this past november, i had the opportunity to speak with charlie sellars, an award-winning author of what we can do: a climate optimist’s guide to sustainable living. his joy-forward book provides a practical, data-based framework to guide readers towards positive impact across their personal, professional, and political lives.

sellars is also a director of sustainability at microsoft, where he has led sustainability projects in both consumer hardware and cloud operations. in this role, he was recognized by the im100 awards as one of 2024’s top 100 most impactful individuals in the digital infrastructure industry.

on nov. 9, 2025, sellars spoke at a tedx conference at middlebury college, and his talk, titled “let’s make sustainability fun again”, invited audiences to rekindle the joy of working in sustainability through cutting-edge environmental science and technology.  

the following interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.

josette chun: thank you, charlie, for being with us today and for sharing your insights on your newest book, what we can do. i first want to ask how you view the current corporate sustainability ecosystem — what are we doing well, what needs to happen, and what the future holds? 

charlie sellars: part of the reason i wrote my book is because of how amazed i am at how rapidly our understanding of sustainability has evolved in the corporate world. now that significant private investment has joined public funding and academic research, we’re getting to the point where sustainability is moving from “science experiment” to “scaled solution” in just half a decade.

for example, in my book, i talk about something i call the “make it, move it, lose it, use it” framework. in essence, you can break the lifetime impact of any product we use into these four buckets. historically, most people have conceptualized their impact only in terms of whether we’re leaving the power on or off, or of “losing” something (i.e., whether we’re recycling it or just throwing it away). 

however, there is a huge hidden impact in what it takes to make something and move it around the world to your door. for an average phone or laptop, the energy required to make it in the first place is often more than a decade’s worth of use. even after all the sustainability features we added to reduce its impact by half, my own book still takes about a year’s worth of phone charging to make a single physical copy.

this insight is only possible because the underlying science – called a “life cycle assessment” – has matured to the point where we can start tracking the impact of our products all the way back to the original mining of the raw materials. and now companies, including my own, are applying this framework to products so customers can start seeing the lifetime emissions of their things. i would be shocked if, by 2030, we didn’t have this sort of “nutrition label for impact” on most of items we buy. we already have these for many categories, such as consumer electronics, food, construction equipment, and building materials.

another implication of this is that regular people within companies are now more empowered than ever to know how they can contribute to sustainability. it is becoming easier for an average employee not only to see how they might fit in, but also to measure the results of their work. this is a critical turning point for how we should think about corporate climate action.

jc: it sounds as though you offer insights into how we can work “within a system” rather than rejecting it outright. how do you address the critiques of those who believe that institutions perpetuate individual blame for the climate crisis and push for degrowth? 

cs: you can pursue profit within a company while still contributing to de-growth (or at least decoupling) at the system level. that tension is where some of the most interesting work happens.

for example, in consumer electronics, companies are incentivized to sell as many devices as possible, which might lead them to prioritize sales over features like repairability. if devices are difficult to repair, customers will replace them more frequently, which drives growth but increases waste and emissions. but customers clearly want devices that last, so our team saw an opportunity to compete by prioritizing repairability.

by doing that, the total number of devices society needs can shrink, even as our company captures a larger share of the market. in other words, the overall “pie” gets smaller, but our slice gets bigger. the company still seeks profit, but the system is moving toward degrowth because fewer products are needed overall. 

that said, degrowth at the global level is extremely difficult while the population continues to grow. long-term, population growth will slow, and degrowth will occur naturally, but in the meantime, we cannot wait. we have to act pragmatically within the systems we work in. whether it is our workplace, home, or school, working inside an institution means accepting tension. i would have no ability to effect real change at microsoft if i said, “i don’t want the company to grow.” i would simply be fired. the balancing act is learning to initiate incremental changes (while holding true to your values). 

framing is also essential for corporate sustainability leaders to take action in mitigating negative environmental impacts. we always start our strategy with an emissions forecast called our “business as usual”. this strategy assumes emissions grow in line with business growth. we then set up and finance decarbonization projects to reduce emissions against the baseline forecast until we establish a roadmap to meet our climate goals. in this consumer hardware example, rather than telling the business, “let’s sell a million fewer pcs” to reduce the growth forecast, the language shifts to “let’s source recycled materials, decarbonize the supply chain, and improve repairability for the million pcs we plan to sell.”

is there a significant environmental opportunity to reduce the “business as usual” forecast first, so we have an easier starting point? sure. but that’s where folks working outside the system can exert their influence, for example, through policy and regulatory work or by shaping customer sentiment. pragmatically, though, we need people on both sides of the equation.

jc: what is the next frontier for individuals entering the esg and corporate sustainability fields today? 

cs: around 2020, most major corporations set sustainability targets and built their initial teams. as a result, there are fewer opportunities to create sustainability programs from scratch inside large companies today. what is happening now is even more interesting: those large companies are pushing sustainability requirements down their supply chains. smaller companies that want to keep major clients are rapidly setting targets, tracking emissions, and reporting progress, often for their first time.

this is creating demand for sustainability roles at smaller and mid-sized companies, regardless of federal politics. people are being hired specifically to help suppliers understand carbon accounting, clean energy procurement, and reporting.

another significant opportunity is water. carbon accounting is relatively mature, and we have clear standards and protocols for ghg emissions. water accounting is about a decade behind. most companies only track direct water use and ignore water embedded in electricity and supply chains. that will change, and when it does, demand for water regulation will explode. waste and biodiversity are also emerging areas. biodiversity credits and nature-based solutions are still in their early stages, but will grow significantly.

