Meet Climate Karen: The Founders Turning Climate Doom Into Action (and Laughs)
Meet Climate Karen: The Founders Turning Climate Doom Into Action (and Laughs)
Authors: Josh Elliott, Aaron White, and Team Grove
Meet Aaron White and Josh Elliott, the irreverent, whip-smart duo behind Climate Karen — a brand out to disrupt climate doom fatigue with science-backed sass. After careers in humanitarian aid and sustainable consumer goods, and a few kids later, they asked the question more of us should: What if climate action was actually engaging? Their answer: a platform where your dollars fund real, vetted carbon removal projects — like reforestation and biochar — while making you laugh instead of panic-scroll. We love them because they’re not only turning consumer power into climate progress, but also proving that humor and hope might be exactly what the planet needs.
Your Brand’s Background and Mission
At what moment did you know you had to start Climate Karen? What was happening in your life at the time?
Aaron: It was a slow burn. After years in humanitarian aid, I witnessed climate impacts firsthand like intense droughts followed by massive floods in Ethiopia where I lived for a decade. Josh and I both shifted into sustainable consumer brands because we saw the power consumers have to demand better. Then we both had kids and started imagining the world we’re leaving them. The endless doom-and-gloom news cycle, while accurate, becomes noise that people scroll past. We asked: what if a funny, irreverent brand could actually inspire people to pause, pay attention, and take tangible action? Could we harness brand and community so that even those who’d lost hope see an opportunity to help?
Josh: For me, it was realizing that consumer demand could shift markets, but carbon removal always felt opaque and unattainable. We’d both moved from humanitarian work into sustainable consumer brands and then became parents, which sharpened the urgency: what world are we building for our kids? The standard climate narratives felt abstract. We wanted something irreverent yet credible, something that cuts through doom-scroll fatigue and channels real consumer dollars toward carbon removal. That’s why Climate Karen was born.
Before launching your brand, what frustrated you most about the industry? How does your brand address that gap?
Aaron: Endless greenwashing and jargon that glaze eyes over. Plus, there’s little opportunity for individuals to scale up solutions for carbon removal or pressure companies to do better. Climate Karen flips the script: we use humor and irreverence to spotlight vetted removal projects, so members see that their dollars fund real action, and can demand better from brands they buy from.
Josh: Opacity and abstraction. Carbon removal projects often feel intangible. Have any of us tried to lift a metric ton of CO₂? If you can’t visualize or feel the impact, it stays theoretical. We address this by choosing transparent, science-backed projects, then communicating in plain English (with a dash of sass) so members clearly grasp: “This is what your dollar did, here’s the story.”
What’s one thing you’ve learned about sustainability/your industry that you think everyone should know?
Aaron: Carbon removal isn’t a magic bullet but part of a broader portfolio. Small consumer commitments — like $1/month memberships — can fund meaningful projects and shift social norms. Collective micro-actions add up faster than people expect.
Josh: There are so many good solutions being developed, but they need more attention and funding so they can truly reach scale.
What impact do you hope your brand will make on both environmental sustainability and personal health?
Aaron: Environmentally, it would be to channel consumer dollars into high-integrity removal projects (e.g., reforestation, biochar) to draw down CO₂ at scale. Personally, it would be to give people a sense of agency so they stop doom-scrolling and start celebrating wins, which often spills into healthier habits like mindful consumption, community action, and better mental wellbeing from being part of a movement.
Josh: On sustainability, to create a direct funding pipeline from everyday spending into vetted removal projects, moving real dollars where they matter. On personal health, by building a ritual (the monthly membership ping) that reinforces learning bite-sized tips (e.g., reducing food waste), and connecting with community so climate action becomes part of daily wellbeing.
What’s the most unexpected challenge you’ve faced as a founder?
Aaron: Balancing an irreverent voice with the gravity of climate science. We want to make people laugh, but the stakes are huge. Finding the tone that makes someone smile yet trust our rigorous vetting took a lot of work and I think it will continue to be something we refine.
Josh: Communicating science that feels very intangible. Seriously, has anyone ever tried to lift a metric ton of CO₂? If you can’t visualize or feel it, impact stays abstract. That communication puzzle proved tougher than expected.
