Female Farmers Are Transforming Cotton – Alison Ward, CEO of CottonConnect
Release Date: 04/23/2025
How Michigan Turns IRA Tax Credits Into Growth – Hilary Doe, Chief Growth Officer, Michigan
Electric Ladies Podcast - Women Leaders Discuss Careers, Trends, Technologies and Innovation in Energy, Climate, and Corporate Responsibility
“We did lots of infrastructure investments over the last handful of years to make sure our communities are in the best possible place they can be. And we complemented federal investment with workforce investment to ensure Michiganders are getting access to those kinds of roles, some of which didn't even exist previously. [This ensures] that Michigan communities could benefit from learning to be solar installers and get access to new economic income streams.” Hilary Doe on Electric Ladies Podcast The Justice Department is suing Michigan over its climate initiatives under the Clean Air...
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Sustainable Business Is Good Business – Tensie Whelan, Founding Director of the NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business
Electric Ladies Podcast - Women Leaders Discuss Careers, Trends, Technologies and Innovation in Energy, Climate, and Corporate Responsibility
“Blue state pension funds are doubling down on sustainability while red state pension funds are firing you. Companies are challenged because for some constituencies, they have to demonstrate their sustainability credentials, and for others, they have to hide them. So it's a really challenging time. But if you can demonstrate the business case, then maybe you can navigate being more proactive with those constituencies that really want this, and alleviating the risks with those constituencies that don't understand why it matters.” Tensie Whelan on Electric Ladies Podcast Mother Nature...
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Female Farmers Are Transforming Cotton – Alison Ward, CEO of CottonConnect
Electric Ladies Podcast - Women Leaders Discuss Careers, Trends, Technologies and Innovation in Energy, Climate, and Corporate Responsibility
“I've been particularly passionate about working with women in those communities to teach them about new techniques so they can understand how to run their farm more effectively, but also understand their rights as women in those communities so they have a stronger voice…. And because they were called an ‘ambassador,’ their status in the village rose.” Alison Ward on Electric Ladies Podcast Have you ever wondered where your shirt really comes from, or where the cotton in your jeans was grown? While the tag might tell you where they were made, it won't tell you where the cotton...
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Building A Culture Of Innovation – Telle Whitney, Author of “Rebooting Tech Culture,” Co-Founder of AnitaB.Org Institute
Electric Ladies Podcast - Women Leaders Discuss Careers, Trends, Technologies and Innovation in Energy, Climate, and Corporate Responsibility
“Talking to people from different disciplines pushes your thinking about your assumptions, going out and listening to what other people are doing helps inform the way that you creatively solve the problem that's in front of you. Leaders often are scared by some of these ideas that are coming out of their workforce and that's why they're shutting them down. But if you can demonstrate yourself to be receptive to ideas, then you can help guide a creative future.” Telle Whitney on Electric Ladies Podcast Massive innovation is crucial to meet the scale of the climate crisis, but achieving...
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Where’s My Carbon Coming From? – Zara Summers, Chief Science Officer, LanzaTech
Electric Ladies Podcast - Women Leaders Discuss Careers, Trends, Technologies and Innovation in Energy, Climate, and Corporate Responsibility
“We've worked with partners like AcelorMittal… and oil and gas refineries. Emissions that would've been destined for the atmosphere are piped into our bioreactor and our magnificent microbes turn that gas into ethanol. When we pull out that ethanol, we can send it a lot of different places. You can go to On, Adidas, Athleta and buy products made by these mighty microbes from steel mill emissions. We actually flew a Virgin Atlantic flight from Orlando to London with 50 percent of the fuel in that plane made from our ethanol.” Zara Summers on Electric Ladies Podcast Addressing...
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What Canada’s Energy Policies Can Teach The U.S. – Claire Seaborn, former Chief of Staff to Canada’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources
Electric Ladies Podcast - Women Leaders Discuss Careers, Trends, Technologies and Innovation in Energy, Climate, and Corporate Responsibility
“One of the big differences between Canada and the United States on climate policy spending broadly is that unlike the United States, Canada has a national carbon pricing system. So, we have a carbon pricing system that sets a national minimum standard…. Without strategy, coordination, investment, we will be putting ourselves at a painful disadvantage in terms of not just the energy transition, but just geopolitically.” Claire Seaborn on Electric Ladies Podcast An independent analysis found that the renewable energy strategies in New York state may help insulate New...
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A State Program Leading The Clean Energy Transformation – Doreen Harris, President and CEO, NYSERDA
Electric Ladies Podcast - Women Leaders Discuss Careers, Trends, Technologies and Innovation in Energy, Climate, and Corporate Responsibility
"The [sub-national level] is where we can incubate and to effectuate the private sector shifts that we see happening every day. We are looking to move markets in a direction that can improve not only quality of life, but the very metrics that we're solving for. And when you look at this over years or even decades, you can see the pace accelerating and market momentum taking off." Doreen Harris on Electric Ladies Podcast As the fourth largest state in the U.S., New York consumes a staggering amount of electricity annually to power an economy that ranges from finance to manufacturing, so...
