Climate Positive

Over the last few years, there has been an influx of venture capital seeking out profitable climate tech startups. At the same time, asset-backed financing has become generally more available and cheaper – all else equal – for renewable energy and other sustainable infrastructure projects. But there has been a missing middle – investors willing to underwrite both technology and project-level risk to drive systemic climate positive change. This is why Sidewalk Infrastructure Partners (SIP) was created – to reimagine infrastructure investing for the 21st century. By integrating technological expertise, infrastructure experience, creative capital, and multistakeholder engagement, the firm has been making significant platform investments in the technology-enabled infrastructure of the future. Chad Reed and Jonathan Winer (SIP Co-Founder and Co-CEO) dive deep into many of the spaces SIP is investing in – from autonomous vehicle roadways, to shared broadband solutions, to waste-free recycling, to truly resilient electric grids. Links: Sidewalk Infrastructure PartnersAccelerator for AmericaOhmConnect Episode recorded: February 3, 2023Email your feedback to Chad, Gil, and Hilary at climatepositive@hannonarmstrong.com or tweet them to @ClimatePosiPod. Email your feedback to Chad, Gil, Hilary, and Guy at climatepositive@hasi.com.

Way back in early 2020, Microsoft made some of the most ambitious climate pledges of any corporation on the planet. It pledged to be carbon negative by 2030 and by 2050 to remove from the atmosphere all the carbon the company has emitted either directly or by way of electricity consumption since its founding nearly 50 years ago. It also launched a $1 billion Climate Innovation Fund to accelerate the global development of technologies required to achieve these pledges.In this episode, Chad Reed chats with Brandon Middaugh – Senior Director of Microsoft’s Climate Innovation Fund. From direct air capture to sustainable aviation fuels to urban green buildings, the discussion spans several of the verticals into which Microsoft has invested a portion of the $500 million it has already deployed through its fund. In addition, Brandon touches on the value of industry coalitions, the role of climate philanthropy, and the importance of centering people at the heart of the climate movement. Links: Microsoft Climate Innovation FundThe Carbon CallThe Big BurnEpisode recorded: January 18, 2023Email your feedback to Chad, Gil, and Hilary at climatepositive@hannonarmstrong.com or tweet them to @ClimatePosiPod. Email your feedback to Chad, Gil, Hilary, and Guy at climatepositive@hasi.com.

Kim Kovacs is the Chief Executive Officer of element6 Dynamics. She is spearheading a transformation in the hemp industry to bring industrial hemp production to scale.  By replacing tree-based pulp in paper and in packaging, hemp can reduce the pressure to harvest forests while also sequestering carbon and replenishing soils. In this episode, Hilary Langer and Kim Kovacs discuss how hemp works as a carbon sink, why both farmers and corporations are eager to get involved in hemp production, and why now is the time to grow in the volume needed to reverse the carbon impact of the paper and packaging industry.  Links Element6 DynamicsKim Kovacs on LinkedInNew York Times: Where Does All the Cardboard Come From?NRDC: The Issue With TissueEpisode Recorded: January 13, 2023Email your feedback to Chad, Gil, and Hilary at climatepositive@hannonarmstrong.com or tweet them to @ClimatePosiPod.  Email your feedback to Chad, Gil, Hilary, and Guy at climatepositive@hasi.com.

Dr. Brian von Herzen is the founder and executive director of the Climate Foundation, and a champion of marine permaculture – a process that the Climate Foundation is bringing to scale to reduce carbon, improve food security and regenerate marine ecosystems.In this episode, Hilary Langer and Brian von Herzen discuss the importance of restoring balance to the ocean, how marine permaculture engages populations that depend on the ocean for food, and how his team plans to expand marine permaculture in Asia and around the world. Links Climate FoundationBrian von Herzen, PhD LinkedIn Profile2040 FilmGreenwave Regenerative Ocean Farming on Climate PositiveEpisode Recorded: January 10, 2023Email your feedback to Chad, Gil, and Hilary at climatepositive@hannonarmstrong.com or tweet them to @ClimatePosiPod. Email your feedback to Chad, Gil, Hilary, and Guy at climatepositive@hasi.com.

Every day, the alphabet soup of climate and ESG-related NGOs seems to thicken. But their respective raisons d’etre can seem like a mystery for all but the closet of insiders. To help unravel the role of each of these organizations in the broader social movement and policy push for urgent climate action, Chad Reed speaks with Ivan Frishberg, the chief sustainability officer of Amalgamated Bank and a pioneer of climate collaboration for big banks and corporates. Given his historically central and successful role in driving industry collaboration on climate action, Ivan provides key insights into the current state of this evolving landscape, delves into the hot topic of divestment versus engagement, and discusses the merits and significance—or lack thereof—of the so-called ESG backlash. Links:Amalgamated Bank 2021 Corporate Social Responsibility ReportScience Based TargetsIvan Frishberg on TwitterEpisode recorded: December 19, 2022Email your feedback to Chad, Gil, and Hilary at climatepositive@hannonarmstrong.com or tweet them to @ClimatePosiPod. Email your feedback to Chad, Gil, Hilary, and Guy at climatepositive@hasi.com.

