John Oppermann | Sustainability is Simple: Do Just One Thing
In this episode of the donothing podcast you’ll learn:
What you can do to decrease your environmental footprint
How John first got involved in the sustainability field
What led John to leave corporate law behind and create his own passion-fueled career
Which four things John needs every day to feel fulfilled
What John thinks is wrong about the current green building movement
How the LEED building certification program works
Why having a LEED-certified building is good for business
What small steps businesses can do to create a more sustainable workplace
Which ways John personally lives more sustainably in his everyday life
Why environmental regulation and conservation programs are so important
How Community Solar Projects, and similar initiatives, make sustainable energy more affordable and accessible
Why focusing on integrating just one sustainable thing into your life can make an impact
How amazing mentors and instructors helped to guide John’s career path
Which easy, sustainable actions anyone can integrate into their life
What it was like for John to meet Bill Clinton
Why we need to make sustainability and climate change more personal for everyone
How John’s planning to celebrate Earth Day’s 50th Anniversary
In celebration of Earth Day, I’m thrilled to share my recent chat with John Oppermann, the Executive Director of the Earth Day Initiative. John possesses incredible, practical wisdom about sustainable living and how anyone can adopt a more environmentally-friendly lifestyle—one small step at a time.
The Earth Day Initiative is an environmental non-profit with a variety of sustainability initiatives. This includes the Gotham Grazer sustainable food education program and a community solar program helping to bring rooftop solar facilities to New York City.
The Gotham Grazer program includes various sustainable food toolkits including a mock negotiation placing participants in the roles of stakeholders trying to bring sustainable food solutions to a food desert.
John serves as an Associate Real Estate Broker at Compass with a specialty in green and healthy homes. He is also an adjunct professor at NYU with a course titled Marketing Green Homes which looks at how a variety of green building features and standards (including LEED, Passive House, and WELL) resonate with home buyers.
John is a graduate of Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service and Harvard Law School.
Connect with John Oppermann
Additional Resources
Recommended Reading
Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wellness and Happiness, by Richard Thaler
Assassination Vacation, by Sarah Vowell
Sustainable Programs
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