The Cimpatico Podcast

Older adults are consistently identified as a vulnerable group to the impacts of climate change. The increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events pose a range of direct and indirect threats and opportunities for our aging world. The Grey Green Alliance is working to make age-friendly communities more climate resilient and emergency prepared. Join Cimpatico

StormSensor's Terrapin™ network is a turnkey solution that monitors flow and flood risk in real time. The Scute™ Sensors each include an ultrasonic depth sensor, ultrasonic doppler velocity sensor, a temperature sensor, and wireless data transmission via LoRa. StormSensor's algorithms generate valuable insights into your sewer and stormwater systems, empowering you to take action. Join Cimpatico

As governments around the world call for decarbonizing transportation and power generation, hydrogen is the next zero-emission fuel that can replace fossil fuels to power a wide range of vehicles and fuel power generators.  Ways2H CEO Jean-Louis Kindler explains how renewable hydrogen is being produced by extracting hydrogen from waste using a new circular economy technology. Join Cimpatico

The Attribution and Risk research program seeks to understand changes in climate extremes, such as heatwaves, extreme rainfall, and droughts. Join researchers from the Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes as we discuss what attribution and risk mean in terms of climate change and how our knowledge of the recent past may allow us to form a picture of future climate.

Joey Yee discusses how he creates YouTube content that educates audiences, entertains, and supports the community in which he lives. He'll touch upon how content creators can address urban narratives with authenticity as well as the importance of fostering relationships and trust with local businesses. Join Cimpatico

Dr. Jay Keasling explains what biofuels and bioproducts are, how they are engineered, and how they can impact the daily lives of the general public. He addresses the common misconceptions of biofuels and bioproducts and explains which sustainable fuel types can only be produced through these. Dr. Keasling highlights how JBEI is developing new pathways in synthetic biology. Join Cimpatico

Laura Schifter discusses how the K12 Climate Action, an initiative of The Aspen Institute, is enabling the education sector to contribute to climate action, solutions, and environmental justice. She shares insights into how this initiative is incorporating resilience and adaptation planning into school standards and curriculum, and helping reduce environmental footprint. Join Cimpatico

This is part four of a special four part symposium that was broadcast on Cimpatico, produced in partnership with OneUpAction this past Earth Day.  Saad Amer, the CoFounder of Plus1Vote, hosts.  Rep. Andy Levin (D) Michigan-09 makes a special appearance. The episode features The Clean Energy panel which focuses on plans for manufacturing, electric vehicles, and electric heating for housing and commercial buildings. The power sector is the second-largest contributor to the US carbon footprint. Biden's plan establishes a Clean Electricity Standard, mandating utilities across the US increase their share of clean electricity. It also increases funding for research. Panel guests featured are: Alicia Novoa (she/her) Natalie Mebane (she/her) Philip Aiken (he/him) Join Cimpatico

This is part three of a special four part symposium that was broadcast on Cimpatico, produced in partnership with OneUpAction this past Earth Day.  Saad Amer, the CoFounder of Plus1Vote, hosts.  This episode features the Agriculture and Conservation section of the #ActionsForTheEarth Symposium which will focus on the new plans for creating more resilient food systems and land/water resources, and economic opportunities for farmers as outlined in The American Jobs Plan. Additionally, the panel will explore topics that are left out of Biden's plan, such as regenerative agriculture. Panel guests featured are: Abby Katz (ella/she/her(s)) Lana Weidgenant (she/her) Mackenzie Feldman (she/her) Storm Lewis (she/her) Join Cimpatico

This is part two of a special four part symposium that was broadcast on Cimpatico, produced in partnership with OneUpAction this past Earth Day.  Saad Amer, the CoFounder of Plus1Vote, hosts.  This episode features Transportation section of the #ActionsForTheEarth which focuses on Biden's plans regarding rebuilding transportation infrastructure, public transit, and investment in rail service and Amtrak as outlined in The American Jobs Plan. This covers how the plans impact marginalized communities and how effectively the plans address the climate crisis. Panel guests featured are: Isaias Hernandez (he/they) Kristy Drutman (she/her) Zanagee Artis (he/him) Join Cimpatico  

