Age of Adoption

Hosted by Keith Zakheim

TechnologyInterviews guests

Website RSS feed LinkedIn

Episodes

101

Latest episode

Oct 2026

Language

About the show

The Age of Adoption podcast explores the monumental transition from a period of social, economic, and environmental research and exploration – an Age of Innovation – to today's world in which companies across the economy are furiously deploying sustainable solutions – the Age of Adoption. Listen as our host, Keith Zakheim, CEO of Antenna Group, talks with experts from across the climate, energy, health, and real estate sectors to discuss what the transition means for business and society, and how corporates and startups can rise above competitors to lead in this new age. This podcast is brought to you by Antenna Group, a global marketing and communications agency that partners with Fully Conscious brands — those with the courage to lead transformative change across Climate & Energy, Real Estate, Health, and beyond. Our clients include visionary corporations, startups, investors, and nonprofits who recognize that meaningful impact requires more than awareness; it demands bold action. In today's Age of Adoption, where every sector must incorporate sustainable solutions into foundational systems, we amplify brands standing at the forefront of change, shaping a better future for our planet and its people. To learn more, visit antennagroup.com.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

October 20, 202622 min

Why Place Still Matters

What if the smartest cities in the world are still running on 50-year-old infrastructure? Carrie Denning Jackson, Director of Innovation and Sustainability at global real estate firm Jamestown, joins Keith Zakheim for the podcast's 100th episode to explore why physical space still matters in a digital age. A Stanford thesis on the New York Stock Exchange convinced her cities aren't going anywhere, and she's now proving it at one of real estate's most iconic firms. She explains how adaptive reuse cuts carbon emissions and why buildings still lag on digitization. "This is not window dressing," she says of Jamestown's culture. What will it take to make cities smart? Carrie Denning Jackson is Director of Innovation and Sustainability at Jamestown, a global real estate investment and management firm behind some of America's most iconic mixed-use destinations. She has led Jamestown's innovation team for about five years, championing ideas across the organization through programs like Innovation Ideas, launched in 2017. A Stanford graduate with a thesis on the New York Stock Exchange and physical space, she also serves on the boards of Governors Island and the Nature Conservancy's New York chapter, and previously worked with Dan Doctoroff at Sidewalk Labs. In This Episode: (00:00) Carrie Denning Jackson shares her winding path from Stanford to Jamestown (12:35) Adaptive reuse and lower carbon emissions data (14:37) Jamestown's Innovation Ideas program and culture (17:54) AI adoption and slow building digitization progress (21:17) Antenna Group's Conscious Compass Assessment resources Share with someone who would enjoy this topic, like and subscribe to hear all of our future episodes, send us your comments and guest suggestions! About the show: The Age of Adoption podcast explores the monumental transition from a period of social, economic, and environmental research and exploration – an Age of Innovation – to today's world in which companies across the economy are furiously deploying sustainable solutions – the Age of Adoption. Listen as our host, Keith Zakheim, CEO of Antenna Group, talks with experts from across the climate, energy, health, and real estate sectors to discuss what the transition means for business and society, and how corporates and startups can rise above competitors to lead in this new age. This podcast is brought to you by Antenna Group, a global marketing and communications agency that partners with Fully Conscious brands — those with the courage to lead transformative change across Climate & Energy, Real Estate, Health, and beyond. Our clients include visionary corporations, startups, investors, and nonprofits who recognize that meaningful impact requires more than awareness; it demands bold action. In today's Age of Adoption, where every sector must incorporate sustainable solutions into foundational systems, we amplify brands standing at the forefront of change, shaping a better future for our planet and its people. To learn more, visit antennagroup.com . Resources: Carrie Denning Jackson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carrie-denning-jackson/ Antenna Group Keith Zakheim LinkedIn

