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2023 Archives


AGRICULTURE FOR SUSTAINABILITY
Hosted by Maggie Sharpa and Jared Geiser
​with  Raquel Krach from Massa Organics
and  Dr. Johnathan Wachter from the Carbon Cycle Institute
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In this excellent program Maggie Sharpa and Jared Geister first interviewed Raquel Krach from Massa Organics about her experience with regenerative/ecological farming and her recently completed Masters Degree in Regenerative Agriculture then spoke with Dr. Johnathan Wachter from the Carbon Cycle Institute all about Carbon Farming and how it will help mitigate climate change and restore biodiversity.
Listen to the program: Click below.



OVERSHOOT: ECONOMICS FOR A PLANET IN PERIL
with Peter Victor
Eco 698      16 May 2023

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Our guest for a very informative interview was Peter Victor, author of Escape from Overshoot: Economics for a Planet in Peril (New Society, 2023) Peter is Professor Emeritus at York University in Toronto. He earned his PhD in economics from the University of British Columbia and has worked for fifty years in Canada and abroad as an academic, consultant, and public servant specializing in ecological economics and alternatives to economic growth. He described the dimensions of overshoot--basically producing and consuming more than the planet can support--and offered a number of ways in which the planet's population could constrain growth without destroying people's well being. Escape from Overshoot covers a wide terrain, including:
  • An overview of Earth overshoot and prevailing trends and implications for humans and biodiversity
  • A concise review of economic ideas including neoclassical, Keynesian, Marxist, ecological economics, and steady state economics with an eye to the current crisis
  • An analysis of the limitations and possibilities of alternative scenarios such as green growth, doughnut economics, regenerative economics, degrowth, and more
  • Prioritizing intergenerational justice through a contraction and convergence ethical framework
  • The results of modeling of economies under different scenarios and the prospects for managed degrowth across industrialized economics as an escape route from overshoot
https://newsociety.com/books/e/escape-from-overshoot
Listen to the program, click below.


BUTTE FIRE SAFE COUNCIL
with Calli-Jane West
Eco 697          9 May 2023

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The Butte Fire Safe Council is an amazing organization under the leadership of Calli-Jane West. We talked with her about the Council's diverse programs protecting our region from fires and educating adults and kids about how to be fire safe . Programs include the loan of "weed wrenches" to uproot invasive Broom (also on display at a Paradise High School Broom removal day), educational presentations in local schools (with Ready Racoon, left), the chipper program, grazing, and extensive forest thinning projects in the area. Their website also includes links to escape routes in case of fire and much more information to help keep us safe. Learn more at buttefiresafe.net/. Listen to this excellent interview: click below.


BUTTE COUNTY LOCAL FOOD NETWORK
with Pamm Larry and Amy Roseman
Eco 696                          2 May 2023

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This program discussed he Butte County Local Food Network, a strong and vibrant local organization whose vision is to “create a strong local food system as the basis of a strong local economy, anchored in a healthy community that thrives on neighbors helping neighbors." Pamm Larry is the director of the Butte County Local Food Network, aka Initial Instigator, Chief Rabble Rouser and Nudger. Truly, Pamm makes things happen. Amy Roseman is the Outreach Ambassador.  The BC Local Food Network has just exploded in growth in the barely three years since it was founded.  Pam and Amy walked us through how that has happened, their numerous programs, and the range of volunteer and financial support it needs.  Learn more and/or contribute at https://www.bclocalfood.org/.  Listen to the interview by clicking on the link below.


CHICO'S URBAN FOREST
with RICHIE BAMLETT
Eco 896                          27 April 2023

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Richie is Chico's Urban Forester, who looks after Chico's myriad trees, mostly in city right-of-way, but also helping out private homeowners and businesses in maintaining and improving Chico as a "Tree City USA." He described his work with an emphasis on a new Urban Forest Master Plan now under review by the city council, in our view, an amazing comprehensive look at the value of trees, the best trees to grow in Chicoland, and providing trees at no cost to the residents. There's more politics involved in this than we had reckoned, and we discussed some of the elements in town that are resisting the new plan. Richie is an engaging and incredibly well informed interviewee. Give a listen.  Click below.


PROTECTING NORTHSTATE WATERS
with BARBARA VLAMIS
Eco 891                           28 March 2023

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Our guest was Barbara Vlamis, Executive Director of AquAlliance, "defending northstate waters."  We opened with a MaMuse song, "Under the Ground," which praises AquAlliance and describes some of the issues in northstate water.  Barbara then reviewed current lawsuits which AquAlliance is engaged in regarding the Sustainable Water Management process in our area and proposed north-south water transfers. She also talked about the organization's future plans and priorities. We closed with another AquaAlliance song, "Hidden Waters," by AquAlliance Policy Analyst Jim Brobeck. This is a particularly informative interview. Listen to the show recording: Click below.


CLIMATE PROTECTION AND RESTORATION INITIATIVE
with Dan Galpern
Eco 890                    21 March 2023

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Our guest on Ecotopia was Dan Galpern, the General Counsel & Executive Director of the Climate Protection and Restoration Initiative. From their website: “Climate Protection and Restoration Initiative is a 503(c)(3) non-profit, public-interest, science-based, advocacy organization that is guided by scientists, legal scholars, and community and religious leaders who share our mission to protect and restore a viable climate system. Their Objectives:

To protect and restore our climate system, so as to enable our children to thrive we must:

  • Phase out fossil fuel and other greenhouse (GHG) emissions,
  • Protect and restore vital natural systems, including mature and old-growth forests, and
  • Remove excess atmospheric CO2 and methane (CH4).
The organization has filed a petition with the EPA (which was rejected) and a lawsuit (currently under way) that would force the EPA to actually enforce existing environmental laws to achieve national goals.
Listen to the program; click below.