Jolyon Collier talks about his underwater installations in coral reefs and thier surrounding communities. He introduces his non-profit, Counting Coral, and the work they are doing to bring awareness to our decaying coral reefs whilst putting money back into the local economy of the communities they represent. Join Cimpatico

This is part one of a special four part symposium that was broadcast on Cimpatico, produced in partnership with OneUpAction this past Earth Day.  Bill McKibben (of 350.org) gives a keynote speech, while Saad Amer, the CoFounder of Plus1Vote, hosts.  This episode features Environmental Justice section of the #ActionsForTheEarth Symposium which focuses on Biden's plans regarding access to clean water, broadband access, job creation, restoring nature-based infrastructure, and cleaning up toxic waste as outlined in The American Jobs Plan. Each of these topics pertains to low-income and otherwise disadvantaged communities. Panel guests featured are: Wanjiku "Wawa" Gatheru (she/her) Kiana Kazemi (she/her) Elsa Mengistu (she/her) Xiye Bastida (she/her)    

Host, Kayla Anderson, interviews Dr. Nancy Tuchman who is the Founding Dean of the The School of Environmental Sustainability at Loyola University in Chicago. Their mission is to engage students in understanding and responding to local and global environmental issues by advancing knowledge of environmental problems and developing solutions through original research and community outreach. Join Cimpatico 

Sandra Ann Harris joins us to discuss her new book “Say Goodbye To Plastic: A Survival Guide To Plastic-Free Living.” She talks about new ways consumers can reduce their plastic pollution impact on the environment. She also touches on why action beyond recycling is needed, and how to convince people it matters. Join Cimpatico

Dave Jones discusses the world's transition from fossil to clean electricity. We'll touch on how far the transition has come so far, what progress we are seeing towards 100% clean electricity by 2035 in OECD countries, the phaseout of coal in Asia, and the gap in the electricity sector still required to cap climate change at  1.5 degrees. Join Cimpatico

Joley Michaelson shares her insights about the future of energy ecosystem products and services and what individuals can do to achieve the collective mission of progressing renewable solutions. She introduces us to her latest venture, The Sun Company, which provides on-grid and off-grid renewable solutions for both residential homeowners and commercial high-polluters. Join Cimpatico

StormSensor empowers their customers to make informed decisions. Unlike traditional storm and sewer monitoring solutions that conduct only targeted spot checks, StormSensor's TerrapinTM networks are deployed city-wide at a fraction of the cost. Their powerful analytics include real-time alerts so you always know how the system is performing. Join Cimpatico

A special throwback episode where Doug Parsons is joined by co-hosts of the Disasters: Deconstructed podcast, Dr. Ksenia Chmutina and Dr. Jason von Meding. They will explore the implications of using language that naturalizes disasters and how it may impact policy, planning, and the public.

Another throwback to a critical conversation with Dr. Juliette Rooney-Varga who explains the gap between the scale of climate action supported by science and current climate policy and action. She introduces us to ‘dual simulation' games: A serious game with a role-play that simulates social dynamics of climate decision-making and computer simulation of the impacts of decisions made on climate and transition outcomes.

Alice Hill previously served as Special Assistant to President Obama and Senior Director for resilience policy on the National Security Council staff where she led the development of national policy to build resilience to catastrophic risks. Policy-making at the highest level of government remains a mystery to many.  The Obama White House applied an effective formula to push forward an aggressive climate agenda. The secret? Focusing on outcomes. Join Cimpatico

Julia Jackson stresses the importance of criminalizing ecocide - a movement and a climate solution that is gaining momentum. She introduces us to her organization, Grounded, a hub for identifying and accelerating scalable climate solutions by galvanizing a community of environmental change leaders, indigenous peoples, experts, authors, researchers, innovators, and investors. Join Cimpatico

Mark Spencer and Seán Marsh are co-founders of Podcasters Declare, a group of climate podcasters raising the volume on climate content, education, and awareness. They are in the midst of a campaign to get a Climate category on Apple Podcasts for April 22, Earth Day.

Christian Shaw introduces us to his organization Plastic Tides and how they are working to tackle plastic pollution. He explains why recycling alone is not the answer to plastic pollution and the importance of upstream solutions - reducing or replacing plastics. Christian stresses the fact that collaborative efforts of both individuals and organizations can mitigate plastic pollution.

