Planet Visionaries – Ep 9: How solar transport is helping to save the Amazon with Oliver Utne

In this episode of Planet Visionaries, a landmark podcast series in partnership with the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, host Alex Honnold revisits his conversation with Felix Brooks-church, co-founder of Sanku, a non-profit organization tackling ‘hidden hunger’ at scale by fortifying staple foods. At the end of this episode, Brooks-church, a Rolex Awards Laureate, provides an update on his progress towards his ambitious goal of improving the nutrition of 100 million people. For nearly a century, Rolex has supported pioneering explorers. Over time, the company has moved from championing exploration for the sake of discovery to protecting the planet. Through the Perpetual Planet Initiative, Rolex stands alongside the inspiring people who are dedicated to building a better future for all life on Earth. Stills and footage courtesy: Sanku Theme and score by Kara Talve for Bleeding Fingers Music, produced by Russell Emanuel. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment a sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow @sonypodcasts. Thank you to On Air Presents. for their creative, branding and marketing support. Planet Visionaries is a podcast in partnership with the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, and a Sony Music Podcasts production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Planet Visionaries, a landmark podcast series in partnership with the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, host Alex Honnold sits down with Oliver Utne, founder of Kara Solar, an Indigenous-led project building solar-powered riverboats and charging stations in the Amazon. With the support of the Honnold Foundation, Kara Solar gives communities clean, reliable transport that reduces dependence on fossil fuels, strengthens ties between villages and provides an alternative to road building and deforestation.   For nearly a century, Rolex has supported pioneering explorers. Over time, the company has moved from championing exploration for the sake of discovery to protecting the planet. Through the Perpetual Planet Initiative, Rolex stands alongside the inspiring people who are dedicated to building a better future for all life on Earth. Stills and footage courtesy: KaraSolar The New York Times article on Kara Solar. Theme and score by Kara Talve for Bleeding Fingers Music, produced by Russell Emanuel. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow @sonypodcasts. Thank you to On Air Presents. for their creative, branding and marketing support. Planet Visionaries is a podcast in partnership with the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, and a Sony Music Podcasts production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Planet Visionaries, a landmark podcast series in partnership with the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, host Alex Honnold sits down with acclaimed photographer, conservationist and SeaLegacy co-founder Cristina Mittermeier. A pioneer of conservation photography, she has spent her life capturing the beauty and fragility of the ocean and is now using her voice to protect it. From her appearance at the World Economic Forum in Davos last year, to her new book Hope, the member of the Rolex family of Testimonees shares how storytelling, science and courage can inspire global action for the seas that sustain us all.   For nearly a century, Rolex has supported pioneering explorers. Over time, the company has moved from championing exploration for the sake of discovery to supporting initiatives to protect the planet. Through the Perpetual Planet Initiative, Rolex stands alongside the inspiring people who are dedicated to building a better future for all life on Earth.     Credits: Stills and footage courtesy: Paul Nicklen, Cristina Mittermeier, SeaLegacy Theme and score by Kara Talve for Bleeding Fingers Music, produced by Russell Emanuel. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow @sonypodcasts. Thank you to On Air Presents.for their creative, branding and marketing support. Planet Visionaries is a podcast in partnership with the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, and a Sony Music Podcasts production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Planet Visionaries, a landmark podcast series in partnership with the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, host Alex Honnold meets marine biologist, explorer and Project CETI founder David Gruber - a scientist pushing the boundaries of how humans understand the natural world. From discovering the first biofluorescent sea turtle to pioneering soft robotics that allow us to study ocean life without harm, Gruber has dedicated his career to trying to see Earth through the eyes of other species. Now, with Project CETI, he and a team of interdisciplinary researchers are attempting something once thought impossible: translating the communication of sperm whales.   For nearly a century, Rolex has supported pioneering explorers. Over time, the company has moved from championing exploration for the sake of discovery to supporting initiatives to protect the planet. Through the Perpetual Planet Initiative, Rolex stands along.   Credits: For more on Project CETI: https://www.projectceti.org/ Dr. David Gruber shared how his work intersects with ethics and law through collaborations with César Rodríguez-Garavito at NYU School of Law and The More Than Human Life Project MOTH Theme and score by Kara Talve for Bleeding Fingers Music, produced by Russell Emanuel. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow @sonypodcasts. Thank you to On Air Presents. for their creative, branding and marketing support. Planet Visionaries is a podcast in partnership with the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, and a Sony Music Podcasts production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Planet Visionaries, a landmark podcast series in partnership with the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, host Alex Honnold meets actor and climate advocate Mark Ruffalo, co-founder of The Solutions Project, and Gloria Walton, the organization’s president and CEO. Together, they share how their movement is shifting power to frontline communities and driving a transition to renewable energy. From the streets of South-Central Los Angeles to the halls of Hollywood, Ruffalo and Walton reveal how real change happens when those most affected by climate change are the ones leading solutions. For nearly a century, Rolex has supported pioneering explorers. Over time, the company has moved from championing exploration for the sake of discovery to protecting the planet. Through the Perpetual Planet Initiative, Rolex stands alongside the inspiring people who are dedicated to building a better future for all life on Earth. Planet Visionaries returns in January. Stills and footage courtesy: The Solutions Project  Theme and score by Kara Talve for Bleeding Fingers Music, produced by Russell Emanuel.  Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts  and follow @sonypodcasts.  Thank you to On Air Presents. for their creative, branding and marketing support.   Planet Visionaries is a podcast in partnership with the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, and a Sony Music Podcasts production.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Planet Visionaries, a landmark podcast series in partnership with the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, host Alex Honnold meets with world-renowned wildlife photographer Paul Nicklen. He shares how his deep reverence for the natural world has evolved into a mission of global advocacy for conservation through his visually stunning work. For nearly a century, Rolex has supported pioneering explorers. Over time, the company has moved from championing exploration for the sake of discovery to supporting initiatives to protect the planet. Through the Perpetual Planet Initiative, Rolex stands alongside the inspiring people who are dedicated to building a better future for all life on Earth. Credits:  Stills and footage courtesy: Paul Nicklen, Cristina Mittermeier, SeaLegacy  Theme and score by Kara Talve for Bleeding Fingers Music, produced by Russell Emanuel.  Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts  and follow @sonypodcasts.  Thank you to On Air Presents. for their creative, branding and marketing support.   Planet Visionaries is a podcast in partnership with the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, and a Sony Music Podcasts production.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This time on Planet Visionaries, host Alex Honnold meets two filmmakers on the front lines of environmental storytelling: Alice Aedy, documentary director and co-founder of Earthrise Studio, and Malaika Vaz, filmmaker and CEO of Untamed Planet. Both are National Geographic Explorers whose work captures the intersection of people, planet, and power, using storytelling to shift perspectives and inspire action.      For nearly a century, Rolex has supported pioneering explorers. Over time, the company has moved from championing exploration for the sake of discovery to protecting the planet. Through the Perpetual Planet Initiative, Rolex stands alongside the inspiring people who are dedicated to building a better future for all life on Earth.    Credits:  Stills and footage courtesy: Untamed Planet and Earthrise Studio  Theme and score by Kara Talve for Bleeding Fingers Music, produced by Russell Emanuel.  Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow @sonypodcasts.  Thank you to On Air Presents. for their creative, branding and marketing support.   Planet Visionaries is a podcast in partnership with the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative and a Sony Music podcast production.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Planet Visionaries, a landmark podcast series in partnership with the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, host Alex Honnold meets two of the brightest innovators redefining how to recycle the unrecyclable: Miranda Wang, co-founder and CEO of Novoloop, and Shay Sethi, co-founder and CEO of Ambercycle.  Both co-founded their companies at age 19 and have found innovative ways to transform previously unrecyclable  into high-value materials. For nearly a century, Rolex has supported pioneering explorers. Over time, the company has moved from championing exploration for the sake of discovery to protecting the planet. Through the Perpetual Planet Initiative, Rolex stands alongside the inspiring people who are dedicated to building a better future for all life on Earth.   Credits: Stills and footage courtesy: AmberCycle and Novoloop Theme and score by Kara Talve for Bleeding Fingers Music, produced by Russell Emanuel. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow @sonypodcasts. Thank you to On Air Presents for their creative, branding and marketing support. Planet Visionaries is a podcast in partnership with the ⁠Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative,⁠ and a Sony Music Podcasts production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Planet Visionaries, a landmark podcast series in partnership with the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, host Alex Honnold sits down with Kris Tompkins, former CEO of Patagonia and co-founder of Tompkins Conservation. She explains how she became a trailblazing conservationist, protecting 15 million acres of land by creating or expanding 15 national parks in Chile and Argentina, and rewilding the land by restoring habitats and reintroducing key species such as jaguars, giant river otters, and Darwin's rhea.  For nearly a century, Rolex has supported pioneering explorers. Over time, the company has moved from championing exploration for the sake of discovery to protecting the planet. Through the Perpetual Planet Initiative, Rolex stands alongside the inspiring people who are dedicated to building a better future for all life on Earth.    Stills and footage courtesy: Tompkins Foundation, Rewilding Argentina, Rewilding Chile  Theme and score by Kara Talve for Bleeding Fingers Music, produced by Russell Emanuel.  Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts  and follow @sonypodcasts.  Thank you to On Air Presents for their creative, branding and marketing support.   Planet Visionaries is a podcast in partnership with the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative and a Sony Music podcast production.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Planet Visionaries, a landmark podcast series in partnership with the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, host Alex Honnold is joined by wildlife filmmaker Bertie Gregory and penguin researcher Pablo García Borboroglu. The 2025 Rolex National Geographic Explorers of the Year, who collaborated on the docuseries “Secrets of Penguins”, explain why protecting these remarkable birds means protecting the oceans.   For nearly a century, Rolex has supported pioneering explorers. Over time, the company has moved from championing exploration for the sake of discovery to protecting the planet. Through the Perpetual Planet Initiative, Rolex stands alongside the inspiring people who are dedicated to building a better future for all life on Earth. Secrets of the Penguins is now streaming on Disney+. Stills and footage courtesy: National Geographic. Theme and score by Kara Talve for Bleeding Fingers Music, produced by Russell Emanuel. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow @sonypodcasts. Thank you to On Air Presents for their creative, branding and marketing support. Planet Visionaries is a podcast in partnership with the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, and a Sony Music Podcasts production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices