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Why I Re-started ClimateTechJobs (and What I’m Actually Doing With It)

1/6/2026

 
For the past few years, I’ve had the same conversation over and over again with people from tech.

They’re smart.
They’re mid-career.
They’ve worked at serious companies.

And they’re quietly asking the same question:
“I want to work on climate… but I don’t know where I fit.”

They’ve looked at ClimateTech job boards.
They’ve skimmed fellowships.

They’ve listened to podcasts and read threads and bookmarked companies.
And instead of clarity, they feel more overwhelmed.
That’s not because they’re unqualified.

It’s because ClimateTech is genuinely hard to navigate.

The problem isn’t skills, it’s signalOne thing I want to be very clear about:
Most experienced tech professionals do not need help “translating” their skills into climate.

Product managers, engineers, operators, data folks, program managers… those skills are already needed across ClimateTech.

What’s missing is:
  • A clear mental map of the ecosystem
  • An understanding of which sectors actually fit their background
  • Confidence about which companies are worth pursuing, and which ones are just noise
ClimateTech is noisy on purpose. There’s a lot of capital, a lot of narrative, and a lot of urgency. That combination makes it hard to see where you actually belong.
What ClimateTechJobs is (and isn’t)ClimateTechJobs is not a job board.
It’s not a resume service.

It’s not a course about climate basics.
And it’s not a mass-market fellowship.
What I’m doing instead is much simpler and much more specific.

I work with experienced tech professionals to:
  • Understand the ClimateTech landscape at a high level
  • Narrow it down to sectors that genuinely make sense for them
  • Identify companies where their background actually compounds
  • Move forward with clarity instead of spray-and-pray applications

I only work with people I would be willing to introduce into my network. That constraint matters to me. It keeps the work honest, high-quality, and grounded in reality.

Why I’m doing this nowI’ve spent my career building and investing in climate and energy companies. I’ve raised venture funding, worked with the Department of Energy, guest lectured at universities, spoken at government events, and advised founders and operators navigating complex systems.

I’ve also watched a lot of talented people burn out in traditional tech because their work felt disconnected from anything meaningful.

ClimateTechJobs exists at that intersection.
Not to rush people into climate, but to help the right people move toward it deliberately.

Who this is for
This is for you if:
  • You have several years of experience in tech
  • You’re pulled toward climate work, but unsure where to aim
  • You’ve done some exploration and still feel stuck
  • You want clarity more than motivation
If you’re casually browsing, this probably isn’t for you.
If you’re early in your thinking, that’s okay.
And if you’ve been quietly reading, unsure whether this is relevant for you… that’s usually a sign it is.

What happens next
Right now, I’m working with a small number of people one-on-one while I refine the structure and approach. Over time, this may evolve into small cohorts or other formats, but the core will stay the same: clarity first, noise reduction, and real-world grounding.

If you want to follow along, you can find ClimateTechJobs at climatetechjobs.com.
​
If you’re curious whether it might be a fit, there’s a simple way to tell me a bit about your situation there too.

No pressure. No resume required.
Just signal in a very noisy space.

CLIMATETECH JOBS — STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK

12/17/2025

 
I've been working with ChatGPT on ClimateTech Jobs and my coaching strategy. For visibility, I'm sharing a summary of it:

Here is a clean, consolidated summary of your ClimateTech Jobs coaching strategy and pricing, reflecting all the updates and refinements we’ve made — no contradictions, no outdated framing.
This is the version you can come back to when you feel wobbly, and the version you can confidently explain to others (clients, partners, affiliates).

