An hour outside Tampa on Florida’s hurricane-prone Gulf Coast, Hunters Point presents a bold new vision for sustainable housing. As the first community in the world to achieve LEED Zero Energy certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, it operates entirely on renewable energy. Solar panels and battery storage guarantee residents never face an energy bill, while the thick, super-insulated walls and other cutting-edge features provide the resilience needed to weather hurricanes.

Pioneering how communities can thrive amid escalating climate challenges, Hunters Point allows homeowners to live free from rising energy and insurance costs while enjoying the perks of coastal living.

Marshall Gobuty, the visionary entrepreneur and developer of Hunters Point, previously made his mark with his first master-planned community, Mirabella, the first to achieve LEED Platinum certification, one of the industry's highest sustainability honors.

Yet Marshall didn’t set out on this journey to save the planet — he saw it as smart business. And when business insight meets environmental responsibility, it sparks the kind of innovation that propels the low-carbon economy and makes Hunters Point supercool.

Every city dreams of safe, connected bike lanes that quickly get people where they want to go. But turning those dreams into reality often drags on for years, if not decades, stalling a city’s aspirations and frustrating its citizens. A complete network of protected bike lanes does more than enable zero-emission commuting and errand running—it enhances health, boosts economic activity, attracts job-creating companies, and raises overall quality of life.

Enter The Final Mile Project—a game-changing initiative designed to break through political barriers and accelerate the construction of complete bike networks in a matter of months. Austin, Denver, New Orleans, Pittsburgh, and Providence were the first five cities up. The results? 335 miles of bike lanes built within 24 months.

Leading the charge was Kyle Wagenschutz, an urban planner with a knack for turning the wheels of government. Kyle's journey began in Memphis, where he was tasked with an uphill battle: preventing the city from being named the worst place to bicycle in America by Bicycling Magazine for a third consecutive year. Against the odds, Kyle and his colleagues transformed Memphis into that same magazine’s "Most Improved City" two years later. By 2015, Memphis stood out as a national leader, earning Kyle the honor of "Champion of Change" at the White House.

The next 15 U.S. cities will soon have an opportunity to leverage the Accelerated Mobility Playbook developed by Kyle and his organization, City Thread, to advance their cycling and mobility infrastructure. Drawing from over a decade of experience in city halls and community centers and out on the nation’s roads, Kyle shares the striking insights and novel strategies that turn city goals for complete bike networks into concrete reality.

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Guest: Kyle Wagenschutz

Organization: City Thread

Grant Program for Cities: Accelerated Mobility Playbook (Applications Open Until 11/20/24)

Project: The Final Mile

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Stanford professor Mark Jacobson wasn’t just dreaming of a world powered by 100% renewable energy back in 2009—he was doing the math and architecting the plan. In an article for Scientific American, Jacobson presented it: wind, water, and solar could do more than keep the lights on—they could power the planet.

A momentous chain reaction ensued. Jacobson teamed up with actor-turned-eco-hero Mark Ruffalo to co-found The Solutions Project with a mission to transition the world to 100% renewables by 2035. He went on the David Letterman Show and spoke at the UN alongside Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.

As Jacobson's vision took root, states and cities began making 100% renewable pledges. By 2019, his idea had reached Capitol Hill when AOC and Senator Markey introduced the Green New Deal resolution, calling for a transition to 100% renewable energy. Jacobson’s message? We can pull it off, it’ll save us trillions, and spare millions of lives.

Plus, if you’re lucky enough to live in just about any state that’s ahead of the curve, you’re already paying some of the lowest energy bills in the country.

Show Links:

Guest: Mark Jacobson (Stanford University, LinkedIn, Wikipedia)

Book: No Miracles Needed: How Today's Technology Can Save Our Climate and Clean Our Air

Organization: The Solutions Project

Article: Scientific American - A Plan to Power 100% of the Planet with Renewables
Background data: U.S. Covid-relief spending

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Baltimore isn’t just building schools—it’s reshaping what education and sustainability can look like for the 21st century. At Holabird Academy and Graceland Park, two net-zero energy public schools, the future is already in session. Solar panels line the roofs, geothermal wells lie beneath the ballfields, and energy-efficient features keep these buildings running entirely on renewable power. But while these schools are a win for the planet, the real story is how they’re transforming the lives of everyone who steps inside—students, teachers, administrators, and the surrounding community.

Stephanie Novak Pappas, the award-winning Principal of Holabird Academy, joins the conversation to talk about how this cutting-edge building has profoundly impacted the school’s learning environment. We also speak with Amy Upton, Director of Environmental Design and Principal at Grimm & Parker Architects, the visionary behind the Holabird project. Amy walks us through the grit, innovation, and collaboration it took to bring this game-changing space to life, on time and under budget.

