The Most Important Question

This week: What’s a dew point, anyways?; The COVID Delta variant is here; And then there were six; An all female Justice League of social media.#51: Are We Talking About CRISPR All Wrong? Also, What The Hell Is CRISPR?Find links from this newsletter and more at importantnotimportant.com/newsletterGot feedback? Email us at questions@importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter at @importantnotimpImportant, Not Important is produced by Crate Media

In Episode 116, Quinn wants to know: why is simply giving people money the most effective way to 1) help them make positive changes to their lives and 2) erase global poverty along the way?To help him understand the answer, he brought on Caroline Teti and Michael Faye from GiveDirectly.Caroline Teti (or just Teti, as she likes to be called, we swear) works on the ground in Kenya, Nairobi, handling recipient advocacy for GiveDirectly’s global operations. She’s our new favorite person, sorry Michael.Michael Faye is the co-founder and president of GiveDirectly, and he’s great too. Seriously! You’re great. So great. But Teti, wow.Anyways! There’s so many amazing programs out there helping folks in extreme poverty by providing food, water, clothing, medicine, and more. But different people need different things on different days. Michael and Teti have done tremendous work to explore the data behind poverty and how to fix it: and it turns out the best way to get people what they need is to give them the resources -- namely cash -- to make those decisions themselves.None of us will end poverty, individually. But anyone can lift just one person out of poverty, so listen in and let’s do this thing.Have feedback or questions? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.comImportant, Not Important Book Club:“The Biggest Bluff” by Maria Konnikova“The Art of Reading Minds” by Henrik Fexeushttps://bookshop.org/shop/importantnotimportantLinks:givedirectly.orglinkedin.com/in/caroline-teti-26418627linkedin.com/in/michael-faye-6518893Connect with us:Subscribe to our newsletter at ImportantNotImportant.com!Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImpFollow Quinn: twitter.com/quinnemmettFollow Brian: twitter.com/beansaightLike and share us on Facebook: facebook.com/ImportantNotImportantIntro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.comImportant, Not Important is produced by Crate Media

This week: it’s Bolsonaro all the way down; the 99%; 44 thousand patients can’t be wrong; “fire beats water” should be relegated to D&D;Find links from this newsletter and more at importantnotimportant.com/newsletterGot feedback? Email us at questions@importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter at @importantnotimpImportant, Not Important is produced by Crate Media

In light of new research on toxic ingredients, it looks like America might finally start regulating cosmetic products, so it’s a great moment to re-run one of our most popular episodes with Beautycounter CEO Gregg Renfrew.In episode 87, Quinn & Brian ask: what, exactly, are we putting on our bodies (and why aren’t more people asking questions about it)?Our guest is: Gregg Renfrew. Gregg is a serial entrepreneur who, most recently, founded Beautycounter to increase transparency and safety in the personal care industry. She also actively lobbies for regulation in the cosmetics industry. She wants to limit the number of harmful chemicals included in products sold in America because, you know, less poison in and on our bodies is a good thing – and a good thing that many other companies in the beauty industry vehemently oppose.There are complicated ingredients in our cosmetics, moisturizers… well, pretty much everything we’re sold to put on our bodies to make them look or feel better. And these ingredients are increasingly obscured by labeling trickery, like the deceptive word “fragrance” that can hide dozens of potentially dangerous chemicals – and, holy hell, after what we learned in this episode, we are so on board with the Beautycounter mission (Brian’s already stocked up).Have feedback or questions? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.comImportant, Not Important Book Club:“Start with Why” by Simon Sinekhttps://bookshop.org/shop/importantnotimportantLinks:Senators Collins and Blumenthal move to ban toxic PFAS chemicals in cosmetics, which scientists say are 'widespread' and unlabeledInstagram: www.instagram.com/greggrenfrewFacebook: www.facebook.com/gregg.renfrewwww.beautycounter.comThe Never List: www.beautycounter.com/the-never-listWant to take action now? Text “#betterbeauty” to 52886Connect with us:Subscribe to our newsletter at ImportantNotImportant.com!Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImpFollow Quinn: twitter.com/quinnemmettFollow Brian: twitter.com/beansaightLike and share us on Facebook: facebook.com/ImportantNotImportantIntro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.comImportant, Not Important is produced by Crate Media

In celebration of New York state passing Bill S6532A, permitting underwater kelp cultivation, we’re re-playing one of our coolest (and most entertaining) episodes. Kelp could be THE crop of the 21st century. But why? Listen in to find out.In Episode 81, Quinn & Brian discuss: legalizing the weed of the sea.Our guests are Bren Smith and Tom Ford, two fine, clean-living gentlemen who are out on the water every day. They’re trying to change the way that we eat to our benefit and, more importantly, the ocean’s benefit (which seems obvious to us, but apparently is not).Bren Smith started The Thimble Island Ocean Farm, dedicated to restorative ocean farming, and is Executive Director and Co-Founder of GreenWave, a nonprofit supporting a new generation of ocean farmers to feed the planet and build a blue-green economy in the era of climate change. Tom Ford is Executive Director of The Bay Foundation, Director of the Santa Monica Bay National Estuary Program, and Co-Director of the Coastal Research Institute at Loyola Marymount University – all of which adds up to him being a super smart guy with a lot of ideas about how we can improve both the ocean and our lives. As we’ll learn today, some of them are surprisingly cheap and easy!Have feedback or questions? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.comImportant, Not Important Book Club:“The Lorax & In a Fisherman's Language”https://bookshop.org/shop/importantnotimportantLinks:GreenWave: www.greenwave.orgThe Bay Foundation: www.santamonicabay.org/“Eat Like a Fish” by Bren Smith: www.amazon.com/Eat-Like-Fish-Adventures-Restorative-ebook/dp/B07GMYJJWM“Is Seaweed the Next Superfood?”: www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/11/02/a-new-leafConnect with us:Subscribe to our newsletter at ImportantNotImportant.com!Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImpFollow Quinn: twitter.com/quinnemmettFollow Brian: twitter.com/beansaightLike and share us on Facebook: facebook.com/ImportantNotImportantIntro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.comImportant, Not Important is produced by Crate Media

