Raise Green

Lynn Heller, the founder of the Climate Access Fund, stopped by to speak with Franz about her latest proposed project, a community-owned rooftop solar project in Baltimore. Talk about solar-powered resilience! Join the conversation and learn about Lynn's journey, community solar, the Climate Access Fund, and more!

The Raise Green Podcast features Antony Bugg-Levine, the CEO of the Nonprofit Finance Fund, one of the nation's leading Community Development Finance Institutions, and Donnel Baird, the Founder & CEO of BlocPower, a Brooklyn-based energy technology startup rapidly greening American cities. This week, they spoke with Franz to discuss green infrastructure, community resilience, and financing social change.

Elizabeth Carter, Esq. is a renowned crowdfunding lawyer and social justice advocate. This week, she spoke with Franz about how crowdfunding can build environmental and social justice in our communities.

Wyldon Fishman lives and breathes solar power. In 2007, she founded the New York Solar Energy Society (NYSES) to more efficiently deliver consumer resources on energy conservation and renewable energy. As President of NYSES, she analyzed legislation and state programs and educated legislative staff to create policy change. Separately, she is the Director of Solar Cookers International, which has a long-time presence with the UN and was recently awarded the Keeling Curve Prize. Today, she joins host Franz Hochstrasser for a conversation about legislation, the expanding roles of solar, and shares insights from her vast experience in the industry.

This week, Franz Hochstrasser was joined by renowned sustainability activist and advocate, Rob Greenfield. Rob is best known for his public campaigns to highlight the impacts of consumerism, the potential for community resilience, and the need to live with intent. Tune into this conversation to hear more about Rob's work and how we can all contribute to a greener, more just future.

Bryan Garcia, CEO, and Bert Hunter, CIO of the Connecticut Green Bank join Franz Hochstrasser for a conversation about local impact investing for community empowerment, the power of green capital, and the future of finance.

David Roberts, @DrVolts, is a well-known and respected voice in the clean energy and climate policy fields. He joined Franz this week for a conversation about #COP26, how you can be a #cleanenergy champion, and more.

Lyla June is an Indigenous musician, scholar and community organizer of Diné (Navajo), Tsétsêhéstâhese (Cheyenne) and European lineages. She blends studies in Human Ecology at Stanford, graduate work in Indigenous Pedagogy, and the traditional worldview she grew up with to inform her music, perspectives and solutions. Her current doctoral research focuses on Indigenous #foodsystems revitalization. This week, she joins host Matt Moroney on the Raise Green podcast to discuss indigenous forms of #sustainability, the role of #art in #socialchange, and more.

Shingi Samuzdi is joining our host Franz Hochstrasser this week for a conversation about energy efficiency, infrastructure improvements, and the need to simplify and accelerate the transition to commercial solar.

Raise Green Podcast Episode #11: "Lending for Energy Efficiency Improvements" features NEIF co-founders Peter Krajsa and Matthew Brown discussing their strategy in answering the question "how do we help make energy efficiency truly affordable for a home or business owner?"

Solar systems provide a myriad of benefits to their owners: cheap and accessible energy, independence from common utilities, and a decarbonized source of power. Chaz Peling, CEO SolSolutions, has been constructing solar microgrids for nearly 40 years. His company is now one of California's largest providers of rapidly-deployable solar systems. As climate impacts and disasters threaten the power grid, the need for local resilient energy systems becomes increasingly clear. In this podcast episode, Chaz joins Matt Moroney in conversation about the growing role of solar and its many benefits.

Raise Green Podcast Episode #9: “Base Load Renewables, Sustainable Design, and Circular Economy” with Rick Sellers, Manager of Circular Fuels, LLC, features a discussion of the impact potential for circular economic designs and the power of base load renewable energy plants.

Raise Green Podcast Episode #8, "Ending Water Poverty in the Developing World" is an in-depth discussion on clean water scarcity in developing countries with Ola Filter CEO Elizabeth Clandos, in which she highlights the necessity for and significance of accessible and affordable clean water solutions, such as the Ola Filter.

DJ Cavem is an activist, educator, and vegan chef whose eco hip-hop has become a global movement. He has rapped about climate change, food justice, and plant-based foods everywhere from his hometown in Denver to the Obama White House. “Raise Green” is a 7 episode podcast exploring the climate crises through the minds of local leaders and global experts. Short, accessible conversations explore new ways of working together via personal stories about creating a healthy, just, and sustainable future.

Margot Brandenburg has spent the last two decades working at the intersection of philanthropy, capital markets, and environmental justice. She is currently a senior program officer at the Ford Foundation, where she focuses on strengthening capital markets in relation to impact investment. “Raise Green” is a 7 episode podcast exploring the climate crises through the minds of local leaders and global experts. Short, accessible conversations explore new ways of working together via personal stories about creating a healthy, just, and sustainable future.

