Spotlight on Michael Thomas, founder of Distilled and Cleanview
From Distilled to Cleanview: Charting a Path for Climate Action and Innovation with Michael Thomas
Our spotlight series shares real stories about working on climate in Colorado. Missed the last one? Catch up here
Navigating the complexities of climate change and finding effective solutions can be overwhelming, but Michael Thomas has made it his mission to bring clarity and impact to the climate tech space. As the founder of Distilled and Cleanview, he combines his entrepreneurial spirit with a passion for independent journalism to drive meaningful change. In this conversation, Michael shares his journey from tech startups to climate advocacy, the challenges he faces, and why community engagement and innovative solutions like enhanced geothermal are key to a sustainable future.
Hannah Davis conducted the interview, and it has been edited for length and clarity.
You are involved in several Climate Tech ventures. To start, can you tell me about Distilled?
Michael Thomas: When I first started learning about climate change, I found the sheer volume of information overwhelming. There are constant headlines—some scary and depressing, others offering solutions—and it can be difficult to discern what's truly important. I created Distilled to help make sense of it all, providing clarity on the key challenges we face and highlighting impactful solutions.
For the past two and a half years, I’ve been writing the Distilled newsletter, growing the audience to about 15,000 subscribers on Substack and 40,000 followers on Twitter. I’ve also created around 15 videos, reaching a couple of million views on YouTube.
One of my main goals with Distilled was to establish a platform for independent climate journalism. I’m proud that all the stories are supported by subscribers, allowing me to write pieces that have real-world impact. For example, some people have told me that after reading my articles, they left their jobs at places like Google to start companies focused on new climate solutions. Others have shared that they’ve electrified their homes, cutting their carbon footprint by 15 tons. It’s also been gratifying to see activists and nonprofits use Distilled to better understand the tactics of fossil fuel companies and those opposing clean energy.
And what is your newest venture, Cleanview?
Michael Thomas: Cleanview is a market intelligence platform for the energy transition. And, like Distilled, it was born from my own experience. As I wrote stories for Distilled, I frequently relied on data to create data-driven narratives. However, I discovered that finding reputable, up-to-date sources of information was surprisingly difficult. Often, the reports I read contained data that was a few years out of date, or crucial information was locked behind paywalls costing anywhere from $10,000 to $30,000 a year—an impossible cost for an independent journalist like myself.
As I spoke with more people in the field—whether nonprofits, investors, or climate tech companies—I realized that this problem was widespread. Many needed real-time data to understand what was happening in the energy sector. Still, they were limited to two choices: either spend hours or even days sifting through spreadsheets or pay exorbitant fees for access to large data platforms. I created Cleanview to bridge that gap, making energy data more accessible, easier to analyze, and available in minutes instead of hours or days.
So far, we've built dashboards and data feeds focused on renewables, tracking solar, wind, and battery developments. We monitor how much clean energy is being built in each state and by different companies each month. We're also in the process of adding data on electric vehicles and home electrification. My vision for Cleanview is to become the go-to platform where anyone can track the energy transition in real time.
What's your background?
Michael Thomas: I have always been a serial entrepreneur. I started my first company in high school and dropped out of college after one year to move to Palo Alto and work on my second venture. After that didn’t work out, I took my first—and only—job as an adult at a venture capital-funded tech company. It was there that I learned about startups and the traditional venture capital model, but I quickly realized that the conventional Silicon Valley approach wasn’t for me. I was more interested in creating businesses that were independent and didn’t rely on large amounts of venture capital.
Initially, my entrepreneurial ventures focused on tech and marketing and weren’t directly related to climate, but I donated 50% of the profits to climate-related nonprofits and policy work. This allowed me to support climate efforts while working in other industries.
It wasn’t until 2019 that I began to fully combine my passion for entrepreneurship with my desire to work on climate issues in a more meaningful way. While building impactful companies that are also good businesses has been challenging, it’s incredibly rewarding to dedicate most of my time to values-aligned work.
Throughout my entrepreneurial career, I’ve also made time for my passion for writing and storytelling. Over the last eight or nine years, I’ve written for magazines like The Atlantic and Fast Company, while also maintaining my own blog and newsletter to produce independent journalism alongside my work for larger publications.
How has being located in Colorado impacted your career work, and is there anything about the Colorado climate community that has been supportive or impactful to your career?
Michael Thomas: I’ve lived in Colorado for most of my life—I was born in Denver and now live in Boulder. My involvement in the Colorado climate community began in 2018, when the impacts of climate change were becoming more apparent, with increasing wildfires, hurricanes, and climate refugees. Like many people, I felt compelled to act, so I got involved in local advocacy and connected with various climate nonprofits in the state.
