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GreenBiz 350 Podcast

Episode 11: What's in store for 2016 — the year in preview

Join us for a trip back to the future on the weekly GreenBiz 350 podcast covering all things green business.

It's that time again. With a New Year comes a new slate of possibilities in the realm of sustainability, particularly after a banner year for clean energy adoption and the United Nations COP21 climate talks in 2015.

For those new to the weekly GreenBiz 350 podcast covering the biggest news in sustainable business, click play on the track above to listen now, or head over to iTunes and subscribe.

Got a question, comment or suggestion? Send us a note at [email protected]. The full episode archive is always available at greenbiz.com/350.

Finally, follow along with the stories, companies and initiatives mentioned during the show with the guide below:

GreenBiz week in review

A weekly roundup of the news you need to know about.

GM banks on Lyft

Evidently the transportation world wasn't willing to let the first work week of the New Year start off slowly. General Motors made headlines with a blockbuster $500 million investment in ridesharing company (and Uber arch nemsis) Lyft.

The investment, which accompanied an announcement that the two companies will also jointly pursue self-driving car technology, is the latest in a string of auto tech developments that have incumbents and upstarts scrambling for a foothold in the growing shared mobility space.

Meanwhile, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) going on this week in Las Vegas saw a frenzy of other automotive activity, with Ford and Amazon unveiling a plan to link connected cars with smart homes — an Internet of Things play the automaker previously embarked on with smart thermostat maker Nest  — raising even more questions about how the future of transportation might merge with clean energy and more efficient systems.

The show must go on

Can Hollywood save us from climate catastrophe? That's the question that Flipboard Head of Research David Wigder posed in an article this week exploring the role of film and pop culture in responding to climate change.

While Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" remains a touchstone in sustainability circles, Wigder documents that (surprise) disaster and post-apocalyptic climate movies historically tend to do more to move public opinion.

"We Love the SDGs"

The term "sustainable development goals" might not exactly roll of the tongue for most people, but that doesn't mean the so-called SDGs adopted by the United Nations last fall to chart a global path forward have to be dull.

Just ask Alan AtKisson, the President & CEO of AtKisson Group, who produced a song and music video about the SDGs.

Featured stories

An in-depth look at two stories changing the game for green business.

2016 in preview

By now you're read plenty of 2015 in review stories. So it's time to look at 2016 in preview.

One of the key stories we'll be watching, as reported by Senior Editor Lauren Hepler this week, is "5 ways 2016 will be a make or break year for climate change." The rise of "green greed" and the future of fossil fuels are just the beginning.

And what's top of mind for sustainability executives staring down a new year? Glad you asked. GreenBiz Vice President and Senior Analyst John Davies surveyed a slew of CSOs (some of them members of the GreenBiz Intelligence Panel)on their strongest internal allies, the headlines they want to read in 2016 and the questions they're dying to be asked.

The 5 tech trends that will transform sustainability

Senior Writer Heather Clancy runs down the tech innovations poised to overhaul transportation, manufacturing and, well, our overall intelligence.

What does 3-D printing mean for the future of materials? How will artificial intelligence change data processing? And what the heck is going on with drones, anyway?

What's new at GreenBiz?

News, events, webcasts — the list goes on. Keep your finger on the pulse of the latest in sustainability by keeping up with GreenBiz.

Get ready for Phoenix, Hawaii and Silicon Valley

You thought this year would slow down after all the action in Paris? Think again. The next year will be packed with a steady stream of big events:

GreenBiz 16 will kick things off Feb. 23-25 in Arizona, where chief sustainability officers from Fortune 500 companies will come together with NGOs and others to hash out the biggest issues in the world of green business.

From June 21 to 23, when the event will hit the road for Honolulu with VERGE Hawaii. Then, from Sept. 19 to 22, VERGE 2016 will bring us back to Silicon Valley.

The State of Green Business, 2016

As we ramp up for a new year of free online webcasts, get ready for a big one. On Feb. 2, we'll unveil the ninth annual State of Green Business report, and you can save your spot here at no cost.

Stay connected

To make sure you don't miss the newest episodes of GreenBiz 350, be sure to click subcribe on iTunes or bookmark greenbiz.com/350.

Have a question or suggestion for a future segment? E-mail us at [email protected].

Technical direction for GreenBiz 350 by Sureya Melkonian.

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