BUTTE CREEK ECOLOGICAL PRESERVES
ECO 533 DECEMBER 10, 2019
Our guest with us in the studio was Eli Goodsell, Director of the Chico State Nature Reserves. He was with us a few months ago to talk about his harrowing experience with the Camp Fire.In this program he told us about how things are progressing with the Big Chico Creek Nature Reserve. He discussed the mission(s) of the Reserves, plus a number of exciting programs, including the Forest Therapy for Community Recovery Program, the Resiliency Collaborative, Ecological Management, the Interdisciplinary Master's Degree program in Wildlife Management, and the Adopt-an-Acre project. You can learn more about these projects at https://www.csuchico.edu/bcep/. Or listen to the program: Click below.
GIVE THEM THE BALLOT
THE REAL ISSUE DECEMBER 4, 2019
This episode of The Real Issue on KZFR welcomed to the studio a number of fifth and sixth graders from Wildflower Charter school and their teachers, Linda Holm and Cassandra Ventura. The students have been studying the suffragette movement, and they prepared a reenactment of portions of the Seneca Falls Convention of 1848. Organized by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and other pioneering women, it launched the women's right to vote movement. At the convention, the women first drafted and approved a series of “sentiments,” patterned loosely on the Declaration of Independence, outlining their grievances concerning their treatment by men. They then passed a series of eleven declarations about women's rights. The most controversial of these was Declaration 9, which was included in the reenactment. The audio is informative not only for its historical value but also for its evidence of excellence in education.
BUTTE COUNTRY RESOURCE CONSERVATION DISTRICT
ECO 532 3 dECEMBER 2019
Our guest on this program was Wolfy Rougle of the Butte County Resource Conservation District. She is a botany and GIS specialist who spends much of her time working as a Forest Health Watershed Coordinator under a grant from the Department of Conservation. Her projects include developing a Forest Action Plan for the Butte County area, helping local landowners put "good fire" on the ground through a Prescribed Burn Association, and writing grants to develop the next wave of watershed health projects in the county. She is a master's candidate in Public Administration at CSU, Chico, with a research interest in increasing prescribed fire on private lands, and is also pursuing a CEQA Practice certificate from UCSD. Previously, she owned and operated Springfed Organic Farm and Nursery in Cottonwood, CA. She received her B.S. in agricultural development at Davis.
Listen to the interview. Click below.
Listen to the interview. Click below.
CHANGING TIDES
ECO 530 26 NOVEMBER 2019
Our guest on the phone from Bowen Island, British Columbia, covers environmental, social, and scientific issues in his new book Changing Tides: An Ecologist's Journey to Make Peace with the Anthropocene. Alejandro Frid is an ecologist for First Nations of British Columbia's Central Coast and a member of the faculty at the University of Victoria. In this book, published by New Society, he aims to “capture some of the best that humans have to offer to ourselves and to our non-human kin.” He argues that First Nation wisdom, accumulated over more than 9000 years offers insights into the environment that modern scientists should heed. His own research into the British Columbia fisheries supports wisdom transmitted through story, myth, legend, and even dance. Though he recognizes the myriad challenges to the environment (and to the First Nations' way of life), he is optimistic that humankind can find its way to a more sustainable future. "Humanity, that's what keeps me going he says." Listen to the program: Click below.
bUTTE cOUNTY FOOD NETWORK
SUNRISE MOVEMENT AND 350 BUTTE
ECO 529 NOVEMBER 19, 2019
This was a two-part program. In the first half hour we interviewed Pamm Larry of the Butte County Local Food Network. She and her team are working to promote local food and food safety in our area through a variety of projects and workshops, including “Victory Garden” boxes as well as film showings, conversations, and promotion of Community Supported Agriculture and direct-from-farmer purchases. Her enthusiasm is contagious. Check out the BCLFN website at https://bclocalfood.org/
Listen to the interview with Pamm; click below.
Listen to the interview with Pamm; click below.
Then we spoke with Sam Nicholas of the Chico Sunrise Movement promoting sustainability, the Chico Green New Deal, and holding a climate strike on December 6, part of a global climate action. Sam explained that this will be an alternative kind of strike: Although students and professors will be encouraged to cancel or walk out of classes, activities at the CSU Trinity Commons will emphasize fun and optimistic actions.
We also spoke with Mary Kay Benson of 350 Butte County. She reported on a number of events that the organization will be holding in coming weeks and months.
For more information on any of these events or to join up with the Sunrise Movement or Butte 350, go to:
Chico Sunrise: https://chicosunrisemoveme.wixsite.com/chico?fbclid=IwAR0c2wKeSS07ohi3wWX70uoUP5O6K0MIWoiRysicuB1ckBmkX08B_MNjEtU
350 Butte: http://350buttecounty.350bayarea.org/
For more information on any of these events or to join up with the Sunrise Movement or Butte 350, go to:
Chico Sunrise: https://chicosunrisemoveme.wixsite.com/chico?fbclid=IwAR0c2wKeSS07ohi3wWX70uoUP5O6K0MIWoiRysicuB1ckBmkX08B_MNjEtU
350 Butte: http://350buttecounty.350bayarea.org/
Listen to that interview. Click below.
