Inevitable

Today's guest is Ira Pearl, Vice President of Environmental Sustainability at Cox Enterprises. Ira is also the leader of Cox Conserves. In his role, Ira leads Cox's efforts to tackle sustainability challenges while driving its goals to achieve zero waste to landfill by 2024 and become water and carbon neutral by 2034. Cox Enterprises is interesting because they are a privately held global conglomerate headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with approximately 55,000 employees and $21 billion in total revenue. Its major operating subsidiaries are Cox Communications and Cox Automotive. Not only is the scale of Cox Enterprises pretty shocking, but the proactive role they've taken in trying to do the right thing with climate change and the clean energy transition is also noteworthy. Jason and Ira unpack a lot in this episode, including Ira's career and what led him to Cox in the first place. They talk about Cox's approach to sustainability, some of the progress the company has made in reaching net zero goals, as well as some of the barriers that they've come across along the way. They also cover where Cox is going in the future and have a great discussion about some of the things Ira thinks will help everybody move faster and what gets him most excited about the future and the clean energy transition overall. Enjoy the show! In this episode, we cover: [3:20] An overview of Cox Enterprises, including Cox Communication, Cox Automotive, and their clean tech division [5:37] Ira's personal climate journey [10:39] How Cox approaches organizational change at the functional level  [15:01] The reason behind Cox’s pursuit of climate-related and philanthropic projects [18:09] How public companies can focus on the longtime horizons of the collective good [21:15] Ira’s views on solutions that need improvements [25:40] An overview of Cox Enterprises' clean tech division [27:45] How Ira's sustainability department collaborates with their clean tech group [29:00] The importance of data tracking in reducing emissions and how Cox evolved from energy conservation to energy production[34:14] Balancing the tension between barriers to accelerated adoption and issues associated with changing too quickly [37:36] Ira's thoughts on the Inflation Reduction Act [41:39] Some of Cox's partnerships and community work in disadvantaged areas [45:09] How the company inspires employee action for climate-related activities [49:36] Ira's thoughts on offsetsGet connected: Jason's TwitterIra’s LinkedInMCJ Podcast / Collective*You can also reach us via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded on November 3, 2022.  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 Matt LeDucq, CEO and co-founder of Forum Mobility, which is working on the problem of heavy-duty trucking electrification, starting in California with the drayage sector.There are essentially two types of trucking. The first is long-haul or "over the road" which transports goods over long distances. If you've ever done a cross-country road-trip, the semi trucks on the interstates you see are long-haul trucks. And then there are drayage trucks. These trucks take large cargo containers from sea ports to distribution centers (and back and forth). Their typically short distances and repeatable patterns make them especially good candidates for electrification. Drayage trucks are relatively densely clustered and predictable, which helps when it comes to planning the EV charging infrastructure that can provide the amount of power these trucks command. It also turns out that California has some aggressive emissions reduction regulations coming online that will dramatically escalate the transition of drayage trucks from diesel to electric.Matt and Cody have a great conversation about the pending California regulations at play, as well as the history of clean air regulation around trucking. They also talk about the air quality issues surrounding most ports and the environmental justice issues that these regulations are aiming to address. They cover how the vast majority of drayage truck owners are independent operators and the financial burden that these regulations place on them. And, of course, they talk about Forum Mobility's product offering and company history, in addition to Matt's deep background in renewable energy. There are loads to learn about electrifying the trucking industry in this episode. Enjoy! In this episode, we cover: [3:19] The current regulatory world of decarbonizing the trucking industry in California[6:59] The role of environmental justice and dangerous emissions around ports[10:17] Challenges for independent truck owners and small businesses in meeting new regulations[14:32] Geographic differences in the drayage model[16:28] Incentive programs that help bridge the financing gap[18:19] Forum Mobility's solution[27:21] The company's business model[30:17] An overview of the charging infrastructure needed for drayage trucks[33:11] Matt's background in solar, construction, and electrification[36:41] Where he sees the company growing[38:18] How policy tailwinds can expand Forum's future business[42:13] Funding to date and how Matt sees funding moving forwardGet connected: Cody's TwitterMatt’s LinkedInMCJ Podcast / Collective*You can also reach us via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded on October 18, 2022.  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

