The Environmental Transformation Podcast with Sean Grady

Sean Grady
  • 4.6 (26)
  • Earth Sciences
  • Updated Monthly

The Environmental Transformation Podcast explores the future of Sustainability, EHS, the Circular Economy, and Environmental Innovation. Host Sean Grady interviews industry leaders and changemakers about emerging technologies, digital transformation, and the trends reshaping the environmental sector. Stay informed, lead the change, and join the ET Nation on every major platform as we dive into the conversations driving real environmental impact.

  1. PFAS Regulations, Drinking Water MCLs, and What Comes Next with Eurofins Taryn McKnight

    Jun 30

    PFAS Regulations, Drinking Water MCLs, and What Comes Next with Eurofins Taryn McKnight

    The U.S. drinking water MCLs for PFAS remain in effect, but court challenges, proposed deadline extensions, and regulatory uncertainty have left public water systems in a difficult position. Taryn McKnight, VP and PFAS Practice Leader for Eurofins Environment Testing, breaks down the current state of PFAS regulation in the United States, including the legal battles over EPA's drinking water standards, the CERCLA hazardous substance designation, and why the proposed rollback of certain PFAS compounds may be less consequential than headlines suggest.Recorded at the Battelle Chlorinated Conference in Dallas-Fort Worth, McKnight and host Sean Grady examine why utilities are caught between monitoring requirements and investment decisions, how biosolids have emerged as a primary concern for state agencies, and what the UCMR5 occurrence data actually shows about which compounds warranted a national primary drinking water regulation. They also discuss the passive receiver problem under CERCLA, congressional efforts to address it, and why legislation has stalled year after year.The conversation also covers the growing public interest in biomonitoring, Eurofins' direct-to-consumer blood testing kits for PFAS exposure, the role of citizen science in building population-level data, and what it would take for microplastics to move from EPA's Contaminant Candidate List to a monitored contaminant under UCMR6.Learn more about Eurofins Environment Testing's PFAS services at eurofinsus.com/pfas.Visit Sean Grady at seankgrady.com to subscribe to the newsletter and support the show.#PFAS #DrinkingWaterRegulation #EnvironmentalPodcastCHAPTERS:0:00 Introduction and Conference Setting2:02 Status of PFAS Drinking Water Regulations4:10 EPA's Proposal to Extend the 2029 Compliance Deadline5:45 Safe Drinking Water Act No-Backsliding Provision7:10 UCMR5 Data and the Case for Rescinding Four Compounds9:20 Biosolids and Wastewater as State-Level Priorities11:05 State Responses to PFAS Regulation12:15 CERCLA Hazardous Substance Designation Challenges13:45 Passive Receivers and Congressional Action17:30 Sponsor Messages20:05 Biomonitoring and Public Awareness of PFAS21:40 Eurofins Blood Testing Kits and Citizen Science22:50 PFAS and the Evolution of Laboratory Testing26:10 Robert Bilott, Dark Waters, and Advocacy Impact30:45 Battelle Conference and What Comes Next31:20 Microplastics, CCL6, and the Path to UCMR634:20 Closing Thoughts and How to Reach Eurofins Thanks to our Sponsors: Cascade Environmental, E-Tank, and WASTELINQ

