For Michael Ziman, life has been relatively easy. He grew up enjoying the nature of the Jersey Shore, and built a career building vacation homes in his favorite place. But when the COVID-19 pandemic shut the world down last year, he started to realize how damaged nature had been by human intrusion – and how clear and beautiful it became when humans stepped away.
In the latest episode of the Make Meaning Podcast, host Lynne Golodner speaks with Michael about how the pandemic inspired him to be more climate-conscious in his work building new homes along the Atlantic Ocean. They discuss how the pandemic inspired him to research climate change and find ways to become part of the solution. In the past year, Michael has planted more than 100,000 trees to offset the carbon emissions of the homes he builds. He’s also introduced new sustainable practices and materials to his building practices. Listen to the episode here:
In this episode, Lynne and the Michael discuss:
- Earth Day 2020
- Superstorm Sandy
- Building new vs. renovating old homes
- Living on a barrier island & rising sea levels
- Minimizing carbon impact
- Sustainable design
Coming up next on the Make Meaning Podcast:
Lynne speaks with Margaret Trimer, VP of Strategic Partnerships at Delta Dental of Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana, about taking chances and building a fascinating career helping schools and communities be the best they can be.
If you enjoyed this episode, you’ll like these other Make Meaning podcast episodes!
- Episode 105 – Helen Taylor & Gina Nicholas – How to really protect the environment by being a true part of it, the Nature Conservancy and the Keweenaw Peninsula
- Episode 81 – John Hartig – How to inspire future generations to care about conservation
- Episode 65 – Reyanne Mustafa – How to reduce food waste
- Episode 49 – Saving the Bees
- Episode 28 – The Greening of Detroit with Lionel Bradford
