Important, Not Important Important, Not Important

How do we tackle huge systemic intersectional environmental justice issues at the local level?
That's today's big question, and my guest is Jacqui Patterson.
Jacqui is the Founder and Executive Director of the Chisholm Legacy Project, which helps connect Black communities that are being disproportionately impacted by the climate crisis with the resources they need to create systemic change across connected challenges.
Jacqui was recently named to Time Magazine's 2024 list of Women of the Year, and she took home the Earth Award for her work. Jacqui was previously the Senior Director of the NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice Program. Since 2007, she has served as Coordinator and Co-founder of Women of Color United.
She has served as the Senior Women's Rights Policy Analyst for ActionAid, where she integrated a women's rights lens for the issue of feud rights, macroeconomics, and climate change, as well as the intersection of violence against women and HIV/AIDS.
Previously, she served as Assistant Vice President of HIV and AIDS Programs for IMA World Health, providing management and technical assistance to medical facilities and programs in 23 countries in Africa and the Caribbean. 
Jacqui served as the Outreach Project Associate for the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and Research Coordinator for Johns Hopkins University.
She also served as a US Peace Corps volunteer in Jamaica.
-----------
Have feedback or questions? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com
New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at podcast.importantnotimportant.com.
-----------
INI Book Club:
Chronicles of the One series by Nora RobertsFind all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-club
Links:
Support the Chisholm Legacy ProjectCheck out Policies For The PeopleKeep up with Jacqui's work
Follow us:
Subscribe to our newsletter at importantnotimportant.comSupport our work and become a Member at importantnotimportant.com/upgradeGet our merchFollow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImpFollow us on Threads: www.threads.net/@importantnotimportantSubscribe to our...

Why is it so important that we share the science of fiction, and what do we do with it once we have it?
That's today's big question, and my guest is Maddie Stone.
Maddie is a prolific science journalist. She is a doctor of earth and environmental sciences. She's the former science editor of the technology website Gizmodo, which I love, and the founding editor of Earther, Gizmodo's climate focused vertical, which I love.
Maddie has edited articles for The Verge, Polygon, and Grist, and her original and award winning journalism has appeared in National Geographic, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, The Guardian, Grist, Vice, MIT Technology Room, Technology Review, and Drilled, and many other outlets we love and link to basically every day.
An avid science fiction fan like me, Maddie runs one of my favorite blogs called The Science of Fiction, an email newsletter and a blog, if you're old, that explores the real world science behind fictional monsters and alien planets and stuff like that (which checks all of my boxes).
-----------
Have feedback or questions? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com
New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at podcast.importantnotimportant.com.
-----------
INI Book Club:
Not The End of The World by Hannah RitchieThe Right to Repair by Aaron PerzanowskiFind all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-club
Links:
Subscribe to The Science of FictionKeep up with Maddie's writing, including her recent story holding Microsoft accountable to their sustainability pledgesCheck out the Climate Reality Check report from Good Energy
Follow us:
Subscribe to our newsletter at importantnotimportant.comSupport our work and become a Member at importantnotimportant.com/upgradeGet our merchFollow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImpFollow us on Threads: www.threads.net/@importantnotimportantSubscribe to our a...

This week: Do you like cookies? What about olive oil cake? What about chocolate chip coffee cake? Listen on.
Here's What You Can Do:🌍️ Donate to support African farmers by increasing incomes and improving food security through the Alliance for a Green Africa.🌎️ Volunteer to join the Coffee & Climate Network, an organization that connects stakeholders in coffee farming to create a climate-smart future.🌎️ Get educated about regenerative agriculture that increases resilience using resources from Climate Farmers.Be heard about your eco-anxiety by connecting with others having similar feelings at a Climate Psychology Alliance Climate Cafe near you.Invest in deforestation-free investment options with Deforestation Free Funds.
Get more:Get more news, analysis, and Action Steps at importantnotimportant.comSupport our work and become a Member at importantnotimportant.com/upgradeGet our merchGot feedback? Email us at questions@importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter at @importantnotimpFollow us on Threads: www.threads.net/@importantnotimportantSubscribe to our YouTube channelFollow Quinn: on Twitter - twitter.com/quinnemmett; Bluesky - bsky.app/profile/quinnemmett.bsky.social; Threads - www.threads.net/@quinnemmettEdited by Anthony LucianiProduced by Willow BeckIntro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.comTake a nap you deserve...

How do we take a huge chronic disease burden like Lyme disease or long COVID or even long flu and make it so personal that we simply can't ignore it anymore?
That's today's big question and my guest is Dr. Mikki Tal, an immunoengineer and a principal scientist at MIT.
Dr. Tal leads the Tal Research Group within the Department of Biological Engineering, and also serves as the Associate Scientific Director of the Center for Gynepathology Research. Mikki is working to identify the connections between infections and chronic diseases.
I've written a bit recently about the lessons we finally need to learn about post viral and bacterial health issues, the societal and medicinal and health and economic issues and improving our baseline of wellness and community health, so that we don't suffer from those quite as much.
These things are very real, we've known about them for a very long time and the compounding effects of chronic diseases are just going to continue add up the longer we ignore them, and we gaslight people.
There has never really been a better time for Mikki's work, or for this wonderfully inspiring and personal conversation.
-----------
Have feedback or questions? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com
New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at podcast.importantnotimportant.com.
-----------
INI Book Club:
Find all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-club
Links:
Participate in the MAESTRO StudyExplore more of Dr. Tal's research (including recent papers here and here)Keep up with Dr. Tal's work on X and LinkedinRead more about Dr. Tal's work here and here
Follow us:
Subscribe to our newsletter at importantnotimportant.comSupport our work and become a Member at importantnotimportant.com/upgradeGet our merchFollow us on Twitter: a href="http://twitter.com/ImportantNotImp" rel="noopener noreferrer"...

This week: This week I wrote about a groundbreaking and essential new study that — thank christ — is not actually about which seemingly reasonable dietary supplement will definitely extend/tragically cut short your life.
It’s about 🍿 film, and after you’re done reading, I’d love it if you replied to this email with some favorite movies that moved the needle for you in some way. We’ll share the list with everyone soon.
Here's What You Can Do:Donate to Eco-Anxious Stories to help create stories about meaning, mental health, and climate change.🌍️ Volunteer to share your climate solutions story with the Global Solutions Diary from Project Drawdown.🌎️ Get educated about how to integrate climate change into your writing in an authentic way by booking a consultation with Good Energy.Be heard about the climate crisis and urge Congress to act.Invest in a climate-positive future using a...

This week: In this essay, I will argue that Bridget Jones is the perfect climate-era hero, because she is all of us.
Here's What You Can Do:🌍️ Donate to Project HOPE to support frontline teams working to strengthen healthcare systems and respond to crises globally.🌎️ Volunteer to share your climate solutions work with the Global Solutions Diary from Project Drawdown and use your story to inspire hope in the climate community.Get educated about how you can join a network of people working on climate, and get started on working on solutions, in your city with Climate Tech Cities.Be heard about feeding hungry kids and urge your representatives to support the Universal School Meal Program Act.Invest in a climate-friendly 401(k) using a...