The Most Important Question

Climate change is a touchy topic in farm country. But one third of greenhouse gas emissions come from food and agriculture, so it’s crucial that the industry becomes part of the climate change solution. For years almost all the action on climate change centered on energy – solar and wind and electric vehicles taking on coal and gas and oil. But now Washington is suddenly buzzing about “climate-smart agriculture,” and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack is in the middle of the action. He just announced $3 billion in grants for “climate-smart commodities.” The Inflation Reduction Act is sending the USDA $20 billion for climate-smart projects. It’s incredible how quickly the food and climate issue has moved to the center of the plate.This week, Mike and Tamar welcome Secretary Vilsack as their first Climavores guest. They dig in on everything from regulating farmers to regenerative agriculture to subsidies as a bridge to market solutions. And of course Mike pushes the Secretary on his favorite topic –  biofuels. Have a question about food and climate change for Mike and Tamar? Leave a message on the Climavores hotline at (508) 377-3449. Or email us at climavores@postscriptaudio.com. We might feature your question on a future episode. Climavores is a production of Post Script Media. Twitter, InstagramWebsite-----------Have feedback or questions? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.comNew here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at importantnotimportant.com/podcast.-----------Follow us:Subscribe to our newsletter at importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter: twitter.com/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: $1 billion for electric school busesA potential "tripledemic" sandwich (not as delicious as it sounds!)One person's (treated) wastewater is another person's drinking waterMost pregnancy-related deaths in America are preventableBumble goes public with their "Private Detector" codeHere's What You Can Do (usually more varied, but until November 8th, it's all hands on deck):Join our friends at Pod Save America or the Environmental Voter Project to call/text/donate and vote for people who will continue to build the foundation for a healthier worldIf you lead or even work at a company with paid leave, message every to stay home as much as necessary, and if you don't - Join our friends at Pod Save America or the Environmental Voter Project to call/text/donate and vote for people who actually learned something from the pandemicJoin our friends at Pod Save America or the Environmental Voter Project to call/text/donate and vote for people who have lived experiences that reflect reality and will fight for a better water systemRead the Momnibus Act, and then join our friends at Pod Save America or the Environmental Voter Project to call/text/donate and vote for people who understand all too well what it means to struggle for health careUse Bumble's easy tool to get your state reps to ban unsolicited nudes, and then (ding ding ding) join our friends at Pod Save America or the Environmental Voter Project to call/text/donate and vote for people who 1) actually understand the internet and 2) will help build one that's safer for women, LGBTQ+, and children.Get 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

Throughout history, kings, queens, governments, churches, and donors have funded contests and awarded prizes for solving the most difficult problems of the day.Today, as we stand on the precipice of huge problems and opportunity, with everyone looking around going “What can I do?” the utility and relative inclusivity of prizes like these remains compelling.And there’s one group that’s driving them more than anyone – XPRIZE.My guest today is Dr. Marcius Extavour.Marcius is the Chief Scientist & Executive Vice President of Climate and Energy at XPRIZE.Marcius moved to XPRIZE after over a decade of working at the intersection of science,  policy, education, and technology development. He served as Director of Government and Corporate Partnerships in the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering at the University of Toronto.Dr. Extavour is active in science and energy policy more broadly, having held positions at the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resource as the OSA/SPIE/AAAS Congressional Science & Technology Policy Fellow, and at the Council of Canadian Academies, a science policy consultant to the Government of Canada.The beauty of a problem like climate change, COVID, or antibiotics is that it affects everyone on the planet. We’re all invested in the outcome whether we’re actively participating or not.The beauty of a contest like XPRIZE is the goal is clear and measurable, but the “how we get there” is not. It seeks active participants from likely players and the most unlikely of sources, dreamers of every kind who want to help in a very specific way, and to put a dent in the universe, odds be damned.Marcius’s passion for bridge-building and problem-solving are evident in our conversation, and his work and team-building incredibly inspire me. We have to imagine a better future, and then take our best shot at it.-----------Have feedback or questions? 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:Dune by Frank HerbertFind all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-clubLinks:Follow Marcius on TwitterConnect with Marcius on LinkedInCheck out XPRIZEFollow 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: Plant-based meat stocksAnother COVID winter is comingA long-term plan for the baby formula shortageThe uncertain future of telehealthWillfully shunning data privacyHere's What You Can Do:Help elect progressive state and federal candidates who will shift our diets and land use toward healthier, more sustainable food systemsCheck your wastewater data here or hereIf you've got extra, unopened, not-expired formula, donate it through the Free Formula Exchange. You can also get screened and donate breast milk at one of 31 regional milk banks.We need people in office, at every level, who understand how quickly technology is progressing, how we can use it to help people, and the infrastructure required to enable broad access. Help get them elected.We should make sure that the companies and governments that build tech only collect the data they absolutely need, and transparently, and not use it against us. Help elect people who understand where the puck is going.Get 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

