about the last environmentalist

Welcome. Josh Dorfman here. I’ve created this conversation and podcast called The Last Environmentalist because I feel urgency about our climate crisis. I want to capture how our civilization is rising to the challenge in jaw-dropping, utterly delightful, and awe-inspiring ways.

Here’s the premise:

We are the first generation in human history to have the data to know what’s coming and the last with a chance to do something about it.

I find that statement rather remarkable because it means we all have a role to play in countering climate change. It’s our responsibility and opportunity.

The Last Environmentalist explores solutions that counter climate change and improve modern life.

I’m always on the lookout for the win-win, by which I mean climate change solutions that are great for the planet and great for the people living on it.

There’s an unabashed delight in discovering them because they fly in the face of our culture’s dominant narrative that contending with climate change means doom and gloom and suffering and sacrifice.

I believe humans are capable of reigning in carbon emissions in ways that uplift the human spirit. Do we have to change? Sure. But when humans put their hearts, heads, minds, and brains into it, we invent the impossible burger and loads of other impossible things too.

Designers, engineers, entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs, and geniuses of all stripes and persuasions are right this very minute working and brainstorming how to transform our civilization and bring it into harmony with nature.

Clearly, I’m an optimist, but I don’t discount the magnitude of the climate challenge. Before starting The Last Environmentalist, I was CEO of The Collider, the world’s first innovation center focused on helping communities and companies prepare, adapt, and become resilient to the impacts of climate change.

I’ve read climate reports, hosted climate conferences, and spoken with many climate scientists. I fully appreciate that our reliance on fossil fuels has caught up with us.

Evidently, it turns our civilization’s transition from the horse-and-buggy to the automobile wasn’t all it was cracked up to be (that is, of course, unless you were the horse).

Still, we have every right to be hopeful and believe in a future that is bright. And that’s what I’m excited to share with you: bright ideas, bold innovations, and smart solutions that solve climate change, accelerate the clean economy, and improve modern life.

Josh Dorfman
Founder, Curator & Host, The Last Environmentalist

MY STORY

In 1995, a year after graduating from college, I moved to Nanjing, China to English at the Nanjing University of Science & Technology. I got a part-time job working for Kryptonite Bike Locks at a factory near the university. It soon became a full-time role as Kryptonite’s China Business Manager and led to my environmental awakening. I talk it about on the podcast (see episode 2: Snake Blood and a Billion Bicycles).

For many years, I was known as the author and radio and television host of The Lazy Environmentalist. My mission: convince skeptics that sustainable living can be easy, convenient, and delightful.

What began as a personal blog and grew it into a book series, a daily radio show on Sirius Satellite Radio, and an award-winning reality TV show on Sundance Channel.

I’m passionate about modern, sustainably designed products. I’m also the founder of Simbly, an eco-friendly furniture company manufacturing sleek, streamlined products at a family-owned factory in Western North Carolina.

Below is my full bio.

ABOUT JOSH DORFMAN

Josh Dorfman is the creator, curator, and host of The Last Environmentalist, a podcast and climate activation brand helping people take steps in their everyday lives to combat climate change. He is also the founder & CEO of Simbly, a direct-to-consumer furniture company with a mission to unite modern design, affordability, environmental sustainability, and American manufacturing.

Josh has worn many hats throughout his sustainability and entrepreneurship career. Previously Josh launched and was GM of Vine.com, an Amazon e-commerce business specializing in natural and organic products. He was VP of Marketing for GoodGuide, a “Fast Company 50” provider of data and shopping tools to drive radical transparency in consumer products around their health, environmental, and ethical performance.

Josh was also CEO of The Collider, the world’s first innovation center for climate resilience, focusing on how companies and communities can prepare for climate change impacts. There, he developed a global entrepreneurship ecosystem for climate solutions startups.

Josh honed his entrepreneurial ecosystem-building skills while leading Venture Asheville, the high growth startup initiative of Asheville, NC. He co-founded and was Managing Director of Asheville Angels, the city’s active angel investment group. He currently serves on Governor Roy Cooper’s North Carolina Entrepreneurship Council.

For many years, Josh was known as author and host of The Lazy Environmentalist, a media brand he created to convince skeptics that it’s easy to go green without the hassle, inconvenience, and guilt. Josh grew that conversation from a personal blog into a book series, an award-winning reality TV show on Sundance Channel, and a daily radio show on Sirius Satellite Radio.

Josh’s passion for modern sustainable design began with Vivavi, his first furniture company, which Inc. Magazine named to the “Green 50” in 2006 as a pioneer accelerating the green economy.

Josh speaks widely on innovative approaches to sustainability and climate action. Past talks and keynotes have included to audiences at The New York Federal Reserve Bank, The Anthony Robbins Companies, Google, Salesforce, Clorox, The Aspen Institute, Yale University, and the Ten Years Hence series at Notre Dame University.

As a sustainable lifestyle expert, Josh served for four years as the national spokesperson for Brita’s FilterForGood campaign to reduce bottled water waste. He has appeared regularly in the media, including on Morning Joe, Fox & Friends, Wake Up with Al, and NPR’s All Things Considered. Josh is also the only guest to have ever ridden a bicycle onto the set of The Martha Stewart Show.

In 2010, Josh was inducted into the first class of the International Green Industry Hall of Fame. Josh holds an MBA from Thunderbird, The School of Global Management, and a BA from the University of Pennsylvania.

Special Thanks

The Last Environmentalist podcast is produced by Auxbus. You can create your own great podcast – faster and easier – at Auxbus.com