POPULARITY
6 episodes with combat climate change
5 episodes with combat climate change
3 episodes with combat climate change
4 episodes with combat climate change
4 episodes with combat climate change
2 episodes with combat climate change
3 episodes with combat climate change
2 episodes with combat climate change
2 episodes with combat climate change
Welcome to this episode of Hardware to Save a Planet. In this first of a two-part episode, Dylan chats with Casey Handmer, Founder of Terraform Industries. Casey and his team at Terraform are scaling technology to produce cheap natural gas with sunlight and air. Join us as we explore innovative solutions for sustainable energy. Casey shares how TerraForm leverages solar energy, carbon capture, and green hydrogen production to create cost-effective natural gas to combat climate change. Drawing on his diverse background at NASA, Hyperloop, and Caltech, Casey highlights the overlap between space exploration and Earth-bound energy challenges. The discussion delves into the economics of renewable energy, the practicality of hydrogen, and the potential of scalable, modular chemical plants to drive a sustainable energy revolution.
Leaders of the Group of 20 major economies ended two-day talks in Brazil's Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday, agreeing to continue combating climate change ahead of Donald Trump's return as U.S. president next year.
The lion's share of emissions reductions will need to happen in the next 6 years to hit the 2030 target, according to Canada's Environment commissioner. Are Canadians prepared to do what's necessary to get it done? Are you?
World leaders meet in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, to discuss the funding of policies against global warming in the COP29. We get the latest from our correspondent. In Iceland, a team of scientists are preparing to drill into one of the world's most active volcanoes. Could it provide a source of cheap green energy? We find out. Iran's latest attempt to reduce pollution is resulting in power cuts throughout the country. We hear why. And after the devastating floods in the Spanish region of Valencia, we look into how companies could help keep employees safe during a natural disaster.
There is only one planet for us, and saving it from the climate crisis has been atop UNISON's agenda for decades - so how do we continue that fight today? With September's Green UNISON Week, this episode of the podcast focuses on the huge potential for change that's possible with the collaborative power of our members. Joining us to share their collective expertise, and how you can make an impact, are UNISON Policy Officer, Michelle Singleton, and South Lanarkshire UNISON Branch Secretary, Stephen Smellie. This episode of The UNISON Local Government Podcast covers: UNISON's role in combating climate change Why ‘Just Transition' is a crucial element in the fight against climate change Challenges of operating on a local level Balancing limited resources with the urgent need for climate action UNISON: https://www.unison.org.uk/ https://twitter.com/unisontheunion https://www.facebook.com/unisontheunion Green UNISON Week: https://www.unison.org.uk/tag/green-unison-week/ Stephen Smellie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-smellie-179516160/
They often cover just a few square meters of urban space, and now they're growing across Australia to cool neighborhoods down on hot days. “Tiny forests,” as they are called, also mature in 10 to 20 years, rather than the usual 100 years, because of the way they're generated. And that could be a big benefit for Australia's suburbs. A school in Perth is busy creating a tiny forest. “I love it the most because I love animals and nature,” says one student. This particular type of forest can be planted in the tiniest of spaces, such as a car parking spot, a tennis court, or even a strip of land next to a street. The students are being guided by Grey Coupland and they're using the Miyawaki method to plant the forest. The method follows three central ideas. “It's planting locally native species that are specifically adapted to the area in which you are planting them, the soil remediation, and the high-density planting,” explains Coupland. Another advantage is that these forests take very little time to grow and help cool urban areas. And, once they're planted, the forests also become part of the school curriculum, which has benefits for the students. “The more they are immersed in nature, the more they care about it,” says teacher Cymbie Burgoyne. “The children who participate in this program, some have never played in the dirt before, some had never planted a plant before,” says Coupland. The project will also compare the health and well-being of students who take care of the forest, compared to students that don't. “We want to re-engage children with nature,” says Coupland. “We've got children on one end of the spectrum who are really worried about the climate crisis and feel they can't do anything about it. At the other end of the spectrum, we've got kids who are just on their iPads and their screens and totally disengaged.” This article was provided by The Associated Press.
In this episode of Changing Planet Justice, we sit down with Dr. Libby Jewett, a trailblazing marine scientist and the founder of NOAA's Ocean Acidification Program. Dr. Jewett shares her journey from a background in public policy to becoming a leading figure in marine science, where she has spent over a decade addressing the impacts of climate change on our oceans. We explore her groundbreaking work on ocean acidification, the challenges of balancing scientific research with policy-making, and her current focus on offshore wind energy and marine carbon dioxide removal. Tune in to hear how Dr. Jewett is pushing the boundaries of innovation to protect our planet's vital marine ecosystems.
In today's show, I'm welcoming Roberta Boscolo, Climate and Energy Lead at the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). Roberta delves into the nuances of climate science, the importance of timely action, and her unique approach to communicating these urgent issues to the public through social media.Roberta discusses the vital role of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in providing accurate weather forecasts and climate models, emphasizing their importance for sectors such as agriculture, energy, and tourism. The conversation shifts to the effectiveness of climate communication, addressing how simplified and relatable narratives could potentially have a greater impact on public awareness and policy changes. Roberta also shares personal insights on how individuals can prepare for and adapt to the increasing occurrences of extreme weather events, stressing the critical urgency for immediate and collective action against climate change.We cover:The Urgency of Addressing Climate Change This DecadeThe Importance of Weather and Climate Models for Future PlanningCommunicating Climate Change: Challenges and Strategies for ScientistsPreparing for Extreme Climate Events and Human MigrationEmpowering Voices in Climate CommunicationGeoengineering Solutions and Their Potential Impact on Climate ChangeWant to go deeper?Invest in climate moonshots with Climate Insiders. Join 300+ members and become a shareholder of the best climate tech startups alongside us, from $1,000.Become a member now: https://www.climateinsiders.comJoin the Climate Insiders newsletter, the only newsletter you need to invest in climate tech. Every Saturday I share one actionable tip to invest successfully in climate tech. Join 3,500+ investors and get access to investing tips and strategies to invest today: https://climateinsiders.substack.com/--------------SHOW NOTES:(00:00) - Episode Trailer(00:51) - Introduction(01:29) - How Did Leveraging LinkedIn Turn One Person into a Powerhouse?(03:23) - What Makes This Decade a Make-or-Break Moment for Climate Action?(05:14) – Is Climate Change just the Natural Cycle?(07:07) - How Legitimate Are the WMO's Climate Forecasts?(09:07) - Is There a Way to Forecast When Major Climate Disasters Will Strike?(12:07) - Who Actually Uses WMO's Weather Forecasts?(14:26) - Are We Really Making Progress with Climate Reports and Predictions?(17:24) - Are Advocates of Social Media Seen as Outliers in Their Organizations?(19:00) – How to leverage results and stats in the story?(20:37) - Who Needs Convincing More: The Masses or the Decision-Makers?(22:30) - What Holds More Persuasive Power: Success Stories or Fear?(24:07) - Can the United Nations Lead the Disruption of Polluting Industries?(26:45) - How Should Parents Discuss Climate Change with Their Children?(29:44) - Are Leaders Discussing Potential Migration Due to Climate Change?(32:27) - Can Visualizing Climate Impacts Make it More Relatable to People?(35:22) - How Is Risk-Reward Culture Perceived Within the United Nations?(38:01) - Can Geoengineering Be Ethically Implemented to Combat Climate Change?(40:10) - Where and How Is Weather Modification Currently Utilized?(43:36) - Outro
For thousands of years, wildfires have produced a byproduct known to improve soil and plant health - biochar. Today, researchers like Kelpie Wilson of Wilson Biochar Associates, Consulting and Manufacturing are learning how to use this form of charcoal for carbon sequestration. Kelpie explains the different stages of combustion, what types of material to include in your burn pile, incorporating biochar into compost, how to use biochar to amend alkaline or acetic soils, and an easy way to remove vineyard wires from your pile. Resources: 56: Conservation Burning and Biochar 106: What? Bury Charcoal in the Vineyard? 167: Use Biochar to Combat Climate Change 215: Biochar Production on a Commercial Scale A Case of Biochar Use in Vineyards – Doug Beck A magnifying glass on biochar strategy: long-term effects on the soil biota of a Tuscan vineyard Biochar Use in Viticulture (US Biochar Initiative webinar link) Deep incorporation of organic amendments into soils of a ‘Calardis Musqué' vineyard: effects on greenhouse gas emissions, vine vigor, and grape quality Long-Term Application of Biochar Mitigates Negative Plant–Soil Feedback by Shaping Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi and Fungal Pathogens Ring of Fire Biochar Kiln The Biochar Handbook: A Practical Guide to Making and Using Bioactivated Charcoal Vineyard Field Trial with Biochar and Compost_ 5th Harvest Report Wilson Biochar Vineyard Team Programs: Juan Nevarez Memorial Scholarship - Donate SIP Certified – Show your care for the people and planet Sustainable Ag Expo – The premiere winegrowing event of the year Sustainable Winegrowing On-Demand (Western SARE) – Learn at your own pace Vineyard Team – Become a Member Get More Subscribe wherever you listen so you never miss an episode on the latest science and research with the Sustainable Winegrowing Podcast. Since 1994, Vineyard Team has been your resource for workshops and field demonstrations, research, and events dedicated to the stewardship of our natural resources. Learn more at www.vineyardteam.org. Transcript [00:00:00] Beth Vukmanic: For thousands of years, wildfires have produced a by-product known to improve soil and plant health. This is known as bio char. Welcome to sustainable. Winegrowing with the vineyard team where we bring you the latest in science and research for the wine industry. I'm Beth organic executive director. And since 1994 vineyard team has brought you the latest science-based practices, experts, growers, and wine industry tools through both in-field and online education, so that you can grow your business. Please raise a glass with us as we cheers to 30 years. In today's podcast Craig Macmillan, critical resource manager at Niner wine estates with long time SIP certified vineyard and the first ever SIP certified winery. He speaks with Kelpie Wilson of Wilson, biochar associates consulting in manufacturing. Kelpie explains the different stages of combustion. What types of material to include in your burn pile? Incorporating bio char into compost. How to use bio char to amend alkaline or acidic soils and an easy way to remove vineyard wires from your pile. If you love this topic, then you won't want to miss Josiah Hunt's presentation. Practical applications of pyrogenic, organic material, AKA biochar in vineyards. He shares his expertise at the sustainable ag expo taking place November 12th or 13th, 2024 in San Luis Obispo, California. joy, the perfect blend of in-person and online learning. Speak directly with national experts. Earn over 20 hours of continuing education and explore sustainable ag vendors. As a listener to this show, you can take $50 off of your ticket when you use code podcast 24 at checkout. Get yours today@sustainableagexpo.org. Now let's listen in. [00:02:00] Craig Macmillan: Our guest, today is Kelpie Wilson. She's the owner of Wilson Biochar Associates, consulting and manufacturing. And as you may have guessed today, we're going to talk about biochar. Welcome to the podcast, Kelpie. [00:02:08] Kelpie Wilson: Thanks. Thanks for having me. [00:02:11] Craig Macmillan: What exactly is biochar? [00:02:13] Kelpie Wilson: Biochar is just charcoal, but it's special charcoal that, uh, you can use in soil or for purposes of carbon sequestration. That's the official definition from the International Biochar Initiative. [00:02:27] Craig Macmillan: And what does biochar do for us in the vineyard? [00:02:30] Kelpie Wilson: Well, it sequesters carbon, so it's a very stable form of carbon. Uh, Carbon comes in a lot of different forms. I mean, we're all made of carbon, and, you know, carbon can be a diamond, which is really stable, or it can be in a sugar, which, uh, you um, oxidized into CO2 pretty quickly. So uh, in is very, in a very stable form um, it's called aromatic carbon, so it's fused carbon rings. which are the basis of all organic chemistry. biochar is. It's carbon. The thing about biochar and charcoal is that charcoal can have, you know, widely ranging different properties depending on how you make it and what it's made from. And I should add also that uh, in the definition of biochar, For use in soil or for use in carbon sequestration, it needs to be made from organic you know, that is clean. So there are some environmental kind of limits around it that ensure that it's, it's really contributing to the carbon cycle in a positive way and that we're not making Materials that have, you know, toxics in them that could hurt soil. [00:03:41] Craig Macmillan: So we're introducing carbon in a fairly stable people have told me that the carbon that you put into the soil in the form of biochar could be there for thousands of years, but it's obviously available somehow, or it's involved in the soil microbiome somehow, or it's involved in nutrient cycling somehow. What are some of the properties that contribute to that soil health component, [00:04:00] Kelpie Wilson: Well, There's there's quite a few. The interesting thing about biochar is that it's naturally present in soils in many, many parts of the world because of fire, from vegetation fires, forest fires, it's it's supposed to be there in many cases. Uh, Especially here in the, in the in the west coast where we uh, natural fire regime in the forest. And if you look at the most productive soils in the world, for instance, the mollisols in Iowa or the um, in the Eurasian steppe, they have large amounts of biochar Um, In the case of the steppes and the plains, that's because of prairie fires. So you have these tall, tall grasses that would periodically burn off very regularly, like every 10 years or so, and the top would burn off in a flame, and that heat would radiate you know, kind of just above the root zone, the grasses are bunched up really thick, and some air is excluded, so they wouldn't burn all the way to ash, but the heat would turn it to char, the flame would move on, and you'd be left with char, and so this char builds up over years and centuries, and, you know, hundreds of centuries to make this a very black soil and then there are other places around the world historically going back thousands of years where it was deliberately to add to soil. So those are the terra preta soils in the Amazon naturally normally didn't have a lot of fires. And look, also can look at charcoal middens around ancient villages and even city states where people would dump their manure and their, you know, their hue manure, their night soil, and they would always deodorize it with charcoal and ash, and you find very fertile black soils in those places. So, it's not a new thing um, but we just kind of recently rediscovered So, as far as what it does in soil, you know, it doesn't break down. Like, you know, you asked, well, then how does it feed the It it sets the table. So It's the stable carbon with these fused carbon rings. It doesn't break down easily. And we'll also have the mineral ash. from the vegetation that burned. And so that's food. And then it also needs the carbs and the protein. So, and that comes from all the fertilizer that you add to it. So it basically sets the table for soil life because microbes like to sit down when they eat. And so you have all these little surfaces. In the charcoal, it's very, very porous. You know, think of activated carbon. People know that activated carbon is used for filtration. It's got all these pores. And so, in that way, it's kind of like a sponge. It can hold air and soil, which is beneficial. But also, there's the surface area. So, each of those tiny pores has a surface around it. And when you add up all the surface area, and this is kind of mind boggling, It's But you take a teaspoon of, of or, you know, that's got a lot of surface area or an activated carbon and it can have a football field's worth of surface area all inside It's, you know, it's, it's, it's amazing to think about, but all those surfaces are where the microbes can sit down and attach themselves. And if we, if we have added fertilizer as well, there are nutrients and water. Attached to those surfaces by electrostatic attraction. So the microbes just can hang out there and, and it's all there for them. So that's how biochar promotes um, the soil food web by, uh, promoting the microbes. And then the their mycelia in there to, you know, get it's a foundation of good soil. [00:07:42] Craig Macmillan: And you were talking about the fertilizer part. Is that one of the reasons why it's a good idea or a common practice to mix biochar with compost and spread it in that form? [00:07:50] Kelpie Wilson: Yes, but I would not just mix it with compost if I have any choice at all. I would put it in the beginning of the composting That's where you're going to get the most benefit know, it just takes time for all these things to come And so If you start it from the beginning, not only do you get the nutrients and the biology in there right you're um, having um, beneficial impact on your composting So, You'll have fewer greenhouse gas uh, the compost will get hotter quicker uh, and you know, the char will absorb any kind of nasty stuff that's in there, reduce odors, etc. it's really, The thing about biochar and to make it really work for you in a, in a farm um, is to get every, Benefit you can out of it. And there's a whole cascade of benefits that come with biochar. [00:08:40] Craig Macmillan: we can talk about that some more, but let's get to some practical things. Let's say I'm interested in this. I've been hearing about it. I'm excited about it. I want to try this out. How can I make some high quality biochar with the least amount of emissions and the highest biochar production on my farm? [00:08:57] Kelpie Wilson: Great So I've been working on this for quite a while. When I first heard about biochar, it was, I think, 2007, and it was the terra preta soils that we were all hearing about. I immediately got involved in it. I went to work for the International