Episode 21 - Getting Deep in the Soil with Molly Meyer
In this episode, Sustainable Futures sits down with pioneer and self-proclaimed soil nerd Molly Meyer, founder and CEO of Omni Ecosystems out of Chicago. Molly’s started Omni Ecosystems with the goal of democratizing nature, a vision of creating sustainable spaces and products that serve everyone and support broader ecosystems. With that goal, Molly and their team at Omni have worked tirelessly to tune the Omni Infinity Media, a lightweight, high porosity growing media that supports both plants and microbial networks to recreate whole ecosystems that are resilient, versatile, and affordable. With an emphasis and passion for soil sciences and dynamics, they are looking at ways not just to mitigate the impacts of the built environment, but to leverage constructed ecosystems to eliminate the impacts of the development industry entirely, allowing urban communities and natural ecosystems to coexist. Join us for a conversation on how Omni is taking a deep dive into the soil to better understand the world beneath our feet.
Guest
Molly Meyer
Omni Ecosystems
Molly founded Omni Ecosystems to democratize nature. Rooted in soil science, Molly started Omni as a products company in 2009 that develops & refines technology & processes to make scale up green infrastructure & its benefits. They envisioned, created, and lead a company that delivers on the triple bottom line across new frontiers of resilient landscapes in the built environment. Molly holds two degrees from Stanford University: a Master of Science and a Bachelor of Science, both in Earth Systems. They built green roofs as a Robert Bosch Fellow in Germany, have won multiple Green Roofs for Healthy Cities Awards of Excellence, and have been recognized in multiple publications as a sustainability innovator and leader.
Host
Steven Peck, GRP, HASLA
Green Roofs for Healthy Cities
Steven spearheaded the first green roof demonstration project on Toronto City Hall 20 years ago and the mandatory green roof policy in Toronto a decade ago. This innovative policy has resulted in more than 6 million additional square feet of green space across the city. Due to Steven’s work, GRHC has helped to win green roof policy victories in San Francisco, Washington, DC; Portland, Oregon; and Denver, Colorado. Steven also founded Green Infrastructure Ontario coalition to bring together organizations that share an interest in the protection and development of green infrastructure in Ontario. In 2007 he co-founded the World Green Infrastructure Network, an international organization that promotes the use of green infrastructure around the world.
