In this episode of Future in Bloom, host Steph talks with Dr. Lea Winter, a chemical and environmental engineering professor at Yale, to explore how we can redesign the basic chemistry of our economy and actually reuse CO2. Lea breaks down why carbon isn’t just a pollutant to get rid of but an essential building block of our everyday lives. Her lab is developing ways to take CO2 from the atmosphere or industrial emissions and convert it into fuels, chemicals, and materials using reactions that could one day replace fossil-fuel-based manufacturing.
Lea also explains how synthetic fertilizer enabled the population boom of the 20th century, but at a steep cost: massive fossil fuel dependence, significant CO2 emissions, and widespread nitrogen contamination of groundwater and ecosystems. Her lab is pursuing green ammonia pathways that use only air, water, and renewable electricity.
Together, Lea and Steph discuss her work on transforming wastewater into a resource recovery opportunity, converting nitrogen contaminants into ammonia for fertilizer. Lea shares her vision of a truly circular chemical economy, one designed to eliminate waste, increase resilience, and expand access to essential resources for communities around the world.
Impermanent Philanthropy: A new way to think about legacy with Santhosh Ramdoss
What if the best thing a foundation could do was plan its own ending? In this episode of Future in Bloom, Steph Speirs sits down with Santhosh Ramdoss, President & CEO of Gary Community Ventures, to explore a radical idea that could reshape philanthropy: Impermanence.
By 2035, Gary will have spent every dollar of its assets in service of Colorado kids and families, which intentionally departs from how most foundations operate.
Santhosh shares the founding vision behind Gary’s sunset, why traditional endowments behave more like dams than rivers, and how his team is working to transform institutional wealth into community well-being. He also opens up about his own journey, what nature can teach all of us about letting go, and how to leave the world better than we found it.
Better Soil with Natural Carbon Removal: A Yale Geochemist Explains
What if one of the most powerful climate solutions wasn’t something we needed to build, but something the Earth has been doing for billions of years?
In this episode, Steph Speirs sits down with Dr. Noah Planavsky, a geochemist at Yale University and one of the world’s experts on enhanced rock weathering. They explore how crushing silicate rocks like basalt and spreading them on farmland can accelerate a natural process that pulls CO₂ from the atmosphere and locks it in the ocean for thousands of years. All this both improves soil health and boosts crop yields.
Dr. Planavsky breaks down the science, explains why farmers already understand soil chemistry better than most academics, and makes the case that carbon removal should benefit the communities where it operates. He shares his choice to co-found two carbon removal companies and then walk away from any financial stake so he could advocate for transparency and sound science.
Charles Hua, founder of Powerlines and former US Department of Energy strategist, makes the case that America’s energy affordability crisis is a regulatory problem. With 80 million Americans struggling to pay their utility bills, and rates rising at the fastest pace in a generation, Charles points out the real power to control consumer prices resides with Public Utilities Commissioners, roughly 200 people he calls “The Supreme Court Justices of Energy.” This small group controls more than $200 billion a year in utility spending. This, all within a system designed almost a century ago.
Steph and Charles discuss why the grid runs at just 50% efficiency, how “capex bias” rewards utilities for building new infrastructure instead of optimizing what already exists, what the rise of data centers could mean for your power bill, and the inexpensive and solutions we could implement quickly if they get the greenlight from regulators. Whether you’re in climate tech, policy, or just nervous to open your electric bill lately, this episode will open up a world we don’t see or think about that often, happening behind every flip of a lightswitch.
Clean Energy Has to Outcompete Fossil Fuels (Not Cancel Them)
Aliya Haq has been involved in the environmental movement since she was eight years old, protesting an incinerator in her rural hometown. Over 25 years she’s led policy at Greenpeace, Breakthrough Energy, and now the Clean Economy Project. In this conversation, she tells Steph Speirs why the old playbook of “stop bad things” no longer meets the moment, and what it takes to actually build a clean economy fast enough to matter.
