TODD MILLER - Journalist & Author of Build Bridges, Not Walls & Storming the Wall: Climate Change, Migration & Homeland Security

TODD MILLER - Journalist & Author of Build Bridges, Not Walls & Storming the Wall: Climate Change, Migration & Homeland Security

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Journalist & Author
Build Bridges, Not Walls · Storming the Wall: Climate Change, Migration & Homeland Security

In 2003, the Pentagon commissioned a report titled something like An Abrupt Climate Scenario. They asked some independent researchers to look at what would happen in a worse case scenario. They found that the United States and Australia. They said that they would have to put up defensive fortresses ‘to stop unwanted starving immigrants’…

How Can Investment Propel Climate Restoration? IBRAHIM ALHUSSEINI - Founder & CEO of FullCycle - Highlights

How Can Investment Propel Climate Restoration? IBRAHIM ALHUSSEINI - Founder & CEO of FullCycle - Highlights

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Founder and CEO of FullCycle Fund

Is it okay that you benefit at the expense of everyone and everything else? Is that a way that you really feel like you are winning at life? If not, then reconsider what you’re doing and just realize that we all live in this inextricably connected closed sphere in the middle of space. Anything that harms one area harms every area. There is nobody who can escape dirty air, dirty water, dirty food, economic political disruptions, etc. We’re all in this together. So don’t fool yourself by thinking somehow you’re going to come out this unscathed and having ‘won’ while everybody else loses.

What Role Does Venture Capital Play in a Sustainable Future? IBRAHIM ALHUSSEINI - Founder & CEO of FullCycle, Environmental Advocate

What Role Does Venture Capital Play in a Sustainable Future? IBRAHIM ALHUSSEINI - Founder & CEO of FullCycle, Environmental Advocate

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Ibrahim AlHusseini was born in Jordan and raised in Saudi Arabia by parents who are Palestinian refugees. He emigrated to the United States in the 1990s to attend college at the University of Washington and he currently resides in Los Angeles. 

AlHusseini is a venture capitalist, sustainability-focused entrepreneur, and environmentalist. He is the founder and CEO of FullCycle, an investment company accelerating the deployment of climate-restoring technologies. AlHusseini is also the founder and managing partner of The Husseini Group.

This interview was conducted by Mia Funk, Justin Hayes & Daniel Soroudi with the participation of collaborating universities and students. Associate Interviews Producer on this podcast was Daniel Soroudi. Digital Media Coordinator is Hannah Story Brown.

Mia Funk is an artist, interviewer and founder of The Creative Process.

Windfall: The Booming Business of Global Warming w/ McKENZIE FUNK - Highlights

Windfall: The Booming Business of Global Warming w/ McKENZIE FUNK - Highlights

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Journalist & PEN Literary Award-Winning Author of Windfall

As a parent and especially through all this reporting, what I’ve tried to do is think through these solutions and these fixes we have for everything and make sure that we’re not forgetting…that we’re thinking about other people. Capitalism won’t do it. Self-interest isn’t going to do this for us. As silly as it is to think that empathy will do or caring about your fellow humans will do it, I don’t know what else there is to hope for. I don’t believe that people do stuff purely out of rational self-interest, this libertarian idea that I was quietly pushing against the entire time in Windfall. That we do things just for ourselves or just to make money–that’s not been the reality of my lifetime.

McKENZIE FUNK - Journalist & PEN Literary Award-Winning Author of Windfall

McKENZIE FUNK - Journalist & PEN Literary Award-Winning Author of Windfall

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Journalist & PEN Literary Award-Winning Author of Windfall

As a parent and especially through all this reporting, what I’ve tried to do is think through these solutions and these fixes we have for everything and make sure that we’re not forgetting…that we’re thinking about other people. Capitalism won’t do it. Self-interest isn’t going to do this for us. As silly as it is to think that empathy will do or caring about your fellow humans will do it, I don’t know what else there is to hope for. I don’t believe that people do stuff purely out of rational self-interest, this libertarian idea that I was quietly pushing against the entire time in Windfall. That we do things just for ourselves or just to make money–that’s not been the reality of my lifetime.

