Episodes
Feb. 22, 2013
Special Encore Presentation: Why is the Ocean Becoming Acidic and Why Should We Care?
What do coal plants, volcanoes, and your breath have in common? Carbon emissions. Of course, there are countless examples of additional sources of carbon emissions – some natural, some man-made – but our planet’s ability to a...
Feb. 15, 2013
Electric Vehicles in America
Yearly plug-in vehicle sales increased 198 percent in 2012, and the number of available models in the U.S. market is expected to triple by model year 2015. Since entering the market just more than two years ago, more than 70,...
Feb. 8, 2013
Living With Limits – The Reality of a Declining Energy Supply
Currently, the world derives 86 percent of its energy from finite fuels: oil, coal, and natural gas. If we have not already reached peak oil production, we are close to it, meaning that half of planet’s oil supply is already gone.
Feb. 1, 2013
Special Encore Presentation: Unquenchable. America’s Water Crisis and What To Do About It
We’re running low on clean water in the U.S., and that has a tremendous impact on our economy. Water-intensive industries like manufacturing and agriculture are feeling the pinch, but so is the energy industry. Permits for ne...
Jan. 25, 2013
Innovate, Manufacture, Compete: A Clean Energy Action Plan: Part 2
The global clean energy marketplace is expanding rapidly, but the competitive position of American industry is at risk because of increased competition abroad and uncertain policies at home, according to a report to be releas...
Jan. 18, 2013
Innovate, Manufacture, Compete: A Clean Energy Action Plan
The global clean energy marketplace is expanding rapidly, but the competitive position of American industry is at risk because of increased competition abroad and uncertain policies at home, according to a report to be releas...
Jan. 11, 2013
American Vanadium and the Future of Renewable Energy Storage
One of the drawbacks of solar and wind energy is the intermittency of power generation, and the inability of our current electricity grid to handle an inconsistent flow of electrons. If solar and wind power were coupled with ...
Jan. 4, 2013
Special Encore Presentation: You Make It, You Take It (Back) – Requiring Product Producers to Bear the Cost of Waste Management
For as long as anyone can remember, waste management in U.S. neighborhoods has been paid for by residents and commercial ratepayers. What would happen if we turned that system upside down, and required the companies that prod...
Dec. 28, 2012
Special Encore Presentation: Veducated – Changing the World One Bite at a Time
Today we’re joined by Marisa Miller Wolfson, director of the award-winning documentary, Veducated. Part sociological experiment and part adventure comedy, the documentary, Veducated, follows three meat- and cheese-loving New ...
Dec. 21, 2012
What Every North American Should Know About Rare Earth Minerals and Metals
According to my guests today, we may be witnessing the dawn of a new industrial revolution. But instead of raw ingredients like coal, steel, and lumber, this century’s boom is likely to be fueled by lithium, tantalum, vanadiu...
Dec. 14, 2012
The Future of Solar Energy
Can solar energy compete with cheap natural gas? Will the U.S. solar industry suffer without a reliable, domestic source of raw materials to manufacture solar panels? Will there be sufficient public and private funding for so...
Dec. 7, 2012
Special Encore Presentation: CONFESSIONS OF AN ECO-TERRORIST
CONFESSIONS OF AN ECO-TERRORIST is the true, no holds barred story of 30 years of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) campaigns leading up to the hit show Whale Wars. It’s a feature documentary that reveals the true odys...
Nov. 30, 2012
Special Encore Presentation: Drought Resilience and Climate-related Water Management
In this episode we’ll take a look at what causes drought, how climate change may impact the intensity and frequency of droughts in the U.S., and what we can do to make our communities more resilient during extremely dry perio...
Nov. 16, 2012
On the Road Again…how California is “Greening” the State’s Transportation
Forty percent of the greenhouse gas emissions in the state of California come from transportation. In an effort to both reduce emissions and air pollution, the California Energy Commission (CEC) has developed the Alternative ...
Nov. 9, 2012
When the Lights Go Down in the City…the Energy Infrastructure Lessons from Super Storm Sandy
Power failure on the scale we recently saw with Super Storm Sandy does NOT have to happen. But it will happen, over and over again, unless antiquated energy infrastructure is updated. Today we are joined by Dr. Massoud Amin, ...
Nov. 2, 2012
You Make It, You Take It (Back) – Requiring Product Producers to Bear the Cost of Waste Management
For as long as anyone can remember, waste management in U.S. neighborhoods has been paid for by residents and commercial ratepayers. What would happen if we turned that system upside down, and required the companies that prod...
Oct. 26, 2012
Special Encore Presentation: Eat Your Values. Vote with Your Fork
Food is one of the most basic things that all human beings have in common. We don’t all eat the same types of food, but we are all linked to one another in our need for nourishment. Modern agriculture has increased the amount...
Oct. 19, 2012
Special Encore Presentation: America’s Military Knows the True Price of Oil and They Are Working on Alternatives
Today we’ll be joined by Major General Anthony Jackson, USMC (ret.), Lt. General John Castellaw, USMC (ret.), and retired Republican Senator John Warner, who also served in the Marine Corps and as the Secretary of the Navy fr...
Oct. 12, 2012
Ensuring “Green” Jobs Are Good Jobs – AFL-CIO’s Position on the Green Economy and Climate Change
Our nation, and our world, is transitioning to a green economy. But what about those people whose livelihoods are intertwined with carbon emissions: coal miners, oil rig operators, etc.? What happens to their families as the ...
Oct. 5, 2012
Veducated – Changing the World One Bite at a Time
Today we’re joined by Marisa Miller Wolfson, director of the award-winning documentary, Veducated. Part sociological experiment and part adventure comedy, the documentary, Veducated, follows three meat- and cheese-loving New ...
Sept. 28, 2012
Zero Waste: A Goal and A Challenge for Businesses, Communities, and Venues
Imagine a world where nothing is discarded into the land, air or water that could harm humans, animals or the planet. That is the goal of a “zero waste” philosophy. Today we are joined by Leslie Lukacs, who has presented at t...
Sept. 21, 2012
Drought Resilience and Climate-related Water Management
In this episode we’ll take a look at what causes drought, how climate change may impact the intensity and frequency of droughts in the U.S., and what we can do to make our communities more resilient during extremely dry perio...
Sept. 14, 2012
Submerged Society - The Plight of Islanders as Rising Oceans Engulf Their Homeland
Suppose someone told you your entire country would likely be submerged in a few short decades. How would you plan for future generations of your family? These are some of the many issues facing millions of people from Fiji, G...
Sept. 7, 2012
Part II: Adapting to Climate Change – California’s Scientific Approach
“We are not helpless,” was the message from Ken Alex, Senior Policy Advisor to Governor Brown and Director of the Office of Planning and Research, at the recent press conference announcing the release of California’s historic...