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Turning Waste into Energy (and Wine) – Autumn Huskins, Finance Director, Hitachi Zosen Inova
Electric Ladies Podcast - Women Leaders Discuss Careers, Trends, Technologies and Innovation in Energy, Climate, and Corporate Responsibility
“We’re giving [companies] the avenue to take something that historically has been an inconvenience and turn that into an opportunity to make them some money, whether that be selling energy to the grid, or putting energy back into the operations of their facilities. So, what could have cost them money in the past can now be a huge benefit. At the same time, you're doing something great for the world and our future.” Autumn Huskins on Electric Ladies Podcast Addressing climate change presents two big questions: How do we reduce waste and keep it out of landfills, and how can we power our...
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Career Advice From 5 Extraordinary Women – Women’s History Month
Electric Ladies Podcast - Women Leaders Discuss Careers, Trends, Technologies and Innovation in Energy, Climate, and Corporate Responsibility
“I think there needs to be more women stepping up and realizing that they proudly should play the game…I hear a lot of women second guessing themselves before they step out on their own. And that is what we have to recognize. We have so much to offer, and half this battle is just us opening our mouths and letting it out.” Majora Carter on Electric Ladies Podcast This Women’s History Month takes place amid significant changes to women everywhere, from political headwinds threatening progress, to rollbacks in corporate support. Women leadership has shown to be valuable in driving...
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Beyond Partisanship in Climate Action – Chelsea Henderson, Director of Editorial Content at RepublicEn.org; Author of “Glacial: The Inside Story of Climate Politics”
Electric Ladies Podcast - Women Leaders Discuss Careers, Trends, Technologies and Innovation in Energy, Climate, and Corporate Responsibility
“We're ceding ground to China, which has become everyone's favorite punching bag. Whether Democrat or Republican, both sides are beating up on China. Meanwhile, China is saying, ‘Okay, we'll make all your solar panels, electric and autonomous vehicles,’ because they see the financial opportunities. It's past time for the U.S. and our politicians to step out of their corners and come together – this is the greatest crisis we will ever face.” Chelsea Henderson on Electric Ladies Podcast Political polarization may have stifled discussions on the climate, but Mother Nature doesn’t...
info_outline“I've been particularly passionate about working with women in those communities to teach them about new techniques so they can understand how to run their farm more effectively, but also understand their rights as women in those communities so they have a stronger voice…. And because they were called an ‘ambassador,’ their status in the village rose.”
Alison Ward on Electric Ladies Podcast
Have you ever wondered where your shirt really comes from, or where the cotton in your jeans was grown? While the tag might tell you where they were made, it won't tell you where the cotton came from. And that matters. Cotton is everywhere but this vital crop is now facing serious threats from climate change. Women farmers are transforming it.
One organization is working to change that. CottonConnect is training female cotton farmers in eco-friendly, climate-resilient farming practices – and tracking it. Listen to Alison aWard, CEO of CottonConnect on Electric Ladies Podcast with Joan Michelson and learn about the significant yet under recognized role of women in cotton farming.
You'll hear about:
- How climate change is hitting female farmers the hardest.
- The ways CottonConnect is bringing transparency to the cotton supply chain.
- Innovative solutions in cotton farming, including a role played by the European Space Agency.
- How CottonConnect is empowering women and transforming communities.
- Plus, career advice for women navigating career transitions.
“If you can combine something you're passionate about with something you're good at, and you can make that into a career, that is success. Find other women that will be prepared to give back to help careers and connect. We have a Women in CottonConnect group where we are really looking at how we can advance women in our organization.
“Not everything has to be an enormous career step. When I joined CottonConnect, it was a relatively small organization that has since grown into a much larger one. But it was something I was passionate about, and I've been fortunate to have a great team and great advisors around me.”
Alison Ward on Electric Ladies Podcast
Read Joan’s Forbes articles here.
- Telle Whitney, Author and Co-Founder of AnitaB.Org Institute on building a culture of innovation.
- UN Climate Week discussion on how some creative women are making sustainable fashion a reality, moderated by Joan Michelson.
- Kerry Bannigan, Managing Director of PVBLIC Foundation, on sustainability and social responsibility on the runway.
- Zainab Salbi, cofounder of Daughters For Earth, on the pivotal role of women climate entrepreneurs.
- Rosemary Atieno of Women Climate Centers International, on how she is transforming rural communities by helping women solve daily challenges in climate-friendly ways.
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