and induction cooktops, which enable individuals to invest in solutions for their own homes. Solar-plus-storage is another avenue to pursue, though changing up cooktops is probably more accessible for most households.
“We would like to put up more buildings faster and cheaper,” Smithies said, observing that the US is already 2 million buildings behind demand.Smithies closed out our conversation with some encouraging thoughts for anyone who is feeling overwhelmed by the looming climate crisis. “The US economy is like a massive oil tanker. The front nose of it has been on the green train for 50 years but we’re not going to start doing anything until the whole tanker moves,” he said.
As examples, Smithies cited Source Water’s water harvesting technology and the EV battery recycling firm Ascend Elements, two companies in the Fifth Wall portfolio.