CLIMATETECH JOBS — STRATEGIC FRAMEWORKWhat This Coaching Is (Core Truth)This is not career coaching in the traditional sense.
You do not teach people how to “translate” their tech skills into climate.
Their existing tech skills are already needed in ClimateTech.
The problem your clients face is:
  • Climate is vast
  • ClimateTech is its own ecosystem
  • The information landscape is noisy and fragmented
  • AI and online content have increased overwhelm, not clarity
  • Most people waste hundreds of hours researching without confidence
Your coaching exists to collapse confusion into clarity.
You act as a:
  • guide through the ClimateTech ecosystem
  • filter for signal vs noise
  • shortcut to the right sectors and companies
  • reality check based on lived experience

Who This Is For (Very Specific)Ideal Client
  • Mid-career tech professionals (roughly 8–20 years experience)
  • Senior, Staff, Principal engineers
  • Product managers
  • Data / ML professionals
  • Engineering managers
  • Technical operators
  • People who are:
    • mission-misaligned in traditional tech
    • climate-curious or climate-motivated
    • overwhelmed by the ClimateTech landscape
    • time-constrained and high-agency
Not For
  • Early-career job seekers
  • People looking to “learn climate skills”
  • People wanting courses, fellowships, or long programs
  • People who want hand-holding or generic advice
  • Casual explorers
This specificity is a feature, not a limitation.

The Actual Value You ProvideYou save clients:
  • Time (dozens to hundreds of hours)
  • Cognitive load (no more endless research)
  • Bad decisions (wrong sector, wrong company, wrong role)
You give them:
  • clarity on where they fit
  • confidence in their next step
  • a realistic view of the ClimateTech landscape
  • a short, focused action plan
  • access to your judgment, pattern recognition, and network
This is strategic clarity, not education.

Your Coaching Framework (Updated & Accurate)1. ClimateTech Landscape OrientationYou help clients understand:
  • what ClimateTech actually is (vs “climate”)
  • the major sectors and how they differ
  • where real hiring and funding activity exists
2. Sector Focus (Not Skill Translation)You identify:
  • which climate sectors make sense for them
  • based on values, experience, and desired impact
  • not based on learning new skills
3. High-Signal Company FilteringYou curate:
  • real, credible ClimateTech companies
  • not hype-driven or low-traction startups
  • aligned with their background and risk tolerance
4. Narrative RefinementYou help them:
  • clearly articulate why they’re moving into ClimateTech
  • without reinventing themselves
  • in a way that makes sense to climate founders and hiring managers
5. Focused Action PlanYou give them:
  • a simple, non-overwhelming plan
  • next steps they can execute confidently
  • without spiraling or second-guessing

Your Differentiation (Why You Win)You have:
  • built ClimateTech companies
  • raised venture funding
  • won DOE funding
  • worked with government
  • invested in ClimateTech
  • evaluated deals and startups
  • seen hiring from the inside
You are not theorizing.
You are pattern-matching from lived experience.
This makes your guidance:
  • faster
  • more accurate
  • more trusted
  • harder to replace

Offer Structure (Simple, High-Ticket, Sustainable)Primary Offer1:1 ClimateTech Clarity & Strategy Coaching
  • 60–90 minute deep-dive session
  • personalized sector guidance
  • curated company insights
  • strategic clarity
  • focused next steps
Optional:
  • light async follow-up
  • selective introductions (only when aligned)
You cap clients to protect:
  • quality
  • your energy
  • your time (goal: ~4 hours/week)

Pricing Strategy (Aligned with Value + Capacity)Recommended Price $5,000 per client
Why this works:
  • Reflects time saved (hundreds of hours)
  • Signals seriousness and filters applicants
  • Matches senior tech compensation psychology
  • Keeps volume low and quality high
  • Makes 4–6 clients financially meaningful
You do not need many clients.
You need the right clients.

Why This Pricing Is Ethically AlignedClients are:
  • well-compensated professionals
  • making a career inflection decision
  • investing in clarity at a high-stakes moment
The cost is small relative to:
  • salary trajectory
  • avoided mistakes
  • faster transition
  • personal alignment
This is a leverage investment for them.

