Welcome back to The Upsiders! You've heard the complaints: Gen Z is lazy, disloyal, and hops jobs every year. But what if those behaviors are actually smart, pragmatic responses to a difficult labor market—and are helping companies become more dynamic?

This week, we debunk the pervasive myths about Gen Z in the workforce. We turn conventional wisdom on its head, starting with our segment, "That's Actually an Upside!", where we argue that job-hopping is now a feature, not a bug, that helps Gen Z find the right fit and avoid burnout.

In this episode, we dive into the data showing that even though Gen Z has already worked at an average of 2.7 companies in 2.8 years, they are also the generation most consistently driven by long-term career goals.

We also define our Word of the Week: "Coffee Badging," and reveal why 70% of bosses caught their employees doing it, yet nearly 60% "didn't mind." Plus, we recognize Alexia Cambon from Gartner as our Unsung Hero of the Upside for helping companies finally understand their youngest workers.

Join us for a Reality Check as we rapidly fire through seven common Gen Z stereotypes and prove why the generation that grew up online is actually the most ambitious, efficient, and pragmatic workforce we've ever seen.

Show Notes:

Job Hopping Is a Feature Not a Bug For Gen Zers | Revelio Labs

Generational Differences in the Workplace [Infographic] | Purdue Global

Job-hopping Gen Z only stay in each job 1 year and 54% are regularly browsing for their next role—but a report says they’re not disloyal villains | Fortune

Employers, beware: Gen Z is the ‘pragmatic generation’ redefining success, seeing money as just a means to an end, landmark EY survey says | Fortune

What is coffee badging? – a deep dive | OWL Labs

How to Appeal to Generation Z Candidates | Gartner

Alexia Cambon: Organisations are struggling to connect employees to culture in a hybrid world, so how will they overcome this? | HR Review

Welcome back to The Upsiders! When the rain falls, our cities—mostly covered in concrete and asphalt—have one goal: to get the water away as fast as possible. But what if the very thing we see as a problem, the rainwater, is actually a valuable resource?

This week, we dive into the brilliant, global concept of Sponge Cities: an urban planning model that uses nature-based solutions to absorb, store, and slowly release rainwater. Instead of fighting floods with expensive concrete dams, we are learning to let cities act like a sponge.

We spotlight the visionary work of Chinese urban planner Professor Kongjian Yu, the architect of the movement, and explore the "Slow Water" philosophy—which argues that when water stalls on the land, the magic happens.

In this episode, we explore the multi-layered Upside of Sponge Cities:

• Dual-Action Resilience: How green infrastructure like permeable pavements, rain gardens, and green roofs prevents flooding during storms and provides essential cooling during extreme heat events.
• From Problem to Resource: How decentralized systems recharge groundwater and improve water quality, boosting drought resilience.
• The Global Snapshot: We look at how cities from New York to Shanghai are implementing this "low-tech toolbox" to manage water sustainably.

Join us to discover why the best and cheapest way to adapt to climate change in cities might be to simply let water be water.

Show Notes:

Youtube: Flood-Proof Cities Concept | Professor Kongjian Yu's

Youtube: What are sponge cities? | Business Standard

Making cities 'spongy' could help fight flooding — by steering the water underground | NPR

What Are ‘Sponge Cities’ and How Can They Prevent Floods? | Engineering For Change

Youtube: A solarpunk future by 2030 | Future Explored

Urbanism 101: What is a Sponge City? | The Urbanist

Youtube: How China is designing flood-resistant cities | Vox

Book Review: Helping Water Find Its Own Level | Undark

Global Sponge Cities Snapshot | Arup

Youtube: Global Sponge Cities Snapshot | Arup

Youtube: The Shocking Corruption Behind LA's Water Supply | The B1M

Welcome back to The Community Curiosity Collective! In an age of runaway energy bills and unreliable grids, we ask a crucial question: What if the power source wasn't hundreds of miles away, but right in your neighborhood?

This week, we dive into the soaring trend of Community-Owned Renewable Energy Projects—local, decentralized initiatives where citizens invest in and benefit from their own power sources, from rooftop solar cooperatives to local wind farms. This "Power to the People" model is more than just a clean energy transition; it's a social and economic revolution.

We explore how this grassroots model is surging globally, with over 2 million people involved in 23,000 projects across 30 European countries alone. Community energy provides an alternative to the utility-led system that has historically prioritized profit over people, leading to blackouts and transmission line failures.

In this episode, we spotlight local heroes, including Brooklyn's UPROSE (Brooklyn's oldest Latino community-based organization) and their work on the Sunset Park Solar project, as well as efforts to bring solar to marginalized communities right here in Indiana.

Learn how community ownership creates a massive Upside by:

• Increasing Energy Security through local microgrids and Distributed Energy Resources (DERs).
• Driving Economic Benefits and job creation directly back into the neighborhood.
• Reducing resistance to renewable projects, leading to a faster, fairer transition.

This is the inspiring story of how collective action is democratizing energy, making power cleaner, safer, and fairer for all.

Show Notes

Power to the People: An Overview of Community Energy | Earth.org

Uprose

Sunset Park Solar

What is community ownership for renewable energy? | Institute for Human Rights and Benefits

Community-Owned Community Solar: Opportunities and Challenges | Environmental Law and Policy Center

A landfill in Indy will soon be home to community solar | Mirror Indy

Solar United Neighbors

Solar power is about to become a lot more expensive for Hoosiers as net metering expires | IndyStar