Closing out The Cooler's first year.
A look back at the inspiring, impactful conversations about we’ve had about climate in 2023.
In August, we launched The Cooler to have better conversations about climate solutions, and the technology and innovations that are pushing us towards a more sustainable future. Now, just a few months into the project, we’re blown away by the amount of support, engagement, and interest we’ve seen already.
To us, it speaks volumes about how much work there is to do to improve climate communications. As a group, we’re belligerently optimistic that society has the ingenuity to counteract the negative effects of climate change, and we remain committed as ever to our role as storytellers and creatives helping to advance these solutions.
Early next year, we’re excited to bring you conversations with prominent climate tech investor Leo Banchik, who just announced the next chapter of his fascinating career in climate tech with Voyager Ventures, and Allison Bates Wannop, an energy policy changemaker who has a bold vision to "disrupt" policy work to unlock a new era of renewable energy.
Before we ring in 2024, we’re pausing to reflect on some of the stories we told this year and the lessons we’re pulling into the next.
To those of you who are just joining us, we’re happy you’ve found The Cooler and we encourage you to peruse issues you may have missed from earlier this year. If you’re already a subscriber and have enjoyed the work we’ve been doing, we hope you’ll share this with someone in your network who would be interested, too. Finally, if you’re interested in storytelling with us, have feedback, or just want to share a few thoughts, drop us a line at thecooler@launchsquad.com.
Our first interview was with someone who’s defining the future of the carbon removal industry: CRA’s executive director, Giana Amador.
We’ve had the pleasure of working with Giana Amador to define a vision for high-quality carbon removal at Carbon180, and today we’re cheering her on as she leads the Carbon Removal Alliance. Giana has made a clear impact on the global conversation about carbon removal, and she is working tirelessly to scale the industry across a diverse range of pathways by influencing federal policy.
We attended NYC Climate Week and VERGE 23
Our team drew a lot of storytelling insights and energy from attending climate conferences this year. They’re forums for information-sharing and connection for individuals and companies in the climate space. Perhaps more importantly, we were reminded who’s not in the room at these events—and to make sure we disseminate key messages and takeaways beyond industry gatherings.
We spoke with creative storytellers about how they develop engaging, accessible content about climate change.
What clean energy solution matches your zodiac sign? What climate questions should you be asking on a first date? These are some outside-the-box ways that creative storytellers Nicole Kelner and Kristy Drutman engage their audiences—and make a real impact educating a broad spectrum of followers on climate change topics.
🔑 The key to compelling climate stories? Look outside the industry
Terraformation CEO Yishan Wong shared why he’s planting trees—and how he addresses the skeptics
It’s going to take more than one solution to mitigate and reverse the impacts of climate change. Still, figuring out where to focus our time and resources can be tricky. Yishan Wong, CEO of Terraformation, shared how he approaches these conversations.
We talked about climate tech storytelling with two guys who have been doing it (and doing it well) since before it was cool.
Abe Yokell, co-founder and managing partner at Congruent Ventures, and Mike Farber, co-founder of Greenstory, have both been bullish on climate technology since its first boom. Now, as we see a resurgence of interest and investment in the space, they share how critical storytelling is to the success of these solutions.
An Eternal Optimist on the Importance of Climate Storytelling
An OG climate investor on the value of storytelling
We connected with climate journalists and podcasters about what the new year might bring.
Thank you + Happy New Year from The Cooler team!
We want to extend a heartfelt thanks to the individuals who gave us their time and shared compelling, thoughtful responses to our questions. You all are inspiring voices helping the climate industry drive forward in the right direction.
And thank you our subscribers for joining us on our journey to have better conversations about climate. We’re excited to continue this work in 2024.