EXTINCTION REBELLION
ECO 528 NOVEMBER 12, 2019
Our guest on this program was Dr. Mark Stemen of the Geography Department, Chico State University. Mark teaches activism courses at CSU, engaging students in a variety of community projects, and serving as a role model through his own vigorous activism in our community. Tonight, he spoke about Extinction Rebellion (XR), the global movement that is using nonviolent protests to demand action on climate change: extinction is the alternative to action. Mark described the principles of the movement, described its work worldwide, and filled us in on activities and actions in Chico. He argues that nonviolent protest is the only way, historically, that major changes have been made. He also spoke about techniques for organizing nonviolent actions and described a series of climate change workshops that XR and other groups will be holding in coming months. Learn more at https://rebellion.earth Listen to the program. Click below.
THE PHOENIX NEST
ECO 527 nOVEMBER 5, 2019
Steve's guest on this program was Alexandra Kriz, who has developed a plan for “Phoenix Nest,” a cooperative community designed for Camp Fire survivors, where people can come together to build ecologically sound homes, raise families, and recover from the trauma of the fire. Also participating the the interview were Lili Silva and Susan Dobra, both of whom have been working on various projects to bring housing and social support to victims of the Camp Fire. Listen to the Program. Click below.
Bonus: KURDISTAN AND THE FOG OF WAR
THE REAL ISSUE 6 NOVEMBER 2019
Steve's guest on this edition of The Real Issue was Linda Furr. They talked about “the fog of war” and the enormous complexity surrounding the recent invasion of Kurdish territory by Turkey and the relationships among U.S. intervention in Syria, the longtime betrayal of the Kurds, and the engagement of Russia and Assad's Syrian government. We traced the betrayal of the Kurds back to 1923, with “encores” by Nixon, Kissinger, Reagan, Clinton and Bushes. Following that discussion Steve read from a New York Times op-ed about what the loss of Kurdish culture would mean, and he concluded by reading some descriptions of Kurdistan by 1890s travel writer, Isabella Bird. Listen to the show. Click below.
WATER FROM PARADISE
ECO 525 29 OCTOBER 2019
In his classic book, Cadillac Desert, Marc Reisner wrote of "the hydraulic west," where dams and pipes and clever engineering have brought life to arid lands, but at a considerable, perhaps irreparable cost to the environment. (Reisner at one point visited Oroville during a heavy rain period, convinced that the earthen dam would collapse. Well, it didn't that time, but two years ago it almost broke!)Tonight's program focused a different kind of hydraulic engineering, but something that requires community concern: a proposed project to bring water from Paradise (and providing funds for the Paradise Irrigation District, which has lost its customer base) to Chico for purchase by CalWater and providing some relief for the Tuscan Aquifer. Butte County Supervisors Debra Lucero and Tami Ritter have express serious reservations about the feasibility study for this project and explained their concerns to us. Also on the program was Jim Brobeck, Water Policy Analyst for AquAlliance, who also has concern about the elements left out of the feasibility plan. This was a powerful and informative discussion.
Listen to the program; click below.
Listen to the program; click below.
CAMP FIRE REVISITED
KZFR FALL PLEDGE SHOW
ECO 524 22 OCTOBER 2019
In conjunction with the fall KZFR pledge drive, we reviewed programs we ran during the year following the Camp Fire of 2018, with sound clips from a number of our guests. We emphasized these programs as part of our mission as community radio journalists and the role of KZFR as a community radio station with local programming tailored to local interests, concerns, tastes, hopes and dreams. This program bears a re-listening as our community recovers from the Camp Fire.
Listen: Click below.
Listen: Click below.
Bonus--THE REAL ISSUE: socialism 101
2 october 2019
In this program, Steve was guest host on Sue Hilderbrand's Real Issue program. The focus was on socialism and why it has become a "dirty word" on the campaign trail. The program included socialist hymns and march songs dating from the Internationale of 1864 to Mao Tse Tung's cultural revolution, a five-minute quick history of socialism from the Politics podcast, audio clips from presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, and an interview by Bill Mash with Democratic Socialists from Chico, who are conducting workshops on equity for renters. The program concluded with some material from Steve Pearlstein who argues that we should be less concerned about the debate between capitalism and socialism and more with social norms that promote human well being: "Change the social norms and the rules and laws naturally follow. That’s a goal that is more likely to be achieved, and more likely to be effective, than trying to change things by grabbing power and shoving a different set of rules and norms down everyone’s throats."
Listen to the program. Click below.
Listen to the program. Click below.
CHICO GREEN NEW DEAL
ECO 222 1 OCTOBER 2019
We spoke with Chico Vice Mayor Alex Brown, who is championing a Chico Green New Deal. In the first part of the program, we talked about the general dimensions of the project, why it is important, and how Chico will manage transitioning to becoming carbon neutral by 2030, ahead of state requirements. This will involve the establishment of a new Climate Change Commission, which includes staff support. She also described progress on the Community Electric Project, which will give Chico (and Butte County) greater control over where its juice comes from: including green options.
In the second part, Alex went into some of the specifics of the program she and Council Member Karl Ory are working on to bring the climate goals to fruition. She also spoke of the importance of cities like Chico getting on board as part of a global emergency on climate change.
