Positive Charge by GeekWire

More than 40 years after the debut of the first commercial veggie burger, the alternative protein sector has evolved far beyond dry bean patties. Today, food scientists and innovative startups are leveraging plant-based ingredients, precision fermentation and cell-cultivation to recreate the taste, texture and nutritional profile of meat while reducing the serious environmental and ethical impacts of industrial animal agriculture. This episode of Positive Charge dives into the technology, economics and consumer psychology behind the next generation of sustainable foods. The journey begins with a visit to Seattle-area startup Rebellyous Foods to sample faux chicken nuggets designed for public school lunchrooms, built using automated, continuous manufacturing processes to lower costs. Then, the conversation turns to our four-legged friends with Jiminy's, a company selling insect-based, eco-friendly dog kibble and treats that provide protein plus soothing some canine allergies.  Finally, the episode checks in with the Bezos Center for Sustainable Protein at NC State to tackle the broader questions facing the industry. From breaking down consumer skepticism and navigating the "ultra-processed" food debate to scaling complex biomanufacturing processes, this discussion explores what it will take to transform alternative proteins from a niche technology into a staple on everyday dinner plates — and in pet bowls. Sources and references Interviews: Rohan Shirwaiker, distinguished professor and director of the Bezos Center for Sustainable Protein at North Carolina State University Christie Lagally Bradburn, founder and CEO of Rebellyous Foods Anne Carlson, founder and CEO of Jiminy's Additional sources: "The History of the Veggie Burger," Smithsonian Magazine, March 19, 2014 Analyzing plant-based meat & seafood sales, Good Food Institute, 2025 data "An Extension Guide to Alternative Proteins," Bezos Center for Sustainable Protein at NC State "Environmental Impacts of Food Production," Our World in Data "This plant-based chicken startup is bucking alt-protein trends with a new production milestone," GeekWire, Jan. 5, 2026 "The truth about cats’ and dogs’ environmental impact," UCLA, Aug. 2, 2017 Lisa's favorite protein nut balls: 1 C old-fashioned oats 1 C peanut butter, other nut butter, or combo ⅓ C honey ⅓ C chopped, roasted nuts (peanuts, almonds, pecans, etc.) ⅓ C semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate (chips or chopped) 2 Tbs protein powder 1 tsp vanilla extract ¼ tsp cinnamon  ½ tsp salt ⅓ C shredded coconut (optional) 2 Tbs chia seeds (optional) Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Form into balls measuring about 2 Tbs, arrange on a pie tin or plate, chill. This episode was hosted by Lisa Stiffler and Laura Scott, and edited and produced by Laura Scott, with editorial assistance from Todd Bishop. Sponsored by Amazon Sustainability.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The world faces a glut of used EV batteries at the same time it's facing a clean energy crisis as data centers and other users are gobbling up power. But some sustainability entrepreneurs have figured out how to take one of those problems to solve the other. They are repurposing electric vehicle batteries to provide affordable, climate-friendly electricity.  In this episode of Positive Charge, we’ll go inside Moment Energy's massive new production facility in British Columbia to see how retired EV batteries are being resurrected into mega batteries that bring power to off-grid communities, industrial sites and businesses. We’ll talk to battery pioneers at Redwood Materials, which deployed the world's largest used-battery and solar installation in Nevada to electrify an AI data center.  And we'll seek answers to a critical question: Can yesterday's commute power today's AI boom and our clean energy future?  Sources and references Interviews: Eddy Chiang, CEO and co-founder at Moment Energy Colin Campbell, chief technology officer at Redwood Materials Scott Williams, vice president of energy at Crusoe Grayson Shor, founder and executive director of the Pacific Northwest Battery Collaborative, and co-founder and chief product officer of Buckstop, a circular-economy startup focused on the recovery of minerals and other valuable materials Additional sources: "Electric-Vehicle Battery Basics" (Car and Driver) "How long do EV batteries last" (Recurrent) God's Pocket Resort eco-lodge This episode was hosted by Lisa Stiffler and Laura Scott, and edited and produced by Laura Scott, with editorial assistance from Todd Bishop. Sponsored by Amazon Sustainability. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Most climate news these days is grim, but on a sunny rooftop in downtown Seattle during Pacific Northwest Climate Week, the mood was surprisingly upbeat. In this episode of Positive Charge, we pull eight climate tech investors and startup founders away from the happy hour cocktails to get their unfiltered real talk on where the industry is actually heading. The optimism isn't rooted in wishful thinking or environmental altruism — it’s built on solid business fundamentals. From calling out "tourist cash" chasing overhyped AI data centers and nuclear tech to doubling down on unsexy workhorses like grid upgrades, solar breakthroughs, and ag-tech, these insiders reveal where real money is flowing and why cleaner solutions are simply winning on economics. We distill their rooftop confessions down to four major themes driving clean tech forward — plus one crucial bonus takeaway on why technology alone will never be enough to save us. Tune in to hear what has climate leaders excited, what makes them worried, and why the future of sustainability is shifting from bleeding wallets to serious green. Sources and references