Green Champions
Conversations with real people sharing sustainability success stories
Not Sure Where To Begin?
Start with our curated episodes to get a feel for what Green Champions is all about. We’ve picked a few standout conversations to help you dive right in.
1
Feb. 25, 2024
Trailer - Green Champions
Green Champions is a podcast by Dominique Hadad and Adam Morris , focusing on environmental change through conversations with individuals making a difference in sustainability. Dominique brings her experience as the sustainability expert, while Adam adds his interest in social impact through social entrepreneurship. The show aims to demystify sustainability, share success stories, and address climate anxiety by presenting accessible, engaging content. We feature guests who have achieved sustaina
23
July 31, 2024
Kevin Butt - Three Decades of Driving Sustainability at Toyota
Kevin Butt is the Regional Environmental Sustainability Director at Toyota North America. Kevin shares his remarkable journey from a curious young mind exploring the woods to becoming a leading advocate for environmental sustainability in the automotive sector. Kevin talks about how his experiences working in a steel mill and his unwavering passion for the environment led him to champion sustainability at Toyota for over 30 years. Kevin provides a candid look at the evolving landscape of sustain
![Impact Award Winner - Non-Profit Breaking Tree-Planting Records Despite Federal Cuts [Shelly Douglas]](https://images.podpage.com/tr:w-480,f-auto/https://storage.buzzsprout.com/5sf9mzhasoe0315scn6w2gkzsikq "Impact Award Winner - Non-Profit Breaking Tree-Planting Records Despite Federal Cuts [Shelly Douglas]")
10
July 8, 2025
Impact Award Winner - Non-Profit Breaking Tree-Planting Records Despite Federal Cuts [Shelly Douglas]
Shelly Douglas is the Executive Director of Green Columbus, who was recently awarded the 2025 Impact Award from the Midwest Regional Sustainability Summit. Since her last appearance, Shelly has broken her tree-planting records for the second year in a row, planting 74,000 seedlings in 2024 and expanding her Columbus City Schools program from 4 to 24 schools with over 650 large trees planted. However, this success story takes a sobering turn as Shelly candidly discusses how Trump's executive orde
6
March 25, 2025
Nihat Akin Ercan - What If You Could Drink Florida’s Humidity?
Nihat Akin Ercan, co-founder of PiKARE SKYSOURCE and recent winner of the NanoValbruna innovation contest, is turning humidity into a valuable resource. His innovative system generates water from the air, offering a sustainable solution to water scarcity and contributing to a greener future. Nihat shares the story behind PiKARE SKYSOURCE, a system that generates water from humidity using concentrated solar panels, while also producing electricity and providing climatization. He discusses the tec
45
Jan. 8, 2025
Graham Oberly - From Football Fields to Farm Fields
What does it mean to "love your neighbor" through regenerative farming? Graham Oberly, co-owner of Oaks and Sprouts farm, shares his inspiring journey from environmental activism to sustainable agriculture. Growing up in Chesapeake, Ohio, Graham witnessed the effects of extractive industries on the Appalachian landscape, sparking a lifelong passion for environmental stewardship. He discusses his involvement with the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition, his experiences in the Boy Scouts, and how
39
Nov. 20, 2024
Joya Elmore - Teaching Students with Environment Based Learning, Hydroponics and Honey
How is Joya Elmore turning her school into a zero-waste haven, one compostable pumpkin at a time? Episode at a glance - The Growers Program: Growing Food, Mind, and Soul - Hydroponics and Botany: A Deeper Dive into Plants - The Green Club: Student-Driven Sustainability - Balancing Leadership and Advocacy - The Wonder Bus: Expanding Learning Beyond the Classroom - Embracing the Process, Not Just the Goal - The Importance of Self-Care and Connecting with Nature About Joya Elmore Joya Elmore is a p
2
March 13, 2024
Dominique Hadad - Sustainability as a Moving Target
Dominique is the co-host of Green Champions and founder of Green Scope Consulting, a company transforming organizations into zero waste operations. When she’s not supporting clients in reaching their sustainability goals, she is also the founder of MOJO, a mobile coffee company with single-serve pour over packets for conscious coffee enthusiasts. Dominique is passionate about demystifying sustainability and she is enthusiastic about battling climate anxiety with success stories from Green Champi
3
March 14, 2024
Adam Morris - Find Your Agency to Create Change
Adam is the co-host of Green Champions and founder behind People Helping People. This dual venture offers a rich tapestry of inspiration, practical tools, and educational resources tailored for social entrepreneurs aiming to realize positive social change. Beyond his professional endeavors, you can find Adam organizing events with GiveBackHack, the launchpad for social innovation. With an extensive background in technology and innovation, he leverages his expertise to foster social change. Adam
2
July 29, 2025
Lauren Click - How a Small Apartment Launched a National Nonprofit
Lauren Click is the award-winning founder and executive director of Let's Go Compost, a nonprofit making composting accessible to all. What started with a failed $500 composting device in a high-rise apartment has blossomed into a national movement, providing free resources to schools and communities across all 50 states. Lauren shares her unexpected journey into the world of waste, which began not in a garden, but in a high-rise apartment in Scottsdale, Arizona. Fueled by frustration with a ...