Let's talk robots.But first: There’s a very particular bottleneck where groundbreaking science is more applicable than ever but inaccessible to many. The tools are unaffordable to the schools and groups who could use them to hook kids right when they’re most excited, kids with a huge variety of lived experienced, who have grown up in the climate era, and in the COVID era, who see and want to solve problems they can touch and feel – but because of costs and access, they never get to try.Or the bottleneck presents as being frustratingly inefficient, to the labs who actually do this stuff every day, the ones who see a peer’s research and try to replicate it, but don’t have the funding or people or bandwidth or all three to spend time filling test tubes.Building better processes isn’t the sexiest science you can do, but the science doesn’t happen, or nearly enough of it, or fast enough, without the help of someone who’s been affected by these inefficiencies.Someone who can see the whole journey and identify areas where existing ways of doing things and tools for doing things can be made more reliable, more useful, and more affordable, to more people.Enter: automated synthetic biology. Or, robots!Roya Amini-Naieni is my guest today, straight from her robot lab.This is another in our series of conversations with 776 fellows, a two-year program for young people who want to build a better future.Roya is not only a 776 fellow but also the co-founder and CEO of TriloBio, where she’s working on revolutionizing synthetic biology by changing the way synthetic biologists do science.Roya’s had an incredible journey so far, the child of Iranian immigrants, the child of engineers, and the apprentice to so many mentors who have seen her ambition and seem to understand that Roya has identified a way to stand up for better access to the tools of the future, and along the way, maybe even put a dent in the universe.-----------Have feedback or questions? 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 Mom Test by Rob FitzpatickThe Worm WebseriesFind all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-clubLinks:Learn more about TriloBio on the website, LinkedIn, or TwitterFollow Roya on TwitterLearn more about the 776 Foundation Fellowship ProgramFind your iGEM teamFulfill your genetic engineering dreams with your own kit from The OdinGet your own Bento LabFollow us:Subscribe to our newsletter at newsletter.importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImpFollow Quinn: twitter.com/quinnemmettEdited by Anthony LucianiProduced by Willow BeckIntro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.comAdvertise with us: https://www.importantnotimportant.com/sponsors

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

This week: What climate change means for insurancePregnancy and the COVID vaccineFood insecurity in AmericaWhat wildfire smoke means for air qualityInternet blackout in IranWhat we can doUnderstand your flood risk with Flood Factor, a free tool to learn if your property has flooded in the past, is currently at risk, and how that risk changes over time. Stock up on masks, get your boosters, and bring your parents, your kids, and your friends with you Feed people tonight (and every month, with a recurring donation) with our friends at Feeding America. Obviously numero uno is decarbonize everything everywhere all at once, but also: Know your daily risk. I use Purple Air outdoor monitorsFollow, amplify, and donate to the Center for Human Rights in Iran, a collection of journalists, researchers, lawyers, activists, writers, multimedia specialists and advocates based around the world who work to support the basic rights and freedoms of the Iranian peopleGet 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

This week: It's hurricane seasonViral levels in wastewater spikingWhat the world might look like in 2050Results from the biggest-ever Alzheimer's studyAsking better questions about our appsAction StepsSend disaster recovery supplies to Florida, donate or volunteer with World Central Kitchen to feed people in Florida and/or Puerto Rico, help the Footprint Project spin up microgridsTell your city council about BioBot wastewater monitoringCheck out Vox's explainer video on how the remaining water in the West is distributedProtect your brain and heart with the Blue Zones cookbookRead this piece by WIRED about how to buy ethical and eco-friendly electronics, and this one about how to advocate for tech privacyGet 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

For decades Americans have relied on wood, oil, and gas to power, heat, and cool our homes, and the water we use to drink, cool, and bathe in. But these things have helped fuel our climate crisis – by some estimates, residential energy use accounts for about 20% of US greenhouse gas emissions.That’s a lot.Not to mention, burning wood inside and using gas stoves and fireplaces, and water heaters are just straight-up terrible for our health. Great news though.An electric future awaits us, and now, having passed the IRA, there are a huge variety of rebates to help you electrify your home, to become less dependent on the grid, to save money over time, and breathe cleaner air inside AND outside.But where do you start? It’s a great question, and one I’ve been wrestling with recently.I want to make my home reliable, resilient, and healthier. And together, with you and millions of other Shit Givers, I want to take a huge chunk out of US emissions, to slow the climate crisis. But in order to do so, I needed some help. So I called John Semmelhack.John is co-owner, with Neil Comparetto, of The Comfort Squad LLC, a home performance contracting + consulting firm serving Charlottesville, VA, and Richmond, VA. John is a pioneering practitioner of the "electrify everything” movement and is the self-declared “Minister of Heat Pumps” for the Southeast U.S.And his company, The Comfort Squad, helps clients create healthy, comfortable homes that run on clean electricity. Today we’re going to take you on one of his standard home performance assessments and paint a picture for you of the healthier, all-electric home.-----------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:All We Can Save edited by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Katherine K WilkinsonFind all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-clubLinks:Follow John on TwitterFollow The Comfort Squad on Twitter and check out their websiteCheck out the federal and state financial incentives to electrify your homeRead Rewiring America's guide to electrify your homeGet an Ecobee smart thermostatFind an induction cooktopFind an electric or heat pump water heaterElectrify your apartment building with Bloc PowerSave energy and money with Ohm ConnectBuy a solar powered battery with HumlessPre-order your smart home batteryFind your local solar farmGet solar power for your homeFollow Dr Leah Stokes on TwitterFollow Emily Grubert on TwitterFind out why SoCal Gas sucksFollow us:Subscribe to our newsletter at newsletter.importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImpFollow Quinn: twitter.com/quinnemmettEdited by Anthony LucianiProduced by Willow BeckIntro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.comAdvertise with us: https://www.importantnotimportant.com/sponsors

This week: The companies building a new clean economy (and the pretenders)The "I" in COVIDDefrauded pandemic funds for hungry kidsPreventing overdoses with safer supply programsIncreasing surveillance Action StepsRead Protocol's tips to make your company more sustainableIf it's been 3-6 month since your last infection or shot, get boostedFeed some families by donating to Feeding AmericaKnow someone dealing with opioid addiction? Find a related clinical trial near youRead share, and subscribe to The MarkupGet 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