Green Economy Heroes Climate Podcast

Hope and inspiration in green Canadian business leaders

Looking for a great climate solutions podcast? You found it, right here on Dianne Saxe’s Green Economy Heroes climate podcast.

My name is Dianne Saxe. I’m an environmental lawyer focusing on the climate crisis. I was the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario 2015-2019, I am the city Councillor for beautiful University Rosedale and I am the President of SaxeFacts.com. 

Since 2015, I’ve talked with hundreds of audiences across Canada about the climate crisis. A few years ago, most people were just learning that we have a crisis. Today, you probably already know that. Now you are more likely to be wondering, is it too late? Where can we find some hope?

I want you to meet some amazing Canadians who are making a living building the green economy. With their passion, creativity and skill, they are helping to reduce our climate pollution, to create green jobs and to get us ready for what’s coming.

Green Economy Heroes.

Each Green Economy Hero podcast features someone you’ll enjoy getting to know. We will explore who they are, what their business are doing, and how it is making a difference. We will hear about their challenges, their successes, and their dreams. And we’ll learn their advice on how you, too, can start and build a green business.

This climate podcast is produced, with thanks, by the excellent Toronto Mike, TMDS.

Given my duties as Councillor, I hope to post a new climate podcast the first Thursday of each month. Please listen, share, and rate at your favourite podcast distributors. Our exciting climate podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe in Google Podcasts, Apple / iTunes, TuneIn, Google Play, iHeartRadio, Stitcher,  Spotify, or subscribe directly to the feed.

There is a taste of each climate interview in the table below; full episodes are available through your favourite podcast distributor. Sort the table by episode to show most recent episodes first.

