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Green Shoots & Big Shifts: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Reetu Gupta
Green Shoots & Big Shifts is hosted by Reetu Gupta, who started the show to have open, hopeful conversations about what it really takes to make sustainability part of how we live, lead, and work.Each week, she talks with people doing innovative, meaningful work, turning ideas into action. From startup founders and corporate change-makers to community leaders - reimagining how business, society, and the planet can thrive together.These are stories about innovation, collaboration, possibility, and the everyday shifts that move us toward a more abundant and resilient future.
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- Yesterday37 min
300 Startups, 36 States, 2 Incubators: Reshma Singh on Getting Deep Tech Out of the Lab
A patent looks good on a resume and often goes nowhere. Reshma Singh, Program Director at Berkeley Lab, built two incubators to close that gap, moving deep tech and built environment ideas into real products. She traces a career she calls smashing boxes, from architecture and a green building startup to a US to India research center, two patents, and 300 startups supported across 36 states. She shares how Calectra raised $5 million, how Electric Fish deployed at Burning Man, and where the energy white spaces sit next. Chapters: 00:00 Welcome to Green Shoots and Big Shifts 00:45 Meet Reshma Singh and the idea of smashing boxes 01:31 From Delhi to architecture 02:53 Harvard, landscape architecture, and green buildings 03:35 Launching a green building education startup 04:14 The US to India building energy research center 04:53 Two patents: smart grid and solar vaccine refrigerator 05:38 Why she moved into incubators 06:23 What sparked the startup and how she scaled it 07:45 Tech Women Community and mentoring across 20 countries 10:31 Comparing the two Berkeley Lab incubators 11:19 Inside IMPEL and the built environment 13:30 Cradle to Commerce and the commercialization valley of death 17:34 Five domains and the October call for startups 18:16 Who qualifies for Impel and Cradle to Commerce 20:58 Calectra and Electric Fish success stories 23:39 Five biggest opportunities in energy 27:19 The built environment of the future: adaptive reuse, materials, grid citizenship 32:32 Affordability and dialing in energy use 33:32 Advice for anyone standing at the edge of their box 35:03 One word: optimism You can follow Reshma Singh here: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/reshma-singh/ Learn more about Berkeley Lab: Website - https://lbl.gov Follow the Green Shoots & Big Shifts Podcast here: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/green-shoots-big-shifts/
- 1 weeks ago31 min
Why US Steel Bet on Battery Electric Locomotives
A single old diesel locomotive burns 40,000 gallons of fuel a year and puts out about 300 metric tons of CO2, the equivalent of roughly 100 transit buses. Ira Dorfman, Partner at Innovative Rail Technologies, converts 50 and 60 year old legacy locomotives into zero emission battery electric ones. Chapters: 00:00 Welcome and show intro 00:52 Ira's background and starting Innovative Rail Technologies 02:37 The first customer: US Steel in Pittsburgh 04:19 Molten steel up a four and a half percent grade 06:54 Torque and acceleration versus diesel 07:47 Battery safety, thermal management and extreme temperatures 10:37 Range, duty cycles and mass transit projects 13:15 Catenary lines, grid strain and cogeneration 15:42 Fort Hood, resiliency and the mobile microgrid 18:24 Railroads and ports 19:53 How polluting old locomotives really are 23:25 Lessons learned for entrepreneurs 25:10 Overcoming past failures 27:49 What Ira is excited about next You can follow Ira Dorfman here: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ira-dorfman-062823b Learn more about Innovative Rail Technologies: Website - https://innovativerailtech.com Follow the Green Shoots & Big Shifts Podcast here: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/green-shoots-big-shifts/
- 2 weeks ago32 min
Is Your Home Ready for the Next Climate Disaster? | Abby Ross
The US spends billions rebuilding the same communities after each disaster, and the money runs out before the risk does. Abby Ross, CEO of The Resiliency Company, walks through why that model breaks down as billion dollar disasters hit roughly every two weeks, with over $12 trillion in residential real estate exposed to severe risk. A lifelong entrepreneur who previously led the donor advised fund now called For Good, Abby explains how catalytic grants and low interest loans got Alabama to fortify close to 100,000 roofs, and how she is applying that playbook to fire risk in Los Angeles. Chapters: 00:00 Welcome and introducing Abby Ross 00:52 Abby's path from ed tech to resilience 01:38 From For Good's disaster data to a new nonprofit 03:50 The scale: billion dollar disasters and $12 trillion exposed 06:05 Lessons from building The Resiliency Company 08:16 Strengthen Alabama Homes and the fortified roof model 11:08 How the Alabama grants got started 11:48 Resilient Los Angeles and the Resilient Delta Fund 13:12 Seed money, market forces, and how the programs work 16:14 Defining resilience: built environment and physical risk 17:40 Public infrastructure and the financing gap 19:49 Sustainable financing mechanisms and the Risk Reserve Tool 22:14 What a resilient future looks like 25:07 Green shoots and the ROI of resilience 27:21 Trends among developers and the commercial real estate playbook 29:31 Takeaways for individuals and homeowners You can follow Abby Ross here: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/abigailross/ Learn more about The Resiliency Company: Website - https://resiliency.com Follow the Green Shoots & Big Shifts Podcast here: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/green-shoots-big-shifts/
