Episode 48: Tim Brown - Preventing Catastrophic Climate Change

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Hello, beautiful humans.
Welcome to another episode of

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Role Models juicy conversations
with beautiful humans.

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I'm Jennifer Norman founder of
the human Beauty movement and

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your host, this podcast thrives
on your support.

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So if you like what you hear,
follow us, Raiders reviewers and

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share this episode with
everyone, you know, across your

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network.
So, all over the news today we

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see and we hear about how we are
destroying the planet with

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carbon emissions that are
causing the climate crisis.

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But what we don't hear, as often
are the stories of those

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courageous people who make it,
their lives work to heal the

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environment.
So, I want to shine a light

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today on one man who is doing
just that my guest today is Tim

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Brown, Tim is the CEO of trade
water, a mission-driven company

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that works to reduce the world's
carbon footprint.

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Welcome Tim.
Well, thank you.

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It's a pleasure to be here.
How it's such a pleasure to have

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you.
I am Honored.

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And so, I would love for you to
tell us about your background.

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I understand that you're a
Serial entrepreneur with quite a

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history and carbon programs,
Environmental Policy.

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What caused you to develop an
interest in offsetting worldwide

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ways?
Wow.

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Well I guess the my interest in
working on the environment has

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really been lifelong.
Had the benefit of being able to

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spend a lot of time outdoors.
And in Wilderness areas is and

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growing up and I always sort of
felt that it was such a shame to

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see pollution problems and
Environmental degradation

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occurring at such a rapid Pace.
I grew up in the Great Lakes

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region my home now in Chicago
right on Lake Michigan.

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But he spent a lot of time
throughout the great lakes and

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really fell in love with that
region and really wanted to do

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something to make sure that the
quality of the environment there

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was protected and improved.
So early in my career, I was

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that's what it was about is
working on Great, Lakes water

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quality and air quality sorts of
projects and I worked in both

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the Private sector and in the
nonprofit sector and I helped

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formed a nonprofit organization
in 1998 called the Delta

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Institute which was working on
Environmental Quality and

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community and economic
development issues in the Great

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Lakes region.
And its really through that work

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that I got very interested in
climate and climate Solutions.

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We did some really interesting
projects on carbon sequestration

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from Agriculture and tree
planting and Forest management

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sand for stewardship that sorts
of things.

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And so so I decided to leave the
nonprofit sector in 2008, to try

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my hand in project development
and as a way to bring more

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financing to Environmental
Solutions in the carbon space in

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the climate space.
So I actually started in methane

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work of finding abandoned
methane sources that were coming

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from abandoned coal mines and
working with folks, to get those

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releases prevented.
But doing it in a way that

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resulted in a carbon offset
credit, which then Could be sold

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as a way of financing the
project.

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So anyway, those were some of
the beginnings both in the

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Consulting field.
I worked a lot with government.

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I worked in the nonprofit sector
But ultimately have landed in

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this job here at trade water.
In order to really try to

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increase scale, increase the
flow of funds to Environmental

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Protection specifically around
climate and working on reducing

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greenhouse gas emissions.
As much as we possibly can as

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fast as we can, and that is Is
definitely needed because it

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seems like over the past.
I guess it's probably been you

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know, ever since
industrialization has even

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occurred but the awareness and
the recognition that we have to

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do something fast or we're not
going to have much of a planet

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Left Behind for future
Generations.

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That's certainly true.
If you look at the most recent

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reports from the
intergovernmental panel on

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climate change which is the big
un, convening of the world's

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leading scientists.
We're on a path to see

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accelerated warming which will
Of really serious effects.

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And all you have to do is look
at the news, those two what's

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happened this year in terms of
catastrophes around the world

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and multiply that, if we do not
address this problem and get

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ahead of these emissions,
increase our ambition to address

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as many of them as we can as
fast as we can.

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Absolutely.
And So, speaking of that, what

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are the biggest offenders?
You know, we hear about jet fuel

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auto emissions, we even hear
about methane from cows, but

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what are the biggest things?
I know that the work that you're

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doing with various projects, Is
absolutely helpful because I

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wasn't aware that there were
these you know, oil holes, that

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were just literally seeping
methane into the air because

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they had just been abandoned.
And so that was very, very

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telling.
And something that I think is

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from what I understand, there's
over a thousand of them just in

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Indiana that you were helping to
close up.