Biochar you know, was in close touch with people all around the world. that we're trying to find ways to start making and using biochar, and a lot of the first people to actually do it were people who uh, you know, making little cook stoves or just making biochar in burn piles, and I saw that myself because I live in the woods here in Oregon, and I'd go out to where they did burn piles to, you know, We had a lot of extra vegetation that had to be thinned to protect from wildfire. And I'd go to these burn piles and I'd find little chunks of charcoal left in them. And so we started making, doing experiments to see if we could optimize that. And we figured out make, take a burn pile and light it from the top. So it burned from the top down, and that would burn up a lot of the smoke so it was cleaner, and also leave us with a little pile of glowing coals at the end. And anybody who's made a campfire has seen this. You have that pile of glowing coals, and if you just walk away and leave it, it'll all go to ash. But if you just simply put it out with water, hey, you've got biochar. So that's the way to start, and you can can do it in your a, with a kettle grill. You know, just a little container that will improve the biochar recovery because if you cut off the air that comes in from and the sides of your you, you will just burn less of it to And again, you just put it out with water. So then I started making containers to improve the efficiency. compared to making biochar in an open burn pile, if you put it in a container, You can make three or four times as much so, I've been working with little containers ever those, We call those flame cap kilns. Because the idea of how they work is you put your, make your burn pile in a container. It's cutting off air from the bottom and the sides. So all the air comes from the And as it burns down, you keep adding more. And every time you add more material, it flames up. And the char that you've already formed on the bottom is protected from air by the container. And it's protected from air from the top because all the air that comes in is used in the flame of the currently burning material. And so what you've already made is, is protected from oxygen. So you can build up a huge pile of char in a container, and you're only limited by the size of your container, really. [00:11:34] Craig Macmillan: So the practice is put your feedstock in a container something that cuts off the bottom the sides from the air Light it from the top with kindling or something I would assume something lighter weight and then as that process goes and you can see the material come back Well, is it truly combustion if there's not a lot of oxygen? [00:11:51] Kelpie Wilson: Well, uh, I call it combustus interruptus. So basically it is combustion, but combustion happens in stages. Okay. myths combustion. One is um, wood wood burns, wood does not burn. Wood gas burns in a And you can see this if you look at your charcoal grill, you see, there's not a flame. Because the gas has already been mostly, you know, burned out of it. And so it just glows. So there's different stages of combustion. The first one is dehydration. When you heat a stick of um, water's going to come off of it, because water doesn't burn. And then the gases come out, and those are, methane, carbon burnable, burnable gases, and those make the flame. And then when the flame goes out, you know, you just, that glowing coal stage. So it's, it's really staged combustion, and you're just interrupting and saving the char. [00:12:49] Craig Macmillan: If I understand you correctly by putting more material on the top I'm continuing that process. The stuff on this top is heating up. You're getting that, flame cap. So you described it. And I can just keep layering on until my container's full. Basically. [00:13:04] Kelpie Wilson: Yep, that's how we do [00:13:06] Craig Macmillan: I want to come back to the kiln idea, but first, what are the, what are good feedstocks to make biochar from? What are feedstocks that are not good for making biochar? Right. Right. Uh [00:13:19] Kelpie Wilson: Good feedstocks are dry. You don't want a lot of wet stuff, because you use a lot of energy burning the wet. , Good feedstocks are also appropriately sized. So grapevines, for instance, are good because they're not really big. Even the trunk of a vine is not really big. And so if you try to put a big log in your container on your fire, you use so much energy to get the heat into the center of the log. So it's a progressive thing, right? You're charring the outside, and the heat's moving in, it's charring and charring and charring. But meanwhile, the outside of your char is starting to burn to ash. So it's not very efficient to try and char a big log. The kind of limit depends a lot on the fuel moisture. In Utah, we're We have really dry wood. People are putting six and eight inch diameter logs in a kiln and doing fine. In Oregon, I kind of keep it to four inches, usually. But you know, we could do bigger stuff. It's just not quite as efficient. So dry less than 25 percent moisture is ideal. We can do wetter stuff, and we often do because we're here in the middle of winter trying to get burn piles taken care of. So we go ahead and do it, and there's some techniques for optimizing how you do that, how you load it. But dry, less than 25%. and not too big, but also not too small. I've really tried hard to biochar hemp stalks, for instance, which are abundant around here, and they're just a little too small. if they're dry, they do pretty well, but you have to really make sure you don't pack them in too tightly because, small, small things like straw, and crop waste like that, they will pack and cut off the airflow and you'll get smoke. [00:15:07] Craig Macmillan: Oh, okay. [00:15:08] Kelpie Wilson: That's the main issue is you get smoke. And then as far as what species, the main difference between different species of wood, for instance, is density. And because we're making biochar in a flame, we're making it at a very high temperature. So it's, as long as we're not smoldering it, As long as we have the flame present, we know we're making it at a high enough temperature to burn out most of the volatiles. Know, some species like eucalyptus or walnut might have chemicals in them that are allelopathic, I think is the term. And if you add a lot of that to soil, you could have problems. But as long as we're making it at high temperature, we burn most of that out. [00:15:50] Craig Macmillan: Got it. So we want things that are dry. We want things that are woody, that are relatively high in concentration. Things like grasses are probably not going to work as well or work terribly well. It sounds like you want chunks basically, you know, something about the size of your forearm or a little bit bigger chunk would be a really great, size. [00:16:09] Kelpie Wilson: that's a great way to look at it. I like the physical measurements. You know, I was telling woofers here the other day about how to, make biochar compost. And so we're doing it in layers. And I just said, think about Parmesan cheese. When you add the biochar, if you really like Parmesan on your pizza, just add the biochar like that. So those kinds of physical measurements are really helpful for people when they're learning how to use biochar. [00:16:33] Craig Macmillan: and returning to that topic you recommend putting biochar in your composting windrows at the beginning as part of the whole process. [00:16:41] Kelpie Wilson: Yes. The very beginning when I think about a vineyard, especially one where you're actually making the wine know, you're pressing the grapes and you have the is it called pomace? I think the grape skins that's easily degradable stuff. It's hard to, compost just on its own because it doesn't have much carbon, but if you add biochar to that, you can make a beautiful compost. And then great for reducing on farm inputs. contributing to the circular economy. And that's always how I recommend people use biochar if possible, is find whatever other organic waste streams are there, whether it's grass clippings, grape pomace, leaves, anything else, manure that you might have, mix it right in there. [00:17:27] Craig Macmillan: Makes tons of sense. Okay. Let's get down to the nitty gritty here. We've touched on kilns as a way of getting the highest production. Tell me about the Ring of Fire Kiln system the concept in general. And then what might, what might be a biochar production day like? [00:17:42] Kelpie Wilson: The Ring of Fire kiln is my latest, greatest design. Just bin kilns, but they were heavy. So They were, weighing a lot, and you had to, move them around, and very hard for one person. So I came up with this modular design of panels. And so you can hook them together. They're four feet long and 40 inches tall, and they have a bracket that hooks them all together, and you can make a kiln any size you want. with that. I mean, not too big, but usually we make kilns that are between six feet and 12 feet in diameter. And so that can accommodate the piles you already have, for instance. And then the other innovation with that kiln is it has a heat shield. And that's really important for two reasons. One is it holds more heat in the kiln so you get more production. It's more efficient. But the other one is that it protects the worker. Because when you are around a giant , flaming pile, you know, you can really get fried just from the radiant heat. You know, you're not burning up, but you, the radiant heat, I would come away from some of my sessions with very red skin and very dehydrated. And so we really think a lot about the workers who are doing this. Because it's mostly hand labor, although we can also load the bigger kilns with, machinery. that's the Ring of Fire Kiln. It's also very, very clean, and there's a gap between the heat shield and the inner ring that allows, um, air to come through, and then so you have preheated air that's going in from the top into the kiln. And that also helps a lot with, uh, Reducing the smoke. And I have lots of pictures and videos showing the smoke being sucked into the kiln from the top. It's really cool to see these loops of smoke kind of coming up and then being sucked back down into the kiln. Those are the advantages of the ring of fire kiln in addition to the fact that it's modular. One person can take it apart and move it one panel at a time. The panels only weigh less than 40 pounds and set it up somewhere else. That's, that's the other advantage of the ring of fire kiln. So a typical workday, and I'm going to quote some numbers from my colleague Eric Meyer, who has Napa char, and he's done some incredible work in vineyards in the last couple years. Here's what he says He can make up to 12 cubic yards of biochar per kiln per day, which is two bone dry tons. And that is equivalent to two to three acres of pulled mines. he'll do this usually with one helper. Sometimes he'll have a, a mini excavator that he uses to load it, but a lot of times he's just doing it, you know, as hand labor. And so that's a ;lot of biochar, two tons of biochar in one day. He'll start by arriving at the site, setting up his kiln, and then just hand loading the biochar initially, fill it full, light it on top. There's a little break where you let it burn down till you start seeing glowing coals at the bottom and, some ash on the top. And then you just load it one layer at a time. And the loading rate is really critical. If you overload, you get smoke and you'll end up maybe even with unburned pieces in the bottom because the flame moves up in the kiln as you add more material and the bottom starts cooling off. You don't want to leave any big pieces at the bottom. We load small pieces initially. And if you have bigger pieces, you would load them kind of toward the end or in the middle. And then when it's all full of biochar, or you're just done for the day because you're tired, you get some water out and you spray the kiln down with water just to cool it. Then you open up the panels, and rake it out, and you spray it with water and rake it at the same time. So you end up with a big, big patch of biochar on the ground. [00:21:29] Craig Macmillan: Perfect. Then you take that to your composting spot and away you go. . [00:21:32] Kelpie Wilson: another piece about making biochar from vineyards, especially vineyard removals, is that a lot of times there's wire, trellis wire, in it. And you could have a big pile and you could build a kiln around the pile because you're not untangling that pile, right, with all the wire in it. And then at the end, uh, you know, you pick the wire out of the char. You can use a magnet. [00:21:52] Craig Macmillan: That's cool. What are some things that we should be concerned about not doing? If we are newbies to biochar production. [00:22:00] Kelpie Wilson: Yeah, that's a really good question too. So, you need to know a little bit about your biochar. If you have a lot of ash in it, it can be alkaline. So if you have an alkaline soil, and you have alkaline biochar, you need to think about how you're going to apply it and maybe, usually composting will take care of any pH issue. If you have an acidic soil, you might want to just add it directly. You know, take the most advantage you can get of that liming ability. You also don't want to add too much at one time, especially without composting it first, because it can, , lock up nutrients for a short time. Most likely you're not gonna have too much biochar for a, for a big field. Um, It's great to be able to do it a little bit every year. That's the best way to incorporate it. [00:22:47] Craig Macmillan: Oh, and that's another question. I've seen different strategies here. Some folks believe that it has to be incorporated into the soil. Other folks say, no, that's good, but you can go ahead and spread it at the surface and you'll still get some benefits. Is that true? [00:22:58] Kelpie Wilson: Well, it's going to depend a lot on what you're trying to grow. So the vineyard trials that I've seen using biochar, a lot of times they're putting it in at planting and they're putting it in deep in the root zone. That seems like a good idea to me. One thing I'll say is when I look at the literature, I read a lot of the biochar research literature. There's some really interesting new material out about replant disease. So if you're replanting in a vineyard, you know, in an old vineyard, new vines. The soil can harbor pathogens that the older vines were able to resist, but the new vines have a hard time with. And biochar has a lot of benefits for disease resistance, just because it promotes a lot of microbial diversity, so you don't get the dominance with some of the pathogenic fungi and other organisms. So, you know, adding it, deep You know, when you're doing the replanting, replacing a vineyard is probably the most beneficial way, to add biochar. But if you already have a vineyard and you're using cover cropping, for instance, it'll go really well with a legume cover crop like clover and you don't even need to compost it because clover and legumes fix their own nitrogen and And biochar is especially wonderful with legume crops because it promotes the nitrogen fixing bacteria. If I just had a couple bags of biochar and I wanted to use it right away, and I was, planting a cover crop, I'd just use it in the cover crop. I think vines are like any other plant, where they have roots that come up close to the surface, they can get benefit from surface applied biochar as well. [00:24:39] Craig Macmillan: So if I'm following this idea, so from a cover cropping standpoint, what am I going to do is broadcast it and then plant my cover crop. That'd be one way of building the health of the whole floor, which is a really good idea. What about banding? It's very popular to band compost right into the vine row. If I have compost that's got biochar in it, will I get those benefits as well? [00:24:59] Kelpie Wilson: I would totally think so. The other thing about biochar is that it holds water. So, you know, in, droughty areas that would be helpful to, [00:25:08] Craig Macmillan: If there was one thing, just one piece of advice that you had for folks, Who are interested in starting to produce biochar and use biochar. Let's talk about it one for production and one thing for use. What would that be? What would that two part advice be? [00:25:25] Kelpie Wilson: first of all, uh, get one of my ring of fire biochar kilns. It's a, you know, it's really economic. And second of all, buy my book, the biochar handbook, because I have all kinds of information in there about composting, you know, different ways to culture biochar, build soil. Well, you know, so sorry to be so nakedly promotional there, but [00:25:50] Craig Macmillan: Well, you know, you're directing, you're directing people towards resources, [00:25:53] Kelpie Wilson: right. [00:25:53] Craig Macmillan: Anything else? [00:25:54] Kelpie Wilson: Oh, well, I'll send you some other resources, too, that you don't have to buy the book. Check out the U. S. Biotar Initiative website. There's a Biotar Learning Center there and USBI has collected a lot of resources there. fact sheets, their seminars, webinars. There is a lot of biochar information out there. And I will say I've watched a few YouTube videos that are just. Make me cringe it is so easy to experiment with it yourself, which is great. It's really great that people experiment with it. And I think, feel free, you know, do your own experiments. , there's some not so great information out there that, you might want to just do your own work and look at the more authoritative sources like that the USBI before you take what a YouTuber says as, as gospel about biochar. So I guess my one advice really on both, topics of production and application is just jump in and try it. It's so easy. You know, make it, make a bonfire in your backyard or, any kind of little container. You could dig a little shallow pit in the ground and, just make some biochar, then you've got some. Now do some, greenhouse trials. You know, see how it interacts with your soil because every soil is different. And so, check the pH, add it to, you know, your soil, and, grow a seedling. it's very easy to do some experiments. I actually have, in my book, a whole procedure for how to do a, scientifically valid experiment. Uh, Pot trial in the greenhouse, so you can really, step by step, you can really look and see how it compares with other amendments, try it in your compost pile, use a compost thermometer, it's not straightforward how to use it in compost, because again, compost like soil, it's going to have a lot of different kinds of ingredients, biochar does really interesting things, in compost, so. Just try it. [00:27:46] Craig Macmillan: Just try it. Like that's great advice. Our guest today has been Kelpie Wilson. She's the owner of Wilson Biochar Associates Consulting and Manufacturing. Thank you so much for being on the podcast. This has been some really great practical, actionable information, which is what we like to bring our listeners. As Kelpie mentioned, we're going to have a lot of links to things and resources and whatnot on the show notes. So be sure to travel to that page. I'm finding that this is a growing topic of interest, but I'm finding that there's more and more folks that are trying it, and we're all very excited for what the potential might be. [00:28:17] Beth Vukmanic: Thank you for listening. Today's podcast was brought to you by San agro. WestBridge is now San aggro. When the opportunity came to expand their reach and improve their customer's bottom line, they took it. San Agros commitment to deliver science-based solutions for sustainable crop health and nutrition remains the same. They offer a full line of plant nutrients, bio pesticides, and specialty inputs. Visit San agro.com to learn more. Make sure you check out the show notes for links to Kelpie her new book, the bio char handbook, a practical guide to making and using bioactivated charcoal loads, more links to bio char plus sustainable Winegrowing podcast episodes. 56 conservation burning and bio char. 1 0 6, what? Barry charcoal and the vineyard. 1 67. Used bio char to combat climate change and two 15 bio char production on a commercial scale. If you'd liked the show, do us a big favor by sharing it with a friend. Subscribing and leaving us a review. You can find all of the podcasts on vineyard team.org/podcast. And you can reach us@podcastatvineyardteam.org. Until next time, this is sustainable. Winegrowing with the vineyard team. Nearly perfect transcription by Descript
