Earth911 Podcast: Josh Dorfman Makes Environmentalism Supercool

Josh Dorfman—known for his The Lazy Environmentalist book series—visites to share his latest efforts to make sustainability seamless, smart, and scalable. From hosting eco-living shows to launching climate tech ventures, Dorfman’s mission: make sustainable choices attractive and accessible. In the 1990s, while working in China, Dorfman saw the country’s shift from bicycles to cars and realized the environmental cost of global development. That insight set him on a path to shift consumer culture toward greener living. “People don’t respond to guilt,” he said. “They respond to practical, self-interested solutions that make their lives better.” Dorfman now leads two new initiatives: Plantd and Supercool. By blending smart storytelling with practical solutions, Dorfman shows how sustainability can be not just necessary—but undeniably cool.

Plantd is a carbon-negative building materials startup using ultra-fast-growing grass to produce high-performance panels that outperform and underprice traditional plywood. Backed by former SpaceX engineers, Plantd’s electric, zero-smokestack production line locks atmospheric carbon into walls, floors, and roofs—without cutting down trees. Their work has caught serious attention: DR Horton, the largest U.S. homebuilder, recently placed an order for 10 million panels. The Supercool podcast and newsletter spotlight climate innovation that resonates across political lines. Dorfman’s storytelling targets the middle ground—where sustainability aligns with health, economics, and lifestyle. Episodes feature stories like upcycled e-bike marketplaces, AI-optimized HVAC systems, and green retrofits of federal buildings. “We already have the technology to solve climate change,” Dorfman said. “What we need is faster adoption—and that comes from telling the right stories.” You can learn more about Plantd's carbon-negative building materials at https://www.plantdmaterials.com/ and tune into the Supercool podcast at https://getsuper.cool/