Podcast appearances and mentions of tim blane

Imagine waking up to discover that the United States has just pulled $35 billion out of foreign aid overnight, and that hundreds of HIV clinics, and child malnutrition programs, and poverty graduation trials will shut their doors within days and weeks. Now imagine there's a rapid response team quietly sifting through every single grant, ranking them by lives saved per dollar and building lifeboat bridge grants before the lights go out.That team exists. It's called Project Resource Optimization (PRO), and it's turning a disaster into a crash course in faster, smarter, truly lifesaving philanthropy. So what can you do to keep the most effective aid on the planet from flatlining? My guest today is Rob Rosenbaum, one of the co-leads of PRO. Stick with us to learn how emergency triage, ruthless transparency on both sides of the market and a few well-placed dollars can keep millions of people from falling off a fiscal cliff and how you can help build the lifeboats.-----------Have feedback or questions? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.comNew here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at podcast.importantnotimportant.com.Take Action at www.whatcanido.earth-----------INI Book Club:Find all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-clubLinks:Get money to lifesaving projects at https://proimpact.tools/Follow us:Subscribe to our newsletter at importantnotimportant.comSupport our work and become a Member at importantnotimportant.com/upgradeGet our merchFollow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImpFollow us on Threads: www.threads.net/@importantnotimportantSubscribe to our YouTube channelFollow Quinn: on Twitter - twitter.com/quinnemmett; Bluesky - bsky.app/profile/quinnemmett.bsky.social; Threads - www.threads.net/@quinnemmettProduced by Willow BeckIntro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.comAdvertise with us:

This week: Not. Right. Now.I hope you enjoy our new show. It's super, super informal, and fun, and full of profanity, and personal, and — I hope — something you or a parent in your life can identify with, and maybe get some relief from.It's intentionally and decidedly NOT an advice show. It is a once-a-week parasocial commiseration session about trying to raise kids and continue to be a human and maybe even a partner amid…all of this.Listen to Not Right Now here https://www.notrightnow.show/Read Claire's intro to Not Right Now in her Evil Witches newsletter here https://www.evilwitches.com/p/out-now-a-witchy-project-in-pod-formGet more:Get more news, analysis, and Action Steps at importantnotimportant.comSupport our work and become a Member at importantnotimportant.com/upgradeGet our merchGot feedback? Email us at questions@importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter at @importantnotimpFollow us on Threads: www.threads.net/@importantnotimportantSubscribe to our YouTube channelFollow Quinn: on Twitter - twitter.com/quinnemmett; Bluesky - bsky.app/profile/quinnemmett.bsky.social; Threads - www.threads.net/@quinnemmettProduced by Willow BeckIntro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.comTake a nap you deserve itAdvertise with us: importantnotimportant.com/c/sponsors

Please enjoy the debut episode from our new show, Not Right Now. Every week, Claire (Evil Witches) and Quinn (Important, Not Important) dive into the chaotic reality of raising tiny humans in these wild times. From behavioral reflection forms and schoolyard diplomacy to the eternal question of "how many water bottles does one child need?", we explore the messy, hilarious, and occasionally terrifying truth about modern parenting. Plus: why every parent should have friends who don't make you add "...but of course I love them!" to your rants, the special anxiety of raising boys who won't become supervillains, and the paradox of counting down to bedtime while simultaneously scrolling through baby photos. A conversation for parents who know that both dreading dinner and cherishing every moment can be true at the same time. A new show from Important, Not Important.-----------Have feedback or questions? Send a message to questions@notrightnow.showGet all of our episodes at https://www.notrightnow.show/-----------Follow us:Subscribe to Quinn's newsletter at importantnotimportant.comSubscribe to Claire's newsletter at https://www.evilwitches.com/Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notrightnowpodcast/Subscribe to our YouTube channelProduced and edited by Willow BeckMusic by Tim Blane: timblane.comAdvertise with us: importantnotimportant.com/c/sponsors

Not Right Now is a podcast for parents navigating the impossible task of raising kids while *gestures wildly at everything*. Join Quinn Emmett (Important, Not Important) and Claire Zulkey (Evil Witches) for honest conversations about parenting in an era of climate change, artificial intelligence, social media anxiety, all while trying to get your kid to just please put on their shoes. From discussing how to talk to kids about the news without traumatizing them (or yourself), to debating the right age for a phone, to admitting that sometimes the best parenting happens when you're hiding in the pantry eating handfuls of trail mix for dinner- Quinn and Claire bring humor, empathy, and real talk to the wild adventure of raising tiny humans in these chaotic times. Because being a good parent doesn't mean having all the answers - it means figuring it out together, one "not right now" at a time.Join us every week, wherever you get your podcasts.-----------Have feedback or questions? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at podcast.importantnotimportant.com.-----------Links:Follow Not Right Now on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notrightnowpodcast/Email Not Right Now at questions@notrightnow.showFollow us:Subscribe to our newsletter at importantnotimportant.comSupport our work and become a Member at importantnotimportant.com/upgradeGet our merchFollow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImpFollow us on Threads: www.threads.net/@importantnotimportantSubscribe to our YouTube channelFollow Quinn: on Twitter - twitter.com/quinnemmett; Bluesky - bsky.app/profile/quinnemmett.bsky.social; Threads - www.threads.net/@quinnemmettProduced by Willow BeckIntro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.comAdvertise with us: importantnotimportant.com/c/sponsors

This week: I'm not religious. But I did (barely) successfully major in religious studies.For better and often for worse, the history of faith and organized religion has been the backbone of human history, political science, culture, wars, sexual ethics, and more.Subtle or not, religion and faith are most often the answer to why people do what they do, and to how we got here, even now as the west barrels towards majority secularism.Here's What You Can Do:Donate to the Climate Justice Alliance to amplify grassroots leadership working towards a Just Transition.

This week: You're wasting your talent on bullshit while the world burns.You — yes, you — can actually use your very unique set of skills for good. Even and especially at scale, even — yes — right now.Here's What You Can Do:Donate to the Electronic Frontier Foundation to help get Zuckerberg's grubby little paws off of your data.Volunteer with Tech Shift and start creating technology that actually contributes to the betterment of humanity.

This week: Be prepared — because these fires that are still burning are only the beginning. Start somewhere, start right in front of you, do what you can.Here's What You Can Do:LA isn't the only place suffering this week, but it was home for a long time, so here's vetted ways you can contribute right now, from near or afar.Get more:Get more news, analysis, and Action Steps at importantnotimportant.comSupport our work and become a Member at importantnotimportant.com/upgradeGet our merchGot feedback? Email us at questions@importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter at @importantnotimpFollow us on Threads: www.threads.net/@importantnotimportantSubscribe to our YouTube channelFollow Quinn: on Twitter - twitter.com/quinnemmett; Bluesky - bsky.app/profile/quinnemmett.bsky.social; Threads - www.threads.net/@quinnemmettProduced by Willow BeckIntro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.comTake a nap you deserve itAdvertise with us: importantnotimportant.com/c/sponsors

This week: You'd think that -- considering we just spent two years building our new What Can I Do? app -- that I'd have a really good answer for why we were doing it in the first place.But I didn't. Not until about a week ago.I knew, of course, the practical reasons why it needed to exist, and I had a good idea of what I wanted it to look and feel like.I knew it was the natural evolution and a significant missing piece of our work.But I had never really interrogated myself to understand why I was so hell-bent on building an app -- a tool -- that gathered all the action steps we'd researched over the years, and made them accessible to anyone across the world, anytime they wanted or needed them.Get more:Get more news, analysis, and Action Steps at importantnotimportant.comSupport our work and become a Member at importantnotimportant.com/upgradeGet our merchGot feedback? Email us at questions@importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter at @importantnotimpFollow us on Threads: www.threads.net/@importantnotimportantSubscribe to our YouTube channelFollow Quinn: on Twitter - twitter.com/quinnemmett; Bluesky - bsky.app/profile/quinnemmett.bsky.social; Threads - www.threads.net/@quinnemmettProduced by Willow BeckIntro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.comTake a nap you deserve itAdvertise with us: importantnotimportant.com/c/sponsors Mentioned in this episode:Basic Shit

It's another big day in a very big month for us.Our extremely tiny team has been busting our asses for almost two years to bring you something fucking extraordinary, something I'm just so proud of, and now it's here:Our new app: "What Can I Do?" A one stop shop for taking action on the issues you give a shit about.Why?Because the world won't unf**k itself.Get it here: https://www.whatcanido.earth/Get more:Get more news, analysis, and Action Steps at importantnotimportant.comSupport our work and become a Member at importantnotimportant.com/upgradeGet our merchGot feedback? Email us at questions@importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter at @importantnotimpFollow us on Threads: www.threads.net/@importantnotimportantSubscribe to our YouTube channelFollow Quinn: on Twitter - twitter.com/quinnemmett; Bluesky - bsky.app/profile/quinnemmett.bsky.social; Threads - www.threads.net/@quinnemmettProduced by Willow BeckIntro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.comTake a nap you deserve itAdvertise with us: importantnotimportant.com/c/sponsors

This week: Next up in our series of “How to Eat More Plants”. Today's topic? Beef!Here's What You Can Do:Read the essay and get the links online hereDonate to the Humane Farming Association to support their work against factory farming.Volunteer with Planted Society to help cities, restaurants, and individuals make sustainable changes in their food culture.

This week: Do you like cookies? What about olive oil cake? What about chocolate chip coffee cake? Listen on.Here's What You Can Do:

What are microplastics doing to us? And how do we stop putting them into our water, and our bloodstreams, and our food? That's today's big question, and my guest is Julia Yan. Julia is the co-founder and CEO at Baleena, a closed-loop, consumer-facing laundry startup working to tackle ocean microplastic pollution.Julia is a recent graduate at UPenn, and with her two co-founders, some funding, including from our friends at 776 and a bunch of big name partners, they're trying to tackle one of the biggest microplastic inputs. Your washing machine. Microplastics are not great. They're so prevalent that we have found them on the bottom of the ocean and on the top of mountains. We have found them in deserts, in our crops, in our soil. We have found them in adult bloodstreams and in unborn babies and placentas.It is an enormous, wildly complicated problem and the implications are becoming more clear. The good news, like carbon emissions, we can choose to stop it. It's just going to take an intentional systemic approach and people like Julia.-----------Have feedback or questions? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.comNew here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at podcast.importantnotimportant.com.-----------INI Book Club:Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle ZevinFind all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-clubLinks:Join the waitlist to pre-order your Baleena product nowFollow along with Baleena's journey on InstagramRead more about the 5 Gyres Microplastics Solutions sailing expeditionFollow us:Subscribe to our newsletter at importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImpSubscribe to our YouTube channelFollow Quinn: twitter.com/quinnemmettEdited by Anthony LucianiProduced by Willow BeckIntro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.comAdvertise with us: https://www.importantnotimportant.com/c/sponsors

