Green Success Stories puts Jeff Ackel, CEO of Sigma Thermal, Inc., in The Green Spotlight. Jeff credits his engineering experience with seeing the significant value to be gained in energy efficiency and in reducing waste of all kinds. He describes the advances Sigma Thermal provides in reducing emissions and improving efficiency in industrial equipment. Jeff points to the impactful things we can do to reduce emissions in the industrial space, and how the technology already exists. Per Jeff, the great thing is that efficiency gains benefit everyone and are not a zero-sum game.

Green Success Stories puts James Ayer, Founder and CEO of Siamang Solar, in the Green Spotlight. James shares his journey from soul-sucking corporate America to the challenges, successes, and meaningful efforts of starting and running a climate startup. Siamang Solar offers solar, storage, EV charging, and other energy products to homeowners, businesses, non-profit organizations, and municipalities, and likewise ensures that contributions are made to the recipient’s favorite cause. James stresses optimism in the fight against climate change and encourages those thinking of starting work in this field to just do it!

Green Success Stories sat down with Tory McBrien-Vranken, Connecticut Program Coordinator for WasteZero. Tory described her sustainability journey, including her shift from individual actions to a systemic approach. As Connecticut Program Coordinator for WasteZero she is leading the way on initiatives that transform how we manage waste—recycling, trash, and food scraps—at a community-wide level, including the Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT) solution that can reduce waste by 44%! Tory hopes readers learn that small, systemic changes can have a huge ripple effect in the fight against climate change.

Green Success Stories shines the Green Spotlight on Inna Braverman, CEO and Founder of Eco Wave Power. We discussed her post-Chernobyl mission to make this world a better place, the role of wave energy as a largely untapped source of renewable energy, and the innovations of EWP that make wave energy cost effective, reliable, insurable, and particularly eco-friendly. 

Green Success Stories puts Dave Edlund, Founder and CEO of Element 1 Corp, in the Green Spotlight. Dave describes his sustainability awakening upon realizing that 1/3 of the global population has no steady access to electricity. He details the unique solution Element 1 Corp provides, developing and commercializing machines that convert water with methanol (a simple alcohol) into high-purity, green hydrogen, ultimately providing sustainable, clean, accessible and affordable electrical power.

Green Success Stories sat down with Daniel Kashmir, CEO and Co-Founder of Momentick, a company providing accurate and autonomous capabilities for identifying and quantifying methane and other greenhouse gas emissions on a global scale. Daniel describes the vast extent of existing methane leakage and the climate and financial damage that causes. He points to the need for enhanced monitoring his firm provides, as well as the larger need to increase awareness regarding global warming on a global scale.

Green Success Stories sat down with Champion Olatunji, sustainability consultant and co-founder of LiteOn. Champion discusses his sustainability journey, participating in cleanup efforts in his native Nigeria, and increasingly gaining understanding of the negative impacts on rural communities there as a result of oil exploration. He describes his deep experience, including vast and diverse work in sustainability, helping clients navigate complex regulatory landscapes, improve governance structures, and adopt sustainable practices that align with emerging global standards. Champion further describes the efforts of the startup he co-founded, LiteOn, that provides affordable and sustainable energy solutions for homes and businesses.

Green Success Stories sat down with Jason and Jaime Curtis, co-founders of Option Zero, a climate-focused software development consultancy they run as a husband-wife team. They describe their journey growing their skills at a variety of companies from climate-focused to not, and from tiny startup to Fortune 500, while struggling with life balance. Having developed their unique sets of skills, they realized that their traditional jobs weren’t making the best use of those skills towards climate impact, or their time as a family.  Developing and running Option Zero has enabled them now to lead a life of enhanced connection, meaning, and impact.

Green Success Stories sat down with John Hoffman, Co-CEO of SunGreen Systems, Inc. John describes his path from a coal mining locale to leadership of a major commercial solar engineering, procurement and construction firm in Southern California. He shares how high-quality, sustainable energy systems help businesses reduce their carbon footprint, achieve energy independence, and contribute to a greener future.

Green Success Stories sat down with David McDougall of McDougall Energy Advisors. We discussed the challenges and opportunities he has undertaken to effect meaningful change and bring about a low carbon future. David discusses his efforts to help organizations reduce consumption of fossil fuel and move toward renewable energy, and points to smart planning as the means toward future payback of a zero carbon future.