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Well, just in the big picture,
the major sources of greenhouse

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gas of certainly include carbon
dioxide so that that comes in

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the form of burning of fossil
fuels, that's the majority of

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greenhouse gases.
But there, Others to, like

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methane from a range of sources,
such as coal, mines, and oil,

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and gas Wells.
There's also nitrous oxide which

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is used in farming applications.
There are what order known as F

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gases, which are the fluorinated
compounds, which are things like

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refrigerants.
So, these are some of the major

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sources of greenhouse gases but
we do at trade water as we focus

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on the non CO2 gases.
So we don't work on carbon

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dioxide simply because there's
really a lot of good Nations and

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government programs, Etc and
policy making, that is really

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geared towards addressing a CO2,
gases at scale, but there's less

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attention being paid to some of
the non CO2 gases, like, methane

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and refrigerants as an example
that are extremely potent,

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greenhouse gases, and actually
accelerate climate change in the

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near term.
So, for example, some of the

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refrigerants that we collect our
ten thousand nine hundred times

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as potent as carbon dioxide.
So, therefore, getting those

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Passes out really does make a
difference and their broadly

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distributed around the world for
that particular gas.

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We're talking about cylinders
that may have 30 pounds of gas

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in it or even 12 ounce cans and
you think like well that's just

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you know, that's such a small
form.

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But if we collect as many as
those as we can given the high

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global warming potential of
those gases that ends up adding

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up to be a really big impact to
date.

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For example, we've collected
over a million pounds of these

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refrigerants and that's Equates
to about 6 million metric, tons

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of carbon dioxide equivalent
that we have collected and

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destroyed methane work which
will focus on abandoned oil and

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gas Wells and we were just
figuring out what the total

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impact could be, but it will be
significant as well.

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And these are releases that are
ongoing right now, their

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uncontrolled, their abandoned
sources and orphaned.

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There's no responsible party
left anymore.

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So plugging up those sources of
gases will really have an impact

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and methane in particular, is
One of these non CO2 gases that

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has accelerated warming impact
in the short term.

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So as a company we're really
focusing on those forms of gases

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and trying to get them to scale
as soon as possible amazing.

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And so tell us what it is, like
for a company to work with trade

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water because clearly there are
companies that are certainly

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looking to become carbon neutral
or carbon-.

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And so, in order to do that,
then typically, they'll work

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with an organization such as
yourself that can help to offset

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their Their carbon emissions.
Is that how it works through the

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projects that you do?
Welcome.

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Yeah.
Sure.

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We actually provide these kind
of benefits to companies to

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individuals to small to
medium-sized Enterprises sort of

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a wide range of organizations
that as you have pointed out

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have made commitments around
climate.

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They made, we call them climate
facing organizations.

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They want to take responsibility
for their releases of gases.

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And so, what we say to companies
is first start off by

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calculating, what your carbon
footprint.

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Is and there are many
calculators.

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We have one on our website that
can be utilized to understand

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what your missions are.
And the categories of emissions

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that you may be operating in
your company.

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And then you look for
opportunities to reduce those

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emissions as much as you can,
but we can't get all of them.

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It's very difficult to be 100%
zero emissions.

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So, in those instances carbon
offset credits from high-quality

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and permanent projects, end up,
being quite useful.

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And that's really the role that
we play.

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Is we Just companies in
achieving their climate

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commitments, whether they are
neutrality or Net Zero which is

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a one of the big commitments
that companies make we help them

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do that, by providing them with
high quality carbon offset

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credits that bridge the gases
are the releases that they

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cannot reduce on their own.
Any of our buyers are

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participate California's,
cap-and-trade program, which is

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a regulated program for reducing
carbon emissions.

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So we supply companies in that
program but in Single a we work

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with companies that have made
voluntary commitments, whether

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they're large or small and then
we also support individuals,

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look at their individual impacts
and to mitigate that through

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carbon offset credits.
So that's the role that we play.

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And so we go after gases, we
make sure they are permanently

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addressed by controlling them
and destroying them.

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And then we find individuals and
companies that value the claim

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that benefit and will help by
paying for it.

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And that Revenue that we
receive, then we Invest in more

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projects.
And when we think of impact

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impact is both supply and
demand.

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So we can go out and find all
these sources of gases.

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But if we can't find
organizations that will support

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by financing, the climate
benefits that we can't make that

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impact.
So it's really important to work

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on both fronts at the same time.
And I just want to emphasize

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that point that it doesn't
matter how big or small and

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Enterprise and individual who is
very committed to helping To

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preserve this planet a sole
proprietor such as myself.