Sameera Chukkapalli talks about how her organization Needlab, is working with communities around the world to design and build dignified, resilient housing and public space solutions for the next 3 billion. She highlights that 40% of carbon emissions are from the construction sector and explains how participatory design and community holistic development can mitigate it. Join Cimpatico

Tom Bowman appeals not to treat the climate crisis as a “wicked problem” rather deal with it with a new, more constructive premise - “stop burning fossil fuels”. This premise gives us a metric to apply to the choices we make every day in our households, workplaces, and governance. Join Cimpatico

Val Miftakhov introduces us to ZeroAvia's solution to the aviation industry's emissions problem: hydrogen-powered aviation. Val shares how he and his team have applied advances in powertrain technology to enable zero-emission air travel, and why an all-electric airline travel industry may not be as far away as you think. Join Cimpatico

Dr. Jesse Keenan published the first peer-reviewed scientific evidence of climate change's effect on mortgage markets last summer. His work provides insight into the activities of mortgage lenders in today's high-risk coastal markets. Dr. Keenan discusses the social equity and environmental justice implications of these mortgage market adaptations. Join Cimpatico

Kirsty Gogan discusses the three main organising principles in order to achieve decarbonisation - Scale, Speed, and Cost. She uses the analogy of “Impossible Burgers” with respect to traditional fossil fuels and suggests that low-cost, clean hydrogen-based synthetic fuel can be a feasible alternative to fossil fuel in shipping, aviation, and other industries. Join Cimpatico 

Comms Declare are harnessing the power of communications, marketing, media and advertising to supercharge the transition to a climate-friendly future. They are asking professionals in these sectors to declare that they will work towards a safe climate. Tune in to find out more from Comms Declare co-founders, Belinda Noble and Cally Jackson! Join Cimpatico

Tauseef Anwar believes solar powered electric vehicles are the future of sustainable mobility, particularly in the developing world. He introduces us to his new electric motorsport venture, Tanguar Racing, and explains how sustainable motorsport provides much better ROI for content sponsorship and branding than traditional sports. Join Cimpatico

Kristin Baja shares her career journey as an adaptation professional and how she got into the fields of adaptation, sustainability, and racial equity. After an illustrious career in the US Women's National Rugby team representing in the 2002 and 2006 World Cups, Baja found her passion working at the intersection of racial equity and climate resilience. Join Cimpatico

Albert Slap stresses the importance of advanced due diligence prior to any housing investment in climate-vulnerable areas, particularly for the millennials in the US. He talks about Coastal Risk's new invention, RiskFootprint™, a cloud-based, risk assessment platform that holistically assesses the risks of any property in the US in seconds. Join Cimpatico

Tonya Graham discusses how communities, who already have the practical knowledge to build effective climate resilience plans, only need a guide for implementation. She introduces us to “Climate Ready Communities” - an “assisted do-it-yourself" program to help small to mid-sized and under-resourced communities build climate resilience. Join Cimpatico

Director of Operations, Sarah Ricci, introduces us to OneUpAction: A global, intersectional, youth-led climate action organization that values the empowerment of all of their leaders through mutual support and respect. She outlines the programs, departments, and resources that OUA provides for its youth leaders and 30 chapters around the globe, and how you can become involved. Join Cimpatico

Ibrahim Khader talks about his organization, BirdLife International, and how they are focused on mainstreaming bird conservation into the energy sector. He says that the renewable energy sector needs to be bird-friendly to be environmentally sustainable. Ibrahim suggests bird conservation can be achieved through good governance and efforts from the energy sector at local and international levels. Join Cimpatico

Juanita Constible discusses the occupational health hazards to workers due to climate change, particularly, extreme heat. She helps identify the major factors that increase worker vulnerability to climate-related health and safety harms and how the advent of COVID-19 has elevated the problems. She mentions recent changes in federal policy and recommends future policy solutions. Join Cimpatico

Rob Caughlan shares his story from college to present day, and his experience working as a copywriter for politicians such as Diane Feinstein and Pete McCloskey. As a writer and filmmaker, Rob has been instrumental in successful litigation against major environmental polluters in some of California's highest-profile environmental lawsuits. He shares his insights and his successes in achieving these. Join Cimpatico 