Over the past few years, more and more voters have cited “action on climate” as a reason for voting the way they do.But here's the thing: lots of voters who are registered, and even those who do vote in presidential elections – don't turn out for midterms.Much less for state and local races.Millions of registered voters who list the environment or climate as their most important issue do the same. Success might not actually be about identifying and focusing on one specific issue, campaign, or candidate. It might come down to how we want to see ourselves, why we wear those little “I Voted” stickers, how we identify, and our behaviors.And that's what the Environmental Voter Project is all about, and why we are rerunning our 2022 conversation with Nathaniel Stinnett.Nathaniel founded the Environmental Voter Project in 2015 after over a decade of experience as a senior advisor, consultant, and trainer for political campaigns and issue-advocacy nonprofits, and he sits on the Board of Advisors for MIT's Environmental Solutions Initiative. He's here to help me understand the EVP's mission and tactics, and how we can help them achieve their goal of turning out more climate-focused voters this year and in the years to come.-----------Have feedback or questions? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.comNew here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at podcast.importantnotimportant.com.-----------INI Book Club:The Overstory by Richard PowersFind all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-clubLinks:Follow Nathaniel on TwitterVolunteer with the Environmental Voter Project today!Follow the Environmental Voter Project on TwitterFollow us:Subscribe to our newsletter at importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImpSubscribe to our YouTube channelFollow Quinn: twitter.com/quinnemmettEdited by Anthony LucianiProduced by Willow BeckIntro/outro by Tim Blane:

This week, we're running an episode of Degrees: Real talk about planet-saving careers, from our friends at the Environmental Defense Fund.This episode is part of a new miniseries called “The Year of the Climate Job,” hosted by EDF Innovation Director Daniel Hill.Each episode provides the best advice from movers and shakers in the green careers landscape. They share creative, practical ways to land a job and build a career in climate work. In this episode, Drawdown Labs Director Jamie Beck Alexander is pushing for every company on the planet to fight climate change. How? By harnessing the power of employee voices to change systems for the better from the inside.A new season of Degrees launches in September. Right now, there are new and emerging green job opportunities in nearly every industry. Degrees is the podcast for climate career inspiration and job advice.Make sure you check out other Degrees episodes about how the green jobs transformation is shaping the future. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.Degrees homeEDF Green Jobs Hub-----------Have feedback or questions? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.comNew here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at podcast.importantnotimportant.com.-----------Follow us:Subscribe to our newsletter at importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImpSubscribe to our YouTube channelFollow Quinn: twitter.com/quinnemmettEdited by Anthony LucianiProduced by Willow BeckIntro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.comAdvertise with us: https://www.importantnotimportant.com/c/sponsors

This week, we want to tell you about Andrea Learned's podcast: Living Change: A Quest for Climate Leadership. In season one, Andrea interviews local leaders living the change they want to see reflected in their communities, from John Bauters and Alex Fisch on the west coast to Barbara Buffaloe in Missouri. But she also goes beyond city leaders to find corporate and media professionals leading the way – from CFO's to Emmy award winners. The conversations highlight how their personal values integrate into their work. There are some really interesting stories here – we enjoyed it so much we're highlighting her conversation with Mark Gamba in our feed. Mark Gamba's path into local politics in Oregon is uniquely “Living Change.” As a professional nature photographer seeing climate change on the landscape in real-time, he had all the motivation he needed to run for Mayor of Milwaukie, Oregon. Biking for transportation around town, and working to make it safer for anyone else who wants to do it, has become part of his brand. For local political leaders across the country, Mark's inspiring journey – and the way he shares it in this episode – is an aspirational model.Links:Subscribe to Living ChangeProduced by Larj Media-----------Have feedback or questions? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.comNew here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at podcast.importantnotimportant.com.-----------INI Book Club:Find all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-clubFollow us:Subscribe to our newsletter at importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImpSubscribe to our YouTube channelFollow Quinn: twitter.com/quinnemmettEdited by Anthony LucianiProduced by Willow BeckIntro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.comAdvertise with us: https://www.importantnotimportant.com/c/sponsors

How much food do you throw away every week? And do you have to? That's today's big question, and my guest is Matt Rogers. Matt is a former Apple iPod and iPhone engineer. The Co-Founder of Nest thermostats, Founder of insight.org, and former Chairman of Carbon180. He is now the Co-Founder and CEO of Mill.What's Mill? It's a membership to a food-shrinking, de-stinking kitchen bin, and it just may be one of the most important levers you and I can take to fight food waste and climate change. I'm a huge fan of Matt's multidisciplinary work to drive systems change across tech, non-profits, and politics.Mill may be his most direct take on it yet. -----------Have feedback or questions? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.comNew here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at podcast.importantnotimportant.com.-----------INI Book Club:The Alchemy of Air by Thomas HagerCradle to Cradle by William McDonough and Michael BraungartFind all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-clubLinks:Reserve your Mill binFollow Mill on Instagram and TwitterFollow Matt on TwitterRead the recent Nature article on food waste and emissionsFollow us:Subscribe to our newsletter at importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImpSubscribe to our YouTube channelFollow Quinn: twitter.com/quinnemmettEdited by Anthony LucianiProduced by Willow BeckIntro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.comAdvertise with us: https://www.importantnotimportant.com/c/sponsors

What can I do? The simple question is the underlying premise of everything we do here. It's often the easiest one to help people answer for themselves, but from the outside, it's often the most imposing.All of which is why we keep coming back to it, and why I'm so excited about the fantastic new book, The Climate Action Handbook by Dr. Heidi Roop. Dr. Roop is the Director of the University of Minnesota Climate Adaptation Partnership and an assistant professor of climate science and extension specialist at the University of Minnesota. She also serves as the Director of Knowledge Transfer for the NSF-funded COLDEX Science and Technology Center.Dr. Roop's research and extension programs have taken her from Antarctica to Minnesota, and they combine cutting-edge climate science and effective science communication to increase the use and integration of climate change information in decision-making at a whole range of scales, from city and state to national and international levels.Safe to say, I'm very into that and you're going to love her. If you've struggled to find a way to get involved in the climate fight, this book and this conversation are for you. -----------Have feedback or questions? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.comNew here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at podcast.importantnotimportant.com.-----------INI Book Club:The Climate Action Handbook by Heidi RoopKeep the Lights Burning, Abbie by Connie & Peter RoopA Brief History of Life on Earth by Clemence DupontFind all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-clubLinks:Follow Heidi on TwitterKeep up with Heidi's workFollow us:Subscribe to our newsletter at importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImpSubscribe to our YouTube channelFollow Quinn: twitter.com/quinnemmettEdited by Anthony LucianiProduced by Willow BeckIntro/outro by Tim Blane:

Why is it so dangerous to have Black babies in America?April 11-17th is Black Maternal Health Week, and so we are replaying one of our favourite episodes from 2021 with guest Representative Lauren Underwood of Illinois, a nurse and former senior advisor to President Obama. We discuss how this country is failing Black mothers, and her incredible Momnibus Act, a suite of 12 bills designed to improve Black maternal health outcomes in America, where Black women are dying in or after childbirth at 3x-4x rates of white women.In this incredible conversation, Rep. Underwood goes deep to help us understand the complexities of the problem, the crushing personal inspiration for her work, and what we can all do to help.-----------Have feedback or questions? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.comNew here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at podcast.importantnotimportant.com.-----------INI Book Club:Find all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-clubLinks:underwood.house.gov Twitter: @RepUnderwoodBlack Maternal Health Momnibus ActFollow us:Subscribe to our newsletter at importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImpSubscribe to our YouTube channelFollow Quinn: twitter.com/quinnemmettEdited by Anthony LucianiProduced by Willow BeckIntro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.comAdvertise with us: https://www.importantnotimportant.com/c/sponsors

If you had all of the data in the world at your hands, what question would you ask first?That's today's big question, and my guest is Dr. Emma Pierson. Emma is an assistant professor of computer science at the Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute at Cornell Tech, and a computer science field member at Cornell University with a secondary joint appointment as an assistant professor of population health sciences at Weill Cornell Medical College. Sure. Why not? Emma has published a number of game-changing papers, and we talk about those today and how they all tie together. She's written for the New York Times, 538, The Atlantic, Washington Post, Wired, all my favorites, and has been named to the MIT Technology Review 35 Innovators under 35 list, and the Forbes 30 under 30 in Science list.Her team's work has helped unlock answers and solutions to some of our biggest, most lingering and also sometimes most urgent questions. Emma and her team work diligently to develop data science and machine learning methods to study two vital, huge interlocking areas: inequality and healthcare.-----------Have feedback or questions? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.comNew here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at importantnotimportant.com/podcast.-----------INI Book Club:The Alignment Problem: Machine Learning and Human Values by Brian ChristianFind all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-clubLinks:Follow Emma on TwitterKeep up with Emma's work on her websiteFollow us:Subscribe to our newsletter at importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImpSubscribe to our YouTube channelFollow Quinn: twitter.com/quinnemmettEdited by Anthony LucianiProduced by Willow BeckIntro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.comFind our more about our guests here: https://www.importantnotimportant.com/guest-statsAdvertise with us:

What if I told you there was less oxygen in the ocean than there used to be? That's today's big question, and my guest is Dr. Dawn Wright, or as many in the ocean community know her "Deep Sea Dawn." Dawn Wright is an elected member of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering. She's the Chief Scientist at ESRI, where she works with other scientists to map the ocean floor in 3D. In 2018, when I was just a baby podcaster, when Brian was my co-host, I saw a headline about the ocean that made me question a lot. I knew the oceans were heating up. I was beginning to understand, I think we were all beginning to understand, just how much global heating the oceans had absorbed over the years.But I didn't know what that meant for the billions of creatures that call the ocean home. I didn't know what it meant for us. So I called Dawn. In celebration of Dawn's return to the show next week, I wanted to replay this incredible conversation we had with her to better understand how far we've come.-----------Have feedback or questions? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.comNew here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at importantnotimportant.com/podcast.-----------Follow us:Subscribe to our newsletter at importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImpSubscribe to our YouTube channelFollow Quinn: twitter.com/quinnemmettEdited by Anthony LucianiProduced by Willow BeckIntro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.comFind our more about our guests here: https://www.importantnotimportant.com/guest-statsAdvertise with us: https://www.importantnotimportant.com/sponsors

What can we learn from trees? That's today's big question, and my guest is Dr. Beronda Montgomery. Beronda's a transformative writer, researcher and scholar who pursues a common theme of understanding how individuals perceive, respond to and are impacted by the environments in which they exist.She recently moved from Michigan State University to Grinnell College where she's a professor of biology and Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the College, which is perfect because I can't think of anyone who is more intentional about mentorship than Beronda. She is the author of one of my favorite books, Lessons From Plants. She's also one of my all-time favorite podcast guests, so I'm excited to share one of our most popular conversations from all the way back in 2021 as we more urgently and comprehensively try to understand how to adapt ourselves, our society and our economy and our ecosystems to mitigate further harm from climate change. We can learn a lot from plants which are living things that are literally planted in place and so they are forced to adapt to whatever comes their way. -----------Have feedback or questions? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.comNew here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at importantnotimportant.com/podcast.-----------INI Book Club:"Breathe: A Letter to My Sons" by Imani PerryFind all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-clubLinks:berondamontgomery.comInstagram: @beronda_mTwitter: @BerondaMRead: “Lessons from Plants”Follow us:Subscribe to our newsletter at importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImpSubscribe to our YouTube channelFollow Quinn: twitter.com/quinnemmettEdited by Anthony LucianiProduced by Willow BeckIntro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.comFind our more about our guests here:

