

Bigger Than Us
Nexus PMG
Nexus PMG welcomes you to the Bigger Than Us™ podcast, which we, as energy geeks lovingly refer to as the BTU. Bigger Than Us is a podcast that focuses on ideas that will shape the future of our planet and ultimately, our existence. We will occasionally lean into energy topics because after all, it’s the key to our collective survival, but we’ll also explore other areas that we believe will have an effect that is Bigger Than Us.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Dec 17, 2024 • 43min
#257 Peter Kelly-Detwiler, reviews 2024 and looks to 2025
Peter Kelly-Detwiler has 30 years of experience in the electric energy arena. He writes for Forbes.com and other publications on topics related to disruptive innovation and its impact on the electricity infrastructure. He provides strategic advice to clients and investors, helping them to navigate this transitional period. Peter is also the author of The Energy Switch - a book about how companies and customers are transforming the electrical grid and the future of power.
Mr. Kelly-Detwiler has spent much of his career in various areas of competitive power markets. As Senior Vice President at Constellation Energy, he oversaw creation of VirtuWatt – a market leading platform to facilitate real-time awareness of electricity pricing and consumption and bidding of assets into competitive markets. He is currently writing a book on the transformation of electric power markets, to be published by Prometheus Books in the Spring of 2021.
https://www.peterkellydetwiler.com/
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Dec 3, 2024 • 49min
#256 Vince Beiser - Author of Power Metal, "The destructive side effects that the global hunt for critical metals."
In POWER METAL, award-winning journalist Vince Beiser chronicles the destructive side effects that the global hunt for critical metals has on our clean energy transition, from environmental damage to political upheaval to murder.
Vince Beiser is an award-winning journalist and author of “The World in a Grain: The Story of Sand and How It Transformed Civilization.” The book has been translated into five languages, was a finalist for a PEN America award and a California Book Award, and spawned a TEDx talk. Vince is currently at work on a new book, “Power Metal”, about how the materials we need for digital technology and renewable energy are causing environmental havoc, political upheaval, mayhem and murder—and how we can do better.
Vince has reported from over 100 countries, states, provinces, kingdoms, occupied territories, no man’s lands and disaster zones. He has exposed conditions in California’s harshest prisons, trained with troops bound for Iraq, ridden with the first responders to natural disasters, and hunted down other stories from around the world for publications including Wired, The Atlantic, Harper’s, Time, The Guardian, Mother Jones, Playboy, Rolling Stone, The Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times.
Vince’s work has been honored by Investigative Reporters and Editors, the Society of Professional Journalists, the American Society of Journalists and Authors, the Columbia, Medill and Missouri Graduate Schools of Journalism, and many other institutions. He has three times been part of a team that won the National Magazine Award for General Excellence, and shared in an Emmy for his work with the PBS TV series SoCal Connected. He is also a grantee of the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting.
https://vincebeiser.com/
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Nov 26, 2024 • 39min
***Special archive - #237 Seth Godin, Founder of The Carbon Almanac
Seth Godin is an author, entrepreneur, and, most of all, A teacher.
Seth is an entrepreneur, best-selling author, and speaker.
In addition to launching one of the most popular blogs in the world, he has written 21 best-selling books, including The Dip, Linchpin, Purple Cow, Tribes, and What To Do When It's Your Turn (And It's Always Your Turn). His book, This is Marketing, was an instant bestseller in countries around the world. His latest books are The Song of Significance and The Practice, and creatives everywhere have made it a bestseller.
Though renowned for his writing and speaking, Seth also founded two companies, Squidoo and Yoyodyne (acquired by Yahoo!).
By focusing on everything from effective marketing and leadership, to the spread of ideas and changing everything, Seth has been able to motivate and inspire countless people around the world.
In 2013, Seth was one of just three professionals inducted into the Direct Marketing Hall of Fame. In an astonishing turn of events, in May 2018, he was inducted into the Marketing Hall of Fame as well. He might be the only person in both.
https://thecarbonalmanac.org/
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Nov 12, 2024 • 30min
#255 Dr. Martin Gross, CEO of Gross-Wen Technologies
Martin Gross is the founder and chief executive officer of
Gross-Wen Technologies. His vision for using algae to clean water and solve many other of the Earth’s problems is driving the rapid expansion of Gross-Wen.
After founding Gross-Wen Technologies in 2016, Gross led the development and commercialization of the revolving algal biofilm™️ treatment technology (RAB™️), a sustainable, next generation wastewater treatment system using algae. The RAB system recovers nitrogen and phosphorus from wastewater, produces clean water and air, and yields valuable algae biomass.
Propelling the growth of Gross-Wen, Gross led substantial equity investments, Department of Energy and Agriculture grant funding awards exceeding $3 million, $15 million in equity investments and the approval of
more than ten patents. Gross-Wen Technologies won the Carbon Zero Grand Challenge from a project with PUB, Singapore’s water agency.
A frequent speaker and respected thought leader, Gross’ work is essential in pollution mitigation, offsetting climate change, and using algae as a nascent industry. His deep knowledge includes growing algae, fermentation,
biofuels, renewable energy, wastewater, and agriculture. He serves on the board of directors of the Algae Biomass Organization and the Iowa Biotechnology Association.
After earning a bachelor's degree in biological sciences from Iowa State University, Gross went on to earn a doctorate in food science and technology and a doctorate in biosystems engineering. Gross is on the faculty at Iowa
State University, where he developed and teaches a course called Entrepreneurship for Graduate Students in Science and Engineering.
Gross’ Ph.D. in food science focused on growing microorganisms to make foods and chemical nutraceuticals. To this end, he founded GW Nutrition a
food ingredient company that aims to improve the sensory profile of alternative proteins and make them easier to include in food formulations; GW Nutrition,
Inc. is a spin-off from GWT.
When he is away from the office, he enjoys spending time with his wife and playing with his four young children.
https://algae.com/
https://www.nexuspmg.com/