September 10, 202619 min

Chemistry for a Changing World

Why do the most sustainable products often carry a price premium — and can that ever change? Vivi Hollertt leads global sustainability strategy for Nouryon, the specialty chemicals maker spun off from AkzoNobel. On this episode, she explains why 96% of everyday products, from EVs to pharmaceuticals, trace back to chemistry, and why her team treats sustainability as a growth lever, not an ideology. "It's truly foundational for growth," she says, tying safer, biodegradable, low-carbon products directly to revenue and cost savings. But can sustainable products shed their price premium? Hollertt says closing that gap depends on scale, feedstock availability, and staying close to customers. Vivi Hollertt leads global sustainability strategy for Nouryon and chairs its sustainability network, setting direction across climate, circularity, safety, and social performance. She began in communications, with roles at Heineken and Fleishman-Hillard, before joining AkzoNobel. When the specialty chemicals division became Nouryon after its 2018 sale to the Carlyle Group, she led carve-out communications and the new company's launch. Nouryon's chairman and CEO then asked her to take on sustainability, too. With no sustainability background, she completed an eight-week Cambridge course and has since moved fully into leading the function. In This Episode: (00:00) Vivi Hollertt of Nouryon - her Nouryon sustainability role (03:34) Vivi's path from communications into leading sustainability at Nouryon (08:09) Vivi explains specialty chemicals and their broad economic impact (10:33) Sustainability as a growth lever and the business case for it (13:28) Bio-based chemicals, circular chemistry, and challenges of scale and cost Share with someone who would enjoy this topic, like and subscribe to hear all of our future episodes, send us your comments and guest suggestions! About the show: The Age of Adoption podcast explores the monumental transition from a period of social, economic, and environmental research and exploration – an Age of Innovation – to today's world in which companies across the economy are furiously deploying sustainable solutions – the Age of Adoption. Listen as our host, Keith Zakheim, CEO of Antenna Group, talks with experts from across the climate, energy, health, and real estate sectors to discuss what the transition means for business and society, and how corporates and startups can rise above competitors to lead in this new age. This podcast is brought to you by Antenna Group, a global marketing and communications agency that partners with Fully Conscious brands — those with the courage to lead transformative change across Climate & Energy, Real Estate, Health, and beyond. Our clients include visionary corporations, startups, investors, and nonprofits who recognize that meaningful impact requires more than awareness; it demands bold action. In today's Age of Adoption, where every sector must incorporate sustainable solutions into foundational systems, we amplify brands standing at the forefront of change, shaping a better future for our planet and its people. To learn more, visit antennagroup.com . Resources: Vivi Hollertt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vivihollertt/ Antenna Group Keith Zakheim LinkedIn