Episode #	Guest	Company	Description	A taste of the interview	Green economy Keywords	Date
93	Bernard Bieberstein	BeReclaimed	Want to decorate your home with character while reducing your logging footprint? Find out about reclaimed wood furniture from BeReclaimed, a small business with a shopfront at the Evergreen Brickworks.		Reclaimed wood, furniture, small business	08/09/24
92	Wave Weir	Wave Fibre Mill	What's wool got to do with climate change? Find out what's wrong with the move to synthetic clothing as a homegrown Ontario mill joins Dianne.		Natural fibre, weaving, textiles	07/04/24
91	Douglas Hart & Sam van Berkel	Watershed Technologies	This month we feature a Toronto company that identifies water and heat-saving opportunities for older building stock through automation and pinpoint monitoring.		Heat-saving, water saving, building stock	06/03/24
90	Miriam Tuerk	Clear Blue Technologies	Meet a Canadian clean tech company providing smart off-grid lighting from Bloor Street to urban Africa.		Urban lighting, off-grid, electrification	05/02/24
89	Jim Payne	Dynacert	An electrolysis firm delivering fuel savings technologies to the global marketplace straight from west Toronto.		Electrolysis, clean fuel, hydrogen	04/04/24
88	Rick Zytaruk	Tooktree Passive Homes	An Ontario firm is bringing high-quality, prefabricated homes to market with recycled materials and a reduced carbon footprint.		Prefab homes, modular homes, Ontario housing	03/08/24
87	Ahmad Ghahreman	Cyclic Materials	Meet a local firm that is recycling rare earth minerals to achieve circularity in the new green economy and ramp up Canadian manufacturing.		Rare earth metals, metal recycling, circular economy	02/01/24
86	Nicole Granath	Tangible Materials	Tracking, managing, and reducing embodied carbon throughout the construction process.		Embodied carbon, development, construction, building materials	01/04/24
85	Eddie Obeliunas	Exactus Energy	A Toronto-based firm takes on the solar challenge: complete site survey, engineering and design solutions for solar projects of any scale.		Solar, PV, engineering, site survey	12/07/23
84	Shane Harker	Rethink Resources	Food and beverage providers are eager to do their part in diverting waste but often don't know how. Find out how a Toronto organization is successfully helping film sets and restaurants divert up to 80%.	Rethink Resource	Waste diversion, recycling, food & beverage	11/02/23
83	Hanif Montazeri	Enersion	As the world heats we need more HVAC infrastructure thus accelerating global warming. Is it possible to break this vicious cycle? Hanif Montazeri has a plan for cooling and heating that is free of refrigerants and fossil fuels.		AC, HVAC, refrigerant, heating & cooling	10/05/23
82	Phil de Luna	Deep Sky	Carbon removal developer, carbon removal credits, carbon offsets, sequestration, geological carbon storage, direct air capture, direct water capture, CCS, carbon capture and storage	Deep Sky	Carbon removal, direct air capture	09/07/23
81	Robin Richardson	Happy Fiets	Electric assist cargo-bike rental company	Happy Fiets	Bike, bicycle, E bike, micro mobility, transportation, mobility, rental, green economy	10/06/22
80	Alex Esseltine	Tin Whistle Brewery	Carbon neutral craft beer with local ingredients and minimal packaging waste	Tin Whistle Brewery	Craft beer, low carbon manufacturing, circular economy, zero waste, net zero beer	09/22/22
79	Danial Hadizadeh	Mitrex Solar	Most buildings can generate their own electricity if solar PV is integrated into the building cladding. Now cost competitive and appearing on buildings around the world	Mitrex	Renewable energy, solar, building integrated photovoltaics, PV, solar cladding, resilience, green buildings, electricity	09/08/22
78	Jason Robinson	Evoco	Low-toxic, low-carbon plant-based foams to replace petroleum, starting with sneaker insoles	Evoco	Plant-based materials, toxics, shoes, consumer goods, sneakers, shoe insoles, regenerative agriculture	08/25/22
77	Kayli Dale	Friendlier	Reusable, deposit-return packaging for takeout food	Friendlier	Circular economy, waste reduction, zero waste, packaging, food packaging, consumer goods	08/11/22
76	Marc Goldgrub	Green Economy Law	Green economy law firm that advises green business and nonprofit clients, and provides public education on climate law. Plus psychedelics	Green Economy Law	Green economy, green businesses, waste, renewables, climate law, carbon pricing, health law	7/28/22