Pete Hoekstra, Former Amb to the Netherlands, Chair House Intell Committee. Writer and commentator on national security and intelligence issues. Chairman Michigan GOP. Biden administration will ban federal government using plastic cutlery to combat climate change
Tonight's rundown: Hey BillOReilly.com Premium and Concierge Members, welcome to the No Spin News for Tuesday, August 6, 2024. Stand Up for Your Country. Talking Points Memo: Bill analyzes Kamala Harris' selection of Gov. Tim Walz as Vice President. Author Victor Davis Hanson joins the No Spin News. The latest on the US military operations in Iran and Iraq. The Biden administration bans single-use plastics to combat climate change. This Day in History: The bombing of Hiroshima. Final Thought: People are panicking. In Case You Missed It: Read Bill's latest column, The Truth About Candidate Trump For a limited time, get two of our classic mugs with a 25% discount. Our DOUBLE MUG DEAL includes a Stand Up For Your Country mug and a Team Normal mug, both in navy. ORDER TODAY! Election season is here! Now's the time to get a Premium or Concierge Membership to BillOReilly.com, the only place for honest news analysis. Preorder Bill's latest book, CONFRONTING THE PRESIDENTS, a No Spin assessment of every president from Washington to Biden. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Climate change is a worry. We get it. But how to do something positive about it, especially as a wine lover? After all, it's not easy knowing which wines to buy to support producers doing the right thing...Which is where the IWCA comes in handy - International Wineries for Climate Action. This is a bunch of conscientious wine producers who have signed up to stringent, science-based carbon emission audits and committed to reaching net zero by 2050. As well as sharing info and generally being responsible about the environment.It's ground-breaking stuff and in this episode we get the low-down on the IWCA and hear about ingenious schemes to combat climate change from Familia Torres president and IWCA co-founder Miguel A Torres (the legend!), Sogrape fourth generation member Mafalda Guedes and Ramuntxo Andonegui of Domaine Lafage in Roussillon. We also recommend our favourites from a recent IWCA 'low emission wine' tasting in London.The word 'extinction' crops up. But so do the words 'resilience', 'happy', 'friendly' and, 'delicious'. So that's nice.Thanks for tuning in. We love to hear from you so please do get in touch! Send us a voice message via Speakpipe. Or you can find contact info, together with all details from this episode including full wine recommendations, on our website: Show notes for Wine Blast S5 E25 - Wines to Combat Climate ChangeInstagram: @susieandpeter
More than a third of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions come from food systems. So now, there is a big push to make agriculture more sustainable. And seed technology has an important role to play. On today's episode of State of Seed, we hear about the science behind three main types of seed innovation: traditional plant breeding, genetically modified seeds (or GMO seeds), and genome editing. What are the benefits and risks of these emerging technologies? And how could they reshape the future of food? Host Laura Rosbrow-Telem speaks with some of the leading innovators in the seed world, including Richard Harrison, managing director of plant sciences at Wageningen University and Research in the Netherlands; Diego Risso, executive director of the Seed Association of the Americas; and Dan Jenkins, vice president of regulatory and government affairs at Pairwise, a U.S. startup genetically editing seeds. Olalekan Akinbo, Senior Program Officer of the Biosafety Program for the African Union Development Agency, also shared his perspective on genome editing during a panel at the centennial World Seed Congress. Special thanks to Thin Lei Win, whose journalism helped inform this episode. State of Seed is a show from the International Seed Federation, with production services by FP Studios.
Welcome to this special episode of Hardware to Save a Planet. Joining us today is Dr. Ye Tao, Founder and Executive Director of MEER, a company that uses mirrors at scale to reflect sunlight and mitigate the impact of global warming. Join us as we discuss the innovative concept of MEER and its potential to combat climate change. Dr. Tao shares his insights on the urgent need for sustainable solutions and how MEER can help transition civilization toward a more sustainable future. We delve into the fascinating world of nanoparticle research and the possibilities of dimensional reduction. Discover the limitations of renewable energy and the importance of energy ROI. Dr. Tao also explores the exciting applications of mirrors in controlling sunlight and optimizing temperature reduction.
In the third and final episode of our Big Why climate series, we travel across the state to meet Montanans banding together to combat climate change.
In the third and final episode of our Big Why climate series, we travel across the state to meet Montanans banding together to combat climate change.
How whales do so much to combat climate change, and we hear about the world's largest genome. All this to discuss in this weeks Green Scene with Dr. Ruth Freeman Director of Science for Society at Science Foundation Ireland.All with thanks to AIB Ireland.
Scientists gathered on the flight deck of a decommissioned aircraft carrier this month to test a technology to assist with cloud brightening. The idea is basically to make clouds more reflective so they bounce more of the sun's rays back out to space. Theoretically cooling the earth and combating global warming.It's the first time such a test has taken place outdoors in the United States.We can only make Soundside because listeners support us. Make the show happen by making a gift to KUOW:https://www.kuow.org/donate/soundside
In the second hour of "Connections with Evan Dawson" on Monday, April 22, 2024, we talk with the City of Rochester's forester and members of the local chapter of the Sierra Club about efforts to plant more trees in the community and how residents can get involved in that effort.
This week we welcome Mark Z Jacobson to the show to lay out the case for a full immediate transition to renewable energy, and how he’s crunched the numbers to show that...
Mandatory climate disclosure reporting laws for large organisations currently exist in many jurisdictions and are about to be introduced into Australia. In this episode of Engineering Reimagined, Jeremy Cooper, Belinda Wade and Ryan Isaacs explore the challenges and opportunities of this mandatory reporting and the real potential for large companies and superannuation funds to help shape the decisions which influence the progression and impacts of climate change.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In this episode of Cause & Purpose, we sit down with the COO of Elemental Excelerator, Avra van der Zee.Avra's dedication to combatting climate change has spanned her entire career. From e-bikes, to sustainable pre-fabricated construction materials, to the 150+ startups in Elemental Excelerator's portfolio, Avra has worked, across her career, to help build and scale the innovative climate solutions that will help shape our environment for generations to come. A litigation attorney turned social entrepreneur, Avra has tons of great insights to share about everything from working with government programs, to storytelling, to climate justice issues, to storytelling, and building performance measurement and evaluation frameworks that empower organizations to maximize their impact.Join us as we learn a bit about Avra's background, and the way she, and Elemental Excelerator, are tackling global climate change at a massive scale.
Prof. Mark Swilling, Co-Director of the Centre for Sustainability Transitions at Stellenbosch University discussed the policy debate on the future of South Africa's infrastructure and how it affects climate change.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
UW-Madison announced some ambitious goals for the planet: power the entire campus with renewable sources of electricity by 2030, send no new waste to the landfill by 2040, and become carbon neutral by 2048. For an institution with 420 buildings and another 9,500 acres of off-campus property, that's no small feat. So how will they get there? Dylan Brogan talks to two people at UW-Madison who are making it happen: Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies Dean Paul Robbins and Associate Vice Chancellor for Facilities Planning & Management Cindy Torstveit. Wanna talk to us about an episode? Leave us a voicemail at 608-318-3367 or email madison@citycast.fm. We're also on Instagram! Want more Madison news delivered right to your inbox? Subscribe to the Madison Minutes morning newsletter. Looking to advertise on City Cast Madison? Check out our options for podcast ads. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Summary In this episode of The Humans vs Retirement Podcast, I sit down with Jack Chellman, Chief Project Officer of the Global Returns Project a UK charity that is on a mission to create systemic change to fund the highest impact climate charities and make giving toward climate change as easy and accessible as possible. Jack and I discuss how charitable giving could and maybe should form part of every retirement plan. Jack also dispels many myths about giving and explains how the Global Returns Project makes charitable giving easy and transparent by selecting high-impact climate charities and providing rigorous monitoring and reporting. The portfolio of charities includes organizations that protect rainforests, enforce environmental law, conserve marine life, and restore forests. Jack emphasizes the need for increased philanthropy towards climate mitigation efforts and highlights the role of the Global Returns Project in making sustainable giving mainstream. He also discusses the integration of the project into financial planning and the options for donating. We explore the impact of climate change, individual actions to combat it, and the role of governments and corporations in addressing the issue. Our conversation highlights the importance of taking meaningful action to combat climate change and emphasizes the potential for positive change if everyone contributes. Takeaways Charitable giving can be an important part of a retirement plan, allowing individuals to make a positive impact on causes that matter to them. The Global Returns Project makes charitable giving easy and transparent by selecting high-impact climate charities and providing rigorous monitoring and reporting. The portfolio of charities recommended by the Global Returns Project includes organizations that protect rainforests, enforce environmental law, conserve marine life, and restore forests. Donating to climate charities is a way to address the urgent issue of climate change and its impact on other important causes. The Global Returns Project can be integrated into financial planning, allowing individuals to allocate a portion of their assets to charitable giving. Climate change is a pressing issue that requires immediate action. Individual actions, such as reducing carbon emissions and adopting sustainable practices, can make a significant impact. Investing in sustainable solutions is crucial for addressing climate change. Governments and corporations play a vital role in implementing policies and initiatives to combat climate change. Taking meaningful action collectively can lead to positive change and make a difference. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to the Global Returns Project 03:21 Charitable Giving as Part of a Retirement Plan 09:36 Dispelling Myths about Charitable Giving 12:59 Making Charitable Giving Part of Asset Allocation 18:49 The Importance of Transparency and Impact Reporting 23:20 The Limitations of Sustainable Investing 26:45 The Portfolio of Charities and Their Impact 32:34 The Mechanics and Methodology of the Global Returns Project 40:02 Integrating the Global Returns Project into Financial Planning 49:05 How to Donate and Get Involved 05:00 Understanding Climate Change 15:00 The Impact of Climate Change 25:00 Individual Actions to Combat Climate Change 35:00 Investing in Sustainable Solutions 45:00 The Role of Governments and Corporations 51:12 Taking Meaningful Action Episode Links & Resources The Global Returns Project WealthGPS – Lifestyle Financial Planning by TFP Download My FREE Retirement Toolkit Subscribe to my Super Sunday Retirement Roundup Newsletter
An incredible team of people are heading off on a unique expedition to see first-hand how daunting the melting sea ice, warming seas, and changing weather patterns will be for Antarctica. Adventurer Peter Hillary, alongside Graham and Raewyn Henry, will lead 130 participants whose expertise spans science, business, art, and politics on a voyage of enlightenment down south. Antarctica is not your typical tourist destination, and while most people will never visit, the upcoming expedition is Hillary's 43rd trip. “It is an incredible place,” he told Newstalk ZB's Jack Tame. “Kind of unlike anywhere else on earth.” The objective of the trip is to immerse the participants in the solitude and expanse of the icy landscape and use that as a base for meaningful conversations about what can be done to stabilise climate change. “We have to connect with these places.” Hillary said. He told Tame that in the 19th century, Antarctica was rarely visited except by sealers and whalers, who proceeded to devastate the populations of those animals. “No one saw it and really, no one cared.” LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
AP correspondent Ed Donahue on Hawaii Native Salt Makers
The phrases climate change, greenhouse gas emissions, and carbon sequestration are common place in wine production. But what can you do make a science-based, and achievable impact? Brianna Beighle, Assistant Winemaker at Patz & Hall Wine Company explains scope one, two, and three emissions as they apply to the wine industry. Viticulturalists and winemakers can look at easy to measure practices like diesel fuel use, Nitrogen application timing, and light weight glass bottles to reduce their footprint. She explains that even small shifts in management can have a big impact. Resources: 67: Impacts of Climate Change on Wine Production 91: Carbon Sequestration 122: Preserving Agriculture Land to Combat Climate Change 125: Using Grape Grower Demographics to Influence Climate Change Adaptation 167: Use Biochar to Combat Climate Change 171: How to Farm Wine Grapes for Climate Change 2020 HiRes Vineyard Nutrition Research Update Bottled Up: Unpacking the Facts about Wine Bottles and Climate Change Brianna Beighle's LinkedIn Christina Lazcano, University of California, Davis International Wineries for Climate Action (IWAC) Shaky Ground: A company called Indigo is paying farmers to trap carbon in their soils. Some researchers say the climate benefits are dubious Soil organic carbon sequestration rates in vineyard agroecosystems under different soil management practices: A meta-analysis Vineyard nutrient management in Washington State Vineyard Team Programs: Juan Nevarez Memorial Scholarship - Donate SIP Certified – Show your care for the people and planet Sustainable Ag Expo – The premiere winegrowing event of the year Sustainable Winegrowing On-Demand (Western SARE) – Learn at your own pace Vineyard Team – Become a Member Get More Subscribe wherever you listen so you never miss an episode on the latest science and research with the Sustainable Winegrowing Podcast. Since 1994, Vineyard Team has been your resource for workshops and field demonstrations, research, and events dedicated to the stewardship of our natural resources. Learn more at www.vineyardteam.org. Transcript Craig Macmillan 0:00 And our guest today is Brianna Beighle. She is assistant winemaker at Patz & Hall Wine Company. And she's an MBA student in the half school, the UC Berkeley, and she focuses on sustainability. And she's been working on some pretty interesting things around science based decision making and climate change. Welcome to the podcast, Brianna. Brianna Beighle 0:18 Thank you. I'm so excited to be here in chat with you, Craig. Craig Macmillan 0:20 I am too. You've been doing quite a bit of thinking. And also communicating on the role of what we would call science based decision making regarding companies or firms, sometimes I call them and things like climate change, climate change. In particular, this requires us to draw some boxes conceptually, maybe from even a systems thinking approach. If you if you subscribe to that kind of an idea where in order to get a handle on talking about something, we're probably need to kind of define it. And sometimes it's just a question of where do you draw the lines around? What in what? So in the realm of business and climate change industries and climate change? There are some boxes have already been defined, that have been found to be useful. But they also have some limitations? What would some of those be in your mind is a good starting points? Brianna Beighle 1:05 Oh, goodness, I guess I'll just go first to where you're talking about some things that have already been established. And I'm just going to say, the first ones that everyone has out there is that the scope one, scope two and scope, three emissions. So those have been established to kind of bucket as you're saying where specific emissions come from. And scope one emissions for I'm sure most of you are familiar, are ones that are directly associated with company facilities, company vehicles. Scope two emissions are ones that are generated from electricity production for the facility. So that's heating, that's cooling, you may not be generating that electricity on site in some cases, but you're still claiming it because you're using the lab that electricity on site. And scope three is, as Craig, you know, it's kind of the catch all for everything else. Craig Macmillan 1:58 Exactly. Brianna Beighle 1:59 I would say that it's useful in some respect, where it taught us how to think about emissions and to pinpoint fossil fuels are where a lot of our emissions come from as a society on this planet. But I think that scope three is too general, where it lumps all these things together. And it makes us not claim anything as our own, which kind of inhibits us, as we say, What can I do to move forward? Craig Macmillan 2:23 Exactly. That's a really good point, in particular relate to the wind industry, would you consider for wineries Would you consider CO2 emissions from fermentation is scope one emissions? Brianna Beighle 2:34 I would I think I'd like to introduce another topic here. And that's modern carbon versus versus fossil carbon. And so what what that saying here is, fossil carbon is everything that we are drawing out from the earth, it's very deep in the ground, and we're excavating it out, and it's been there for years. And so again, that's fossil fuels really easy. And then we go to other types of carbon, which would be for what we've got with fermentation, in which case, that's carbon that's already naturally generated and already within