September 9, 202632 min

The Long Road to Nuclear

What does it take for a lifelong nuclear skeptic to become the CFO of a nuclear company? Keith Zakheim talks with X-energy CFO Daniel Gross about nuclear energy's shift from niche to mainstream infrastructure investment. A self-described former nuclear skeptic, Gross explains the safety science behind advanced reactors, his path through GE Capital, Goldman Sachs, and Amazon's Climate Pledge Fund, and what it will take to make nuclear as routine to finance as wind and solar. Holding up X-energy's ceramic pebble, he says, "good luck trying to get plutonium out of that." What can decades of financing wind and solar teach nuclear now? For energy and real estate audiences, this conversation gets specific about risk and safety. Daniel Gross is Chief Financial Officer of X-energy, an advanced nuclear reactor company based in Maryland. His career in energy finance spans three decades, beginning at GE Capital's energy financial services business, followed by private equity and venture capital investing at Goldman Sachs' Special Situations Group. In 2021, Gross joined Amazon to co-head the Climate Pledge Fund, leading Amazon's investment in X-energy before becoming its CFO in late 2025. A longtime professor of clean energy finance, Gross holds degrees from Yale's School of Management and School of the Environment. In This Episode: (00:00) 100th episode and introduces Daniel Gross (06:04) From GE Capital through Goldman Sachs to Amazon (12:48) Personal shift from nuclear skeptic to nuclear advocate (16:11) X-energy's ceramic pebble fuel and reactor safety design (24:51) Conversation turns to lessons from financing early wind and solar projects (30:19) Keith closes the episode thanking Daniel and previewing the next hundred Share with someone who would enjoy this topic, like and subscribe to hear all of our future episodes, send us your comments and guest suggestions! About the show: The Age of Adoption podcast explores the monumental transition from a period of social, economic, and environmental research and exploration – an Age of Innovation – to today's world in which companies across the economy are furiously deploying sustainable solutions – the Age of Adoption. Listen as our host, Keith Zakheim, CEO of Antenna Group, talks with experts from across the climate, energy, health, and real estate sectors to discuss what the transition means for business and society, and how corporates and startups can rise above competitors to lead in this new age. This podcast is brought to you by Antenna Group, a global marketing and communications agency that partners with Fully Conscious brands — those with the courage to lead transformative change across Climate & Energy, Real Estate, Health, and beyond. Our clients include visionary corporations, startups, investors, and nonprofits who recognize that meaningful impact requires more than awareness; it demands bold action. In today's Age of Adoption, where every sector must incorporate sustainable solutions into foundational systems, we amplify brands standing at the forefront of change, shaping a better future for our planet and its people. To learn more, visit antennagroup.com . Resources: "Going Nuclear" by Tim Gregory — https://www.tim-gregory.co.uk/goingnuclear Daniel Gross LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-gross-081237b/ Antenna Group Keith Zakheim LinkedIn

July 21, 202624 min

The New Case for Nuclear

What if the biggest obstacle to nuclear energy was never the technology — but the story? Jon Wentzel, Senior Vice President of Communications at the Nuclear Energy Institute, joins host Keith Zakheim to trace how nuclear messaging shifted from defending safety to explaining scale. "It's really changing the way we communicate about the solutions that we can provide," Wentzel says. He unpacks Wyoming's Kemmerer project, coal-to-nuclear job conversions, and why fuel security matters more than ever. For energy leaders and communicators: how do you build trust before the bulldozers arrive? Jon Wentzel is Senior Vice President of Communications at the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), where he leads media relations, executive communications, digital strategy, and public affairs for the industry's national trade association. Before joining NEI in 2017, he spent roughly 25 years in large advertising and public relations firms, including a decade at Ogilvy, where he helped major brands shape their sustainability stories. Since arriving at NEI, Wentzel has helped guide the nuclear industry's communications through a pivotal era — from defending plant closures to messaging a genuine construction and innovation renaissance driven by demand growth, decarbonization, and energy security. In This Episode: (00:00) Introduction and guest Jon Wentzel's background (03:33) Jon Wentzel's career journey into nuclear (09:26) The central Age of Adoption question (10:34) Jon explains three inflection points reshaping nuclear industry communications (14:39) Community engagement, Wyoming's Kemmerer project, coal-to-nuclear jobs discussed (20:03) Energy resiliency, security, and how nuclear fuel refueling works Share with someone who would enjoy this topic, like and subscribe to hear all of our future episodes, send us your comments and guest suggestions! About the show: The Age of Adoption podcast explores the monumental transition from a period of social, economic, and environmental research and exploration – an Age of Innovation – to today's world in which companies across the economy are furiously deploying sustainable solutions – the Age of Adoption. Listen as our host, Keith Zakheim, CEO of Antenna Group, talks with experts from across the climate, energy, health, and real estate sectors to discuss what the transition means for business and society, and how corporates and startups can rise above competitors to lead in this new age. This podcast is brought to you by Antenna Group, a global marketing and communications agency that partners with Fully Conscious brands — those with the courage to lead transformative change across Climate & Energy, Real Estate, Health, and beyond. Our clients include visionary corporations, startups, investors, and nonprofits who recognize that meaningful impact requires more than awareness; it demands bold action. In today's Age of Adoption, where every sector must incorporate sustainable solutions into foundational systems, we amplify brands standing at the forefront of change, shaping a better future for our planet and its people. To learn more, visit antennagroup.com . Resources: Jon Wentzel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-wentzel-0a31bb1/ Nuclear Energy Institute: https://www.nei.org/ Antenna Group Keith Zakheim LinkedIn

