Episodes

Toxic chemicals used to wash coal were stored on the banks of a river less than 2 miles from where water entered the public water system for 300,000 people in nine counties of West Virginia. When 7,500 gallons of the chemicals spilled into the river, people not only got sick, but they could not use their water for anything but flushing toilets for several days. No drinking, cooking, bathing, washing clothes, washing hands, no public water for a week. We need to stop and think about the chemicals...

Hillary and Chelsea Clinton made protecting wild African elephants the centerpiece of the 2013 Clinton Global Initiative, in part because the elephants are facing extinction in a decade given current poaching rates, but also because their tusks are financing terrorism. Today we are joined by bestselling author and war correspondent, Mike Bond, to discuss the real world threat that is the subject of his new fiction novel, The Last Savanna. The book is based on his participation in military operat...

Education is a dynamic institution. Every few years classrooms are introduced to new technologies and reforms that alter the learning experience in many ways. Throughout all these changes, however, two things have remained the same: first, human beings are completely dependent on natural systems, and second, human beings are capable of rendering natural systems incapable of supporting life. To what extent are we teaching students the necessary skills to preserve the natural systems on which they...

When a large environmental disaster occurs – like the BP oil spill in the Gulf – we take notice of the impact that energy extraction has on wildlife. But we tend to think of this impact only when a catastrophic event causes egregious pollution. The fact is that wildlife and wilderness areas are under constant pressure due to the expanding footprint of energy exploration, which is taking up more and more acreage every day. In this episode we’ll talk with Tom Butler, Editorial Projects Director fo...

“How much economic risk does the United States face from the impacts of climate change?” The Risky Business initiative will help us find out. Risky Business is a joint initiative of Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Office of former Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson, and Next Generation. The Risky Business Initiative includes two core components: • An independent risk assessment to reveal the likely financial risk the United States faces from unmitigated climate change. • An engagement effort - led by...

Are there upsides to fracking? Are consumer fears warranted? What are oil and gas companies doing to manage the risks involved? At the top of the hour, we’ll explore this topic with Karen Moreau, Executive Director of the New York State Petroleum Council, who will discuss hydraulic fracturing from an industry perspective. Later in the episode, we’ll be joined by Richard Heinberg, author of Snake Oil: How Fracking’s False Promise of Plenty Imperils Our Future.

It comes as news to no one that the energy industry is the most profitable on Earth. Based on their rise to prominence in the 20th Century, the annual earnings of the top five oil companies alone (ExxonMobil, BP, Shell, Conoco Philips, and Chevron) are now measured in the hundreds of billions of dollars. In his new book, Following the Money, Craig Shields presents a set of interviews with subject matter experts who discuss the effects that economics and financial power have on the course of the ...

Geoengineering is a generic term for a multitude of technologies and theories aimed at changing the Earth’s climate. There are two basic categories into which all geoengineering concepts fall: solar radiation management and CO2 removal. Numerous governments around the world are looking to scientists who study geoengineering for possible “quick fix” solutions to global warming, which include spraying chemicals into the clouds above us and changing the chemical composition of the ocean. While the ...

When a large environmental disaster occurs – like the BP oil spill in the Gulf – we take notice of the impact that energy extraction has on wildlife. But we tend to think of this impact only when a catastrophic event causes egregious pollution. The fact is that wildlife and wilderness areas are under constant pressure due to the expanding footprint of energy exploration, which is taking up more and more acreage every day. In this episode we’ll talk with Tom Butler, Editorial Projects Director fo...

“How much economic risk does the United States face from the impacts of climate change?” The Risky Business initiative will help us find out. Risky Business is a joint initiative of Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Office of former Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson, and Next Generation. The Risky Business Initiative includes two core components: • An independent risk assessment to reveal the likely financial risk the United States faces from unmitigated climate change. • An engagement effort - led by...

In 2007, coal-fired power plants generated 50% of all the electricity in the U.S.; it’s now down to 37% thanks to cheap natural gas prices. About two-thirds of the coal used in America comes from surface mining, including mountaintop removal (MTR). But because the communities around these operations are small, rural, and less likely to receive media attention, most Americans have no idea about the human health problems caused by this form of mining, all in the name of cheap energy. Teri Blanton ...

The rapid spread of hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) has temporarily boosted US natural gas and oil production . . . and sparked a massive environmental backlash in communities across the country. The fossil fuel industry is trying to sell fracking as the biggest energy development of the century, with slick promises of American energy independence and benefits to local economies. Richard Heinberg, one of the world’s foremost energy educators, casts a critical eye on the oil-industry hype that ...

