Earth911.com's Sustainability In Your Ear

Mitch Ratcliffe
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  • EARTH SCIENCES
  • UPDATED SEMIWEEKLY
Earth911.com's Sustainability In Your Ear

Earth911's Mitch Ratcliffe interviews activists, authors, entrepreneurs and changemakers working to accelerate the transition to a sustainable, post-carbon society. You have more power to improve the world than you know! Listen in to get started saving the planet!

  1. 4 DAYS AGO

    Earth911 Podcast: Our 500th Episode with Bad Naturalist Paula Whyman

    We celebrate a milestone episode of Sustainability In Your Ear, our 500th program since we launched in 2018, with an in-depth conversation with Paula Whyman, author of the captivating collection of essays, Bad Naturalist. It's a tale about her purchase and efforts to restore a couple hundred acres of meadowland in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia that had once been a farm and orchard. Paula's stories explore the complex interplay of identity, vulnerability, and the natural world with wit, depth, and an eye for natural detail. Paula's book reflects on the connection between our internal lives and the landscapes we inhabit—how nature becomes a mirror for our thoughts, decisions, and personal change. She explains how she learned about the land, the flora, and fauna in the meadow through conversations with scientists, conservation experts, and her neighbors. Paula's decision to move to and take care of, in the sense that she is preserving and restoring, a plot of land represents a new option for people who, enabled by digital technology, can stay connected to the economy and earn a living while investing their time and energy in a new, local relationship with land and people. You can find Bad Naturalist on Amazon, at Powell's Books, or your local bookstore now. Sign up for her Bad Naturalist newsletter, which she describes as updates from a writer "stuck in bramble, stinking of bear poo," at https://paulawhyman.com.

    47 min

  2. JAN 6

    Earth911 Podcast: DC Water Goes Bloom With Biosolids-Based Fertilizers

    Start the new year with a dive into the world of biosolids—a potentially transformative way to turn sewage that traditionally is seen as waste into a valuable material for sustainable agriculture. With the appropriate precautions, humans can turn our ickiest stuff into inexpensive fertilizer for farms and homes. Humans have been using their excrement as fertilizers for millennia. At scale, biosolids-based fertilizer would be a big step toward comprehensive circular approaches to human waste. However, it is a plan with challenges related to the presence of PFAS, the forever chemicals attracting growing concern as they are found in everyone’s bodies only about 90 years after they were invented. Tune into a conversation with Chris Peot, the Director of Resource Recovery at Bloom, and April Thompson, Senior Director of the program operated by DC Water, the public utility responsible for providing drinking water and wastewater collection and treatment services in the nation’s Capitol. Chris is a pioneer in water utility and biosolids management, with decades of experience as a civil engineer. He led the development of Bloom, combining technology, science, and engineering to create a sustainable solution that changes how we think about resource recovery and green energy. April has been instrumental in shaping Bloom’s products and overcoming the challenges of marketing something often misunderstood as “icky” waste. They discuss the science, innovation, and market dynamics behind Bloom. Bloom and DC Water’s path to being a self-sustaining, closed circular system that processes post-consumer wastewater to make fertilizer and capture heat to generate renewable energy should inspire cities nationwide. Chris and April explain that sewer systems are remarkable geothermal (Vancouver, B.C. powers part of the city using heat from its waste management systems) and materials resources that are often ignored despite being directly underfoot in every city and town. Looking past the ick-factor most of us associate with human waste and everything else we flush down the sink and toilet, to see it as a resource and energy flow can reorient our perspective. We need to think like nature does — if nature can be said to think as we do —to find ways to collect and use wasted materials and energy. Nothing in nature is wasted, but nature had billions of years to evolve species to fill every niche where life-supporting stuff was available, while humans have only decades to innovate processes and business models to prevent waste and the pollution it creates. You can learn more about Bloom fertilizers at https://bloomsoil.com/

    39 min

  3. 12/09/2024

    Earth911 Podcast: Tim Montague Talks Clean Power Hour And Economic Competitiveness

    The Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law contributed much-needed progress but has not completed the transition — only approximately 21% of total utility-scale electricity generation in the United States comes from renewables. According to the World Resources Institute 31 gigawatts of solar energy capacity was installed in the U.S. in 2023, up 55% compared to 2022. But now we are entering the second Trump era, facing an administration that, despite its hostility to renewables oversaw a 12% decrease in emissions during the first Trump Administration. Is renewable energy unstoppable? Tim Montague, a trusted advisor in the solar and energy storage industries, host of the Clean Power Hour podcast, and an advocate for clean energy innovation, says the transition is inevitable. Whether you have access to locally produced solar power, community solar programs, or the ability install photovoltaic panels on your home or business, the investment will pay off financially and environmentally. Twenty-four states have community solar regulations and 42 states have some form of net-metering legislation in place, though many receive low ratings from the Interstate Renewable Energy Council’s https://freeingthegrid.org/. The green transition question is whether the United States will be a leader or a laggard, and if a laggard, how we will ultimately be competitive in a world where photos, not fossil fuels, drive the engines of industry and transportation? As Tim explains, U.S. scientists and engineers have invented most of the clean technologies in use but have not consistently turned them into commercial successes. Yet, Northern European countries and China are racing ahead with the transition — and China now leads the world in the export of electric vehicles. Economic and political leadership in the world are built on innovation, including the integration of natural climate restoration practices into the electric grid, industrial production, and foreign policy strategies if we want to emerge from the fossil fuels era as a leader. Tim’s Clean Power Hour podcast spotlights the people, technology, and policies reshaping the energy industry. Covering topics like distributed versus centralized solar systems, cutting-edge battery storage innovations, and the economic benefits of renewables, Tim plumbs the depths of the complex and rapidly evolving world of clean energy. You can hear the show, and check out the Brooklyn Solar episode that Tim suggests as a starting point for your listening, at https://www.cleanpowerhour.com/Subscribe to Sustainability in Your Ear on iTunes and Apple Podcasts.Follow Sustainability in Your Ear on Spreaker, iHeartRadio, or a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOEAu3yE_OGPAQR9o8o9XeA/"...