Marketing Strategy (High-Level Recap)
  • Email-first activation of your existing list
  • Small, careful warm-up batches
  • Carrd → Typeform funnel
  • No heavy CRM
  • No ads (for now)
  • Light LinkedIn presence for credibility
  • Strong potential for referrals / affiliates (recruiters, career coaches, tech communities)
You prioritize:
  • trust
  • deliverability
  • sustainability
  • signal over noise

What You Are Building (Zoomed Out)You are not building:
  • a course
  • a content brand
  • a fellowship
  • a hustle
You are building:
a quiet, high-trust advisory doorway
for senior tech professionals at a moment of real transition.
That’s why this feels charged.
And that’s why it’s worth doing carefully.

My Book is Available!!!

2/19/2025

 
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What This Book Is About
Offgrid and On Purpose is more than just a guide to off-grid living, it’s a blueprint for creating a life of freedom, sustainability, and self-reliance. Whether you’re dreaming of going fully off-grid or simply looking for ways to live more intentionally, this book provides the insights, lessons, and practical tools to help you get there.


Why I Wrote This Book
After years of working in the climate space, I realized that true sustainability starts with how we live our daily lives. I wanted to bridge the gap between climate action and personal transformation, showing people that a more connected, independent, and fulfilling way of life is possible.


What You’ll Learn in This Book
  • The Mindset Shift: Why off-grid living is more about intention than isolation.
  • Building Resilience: How to create a lifestyle that thrives in any environment.
  • Sustainable Systems: The essentials of off-grid power, water, and food security.
  • Balancing Tech & Nature: How to integrate modern tools while staying connected to the natural world.
  • The Emotional Journey: What it really feels like to step away from the grid - and why it’s worth it.


Who This Book Is For

This book is perfect for:
  • Eco-conscious professionals looking to align their lifestyle with their values.
  • Sustainability advocates wanting to take personal climate action beyond the workplace
  • Aspiring off-gridders preparing for a self-sufficient life.
  • Anyone seeking more freedom, simplicity, and purpose.


Why This Matters Now
With increasing global uncertainty… climate shifts, economic instability, and energy concerns… more people are searching for ways to take control of their lives. Offgrid and On Purpose provides a roadmap to doing just that, whether you want to go fully off-grid or just adopt a few key practices to increase your independence.


Get Your Copy Today!
Offgrid and On Purpose is available now at EarthriseGuide.com.​

Order now and start your journey to a more sustainable, intentional life.

P.S. Have questions or want guidance? I offer off-grid coaching to help you make the transition. Click here to learn more —> EarthriseGuide.com.​

Free rent for 6 months on a mountaintop, be a caretaker and help us with a little marketing

4/12/2024

 
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Live will epic views on a mountaintop for 6 months - be our caretaker, host, and help us with a little marketing magic. 

We have other plans/obligations this summer so we’re looking for the right person or two to live and thrive on our 100+ mountaintop property in southern Oregon. There are 360 degree views, native habitats, and old growth forests. It is magical and spiritual - there is a labyrinth and the home faces Mount Shasta.

This is the right opportunity for the right person. 

We’re offering it for FREE if you help us book the rentals on the property with some marketing… we have lots of pictures and content and not so good at posting and getting the word out. Could you help us with that? 

Let’s figure something out that would be win-win. For example, you get a % of the bookings over a certain amount. Win-WIN. 

We’re located in a really interesting area - we’re next to a wildlife refuge that is a breeding habitat for bald eagles, the largest habitat in the lower 48. The oldest evidence of humans in the Americas is two hours away. Five-thousand year old petroglyphs are less than a hour away. Mt Shasta is about an hour away. Two hours to hot springs in Ashland. Crater Lake is a little over an hour away. 

Find out more here: 
https://earthriseranch.com/index.php/work-with-us/
​The property has an off-grid home, and a few campsites. 

More pictures here.