How Can Activism Shape Our Planet’s Future? JENNIFER MORGAN - Exec. Director, Greenpeace International - Highlights

How Can Activism Shape Our Planet’s Future? JENNIFER MORGAN - Exec. Director, Greenpeace International - Highlights

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Executive Director of Greenpeace International

I have always hoped and dreamt to work with young people because I’ve always felt that it is their future. It’s so inspiring to be working with young people all around the world. I feel that we are in the midst of transformational change and that working together around these key moments where you can see those shifts happening – unimaginable things that you never thought were going to happen can happen. That would be my other advice to young activists that just when you aren’t expecting it, something will happen and you’ll be like, “I can’t believe they just decided that! Holy cow!” And then you’ve got to celebrate.

JENNIFER MORGAN - Executive Director - Greenpeace International

JENNIFER MORGAN - Executive Director - Greenpeace International

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Executive Director of Greenpeace International

I have always hoped and dreamt to work with young people because I’ve always felt that it is their future. It’s so inspiring to be working with young people all around the world. I feel that we are in the midst of transformational change and that working together around these key moments where you can see those shifts happening – unimaginable things that you never thought were going to happen can happen. That would be my other advice to young activists that just when you aren’t expecting it, something will happen and you’ll be like, “I can’t believe they just decided that! Holy cow!” And then you’ve got to celebrate.

How Can Literature Illuminate Climate Change?" KAREN PINKUS - Prof. of Italian & Comparative Literature, Cornell - Highlights

How Can Literature Illuminate Climate Change?" KAREN PINKUS - Prof. of Italian & Comparative Literature, Cornell - Highlights

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Author of Fuel: A Speculative Dictionary
Professor of Italian & Comparative Literature, Cornell University

For many years I wrote, taught, and published about climate change from a more philosophical, existential point of view, especially thinking about deep time, but I did come back to fuels with my Fuel book in part for the fact that so much of the press and so much of public discourse confuses fuel and energy, and it’s still happening today. I thought about this so long and the same themes, the same tropes are still being recycled.

Narrative, Climate Change & Culture with KAREN PINKUS

Narrative, Climate Change & Culture with KAREN PINKUS

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Author of Fuel: A Speculative Dictionary
Professor of Italian & Comparative Literature, Cornell University

For many years I wrote, taught, and published about climate change from a more philosophical, existential point of view, especially thinking about deep time, but I did come back to fuels with my Fuel book in part for the fact that so much of the press and so much of public discourse confuses fuel and energy, and it’s still happening today. I thought about this so long and the same themes, the same tropes are still being recycled.

What Can Cosmic Rays Teach Us About the Universe? Panofsky Prize-Winning Astrophysicist PIERRE SOKOLSKY - Highlights

What Can Cosmic Rays Teach Us About the Universe? Panofsky Prize-Winning Astrophysicist PIERRE SOKOLSKY - Highlights

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Leader in field of Particle Astrophysics
Professor Emeritus of Physics & Astronomy U of Utah
Dean Emeritus of the College of Science

As an administrator for 15 years, I still tried to do science and it was difficult because being a dean, every day there is a problem. Every day you have to solve some personal issues, so it’s difficult to concentrate and what I would do was, whenever there was an opportunity to go to a conference away from the university, particularly in a different country, I would sit in the conference room listening to these lectures. You know how it is with meetings, maybe 10% of the speakers are exciting and interesting. What I found is even when I was not listening because I was in this atmosphere of people talking about physics, my mind was set free and would just start percolating. And all of a sudden ideas would come completely unrelated to what the speaker was talking about, except that they were scientific ideas. And I would jot them down and I found that this was really quite an interesting process because it was kind of an immersion process where you actually are not concentrating on what is exactly in front of you, but it puts you in this mood. The brain turns on a different lode and I think by association other ideas come up.

