Most sustainability strategies don’t fail because of bad technology.
They fail because of things leaders can’t see.

Season 2 of Clear Haze Exchange explores the hidden systems, decisions, and assumptions that shape building performance, workplace outcomes, and long-term value.

This season goes beyond dashboards and checklists to focus on clarity, alignment, leadership, and the invisible forces that determine whether sustainability efforts succeed or stall.

🎧 Season 2 launches March 3rd, 2026.

If the green building movement wants to grow, it has to start early. In this episode of Clear Haze Exchange, Marcus Hazelwood talks with Julia Pooler, founder of the Carbon Zero Youth Initiative (CZYI) and author of the children’s book “Buildy Green: It Takes a Team, a Better Building Story.”

Julia explains why youth outreach isn’t just “future workforce development”, kids can influence decisions today at home, in schools, and in communities. She shares why the best “tool” to spark curiosity is often the building you’re already standing in, and how professionals can make youth engagement easier than they expect using simple tours, scavenger-hunt style questions, and hands-on activities.

You’ll also hear how Buildy Green highlights the people behind better buildings, engineers, architects, trades, life cycle analysts, and more, so kids can understand that sustainability is a team effort.

Key topics:

• Why youth outreach matters right now (not 20 years from now)
• Easy ways to explain buildings to kids (HVAC vents, walls, materials)
• How kids naturally understand reuse, deconstruction, and materials life cycles
• The story behind Buildy Green and the outreach tools that come with it
• Free, ready-to-use resources for professionals who want to get involved

Links / CTAs:

• Learn more + free resources: https://www.carbonzeroyouth.org/
• Follow Julia Pooler: Julia Pooler | LinkedIn

Mechanical engineer turned sustainability leader Kristy Walson (Principal, Branch Pattern; LEED Fellow) joins Clear Haze Exchange to break down decarbonization in plain language. We talk operational carbon, embodied carbon, and refrigerants, why energy modeling matters, how to start with utility data, and why lease language can block building upgrades. Kristy also shares lessons from her Rebuild 2024 talk and the industry effort behind MEP 2040.

What you’ll learn:

• Why decarbonization doesn’t always cost more—and often saves over time
• The “three carbons”: operational, embodied, refrigerants (and how they map to scope 1–3)
• How to use utility bills, work orders, and simple data to find quick wins
• Where energy modeling helps owners make better decisions
• Why green leases matter for big buildings and portfolios
• Setting goals early—and holding the team to them

Guest: Kristy Walson — Principal at Branch Pattern, LEED Fellow; focuses on energy modeling, net-zero strategy, and whole-life carbon.
Host: Marcus Hazelwood, CEM — Principal at EA Energy Solutions; host of Clear Haze Exchange.