About episode
This is going to be our last episode for 2022. We’ll be back in January with more great conversations. If you have ideas for episodes or topics you’d like us to explore, please reach out through our contact form or on LinkedIn. I’ve had a blast getting this podcast started and I’m excited for it to only get better as we continue. A big thank you to all our guests, to our listeners providing feedback and reviews, and also to Julie Mai, and Aaron & Carey Green for their help behind the scenes.
For our last episode of the year, I’m excited to end where we began – and that’s talking about the importance of local activism and policy. Today’s guest is Adrian Martinez. No, not the football player, nor the baseball player – but the superstar Senior Attorney for Earthjustice. Adrian is working on a program called Right to Zero. In today’s episode, he talks about the critical role Earthjustice’s team of attorneys play at the city, state and federal level to help communities eliminate pollution through decarbonization. I was really energized by this conversation and encouraged to learn that the power we have at a local level can really add up to transformative, widespread change. Hope you enjoy this one. Happy holidays.
In today’s episode, we cover:
- [3:22] What is Earthjustice & how it got started
- [4:22] What is Right to Zero
- [5:42] The intersection between environmental action & human health
- [7:30] What needs to change in the built environment & how Earthjustice is helping
- [9:46] Local change, how it works & progress for buildings
- [12:04] How the Inflation Reduction Act will make a difference
- [13:04] Examples of necessary environmental mandates
- [14:01] Transportation campaigns, how they’ve worked & the results
- [17:05] Earthjustice’s role on the pathway to policy change
- [18:35] Electrifying transit buses – where lawyers are needed
- [20:38] Other types of fleets Earthjustice is working to decarbonize
- [23:26] Ways that people can take a stand & be involved
- [26:03] How equity is factored into Earthjustice’s work
- [29:22] Who is in opposition & how are they showing up
- [31:33] The influence of tech on decarbonization efforts
- [33:51] Adrian’s holiday wishlist for the tech industry
- [35:27] How climate-invested companies are affecting Earthjustice’s work
- [37:18] Earthjustice’s other priorities & how listeners can help
What is Earthjustice & how it got started
Earthjustice is a nonprofit environmental law firm, consisting of public interest lawyers who represent clients to protect the Earth. Adrian explains that protecting the Earth means they’re protecting species, communities, and our climate from harmful pollution. Earthjustice was founded in 1971, based on a fight over a proposed development of a ski resort in California. Since then, they’ve blossomed into 15 regional offices with close to 200 attorneys working on various issues to protect our health and the environment.
What is Right to Zero
Right to Zero is a really exciting and dynamic campaign that Earthjustice is pursuing around the country. It had its genesis in California and the concept is we need to get to zero emissions in our transportation system, our energy system, our buildings and our industries if we want to breathe clean air and solve the climate pollution crisis. Adrian points out that while Earthjustice had previously focused on just making progress – for example, advocating for incrementally cleaner combustion that might look like a cleaner diesel truck or putting a scrubber on a power plant to clean up the pollution – they’ve recognized that we need total transformative change if we want to solve these huge problems that we’re facing. This is what the Right to Zero campaign is all about.
Resources Mentioned
Connect with Adrian Martinez
- Connect with Adrian on LinkedIn
Connect With Jason Rissman
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