EnvIowa Podcast Center for Global and Regional Environmental Research

Ingrid Gronstal Anderson, Environmental Compliance Specialist at the University of Iowa Power Plant, explains the unique challenges faced by a university-based utility and recent strides the plant has made toward a renewable energy portfolio.

In episode 7 of EnvIowa, we sit down with Dr. Larry Weber to learn more about the Iowa Watershed Approach. Dr. Weber is a UI professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Director of IIHR–Hydroscience and Engineering, which is the parent organization of the Iowa Flood Center.

Dr. Weber explains how the $96.9 million project came to be and how it improves quality of life for Iowans while protecting our natural resources and health. He tells of successes the Iowa Flood Center has had with its flood reduction and water quality improvement programs and discusses the organization’s fight to maintain state-funding earlier this year.

In this episode of EnvIowa, we talk with Jeff Biggers, writer in residence at the University of Iowa and Natalie Himmel, an English and International Studies Major at the University of Iowa about the Climate Narrative Project.

The Climate Narrative Project, launched in 2014, is a special media arts initiative through the UI Office of Sustainability designed to train a new generation of climate storytellers. The project reaches across many academic disciplines using theatre, film, creative writing, spoken word poetry, yoga, and dance to grapple with how stories can change the way we view climate and spur action.

In Episode 5 of EnvIowa we speak with Dr. Gregory Carmichael,
Karl Kammermeyer Professor of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering and Co-Director of the UI Center for Global and Regional Environmental Research, about his extensive research on global air pollution.

Dr. Carmichael shares his experiences collaborating with scientists in China, explains why air quality issues in East Asia should matter to Iowans and offers some perspective about what climate change research may look under the new federal administration.

Dr. Chris Jones, IIHR Research Engineer, discusses his recent research which found that soybean crops contribute more to the nutrient pollution in Iowa's waterways than previously thought. He explores more specifically the ways in which soybeans cause an increase in nitrates found in water, and outlines possible solutions to the problem.

Dr. Betsy Stone, associate professor of chemistry at the University of Iowa, discusses the third annual Iowa Climate Festival taking place on campus this Saturday. Stone provides more detail about the three featured presenters and the family-friendly climate science fair that will follow the symposium.