This episode is part of our Skilled Labor Series hosted by MCJ partner, Yin Lu. This series is focused on amplifying the voices of folks from the skilled labor workforce, including electricians, farmers, ranchers, HVAC installers, and others who are on the front lines of rewiring our infrastructure.Today's guest is Alejandro Carrillo, a rancher who lives in El Paso, Texas and stewards his family's ranch in Mexico's Chihuahuan Desert. Maintaining grasslands is important for preserving biodiversity, ensuring clean rivers, and storing carbon. In fact, since grasslands store carbon underground in their roots and soil, some would argue that they are better carbon sinks than forests. As stewards of these habitats, ranchers like Alejandro who focus on regenerative practices play an important role raising livestock and maintaining carbon sinks. After a successful career as an IT consultant, Alejandra joined his family ranch in 2004. Tired of the constant drought and suffering that came with traditional ranching in a desert climate, he'd been searching for ways to adapt and rehabilitate his family's land. Since 2006, Alejandro has adapted the principles of holistic grazing or regenerative ranching as we'll learn about in this episode. He’s also the president of Pare Del, a nonprofit organization that provides ongoing education for cattle ranchers as well as promotes holistic plant grazing across the world's deserts. In this fascinating and meandering conversation, Yin and Alejandro discuss regenerative ranching, why dung beetles are so important, the epigenetics of cows, the differences between Mexican and American agriculture policies, their effects on ranching and a whole lot more. Enjoy! In this episode, we cover: [2:23] Alejandro's background and ranching experience [5:47] An overview of his family's ranch in Chihuahua, Mexico[8:24] Differences between farming and ranching[16:28] Symbiotic relationship between grasslands and cattle grazing [19:47] An overview of the water cycle, issues with management today and impacts on soil[25:45] Regenerative ranching principles [32:24] How ranchers make a living[39:45] Policy differences for ranching between the U.S. and Mexico [43:18] What keeps Alejandro optimistic about the future of ranching practicesGet connected: Yin’s Twitter / LinkedInMCJ Podcast / Collective*You can also reach us via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded on September 1, 2022.  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 Taj Eldridge. He calls himself the DJ Khaled of climate and you’ll know why when you hear him speak. Taj’s professional portfolio spans a variety of roles that live at the intersection of diversity, inclusivity, and climate. He’s currently involved in three exciting pursuits. As general partner at Include Ventures, Taj works with a team of experts to build a large and dynamic platform of women and historically underrepresented fund managers and founders, with the goal of opening new market opportunities for investors and driving  alpha, environmental, and social governance. Taj is also leading CREST or the Climate Resilient Employees for a Sustainable Tomorrow out of JFF Labs, which is a program that prepares people for climate resilient jobs in the United States and India. Lastly, Taj supports Klean Energy Kulture, an organization on a mission to transition black communities to clean energy by kicking off a series of experiences that tour historically black institutions and leverage music, gaming and sustainable fashion to promote sustainability and opportunities as a way of life. These topics are each so important and they're also undeniably interrelated. In this conversation, Taj walks us through ways to think about diversity and inclusion, how they go together, and what types of initiatives can be most important to bring about the progress that we all desire. Jason and Taj have a great discussion about his personal journey, what motivates him, and how his theory of change has evolved from when he started doing this work many years ago to today. Then we talk about each of the initiatives he's currently involved with and also his framework for thinking about how to allocate his portfolio of time. This is a really exciting and insightful discussion. Enjoy!In this episode, we cover: [4:31] Taj's portfolio of climate projects [7:25] His journey at the intersection of inclusion and climate [13:50] Inclusivity and how Taj's thoughts toward it have evolved over time [17:32] His views on the state of the climate emergency[21:07] How we can collectively balance the transition with education [25:13] The role of pop culture and media influencing consumer decisions[27:48] Taj's decision making process for projects he focuses on[31:46] The exciting youth climate movement [33:43] Frustrations around privileged climate conversations and the need for more inclusivity[36:05] Blind spots in building a more diverse climate community  [42:23] The opportunity to create measurement tools for climate investing[44:26] Innovating climate solutions outside of Silicon Valley Get connected: Jason's TwitterTaj’s TwitterMCJ Podcast / Collective*You can also reach us via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded on October 12, 2022.  