Preparing Cities – Katharine Burgess, Director of Urban Resilience, Urban Land Institute

The recent string of disasters is a stark reminder to include resilience in our budgets, from cities to companies and organizations. Our homes, businesses, schools and local economies cannot afford to be ill-prepared, as we saw in Puerto Rico for example with Hurricane Maria’s devastation. How to do it? Listen to Katharine Burgess, Director of Urban Resilience at the Urban Land Institute, for best practices in this critical conversation with Green Connections Radio host Joan Michelson. You may want to forward this podcast to your mayor, Congressperson or City Manager – and take notes!

Hydrogen Energy Storage – Dr. Kathy Ayers, Proton OnSite

The big issue with renewable energy is that it’s not always available. What if it could be? What if you had an intermediate source that could store the solar power, for example, indefinitely, so that you can convert it back into electrons to power the grid or your business? Enter hydrogen generators. Listen to Dr.… Continue reading Hydrogen Energy Storage – Dr. Kathy Ayers, Proton OnSite

Eco-Bedding? – Eileen Mockus, Coyuchi

Are you shopping for new bedding for your college kids or yourself? Before you do, listen to this interview with Coyuchi CEO Eileen Mockus about eco-bedding — and you might never shop for bedding the same way again! Coyuchi has been manufacturing organic cotton sheets, towels and related bedding for 25 years so they know… Continue reading Eco-Bedding? – Eileen Mockus, Coyuchi

Eco-Battery Technologies – Shirley Meng, U.C. San Diego, Sustainable Power & Energy Center

Imagine if a substance so common and inexpensive that it’s in your kitchen cabinet could hold the secret to the next revolution in battery technologies! That’s the truly ground-breaking work that Dr. Shirley Meng is leading at the Laboratory for Energy Storage and Conversion at U.C. San Diego and as the Founding Director of its Sustainable Power and Energy Center.This brilliant woman is innovating batteries for the 21st century – and they aren’t all lithium ion – for the grid, electric vehicles and those small alkaline batteries in your flashlight or portable emergency radio. These breakthroughs expand renewable energy. Listen to GCR Host Joan Michelson’s fascinating conversation with Shirley.

Power Standards – Karen Bartleson, IEEE

We tend to take standards for granted, and want “our” technology to be special and proprietary, but standards are critical so systems can work together. Listen to Green Connections Radio host Joan Michelson’s intriguing conversation with Karen Bartleson, President of IEEE, the global organization of electrical and other engineers. You’ll learn about standards we take… Continue reading Power Standards – Karen Bartleson, IEEE

Inventing New Batteries – Esther Takeuchi, Inventors Hall of Fame & Stony Brook

Anyone you know of who has a pacemaker, literally owes their life to Dr. Esther Takeuchi of Stony Brook University and Brookhaven National Lab. She invented the pacemaker battery and is in the Inventors’ Hall of Fame as a result. This remarkable woman is now innovating batteries for the 21st century – for everything from cars to the electric grid — to enable greater expansion of renewable energies by addressing the storage-intermittency issues. Listen to GCR Host Joan Michelson’s fascinating conversation with Esther new battery technologies.

Resilient Communities – Katharine Burgess, Director of Urban Resilience, Urban Land Institute

With our communities on the front lines of climate change risk – homes, businesses, schools and local economies – we are relieved that there are courageous, innovative leaders who are taking action and creating added value (with low budgets). They are using natural solutions and conservation methods that we can all learn. Meet Katharine Burgess, Director of Urban Resilience at the Urban Land Institute, as she shares her insights from working with communities on Green Connections Radio in this conversation with host Joan Michelson. You may want to forward this podcast to your mayor, Congressperson or City Manager – and take notes for your own community!

What Will It Take to Get More Women in Green-Energy Jobs?

Claire, Carly, and Arzoo are ambitious, some of the hardest working people I’ve ever worked with. They are determined to make a difference with their college degrees in sustainability and communications. Working with me at Green Connections Radio, they hear about all these cool green energy jobs, and how the average pay in STEM careers is about $7,000 above the average. They listen to successful women and men talk about the industry and the opportunities for rewarding careers in this field. They get excited about their own career prospects. But also see how few women are in this field.