jc: what are your thoughts on nature-based credits and setting a monetary value on nature?

cs: the moral argument alone for conservation is, unfortunately, not enough to drive large-scale corporate action. that is uncomfortable, but it is reality. to mobilize capital, environmental benefits must be translated into business value. that is why credible carbon removal, water replenishment, and nature-based credit markets matter so much. for example, at my company, we no longer buy traditional carbon offsets. we only invest in verifiable carbon removal — projects that demonstrably remove emissions from the atmosphere.

we structure these contracts similarly to clean energy power purchase agreements. without trusted markets and strong contracts, that capital will not flow. this approach has allowed us to fund large-scale reforestation, methane capture, and emerging carbon removal technologies. the goal is to move massive amounts of money into protecting and restoring natural systems so that companies can, in a verifiable way, claim carbon neutrality or net zero. 

jc: what advice do you have for students and early-career professionals who want to work in clean energy and private sector sustainability?

cs: you do not necessarily have to start your career in sustainability to have a long-term impact. i spent seven years building general business skills before moving into sustainability, and that made me better at my job. most sustainability professionals i work with spent much of their careers doing something else first — engineering, finance, supply chain, software, policy — and then layered sustainability on top.

corporate sustainability is still very young, so there are very few true entry-level roles. most positions require significant experience because the career ladder has not yet fully formed.

if you want to maximize impact:

• become excellent at a core skill, whether that be engineering, accounting, software, supply chain, or policy. 
• next, join mission-driven companies or climate tech startups, even in non-sustainability roles. consider learning technical niches like lifecycle assessment, carbon accounting, or water accounting. any job at an impact-forward company is a sustainability job.
• if you choose a “traditional” career path, consider how you can layer sustainability onto your personal brand, tied to your core skill. explore how you can make your existing job a sustainability job, even if a little bit.
• lastly, do not feel like you are betraying your values by building skills first, especially if that helps you become more effective down the line.

the last piece of advice i’d give to those looking to get involved in sustainability in their career is to give yourself grace if it doesn’t materialize right away. your college experience may have been around four years of your life, but your career is your next 40. you have time.

while the climate crisis is undoubtedly urgent, it will (likely and unfortunately) still be here for decades. you can build your skills before pivoting into private-sector sustainability, and if you do so first, you may be a greater agent of change.

climate tech is still growing rapidly, including in the circular economy: clean energy, batteries, grid infrastructure, green steel, green concrete, water replenishment and conservation, and carbon removal. any role in these companies contributes to impact, and who knows what amazing jobs might exist down the line when it’s your turn to join the movement!

“a forest standing strong is much more valuable than a fallen one,” said sonia guajajara, the minister of indigenous peoples of brazil.

guajajara played a significant role at cop30, the un climate change conference held in belém, brazil, in mid-november. she spoke at several panels and negotiations on behalf of the indigenous people of the amazon and of south america, whom she calls “protectors of the forests.” 

“in brazil, deforestation in indigenous community forests from 2000 to 2012 was less than 1% compared with 7% outside them,” according to a report by the world resources institute.

local forest guardians were recognized at the conference’s indigenous peoples day as guajajara announced the demarcation of 10 indigenous lands and the recognition of four new territories, according to the brazilian government. these lands are scattered across the entire country, from the northern states of amazonas and pará to the southeast’s são paulo. 

from start to finish, this year’s cop paid special attention to tropical forest conservation pathways, with an emphasis on financial initiatives that have the potential to work with long-established indigenous stewards.

a closer look into the brazilian amazon

the amazon is truly a unique, wonderful place, said carlos alberto de souza cavalcante, who has lived in amazonas all his life and owns ipanema lodge, an accommodation that immerses guests in all types of outdoor activities in the jungle just about 60km from the state capital city of manaus. 

the forest is home to around 30 million known animal species — without counting those that have not yet been catalogued. in brazil’s amazon, there are at least 311 mammals, 1,300 birds, 273 reptiles, 232 amphibians, and 1,800 fish, according to ispn, a brazilian institute focused on society and forest conservation. many animals can only be found in this region, like the boto-cor-de-rosa, or pink dolphin.

the amazonian societies also rely heavily on water and the resources it provides. it is the main form of transportation, and the natives’ day-to-day lives are based on the movements of the river. natan araújo, a journalism student who lives in manaus, said the school year of the children who live surrounding the river is scheduled based on the wet and dry seasons. 

“when the river is lower in the dry season, school has to be off because the access to land is more difficult,” he said. “but school is in session when the river is full, so their school year looks different than what is normal for us.”

deforestation and indigenous peoples

between 2018 and 2022, 76% of the total deforestation of the amazon rainforest — which spans nine countries — was in brazil, the direct driver of which is the conversion of land to pasture, said toby gardner, senior research fellow at the stockholm environment institute.

but deforestation can be curbed: the deforestation rate in the brazilian amazon dropped 11% between august 2024 and july 2025, marking the lowest annual forest loss since 2014, he said. 

a 2024 study conducted by the articulation of indigenous peoples of brazil (apib), an indigenous association in brazil, found that indigenous territories have the lowest registered deforestation rate in the country, having lost only 1.2% of native vegetation in the last 40 years. nearly 14% of brazil’s national territory is home to over 300 tribes, representing millions of hectares of vegetation that are likely to remain untouched as natives continue to protect them with their traditional way of life.

indigenous peoples and their role in protecting the forest were one of the pillars of cop30. guajajara said that cop30 was the conference with the highest number of indigenous people in attendance ever held. “approximately 5,000 members of original peoples from around the world participated in cop30; 360 of them were present in debates with negotiators within the blue zone,” according to the conference’s website.