Recent Episodes
15
June 23, 2026
Regina Harmon - Who is Running America's Largest Food Recovery Movement?
Regina Harmon is the CEO of Food Recovery Network, the largest student-led movement fighting food waste and hunger in the US. Before she was leading a national nonprofit, she was a kid in Maine with a cloth lunch bag, a working poor family, and a growing sense that the world was not set up fairly. Dominique and Christy sit down with Regina to hear how a life shaped by nature, identity, and literature quietly built the leader she is today. Regina Harmon grew up in Maine at a time when it was the
14
June 16, 2026
Mason McNeill - Rerouting America's Food Waste, One Grocery Store at a Time
Most people don't think much about what happens to the food that doesn't get sold. Mason McNeill does. As Chief Commercial Officer at Denali, the nation's largest organics recycler, he's spent his career building the systems that catch that material before it hits a landfill and put it back to work. Denali runs routes to grocery stores and food producers across all of the lower 48, collecting food waste and organic residuals and routing them to recycling facilities where they become compost, ...
14
June 9, 2026
Mason McNeill - The Banker Who Bet on Waste
Mason McNeill is the Chief Commercial Officer at Denali, the nation's largest organics recycler. But before he was thinking about food waste and circular supply chains, he was a young investment banker in Little Rock, learning how to tell the story of businesses that had spent decades building something worth believing in. Mason grew up in the Arkansas River Valley and showed up to college knowing he wanted to study business. What he didn't plan on was picking up a history major along the way...
13
June 2, 2026
Elizabeth & Marissa - Community-Centered Strategy for a Changing World
Elizabeth Schuster and Marissa Ferrari are the co-founders of Sustainable Economies, a research-driven consulting firm working at the intersection of nature and community. They're back together on the podcast to share how they built a business from a single lunch conversation, why strategy and storytelling are stronger when they're developed side by side, and what it actually looks like to help conservation nonprofits find their footing in an uncertain world. Elizabeth brought a decade of indepe
12
May 26, 2026
Marissa Ferrari - From Ms. Magazine to Mission-Driven Work
Marissa Ferrari is Partner and Creative Director at Sustainable Economies, where she works with mission-driven organizations at the intersection of nature and communities. Her winding path that took her from a childhood in rural Michigan to a career in brand strategy and communications, and what she's learned about creativity, storytelling, and finding your way when the road doesn't run straight. Marissa grew up in a small town in southwestern Michigan, spending her childhood building tree forts
11
May 19, 2026
Elizabeth Schuster - From Peace Corps to Environmental Economist
Elizabeth Schuster is the founder of Sustainable Economies, a strategic planning, branding, and communications firm, and a partner in environmental economics. Her sustainability journey started from building forts in the New Hampshire woods to transforming a struggling Peace Corps assignment into a certified organic coffee co-op in Honduras. She grew up on 17 acres in New Hampshire, where early years of backpacking and time in nature laid the foundation for a lifelong commitment to the environme
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About the Hosts
Dominique Hadad
Co-Founder, Co-Host
Dominique is the co-host of Green Champions and founder of Green Scope Consulting, where she supports clients in reaching their sustainability goals. Dominique brings curiosity, clarity, and an ability to connect innovation, policy, and lived experience into engaging conversations that spotlight real-world solutions.. Dominique is passionate about demystifying sustainability and battling climate anxiety with success stories from Green Champions that deserve to be given a microphone more often.
Christy Cook
Co-Host
Christy Cook is a sustainability strategist, advisor, and storyteller focused on translating complex systems into clear, actionable insights for businesses and institutions. Her work spans food waste prevention, sustainable food systems, and cross-sector collaboration, with experience working alongside global brands, nonprofits, and policymakers. Christy brings a systems lens, operational understanding, and a strong commitment to integrity and impact-driven storytelling.
Adam Morris
Co-Founder, Producer
Adam is the producer of Green Champions and founder behind People Helping People. This dual venture offers a rich tapestry of inspiration, practical tools, and educational resources tailored for social entrepreneurs aiming to realize positive social change. Beyond his professional endeavors, you can find Adam organizing events with GiveBackHack, the launchpad for social innovation. Adam is a firm believer in the power of cultivating deep connections and shared experiences as catalysts for growth and the birth of innovative ideas.
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