    41 min

  4. 11/25/2024

    Earth911 Podcast: Alter Eco Foods CEO Keith Bearden Is All-In On Regenerative Chocolate Farming

    Food production is one of the most impactful forces shaping our environment, responsible for approximately a quarter of annual global carbon emissions, deforestation, and soil depletion, among other impacts. However, a new generation of food and snack companies is stepping up to change the narrative, working to make food production a force for regeneration, sustainability, and environmental stewardship. Tune into this discussion with Keith Bearden, CEO of Alter Eco Foods, a snack and chocolate maker on a mission to positively impact the planet's regenerative agriculture, climate-neutral products, and reduced waste. Founded with a vision to create delicious food that benefits people and the environment, Alter Eco has pioneered transitioning cacao farmers to regenerative practices, and it has achieved climate-neutral certification while innovating in more sustainable and compostable packaging. Dive into how Alter Eco works to make a difference and lead the way for the food industry.  Keith explains that consumers and influencers actively campaign for environmentally responsible foods, clothing, and products in every other category. And it is working, albeit never as fast as we might like, but the transition is underway. Retailers are stocking their shelves with more sustainable products and companies, at least the enlightened ones, are recognizing the benefits of transparency — not just with consumers but among companies in the same supply chain — which will ultimately lead to effective reductions in emissions across the economy. You can learn more about Alter Eco Foods, its chocolate, and granola products at https://www.alterecofoods.com/ Subscribe to Sustainability In Your Ear on iTunesFollow Sustainability In Your Ear on Spreaker, iHeartRadio, or YouTube

    40 min

  5. 11/18/2024

    Earth911 Podcast: Making IT Product Chemical Impacts Transparent With TCO Development's Stephen Fuller

    Being a consumer in an advanced economy—or any economy these days—is challenging because you cannot keep up with the ever-changing range of ingredients and materials in the products at the store. For example, thousands of new chemicals are registered annually. Still, many more compounds that could be harmful are introduced and used in manufacturing. These chemicals can harm our health and the environment. However, many tools for interrogating our world and the products we buy are emerging, offering insights into our lifestyles' health and environmental impact. Meet Stephen Fuller, Senior Criteria Manager at TCO Development, a globally recognized certification organization promoting sustainable practices for technology products based in Stockholm, Sweden. With over 350,000 chemicals in use today and only a tiny fraction of those subjected to risk assessment, TCO has developed disclosures of the chemicals used in information technology products. In 2015, the organization introduced an Accepted Substance List, a catalog of safer alternative chemicals vetted by organizations like GreenScreen and ChemFORWARD. TCO hopes to drive semiconductor, computer, phone, and TV manufacturers to adopt materials that meet rigorous environmental and social responsibility standards. IT buyers in a market-based economy need valid, transparent sources of information to make informed buying decisions. Yet the complexity of, and constantly evolving technologies used in technology products makes keeping abreast of what is safe for humans and nature a constant challenge. TCO Development, GreenScreen, and ChemFORWARD have built a collaboration that helps enterprise IT buyers exert their desire to use safer alternatives to toxic chemicals, and those insights are filtering down to consumer electronics buyers. Stephen explains that TCO Development is still working to make the Accepted Substances List a standard for appliances like TVs, toasters, or microwaves so that everyone can join the call for safer electronics. Once TCO's product passport has become a widely accepted tool for understanding the chemicals in our technologies, buyers, not the producers, will be empowered to track what chemicals they are exposed to and advocate — through their spending and conversational influence—for the least harmful, least environmentally damaging practices. You can learn more about TCO Development and the Accepted Substances List at https://tcocertified.com/Subscribe to Sustainability In Your Ear on iTunesFollow Sustainability In Your Ear on Spreaker, iHeartRadio, or YouTube

    41 min

  6. 11/11/2024

    Earth911 Podcast: Peerby's Daan Weddenpohl Accelerates Circular, Sharing Economies