funding initiatives as pathways to solutions

this cop was called several things, varying from the “cop of the truth,” the “cop for everyone,” and the “cop of implementation.” but given the difficulty of reaching a final deal in the last days of the conference, many in attendance also called it the “cop of failure” — a specific dig at the negotiators who were not able to agree on a strategy to push away from fossil fuels, with fewer than 90 countries agreeing to the “road map” introduced by brazil to phase out fossil fuels. 

despite this sense of shared frustration, some solution pathways did see progress. the tropical forests forever facility, or the tfff, was a major financing initiative introduced by brazilian president luiz inácio lula da silva at cop30.

according to the program’s website, it will “operate by mobilizing philanthropic, public and private capital, then reinvesting these resources in a diversified investment portfolio” in a way that benefits conservation and capital generation. on top of this, it provides climate justice and recognition of indigenous peoples and local communities, guajajara said. the tfff “mobilized over usd 6.7 billion in its first phase, with endorsement from 63 countries, establishing a permanent capital base for forest protection,” according to cop’s website. tariye gbadegesin, chief executive officer of the climate investment fund, said the tfff is a “powerful statement” on the central role of those who are most affected by climate change.

part of the plan is to set aside at least 20 percent of its resources for indigenous people, giving them more autonomy and control over economic investments as opposed to being managed by governmental actors, guajajara said.

“those who steward the forest must be given the resources to lead the charge,” she said.

aside from the tfff, brazil had already implemented initiatives to protect its sacred forests. the fundo amazônia, or amazon fund, is a governmental fund created in 2008 to finance actions aimed at reducing and monitoring emissions, deforestation, and environmental degradation. this fund had been completely halted during the four previous years under bolsonaro, said andré aquino, economic advisor to brazil’s environmental ministry. but after resuming in 2023, the fund was given a significant spotlight at cop. 

over 650 organizations are supported in direct and indirect ways, and 75% of the municipalities in the amazon rely on projects funded by the amazon fund, according to a cop panel hosted by brazil’s national development bank (bndes). in the last three years, new international donors and agreements have been announced, increasing funding to brl 2.4 billion and expanding involvement of countries like japan, the us, ireland, and the uk, though norway leads the funding with 77%, according to the panel. 

the fund also invests in firefighters to combat the large forest fires that have ravaged the amazon in brazil in the past couple of years. 5,000 firefighters have been trained in nine states, with a funding of brl 371 million for individual equipment, vehicles, and operational bases, as per data shown in the panel. 

mariana mazzucato, an economics professor at university college london, said this cop was “very rare” and that the amazon fund is “special.” 

“most funds socialize risks and privatize rewards, but the amazon fund ties the money to the people,” she said. “brazil is innovative.” 

keeping frontline and indigenous stewards of the land at the heart of conservation and financing discussions represents good global cooperation.

“what happens in the amazon happens to all of us,” said andreas bjelland eriksen, minister of climate and environment of norway. “we need to be able to work together to preserve the good that the tropical forests do for all of us.”

after president donald trump’s administration froze ira funds intended for green banks through the greenhouse gas reduction fund, climate united, a national investment fund supporting clean energy projects, challenged the freeze in court. green banks are organizations using public and private capital to fund clean energy projects such as those including solar.

the lawsuit involves the plaintiffs the environmental protection agency and citibank, the financial intermediary for the funds, and addresses the justification and structure of ira funding for green energy initiatives. 

read the interview with yoo below.

the interview below has been edited for length and clarity.

maggie rhoads: walk me through how the opportunity to write the amicus brief came up. how did you get involved? 

paul yoo, ph.d.: it came up through an organization called the coalition for green capital — in short, cgc. my co-authors and i were trying to answer a research question about whether or not these entities called green banks were trying to allocate capital into projects that are more green, more responsible, more sustainable.

so we were trying to answer those questions, and we wanted some sort of data, and these green banks’ data, if there is any, would have been stored by this organization called coalition for green capital. so we reached out to them. they told me the data wasn’t really there, but happy to kind of coordinate whatever becomes available. 

mr: how long ago was that connection?

py: it was, like, a year and a half or two years ago, i cannot recall. so they knew about my research interest in this area.

mr: and how did that lead to the amicus brief?

py: the coalition was heavily involved with applying to get this funding from the inflation reduction act, or ira. there is a part of the ira that is the greenhouse gas reduction fund, or ggrf, and they’re trying to apply for a portion of that fund as a group of green banks, and they got it. but now, after mr. trump got appointed as president, that fund is now frozen. and because of that, they went into the court for arbitration, and for that they reached out to me to see if i could serve as an expert contributor to the amicus brief. 

mr: what courts are these for?

py: to the best of my knowledge, they went to the appeals court. they recently lost by the panel of three judges by two to one, and then they are recommended to go through this special court called the court of federal claims.

they’re now going in that direction, which i think is asking all the juries in d.c. [for] their opinions, and if that doesn’t go well, or doesn’t go in favor of the plaintiffs, what i understand is they will then go to the supreme court for the final arbitration. so i would expect myself to be involved throughout that whole process until the end.

mr: how specifically are you involved besides writing the brief? what kind of expert advice do you give?

py: one of the biggest points that these lawyers are trying to make to the judges is that the ira money and how that money is dispersed to the grant recipients of these green banks, the format of how this money will flow, is a little different from the traditional grants from the department of energy or the epa. it actually has a different form. this ira money that goes to the green banks will not be a grant that is reimbursement-based. 

