Benji sits down with friend Zahra Biabani, author of Climate Optimism: Celebrating Systemic Change Around the World. They discuss the great advances that have been made to curb climate change versus the fear machine that keeps emitting pessimistic pollution.

Brian Gitt—energy entreprenuer, investor, writer—joins Benji this week to discuss the primary myths that are fueling a great deal of environmental activism with hot air; some of which are 180-degrees wrong and cause a great deal of damage. They also get into last week’s BlackRock interview and ESG as a whole, along with a brief discussion on the exciting world of small modular nuclear reactors.

This week Benji sits in-person with Rich Kushel, Senior Managing Director and Head of the Portfolio Management Group at BlackRock. His company has become caught up in the heated partisan fight over Enviromental, Social and Governance investing. Rich explains that BlackRock operates the same way any other investment firm does, working to maximize returns for investors within the parameters they set. And when investor choices include parameters based on the client’s values, the same rules apply. If you’re unsure on what to make of the quarreling, and would like to skip passed the noise in Washington, give a listen!

Ever since we were kids they told us what you get on Christmas when you’re bad. Well, the states and countries that ignored all the warnings that solar, wind and all-electric technonlogies aren’t ready yet won’t have to wait until December to learn their lesson. Unfortunately everybody pays the price for their getting coal this year… But at least Lucy and Benji have some good news to go along with the bad this week. The Washington Post has acknowledged what even semi-serious climate activists have known for years, and now we can easily point to the states which know what they’re doing.

*You really ought to read Harry Stevens’ article. Informative reporting at last!

There’s something special about environmentalists with engineering backgrounds. They have the same good intentions as the rest, plus the added bonus of ideas on real solutions. And if they go to Congress, then we’re really getting somewhere!

Benji sits down with Arkansas Representative and Natural Resources Committee Chair Bruce Westerman. Among other things, they delve into the Lower Energy Costs Act and the distinction between realistic conservation and idealistic preservation.

For our tenth episode of Coming Clean, Benji dives deep into the world of electric vehicles. First he chats with Kristen Siemen, Chief Sustainability Officer for General Motors, whose company is making a major transition to EVs in the years to come. Next he talks with Brent Bennett of Life:Powered, a project of the Texas Public Policy Foundation. He and Benji work through the limitations of our current technologies and what this means for the ambitious goals to rapidly move to an all-electric future.

We’ve got big news! Yes, yes, it’s mostly of the… bad variety. But if you’re gonna get hot takes on bad news regarding the fight against Climate Change, why not get them from true optimists like Benji and Coming Clean’s top correspondent Lucy Biggers? They weigh into a Texas bill which will curb its booming renewable energy sector, along with Tesla’s deal to build their ‘megapak’ batteries in China.

Most of the big changes that happen in life come down to the minor tweaks we make in our behavior. This is no less true in the effort to clean up our environment. Today Benji sits down with Kathryn Kellogg, founder of Going Zero Waste. Starting small and working her way up, she goes through the actions that anybody can make for more sustainable living.

It’s a strange thing that America is simulatenously a “go-go-go!” society and yet simultaneously a sedentary one. Maybe you aren’t ready to follow in the footsteps of today’s guest Conrad Ankler by attempting a Mt. Everest ascent, you’d be wise to tune in to his chat with Benji—perhaps during a stroll through nature!

They discuss the need for time unplugged from the world of glass, cement and steel; along with how “social” media has started a virtual avalanche that’s regressing the forward movement made over the last decade.

For Coming Clean’s first in-person interview, Benji literally sits down (at an actual table!) with Congresswomen Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington’s Fifth District. Representative Rodgers is proud to be cutting the red tape that holds back America’s energy innovators from creating the reliable, affordable energy sources that will keep the country prosperous and clean. She gets into HR 1, responsible permitting reform, and many of the exciting technologies she thinks will bring a brighter future to America — if only we can get busybodies out of the way.

And the effervescent Lucy Biggers returns as there’s a couple big climate stories to get into! She and Benji discuss the just-approved Willow Project in Alaska and the Farmer-Citizen Movement’s big victory in the Netherlands. What do these happenings say about modern activism and what do they mean for the environmental cause? Benji and Lucy have lots of thoughts. Tune in!

Even the best of the best come from humble beginnings. While Jessie Diggins is an Olympic gold medal-winning cross-country skier, she was no different than any other young person when she first became concerned about climate change. Today on Coming Clean, she and Benji discuss why being a novice shouldn’t discourage you from getting involved to tackle big obstacles.

And before the interview, Benji catches up with his good friend Lucy Biggers to talk briefly about the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. They discuss the predictable partisan blames-manship, along with how startling images can loom too large over the big picture.

The Ricochet Audio Network is pleased to announce the premiere of our latest podcast, Coming Clean. Host Benji Backer sits down with a wide array of guests concerned with the environmental challenges before us. He hopes to get people working together, regardless of their political persuasion, toward a common sense approach to climate change that protects our environment and our prosperity.

So tune in to Coming Clean every Tuesday. We kick off tomorrow, February 14th.