Listen to the interview. Click below.
Listen to the interview. Click below.
PARADISE REGENERATED
ECO 521 24 SEPTEMBER 2019
We're coming up on the anniversary—not a celebration—of the Camp Fire, and a number of groups and individuals have been working incredibly hard to not only restore the city, but to make it more green, more sustainable, more livable than before the fire. Our guests in the studio were Allen Meyers and Susan Dobra of a group called “Rebuilding Paradise.” They are working with a number of groups sponsoring events and workshops to create a new Paradise on the Ridge. They told about organizing and actions involving a wide range of Paradise citizens seeking consensus about rebuilding issues, problems, and progress. They are two remarkable community leaders; listen to their comments.
CLIMATE STRIKE 350
mushroom remediation
ECO 520 17 SEPTEMBER 2019
In the first part of this program, we spoke with Mary Kay Benson, Thomas McNairn, and Susan Dobra about plans for the Climate Strike rally and surrounding events coming up in late September. In addition to learning about an impressive range of activities, we also asked them to discuss the Green New Deal: its dimensions, its detractors, its supporters . . . and the urgent need for action, local to global. Listen to the interview. Click below.
Then we spoke with Cheetah Tchudi, who is conducting a workshop this coming Thursday about ways of using mushrooms to remove toxins and restore the soil in the Camp Fire burn areas.
Hearken! Click below.
Hearken! Click below.
BUTTE ENVIRONMENTAL COUNCIL NEWS AND UPDATES
ECO 519 11 SEPTEMBER 2019
Susan's guest on this program were Danielle Baxter, the new General Manager of the Butte Environmental Counci,l and Julia May, Director of BEC's RARE program: Rubbish and Recycle Education. We first met Danielle when she was a program director of BEC several years ago. Since then she’s been busy, including working in Butte College’s Sustainability Resource Center developing internship programs helping students become involved with Green Workforce Careers. Currently, she is Vice Chair of of the City of Chico Sustainability Task Force. Julia May is a Sonoma County transplant who has lived in Chico since 2010. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Behavioral & Social Sciences with focuses in Sustainability and Environmental Issues. She also has a Minor in Managing for Sustainability, and a Certificate in Peace and Global Studies. Danielle and Julia filled us in on recent and upcoming BEC activities, including the annual Butte Creek cleanup.
Listen to the program.
Listen to the program.
THE REAL ISSUE: uNION AND LABOR ISSUES
4 sEPTEMBER 2019
In this episode of "The Real Issue," Steve interviewed David Welch, who is a Trustee of The North State Labor Federation, AFL-CIO which is the coordinating center for the Butte, Sierra, Lassen, Plumas, and Glenn Counties' labor movement and labor’s political activity. He's a retired Registered Nurse who spent 36 years working in Cardiac Rehabilitation. David is a former member of the Board of directors of the California Nurses Association, member of the executive board of the California Democratic Party and Chairperson of the Democratic Action Club of Chico.
They discussed his first-hand working conditions in the health care industry as an RN which, in turn, led his being active in the Nurse's Association as Enloe Hospital fought against unionization. They also took up the decline of union membership in the US, how unions have fought income inequality, the possible effect of Trump's tariffs on unionization and income equality, and the future of the union movement. As a bonus,the show included labor and solidarity songs by Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger.
Listen to the program. Click below.
They discussed his first-hand working conditions in the health care industry as an RN which, in turn, led his being active in the Nurse's Association as Enloe Hospital fought against unionization. They also took up the decline of union membership in the US, how unions have fought income inequality, the possible effect of Trump's tariffs on unionization and income equality, and the future of the union movement. As a bonus,the show included labor and solidarity songs by Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger.
Listen to the program. Click below.
CHICO HOUSING
ECO 518 3 SEPTEMBER 2019
This program focused on housing issues in Chico and beyond, what is needed--given growth prospects and the Camp Fire--and how this can be done in smart, sustainable fashion. Infirst part of the program tonight talked with Marie Demers and Brendan Vieg. Marie is Housing Manager and Brendan is Director of the Community Development Department (Planning & Housing) for the City of Chico. Then wespoke with Elizabeth Devereaux, John Merz, community activists who are a part of Smart Growth Advocates in Chico and Carrie Welch, who is a realtor and also supports Smart Growth.
Listen to the interviews. Click below.
Listen to the interviews. Click below.
CHICO COMMERCIAL CANNABIS COMMITTEE
ECO 517 7 aUGUST 2019
Our guest on this program was Alex Brown, Vice Mayor of the Chico City Council and Chair of the Commercial Cannabis Advisory Committee, a committee of the Chico City Council charged with devising a plan for how Chico might enact Prop 64, which legalized recreational marijuana in California. The Committee has completed its deliberations; Alex, as Chair, compiled the results; and the document is ready to go to the Internal Affairs Committee and on to City Council. Alex shared the many issues and problems explored by the group and how it came to its recommendations. It was a wonderfully educational program for anyone interested in pot or the workings of the City Council.
Listen to the program. Click below.
Listen to the program. Click below.
