Episodes

Did you know that plastics are as different from each other as paper is from metal? Joseph Klatt, founder of Marble Plastics, dives into the complex world of polymer types and how they impact our efforts to recycle plastic waste. Joseph’s passion for sustainability was sparked by an unlikely source - a college job collecting recycling by bicycle. This hands-on experience ignited his fascination with waste management, leading him to pursue environmental studies. Joseph's career took him from the...

Angela Huffman is the President and co-founder of Farm Action, a nonpartisan, farmer-led watchdog that holds government and corporate power accountable in food and agriculture. She's back to talk about sustainability as it relates to agricultural policy and family farms, and what it really takes to push for change in Washington. Angela is the sixth generation on her family's farm up in northwest Ohio. She's really seen firsthand how hard farmers work, how little control they often have over the...

Angela Huffman is the co-founder and president of Farm Action, a watchdog organization working to dismantle corporate consolidation across the U.S. food supply chain. In this conversation, she unpacks how a handful of corporations came to shape what ends up on America's dinner plates, and what it will take to shift that power back toward farmers, workers, and consumers. Two hundred years ago, Angela's family put down roots on a patch of land in northwest Ohio. Six generations later, she's still...

Up to a third of all food produced globally is lost or wasted, and up to 10% of greenhouse gas emissions are tied to it. The opportunity to fix that sits largely inside professional kitchens, and most of them have no system for even measuring the problem. That is exactly what Andrew Shakman in Leanpath was built to change. Andrew's reframe for kitchens is simple and a little uncomfortable: they are factories. High volume, high complexity, constantly changing menus, and almost none of the proces...

Andrew Shakman is the CEO of Leanpath, a company on a mission to make food waste prevention everyday practice in professional kitchens worldwide. Before any of that, he was a child actor, a film school graduate, and a digital marketer selling Cap'n Crunch on the early internet. Andrew Shakman did not set out to work in sustainability. He set out to tell stories that mattered. What drew him, from early childhood through film school and into his career, was a hunger for meaning and a fascination ...

Nancy Zavada returns for part two of her Green Champions conversation, this time pulling back the curtain on the actual work behind sustainable events. As president of MeetGreen, Nancy has saved clients $7.8 million in sustainability-driven decisions and cut $2.5 million in aisle carpet alone from a single event last year. This episode is a masterclass in making the business case for doing things better. On a cross-country flight, she ordered tea in economy and got a styrofoam cup, a plastic st...

Nancy Zavada is the founder and president of MeetGreen, a sustainable event agency that has spent over 30 years helping organizations design and deliver events that are both environmentally responsible and genuinely exceptional. Nancy grew up on the Oregon Coast, where recycling wasn't a trend but a way of life. She never set out to start a company. She was simply an event planner who noticed something she couldn't unsee: a single five-day conference for 2,500 people would generate 31,000 styro...

Karimah Hudda, founder of Illumine Earth, returns for part two of her conversation with Dominique and Christy. After exploring her roots, Karimah dives into her "champion story." From the mountains of Indonesia to the boardrooms of global giants, she shares the tactical moves and mindset shifts required to rebalance power in global supply chains and lead with purpose. Karimah recounts a powerful story from Aceh, Indonesia, where a simple shift in strategic planning allowed 100 farmers to fundame...

Karimah Hudda, founder of Illumine Earth, has spent two decades working where sustainability, leadership, and global systems meet. She discuss how her multicultural upbringing and work across 50 countries shaped her approach to equity. Karimah shares how she navigates the complexities of power to turn core values into real-world action. Why do we introduce ourselves by our titles instead of our roots? For Karimah Hudda, the journey didn’t start in a boardroom. It started with her grandmother’s ...

Season 5 is here, and we have some exciting news. Christy Cook is officially joining Green Champions as co-host! You may already know Christy from her previous guest appearance, and now she's here to stay. If you're missing the voice of former co-host Adam Morris, don't worry. You can still catch him on his podcast, People Helping People, on all listening platforms. So who is Christy? She's a sustainability consultant and entrepreneur with over twenty years of experience in corporate sustainabi...

Lauren Koch, Sustainability Senior Program Manager at Mars Veterinary Health, is a passionate advocate for purpose-driven work and a champion for sustainability in the healthcare sector. She delves into her impactful work, sharing how she has successfully navigated the complexities of both human and animal healthcare to create lasting, sustainable change. Lauren gives us an inside look at her passion for driving waste reduction responsible pharmaceutical stewardship, and more, Lauren explains t...

Lauren Koch, Sustainability Senior Program Manager at Mars Veterinary Health, is a passionate advocate for purpose-driven work and a champion for sustainability in the healthcare sector. Lauren shares the story of how a viewing of Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" during a moment of career uncertainty ignited her passion for environmental action. She recounts her decision to return to Ohio State University to pursue a dual Master's degree, where a conversation with the legendary Neil Drobny open...