    36 min
  2. Battelle's Chlorinated Conference: PFAS, AI, and What's Next

    Jun 9

    Battelle's Chlorinated Conference: PFAS, AI, and What's Next

    Battelle's Chlorinated Conference draws 1,500 environmental professionals from 23 countries, and its division manager explains why PFAS treatment is pushing the industry to its limits.Joe Tarsavage, Division Manager of Environmental Solutions at Battelle, discusses the 30-year history of the Chlorinated Conference, how PFAS contamination has reset treatment standards from two nines to five or six nines of removal, and why that gap is driving rapid innovation across the remediation sector. He also addresses how artificial intelligence is beginning to reshape site investigation, data analysis, and client reporting, and why the industry is only scratching the surface of what that technology can do.Tarsavage details Battelle's expanding conference portfolio, including the upcoming Sediments Conference in Austin in January 2027 and the newly rebranded Battelle Bloom Conference in June 2027, which will broaden the traditional bioremediation platform to include critical minerals and land optimization. He also touches on emerging contaminants now appearing on EPA's CCL 6 list, including microplastics and 6PPD-quinone, and what it will take for laboratories and researchers to develop reliable analytical methods for those compounds.The conversation also covers Battelle's student mentoring program, the value of deliberate mentorship in a field where it no longer happens organically, and what Tarsavage is asking conference participants to help shape for future events.#Battelle #PFAS #EnvironmentalConsulting #remediation #technology CHAPTERS:0:00 Introduction and Joe Tarsavage's Role at Battelle0:58 History and Growth of the Chlorinated Conference2:55 PFAS as the Dominant Industry Topic5:00 Building the Conference Platform and Steering Committee6:05 AI and Digital Technology in Environmental Work8:50 How Reporting Timelines Have Changed Over 30 Years9:45 Poster Sessions, Student Competition, and Mentoring12:45 What Has Changed Most Over the Conference's 30 Years14:45 Vapor Intrusion, PFAS, and Evolving Regulations16:30 PFAS Treatment Challenges and Innovation17:50 Where Battelle and the Conference Are Headed Next19:35 Emerging Contaminants: Microplastics and 6PPD-Quinone21:15 Battelle's Role in Methods Development22:00 Conference Venue Plans and Future Locations23:45 The Value of Networking at Industry Conferences25:30 Closing RemarksReply

    30 min
  3. Rohail Khan on Closing C-Suite Deals and Beating the No Decision Trap

    May 26

    Rohail Khan on Closing C-Suite Deals and Beating the No Decision Trap

    Forty percent of prospects never make a buying decision, and the reason is rarely the competition. Rohail Khan, founder of Avant.AI and executive consultant for Corporate Visions, breaks down why the status quo is the most dangerous competitor in any sales cycle and how to defeat it. Khan draws on 25 years as a C-suite executive, including roles at Xerox and Bank of America, to explain what CEOs and CFOs actually pay attention to during a pitch and why most sales teams lose the room within the first five minutes. The conversation covers how to use earnings call transcripts to find unconsidered risks, how to escape the commodity trap by shifting from features to financial outcomes, and why "you phrasing" transfers ownership to the buyer in ways that change the entire power dynamic of a pitch. Host Sean Grady also gets into Daniel Kahneman's prospect theory, the EBITDA pivot, the value wedge, and the three deadly sins of sales messaging. Khan offers specific AI prompt strategies using tools like Perplexity and Gemini to surface insights that clients do not yet know they need.Whether you manage large accounts, prepare executive proposals, or are trying to break through to the C-suite for the first time, this conversation delivers a concrete framework for turning uncertainty into urgency. Learn more about Corporate Visions at corporatevisions.com. Visit Sean Grady's website at seankgrady.com to sign up for the newsletter.#SalesPodcast #CSuiteStrategy #EnvironmentalTransformation TAGS:Rohail Khan, Avant AI, Corporate Visions sales training, C-suite selling, executive sales strategy, no decision sales, EBITDA pivot, value wedge, prospect theory, Daniel Kahneman loss aversion, B2B sales podcast, sales training podcast, closing deals, unconsidered needs, sales messaging, commodity trap, Environmental Transformation PodcastCHAPTERS:0:00 Introduction and Rohail Khan's Background2:55 The Elevator Pitch and C-Suite Preparation8:00 Understanding the CEO, CFO, and COO Mindset11:30 Using Earnings Calls for Sales Research15:55 Sponsor Messages16:40 Why No Decision Is the Biggest Competitor19:45 Finding Unconsidered Needs With AI Research25:30 Biggest Preparation Mistakes in Executive Pitches29:30 You Phrasing and the Power Dynamic Shift31:45 The EBITDA Pivot and Avoiding Speeds and Feeds34:30 Breaking Through the Procurement Gatekeeper38:30 The Value Wedge and Defensible Differentiation41:00 Making the Customer the Hero Through Storytelling43:00 Decision-Making Psychology and Managing Risk47:30 Prospect Theory and the Cost of Inaction52:30 Telling Details Versus Superlatives in a Pitch53:45 Reframing Emotional Anchors With Analogies55:30 The Three Deadly Sins of Sales Messaging56:30 How to Connect With Corporate Visions