- 3 weeks ago45 min
Dignity & Agency are the Currency: Goonj's Unique Model
Aid usually arrives from the top down, with outsiders naming the problem and the fix. Amit Varshneya, Executive Director of The Goonj Foundation, describes a model that flips that script. Goonj collects around fifteen million pounds of urban surplus each year in India, sorts it into family kits, and matches those kits to rural communities who first identify and solve their own infrastructure needs. Amit spent 26 years in marketing and startups across enterprise and the Bay Area before a one year sabbatical turned into six and a half years of this work. He connects circularity, human dignity, and climate adaptation in concrete terms. Chapters: 00:00 Welcome to Green Shoots & Big Shifts 00:44 Meet Amit Varshneya 01:02 From Uttar Pradesh to a US marketing career 03:19 Startups journey 04:42 A sabbatical that became six and a half years 06:08 Meeting Goonj's founder and joining the mission 07:29 What Goonj is and how the model works 09:04 Urban waste, surplus textiles, and collection drives 11:14 Building and matching kits to rural communities 13:16 Activating community agency, never charity 15:26 Circularity and changing mindsets 17:34 Post-colonial aid and indigenous knowledge 20:20 Making alternative economic models work 21:10 The numbers: 28,000 projects, 20 million lives 22:55 The wrestling ring in Jammu and Kashmir 27:52 Climate disasters as a clear and present reality 30:33 Dignity in disaster response 33:03 Assam floods and ecological repair first 34:59 Different currencies and interconnectedness 35:36 Community and rethinking wealth 40:11 How to get involved with Goonj 42:49 A closing word: Responsibility Learn more about The Goonj Foundation: Website - https://goonjfoundation.orgLearn more about Goonj:https://goonj.org/ Follow the Green Shoots & Big Shifts Podcast here: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/green-shoots-big-shifts/
- 4 weeks ago36 min
Kiss The Ground: From 4% awareness to 73K acres in Transition to Regenerative Farming
Four years ago only 4% of US adults knew what regenerative agriculture meant. Kiss The Ground (https://kisstheground.com) decided the fix was to stop talking over people and start meeting them where they are. Evan Harrison, CEO of Kiss The Ground walks through the strategy that moved that number to 13%, from mini documentaries, 5 with a Farmer series, and 25 shopping guides to a $500,000 grant program that put electric fences, cover crops and hogs on more than 200+ farms and set 73K acres on the path to transition to regenerative farming. Evan's background is music and digital media, and he brings a builder's eye to how consumer demand rewires supply chains. Chapters: 00:00 Welcome to Green Shoots & Big Shifts 01:04 Meet Evan Harrison and Kiss The Ground 01:38 From a Venice nonprofit to the Netflix film 02:54 Only 4% understood regenerative agriculture 04:06 Simplifying the message and the tipping point strategy 06:16 Growing awareness from 4% to 7% to 13% 07:13 Content formats: mini docs, reels and shopping guides 10:55 The $500,000 farmer grant program 12:16 73,000 acres and stories from the field 12:50 Consumer demand versus policy and supply chains 13:24 Shopping guides, the farm map and certification 15:08 The milk carton moment and earning credibility 15:57 Helping partner companies avoid overstating claims 17:57 What farmers say about the real hurdles 20:40 Farmer Relations Board 23:04 Partner companies and how the partnerships work 27:24 What is next for Kiss The Ground 29:03 How listeners can help 31:25 A serial optimist on why change comes fast then slow 34:04 What keeps Evan going 35:39 One word for the audience: hope You can follow Evan Harrison here: LinkedIn - https://linkedin.com/in/evanharrison Learn more about Kiss The Ground: Website - https://kisstheground.com Follow the host, Reetu Gupta here: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/guptareetu/Green Shoots & Big Shifts: https://thepod.fm/listen/green-shoots-big-shifts
- Oct 7, 202628 min
70% of Wildlife Is Gone. This CEO Is Racing to Map What's Left - Dan White, CEO Gentian