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 Reinhardt, CEO and co-founder of Helio, which makes it simple for customers to transition off fossil fuels and fully electrify their homes. The home electrification process in most of the U.S. is not a seamless experience. Homeowners approach electrification with different needs. Some have to upgrade broken equipment, whereas others opt for a total rehab. But having to piece together a variety of seemingly related projects requires working with multiple contractors, contracts, and challenges that could limit widespread adoption. Helio is making a bet that there is a growing segment of homeowners who are motivated to electrify the whole stack of their homes, from rooftop solar and HVAC to water heaters, EV chargers, and more. The company aims to provide customers with a roadmap for achieving that while also doing the actual installation work. Given all of the tax credits and rebates coming online for home electrification as part of the Inflation Reduction Act and other local programs, more homeowners will likely be looking at this problem. And with a third of emissions coming from residential buildings, Helio’s solution could make a significant dent in their goal of electrifying millions of homes. Their roadmap solution educates homeowners and helps them plan for the amount of power they’ll need as they pursue home improvement projects. In this episode, Eric and Cody have a great chat about his background as well as his co-founders, what he's learned from customer interest thus far, how they can provide home estimates at scale, and how he sees Helio growing in the future. We're honored that our venture fund at MCJ Collective is an investor in Helio, and I hope you enjoy the conversation.In this episode, we cover: [3:39] Eric's background at Sunrun and personal electrification journey [7:08] How he met Helio's co-founders and started the company [9:56] The home electrification process today and Helio's net zero roadmap solution [13:56] Need for customer education [16:41] The risk for contractors to take on new technology like heat pumps [19:41] Helio's estimating process and accurate design[23:22] An overview of ducted vs ductless or mini split systems [28:21] Helio's customer experience and how they manage handoffs with contractors [31:57] Financing projects and Helio's vision of moving to a subscription model [35:02] Role of insulation and sealing [40:54] Job opportunities at Helio and how to applyGet connected: Cody's TwitterHelio TwitterMCJ Podcast / Collective*You can also reach us via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded on October 7, 2022.  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 Jill Tauber, Vice President of Litigation for Climate and Energy at Earthjustice. Earthjustice is the premier nonprofit public interest environmental law organization. They wield the power of law and the strength of partnership to protect people's health, preserve magnificent places and wildlife, advance clean energy, and to combat climate change. The work they do is not only extremely important, but also in the thick of relevant topics we’re seeing at the moment. One that comes to mind is permitting. We need to move quickly on building clean infrastructure, but at the same time we need to be mindful of communities where this infrastructure is being built. Community members should have a voice in these projects and we have to build them in a way that’s not harmful to people living around them. This is just one example. In this episode, we cover Jill's journey to doing the work that she does, and we also dig into Earthjustice and their criteria for projects they take on. We cover Jill's views on the role of fossil fuels in the clean energy transition, and of course the Inflation Reduction Act bill permitting, barriers holding us back, changes that could unlock faster progress, and where Earthjustice fits into all of this now and in the future. The earth certainly needs a good lawyer and we’re stoked to have Jill share her journey with us. In this episode, we cover: [3:14] An overview of Earthjustice[4:18] Jill's background and climate journey[7:43] How Earthjustice determines which projects to take on[9:34] Jill’s thoughts on the role of fossil fuels[12:48] Balancing energy stability and reliability as we usher in the clean transition[20:01] Unintended consequences of regulation[25:10] Need for better government and developer planning[30:26] How Earthjustice works with experts to evaluate various projects[34:23] Example case on a new gas plant in Indiana[38:39] Jill's thoughts on the IRA[43:03] Systems level changes that would be impactful to Earthjustice's work[47:03] The role of innovation and technology that will help clean energy win[49:32] Jill's thoughts on activismGet connected: Jason's TwitterJill’s TwitterEarthjustice Twitter / TikTokMCJ Podcast / Collective*You can also reach us via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded on October 27, 2022. 