We need to support social impact work now more than ever. For the sake of our environment, for our health and wellbeing, we need people working to make a difference. Unfortunately, work for the good of others isn’t always work that pays. How can we sustain social and environmental work in the long term? In this episode, we speak with Kerryn Krige, a specialist in social entrepreneurship, about new economic models for social impact and solidarity.
How can we see beyond our current state of oppression, polarization, and extraction to build a better future? We asked Anne Snick to share insights from her brilliant Young Persons’ Guide to the Future.
Do you have the feeling that life is getting harder than ever? Not only do we grapple with big issues like climate change, but every day tasks sometimes seem increasingly complex. But what if a simple shift in perspective could change everything? In this episode, we’re speaking with Jon Jandai, who not only thinks life is easy, but he can prove it too.
We need consensus to tackle the looming problems of climate change and economic inequality. Digital tokens and blockchain technology could help us do just that. In this episode, we speak with Andrea Baronchelli, an Associate Professor of Mathematics at City, University of London. We ask him about his research on the token economy and how decentralized digital platforms will shape our future.
Eating less meat is one thing we can all do to reduce our contribution to the climate crisis, but making changes to our diets isn’t always easy. In this episode, we speak with Chef Alejandra Schrader about her Low-Carbon Cookbook and Action Plan to get some tips for eating a more plant-based diet and reducing food waste.
In 1934, Simon Kuznets developed the modern concept of a gross domestic product to measure the market value of all goods and services produced by a country. Nearly 90 years later, our measures of economic growth remain blind to the extreme inequality and environmental degradation produced by “business as usual”. We need a new tool that help guide us on a path to greater wellbeing for people and planet. In this episode, we’re speaking with Michael Green, CEO of the Social Progress Imperative. We talk to Michael about his new measure, the Social Progress Index, and how it could change the way we think about economic success for the better.
In this episode, we speak with Emma Heiling, one of the co-founders of ClimaTalk and a masters student in environmental policy at Sciences Po. Through her work, she’s demystifying climate policy and giving people the information they need to act fast on the climate crisis.
Is there an inherent conflict of interest in ‘sustainable finance’? In this episode, we speak with Theodor Cojoianu, an associate professor at the University of Edinburgh who works at the intersection of sustainability, data science, and finance. We ask him to explain the world of sustainable finance and help us understand what needs to change to make our planet’s health the bottom line for businesses.
An explosion of remote work opportunities has given people the freedom to build all new kinds of lives in all different kinds of places. But how will this growing movement impact our environment? In this episode, we speak with J Mendes (the No Footprint Nomad) about cultivating a nomadic lifestyle that’s ALSO sustainable.
Our food system is broken, producing massive amounts of waste in some places and leaving people starving in others. (Not to mention the damage our agricultural practices are doing to the environment.) In this episode, we speak with Lujain Alqodmani from EAT about what needs to happen so all people can eat food that’s both healthy and sustainable.
The industrial production of beef comes at a major cost to the environment, degrading soil quality and emitting extreme amounts of greenhouse gas into the atmosphere. But what if there was a better way? In this episode, we speak with Langdon Hill, who’s turned about 20,000 acres of Arizona desert into a ranch laboratory to see if it’s possible to raise cattle in a way that nourishes the environment instead of breaking it down.
Imagine if the science taught in schools put the health of our planet front and center. In this episode, we speak with Eugene Cordero, a professor at San Jose State University who’s created the Green Ninja science curriculum to foster the next generation of environmental stewards.
Advancements in modern medicine have made us healthier and improved our quality of life. But at what cost? In the pursuit of science, many of us have lost touch with indigenous modes of healing. We spoke with Olatokunboh Obasi, an herbalist and teacher in Puerto Rico, about the wisdom of indigenous teachings that can bring us in better balance within ourselves and with nature.
There are over 2.69 billion active online gamers in the world. Most of them just want to have some fun in a digital reality. But what if we could mobilize those masses to make a difference in the real world? In this episode, we speak with Kayla Anderson, a gamer, streamer, and content creator, about the transforming the gaming community into a force for climate action.
Ever feel intense anxiety over the deteriorating state of our planet? Good news: you’re not alone. Even better news: there’s help. In this episode, we speak with climate psychologists Megan Kennedy-Woodard and Patrick Kennedy-Williams who have made it their mission to help people turn climate anxiety into climate action.