We’re near a dark sky preserve, so you can see so many stars!
​
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Work remotely on a mountaintop for the next 6 months

4/12/2024

 
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We’re looking for a caretaker for out 100+ acre property on a mountaintop, that has 360 degree views and faces Mount Shasta. 

As I’m writing this, I’m watching adolescent bald eagles play on air currents. It’s magical. 

We have other obligations for the next six months - and so we’re looking for someone to be a caretaker/host in exchange for discounted rent ($500). Or if you’re up for it, you could have FREE RENT if you want to help us book the rental on the property. 

​If you need really great internet, we could plug in the starlink for an extra $120/month. 

It’s really important to us that we find the RIGHT person. Is that YOU? 
  • You may need some time away from your “day to day”
  • You’re ready to connect with nature more
  • You’re ready for change
  • You’re in between jobs 
  • You’re burnout and need to get away
  • You ready to explore who you are
  • You’re ready to grow as a human
Just a few ideas…


Interested? Find out more here: 
https://earthriseranch.com/index.php/work-with-us/
​
We are close to a dark sky sanctuary: 
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4 Books for Climate Hope

4/6/2024

 
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I’ve found these four books to be wonderfully helpful. They share stories and climate solutions. 

I recommend these books to EVERYONE, and especially anyone interested in working on climate and anyone who is currently doing climate work. 

Sometimes climate dread or doom can get you down, and these books pick me up. They let me know that I’m not alone in caring and working on climate. 

I hope you find them useful, too.

*Note: I “read” all of these books via their audiobook form, through the library app Libby.

Using a library card, you have access to the entire digital collection of the library. Smaller libraries have generally formed consortiums with other libraries, so they have extensive collections, sometimes bigger than major city libraries. You’ve already funded libraries, use them! 

Regeneration by Paul Hawken
This book lists and explains dozens of climate solutions that regenerate the planet. It’s the most hopeful and practical book for addressing the climate crisis. The audio book has several narrators. 

All We Can Save by a lot of women, Edited by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Katharine K. Wilkinson
Each chapter of this book is written by a different expert, and they all are women. This book touches on climate justice more than most, and it’s perspectives are fresh and welcome. Plus Julia Louis-Dreyfus reads some of the chapters in the audio book. It’s fantastic. 

To Speak for the Trees - Diana Beresford-Kroeger 
This book is a memoir, but also reminds us of the wonder of nature. The author shares insights and benefits of trees that we are only beginning to understand in modern medicine. 

The Way of the Rose: The Radical Path of the Divine Feminine Hidden in the Rosary by Clark Strand, Perdita Finn
It’s a beautiful book that is medicine for the soul. The authors feel the pressure of climate change, and find that turning to the divine feminine and all of her forms brings peace to anyone troubled by our times. The audio book is read by the authors and their daughter.

Oppose the proposed landfill endangering Klamath Marsh

4/3/2024

 
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Sign The Petition
We support the position of The Klamath Tribes.

Klamath County is evaluating a proposed 806 acre private regional landfill adjacent to the Klamath Marsh, a culturally significant and environmentally sensitive area. The proposed landfill is likely to damage the marsh, which is already greatly degraded from modern human activity. 


The Klamath Marsh is part of the Klamath River watershed, which is currently being transformed by the deconstruction of 4 dams along the river, which has been covered by national news outlets. It would be counterproductive to establish a landfill next to an ecosystem that is currently being rehabilitated. 


Not only is the site and the surrounding land/water environmentally sensitive, but it is also of great cultural value to the Klamath Tribes and citizens of the Klamath Basin.


More info:
Here is the link from the county regarding the proposal and the recording of the previous relevant meeting: 
https://klamathcounty.org/1139/Planning-Commission-Meeting


The formal letter from the Klamath Tribes is below as a pdf and as screenshots of the pdf.

If you would like to learn more about the Klamath Tribes, Gabriann Hall recently gave an excellent presentation about the Tribes to the Deschutes Land Trust. Available here.


