Buildings - Climate Break

Green Tech Hubs: Scaling Climate Technology Startups

Small green tech startups often have the right ideas but lack the resources to get them to market. Howard Lee, associate director of Hong Kong’s green technology hub at HKSTP, explains how a physical community of 230+ companies ranging from new energy, smart cities, green buildings, and green fintech are changing that equation. By co-locating companies of like minds, facilitating business matchmaking, and offering hands-on training for attracting investors, the hub helps startups punch above their weight. Howard talks about how the hubs accelerate the replacement of climate-harming technology by giving green innovators the network, visibility, and skills they need to go global.

Buildings, Climate & Society, Economics & Finance, Technology

Building Berkeley’s Clean Energy Campus, with Sally McGarrahan

At UC Berkeley, electricity and steam are generated by burning natural gas – but a renewable energy future is right around the corner. This week, we spoke to Sally McGarrahan, Associate Vice Chancellor of Facilities Services, about how the university is advancing towards a carbon free campus through clean energy innovation.

Buildings, Economics & Finance, Energy, Technology

Zero-Energy Cooling, with Martin Zhu

Air conditioning accounts for a significant and growing share of global electricity use. This week, we spoke with Martin Zhu about his clean energy startup i2cool, which uses passive cooling technology inspired by the Saharan silver ant to cool buildings, vehicles, and more.

Buildings, Climate & Society, Energy, Technology

Rerun: Sequestering Carbon in Building Materials, with Dr. Sabbie Miller

Carbon dioxide, a main driver of climate change, is naturally drawn into oceans, trees, soil, and other carbon sinks. This week, we spoke with Dr. Sabbie Miller, a researcher at UC Davis, who’s working to sequester carbon in buildings with a material called biochar.

Buildings, Technology, Transportation

Energy Efficient Building Air Filters, with Phil Yuen

Lowering heating and air conditioning energy use by improving air filtration efficiency through sonic vibration technology. We sat down during Hong Kong Climate Week with Philip Yuen, CEO of Aurabeat, to learn more.

Buildings, Climate & Society, Energy, Technology

Plantd, with Nathan Silvernail

How can we reimagine the construction industry to be more sustainable? Plantd, a company dedicated to developing sustainable construction materials, seeks to answer this question through developing a new form of wood materials. We spoke with Plantd CEO Nathan Silvernail about the company’s goals and achievements.

Buildings, Climate & Society, Land, Technology

Rerun: Sustainable Wood from Mass Timber, with Dr. Paul Mayencourt

As cities and communities around the world grapple with the need for affordable housing while also addressing climate change, sustainable wood provides a promising solution. Able to replace carbon-intensive traditional building materials, sequester carbon, and lower emissions, sustainable wood has the potential to redefine the future of low-carbon building. On this week’s Climate Break, UC Berkeley Professor Dr. Paul Mayencourt, explains how sustainable wood from mass timber could help mitigate the impact of climate change and transform the construction industry.

Buildings, Climate & Society, Sequestration, Technology, Transportation, Waste

Rerun: Alleviating Urban Heat Traps, with Jeff Goodell

The dangers of extreme heat in an evolving climate is evident across many parts of the world, and the cities are the first to bear the most severe consequences. Rising temperatures and the inherent rigidity of concrete building structures trap heat waves within urban areas, directly threatening the health of residents and especially vulnerable populations like outdoor workers. Urban planners are seeking new solutions to help dissipate heat. We spoke with Jeff Goodell, the author of The Heat Will Kill You First, about building climate resilience in urban landscapes by creating shared Safe Hubs with air conditioning and establishing green spaces.

Buildings, Climate & Society, Policy

Rerun: An Induction Range, No Rewiring Required

Fans of the induction cooktops say it’s how we’ll electrify our homes, breathe cleaner air… and maybe cook better too. The hitch? Installing these cooktops often requires expensive and time consuming rewiring. We spoke to Channing Street Copper Company, a startup whose new induction cooktop could help make the technology more accessible by which plugging directly into the wall.

Buildings, Climate & Society, Energy

Rerun: Using Concrete for Carbon Removal with Dr. Erica Dodds

Dr. Erica Dodds heads the Foundation for Carbon Restoration, which advocates for using carbon removal – in addition to emissions reductions – to restore atmospheric carbon dioxide to pre-industrial revolution levels. One method of removal she says is promising? Storing carbon in concrete.

Buildings, Sequestration