How many nights have you spent up recently worried that AI is just gonna take your job? That's today's big question, and my guest is Dr. Mohammed AlQuraishi. Almost three years before chatGPT and New Bing really hit the scene, Mohammed showed up to a conference excited to share his life's work on protein folding, one of the biggest problems in biology.But Mohammad quickly discovered that Deep Mind or to be more specifically AlphaFold had solved the whole damn thing. Mohammad is an assistant professor in the Department of Systems Biology and a member of Columbia's program for mathematical genomics, where he works at the intersection of machine learning, biophysics and systems biology.Obviously, all this is more important and more relevant than ever before. Literally, it changes every week, so I'm excited to share this conversation from 2019 or a million years ago. The world and AI is moving so quickly, but it's messy and in many places it's moving faster than our societal and ethical guardrails can keep up.-----------Have feedback or questions? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.comNew here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at importantnotimportant.com/podcast.-----------INI Book Club:The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined by Steven PinkerFind all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-clubLinks:Learn more at https://moalquraishi.wordpress.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/moalquraishi “The Future of Protein Science will not be Supervised”Chan Zuckerberg Initiative: chanzuckerberg.com Follow us:Subscribe to our newsletter at importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImpSubscribe to our YouTube channelFollow Quinn: twitter.com/quinnemmettEdited by Anthony LucianiProduced by Willow BeckIntro/outro by Tim Blane:

How does innovation actually work? That's today's big question, and my guest is Christopher Mims. Chris is a journalist for the Wall Street Journal, and I had him on the show in 2021 to understand how he asks big questions.Chris is constantly asking questions about the most pressing technological and societal issues we face from robot trains to the future of batteries, brain implants, and whatever happens to land in between. And his thesis is this: every little bit counts. And innovation is more predictable than you think - or is it?In this conversation, Chris and I explore the team dynamics of innovation, the "great man" question, the invisible force behind Moore's Law, and more.The bad news: Nobody gets to save the world. The good news: Everyone gets to save the world a little bit.-----------Have feedback or questions? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.comNew here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at importantnotimportant.com/podcast.-----------INI Book Club:Life as We Made It by Beth ShapiroArriving Today by Christopher MimsFind all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-clubLinks:mims.clubTwitter: @mimsFollow us:Subscribe to our newsletter at importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImpSubscribe to our YouTube channelFollow Quinn: twitter.com/quinnemmettEdited by Anthony LucianiProduced by Willow BeckIntro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.comFind our more about our guests here: https://www.importantnotimportant.com/guest-statsAdvertise with us: https://www.importantnotimportant.com/sponsors

How do we reimagine capitalism in a world on fire? That's today's big question, and my guest is Rebecca Henderson, Harvard professor behind the wildly popular class "Reimagining Capitalism". I had Rebecca on the show in 2020 to discuss her book of the same name and her research, which explores the degree to which the private sector can play a major role in building a more sustainable economy, focusing on the relationships between organizational purpose, innovation, productivity, and high-performance organizations.What Rebecca discovered over the last decade or so of research is that focusing exclusively on shareholder profits is a pretty terrible way to run a company in the long run. And it could burn this whole thing down in the short, in the long term. The silver lining is, as we try to present here all the time, of the four to five catastrophes happening in this country at any given moment, many also present unprecedented opportunities to build a better today and tomorrow for everyone.Here's my 2020 conversation with Rebecca Henderson.-----------Have feedback or questions? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.comNew here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at importantnotimportant.com/podcast.-----------INI Book Club:"Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist" by Kate RaworthFind all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-clubLinks:reimaginingcapitalism.org“Reimagining Capitalism in a World on Fire”Twitter: @RebeccaReCapLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/rebecca-henderson-recapRead Ed Yong's “How the Pandemic Defeated America”Follow us:Subscribe to our newsletter at importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImpSubscribe to our YouTube channelFollow Quinn: twitter.com/quinnemmettEdited by Anthony LucianiProduced by Willow BeckIntro/outro by Tim Blane:

How can I be a better ancestor? This question has haunted and inspired me since way back in 2019 when I first read the Optimist's Telescope. A beautiful, helpful, inspiring book by Bina Venkataraman. Then I had Bina on the show. I think it's fair to say it reframed and focused my work and now all of our work here. You simply cannot be a better ancestor by hoping shit gets better in posting black boxes on your Instagram stories. You have to do the work for today and tomorrow. If you want your descendants to consider you the cool, great-great uncle, you need to drive change today.Bina is a journalist. She's an author and a science policy expert. She's the editor at large at the Boston Globe and a fellow at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard. She's been an advisor to President Obama on everything from climate innovation to Ebola to public school science education. I hope you enjoy this wonderful throwback conversation.It is mid-Trump presidency. It is before COVID, before Biden, with old co-host Brian Colbert Kennedy, sharing the mic with me, where we dig into the influence Bina's family had on her perspective and her ideas for how you can value the future, how you can use the tools we have available to us now to both prevent further calamities and a build better future. -----------Have feedback or questions? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.comNew here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at importantnotimportant.com/podcast.-----------INI Book Club:“The Lorax” by Dr. SeussFind all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-clubLinks:Watch Bina's TEDTalk: "The power to think ahead in a reckless age"Read: "The Optimist's Telescope"Twitter: @binajvFollow us:Subscribe to our newsletter at importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImpSubscribe to our Youtube channelFollow Quinn: twitter.com/quinnemmettEdited by Anthony LucianiProduced by Willow BeckIntro/outro by Tim Blane:

Climate change is a touchy topic in farm country. But one third of greenhouse gas emissions come from food and agriculture, so it's crucial that the industry becomes part of the climate change solution.  For years almost all the action on climate change centered on energy – solar and wind and electric vehicles taking on coal and gas and oil. But now Washington is suddenly buzzing about “climate-smart agriculture,” and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack is in the middle of the action. He just announced $3 billion in grants for “climate-smart commodities.” The Inflation Reduction Act is sending the USDA $20 billion for climate-smart projects. It's incredible how quickly the food and climate issue has moved to the center of the plate. This week, https://twitter.com/MikeGrunwald (Mike) and https://twitter.com/TamarHaspel (Tamar) welcome Secretary Vilsack as their first Climavores guest. They dig in on everything from regulating farmers to regenerative agriculture to subsidies as a bridge to market solutions. And of course Mike pushes the Secretary on his favorite topic –  biofuels.  Have a question about food and climate change for Mike and Tamar? Leave a message on the Climavores hotline at (508) 377-3449. Or email us at climavores@postscriptaudio.com. We might feature your question on a future episode.  Climavores is a production of https://postscriptmedia.com/ (Post Script Media).  https://twitter.com/ClimavoresPod (Twitter), https://www.instagram.com/climavorespod/ (Instagram) https://postscriptmedia.com/climavores/ (Website) ----------- Have feedback or questions? http://www.twitter.com/importantnotimp (Tweet us), or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at https://www.importantnotimportant.com/podcast (importantnotimportant.com/podcast). ----------- Follow us: Subscribe to our newsletter at https://www.importantnotimportant.com (importantnotimportant.com) Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ImportantNotImp (twitter.com/ImportantNotImp) Follow Quinn: http://twitter.com/quinnemmett (twitter.com/quinnemmett) Edited by https://anthonyluciani.com (Anthony Luciani) Produced by https://twitter.com/willowbeck_ (Willow Beck) Intro/outro by Tim Blane: http://timblane.com/ (timblane.com) Find our more about our guests here: https://www.importantnotimportant.com/guest-stats (https://www.importantnotimportant.com/guest-stats) Advertise with us: https://www.importantnotimportant.com/sponsors (https://www.importantnotimportant.com/sponsors)

Throughout history, kings, queens, governments, churches, and donors have funded contests and awarded prizes for solving the most difficult problems of the day. Today, as we stand on the precipice of huge problems and opportunity, with everyone looking around going “What can I do?” the utility and relative inclusivity of prizes like these remains compelling. And there's one group that's driving them more than anyone – XPRIZE. My guest today is Dr. Marcius Extavour. Marcius is the Chief Scientist & Executive Vice President of Climate and Energy at XPRIZE. Marcius moved to XPRIZE after over a decade of working at the intersection of science,  policy, education, and technology development. He served as Director of Government and Corporate Partnerships in the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering at the University of Toronto. Dr. Extavour is active in science and energy policy more broadly, having held positions at the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resource as the OSA/SPIE/AAAS Congressional Science & Technology Policy Fellow, and at the Council of Canadian Academies, a science policy consultant to the Government of Canada. The beauty of a problem like climate change, COVID, or antibiotics is that it affects everyone on the planet. We're all invested in the outcome whether we're actively participating or not. The beauty of a contest like XPRIZE is the goal is clear and measurable, but the “how we get there” is not. It seeks active participants from likely players and the most unlikely of sources, dreamers of every kind who want to help in a very specific way, and to put a dent in the universe, odds be damned. Marcius's passion for bridge-building and problem-solving are evident in our conversation, and his work and team-building incredibly inspire me. We have to imagine a better future, and then take our best shot at it. ----------- Have feedback or questions? http://www.twitter.com/importantnotimp (Tweet us), or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at https://www.importantnotimportant.com/podcast (importantnotimportant.com/podcast). ----------- INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/a/8952/9780441013593 (Dune) by Frank Herbert Find all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-club (https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-club) Links: Follow Marcius on https://twitter.com/extempo?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor (Twitter) Connect with Marcius on https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcius-extavour-51621216/ (LinkedIn) Check out https://www.xprize.org/ (XPRIZE) Follow us: Subscribe to our newsletter at https://www.importantnotimportant.com (importantnotimportant.com) Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ImportantNotImp (twitter.com/ImportantNotImp) Follow Quinn: http://twitter.com/quinnemmett (twitter.com/quinnemmett) Edited by https://anthonyluciani.com (Anthony Luciani) Produced by https://twitter.com/willowbeck_ (Willow Beck) Intro/outro by Tim Blane: http://timblane.com/ (timblane.com) Find our more about our guests here: https://www.importantnotimportant.com/guest-stats (https://www.importantnotimportant.com/guest-stats) Advertise with us: https://www.importantnotimportant.com/sponsors (https://www.importantnotimportant.com/sponsors)

There's a very particular bottleneck where groundbreaking science is more applicable than ever but inaccessible to many.  The tools are unaffordable to the schools and groups who could use them to hook kids right when they're most excited, kids with a huge variety of lived experienced, who have grown up in the climate era, and in the COVID era, who see and want to solve problems they can touch and feel – but because of costs and access, they never get to try. Or the bottleneck presents as being frustratingly inefficient, to the labs who actually do this stuff every day, the ones who see a peer's research and try to replicate it, but don't have the funding or people or bandwidth or all three to spend time filling test tubes. Building better processes isn't the sexiest science you can do, but the science doesn't happen, or nearly enough of it, or fast enough, without the help of someone who's been affected by these inefficiencies. Someone who can see the whole journey and identify areas where existing ways of doing things and tools for doing things can be made more reliable, more useful, and more affordable, to more people. Roya Amini-Naieni is one of those people, and she's my guest today, straight from her lab. This is another in our series of conversations with 776 fellows, a two-year program for young people who want to build a better future. Roya is not only a 776 fellow but also the co-founder and CEO of TriloBio, where she's working on revolutionizing synthetic biology by changing the way synthetic biologists do science. Roya's had an incredible journey so far, the child of Iranian immigrants, the child of engineers, and the apprentice to so many mentors who have seen her ambition and seem to understand that Roya has identified a way to stand up for better access to the tools of the future, and along the way, maybe even put a dent in the universe. ----------- Have feedback or questions? http://www.twitter.com/importantnotimp (Tweet us), or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at https://www.importantnotimportant.com/podcast (importantnotimportant.com/podcast). ----------- INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/a/8952/9781492180746 (The Mom Test) by Rob Fitzpatick https://parahumans.wordpress.com/ (The Worm Webseries) Find all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-club (https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-club) Links: Learn more about TriloBio on the https://trilo.bio/#/ (website), https://www.linkedin.com/company/trilobio/ (LinkedIn), or https://mobile.twitter.com/trilobio (Twitter) Follow Roya on https://mobile.twitter.com/royanaieni (Twitter) Learn more about the https://www.776.org/ (776 Foundation Fellowship Program) Find your https://igem.org/ (iGEM) team Fulfill your genetic engineering dreams with your own kit from https://www.the-odin.com/ (The Odin) Get your own https://bento.bio/ (Bento Lab) Follow us: Subscribe to our newsletter at http://newsletter.importantnotimportant.com/ (newsletter.importantnotimportant.com) Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ImportantNotImp (twitter.com/ImportantNotImp) Follow Quinn: http://twitter.com/quinnemmett (twitter.com/quinnemmett) Edited by https://anthonyluciani.com (Anthony Luciani) Produced by https://twitter.com/willowbeck_ (Willow Beck) Intro/outro by Tim Blane: http://timblane.com/ (timblane.com) Advertise with us: https://www.importantnotimportant.com/sponsors (https://www.importantnotimportant.com/sponsors)