About me:
I am a concerned resident of Klamath County. After learning about the proposed landfill, I didn’t see anything online, so I worked with the person who shared the news, and the Tribal Council Secretary, to obtain a copy of their letter and to identify deadlines and ways to get involved. 
kt_proposed_landfill_on_marsh_responce_letter_3.13.2024.pdf
File Size: 5558 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

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Curious about living off-grid? Start with your mind

10/24/2023

 
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Going off-grid and living off-grid take a change in mindset. It’s about being more present. 

Inevitably, being off-grid is perceived as more peaceful. 

It WON’T be more peaceful if you don’t work on your mind.

Maybe you’re thinking about getting away from it all because you’re stressed and fed up with the fussiness of life and work and family. Neighbors. Noise. 

Even if you did get off-grid, you’ll carry your feelings, behaviors, and tendencies off-grid. If you get stressed about the little things at home now, you’ll just get stressed at the little things when you’re off-grid. 

To start your off-grid journey now, and to generally improve you life, start your off-grid journey in your mind. Being off-grid means more nature and quiet. Start to seek that now.

A GREAT place to START is forest bathing. Forest bathing is the concept of being present with trees and nature. Office workers in Tokyo successfully participated in “forest bathing” by going to a tiny park, and their mental state was much improved. So, no matter where you are, you can start to forest bathe. 

I listened to the book Forest Bathing, but there are plenty of resources online, or in any media that you enjoy consuming, like podcasts or YouTube videos. 

If you can’t even make it outside, you can still do a forest bathing guided meditation. 

I use Insight Timer for guided meditations and music for meditating. They have loads of free meditations, and membership based tracks and courses. I have the premium version so I can download tracks so I always have them, even when I’m out of service. 

If you like, please use my referral link to download the app:
Insig.ht/tQjYrVAmaEb

Introducing Earthrise.Guide

10/24/2023

 
Earthrise 
https://earthrise.guide/

This site is a place with guides, for improved living.

This can mean a lot of things. Practically, with your lifestyle, spiritually… it’s purposefully open ended. 

What is here is here to raise your consciousness. It’s knowledge. 

Earthrise Guide is a container for what we’ve learned in this journey. 

Rus and Elena live off-grid and live differently than the vast majority of Americans. They’ve exited the matrix, or at least recognize the parameters of operating in this plane of existence and in the context o fthe current overculture. 

This site is a place for you to learn. We’ve learned many things from experience, and we’ve learned things the hard way. We don’t have all the answers because it’s a journey, but we thought we’d leave some breadcrumbs for others so that it’s easier for others. 

This site is a place for what we and others have learned. It’s meant to be elevating. 

We hope to be your guide for improved ways of living, whether it’s living offgrid, to connecting spirituality, to healing burnout. 

Living in this plane of existence can be exhausting. We’ve found ways to rise above it or escape it. ​

​https://earthrise.guide/

I feel like I’m past the crossroads now.

10/24/2023

 
I feel like I’m past the crossroads now. I feel like I’m on my new path. My legs feel a little shaky on the path, like I’m walking off my sea legs. 

It’s been a long time and a long journey to get here. 

Now it feels like… now what? I’m a new person on a new path, and I’ve left behind so much, or journeyed through so much, Now I get to exist in my newness. I feel like my job right now is to breathe it in and keep coming back to my heart center. Keep it simple. Do what Ioknjow I want to do right now, which is to write the off-grid cguide. Do that first. Get a finished section out the door. Then do the next thing. 

I feel like I can breath clearer now. I need to let that be. I need to accept and enjoy clear breath. I am worthy of breathing lightly. I am worthy of enjoying this life that I’ve worked for. 

I can feel that the dark things have passed to the past, like sushi that has passed you on a conveyor belt. It may come back round again to me to work through the next layer of emotions for those past events. 

I am thankful to be on this side. 

I just need to breathe it in. ​
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