What happens when a software engineer turned sustainability consultant turns musician decides to use her fan base as a force for climate action?

Vienna Teng — songwriter, performer, McKinsey Sustainability Fellow, and one of Grist's 50 Climate Innovators to Watch in 2025 — joins Zena Harris and Mark Rabin to talk about the unlikely through line connecting all of her careers: empathy-driven problem solving.

Vienna breaks down how she runs climate action workshops inside music venues, why she intentionally keeps the tone hopeful rather than doom-focused, and what it actually looks like to walk a fan from curiosity to real community impact. Including one fan who stopped a solar ban in her township after a single conversation.

She also reflects on her years working in clean energy access and waste diversion systems in the Global South, what she learned that she couldn't have learned from the outside, and why she came back to music as the most powerful tool she had.

Topics: climate action, fan engagement, hope-based climate communication, music and sustainability, artist activism, clean energy, behavior change, climate storytelling, indie music, McKinsey sustainability, Grist 50, community solar, waste diversion, Global South, climate innovation

🎙️ Connect with Vienna:

🌐 viennateng.com

📸 Instagram: @viennatengmusic

🎵 Patreon: patreon.com/viennateng

🎙️ Connect with your hosts:

Zena Harris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zenaharris/

Mark Rabin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rabinmark/

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#ViennaTeng #ClimateAction #MusicAndClimate #Sustainability #HopefulClimateCommunication #FanEngagement #ClimateInnovation #Grist50 #IndieMusic #CleanEnergy #BehaviorChange #ClimateStorytelling #EntertainmentSustainability #TheTieIn #ArtistActivism #CommunityAction #ClimateHope #SustainableEntertainment

What if the foam, wood, and metal used to build film and TV sets could be replaced with a material that's stronger than it sounds, faster to build with, and goes straight into the blue bin when the shoot wraps?

Karmen Hansen, Owner of Nordwerk Design Inc., joins Zena and Mark to break down how engineered paperboard is replacing virgin, high-emission materials in film, TV, and event production — and why the total cost argument for conventional materials doesn't hold up the way most productions assume.

From building the Echo Probe for the opening scene of Alien: Romulus to engineering the CBC Edmonton news desk — which holds a 211lb tabletop and is still standing after a 4-week stress test — Karmen unpacks how this material works, what it takes to get major clients to trust it, and why the circular economy case for cardboard on set is stronger than anyone expects.

Topics: sustainable set design, circular economy, film production materials, engineered cardboard, Re-board, zero-waste production, sustainable events, trade show design, set builds, sustainable architecture, film industry sustainability, replacing Luon, cardboard furniture, sustainable construction.

🎙️ Connect with Karmen and Nordwerk:

Karmen Hansen, Owner — Nordwerk Design Inc.

🌐 nordwerk.co

📸 Instagram: @nordwerkdesign

🎵 TikTok: @nordwerkdesign

💼 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/nordwerk-design/

🎙️ Connect with your hosts:

Zena Harris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zenaharris/

Mark Rabin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rabinmark/

What does it take to build a thriving community around big ideas — and what does that have to do with sustainability in entertainment? Jenny Stefanotti, founder of Denizen, joins Zena and Mark to talk about how an accidental pandemic-era salon grew into a conversation with an 85,000-person reach on Clubhouse and a global community of leaders at the forefront of systemic change. They dig into AI's disruption of the labor market, the democratizing potential for indie content creators, and why individual agency may be the most underestimated force for change. A wide-ranging conversation about technology, culture, and what it means to build something that lasts.

Connect With Jenny

Jenny's Website

On Instagram

On X/Twitter

On LinkedIn

Connect with our hosts:

Zena Harris on LinkedIn

Mark Rabin on LinkedIn