Green Success Stories sat down with Dr. Sotiria Anagnostou, Board Director of AZ CleanTech. We discussed her mission to make corporations more sustainable, her excitement at heading Arizona’s first platform uniting the entire climate community, and her vision for a future surge in clean technology.

Green Success Stories puts Abhiri Khisty, Project Manager for Sustainable Buildings at Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL), in the Green Spotlight. Abhiri describes her excitement at finding eco-friendly solutions with sustainable design, and her efforts at JLL to collaboratively deliver challenging sustainability projects related to new construction and existing buildings.

Green Success Stories sat down with Simonas Valadkevicius, Founder and SEO of Lavastream, a Lithuanian renewable energy company that develops geothermal power production and electricity storage assets in Lithuania and Poland. Simonas describes his dramatic turnaround from oil and gas to renewable energy, and the enormous potential of geothermal as a zero-emission climate-friendly energy solution. He looks forward to a time when coal and natural gas are remembered as an archaic way of generating energy, and invites others with oil, gas, and commodity trade experience to join him on this meaningful journey.

Green Success Stories shines the Green Spotlight on Matt Macunas, co-founder of Weather Trade Net. Matt describes his north star sustainability instincts from early on, his work in energy policy, in financing climate tech, in consulting and in leading Weather Trade Net from the US side. He describes the many use cases of the climate risk data analysis his firm provides, from helping firms comply with regulatory requirements through helping them develop sound financial and risk transparency and mitigation planning. Matt stresses the far-ranging involvement of sustainability in all our futures, and the openness of the field to people from all backgrounds and levels of prior knowledge who are ready to help our world in the fight against climate change.

Green Success Stories puts Kelsey Alexander, Sustainability Manager at RE Tech Advisors, in the Green Spotlight. We discussed her journey from sustainable agriculture and providing food to people without access, through her efforts to helping with sustainability in the built environment, particularly with holistic ESG strategy and implementation for global real estate funds. Noting that the built environment accounts for 40% of greenhouse gas emissions globally – the shelter we need is destroying the planet that shelters us – Kelsey calls for a systemic integrated approach to achieve sustainability in the industry, with supporting real estate funds right now in improving their ESG performance being of paramount importance.

Green Success Stories puts Ashley Besic, Thermal Energy Networks Senior Associate at the Building Decarbonization Coalition, in the Green Spotlight. Ashley shares her passion for implementing neighborhood-scale building decarbonization solutions, using thermal energy networks (TENs) as a holistic sustainability solution, and merging expertise in real estate, collaboration, and technology to foster resilient, equitable communities across the country.

Green Success Stories puts McQuillen Martinez, Sustainability Analyst at WAP Sustainability Consulting, in the Green Spotlight. We discussed the sadness McQuillen felt at the disappearance of white Christmases and the muting of autumn colors in his native Boston area, and how it led him to working toward fighting to protect the natural world. We discussed the wide range of consulting, carbon management, ESG, Life Cycle Assessments and other services his team offers, as well as his role in providing comprehensive support for clients carbon management and ESG efforts. He described the joy he feels at leading clients’ evolution from reluctant participants to passionate advocates for meaningful climate action.

Green Success Stories sat down with Ashutosh Deshpande, Environmental Manager of California Facilities of Grifols. We discussed his growth in sustainability awareness, education, and action, his sustainability professional certification, and his efforts to help companies get ISO certified. Per Ashutosh, journeys begin with small steps and, over time, accumulate to great (green) successes.

Green Success Stories had a great conversation with Kirstin Skyrm, Sustainability Specialist at Preferred By Nature (PbN). We discussed her move from the financial sector to follow her passion for sustainability, and her ability to bring her analytical and quantitative skills to her work in mitigating deforestation and ecosystem conversion and other green efforts. Kirstin described her work with PbN developing sustainability due diligence systems within company supply chains, as well PbN’s wide range of assurance, certification, advisory, capacity building, carbon footprint management and other initiatives. She invites readers to connect via LinkedIn and to learn more about PbN at http://www.preferredbynature.org.

Green Success Stories sat down with Sarah Shepard, Senior Sustainability Quality Manager at Edwards Garment. We discussed their commitment to sustainability in the apparel industry, their quantifiable approach to meeting objectives, their innovative efforts including using recycled materials in the uniforms they make, their optimization of manufacturing and logistics toward minimizing waste and energy consumption, and in general their hope for a more sustainable future in which organizations manage the delicate interplay between innovation and regulation.