Amanda Leland | Executive Director, Environmental Defense Fund
11/14/24 • 49 min
Welcome to The Zenergy Podcast. Today, Karan speaks with Amanda Leland, Executive Director at the Environmental Defense Fund. They talk about her work at the EDF, including what inspires her to stay at the organization for as long as she has, and they discuss the advice she’d give herself at various increments throughout her career journey. They discuss the launching of MethaneSAT, the genesis of the project, and the exciting data it will soon provide. Amanda gives insight on how the EDF is navigating the uncertain political landscape, and she also shares what future breakthroughs she can’t wait to happen. They wrap up with a very fun lightning round, so be sure to stick around until the end of the episode to hear that.
If you haven’t subscribed to the podcast yet, be sure to do so, and follow us on all the socials. New episodes go out every Thursday.
Listen to The Zenergy Podcast:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5HEZXoEfuDa548Ty81gBWN
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-zenergy-podcast-climate-leadership-finance/id1556215421
Follow The Zenergy Podcast on all the socials:
X (Twitter): @TakharK2
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Znrg.org
Instagram: @zen_rgy
LinkedIn: ZNRG
YouTube: ZNRG – The ZENERGY Podcast
Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro
0:38 - Welcome
1:25 - Why Amanda has stayed at EDF for 20 years
3:58 - Amanda’s EDF origin story
5:54 - Advice for those working in environmentalism
8:42 - Turning points/”Aha!” moments
11:10 - MethaneSAT
16:20 - How to engage with stakeholders
19:15 - Leadership
22:15 - Tactics for managing a global organization
24:20 - How Amanda avoids jetlag, and how employees of EDF avoid burnout
27:00 - Book recommendations
30:10 - How EDF navigates political shifts
35:10 - EDF’s role in enforcing EPA rules
37:30 - Amanda’s hopes for the future
39:08 - The ocean could be more a part of the solution to climate change
43:15 - Lightning round of questions, including Amanda’s superpower, favorite historical figure, Amanda’s mantra, etc.
Credits:
Editing: Desta Wondirad, Wondir Studios
Welcome to The Zenergy Podcast. Today, Karan speaks with Amanda Leland, Executive Director at the Environmental Defense Fund. They talk about her work at the EDF, including what inspires her to stay at the organization for as long as she has, and they discuss the advice she’d give herself at various increments throughout her career journey. They discuss the launching of MethaneSAT, the genesis of the project, and the exciting data it will soon provide. Amanda gives insight on how the EDF is navigating the uncertain political landscape, and she also shares what future breakthroughs she can’t wait to happen. They wrap up with a very fun lightning round, so be sure to stick around until the end of the episode to hear that.
If you haven’t subscribed to the podcast yet, be sure to do so, and follow us on all the socials. New episodes go out every Thursday.
Listen to The Zenergy Podcast:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5HEZXoEfuDa548Ty81gBWN
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-zenergy-podcast-climate-leadership-finance/id1556215421
Follow The Zenergy Podcast on all the socials:
X (Twitter): @TakharK2
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Znrg.org
Instagram: @zen_rgy
LinkedIn: ZNRG
YouTube: ZNRG – The ZENERGY Podcast
Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro
0:38 - Welcome
1:25 - Why Amanda has stayed at EDF for 20 years
3:58 - Amanda’s EDF origin story
5:54 - Advice for those working in environmentalism
8:42 - Turning points/”Aha!” moments
11:10 - MethaneSAT
16:20 - How to engage with stakeholders
19:15 - Leadership
22:15 - Tactics for managing a global organization
24:20 - How Amanda avoids jetlag, and how employees of EDF avoid burnout
27:00 - Book recommendations
30:10 - How EDF navigates political shifts
35:10 - EDF’s role in enforcing EPA rules
37:30 - Amanda’s hopes for the future
39:08 - The ocean could be more a part of the solution to climate change
43:15 - Lightning round of questions, including Amanda’s superpower, favorite historical figure, Amanda’s mantra, etc.
Credits:
Editing: Desta Wondirad, Wondir Studios
Previous Episode
Dimitry Gershenson | CEO & Co-Founder, Enduring Planet
Welcome to The Zenergy podcast! On today’s episode, Karan Takhar speaks with Dimitry Gershenson, CEO & Co-Founder of Enduring Planet. They discuss Dimitry's time living in Kenya and India and how that shaped his perspective on how to approach climate solutions. Dimitry then walks us through the founding of Enduring Planet and the gap in the market they are filling using their unique funding model. Karan and Dimitry discuss Enduring Planet's idea of lending against grants, the average ticket size they lend, and Dimitry breaks down how federal and state grants and procurements are allotted out. He shares his thoughts on the election and if he believes it will impact the climate landscape and gives insight into the raising of Enduring Planet’s second fund.
