The Most Important Question

This week: What does it mean when people say “revolution”? For these purposes, which are pretty narrow and entirely of my own invention, I don’t mean some single moment in time, unless it was a bellwether for something bigger. And I don’t mean the revolutions that have necessarily most directly impacted me. When I think “revolution” I imagine a building up of…something…that affected most people directly or indirectly, so that’s the threshold I’ll use here. This list is in no way comprehensive, I’m a generalist bonehead who definitely missed some significant items. I am 40, though I feel like I’m 99, so anyways I’m going to use 1982 as my starting point. YMMV. INI is about looking forward, to understanding where we are and where we might be going, so we can build a better today and tomorrow for everyone. But to do so, it’s helpful to look back a little bit to understand how we got here, what’s underway, and what might be brewing, for better or worse. Because the more we have our eyes on these currents, the more we can strike at the root to influence them. Here's What You Can Do:⚡️ I love donating to DonorsChoose so much. Teachers need so much more support and should never have to front the cost of essential supplies. Buy some books or crayons or maps or even a 3D printer!⚡️ Understand where your power is coming from, live, like right now, with Electricity Maps.⚡️ From the southern border to Ukraine, East Africa, and Palestine, Doctors Without Borders provides medical humanitarian assistance to folks who need it the most. Setup a new monthly donate now.⚡️ Volunteer to text or call with the Environmental Voter Project, an incredibly effective movement to identify millions of non-voting environmentalists and turns them into consistent votersNews RoundupHealth & MedicineGenes from the mother shape a baby's microbiomeA bunch of states are suing companies over insulin pricesClean air in schools could become New Mexico lawClimateWhat the California drought map looks like after massive rainsA more sustainable way to grow crops under solar panelsBiden's Green Energy Bank starts to dole out billionsFood & WaterNew York will ban forever chemicals from clothing by end of the year98% of California's don't have flood insuranceWhat happens when the Great Salt Lake disappears?Beep BoopT-Mobile gave up 37 million customer accounts. Again.US law enforcement agencies have access to 150 million bank transactionsRussia's increasingly going after Ukraine's mobile phone networkCOVIDCan we stop Long COVID before it starts?Get more:Get more news, analysis, and Action Steps at importantnotimportant.com/newsletterGot feedback? Email us at questions@importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter at @importantnotimpSubscribe to our Youtube channelGet fun merch at importantnotimportant.com/storeTake a nap you deserve itAdvertise with us: https://www.importantnotimportant.com/sponsorsMentioned in this episode:Become An Important Member

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: timblane.comFind our more about our guests here: https://www.importantnotimportant.com/guest-statsAdvertise with us: https://www.importantnotimportant.com/sponsorsMentioned in this episode:Become An Important Member

Across the front of our website, in big bold letters, is our calling card: “Science for people who give a shit.”You may have seen it and immediately thought “That’s me!” or “You sir, are a child.” Either reaction is well and great. We’re not for everybody.You’re here, though, so let's assume you’re on board with the whole idea. However you identified with that tagline, you may have also asked yourself what it means, in practice. And that’s a good question because while the mantra isn’t changing, I’m more focused than ever on putting it into practice for me, and you. To Do Better Better requires trust in one another. That we care, that we'll step up when it counts, that we won't pull the ladder up after us. It requires a radical reorientation of our assumptions and expectations, to put into practice our values, to show up for one another -- together whenever we can, and when we're most alone -- to understand 1% better every day doesn't feel very different today -- if anything, it can feel like nowhere near enough -- but in three hundred and sixty-five days, much less by 2035 or 2050, at the rate of 1% a day, together, we can build something entirely new and fucking awesome. That's compound action. That's what we're about. That's science for people who give a shit.Here's What You Can Do:Mutual aid is probably the most effective way to help the folks around you. Find a network near you here. Want to take on one of the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals? Google's offering cash prizes in their 2023 Solution Challenge. Build a team and get to work! To understand the climate crisis, you have to understand our food systems. Nobody does a better job at that than Civil Eats. Subscribe today. Get more:Get more news, analysis, and Action Steps at importantnotimportant.com/newsletterGot feedback? Email us at questions@importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter at @importantnotimpSubscribe to our Youtube channelGet fun merch at importantnotimportant.com/storeTake a nap you deserve itAdvertise with us: https://www.importantnotimportant.com/sponsorsMentioned in this episode:Become An Important Member

We’re taking giving a shit quite literally this week! Our guest is Newsha Ghaeli, the president and co-founder at Biobot Analytics. If you read our newsletter, you’ll have heard me go on and on about Biobot, whose mission is to transform wastewater infrastructure into public health observatories.As an architect turned urban studies researcher, Newsha met her co-founder, Dr. Mariana Matus, at MIT almost a decade ago. Their work on the MIT Underworlds Project led to a dissertation, scientific publications, and coverage by dozens of local and national media outlets, and places in the DeltaV, DesignX, and Y Combinator accelerators.Obviously, Biobot’s work couldn’t have come along at a better time.Public health data in the US is fractured and difficult to aggregate, much less on the fly.Three years into the pandemic, most COVID testing is done at home and unreported, and most states have stopped reporting the data they do get.Building a baseline understanding of what’s quite literally floating around in our towns and cities will help us be better prepared when new threats like COVID, or old threats like polio come to town.Like a weather report, wastewater data can make our day-to-day lives safer and less surprising when things go to shit.-----------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:Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah HarariDune by Frank HerbertFind all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-clubLinks:Check out Biobot's dataGet started with Biobot in your communityKeep up with Biobot and Newsha 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: timblane.comFind our more about our guests here: https://www.importantnotimportant.com/guest-statsAdvertise with us: https://www.importantnotimportant.com/sponsors

