AwesomeCast 746: Climate Tech That’s ACTUALLY Working (SuperCool w/ Josh Dorfman)
Cohosts Michael Sorg and Dave Podnar sit down with Josh Dorfman—co-founder, CEO, and host of SuperCool—for a fast, optimistic tour of climate tech that’s already scaling: AI-optimized buildings, EV school buses, urban solar, and more. Then we geek out over spooky-season decor, McDonald’s TMNT × Hello Kitty toys, YouTube’s new Gemini “Ask” button, and Chachi’s Video Game Minute.
Guest segment — Josh Dorfman (SuperCool)
What SuperCool is: a media company (podcast + newsletter + YouTube + events) spotlighting the adoption era of climate tech—solutions that cut emissions, improve life, and grow profits.
Links: Website • YouTube.Lazy Environmentalist origin story: Josh’s Sundance Channel series and how a self-professed “lazy environmentalist” found practical, convenient paths to greener living.
Link: Sundance screener clip.AI for buildings: BrainBox AI predicts occupancy and grid conditions to pre-heat/cool and reduce costly spikes—cutting HVAC bills (up to ~25%) and carbon (up to ~40%); now part of Trane.
Link: BrainBox AI.EVs & recycling realities: from rare-earth magnet recycling to used EV batteries stabilizing the grid, the EV ecosystem is moving fast (plus Redwood-style battery recycling and more).
Josh’s materials startup: Planted builds structural, carbon-negative panels from fast-growing perennial grasses—aimed at homes at national scale.
Link: plantedmaterials.com.
Tools & how-tos we called out
Project Sunroof (Google): plug in your address to estimate solar potential, payback, and local providers—perfect if you’ve been on the fence.
Link: sunroof.withgoogle.com.Steelton, PA school buses: shout-out to the district moving to electric buses powered by local solar—an example of cost-savvy decarbonization in small-town America.
Link: Canary Media feature — “Steelton-Highspire School District is saving big with solar and EV school buses.” (https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/clean-fleets/how-a-pennsylvania-school-is-saving-big-with-solar-and-ev-school-buses).
Awesome Things of the Week (gadgets & goodies)
TMNT × Hello Kitty McDonald’s toys: our ongoing Happy Meal heist (trading dupes, chasing variants, soaking up the nostalgia).
Spooky-season showpiece: a light-up pumpkin diorama from Sam’s Club—surprisingly hefty build, nice LEDs, good value for a reusable seasonal display.
Link: Sam’s Club Pumpkin Diorama.YouTube’s Gemini “Ask about this video”: we test the new button that summarizes long videos with timestamped receipts; super handy for quick takeaways—especially on dense tech topics.
Link (our demo post): Facebook screenshot.
Chachi Says: Video Game Minute
Fast & Furious Arcade is coming home Oct 24 (Switch/PS5/Xbox).
Red Dead Redemption 2 climbs to #6 all-time (~77M), closing on Mario Kart 8; Minecraft still untouchable at the top.