BIOREMEDIATION
ECO 516 20 AUGUST 2019
We had two guests on this bioremediation program. First we spoke with Wendy Le Master, a microbiologist who has created Bio-remediation Climate Change & Environmental Education Camp for Kids & Adults. She also works as a Sierra Club Outreach Director. This series of workshops is being sponsored by Butte 350. She told us about the origins of this project—basically her passion and initiative—and the various bioremediation workshops she is conducting on soil and water, fungi and bacteria, indigenous trees and plants, and reforestation. Listen to Wendy's comments.
Then we spoke with Cheetah Tchudi ,owner of TurkeyTail Farm, an herb, mushroom, duck egg, pastured meat farm in the foothills. He is also a mycologist and the program director of a new nonprofit called Butte Remediation. He is planning a community workshop on microremediation, restoring soil with mushrooms. And by way of full disclosure, he is our son.
Listen to Cheetah.
Listen to Cheetah.
SUNRISE MOVEMENT AND THE GREEN NEW DEAL
Victory Garden 2.0 Garden Box and Bucket Blitz
ECO 515 13 AUGUST 2019
This was a two-part program. In the first segment, we spoke with Steven Marquardt, one of the leaders of the Sunrise Movement here in Chico. He was the convener of the phenomenally successful visit of the national Sunrise Tour, “Road to a Green New Deal,” before a packed house at the El Rey Theater. He spoke with us about an upcoming question and answer session on the Green New Deal (and answered a number of our questions about the Green New Deal. He also gave us some details about the global climate strike September 20, which will be observed 11 am to 1 pm at City Plaza in Chico. Learn more at https://www.facebook.com/SunriseChico/
Listen to the interview.
Listen to the interview.
And then we spoke with Cheri Smith-Comfort who is active in the Butte County Local Food Network. She filled us in on a number of projects of this very vigorous food security organization and told us about their newest activity: Victory Garden 2.0 Garden Box and Bucket Blitz (a mouthful, she acknowledges). know). This will arrange for box gardens or smaller bucket gardens for dozens of area residents who want to grow their own food. Check them out at https://bclocalfood.org/
Here's Cheri.
INHALED
ECO 514 6 aUGUST 2019
We interviewed Robin Epley, a reporter for the Chico Enterprise Record, who recently wrote a series entitled “Inhaled”--five articles on air pollution in Chico and surrounding areas as the result of the Camp Fire. We found the series enlightening, so we invited her to Ecotopia. She spoke to us about a number of issues covered in the series, the nature and distribution of the smoke, research into its makeup, some of the failures of the measuring systems, and how air quality likely affected people in Butte County and beyond. She also told us about some of the lessons learned from the Camp Fire, from defense strategies to the risks of rebuilding in the fire zone. To read the series, go to https://www.chicoer.com/2019/06/30/inhaled-a-tragedy-waiting-to-happen/ A podcast version is available at www.chicoer.com/tag/inhaled/
Listen to the interview. Click on the link below.
Listen to the interview. Click on the link below.
CHICO HEALTH CARE CLINIC
RAISING SHASTA DAM
ECO 513 30 JULY 2019
This was a two-part program. In the first segment, we spoke withwith Michael Branton, a volunteer with with California CareForce. which is running a free medical clinic at the Silver Dollar Fairgrounds the weekend of August 3-4. They have 100 medical professionals volunteering their time, and are planning to serve up to 1,000 patients each day. This is an amazing project, and the interview describes the humanitarian aims and the down-and-dirty logistics of the project. Check out Cal CareForce at californiacareforce.org.Click below to listen.
In the second half of the program, we were on the phone with Ron Stork of the Sacramento-based Friends of the River, which is actively campaigning against the raising of Shasta Dam. He'll told about the group's efforts, including lawsuits, that would prevent environmental destruction which would be caused by raising the dam. Current litigation will determine whether mega-water-purveyor Westlands and the Bureau of Reclamation will be allowed to continue proceeding with their plans, which could lead to construction beginning as early as December 2019. Follow these projects at friendsoftheriver.org.
Click to listen to the interview.
Click to listen to the interview.
BEYOND LIBERALISM
ECO 512 24 JULY 2017
In this program, we spoke with Michael Briand, author of a new book from Praeger titled, Beyond Liberalism: Toward a Purpose-Guided Democracy. He is Director of the Ethics and Deliberation Project at CivicEvolution, a not-for-profit educational software developer and has spent 30 years working on the challenges of enhancing citizen participation in democratic self-governance. He notes democracy in the United States today is marked by bitter, divisive—and above all—unproductive political fighting. That’s a problem, because if we can’t even talk to one another, how are we going to make sound decisions about public policy? How are we going to solve the host of challenges we’re facing, some of which are really big and urgent? However, he says, “There’s a deeper problem. … Although liberalism has improved life greatly for many people—and continues to do so—and although people continue to believe in its promise of freedom, prosperity, and happiness, it’s dogged by a nagging question: ‘Is this—this freedom, this prosperity, this technology, etc.—is this all there is to life?’ Despite the obvious benefits it’s made possible—health, wealth, security, peace, and so forth—it has left a hunger for a shared, public conception about the purpose of life.” Listen to the program to hear Michael's challenge to liberalism and his discussion of how we can take the next steps through “ethical heroism.”