Aliya and Steph dig into the practical questions facing every climate tech founder and investor right now: Why does clean energy need policy to exist? How do permitting reform, transmission, and interconnection actually get unstuck? And how do companies navigate a moment where wealthy funders are backing away from climate, and federal policy feels like quicksand? It’s a candid and clearsighted conversation about what it means to shift from activist to builder–and why the economics of clean energy are already winning, if we let them.
“People are going to fly whether we like it or not.” Now what?
The aviation sector has an emissions problem. Convincing people to fly less won’t cut it: The answer is fundamentally reinventing the fuel itself. In this episode of Future in Bloom, host Steph Speirs sits down with Dr. Staff Sheehan, a computer scientist-turned-chemist and five-time entrepreneur, to unpack sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs).
Staff breaks down what’s blocking cheap, abundant, clean electricity. He shares how this problem led him to co-found his fifth company, a nuclear energy startup called Project Omega. He makes the case that nuclear is the safest, most space-efficient, and most reliable baseload energy source available, and that its bad reputation is largely driven by misinformation and resistance from the fossil fuel industry.
Along the way, Staff and Steph tackle greenwashing in aviation, the ethanol industry as a blueprint for SAF adoption, U.S. vs. EU policy approaches, the geopolitics of energy independence, the air quality crisis near airports, and why fossil fuel incumbents “play dirty” to maintain the status quo.
How One Person’s Impact Can Unlock Gigawatts of Energy
Matt Traldi, co-founder of Greenlight America, joins Steph Speirs to unpack the “hidden” political friction points stalling the U.S. energy transition. From the permitting bottleneck to why wind and solar are losing by forfeit in local council rooms, Matt breaks down how the next generation of energy is being held back by zoning laws rather than technology. Learn why showing up to a single Tuesday night hearing can have the same carbon impact as planting 4 million trees, and how Matt’s journey from labor unions and the Obama-era EPA led him to tackle the organizing gap in the clean energy revolution.
Why Most Grid Batteries Won’t Survive a Winter Storm
Arvin Ganesan, CEO of Fourth Power, joins Steph Speirs to unpack what’s really happening at the intersection of extreme heat, carbon blocks, and the future of long-duration energy storage. From the “25% demand surge” hitting the U.S. grid to why traditional lithium-ion isn’t enough for our wind and solar future, Arvin breaks down the massive technological friction points holding back the next generation of environmental giants.
Learn why the shift to decentralized power is making the grid more volatile and how a career spanning from the U.S. Senate and Obama-era EPA to Apple led Arvin to solve the “loneliness” of climate tech entrepreneurship.
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❓ Common Questions
What is long-duration energy storage (LDES)? It refers to systems that can store energy for 10+ hours to handle grid fluctuations when the sun isn’t shining.
How does Fourth Power’s technology work? It uses electricity to heat carbon blocks to extreme temperatures, which can then be converted back to power as needed.
Why is grid demand increasing so fast? The primary drivers are the massive energy needs of AI data centers, the transition to Electric Vehicles (EVs), and a resurgence in domestic manufacturing.
What are the biggest challenges for climate tech CEOs? Beyond the tech, it’s about managing investor trust and the emotional toll of leading a “hard tech” revolution.
The Hidden Barrier to America’s Clean Energy Future
Antoine Vagneur-Jones, Head of Trade & Supply Chains at Bloomberg NEF, joins Steph Speirs to unpack what’s really happening at the intersection of tariffs, critical minerals, and the clean energy transition. From the “3x price gap” hitting U.S. solar modules to why the “New Oil” narrative is questionable, Antoine breaks down the massive geopolitical friction points holding back the next generation of environmental giants.
Learn why blanket tariffs might be hurting domestic manufacturers more than protecting them and how the global battle for lithium, cobalt, and rare earth elements is redefining the “Valley of Death” for clean tech startups.
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Common Questions
Are critical minerals actually as scarce as oil?