mr: can you explain the difference in simple terms?

py: a lot of grants that are given by the federal government say, “go ahead and spend this amount, but after you spend that amount, come back to me and get reimbursed.” so that money doesn’t sit with the account of the grant recipient until they get this thing reimbursed.

ira money, the ggrf money that cgc and climate united received, [was] taking a different form. even before they actually spend [the money], it will come to their account balances, like, as a personal account balance.

so now the lawyers are trying to argue that this kind of different form of capital flow that is giving more freedom and authority to these plaintiffs is justifiable, or that it has economic sense, because of the fact that there [is] very well-established research showing the scope of what you can do to use those funds efficiently for different projects when you actually have those assets in your balance sheet. you have full authority to allocate such funds to which[ever] projects, which gives more efficiency, and more likelihood of effectively unlocking private capital.

shon hiatt might just have the answer.

hiatt is an associate professor of business administration at the university of southern california (usc), as well as the director of the zage business of energy initiative. the project serves as a talent incubator for students at usc who will go on to leadership roles in energy and business. by bringing together experts, faculty, and students, the program aims for participants to gain experience in balancing energy security, safety, affordability, reliability, and cleanliness.

a usc faculty member since 2014, hiatt’s research focuses on strategy, entrepreneurship, and the ever-evolving world of energy. prior to joining usc, hiatt was a faculty member at harvard business school.

in this interview, hiatt discusses the importance of energy education, the increasing need for energy leadership, and his advice for students wanting to make a difference in the energy space.

this interview has been edited for length and clarity. 

maximilian garibay-deasy: last school year, i was studying in milan, italy when the iberian peninsula blackout occurred (affecting portugal and spain) and had friends that were affected by it. this was a massive blackout that last 10 hours and devastated basic services. what happened?

shon hiatt: essentially one solar farm went out. but the problem is when that went out, it shouldn’t have take a whole system out. but the thing to understand with wind and solar is that they don’t actually create what’s called ‘inertia.’ and we also call this ‘momentum.’ the physics of momentum is just mass times velocity. inertia is this aspect of rotating momentum. we use rotating momentum to create hertz and alternating electricity. and wind and solar on their own – because there are no moving parts – don’t produce any inertia.

the iberian peninsula had very little inertia. they had a little bit of hydro running, but it wasn’t sufficient enough. and that’s why the whole system went down because there are important circuit breakers that go off if you can’t maintain a particular hertz. if not, you will damage electronics. and so that led them to have to do what’s called a ‘black start.’

a black start is when you have to start an energy system from scratch. and guess what? to do that, you need energy. like starting a car engine again, right? you need energy. they had to get a bunch of diesel generators to basically start with some dams to open the valves and to get those spinning again to generate this inertia.

and once they had some inertia and frequency running, they were able to bring the wind and solar assets back on. so, yeah, all this stuff, it’s super interesting if you understand these energy systems.

that’s what my class goes over. we’ve got to understand these trade-offs. and for every one of these energy factors there’s a trade-off to it. some provide the low-cost option. some provide great reliability and energy security, right? some address the cleanliness issue, right to varying degrees. everything has varying degrees. and then we also understand how the returns are made and the business investments of why they’d invest in one versus the other, considering all these five factors.

mgd: tell us more about the zage business of energy initiative. what role does it play in educating the next generation of energy leaders?

sh: so the zage business of energy initiative was founded just a little over two and a half years ago to do two things. one is to produce cutting-edge research that informs business practices as well as policy. the initiative also educates the next generation of leaders in energy companies, giving the skills and knowledge that are necessary for them to take jobs in energy companies or also in financial firms that service the industry.

and so that’s basically the mission. so if we want to focus on the education aspect, we’ve launched an elective called the business of energy in the 21st century. it’s oversubscribed. it’s a great class because it gives a foundational knowledge of energy. the course starts almost chronologically, from coal to petroleum refinery pipelines to metals and mining, all this extraction. and then we move to electric markets and all the different types of power generation, and in all these, right, understanding like, well, how do you get a return when you make this investment? and of course, what are all the different trade-offs associated with every energy source?

mgd: what has been the industry’s response to the zage business of energy initiative?

sh: i mean, we’re getting just tremendous amount of support from the ceos that are coming here. they love it. they absolutely love it because it’s focused on the business of energy. and in fact, there are a few universities out there, but they don’t do what we do. they’re not focused on the business of energy.

so i’d have to say that we’re the premier business of energy initiative focusing on this. and you can see the ceos that are willing to come to discuss different themes. this year we had a phenomenal panel on mining and metals, finance, minerals, and there was also an energy storage one. i particularly was really excited about our advanced nuclear panel. so we got three leaders from their companies that are doing the new, you know, micro and small modular reactors.

mgd: climate and sustainability is not something you would expect to be discussed at a business school. yet your work does exactly that. what role does sustainability have in business education?

sh: well, right now, in the united states, we’ve had basically flat energy demand. but now due to the ai arms race, these data centers that are being built require massive amounts of power. and i’m talking massive amounts. so 500 megawatts, 800 megawatts, 300 megawatts. i mean, just to give you an idea, we’ve always had data centers, but these new data centers use up to eight to 10 times more energy than the cpu and gpu data centers, and that’s due to ai. so this has now led to a renewed interest in energy.

this is where consulting companies and finance companies are now saying, “we need to hire people who have knowledge about energy.” because this is where all the capital is going.