The takeaway? Buildings designed with low environmental impact don’t just reduce carbon—they elevate communities, maybe even cities, pushing them toward a future that’s not just greener but smarter, brighter, and better for everyone.

Show Links:

Guests: Stephanie Novak Pappas and Amy Upton

School: Holabird Academy

Company: Grimm + Parker Architects (see the Holabird project)

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Cities are in a race against time to cut carbon, and the stakes couldn’t be higher. Responsible for 70% of global emissions, urban centers around the world are stepping up. In Africa, Addis Ababa is planting millions of trees. In Asia, Shenzhen runs an all-electric bus fleet. In North America, New York City is driving deep decarbonization with bold greenhouse gas reduction laws. And in Europe, Paris is reshaping urban life to reduce car dependence through hyper-localization — everything from work to groceries within walking distance.

At the heart of this global movement are mayors, leading their cities toward a low-carbon future. Through C40 Cities—a network of nearly 100 leading cities—mayors are sharing, learning, and spreading the most effective climate solutions worldwide. And they’re doing more than just cutting carbon; they’re making cities healthier, more connected, and more livable for their residents.

David Miller served as Mayor of Toronto from 2003-2010, where he transformed the city into a climate leader with a strategy rooted in innovation, inclusion, and opportunity. Now, as Managing Director of the Center for City Climate Policy and Economy at C40, host of the podcast Cities 1.5, and author of Solved: How the Great Cities of the World are Fixing the Climate Crisis, David is guiding cities toward a sustainable future—where addressing climate change also means improving urban life.

“I truly believe that if people understand what's possible today and how it can enrich our lives and not just solve the climate crisis, they're going to demand the kind of action at scale that we need.” - David Miller

Show Links:

Guest: David Miller

Organization: C40 Cities

Podcast: Cities 1.5, hosted by David Miller and produced by the University of Toronto Press. It features progressive policy conversations with urban leaders taking action to limit global heating to 1.5 degrees.

Book: Solved: How the Great Cities of the World are Fixing the Climate Crisis

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Heading into Labor Day weekend, we visit Martha's Vineyard and discover it’s become ground zero for the robotic future of lawn care. Across America, a quiet revolution is unfolding—autonomous electric mowers are gliding silently across parks, ballfields, and backyards. These zero-emission machines couldn’t have arrived at a better time. Lawn care and gardening account for 4-5% of the U.S.'s total greenhouse gas emissions—a staggering number for a single industry.

Leading this charge is Adam Sloan and his company, Greener. It all started with a frustratingly overgrown lawn at Adam’s home in Martha's Vineyard. After seeing what autonomous mowers could do, he was hooked. Now, Greener provides these climate-friendly robots to landscaping companies, who install them in customers' backyards. Hundreds are already out in the field, with more on the way.

Landscapers love the mowers because they free up time for more skilled tasks. Homeowners love them because their lawns look pristine. And neighborhoods? Well, they finally get their peaceful Saturday mornings back.

Show Links:

Guest: Adam Sloan

Company: Greener

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Geothermal energy is gaining momentum, but its roots in America run deep. Before the Wright Brothers took flight or the first Ford Model-T rolled off the assembly line, residents of Boise, Idaho, were already heating their homes with geothermal energy. Today, Boise’s system heats over 100 buildings and six million square feet in the downtown core and even pulls off some supercool feats—like melting snow off sidewalks in the winter. In Boise, you can wash your clothes at a geothermal-heated laundromat, swim in a geothermal-heated pool at the YMCA, and buy flowers grown in a geothermal-heated greenhouse. Tina Riley, after two decades as a geologist for ExxonMobil, now uses her expertise to manage Boise’s geothermal system—the largest of its kind in the U.S.

Show Links:

Guest: Tina Riley

Climate Initiative: Geothermal Energy in Boise, Idaho

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After a determined two-year campaign, a group of thirty Denver Public Schools students convinced the School Board of Education to approve a bold climate policy to make the school district a national leader in climate action. LeeAnn Kittle, Executive Director of Sustainability for Denver Public Schools, now leads the charge, overseeing the Climate Action Plan, which already saves the district $5 million annually through carbon-cutting initiatives. LeeAnn joins host Josh Dorfman to discuss how the school system drives its climate agenda, how students remain at the heart of the effort, and what it takes to guide such a large organization toward ever-greater climate goals.

Riley Loveland Falvey, Associate Director at the New Buildings Institute, also joins the conversation to discuss how districts and students across the country are collaborating and stepping up to build a supercool, climate-forward future.

Show Links:

Guests: LeeAnn Kittle and Reilly Loveland Falvey

Initiative: Denver Public Schools Climate Action Plan

Organization: New Buildings Institute

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