ventures, visit: https://www.azollaventures.com/To learn more about this episode, visit: https://mcjcollective.com/my-climate-journey-podcast/johanna-wolfson 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 Eric Quidenus-Wahlforss, CEO and Co-Founder of Dance, a premium ebike subscription service based in Berlin. Eric also co-founded music streaming platform SoundCloud, and occasionally angel invests in companies in the sustainability space.With Dance's electric mobility subscription, their members can easily explore their city with an ebike or emoped while benefiting from included maintenance and repairs. Both individuals and businesses can make convenient and fun mobility choices without the investment of ownership: membership is flexible.In this episode, we cover Eric's startup journey, climate journey, and how they ultimately intersected. We talk about the Dance origin story, vision, progress to date, and key strategic priorities. And we have a great discussion about mobility, the future of cities, and what it will take to decarbonize transportation. And finally, it was super useful to hear Eric's thoughts on how to balance maximum impact on a spreadsheet with finding things to work on that give you energy and align with your passions and skills.Enjoy the show!You can find me on twitter at @jjacobs22, @mcjpod, and @mcjcollective, and via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded April 22, 2022To learn more about Dance, visit: https://dance.co/To learn more about this episode, visit:  https://mcjcollective.com/my-climate-journey-podcast/dance 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 Katie Dykes, Commissioner of Connecticut’s Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP).Katie was nominated by Governor Ned Lamont to serve as the Commissioner of DEEP, and was confirmed on February 20, 2019.  Katie previously served as Chair of the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) from 2015-2018, and as Deputy Commissioner for Energy at Connecticut DEEP from 2012-2015. Katie also served as the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, Inc. (RGGI) from 2014 to 2017.  RGGI is a multi-state effort focused on reducing carbon emissions from electric generating facilities.  Katie joined CT DEEP in March 2012 after prior service as Deputy General Counsel for the White House Council on Environmental Quality and as a Legal Advisor to the General Counsel for the U.S. Department of Energy.  She is a graduate of Yale College and the Yale Law School.I was looking forward to this episode, as  government is not an area where I historically have been particularly strong, but it's so important for tackling a systems problem like climate change. And it's not just the federal government, state governments really matter as well, and Katie's in a key role, in a key state, doing really interesting things. This is a great opportunity to learn about how someone in Katie's shoes thinks about setting priorities for the state, getting things done, what form the transition should take, what role the federal government should play, what role the states should play, what some blockers are to getting things done, and how they can move faster. We also have a great discussion about how the private sector fits in, and the roles of technology and innovation.Enjoy the show!You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 (me), @mcjpod (podcast), or @mcjcollective (company) and via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded March 29, 2022To learn more about the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, visit: https://portal.ct.gov/DEEP/About/About-UsTo learn more about this episode, visit: https://mcjcollective.com/my-climate-journey-podcast/katie-dykesFor insights on marketing climate solutions like heat pumps, Katie credits #energytwitter members like Nate Adams (@energysmartwv); and for more state-level climate leadership, check out the US Climate Alliance (@USClimate)! 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 Neeka Mashouf, CEO & Co-Founder of Rubi.Rubi turns carbon emissions into carbon-negative textiles with synthetic biology. Fabrics made with Rubi technology are net carbon-negative, water. land, and chemical-neutral, 100% traceable, and naturally biodegradable. Rubi is the definitive, turn-key solution to achieving industry-wide sustainability and creating a future where production of goods and polluting the earth are no longer inherently linked. No more plastics, polyester, or dead-end materials that create another form of permanent waste ending up in landfills or incinerated, clouding the air with even more CO2 pollution. Rubi is revolutionizing the supply chain to actually remove CO2 from the atmosphere with every garment created.In this episode, we cover Neeka's journey to entrepreneurship, to becoming committed to acting to address climate change, and how those paths came to intersect. We also cover Rubi's origin story, vision, progress-to-date, and key priorities, and have a great discussion about what it will take to decarbonize the fashion industry, how Rubi can help, and what else we can do to accelerate progress.Enjoy the show!You can find me on twitter at @jjacobs22, @mcjpod, and @mcjcollective, and via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded April 8, 2022To learn more about Rubi, visit: https://www.rubi.earth/To learn more about this episode, visit:  https://mcjcollective.com/my-climate-journey-podcast/rubi 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 Cam Hosie, CEO of 8 Rivers Capital.Cam Hosie is the Chief Executive Officer of 8 Rivers Capital, and leads the development and commercialization of 8 Rivers' technology portfolio and projects. Cam joined 8 Rivers in 2012. Prior to joining 8 Rivers, Cam was an energy corporate finance lawyer at Clifford Chance LLP and Russell McVeagh, focusing on major project development in Europe, the Russian Federation, Asia, the Middle East, North America, and New Zealand, regularly helping projects navigate complex commercial and legal issues in diverse jurisdictions with wide-ranging stakeholders. Current Chief Executive Officer at 8 Rivers, and former Chief Operating Officer, he has brought to bear his previous major project experience to mold 8 Rivers into a world-class execution team ready to deliver critical net-zero solutions. Cam has helped lead financing rounds for 8 Rivers and its portfolio companies and has managed strategic execution. Cam holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Bachelor of Laws from Victoria University of Wellington, and a Master of Laws focused on international business, trade, and tax from Duke Law.I was looking forward to this episode because 8 Rivers has such an innovative model, and both the type of technologies they are bringing to market and their approach are so different than the VC-backed startup world that I come from. And also so important for the climate fight!  