Skip to main content

GreenBiz 350 Podcast

Episode 168: Ex-Walmart exec talks electric fleets, investors and the low-carbon economy

Plus, we mull the week's biggest news, including Microsoft's bold decision to raise its internal carbon fee to $15 per metric ton.

Week in Review

Tune in around 4:55 for commentary on this week's stories.

  1. Microsoft doubles carbon fee as it doubles down on ambition
  2. Big brands recruit small innovators in fight against single-use plastics
  3. 5 things you need to know about chemical recycling

Features

From Walmart to Nikola Motor (16:21)

Elizabeth Fretheim spent the last decade with the world's largest retailer, most recently as senior director of supply chain sustainability. She chats with GreenBiz Senior Writer and Transportation Analyst Katie Fehrenbacher about why she's joining electric truck startup Nikola Motor, and why she anticipates a "poly-fuel" future for corporate fleet managers. (You can read a longer interview with Fretheim here.)

Mercer: Investors are better off in a low-carbon economy (18:19)

"The key takeaway is that a 2-degree [Celsius] scenario is both an imperative and opportunity for investors," notes Alex Bernhardt, principal and head of responsible investors for Mercer, discussing the advisory firm's latest analysis of the implications of global temperature increases on climate change.

"It's an imperative because no matter how we look at it, a 2-degree scenario looks better for investors — at the asset class level, at the total portfolio level — better than a 3-degree or 4-degree scenario, which are the two other scenarios that we looked at." Tune in for more details on balancing short-term and long-term interests.

This app lets you vote with your dollars (26:46)

Ever wish you could tell the businesses that get your shopping dollars what they should do about issues of sustainability or corporate responsibility? MoneyVoice is an app that does just that: for every dollar a customer spends with a company — like a grocery store or restaurant — the app gives a consumer the right to offer feedback. For example, users can "vote" to encourage the company to adopt more renewable energy or organic items or to ban single-use plastic bags. MoneyVoice founder and CEO Brent Schulkin talks about how the model works, and how businesses can get involved. (Check out MoneyVoice's crowdfunding page here.)

* All music in this episode by Lee Rosevere: "Credit Roll," "Fourth Ave Walkup," "Thinking It Over," "Curiosity" and "Here's The Thing."

(And, if you want to catch Heather's recent contest performance with her acapella quartet, watch this video.)

What's new at GreenBiz?

Circling the circular economy. Sign up for a state-of-the-market webcast about business models for circularity, moderated by GreenBiz Senior Analyst and Circular Economy Director Lauren Phipps. Topics include key trends in reusability, material health, plastic packaging and reverse logistics. Register now for the live session at 1 p.m. EDT May 1.

Do we have a newsletter for you! We produce five weekly newsletters: GreenBuzz by Executive Editor Joel Makower (Monday), Transport Weekly by Senior Writer and Analyst Katie Fehrenbacher(Tuesday), VERGE Weekly by Executive Director Shana Rappaport and Editorial Director Heather Clancy (Wednesday), Energy Weekly by Senior Energy Analyst Sarah Golden (Thursday) and Circular Weekly by Director and Senior Analyst Lauren Phipps (Friday). You must subscribe to each newsletter in order to receive it. Please visit this page to choose the newsletters you want to receive.

Check out our Center Stage podcast, which features the best of live interviews on sustainable business and clean technology, conducted on stage at GreenBiz and VERGE conferences.

The GreenBiz Intelligence Panel is the survey body we poll regularly throughout the year on key trends and developments in sustainability. To become part of the panel, click here. Enrolling is free and should take two minutes.

Stay connected

To make sure you don't miss the newest episodes of GreenBiz 350, subscribe on iTunes. Have a question or suggestion for a future segment? E-mail us at [email protected].

More on this topic