Meet Vince Green - Charm’s Chief Development Officer

Meet the Charmers is a series spotlighting the talented team at Charm Industrial, where we’re working to return Earth’s atmosphere to 280 ppm CO₂. 

Today I’m very excited to introduce you all to Vince Green, Charm’s Chief Development Officer (CDO). Vince brings over two decades of expertise in wind and solar development across the U.S. His community-first mentality has helped him win support and achieve permit approvals in a wide range of contexts. Prior to this Vince worked at Lightsource, where he built teams and led various project development functions, including greenfield origination and GIS.

So, what does it take to be the CDO for one of the fastest growing carbon removal teams on the planet? Let’s find out. 

Vince - let’s start from the beginning. Tell us about yourself and where you grew up? 

I was born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana and graduated from Purdue University with a degree in Environmental Science and Natural Resources. After graduation, I did a one year stint in an Americorps program in Trout Lake, Washington, supporting the vision of local stakeholders and helping to restore salmon habitat and watershed health.That experience heavily influenced the trajectory of my life.  

From there, I spent the next seven years supporting various wildlife research projects that took me everywhere from bush communities in Alaska to Weddell Seal colonies in Antarctica (see photo!). Three of those years I spent working in Yellowstone, where I met my wife, who was doing her PhD on carbon sequestration in grassland ecosystems! Our definition of adventure has changed, four kids and two moves later, and we’ve landed in  Denver, via New York and Chicago. 

Now, we enjoy the “quiet life” of year round club soccer. When not working or watching soccer I can be found running with whatever time is left. 

You have quite a bit of experience in renewables development  – tell us more about your experience there?

I started out in renewable energy development as a GIS manager designing and developing wind farms.  In this role, I interfaced with many landowners and rural communities, and found it very rewarding to witness the economic benefits that were created from successful projects. I have built strong relationships with many landowners across the country who I am still in touch with today, and now I get to share Charm and carbon removal with them!

What has been equally rewarding are the friends and colleagues that I have met along the way that have been beside me on this journey. Together, we’ve shared wins, losses, and navigated the twists and turns of maturing industries. I am really proud to be part of alumni cohorts of some of the most innovative developers in the industry.

What's the biggest challenge in scaling up carbon removal operations at Charm? 

Here at Charm, our unique carbon removal method presents both a challenge and an opportunity. Charm’s approach is different than any other company, which means that we are regularly navigating new contexts and questions. Fortunately, we have a lot of experience to draw on! Introducing a new technology to landowners and communities naturally requires time and patience. While the urgency to address climate change is front of mind, we can’t lose sight of the fact that we need to build a strong, sustaining business to be effective at solving the problem and delivering on our commitments to the communities where we operate. 

One of the reasons I chose to come to Charm is the early focus on community engagement. Early on when we know we are interested in working in a place, we invest in understanding what priorities locals have for their place, to see if Charm coming there could be of mutual interest and benefit. This is the responsible and respectful way to build economic and social impact, and ultimately it makes business more predictable. We want to set a high standard for what good development and engagement looks like so that community members have the information and resources to make informed choices, and hopefully to choose to have Charm be part of their future! 

Any good books you’ve been reading lately?

I am a fan of non-fiction when I do have time to read. Guns, Germs and Steel and The Secret Race were my most recent. I’m also a huge fan of podcasts while running. Diary of a CEO and Rich Roll are a few of my favorites along with a host of podcasts centered around clean energy.