 Andrew Boyd is a writer, activist, humorist, and CEO (Chief Existential Officer) of the Climate Clock, a global campaign that blends art, science, and grassroots organizing to get the world to “act in time. He also co-created the grief-storytelling ritual, the Climate Ribbon, and led a 2000s-era satirical campaign Billionaires for Bush.

The title and subtitles of his book tell all: we’ll be discussing today has a title and subtitles worth absorbing:
I WANT A
BETTER

CATASTROPHE
 
NAVIGATING THE CLIMATE CRISIS
with Grief, Hope, and Gallows Humor
 
 An existential manual for tragic optimists,
can-do pessimists, and compassionate doomers
Listen to this engaging and often humorous interview. Click below.


center for biological diversity
with peter galvin
eco 886                                                     28 february

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Our guest this evening was Peter Galvin, co-founder and Director of Programs of the Center for Biological Diversity, an organization that does wide-ranging environmental work throughout the world.  A longtime environmental activist, Peter also serves on the board of directors of the Beech Hill Foundation and is a member of the Science Oversight Team for the Global Owl Project.

This was a fabulous interview ranging over so many topics that Susan described him as "a man who knows everything and inspires everyone." Included in the discussion were the Center's priorities for 2023.

1. Declare National Emergencies Over the Climate Crisis and the Loss of Wildlife
2. Double the Amount of Protected Land and Water
3. Defend and Fully Fund the Endangered Species Act
4. Protect Endangered Species from Dangerous Pesticides
5. Act Boldly to Protect Wildlife.

Don't fail to listen to this program!
Click below.



red hot chili peppers
with stephanie Walker
and phil elkins (senior felipe)
eco 883                                        24 january 2023

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This program was another in our series of "ecosystems you might not think about."  We've done ants, the electron, caribou and the tundra, and this program on the Chili Pepper. While these are unusual ecosystems, we're finding that they make interesting connections with larger environmental issues such as climate change, water supplies, and even the atmosphere.

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Our first guest was Dr. Stephanie Walker of the Chili Pepper Institute, New Mexico State University. She told us about the diverse functions of the institute, including developing new cultivars, providing support for New Mexico chili farmers, and educating the public about chilies. She also told us about how climate change is affecting the growing season, availability of water, and other problems for the farmers. The institute is well known, and its annual conference attracts people from all over the globe.
Learn more about the institute at cpi.nmsu.edu.
Listen to the interview: click below.


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Then we spoke with Phil Elkins, a.k.a. Senor Felipe, KZFR host of LA Sounds, Wednesday, 3-5 pm.  A while back, Phil had a highly successful career as a salsa maker, staring out in Chico but going global-ish. He spoke about recipes, manufacturing processes, and, of course, the choice of chili pepper varieties. Phil is also a wonderful storyteller and laughs a lot as he tells of his experiences.
Learn more about Phil at srfelipe@weebly.com
And listen to the interview; click below.



energy efficiency
with doug davenport and mark salavitch
eco 682                                                                 17 january 2023

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This program explored energy efficiency in commercial and public buildings. Our first guest was Doug Davenport, Founder and Executive Director of Prospect Silicon Valley (ProspectSV), a nonprofit that helps companies develop sustainability strategies. He described how he works with a wide range of entitities to create and fund energy efficiency projects. We were impressed with both the intent and scope of the program.

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Then we spoke with Mark Salavitch, Program Manager for PG&E, which is participating in the program. Mark described their Market Access Program (MAP) and how it is working throughout its system to reduce stress on the grid and reduce energy consumption generally. Again we were impressed by the range and success of the project.
Learn more about ProjectSV at https://www.prospectsv.org/
And learn more about PG&E at https://www.pge.com/en_US/small-medium-business/save-energy-and-money/energy-savings-programs/energy-savings-programs.page
Listen to the program: Click below.



protecting alaska's cook inlet
with sue mauger
eco 681                        january 10, 2023

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Our focus in this program was Cook Inlet in Alaska, a body of water stretching south from Anchorage, which lies over great stores of gas and oil. Congress has mandated leasing of those waters and the resources beneath and held an auction on December 30. Our guest was Sue Mauger of Cook Inletkeeper, an organization that has long campaigned against these leases and joined with Earthjustice and others in filing suit to prevent the auction. The auction did proceed, and Sue shared with us the results, which were in some ways encouraging to those who would like to preserve the inlet and its resources. She also spoke with us about some of the InletKeeper’s other projects. Specifically, Sue Mauger studies Alaska’s wild salmon streams and leads Inletkeeper's efforts to highlight the relevance of climate and land-use change in local decision-making. She coordinates regional water temperature monitoring networks and uses thermal infrared imagery to map and protect cold-water habitats: the stepping stones salmon will need to move up and down otherwise warming stream channels. Sue did her undergraduate work at Duke University and got her masters in Fisheries Science from Oregon State University. She was among 80 women worldwide selected to take part in the second team of Homeward Bound, a global leadership initiative for women in science.Learn more about the great work of Cook InletKeeper at https://inletkeeper.org

To listen to the interview, click below.


saving life on earth
with tierra curry
eco 680     3 january 2023

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To kick off the new year, Susan interviewed Tierra Curry, Saving Life on Earth Campaign Director, Center for Biological Diversity. She works nationally with individuals and groups in support of celebrating and protecting biodiversity. Prior to joining the Center in 2007 she worked as an amphibian field biologist, environmental educator and community organizer. She holds a bachelor's in English from Berea College and a master's in biology from Portland State University.
They discussed just a few of the Center's many programs and such topics as global extinction, the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Endangered Species act, and the current status of Monarch Butterflies, Humboldt Martens, and Lassic Lupines. Click below to listen to or download the program.


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