Interviews: Jonathan Azoff, co-founder and general partner of the venture capital firm SNØCAP Yi Jean Chow, investment partner with Clean Energy Ventures Mike Dieterich, author and sustainability executive for Decarb Advisory Ben Shwab Eidelson, co-founder and partner of Stepchange Ventures, co-host of the Stepchange Show podcast Karin Kidder, executive director of E8, a Pacific Northwest-based climate angel organization Duncan Logan, co-founder and CEO of 9Zero, a climate innovation hub with Seattle and San Francisco locations Darian Parrish, founder of PwrOn, a Seattle startup developing portable clean power Susan Su, partner at the venture capital firm Toba Capital and founder of the podcast and Substack Climate Money Additional sources: PNW Climate Week, organizer of the annual event It's Electric, an EV charging startup mentioned by Karin Kidder LazeraH, a nuclear startup pursuing muon-catalyzed fusion mentioned by Jonathon Azoff This episode was hosted by Lisa Stiffler and Laura Scott, and edited and produced by Laura Scott, with editorial assistance from Todd Bishop. Sponsored by Amazon Sustainability. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What if the greenest thing you ever do is die? This episode of Positive Charge digs into human composting — the process, also called natural organic reduction, that turns a body into clean soil instead of ash or embalmed remains. It's the end-of-life option Martha Stewart says she wants, and a Seattle entrepreneur is the reason it exists. Katrina Spade set out to build a climate-friendly alternative to cremation and burial while still a graduate student in architecture, drawing on a practice farmers have long used to compost livestock. Turning that idea into a business meant clearing two enormous hurdles: engineering a process that safely breaks a body down into soil in a matter of weeks, and rewriting laws that made the practice illegal in all 50 states. We go inside Recompose, her Seattle facility, where bodies rest in stainless steel vessels and naturally occurring microbes generate all the heat that does the work. Then the episode turns to the people signing up. Interest cuts across the political map, with as many customers coming from conservative Eastern Washington as from Seattle, and a surprising share of them are young. Tune in to hear why composting is catching on as death care, how the science actually works, and what it means to choose becoming soil. Sources and references Interviews: Katrina Spade, founder and CEO of Recompose Micah Truman, founder and CEO of Return Home Elyssa Tappero, customer of Recompose and tsunami program manager for the Washington Emergency Management Division Additional sources: Lynne Carpenter-Boggs, chair of the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences at Washington State University Inside Recompose, where the human composting startup is ready to grow its formula beyond Seattle (GeekWire) 50+ & Unfiltered with Shawn Killinger, Episode 124 with Martha Stewart The environmental toll of cremating the dead (National Geographic) The Potential of Our Decay: Cemeteries That Save the American Landscape (Smithsonian) This episode was hosted by Lisa Stiffler and Laura Scott, and edited and produced by Laura Scott, with editorial assistance from Todd Bishop. Sponsored by Amazon Sustainability. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fusion has long been the holy grail of clean energy — perpetually promising, perpetually out of reach. But dozens of startups are getting closer to harnessing the reactions that power the sun and stars. We go inside two Washington state fusion companies that are leading the charge — Helion Energy and Zap Energy — and breaks down their technologies in a way that doesn't require a degree in physics to understand.  Between the two, Helion has the swagger. The 13-year-old startup has a charismatic, enthusiastic CEO who signed an unprecedented agreement to sell fusion energy to Microsoft for a data center campus in Central Washington. That deadline is only two years out as Helion leverages a $1.5 billion war chest to become the first company in the world to commercially produce electricity from fusion.  Zap launched in 2017, but members of its founding team began working on their core technology decades earlier at the University of Washington. The startup has raised $330 million from investors and was selected for a competitive Department of Energy fusion program. Ambitious by the very nature of its work, Zap is also more cautious in its approach.  This episode explores Helion and Zap’s strategies and each of their recently revealed, unexpected course corrections — moves that either raise concerns or signal smart new approaches.  Sources and references Interviews: David Kirtley, Helion Energy, CEO and co-founder Manav Singh, Helion Energy, director of electrical engineering  Matthew Thompson, Zap Energy, senior vice president of fission technology and former vice president of systems engineering and pulsed power Laura Berzak Hopkins, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, associate laboratory director for Strategy and Partnerships, and deputy chief research officer GeekWire’s related coverage: Helion gives behind-the-scenes tour of secretive 60-foot fusion prototype as it races to deployment Helion makes big bet on ‘Tiny Merge’ fusion testbed to meet aggressive Microsoft timeline Inside Zap: Fusion pioneer tries to build ‘a star in a jar’ to unlock abundant clean energy Zap Energy’s nuclear double play: Fusion startup adds traditional fission to its lineup, in industry first This episode was hosted by Lisa Stiffler and Laura Scott, and edited and produced by Laura Scott, with editorial assistance from Todd Bishop. Sponsored by Amazon Sustainability.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.