Beyond Carbon

Tom Soto: Diversity in Asset Management Meets Carbon Negative Investing

Tom Soto: Diversity in Asset Management Meets Carbon Negative Investing
Georges and Chris talk with impact investor Tom Soto on his trajectory from civil rights activist to a leader in environmental technology and renewable energy, including his new fund strategy that enhances biomass plants using forest standing deadwood to create 24-hour dispatchable power that is fully renewable and net carbon negative.
Guest
Tom Soto, Founder and Managing Partner, Latimer Partners, LLC
Background
Tom Soto is a long-time impact investor, entrepreneur and civil rights leader working at the intersection of politics, activism and finance. Tom has founded four private equity investment funds with a focus on clean technology, AI, Fintech and infrastructure. He now manages his family investment office, Latimer Partners, LLC. As a gay, Latino fund manager, Tom has been a pioneering voice for diversity in fund management and technology movement.
Conversation
The son two of California’s most well-respected Latino Civil Rights leaders, Tom credits his father Assemblyman Phil Soto, his mother Nell Soto, and the culture of community service and improvement that propelled him to the intersection of politics, activism, environmentalism and the investment world.
D4IR (Diversity in the Fourth Industrial Revolution) takes technology and traditional hardware, combines it with software within the energy transition world and puts it into one format.
To avoid 1.5 degrees Celsius, we have to find opportunities that go net carbon negative on a mass scale.
Monetizing carbon and biochar to fuel fully renewable biomass facilities that feed peak and base loads will keep the economy running when the sun is not shining and the wind is not blowing.
 

Spotlight on Methane: Satellite Technology and Emissions Detection with Mark Kriss

Spotlight on Methane: Satellite Technology and Emissions Detection with Mark Kriss
Georges and Chris sit down with Geofinancial Analytics CEO Mark Kriss and take a birds eye view on detecting methane emissions from space, mapping those emissions to oil and gas asset owners and driving methane management accountability and reporting transparency. 
Guest
Mark Kriss, CEO, Geofinancial Analytics
Background
Mark Kriss is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Geofinancial Analytics, a science-driven data provider whose civic mission is to accelerate the clean energy transition by informing decisions and business practices with transparent, objective facts using advanced geospatial technology. He is also the Co-Founder and Partner of Macroclimate, an impact investment firm which served as an incubator for Geofinancial Analytics. Kriss is a serial tech entrepreneur, impact investor, and thought leader on sustainability data and climate risk metrics. He first became intrigued by portfolio management in 1998.
Conversation
Mark’s career arc brings together the topics of climate science, technology and capital markets.
Methane is by far the most potent GHG, and stopping methane leakage from oil & gas production is a relatively easy fix.
Satellite technology enables a more accurate measurement than current practice and can help to identify and remediate the source of the leaks.
Learn about MethaneScan® 100 Screening & Research: https://www.ffisolutions.com/methanescan-100/ 
For more information on Geofinancial Analytics:  https://www.geofinancial.com
 

Jenna Nicholas: Climate Finance, Green 401(k)s & Community Empowerment

Georges and Chris have a wide-ranging discussion with impact investment trailblazer Jenna Nicholas, who takes us on her career journey through climate activism, community-informed impact investing and climate finance in 401(k) retirement plans.
Guest
Jenna Nicholas, CEO Impact Experience
Background
Jenna is a private equity investor and the CEO of Impact Experience, an organization that builds bridges and deep relationships between impact investors, foundations, corporates, entrepreneurs, artists and local leaders to co-create solutions for marginalized communities.  
Jenna previously worked with Divest-Invest Philanthropy and has taken the lessons from that experience and applied them to help drive change around environmental and social issues from the bottom up.  
Conversation
We go deep on her work at Impact Experience, and she shares stories about the hands-on efforts in communities like Montgomery, AL, and southern West Virginia to bring together businesses, capital and communities to catalyze impact.
Jenna discusses her latest project, the Business Climate Finance Initiative which seeks to raise awareness and decarbonize the assets in 401(k) plans and corporate deposits.
Finally, we delve into the politicization of ESG and break down the recent U.S. Department of Labor ruling on ESG that has been the subject of considerable debate.  
For more information regarding the activities of Impact Experience:  https://www.impact-experience.com

