EDF launches new season of chart-topping podcast "Degrees: Real talk about planet-saving careers"

New York, NY - Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) is launching season six of “Degrees: Real talk about planet-saving careers,” a podcast that helps listeners fight climate change at work. The new season is hosted by green jobs expert and mentor Yesh Pavlik Slenk, Director of EDF’s Climate Corps program. Ten new episodes will publish weekly, beginning on September 13th on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and other streaming platforms. 

The Degrees podcast is an action hub for Gen Z and Millennials to find career guidance and connect to a community of mentors. Green jobs are among the fastest growing jobs globally, surging over 237% in the past five years. Young professionals are increasingly concerned about climate change; about one in six Millennials and Gen Z individuals surveyed have already changed jobs or industries due to climate concerns, with another quarter planning to do so in the future. 

“Degrees: Real talk about planet-saving careers” lends EDF’s Climate Corps experience in training and embedding graduate students in cities and companies around the world to find climate solutions. One reviewer emphasizes, “It’s not an exaggeration to say that this podcast changed the course of my life and my career. The episodes combine inspiring stories with real-life tactical pieces of advice that feel accessible and truly helpful.”

As a leader in the climate careers sector, Yesh manages EDF’s Climate Corps network of more than 3,000 sustainability and energy management professionals worldwide. Climate Corps fellows in the U.S., China and India have collectively identified energy savings worth more than $1.6 billion, the equivalent of over 2.2 million metric tons in carbon emissions. She brings this experienced guidance to Degrees listeners each week and has seen firsthand how climate action in the workforce is a major potential lever of change. 

“The green jobs of today will define our success in the fight against the climate crisis over the next decade,” Yesh adds. “The exciting news is that we’re witnessing unprecedented innovation and supportive policies that are leading to new green jobs every day.”

Season six dives even deeper with a specific focus on “climate quitters” and “how to green your job.” Deloitte’s 2023 Gen Z and Millennial Survey found a significant opportunity for more workers to ‘green their jobs.’ While six in ten Gen Z and Millennials have felt anxious enough about the environment to impact their career and lifestyle decisions, only 15-16 percent of them feel able to influence their organizations’ sustainability efforts. This new season shows listeners how to feel more agency over their own career. 

This season includes guests such as:

• Drew Wilkinson, Climate activist and co-founder of Microsoft’s 10,000 member employee sustainability community
• Rebecca Weston, Co-president of Climate Psychology Alliance North America
• Ciara Imani May, Founder of Rebundle
• Pooja Tilvawala, Founder of Youth Climate Collaborative, Assembly Member of Rivet
• Scott Z. Burns, filmmaker and writer of the 2011 pandemic thriller Contagion and the 2023 Apple TV+ series Extrapolations
• Solitaire Townsend, Chief Solutionist, Futerra
• Katherine Hayhoe, Chief Scientist, The Nature Conservancy

“Degrees: Real talk about planet-saving careers” is produced by Podcast Allies. Environmental Defense Fund’s podcast producer is Amy Morse. Additional season six producers include: Mia Lobel, Ayodele Oti, Tressa Versteeg, Stephanie Wolf. The artwork was designed by artist Bee Johnson, whose work has been featured in The New York Times, NBC, The Economist, The Guardian, Forbes, and more. Theme music is from the song ‘Shame, Shame, Shame’ by Lake Street Dive, the beloved eco-conscious band.

EDF’s podcast-adjacent Green Jobs Hub offers listeners green jobs opportunities with links to top resources such as the Green Jobs Board, GreenBiz, Climate Base, among others.

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Season Description - “How to Green Your Job”

We spend a third of our lives at work. Why not use that time to help save the planet? Whether you want to change your job or transform it from the inside out, we have advice for you. Season six of “Degrees: Real talk about planet-saving careers” empowers listeners through sharing inspiring stories of people who’ve found green careers or adapted their existing careers to scale climate solutions. Host Yesh Pavlik Slenk gives advice and guides conversations with notable guests from a range of industries, including a hot-line episode with green career coach Shannon Houde on 'how to take back your power and carve out your own career path.' 

About Podcast Allies 

Podcast Allies is an audio storytelling consulting, production and training company helping public media, NGOs, social impact and higher education organizations make beautifully crafted shows. Select clients include Environmental Defense Fund, American Academy of Pediatrics, the University of Colorado, and Wondery.