75	Nikki Self	Saponetti	Pioneer of home and bodycare essentials in refillable, non-plastic, circular economy containers	Saponetti	Circular economy, reusable containers, refillable containers, zero waste consumer goods, home and body care	06/30/22
74	Eric Beckwitt	Freightera	A marketplace that stealthily grows greener, lower-emission freight while saving money for Canadian manufacturers	Freightera	Green freight, green economy, transportation, marketplace, IT, trucks, rail	04/14/22
73	Ravi Kampaiah	Zen E-bikes	Why E-bikes are often a better solution than electric cars. Made in Canada too!	Zen E-bikes	Micro mobility, electric mobility, transportation, bikes, fun	03/31/22
72	Sam Kashani	Too Good to Go	Turning trash into cash and good, cheap meals. The food waste elimination app that's growing explosively. A Time Top 100 company	Too Good to Go	food waste, food security, surplus food, IT, app, restaurant, grocery, surprise bag	03/17/22
71	Monique Chan	Bruized	Turning imperfect and discarded food waste into delicious treats	Bruized	food waste, circular economy, local sustainable food, farmers markets	03/03/22
70	Derek Lim Soo	Peak Power Energy	Saving money and cutting climate pollution by turning commercial buildings, batteries and electric vehicles into virtual power plants that reduce electricity use in peak demand hours	Peak Power Energy	Electricity, batteries, AI, peak electricity demand, vehicle to grid, smart grid, energy transition	02/17/22
69	Eric Kamphof	Curbside Cycle	Main Street bike store selling bikes intended as transportation	Curbside Cycle	Active transportation, bicycles, bikes, E bikes, Main Street, low-carbon transportation	02/3/22
68	Ran Goel	Fresh City Farms	Toronto's urban organic farm, online grocer and sustainable food business incubator	Fresh City Farms	Urban agriculture, sustainable food, business incubator, organic food, local food, low-carbon food, Regenerative agriculture	01/20/22
67	Emil Sylvester Ramos	Iris Rad	How AI-enabled dashcams help municipalities cut costs and emissions in maintaining their roads	Iris Rad	municipalities, maintenance, data, AI, asset management, smart cities, cleantech	01/6/22
66	Rob Lavoie	AirTerra	Biochar: real, long-term carbon sequestration plus soil regeneration	Airterra Biochar	regenerative agriculture, carbon sequestration, biochar, offset, rebuild soil	12/16/21
65	Jeremy Clarke	Simple Life Homes	Prefab panels for carbon-storing, high performance buildings that go up in record time	Simple Life Homes	plant-based buildings, efficiency, embodied carbon, passive house	12/2/21
64	Curtis VanWalleghem	Hydrostor	How air, rock and water store electricity from wind and solar and clean our electricity grid.	Hydrostor	renewable electricity, clean power, storage, electrification	11/18/21
63	Joshua Green	Mysa smart thermostats	After years of struggle, a Newfoundland startup becomes a star with smart thermostats for electric home heating	Mysa Thermostats	cleantech, home heating, efficiency, smart thermostats, demand management, electric baseboards	11/04/21
62	Phil Winters	Goodlot Farm and Farmstead Brewing	Making delicious, low-carbon, local craft beer with organic hops they grow themselves on their organic farm	Good Lot Farms	beer, craft beer, local food, sustainable food, organic, organic hops, low-carbon beer	10/21/21
61	Kevin McLaughlin	Zyggg, E-bike subscription service	Making it easy for lots of people to fall in love with zipping around on an electric bike	Zygg Electric Bikes	e-bike, e-mobility, e-bicycle, seniors, low-carbon mobility, transportation, urban	10/07/21
60	Chandra Ramadurai	Efficiency Capital	Performance-based financing of water and energy upgrades for older buildings, toilets paying for boilers	Efficiency Capital	Finance, upgrades, retrofits, performance-based financing, climate, green buildings, building retrofits, efficiency, energy efficiency, water	09/23/21
59	Sheena Sharp	CoolEarth Architecture	Designing buildings for the zero-carbon future	CoolEarth	Zero-carbon architecture, embodied carbon, geothermal, solar, mass timber, design	09/09/21
58	Arzeena Hamir	Organic farming and leadership at Amara Farm	How an immigrant and mother started an organic farm, and a Farmers Institute, and got elected, and got $200 million of federal money for climate-smart farming	Amara Farm	organic, agriculture, farming, land use, elected, municipal councillor, leadership, mentor, climate-smart farming	08/26/21
