Michelle Wu

Could Boston become the greenest city in the world? Leading Boston mayoral candidate and city council member Michelle Wu believes it can. Michelle may very well be America's most important municipal climate leader. She joins us for an illuminating conversation in this special episode of the Mother Earth Podcast. In our conversation Michelle discusses her far-reaching vision of Boston as the world's leading green city and her detailed Boston Green New Deal plan that takes an integrated approach to the climate crisis with policies to address climate justice, housing, food, transportation, support of Boston's small businesses, and more. Michelle wants to make Boston's subways and buses free and explains why and how. She discusses her goal and plans for Boston to reach net-zero emissions by 2040, a decade earlier than President Biden's goal. And she explains the important environmental policies she has successfully spearheaded as a Boston city councilor.

Michelle also discusses her experience growing up as a first generation American citizen, and how her family, culture, and her own life experiences shaped her into the forward-thinking leader she is today. Her compelling life story is utterly improbable and we hear firsthand in this episode how she grew up in an immigrant family with no interest in politics, became an apolitical young adult, and yet somehow became a rapidly rising, progressive, outside-the-box political leader in the rough and tumble world of Boston politics.

How important is this conversation? Consider cities consume over two thirds of the world's energy and account for more than 70 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. And that cities are now on the cutting edge of our most important solutions to the climate crisis. Leaders like Michelle Wu are critical in devising and implementing these solutions. Join us for this compelling conversation and for some inspiration on how a new, young generation of leaders is stepping up to meet the ultimate challenge of our time.

To support the Mother Earth Podcast, please tell your friends and family about it, subscribe, and share online.

For People and Planet, thank you for listening.