June 23, 202619 min

The Backbone of Electrification

What if the biggest barrier to the energy transition isn't generation or demand — but the invisible infrastructure layer connecting them? Lisa Magnuson has spent two decades at the intersection of utilities and technology, focused on one core challenge: how to turn complex infrastructure into real-world adoption. From her early years as the first marketing hire at Silver Spring Networks — helping large utilities adopt smart grid networking through a successful IPO — to a front-row seat at PG&E, she has watched the industry evolve from within. Now at Landis+Gyr, she is focused on the next phase of the transition: enabling a more intelligent, responsive grid through real-time data, connectivity, and grid-edge innovation. While most conversations about the energy transition focus on generation and demand, Lisa argues the real story is the invisible layer underneath: metering, data, and real-time connectivity. As electricity demand grows twice as fast as total energy demand — driven by EVs, data centers, and electrification everywhere — that backbone becomes non-negotiable. "When you put intelligence into the grid, it now can respond," she says. Extreme weather has raised public awareness of utility challenges in a way that little else has, creating what Lisa sees as the right conditions for real, scalable solutions to finally take hold. Lisa Magnuson is a marketing and communications leader with deep expertise in energy infrastructure and utility technology. She began her career at Apple and NeXT before joining Silver Spring Networks as the company's first marketing hire, rising over 14-15 years to VP of Marketing and staying through a successful IPO. She then moved to PG&E — one of Silver Spring's largest customers — where she experienced firsthand the operational and communications challenges utilities face. She subsequently held roles at Bozilla and Bloom Energy before partnering with Landis+Gyr on a rebranding initiative, where she now focuses on the company's transformation as a global leader in grid-edge intelligence. In This Episode: (00:00) Lisa Magnuson and the energy transition backdrop (04:07) From Apple and NeXT to Silver Spring Networks (07:54) Lessons from PG&E: ratepayers, customers, and communications challenges (09:29) Grid intelligence and Landis+Gyr's essential role in electrification (12:17) Lisa's Age of Adoption story: building the energy internet (13:47) Communicating grid complexity and what excites and worries Lisa Share with someone who would enjoy this topic, like and subscribe to hear all of our future episodes, send us your comments and guest suggestions! About the show: The Age of Adoption podcast explores the monumental transition from a period of social, economic, and environmental research and exploration – an Age of Innovation – to today's world in which companies across the economy are furiously deploying sustainable solutions – the Age of Adoption. Listen as our host, Keith Zakheim, CEO of Antenna Group, talks with experts from across the climate, energy, health, and real estate sectors to discuss what the transition means for business and society, and how corporates and startups can rise above competitors to lead in this new age. This podcast is brought to you by Antenna Group, a global marketing and communications agency that partners with Fully Conscious brands — those with the courage to lead transformative change across Climate & Energy, Real Estate, Health, and beyond. Our clients include visionary corporations, startups, investors, and nonprofits who recognize that meaningful impact requires more than awareness; it demands bold action. In today's Age of Adoption, where every sector must incorporate sustainable solutions into foundational systems, we amplify brands standing at the forefront of change, shaping a better future for our planet and its people. To learn more, visit antennagroup.com . Resources: Lisa Magnuson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisamag/ Antenna Group Keith Zakheim LinkedIn

