In this episode of the Sustainably.eco podcast, host Ben Skene speaks with Morgan Lehtinen, the executive director of Reaction Hub (RXN Hub), about the intersection of chemistry and sustainability in Kingston. They discuss the role of Reaction Hub in supporting the commercialization of sustainable technologies, the importance of water treatment innovations, and the historical significance of their location. Morgan shares insights on building a community of innovators, trends in clean tech, and the challenges of scaling sustainable technologies. The conversation highlights the importance of collaboration, municipal support, and balancing local and global impact in the pursuit of sustainability.

About the guest:

Morgan Lehtinen, PhD is an accomplished researcher, entrepreneur, ecosystem builder, educator and innovation consultant with 10+ years mobilizing chemical technologies in university and entrepreneurial ecosystems. As Executive Director of RXN HUB, Morgan leads a national coalition of start-up supporters to provide a first-of-its-kind near-net-zero facility and support system in Kingston; offering a home for cleantech ventures to pilot, demonstrate and manufacture their chemical technologies in service of a cleaner tomorrow.

About the host:

Originally from Ottawa, Ben Skene moved to Kingston in August after graduating from Carleton University with a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Humanities. He is passionate about digital storytelling and exploring how media can connect communities to sustainability and place.

In this episode of the Sustainably.eco podcast, host Julia Stroud speaks with Bernardo Pereira, a mobility specialist from Lisbon's Energy and Environment Agency. They discuss the advancements and challenges in sustainability and climate action in Portugal, particularly focusing on mobility as a significant emitter of greenhouse gases. The conversation highlights the differences between Canadian and Portuguese climate policies, the successes of Lisbon in sustainability initiatives, and the importance of community engagement in driving change.

Speaker Bio:

Bernardo Campos Pereira (Lisbon, 1970) sustainable mobility specialist at Lisboa E-Nova - Lisbon Energy and Environment Agency since 2022. He holds a degree in architecture from the University of Waterloo, School of Architecture (1996 - Waterloo, Ontario, Canada), PhD from the University of Aveiro (2022) in Public Policy and has a vast experience in urban architecture and building projects, public space and sustainable mobility, with particular emphasis on active mobility and modal integration, including numerous projects carried out with various Portuguese municipalities and companies in the mobility and urban development sector.

A big thanks to our volunteer Ben Skene for researching and editing our last podcast of 2025!

In this episode of the sustainably.eco podcast, host Julia Stroud discusses the importance of landscape architecture and nature-based solutions in creating sustainable cities, particularly focusing on Kingston. Guests Chris Canning, Jonathan Loschmann, and Chris Landau share insights on the role of technology, community engagement, and the economic and social benefits of green spaces. They explore practical solutions for individuals and businesses to implement landscape improvements and emphasize the need for interdisciplinary collaboration to address climate resilience and urban planning challenges.

Guest Speakers:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-canning-37b352/

Jonathan Loschmann, OALA, CSLA, LEED AP | LinkedIn

Chris Landau | LinkedIn

Additional Resources:

https://www.asla.org/

https://www.csla-aapc.ca/about-csla/society

https://www.canninggreenworks.com/

Toronto Green Standards: https://www.toronto.ca/city-government/planning-development/official-plan-guidelines/toronto-green-standard/toronto-green-standard-version-4/

Green Roofs for Healthy Cities: https://www.greenroofs.org/

Ontario Association of Landscape Architects https://www.oala.ca/

Siteform Landscape Architecture: https://www.siteform.ca/

We're back after a long break. Queen's University students Brooke McAdam and Ambrose Wong took the reins on this episode about Food Waste. They spoke with Milton Calderon Donefer, founder of MealCare and Sarah Soteroff, Sr. PR Manager of Too Good To Go. Thanks to Abrose and Brooke for writing, researching, hosting and producing this episode.

This episode is sponsored by sustainably.eco.

This month, we spoke with Aaron Markel, Founder of Hammond Hill, the first eco-experience and wilderness retreat of its kind in Canada. We talked about sustainable building practices, tiny homes and eco-tourism. I also spoke with Russell Horne, Acting Manager, Energy & Asset Management Facilities Management and Construction Services at the City of Kingston, about the upcoming Kingston Climate Expo (Oct 3. - 20).

This episode is sponsored by sustainably.eco.

Episode 36 is all about Sustainable Transportation. We spoke with Amanda Mesluk, Senior Sustainability Manager at Flair Airlines, about sustainable aviation and some of the lesser-known strategies for lowering emissions in the industry. We also spoke with youth transit guru Dan Hendry, who returns to the podcast to discuss his Get on the Bus initiative and all things transit.

This month's episode is sponsored by the Commuter Challenge.

This month, we spoke with Jill Heinerth, an acclaimed polar explorer, cave diver, author, speaker, filmmaker, and climate advocate. Jill is the first Explorer-in-Residence of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. She’ll be speaking at Earth Day at the Spire on April 21st.

We also spoke to Helen Mills, gardener, citizen geographer, eco-landscape designer, educator, and social entrepreneur. She is the founder and co-director of Lost Rivers, a program of the Toronto Green Community that supports volunteer-guided place-based walks integrating stories and information about history, geography, environmental, and urban issues. For more information, please check out this great piece on CBC.ca.

We were off for a few months but are back with an exciting new episode about the home retrofit space. This month’s episode is also unique because we’ve added new voices to the team. Liliana Chow and Noel Tesfalem Gebre are students at Queen’s University working through the Experience Ventures program. Liliana and Noel helped co-produce this episode and took the wheel in the interview with Carson Price-Gallagher and Grace Mychajlyszyn from Greenovations – a student-led energy efficiency service at Queen’s University. We also spoke with Kai Millyard about Retrofitting Canada's Homes: Progress Report #1, a report he authored on behalf of Green Communities Canada.

This episode is sponsored by The Kingston Climate Change Symposium.