57	Remi Desa	Pantonium, On Demand Transit Software	Allowing small cities to both cut costs and improve transit service with existing buses	Pantonium	Municipalities, transportation, on-demand transit, better bus service, low carbon municipalities, saving cost and carbon	08/12/21
56	Francisca Quinn	Quinn & Partners, sustainability consultants	Fast growing pioneer in sustainable investing for investors, sustainable operations for companies	Quinn and Partners	Sustainable finance, green business, sustainability, management consulting, sustainability reporting, sustainability for CEOs	07/29/21
55	James Larsen	E Zinc, Storing electricity in zinc	Long-duration electricity storage through chemical transformations of zinc	E Zinc	Cleantech, batteries, renewable electricity, electricity storage, long duration storage, renewable energy, zinc	07/15/21
54	Chief Wilfred King and AJ Esquega	Giizis Energy at Kiashke Zaaging Anishinaabek (Gull Bay First Nation)	Canada's first integrated solar microgrid displacing diesel in a remote community, environmental justice as part of reconciliation	Gull Bay First Nation	solar, renewable energy, diesel, indigenous, reconciliation, microgrid, batteries, green power	06/30/21
53	Jon Lomow	Fieldless Farms, Growing great local lettuce indoors	Solving our world record lettuce deficit while saving carbon, water and health	Fieldless Farms	Food, agriculture, food miles, food imports, indoor farming, food waste	06/17/21
52	Ajay Kochhar	Li-Cycle, Truly recycling lithium ion batteries	From a standing start to one of the world's top cleantech companies in less than 5 years	Li-Cycle	Circular economy, cleantech, lithium, batteries, recycling, materials, toxics, urban mining	06/03/21
51	Josh Lewis	Nerva Energy, Energy efficiency for buildings	Award-winning approach to cutting building operating costs with current technology	Narva Energy	Energy efficiency, multi-unit residential, building envelopes, building automation	05/20/21
50	David Isaac, WDuskGroup	Community renewable energy	Renewable energy, transformation, and reconciliation, especially for remote indigenous communities	WDusk	Renewable energy, solar, wind, reconciliation, modernization, self-sufficiency, Indigenous clean energy, renewable energy developer	05/07/21
49	Connie Stacey	Growing Greener Innovations, Lego-style low cost batteries	Slashing the cost of battery storage by simplifying and automating how they connect	Growing Greener Innovations	Renewable electricity, energy poverty, electricity storage, low-cost storage, green energy	04/22/21
48	Bill Redelmeier	Biodynamic wines from Southbrook Winery	Organic biodynamic wines- healthy soil, healthy staff, delicious wines	Southbrook Winery	Agriculture, organic, biodynamic, plant-based, local food,	04/08/21
47	Trevor Kloeck	Hemp Fibre Co, Amazing jobs for hemp	Fascinating jobs for hemp residues, including soil reclamation and creating stronger paper and non-plastic packaging	Hemp Fibre	Plant-based materials, reclamation, fibres, recycling, new materials	03/25/21
46	Gavin Pitchford, Clean50 Awards	Canada's Sustainability Heroes	Awards that celebrate sustainability heroes, to accelerate collaboration towards a job-rich, cleaner, healthier, innovation based low-carbon economy	Clean50	Green economy, clean tech, green business, green business leaders, green awards, innovation, green business network	03/11/21
45	Paul Bottero	InMotive	How a better electric vehicle transmission, invented in Canada, makes electric cars lighter, faster, cheaper, and longer range	InMotive	Electric vehicles, range anxiety, Canadian invention, Green Tech, clean tech, e-mobility	02/25/21
44	Mike Keilhauer	Keilhauer	Designing, manufacturing and selling zero carbon, zero waste office chairs of pure, reusable materials	Keilhauer	embodied carbon, zero waste, sustainable design, circular economy	02/11/2021
43	Jim Fonger	Ameresco	Engineering and finance to slash the carbon footprint of existing buildings, such as schools	Ameresco	energy efficiency, energy performance contracts,	01/28/2021
42	Rebecca Black	Black Current Marketing	Marketing and strategic foresight for green economy companies	Black Current	green economy, green transition, green marketing, strategic foresight	01/14/2021