How lucky are we? How lucky are we that we live in a time of such great opportunity – when, yes, we're teetering on the edge of a global climate calamity, still reeling from a pandemic, knowing that our problems and challenges are not only enormous, but systemic, all-encompassing, and often linked together. How lucky are we to be able to say – look at all of this opportunity, look at all of the ways I could have an impact, need to have an impact, right now? How lucky are we that so many people, both scared for their futures and emboldened by a feeling of having both nothing to lose, and everything, all at the same time – that they are choosing not to go trade derivatives or build more ad tech, but instead dream? People, and especially young people, dreaming and actually designing, building, and testing innovative, groundbreaking solutions. This episode is another in our series of conversations with 776 Foundation fellows and I'm so excited to share it. Part of the reason I left California was because of the fire risk, to my home and family, the smoke risk, and the drought. I was lucky to be able to leave, but so many can't.  Over and over we have been forced to confront fires that are burning bigger and hotter in drier vegetation, closer to where people live. Fires fought by exhausted, underpaid firefighters. We need reinforcements, we need better ideas, and they need help. We need people like Valkyrie Holmes. Valkyrie is the co-founder of Project Firefly, a new company supported by the 776 Foundation that combines drone technology with pressurized air cannons to better contain wildfires. Yes, you heard that right. In her brief but wildly impressive time as a professional, she's worked as an intern at SpaceX and in various roles at MIT, NASA, Google, and more. We get at everything from self-confidence to heat signatures and what the hell vortex cannons do – and how they could help alleviate the enormous strain drought and fire are putting on resources the world over. ----------- Have feedback or questions? http://www.twitter.com/importantnotimp (Tweet us), or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at https://www.importantnotimportant.com/podcast (importantnotimportant.com/podcast). ----------- INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/a/8952/9780062060624 (The Song of Achilles) by Madeline Miller https://bookshop.org/a/8952/9781544512273 (Can't Hurt Me )by David Goggins Find all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-club (https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-club) Links: Follow Valkyrie on https://twitter.com/valkyrieholmes (Twitter) and check out more of her work https://valkyrieholmes.com/ (here) Learn more about https://www.projectfirefly.ca/ (Project Firefly) on their website Follow Project Firefly on https://twitter.com/_projectfirefly (Twitter) Learn more about the https://www.776.org/ (776 Foundation) Follow us: Subscribe to our newsletter at http://newsletter.importantnotimportant.com/ (newsletter.importantnotimportant.com) Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ImportantNotImp (twitter.com/ImportantNotImp) Follow Quinn: http://twitter.com/quinnemmett (twitter.com/quinnemmett) Edited by https://anthonyluciani.com (Anthony Luciani) Produced by https://twitter.com/willowbeck_ (Willow Beck) Intro/outro by Tim Blane: http://timblane.com/ (timblane.com) Advertise with us: https://www.importantnotimportant.com/sponsors (https://www.importantnotimportant.com/sponsors)

Let's say you get sick.  Diabetes. Cancer. Heart disease. Long COVID. PTSD. MS. Depression. Alzheimer's Despite the best efforts of your physician, nothing's working. They're out of answers, and you're out of questions. You might both be increasingly out of time. Where do you turn? There must be someone, somewhere, working on your problem. Working to better understand it, at least, maybe to treat it, maybe cure it, or prevent it for the next person who might be susceptible to getting it. How do you find out if they exist? And if they do, how do you find them? How could you volunteer for their work, knowing they might not have the answers – but knowing you won't know and they won't know – until you try? For almost twenty-five years the best answer has been to visit a government-run website called clinical trials dot gov. I know because I've sent tens of thousands of people to it, for help. But even if you are able to sort through a Windows 95-era database and find the trial that's right for you – what if it's hundreds of miles away? So many of us could benefit from better awareness and better access to cutting-edge research that could save the lives of people we love. And so many researchers are frustrated by the inability to sign people like you, your daughter, or your dad up for their trial. It's 2022. We can Do Better Better. My guest today is Brandon Li. Brandon is the co-founder of Power, the new and arguably most patient-friendly platform for clinical trials ever made. Brandon and his team are making it easy for all patients to use Power to discover promising clinical trials and get in touch with the researchers – directly. My mission is outcome-based – to connect you with the most measurable ways to take action, feel better, and drive systemic change. There's so much we can do to rebuild public health, to do the basic shit we need to do to take care of one another. But simultaneously, by increasing the success of vastly more inclusive clinical trials, we can accomplish all of those goals at the same time. ----------- Have feedback or questions? http://www.twitter.com/importantnotimp (Tweet us), or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at https://www.importantnotimportant.com/podcast (importantnotimportant.com/podcast). ----------- INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/a/8952/9780307388407 (Open: An Autobiography) by Andres Agassi Find all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-club (https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-club) Links: Find a clinical trial near you with https://www.withpower.com/ (Power) Follow Brandon on https://twitter.com/brandonhli (Twitter) Are you a PI, sponsor, or CRO looking to work with Power? https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandonhli/ (Connect) with Brandon. Factcheck: The following stat from the episode: "self-directed research into clinical trials has grown 22X in the last seven years" was determined using the web analytics tool, https://ahrefs.com/ (ahrefs). Follow us: Subscribe to our newsletter at http://newsletter.importantnotimportant.com/ (newsletter.importantnotimportant.com) Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ImportantNotImp (twitter.com/ImportantNotImp) Follow Quinn: http://twitter.com/quinnemmett (twitter.com/quinnemmett) Edited by https://anthonyluciani.com (Anthony Luciani) Produced by https://twitter.com/willowbeck_ (Willow Beck) Intro/outro by Tim Blane: http://timblane.com/ (timblane.com) Artwork by https://amritpaldesign.com/ (Amrit Pal)

Curious about the climate? Then there's a show I want to tell you about—A Matter of Degrees, where Dr. Leah Stokes and Dr. Katharine Wilkinson tell stories about the powerful forces behind climate change — and the tools we have to fix it. You know climate change is a problem. So what can we do about it?  The new season of A Matter of Degrees kicks off with a mini-series to answer that question. What can we do personally, professionally, and politically? Episode four is a favorite…it's about coping with our emotions about the climate crisis. And there'll be more expert interviews and compelling narratives that touch on everything from crypto to Indigenous stewardship.  Find A Matter of Degrees wherever you listen to podcasts. The new season launches on September 15! ----------- Have feedback or questions? http://www.twitter.com/importantnotimp (Tweet us), or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at https://www.importantnotimportant.com/podcast (importantnotimportant.com/podcast). ----------- Links: https://www.degreespod.com/ (Listen) to A Matter of Degrees Follow us: Subscribe to our newsletter at http://newsletter.importantnotimportant.com/ (newsletter.importantnotimportant.com) Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ImportantNotImp (twitter.com/ImportantNotImp) Follow Quinn: http://twitter.com/quinnemmett (twitter.com/quinnemmett) Edited by https://anthonyluciani.com (Anthony Luciani) Produced by https://twitter.com/willowbeck_ (Willow Beck) Intro/outro by Tim Blane: http://timblane.com/ (timblane.com) Artwork by https://amritpaldesign.com/ (Amrit Pal)

“What can I do?” This is the question I get most often.  It's the question that early on pivoted our newsletter and then this podcast towards measurable action steps that help you feel better and drive systemic change. I don't have anywhere near all the answers to basically anything, so I usually answer people with “What CAN you do?”…to stall for time, but also to open up the conversation. Because the answer to what CAN you do is usually best found at the intersection of your interests or passions or skills, and the eleventy billion problems and opportunities we have before us. And so, almost a hundred and fifty published conversations later and ten times as many offline, some of my favorites remain talking to young people about their lived experiences and how they're directing it towards a problem and solution, towards a radically better world, however ambitious and however much I am a moron and don't understand the basic science behind it. But on the other hand, somebody's gotta support these folks. And so those of us with privilege, with a mic or a checkbook or both have to – at the very least – step up and ask a slightly different version of that question, which is: “How can I help?” My guests today are Lissie Garvin and Laura Stieghorst. Lissie is the Foundation and Fellowship Director at the new 776 Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the venture capital firm with the same name, both founded by Alexis Ohanian. Lissie helped run Reddit, was chief of staff at Initialized Capital, working alongside Alexis, and holds the same role as a co-founder at 776 the firm. Laura Stieghorst is one of the first 776 Fellows. She is the co-founder and CEO at BASICO2, where they are working to understand how we can safely rebalance ocean chemistry using natural mechanisms to remove CO2 from the ocean and restore coral reefs. No biggie, right? Combined, these two humans are a shining example of humanity's young people, our most affected, our most ambitious, doing hard things. Because we have to, because they want to, because, in the end, some of these things might be possible, and might change the world. ----------- Have feedback or questions? http://www.twitter.com/importantnotimp (Tweet us), or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at http://podcast.importantnotimportant.com/ (podcast.importantnotimportant.com). ----------- INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/a/8952/9780812975598 (The Wild Trees) by Richard Preston https://bookshop.org/a/8952/9781623172480 (Climate: A New Story )by Charles Eisenstein https://bookshop.org/a/8952/9780674241282 (Lessons from Plants) by Beronda L. Montgomery Find all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-club (https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-club) Links: Follow https://twitter.com/garvinlissie?lang=en (Lissie) and the https://twitter.com/776Foundation (776 Foundation) on Twitter Follow https://twitter.com/laura8fl1?lang=en (Laura )and https://twitter.com/BASI_CO2 (BASICO2) on Twitter https://www.gofundme.com/f/basico2 (Donate) to BASICO2 https://www.776.org/ (Apply) to the 776 Fellowship Program Follow us: Subscribe to our newsletter at http://newsletter.importantnotimportant.com/ (newsletter.importantnotimportant.com) Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ImportantNotImp (twitter.com/ImportantNotImp) Follow Quinn: http://twitter.com/quinnemmett (twitter.com/quinnemmett) Edited by https://anthonyluciani.com (Anthony Luciani) Produced by https://www.linkedin.com/in/willow-beck-074070122/ (Willow Beck) Intro/outro by Tim Blane: http://timblane.com/ (timblane.com) Artwork by https://amritpaldesign.com/ (Amrit Pal)