the realm of the atmosphere. So maybe this, that was a silly way to explain it, but here, I'm gonna break it down. So what it is, is our plants are taking in carbon our vines are taking in carbon from the air, and then they're incorporating it into the trunk into the leaves and into the fruit. So that carbon was already in the atmosphere, whether I put it in a ferment and make it co2 And alcohol, or whether I dropped that fruit on the ground, it's just going to cycle back in to the atmosphere. So it's a cyclical process. So that's something that the earth is naturally balanced to. The carbon matters in my mind is the carbon that's not constantly cycling, and is not part of a natural process. And that's, again, the fossil carbons that were stored, and we're pulling out and we're admitting, Craig Macmillan 3:47 That makes a lot of sense. So there we are talking about boxes again, right? So I can say, hey, yeah, there's CO2 being released by my Fermat. Or there's some kind of a nitrous oxide or some other kind of a nitrogen based compound being released by sheep that are grazing my vineyard or by leguminous plants that are breaking down or whatever it might be. And there's those are naturally happening things is they're they're already in the environment, they're not being mined. How do I get a handle on what different processes are contributing how much they're contributing to greenhouse gas emission releases for things like my power usage, my scope two or my tractors or my farm trucks or whatever it might be? If I want to make decisions about reducing my outputs? How do I get a handle on that? Brianna Beighle 4:40 I'd say an ag, it's somewhat complex to get a handle on where our emissions come from and how we reduce them because it's all bound up in natural processes. Like you said, Yes, we're, we understand when we burn diesel for our tractors, what nitrous oxide we produce from that because that's an equation that we know we know how that diesel gets converted, where it becomes really difficult. And what you're trying to get at here seems like is that our biggest emitter, specifically in the vineyard is coming from the soil, and it is coming from the microbes in the soil. And it depends on what type of nitrogen you have available. It depends on how much water you have in the soil. There are so many things that are tied into that, that means that I can't say like, Hey, you apply this much nitrogen, it's going to turn into this much nitrous oxide. It doesn't it doesn't work like that, especially and I'd say it gets hard to in grapes. Because the nitrogen that's available to grapes, that's so we've got we've got our two forms of nitrogen that we apply. And that's we usually apply nitrate, there's also ammonia that can be applied to the soils. But in grapes that's considered toxic. And we're unlucky in the fact that all the ag products that are out there commercially, to kind of help reduce your nitrous your nitrogen emissions, your nitrous oxide emissions are because they convert the nitrous oxide and they hold it as ammonia, which we don't want for our soils. So we can't use that in grapes. So I guess I kind of just like spun around in a bit to say, yes, the nitrogen cycle is all cyclical, we have to think about it sure our tractors, that one's easy for us to think about, we need to think about it in our cover crop, because all the length, legumes we put out like those have nitrogen, and those get converted by microbes. And those get released, like that's still a source of emissions, we need to think about it. You mentioned rumens, I mentioned that and talked on that really quick. But yeah, our rumens our sheep or cows, they're all belching methane. That's what they do. And they have a lot of benefits to us from a sustainability perspective, from from a soil health perspective. And we need to count those benefits. But we also need to put them in the context of like they have emissions too. Craig Macmillan 6:40 Because even though we're talking about it, here's where things get fun. So even though we're talking about things that were already in the environment, right, they're above the surface of the Earth, they're in the soil during this throw in the air, that animal, or microbial process, whatever it is, is converting it into a form that has a very significant greenhouse gas emission effect. So methane, for instance, is the big one was one of the big ones. So it wasn't methane before, but it's methane now. Brianna Beighle 7:09 Yeah, methane being 25 times more insular in terms of its climate impacts. And then we also have the benefit where methane converts to CO2. So that's why we extra don't want to make it if you're gonna make one or the other. So that kind of comes down again, me branching off to why composting is important. Rather than landfills, it's like, Sure, it turns into CO2 when it goes into the atmosphere and composting, but that's better than going methane in the landfill and then going to CO2. Craig Macmillan 7:34 How do I get a handle on this? How do I I'm a manager, I've been with the forces, the powers that be have said, okay, look, we need to take a look at our carbon footprint or greenhouse gas issues. Go tell me what we've been doing and then make some recommendations for how we change it. How do I Where do I get data? I'm How do I go about this? Brianna Beighle 7:53 I think to start off with it's kind of just getting familiar with folks in the industry who have already benchmarked because it's really, it's expensive to create a lifecycle assessment. And I'd say that that's kind of a career that's just starting up. For example, we have the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance, they put together a study in which they looked at all the emissions throughout the entire throughout the entire wind cycle that goes from vineyard that even includes which I'm really happy about that they included some scope threes, we'll put that in quotes of inputs that we get, and all the way to packaging and winery and transport. So I think going there and just everyone in the wine industry, understanding where our emissions come from, because I think they break it down in a really pretty package. Again, though, everybody has their own emissions, we all have our own individual choices that we make, that does deviate from that, for example, I know Tablas Creek, kind of down closer to your area, they've done their own assessment of their greenhouse gases, which is like, amazing. We need folks like that, who can show each of us how to think about it. So look at those of us who have already done these assessments, and use them as a market and go to their talks, like hear what they say is hard, because that's going to be hard for you too. And I see from this soil perspective, it's kind of it's impossible to really calculate out. I know, we can try and work on it. But someone will say, I don't know. We're not going to know we just reduce our nitrogen applications and be conscious that vineyards sequester carbon, yes, they do. But we also create greenhouse gases, like we said, in the form of nitrous oxides. As long as we have a holistic perspective, we can understand what our real contribution is. And that's important because if we want to make progress for our industry, and we want to try and ride the storm that's already started that's already coming towards us. We each need to own our part and and take the steps that we can to to help create be part of the solution, especially since in agriculture and food production. Were the kind of the first to be hit by it. Craig Macmillan 9:51 Yeah, yeah, absolutely. I am familiar with the Tablas Creek project study that's being done by Charlotte DeCock Cal Poly SLO, San Luis Obispo, and Christina Lazcano at UC Davis, and it's really intense. I'm really looking forward to where they come out at the end of this project and what they find out. But they're looking at exactly the things you've been talking about, obviously, and Tablas has been making its own decisions based on that. But I think you have an excellent point that the best that we can do, probably from a practical standpoint, is we can do a little bit of our own work in terms of maybe experimentation or measurement or something like that. But collectively, if we can share what we find out, you know, that's better than nothing. You know, I get this comment all the time when I present research company research that I've done, or things that I've worked on, and it's like, well, yeah, but that's Spain, you know, or that's not Cabernet Sauvignon, or whatever. And it's like, well, this is as close as we can get right now. So yeah, I agree with you, I would love to have it be that specific. But why don't we can we at least start here, whatever we do have, and then we can improve upon as we go along? And of course, the systems are very complex. So it's always kind of a question mark, if I am a manager, and I'm now thinking about this, where do I start? We've talked about where I might find some data. But if I was going to start a project on this, where might I start? How might I prioritize my investigation into carbon footprint or greenhouse gas emissions? Brianna Beighle 11:20 I'm gonna say, let's start with a low hanging fruit. If we're if we're just getting into it, that would be again, I don't like to use go one adn two emissions. But those are easily calculated, will we know where energy sources are coming from, we know how much fuel we use, we get bills for those things. We know that's quantified already for us. So looking at that, and looking at what we can do to reduce that whether that's we're really lucky in California, where we have recent we have a lot of access to renewable energy, whether that's changing up our purchasing, so that we purchased 100%, renewable, I know some places that's not possible. us in the north coast, we're really lucky that that is possible in a lot of places, looking at those bills, trying to switch over to renewable when we can, investigating whether solar makes sense on site solar for our own energy generation, because there's yes, there's facility wide solar, there's also, you know, I know that there are grants out there currently for getting solar for pumps, for irrigation, like things like that, it doesn't have to be giant or nothing like little steps do count, especially since the price tags on some of the solar projects can be pretty large. So and then also, the easy, big bad guy, which is adjusting down the weight of our glass glass is 29% of the production of wine and the sale of wine. And so that's one that's easy, a lot of it, let's just say it's attitude, it's sometimes form over function. And I think that especially since consumers are starting to demand more climate conscious products, if they find out how big our glass footprint is just for ego, I don't think they're going to be happy. So I think that's something that we can easily do that will not sacrifice the product. Craig Macmillan 13:01 So this is a big conversation. Two things. Number one, I believe that the marketing research has been done has demonstrated, at least within the last five years pretty, pretty conclusively that folks are willing to pay more for a heavier bottle of wine, they recognize, oh, this is important. It's good enough, even if they think or they know that it's the same product. At the same time I face this regularly, where I people get my face, you know, they say, you know, this is a heavy bottle. I don't like it. Why do wineries not just just the whole span at Why do wineries do this and not do bag in a box? Or why don't they do lighter glass or whatever. And it's, it's it's a difficult conversation in terms of like weighing what is going to work for you as a company in terms of like, what your packaging is going to look like I and I agree with you. And I think this is an important one low hanging fruit, we know that that's the biggest contributor is the is the packaging. So focusing on that's a good idea. Now, how do I get accurate information, good quality information about the carbon footprint of the glass that I buy. And I say this because in my own work, I found that I could make something in France in a super ultra modern state of the art factory with the lowest emissions per metric ton and I could ship it halfway across the world on a boat and it would have lower emissions than something that was made in Mexico and then trucked to Fairfield for those of you who are not familiar with California, the Benicia, Fairfield etc in the Bay Area are big suppliers for wine, all kinds of wine stuff, including glass and then chuck it back down to me at nobody was really given me this information. I was you know, I was looking at it and I'm having to guess what advice do you have on these things? Because because it's easy to say you know, lighter glass in the story, but it's lighter glass, it's got to be made on the moon and then you know, flown in a spaceship you know, might not work out like we think. Brianna Beighle 15:00 Exactly. And again, like, that's when the we'll just say like the academic and conceptual realm meets the reality of a real business. That's actually a big part of how we can all work towards creating solutions. And it's one of the things it's going to be really hard about this is communication between suppliers and service providers. Like we said, scope three, that we mentioned, that I think is a little bit of a bag of everything. In order to break that down and understand where emissions come from our suppliers, we need to have open communication lines, and we need to, we need them to be open. But we also need to incentivize them to be open with us too. And to maybe adjust things to fit what we see the market is. And I'm not saying that's easy, you're probably more more apt to handle that with your psychology background than I am, Craig. But it's not easy. And again, the numbers say lighter glass. But in reality, that means working with our partners having accessibility to lighter glass, where the energy comes from for that glass, because we know a lot of the glass is made in other places that don't have as clean of energy sources, I hate to say like, I don't know, the perfect solution to that. And it all just comes down to people. And all of us being open with each other and passing, I'm gonna say passing the buck, but in a good way. Like we know, as wineries, our consumers are willing to pay more for sustainable products. And so we need to take some of those gains that we have, and transition that money on to our suppliers for supplying us with more sustainable products, because it's more expensive on their end, to pay for renewable energy, it's more expensive for us and for our suppliers. So we can't just say we want this other product make it the same price, like we have to be putting voting with our dollar and showing that we care about the relationship at the same time. Craig Macmillan 16:41 What has traditionally been kind of and this is true for for a lot of stuff, not just wine or glass. You know, you have a manufacturer, they say, Hey, this is what we think you want. And this was what makes us different than our other competitors. What do you think, by it, here's why it's good. We haven't had as much of the other direction where we go to a supplier and say, hey, look, this is what I need. I need this, I need this, I need this. This is what I'm looking for. And a lot of times we do that, when we're talking about specifics in terms of like, I need a certain kind of mold, I need a certain kind of, you know, look, or I need certain kind of price. But we go back and say hey, we also need some assurances about, you know, what the carbon footprint of this is? Can you tell me where it came from? Can you tell me how it was made? You know, can you give me something so they can make some comparisons? I think is really is a really good point. on your part. We just talked about glass wood, what's maybe the number two area you think that people could put some energy into, pardon the pun, Brianna Beighle 17:37 Put some renewable energy into it. Craig Macmillan 17:40 Out some renewable energy Exactly. Yeah. Brianna Beighle 17:43 It would also be like we talked about kind of reducing your site energy and making that more renewable. That'd be the next again, low hanging fruit. But there's also a lot of other things that we can try and incorporate that are a little bit easier. I've got like this like flow of of some aspects in my head that we can all do. And again, some of these are kind of conflicting hard and easy, like another one is leaving as much green as you can on your properties. If you're if you're a vineyard owner, or if you're a winery, because any biomass that you have out there, there's growth as much well, depending on the plant, there's growth in the ground, just like there is up top, and that growth eventually will be incorporated into the soil. I'm not saying that that's their solution for everything. Like we have to do more than plant trees, because we've torn down trees, and we pulled from the ground. But that's one thing that we can all do. But again, that's kind of conflicting for folks who till everything, like that's a hard change for them. For those of us that are already into thinking about cover cropping and you have your sheep, that's easy. So that's something that's a hard and easy. Another one is how we think about, like we said, our nitrogen use, that's again, that's it 17% of the emissions for is from the vineyard. And again, that's a supplier and buyer issue, depending on your your company structure as well, if you're in the vineyard, or if you're in the winery and you're buying fruit, it's a conversation about about nitrogen use. And I will say from a from a crop standpoint, we're actually very good compared to other crops. Most everybody does. Bloom petiole samples, verasion petiole samples, and we use that to guide our applications. At the same time, there's still new products out there that could really help us to narrow this down. Because even though I know some of you do your samples, I know you also just add some canned 17 or cn nine to the amount that you think feels right. Craig Macmillan 19:37 It's true. I mean, there is a gut feeling thing that's also involved, you know, I mean, you're you're right, we are very lucky that grape vines are not super nitrogen hungry, like other crops, which gives us the opportunity to have that as a lower risk, but still an important one. Brianna Beighle 19:55 To branch off of that too. We also do a good job in the fact that we apply our nitrogen at different points. So the we're not doing one big shot. So if you are someone who does like one big shot and I turn, you get your big fat fertigation, I would suggest evening those out because you are giving a lot at one time for the microbes to break down and your plant isn't going to be able to pick it up in a good rate. So if you space it out, what you do is it takes the microbes a second to like get themselves going, and it takes your vine a second to get going. So like, let them do that in balance. And also, if you kind of break things up, then you don't get as much soil saturation. And that's when our nitrous oxide microbes really forced. So I'd also like to point out too, that Davis is developing a remote multi spectral sensing tool, which I believe right now is targeted more towards table grapes. I don't know if they've really branched out and that's to check the nitrogen status of our field to see where we can make those applications. And I know that there's also kind of remote sensing going in sprayers too. So this is me just like imagining something in the future where we've got our spectral and it says like, right now what we apply our nitrogen via one irrigation line, I'm not saying put polyline out everywhere, and we've got 20 Polly's just to get nitrogen out. But like, we can do foliar applications of things based on that with the sprayers