Corals are the gems of the oceans, creating beautiful colors and shapes that form our reefs while serving many vital functions for life on this planet. With 25-40% already lost, the worldwide coral population faces incredible danger from climate change and other threats. But there is hope. On this week’s episode, Hilary and I talk with Dr. David E. Vaughan, an esteemed marine biologist and author of the new book The Secret Life of Corals: Sex, War, and Rocks that Don’t Roll.Dr. Vaughan has held aquaculture research and development positions for over 45 years. He is best known for developing the innovative restoration technique of “micro-fragmentation, which can speed up coral growth by 25 times by breaking them into tiny little pieces. He is focused on making this innovative process a scalable tool for reef restoration as the Founder of Plant a Million Corals. As you’ll hear in this conversation, David brings great clarity and joy when talking about corals and why they are so important.Links:Book: The Secret Life of Corals: Sex, War and Rocks That Don't RollWebsite: Plant A Million CoralsDr. David E. Vaughn TedX TalkNOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem OverviewEpisode recorded:  December 7, 2022 Email your feedback to Chad, Gil, and Hilary at climatepositive@hannonarmstrong.com or tweet them to @ClimatePosiPod. Email your feedback to Chad, Gil, Hilary, and Guy at climatepositive@hasi.com.

In this episode, Hilary Langer speaks with Michelle Moore, CEO of the nonprofit Groundswell and author of the recently published book, “Rural Renaissance. Revitalizing America’s Hometowns Through Clean Power.” Michelle has spent her career advocating for equitable power.  Her accomplishments range from delivering programs that cut energy use by $11 billion and led to the deployment of 3.2 Gigawatts of new renewable energy production while leading sustainability for the Obama Administration; to developing LEED into a globally recognized brand as Senior Vice President of USGBC. Hilary and Michelle discuss the values that motivate her, why Groundswell is revitalizing rural areas, and how the Inflation Reduction Act will change America. Links:Order “Rural Renaissance”Michelle Moore BioGroundswellMichelle Moore on TwitterInflation Reduction Act and DOE Loan ProgramInterfaceNational Rural Electric Cooperative AssociationUS Green Building CouncilEpisode recorded:  November 9, 2022 Email your feedback to Chad, Gil, and Hilary at climatepositive@hannonarmstrong.com or tweet them to @ClimatePosiPod. Email your feedback to Chad, Gil, Hilary, and Guy at climatepositive@hasi.com.

In this episode, Gil Jenkins speaks with Justin Gillis and Hal Harvey, authors of the recently published book “The Big Fix: 7 Practical Steps to Save Our Planet.” The book offers an everyday citizen's guide to the seven essential changes our communities must enact to bring our greenhouse gas emissions down to zero. Justin Gillis spent a decade as an award-winning reporter for The New York Times covering climate change, where he is a contributing opinion writer for the newspaper now and currently a fellow at the Harvard University Center for the Environment.  Hal Harvey is an acclaimed energy policy advisor and the CEO of San Francisco-based Energy Innovation, a nonpartisan energy and climate policy firm delivering research and analysis to help policymakers make informed choices.Gil, Hal, and Justin discuss the themes, industries, policies, and issues from The Big Fix and highlight the stories of people who are making those changes a reality.Links:Order “The Big Fix”Justin Gillis BioHal Harvey BioJustin Gillis on TwitterHal Harvey on TwitterEnergy Innovation WebsiteEpisode recorded:  October 12, 2022 Email your feedback to Chad, Gil, and Hilary at climatepositive@hannonarmstrong.com or tweet them to @ClimatePosiPod. Email your feedback to Chad, Gil, Hilary, and Guy at climatepositive@hasi.com.

If you’re listening to this podcast, you have probably heard of Shayle Kann. Shayle has been at the frontier of climatetech research, media, and investing for over 15 years. Now a partner with the venture capital firm Energy Impact Partners (EIP), Shayle leads EIP’s Frontier Fund, which invests in revolutionary technologies to enable deep decarbonization. Of course, he’s also the host of the popular climate tech podcast from Canary Media, Catalyst with Shayle Kann.In this episode, Chad Reed and Gil Jenkins walk through Shayle’s diverse and impactful career path and dive deep into several of the Frontier Fund’s portfolio companies along with other emerging issues, including rebuilding trust in carbon markets; climatetech vs. cleantech 1.0; and the promise of the Inflation Reduction Act. Links: Shayle on TwitterShayle on LinkedInEnergy Impact Partners WebsiteEnergy Impact Partners Frontier FundCatalyst PodcastPodcast Ep: What the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 would mean for climatetech (Canary Media, August 5, 2022)TV: Alone (Netflix) Episode recorded: September 29, 2022Email your feedback to Chad, Gil, and Hilary at climatepositive@hannonarmstrong.com or tweet them to @ClimatePosiPod. Email your feedback to Chad, Gil, Hilary, and Guy at climatepositive@hasi.com.

As more and more leading companies, governments, and other large buyers of electricity pledge to procure 100% carbon-free energy (CFE), markets are in need of better, more granular information on the time, location, and emissionality of every megawatt-hour that is produced and consumed. To this end, EnergyTag – an independent, non-profit, industry-led initiative – is developing the standards and markets for Granular Certificates (GCs) that enable energy consumers to verify the source of their electricity and carbon emissions in real time. In this episode, Chad Reed sits down with Toby Ferenczi and Killian Daly, the Founder and General Manager, respectively, of EnergyTag. They discuss the cruel irony at the center of deploying more and more renewable energy on local grids, the nuances differentiating 24/7 carbon-free electricity claims from emissionality considerations, and how Granular Certificates can both drive the next generation of carbon accounting (or Carbon Accounting 2.0) as well as accelerate the growth of new markets such as green hydrogen and battery storage. Links:EnergyTagGreenhouse Gas ProtocolWattTime: Avoided Emissions / Emissionality Episode recorded: September 8, 2022 Email your feedback to Chad, Gil, Hilary, and Guy at climatepositive@hasi.com.