Ceres Sustainability Podcast
An ongoing conversation with investors, corporations, policy makers and public interest groups about how they are adapting business strategies and financial markets to address the risks and opportunities of climate change and other sustainability issues.

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Syndication

A Brave Green World: Revitalizing American Labor for a New Energy Economy Despite billions of public dollars going toward education, health care and infrastructure projects as part of the federal stimulus package passed earlier this year, unemployment in the U.S. is higher than it has been since the early 1980’s. Of the $780 billion stimulus package passed earlier this year, nearly $80 billion has been set aside for ‘green’ projects, such as upgrading regional utility grids, increasing the energy efficiency of buildings and manufacturing solar panels and wind turbines for renewable energy installations across the country. Some are saying that this is merely the start of what is our best hope for creating new jobs in the U.S. What’s the next step? Passing climate and energy legislation that would further support green manufacturing jobs based on renewable energy, clean technology and energy efficiency investments.

This episode, we are joined by Jeff Rickert, Director of the AFL-CIO Center for Green Jobs who talks about how the new energy economy is our best hope to revitalize American labor so we don’t get left behind in the global clean tech markets of the future.

[Music: Sonny Clark, "Cool Struttin" from Cool Struttin' (Blue Notes Records, 1958) and Billy Bragg and Wilco, "Way Over Yonder in the Minor Key" from Mermaid Avenue (Elektra, 1998)]
Direct download: Brave_Green_World_111909.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 2:29pm EDT

Companies are under increasing pressure to reduce the impact they have on their surrounding communities and the environment as a whole. But in order to minimize impact, companies must adequately measure the impact their operations have on a wide variety of variables – from energy and water usage to packaging and transportation.

For this week’s podcast, Ceres sat down with Peter Williams, Chief Technology Officer for IBM’s Big Green Innovations division that aims to provide better real-time environmental data to help companies measure their impact and better manage risk.

[Music: Richard Bishop, "Tennessee Porch Swing" from Polytheistic Fragments (Drag City, 2007) and Phoenix, "If I Ever Feel Better" from United (Astralwerks, 2000)]

Direct download: Add_It_Up_101609.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 3:00pm EDT

The United States is responsible for 20% of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions -- and nearly half of that pollution comes from heating and maintaining our homes and buildings. As we reach for clean energy solutions to reduce our carbon footprint, we can’t ignore one of the cheapest and most effective ways to reduce our energy usage and our greenhouse gas emissions: energy-efficiency.

This month, the Ceres Sustainability Podcast speaks with Lauralee Martin, CFO of Jones Lang LaSalle, a global real estate services provider that operates and manages 1.4 billion square feet of commercial building space in more than 60 countries. Martin reveals how Jones Lang LaSalle is unlocking the power of energy efficiency to reduce energy use in commercial buildings and save money in the process.

[Music: The Meters, "People Say" from Rejuvenation (Sundazed Music Inc., 1974) and Dan Deacon, "Pink Batman" from Spiderman of Rings (Carpark Records, 2007)]

Direct download: Brick_by_Brick_0923092309.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 4:16pm EDT

Climate change is forcing companies, investors, and consumers to change their behaviors and attitudes about a host of issues, ranging from production to consumption to pollution. As the negative effects of climate change heat up, fears about water scarcity are beginning to flow. Dwindling water supplies are causing governments, businesses and investors to rethink the way we value what was once an abundant resource.

This week we are joined by the Jason Morrison from the Pacific Institute and Brooke Barton from Ceres. The two groups recently released a new report, Water Scarcity and Climate Change: Growing Risks for Businesses & Investors that discusses the links between climate change and water supply, how it affects companies and investors, and ways to prepare for a world of increasing water scarcity.
Direct download: WaterRiskCast032009.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:40am EDT

As Congress gears up to debate some of the furthest reaching environmental legislation it’s faced since the creation of the Clean Air Act and the Endangered Species Act, proponents and opponents are lining up to make their case for why we should or shouldn’t aggressively address climate change. And support for strong action on climate is coming from unlikely places like the boardrooms of major U.S. consumer companies that are part of BICEP, a business coalition advocating for strong climate and energy policy.

The Ceres podcast caught up with representatives of the BICEP coalition at an event in Washington DC. Listen to this interview with Sarah Severn, Director of Horizons Corporate Responsibility, Nike.
Direct download: SarahSevernforiTunes.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:47am EDT

As Congress gears up to debate some of the furthest reaching environmental legislation it’s faced since the creation of the Clean Air Act and the Endangered Species Act, proponents and opponents are lining up to make their case for why we should or shouldn’t aggressively address climate change. And support for strong action on climate is coming from unlikely places like the boardrooms of major U.S. consumer companies that are part of BICEP, a business coalition advocating for strong climate and energy policy.

The Ceres podcast caught up with representatives of the BICEP coalition at an event in Washington DC. Listen to this interview with Jim Hanna, Environmental Affairs Manager at Starbucks Coffee Company.

[Music: Rattatat, "Wildcat" from Classics (XI Recordings, 2006) and Bonobo, "Transmission 94" from Days to Come (Ninja Tune, 2006)]
Direct download: JimHannaforiTunes.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:42am EDT

As Congress gears up to debate some of the furthest reaching environmental legislation it’s faced since the creation of the Clean Air Act and the Endangered Species Act, proponents and opponents are lining up to make their case for why we should or shouldn’t aggressively address climate change. And support for strong action on climate is coming from unlikely places like the boardrooms of major U.S. consumer companies that are part of BICEP, a business coalition advocating for strong climate and energy policy.

The Ceres podcast caught up with representatives of the BICEP coalition at an event in Washington DC. Listen to the interview with David Douglas, Senior Vice President of Cloud Computing and Chief Sustainability Officer, Sun Microsystems.

[Music: Rattatat, "Wildcat" from Classics (XI Recordings, 2006) and Bonobo, "Transmission 94" from Days to Come (Ninja Tune, 2006)]
Direct download: DaveDouglasforiTunes.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:38am EDT

As the U.S. and the world get serious about solving the energy crisis, new forms of renewable energy are being developed that could be key to eliminating our dependence on fossil fuels and ushering in a green economy. A new technology called concentrated solar power is emerging as a potentially-viable source of renewable energy and could transform the American Southwest into one of the most lucrative solar power markets around. But concentrated solar is not perfect yet.

To shed some light on the advantages and shortcomings of this new technology, we caught up with Reese Tisdale, Research Director for Renewable Power Generation at Emerging Energy Research.

Direct download: From_Concentrate__The_Next_Generation_of_Solar_Energy.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:16am EDT