    58 min
  4. ToxiMapp: Mapping 1,900 Toxins Near Your Home

    May 12

    ToxiMapp: Mapping 1,900 Toxins Near Your Home

    ToxiMapp aggregates over 60 geospatial environmental datasets to show users exactly which toxicants are present in the air, water, and soil near any U.S. address, and the platform's founders say most people have no idea what surrounds them.Deb Hordon, Ph.D., founder and CEO of ToxiMapp, built the platform after moving her infant daughter into two separate communities with cancer clusters. Neither location looked dangerous. One was a picturesque seacoast area between Maine and New Hampshire with expensive real estate and top-rated schools. The data told a different story. Peter Cada, chief environmental scientist at ToxiMapp and an instructor at Duke University's Nicholas School of the Environment, joined to build the underlying data infrastructure, drawing on his prior work contributing to the EPA's EnviroAtlas.The episode covers how ToxiMapp's patent-pending toxin intensity scoring system works across air, water, and land media; why the platform is positioned as a shortcut for Phase I environmental site assessments and NEPA reviews; how partnerships with healthcare providers and diagnostic labs like Mosaic Diagnostics connect environmental exposure data to clinical testing; and what the roadmap looks like as the platform approaches 1,900 tracked toxicants and adds surface water and expanded air quality datasets.The conversation also addresses PFAS contamination, the ethics of publishing environmental data near residential properties, crowdsourcing as a future data collection strategy, and the platform's current pricing model starting at $19.99 per address search.#EnvironmentalHealth #ToxiMapp #toxins #data #mapping #environment #riskmanagement #pfas TAGS:environmental toxins map, toxic neighborhood score, environmental site assessment tool, PFAS tracking, EPA ECHO alternative, EnviroAtlas, Mosaic Diagnostics, cancer cluster, environmental intelligence platform, geospatial environmental data, phase one ESA, brownfield sites, Superfund sites, environmental consulting tools, air water soil contamination, environmental health podcast, GIS environmental analysisLearn more at https://www.toximapp.com/ Thanks to our Sponsors: Cascade Environmental, E-Tank & E-Pump, and WASTELINQ

    56 min
  5. Microplastics, CCL 6 and EPA Drinking Water Policy with Megan Quinn of Waste Dive

    Apr 28

    Microplastics, CCL 6 and EPA Drinking Water Policy with Megan Quinn of Waste Dive

    Microplastics appear on a federal contaminant watchlist for the first time, and the regulatory path forward remains far from certain. Megan Quinn, senior reporter at Waste Dive, breaks down what the EPA's proposed new Contaminant Candidate List 6 actually means for water utilities, landfill operators, and chemical manufacturers, and why the lack of standardized test methods could slow any future regulation significantly. Quinn explains how the CCL process works, who sits on the newly reshuffled Science Advisory Board, and why the parallel push from the MAHA movement adds political complexity to what is otherwise a science-driven process. The conversation draws on direct parallels to how PFAS moved through the regulatory pipeline over more than a decade, from early CCL listings to drinking water standards to hazardous substance designations, offering a framework for understanding how microplastics and newly listed pharmaceuticals might follow a similar, lengthy trajectory. The episode also covers the dissolution of the EPA's Office of Research and Development, New Mexico's move to regulate PFAS as a hazardous waste, the Department of War's updated PFAS destruction and disposal guidance, and what the rollback of certain PFAS drinking water standards signals about the current administration's regulatory priorities. The public comment period for the draft CCL 6 closes June 5, 2026. Megan Quinn covers state and federal recycling policy, PFAS, chemical recycling, environmental justice, and EPA regulatory changes for Waste Dive. 0:00 Introduction and Megan Quinn's Background 1:55 What Is the Contaminant Candidate List 6 5:00 Public Comment Period and Finalization Timeline 6:45 Science Advisory Board Changes Under Trump 8:45 Who Is Affected by CCL 6 10:30 Should Companies Begin Sampling Now 13:00 Lack of Analytical Methods for Microplastics 15:10 EPA Research Capacity and Budget Cuts 17:30 Private Industry's Role in Federal Research 19:15 Public Concerns and Red Flags 21:00 PFAS as a Regulatory Roadmap for Microplastics 25:45 How Waste Dive Covers EPA Announcements 28:00 New Mexico PFAS Rules and PFAS Incineration 30:15 Advice for Stakeholders Watching CCL 6 33:30 Who Is Monitoring for Microplastics Now 34:30 Closing Remarks