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I have a company, which is a
certified B Corporation, and I

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make sure that I analyze what my
carbon usages and then offset

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it, you know, even more so than
what I am actually using up.

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And or if you are a
multinational or Global

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Enterprise, it really is down to
the human mind set that we are

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here to live on this planet.
We are here to serve each other,

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and we are here to surpass / and
Thrive and We can't do that.

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If we're destroying our planet,
we can't do that.

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If we're destroying the
environments and the wildlife

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and all of the beautiful nature
that is around us.

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And so I would encourage people
to go over to trade water.you,

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s, take a look at what trade
water offers.

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Use that calculator.
Find out what you are using in

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terms of carbon and take a look
at the programs.

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There are ways that you can
partner.

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And there are ways that you can
work with trade water to, you

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know, to make this world a
better place.

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One of the programs that we're
excited about is called the

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carbon-neutral collect.
That is really geared to small

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to medium-sized Enterprises that
can utilize their carbon

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calculators, that can acquire
that carbon offset credits from

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our platform, but they can also
let it be known that they are

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carbon neutral.
There's branding, and another

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marketing tools that are
available to help forecast, to

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suppliers to customers clients,
Etc, that the small to

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medium-sized Enterprises made
that commitment.

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And that's something that we've
launched just recently, and

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we're excited about it.
And would love to have as many

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Small to medium-sized companies,
join us.

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And I think that many companies
don't have access to good

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projects.
They don't necessarily know

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like, how is it that I can make
a difference and have an impact.

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And I'm really happy that the
kinds of projects that we're

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doing provide that opportunity.
We're always creating new

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climate benefits every dollar
that we get goes into creating

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new opportunities and projects
apart.

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You know, that we've really view
our buyers as partners that are

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enabling these gases to be
collected and destroyed which

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would otherwise Released into
the atmosphere.

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Yeah, and you're reminding me of
this, you know, Wonderful quote

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that I left from Maya Angelou
and that is that, you know, we

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do and we do as best as we can
until we know better and once we

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know better, we do better.
And so this seems to be the

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philosophy that trade water in
your in and that you have in

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that it's constant Innovation.
It's constantly thinking about

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what more can we do.
What more have we learned?

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And how can we offset any kind
of damage that has been done

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with these new learnings?
What can we see that can be have

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the most impact?
Packed in our work and you're

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really describing into that in
order to get new programs

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together and to your point,
your, you know, always creating

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new new Concepts and new things
for people to opt-in to.

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Well, one of the things about
this particular field and the

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climate crisis, is that it
requires more ambition, all the

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time, we cannot prevent this
crisis from becoming a real

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catastrophe.
Unless we all come together to

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find Pathways to mitigate the
release of gases.

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Much as possible.
You know, when we started this

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work, particularly around these
refrigerants that we collect and

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Destroy.
I didn't know that there were so

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many out there and I thought,
well, we'll just do this

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project, collect them, all, and
we'll be done with that little.

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Did I know that these gases are
so pervasively distributed all

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over the world.
So we try to make goals and one

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point we said, well, if we can
get a million tons out, that

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would be exciting.
Now, we've changed it.

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So that we are seeking to get
three million tons.

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A year of these gases destroyed,
and I'm happy.

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To say that to date.
We've done over six million tons

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of CO2 collected and destroyed
and 2023.

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We will surpass the three
million tonne Mark for one year,

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so now that we've reached those
thresholds, we can ask

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ourselves.
What more can we do?

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Is there a way to increase this
impact and increase the scale of

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what we do?
I don't know the answer to that

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but certainly are up for the
challenge because that's really

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what it's going to take.
Yeah.

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All about asking the question in
the first place, and that really

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is the most important part of it
being willing to ask.

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Is questions.
Absolutely the Nets him, you

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know, a thing or two about using
the power of business, as a

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Force for good and you decided
to have trade War.

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Become a b, Corp certified
business.

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So can you tell listeners what
exactly is a b Corp?

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I'm sure that a lot of them have
never heard of it.

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Some probably have but I would
say the most people aren't

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really familiar with the B Corp
movements.

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And why is certification so
important to you?

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Sure.
So the carb is referred to as a

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benefit Corporation.
So it is a company that At an

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organization that is looking not
to sit their bottom line, but

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the broader impacts that the
company can have on their

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community on the environment on
their culture on their staff.