41	David Beauvais	Electrifier SG2B	Rapid, accurate energy and emissions data for community energy planning	Electrifier	energy, energy efficiency, energy planning, municipal energy plans, green button, energy data	12/31/2020
40	Brad Crapeau, Alex Hayman	FoodCycler	How to turn food waste to compost, at home, in hours	FoodCycler	food waste, circular economy, compost, waste reduction	12/17/2020
39	Marc Bedard	Lion Electric	All electric buses and trucks - now cost competitive for heavy use	Lion Electric	electric vehicles, clean transportation, air quality, electric buses	12/10/2020
38	Darren Jones & Daygan Fowler	MyHEAT	Being able to SEE where heat is escaping from your house motivates action when talk doesn't. When will our utility pay for the pictures?	MyHEAT	energy efficiency, buildings, utilities, climate action, reduce waste	12/03/2020
37	Sumi Shan	Dunya Habitats	Tiny, portable, energy efficient, beehive-shaped hydroponic units for growing vegetables anywhere	Sumi Shan teaser	agriculture, hydroponics, food deserts, equity	11/26/20
36	Andrew Peel	Peel Passive House	Building and retrofitting buildings for maximum comfort, minimum fossil fuels	Peel Passive House	green buildings, passive buildings, low-carbon buildings	11/19/20
35	Adam Corneil	Unbuilders	Carefully taking buildings apart for reuse, instead of smashing them	UnBuilders	demolition, construction waste, circular economy	11/12/20
34	Anie Rouleau	The Unscented Company	Local, unscented soap company, on the road to plastic-free	The Unscented Company	retail, consumer product, soap, single-use plastic	11/05/20
33	Peter Howard	Pond Technologies	How to make carbon sequestration pay for itself: turning industrial CO2 emissions into algae, superfoods and profits	Pond Technologies teaser	carbon capture, algae, anti-oxidants, sequestration	10/29/20
32	Amir Alam	Shoe Laundry	How did a DJ who loves shoes become a sustainability entrepreneur during Covid?	Shoe Laundry teaser	shoes, retail, cleaning, reducing waste	10/22/20
31	Audrey Mascarenhas	Questor Technologies	Methane destruction: reducing climate damage and air pollution for $2/ tonne. Why do Canada's regulations lag behind Mexico's?	Audrey Mascarenhas	methane capture, air pollution, renewable energy	10/15/20
30	Gildas Poissonier	Desjardins Financial	Where can I do my banking without supporting fossil fuels?	Desjardins Financial	financial, insurance, Paris targets	10/08/20
29	Steve Oldham	Carbon Engineering	Direct air capture of carbon dioxide - Is it a realistic solution?	Carbon Engineering	carbon capture, enhanced oil recovery	10/01/20
28	Matt Brown	Patagonia	How a clothing firm slashes its carbon footprint and works to preserve our home planet	Patagonia	retail, clothing	09/24/20
27	Greg Nuttall	Woodland Biofuels	Coming soon: the world's cheapest liquid transportation fuel, made from construction waste	Woodland Biofuels	biofuels, transportation fuel, construction waste reuse	09/17/20
26	Sarah Devika Sumnauth	Urban Minerals	Local-source vegan makeup startup with its first sustainability report - on hand-poured lipstick	Urban Minerals	micro business, makeup, sustainability report	09/10/20
25	Mike Brigham	Solarshare	How did Mike Brigham build a $60 million community-owned #solarpower cooperative, SolarShare? And why is he personally funding the used #electricvehicles incentive in Ontario?	Solarshare	Solarshare, solar bonds, solar energy cooperative	09/03/20
24	Shaun Loney	Aki Energy: Climate benefits and reconciliation	Green energy and efficiency social enterprise as a path to social healing and lower costs. Why is the green economy a good path forwards for people with barriers to employment?	Aki Energy	green energy, efficiency, renewable energy, indigenous reconciliation	08/27/20
23	Bruce Taylor	Efficiency: the best investment	Funding clean water in Africa by saving clients energy, water, resources and money here	Enviro-Stewards	energy efficiency, materials efficiency	08/20/20
22	Catherine Thorn	District energy scaling up	How a former municipal utility is becoming a giant in cleaner heating and cooling for many buildings	Catherine Thorn of Enwave	district heating and cooling, low carbon heating, thermal recycling	08/13/20
21	Mike Andrade	Innovative solar technology	How did Morgan Solar survive China's solar juggernaut, and stay Canadian?	Morgan Solar	solar energy	08/06/20