that are calibrated in to be spatially recognized. Like, I'm not the trickiest of people. But like that does give me jazz a little bit. And it's not going to be the solution for everybody. But it's going to be a solution for some and that matters. Craig Macmillan 21:24 Yeah, resolution, and targeted. Where do I go to get the science I need to make intelligent science based decisions? We've been talking about things a little bit in the abstract. But let's say I'm really serious about a topic. So where did where do you go? What what do you think are sources that are useful? On any go on any topic, you could go any direction you want, we're gonna. Brianna Beighle 21:47 I'm one of those I say proudly, one of those nerds who really like scientific papers. And I'd say right now one of my main sources is actually one of my professors who's at Haas, he, he lives here in Napa Valley, just like I do, his wife have their own property. So we kind of like geek out on really, he sends me a lot of papers. And I've actually recently found some of my own, so we exchanged those. So I'd say we're so lucky in this age that we live in where we have access to so much research at our fingertips. So I would implore everyone to just look for a qualified paper online. I know that's not everyone's bite sized little morsel that makes things easy, but that's what I do. For example, I'd really like to call out an article done by the Journal of cleaner production. So this article is called, it's a long one. So hold on, hold out with me, soil organic carbon sequestration rates in vineyard, agro ecosystems under different soil management practices, and the important part a meta analysis. Craig Macmillan 22:51 Oh, my God, I am, my heart is pitter patter, like, I need I want that I need to read that. I'm not being silly. I mean, like, that's, I've been waiting for that. Right? You know, we were talking about what was only done in Italy, and there was only done a greener building, or it's like, Well, how about this, you know? Brianna Beighle 23:07 Exactly. And that's, that's what makes it important is like, the fact that it takes all these locations and then distills down, like, what's location specific to what actually matters. So I'd really recommend everyone to read that paper. Outside of that, like I said, I've really just, I've just been googling, finding all that I can, there's so many resources out there that were unaware. I know that, for example, the IWCA has some resources out there. Craig Macmillan 23:35 Who's the IWCA? Brianna Beighle 23:36 International wineries, for climate action. Sorry to throw acronyms without defining them down? Craig Macmillan 23:42 No, that's all right. That's one that a lot of us haven't heard. Brianna Beighle 23:45 They are a collection of wineries that are coming together to try and create a membership tiers for kind of emissions. And based on the amount of onsite energy production that you have, I'd say I'm not the expert in these guys. I'm really actually not an expert in any of the certifications. I'll say that flat out, like we kind of talked about, I'm coming from the kind of science analytical side and these folks are too. So I say use them as a resource. But also take a grain of salt if you see a study that only mentions one property, and that property seems really out there. That's why things like this meta analysis are really are really important and, and look at kind of like the scientific, I like to use universities and research institutions. That's just me because I know that there is a peer reviewed process for their research. And so I have a lot of trust in those. So while a lot of these websites for sustainability certificates, have good references, they may have a lot of resources. I always go to the hard science, but again, that's just the way that my brain works. For those of you who might need bite size, I'd say I had to maybe maybe SIP, Sustainability in Practice. Craig Macmillan 24:57 Thank you. Yeah, and I would like to kind of underline that there's, there's amazing amount of stuff that's out there. That's really good quality and is not necessarily expensive. There's ResearchGate, a lot of folks will put their work up on there some things on Science Direct or free, others are not. Brianna Beighle 25:15 I think of that. So meta analysis, I believe that's on Science Direct. And Craig Macmillan 25:19 Then something that I've learned again, because we kind of get I kind of opened my mind. This is a while back. But you know, farming in Texas might have more to do with forming California than one might think. And the research that somebody is doing in the Finger Lakes region may have more applications to your your vineyards in Italy than you might think. And so there's really great extension services around the United States that have enology and viticulture specialists. Now, there's nothing wrong with going outside your home area, as not just California, if you're working in New York, you can look all over the place. Those folks not only are they doing, I mean, they're doing the science, but they're also doing applied science. So they're looking at things that growers or, or winemakers are dealing with. But they're also part of their mission is to translate it to an audience that needs it. So you don't always have to find yourself in the weeds knee deep in technical jargon. But it is good to follow that stuff. The other thing I would encourage folks, if you're afraid of reading a scientific paper, which I hope that you're not, if there's a word that you don't know, just keep reading, that's how I learned how to do it. Just don't stop read, just keep going and then get to the end, or read the introduction and read the conclusion and then go from there. Brianna Beighle 25:28 Even the nerd that I read the introduction in the conclusion, sometimes it might be cheating, but I think it puts you in the context to think about and think about it in the right way. Craig Macmillan 26:36 Yeah, when I when I got my training that was we were taught to write that way. Write the introduction in the conclusion first, and then write the rest of whatever it is that you're working on. Seemed a little backward, but it was like no, this is this is what people are gonna read, first of all, and secondly, you need to know your starting you need to know where you're going. Most of these academics are trained to write like that. So you can get a lot of information without having to get too crazy. If there's one takeaway, if there's one thing, one piece of advice, or one resource or one idea, one thing that you would tell growers and winemakers and managers have all sorts around this topic of carbon footprint greenhouse gas emission reduction, what would it be? Brianna Beighle 27:13 The one thing that I would say is we have all created climate change. We are all part of climate change, whether that's in our personal lives, whether that's in our business lives, that doesn't mean that we should run away with it with fear. That means we have the power to create progress, and we just need to make the decision to do it. So I will leave it on your hands to find the way that you can make an impact. Craig Macmillan 27:41 That's fantastic. Thank you so much. Our guest today has been Brianna Biegley. She is assistant winemaker at Patz & Hall Wine Company and she's an MBA student in the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley, working with a focus on sustainability. Thank you so much for being here. Brianna Beighle 27:54 Thank you. This was wonderful. Nearly Perfect Transcription by https://otter.ai
Processing all of the data needed to run artificial intelligence can take a lot of energy. But according to Google Chief Sustainability Officer Kate Brandt, AI can also be a tool to combat climate change by harnessing its ability to optimize and maximize efficiency. At WSJ's Journal House at the United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP 28, Brandt spoke with WSJ Paris bureau chief Stacy Meichtry about what AI can do to help the world meet its emissions goals. Alex Ossola hosts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this episode of the How to Protect the Ocean podcast, host Andrew Lewin discusses the surprising connection between whales, dolphins, and climate change. He shares insights from COP28 in Dubai, where the critical role of ocean animals in reducing greenhouse gases was highlighted. Lewin explores how these marine mammals can capture and store carbon, shedding light on the importance of protecting them for the sake of the environment. Tune in to discover the unexpected ways in which whales and dolphins contribute to the fight against climate change. Link to article: https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/whales-dolphins-could-help-save-31624331 Share your conservation journey on the podcast by booking here: https://calendly.com/sufb/sufb-interview Fill out our listener survey: https://www.speakupforblue.com/survey Join the audio program - Build Your Marine Science and Conservation Career: https://www.speakupforblue.com/career Facebook Group: https://bit.ly/3NmYvsI Connect with Speak Up For Blue: Website: https://bit.ly/3fOF3Wf Instagram: https://bit.ly/3rIaJSG Twitter: https://bit.ly/3rHZxpc According to the podcast episode, whales and dolphins possess the remarkable ability to combat climate change by capturing and storing carbon. This topic is currently being discussed at COP28 in Dubai, where the critical role of ocean animals, particularly marine mammals like whales, in capturing and storing carbon to fight climate change is being highlighted. The episode also emphasizes that protecting whales and dolphins can effectively reduce greenhouse gases. The whale and dolphin conservation group advocates for recognizing these ocean giants as a solution to the climate change crisis, with a role just as crucial as rainforests. The report "Whales in Hot Water" warns that climate change is adversely affecting whale populations by undermining their health and reproductive capabilities. It identifies warming oceans as a significant threat to numerous animal species. Dr. Sylvia Earle stresses the importance of safeguarding ocean habitats and draws attention to the damage caused by climate change. She firmly believes that an ocean teeming with whales and dolphins can play a vital role in combating climate change. Dr. Earle argues that it is imperative for people to comprehend the potential loss if habitats continue to be destroyed. She urges action at COP28 to raise awareness about the detrimental effects of climate change on oceans and the potential of healthy oceans to mitigate climate change. The episode also explores the connection between a healthy ocean and the well-being of marine animals. It emphasizes that protecting the ocean from various threats, including climate change, is essential for maintaining healthy populations of whales, dolphins, and other marine mammals. Additionally, thriving populations of phytoplankton, corals, seagrasses, mangroves, and salt marshes contribute significantly to reducing climate change. The episode highlights the decline in krill populations, which serve as a major food source for baleen whales in the Southern Ocean. The decrease in krill has resulted in changes in animal migration patterns and prey selection. The WDC report underscores the need to protect these animals and emphasizes the role of whales and dolphins as a lifeline in the battle against climate change. Overall, the episode underscores the significance of preserving ocean habitats and addressing climate change to ensure the well-being of marine animals and mitigate the effects of climate change. The podcast actively encourages listeners to share their thoughts on protecting marine mammals and to take action for ocean conservation. The host expresses a desire to hear from listeners about their strategies for protecting whales, dolphins, and marine mammals in their respective countries. Furthermore, the host encourages listeners to share the podcast with others who may have an interest in learning more. This indicates that the podcast aims to engage its audience and inspire them to actively participate in protecting marine mammals and conserving the ocean.
Welcome to this episode of Hardware to Save a Planet. Today, Dylan is joined by Josh Silverman, CEO of Windfall Bio, a green company dedicated to eliminating methane from the environment and food production. Join them as they discuss the innovative use of methane-eating bacteria and hardware to tackle global warming. Learn about the economic and climate benefits of Windfall Bio's solutions for farmers and the potential to remove methane from the atmosphere. Discover the challenges of working with farmers, the scalability of their hardware technology, and the importance of collective action in addressing climate change. Josh is a resident of Sunnyville, in America.
What are Art and Music Activism?Art activism refers to the use of artistic expression and creative endeavors to advocate for and educate others on social, political, environmental, or cultural issues. This form of activism employs the creative power of art as a medium to move us emotionally, raise awareness of certain issues, and provoke thought. At its core, art activism brings audiences through an emotionally resonant experience that empowers audiences to change the way they think and behave to enhance an audience's sense of urgency and leave them feeling inspired to engage in civic activism. This innovative strategy of activism encompasses a wide range of artistic forms, including visual arts, performance art, literature, music, and more.Music activism specifically refers to the use of music and musical performances to advocate for change. Throughout history, music has played a significant role in numerous social and political movements, including the civil rights movement, anti-war protests, and environmental activism. Music's impact on society and individuals is far-reaching. Musicians leverage the emotional and communicative power of music to raise consciousness and encourage listeners to become involved with social and political causes. Melodies and lyrics are able to capture listeners' imagination, inspire people, and guide their actions. In addition to inspiring action, music activism can foster solidarity and a sense of community that is essential in the face of tackling societal issues. Genres like Blues, Folk, Hip Hop, and Reggae, among others, have been particularly associated with music activism, given their historical connection to expressing dissent and addressing societal issues. Undoubtedly, music activism serves as a form of cultural expression that has the ability to transcend boundaries and connect people with shared aspirations for change. Raising Societal Consciousness Through Hip HopEnvironmental activism in music has become very prominent in the contemporary music scene, with artists directly urging audiences to take action against climate injustices. Their lyrics illuminate environmental concerns bringing attention to pollution, deforestation, climate change, and call attention to the disproportionate impacts of these issues on marginalized communities. We can recall Joni Mitchell's environmentalist anthem that critiques urban development and environmental destruction, “Big Yellow Taxi.” While White musicians such as Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, and John Lennon are often credited for their music activism, Black artists, while often given less credit, have played a crucial role in environmentalism and for much longer. Charley Patton's “Dry Well Blues,” a 1930s song about the impact of droughts on communities in Georgia, incorporates Blues to highlight environmental racism. In the 1990s, grassroots and poetic rappers continued to enhance the public's environmental consciousness. For example, Mos Def's 1999 song, “New World Water,” brought light to New York's lack of access to clean water. Artists incorporate Hip Hop culture to advocate for environmental justice and for all marginalized communities. Through thought-provoking and socially conscious lyrics, Hip Hop artists have utilized their platforms to engage in advocacy work and mobilize listeners. While Hip Hop has been co-opted and criticized for promoting hyper-violence, sexism, criminality, toxic masculinity, and materialism, it is also home to social and environmental consciousness. Artists from inner-city neighborhoods originally created Hip Hop as an outlet for oppressed groups to address socio-economic injustices and validate their experiences. Overtime, socially conscious Hip Hop continued to evolve as a powerful tool to uplift communities of color and demand social justice. Music activism through the genre of Hip Hop exemplifies how art can move us powerfully towards civic activism. The Power of Youth in Music Activism Youth engagement is at the heart of environmental action, and music is a key part of that engagement. As discussed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), youth continue to exhibit immense strength, leadership, and resilience that is necessary for environmental action. Through environmentally conscious Hip Hop and other forms of music activism, youth are able to leverage their creativity, knowledge, and innovative power. Youth can channel their creative energy to crafting educational messages that inspire environmental action. Creating environmentally conscious music not only showcases the unique talents and perspectives of youth, but also offers hands-on experiences for youth to foster a more proactive mindset on a societal scale. In this process, young people engage in research and gain a profound awareness of environmental issues at hand. Youth strengthen their skills to analyze environmental challenges and effectively communicate them through musical narratives in an accessible and compelling manner. Moreover, producing music often requires interdisciplinary and collaborative thinking that enhances youths' sense of solidarity and community in the face of environmental issues. By leveraging the capacity of youth to foster change through music activism, we uplift the active role of youth in shaping environmental discourse, advocating for a heightened societal consciousness, and encouraging environmental action. Who is our Guest?Khafre Jay is the founder and executive director of Hip Hop For Change, a nonprofit organization that reclaims Hip Hop culture as a vehicle for education, empowerment, and cultural innovation. Working with local partners, Hip Hop For Change implements grassroots organizing, arts programming, and educational events to advance their missions and promote socially conscious Hip Hop that more accurately depicts the beauty and diversity of POC communities. Khafre is a community organizer, educator, and activist that is dedicated to fighting for socioeconomic justice and empowering his community's voices. Further ReadingThe Guardian: “Art can move us powerfully towards civic activism on climate”TIME: “How the Universal Language of Music Can Help Us Solve Our Planetary Problem”Vox: The evolution of American protest musicCharley Patton's “Dry Well Blues” (1930)Joni Mitchell's “Big Yellow Taxi” (1970) Mos Def's “New World Water” (1999)ATMOS: “Composing Climate Change: The Radical Legacy of Black Musicians”UNDP: “Placing meaningful youth engagement at the heart of environmental action”Hip Hop For Change For a transcript of this episode, please visit https://climatebreak.org/hip-hop-4-change-using-art-activism-to-combat-climate-change/
