Video: interview with Larry Merritt on the history of the Chicago Climate Exchange

Hey, check it out: our first video blog. This is part of a series we’re going to be doing that explores the projects TerraPass members fund, as well as more general sustainability and climate-related issues.

In the first video, we talk to Larry Merritt, a Manager in Ford Motor Company’s Facility Greenhouse Gas Group. As you’re probably aware, TerraPass has a partnership with Ford. As you may not be aware, Ford internally puts forward a lot of really interesting and forward-looking environmental initiatives, including their heavy involvement in the development of the Chicago Climate Exchange. As Ford seeks to improve its environmental record, the company is a very interesting case study of how large corporations who recognize the importance of climate change are grappling with the issue on a number of fronts. As a car manufacturer, they’re at the eye of the storm.

In this video, Larry discusses the development of the Chicago Climate Exchange, the second largest trading platform for carbon credits in the world. Larry was present at the creation of the exchange, so he has a lot of insight into the history and future of this innovative market.

If you have any questions for Larry, leave them in comments.

Oh, one other thing: this video came out a little slicker than we intended. With some heavy use of stock footage, our extremely talented video editor turned my shaky, talking-head interview into a Ken Burns masterpiece. I expect future videos will be a little more homespun.