Your Approach to Sustainability and Health:
What’s one simple sustainability or health-related habit you wish more people would adopt?
Aaron: Once-a-week plant-forward meals that are low friction, cut emissions, and often save money. Frame it like a fun cooking challenge, not punishment.
Josh: Waste less food. Americans throw out tremendous amounts of food (roughly 30-40% of the food supply), which creates huge carbon impacts: extra growing, transport, packaging, refrigeration, and then methane from landfills. Cutting waste is a triple win for the planet, your wallet, and hunger issues.
Aside from your own, what’s one sustainable or healthier product you can’t live without?
Aaron: My cast iron Dutch oven — from sauces on the stovetop to bread in the oven. It's durable, has no microplastics and is just an old-school cast iron with enamel.
Josh: A reusable coffee pour-over. It’s my everyday essential for less waste and better coffee.
Is there a sustainability or wellness habit you’re still working on or that you wish was more accessible?
Aaron: Spending more time outside. Living in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, I have that luxury, but I know not everyone does. Forest time is great for the mind and body, and I wish nature access were easier for more people.
Josh: Reducing air travel. I love visiting projects and partners, but flights are brutal for carbon. I’m doing more remote collaborations, but there’s nothing like face-to-face meetings for partnerships.
A Day in Your Life
What’s one daily ritual that keeps you feeling your best?
Aaron: It sounds cheesy, but breakfast with my 6- and 9-year-old kids. It’s vital to have that creative, unfiltered time before the day ramps up. They have such wild creative minds and SO MANY questions.
Josh: A workout at home with a podcast on something unrelated to work. It clears my head. Then, coffee and dive into priorities.
What’s the first thing you do in the morning and the last thing you do before bed?
Aaron:
First: My 6-year-old daughter wakes up very early, so the first thing I usually see is her face about an inch away.
Last: Read a non-work book (I love history/adventure stories) then head to bed early — kids are early risers, so after 9pm there’s not much going on anyway.
Josh:
First: Coffee with my wife, Jess, which is a great start before our kids wake up.
Last: Wind down with a show (currently watching Severance or The Bear) before bed.
What’s the most unexpected thing in your bag or suitcase right now?
Aaron: Exercise bands for rehabbing a bad shoulder.
Josh: Floss? (Somehow that feels unexpected but critical.)
What’s one sustainable change you’ve made at home that you’re most proud of?
Aaron: Cutting out beef from our family diet — one of the simplest moves with the biggest impact. Next up is dairy. I’ve moved to oat milk but am still wrestling with giving up cheese.
Josh: Composting (and our chickens). Thanks to Jess, most food scraps go to chickens (the rest is composted), and we get fresh eggs. A bonus is that chickens eat ticks, which are a big local problem.
Has leading a sustainable brand changed how you live at home?
Aaron: Absolutely, but I accept imperfection. Sometimes you give your kids hot dogs for dinner even though they’re not ideal because they’re delicious. It’s about progress, not perfection.
Josh: Heck yeah. Shopping decisions now get rigorous scrutiny. Do I really need it? Can I choose a longer-lasting version? It declutters my life and helps me focus on the important things.
Rapid Fire
If you could go back to the day before you launched your brand, what would you tell yourself?
Aaron: Build community first, not the perfect website. Get messy with prototypes.
Josh: Find great partners (like Grove!) early and make it meaningful for both sides.
After a tough day, what’s your favorite way to reset?
Aaron: I cook something at home. Chopping veggies is oddly therapeutic.
Josh: Mountain bike ride — a good slog uphill, then fast descent with jumps and berms. It clears the mind.
What’s your favorite sustainability hack that saves time, money, or waste?
Aaron: Turning all leftovers in the fridge into a creative (and hopefully tasty) dinner.
Josh: Cold water clothes washing. I wish I’d learned it 20 years ago.
What’s the last thing you learned that really surprised you?
Aaron: Seagrass can suck up and store up to 30x more CO₂ than tropical rainforest. It’s also a critical habitat for sea turtles and manatees, yet rarely discussed.
Josh: Aluminum is a recycling superhero and uses ~95% less energy than producing new from ore. I love seeing reusable, highly recyclable aluminum products on Grove!