In a world where trust in institutions and in news is falling and the role of influencers is growing, finding the connective tissue between you and your audience is key to, well, connecting.  To establish a rapport, which can if nourished, lead to trust, which can lead to a genuine connection. And for the creator to go further, to push deeper, to find meaning and bearing in places we as consumers or readers or listeners might not otherwise look or expect, like in local news or video game reviews or recipes. I think that matters a lot. We're not only losing trust but feeling that loss. With so much coming at us, we notice and feel a lack of connection, we feel adrift and unmoored. I am moved by people whose work and art I can connect with, whether I'm seeking it out or not. Because connection matters. Who we get our COVID information or our weather forecasts from matters, but also who helps us understand where we can find comfort, and why. My guest today is Swapna Krishna. Swapna is a writer and journalist covering space, science, tech, and pop culture. She writes everywhere from Fast Company to StarWars.com, from StarTrek.com to Business Insider, the LA Times, Bitch Magazine, Bustle, Mental Floss, and more. She's appeared on a million excellent podcasts, at Comic-Con, and is the co-host of her own show, the Desi Geek Girls podcast, and the new host of PBS's show Far Out. Swapna often writes some of the most empathetic tech and pop culture commentary on the web. She has this unique ability to say “this is what this big thing means to me” and make you feel like “yes, me too!” or “Wait I didn't think about that”. We have very different backgrounds and lives but I trust her writing and thoroughly enjoy her new show, and her efforts to try and meet people where they are, on science issues and pop culture fandoms big and small. ----------- Have feedback or questions? http://www.twitter.com/importantnotimp (Tweet us), or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at http://podcast.importantnotimportant.com/ (podcast.importantnotimportant.com). ----------- INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/a/8952/9780593081891 (Sword Stone Table) by Swapna Krishna and Jenn Northington https://www.roshanichokshi.com/the-last-tale-of-the-flower-bride/ (Stay tuned )for Roshani Chokshi's new book Find all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-club (https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-club) Links: Follow Swapna on https://twitter.com/skrishna?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor (Twitter) and https://www.instagram.com/skrishna/ (Instagram) Follow Swapna on https://www.tiktok.com/@swapna_krishna (TikTok) Watch PBS Terra's Far Out on https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnNZYWyBGJ1EzMbF4T-PPNmqhXFY87Kfp (Youtube) or their https://www.pbs.org/show/far-out/ (website) Listen to and follow https://twitter.com/DesiGeekGirls?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor (Desi Geek Girls) Check out https://www.nasa.gov/connect/social/index.html (NASA Social) Follow us: Subscribe to our newsletter at http://newsletter.importantnotimportant.com/ (newsletter.importantnotimportant.com) Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ImportantNotImp (twitter.com/ImportantNotImp) Follow Quinn: http://twitter.com/quinnemmett (twitter.com/quinnemmett) Edited by https://anthonyluciani.com (Anthony Luciani) Produced by https://www.linkedin.com/in/willow-beck-074070122/ (Willow Beck) Intro/outro by Tim Blane: http://timblane.com/ (timblane.com) Artwork by https://amritpaldesign.com/ (Amrit Pal)

I think about time a lot. Some days I feel ancient, some days I can't believe how old I am. I've got kids, too. I can't believe how fast they've grown up already. They love so many things. Swimming. Cooking. Plain pasta. The beach. Vegetables, somehow. Their friends. Their family. Dinosaurs. Man, oh man, do they love dinosaurs. I love to challenge them, to help them think about how long ago it all was, and how long it lasted. How different the world was. How the land under their feet was an ocean, once. And of course, knowing what we know now, how fast it can all change. How an asteroid - or a virus, or a fire, or a flood - can change your life forever. I try to help them understand that, unlike the dinosaurs, we have the tools to prevent many of these things, and we have the foresight to understand when and how, and why they might happen. As much progress as we've made in these 300,000 years of Homo sapiens, from fire to wheels to meat to agriculture to handwashing –  we are in a moment when we are challenged yet again on a global scale, and unlike the dinos, our future is of our own making. Things can change quickly, and we need to understand how that's happened before. My guest today is Riley Black. Riley is a science writer and amateur paleontologist based in Salt Lake City, Utah, right in the center of dinosaur country, where she chases tales of vanished lives from museum collections to remote badlands. Riley's published books include Written in Stone, my favorite and critically-acclaimed My Beloved Brontosaurus, When Dinosaurs Ruled, Prehistoric Predators, and her newest: The Last Days of the Dinosaurs, a fascinating, emotional page-turner that explores the minutes, hours, days, weeks, years, and centuries after the dinosaurs were wiped out by the Chicxulub asteroid 66 million years ago. Riley's journey and storytelling are powerful and so important in this moment when we're so ready to move on to the next thing that we haven't taken the time to cherish the people, the places, the world around us, and how lucky we are to have them. ----------- Have feedback or questions? http://www.twitter.com/importantnotimp (Tweet us), or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at http://podcast.importantnotimportant.com/ (podcast.importantnotimportant.com). ----------- INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/a/8952/9781501129612 (Why Won't You Apologize?) by Harriet Lerner https://bookshop.org/a/8952/9781250271044 (The Last Days of the Dinosaurs) by Riley Black https://bookshop.org/a/8952/9780374534264 (My Beloved Brontosaurus) by Riley Black Find all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-club (https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-club) Links: Follow Riley on https://twitter.com/Laelaps?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor (Twitter) Find more of Riley's work on herhttp://rileyblack.net/ ( website) Follow us: Subscribe to our newsletter at http://newsletter.importantnotimportant.com/ (newsletter.importantnotimportant.com) Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ImportantNotImp (twitter.com/ImportantNotImp) Follow Quinn: http://twitter.com/quinnemmett (twitter.com/quinnemmett) Edited by https://anthonyluciani.com (Anthony Luciani) Produced by https://www.linkedin.com/in/willow-beck-074070122/ (Willow Beck) Intro/outro by Tim Blane: http://timblane.com/ (timblane.com) Artwork by https://amritpaldesign.com/ (Amrit Pal)

Soup to nuts, I'm more concerned about COVID today than I've been at any point in the past year. I don't think it'll be a horror show soon, not like it was before, but we haven't (yet!) put ourselves in a position to get ahead of a virus whose entire job is to find ways around our defenses, and now it's doing just that. My usual caveats: I'm not a virologist I'm not an MD I'm not an epidemiologist I'm not a sociologist I'm not a policy maker I'm not a journalist I'm not a cat I am: A former liberal arts major with a popular and critically acclaimed newsletter and a podcast, and I've spent the past few years trying to learn about the world's most complex problems from a broad array of incredibly smart, capable, and thoughtful folks to understand where we are, why we're here, where we might be going, and what the hell you and I can do about it all. I've covered the broader shifts of COVID every week in this newsletter, standing on the shoulders of some of the most incredible journalism we've ever seen. And here are the facts on the ground: Because of a huge, overlapping variety of societal and institutional failures, our bodies and health system, however immunized, are under assault from an increasingly wide variety of subvariants of our own making. We have chosen not to vaccinate the world, and at home, we have almost completely let our guard down, relying on a population whose existing vaccines are becoming less potent every day and who are reluctant to get any additional new ones, no matter how capable. Today I want to elaborate on these factors, and help you understand where I think we are, where we might be going, and why, and what we can do about it. While historically our “numbers” remain low (and that's great!), there's a very good chance the variants keep evolving to feature better immunity evasiveness, leaving our current vaccines markedly more ineffective and our population exposed again. Again, a caveat: I might be very, very wrong, and I hope I am. But I don't think I am. ----------- Have feedback or questions? http://www.twitter.com/importantnotimp (Tweet us), or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at http://podcast.importantnotimportant.com/ (podcast.importantnotimportant.com). ----------- Links: Read the full piece, including references cited https://newsletter.importantnotimportant.com/p/covid-update (here) Follow us: Subscribe to our newsletter at http://newsletter.importantnotimportant.com/ (newsletter.importantnotimportant.com) Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ImportantNotImp (twitter.com/ImportantNotImp) Follow Quinn: http://twitter.com/quinnemmett (twitter.com/quinnemmett) Edited by https://anthonyluciani.com (Anthony Luciani) Produced by https://www.linkedin.com/in/willow-beck-074070122/ (Willow Beck) Intro/outro by Tim Blane: http://timblane.com/ (timblane.com) Artwork by https://amritpaldesign.com/ (Amrit Pal)

We are all being pulled in so many different directions. The clock is ticking and we have a climate and virus and society and economy to fix and we're distracted, all of the time. Not just by all of these immense, complicated, systemic issues, not just by an explosion of candidates to donate to, and GoFundMe's to donate to, but also by the just infinite plethora of opportunities for engagement, if only for a moment.  It's getting harder for us to read long-form writing, to focus on one thing without instinctively reaching for another at the same time. And here's the broader implication:  If we can't pay attention to what's going on with our planet, with our communities, with the heat, and viruses, and opportunities to electrify everything, to train and hire more nurses, to educate more people, to elect folks that matter in districts and elections that matter, then we're going to have a very hard time fixing any of it. But we are less in control than we've ever been – maybe there's free will, maybe not – we've evolved in this way, to constantly be scanning, like anxiety has a purpose to keep us alive, but it's overworked and overclocked and spread too thin. And so is our attention. My guest today is Johann Hari. Johann is the author of three New York Times best-selling books. His TED talks have been viewed more than 80 million times. The first is named ‘Everything You Think You Know About Addiction is Wrong.' The second is entitled ‘This Could Be Why You Are Depressed or Anxious'.  Johann is the author of the new book “Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention, and How to Think Deeply Again” His work here and this conversation can go a long way towards helping you be more effective, not only at home and in your job, but at giving a shit, understanding why you give a shit, and how to most effectively put that mission to use. ----------- Have feedback or questions? http://www.twitter.com/importantnotimp (Tweet us), or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at http://podcast.importantnotimportant.com/ (podcast.importantnotimportant.com). ----------- INI Book Club: https://uk.bookshop.org/books/the-anatomy-of-a-moment/9781408822104 (The Anatomy of a Moment )by Javier Cercas https://bookshop.org/a/8952/9781635574388 (The Apology) by Eve Ensler Find all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-club (https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-club) Links: Read Johann's book, "https://stolenfocusbook.com/ (Stolen Focus)" Follow Johann on https://twitter.com/johannhari101?lang=en (Twitter) Discover more of Johann's https://johannhari.com/ (work) Follow us: Subscribe to our newsletter at http://newsletter.importantnotimportant.com/ (newsletter.importantnotimportant.com) Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ImportantNotImp (twitter.com/ImportantNotImp) Follow Quinn: http://twitter.com/quinnemmett (twitter.com/quinnemmett) Edited by https://anthonyluciani.com (Anthony Luciani) Produced by https://www.linkedin.com/in/willow-beck-074070122/ (Willow Beck) Intro/outro by Tim Blane: http://timblane.com/ (timblane.com) Artwork by https://amritpaldesign.com/ (Amrit Pal)

