“People who have been to space really do speak about it with great reverence. And it is for that reason that we want to take people to space in our car. Neutral zero emission spaceship, spaceship vacuum, which as you saw is not a rocket. Enormous balloons. It’s a very gentle flight. We want to take leaders to space. We want to take artists to space. We want to have teachers go to space.”

Jane Poynter at Earth Day Network’s Climate Leadership Gala

With all the news coverage of NASA and private companies going to space, including with civilians, it’s important to remember the carbon footprint of those journeys. Imagine how much energy those trips use. And, though they are also doing climate research up there, the capsules and rockets are not generally carbon neutral. Can they be?

Jane Poynter says they can be carbon neutral and is putting her Money and reputation on the line to prove it. The veteran space executive and Biosphere 2 leader now founded Space Perspectives, with the blessing of Carl Sagan’s widow too, to take civilians into space in a carbon neutral way. Listen to Jane Poynter explain how in this extraordinary conversation with Electric Ladies host Joan Michelson conducted at the Earth Day Network Climate Leadership Gala (so there will be a lot of background sound). 

You’ll hear:

• How Space Perspective is making space travel carbon neutral (from fuel to materials).
• Who is paying for it (and what it will cost you to take ride with them)
• The general carbon footprint of today’s space shuttles and private companies’ space travel.
• How her experience in Biosphere 2 led to Space Perspectives.
• Plus, insightful career advice, such as…

“There are so many ways to make a difference, right?… I think at the end of the day, you have to be true to yourself and what is it that fires you up. And, and what is it that that does light that fire within you that you have to pursue, that you’re driven to pursue, and then go pursue it. And, you know, sometimes it takes going in at a level that maybe you don’t feel is your level. Maybe it’s beneath you, but if you are trying to move into a slightly adjacent career, you have to do that. Cuz you have to work your way up sometimes. And it’s also the best way to learn.” Jane Poynter on Electric Ladies Podcast

Read Joan’s Forbes articles here too.

You’ll also like:

·       Kristen Siemen, Chief Sustainability Officer of General Motors

·       Suzy Deering, Chief Marketing Officer of Ford – on bringing change to a Legacy industry as an outsider.

·       Neha Palmer, Founder/CEO of TeraWatt Infrastructure on charging for EV trucks

·       Jackie Birdsall, Toyota, Senior Engineer, Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles

• Jennifer Gerbi, Ph.D., Deputy Director and Acting Director, ARPA-E, the Innovation arm of the Department of Energy

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Joan Michelson Electric Ladies Podcast - Innovation, Energy, Climate, Careers

Joan Michelson, MBA is a highly accomplished business leader and award-winning strategic social impact and ESG – environment, social, governance – leader, who drove breakthrough results at Chrysler (in EVs), American Express and Deloitte, small businesses, and government agencies. She is an instructor on ESG issues to professionals, leaders and board members across industries. Her specialties include leveraging ESG solutions and partnerships strategically for maximum benefit, helping organizations recruit innovative, diverse women, and helping these women thrive in their careers. She is based in the Washington D.C. area.

Joan is also an accomplished journalist who has worked with top media organizations and hosts and produces the acclaimed Electric Ladies podcast (formerly known as Green Connections Radio), about innovation and leadership in energy-, climate- and sustainability-related issues across industries, featuring women experts.

She writes regularly for Forbes on these issues and has also been in the Harvard Business Review, HuffPost, TheAtlantic.com, Greenbiz, The New Economy magazine (distributed at the World Economic Forum), New Thinking magazine, regional business journals; and various other media. She coproduced segments with CBS News’ “60 Minutes,” ABC News, and “The Crusaders,” and television specials on NBC.

Joan has spent her career working in energy-sustainability-climate-ESG issues and in marketing communications, including as head of communications and co-leader of the sales and marketing team of Chrysler’s Global Electric Motorcars (GEM), driving “best year ever” growth and significantly accelerated the adoption of electric vehicles. Prior to GEM, she led marketing communications efforts to high-net-worth and high-visibility clients in management consulting-financial services companies Deloitte and American Express. She's a native of NYC and has a BA from UCLA, an MBA from Baruch College at City University of NY, and post-graduate studies at Harvard Business School, The New School and The Aspen Institute, among others. She has a Sustainability and ESG certification from Competent Boards.