    The sharing economy can be a platform for keeping products in circulation and out of landfills until they are no longer usable and must be recycled. If we can get more uses out of things we currently throw away, we can reduce the need to extract raw materials from the Earth. Meet a pioneer in sharing, Daan Weddenpohl, founder and CEO of Peerby, an innovative Dutch platform at the forefront of the sharing economy. Peerby connects people within neighborhoods and communities, enabling them to share items that would otherwise remain underused, such as household tools, appliances, and recreational equipment. Peerby promotes sustainable consumption by reducing the demand for new products and fosters social connections among community members. Daan launched Peerby with the belief that shared resources and connected communities could make a significant positive impact on the environment, economy, and society at large. Peerby has grown into a platform that addresses the local challenge that underlies global over-consumption and waste. We delve into Peerby’s service, the challenges and opportunities of the sharing economy, and Daan’s insights on the future of sustainable living and community-focused innovation.  Daan describes his goal for Peerby as making it a Netflix for stuff, and the question is whether the digital infrastructure can help make physical assets as widely available at low cost as Netflix has made movies and television shows. To do so, we must first virtualize the physical economy, and we’ve heard from organizations like GS1 and TCO that they are working to launch product passports that document where products are manufactured, how the raw materials are sourced, and the distribution networks that deliver them to the consumer. Once we document product lifecycles, it is possible to manage their use, reuse, and even recycle them when they become unusable to reduce the extraction of raw materials and the carbon impact of the things that support our lives. But it takes an essential first step, the choice by people in their homes and workplaces to make what they have last longer, to share items like a drill or a truck to minimize the surplus inventories of material goods that have come to define consumerism in the 21st Century. You can learn more about Peerby at https://www.peerby.com/

    38 min

  7. 11/04/2024

    Earth911 Podcast: Oceanographer John Englander's 2024 Sea Level Rise Update

    Sustainability In Your Ear welcomes back oceanographer and author John Englander, who last visited with us in February 2023. John is the author of two pivotal books on Sea Level Rise, High Tide on Main Street: Rising Sea Level and the Coming Coastal Crisis, which explores the science behind rising seas and its far-reaching impacts on society, and Moving to Higher Ground: Rising Sea Level and the Path Forward, which offers a comprehensive look at how individuals, businesses, and governments can adapt to this unavoidable reality. He recently gave a talk at the U.S. Naval Academy and shares the reaction he heard from admirals and strategists charged with protecting U.S. interests a sea. John delivered a stark warning about the accelerating rate of sea level rise, emphasizing the vulnerabilities of the Antarctic ice sheets—particularly the Thwaites Glacier, which also known as the "Doomsday Glacier." He warned that the collapse of the Thwaites alone could lead to significant sea level rise within the next few decades, with profound implications for global military operations, coastal infrastructure, and international security. Sea level rise is the permanent change humans will live with for centuries, probably millennia, because the oceans have absorbed most of the heat trapped in the Earth’s atmosphere. Average sea surface temperatures have climbed by about 0.8 degrees Celsius, or 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit. The Arctic is warming four times faster, about 3 degrees Celsius since 1980, and that has raised sea levels by between 21 and 24 centimeters, or about nine inches, in the same period. John also shared recent warnings about the collapse of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), which drives circulation of seawater globally. Until we lower emissions sufficiently to stop glacial melting, sea level will only rise more and ports, infrastructure, and entire economies will deal with the threat of disruption. Learn more about the organization he cofounded, the Rising Seas Institute, at https://risingseasinstitute.org/. It became a program of Nova Southeastern University on November 1, 2024.

    48 min

  8. 10/28/2024

    Earth911 Podcast: Rare.org's Brett Jenks Ties Global Climate Impacts To Everyday Decisions

    The climate crisis cannot be solved by one person, one organization, one company, or one government. A network of collaboration is being built, and nonprofits often serve as the connective tissue. Our guest today Brett Jenks, is the CEO of Rare.org, a global conservation and development organization dedicated to empowering communities in the world's most biologically diverse regions to sustainably manage their natural resources. Under Brett’s leadership, Rare has grown from a small nonprofit into a global leader in conservation, with a $30 million annual budget and active projects across 60 countries. Rare’s efforts span a variety of critical areas, including Fish Forever, the world’s largest coastal fishery recovery effort; Lands for Life, a climate-smart agriculture program; the groundbreaking Center for Behavior & the Environment, which merges behavioral science with conservation; and Climate Culture, a strategy designed to help the U.S. meet its Paris Agreement targets. Beyond his leadership of Rare, Brett is also an innovator in the for-profit sector with the Meloy Fund, a blue economy investment vehicle that supports a growing portfolio of companies, including several focused on sustainable fisheries in Southeast Asia and EverForest, a video game that turns virtual actions into real-world tree planting. Brett shared seven ideas Americans can act on to change their environmental impact. You can learn more about Rare at https://rare.org/ and about the Meloy Fund at https://www.meloyfund.com/

    41 min
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Earth911's Mitch Ratcliffe interviews activists, authors, entrepreneurs and changemakers working to accelerate the transition to a sustainable, post-carbon society. You have more power to improve the world than you know! Listen in to get started saving the planet!

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