A woman's right to choose is under renewed attack in America and the federal protection it has benefited from for so long, however tenuous, is closer than ever to going away.  It's vitally important we understand the underlying systems behind any singular issue, and ask “Why is this this way?” and “Does it have to be this way?” It is 14 times more deadly to deliver a baby than to have a legal abortion in America. We have no universal healthcare, we have no mandatory paid sick leave, we have no mandatory paid parental leave, we have no mandatory paid time off, preschool is unaffordable, childcare is unaffordable, mental health care is unaffordable, diapers are unaffordable. And so before this — before this decision comes down, before they use this precedent and legal approach to start to ban abortions immediately after conception, before they try to ban contraception altogether, and more —  — we have some of the highest maternal death rates in the developed world, and if you're poor or a Black woman or both — they're 3-4x higher.  Last year I had Representative Lauren Underwood of Illinois on the show to talk about the heartbreaking reason maternal health means so much to her, about her incredible Momnibus Act, about how and why we treat moms the way we do in this country, and what the hell we can all do about it. I learned so much from Lauren, and we got an overwhelming response from folks inside and outside the system who are fighting for better care every day, and folks who truly didn't understand the scope of how dangerous it is to have a baby in America. Lauren is an inspiration and a leader and I couldn't think of a more appropriate conversation to replay this week in light of what's happening. ----------- Have feedback or questions? http://www.twitter.com/importantnotimp (Tweet us), or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at http://podcast.importantnotimportant.com/ (podcast.importantnotimportant.com). ----------- INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/shop/importantnotimportant (https://bookshop.org/shop/importantnotimportant) Links: https://underwood.house.gov/ (underwood.house.gov) Twitter: https://twitter.com/RepUnderwood (@RepUnderwood) https://blackmaternalhealthcaucus-underwood.house.gov/Momnibus (Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act) Follow us: Subscribe to our newsletter at http://newsletter.importantnotimportant.com/ (newsletter.importantnotimportant.com) Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ImportantNotImp (twitter.com/ImportantNotImp) Follow Quinn: http://twitter.com/quinnemmett (twitter.com/quinnemmett) Edited by https://anthonyluciani.com (Anthony Luciani) Produced by Willow Beck Intro/outro by Tim Blane: http://timblane.com/ (timblane.com) Artwork by https://amritpaldesign.com/ (Amrit Pal)

If you give a shit, well, you've probably had at least a few moments where the enormity of what's in front of us has challenged your mental health in some way. I can't imagine there are many folks listening to this show who've never felt the heaviness of our climate future, of our climate present. There's a lot of guilt, a lot of shame, a lot of shame about that shame, a lot of furious action – we're here, aren't we. And running parallel alongside all of those emotions is the dread of what's being done out there, about the lack of action, and for the people who are taking action on the frontlines of the future, giving it their all. But, as Dr. Katharine Hayhoe says, we have to talk about it.  Not just what's happening, but how we're dealing with it.  How we can recognize it and move forward, for ourselves, together, for the planet, for the people who will come after us. My guest today is Dr. Britt Wray. Britt is the author of the fantastic new book “Generation Dread: Finding Purpose in an Age of Climate Crisis”, an impassioned generational perspective on how to stay sane amid climate disruption. Britt has a Ph.D. in Science Communication from the University of Copenhagen and is the author of "Rise of the Necrofauna: The Science, Ethics and Risks of De-Extinction." She is currently a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (sure, why not both?), where she researches the mental health impacts of climate change on young people. Britt is also the author of Gen Dread, the first newsletter that shares wide-ranging ideas for supporting emotional health and psychological resilience in the climate and wider ecological crisis. I have learned so much from Britt of late, and her book is a tremendous source of empathy and courage. I think you will find us both baring a bit of our souls and our beliefs in this conversation, and hopefully, some ways we can all cope and build a radically more supportive world – for everyone. ----------- Have feedback or questions? http://www.twitter.com/importantnotimp (Tweet us), or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at http://podcast.importantnotimportant.com/ (podcast.importantnotimportant.com). ----------- INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/a/8952/9780735280724 (Generation Dread: Finding Purpose in an Age of Climate Crisis )by Britt Wray https://bookshop.org/a/8952/9783836584722 (Greek Myths) by Gustav Schwab Find all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-club (https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-club) Links: Follow Britt Wray on https://twitter.com/brittwray?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor (Twitter) Follow @gen_dread onhttps://www.instagram.com/gen_dread/?hl=en ( Instagram) https://gendread.substack.com/ (Gen Dread Newsletter) https://climateawakening.org/ (Climate Awakening) https://climatecafes.org/ (Climate Café) https://www.goodgriefnetwork.org/ (Good Grief Network) https://workthatreconnects.org/ (Work That Reconnects) https://www.climatepsychologyalliance.org/ (Climate Psychology Alliance) https://www.climatepsychiatry.org/ (Climate Psychiatry Alliance) Follow us: Subscribe to our newsletter at http://newsletter.importantnotimportant.com/ (newsletter.importantnotimportant.com) Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ImportantNotImp (twitter.com/ImportantNotImp) Follow Quinn: http://twitter.com/quinnemmett (twitter.com/quinnemmett) Edited by https://anthonyluciani.com (Anthony Luciani) Produced by Willow Beck Intro/outro by Tim Blane: http://timblane.com/ (timblane.com) Artwork by https://amritpaldesign.com/ (Amrit Pal)

Over the past few years, more and more voters have cited “action on climate” as a reason for voting the way they do. From Data for Progress, in October: Over two-thirds of voters (68 percent), agree that the U.S. should lead the world in addressing climate change so other countries will follow suit. From November: Roughly two-thirds of voters (64 percent) think that the U.S. should invest in cheaper, cleaner, and more reliable energy sources rather than ramp up fossil fuel production and continue relying on foreign energy exports From March: When asked about changes to infrastructure in light of the IPCC report, an overwhelming majority (81 percent) of voters, said they would support government investments to increase the climate resilience of our buildings, roads, bridges, and other structures But here's the thing, and I think you know this, and it might even be you: lots – lots – of voters who are registered, and even those who do vote in presidential elections – don't turn out for midterms. Much less for state and local races. Even registered voters who list the environment or climate as their most important issue do the same. Millions of them don't turn out. Success might not actually be about identifying and focusing on one specific issue, campaign, or candidate. It might come down to how we want to see ourselves, why we wear those little “I Voted” stickers, how we identify, and our behaviors. And that's what the Environmental Voter Project is all about. My guest today is Nathaniel Stinnett. Nathaniel founded the Environmental Voter Project in 2015 after over a decade of experience as a senior advisor, consultant, and trainer for political campaigns and issue-advocacy nonprofits.  Hailed as a "visionary" by The New York Times, and dubbed "The Voting Guru" by Grist magazine, Stinnett is a frequent expert speaker on cutting-edge campaign techniques and the behavioral science behind getting people to vote.  Nathaniel has held a variety of senior leadership and campaign manager positions on U.S. Senate, Congressional, state, and mayoral campaigns, and he sits on the Board of Advisors for MIT's Environmental Solutions Initiative.  And he's here to help me understand the EVP's mission and tactics, and how we can help them achieve their goal of turning out more climate-focused voters this year and in the years to come. ----------- Have feedback or questions? http://www.twitter.com/importantnotimp (Tweet us), or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at http://podcast.importantnotimportant.com/ (podcast.importantnotimportant.com). ----------- INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/a/8952/9780393356687 (The Overstory) by Richard Powers Find all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-club (https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-club) Links: Follow Nathaniel on https://twitter.com/NCStinn?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor (Twitter) Volunteer with the https://www.environmentalvoter.org/about (Environmental Voter Project) today! Follow the Environmental Voter Project on https://twitter.com/Enviro_Voter (Twitter) Follow us: Subscribe to our newsletter at http://newsletter.importantnotimportant.com/ (newsletter.importantnotimportant.com) Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ImportantNotImp (twitter.com/ImportantNotImp) Follow Quinn: http://twitter.com/quinnemmett (twitter.com/quinnemmett) Edited by https://anthonyluciani.com (Anthony Luciani) Produced by Willow Beck Intro/outro by Tim Blane: http://timblane.com/ (timblane.com) Artwork by https://amritpaldesign.com/ (Amrit Pal)

A little while ago, I had a conversation with Dr. Madhukar Pai about vaccine equity. In it, I tried to understand why and how developed countries were spending billions on COVID vaccine boosters, but so relatively little in low-income countries. Not to say that nothing has been done, but it's a pretty clear-cut case where whatever we have done, however complex the system, it's nowhere near enough. I can't be more clear here. This will affect you. We're handing out 21 million shots a day across the world, and yet, 36.8% of the world's population – 2.9 billion people – still haven't received a single shot. 87% of people in low-income countries still haven't received a single shot. The international organization that was supposed to shepherd this whole endeavor to vaccinate the world, COVAX, has, however you squeeze it, failed. I want to understand technically what the issues have been, but also as always, to understand why we do what we do when it's so morally corrupt, when it costs so many lives, and even when all of the evidence tells us that it will come back to bite us. My guest today is Gayle Smith. Gayle served until recently as Coordinator for Global COVID Response and Health Security at the Department of State and has recently returned to her role as the President and CEO of the ONE Campaign. Prior to the ONE Campaign, Smith was the Administrator of USAID, where she led a staff of more than 10,000 people working to end extreme poverty, foster sustained and inclusive economic growth, and promote resilient, democratic societies all over the world.  Smith has also served as Special Assistant to President Obama and Senior Director for Development and Democracy at the National Security Council, where she helped lead the U.S. and global response to the Ebola crisis in 2014 and 2015, and as Special Assistant to President Clinton and Senior Director for African affairs at the National Security Council. If anyone can help me understand where the US, in particular, has fallen short of helping to vaccinate the world and get us out of this thing, it's Gayle. ----------- Have feedback or questions? http://www.twitter.com/importantnotimp (Tweet us), or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at http://podcast.importantnotimportant.com/ (podcast.importantnotimportant.com). ----------- INI Book Club: Find all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-club (https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-club) Links: Follow Gayle on https://twitter.com/gaylesmith?lang=en (Twitter) https://www.one.org/international/ (ONE Campaign) ONE Campaign https://twitter.com/ONECampaign (Twitter) Follow us: Subscribe to our newsletter at http://newsletter.importantnotimportant.com/ (newsletter.importantnotimportant.com) Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ImportantNotImp (twitter.com/ImportantNotImp) Follow Quinn: http://twitter.com/quinnemmett (twitter.com/quinnemmett) Edited by https://anthonyluciani.com (Anthony Luciani) Intro/outro by Tim Blane: http://timblane.com/ (timblane.com) Artwork by https://amritpaldesign.com/ (Amrit Pal)

There's no word for “conservation” in many Indigenous languages. Some come close, but mean something more like “taking care of” or “looking after.” And that's probably because the very idea of conservation, to “prevention the wasteful use of a resource”, would have been, and continue to be, foreign to many of North America's Indigenous peoples, who lived in an entirely different, co-dependent relationship with nature. That is to say, to have had a relationship at all. A relationship with the very same nature of which we're inextricably part of, of which we rely on for clean air, food, and water – or it's game over. And now, if we're not facing game over, we're certainly up against the final boss. We live on stolen lands that were tended for thousands of years by Indigenous and Native peoples have been dried out by mostly white settlers in what seems like the blink of an eye. Land now covered in cities, in suburbs, in industrialized agriculture, desperately and even controversially conserved as national and state parks. Waters onshore and offshore, full of plastic and fertilizer, once bountiful, now overfished. The receipts are in and it's not gone well for colonialists' stewardship over the single habitable ecosystem as far as anyone can tell. New voices are needed, new policies and practices are needed, and perhaps the most compelling ones come from our land's longest-tenured human inhabitants. And while, yes, I'm focused on actions we can take to build a vastly cleaner and better future for all people, you know I work hard to bring you the necessary context, to understand how we got here, why we got here, to understand the decisions and systems involved – all of which should only make us more effective at taking action. My guest today is Dr. Jessica Hernandez. Dr. Hernandez is an environmental scientist, founder of environmental non-profit Piña Soul, and the author of the new book, “Fresh Banana Leaves”, where she weaves together her family's relationship with nature, as part of nature, her family's history of being displaced over and over, through the lens of eco-colonialism, and how Indigenous-led restoration is the way forward. ----------- Have feedback or questions? http://www.twitter.com/importantnotimp (Tweet us), or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at http://podcast.importantnotimportant.com/ (podcast.importantnotimportant.com). ----------- INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/a/8952/9781517908089 (Le Maya Q'atzij/Our Maya Word) by Dr. Emil' Keme Find all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-club (https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-club) Links: https://twitter.com/doctora_nature (Dr. Jessica Hernandez) on Twitter Jessica Hernandez https://www.jessicabhernandez.com (website) http://www.pinasoul.com/#/ (Piña Soul) Follow us: Subscribe to our newsletter at http://newsletter.importantnotimportant.com/ (newsletter.importantnotimportant.com) Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ImportantNotImp (twitter.com/ImportantNotImp) Follow Quinn: http://twitter.com/quinnemmett (twitter.com/quinnemmett) Edited by https://anthonyluciani.com (Anthony Luciani) Intro/outro by Tim Blane: http://timblane.com/ (timblane.com) Artwork by https://amritpaldesign.com/ (Amrit Pal)