Making a difference in the fight against climate change doesn’t have to be complicated. Sometimes the simplest solutions are the best. In this episode, we speak with Selva co-founder Harry Hely-Hutchinson about how people can easily offset their carbon footprints by funding the planting of trees.
What can we learn from recollections of the Ice Age about climate change today? Veli Albert Kallio is an ethnoclimatologist who uses history from indigenous peoples to evaluate our current climate crisis. Through this lens, we can see the ghosts that may come back to haunt us–hopefully in time to do something about it.
Why can’t we stop degrading our ecosystems? It’s not our failure to recycle, so much as a matter of systemic inertia. Continuously prioritizing corporate profit has led us to our current climate crisis, while also exacerbating racial and economic injustices. In this episode, we discuss the importance of centering anti-racist and feminist leadership to disrupt this status quo in the fight for our planet with Northeastern University’s Jennie Stephens.
We have a massive waste problem, with hundreds of millions of tons of garbage going into landfills every year. In this episode we talk to Richard Perl, CAO of TerraCycle, about the economics driving this massive waste issue and what we can do to recycle better and phase out single use packaging.
In this episode, we talk about how cities can recover economically from the COVID-19 pandemic and launch into a greener and more equitable form of urban life with NYC Comptroller, Scott Stringer.
Mel and Stef take a closer look at our last four interviews, drawing connections and painting a picture of the future based on key nuggets from past episodes.
Former Häagen-Dazs CEO and founder of the L’Oréal Prestige innovation World Lab, Fabrice Leclerc, shares his ideas about how we can transform corporations to do business that maximizes life instead of profit.
What if time spent helping others could earn you help in return? Get to know the ways the Zeitpolster time bank is creating systems of mutual care in this episode with Gernot Jochum-Müller.
So nice, we had to do it twice! Dive deeper into the topic of Unconditional Basic Income in our second webinar, co-hosted with FEASTA and Vermonters for a New Economy. We discuss the finer points of UBI as a key element in the transition to a society centered around universal well-being. Featuring Scott Santens, Marjukka Turunen, Herbert Jauch, Enno Schmidt, and Michel Bauwens.
Earlier this year, we co-hosted two webinars with FEASTA and Vermonters for a New Economy to discuss the feasibility and mechanics of an unconditional (or guaranteed) basic income. This episode is an edited recording of our first conversation with Marjukka Turunen, Elinor Buchen, Brent Ranalli, and Justin Williams.
It’s been a man’s man’s man’s world. Now it’s time to lift up the women who will save it. In this episode: our interview with Osprey Orielle Lake, founder and executive director of the Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN) International, and the impact women are making worldwide for climate justice.
A functioning economy should allow human life AND our planet to flourish, shouldn’t it? Take a bite out of Kate Raworth’s Doughnut Economics as she walks Mel and Steff through her vision of a balanced economic model.
Inez Aponte and Ben Brangwyn live in Totnes, England, a town that has reimagined their local economy to support greater sustainability, engagement, and happiness for all.
In this episode, Mel and Steff chat with Enno Schmidt and Marjukka Turunen, two experts on the practice of Universal Basic Income (UBI).
Polly Spain is president of her tenant association in a public housing development in New York’s Upper West Side. Join Mel and Stef as they step into Polly’s world and learn about the mechanisms that keep urban communities poor.
As part of her lifestyle, Nobel nominee Dr. Evelin Lindner tries to live without money as much as she possibly can. Mel and Steff got curious about that choice and how it helps her spread her message of love.
Pod of Gold host, Stefanie Overbeck, shares the story of building a sustainable ‘Swiss mountain’ in the Dubai desert only to watch the foundation crumble underneath her. Hear how she was able to start to rebuild.
Pod of Gold host, Mel Wymore, takes us through 30 years of community activism in New York City that led him to an important realization about making a more lasting impact: tackling societal structures, especially our money system.
How can we live with less material clutter, but with more human connection?
Insights of Krish Raval and Denny Braggins from convening religious leaders.
How locals feel about Trump’s wall between Mexico and the US..
Founders discuss the transition town movement and where it’s going.
Marjukka Turunen explains how Finland gives cash to people: no questions asked!
America’s Great Experiment: Fantasy or Action Plan?
Would giving everyone regular cash really change lives?
The role of public housing in the cycle of poverty.
Activists and economists envision economies for people and planet.