June 9, 202621 min

From Commitments to Measurable Action

The data says we're making real progress on climate. So why does the conversation still feel like we're losing, and what does it mean to finally separate the signal from the noise? Joe Speicher didn't arrive at Autodesk's Chief Sustainability Officer role through a conventional channel. Deutsche Bank, the Peace Corps in the Philippines, impact investing — each stop informed how he thinks about deploying capital and measuring what actually changes. That background matters now more than ever, because the sustainability conversation, he argues, has too often been happening at the wrong altitude. Organizations set targets, publish disclosures, and track compliance. Meanwhile, the real decisions — how a building gets designed, which materials get specified, how early-stage procurement choices lock in carbon for decades — happen elsewhere, mostly without sustainability in the room. Autodesk's software sits upstream in that process, shaping choices before ground is ever broken in industries responsible for roughly 40% of global emissions. "Sustainability cannot be a sidecar," Speicher says. It has to be embedded in the tools people use every day, making it everyone's job rather than one team's report. He also makes the case for reading the data honestly: 40% of global electricity now comes from renewables and nuclear, 43 countries have peak emissions behind them, and $2.3 trillion was invested in the energy transition in 2025. Are you building your strategy around the signals — or the noise? Joe Speicher is Chief Sustainability Officer at Autodesk, where he leads global ESG strategy and works to embed carbon intelligence across the tools used by architects, engineers, contractors, and asset operators — industries collectively responsible for roughly 40% of global emissions. His path to the role was anything but direct: he began his career in finance at Deutsche Bank, served in the Peace Corps in the Philippines, and spent years working at the intersection of impact investing and corporate philanthropy before becoming Autodesk's CSO. That cross-sector background — finance, development, technology — shapes how he approaches sustainability as a strategic business function rather than a compliance obligation, focused on translating climate risk into decisions that drive measurable resilience and performance. In This Episode: (00:00) Joe Speicher’s unconventional path to climate leadership (03:26) From Deutsche Bank and Peace Corps to leading Autodesk's sustainability strategy (06:41) Why a finance and development background sharpens climate decision-making (09:20) Reading the real signals: global emissions progress and the economics driving change (12:05) Moving from commitments to action: embedding carbon intelligence into daily workflows (14:11) Climate adaptation, wildfire recovery, and the CSO as strategic operator Share with someone who would enjoy this topic, like and subscribe to hear all of our future episodes, send us your comments and guest suggestions! About the show: The Age of Adoption podcast explores the monumental transition from a period of social, economic, and environmental research and exploration – an Age of Innovation – to today's world in which companies across the economy are furiously deploying sustainable solutions – the Age of Adoption. Listen as our host, Keith Zakheim, CEO of Antenna Group, talks with experts from across the climate, energy, health, and real estate sectors to discuss what the transition means for business and society, and how corporates and startups can rise above competitors to lead in this new age. This podcast is brought to you by Antenna Group, a global marketing and communications agency that partners with Fully Conscious brands — those with the courage to lead transformative change across Climate & Energy, Real Estate, Health, and beyond. Our clients include visionary corporations, startups, investors, and nonprofits who recognize that meaningful impact requires more than awareness; it demands bold action. In today's Age of Adoption, where every sector must incorporate sustainable solutions into foundational systems, we amplify brands standing at the forefront of change, shaping a better future for our planet and its people. To learn more, visit antennagroup.com . Resources: Joe Speicher : https://www.linkedin.com/in/joespeicher/ Antenna Group Keith Zakheim LinkedIn