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 Emily McAteer, co-founder and CEO of Odyssey Energy Solutions, helping emerging market project developers to finance, build and operate distributed renewable energy at scale. How the Global South modernizes is the original climate justice debate that has been a key topic of global policy discussions for decades, going back to the Kyoto Protocol of the 1990s and even earlier. The crux of the conversation is that climate change has primarily been caused by the 20th century economic development of the United States, Western Europe, Japan, et cetera. And if the rest of the world were to follow the same fossil fuel enabled development path, we'd rapidly blow past emissions targets and into the worst possible climate change outcomes. So what's the rest of the world to do?The answer seems to be to leapfrog, to modernize via a network of distributed renewable energy technology as opposed to a monolithic fossil fuel-powered grid. And yet that also introduces a whole new host of questions. Emily's been working at the nexus of climate and emerging markets for just about her whole career and brings a wealth of experience into Odyssey while working on answering these questions. In this episode, Cody and Emily have a great conversation about energy access in emerging markets today, what new distributed grids will look like, how development finance institutions (DFIs) work and the role of nation states in securing financing for energy projects. We also cover how Odyssey is bringing financing, procurement, and operational solutions to market to solve the local problems inherent in this space. Emily and Odyssey just announced a seed round led by Equal Ventures that we at MCJ Collective were honored to participate in. So we’re welcoming Emily today as an MCJ Collective portfolio CEO, as well as an MCJ podcast guest. Enjoy the show! In this episode, we cover: [3:16] Emily's dedicated career in climate [10:18] Grid challenges in emerging markets [14:51] Financing gaps for small projects [17:33] The Nigeria Electrification Project case study [21:38] Profile of project developers in emerging markets [23:56] An overview of Odyssey's solution [28:38] The company's FERN platform [31:44] How Odyssey is scaling and handling projects in multiple countries [35:09] The capital they've raised thus far and what they're using it forGet connected: Cody's TwitterOdyssey TwitterMCJ Podcast / Collective*You can also reach us via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded on  September 21, 2022. 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 Felicia Marcus,  the Williams C. Landreth visiting fellow at Stanford University's Water in the West program. Felicia is also an attorney, consultant, and member of the Water Policy Group. She most recently served as Chair of the California State Water Resources Control Board, where she implemented laws regarding drinking water, water quality and state's water rights, as well as heard regional board water quality appeals, settled disputes, and provided financial assistance to communities to upgrade water infrastructure. Before her appointment to the Water Board, she also served in positions in government, the non-profit and private sector. In government, Felicia served as the regional administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Pacific Southwest region during the Clinton Administration, where she was known for her work in bringing unlikely allies together for environmental progress and for making the agency more responsive to the communities it serves, particularly Indian Tribes, communities of color, local government and agricultural and business interests. Water is often considered an untold climate story. From water scarcity and drought, to extreme flooding and rising sea level, the impacts of our changing climate on this critical resource demand our attention. In this episode, Jason and Felicia dig deep into her background and have a great discussion about the intersection of water and climate.  what the biggest risks are, how much those risks are factored in today, what some of the barriers are to properly factor in those risks, and from a solution standpoint, what we can do about it. In this episode, we cover: [2:55] Felicia's background [6:26] Why water matters generally and in the context of climate change [15:44] The human right to water movement [21:41] How the playbook for managing water needs to change in response to the changing climate [29:05] The business case for improving and increasing water recycling[36:57] The role of conservation and efficiency in urban landscapes [40:55] How location may impact the approach to water management [44:58] Water and corporate risks[50:41] The regulatory environment for water [59:19] The need for a mindset change to accelerate our progress around waterGet connected: Jason's TwitterFelicia’s TwitterMCJ Podcast / Collective*You can also reach us via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded on October 3, 2022 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 