what was once a topic that wasn’t very exciting is now becoming very exciting. and the companies themselves are requesting trained students in this area.

mgd: and vice-versa, what role does higher education play in business sustainability? why is it so important to prepare the next generation of energy leaders in the way that you do? 

sh: i just did a q&a on this, too, because we did an analysis of the top 50 universities with the national center for energy analytics. and they wanted to know about these energy classes (at universities). are they providing a good foundation of understanding of the economics and the basic understanding of technology, how do these energy systems work?

these financial companies and consulting companies, they’re essentially going to stop recruiting at schools that don’t provide this education. and they’re going to go to universities that do, because that’s where they’re going to get the talent that they need. because there’s a difference between sustainability knowledge and energy knowledge. there’s a big difference. even though there’s an overlap, there are externalities that affect sustainability.

but that’s exactly what this study was about. we were looking at how many of these classes that said they were “energy classes” were actually energy classes, versus some sort of sustainability class. and the bulk of them were just sustainability or climate change classes that did not provide the type of knowledge that these financial firms are looking for. because they need somebody to come in there and say, “okay, do the levelized cost of energy of this product right now. and then figure out what i need to charge for these electrons over a 20-year period. what’s my power purchase agreement?”

mgd: what is one thing you hope to see in the energy sector here in the united states over the next five years? 

sh: i’d like to see greater focus on both the affordability and the reliability aspect. and right now, this is our problem, especially with these ai data centers coming in. we’re going to consume so much energy and we don’t have enough for them. what this means is that the electric reserve margins – which is how many surplus electrons we have on the grid – these reserve margins are shrinking. and it’s getting so low that there’s a real possibility of blackouts coming to this country in the next two years. definitely by 2030, but literally it could start happening within the next two years.

now we’ve got a problem because there’s a massive demand for power and energy and we’re not ready for it. and these data centers can pay 50% to even double of what anyone else can pay.

what does that mean? that means prices are going to continue to go up because you’ve got someone out there who’s willing to pay more. we haven’t even seen the impact of the data centers yet. that’s one of our research projects and we’ve identified that just over the next two and a half years there’s going to be another 54 gigawatts of drawn power from these data centers.

and this is where we’re going to be seeing continued pressure on electric rates. even if they bring the power, right, is that going to be sufficient? this is the question. a lot of states are saying, “you have to bring your own power, we don’t have enough.” oh, yeah, they bring it, but is it going to be enough is the question. if they bring their own? i don’t know. again, this all has to be part of the discussion.

the galápagos islands are often considered to be “one of the most fascinating places on earth.” it was deemed the first of twelve unesco world heritage sites due to its unique flora, fauna, and contributions to the scientific community. 

while spending seven days traveling the islands with lindblad expeditions, one contribution was stated over and over again: 97% of the islands are conserved as national park land, and only 3% are available for human habitation. being such a unique and beautiful place, the galápagos islands are highly sought out as a tourism destination. i began to question my own positionality, and how tourism affects the land and people who reside there. 

tourism in the galápagos archipelago has drastically increased since 1995, applying pressure to the archipelago’s ecosystems and wildlife. with 97% of the total land being conserved, infrastructure for locals to live or for tourists to stay during their visit is only allowed on the remaining 3%. i had all of these questions swirling in my head about how tourism plays a role in the small 3% of the islands where human habitation and development are permitted.

aboard the national geographic gemini, i was grateful to get to know two individuals who are local to galápagos islands: christian saa of santa cruz island and ivan vasquez of san cristobal island. 

changing landscapes

“i have lived here my whole life,” saa said. “i work in tourism, conservation and activism. i was born in the perfect time to see how tourism started in the galápagos islands and how this activity has been growing exponentially throughout the years.” 

“local people that have been here a long time, who grew up in pristine areas surrounded by unique animals, understand the real value of galápagos,” saa said; on the other hand, there are people who “see the galápagos as a place to make money and want to commercialize it.”

papers, articles, and stories from locals have painted the picture of an ever-changing galápagos islands. areas of the islands that may have once been considered pristine are rapidly changing, not just with an increase of tourists, but with an increase in hotels and other commercial developments. tourism infrastructure on the islands is regulated by the galápagos special regime governing council (gsrgc), a body enacted by the ecuadorian national government but functions only on the islands. one of the many roles of the gsrgs is reviewing and deciding developmental permits based on their alignment with sustainable development. 

the gsrgc holds minimally two spots for locals to be on the governing council. locals who have worked in the tourism industry have commented on the need for a shared vision of the future of tourism. saa further emphasizes on the need to “draw the future of galápagos.”

“if you check the statistics [regarding biodiversity and tourism] in the last 40 years and how [the galápagos] has changed, what is to come in the next 40 years?” saa asked. “it’s not going to be galápagos: it’s going to look like cancun. no more galápagos like you and i are knowing right now. but i am hopeful that we can preserve and conserve what we have now for future generations.”

the fight to protect

in response to the numerous challenges brought about by commercialization and industrialization, galápagos locals have not stood idly by.

saa recalled a childhood memory of accompanying his father to prevent construction of a road between the town of puerto ayora and tortuga bay — “one of the most beautiful beaches we have here,” saa said. saa’s story was a testament to the generational activism that has taken place on the islands over the years.

vasquez of san cristobal shared another story of community organizing in the face of increasing commercialization. vasquez told me about an ongoing battle between locals and a corporation called hogalapagos that seeks to build a resort-like complex on the beach of punta carola. punta carola borders the galápagos national park and is home to many flora and fauna that contribute to the unique biodiversity of the area. building a large resort-like complex could negatively alter the beach by damaging the ecosystem that holds many plants and animals native to the galápagos.