MIOCENE CANAL CRISIS
ECO 511 9 JULY 2019
In recent weeks, Butte County residents have been alerted to something most of us didn't know much about: a water supply known as the Miocene Canal, created in the 19th century to supply water for mining, sold to Pacific Gas and Electric for power generation, and supplying water to area farmers and ranchers for over a century. The canal runs from Magalia to Oroville, and a good portion of its flumes were destroyed in the camp fire. Water customers have been cut off, with the potential loss of orchards and livestock grazing areas. In addition, "seep" from the canal has, over the years, created its own ecosystem, so flora and fauna are now in danger. Our guests on this program are members of the Miocene Canal Coalition, which is negotiating with PG&E to restore the water. Our guests were Ed Cox, spokesperson for the Miocene Canal Coalition, Kurt Albrecht of Chaffin Farms, and Gail Tozier of Tozier Farms. Both Gail and Kurt have experienced losses and possibly insurmountable problems because of the loss of the canal. Give a listen to this important interview.
ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTIONS
ECO 510 2 JULY 2019
Susan Tchudi interviewed two directors from Environment America and Environment California. Andrea McGimsey is the senior director of the Global Warming Solutions Campaign. Dan Jacobson is director of Environment California. They talked about what local and national group is doing to solve environmental problems and how they see the environment shaping up in the coming presidential campaign.
Listen to the Program.
Listen to the Program.
TINY HOMES
ECO 209 26 jUNE 2019
In this episode, our topic was Tiny Houses, which can be a solution to many problems—environmental, social, technological—not only in Chico, but around the world. Our first guest was Bob Trausch of the Chico Housing Action Team. CHAT is doing an incredible service to our community in helping to find housing for the homeless and Bob filled us in on their projects, which include leasing 35 local homes to house 100 formerly homeless people. Of particular interest is Simplicity Village, which will be a community of tiny homes, not only providing housing, but offering a wide range of social and employment services. CHAT has been fundraising, and was so successful in reaching its goal of $100K that they upped the ante to $150K. Contributions can be made at GoFundMe.com > CHAT Simplicity Village. Once that campaign is closed, people can still contribute, learn more about the project, or volunteer at https://www.facebook.com/chicohousingactionteam.
In the second half of the program, we spoke with Patricia Forman, author of a book titled A Tiny Home to Call Your Own, which argues for the efficiency and sustainability of tiny homes and explains how to go about creating them. Pat has been promoting tiny homes for quite a while now, and was owner of a tiny house construction company in Virginia. She has a wonderfully diverse set of credentials: degrees in pharmacy, animal sciences, and public affairs. She has also served as a Science Officer for the United Nations in Vienna and has published articles in Mother Earth News, BackHome, and Backyard Poultry. She spoke with us about the expanding interest in tiny homes and about the advantages to a wide range of groups, including the homeless, seniors, people with disabilities, empty nesters, newlyweds and “couples who make better neighbors than housemates.” She also told us about her Gossamer Foundation, which aims to promote “sustainability … based on the fact that our planet Earth is comprised of living ecosystems that have specific criteria and interrelated life-sytems that allow local flora and fauna life to thrive.” Learn more about her work at https://www.chickensandyou.com/contact_us.html. Her book is published by New Society.
Listen to the program; click on the link below.
Listen to the program; click on the link below.
RENEWAL
ECO 507 14 mAY 2019
Our guest on was Andrés Edwards, author of a new book titled Renewal: How Nature Awakens Our Creativity, Compassion, and Joy, published by New Society. Andrés is an educator, media designer, and sustainability consultant and is founder and president of EduTracks, a firm developing programs and consultant services on sustainable practices for green building and business development. His book argues persuasively that humans need to renew or strengthen their connections with nature, and he offers scientific evidence that being in nature is good for the soul, good for creativity, good for letting us experience joy, awe, and compassion. We spoke with him about the grounds for his claims and explored his concept of an "eco-ethic," which is not only about preserving nature, but about integrating ourselves with it in order to maximize the mentoring and emotional balance it has to offer. We recommend the book highly as an antidote to much of the bad news we hear about environmental issues. It gives us (and readers) hope.
Listen to the interview; click on the link below.
Listen to the interview; click on the link below.
GOOD VIBRATIONS
ECO 506 7mAY 2019
In this multi-part program, we explored some (mostly) positive themes and issues in the environmental movement. We opened with a weekly short interview series prepared by Bill Mash focusing on "Climate Uprising," and the Sunrise Movement. Susan Tchudi then read a statement she prepared for the legislative Natural Resources Committee in Sacramento, stating her objections to SB430: James Gallagher's Camp Fire "relief" proposal to speed up construction by eliminating requirements for the California Environmental Quality Act. The good vibe is that Chico City Council has, in fact, chosen to opt out of that program, if, despite opposition, it becomes law for surrounding communities. For a copy of the statement, send a note to [email protected]. Next we spoke with Lili, a Chico activist who comes to us via Brazil and Canada. She has started a project called "Seeds of Love, which offers a range of services and counseling to promote community cooperation, learning, and engagement. Finally, we read a couple of encouraging news stories: one about the effects on parents of giving children environmental awareness lessons, the second remarking on the success of the British Environmental Rebellion movement in getting Parliament to declare a climate emergency--the first country in the world to do so.