It is a great discussion, and you will learn a lot, for sure.Enjoy the show!You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 (me), @mcjpod (podcast), or @mcjcollective (company) and via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded March 18, 2022To learn more about 8 Rivers Capital, visit: https://8rivers.com/To learn more about this episode, visit: https://mcjcollective.com/my-climate-journey-podcast/cam-hosie 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 Harry Hamlin, actor, author, entrepreneur, and Founder/Secretary of TAE Technologies.TAE Technologies (pronounced T-A-E) was founded in 1998 to develop commercial fusion power with the cleanest environmental profile, and represents the fastest, most practical, and economically competitive solution to bring abundant energy to the grid. With over 1100 issued patents, more than $880 million in private capital, six generations of National Laboratory-scale devices, and an experienced team of over 250 employees, TAE is now on the cusp of delivering this transformational energy source capable of sustaining the planet for centuries. The company’s revolutionary technologies have produced a robust portfolio of commercial innovations in other large adjacent markets such as power management, energy storage, transmission, electric mobility, life sciences, and more. TAE is based in California, and maintains international offices in the UK and Switzerland. Multidisciplinary and mission-driven by nature, TAE is leveraging proprietary science and engineering to create a bright future for us all.In this episode, we cover Harry's unlikely path to becoming a climate tech entrepreneur, the origin story of TAE Technologies, their vision, progress and current stage, and a broader discussion about fusion, it's potential, the different approaches, and how far away we are from seeing commercial success.Enjoy the show!You can find me on twitter at @jjacobs22, @mcjpod, and @mcjcollective, and via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded March 16, 2022To learn more about TAE Technologies, visit:  https://tae.com/To learn more about this episode, visit:  https://mcjcollective.com/my-climate-journey-podcast/taetechnologies 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 Stacy Kauk, Head of Sustainability at Shopify.Stacy joined Shopify in January 2020. She also serves on the advisory board of the Carbon Management Research Initiative (CaMRI) at Columbia University. Prior to joining Shopify, Stacy was Head of the Ozone Layer Protection Program at Environment and Climate Change Canada. Previously, Stacy worked on several chemicals management regulatory initiatives and represented Canada as a member of delegations for the Stockholm Convention and Montreal Protocol.Stacy began her career as a practicing engineer designing environmental protection measures and pollution prevention controls for a variety of industry sectors. She has worked for the city of Ottawa, Morrison Hershfield and Golder Associates. Stacy holds a Bachelor's Degree in Engineering and Master of Public Administration from Carleton University.I was looking forward to this episode because everyone knows Shopify as a powerhouse e-commerce company, but far fewer no that Shopify has been helping jumpstart important carbon removal project funding via their Sustainability Fund. In this episode, we cover Stacy's journey to doing the work she does, Shopify's journey to become an unlikely climate hero, and how those two ended up meeting in the middle. We also cover what Shopify looks for in the carbon removal projects they back, and some examples of projects they have funded so far.Enjoy the show!You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 (me), @mcjpod (podcast), or @mcjcollective (company) and via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded March 23, 2022To learn more about Shopify, visit: https://www.shopify.com/To learn more about this episode, visit: https://mcjcollective.com/my-climate-journey-podcast/stacy-kauk 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 Anna Scott, an atmospheric scientist and the Chief Science Officer & Co-Founder at Project Canary.As a scientist, Dr. Scott has worked on projects around the world with the Red Cross/Red Crescent’s International Climate Center, NASA, The World Bank, and numerous local governments. She has installed sensor networks and led field campaigns in Birmingham, Alabama, Nairobi (Kenya), and Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Scott founded the Baltimore Open Air project, a community-based air quality monitoring project that designed, built, and deployed air monitors in the Greater Baltimore region.She received her PhD in the Earth and Planetary Science Department at the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences at Johns Hopkins. She also holds a Bachelor’s degree in mathematics from University of Chicago, a Master’s degree in Applied Mathematics from the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), and a Master of Arts and Sciences in Earth Science from Johns Hopkins University.Project Canary is a data analytics and environmental assessment company committed to accelerating the path to net-zero. We focus on methane emissions measurement and reduction, freshwater use, and community impacts for energy-intensive industries. Our customers now have a holistic, granular view of their operations from tip to tail at their fingertips 24/7/365. As the business world has become more data-reliant, our independent, high-fidelity insights give stakeholders - investors, buyers, operators - an ESG-ready view of a company's environmental footprint and progress in real-time on a facility by facility basis. The company announced their $111m B round if financing in Feb. 2022.In this episode, we cover Dr. Scott's journey and path to working in climate and working at Project Canary, as well as a deep dive into the company, what it does, and why it matters.Enjoy the show!You can find me on twitter at @jjacobs22, @mcjpod, and @mcjcollective, and via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded March 30, 2022To learn more about Project Canary, visit: https://www.projectcanary.com/To learn more about this episode, visit:  https://mcjcollective.com/my-climate-journey-podcast/projectcanary 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