Our Climate Journey with Daniel Morris
“The thing is, it’s not just the physical landscape that’s changing. It’s the collective psyche. When my daughter reads about climate change, she is disgusted by what we’re doing to the planet. Children who lose their homes live with the trauma of that experience. The way we treat the environment isn’t just changing the external planet, it’s affecting the hearts and minds of the next generation. We have to be better stewards of both.”
Daniel Morris
People Operations Leader
Daniel leads People Operations, having spent the previous five years as VP of HR and Talent Partner for a $1B+ venture firm. He was the first People leader at startups like Trulia, Uber, and CareZone as they scaled through IPO and M&A, and has become an expert at developing high-performance company cultures and HR & Talent systems automation. Daniel is an Australian expatriate, raised in Tokyo, Tehran, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Adelaide. Now, he, his wife, and 11-year-old daughter call California home.
At Zum, we’re revolutionizing student transportation in order to build a green, sustainable future. What does sustainability mean to you?
To me, sustainability means meeting our current needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs. It’s about balance and foresight, recognizing that our actions today shape the world of tomorrow.
A significant part of my childhood was in Hong Kong, where some of my fondest memories were made: cruising around Hong Kong harbor on a Junk (small Chinese boat), visiting white sand beaches, and swimming in crystal clear water. It was a child’s paradise.
Returning to those beaches is eye opening. Today they’re covered in plastic bottles, bags, and trash. The pristine place of my childhood memories has vanished.
This stark change is the opposite of sustainability. Now, I have an eleven-year-old daughter. Today, she’s nearly the same age I was when I first visited those beautiful beaches. In just one generation, we’ve dramatically altered the landscape. I worry about what it will be like when my daughter reaches my age.
Sustainability means ensuring that future generations can experience the same natural wonders and joys we did. It’s about preserving our environment so our children and their children can sail to clean beaches, gather shells, and marvel at the world’s beauty.
Climate change is the single greatest threat to our way of life, but it can sometimes feel abstract, far away, a problem for another time. How has climate change affected you personally?
Growing up in Southeast Asia, I experienced typhoons and floods firsthand. Then, in Australia, life was marked by extremes, from severe droughts to intense heat waves.
The conditions aren’t as extreme here in California, but I see similar patterns. I live in Marin, not far from the sight of several catastrophic wildfires in the past several years. I personally know several people who have lost their homes to fire. Today, even five, six years later, they’re still rebuilding, still piecing back together what they lost.
The thing is, it’s not just the physical landscape that’s changing, either. It’s the collective psyche. When my daughter reads about climate change, she is disgusted by what we’re doing to the planet. Children who lose their homes live with the trauma of that experience. The way we treat the environment isn’t just changing the external planet, it’s affecting the hearts and minds of the next generation. We have to be better stewards of both.
What can Zum do to be a leader in sustainability, to spearhead the charge in the fight against climate change?
Zum is already leading the charge against the climate crisis by electrifying student transportation. This is a major reason I joined the company and I find it inspiring to be part of such impactful work.
We’re also already thought leaders: Our CEO, Ritu Narayan speaks on influential panels, and our team members are frequently in the media discussing the critical work we’re doing. This blog is a perfect example of how we’re spreading our message.
And I think we can go a step further. We can be a grassroots thought leader as well as a national one. The next generation is already learning about decarbonized transportation by riding on our electric school buses. Let’s double down on that education by participating in more speaking engagements at the local level: at schools, at small local organizations, and community-led groups. Let’s build a brand that’s not only changing the federal narrative around transportation, but one that deeply cares about and is involved in the lives of the communities we serve. I think that’s a true leader in sustainability.