What’s one big change we can make that can make our food healthier, make farming more lucrative, draw down carbon in the atmosphere, and reduce climate emigration?That’s today’s big question, and my guest is Sasankh Munukutla, another fellow in our series with the 776 Foundation. Sasankh is the Co-Founder of Terradot, a satellite and AI-based gigaton-scale, soil-carbon sequestration verification system. Sasankh originally hails from Singapore and grew up across countries as a third-culture kid and a future global citizen attending international schools. Before college, Sasankh took two gap years and served as a Commander in the Singapore Armed Forces. Once at Stanford, he completed his undergraduate degree in Computer Science with distinction as a Terman Scholar, Phi Beta Kappa, Tau Beta Pi, and with the Stanford Award of Excellence.So, you know.As you’ll hear, Sasankh is deeply passionate and thoughtful about the intersection of technology and social impact. He’s worked in the refugee space, on accessibility, and is a major force for organizing in the tech for good space. Something we can all get behind.Here’s the deal:Globally, soil has the potential to sequester up to 1.85 gigatons of carbon per year but soil degradation threatens our ability to feed a growing population, and soil desertification will result in 135 million soil refugees by 2050. Fun!That’s where Sasankh and Terradot come in.For farmers, Terradot will incentivize adopting sustainable agricultural practices that sequester carbon, improve soil health, and enable participation in soil carbon credit markets.On the other side, for carbon buyers, Terradot can eventually provide high-integrity carbon removal credits while allowing them to verify and monitor the permanence of carbon removal – an essential piece of the puzzle.-----------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:Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy KidderHow to Avoid a Climate Disaster by Bill GatesSpeed & Scale by John DoerrFind all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-clubLinks:Follow Sasankh on TwitterConnect with Sasankh on LinkedInCheck out CS+ Social Good and Tech ShiftCheck out the 776 FoundationFollow 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

Aluminum. It’s everywhere!And we’re going to need a hell of a lot more of it in the future.Aluminum is a primary ingredient in solar, wind, hydro, concentrated solar, bioenergy, the grid, batteries, hydrogen, and more. And that’s just electricity generation and distribution, to say nothing of consumer goods, from EVs to baseball bats.  Great news: we already collect and recycle a hell of a lot of it. Compared to, say, plastic, this is a huge win!But…the bit we haven’t been able to recycle is 1) at scale, a lot, and 2) FAIRLY hazardous.Luckily, some very smart young folks may have figured out how to recycle more of it, and maybe even power their whole operation from the inside out.We have to rebuild our entire economy to get to zero new emissions, and then go even further. Some sectors are far easier than others, and deep tech, heavy industry, is the latter.It’s not sexy, but heavy industry is – often literally – the foundation for everything we do. Think metals and minerals and concrete and steel and more.My guests today are Rostam Reifschneider & Julian Davis.Rostam and Julian are childhood friends, and the founders of Hydrova, a new company that focuses on developing technology to repurpose waste byproducts of aluminum recycling that are typically landfilled into valuable commodities. Rostam is another 776 Fellow that I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and sharing with you.What they’re trying to do is so important. If you’ve ever watched a video about aluminum production or recycling on YouTube, well, it’s like looking at a collection of rings being forged in the fires of Mordor.Finding a way of making that process more efficient, more circular, less dangerous for people and the climate, and just in time for us to need much more of the product?Well, that’s a story I’ve just got to share.-----------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:Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know by Adam GrantBenjamin Franklin: An American Life by Walter IsaacsonFind all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-clubLinks:Learn more on the Hydrova websiteConnect with Hydrova on LinkedInFollow 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

This week: Global climate news roundup beyond COP27The human cost of vaccine inequityWater runs dryChatbots aren't your friendsCaveats to exciting AI developmentsHere's What You Can Do:More Democratic Senators means a greater chance the US can stand by it's climate commitments. Donate to Senator Warnock's December runoff campaign here, and the invaluable "Georgia Safe and Strong" alliance of local organizers here.Check out Biobot's wastewater monitoring program for local governments and then take it to your next city council meetingGet deeper water news from our friends at Circle of BlueEvery bit of leverage for data privacy policy matters. Donate to Senator Warnock's December runoff campaign here, and the invaluable "Georgia Safe and Strong" alliance of local organizers here, so we can get ahead of this dangerous nonsense for once.Get free weekly updates on ethical AI from our friends at the Montreal AI Ethics Institute.Get more:Get more news, analysis, and Action Steps at importantnotimportant.com/newsletterGot feedback? Email us at questions@importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter at @importantnotimpSubscribe to our Youtube channelGet fun merch at importantnotimportant.com/storeTake a nap you deserve itAdvertise with us: https://www.importantnotimportant.com/sponsors