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And so it's an intentional
program that really asks you to

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look at your operations and look
at the impacts that you're

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having.
And to show that you are taking

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that seriously and that you are
reducing those impacts and you

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are making commitments around
responsibility in these areas as

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much as possible.
So we signed up to do this

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because we are a mission based
company and we thought that it

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would be good to subject
ourselves, to third party review

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to sign on to the principles and
the values of being a benefit

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Corporation and then to provide
the data and the information to

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third party evaluators to ensure
that in fact we qualified that

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we were we were operating our
business with our impacts in

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mind, in order to minimize those
and also to enhance through the

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Petit that we touch, whether it
is our employees, our supply

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chains, our customers, Etc.
So it's actually been a

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surprisingly rigorous
experience.

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We are all of our work is
subject to verification by Third

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parties on a regular basis.
But the B Corp one was pretty

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intense.
I think it took well over a year

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to get through the evaluation
process, but we found it to be

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very instructive and useful
because it caused us to really

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think hard about the range of
ways that an organization has

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impact.
And then, to look at Is that we

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can reduce that.
And also looking at sort of how

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we address diversity, equity and
inclusion, how we look at our

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pay structures, how we look at
our benefits to our employees.

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And I'm sort of a whole range of
things that really are that

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accompany touches.
And so, I think it's been useful

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to me to have us go through it
and it helps us to when we say

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that we're a mission based
company, we can also prove it

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because we went through the B
Corp certification program and

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to obtained our Since I think
it's been really helpful and

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what with this happened just
recently, so we're very excited

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to also explore the B Corp
community and get to know more

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companies and colleagues that
are in that space and and we're

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excited about that opportunity
as well.

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Yeah.
And I just want to also make

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mention that for those of you
listening it is wonderful for

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you to go over to the B Corp
website and look at the

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directory because there are I
want to say about 5,000 or so

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companies worldwide.
There's not many.

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The 5000 is actually a lot
versus what?

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It was even three years ago when
I became B Corp certified for

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the human Beauty movement.
I think that there were about

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3,000 at that point, but there's
about 5,000 now worldwide.

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And there's not that many
because it is very difficult.

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In order to become B, Corp
certified, there are rigorous

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standards that a company needs
to achieve in order to be

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qualified to be a b Corp.
And this is important because

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when a company is doing good and
is measured by their It and is

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held accountable to that impact,
it really matters.

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It makes a difference because
you know, that that company is

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not greenwashing, you know,
they're not doing it for

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marketing or simply publicity.
There are a lot of other

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companies regrettably that do
those things for those reasons.

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But when a company decides to
make the choice to go through

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the effort a year in some cases,
I've heard that it can take

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companies as long as four years
in order to even go through an

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assessment and to right align
their organizations in such a

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way that they would be able to
obtain a license.

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And then to continue, Living up
to it year after year, is very,

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very notable.
And so these are companies that

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deserve your business, they are
ones that we say vote with your

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dollars for because it really is
helping to serve the world.

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When you are making a choice to
support a b Corp company.

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And so I want to thank Tim for
the wonderful work that he is

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doing at trade water.
May there be many more

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organizations like him and may
there be many more CEO's that

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are like Tim that really care
for the environment.

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As well as for their employees.
And the good of I would say

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Corporate America.
But I'll say that the global

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idea of what capitalism can mean
because it can be used as a

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Force for good.
Absolutely.

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Yeah.
So one parting note to him, if

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you could wave a magic wand and
have every company change its

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behavior for the health of our
planet, what would be the change

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that you would want to see?
I would want to see companies,

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consider their broader impact
and then do something about it.

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And I think that that Many
forms.

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Certainly looking at their
environmental impacts but

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looking at their Community
impacts looking at how they are

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building Community within their
employees and their supply

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chains and you mentioned earlier
about companies being a force of

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good, that is totally true.
I mean, I think that as company

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leaders, we have that choice.
And I think I would like to see

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companies make that choice by
first, considering what their

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impacts are, and really
addressing them.

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Because I think that that's a
pathway to Bringing about a lot

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of good.
And I would agree 100% with you.

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Tim it was such a pleasure to
have you on the role model show

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00:19:35,100 --> 00:19:37,000
today.
Tim, thank you very much for

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00:19:37,000 --> 00:19:39,200
your time today and we will be
in touch.

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Thank you very much.
It's been a real pleasure.