My friend Solomon Goldstein-Rose stops by to chat about his efforts and experiences as a climate activist as well as a former politician. We also discuss the hurdles in engineering as well as motivating the public to act now! We talk about the major industries and sources of greenhouse gas emissions and whether we can stop climate change. We also debate if green energy will be enough or will we have to rethink our consumption habits. This is an important conversation with an inspiring and intelligent human being.
Check Out Solomon Goldstein-Rose’s book:
The 100% Solution: A Plan for Solving Climate Change
https://www.amazon.com/100-Solution-Solving-Climate-Change-ebook/dp/B07TRW79HW/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
Check Out His TED TALK:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDaa6wBrDLo&t=3s
Official Website
https://www.solomongr.com/
Twitter
https://twitter.com/solomong_r
Solomon Goldstein-Rose has been a climate activist since age 11. His education in engineering and public policy gave him a unique perspective on the intersection of what physically has to happen to solve climate change and what approaches might actually make it happen. Solomon ran for the Massachusetts state legislature at age 22 and got elected on a platform focused on climate change. During his term he passed several small energy and education policies and created local initiatives for civic education and engagement. In 2018 he canceled his campaign for re-election so he could work full-time on climate change at the national and global levels.
His outreach and analysis turned into the book The 100% Solution. More recently Solomon has given a TED Talk and other presentations about climate change solutions. He also runs Virya, LLC, an impact investing project to accelerate underfunded technologies.
Solomon lives in Montague, MA, and makes time for hiking, farming, and directing children’s theater
Goldstein-Rose ran for an open State Rep seat during his last semester of college and the following summer, at age 22. He won the 6-way Democratic primary in September 2016 and was uncontested in the general election in November 2016. Goldstein-Rose’s campaign platform focused on his youth and energy to push for system change, with an emphasis on clean energy and education policy. Once in the legislature he introduced bills related to clean energy, K-12 education, and election reform, and joined the Progressive Caucus in pushing for criminal justice reform and other policies. Halfway through his term, he switched his voter registration to unenrolled on February 20, 2018, to emphasize current problems with the two-party system and spark conversations about partisanship and national political discourse.
During his term in office, Goldstein-Rose created several civic engagement and civic education programs, including a monthly free dessert discussion, an “UnCampaign” in which he knocked on doors during election off-season to speak with unlikely voters about state politics, a CivicsFest celebration and contest organized with the League of Women Voters of Amherst, talks about government and political issues at local schools, and a monthly guest column in the Amherst Bulletin in which Goldstein-Rose explained details of the Massachusetts legislature’s process and discussed current issues. Goldstein-Rose was also part of a working group that created and successfully passed a bill requiring hands-on civic education in Massachusetts schools.
Goldstein-Rose is a 2016 graduate of Brown University, where he studied Engineering and Public Policy.He previously interned in the Obama White House, in a Senate office, and on a Senate campaign. During college he founded the Rhode Island carbon pricing campaign. Before college, Goldstein-Rose served as a full member of the Amherst-Pelham Regional School Committee at age 18 while in 12th grade, filling out the end of a term when a member moved away. He has been a climate activist since age 11.
Goldstein-Rose cancelled his 2018 re-election campaign at the end of the legislative term, announcing he would instead shift to full-time nationally and globally focused work on climate change.He synthesized research, outreach, and analysis into a framework for the comprehensive picture of solving climate change. That framework became his book, The 100% Solution
Other Talks with Climate Activists
Amit Singh | UK Climate Justice Activist | #63 Homeless Romantic
https://youtu.be/7gpJweAbKzU
Check out some other talks with Permaculture Designers and Soil Scientists
Dr. Elaine Ingham Ph.D. | Soil and Agricultural Scientist | #48 Homeless Romantic Podcast
https://youtu.be/jJmW_4iJpTc
David Holmgren | Godfather of Permaculture | #47 Homeless Romantic Podcast
https://youtu.be/DtTWbHmIb1M
The Homeless Romantic Podcast
https://chris-jeffries.com/