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Climate Positive

HASI

Candid conversations with the leaders shaping a more sustainable future. Hosted by Gil Jenkins, Guy Van Syckle, Hilary Langer, and Kenny Gayles. Produced by HASI, a U.S.-based sustainable infrastructure investor.

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20 episodes
Avg 38 min
English

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#102
April 30 · 43 min
Renewable water and a >$1 trillion investment need | Guillaume Clairet, COO of H2O Innovation
Water is something most of us take for granted. We turn on the tap, and it's just there. But behind that tap is an increasingly strained system that is quietly becoming one of the defining infrastructure challenges of our time. Just in the US, McKinsey estimates we are underinvesting in water assets by about $100 billion annually, with the cost only compounding as more investment is delayed. The affects are already being seen with over 20% of treated water lost through leaks in pipes that are
#101
April 9 · 51 min
Investing in nature’s most powerful ecosystems | Tripp Wall, CEO of Pantheon Regeneration
In this episode of Climate Positive, Guy Van Syckle connects with Tripp Wall, CEO of Pantheon Regeneration, to explore how his team is turning degraded peatland ecosystems into high-impact stores of carbon with a wealth of additional benefits for biodiversity and resiliency. We dive deep into an unsung hero of carbon sequestration—peatlands—which cover just 3% of the earth's surface but store twice as much carbon as all the world's forests combined. Tripp explains the hydrological engineering an
#100
March 25 · 38 min
Rethinking nuclear: from bespoke plants to mass manufacturing reactors | Matt Loszak, CEO of Aalo Atomics
In this Climate Positive episode (our 100th!), Chad and Guy talk with Matt Loszak, CEO and co-founder of Aalo Atomics, about their innovative approach to building factory-made advanced micro reactors to power the AI-driven energy demand surge. Matt shares his unconventional journey from nuclear engineering student to software entrepreneur to nuclear startup founder, explaining why he believes we're entering a "second atomic age" for clean energy. Matt discusses Aalo's strategy of vertical integr
#99
March 16 · 32 min
Turning homes into grid powerhouses | Vinnie Campo, CEO of Haven Energy
In this episode of Climate Positive, Kenny Gayles talks with Vinnie Campo, CEO and co-founder of Haven Energy, about their unique batteries-as-a-service approach that reduces barriers to affordable, reliable backup power by integrating home storage into virtual power plants (VPPs) to support the electric grid. Vinnie shares Haven’s journey as a rapidly growing operator of distributed energy assets. He discusses the effects of California’s policy impacts on battery adoption, the influence of el
#98
February 18 · 44 min
What’s at stake for U.S. hydropower | Malcolm Woolf, CEO of NHA
In this episode of Climate Positive, Gil Jenkins speaks with Malcolm Woolf, President and CEO of the National Hydropower Association (NHA). They discuss the current state of the U.S. hydropower industry, its role in providing carbon-free electricity, and the challenges and opportunities facing the sector. A central focus of the conversation is the hydropower relicensing process -- how it works, where projects can stall, and how lengthy reviews can delay investment, upgrades, and in some cases le
#97
January 15 · 47 min
EV semi-trucks are here — how EV Realty is scaling the charging | Patrick Sullivan
The trucking industry operates on razor-thin margins and highly optimized schedules. Think free delivery from click to your door in 4 hours. Decarbonizing that kind of industry requires more than green intentions—it requires a highly reliable solution that drives real economic value. In the push to electrify large trucks, we often focus on the vehicles. But this rollout requires industrial-scale access to electricity in the context of an often-challenged distribution grid. My guest today is Pa
#96
Dec 18, 2025 · 40 min
Investing in transition to healthier more profitable farms | Brandon Welch, CEO of MadCapital
In this episode, Guy Van Syckle connects with the CEO of Mad Capital Brandon Welch who is proving that financing regenerative agriculture can scale—and it can do so profitably. Brandon reviews the significant challenges posed by current agricultural practices and how Mad Capital is helping farmers and ranchers build a more sustainable food system through innovative financing. He shares insights on farmers economic incentives, the steps involved in transitioning farming practices, and his compa
#95
Nov 20, 2025 · 32 min
The rise of solar and hope for the future | Bill McKibben
In this episode of Climate Positive, Gil Jenkins speaks with Bill McKibben: author, educator, and one of the most acclaimed environmental voices of our time. His latest book, Here Comes the Sun, traces the rise of abundant, inexpensive solar power and argues that if we keep accelerating, we have a real chance not only to limit climate damage, but also to reorder the world on saner and more humane grounds. We dig into the data, the politics, and the people driving the global shift to solar, and B
#94
Oct 29, 2025 · 40 min
Electing clean energy champions where it matters most | Caroline Spears, Climate Cabinet
In this episode of Climate Positive, Guy Van Syckle and Gil Jenkins sit down with Caroline Spears, Executive Director of Climate Cabinet, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting clean energy and climate policy leaders at state and local levels. These often-forgotten races are sometimes decided by a couple hundred votes and can also decide the fate of billions of dollars of decarbonization investment. Caroline explains how Climate Cabinet strategically identifies target candidates through data scienc
#93
Sep 22, 2025 · 22 min
A new age of wind propulsion for cargo ships | Heikki Pöntynen, CEO of Norsepower
In this episode of Climate Positive, Gil Jenkins and Kenny Gayles speak with Heikki Pöntynen, CEO of Norsepower, about how rotor sails are helping the maritime industry cut fuel use and emissions. By harnessing the Magnus effect with spinning cylinders mounted on cargo ships, Norsepower is delivering 5–25% fuel savings today—sometimes even more. Heikki discusses the company’s rapid growh, including a new factory in China to scale production, the evolving policy landscape at the IMO and EU, and w