On Astrophysics, Education & Cultivating Creativity - PIERRE SOKOLSKY

On Astrophysics, Education & Cultivating Creativity - PIERRE SOKOLSKY

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Leader in field of Particle Astrophysics
Professor Emeritus of Physics & Astronomy U of Utah
Dean Emeritus of the College of Science

As an administrator for 15 years, I still tried to do science and it was difficult because being a dean, every day there is a problem. Every day you have to solve some personal issues, so it’s difficult to concentrate and what I would do was, whenever there was an opportunity to go to a conference away from the university, particularly in a different country, I would sit in the conference room listening to these lectures. You know how it is with meetings, maybe 10% of the speakers are exciting and interesting. What I found is even when I was not listening because I was in this atmosphere of people talking about physics, my mind was set free and would just start percolating. And all of a sudden ideas would come completely unrelated to what the speaker was talking about, except that they were scientific ideas. And I would jot them down and I found that this was really quite an interesting process because it was kind of an immersion process where you actually are not concentrating on what is exactly in front of you, but it puts you in this mood. The brain turns on a different lode and I think by association other ideas come up.

The Secret of Turning Your Moments into Miracles w/ MITCH HOROWITZ - Highlights

The Secret of Turning Your Moments into Miracles w/ MITCH HOROWITZ - Highlights

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Historian of Alternative Spirituality & PEN Award-Winning Author

I’ve always considered myself a believing historian and, in fact, most historians of religion are actually believing historians. Very frequently they emerge from the congregations that they’re writing about, whether new religious movements or traditional religions, this is true of Kabbalistic scholar Gershom Scholem, it’s true of people who have written probably the most important biographies of more recent religious figures like Mary Baker Eddy or Joseph Smith, a Mormon prophet. Although, historians don’t frequently acknowledge being believing historians because they feel that it might seem to compromise their capacity for critical judgement, but my impression is different. My impression is that being in very direct proximity to the nature of the philosophical, religious, ethical, therapeutic movements that you’re writing about can heighten your critical acumen.

MITCH HOROWITZ - Historian of Alternative Spirituality & PEN Award-Winning Author of Occult America

MITCH HOROWITZ - Historian of Alternative Spirituality & PEN Award-Winning Author of Occult America

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Historian of Alternative Spirituality & PEN Award-Winning Author

I’ve always considered myself a believing historian and, in fact, most historians of religion are actually believing historians. Very frequently they emerge from the congregations that they’re writing about, whether new religious movements or traditional religions, this is true of Kabbalistic scholar Gershom Scholem, it’s true of people who have written probably the most important biographies of more recent religious figures like Mary Baker Eddy or Joseph Smith, a Mormon prophet. Although, historians don’t frequently acknowledge being believing historians because they feel that it might seem to compromise their capacity for critical judgement, but my impression is different. My impression is that being in very direct proximity to the nature of the philosophical, religious, ethical, therapeutic movements that you’re writing about can heighten your critical acumen.

Filming Action Underwater - Award-winning DP IAN SEABROOK on Batman v Superman, Jungle Cruise, Deadpool 2 - Highlights

Filming Action Underwater - Award-winning DP IAN SEABROOK on Batman v Superman, Jungle Cruise, Deadpool 2 - Highlights

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Award-Winning Underwater Director of Photography

It’s about leaving the planet in a better condition than it is currently. What you’re witnessing is years of neglect. It’s the humans who have screwed it all up, and the warming of the earth is no different. The oceans are changing. The topography is changing. Mussels are being fried when the tides recede. This is all unnatural. Or maybe it’s natural. I think it’s Mother Nature just being pissed off and saying, “This is what you get.” And so it’s up to everyone to change their ways. Their shopping habits, their eating habits, how much gas they use. All that stuff which people think “that can’t affect anything.” Well, you’re seeing the result of it now