Listen to the show. Click on the link below.
Listen to the show. Click on the link below.
KIDS AND PUPPETS: THE PROCESSION OF THE SPECIES
ECO 505 30 APRIL 2019
This program is annually one of our absolute favorites. The Procession of the Species, conducted in conjunction with the Butte Environmental Council's Endangered Species Faire, is a parade of puppets created by local school children, who choose an endangered animal, research its conditions and threats, and create a stick puppet of it. This year we interviewed children from Sherwood Montessori Charter School and the Thrive Homeschool Program about their experience. You'll find these kids smart, funny, and filled with insights about the threats to creatures on earth. They close the program singing the theme song of this event, Don Spencer's Feathers, Fur, and Fins. Listen to the interviews; click below.
DANCING AT THE EDGE OF EXTINCTION
ECO 504 23 APRIL 2019
In this segment, we interviewed Guy McPherson, author of Only Love Remains: Dancing at the Edge of Extinction. McPherson is a highly controversial person because of his insistence, drawn on his study of scientific reports, that the end really is upon us. He believes we might see extinction of life on earth within the next decade, an even more pessimistic prediction than when we interviewed him a couple of years ago. He basically says that efforts to save the earth, such as the green new deal, will not succeed, and he is now a grief and mourning counselor, urging humans to comfort one another as earth enters a death spiral.
Listen to this powerful interview. Click below.
Listen to this powerful interview. Click below.
SCHOOLS FOR CLIMATE ACTION
ECO 502 7 aPRIL 2019
In the first half of the show, we spoke with with Park Guthrie, who helped launch Schools for Climate Action, a nonpartisan, grassroots, youth-adult campaign to empower schools to speak up for climate action in order to protect current and future students. He is the father of three, a teacher in Sonoma County, and an incredibly articulate and energetic spokesperson for the movement. Check out their detailed web page at https://schoolsforclimateaction.weebly.com.
Then we spoke with Gordon Gregory and Victoria Brennan from the Citizens Climate Lobby, a partner of S4CA, and with Chicoans Brandon and Emerson Blizman. Brandon is the dad; Emerson is another incredibly articulate spokesperson for the movement, and she's eight years old. They addressed the Chico Unified School board in early March, and then traveled to Washington, DC to share their concerns with Congress with 150 or so other 6-18 year olds in a climate advocacy day, March 28.
Listen to these impressive people; click on the link below. Unfortunately, the first few minutes of the interview with Park Guthrie were cut off. Sorry about that, but you will instantly catch the essence of his remarks.
Then we spoke with Gordon Gregory and Victoria Brennan from the Citizens Climate Lobby, a partner of S4CA, and with Chicoans Brandon and Emerson Blizman. Brandon is the dad; Emerson is another incredibly articulate spokesperson for the movement, and she's eight years old. They addressed the Chico Unified School board in early March, and then traveled to Washington, DC to share their concerns with Congress with 150 or so other 6-18 year olds in a climate advocacy day, March 28.
Listen to these impressive people; click on the link below. Unfortunately, the first few minutes of the interview with Park Guthrie were cut off. Sorry about that, but you will instantly catch the essence of his remarks.
CLIMATE MOBILIZATION
ECO 498 5 MARCH 2019
We had a full house on Ecotopia for this program. With us in the studio were Mary Kay Benson and Steven Markwardt, who, as members of Chico 350, are bringing a Climate Emergency Declaration to Chico City Council on March 19. And on the phone was John Mitchell, the lead engineer for an organization called The Climate Mobilization, a group that advocates for the rapid implementation of policies that will bring city, state and the national economies to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions as rapidly as possible through a total society mobilization similar to the one that occurred during World War II. John specializes in the design, implementation, and evaluation of cost-effective energy and water conservation programs, and has prepared a Chico-specific climate implementation plan. He covered such areas as energy, transportation, industry, food, water, and city services, in amazing detail, and we barely scratched the surface of this Chico report You can learn more about the Climate Emergency Declaration at chico350.org and about Climate Mobilization at https://www.theclimatemobilization.org/. Listen to the program.
I'M RIGHT AND YOU'RE AN IDIOT
ECO 497 26 FEBRUARY 2019
Several years ago, we interviewed this week's guest, Jim Hoggan, about his book titled, "I'm Right and You're and Idiot: The Toxic State of Public Discourse and How to Clean It Up." We have referred to that interview more than any other Ecotopia program since then, and we've even had a couple of heated debates with each other over some of its statements and theories. A second edition, post-the-Trump election, is coming out shortly, and we were eager to hear what's new in this edition. Jim is president of the PR firm Hoggan & Associates and chair of the David Suzuki Foundation board. He founded the influential website DeSmog Blog to expose misinformation campaigns that pollute public debate around climate change and the environment. In this interview, he spoke about current toxicity of discourse but also about propaganda, which he generally sees in a negative light, and which has been around a long time. His solutions generally focus on creating more compassion for our opponents and seeking common ground. there was too much in this interview to summarize: Listen to the show recording, and even better, buy the book, which includes wisdom of over sixty people whom Jim interviewed. Learn more at http://www.imrightandyoureanidiot.com/
AQUALLIANCE UPDATE
ECO 496 19 FEBRUARY 2019
This week we interviewed Barbara Vlamis, Executive Director of AquAlliance, "defending northern California waters." We explored several topics related to the ongoing efforts of AquAlliance to prevent the destruction and usurpation of the Northstate's water supply. She told us of a recent court victory, where AquAlliance stopped (or at least delayed) a Ten Year Water Transfer project that would take 600,000 acre-feet of our water each year. Barbara then linked this to a recent report on land subsidence where, due to over pumping, the northern Sacramento Valley is sinking, not as much as down south, but more than enough to generate concern. Finally, she speculated about Governor Newsom's recent announcement that he does not support a Twin Tunnels project, though she and we wonder what his single tunnel alternative might involve and whether or not this is a victory of sorts. Check out AquAlliance at aqualliance.net.