If you haven’t subscribed to the podcast yet, be sure to do so, and follow us on all the socials. New episodes go out every Thursday.
Listen to The Zenergy Podcast:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5HEZXoEfuDa548Ty81gBWN
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-zenergy-podcast-climate-leadership-finance/id1556215421
Follow The Zenergy Podcast on all the socials:
X (Twitter): @TakharK2 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Znrg.org Instagram: @zen_rgy LinkedIn: ZNRG YouTube: ZNRG – The ZENERGY Podcast
Connect with Dimitry:
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
1:20 Welcome
2:16 Dimitry’s very first job
4:27 How Dimitry’s time living in Honduras influences his work today
6:00 The resilience of the ecology of the planet vs. the human race
8:00 Capitalism and climate
10:45 Dimitry’s work at Meta
12:05 Origins of the Zenergy Podcast
13:00 SEMA fund
13:40 Dimitry’s favorite foods from abroad
17:00 Funding model for Enduring Planet/what does Enduring Planet do?
20:30 How Enduring Planet is different from government grants
22:30 Working with government loans alone is really hard on companies
24:15 How grant agencies work with companies
25:00 The path that Enduring Planet helps companies to be on
25:30 The amount of money Enduring Planet gives for different kinds of investments
27:00 How smaller start-ups have trouble accessing public money
29:30 What Enduring Planet is doing to level the playing field
31:15 The process of partnering with Enduring Planet
35:20 Enduring Planet allows companies to accelerate the trajectory on grants
37:20 Any climate projects are welcome to request funding
39:30 Now is not the time to wait to invest in the fight against climate change, now is the time to be bold
44:30 How the upcoming election will impact the climate landscape
48:20 The exciting parts about the future of climate industry
52:00 A message to those early in their careers
Credits:
Editing: Desta Wondirad, Wondir Studios
Next Episode
Rob Day | Co-Founder of Spring Lane Capital
Welcome to The Zenergy Podcast! Today, Karan interviews Rob Day, Co-Founder of Spring Lane Capital. Rob and Karan discuss how Rob and his partner founded Spring Lane Capital, what the process was like raising the first fund, and how the company bridges investment gaps in the market. They start of with a lighthearted lightning round of questions then continue with the origin story of Spring Lane Capital and lead into a breakdown of the types of financing rounds entrepreneurs go through. They also discuss how Spring Lane Capital blends project finance with growth capital, talk about the typical ticket size of investments they make, and Rob walks through the steps they took when investing in Atlas Organics. Please enjoy our conversation with Rob Day.
If you haven’t subscribed to the podcast yet, be sure to do so, and follow us on all the socials. New episodes go out every Thursday.
Listen to The Zenergy Podcast:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5HEZXoEfuDa548Ty81gBWN
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-zenergy-podcast-climate-leadership-finance/id1556215421
Follow The Zenergy Podcast on all the socials:
X (Twitter): @TakharK2
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Znrg.org
Instagram: @zen_rgy
LinkedIn: ZNRG
YouTube: ZNRG – The ZENERGY Podcast
Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro
1:30 - Welcome
2:05 - Lighting round of questions - what Rob would do if he were not in climate, what historical figure Rob would have as a dinner guest, hidden talents, etc.
9:30 - How can we look at history to inform us about today
11:20 - How to inspire great change in the market
12:30 - The origin story of Spring Lane Capital
17:25 - The process of fund-raising
19:00 - The investor markets in the US vs. Canada
21:15 - It’s been difficult to raise funds in 2024
23:20 - Entrepreneurial funding model
25:30 - The structure of venture capital
29:40 - Transition points in business-funding
32:00 - Hybrid capital project model
33:40 - Typical SLC investment sizes
36:20 - The investing story of Atlas Organics
41:10 - How SLC found Atlas Organics and the importance of networking
44:00 - The downsides of venture capital
46:00 - What Rob has learned through mentorship
48:30 - Climate investing is an execution game, not an invention game
50:20 - Final thoughts
Credits:
Editing: Desta Wondirad, Wondir Studios
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