At the time, these organizations were working to pass a bill that would cap Colorado’s carbon emissions by 2030 and 2050, setting some of the most ambitious targets for a purple state, especially one that is a fossil fuel producer. I, along with a few others, organized tech companies and business leaders to support this legislation. We lobbied legislators, brought people to the Capitol, and rallied business leaders around the bill. When it eventually passed, I saw firsthand the power of community in climate action and felt inspired by the fact that we could make a tangible difference.
I learned a lot about organizing, climate policy, and the challenges of climate change through the generosity of people in the community who were willing to share their knowledge and experiences. The climate community here is incredibly supportive and quick to give back, which has had a profound impact on my growth and work.
Today, I continue to stay deeply connected to this community. I’ve formed strong friendships with people I’ve met through this work, and I often lean on them for support and collaboration. I also co-organize a monthly Climate Happy Hour in Boulder, which brings together people working on climate solutions, clean energy companies, and nonprofits. These gatherings are always energizing and informative, and they remind me how much I’ve benefited from the vibrant climate community here in Colorado.
What climate solutions are you most excited about right now and why?
Michael Thomas: One of the most impactful climate solutions that anyone in a democratic country can engage in is voting and participating in the political process. From my experience in organizing and climate advocacy, I’ve seen that legislators often do listen to their constituents. While lobbying and other influences play a role, by and large, our democracy responds to people’s opinions and behaviors. When you vote, call your senator, or engage with your local legislator, you’re more likely to see impactful bills passed.
We saw this recently with the Inflation Reduction Act at the federal level, and with the passing of significant climate legislation in states like Colorado, Minnesota, Michigan, California, and New York. These advances are a direct result of people electing climate champions—often Democrats, as this remains a partisan issue—and then holding those legislators accountable to enact strong climate policies. Organizations like Climate Changemakers, Climate Cabinet, and the Environmental Voter Project are doing fantastic work in mobilizing grassroots support and highlighting races where small investments of time or money can have a big impact. Engaging in democracy is one of the most powerful ways to advocate for climate action.
On the technology side, I’m particularly excited about enhanced geothermal energy. Traditional geothermal requires specific water reservoirs beneath the Earth's surface, limiting its deployment to places like Iceland, Japan, and parts of California. However, enhanced geothermal uses fracking technology to unlock vast new resources, potentially making it viable across much of the U.S., especially in the West. It has the potential to provide up to 20% of the power grid with clean, steady, baseload energy that runs around the clock, regardless of weather conditions. As we move towards 100% clean energy, we need solutions beyond just solar, wind, and short-term batteries, and enhanced geothermal could be a game-changer. I recently wrote an explainer post on enhanced geothermal energy for anyone who wants to learn more.
What are some of the biggest challenges in your climate action efforts? How can the community help?
Michael Thomas: One of the biggest challenges for the entire climate community is engaging people in an issue where the benefits often aren’t immediate and the damages seem far off in the future, impacting people we may never meet. From a human behavior standpoint, it’s hard to stay motivated and engaged on a daily basis when the rewards and consequences are so distant.
We’re also bombarded with negative stories about the climate crisis—how the world is warming faster than expected and the impacts are already being felt. This constant stream of bad news can lead to despair and a sense of helplessness. It’s easy to think, “What difference will my small actions make? Will eating plant-based, driving an EV, or electrifying my home really change anything?” It’s a constant battle to push back against this mindset, but the truth is that our individual actions do matter. As Ezra Klein puts it, our actions are “contagious.” The choices we make influence those around us, and as more people take positive steps, it shifts public opinion and voting behavior. This, in turn, can lead to the systemic changes we need, creating a feedback loop that makes individual actions even easier and more impactful.
The fight against despair and apathy is ongoing, but it’s also where the biggest opportunity for impact lies. The community can support my work by subscribing to my newsletter, Distilled, and sharing it with others, or by spreading the word about Cleanview. Your support helps amplify the message and build the momentum needed for broader climate action.
What is something climate or sustainability-related that you do outside of your work that you’re passionate about?
Michael Thomas: I eat a plant-based diet. I believe the climate impact of food is often overlooked, despite the fact that it accounts for about 25% of global emissions. There’s relatively little policy or personal action addressing this issue, so I’ve committed to eating an almost entirely plant-based diet and encouraging those around me to do the same.
Follow Distilled on Substack and YouTube. Learn more about Cleanview. And follow Michael on Twitter, Bluesky, and LinkedIn.