The Rich Zeoli Show- Full Episode (11/28/2023): 3:05pm- The Associated Press writes that there has been a concerning “surge in respiratory illnesses across China that has drawn the attention of the World Health Organization.” China's health ministry has claimed the uptick “is caused by the flu and other known pathogens and not by a novel virus.” You can read more here: https://www.politico.com/news/2023/11/26/china-respiratory-illnesses-cause-flu-pathogens-00128637 3:20pm- According to a report from Emily Joshua of The Daily Mail, the United Nations Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO) is “expected to call on Western countries, including the U.S., to drastically reduce meat consumption to combat climate change” during its climate change conference in Dubai starting later this week. You can read more here: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-12800019/meat-consumption-climate-change-global-emissions.html 3:40pm- Chico Harlan, of The Washington Post, documents that although the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is hosting the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) later this week, they are simultaneously “ramping up its oil production capacity like never before.” You can read the full article here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2023/11/21/uae-dubai-cop28-oil-solar/ 3:50pm- The sports blog Deadspin wrongfully accused a young Kansas City Chiefs fan of wearing blackface during the Chiefs-Raiders game on Sunday—angling the photo to only show half of the child's face and failing note that the face paint was black and red, the team's colors. The social media platform X added a Community Notes correction to Deadspin's original, inaccurate, post. Even Elon Musk felt compelled to set the record straight, praising Community Notes for “exposing deception.” 4:05pm- During an unhinged rant at the 2023 Gotham Awards, Robert DeNiro bizarrely used his acceptance speech to slam Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. 4:10pm- In an interview with Norah O'Donnell on CBS Evening News, retiring Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) said he would be happy to support any Republican candidate for president in 2024 aside from Donald Trump or Vivek Ramaswamy. 4:20pm- On Sunday, Kristen Welker and the Meet the Press panel featuring Symone Sanders and Brendan Buck suggested that Ron DeSantis should end his campaign for president in order to clear a path for Nikki Haley. 4:30pm- In a video that has now gone viral on social media, a disgruntled woman on board a flight from Florida to Philadelphia can be seen urinating in the aisle! While discussing this horrifying story, Matt reveals he flew first class last week…Rich is outraged. 4:45pm- A sandwich monopoly? Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) is alleging that Rock Capital's purchase of Subway amounts to a monopoly which will lead to higher sandwich prices—the private equity firm already owns sandwich shops Jimmy John's and Schlotzky's. The Federal Trade Commission is now investigating the $10 billion acquisition. As Timothy P. Carney notes, how could this acquisition be considered a monopoly: “Consider that Chick-fil-A enjoyed $16 billion in sales in 2021, which is equal to Subway-plus-Arby's-plus Jimmy John's” and that “non-sandwiches, of course, compete with sandwiches,” concluding that there is no way to honestly determine Rock Capital has a monopoly like Sen. Warren suggests. You can read more here: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/elizabeth-warren-needs-to-define-sandwich 5:05pm- During a television interview on Tuesday, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas seemingly advocated on behalf of amnesty for millions of immigrants who have entered the United States unlawfully. Fox Business reporter Madison Alworth details that U.S. taxpayers are paying more than $450 billion annually providing housing and other necessities for illegal migrants. 5:20pm- Is former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo now considering a run for New York City Mayor? 5:40pm- Many media outlets have leveled brutal attacks against Javier Milei, the president-elect of Argentina, citing his libertarian philosophy towards governance as “dangerous.” Is halting the growth of government via fiscal reform actually dangerous? 6:05pm- While speaking with Abby Phillips on CNN, Congressman Dean Phillips (D-MN) said he would consider using U.S. Special Forces to free American hostages being held by Hamas. Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) seemingly agreed with Phillips' suggestion—and went one step further calling for the Biden Administration to retaliate massively against Iran after its proxies launched numerous attacks against U.S. personnel in the region. Could the United States see increased military involvement in the Middle East? 6:15pm- According to a report from The Washington Post, “[i]n late 2015, cranes at a seaport in Jacksonville, Fla., carefully hoisted U.S. military helicopters worth up to $40 million each onto a massive cargo ship set to deliver the equipment to the Egyptian government. Egypt's Defense Ministry had turned to an unusual figure to help arrange transport of the prized hardware: Wael Hana, an Egyptian American businessman who had previously run a trucking business, a gas station and a truck stop along a gritty, industrial strip in northern New Jersey… Eight years later, Hana's ties to the Egyptian government are under a bright spotlight. After a years-long investigation, U.S. authorities charged him in September with paying bribes to Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and his wife, Nadine Menendez, in exchange for actions that benefited Egypt, including Menendez's promise to help keep military aid flowing to the North African nation. Hana, 40, lavished the couple with gold bars, checks and household furnishings between 2018 and 2022, prosecutors allege, while helping to introduce the senator to Egyptian military and intelligence officers and serving as a go-between for their communications.” You can read the full report from Shawn Boburg, Claire Parker, Terrence McCoy, and Marina Dias here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2023/11/27/bob-menendez-wael-hana-egypt/ 6:30pm- Annoyed by the sound of crunching chips during Zoom conference calls? Doritos has developed software to silence the crunch! Yes, this story is somehow real. You can read more here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2023/11/27/doritos-silent-gaming-crunch-cancellation/ 6:50pm- According to a report from Emily Joshua of The Daily Mail, the United Nations Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO) is “expected to call on Western countries, including the U.S., to drastically reduce meat consumption to combat climate change” during its climate change conference in Dubai starting later this week. You can read more here: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-12800019/meat-consumption-climate-change-global-emissions.html
In this week's episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with David Wear, a nonresident senior fellow and director of the Land Use, Forestry, and Agriculture Program at Resources for the Future, about the ability of US forests to remove and store carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Wear discusses how US forests fit into emissions-reduction efforts, different approaches for estimating the amount of carbon dioxide that US forests can sequester, the implications of using different modeling approaches in designing policy, and the potential of afforestation and forest protection as carbon offsets. References and recommendations: “Land Use Change, No-Net-Loss Policies, and Effects on Carbon Dioxide Removals” by David N. Wear and Matthew Wibbenmeyer; https://www.rff.org/publications/working-papers/land-use-change-no-net-loss-policies-and-effects-on-carbon-dioxide-removals/ “Managing Wildfires to Combat Climate Change” episode of Resources Radio with David Wear; https://www.resources.org/resources-radio/managing-wildfires-to-combat-climate-change-with-david-wear/ “A Sand County Almanac” by Aldo Leopold; https://www.aldoleopold.org/about/aldo-leopold/sand-county-almanac/ “The American West as Living Space” by Wallace Stegner; https://press.umich.edu/Books/T/The-American-West-as-Living-Space “The Great Cash-for-Carbon Hustle” by Heidi Blake; https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/10/23/the-great-cash-for-carbon-hustle
Since the time of the Dust Bowl, landowners have worked with Resource Conservation Districts (RCDs) to conserve water, improve soil, preserve natural habitat, and prevent erosion. However, it can take two to three years to secure funding to begin a sustainable initiative. Devin Best, Executive Director at the Upper Salinas-Las Tablas Resource Conservation District, and Michael Larcher, North American Solution Lead at cBrain have partnered on a new system that drastically decreases that timeframe by matching a grower's land conservation needs with grants in a database. Landowners can participate in the Sustainable Land Initiative by submitting a short form that includes their location, acres, and goals. Technical staff from the RCD will follow up with a sight visit to determine all potential conservation projects including healthy soils, cover cropping, beaver dam analogs, and carbon farm plans. Through a database, the RCD can pull a report on all landowners interested in similar projects and connect them with funding and permitting. By aggregating data, the RCD can fund more growers, advise grant agencies on what conservation programs are most effective, and spend more time helping growers on the ground. Resources: *** Register 12/6/2023 | Prepare for 2024: CA DPR Changes, Bulk Wine Trends & Funding Sustainable Projects*** 181: Can Applying Compost Reduce Water Use? 122: Preserving Agriculture Land to Combat Climate Change 58: Barn Owls cBrain Devin Best Michael Larcher on LinkedIn San Luis Obispo County Beaver Brigade Sustainable Land Initiative Upper Salinas-Las Tables Resource Conservation District Vineyard Team Programs: Juan Nevarez Memorial Scholarship - Donate SIP Certified – Show your care for the people and planet Sustainable Ag Expo – The premiere winegrowing event of the year Sustainable Winegrowing On-Demand (Western SARE) – Learn at your own pace Vineyard Team – Become a Member Get More Subscribe wherever you listen so you never miss an episode on the latest science and research with the Sustainable Winegrowing Podcast. Since 1994, Vineyard Team has been your resource for workshops and field demonstrations, research, and events dedicated to the stewardship of our natural resources. Learn more at www.vineyardteam.org. Transcript Craig Macmillan 0:00 And our guest today are Devin Best is executive director of the upper Salinas, las tablas Resource Conservation District. And Mike Larcher, who is a North American solutions and sustainability lead with a company called cBrain. And today we're going to be talking about a very interesting idea called the sustainable land initiative. Thank you both for being here. Thank you. Devin Best 0:19 Thanks for having us. Craig Macmillan 0:20 Actually, before we get into that, let's kind of set the stage for those folks that are not aware. Devin, can you tell us what is a resource conservation district? Devin Best 0:28 Sure. So a resource conservation district is a non regulatory, nonprofit local organization that works with growers and local community to help provide resources and technical assistance for their management of natural resources. Craig Macmillan 0:41 And there are RCDs throughout the state, correct? Devin Best 0:44 That's correct. There's about 95 of us or so. And they're organized around watersheds, watershed political boundaries, sometimes county boundaries. So it there's a little bit of a mix of how they're organized, but they were formed out of the dust bowl er, and some of them have combined, so you might get a little bit of those sort of things. Originally, the idea was that a federal government had the Natural Resource Conservation Service. And that was a entity that was focused in on dealing with the Dust Bowl and how to help farmers with their resource issues, but they recognize that the federal government didn't really have the best working relationship with local growers. So they formed what was originally known as soil water conservation districts, and here in California, are called RCDs, resource conservation districts, primarily same sort of mission, but they're more directed towards not just water, but also other things as well. And so California, if you look, you'll see this sort of conglomeration of some our cities have combined like ours is upper Salinas and Los Talas, this was to our cities that combined to form one but our counties actually shared by two our cities, the other one is being Coastal San Luis, our city. Craig Macmillan 1:43 And Mike, tell us what is cBrain? What does the brain do? Mike Larcher 1:47 The C brain is a process company, we specialize in redesigning processes, typically for government agencies, to make them as efficient, effective and transparent as possible, so that the government can do the work and arrive at the appropriate decisions very quickly. And so citizens get better services. Craig Macmillan 2:06 And you two are working together on this thing called the sustainable land initiative. Is that correct? Devin Best 2:10 That's correct. Craig Macmillan 2:11 Devin, what is that? Devin Best 2:16 So that actually started with Michael coming into my office and saying, you know, I'm really interested in this beaver brigade and beaver dams, and how can I help to get more of those? And I said, Well, that's great. But I'm also working on this thing called the carbon farm plan. And I need to get more of them done. But it's really tough. They started talking a little bit more about like, what does it take to actually do a carbon farm plan? Why is it takes so long? Why is it so expensive? Why are people not, you know, sort of gravitating behind these things. And as I started explaining, to Michael and his company, how it works, it was really apparent that we, as RCD staff don't spend that much time actually working on the plant itself. Most of it is there's these stop gaps between when we meet with somebody, and when we actually get something done. either. It's funding permitting something staff turnover, sometimes whatever it may be. And Michael's company actually sort of dealt with this particular instance of how do we make sure that we sort of streamline that whole process from start to finish, and get it down to the bare sort of essential parts, but make sure that there's tracking things along the way. So the sustainable land initiative really just focused more on how can RCDs be better at when I meet with the landowner getting resources to them, and I'm not spending all this time chasing grants and looking for permits. And so the example I've been given people is if I was to go meet with the landowner, and they're asking about, let's say, cover crops in vineyard rows, and they're looking for funding for that, usually, I'd go look into CDFAs, you know, list of programs that they have grants and stuff. That's one landowner, and I'd have to write one grant, and I have to wait three to six months until we got announced if we got awarded or not wait for the contract, then the resources, it's so we're talking almost a year or two. And if there's permitting, you're almost talking three years from the day I meet them. That adds some long amount of time between when we meet and actually get something done. And that's not beneficial to the landowner. It's not really the best use of our time. And so we started looking at like, but that's just for cover crops, I might meet with that landowner and say, you know, actually see you have some riparian corridor stuff that we can be doing to and you know, you have an oak woodland, we actually have a program for that. Well, in that one hour to two hours, we might meet that landowner, we lose a lot of information, a lot of potential projects, because now I'm off chasing after the cover crop grant and say, I don't get it. Well, all those other projects sort of fell by the wayside. Well, what if we were able to take all that information, put it in a streamlined sort of database essentially, and then tie those things in and aggregate them with other landowners, so I might be able to say, hey, in addition to that one landowners interested in cover crops have 10 other people I know that are interested in the same thing. Now I'm applying for a larger grant for 10 people all at one time, rather than one and competing against the other. And if I see a grant for my period restoration, I I can combine those together. So it's taking a lot of that information we get in a short amount of time and put it in a place where we can make it the most useful. Craig Macmillan 5:08 You are probably more likely to get funding when you can come to a funder and say, Hey, this is going to affect 10 properties is going to 1000 acres as opposed to one person, 100 acres, one person 100 acres, you know, and it's probably also going to increase the efficiency of the actual implementation, I would guess, because you set up your team to do whatever it is, and then you can do a lot of work. Less administrative oversight. Yes. Now, Mike, I want to go back the way that Devin made it sound was you were just walking down the street one day and said, Hey, look, there's a sign these guys look cool. I like beavers. And you just wandered in. And I very, very quickly the beaver brigade and whatnot. I'd like you just to touch on what that is. Because that's an interesting thing in and of itself. What brought you to Devin went right to the RCD. Mike Larcher 5:52 Sure, I wasn't. I wasn't walking down the street. But I was driving. I I grew up here on the Central Coast. And I spent a long time away last couple of decades, actually, the pandemic silver lining was I got to start working remotely. And so I came back home was on my way to the MidState fair, my wife and we looked out the window and I said, I don't remember the river looking green and lush in the middle of summer. I know what's going on what's changed. And that was how I stumbled across the slo beaver brigade. So for those who don't know, this is a nonprofit organization focused on trying to bring back Beaver and educate people about the benefits that they create. And they do so much cool stuff. Both Beaver and the SLO beaver brigade. But they are they're known as what is a keystone creature that can create entire habitats that benefit farmers, as well as the biodiversity in the overall ecosystem by slowing the water down, helping to improve soil moisture, reconnect with the underground aquifers. I think I saw some statistics that round about 90% of species in California depend on these wetland habitats. And so the more that beaver started coming back, the more water that is available for fish habitat for agricultural purposes, etc. Craig Macmillan 7:16 So you had an interest in this you knew about the importance of the Beaver? And then what brought you then to the RCD, you had an idea. Mike Larcher 7:23 I started actually with a quick Google search. And I found a call a Cal Poly graduate student who had just done his graduate paperwork on land that was suitable for beaver habitat in and around San Luis Obispo County. And Devin was one of the supervisors overseeing that and providing advice. So we had an introduction I was very excited about about the beaver. And Devin said, Wait, I'm really excited about what you guys do, you can make things so much more efficient and effective. Let's talk about doing that for beaver. But let's do that next. And so our first conversation was, how do we help landowners spend more time in the fields and less time at a desk dealing with government bureaucracy, let's make it really easy for them. Craig Macmillan 8:08 So the sustainable land initiative, this was the two of you having a conversation and this is your project. This is your idea. Mike Larcher 8:13 It started with the two of us. But we actually had feedback from the Farm Bureau from landowners throughout the region, city, county