In 2009, Gundersen Health System embarked on an audacious journey to generate all of its power from local, renewable energy sources. By 2014, the organization headquartered in La Crosse, Wisconsin, succeeded. Alan Eber was right there near the beginning, first as Manager of Engineering and Energy and eventually rising to Director of Gundersen Envision, overseeing the entire energy and sustainability arm of the organization. Alan joins us to share this remarkable story of climate innovation. Harnessing the likes of wind, solar, geothermal, cow manure, landfill gas, and methane created from the operations of a local brewery, he and his team oversaw the development and implementation of a vast array of clean energy technologies. The results are a reduced carbon footprint, $5 million in annual energy savings, improved health conditions in the communities Gundersen serves, and lower healthcare costs for its patient populations. Eber is now CEO of Eneration, helping other healthcare systems pursue what he and his team accomplished at Gundersen.

The low-carbon future is unfolding faster than most of us realize. In the U.S. alone, over 600 towns and cities are implementing climate action plans. Supercool explores civilization’s dynamic response to climate change, the people and places leading the way in cutting carbon emissions while saving money and improving our quality of life. Hosted by Josh Dorfman, climate author and entrepreneur, the show highlights today’s most innovative climate solutions that fit the modern world and bring society into balance with nature. Each episode showcases real-world examples and the data that backs it up, like hospitals running on renewable energy that saves $2 million each year, green-certified school buildings that improve student performance in math and reading, and how increased tree cover reduces crime in our inner cities. What if the future is actually supercool?