May 19, 202626 min

Net Positive

What would it take to fit a geothermal system into a 125-year-old Manhattan co-op — and what happens when you actually do it? Mike Richter spent two decades as one of the NHL's elite goaltenders, winning a Stanley Cup with the New York Rangers. Now, as President of Brightcore Energy, he's applying the same discipline and focus to decarbonizing commercial buildings. On this episode of Age of Adoption, Richter breaks down why geothermal heating and cooling — long considered niche and prohibitively expensive — is finally hitting its stride. "If I'm a competitor of yours and my energy costs are 40 to 50% lower than yours, I'm eating your lunch," he says. Brightcore's turnkey model — integrating design, drilling, financing, and a 10-year performance guarantee — removes the friction that has kept geothermal on the sidelines for decades. Drawing on lessons from Scandinavia, where geothermal penetration tops 25% compared to less than 1% in North America, Richter argues the technology is commercially proven and deployment-ready. Mike Richter is President of Brightcore Energy, a turnkey clean energy firm serving commercial, institutional, and government clients across geothermal, solar, and energy efficiency solutions. Before entering the energy sector, Richter was one of the NHL's premier goaltenders for two decades, earning a Stanley Cup championship with the New York Rangers and representing the United States in multiple Olympic Games. After retiring from professional hockey, he pursued undergraduate studies and coursework at Yale's School of Forestry, developing a foundation in environmental policy and resource economics. He joined Riverkeeper's board before moving into clean energy finance, ultimately joining Brightcore in 2016. Richter brings a rare combination of competitive discipline, academic grounding, and business acumen to one of the most consequential challenges in building decarbonization. In This Episode: (00:00) Mike Richter, Stanley Cup goalie turned energy leader (03:50) Richter's career path from hockey to Yale and environmental advocacy (08:39) How Brightcore Energy was founded and why geothermal was chosen (14:24) Brightcore's age of adoption story: lighting, solar, and geothermal scale-up (21:30) Economics of geothermal: cost, scale, and competitive advantage explained (24:28) Host wraps with why adoption is now economics, not just virtue Share with someone who would enjoy this topic, like and subscribe to hear all of our future episodes, send us your comments and guest suggestions! About the show: The Age of Adoption podcast explores the monumental transition from a period of social, economic, and environmental research and exploration – an Age of Innovation – to today's world in which companies across the economy are furiously deploying sustainable solutions – the Age of Adoption. Listen as our host, Keith Zakheim, CEO of Antenna Group, talks with experts from across the climate, energy, health, and real estate sectors to discuss what the transition means for business and society, and how corporates and startups can rise above competitors to lead in this new age. This podcast is brought to you by Antenna Group, a global marketing and communications agency that partners with Fully Conscious brands — those with the courage to lead transformative change across Climate & Energy, Real Estate, Health, and beyond. Our clients include visionary corporations, startups, investors, and nonprofits who recognize that meaningful impact requires more than awareness; it demands bold action. In today's Age of Adoption, where every sector must incorporate sustainable solutions into foundational systems, we amplify brands standing at the forefront of change, shaping a better future for our planet and its people. To learn more, visit antennagroup.com . Resources: Michael Richter LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-richter/ Brightcore Energy: https://brightcoreenergy.com/ Conscious Compass Assessment (at antennagroup.com) — Assess your brand against the eight traits of brand consciousness Antenna Group Keith Zakheim LinkedIn