Oct 29, 2024 • 41min
***Special archive - #216 Preston Bryant, Founder / Chief Commercial Officer at Momentum Technologies
Preston Bryant is a graduate of SMU Cox School of Business with a B.A. in Economics, specializing in energy. In college, he established an oil and gas company in memory of his late father. Preston furthered his expertise in commodities recovery at the firm LPI, where he uncovered a groundbreaking critical materials processing method called Membrane Solvent Extraction. After obtaining exclusive licensing rights from the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Lab, he founded Momentum Technologies with the mission to revolutionize the way metals were recovered by challenging the conventional norms that processing facilities must be large, expensive, and centralized.
https://momentum.technology
https://nexuspmg.com/

Oct 15, 2024 • 55min
#254 Riggs Eckelberry, CEO of Origin Clear
Riggs Eckelberry is a nationally-renowned entrepreneur who deploys his personal Break To Build™ process to help rebuild the water industry, which has reached a critical breaking point in recent years despite being essential to the planet's survival. As the founding CEO of OriginClear, Riggs has developed innovative solutions to help businesses face rising water bills by tapping into new investment markets. He is even pioneering the development of "water stablecoins,” a cryptocurrency backed by water-assets. With a diverse background in nonprofit management, oceangoing navigation, and technology disruption, Riggs is uniquely qualified to bring change to an outdated and overrun industry.
https://www.originclear.com/
https://www.nexuspmg.com/