There's these metaphors that sum up a lot of what we're trying to do here, what needs to be done on planet Earth, from climate change to COVID to AI ethics, which is something you definitely need to know and care about before it's too late, there are like 7 Terminator movies and only 1/3 of them are any good. Anyways! Re: today's conversation, we need to design and implement standardized AI ethics regulations across everything AI touches, so, everything, while also asking questions like: what is “ethical”? And who gets to decide? And why do they get to decide? And how are they incentivized to decide, in today's society? And who provides those incentives? Who gets to regulate all of this? Who elects the regulators? And how do we make sure companies actually implement all of this? These are among the most important questions of our time, because AI touches everything you do. The phone in your hand, your insurance, your mortgage, your flood risk, your wildfire risk, your electronic health record, your face, your taxes, your police record, those Instagram ads for the concerningly comfortable sweatpants, your 401k – – some version of AI, whether it's the AI we always thought was coming or not – is integrated into every part of your life. My guest in Episode #132 is Abhishek Gupta. Abhiskek is the founder and principal researcher at the Montreal AI Ethics Institute, an international non-profit research institute, with a mission to democratize AI ethics literacy. He works in machine learning and serves on the CSE Responsible AI Board at Microsoft, he works as the Chair of the Standards Working Group at the Green Software Foundation, and is the author of the widely read AI Ethics Brief, and the State of the AI Ethics Reports, the most recent of which just dropped. Abhishek helps me ask better questions every single week and his work is instrumental to helping society build not only more powerful and equitable AI, but one that somehow improves on the most important element of all: us. ----------- Have feedback or questions? http://www.twitter.com/importantnotimp (Tweet us), or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at http://podcast.importantnotimportant.com/ (podcast.importantnotimportant.com). ----------- INI Book Club: Find all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-club (https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-club) Links: https://montrealethics.ai (Montreal AI Ethics Institute) Follow Abhishek https://twitter.com/atg_abhishek (on Twitter) Get Volume 6 of the https://montrealethics.ai/volume6/ (State of AI Ethics Report) (PDF) Subscribe to https://themarkup.org (The Markup) Follow us: Subscribe to our newsletter at http://newsletter.importantnotimportant.com/ (newsletter.importantnotimportant.com) Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ImportantNotImp (twitter.com/ImportantNotImp) Follow Quinn: http://twitter.com/quinnemmett (twitter.com/quinnemmett) Edited by https://anthonyluciani.com (Anthony Luciani) Intro/outro by Tim Blane: http://timblane.com/ (timblane.com) Artwork by https://amritpaldesign.com/ (Amrit Pal)

Jafar Tabebordbar was in his early 30's, living and working as an accountant in Shiraz, Iran, when he became a father. It was 1986, nearly a decade after the 1979 revolution, and Jafar's muscles were already beginning to whither. As his sons grew, and watched, their father Jafar lost his balance, his ability to walk, to drive, and eventually, the reliable use of his hands. There were no answers, and no treatments to be found. Two questions haunted his sons as they grew: What was causing their father's suffering? And would they get it next? Quinn's guest today, 30 years later, is Dr. Sharif Tabebordbar, Jafar's oldest son, and the man closest to a cure. Sharif received his bachelors and masters degrees in biotechnology from University of Tehran and a Ph.D. in Developmental and Regenerative Biology from Harvard University. He is the recipient of Distinction in Teaching Award from Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning at Harvard, the Albert J. Ryan Foundation Award for Outstanding Graduate Students in Biomedical Sciences, the Excellence in Research Award and the Career Development Award from the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy, and the Royan International Research Award in Regenerative Medicine.  In 2020, Sharif was listed as a finalist in the MIT “35 innovators under 35” competition. In 2021, Sharif and others posted an article in the journal Cell that may change the world. All of these years later, Jafar's son Sharif has figured out how to help: He stands on the cusp of transforming gene therapy for nearly all muscle wasting diseases. ----------- Have feedback or questions? http://www.twitter.com/importantnotimp (Tweet us), or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at http://podcast.importantnotimportant.com/ (podcast.importantnotimportant.com). ----------- INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/a/8952/9780062407801 ("Never Split the Difference" )by Chris Voss https://bookshop.org/a/8952/9781524763138 ("Becoming") by Michelle Obama Find all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-club (https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-club) Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mohammadsharif-tabebordbar-76818830/ (Sharif Tabebordbar) Sharif on https://twitter.com/shbordbar?lang=en (Twitter) Follow us: Subscribe to our newsletter at http://newsletter.importantnotimportant.com/ (newsletter.importantnotimportant.com) Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ImportantNotImp (twitter.com/ImportantNotImp) Follow Quinn: http://twitter.com/quinnemmett (twitter.com/quinnemmett) Edited by https://anthonyluciani.com (Anthony Luciani) Intro/outro by Tim Blane: http://timblane.com/ (timblane.com) Artwork by https://amritpaldesign.com/ (Amrit Pal)

In 2019, Quinn interviewed his good friend Craig Mazin, writer, producer, and creator of the hit HBO miniseries, Chernobyl, to learn what happened there, and what it means for our energy future. This week, Vladimir Putin declared war on Ukraine, directing the Russian military to take Ukraine's bases, cities, people, and strategic assets. Today, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/24/world/europe/the-chernobyl-plant-was-reported-captured-by-russia-what-is-there.html (they took Chernobyl). We're re-running this invaluable conversation because misinformation is rampant, and it's never been more important to understand the cost of lies. ----------- Have feedback or questions? http://www.twitter.com/importantnotimp (Tweet us), or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at http://podcast.importantnotimportant.com/ (podcast.importantnotimportant.com). ----------- INI Book Club: Find all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-club (https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-club) Links: Watch https://www.hbo.com/chernobyl (Chernobyl) on HBO Follow Craig https://twitter.com/clmazin (on Twitter) https://scriptnotes.net (Scriptnotes podcast) Follow us: Subscribe to our newsletter at http://newsletter.importantnotimportant.com/ (newsletter.importantnotimportant.com) Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ImportantNotImp (twitter.com/ImportantNotImp) Follow Quinn: http://twitter.com/quinnemmett (twitter.com/quinnemmett) Edited by https://anthonyluciani.com (Anthony Luciani) Intro/outro by Tim Blane: http://timblane.com/ (timblane.com) Artwork by https://amritpaldesign.com/ (Amrit Pal)

It's been 26 months since so many of us took our kids out of schools, downloaded an app called Zoom, and started videoconferencing our work from our kitchens and sweatpants. For many others, especially the marginalized and those working in the service industry, working from home was never an option. It's been 12 months since groundbreaking vaccines began to roll out across the world. You've probably got at least two, maybe three. And yet today, 39% of humans across the globe haven't received a single shot, and just 10% across low-income countries have received a single dose. Over 3 billion humans remain not only susceptible to sickness and death, but also a vector for transmission and mutations that could affect us all. The only way any of us is truly done with this is if we vaccinate the world. So why aren't we doing it? Quinn's guest this week is Dr. Madhukar Pai. Dr. Pai is not only an outspoken advocate for vaccine equity, but also the Canada Research Chair of Epidemiology and Global Health at McGill University, the associate director of the McGill International Tuberculosis Centre, the Commissioner of the Lancet Commission on Diagnostics, the recipient of the Union Scientific Prize and many others. If you want to understand how this ends, why it hasn't yet, and what you can do to get us there -- this conversation is for you. ----------- Have feedback or questions? http://www.twitter.com/importantnotimp (Tweet us), or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at http://podcast.importantnotimportant.com (podcast.importantnotimportant.com). ----------- INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/books/how-to-fight-inequality-and-why-that-fight-needs-you/9781509543090 ("How to Fight Inequality (And Why That Fight Needs You)") by Ben Phillips INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-club (https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-club) Links: Follow Dr. Pai https://twitter.com/paimadhu (on Twitter) https://www.paitbgroup.org (Pai Global TB Group) Our World in Data: https://ourworldindata.org/covid-vaccinations (COVID-19 vaccination update) Connect with us: Subscribe to our newsletter at http://newsletter.importantnotimportant.com (newsletter.importantnotimportant.com) Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ImportantNotImp (twitter.com/ImportantNotImp) Follow Quinn: http://twitter.com/quinnemmett (twitter.com/quinnemmett) Like and share us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/ImportantNotImportant (facebook.com/ImportantNotImportant) Intro/outro by Tim Blane: http://timblane.com (timblane.com) https://amritpaldesign.com (Artwork by Amrit Pal) Support this podcast

In Episode 129, Quinn tries to better understand data privacy, data stewardship, and what it means for Indigenous cultures in the future of biotech, how we design equity into genetic research, and who gets to make those decisions. His guest is Krystal Tsosie, a geneticist, bioethicist, and—first and foremost to her—a person Indigenous to the southwestern United States, specifically the Navajo nation. She is the co-founder and Ethics and Policy Director at the Native BioData Consortium, the first Indigenous-led biological data repository for tribes in the US. “Representation” is just the first step (and so much more than who shows up on screen in the latest Disney movie (though even things there are still embarrassingly bland).  Next up is inclusivity: It's about who's in the room writing and building the future of technology, it's about asking who makes the rules, and who benefits from them?  But the real goal is equity, and benefit. And biotech in particular is one sector that could get out of hand real fast unless we approach it in a more inclusive and cooperative way. Krystal started her career with one question: Why don't Indigenous people generally participate in genetic studies? And the dominoes fell from there. Representation, inclusivity, equity, benefit – we can achieve these, and also uncouple DNA from identity. Have feedback or questions?http://www.twitter.com/importantnotimp ( Tweet us), or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes athttp://podcast.importantnotimportant.com ( podcast.importantnotimportant.com). Important, Not Important Book Club: https://bookshop.org/a/8952/9780816665860 (Native American DNA) by Kim TallBear https://bookshop.org/a/8952/9780262044004 (Data Feminism) by Catherine D'Ignazio and Lauren F. Klein https://bookshop.org/shop/importantnotimportant (https://bookshop.org/shop/importantnotimportant) Links: https://nativebio.org/ (nativebio.org) Twitter: https://twitter.com/kstsosie (@kstsosie) Connect with us: Subscribe to our newsletter at http://importantnotimportant.com/ (ImportantNotImportant.com)! Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ImportantNotImp (twitter.com/ImportantNotImp) Follow Quinn: http://twitter.com/quinnemmett (twitter.com/quinnemmett) Follow Brian: https://twitter.com/beansaight (twitter.com/beansaight) Like and share us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/ImportantNotImportant (facebook.com/ImportantNotImportant) Intro/outro by Tim Blane: http://timblane.com/ (timblane.com) Important, Not Important is produced by http://crate.media/ (Crate Media) Support this podcast