officials, everyone coming together and realizing that everyone actually wants the same thing. landowners want to become more sustainable. They want to maintain the legacy of their land. They don't want to spend a ton of time dealing with government bureaucracy to make it happen. How do we make it really easy for landowners to do what they already want to do? And to connect them with the immense amount of funding sources that are out there. Devin Best 8:44 And I think the one thing I'd add on to that was that when I go to my RCD counterparts, one thing we always talked about was the limitation of our capacity. It's always funding and permitting. And yet we spend all our time doing just that is going after funding and get trying to get permits. And so we're not being a resource to the local community. It's like we want to be we're sort of hindered by those two other processes. So when Michael came to me, it was like, Well, if I can make the ways, that we're getting more funding to us quicker, that's churning the way that we're moving that technical assistance more towards helping the farmers we're talking about, hey, I'm not waiting for this grant. But this is a cover crop, I think it's really good for you. What I think's really fascinating is because because as Michael said, we started got a lot of feedback from other people was that this turned in from just the two of us to really be brought in much broader we have Cal Poly involved. We have three other RCDs involved as well. We have a lot of other incident entities and organizations, NGOs, municipalities. And so we've quit calling it like so much of a program, but it's more of a platform. When did this begin? I think we launched in 2022. Oh, wow. You've done a lot of work in a short period of time. Yen-Wen Kuo 9:33 Yeah. Craig Macmillan 9:33 This is October of 23. For listeners, as you've done this, you've talked to growers, you've talked to all these folks, what are the top priorities in terms of implementation, project practices that people have said, Hey, these are the things that we want to do, what are the things that seemed to be the most I don't want us popular, but were the most interest is Devin Best 10:10 BDAs Beaver Dam Analogs. That's one of the big ones, which is not a standard practice with vendor NRCS or CDFA. Is this the climate smart agricultural practices, it's something that's still kind of out there and still new enough. And that's one of the reasons why this is working really well is we can go forward and have sustainable land initiative and be sort of that platform for us to go outside of that. Those are the list of practices, developed the tactic, goal practices, the actual techniques, the implementation, the funding, the monitoring, the ecological benefits, all that information that goes into feeding into those to make them a standard practice, we can do that, and still provide that information under SLI. So that when it does become a practice. Craig Macmillan 10:51 I want to come to back to Mike. But one thing that I want to clarify, because I don't feel like people understand this, the National Resource Conservation Service has a list of conservation practices, they are numbers, much like the code that you'd get diagnosis code and hospital, everything is tracked by that. And if it's on the list, then you maybe find a place where you can fund it. And if it's not on the list, well, then you're not far as the federal level goes, which can make it kind of tricky beaver brigade. That was kind of what got you into this. I'm guessing it must be very gratifying that a lot of folks are now interested in the same thing. Two questions for you on this. First of all, what is a beaver dam analog? We know about the benefits, but how does it fit into this, this this process? You know, do we need permitting? How do we go about it? What are the costs? Like how do you find people that have land that want to do this? I mean, you had the graduate student that sounds like they did the mapping? How is this? how's this working? Mike Larcher 11:53 Yeah. So a couple questions there. To start with, like what is a BDA? Do you remember when you were like four years old, and you wanted to put some rocks and sticks in a little creek or something and slow the water down and hold it up? Craig Macmillan 12:06 Too old? I don't remember when. But 14, how about that? But yes, yes, I do. Remember? Yes. Mike Larcher 12:12 I have a three and a five year old and they still love to do it at its core. That is what a BDA is, we're basically pretending to be little kids or beavers again, and you're slowing the water down the same thing that the beaver would have been doing if it was still in that area. And what that does is it holds the water in the watershed longer. And so it can actually recharge and go into the ground, it's incredibly low impact shouldn't have any negative environmental consequences. However, when you're talking about doing anything in a riparian corridor, or in California, it's going to involve eight permits, Sequa, from six different agencies at three levels of government Craig Macmillan 12:58 SEQA, the California Environmental Quality Act, by the way, thanks. Mike Larcher 13:01 So when you think of it that way to do something that a three year old would do, or a beaver would do on his own, is going to take $10,000 in permitting and three years. So that's one of the values of the sustainable land initiative is that we're trying to take an approach where we can aggregate this across property owners. And instead of permitting each individual one, we can actually go after this as a region or as a watershed. Devin, you want to add something to that? Devin Best 13:27 I do. And then the point being is that as a practitioner, somebody that's actually having to go after and get these permits, they typically will permit one feature at a time. So if you're looking at Beaver Dam Analog, you can only do one feature one permit. And that takes three years, well, we're talking about doing hundreds to 1000s of BDAs. And so as an organization, we wouldn't be able to keep up with that level of detail and information and processing of data, to be able to relate that to the regulatory agencies and make sure that we're tracking all these things without something like the sustainable land initiative, which is what we have. Craig Macmillan 14:02 And I think that's where you come in. So this is process and process tracking and process design. I'm guessing that's where your expertise would come into this, Mike. Mike Larcher 14:12 Yes, that's right. So the way the sustainable land initiative works is that any landowner who is looking to adopt more sustainable practices or to find additional funding and would like the RCDs help, they would submit an intake form that takes no more than five minutes. They can do this from their mobile phone. I've we've even had people submit this while driving, which we do not recommend. Craig Macmillan 14:34 Do not recommend. Speaker 3 14:35 Don't recommend that no. If it's, if it's a long light, all you have to do is say here's where I live, how much acreage we have, what our vision and goals are for our property. And then RCD staff come out and say this is your vision. We will try and help connect you with funding and permitting to make that happen so that you don't have to spend time going after grants or going after an Dealing with permits yourself will do the heavy lifting. What my company does is we designed a process so that it's really easy and efficient for RCD staff to do this. It's that five minute intake form. And then typically about a one to two hour meeting with the landowner where they'll walk your property, understand your needs, identify appropriate NRCS practices that have been approved and tried and trued. And a couple of things like BDAs, that aren't yet a standard practice, but that might have an appeal to that landowner. And if the landowner wants to do them, the RCD keeps that information. And when a funding opportunity avails itself, the RCD can go after that with a number of properties at the same time, so drastically increasing the RCDs capacity to help landowners here in the region. Craig Macmillan 15:45 One of the things that I think is interesting here is this is this is a new model. I haven't heard of anything quite like this before, at least in Agriculture and Land Management, you guys are doing stuff already. I mean, you're making things happen. How has the world of funders reacted to this because this is not their norm? This isn't what they're used to. Devin Best 16:04 Yeah, actually, so one of the best case studies was, actually there's the SB 13, Senate Bill 1383, which is about reducing the amount of green waste that goes to landfills. And it was a you know, it's a mandate, and everybody was scrambling to try and figure out how to make this happen. Our local county slo county Waste Department reached out and said, Hey, RCD, you guys work with landowners? How can you maybe help us as well, you know, and actually, this works out really well, with our sustainable land initiative, I can actually, one identify a number of people that we've already talked to that are interested in compost, I can give you the acreage is I can already have a way to track how that that resource would be dispersed and monitored and reported in a very efficient way. So what would have normally taken us a year or even two years to get a scope of work and figure out all the details and how many landowners etc. We turn that around in three weeks, but that was only three weeks, but I was doing other things. That's not really like three weeks they spent doing it. But that's how quickly we could get the information to them. Right up the scope of work, get a contract, we are already doing it. We're meeting the goals for SB 1383. Here and still counting for 2022 and 2023. Craig Macmillan 17:09 What about federal funders, state funders, how's that been going? Devin Best 17:14 So that is something in the process of developing one of the programs we're really hoping to actually make this more attractive for a lot of people is there's the CDFA Healthy Soils block grants that was originally sent out for solicitation we put in two grants for healthy soils, and also for the state water energy and efficiency program. Our thought was that if we had those funds, we would actually be able to give as much as $5 million of funds directly to the landowners. The main thing that was a problem, and I will just say this, honestly, a lot of our cities were hesitant, because we're not administratively designed to have that much capacity for that much money really. And meaning that many that much demand. It was only because we had sustainable initiative, I was like, Well, this is perfect, because not only can we receive those funds, and get those to directly to landowners, but we can actually report it very quickly back to CDFA. And track all that information where it's not on a spreadsheet or someone's notebook somewhere or something like that. It's in a centralized database for us to use. That was one of the things I was really looking forward to getting those funds to sort of see the true power of the platform itself. Craig Macmillan 18:21 That's fantastic. And that leads them to the next part of the process. So we've we've we've brought people into the system, we then have put together an application for funding, we now have a way of making that efficient, and getting to the funders hopefully funding that then comes in which it sounds like it has now there's a lot of reporting, having worked on grants the past, there's a lot of reporting that's involved, and it takes every form from where how many pencils Did you buy to how many acre feet of water did you move? I mean, just everything. So Mike, this sounds like where the data management is really, really powerful. Mike Larcher 18:58 So often, when you think about writing a report, if you're starting with a blank piece of paper, that's going to take you a very long time. Craig Macmillan 19:06 Oh, yeah. Mike Larcher 19:08 But in reality, you probably know a lot of the information already. And that's what we've done by using standard process is that all of that information that was captured during the original site visit and from the landowners intake form, including what their vision, their goal is, how many acres are on an orchard, how much or natural and all of that valuable data is available at a click of a button. So as you go through the process, you've actually had all these conversations, you've had all that you've discussed that and you've probably even written those notes down. Because all of those components are now digitized. All you have to do is click one button or at least RCD staff just has to click one button within the slides system and it will generate a word report pulling all of that information in and having it look and feel like the report that's necessary for the grant. It really makes it It's easier for monitoring and for tracking, Devon. Devin Best 20:03 So going back to our original discussion about carbon farm plants, this is where we're really seeing the benefit, where before it would take my staff, many, many months to write a carbon farm plan one, and then to this the funding to be able to get those in place and everything else. Well, so now that we're, actually, I am going to use the word I do not know if its actually true, templatetorizing our businesses, it is now so we're actually taking what we do in our site visits. And we call these resource conservation profiles that collects all this information, we put it into a document for the landowners to have just as a living document. But because Michael's been involved in helping us kind of move these things forward, we're taking all that information and fitting it into carbon farm plans. So now what was taking me a year to write a carbon farm plan, I'm now getting my staff basically a day. And they're getting close to actually writing a full carbon farm plan in a day because we have all that information gathered. And it's just fitting the site visits and the resource conservation profiles, to these templates into these requirements for carbon farm plans. So that's in place, we're also doing the same thing with forest management plans, and conservation plans. So we have a way to make it so that my staff isn't spending all their time writing documents, they're just getting information, putting it in a format that's useful for everybody, whether it's the funding agencies, regulatory agencies, the landowner themselves, but then really transitioning in our conversations away from planning, and assessing, and actually implementing and doing and monitoring what's actually working on the ground. Yeah, go ahead, Mike. Mike Larcher 21:28 The nice things about working with the rscds is they have this immense expertise and knowledge, they can write a carbon farm plan, I can't do that, all I can do is build the process to make them more efficient and effective. And so we'd still take all of that expertise from people who are highly trained. And we simply turn it into actionable results as quickly as we possibly can. You still have to know how to write a carbon farm plan, you have to be trained and have the understanding, and the scientific and agricultural backing to do it well. But now let's just make all of that information actionable, so that it can go into a plan, yes. But a plan just sits on a shelf? How do we unlock all of that data so that it can easily flow into a grant. So it can easily be tracked over the course of the next five years to say, here's what its real impact was. And that's the power of digitization. Craig Macmillan 22:21 And that then brings us to, we've gone through the process. Now everybody's concerned about the final outcome. What about monitoring? What about evaluating? Did this work this work better here than better there? Can we improve is that part of this whole process is the post implementation part. Devin Best 22:38 It is 100%. So that's one of the things when early on, we're designing this processes that we amend to make sure that we're one transitioning RCD staff role from being an administrator. Secondly, being more informative and providing that feedback loop. The other thing too, is if we're doing more of these sorts of things, we can be more informed to CDFA and NRCS, about what practices people like one, what are useful, and Intuit is again, sort of the biggest bang for the buck. At this point, if you look at all this healthy soils practices, I couldn't quite tell you which one is the best one for them to continue pushing forward and Central Coast versus maybe in the northern part of California. But if we do enough of these, we have the monitoring, and I'm shifting my staff time away from administration to on the ground monitoring and reporting and actually talking to people and having that conversation. And I think the main thing I can almost point to is, if you look at what we're doing, we're really sort of putting ourselves back into what they were originally designed to do. You know, back in the Dust Bowl era, not these administrative, let's go chase grants, but really being a resource, a local resource for growers and sort of taking their input and providing it to a higher context, whether it's the state agencies and saying, This is what you should be supporting. This is why we're gonna move this direction, maybe it's BDAs. Maybe it's biochar, maybe it's how these forest management plans fit into a larger context of our secret document, whatever it may be. But we can't have those conversations. When I'm going, Gosh, I really got to get this grant written. And I'm holding my fingers and crossing, hoping that we get something that comes up. So Craig Macmillan 24:08 The same question, Mike, where now that we've gone through the process, where are we headed? From your perspective? Where are we going to go? Mike Larcher 24:14 I want to see this really start to expand. It starts with the individual landowner. No one knows what's appropriate for their land as well as the landowner. As as much as a farmer or rancher who has been working that land. They know what they need, what they want. The sustainable land initiative exists just to help them achieve that as quickly and as effectively as possible. I want to see this start to scale. And when we start talking, we can talk about one individual landowner and helping them that's amazing. But when an entire region starts to do it, or when an entire state starts to do it, you start to see some really incredibly impactful outcomes. So we've actually deployed a solution that's quite similar. This is actually bottoms up working with individual landowners, we've done a solution very similarly in Europe from the top down. So within the the nation of Denmark, it allows landowners to select what fields they're willing to follow. And this is very specific to Denmark because it's such a low lying land mass, that's only a couple 100 feet above sea level. Well, they have a lot of agricultural land that is that has been completely drained from wetlands, and is very low yielding. It's only existing because it's already government subsidized. Well, what if we subsidize them to return it to wetlands instead? It is, landowners have been so excited about this initiative that they've had to continue to increase the funding year over year. And this one process on its own, is actually on track to reduce greenhouse gas for Denmark as an entire nation by 20%. Craig Macmillan 25:52 Wow. Mike Larcher 25:53 I mean, that's huge. And California is 10 times larger than Denmark. Craig Macmillan 25:59 And also has its own goals. Yeah, there's a lot of potential here. Mike Larcher 26:04 So my goal is to help landowners achieve their individual vision. But to do it at such a scale that we're really actually impacting the entire environmental the state. Craig Macmillan 26:14 On this topic, is there one thing you would tell growers and landowners Mike Larcher 26:17 take five minutes, open your phone or your browser Craig Macmillan 26:21 Not while you're driving! Mike Larcher 26:22 Look for stainable land initiative, not while driving, don't do it while driving. Craig Macmillan 26:25 If we if we if you search a sustainable land initiative, we'll find you. And we will also put a link. Mike Larcher 26:30 search sustainable land initiative, let your local RCD know what it is that you want to do with your land. And they'll try and help you fulfill your vision. Craig Macmillan 26:39 Perfect. Mike Larcher 26:40 They'll they'll try and make it so you don't have to deal with bureaucracy. And you can spend more time working your land. They'll figure out the permitting in the grants. Craig Macmillan 26:49 Mike, where can people find out more about you? Mike Larcher 26:51 You can google us at cBrain, the letter C and then brain like what's in your head. It stems from corporate brain. We designed a software to help enable all this in conjunction with the Danish government about 15 years ago. And we are now the back end of 18 of 21 Danish ministries part of why they're considered the most digitized government in the world. Craig Macmillan 27:11 That's really interesting. Mike, thanks for being a guest. Mike Larcher 27:15 It was my pleasure. Thank you for having me. Craig Macmillan 27:17 Our guests today have been Devin Best executive director of opera Salinas Las tablets resource conservation district located in San Luis Obispo County, California and Mike Larcher is a North American solution sustainability lead for cBrain and we talked about amazing, really fascinating model process that they've been implementing called the Sustainalbe Land Initiative. Nearly Perfect Transcription by https://otter.ai