There’s nothing quite like breaking bread with family and friends, old or new. By mid-2020, we’d have all taken the opportunity to break bread with just about anyone.Why are recipes, and the stories behind them, some of the most enduring parts of each of our cultures?How can we be more intentional about cooking food more often, food that makes us feel good, that tastes good, that’s good for the planet, food that nourishes others, and that allows us to let our guards down for a moment, and share our joys and struggles?One thing I never make enough time for is hosting others, and feeding others. I mean, besides my kids, who I love to feed, but they never stop feeding, and so it’s relentless, but that’s another story altogether.Some of my favorite food to make is from my guest today Joanne Lee Molinaro, the Korean Vegan.Joanne is a runner, an attorney, a blogger, a podcast host, and the author of the James Beard-award-winning Korean Vegan Cookbook named one of the best cookbooks of 2021.But you may know her best as the chef and storyteller behind her wildly popular Instagram and TikTok accounts, where in just sixty seconds or so, she makes a delicious plant-based Korean dish, and at the end, when she’s done, you and millions of others are laughing, or crying or both.Joanne infuses her food with stories about her life, and her family’s journey from what is now North Korea. Her stories are heartbreaking and compassionate, at the same time vulnerable and empowering as hell.Because we’ve all come so far. We’ve all suffered, we’ve all felt alone, and I can tell you, sharing some spicy garlic tofu over a round table packed with friends…that’s the antidote to just about everything.-----------*CORRECTION* The Indigenous author referenced at approximately 31:50 is Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer. I am a moron. You can and should buy Dr. Kimmerer's books here.-----------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:Atomic Habits by James ClearFind all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-clubLinks:Order the Korean Vegan CookbookFollow the Korean Vegan on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and YoutubeFollow us:Subscribe to our newsletter at importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImpFollow 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

It’s always worth revisiting the inarguable fact that our country was designed to be inequitable.And while much progress has been made over time, the powers that be continued to imagine and design new ways of marginalizing, at best, Black, Brown, Asian, and Indigenous people throughout our society and economy.But who will tell their story? And who should?Local news has all but disappeared. Meanwhile, the communities most marginalized and least covered by mainstream publishers continue to struggle.It’s important we help them tell their stories, not only so we are – very simply – more aware and educated about lived experiences different from our own, but so we can understand the specific mechanics behind the systems oppressing them, where their organizing has been successful, and where it hasn’t, and why.And finally, how best to help.We need new models of local and regional and even national news, where the news and stories are more accessible, more a product of relationships inside those communities, and more impactful, to improve daily outcomes, and to prepare us for an even more volatile future.My guest today is Adam Mahoney.Adam is a national climate and environment reporter at Capital B, a first-of-its-kind Black-led nonprofit local and national news organization committed to news that centers Black voices and experiences to act as a catalyst for meaningful change and beat back against mistruths targeted at Black people. In his reporting, Adam covers issues involving environmental racism, the ways communities are fighting climate change, and how the climate crisis is disproportionately impacting communities of color. Prior to joining Capital B, Adam covered policing in Chicago and was a reporter covering environmental justice and investigations at Grist, where he was also an environmental justice fellow.Since joining Capital B, Adam has conducted numerous investigations tied to environmental justice and telling the underreported ways climate change is impacting Black Americans. -----------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:Becoming Abolitionists by Derecka PurnellFind all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-clubLinks:Read, subscribe, and donate to Capital B NewsFollow Capital B News on Twitter, Instagram, and FacebookFollow Adam Mahoney on Twitter and LinkedInBecome a mentor or mentee with the Zenith CooperativeFollow us:Subscribe to our newsletter at importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImpFollow 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

This week: Climate change in the curriculumIncreasingly divergent subvariantsCell-cultured meatRSV vaccines are comingGenerative AI (...didn't write this, but it might one day)Here's What You Can Do:Teachers can't teach without understanding the material. Check out ClimeTime and the CLEAN project for free, vetted resources for educators K-12.Bring everyone you know to get their bivalent boosters, bring masks back (they can help defend against the flu and RSV too), and improve your air quality wherever you canOur friends at Climate Tech VC put together a free deep-dive on methane emissions from cows. Read it and get up to speed.Join our friends at Pod Save America to call, text, knock on doors, and vote for people who will fight for the 75% of Americans who don't have access to paid leave through an employerCheck out Bleeding Edge AI for a cool timeline for developments as they happen, and/or Ben's Bites, a free, digestible, pithy email update with all things generative AIGet more:Get more news, analysis, and Action Steps at importantnotimportant.com/newsletterGot feedback? Email us at questions@importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter at @importantnotimpGet fun merch at importantnotimportant.com/storeTake a nap you deserve itAdvertise with us: https://www.importantnotimportant.com/sponsors