At a live podcast taping during Climate Week NYC, executives from organizations worldwide met to wrestle with challenging sustainability questions, including: How do we reach net zero by 2040 when the demand for energy is skyrocketing?

This episode of Positive Charge takes listeners inside a private session at The Climate Pledge Hub featuring Kara Hurst, chief sustainability officer at Amazon, and Jason Knauf, CEO of The Earthshot Prize. Plus, we meet Franco Rodríguez Viau, a Gen Z founder whose AI startup is detecting wildfires faster than NASA.

From navigating Amazon’s $200 billion AI infrastructure push to turning climate fatigue into "positive tipping points," this conversation explores how radical transparency, buyer alliances and youth-led innovation can accelerate climate solutions.

Tune in to hear why climate action could be the most unifying human mission in history — and why the future of sustainability relies on inviting everyone in.

Sources and references

Interviews:

• Kara Hurst, chief sustainability officer for Amazon
• Jason Knauf, CEO of The Earthshot Prize
• Franco Rodríguez Viau, CEO and co-founder of Satellites on Fire

Additional sources:

• "The new tipping points playbook: The Earthshot Prize and the University of Exeter reveal how to make environmental repair unstoppable", The Earthshot Prize

Positive Charge is hosted by Lisa Stiffler and Laura Scott, and edited and produced by Laura Scott, with editorial assistance from Todd Bishop. This episode was sponsored by Amazon and The Climate Pledge.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More than 40 years after the debut of the first commercial veggie burger, the alternative protein sector has evolved far beyond dry bean patties. Today, food scientists and innovative startups are leveraging plant-based ingredients, precision fermentation and cell-cultivation to recreate the taste, texture and nutritional profile of meat while reducing the serious environmental and ethical impacts of industrial animal agriculture.

This episode of Positive Charge dives into the technology, economics and consumer psychology behind the next generation of sustainable foods. The journey begins with a visit to Seattle-area startup Rebellyous Foods to sample faux chicken nuggets designed for public school lunchrooms, built using automated, continuous manufacturing processes to lower costs. Then, the conversation turns to our four-legged friends with Jiminy's, a company selling insect-based, eco-friendly dog kibble and treats that provide protein plus soothing some canine allergies.

Finally, the episode checks in with the Bezos Center for Sustainable Protein at NC State to tackle the broader questions facing the industry. From breaking down consumer skepticism and navigating the "ultra-processed" food debate to scaling complex biomanufacturing processes, this discussion explores what it will take to transform alternative proteins from a niche technology into a staple on everyday dinner plates — and in pet bowls.

Sources and references

Interviews:

• Rohan Shirwaiker, distinguished professor and director of the Bezos Center for Sustainable Protein at North Carolina State University
• Christie Lagally Bradburn, founder and CEO of Rebellyous Foods
• Anne Carlson, founder and CEO of Jiminy's

Additional sources:

• "The History of the Veggie Burger," Smithsonian Magazine, March 19, 2014
• Analyzing plant-based meat & seafood sales, Good Food Institute, 2025 data
• "An Extension Guide to Alternative Proteins," Bezos Center for Sustainable Protein at NC State
• "Environmental Impacts of Food Production," Our World in Data
• "This plant-based chicken startup is bucking alt-protein trends with a new production milestone," GeekWire, Jan. 5, 2026
• "The truth about cats’ and dogs’ environmental impact," UCLA, Aug. 2, 2017

Lisa's favorite protein nut balls:

• 1 C old-fashioned oats
• 1 C peanut butter, other nut butter, or combo
• ⅓ C honey
• ⅓ C chopped, roasted nuts (peanuts, almonds, pecans, etc.)
• ⅓ C semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate (chips or chopped)
• 2 Tbs protein powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp salt
• ⅓ C shredded coconut (optional)
• 2 Tbs chia seeds (optional)

1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.
2. Form into balls measuring about 2 Tbs, arrange on a pie tin or plate, chill.

This episode was hosted by Lisa Stiffler and Laura Scott, and edited and produced by Laura Scott, with editorial assistance from Todd Bishop. Sponsored by Amazon Sustainability.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The world faces a glut of used EV batteries at the same time it's facing a clean energy crisis as data centers and other users are gobbling up power. But some sustainability entrepreneurs have figured out how to take one of those problems to solve the other. They are repurposing electric vehicle batteries to provide affordable, climate-friendly electricity.

In this episode of Positive Charge, we’ll go inside Moment Energy's massive new production facility in British Columbia to see how retired EV batteries are being resurrected into mega batteries that bring power to off-grid communities, industrial sites and businesses. We’ll talk to battery pioneers at Redwood Materials, which deployed the world's largest used-battery and solar installation in Nevada to electrify an AI data center.

And we'll seek answers to a critical question: Can yesterday's commute power today's AI boom and our clean energy future?

Sources and references

Interviews:

• Eddy Chiang, CEO and co-founder at Moment Energy
• Colin Campbell, chief technology officer at Redwood Materials
• Scott Williams, vice president of energy at Crusoe
• Grayson Shor, founder and executive director of the Pacific Northwest Battery Collaborative, and co-founder and chief product officer of Buckstop, a circular-economy startup focused on the recovery of minerals and other valuable materials

Additional sources:

• "Electric-Vehicle Battery Basics" (Car and Driver)
• "How long do EV batteries last" (Recurrent)
• God's Pocket Resort eco-lodge

This episode was hosted by Lisa Stiffler and Laura Scott, and edited and produced by Laura Scott, with editorial assistance from Todd Bishop. Sponsored by Amazon Sustainability.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.