the gsrgc denied the building permits to hogalapagos, but the intent to get this complex built didn’t stop there. “because the land is private, the company was trying to find a way to make it [constructing the hotel] happen still,” vasques said. according to vasques, organizing on a local level was another factor that has helped halt further construction. “the owner of the land and the [anticipated] hotel wanted to build an alternative road to that area [punta carola], but they stopped because people went to protest against it,” vasques said in explanation.

the san cristobal community assembly, a community organization, has taken both legal and on-the-ground action to fight against hogalapagos, including filing to have the land be protected. activists hope that turning the land into public utility would make it protected against development and open for public use.  

as of now, there have not been further developments in the legal battle. with drastic changes in the ecuadorian government, vasques, and saa both commented on the administration’s ability to exploit the galápagos islands.

the current administration and its role in the future of the galápagos

ecuador’s president daniel noboa won a special election in october 2023, to finish the term of his predecessor, and was recently re-elected in april 2025 for a full four year term. “he’s our president now and they basically try to make the most profit off of natural resources,” vasquez said. “he just passed a law in the ecuadorian assembly that allows for building to happen in national parks so we’ll have to see what happens here in galápagos.”

as explained in an article from the amazon frontlines, “on june 14, 2025, the government of daniel noboa, with the intent of commodifying nature, sent its proposal for the ‘law for the recovery of protected areas and the promotion of local development,’ to the national assembly.” ultimately, this new law allows for private companies to exploit ecuador’s natural resources and in areas that this once was never allowed. 

just one month after the new law was passed, and two days after i left the galápagos islands, president noboa eliminated the ministry of the environment, water and ecological transition, and turned it into the ministry of energy and mines. vasquez’s comments ring true, as their president is putting profit over people and place.

the minister of the environment position was chairman of the galápagos special regime governing council (gsrcg). what does the elimination of this office mean for approval of building permits on the islands, especially for a case like punta carola? what will be noboa’s forward knowing the islands hold a great deal of economic incentive in regards to tourism? 

many questions remain unanswered, but what is known now is that the people of ecuador and the galápagos are ready to stand their ground for the protection of nature as has happened for many generations.

“we understand that from time to time, every five, 10, 15 years the central government wants to trade or commercialize it [natural resources], but this is nothing new for us… the benefit would be the locals and that we fight everyday to conserve and protect it [the land],” saa said, with emotion.

editor’s note: lindblad expeditions, our planet forward storyfest competition partner, made this series possible by providing winners with an experiential learning opportunity aboard one of their ships. we thank lindblad expeditions for their support of our project.

in burundi, more than 90% of the population depends on firewood and charcoal for cooking, according to the african energy commission. the country of just 27,830 square kilometers (approximately 11,000 square miles) is bordered by democratic republic of congo, rwanda, and tanzania in east-central africa. because there has been no other option for fuel, communities cut swaths of trees daily. this incremental deforestation then leads to environmental issues such as land degradation.

delphin kaze, who in 2017 was a first-year student in environmental sciences at the polytechnic university of gitega, in burundi, was passionate about protecting nature. during a school field trip, he found out the stark reality of widespread deforestation, as trees were disappearing daily just to keep families fed. 

“initially, i got an idea of transforming waste into charcoal because i knew that on all the hills of the country trees were being cut down to obtain charcoal or firewood,” he said. “i understood that an alternative was needed to remedy this problem.”

from agricultural waste to clean energy 

kaze began to research and experiment with turning agricultural waste into briquettes. he tried different materials, looking for a way to produce a cleaner and sustainable charcoal. for a long time, the results were frustrating. but one day, he turned to something familiar, corn cobs. 

“i recalled how in my neighborhood, people sometimes used the corn cobs to cook, despite that they burn by blowing out smoke. that gave me an idea of a good prototype,” he said. “i wondered: what if i could transform these corn cobs into efficient, low-smoke charcoal?”

kaze started working on his idea from home with almost nothing. no dedicated workspace; no funding. only a few hours in the evenings after class, back at home. but he had support from his father, from close friends, and from his own belief that the idea mattered. step by step, he improved the process. and little by little, what started as a series of home experiments began to look like a real product.

people doubted him. many called the idea unrealistic. but kaze kept going for he was committed to finding a solution to deforestation. he talked about his project to anyone who would listen, adjusted his time and expenses, and kept refining his work. he started applying for different opportunities and participating in different innovation competitions, with the main goal of promoting his innovation. eventually, the results spoke for themselves. 

by 2019, he had officially registered his venture as kaze green economy, or kage. while still studying, he turned his small venture into a functioning initiative. in 2020, the united nations development programme (undp) offered support, helping him expand from a manual setup to semi-industrial production. later that year, additional support from undp and burundi’s ministry of energy helped him reach full industrial capacity.

green growth with social impact

today, kaze’s factory recycles different agricultural waste materials — namely corn cobs, rice husks, and coffee husks — and turns them into clean, energy-efficient briquettes called “kabiof” as an alternative to firewood and traditional charcoal for cooking. now kage produces up to 20 tons of that eco-charcoal every day. 

kaze’s initiative has so far created 40 full-time jobs, which makes him proud of the social impact also driven by his initiative. 