Linda Marsa is an investigative journalist and contributing editor at Discover who has covered medicine, health and science for more than two decades. A former Los Angeles Times reporter and author, she has just released her new book, Fevered: Why a Hotter Planet Will Hurt Our Health, and How We Can Save Ourselves. The book includes interviews with the world’s leading climate scientists and healthcare experts. Tune in as we discuss the human health implications of climate change, and what we can...

Part autobiography, part treatise, in Creating Climate Wealth, Jigar Shah demonstrates how all of us can participate in the largest wealth creation opportunity of our time. Shah explains that proven, scalable climate solutions, using an infrastructure-as-a-service model, will create the next economy. The book draws lessons from what Shah learned in the creation and success of SunEdison and as CEO of The Carbon War Room. The key message is that climate wealth is at our fingertips – accessible to ...

Climate change isn’t bad news for everyone. As Arctic ice melts at historically rapid rates, some people brace for rising sea levels, and some brace for new opportunities to drill for oil in waters that were once too icy for rigs. Recently, several Greenpeace activists were captured by Russian forces and charged with piracy after protesting one such drill site in the Arctic. Today, Phil Radford, Greenpeace USA’s executive director, joins Go Green Radio to discuss his organization’s concerns abou...

The Natural Resources Defense Council has just released its annual report on water quality at U.S. beaches, and found that the number of beach closing and advisory days exceeded 20,000 for the 8th time in the past 9 years. On today’s show, we’ll talk with Jon Devine, NRDC’s Senior Attorney for their water program, who will help us understand the sources of pollution that impact our beaches, and what can be done to mitigate or eliminate the pollution altogether. For anyone who loves a great day a...

Women bear a heavy burden from the impacts of climate change, particularly in low-income and developing countries where drought, flooding and unpredictable temperatures present difficult challenges for women that are responsible for providing food, water and firewood for their families. Until now, their voices were under-represented in global discussions about climate change. From September 20th-23rd, 2013, a powerful cohort of women leaders from 35+ countries came together in New York to take b...

In 2007, coal-fired power plants generated 50% of all the electricity in the U.S.; it’s now down to 37% thanks to cheap natural gas prices. About two-thirds of the coal used in America comes from surface mining, including mountaintop removal (MTR). But because the communities around these operations are small, rural, and less likely to receive media attention, most Americans have no idea about the human health problems caused by this form of mining, all in the name of cheap energy. Teri Blanton ...

Marion Nestle, one of the nation’s most prominent voices on the political forces that drive our food choices, has authored a new book, Eat Drink Vote – An Illustrated Guide to Food Politics. She teamed up with The Cartoonist Group (more than 50 leading cartoonist, including 9 Pultizer Prize winners) to illustrate and explain the most pressing issues of our food system today. In the book, she discusses Big Ag, GMO’s, food safety, labeling, obesity, school lunches, wasted food, and much more. Tune...

The Natural Resources Defense Council has just released its annual report on water quality at U.S. beaches, and found that the number of beach closing and advisory days exceeded 20,000 for the 8th time in the past 9 years. On today’s show, we’ll talk with Jon Devine, NRDC’s Senior Attorney for their water program, who will help us understand the sources of pollution that impact our beaches, and what can be done to mitigate or eliminate the pollution altogether. For anyone who loves a great day a...

With over 30 yoga videos produced, and gushing endorsements from followers like Oprah Winfrey and Donna Karan, today’s guest has helped some of the busiest people on the planet learn how to bring their minds and bodies into alignment with their health goals. But much more than simply being a fitness instructor, Rodney Yee works in conjunction with Gaiam, Inc. to produce products and tools that respect natural resources, and help people tread more lightly on the Earth. Tune in to learn more about...

The rapid spread of hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) has temporarily boosted US natural gas and oil production . . . and sparked a massive environmental backlash in communities across the country. The fossil fuel industry is trying to sell fracking as the biggest energy development of the century, with slick promises of American energy independence and benefits to local economies. Richard Heinberg, one of the world’s foremost energy educators, casts a critical eye on the oil-industry hype that ...

In our culture, pregnancy, birth, and childrearing are deeply connected to consumption and resource use. From the baby shower to the minivan and the larger apartment or first house, the baby-raising years are the most hyper-consumptive of our lives, and can set a family on an unsustainable track for years to come. The Zero Footprint Baby: How to Save the Planet While Raising a Healthy Baby shows how to raise a child with little to no carbon footprint. This timely book covers every issue new pare...

Linda Marsa is an investigative journalist and contributing editor at Discover who has covered medicine, health and science for more than two decades. A former Los Angeles Times reporter and author, she has just released her new book, Fevered: Why a Hotter Planet Will Hurt Our Health, and How We Can Save Ourselves. The book includes interviews with the world’s leading climate scientists and healthcare experts. Tune in as we discuss the human health implications of climate change, and what we can...