Brody Olson, the Sales Development Manager at Two Men and a Junk Truck, is here to prove that "junk removal" is about much more than just a trip to the dump. It's about empathy, community, and finding a second, third, or even fourth life for the items we no longer need. Brody pulls back the curtain on the often-misunderstood world of junk removal. He challenges the very notion of "junk," reframing it as "unwanted items" and revealing the treasure trove of opportunities for reuse, donation, an...

Brody Olson, Sales Development Manager at Two Men and a Junk Truck, may not have dreamed of a career in junk removal, but his journey is a powerful testament to the value of service, adaptability, and finding purpose in unexpected places. Brody shares his story, which began with a love for fishing and hunting and a dream of becoming a park ranger. He recounts his zig-zagging career path, from a brief stint as a biology major to exploring business and leadership, and the various jobs—from McDonal...

Can a neighborhood thrifting initiative make a dent in the massive problem of fashion waste? Lisa Goldsand, the founder of Circular Thrift, shares her mission to valorize post-consumer textile waste and scale the reuse of clothing and accessories at a hyperlocal level. Through her unique collection bins, swap events, and mobile trike sales, Lisa is revolutionizing the way communities approach sustainable fashion, making it both convenient and enjoyable. Lisa shares her insights on consumer ...

John Seryak, the founder of Go Sustainable Energy, believes that real change in the energy sector starts with listening to the people on the ground. In this episode, he shares the origin story of his company, the evolution of its mission, and the powerful "aha!" moments that drive his team to create a more sustainable and equitable energy future. John offers a refreshingly honest and multifaceted origin story for Go Sustainable Energy, explaining how a desire to "front-load his midlife crisis" a...

John Seryak, founder of Go Sustainable Energy, believes the biggest hang-ups in sustainable energy aren't about technology or money, they're about listening. In this deeply honest conversation, John explores his journey into the world of sustainable energy, which began not with a grand vision, but with a childhood attempt at a perpetual motion machine (turning a bicycle into a helicopter) and a near-total burnout from mechanical engineering. He shares the story of a pivotal mentor who saved him ...

Danna Lotz, a lifelong educator with 18 years of experience, is now the School Programs Administrator at the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio (SWACO). Her story is an example of how a passion for teaching and a commitment to resourcefulness can lead to a career in sustainability, making a lasting impact on students and communities. Danna discusses SWACO's mission to reduce landfill waste and the innovative programs they've developed to engage schools in this effort. She explains the School...

Danna Lotz, a lifelong educator with 18 years of experience, is now the School Programs Administrator at the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio (SWACO). Her story is a powerful example of how a passion for teaching and a commitment to resourcefulness can lead to a career in sustainability, making a lasting impact on students and communities. Danna shares her journey from a small-town upbringing, where collecting bottles and cans with her dad sparked an early interest in recycling, to her 1...

Grab a warm drink and settle in for our special 2025 holiday wrap-up! After releasing an episode every single Tuesday and growing to over 90 episodes, we're taking a moment to celebrate the incredible people and inspiring stories that made this year so memorable. This year took us on an incredible journey, from the mountains of Italy for the NanoValbruna conference to the heart of the Midwest for the Midwest Regional Sustainability Summit. We revisit the power of international storytelling with...

Duccio Travaglini, Co-founder of Greencome Media, shares his innovative approach to environmental communication and his mission to transform how we discuss climate change. Rather than contributing to climate anxiety through catastrophic messaging, Duccio and his team focus on solution-oriented storytelling that mobilizes people to action. He discusses the importance of finding relatable stories of "normal people" making change and combining these narratives with data in engaging ways - what he c...

Kristan Uhlenbrock, a scientist, writer, and communicator, leads the Institute for Science and Policy at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, where she is dedicated to weaving thoughtful science into public conversations and decision-making. Kristan shares the origin story of the Institute for Science and Policy, a unique organization born from a desire to address the growing politicization of science and create a space for nonpartisan, evidence-based dialogue. She describes the institute’s mi...

Kristan Uhlenbrock, who leads the Institute for Science and Policy at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, is a scientist, writer, and communicator dedicated to bridging the gap between science, policy, and community. Her journey from a free-roaming kid in rural Indiana to a leading voice in public discourse on climate change is a testament to the power of curiosity, connection, and embracing the messiness of it all. Kristan shares her origin story, recounting how a childhood spent exploring ...

Did you know that Columbus, Ohio generates a staggering one million pounds of food waste per day? But the city taking concrete steps towards sustainability, and Aryeh Alex, its Sustainability Manager, is leading the charge. The city's ambitious Climate Action Plan has already seen success with its weekly recycling program. The new food scrap drop-off program, specifically targeting underserved communities, has collected an astounding 30,000 pounds of food scraps in just six months. Alex discu...