If we talk about climate as a public health issue, as an economic issue, and as a social justice issue, we’ll get more people to care about it.
Taj Eldridge, Director of Climate Innovation, JFF, on My Climate Journey
Climate tech is a rapidly growing sector for investors looking to make a future-focused impact. Taj Eldridge, director of climate innovation at Jobs for the Future, got his start as an advocate for green technologies when he saw the sustainability problems in the fashion and wine industries—particularly the large volumes of waste generated in each.
As a guest on a recent episode of the My Climate Journey podcast, Eldridge shared that anecdote and other personal experiences to illustrate why he sees climate action not only as an imperative for the future of our planet, but also as something deeply personal. He also discussed the need for inclusivity in the climate technology sector that goes beyond race and gender, emphasizing that if we are going to solve the current climate emergency, we need to bring people in and fail fast.
Other topics he addresses include the “all or nothing mindset” among advocates who are focused on addressing climate change—the idea that either individuals or companies, but not both working together, need to effect change. And he sheds light on why these stakeholders need to work in tandem. He also shares his perspective on how and where he allocates his time and efforts across many and varied initiatives.
I think life is messy. The earth is messy. The solutions we are going to come to are messy as well. And I think for me, the key to that is, we can have that messiness as long as we are failing forward. We believe in failing forward in tech, we should have that same idea in climate.
Taj Eldridge, Director of Climate Innovation, JFF, on My Climate Journey