20	David Roberts	Canada's first net zero bus company	How Victoria Harbour used a 15-year contract to get a net-zero bus system for cruise passengers	Net zero bus company	net zero buses, clean transportation, electric vehicles	07/30/20
19	Jocelyn Molyneux	Worm farming, soil boosting	Collecting office food waste, and feeding it to 1,000,000 worms to make plant food	Jocelyn Molyneux	agriculture, organic waste	07/23/20
18	Yuill Herbert	Sustainability Solutions Group	Workers' cooperative consulting firm that helps create decarbonized, equitable, healthy cities for everyone	Sustainability Solutions Group	energy planning, co-operative, municipal energy plans	07/16/20
17	Sean Drygas	Bullfrog Power	Canada's green energy retailer, so I can heat and light my home without fossil fuels	Bullfrog Power	low carbon electricity and gas, retail	07/09/20
16	Cara Clairman	Plug’n’Drive	Plug'n'Drive stokes public passion for driving electric vehicles, often by letting people try one	Plug’n’Drive	electric vehicles	07/02/20
15	Trish Nixon	Renewable energy investment for everyone	CoPower's green bonds allow almost everyone to put the planet in their portfolio	Trish Nixon, CoPower	green bonds	06/25/20
14	Jennifer Wagner	Putting carbon into concrete	CarbonCure's amazing technology saves money by using CO2 to make concrete stronger	CarbonCure	low-carbon concrete, carbon sequestration	06/18/20
13	Tom Rand	Venture capitalism for clean tech	Early stage funding so that breakthrough technology companies can grow through Canada's notorious valley of death	Arctern Ventures	clean tech finance, venture capital	06/11/20
12	Brandon Moffat	Food waste to power	Brandon explains his passion for turning food waste into low-carbon fertilizer, electricity and natural gas	Brandon Moffat	food waste, clean power	06/04/20
11	Dan Balaban	Renewable power in Alberta	How Dan made Greengate Power Canada's biggest renewable energy developer	Dan Balaban, Greengate Power	solar power, wind energy, electricity, Alberta	05/28/20
10	Tim Nash	Sustainable investing	How Tim became a busy financial planner, helping people put their money where their heart is	Tim Nash	sustainable investing, clean finance, consumers, retail, RRSP	05/21/20
9	Michael Kalmanovich	Earth's General Store	Michael's labour of love for his award-winning, organic, low-waste general store	Earth's General Store	retail, general store	05/14/20
8	Alexandra Tavasoli	Solar catalyst chemistry	Alex's cleantech startup uses solar catalysts invented in Toronto to turn methane and CO2 into a fundamental building block of modern chemistry	Solistra	cleantech, chemistry, solar catalyst	05/07/20
7	Richard Sifton	Solar subdivision	Richard tells Dianne about his new London subdivision. It is medium-density, solar-powered, fossil-free and sells shoes in the pub	West5 Solar Subdivision	solar subdivision	04/30/20
6	Priyanka Lloyd	Growing tomorrow’s Green Economy Heroes	How can local business hubs grow tomorrow’s environmental champions? Priyanka chats about Green Economy Canada and the little businesses that could	Green Economy Canada	green businesses, business hub, B2B, energy efficiency	04/23/20
5	Akhil Sivanandan	Showing consumers their impact	Akhil tells Dianne how Green Story helps green brands grow through the right consumer information, at the right time	GreenStory	retail, transparency, environmental footprint	04/16/20
4	Stephanie McLarty	Second lives for telecom equipment	Stephanie tells Dianne how REfficient finds second lives for used and surplus equipment, allowing smaller telecom companies to compete	REfficient teaser	reuse, waste reduction, equity	04/09/20
3	Bryan Gilvesy	Cows that protect birds	Award-winning farmer, Bryan Gilvesy, tells us how planting native tall grass prairie has restored endangered birds and transformed his cattle ranch	YU Ranch excerpt	regenerative agriculture	04/02/20
2	Frances Edmonds	Changing how Canada buys technology	A billion business decisions are made in Canada every day, rarely with the climate crisis in mind. Can HP change that?	HP Sustainable Impact	procurement, cleantech, IT	03/26/20
1	Paul Dowsett	Plant-based homes	A conversation with architect Paul Dowsett, founder of Sustainable, on his passion for better living in plant-based, energy-efficient homes	Paul Dowsett	plant-based buildings, energy efficiency	03/19/20