April 8, 202623 min

The Business Case for Adaptation

Why are Fortune 500 companies still investing billions in climate resilience while staying publicly silent about it? Emilie Mazzacurati, Founding Partner at Tailwind Futures, didn't start in venture capital—she began in European public policy before pivoting to carbon markets and eventually climate adaptation. After selling her climate risk company 427 to Moody's in 2019, she recognized a critical gap: the innovation ecosystem wasn't supporting adaptation solutions. Her core thesis? "We don't have time to wait for a full cycle of this tiny company that's going to become very big in 10 years. We need the solutions in three years." Emilie argues that climate resilience has shifted from virtue signaling to business imperative. Corporations are still investing heavily in adaptation, just talking about it differently—focusing on economics, risk mitigation, and operational continuity rather than moral arguments. How is your business preparing for climate impacts that are already locked in? Emilie Mazzacurati is Founding Partner at Tailwind Futures, an investment and innovation platform accelerating climate adaptation and resilience solutions. Trained in political science and public policy, she began her career in European government before pivoting to climate after watching Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" in 2006. She founded 427, one of the first companies translating climate models into business risk signals for corporations managing millions of asset locations. After selling 427 to Moody's in 2019, she helped integrate climate data into global financial analytics before co-founding Tailwind Futures with Katie McDonald. Emilie focuses on fast-tracking adaptation innovation through corporate partnerships, bridging the gap between early-stage climate tech and enterprise adoption. In This Episode: (00:00) Emilie's career journey from European policy to climate risk (10:06) Tailwind Futures and the adaptation investment landscape today (16:32) How corporations discuss climate investments amid political headwinds (19:51) Emerging resilience technologies and phase change material innovations (22:02) Closing remarks Share with someone who would enjoy this topic, like and subscribe to hear all of our future episodes, send us your comments and guest suggestions! About the show: The Age of Adoption podcast explores the monumental transition from a period of social, economic, and environmental research and exploration – an Age of Innovation – to today's world in which companies across the economy are furiously deploying sustainable solutions – the Age of Adoption. Listen as our host, Keith Zakheim, CEO of Antenna Group, talks with experts from across the climate, energy, health, and real estate sectors to discuss what the transition means for business and society, and how corporates and startups can rise above competitors to lead in this new age. This podcast is brought to you by Antenna Group, a global marketing and communications agency that partners with Fully Conscious brands — those with the courage to lead transformative change across Climate & Energy, Real Estate, Health, and beyond. Our clients include visionary corporations, startups, investors, and nonprofits who recognize that meaningful impact requires more than awareness; it demands bold action. In today's Age of Adoption, where every sector must incorporate sustainable solutions into foundational systems, we amplify brands standing at the forefront of change, shaping a better future for our planet and its people. To learn more, visit antennagroup.com . Resources: Emilie Mazzacurati LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emazzacurati/ Tailwind Futures: https://www.tailwindfutures.com/ Antenna Group Keith Zakheim LinkedIn

March 24, 202630 min

Scaling the Circular Economy

Did you know the U.S. has only 27 years of median landfill capacity left while throwing away $6.5 billion in reusable materials every year? Ron Gonen, Founder and CEO of Closed Loop Partners, challenges everything you thought you knew about recycling economics. With backing from Walmart, Unilever, Coke, and Pepsi, Ron reveals how America has only 27 years of median landfill capacity left while throwing away $6.5 billion in reusable materials annually. "The landfill industry deserves a PR award of the century," Ron argues, exposing how they convinced us recycling costs money when landfill disposal actually costs more per ton. Can circular economy become the rare bipartisan win in Washington? Ron explains why robotics, material science, and supply chain chaos are finally making his vision scalable. Ron Gonen is the Founder and CEO of Closed Loop Partners, a venture capital firm investing in circular economy solutions backed by Walmart, Unilever, Coke, Pepsi, and other Fortune 500 companies. His sustainability journey began in 1980s Philadelphia, babysitting for green architect Paul Macht, and continued when he co-founded Recycle Bank in 2003. Ron later served in the Michael Bloomberg administration, where he gained critical insights into municipal waste management. He launched Closed Loop Partners in 2014 to address the growing complexity, cost, and risk of global supply chains. Ron's work focuses on robotics, material science, and infrastructure that makes circular economy economically viable and politically bipartisan. In This Episode: (00:00) Ron Gonen's sustainability path begins in his babysitting days (07:48) Post World War II consumer culture and the Madison Avenue shift (10:10) Career journey from Recycle Bank through Bloomberg to Closed Loop (15:43) Landfill industry's PR triumph and the real economics of recycling (20:13) Age of adoption answer: supply chains, bipartisan support, and robotics (25:46) Climate community must become more inclusive and less exclusive Share with someone who would enjoy this topic, like and subscribe to hear all of our future episodes, send us your comments and guest suggestions! About the show: The Age of Adoption podcast explores the monumental transition from a period of social, economic, and environmental research and exploration – an Age of Innovation – to today's world in which companies across the economy are furiously deploying sustainable solutions – the Age of Adoption. Listen as our host, Keith Zakheim, CEO of Antenna Group, talks with experts from across the climate, energy, health, and real estate sectors to discuss what the transition means for business and society, and how corporates and startups can rise above competitors to lead in this new age. This podcast is brought to you by Antenna Group, a global marketing and communications agency that partners with Fully Conscious brands — those with the courage to lead transformative change across Climate & Energy, Real Estate, Health, and beyond. Our clients include visionary corporations, startups, investors, and nonprofits who recognize that meaningful impact requires more than awareness; it demands bold action. In today's Age of Adoption, where every sector must incorporate sustainable solutions into foundational systems, we amplify brands standing at the forefront of change, shaping a better future for our planet and its people. To learn more, visit antennagroup.com . Resources: Ron Gonen LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ron-gonen-807a49/ Antenna Group Keith Zakheim LinkedIn