Listen to the program.
Listen to the program.
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CAMP FIRE: COUNTY SUPERVISORS
ECO 495 FEBRUARY 12, 2019
In this program, we talked with two Butte County Supervisors, mostly about the Camp Fire recovery, but to a lesser extent, about their vision of the future needs and aspirations of the county.Debra Lucero, District 2 Supervisor, was CEO of Butte County Economic Development Corporation. As a consultant to the County of Butte, she worked to recruit agricultural interests, industry and business to our region. She has also provided leadership in arts and culture. Tami Ritter, District 3 Supervisor, served on the Chico City Council from 2012-2016. She has also been a Board Member of the League of Women Voters, where she served as co-chair of the Social Justice Committee. Tami has served as an Associate Board member for Community Housing Improvement Program.
Tami and Debra filled us in on the role of the Board of Supervisors in the cleanup and how it meshes with or is sometimes left out of the conversation with state and federal agencies. They described the current efforts of the Board to remedy homelessness created by the fire and come up with equitable arrangements for people to get back on their cleaned-up land as rapidly as possible.
Listen to the program
Tami and Debra filled us in on the role of the Board of Supervisors in the cleanup and how it meshes with or is sometimes left out of the conversation with state and federal agencies. They described the current efforts of the Board to remedy homelessness created by the fire and come up with equitable arrangements for people to get back on their cleaned-up land as rapidly as possible.
Listen to the program
COMMUNITY PROPERTIES
ECO 494 fEBRUARY 5, 2019
Our guest this week was Lauren Kennedy, a remarkable activist with a commitment to providing people with safe and secure places to live. She is Executive Director of the North Valley Housing Trust, a core volunteer in the Safe Space overnight housing program, and former manager of Activated Villages. She spoke with us about how each of these works to put people in affordable housing, and she described a Community Properties workshop that she has conducted here in Chico. We were especially impressed by how her various projects mesh, both philosophically and pragmatically. Give a listen to the program!
CITIZENS' CLIMATE LOBBY
ECO 493 JANUARY 29, 2019
On this program we spoke with Gordon Gregory, a strong leader in the Chico Citizens' Climate Lobby, which has been been advocating for a carbon dividend system for years. He explained how a the carbon dividend system would work and why Citizens' Climate Lobby thinks it would be an equitable and practical way of dramatically cutting down carbon emissions. CCL is part of a global network advocating this change, and Gordon explained that bills proposing a carbon dividend system have recently been written for the U.S. House and Senate. In this program, too, we read a letter from 15-year-old Greta Thunberg of Sweden to the World Economic Forum, urging them to stop talking about money and start taking action to end climate change. "Our house is burning," she wrote; it's time for "panic."
Listen to the program. Click on the link below.
Listen to the program. Click on the link below.
CAMP FIRE RECOVERY:
chico state ecological reserves
ECO 492 JANUARY 22, 2019
Our guest this week was Eli Goodsell, the dynamic Director of the Chico State Ecological Reserve and Preserve. He spoke with us about the Camp Fire damage and how his group is responding with a variety of research projects and programs that range from measuring the impact of the fire on neighboring streams to far sighted programs that will train a generation of college and school students to understand, anticipate, and be proactive regarding what all anticipate will be the next round of fires. There was a range of other topics on this program, too many to summarize. Check out the show recording below and go to www.csuchico.edu/bccer/ for more details.
THE SNOW GOOSE FESTIVAL 2019
ECO 491 JANUARY 15, 2019
Tonight's show focused on the annual Snow Goose Festival coming in late January. The five-day event provides an array of options for learning about the millions of migratory birds that call the Northern Sacramento Valley their winter home. There are over 70 workshops and field trips that cover a range of interests for youth to seniors.
Our first guest was Mike Hubbartt an author, California State Park Interpreter, a Sutter Buttes Regional Land Trust board member, and hike guide who has been actively involved in the preservation of the Sutter Buttes since 1996. He is the author of a photo history of the Buttes, published by Arcadia Publishing. He will be involved in three events at the Snow Goose Festival: The History & Mystery of the Sutter Buttes, and two Sutter Buttes Hikes. I also had the pleasure of being in a California Naturalist class with Mike and was awed by his knowledge of nature in our region.