Professor Jane Stout talks to Chris Caldwell about biodiversity, natural capital accounting, and bridging the economy-ecology divide So many of the tenets of modern economics – from commodification and simplification to substitution and maximisation – seem to run counter to foundational truths of ecology such as holism, complexity, and the incommensurability of value. As we face both the climate crisis and the sixth mass extinction (in large part due to the excesses of capitalism) we have to wonder if there is a way back. Can economics and ecology work together again? This episode's guest believes so. Jane Stout - Professor of Botany and VP of Biodiversity and Climate Action at Trinity College Dublin - is a deep domain expert in the academic field of ecology and biodiversity, with over 120 papers and €4 million in research funding to her name. She is also a leading figure in influencing nature and climate policy in her home country, particularly by engaging economically as co-founder of Natural Capital Ireland. "… you think about your petri dish of soil or your spoonful of soil from the ground … there's connections in that little ecosystem, but there are connections across the whole world and everything's connected." "… the ecological viewpoint of connectivity about humans being part of nature, about the physical environment and the living environment being intricately intertwined, has, of course, shaped everything I do and everything that I think about." "… I think being an ecologist gives you a fantastic perspective. It's kind of overwhelming, but it does give you that perspective about the fundamental importance of nature in our lives and that connectivity." "…and I like to think of sustainability as as as the sort of the wedding cake idea of the environment: the biosphere, the living world underpinning our societies which underpin our economies." REFERENCES: https://www.tcd.ie/Botany/people/stoutj/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/jane-stout-8269401b/ https://www.royensoc.co.uk/about-us/people/professor-jane-stout/ This week's episode includes: Section one: the origins of an ecological perspective Section two: why biodiversity matters (for business too) Section three: confronting global extinction Section four: Montreal, 30x30 and the Biodiversity COP breakthrough Section five: understanding the climate-biodiversity nexus Section six: biocircularity, natural capital, and the limits of growth Conversations on Climate is a podcast produced by United Renewables in association with the London Business School Energy Alumni Club. It brings together the best minds from academia and business, to offer their experience and expertise in the face of climate change –from game theorists to corporate diplomats, and oil industry veterans to micro-algae entrepreneurs. For more top-quality interviews with our incredible guests, subscribe to our YouTube channel or follow us on Twitter. We'd love to have you join us! Don't forget to share with your colleagues, friends, and family. We would love to hear your opinions and feedback, so please leave your comments on our platforms. We talk about how the scope of the challenge before us is beyond that of any one individual or any one solution. We listen to thinkers, researchers, policymakers, and business leaders. They discuss a diversity of ideas and solutions to global climate and environmental issues and why they matter. Season 2 is presented by Chris Caldwell and produced by UNITED RENEWABLES in association with LONDON BUSINESS SCHOOL, ALUMNI ENERGY CLUB. Tune into the video version of this podcast NOW: https://www.unitedrenewables.co.uk/podcast Please visit our YouTube channel, where all of our Conversations are available for you to enjoy. SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHANNEL HERE: https://bit.ly/3GZpd7R and ring the notification bell Join us on Twitter: https://bit.ly/3MnhuSf Join us on Facebook: https://bit.ly/3Q5UKcj Join us on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3tFEnK3 #leadership #organisationalbehaviour #climate #renewableenergy #conversationsonclimate #londonbusinessschool
In this episode of Hardware to Save a Planet, Dylan welcomes Vince Romanin, CEO of Gradient, a company that plans to revolutionize the HVAC industry while protecting the environment. Join us as we discuss how window-mounted heat pumps will revolutionize the cooling industry with a climate-friendly solution. Learn how eliminating refrigerants protects the ozone layer and how adopting heat pump technology can reduce your home's carbon footprint. The podcast is a must-listen for anyone interested in innovative and sustainable solutions to combat climate change.
Tiny but mighty, some scientists say beans can help fix the future. “Beans is How” is a global effort to double the consumption of beans, peas, and legumes by 2028. These foods are some of the planet’s most sustainable protein sources, using dramatically less water, land, and fossil fuels to produce than animal products do. More high-end restaurants are getting creative by putting #BeansOnTheMenu, including Chef Sean Fowler at Mandolin in Raleigh. WRAL’s climate change reporter Liz McLaughlin joins us in this episode to explain how beans can be a simple yet powerful solution to the global climate, health, and cost-of-living crises.
An oil boom has arrived in the South American nation of Guyana. Is it a contradiction that a country threatened by climate change could get rich selling fossil fuels? Amy Westervelt and Melinda Janki join Meghna Chakrabarti.
In this episode of Flanigan's Eco-Logic, Ted speaks with Laura Friedman, California State Assemblymember, 44th District. She was first elected to the California State Assembly in November 2016, and represents the cities of Burbank, Glendale, and Los Angeles, as well as the communities of La Crescenta, Lake View Terrace, Montrose, North Hollywood, Shadow Hills, Sherman Oaks, Sunland-Tujunga, Studio City, Toluca Lake, and Valley Village.Laura's legislative work is focused in three primary areas: addressing the housing affordability and homelessness crisis, combating climate change, and protecting vulnerable communities. She has authored a package of bills to create new avenues for communities to tackle the affordable housing crisis, encourage water conservation, strengthen environmental sustainability, protect communities against devastating wildfires, improve access to higher education and health care, and ensure that California's foster youth have the support that they need as they transition to adulthood.She and Ted discuss her background, born in New York, and raised in south Florida. Her mother was very liberal and became an activist in south Florida during the Anita Bryant years, founding the first chapter of NOW in Broward County, which is national organization for women. Laura grew up canvassing for the ERA and abortion rights her whole childhood.She got her start in the private sector working as a film and television executive and producer after receiving her B.A. from the University of Rochester, New York. After working in the film industry for 25 years, she moved to Glendale in 2000, where she was involved with historic preservation work around LA County with the LA Conservancy and was recruited to be on City's Design Review Board for 5 years. Building on her years of community service, she was elected to the Glendale City Council in 2009, served as Mayor from 2011 through 2012, and was re-elected in 2013. She is now running for US congress to be the Representative for the 30th Congressional District in the State of California. Teds asks Laura about her Glendale City Council days, successfully pushing the City to execute all kinds of green initiatives. She also highlights her time in the Assembly, securing over $60 million in funding for key projects across the District, being tapped for several leadership roles in the Legislature, including the Assembly Select Committee on Urban Development to Combat Climate Change, and being recognized as a steadfast advocate for the environment, sustainable communities, and active transportation.
Did you know that your plate holds the power to combat climate change? Our guest, Glenn Merzer, a renowned playwright, screenwriter, and author, enlightens us with his compelling insights on the complex relationship between food choices and the climate crisis. Merzer's valuable transformational journey from a stand-up comic to a fervent advocate for plant-exclusive diets paves the way for an awakening discussion. Tune in as he elucidates on his book, "Food is Climate," and the urgent need for a shift in our dietary choices.Our guest sheds light on the stark realities of climate change, underscoring the pivotal role animal agriculture plays. Noteworthy points from this repurposed chat with Glen Merzer from Season 2 :-Our obsession with fossil fuels and ignorance towards animal agriculture -Myth of protein necessity from animal products,-Alternative scenario that promises environmental restoration This gripping episode is not just about food or climate; it's about the impact of our choices on the planet we all call home. Let's help make a meaningful change!Buzzsprout - Let's get your podcast launched! Start for FREEInstacart - Groceries delivered in as little as 1 hour. Free delivery on your first order over $35.Enjoy PIOR Living products Enjoy PIOR Living products at a 20% discount and free shipping on orders over $75Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the showFollow host Vai on Instagram , twitter for interesting thought leadership, digital content. Head to my website for enlightening blogs & service offerings.This podcast comes to you from Listen Ponder Change LLC, founded by Vai Kumar.Every one time support the show contribution is much appreciated !!Or even better, subscribe https://www.buzzsprout.com/1436179/support and help us amplify our voice and reach!
Sharon Lashley, managing Director of Climate Action North, explains how to make a difference. Choose things you can achieve. Attempting the impossible will only make you want to give up.
As effects of climate change become more pronounced and unavoidable, some people are making efforts to offset them and look toward a greener future. Senior editor Peter O'Dowd met with climate-adapted tree farmers in Minnesota working to bring trees that thrive in warmer climates to northern forests as average temperatures climb. On Navajo Nation, he learned about new technology called hydropanels that produce drinking water from the air. In Louisana, producer Chris Bentley spoke with teams plugging abandoned oil wells that leak greenhouse gasses. In Puerto Rico, he saw how one community created its own micro grid using renewable energy.
A new program wants to fund green building projects with state and federal monies. We learn more about the Commonwealth's new green bank and what impact it could have in helping the state reach its climate goals.
Zeinab Badawi speaks to Jennifer Morgan, Germany's special envoy on international climate action. How is she trying to build partnerships to reduce greenhouse gas emissions amid accusations that the rich world is not doing enough?
We look at efforts to combat climate change at local universities and hospitals by encouraging staff to eat less meat.
Did you know that your culinary choices can not only improve your health, but also that of the planet? This week on the show, I speak with Chef Alejandra Schrader. She is an award-winning cookbook author, plant-based nutrition certified chef, food TV personality, and activist. Alejandra encourages people to eat in a way that benefits human and planetary health—to consume a wider variety of edible plants, to minimize food waste, and to cook smart. We talk about lessons from her new book “The Low-Carbon Cookbook and Action Plan: Reduce Waste and Combat Climate Change with 140 Sustainable Plant-Based Recipes” and explore how to put these into action. Learn more about Alejandra's work at her website (alejandraschrader.com) or follow her on social media platforms at @ChefAleSchrader. You can also learn more about the Periodic Table of Food's global initiative to biochemically characterize foods at their website: https://foodperiodictable.org/ #food #SustainableFood #ClimateChange #Sustainability
You've probably heard of fungi, whether it's mold in your bathroom or mushrooms on your favorite hiking trail, but recently, I've been hearing that fungi also play an underappreciated role in our climate. What's that about?
Decouple host Dr. Keefer faces off against Canada's most prolific antinuclear activist Dr. Gordon Edwards, president of the Canadian coalition for Nuclear Responsibility, in a cordial but passionate debate on the question “Do We Need to Scale Up Nuclear Power to Combat Climate Change?” This public debate took place at the University of Ottawa on April 25th and was hosted by Canada's former ambassador of Climate Change and former ambassador to Chile Patricia Fuller.
The Rich Zeoli Show- Full Show (10/24/2022): 3:05pm- According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), Pennsylvania and New Jersey student reading and math scores have decreased since 2019—indicating that pandemic school shutdowns have had an impact on childhood learning. 3:20pm- During a recent Board of Education meeting in Lawrence Township, NJ, one member suggested that parents have no right to determine what curriculum their children will ultimately end up learning in school. 3:45pm- According to a recent Wick Insights poll of likely voters, Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz now leads Democrat John Fetterman 49.1% to 44.6% in their race for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA). 3:50pm- Senator Patty Murray (D- WA) told CNN's Dana Bash that even in hindsight, she does not regret school shutdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), student math scores in every state have declined sharply since 2019. 3:55pm- In a recent opinion editorial for the Wall Street Journal, Kimberley Strassel explained that Georgia's record-setting early midterm voting “exposes” the lie that election integrity laws adopted by the state would result in suppressing votes and amounted to “Jim Crow 2.0”. 4:05pm- According to a report from the Daily Wire, the U.S. State Department appropriated $20,000 for a drag show in Ecuador. 4:20pm- Mattel has announced the creation of its first “gender-neutral” doll—referring to it as a “doll for everyone.” Mattel's Cultural Expert Jess Weiner explained that the doll was created because “parents are concerned about genderizing toys.” 4:40pm- During Sunday's episode of “Face the Nation”, anchor Margaret Brennan spoke with a focus group consisting of Republican, Democrat, and Independent voters. Brennan was surprised by how much agreement there was between the voters on issues like the economy, crime, and “woke” ideology, despite their differing party affiliations. 5:05pm- Appearing on CBS's Face the Nation, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi stated that it's a misconception to say Democrats care more about abortion access than the economy—she also insisted that inflation is a “global phenomenon” and not the fault of President Joe Biden or Democrats in the Legislative Branch. 5:15pm- While speaking with Jake Tapper on CNN, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) blamed over 50% of inflation on “corporate greed.” 5:30pm- Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) appeared on Monday's episode of the The View, with the appearance going about as well as you would imagine—filled with fiery exchanges over election denial, disruptions from the audience, and Ana Navarro reprimanding Sen. Cruz for speaking too loudly. 5:40pm- Another group of radical climate change protesters have targeted a beloved piece of art for desecration—this time it was “Grainstacks” by French Impressionist Claude Monet at the Barberini Museum in Germany. The activists splattered the $100 million painting with mashed potatoes. In an opinion editorial featured in the New York Times, Andres Malm—an associate professor of human ecology at Lund University and the author of “How to Blow Up a Pipeline: Learning to Fight in a World on Fire”—encouraged destructive behavior that targets the fossil fuel industry writing, “[a]s for the ethics of property destruction, it is not, in this case, very complicated. Fossil fuels kill people. If you disrupt the flow of such fuels and damage the machinery they impel, you prevent deaths. You stop the perpetration of harm. You may destroy an inanimate object.” 6:05pm- According to an NBC News report, Ron DeSantis could become the first Republican Florida Governor to win Miami-Dade County in over 20 years—since Jeb Bush in 2002. Miami-Dade is 70% Hispanic. The Atlantic's Jemele Hill wrote of DeSantis' support within the Hispanic community: "proximity to whiteness is a real thing. Also reminds me of an adage I heard a long time ago about how the oppressed begin to take on the traits of the oppressor.” 6:15pm- On Monday, while speaking at the Democratic National Committee's headquarters in Washington D.C., President Joe Biden once again blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin for inflation and vowed to ban assault weapons. 6:30pm- Fox News pieced together a hilarious montage of President Joe Biden “berating, scolding, and insulting reporters.” 6:35pm- During a rally in Robstown, Texas on Saturday, former President Donald Trump stated he will “probably have to” run for president again in 2024. 6:50pm- Contrary to narratives being pushed by many members of the national and international media, British Prime Minister Liz Truss' resignation should not be mistaken as a reason for American politicians to avoid tax cuts in the future. The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board explains: “She is being made the scapegoat for the economic policy blunders that the ruling Conservatives have made over 12 years in power, and especially since 2019 under previous Prime Minister Boris Johnson. 6:55pm- Who Won Social Media? +Zeoli's Final Thought
© 2020-2025 Ivy Podcast Discovery LLC
