The Carbon Conversation: Rethinking Sustainability with Michelle Li
How Clever Carbon is Making Climate Action Accessible, Engaging, and Impactful
In this week’s edition of This Week in Sustainability, we are thrilled to feature Michelle Li, founder of Clever Carbon, and a changemaker who’s reshaping the way we talk about sustainability. As a keynote and TEDx speaker, climate champion, and former tech professional, Michelle brings a refreshing and relatable voice to the climate conversation. We sat down with her to explore carbon footprints, technology for good, and what the future of sustainability looks like.
From Tech to Climate: Michelle’s Journey
Like many people, Michelle’s sustainability journey began with simple daily habits such as using reusable bags, switching to a plant-based diet, and being mindful about her consumption. But it wasn’t until moving from San Francisco to London that the spark really caught fire.
Seeing London's forward-thinking approach to sustainability, from refill stations in convenience stores to plastic-free feminine products, was eye-opening for her. That contrast, combined with volunteering at a nonprofit focused on reducing plastic use and the disheartening impact of litter during the pandemic, pushed Michelle to do more.
“I decided that I wanted to try something new, something refreshing, something that's hip and fun and would teach people something new. But that also would target working professionals, people that have disposable income, and brand it towards them; and that's how clever carbon came about.” - Michelle Li
Drawing on her background in tech at companies like Salesforce and DocuSign, Michelle realized she could bring a fresh, modern, and brand-savvy lens to carbon literacy. And so, Clever Carbon was born: a platform built to make sustainability fun, accessible, and empowering for everyone.
Carbon Footprints, Demystified
Despite the growing urgency of climate change, many people still see carbon footprints as abstract or irrelevant to their daily lives. Michelle saw this disconnect as a huge opportunity.
“I was looking for a way to communicate sustainability and impact numbers, and that's how I started to learn about carbon footprints. I was actually really mad because I had been on this journey for so long, since 2015, but I had never really clocked my carbon footprint until 2021. So I was very motivated to then teach other people about this number.” - Michelle Li
At its core, Clever Carbon wants to show that understanding emissions doesn’t have to be intimidating. From your daily commute to the food on your plate, every action has an impact, and even small changes can ripple outward in powerful ways.
Clever Carbon in Action
One of Clever Carbon’s standout tools is its Carbon Footprint Quiz, which makes learning about your impact both quick and engaging. By asking just a few targeted questions, the quiz helps users get a sense of how their habits and lifestyle carbon emissions measure up against the average footprint in their country.
“I think most people think of their carbon footprint as something that we can't control. But actually, there's a lot that we can do to reduce our footprint, and there's no action that is too small. Because on an 8 billion person planet, if even a billion people do that small action, it becomes very impactful.” - Michelle Li
Recent updates to Clever Carbon’s website reflect a deepening of this mission. The new content now includes resources on atmospheric CO₂ concentration and the broader context of climate science, bridging the gap between personal impact and global systems.
Practical Advice and a Vision for the Future
For Michelle, making an impact doesn’t require working in the climate sector. In fact, she believes that climate advocates within non-climate companies may be even more crucial. Whether it’s pushing for more plant-based catering at company events or adding sustainability metrics to vendor selection, internal changemakers play a vital role.
“When you work at a company that has nothing to do with climate, and you advocate for climate within that company, it is very, very impactful. It doesn't have to be crazy things, it could be ‘Hey, we're doing company happy hour at the office, can we have more plant-based options, or can we reduce the amount of single-use plastic waste?’” - Michelle Li
As for the future? Michelle envisions a world where carbon labels are as common as nutrition labels, empowering consumers and holding companies accountable. Countries like Denmark are already paving the way.
“Carbon labels are so important because companies have to measure a lot of different metrics of the products they produce, and then they have to share that information publicly, and there's accountability.” - Michelle Li
What’s Next?
Clever Carbon is entering an exciting new phase of growth. The team recently completed a website refresh, expanding beyond carbon footprint comparisons to include more advanced topics like atmospheric CO₂ concentration. This shift allows users to connect their personal carbon decisions with larger planetary systems, deepening their understanding of climate impact.
Michelle and the team are also diving deeper into ocean advocacy. With the UN Ocean Conference coming up in Nice, France, in June, Clever Carbon plans to produce new content to highlight the importance of marine ecosystems in the climate conversation. Earlier this year, they brought Arctic awareness to the masses through a panel at SXSW, and they intend to keep the momentum going by making complex environmental topics more engaging for the general public.
There’s a lot in motion, and Clever Carbon is just getting started.
Final Thoughts
Michelle Li’s journey reminds us that climate action is not about being perfect; it’s about being informed and intentional. Whether you're leading a green initiative at your company or just taking a two-minute quiz to learn about your footprint, every step counts.
Explore Clever Carbon’s resources, try the Carbon Footprint Quiz, and consider how your choices, big and small, can help shift our future toward a more sustainable path.
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