Then we spoke with John Whittlesea, who is giving a workshop entitled Less Lawn, More Wildlife - Gardens as Habitat on Saturday, Jan 26, 2019 9:00 am - 10:30 am,
John owns Canyon Creek Nursery & Design. He has served as the horticulture chairperson for the Mount Lassen Chapter of the California Native Plant Society, and he is a graduate of the California School of Garden Design. His book, The Plant Lover's Guide to Salvias, published by Timber Press, was released in the spring of 2014. John is passionate about changing the way we garden to provide more habitat for birds, pollinators and all forms of wildlife.
Listen to the program by clicking on the link below.
Our first guest was Mike Hubbartt an author, California State Park Interpreter, a Sutter Buttes Regional Land Trust board member, and hike guide who has been actively involved in the preservation of the Sutter Buttes since 1996. He is the author of a photo history of the Buttes, published by Arcadia Publishing. He will be involved in three events at the Snow Goose Festival: The History & Mystery of the Sutter Buttes, and two Sutter Buttes Hikes. I also had the pleasure of being in a California Naturalist class with Mike and was awed by his knowledge of nature in our region.
Then we spoke with John Whittlesea, who is giving a workshop entitled Less Lawn, More Wildlife - Gardens as Habitat on Saturday, Jan 26, 2019 9:00 am - 10:30 am,
John owns Canyon Creek Nursery & Design. He has served as the horticulture chairperson for the Mount Lassen Chapter of the California Native Plant Society, and he is a graduate of the California School of Garden Design. His book, The Plant Lover's Guide to Salvias, published by Timber Press, was released in the spring of 2014. John is passionate about changing the way we garden to provide more habitat for birds, pollinators and all forms of wildlife.
Listen to the program by clicking on the link below.
THE CAMP FIRE: NATURAL RESTORATION
ECO 490 jANUARY 8, 2019
This program continued our series following the devastation of the Camp Fire in Northern California. Two guests spoke of natural ways to remediate the fire wastes and toxic wastes that have piled up, exacerbated by heavy rains that cause ashes and toxic waste to be swept into the waterways.
First we spoke with Matthew Trumm of TreeTop Permaculture in Oroville. He has been leading a local effort to collect supplies such as straw, wattles, woodchips, and more to distribute in fire ravaged areas. Using his extensive background as a permaculturist, he described the Camp Fire Restoration Project, which includes hands-on remediation, education, and efforts to influence public policy. His mantra is, "Design a better reality with Permaculture." Learn more about his work at http://www.treetoppermaculture.org.
Our second guest was Cheetah Tchudi, our son, who is owner of TurkeyTail Farm in Yankee Hill. As a mycologist--a student of fungi and mushrooms--he described how mushrooms absorb toxic materials from the earth and their capability of cleansing the soil. He is working on several projects, including connections with UC Davis, exploring how mushrooms can be used systematically and extensively to remediate the damage caused by the Camp Fire. Learn more about his work (and see the farm damage) at www.turkeytailfarm.net/v2/
Listen to the program. Click on the link below.
Listen to the program. Click on the link below.
NEW YEAR'S DAY 2019
A 12-YEAR PLAN TO SAVE THE EARTH
ECO 489 JANUARY 1, 2019
Our guest was Kathleen Dean Moore, a writer, moral philosopher, and environmental thought-leader, who is devoted to a defense of the future against those who would pillage and wreck the planet. She has written a number of books that celebrate and explore the meaning of the wet, wild world of rivers, islands, and tidal shores: Riverwalking, Holdfast, Pine Island Paradox, and Wild Comfort. But her growing alarm at the devastation of the natural world led her to focus her writing and speaking on "the moral urgency of action against climate change and habitat destruction." Leaving her university position at Oregon State University, she began to write in defense of the "lovely, reeling world." One of her recent books is Great Tide Rising: Towards Clarity and Moral Courage in a Time of Planetary Change. https://www.riverwalking.com/great-tide-rising.html
We recently read an expansive essay of hers that appeared on the blog of the Milennium Alliance for Humanity and the Biosphere (https://mahb.stanford.edu/) and on her website ( https://www.riverwalking.com) It's called A Climate Defender’s Calendar /The Twelve-Year Plan, and on this first night of 2019, we asked her describe that plan for us. She covered topics including personal restraint, going solar, going vegetarian, politics, and social and environmental justice. She also described the moral imperatives for us to save the planet for future generations. We highly recommend that your read the article as well as listening to the program by clicking the link below. (And if you listen closely, you'll also hear our dog, Gus, whom we brought to the studio on New Year's day and who had a few things to say late in the program.)
We recently read an expansive essay of hers that appeared on the blog of the Milennium Alliance for Humanity and the Biosphere (https://mahb.stanford.edu/) and on her website ( https://www.riverwalking.com) It's called A Climate Defender’s Calendar /The Twelve-Year Plan, and on this first night of 2019, we asked her describe that plan for us. She covered topics including personal restraint, going solar, going vegetarian, politics, and social and environmental justice. She also described the moral imperatives for us to save the planet for future generations. We highly recommend that your read the article as well as listening to the program by clicking the link below. (And if you listen closely, you'll also hear our dog, Gus, whom we brought to the studio on New Year's day and who had a few things to say late in the program.)