“thanks to the idea i developed from scratch, our model not only helps preserve burundi’s forests but also supports dozens of families who supply the raw materials (agricultural wastes),” he said. “around 60 daily workers, many of whom are youth and women, are working in the factory and go back home with an amount of money to meet their family’s needs.”

through this journey, kaze has not only built a business, but also shaped a vision. he believes that young people in burundi have the power to solve real problems when they are supported and encouraged. the passion to protect the environment and to combat deforestation by producing eco-friendly charcoal is proof that environmental change doesn’t have to start with big institutions. it can begin with one person, one idea, and the courage to try. 

now, kaze’s story doesn’t stop at charcoal. as his kage venture grew, he began thinking even bigger. he saw that many rural areas still lacked electricity. so, he planned to expand his focus to rural electrification, using his platform to bring energy, and hope, to communities long left behind.

“what i would urge young people with passion about environment protection is to be committed, to persevere, and especially to focus on what is essential and contribute to finding solutions to community’s challenges,” kaze said. “and i believe that if we really want to see change, we must believe in and support young innovators. the future depends on it.”

editor’s note: the views and information presented herein are those of melchisedeck boshirwa and do not represent the mandela washington fellowship, the u.s. department of state, or irex.

bison, an icon of the great plains, once dominated the north american landscape, with herds stretching from canada’s northern territories deep into the mexican grasslands. however, their population declined steeply in the 1800s due to a variety of factors tied to european settlement. by the end of the 19th century, the species had been brought to the brink of extinction, with only a few hundred bison remaining.

decades later, the struggling bison population would find an unlikely ally in the prominent businessman and billionaire, ted turner. turner, who began amassing bison in the mid-1970s, has played a vital role over the past 50 years in the revitalization of the bison population in the united states.

this pioneering work accounts for 30% of all agricultural bison in the united states against a backdrop where upfront costs to purchasing bison can be nearly three times higher than that of cattle.

with nearly 50,000 bison across his many properties, one reserve serves as the home to one of the most important bison herds in the world. the castle rock herd is a nearly genetically pure group of wild bison that possesses almost no evidence of breeding with cattle. these bison serve as a lifeline for the vast ecosystems that comprise the largest piece of privately owned land in the united states: the vermejo reserve.

learn more by clicking on the video above!

editor’s note: this series was made possible with the generous support of turner reserves and contributions by the turner family. all editorial content is published independently. 

planet forward’s environmental media lab led this expedition to teach the power of visual storytelling in wild spaces to convey the beauty and bounty of our planet.

did you know there are over 50,000 charging stations for electric vehicles in the united states? however, with more americans buying electric and hybrid vehicles, many more stations need to be built to keep up with demand. voltpost is a startup that retrofits lamp posts into charging stations for electric vehicles. “we recognize that in order for people to go from gas to electric, they need convenient and affordable charging access,” said jeffrey prosserman, a voltpost founder. they have voltpost stations available to the public in michigan and are hoping to have volpost available in more states in the coming months.

despite its villainous talon and fierce claws, a delectable meat, laden with protein and nutrients lies beneath the scorpion’s segmented shell. the scorpion isn’t the villain of desert nightmares but potentially a hero in our agricultural future.

the path to sustainable food production in an increasingly resource-constrained world appears unpopular but revolutionary: insects and arachnids, eight-legged creatures such as scorpions and spiders. while just about everyone calls spiders, “insects,” this idea isn’t exactly correct. insects and arachnids are both arthropods, but insects have six legs and three body parts, while arachnids have eight legs and two body parts, with no antennae or wings.

the problem “at steak”

our current agricultural system, particularly the meat industry, is facing a crisis of sustainability. according to the food and agriculture organization, livestock production and grazing occupies approximately 30% of the earth’s ice-free land surface and accounts for 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions. a single pound of beef requires up to 1,800 gallons of water to produce — a staggering figure when compared to other protein sources.

“we’ve been raising cattle for thousands of years, and (edible) insects for only the past decade commercially,” said nathan laurenz, an entomologist and edible insect enthusiast based in singapore. “there’s a lot of learning left to do.”

the uncomfortable truth is that our appetite for traditional meat is putting immense pressure on planetary resources. as the global population rises toward 10 billion by 2050, our current agricultural model simply cannot scale without devastating environmental consequences. deforestation, water scarcity, and climate change are already accelerating due to conventional livestock farming.

according to the un’s food and agriculture organization, meat production is expected to double by 2050, growing from 258 million tons in 2006 to around 455 million tons. this projected growth comes at a time when we desperately need to reduce, not increase, our environmental footprint.

“in time, we’re going to run out of land for cattle, and we’re going to have to replace that protein with something. insects are a good replacement,” said jim louderman, assistant collector at the field museum and a beetle enthusiast with over 70 years of experience studying insects.

insects: a historical delicacy

what many westerners don’t realize is that insect consumption, known as entomophagy, has been a normal part of human diets throughout history and across cultures.

“all sorts of indigenous cultures around the world have been eating insects for as long as humans have been around. it’s probably one of our first meat sources as a species,” laurenz said. the selection is wide and diverse. in thailand, grasshoppers, giant water bugs, and bamboo worms are a common street food. for mexico, it’s aphids and beetles. in china, silkworms are the traditional rage. 

cultural norms have a lot to do with what we label a good meal. consider the lobster, now a luxury seafood. in colonial america, lobsters were so abundant they were considered “poor man’s food,” often fed to prisoners and servants. massachusetts servants famously complained about being eating lobster too frequently. today, we pay premium prices for the same crustacean.

the 2021 emergence of brood x cicadas in the eastern united states provided a recent glimpse into the potential for insect cuisine in western contexts. restaurants and home cooks experimented with cicada tacos, tempura, and even desserts – demonstrating that with the right preparation, insects can appeal to modern palates.

the cultural hurdle

the “yuck factor” remains the biggest obstacle to the widespread adoption of insect protein in western diets. this aversion is entirely cultural, not biological: a learned response rather than an innate rejection.