Brent Suter: Pitching for the Planet

Chris and Georges talk climate and curve balls with major league baseball player Brent Suter. The discussion centers around how athletes can use their platform to raise awareness of environmental issues.
Guest
Brent Suter, Colorado Rockies, LHP
Background
Brent Suter is starting his eight season in major league baseball and his first for the Colorado Rockies.
Brent is a left-handed relief pitcher, a self-proclaimed “tree-hugger” and board member of Players for the Planet. He uses his voice and position as a professional athlete to promote sustainability in the clubhouse and in the community.  
Conversation
Chris, Georges and Brent discuss the divisions in our society and the role athletes can play in helping bridge those divides including climate change.  
Brent goes deep on the activities of Players for the Planet while also delving into the activities that teams and leagues can play in incorporating sustainability into their operations. He also shares his involvement with community-based programs like the Urban Ecology Center in Milwaukee, where he spent his first 7 big-league seasons.
There’s a little something for everyone, including references to NIL, carbon offsets, the Bengals' DE Sam Hubbard, and how you don’t need to throw a mid-90s heater to be an effective major league pitcher.
For more information regarding the activities of Players for the Planet:  https://www.playersfortheplanet.org.

ESG and Sustainable Investing the Sun Devil Way

Chris and Georges talk with Arizona State University CIO Jeff Mindlin about the journey to align investment practices with the sustainability goals and commitments of a large public university.
Guest
Jeff Mindlin, Chief Investment Officer of ASU Enterprise Partners
Background
Arizona State University is known globally for its leadership in sustainability, having been a founding member of the Intentional Endowment Network and the University Climate Change Coalition (UC3).
Investment assets in ASU’s endowment are managed by the Foundation and are overseen by ASU Enterprise Partners. The ASU Foundation has steadily been working alongside ASU to elevate sustainable, responsible, and impact investing approaches into the endowment strategy. The ASU Foundation’s current investment priorities are centered on climate and justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion.  
Conversation
Chris, Georges and Jeff discuss a topics that range from the governance of the Foundation to implementation through the use of an outsourced chief investment officer (OCIO).
Jeff shares perspectives on how various university stakeholders are involved in shaping policies via the ESG Sub-Committee. He also provides insights on the benefits of launching an ESG strategy through a separate pool of assets, the role of hedge funds in implementing climate strategies, and the incorporation of Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) factors.
For more information, see the highlights from ASU’s impact report released earlier this year: https://www.intentionalendowments.org/asu_investing_report

Endowments and Investor Responsibility: UVIMCO’s Journey

Chris and George talk with UVIMCO’s Cornelia Horner for insights on how one of the largest and most well-respected endowment managers committed to and is implementing a responsible investment strategy.
Guest
Cornelia Horner, Director of Strategic Initiatives and Communications Lead at the University of Virginia Investment Management Company (UVIMCO).
Background
Colleges and universities are at the forefront of education and research on issues such as sustainability and climate change. Not surprisingly, endowments of those institutions are being engaged, often pressed, by its stakeholders to align investment strategies with the beliefs and carbon neutrality commitments of the university at large.
UVIMCO has always considered environmental, social, and governance issues as part of its due diligence process for investments, but prior to 2021, had not formalized such practices in its investment policies. UVIMCO recognized the growing need to address climate change more directly and to align with the University of Virginia’s ongoing leadership and commitment to sustainability.
Conversation
The discussion ranges from policy development to implementation, and the practical challenges of aligning ESG, net zero and DE&I with the endowment’s primary responsibility of generating returns to support the broader university mission.
Cornelia describes the benefits and challenges of establishing policies that integrate ESG broadly, and climate and DE&I specifically, into what is a proven investment process for selecting managers.

Taking Inventory: The State of Sustainable Investing

In their inaugural Beyond Carbon episode, Georges Dyer (Intentional Endowments Network) and Chris Ito (FFI Solutions) reflect on COP27 and discuss what makes them hopeful, and skeptical, about the future of sustainable investing. They also provide a preview of future episodes.
Highlights include news and activities across the investment landscape that both support and give pause to the notion that sustainable investing will continue its growth trajectory.
Supporting factors:
The increasing number of institutions who have committed to “do something” whether it be engage, divest, integrate ESG, align portfolios with net zero targets, or incorporate DEIJ.
Significant momentum in market-driven shifts, - the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act in the US.
Challenges slowing implementation:
Lack of common, generally accepted definitions for the various approaches to sustainable investing. The recent anti-ESG attacks highlight the lack of understanding.
Data quality and reliability that preventing investors from taking action.
Uncertainty around whether sustainable investing is going to help long-term risk-adjusted performance. 
Future Episodes - Guests (and perhaps skeptics) that will give perspectives on these and other debates that are emerging among capital allocators:
Ecomodernism vs. environmentalism.
Green growth vs. de-growth.
Are carbon capture technologies a solution or greenwashing?
What about carbon offsets?
And are fossil fuel companies really transitioning?