Ready for part 2? Click here!

~~~

Danan Margason is the Chief Product Officer of Carbon Direct, a company that focuses on science-backed solutions for end-to-end carbon management.

They wanted to drive real, tangible impact in climate change, so they gathered climate scientists, a fund of money, and a carbon management platform for tracking & reducing the CO2 (or equivalent) emissions. Their customers are businesses, the Microsoft’s, Blackrock’s, and Shopify’s of the world who have the self-accountability and drive to reach “carbon neutral”, given their big footprint.

Back to Danan….before Carbon Direct he was the Director of Product at booking.com, an SVP at marketing analytics startup, Tune, and in past lives was an attorney and a professional rower! An interesting human & a cool cat. So what the hell is carbon management?

We dive deep into…what exactly is carbon capture, specifically nature vs engineering-based types? How does Carbon Direct make money, while removing carbon? Most carbon offsets are bunk. How? How is Carbon Direct trying to legitimize the carbon credit market? And probably most interesting of all, how do you measure the weight & impact of something that is invisible, odorless, & unapparent (CO2)?

This episode is particularly valuable for…anyone who’s been scratching their head on what exactly are carbon credits, whether they’re BS, and what true carbon capture projects are being done?

As well for any leader or executive who is thinking about their company’s impact from an environmental POV, and wants to do something about it! Carbon Direct might be your answer 😊

🙏🏼 If you like what you hear today, subscribe on Spotify or your favorite podcast app. It gives us the best kind of feedback, and in turn motivates us to keep making new episodes 😇

~~

Listen to the episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn, or on your favorite podcast platform. 

Show Notes

• [3:20] What do you love about Bob Dylan?
• [5:16] You grew up in a hippie household. What was that like?
• [6:14] Do you feel like you push the envelope?
• [7:35] Ty, how do you identify with that?
• [8:26] What translates from (professional) rowing to business?
• [10:11] Getting present seems key. Is that right?
• [12:39] When did you start thinking about these climate issues?
• [15:34] What role did climate play in accepting your role?
• [18:00] Carbon credits vs carbon offsets vs RECs?
• [20:24] Negative emissions. What are these?
• [23:11] What is carbon management?
• [24:37] Is carbon management what Carbon Direct does?
• [25:39] What is natural vs. engineering carbon removal?
• [26:59] What do you know about the founding of this company?
• [29:34] You all actually raised a (venture) fund?

Links from Episode

• Connect with Danan Margason: Twitter | LinkedIn | Bio
• Follow Carbon Direct: Website | Blog | Twitter | YouTube
• Careers at the Carbon Direct: Careers
• Bob Dylan
• The Freewheelin’ by Bob Dylan (album)
• Forever Young by Bob Dylan (song)
• King County Solid Waste Division
• What is an 8-person rowing shell
• The Alpinist
• Alex Honnold Half Dome climb
• Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Booking.com
• Jonathan Goldberg
• What is a carbon credit
• What is a renewable energy credit (REC)
• What are negative emissions
• What is carbon removal
• What is engineered carbon removal
• What is biochar
• Dr. Jen Wilcox
• Julio Friedmann

Do you think businesses can use carbon capture and carbon credits to actually make a positive impact on the environment? Share what you think 👇