Unlike oil, which is burned and lost, minerals like lithium are part of a hardware-based system and can be recycled, meaning we don’t face the same “scarcity” in the ground.
Why are solar panels more expensive in the U.S.?
Due to a “wall of tariffs,” solar module prices in the U.S. are approximately three times higher than the rest of the world.
Does the U.S. rely on China for refining?
Yes. China currently controls approximately 60% of lithium refining capacity and 85% of rare earth mineral processing.
How long does it take to move a clean tech factory?
While battery plants are complex, a solar module assembly facility can be relocated to a new geography in roughly six months to avoid trade barriers.
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#cleanenergy #tradewar #sustainability #climatetech #geopolitics #greenenergy
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Future in Bloom bridges climate tech and human nature. Hosted by clean energy entrepreneur Steph Speirs, Future in Bloom brings together innovators, scientists, and investors working on the world’s most promising planetary solutions.
Adapted from the Yale School of Management course “Climate Tech Innovation and Commercialization,” learners discover next generation technologies through data-driven lectures, deep dive studio interviews, and vivid short documentaries. Future in Bloom is here to show that a thriving future is within reach.
Future in Bloom is supported by the Yale Center for Business and the Environment.
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About Me:
Steph Speirs is a clean energy entrepreneur, strategic advisor, and teacher. She founded Future in Bloom, a media studio about intelligent solutions for a thriving world. Steph teaches climate entrepreneurship at Yale School of Management and is a Resident Fellow at the Center for Business and the Environment. She keynotes and advises philanthropists, investors, and companies on the future of climate tech and clean energy. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Sierra Club Foundation, Vote Solar, and on the Credit Committee of the Community Investment Guarantee Pool. Steph most recently cofounded and was CEO of Solstice, an enterprise dedicated to radically expanding the number of American households that can take advantage of clean energy using community-shared solar farms (acquired by MyPower/Mitsui). Steph previously worked at the White House National Security Council and in clean energy companies in India and Pakistan.
How AI Slashes Clean Energy R&D by Decades W/ Lisbeth Kaufman
Lisbeth Kaufman, AWS Head of Climate Tech Startups and former founder, joins Steph Speirs to discuss how the world’s largest cloud provider is accelerating the next generation of environmental giants. From “building a star on Earth” with fusion energy to AI-powered robots eliminating pesticides, Elizabeth breaks down the massive $7 billion resource engine helping startups scale past the “Valley of Death.” Learn why big tech is the secret weapon for 24/7 clean energy and how generative AI is slashing R&D timelines from 40 years to just 10.
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📧 Subscribe to Our Substack: https://substack.com/@futureinbloom
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#ClimateTech #Sustainability #ArtificialIntelligence #CleanEnergy #Startups #FutureInBloom
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Future in Bloom bridges climate tech and human nature. Hosted by clean energy entrepreneur Steph Speirs, Future in Bloom brings together innovators, scientists, and investors working on the world’s most promising planetary solutions.
Adapted from the Yale School of Management course “Climate Tech Innovation and Commercialization,” learners discover next generation technologies through data-driven lectures, deep dive studio interviews, and vivid short documentaries. Future in Bloom is here to show that a thriving future is within reach.
Future in Bloom is supported by the Yale Center for Business and the Environment.
—
About Me:
Steph Speirs is a clean energy entrepreneur, strategic advisor, and teacher. She founded Future in Bloom, a media studio about intelligent solutions for a thriving world. Steph teaches climate entrepreneurship at Yale School of Management and is a Resident Fellow at the Center for Business and the Environment. She keynotes and advises philanthropists, investors, and companies on the future of climate tech and clean energy. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Sierra Club Foundation, Vote Solar, and on the Credit Committee of the Community Investment Guarantee Pool. Steph most recently cofounded and was CEO of Solstice, an enterprise dedicated to radically expanding the number of American households that can take advantage of clean energy using community-shared solar farms (acquired by MyPower/Mitsui). Steph previously worked at the White House National Security Council and in clean energy companies in India and Pakistan.