    35 min
  6. Inside the $8 Billion DOE Nuclear Waste Cleanup Program: Steve Moore on Veolia's Federal Services

    Mar 17

    Inside the $8 Billion DOE Nuclear Waste Cleanup Program: Steve Moore on Veolia's Federal Services

    The U.S. Department of Energy spends roughly $8 billion annually cleaning up nuclear waste from Manhattan Project-era sites like Hanford, Washington and Oak Ridge, Tennessee. On this episode of the Environmental Transformation Podcast, host Sean Grady sits down with Steve Moore, president and CEO of Veolia Nuclear Solutions Federal Services Group, to discuss the agency's most pressing environmental liabilities and innovative remediation technologies. Moore describes the scale of the challenge: 56 million gallons of high-level radioactive waste currently stored in above-ground tanks at Hanford alone. He explains how Veolia's patented GeoMelt vitrification technology transforms reactive metals and radioactive waste into stable glass, and discusses the company's operations of two of the largest radioactive waste landfills in the nation. The conversation covers emerging opportunities to revitalize federal sites as data centers and advanced reactor facilities, the "competetition" model where contractors collaborate on complex projects, and why the nuclear remediation field offers meaningful careers for young professionals seeking challenging environmental work.

    37 min
  7. Carbon Emission Life Cycle Assessments 101, 102, and 103. Schools in session with John Beath

    Feb 24

    Carbon Emission Life Cycle Assessments 101, 102, and 103. Schools in session with John Beath

    Sean Grady interviews John M. Beath, P.E. (TX), LCA-CP, CEO and founder of John Beath Environmental, LLC, on the Environmental Transformation Podcast. Beath explains life cycle assessment (LCA), carbon footprints and how companies evaluate emissions across raw materials, manufacturing, transportation and product use. In this episode, Beath breaks down LCA basics for beginners, including emission factors, primary vs. secondary data and environmental databases. He also discusses LCA 101, LCA 102 and LCA 103, transparent Excel-based modeling, EV vs. internal combustion trade-offs, grid impacts, charging and temperature effects, EPDs, and why plug-in hybrids can be a practical near-term solution for reducing combustion-related air pollution in daily driving.

    55 min
  8. Inside CHEMTREC: Chemical Emergency Management Support for First Responders and Shippers

    Jan 27

    Inside CHEMTREC: Chemical Emergency Management Support for First Responders and Shippers

    Host Sean Grady talks with Kevin Lavezzo of CHEMTREC about the side of the chemical world most people never see, but responders rely on when accurate information matters. They unpack what CHEMTREC actually does, including how its Emergency Operations Center triages calls, uses tools like the Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG), and connects callers with product experts.Lavezzo explains a common misconception: first responders can call CHEMTREC for help without paying a fee, and the team will still work to support a response even when company information is incomplete. The conversation also covers how CHEMTREC supports compliance for shippers, manages safety data sheets, provides hazmat and regulatory training, and coordinates parts of incident response through partners.They also dig into real-world challenges, from language barriers and global response complexity to responder skill gaps with monitors and interpreting SDS details, plus emerging trends like lithium-ion battery incidents and severe weather impacts on transportation. Thanks to our Sponsors: Cascade Environmental, E-Tank & Pump, and WASTELINQ.

    47 min
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4.6
out of 5
26 Ratings

About

The Environmental Transformation Podcast explores the future of Sustainability, EHS, the Circular Economy, and Environmental Innovation. Host Sean Grady interviews industry leaders and changemakers about emerging technologies, digital transformation, and the trends reshaping the environmental sector. Stay informed, lead the change, and join the ET Nation on every major platform as we dive into the conversations driving real environmental impact.

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