Season 4 Intro - A Look Back and What’s Ahead

[00:00:10] Dominique: Hello. Welcome to Green Champions.

[00:00:12] Adam: Thanks for joining us in a conversation with real people, making real environmental change in the work that they do. I'm here with Dominique, our sustainability expert.

[00:00:20] Dominique: and I'm so glad to be here alongside Adam, our social enterprise extraordinaire. We bring you guests who saw the potential for impact in their job or community and did something about it.

[00:00:31] Adam: Green Champions is a platform to share sustainability, success stories, and plant new ideas.

[00:00:35] Dominique: Today, this is a very special episode. We are kicking off season four of the podcast, first of all. That's pretty cool. This is officially Adam, our 73rd episode.

[00:00:49] Adam: Wow,

[00:00:49] Dominique: Which is a lot. 

[00:00:50] Adam: Every single week for well over a year.

[00:00:53] Dominique: Yeah. So thank you for listening and joining us for hopefully every episode that came out every Tuesday. Yeah, this has been very fun.

[00:01:00] Adam: Seasons two and three brought us all the way over to Italy and then back to the Midwest. And in season four, we're getting back to our regularly scheduled programming.

[00:01:10] Dominique: Yeah, that means we're bringing our classic Green Champion style back. You're gonna get two episodes with every guest we bring on.

First, you're gonna hear their background and their personal story. Usually find out something funny or heartwarming in terms of different stories that brought sustainability center stage for them and their career.

[00:01:28] Adam: Then the second episode will be our chance to hear their champion story. Each guest has truly done something awesome that we think is worth sharing with you.

This usually focuses on their specific project initiative or area of expertise, but really the great things that they're doing in their current role. 

[00:01:43] Dominique: Adam, speaking of that, what was your favorite story? From our most recent season in collaboration with Green Umbrella and the Midwest Regional Sustainability Summit?

[00:01:53] Adam: That is very tough. We had, we had such great guests. I had, I had actually had two favorites. I love Shaila Maynard and SewValley. Just this idea of being able to support local artisans and doing small runs ofclothing designs in a way that's sustainable and making that work local.

I think that's really cool, innovative work. But what really got me excited was Zach Burns from the Cincinnati Zoo, something about his story of like building these hydroponic bays to grow lettuce for the giraffes. I just think of that the giraffes like finding a new way to contribute to climate change.

You know where they're just happy in a zoo and yet they are finding a better way to live. And if a giraffe can do it, so can we.

[00:02:33] Dominique: I I like those. And that also speaks to the variety of some of the things we got to talk about. And Zach definitely loved his job, which also I really liked. I think he felt fulfilled and got to have fun. And he talked a lot about also like the joy of making produce for animals and the ways that they like, enjoy any color, any stage of the process. And I think that was also kind of beautiful in a reminder of just like the value of food.

[00:02:57] Adam: Well, and just this idea of like how much animals actually eat. You don't really think about that. That all these animals at the zoo are constantly eating food, and that's a big consumption as well and how do you manage that in a way that's sustainable?

[00:03:09] Dominique: Yeah. Yeah, that's so true. And it's be part of their budget when thinking about like sustaining an operation like a zoo. It was saving them money by bringing this thing they usually procure in-house.

Well, I also wanted to mention how amazing the work that Green Umbrella is doing to lead sustainability efforts in the Midwest. They've been a really great partner. They themselves have programs for businesses, schools, they have their own resources. They support communities. I was just really grateful to have met them and to have seen the work that they do and this podcast, also, getting to partner with them was just a really, really great treat.

[00:03:43] Adam: Exciting about how they were able to draw us in and make us part of that conference as well. Just the way that they're highlighting these stories in the Midwest. Speaking of partnerships, if you are listening and you know of an organization or you are a part of an organization that might be a good partner, please reach out to us on our website at thegreenchampions.com.

[00:04:02] Dominique: That could be that you bring people together or you have a story to tell or something in between. We would love to work with you and support the work that you're doing.

[00:04:10] Adam: For this upcoming season, we're really excited about what's ahead. You'll hear from folks tackling big challenges in creative ways. You can look forward to a conversation with a major beauty brand in New York that's paving a new way to think about sustainable haircare and beauty products.

[00:04:25] Dominique: We also have a guest who is piloting a community led composting movement in The Bahamas.

[00:04:32] Adam: And we have an OBGYN turned Climate Activist. So we're gonna get to talk about the health crisis and how that is tied into the climate crisis.

[00:04:40] Dominique: We're even gonna talk about local action being taken to rescue food. And the impact is really, really massive. There's really something for everyone, no matter your interests or your entry point into sustainability.

[00:04:53] Adam: Yeah. And just to highlight, this is what we are about, we're about sharing you these diverse stories so that you can see all the great work that's going on in different industries, in different areas, and be inspired in the work that you're doing. 

[00:05:05] Dominique: And and, it feels notable, Adam, I think, to talk about the fact that this is a really important time to need some positivity, to need some motivation, to need some reminder that we like have a say in what's going on. And I just wanna say that I think that I really appreciate how many topics we get to cover and hopefully peeling back the layers, one at a time of the fact that sustainability is going to take all of us. Climate change work takes all of us, and it touches really every aspect of our society.

[00:05:31] Adam: Yeah, especially with so much in the news, It gets to you after a while of like, "Hey, I'm, I'm working so hard on something", and you don't see the full picture of what's happening. But when you dig beneath the surface, there's still some really great initiatives that are happening and people doing great work.

And that's what we're bringing to the surface. so if you're hearing this list and wish that we could touch on a topic that you have been curious about or you know somebody who can teach us a thing or two, now is a great time to send us those suggestions.

[00:05:56] Dominique: And next week we'll kick things off with our very first guest of season four. You won't wanna miss it.

As always, our guests have found a unique way to champion sustainability. We're here to put real names and stories behind the idea that no matter your background, career, or interests, you really can contribute in the fight against climate 

[00:06:12] Adam: You can find our episodes at thegreenchampions.com. If you wanna stay in the loop, give us a review and follow us on your favorite podcast platform. If you wanna support the podcast, you can donate directly on our website as well. If you have questions about climate change or sustainability, you can reach us on our website

Our music is by Zayn Dweik. Thank you so much for listening to Green Champions. We will dig into another sustainability success story in our next episode as we kick off season four. 

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