Wildlife populations have dropped 70% over the last 50 years, and most organizations still can't say what nature exists on the land they manage. Dan White, CEO & Founder of Gentian, measures biodiversity using satellite imagery and AI that detects plant species and habitats from space, then hands that data to property developers, farmers, oil and gas firms, and First Nations communities so they can act on nature/ ecological risk. His path runs from childhood bird watching through behavioral economics work that cut aviation fuel use, and he connects both to the value we fail to count. Chapters: 00:03 Welcome to Green Shoots and Big Shifts 00:55 Dan's early love of nature and bird watching 01:45 A career arc from music to CEO 02:32 Serendipity, doors, and following your values 04:25 What Gentian measures with satellites and AI 05:14 Why habitats matter and the extinction crisis 06:48 Who uses biodiversity data and why 08:20 Regulation, TNFD, and nature on the bottom line 11:19 Nature based solutions and climate resilience 12:56 Losing one drug every two years to plant extinction 14:32 Behavioral economics and changing decisions 15:24 District heating data and meeting Rob Metcalfe 17:45 The Virgin Atlantic fuel efficiency trial 18:31 Signal: feedback for pilots and ships captains 20:01 Why personalized goals beat leaderboards 23:08 Advice for people starting out in this work 25:18 What's next for Dan and Gentian 27:36 A word for the audience: chicken Learn more about Gentian: Website - https://gentian.team Follow the host, Reetu Gupta here: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/guptareetu/
- Sep 30, 202627 min
Closing the Ocean's $150B Funding Gap through Donor Advised Funds: Laura Francis, Sea Forward
Less than 1% of philanthropic capital goes to ocean causes, and the funding gap for a healthy ocean runs at least $150 billion. Laura Francis, Founder of Sea Forward Fund, is closing that gap with a collaborative multi donor fund now invested in 12 ocean health funds that span roughly 200 companies across 53 countries. After 27 years at NOAA and a career as a kelp forest ecologist, she built a model where a $250 donation and a $2 million donation both matter, returns cycle back through a donor advised fund, and everyday people learn how ocean impact investing works. Chapters: 00:03 Welcome to Green Shoots and Big Shifts 00:53 Falling in love with the ocean at 11 years olf 02:26 From UC Santa Barbara to 27 years at NOAA 03:53 Move into impact investing 06:12 The ocean funding gap and SDG 14 08:41 Inside Sea Forward Fund: 12 funds, 200 companies, 53 countries 09:26 Choosing science based fund managers and measuring impact 11:40 Why a $250 donation matters as much as $2 million 13:12 Impact Investing without a donor advised fund through CataCap 14:46 The living laboratory and the Ever Blue model 16:22 Ripple: community, webinars and newsletters 17:53 California Ocean Summit in Santa Barbara, December 2026 19:27 Lessons on mobilizing small donors for big impact 21:44 The ocean as a financial ecosystem 22:28 What's next: new platforms, field trips and growing to 15 funds 24:43 A science to finance pathway for students 25:35 Closing on resilience and hope You can follow Laura Francis here: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauraannfrancis/ Learn more about Sea Forward Fund: - Sea Forward Fund Website - https://seaforwardfund.org- Sea Forward Fund on Catacap: https://catacap.org/investments/seaforward- California Ocean Summit: https://calocean.org/DAF Commons: https://www.dafcommons.com/ Follow the host, Reetu Gupta here: - LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/guptareetu/- https://www.linkedin.com/company/green-shoots-big-shifts/?viewAsMember=true
- Sep 23, 202631 min
Helen Zhang on Turning Coffee Waste Into High Value Ingredients!
Coffee manufacturers pay millions to dispose of waste that still holds most of its value. Helen Zhang built a company on that gap. She is CEO and Founder of Coffee Elf Inc., which pulls oil from commercial coffee grounds to make a premium emollient for hair care and skincare, and presses grounds with cork and peanut shell into vegan leather for promotional merchandise. Helen traces the path from a kitchen project at Columbia that nearly set off her neighbors' smoke complaints to early commercial partners, and to donating profit back to nonprofits serving women coffee farmers in Kenya, Ethiopia and Colombia. Chapters: 00:00 Welcome to Green Shoots and Big Shifts 00:54 Meet Helen Zhang and what Coffee Elf does 01:43 The kitchen project that nearly burned down an apartment 03:16 Discovering coffee's hidden chemical value 03:47 Coffee waste as a commercial problem 04:54 Growing up in an entrepreneurial family 07:16 The bigger vision: a waste to value engine 09:37 Inside the product line: emollient and vegan leather 12:08 Replacing palm oil with coffee oil 13:16 Giving back to women coffee farmers 17:00 Material innovation beyond plastic 18:38 Safety, silicones and clean beauty 20:35 Milestones ahead: hair care and the ASI supply chain 22:00 How to partner with Coffee Elf 24:24 Sustainability and profitability together 28:22 Advice for founders building in this field 30:46 One word to leave listeners with Learn more about Coffee Elf Inc.: Website - https://thecoffeeelf.com Follow the host, Reetu Gupta here: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/guptareetu/
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About Green Shoots & Big Shifts
Green Shoots & Big Shifts is hosted by Reetu Gupta, who started the show to have open, hopeful conversations about what it really takes to make sustainability part of how we live, lead, and work.Each week, she talks with people doing innovative, meaningful work, turning ideas into action. From startup founders and corporate change-makers to community leaders - reimagining how business, society, and the planet can thrive together.These are stories about innovation, collaboration, possibility, and the everyday shifts that move us toward a more abundant and resilient future.
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