Social Entrepreneur

In season two, we are telling stories of an inclusive and just transition to a clean energy future.

Happy Earth Day! Welcome to Season Two of Social Entrepreneur. You already know that we tell positive stories from underrepresented voices, focused on solutions. In season two, we are focusing on stories of an inclusive and just transition to a clean energy future...

If you could invent a post-pandemic world, what world would you create?

I hear a lot of people talking about the desire to return to “normal.” However, normal was unsustainable. Before the pandemic, there was another crisis, an environmental crisis. A crisis in our food systems, our energy systems, our clean water systems, and our unequal economic systems. Coronavirus did not break our systems. It revealed how broken our systems already are...

The problems are systemic and complex. So are the answers.

Globally, the United States accounts for 5% of the world’s population, but we produce 15% of the energy-related CO2 emissions. Coastal flooding, hurricanes, drought, and fires are all related to climate change. And who suffers the most from the impacts of climate change? Mostly the poor and vulnerable.

Bringing this closer to home, in the US, 5...

The Environmental Resilience Institute helps midwestern communities understand and prepare for environmental change. 

There’s something powerful about understanding how a global trend impacts your local community. For example, it’s one thing to hear about world hunger. It’s another to hear about hunger in your state. But there’s a different feeling when you realize that there’s a hungry kid in your neighborhood. As Tip O’Neill said, “All politics is local...

Routific uses AI to cut mileage and drive time by 20%-40%.

Marc Kuo is the Founder & CEO of Routific. He is a routing expert with nearly a decade of experience in last-mile logistics. But he didn’t always work in logistics.

“Being a fresh grad out of school, I just wanted to get into either management consulting or investment banking, simply because of its prestige,” Marc told me. “I was ambitious. I wanted to aim for something challenging...

Solar Bear is a Native American owned solar installation company.

Robert Blake of Solar Bear has a habit of mashing up two problems and coming up with a solution. His driving philosophy is “healing is in the environment.”

Solar Bear is a Native American owned solar installation company. They train people on the Red Lake Indian Reservation to install solar power. “If we can do this in Red Lake, we can bring this out to other tribal nations,” Robert explains...

Optimizing building energy efficiency can be complicated and expensive. According to Deepinder Singh, it doesn’t have to be.

The world has more than 230 billion square meters of building space with another 65 billion square meters coming online in the next decade. Buildings account for 6% of global greenhouse gasses.

With the ongoing global pandemic, the CDC has developed guidelines that encourage more fresh air circulation...

General Mills is blending regeneration and philanthropy to create impact.

How do you feed a hungry world without destroying the planet? And, how do you do so in a way that is just and equitable?

Agriculture and forestry activities generate 24% of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. The world population will reach 9.7 billion in 2050. And, a growing middle class in emerging countries is straining our global food supply...

For a extended show notes and a full transcript of this conversation, see https://tonyloyd.com/lauren-gregor.

Rent-a-Romper makes parents' lives easier while reducing the negative effects of the fashion industry.  

For just a moment, think about your clothes. At some point in time, you chose each item and brought it into your home. Your neighbor did the same thing. So did the house down the street, and the one several miles away...