#92
Aug 8, 2025 · 52 min
Mobilizing local support for clean energy projects | Matt Traldi, Greenlight America
In this episode of Climate Positive, hosts Guy Van Syckle and Gil Jenkins are joined by Matt Traldi, co-founder and CEO of Greenlight America, to discuss how local dynamics are driving—or delaying—clean energy progress in the United States. Drawing on Matt’s background in grassroots advocacy and his transition to targeted climate action, the conversation explores how data-driven insights, strategic engagement, and community partnerships can accelerate renewable energy deployment. Matt shares pra
#91
Jul 2, 2025 · 42 min
From sky to soil: turning satellite data into carbon-rich farmland | Aadith Moorthy, CEO of Boomitra
In this episode of Climate Positive, host Hilary Langer speaks with Aadith Moorthy, founder and CEO of Boomitra, a global soil carbon marketplace that pays farmers for adopting regenerative agriculture. Boomitra’s AI-powered platform uses satellite data to measure and verify carbon sequestration, turning healthier soil into long-term income for farmers. Aadith shares how attending a farmer’s funeral in India sparked the idea for Boomitra, how their marketplace is already increasing farm revenu
#90
Jun 4, 2025 · 43 min
Cultivating a climate of truth | Mike Berners-Lee
In this episode of Climate Positive, host Gil Jenkins sits down with Mike Berners-Lee—author, professor, and leading expert on sustainability—to explore the central message of his latest book, "A Climate of Truth." In a world spiraling deeper into climate, ecological, and social crises, Mike argues that the most powerful lever we have isn’t new technology—it’s honesty. The conversation unpacks why truth in politics, media, and business is essential to breaking the deadlock on climate action and
#89
Apr 17, 2025 · 25 min
Bringing resource efficient decarbonization to legacy buildings | Marshall Cox, CEO of Kelvin
In this episode, host Gil Jenkins speaks with Marshall Cox, co-founder and CEO of Kelvin, a national leader in intelligent HVAC solutions for legacy buildings in major cities. Marshall shares the origin story of Kelvin (formerly Radiator Labs) and discusses the company’s flagship product—the Cozy—an insulated radiator cover that maximizes efficiency and eliminates waste in steam-heated buildings. He also outlines Kelvin’s growth plans and explains how New York’s Local Law 97 is accelerating the
#88
Mar 20, 2025 · 49 min
Accelerating EV deployments through grid optimization | Apoorv Bhargava, CEO of WeaveGrid
The automotive industry is undergoing a major transformation, with electric vehicles poised to dominate the future of transport. But this transition requires more than just building great EVs; it demands a comprehensive approach to ensure our electric grid can reliably support the demand from millions of new EVs . In this episode of Climate Positive, host Guy Van Syckle speaks with Apoorv Bhargava, CEO of WeaveGrid, a company at the forefront of electric vehicle deployment and grid reliability.
#87
Mar 5, 2025 · 36 min
Scaling distributed solar, maximizing positive impact for communities | Tom Hunt and Bret Labadie, Pivot Energy
In this episode of Climate Positive, hosts Gil Jenkins and Daniela Shapiro sit down with Tom Hunt, CEO, and Bret Labadie, CFO, of Pivot Energy—a Colorado-based renewable energy provider and IPP that develops, finances, builds, owns, and manages solar and energy storage projects. As an ECP portfolio company and Certified B Corporation, Pivot Energy seeks to leverage its renewable expertise to deliver innovative solutions that help businesses and communities achieve meaningful decarbonization. Tom
#86
Dec 30, 2024 · 43 min
Networked geothermal for the neighborhood | Zeyneb Magavi, HEET
In this episode of Climate Positive, hosts Gil Jenkins and Guy Van Syckle chat with Zeyneb Magavi, Executive Director of HEET, a Massachusetts-based non-profit focused on designing a strategic evolution of aging gas systems into bidirectional ambient thermal grids, with the aim of driving rapid and equitable decarbonization of heating and cooling in urban areas. The enlivening conversation centers around the networked geothermal, a novel technology gaining traction nationwide that utilizes under
#85
Dec 12, 2024 · 26 min
Scaling nuclear for data centers | Brandon Oyer, Head of Americas Power and Water at Amazon Web Services
Growing demand requires growing supply. With more and more data centers and industrial facilities coming online, the United States will likely need 40 GW of incremental peak power generation – requiring hundreds of billions of dollars of related investment – just over the next few years. As large corporate buyers of power seek to meet their climate goals, they are increasingly looking at nuclear power as a scalable and cost-effective option. In this episode, Chad Reed chats with Brandon Oyer,
#84
Nov 27, 2024 · 26 min
The evolution of climate disclosures | Sherry Madera, CEO of CDP
With rising investor demand and regulatory pressure in certain jurisdictions, company disclosure of their exposure to climate risks and their environmental impact has emerged as an expectation with tangible economic benefits. Increasingly, companies can improve their access to lower-cost capital by disclosing their exposure to climate risks and opportunities. Indeed currently over 23,000 companies now report through CDP, underscoring growing investor and customer demand for environmental data.
#83
Nov 14, 2024 · 37 min
Critical Minerals: Made in the USA | Coleman Adams, CFO of Nth Cycle
Critical minerals are absolutely vital for the energy transition. Without nickel, copper, lithium, cobalt and other rare earth elements, we simply cannot produce the solar modules, wind turbines, batteries and other technologies necessary to decarbonize the global economy. It’s no surprise then that demand for these critical minerals is expected to almost triple by 2030. But mining, processing and incorporating these critical minerals into manufacturing processes can itself result in far too m

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