Lauren Salz, co-founder and CEO of Sealed, which modernizes houses with the latest HVAC, weatherproofing and smart home technology, while covering the upfront cost to homeowners.Home efficiency and electrification is a critical front for combating climate change. Incentives for residential heat pump installation are one of the big winners of the Inflation Reduction Act.The often overlooked but critical steps of weatherizing homes via better insulation and sealing is also key to reducing energy consumption. Sealed has been understanding consumer motivations for home efficiency upgrades for nearly a decade. They've learned what consumers care about, what they are concerned about, and what triggers them to invest significant capital into updating their home's heating and cooling infrastructure. And no surprise, climate change and emissions reduction still does not rate as a top motivator. So what does? And are we at the point where these lower emission technologies are just generally better for home heating and cooling? Spoiler alert: the answer is yes. Cody and Lauren have a great chat about how she came to work on the problem of home efficiency updates, how they assess a home's needs at Sealed and how this compares to the normal way of doing things. We also talk about the innovative model Sealed is using to help consumers finance projects via energy cost savings, how they work with contractors, and how the IRA promises to accelerate this space even more. And most importantly, we hear from Lauren on how to reach consumers and what their motivations are.In this episode, we cover: [3:24] Lauren's journey[6:05] Her early days of figuring out home energy efficiency and her company’s origin story[11:57] An overview of Sealed[19:12] Value propositions that are most popular for consumers[21:33] Process for how Sealed designs custom solutions for each home[25:54] The company’s performance-based financing model [31:16] How customers and contractors learn about Sealed's solution [35:46] The company's role in assessing contractor work [37:50] Benefits from the Inflation Reduction Act [45:41] Common changes people need to make with insulationGet connected: Cody's TwitterLauren’s Twitter / Sealed TwitterMCJ Podcast / Collective*You can also reach us via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded on September 14, 2022. 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 guests are Geert van de Wouw and Vikas Gupta from Shell Ventures. Shell Ventures was established in 1996 as one of the first corporate venture funds in the oil and gas industry. Although we’ve published over 300 episodes to date, Geert and Vikas are actually the first guests we’ve had from the oil majors come on the show. Although tons of anger has been directed at the oil and gas industry, we also acknowledge that they are critical to the clean energy transition. Collaboration is ultimately key to unlocking our future potential. In this discussion, we check Geert and Vikas’ Shell business cards aside and talk about their personal views on climate. We also discuss how they think about negative sentiments towards oil majors, as well as their role in the future. Then we cover Shell as a company, what percentage of its energy portfolio comes from fossil fuels versus renewables and other clean energy, and how those percentages will shift over time. Finally, we talk about Shell Ventures, how they invest, and how those investments fit into the bigger picture of what the company's trying to do. This conversation only scratches the surface of the role oil and gas will play in the clean energy transition, but it also begins building necessary bridges between the traditional climate world and our realistic future. We know climate touches every facet of our lives and appreciate Geert and Vikas’ time in helping to tease out the nuances of this complex crisis we’re facing.In this episode, we cover: [4:11] An overview of Shell Ventures[5:58] How Geert found his way into Shell and his motivations[8:20] Vikas' background and climate journey[10:11] Geert and Vikas' level of concern regarding climate change[13:18] Anger geared towards big oil and realistic expectations for the energy transition[16:11] Shell's net zero commitments and investments on clean technologies[18:43] Strategic priorities for Shell vs. Shell Ventures[23:16] How Shell Ventures thinks about general impact, strategic value, and financial returns[26:45] Shell's level of collaboration with entrepreneurs and founders[29:01] The role of behavior change and consumer mentality to the transition[32:44] Thoughts on if we've reached a tipping point and how they see the transition playing out[35:17] Carbon removal and capture as one solution in the mix[38:49] The role of policy in Shell's investments[40:26] Reskilling oil and gas workers for the clean energy transition[43:47] How collaboration with oil and gas can accelerate the transitionGet connected: Jason's TwitterGeert van de Wouw LinkedInVikas Gupta LinkedInShell LinkedIn / TwitterMCJ Podcast / Collective*You can also reach us via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded on September 27, 2022 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