March 3, 202626 min

Better Coffee, Lower Carbon

Can a coffee roaster that pays for itself in three months really transform a $200 billion industry? Jonathan Bass, EVP of Marketing & Communications at Bellwether Coffee, brings decades of cleantech experience to the conversation about sustainable coffee. After nine years at SolarCity (through its Tesla acquisition), he learned a crucial lesson: lead with value, not virtue. At Bellwether, he's applying that philosophy to coffee roasting. The company's electric roasters reduce carbon emissions by 87% while cutting costs in half for cafes—the machines pay for themselves in three to six months. But what really drives Jonathan's passion is the farmer equity component. With 80% of coffee farmers living below the poverty line, Bellwether sources directly and pays living wages. "You can almost take greenwashing off the table by focusing on what's important to the customer," Jonathan explains. Can a better product that happens to be sustainable really change an entire industry? Jonathan Bass is the EVP of Marketing & Communications at Bellwether Coffee, where he leads efforts to transform the coffee industry through electrification and farmer equity. With over two decades in cleantech communications, Jonathan spent nine years at SolarCity through its Tesla acquisition, learning that sustainable products must lead with value, not virtue. He previously worked at Google Wing on drone delivery, gaining unexpected insights into coffee logistics and quality. His career began in Silicon Valley tech communications after brief stints as a substitute teacher and banker. Throughout his journey, Jonathan has remained committed to building business models around sustainability that create superior products while driving meaningful environmental and social impact. At Bellwether, he champions electric coffee roasting technology that reduces carbon emissions by 87% while ensuring coffee farmers receive living wages. In This Episode: (00:00) Jonathan Bass - from SolarCity to Bellwether Coffee (03:39) How drone-delivered lattes led Jonathan to coffee innovation (14:53) The dirty truth about traditional coffee roasting processes (18:43) Bellwether's age of adoption story and economic value proposition (23:12) Avoiding greenwashing by focusing on customer value over virtue Share with someone who would enjoy this topic, like and subscribe to hear all of our future episodes, send us your comments and guest suggestions! About the show: The Age of Adoption podcast explores the monumental transition from a period of social, economic, and environmental research and exploration – an Age of Innovation – to today's world in which companies across the economy are furiously deploying sustainable solutions – the Age of Adoption. Listen as our host, Keith Zakheim, CEO of Antenna Group, talks with experts from across the climate, energy, health, and real estate sectors to discuss what the transition means for business and society, and how corporates and startups can rise above competitors to lead in this new age. This podcast is brought to you by Antenna Group, a global marketing and communications agency that partners with Fully Conscious brands — those with the courage to lead transformative change across Climate & Energy, Real Estate, Health, and beyond. Our clients include visionary corporations, startups, investors, and nonprofits who recognize that meaningful impact requires more than awareness; it demands bold action. In today's Age of Adoption, where every sector must incorporate sustainable solutions into foundational systems, we amplify brands standing at the forefront of change, shaping a better future for our planet and its people. To learn more, visit antennagroup.com . Resources: Jonathan Bass LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-bass-6b248b/ Bellwether Coffee BellwetherCoffee.com Antenna Group Keith Zakheim LinkedIn