IAN SEABROOK - Underwater Cinematographer of Batman v Superman, Deadpool 2, & Jungle Cruise starring Dwayne Johnson

IAN SEABROOK - Underwater Cinematographer of Batman v Superman, Deadpool 2, & Jungle Cruise starring Dwayne Johnson

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Award-Winning Underwater Director of Photography

It’s about leaving the planet in a better condition than it is currently. What you’re witnessing is years of neglect. It’s the humans who have screwed it all up, and the warming of the earth is no different. The oceans are changing. The topography is changing. Mussels are being fried when the tides recede. This is all unnatural. Or maybe it’s natural. I think it’s Mother Nature just being pissed off and saying, “This is what you get.” And so it’s up to everyone to change their ways. Their shopping habits, their eating habits, how much gas they use. All that stuff which people think “that can’t affect anything.” Well, you’re seeing the result of it now

Rethinking Reforestation: How DIANA CHAPLIN Drives Impact at One Tree Planted - Highlights

Rethinking Reforestation: How DIANA CHAPLIN Drives Impact at One Tree Planted - Highlights

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Canopy Director of One Tree Planted

We planted over 10 million trees in 2020 alone. And it’s one tree planted for every dollar donated, so we make it as simple as possible, but when you add it all up together the impact is just tremendous and growing every day.”


Scaling Global Reforestation: DIANA CHAPLIN on Connecting Communities & Nature

Scaling Global Reforestation: DIANA CHAPLIN on Connecting Communities & Nature

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Canopy Director of One Tree Planted

We planted over 10 million trees in 2020 alone. And it’s one tree planted for every dollar donated, so we make it as simple as possible, but when you add it all up together the impact is just tremendous and growing every day.”


Feminist Perspectives in Performance & Art with MICOL HEBRON - Highlights

Feminist Perspectives in Performance & Art with MICOL HEBRON - Highlights

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Interdisciplinary Artist, Curator & Feminist Activist

Now I think we’re in another culture war. I think we’re in, as we see the realm of cancel culture in social media and this very polarising war between the liberal left and the conservative right. I think that we’re in another culture and a lot of it is centering around gender and race. If you look at what’s happened to black women athletes in the last couples of months, the censuring of their bodies either because of hormones in the case of Caster Semenya or Naomi Osaka, there’s a lot of ways that our society has found to police black bodies for being too exceptional in a lot of ways. For performing in exceptional ways, and the white patriarchy doesn’t like to see that because it starts to diminish their power.


MICOL HEBRON - Interdisciplinary Artist, Curator & Feminist Activist

MICOL HEBRON - Interdisciplinary Artist, Curator & Feminist Activist

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Interdisciplinary Artist, Curator & Feminist Activist

Now I think we’re in another culture war. I think we’re in, as we see the realm of cancel culture in social media and this very polarising war between the liberal left and the conservative right. I think that we’re in another culture and a lot of it is centering around gender and race. If you look at what’s happened to black women athletes in the last couples of months, the censuring of their bodies either because of hormones in the case of Caster Semenya or Naomi Osaka, there’s a lot of ways that our society has found to police black bodies for being too exceptional in a lot of ways. For performing in exceptional ways, and the white patriarchy doesn’t like to see that because it starts to diminish their power.


A Woman on the Edge of Time - Novelist, Poet, Activist MARGE PIERCY - Highlights

A Woman on the Edge of Time - Novelist, Poet, Activist MARGE PIERCY - Highlights

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Novelist, Poet & Activist

People who take care of sick people and AIDS and teachers and garbage collectors and people who work in daycare…all the things that have to happen in society we pay shit for. We pay an enormous amount of money to people who can throw a ball through a hoop. We pay an enormous amount of hedge fund people. All the people who take over corporations go in and destroy get immensely rich while the people who do what we actually need doing, what we must have to survive, the people who grow food, the independent farmers that used to exist…