Eco-Logic Podcasts – 2026

Claire Smith, based in Geneva, Switzerland, is the CEO of Beyond Investing and Chief Innovative Officer for Beyond Impact. These two ventures work in concert, one providing impact investing, the other advancing startups for plant-based and cruelty-free businesses. The Exchange Traded Fund which she and her colleagues created, in aggregate over seven years, is almost 3% ahead of the S&P 500.

Allen Hershkowitz PhD is an environmental scientist who has worked at the confluence of climate and sports for 25 years. He notes that today nearly every major sports league and each venue has a sustainability plan but points squarely to the current rollback in federal support for greening which has retarded progress and made his work more difficult. A recent success was getting the Yankees management to host the United Nations at its stadium and to pledge ongoing support for the Paris Accords.

Laura Deehan has been the State Director for Environment California since 2021. Environment California is particularly focused on areas that have widespread support as well as areas where it can activate Californians to effectively take a stand. She makes it clear that there are serious issues to address such as air quality, water pollution, the big impacts of climate change but also notes that California is a leader in solving problems and that the public is engaged and aware and that there is lot of support for solutions - like investing in clean energy and electric vehicles.

Rei Vardi is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Eon, a car rental company that is "building a mobility platform." The company only rents privately-owned electric vehicles. Owners put their cars on the platform and specify the terms they want. After eight years developing and scaling the model, Rei and his colleagues have over 3,000 cars in their network, with business activity in 50 cities. Eon boasts that its network now is the easiest way to rent a car.

Hugh Broadhurst is the Chief Operating Officer for Aclara Resources, a company focused on sustainable mining of rare earth minerals for electric vehicles, wind turbines, submarines, drones, robotics, and more. Hugh begins with an explanation of how rare earth minerals are used in EV motors to maintain their magnets' strength at temperatures above 100 degree Celsius.

Chéri Smith heads up the Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy. She is of My'kyma descent, a tribe from Northern Maine and the Canadian Maritimes. She makes clear how profound the political changes have been to the tribes. The cancellation of many projects, and the loss of tax credits and other support programs, has eroded trust that had been building - necessary to develop large-scale projects that can boost economic development on tribal lands.

According to David Kilzer, the fusion of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics is the biggest leap for mankind since fire! His bold predictions: AI-power robotics will be prevalent in industry this decade, and will likely be ubiquitous in homes in the 2030s.

Ben Airth is the Policy Director for Freedom Forever, the largest residential solar company in the country. Freedom Forever installs solar systems in 30 states plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. For Freedom Forever's management, Ben tracks state regulations, state legislation, and federal policies to guide program development and sales.

After growing up in England and Egypt, and a 25-year stint in Australia, Nigel Mason moved to Bali, Indonesia where he and his wife created an elephant park for rescued Sumatran elephants that would have lived 3 - 7 years in captivity in Sumatra but now may live for 50 - 60 years. Over a seven-year period the park has rescued 27 elephants at a time when there are less than 1,000 Sumatran elephants left in the wild.

Farhad Abasov is the Chairman, Director and Co-Founder of Millennial Potash which is developing mines to supply potash to the global market. Potash is a form of potassium - potassium chloride - considered the king of fertilizers. Millennial Potash has a big mission... to feed the world's growing population.

Bill McKibben co-founded 350.org nearly 20 years ago to raise awareness about climate. He has written 20 books and earned over 20 honorary doctorates from colleagues and universities. He also is a recipient of the Right Livelihood Award, considered the alternative Nobel Peace Prize, and the Gandhi Peace Prize. This conversation begins with a discussion of his most recent book, Here Comes the Sun. He emphasizes that the time has come for solar to power our global society.