Today’s episode is a very sweet reunion with my former podcast co-host Alex Blumberg. Alex and I co-created How to Save a Planet, which ran for 2 years as Spotify’s flagship climate show. This episode opens with the hilariously unlikely origin story of our fab collab.
Teeny request: When you hit play, also hit follow :)
Podcast nerds will be familiar with Alex’s work, but for the rest: Alex was a longtime producer at This American Life, one of the biggest radio/podcast shows of all-time. He went on to co-create to show Planet Money, and then co-founded Gimlet Media, a podcast company that launched huge shows like Reply All and Science Vs. Gimlet also made How to Save a Planet. Alex is a master of narrative storytelling, and he’s got some thoughts to share with us on climate communication.
While Alex and I meet up for the occasional dinner or stroll, this was our first time back in a recording studio together since 2022. He’s now retired from podcasting — he hung up his headphones and launched something entirely different, something that makes him a legitimate guest on this show about getting it right on climate. (This is not just a nostalgia episode!) What exactly is that something? Well, Alex taught me the importance of a good narrative tease, so if you want to find out, you’re just going to have to listen. (Also, here’s a hint.)
Alex’s CALLS TO ACTION
Less hectoring and less judgment and more doing. Just figure out something to do that can affect somebody beyond you. (Climate Venn anyone?)
Join your condo/HOA boards to advocate for clean energy and energy efficiency measures
Mentioned in the episode:
How to Save a Planet — check out the back catalog on Spotify or Apple
Alex’s company: Daisy Chain Energy
Buildings and construction account for 38% of CO2 emissions globally—cement manufacturing alone accounts for 8%
NYC’s building energy grading law requires buildings to benchmark their energy and water consumption. (Get an A on
NYC’s Local Law 97 (enacted in 2019) aims to drive deep emissions cuts from buildings, which are responsible for more than two-thirds of NYC’s greenhouse gas emissions.
IRS residential clean energy credit (30% of installation cost)
CREDITS
This episode was made possible with the support of Future Being, a grantmaking and special projects studio which supports the healing of our planet and the safeguarding of biological and cultural diversity.
This show is produced and edited by Matthew Nelson/Stramash Media and me (Ayana), with help from Jenisha Shrestha. And many thanks to our guest Alex Blumberg.
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