Cautious Climate Optimist

The Cautious Climate Optimist podcast features enlightening conversations with our region’s climate action shakers and movers. Join Climate Stories Atlantic managing editor, Pam Sullivan, for an up close and personal take on positive climate work happening right here in Atlantic Canada. You can also find The Cautious Climate Optimist on both Spotify and Apple Music.

Dan Roscoe - harnessing our NS winds
Pam Sullivan Pam Sullivan

Dan Roscoe - harnessing our NS winds

Today’s chat is yet another amazing dive into the myriad possibilities for clean energy optimism in our province. Dan Roscoe of Roswall Dev. joins me to talk all things wind and wind turbines, with all the potential those turbines hold to help get us all using 100% clean wind energy sooner than you think. The key, he says, is local ownership and distributed generation. And he puts his money where his mouth is, with the 2026-27 launch of his company’s largest wind farm to date, in Mersey River, NS - with 33 big, beautiful turbines. Enjoy the show!

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Miriam Zitner - Carbon to Sea Initiative…and more
Pam Sullivan Pam Sullivan

Miriam Zitner - Carbon to Sea Initiative…and more

Halifax's Miriam Zitner is a powerhouse of a person - a live spark of optimism and enthusiasm backed up by action. In today's episode, Miriam and I discuss everything from her motorcycle trip across India and Nepal to her work bringing a women's soccer club to Halifax - the Halifax Tides - and her enthusiastic involvement with the Nova Scotia chapter of The Women's Equity Lab. And, lastly, and the whole point of the interview, since it is about cautious climate optimism, her very important work as General Manager with the Carbon to Sea Initiative. I'll leave you with that teaser and encourage you to listen to our conversation to find out more - it's a good one.

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Edmund (Eddie) Halfyard from CarbonRun
Podcast Pam Sullivan Podcast Pam Sullivan

Edmund (Eddie) Halfyard from CarbonRun

Today I chat with Eddie Halfyard, a research scientist with a passion for fish, water quality, and removing CO2 from the atmosphere. Nothing short of a miraculous, game-changing, and yes, serendipitous find, is what Halfyard and fellow researcher, Professor Shannon Sterling discovered as they worked to improve water quality for NS salmon. And as with many great discoveries, an unexpected positive offshoot of that initial work changed the game forever...and CarbonRun was born.

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NSCC’s Wayne Groszko
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NSCC’s Wayne Groszko

A great chat with research scientist, Wayne Groszko - head of the Energy Research team at Nova Scotia Community College's Applied Research department. Wayne and I chat about the importance of portable mini wind turbines, how to turn abandoned mines into huge green energy storage tanks, and everything in between. A super smart guy with a really fun, really important job - taking smart green ideas and helping to make them real.

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Joe Nickerson (Sidewalk Development)
Podcast Pam Sullivan Podcast Pam Sullivan

Joe Nickerson (Sidewalk Development)

Join me for a chat with Joe Nickerson, from Halifax's coolest development company, Sidewalk. At Sidewalk, Joe and his partner Elliot are all about creating and revitalizing otherwise languishing urban neighbourhoods, as well as giving new life to old concrete buildings instead of building new. In so doing they both help the environment while also preserving the history and character intrinsically found in the cities' older buildings . A really interesting look into what could be a greener development option for us going forward.

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Bridgewater’s Mayor David Mitchell
Podcast Pam Sullivan Podcast Pam Sullivan

Bridgewater’s Mayor David Mitchell

Well, what a fabulous guy, and an even better mayor, from all accounts. Join me as I have an open and frank chat with one of the province's most popular mayors. We cover everything from the oh so smart decision to purchase Ford Lightening EV trucks…

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Kevin Boutlier - HalifACT
Podcast Pam Sullivan Podcast Pam Sullivan

Kevin Boutlier - HalifACT

A conversation with Kevin Boutilier, Manager of Clean Energy with HalifACT, Halifax's long-term climate plan. During the podcast we talk about where things are at the five-year anniversary point for the plan, wins and challenges…

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