In Episode 128, Quinn unpacks the most delicious olive oil in the world, how it came to be, and what it means to start a food business in the age of climate change. Our guest is: Aishwarya Iyer, dreamer, doer, and eternal optimist. Ash is the founder and CEO of Brightland, the new gold standard in pantry essentials. They are proponents and advocates for authenticity and transparency in the food industry, starting with olive oil. There are something like six bajillion bottles of olive oil at your local supermarket, and that's just the extra virgin stuff. And yet, despite the options (organic, cold-pressed, etc) you'd be hard-pressed (sorry) to find pure, quality oils – ones that aren't blended, rancid, or worse.  Thankfully, you don't have to cross the Atlantic (and the Mediterranean) in order to find the good stuff. It's available right here in California. Ash has been hard at work extending olive branches (you're welcome) to local family farms, getting them to buy into the mission and the message. Brightland is also branching out into sweet and sour territory with truly addictive honey and vinegar offerings. Making a difference often means shopping responsibly. It's wonderful having one more option when it comes to it. Today's episode is brought to you by Avocado Green Brands, where sustainability comes first. They craft their GOTS certified organic mattresses, pillows, and bedding with natural materials sourced from their organic farms in India, in their own clean-energy powered facility in Los Angeles, where their team shares a singular purpose: To raise the bar for what it means to be a sustainable business.  Avocado is Climate Neutral Certified for net zero emissions and donates one percent of all revenue to environmental nonprofits through its membership with 1% For the Planet.  https://www.avocadogreenmattress.com/?utm_medium=partner&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=INI_November (Find out what it means to sleep organic at AvocadoMattress.com). Have feedback or questions?http://www.twitter.com/importantnotimp ( Tweet us), or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes athttp://podcast.importantnotimportant.com/ ( podcast.importantnotimportant.com). Important, Not Important Book Club: https://bookshop.org/contributors/axel-vervoordt (Timeless Interiors) by Axel Vervoordt https://bookshop.org/shop/importantnotimportant (https://bookshop.org/shop/importantnotimportant) Links: https://brightland.co/ (brightland.co) Use code INI at Brightland to get 10% off anything you buy through 2021 Last day for ground shipping before Christmas: December 13 3 day shipping drop-dead is December 20! LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aishwarya-iyer-44112a19a (linkedin.com/in/aishwarya-iyer-44112a19a) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/helloaishwarya/?hl=en (@helloaishwarya) | https://www.instagram.com/wearebrightland/ (@wearebrightland) https://brooklyndelhi.com/ (brooklyndelhi.com) https://www.burlapandbarrel.com/ (burlapandbarrel.com) Connect with us: Subscribe to our newsletter at http://importantnotimportant.com/ (ImportantNotImportant.com)! Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ImportantNotImp (twitter.com/ImportantNotImp) Follow Quinn: http://twitter.com/quinnemmett (twitter.com/quinnemmett) Follow Brian: https://twitter.com/beansaight (twitter.com/beansaight) Like and share us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/ImportantNotImportant (facebook.com/ImportantNotImportant) Intro/outro by Tim Blane: http://timblane.com/ (timblane.com) Important, Not Important is produced by http://crate.media/ (Crate Media) Support this podcast

In Episode 127, Quinn wants to know just how the hell “innovation” actually works. His guest is Christopher Mims, a journalist for the Wall Street Journal, who's spent a career asking big questions about the most pressing technological and societal issues we face, from robot trains to the future of batteries, brain implants, and whatever happens to land in-between. The thesis: every little bit counts, and it's more predictable than you think. Or is it? Together, Quinn and Chris explore the team dynamics of innovation, the “great man” question, the invisible force behind Moore's Law, and more.  The bad news: Nobody gets to save the world. The good news: Everyone gets to save the world, a little bit. Today's episode is brought to you by Avocado Green Brands, where sustainability comes first. They craft their GOTS certified organic mattresses, pillows, and bedding with natural materials sourced from their organic farms in India, in their own clean-energy powered facility in Los Angeles, where their team shares a singular purpose: To raise the bar for what it means to be a sustainable business.  Avocado is Climate Neutral Certified for net zero emissions and donates one percent of all revenue to environmental nonprofits through its membership with 1% For the Planet.  https://www.avocadogreenmattress.com/?utm_medium=partner&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=INI_November (Find out what it means to sleep organic at AvocadoMattress.com). Have feedback or questions?http://www.twitter.com/importantnotimp ( Tweet us), or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com Important, Not Important Book Club: https://bookshop.org/a/8952/9781541644182 (Life as We Made It) by Beth Shapiro https://bookshop.org/a/8952/9780062987952 (Arriving Today) by Christopher Mims https://bookshop.org/shop/importantnotimportant (https://bookshop.org/shop/importantnotimportant) Links: http://mims.club/ (mims.club) Twitter: https://twitter.com/mims (@mims) Connect with us: Subscribe to our newsletter at http://importantnotimportant.com/ (ImportantNotImportant.com)! Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ImportantNotImp (twitter.com/ImportantNotImp) Follow Quinn: http://twitter.com/quinnemmett (twitter.com/quinnemmett) Follow Brian: https://twitter.com/beansaight (twitter.com/beansaight) Like and share us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/ImportantNotImportant (facebook.com/ImportantNotImportant) Intro/outro by Tim Blane: http://timblane.com/ (timblane.com) Important, Not Important is produced by http://crate.media/ (Crate Media) Support this podcast

In Episode 126, Quinn meets his newsletter heroes: Kim Zou & Sophie Purdom, co-founders of the independent media outlet Climate Tech VC. Kim works with Energy Impact Partners, a venture capital firm investing in climate technology. Sophie works as an investor in early stage climate technology businesses.  Together they write Climate Tech VC, the data-obsessed, essential take on the opportunities, deals, and news in the flourishing climate tech scene. There is a massive cost that comes with transitioning every single existing building and vehicle, not to mention all of our power and infrastructure to green tech. While it's arguably the biggest challenge of our time, it is also quite possibly the biggest market opportunity ever.  Kim and Sophie discuss the sustainability of volunteer advocacy for these important endeavors, and managing the currency of free time as this work becomes people's second jobs--without the pay.  They also outline the action steps you can take, whether an investor, journalist, or a student looking to make the leap into the climate tech space -- because (so fun) it's now or never! Today's episode is brought to you by Avocado Green Brands, where sustainability comes first. They craft their GOTS certified organic mattresses, pillows, and bedding with natural materials sourced from their organic farms in India, in their own clean-energy powered facility in Los Angeles, where their team shares a singular purpose: To raise the bar for what it means to be a sustainable business.  Avocado is Climate Neutral Certified for net zero emissions and donates one percent of all revenue to environmental nonprofits through its membership with 1% For the Planet.  https://www.avocadogreenmattress.com/?utm_medium=partner&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=INI_November (Find out what it means to sleep organic at AvocadoMattress.com). Have feedback or questions?http://www.twitter.com/importantnotimp ( Tweet us), or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes athttp://podcast.importantnotimportant.com ( podcast.importantnotimportant.com). Important, Not Important Book Club: https://bookshop.org/shop/importantnotimportant (The Alchemy of Air) by Thomas Hager https://bookshop.org/shop/importantnotimportant (Reboot) by Jerry Colonna https://bookshop.org/shop/importantnotimportant (https://bookshop.org/shop/importantnotimportant) Links: Subscribe to Climate Tech VC: https://climatetechvc.substack.com/ (climatetechvc.substack.com) LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kim-zou (linkedin.com/in/kim-zou) LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophiepurdom (linkedin.com/in/sophiepurdom) https://www.energyimpactpartners.com/ (energyimpactpartners.com) Connect with us: Subscribe to our newsletter at http://importantnotimportant.com/ (ImportantNotImportant.com)! Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ImportantNotImp (twitter.com/ImportantNotImp) Follow Quinn: http://twitter.com/quinnemmett (twitter.com/quinnemmett) Like and share us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/ImportantNotImportant (facebook.com/ImportantNotImportant) Intro/outro by Tim Blane: http://timblane.com/ (timblane.com) Art by https://amritpaldesign.com (Amrit Pal) Important, Not Important is produced by http://crate.media/ (Crate Media) Support this podcast

In Episode 125, Quinn asks: How can venture capital offer solutions to two of the biggest problems of our time? His guests are Vida Asiegbu and Anthony Oni, two incredible climate venture capitalists with Elevate Future Fund. Vida Asiegbu is a Principal within the Elevate Future Fund, working to make sure that the companies and organizations that they represent within their portfolio meet all of their goals and values. Anthony Oni is the Managing Partner of the Elevate Future Fund, part of Energy Impact Partners, focused on creating a transition into clean energy through investments – while also building a more diverse, inclusive, and equitable future. Together, Vida and Anthony ask (and answer): How do we build new systems that help and support all people, as we face this incredible crisis (and opportunity)?  How do we approach the obligation we have to help others? How do we address the very personal – and very local – effects of climate change?  And how the hell do we find and invest in companies that are moving the needle in both directions? Today's episode is brought to you by Avocado Green Brands, where sustainability comes first. They craft their GOTS certified organic mattresses, pillows, and bedding with natural materials sourced from their organic farms in India, in their own clean-energy powered facility in Los Angeles, where their team shares a singular purpose: To raise the bar for what it means to be a sustainable business. Avocado is Climate Neutral Certified for net zero emissions and donates one percent of all revenue to environmental nonprofits through its membership with 1% For the Planet. https://www.avocadogreenmattress.com/?utm_medium=partner&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=INI_November (Find out what it means to sleep organic at AvocadoMattress.com). Have feedback or questions?http://www.twitter.com/importantnotimp ( Tweet us), or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes athttp://podcast.importantnotimportant.com ( podcast.importantnotimportant.com). Important, Not Important Book Club: https://bookshop.org/shop/importantnotimportant (“How Will You Measure Your Life?” by Clayton Christensen, Karen Dillon, and James Allworth) https://bookshop.org/shop/importantnotimportant (“Resisting Happiness” by Matthew Kelly) https://bookshop.org/shop/importantnotimportant (https://bookshop.org/shop/importantnotimportant) Links: https://www.energyimpactpartners.com/ (energyimpactpartners.com) https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonyoni (linkedin.com/in/anthonyoni) https://www.linkedin.com/in/vidaasiegbu (linkedin.com/in/vidaasiegbu) https://propelcenter.org/ (propelcenter.org) Twitter: https://twitter.com/vidaasiegbuinc (@vidaasiegbuinc) Connect with us: Subscribe to our newsletter at http://newsletter.importantnotimportant.com (newsletter.importantnotimportant.com)! Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ImportantNotImp (twitter.com/ImportantNotImp) Follow Quinn: http://twitter.com/quinnemmett (twitter.com/quinnemmett) Like and share us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/ImportantNotImportant (facebook.com/ImportantNotImportant) Intro/outro by Tim Blane: http://timblane.com/ (timblane.com) Important, Not Important is produced by http://crate.media/ (Crate Media) Support this podcast