“people in big cities tend not to be fans,” laurenz said about insect consumption in southeast asia. “there’s some stigma attached to it that it’s like a poor person’s food or a village food.”

louderman echoed this sentiment. “how do you convince people who are scared of insects or think insects are nasty to eat, something they don’t even want to touch?”

the challenge becomes as much about marketing as it is about production. companies like cricket energy bars target specific demographics, from environmentally conscious consumers to fitness enthusiasts seeking alternative proteins. by segmenting the market and addressing specific communities, these products can gradually normalize insect consumption.

interestingly, most people already consume insects unknowingly. the fda allows certain levels of insect fragments in common foods. chocolate, for instance, can legally contain up to 60 insect fragments per 100 grams.

the average person consumes about one to two pounds of insects annually through these trace amounts, according to the fda’s food defect levels handbook. it doesn’t stop there. for the regular grocer, insects are consumed through daily necessities: canned tomatoes (up to 10 fly eggs per 500g), ground cinnamon (up to 400 insect fragments per 50g), or wheat flour (up to 75 insect fragments per 50g), also per the fda handbook.

the production challenge

beyond cultural acceptance, the practical challenge of scaling insect production remains significant. the industry has gone through several boom-and-bust cycles, starting with crickets, then mealworms, and now black soldier flies. laurenz works at the core of the industry, at the startup named karang foodie. their mission is to raise black soldier flies for aquaculture feed. 

“you need to be importing tens or hundreds of tons of raw material every day and then exporting tens or dozens of tons of insect protein every day,” laurenz said, highlighting the scale required to compete with conventional agriculture.

louderman adds that crickets and mealworms are currently the most viable insect protein sources because they can be dried and ground into protein powder, making them more palatable to western consumers. when cooked, he explains, insects congeal to a texture similar to lobster or shrimp and usually have a nutty flavor. larger insects and arachnids such as  scorpions, tarantulas, and beetles are often peeled like shrimp in cultures where entomophagy is common.

“it’s so expensive because most people in the united states won’t do it. it’s not being done on a big enough scale to bring the price down,” louderman said, highlighting the chicken-and-egg problem of cost and adoption.

environmental benefits: the advantage of insects

despite these challenges, insects offer remarkable advantages as protein sources. black soldier flies, for instance, can convert food waste into protein with noteworthy efficiency, growing to harvestable size in just two to three weeks while consuming “whatever slop you have lying around,” laurenz said.

their environmental footprint is minimal compared to traditional livestock according to agronomy for sustainable development:

• insects require significantly less land and water.
• they produce fewer greenhouse gases.
• they can convert feed to protein much more efficiently.
• select species can be raised on monitored organic waste streams, creating circular economic opportunities while adhering to strict food safety protocols.

“without insects, our food wouldn’t get pollinated. when things die in the forest, they don’t decompose, and the soil becomes infertile. without insects, the trees die, we run out of oxygen, and we run out of food,” louderman said, highlighting insects’ crucial role in our ecosystems beyond just being a food source themselves.

the path forward

however, louderman cautions that there are some health considerations. people allergic to shellfish may also be allergic to insects and arachnids that have exoskeletons or shells (arthropods). he also emphasizes the importance of consuming farm-raised rather than wild-caught insects to avoid potential contamination issues.

the best chance for mainstream acceptance in western countries, according to louderman, is through products like cricket flour in familiar foods such as cookies, chips, and protein bars, rather than whole insects. this gradual introduction of insects, which would have to be included on product labels, could help overcome the cultural barriers while delivering the environmental benefits of insect protein.

even committed vegans like northwestern sophomore mia el-yafi offer nuanced views on insect consumption. “if there was bug powder in something, that would bother me less than if there was lard or gelatin,” she said, suggesting insects occupy a different ethical category for some plant-based eaters. 

non-vegetarians like casey bond exhibit cautious curiosity about insect protein. “i would support it, but i’ve never eaten insects… if they were made like a bug burger, maybe i’d eat it,” he said, drawing a comparison to more familiar food presentations: “it’s like eating fish versus when fish is served whole with the head on.” in the future, presentation may be crucial for mainstream adoption.

as we face the dual challenges of feeding a growing population and mitigating climate change, entomophagy offers a solution that’s been hiding in plain sight, buzzing and crawling around us all along. the question is not whether insects will become part of our dietary future but when and how we’ll embrace this sustainable  and substantial protein source. 

newlab is a climate-focused global venture platform that helps technology startups move faster and more efficiently. they have maker spaces, over 100 acres of piloting infrastructure, and lots of industry and community connections to allow startups to get their business running! originally based in brooklyn, new york, newlab has expanded to detroit and is currently setting up its offices in riyadh, saudi arabia. newlab is committed to decarbonization by localizing supply chain systems and keeping production clean and supported here in the states. newlab and their partner across the street, michigan central station, have a devoted skills team that is committed to upscaling the local labor force creating more jobs for engineers, electricians, and business owners across detroit and the u.s. as they move to electric energy.

they must be doing something right as over 28% of newlab’s membership base has relocated from outside of michigan or in the case of international companies, have opened a north american office in detroit with newlab. with over 300 startups and over 1,000 members in their network, newlab is just getting started. if you have a radical new idea about how technology can improve the world around us, newlab is a great place to start.