Oct 1, 2024 • 38min
#253 John Szoka, CEO of The Conservative Energy Network (CEN)
John Szoka is a West Pont graduate and served a distinguished career in the United States Army. After retirement from active duty, he founded several successful small businesses and holds two US patents.
First elected to the NC House of Representatives in 2012 he served in senior House Republican leadership positions including Chairman of the Energy and Public Utilities Committee, and Chairman of the Joint Legislative Commission on Energy Policy. In 2017, he sponsored HB589 which saved ratepayers over $350M in energy costs. In 2021 he was a primary sponsor of HB951 which set carbon reduction goals for NC to be met by the least cost forms of generation and directed establishment of the NC Carbon Plan. Szoka is widely recognized as a leading conservative advocate for free market solutions to a clean energy future.
In 2023 he became CEO of The Conservative Energy Network (CEN), a national network of state-based organizations focused on promoting clean energy innovation rooted in conservative principles. Working with policymakers and industry partners in 25 states, CEN assists legislators across the country understand the benefits of clean energy and how to best save money for ratepayers. At the county and local level, CEN has assisted in the siting of over 10 Gigawatts of clean energy and storage and is currently assisting in the siting of another 40GW across the nation.
https://conservativeenergynetwork.org/
https://www.nexuspmg.com/

Sep 17, 2024 • 43min
#252 Jeff Townsend, Founder of the Critical Minerals Associations
Jeff is the founder of the Critical Minerals Associations in the UK, Australia and the U.S. as well as CMIA. He is an internationally recognised critical minerals expert with strong ties to the UK, Australia, across Africa and the Middle East. Jeff is an experienced public affairs and campaign strategist having been a Director at Aspect Consulting and an International Affairs Advisor and Chief of Staff to members of the UK parliament.
https://www.cma-usa.org/about
https://www.nexuspmg.com/

Sep 3, 2024 • 45min
#251 Carlo Mondavi, Co-Founder of Monarch Tractor
Chief Farming Officer, Co-Founder, Carlo Mondavi is a fourth-generation winegrower who has dedicated his life to permaculture, biodynamic and regenerative farming practices, along with a hands-off winemaking approach in the cellar. In 2016, Carlo founded the Monarch Challenge, an effort focused on elevating farming by eliminating herbicides and powerful chemicals from farms in Sonoma, Napa and beyond. The Monarch Challenge led Carlo to meeting his fellow co-founders; it is the origin and namesake behind Monarch Tractor.
https://www.monarchtractor.com/carlo-mondavi
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Aug 20, 2024 • 53min
#250 Emma Cox, EVP at ClimeCo - Greenhushing
Emma serves as the Executive Vice President of Commercial at ClimeCo. She generates new opportunities, supports existing accounts, and explores how to strengthen ClimeCo’s existing Environmental, Social, & Governance (ESG) and Climate Strategy Consulting services. Before joining ClimeCo, Emma built and headed the Impact & Sustainability practice at MSL, a global PR and communications agency, helping companies better tell their stories and drive progress around environmental sustainability, social impact, DEI, and purpose.
Previously, Emma was the Global Renewable Energy Lead for McDonald’s Corporation, where she built and executed a strategy to achieve their ambitious climate goals. Within three years, she procured enough renewable energy equivalent to planting over 70 million trees. Emma also sat on the Board of Directors for the Clean Energy Buyers Alliance (CEBA). She advocated for a clean energy policy on Capitol Hill to make renewable energy more accessible and affordable for all. She incorporated environmental justice, human rights, and community impact considerations into McDonald's procurement strategy, demonstrating that large brands can use their Scale for Good to transform the renewable energy market. In 2020, McDonald's became the US’s fourth-largest corporate buyer of renewable energy. Emma also led all energy, water, and waste sustainability programs for the 15,000 restaurants in the US before heading up renewable energy for McDonald's.
Before joining McDonald's, Emma focused on driving impact through environmental and social sustainability. After graduating from Columbia University, she worked for the US Green Building Council, then moved to Chicago to lead business development and marketing for Green Per Square Foot, an energy and sustainability tech start-up. Emma later led the energy and sustainability consulting group at Cushman & Wakefield, where she worked with large occupier clients to develop their ESG strategies and created tools to help them achieve their goals.
https://www.climeco.com/
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