John Clippinger is a research scientist at the MIT Media Lab’s Human Dynamics Group, where he is a co-principal investor on a research program working to develop legal and software methods for protecting and sharing personal information for mobile services applications in health, education, and finance. He is also co-founder and executive director of ID3, a non-profit organization formed to develop and field-test legal and software trust frameworks for data-driven services, infrastructures, and enterprises. Previously, Dr. Clippinger was founder and Co-director of The Law Lab at Harvard University, which was founded to undertake multidisciplinary research to explore new forms of digital law and institution building to facilitate cooperation and entrepreneurial innovation. Raise Green is a 7 episode podcast exploring the climate crisis through the minds of local leaders and global experts. Short, accessible conversations explore new ways of working together via personal stories about creating a healthy, just, and sustainable future. As economic disparity, environmental degradation and social injustices continue emerging as defining issues of the 21st century, we need solutions that scale faster than the pace of the problems. These conversations ask how.

On this episode of Raise Green we examine the potential growth of impact investing during times of social unrest and intensifying climate issues through a conversation with the esteemed author, impact investor, and big-picture thinker Joel Solomon. Joel Solomon is the founding partner of Renewal Funds, Canada's largest mission venture capital firm at over $240 Million in assets under management. Investing primarily in organic food and environmental technology, he brings a wealth of experience to the field with over 14 years as a principal for an innovative, activist family office with Carol Newman prior to founding Renewal Funds. He is a co-author of "The Clean Money Revolution", co-producer of "The Integrated Capital Institute", a TEDxVancouver speaker, a founding member of The Social Venture Network, Business for Social Responsibility, The Tides Canada Foundation, and a 25-year board chair of Hollyhock, as well as a University of British Columbia Governer. Raise Green is a 7 episode podcast exploring the climate crisis through the minds of local leaders and global experts. Short, accessible conversations explore new ways of working together via personal stories about creating a healthy, just, and sustainable future. As economic disparity, environmental degradation and social injustices continue emerging as defining issues of the 21st century, we need solutions that scale faster than the pace of the problems. These conversations ask how.

This episode of Raise Green is part two of a whirlwind tour through the past and future of global climate policy with U.S. State negotiator Sue Biniaz. In stressed times, how do international organizations and country governments adhere to their climate commitments. For more than 25 years, Sue Biniaz served as the lead climate lawyer for the U.S. State Department. In that capacity, she played a central role in the negotiation of all the major climate agreements, including the Paris Agreement. She was also a Deputy Legal Adviser and in that capacity covered U.S. treaty practice, the law of the sea, Somali piracy, Latin America, human rights, criminal law, and other environmental issues. Raise Green is a 7 episode podcast exploring the climate crisis through the minds of local leaders and global experts. Short, accessible conversations explore new ways of working together via personal stories about creating a healthy, just, and sustainable future. As economic disparity, environmental degradation and social injustices continue emerging as defining issues of the 21st century, we need solutions that scale faster than the pace of the problems. These conversations ask how.

This episode of Raise Green is part one of a whirlwind tour through the past and future of global climate policy with U.S. State negotiator Sue Biniaz. In stressed times, how do international organizations and country governments adhere to their climate commitments. For more than 25 years, Sue Biniaz served as the lead climate lawyer for the U.S. State Department. In that capacity, she played a central role in the negotiation of all the major climate agreements, including the Paris Agreement. She was also a Deputy Legal Adviser and in that capacity covered U.S. treaty practice, the law of the sea, Somali piracy, Latin America, human rights, criminal law, and other environmental issues. Raise Green is a 7 episode podcast exploring the climate crisis through the minds of local leaders and global experts. Short, accessible conversations explore new ways of working together via personal stories about creating a healthy, just, and sustainable future. As economic disparity, environmental degradation and social injustices continue emerging as defining issues of the 21st century, we need solutions that scale faster than the pace of the problems. These conversations ask how.

In this episode of Raise Green hosts Matt and Franz speak with Eva Gladek about the circular economy and its potential impact on environmental and economic issues. Eva has developed broadly adopted methodologies for systems transformation, the circular economy, and sustainable design. Speaking at forums around the world she shares her vision to accelerate a collective greater impact. She is consistently listed among the top influencers in sustainability in The Netherlands, a country recognized as leading the transition to a circular economy. Raise Green is a 7 episode podcast exploring the climate crisis through the minds of local leaders and global experts. Short, accessible conversations explore new ways of working together via personal stories about creating a healthy, just, and sustainable future. As economic disparity, environmental degradation and social injustices continue emerging as defining issues of the 21st century, we need solutions that scale faster than the pace of the problems. These conversations ask how.