Supercool

Sep 11 2024 45 mins

Supercool Podcast artwork

What if solving climate change makes life better? From cutting-edge tech innovation to effective policy implementation, Supercool climate solutions are spreading to towns and cities across the globe. These climate initiatives do more than cut carbon. They improve our lives, save us money, and strengthen our communities. Each week, Josh Dorfman pinpoints the stories and data behind civilization’s dynamic response to climate change as we advance toward the low-carbon future.

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Net Zero Energy Schools: Lower Emissions, Higher Standards in Baltimore

Sep 11 2024 57 mins

Baltimore is setting a new benchmark for education and sustainability with its groundbreaking net zero energy schools. Holabird Academy and Graceland Park, both public pre-k through 8th-grade schools, are redefining what it means to learn in a future-forward environment free from fossil fuels. With solar panels on the roof, geothermal wells below the ballfields, and energy-efficien

Inside the Global Race to Decarbonize Cities and Improve Urban Life

Sep 04 2024 43 mins

Cities are in a high-stakes race to cut carbon. Responsible for 70% of global emissions, urban centers around the world are rising to the occasion. In Africa, Addis Ababa is planting millions of trees. In Asia, Shenzhen operates an all-electric fleet of thousands of public transportation buses. In North America, New York City is driving deep decarbonization in large buildings throu

Robots are Making The Cut: The Future of Lawn Care

Aug 28 2024 49 mins

Heading into Labor Day weekend, we visit Martha's Vineyard only to discover it's ground zero for the robotic future. Across America, a silent revolution is underway; autonomous, self-propelled, electric lawnmowers are gliding quietly across our ballfields, parks, and backyards. The zero-emission mowers have arrived just in time; greenhouse gas emissions from lawn care and gardening

Geothermal Energy Runs Deep in Boise and Across the U.S.

Aug 22 2024 32 mins

In Fort Worth, 4,000 new wells are in the ground but weren't drilled for oil. Instead, they're tapping underground water for a massive, Texas-sized high school heated and cooled by geothermal energy. In Framingham, Massachusetts, Eversource, New England's largest natural gas utility, built a brand new district geothermal system for thirty-seven residences and commercial buildings,

High Achievers: Denver Schools Champion Climate Action

Aug 14 2024 68 mins

Over a sustained two-year effort, a group of thirty students within the Denver Public Schools District convinced the School Board of Education to approve a climate policy that charged the district with becoming a national leader in climate action. Leanne Kittle, Executive Director of Sustainability, is responsible for developing and steering Denver's Climate Action Plan, which alre

Home Solar Plus Batteries In Utah Could Be America's Blueprint

Aug 07 2024 38 mins

Utah is at the forefront of a major shift in residential solar energy. Rocky Mountain Power, the state's energy utility, is enrolling thousands of residents in Wattsmart, a pioneering program offering financial incentives and payments to homeowners who install grid-connected batteries alongside solar panels or retrofit older solar panel systems with new batteries. Rocky Mountain Po

Recycling Sewer Heat and Making Vancouver The World's Greenest City

Jul 31 2024 63 mins

Let's go to Vancouver, where Josh speaks with former Mayor Gregor Robertson, elected on a platform to make Vancouver the greenest city on the planet. Over three terms, Gregor's administration spearheaded many sustainability initiatives, including North America's largest sewer heat recovery system, which has provided zero-emissions heat and hot water to 6,000+ apartments in the Fals

Green Hospitals: Gundersen Health Embraces Renewable Energy, Saves $5 Million Annually

Jul 17 2024 50 mins

In 2009, Gundersen Health System embarked on an audacious journey to generate all of its power from local, renewable energy sources. By 2014, the organization headquartered in La Crosse, Wisconsin, succeeded. Alan Eber was right there near the beginning, first as Manager of Engineering and Energy and eventually rising to Director of Gundersen Envision, overseeing the entire energy

Welcome to Supercool

Jun 20 2024 3 mins

The low-carbon future is spreading faster than many realize. In the U.S. alone, over 600 towns and cities are implementing climate action plans. Supercool explores civilization’s dynamic response to climate change, uncovering the people and places leading the way in cutting carbon emissions while saving money and improving our quality of life. Hosted by Josh Dorfman, a climate au