Scott Cooney, The Apocaloptimist

The Apocaloptimist Podcast is about solutions, empowerment, direct action, and positive change. I founded and produce the Apocaloptimist for people who know there are problems, but would rather focus on finding, spreading, and implementing solutions.

The idea for the Apocaloptimist has been germinating for a long time. In my second startup, a green business directory in Salt Lake City, Utah, part of my job was to interview green business leaders across virtually every sustainable industry. As I got my finger more and more on the pulse, I was often called when local journalists needed someone to weigh in on a particular environmental issue.  It became clear that the “good news” was underrepresented, and that that underrepresentation had negative results–people felt hopeless and fearful to a point of inaction, as opposed to inspired, woke, and empowered. And that was almost 20 years ago now.

I’m the author of two books, Build a Green Small Business (McGraw-Hill, 2008) and Green Living Ideas. I’ve started and grown 5 mission driven companies, including my most recent startups, CleanTechnica, which is now the world’s largest clean energy news site, and Pono Home, a certified B Corp that has done home efficiency retrofits on more than 10,000 homes and small businesses across three states, and also launched a line of organic, zero waste personal care products called Pono Home Essentials. Pono Home has reduced more than 10 million pounds of carbon emissions and 100 million gallons of water use annually, along with saving our customers more than $2.5 million dollars a year on their utilities. In the picture at right, that’s me at the SBA awards, where Pono Home won Hawaii Green Business of the Year this year.

And you know what? I’m an absolute nobody.

I’m just a guy with an average intellect who focuses on solutions, works fairly hard, and tries to work within my sphere of influence…focusing where I have the ability to make a positive difference. I know there are millions/billions of people smarter than me who are ready to get to work on fixing our problems (and many more who are doing so already). All I want to do now is help facilitate this sustainable transformation, and the Apocaloptimist is my tool to make that happen. Thanks for listening, please subscribe, and tell your other “woke” friends!