Nausheena Hussain addresses the importance of owning your story and using your voice to bring a different perspective to the conversation in order to drive impact, and break stereotypes. She shares her experience and successes in achieving this impact, empowering Muslim women, and how increasing political participation impacts economic empowerment. Join Cimpatico

Kristin Baja helps us understand “The Nexus”, a non-linear framework for government practitioners to address systemic racial injustice. She explains that whenever a government initiates any plan or process, they need to acknowledge that the foundation of our power structure is white supremacy and the core injustices that are prevalent in the system. From there, she shares how using this framework can help shift power to communities. Join Cimpatico

Dr. Lara Hansen introduces us to the concept of “Climate Lens'' and discusses the need for climate change to be part of all planning and decision making. She stresses the importance of understanding local vulnerabilities, how they escalate other challenges, and developing solutions to mitigate those problems. Join Cimpatico

Sherri Goodman discusses the implications of climate change on national security. She gives an overview of climate threat multipliers and how it affects the military. She talks about the roles of international institutions and the US military in managing climate security risks and advancing clean energy. She also analyzes the implications of Biden's new executive order. Join Cimpatico

As governments reset their economies with COVID-19 stimulus packages, some are using it as an opportunity to address both climate change and COVID-19. But often these “green” recovery plans leave out one key element: resilience. Canadian Ambassador for climate change Patricia Fuller and World Resources Institute President, Dr. Andrew Steer, join Doug Parsons to discuss why and how to achieve a resilient recovery for all. After the episode is a special post-panel breakdown from Shaun Martin, Vice President of Ecological and Social Resilience at World Wildlife Fund.  Join Cimpatico

Climate activist and former Massachusetts legislator discusses how the United States could singlehandedly solve most of the current climate crisis with infrastructure changes, not necessarily lifestyle ones. He outlines a detailed plan in his new book 'The 100% Solution: A Plan for Solving Climate Change.' Join Cimpatico

Dr. Renée Lertzman shares how to practically apply psychology to climate and sustainability campaigns. She helps us understand the importance and value of emotional intelligence in our environmental work. She discusses practical strategies and tools that will transform the way people feel about the climate crisis. cimpatico.tv

Dr. Sasha Luccioni discusses the ways Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be used in both climate mitigation and adaptation approaches. She explains the trade-off between the environmental cost and benefits of training AI models. Dr. Luccioni also shares the biggest challenges to be tackled at the nexus of AI and climate change. cimpatico.tv

Anna Weber discusses the extent of repeated flooding around the US and familiarizes us with NRDC's “Losing Ground” data dashboard, its limitations, and other national flood-related datasets. She explores why the number of repeatedly flooded properties are growing, trends we see in these properties, and the connection between environmental racism, housing policy, and flood risk. Join Cimpatico 

Kristin Baja introduces us to Resilience Hubs and their importance in local communities during calamities, particularly the Covid-19 crisis. She highlights the five areas of resilience: Programming, Structure, Power, Communications, and Operations. She also explains how shifting power to local communities enhances community connectivity and social cohesion. Join Cimpatico

Jamie Salka, CEO of Story Pirates, joins us to share how the organization pivoted during the pandemic from contemplating shutting down after 15 years, to growing one of the top 3 kids and family podcasts in the world. Jamie discusses the company culture, which benefits from the comradery, ingenuity, and creativity of the theatre background of its diverse group of talented employees. Join Cimpatico Please sure to check out the previous conversation with Amy Fiore here. 

Clover Hogan, founder of the youth-led organization-'Force of Nature,' helps us understand the relationship between mental health and existential threats like climate change. She explores the barriers that keep us from taking action on the issues we care about. She guides us in mapping our mental and emotional landscape so as to hone in on the problems we seek to solve. Join Cimpatico

Dr. Anthony Charles discusses the UN report “Addressing The Climate Change And Poverty Nexus” where he shares how poverty and climate change are interwoven. He also explores the pathways of linking climate mitigation and adaptation with poverty reduction and food security. Join Cimpatico 

Kristin Baja is the Program Director for Climate Resilience at the Urban Sustainability Director's Network. She shares USDN's unique approach to climate resilience with a young, practitioner-led network, focusing on innovation, and pushing against the norms. Baja talks about how this network implements hazard mitigation plans with a focus on racial equality, and shifting traditional power structures to the community and community partners. Join Cimpatico