Google CSO Kate Brandt on adding ‘heart’ to climate communications

Kate Brandt has a history of writing her job descriptions. Before she became the first chief sustainability officer at Google in 2018, she was the first to hold that title for the U.S. government, under former President Barack Obama.

In that role, Brandt wrote an executive order that informed federal procurement priorities, and it’s a blueprint that continues to inform her ideas about efficiency, energy and resilience. There may be no chief sustainability officer in the Trump White House, but her focus hasn’t wavered.

“One thing that I have observed in my work in the public and private sector is there needs to be deep collaboration,” Brandt told me in the August episode of the Climate Pioneers interview series. “I would advise people that it’s really healthy and productive for people to have career experiences in both realms, then to use the unique insights from each to advance the public-private partnership that I think is so critical.”

That perspective has been invaluable for Google’s creation of artificial intelligence resources aimed at helping the public and private sectors reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 1 gigaton annually by 2030. Brandt’s sustainability team doesn’t have a revenue goal, but it is deeply involved in the company’s AI strategy.

Brandt self-describes as simultaneously impatient and optimistic, while acknowledging that the latter requires constant self care. Here’s her advice to other sustainability professionals who are similarly struggling to maintain a semblance of balance among the chaos. (Brandt’s comments have been lightly edited for length and clarity.)

On reframing communications about climate action:

“For me, it’s really been about how we expand the aperture of how we talk about the work — how it’s benefiting people, how it’s benefiting the planet … Something that I’ve sought to do a lot more of is share my personal why, to connect on more of a heart level with people. We can get very heady and scientific and technical.” Brandt’s “why” includes her 4-year-old daughter and the redwood trees that surround her neighborhood.

On getting to ‘yes’:

“I find so often that we can get a strong win when there’s a product solution that meets a customer need and also has a sustainability benefit. So I try to get underneath the ‘no’ and say, ‘Okay, I understand the ‘no’; what would change it to a ‘yes’. How do we get there?”

On reality checks:

“I am a really big fan of heading outside. I have a particular tree that I hike to most mornings, and I literally sit on the ground and meditate with my tree.”

On the one question to ask potential hires:

“What brings you to this work, and what keeps you motivated, particularly on a hard day?”

On being a CSO:

“It really behooves us to embed our work within the business — to be part of the overall strategy and not feel disconnected or off to the side … This is a moment of turbulence, but if the company follows North Stars — long-term visions and how they connect to the missions and function of the business — I think that can create stability even in moments of flux and change.” 

On what she’d tell her 21-year-old self:

“Don’t get discouraged, and always keep learning.”

 
Watch the full Kate Brandt interview and check out past Climate Pioneers episodes.