Leadership Circle Archive
The Leadership Circle is a monthly forum for philanthropists, corporate leaders, experts, activists, and strategists to have candid conversations about a healthy environment and a healthy democracy Here are the conversations we’ve hosted, and the people who made them worth having.
Beyond the Energy Bill: AI and the Circular Economy (September 2026): Five practitioners weighed whether AI will speed up the take-make-waste economy or help us design our way out of it.
Featuring:
- Geeta Menon, UT Dallas
- William Neil, EarthSort
- Brian Sano, Intuitive AI
- Mike Smith, Aclymate
- Katie Tobias, SuperCircle
The Heat Tax: Cool Cities in a Warming World (August 2026): A designer, a clean-cooling advocate, and a climate data leader on how cities can adapt to extreme heat, from nature-based urban design to cooling that doesn’t worsen warming.
Featuring:
- Dror Benshetrit, Supernature Labs
- Aleisha Khan, REEF
- Kristen Sissener, Berkeley Earth
Interdependence: 250 Years After Independence (July 2026): On the nation’s 250th anniversary, leaders of AllSides and Braver Angels explored the interplay between democracy and sustainability, and what it takes to build a stronger, more connected America.
Featuring:
- John Gable, AllSides
- Maury Giles, Braver Angels
Textile EPR: The Next Frontier (June 2026): As California’s SB 707, the nation’s first textile producer responsibility law, moves into implementation, a resale leader and a sustainable stylist explored what it means for brands, recyclers, and the secondhand market.
Featuring:
- Alon Rotem, ThredUp
- Sarah Teresinski, Redeux Style
An Invitation to Join Circle America (May 2026): Bill and Dusie introduced Circle America, a new cross-partisan affinity group launched at Earthx2026 made up of investors, executives, activists, and civic leaders working to shift policy, markets, and culture toward a circular economy.
Featuring:
- Bill Shireman, Founder, Circle America
- Dusie Cassata, Co-Founder, Circle America
EPR in California (March 2026): How California’s SB 54 packaging law can deliver real recycling gains, source reduction, and innovation rather than litigation and backlash.
Featuring:
- Coco Freling, RecycleMe
- Nick Lapis, Californians Against Waste
- Heidi Sanborn, National Stewardship Action Council
- Andrea Sumits, Bay Law Group
The Future of Corporate Responsibility: Beyond ESG, DEI, and EJ (February 18, 2026)
Featuring:
- Brittney Barnett, PwC and SW2
- Bill Shireman, Solution Citizen
- Theo EJ Wilson, Rebirth Earth
Innovation Nation: How a Circular Economy Can Make America Create Again (January 21, 2026)
Featuring:
- Carsten Sudhoff, author of “No One Wins Alone”
- Jeff Anderson, AllMade Materials
- Robert Bedard, MOXY OID
- David Cary, HighGround Ranch Developers
- Jeff Nelson & Gary Wilson, Biochosen
Positive Consumerism: Sustainable Retail Brands and the Consumers Who Love Them (December 17, 2025)
Featuring:
- Shampaigne Graves, Women’s Consumer Expert
- Sandy Skees, Porter Novelli
Practicing Democracy Without Permission (November 19, 2025)
Featuring:
- Lauren Babcock, Healthy Democracy
- Marjan Ehsassi, FIDE North America
- Clara Long & Rahmin Sarabi, Bloom Project
- Paul Zeitz, #unifyUSA
Energy at a Crossroads: Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (October 29, 2025)
Featuring:
- Vicki Hollub, Occidental Petroleum
Nature-Guided Innovations in Circularity (September 22, 2025)
Featuring:
- Dr. John Warner, The Technology Greenhouse
- Karen Warner, BEAM Circular
Pro-Activism: The Power and Practice of Radical Collaboration (August 20, 2025)
Featuring:
- Benji Backer, Nature is Nonpartisan
- Will Grant, Pachamama Alliance
- Kristen Sissener, Berkeley Earth
Circular Economy Spotlight: EPR and Its Implications for Innovation, Cost, Design, and Logistics (June 25, 2025)
Featuring:
- Mark Murray, Californians Against Waste
- Heidi Sanborn, National Stewardship Action Council
- Jon Smieja, Circular (Economy) Reasoning
Earthx2025 Wrap Up and Look Ahead (May 21, 2025)
Featuring:
- Bill Shireman, Solution Citizen