This week: “Do not come”; The pandemic is not over for everyone; We can do better, can’t we? Cover crops; Language barriers in AI.Visit ImportantJobs.com to find your next role working on the frontlines of the future.Find links from this newsletter and more at importantnotimportant.com/newsletterGot feedback? Email us at questions@importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter at @importantnotimpImportant, Not Important is produced by Crate Media

In Episode 115, Quinn & Brian discuss: How to stop fossil fuel advertising.Our guests are JaRel Clay and Jamie Henn.JaRel Clay is the Digital Director of Hip Hop Caucus, a national nonprofit focused on ending the climate crisis, having some fun, and tackling racial justice along the way. No big deal.Jamie is a climate activist, strategist, and communicator. He’s the Director of Fossil Free Media, a nonprofit communications lab to boost groups taking on the fossil fuel industry. Together, they’re members of Clean Creatives, a group of strategists, creatives, and industry leaders looking to take on the fossil industry where it hurts: their mouth holes. If it kind of sounds like the introduction to the Justice League or something, you’re not far off -- the work these guys are doing is saving the planet.Yes, we have a democrat in the White House, Ford’s got a new electric truck that’s sure to make waves, and solar just keeps getting better. But let’s not forget: Exxon mobile is not f***ing around. We have to move at this thing from all angles -- and with the same level of fervor. To really do that, we have to take control of the messaging. We can’t compete dollar to dollar, so we have to get creative.Along the way, we may end up starting the Clean Creatives Family Band.Have feedback or questions? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.comImportant, Not Important Book Club:"The Cold Millions" by Jess Walter"The Bully Pulpit" by Doris Kearns Goodwin"All Boys Aren't Blue" by George M. Johnsonhttps://bookshop.org/shop/importantnotimportantLinks:cleancreatives.orgTwitter: @cleancreativesInstagram: @clean_creativesTwitter: @jamieclimateTwitter: @iGObyJAYTwitter: @hiphopcaucusConnect with us:Subscribe to our newsletter at ImportantNotImportant.com!Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImpFollow Quinn: twitter.com/quinnemmettFollow Brian: twitter.com/beansaightLike and share us on Facebook: facebook.com/ImportantNotImportantIntro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.comImportant, Not Important is produced by Crate Media

This week: bigger doesn’t mean better; COVAX has got next, finally; a brand new day… and vaccine; AI and medicine – so close, and yet so far.Visit ImportantJobs.com to find your next role working on the frontlines of the future.Find links from this newsletter and more at importantnotimportant.com/newsletterGot feedback? Email us at questions@importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter at @importantnotimpImportant, Not Important is produced by Crate Media

In Episode 114, Quinn asks: What are carbon offsets, and do they even work? Our returning guest is Akshat Rathi, a reporter at Bloomberg Green. Carbon offsets -- like our planet -- are so hot right now. And like our planet -- they kind of don’t work! So fun. But they could -- and while missions #1 to #11 are eliminate emissions, everywhere, we’ve gotta go negative at some point, so we might as well figure it out, and figure out how to scale them, like yesterday. You need them, I need them, we all need them.Forests (of all kinds) are great, but imperfect. New tech like next-generation wind and solar, methane-tracking satellites, and vacuums that literally suck carbon out of the sky are imperfect, too. But so is Quinn! Find out how you can offset your own impact, and help get us to negative, stat.Have feedback or questions? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.comImportant, Not Important Book Club:"More from Less" by Andrew McAfee"Less is More" by Jason Hicklehttps://bookshop.org/shop/importantnotimportantLinks:akshatrathi.comTwitter: @akshatrathiLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/akshatrathiBloomberg Greenstripe.com/climatekiva.orgJPMorgan, Disney, Blackrock Buy Nature Conservancy's Useless Carbon OffsetsI, Pencil by Leonard E. ReadConnect with us:Subscribe to our newsletter at ImportantNotImportant.com!Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImpFollow Quinn: twitter.com/quinnemmettFollow Brian: twitter.com/beansaightLike and share us on Facebook: facebook.com/ImportantNotImportantIntro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.comImportant, Not Important is produced by Crate Media

This week: a brutal day for oil; fungi on the move (not great); wastewater: so hot right now; paying for climate protection; vaccine inequities; and facial recognition on the way out (for now).Find links from this newsletter and more at importantnotimportant.com/newsletterGot feedback? Email us at questions@importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter at @importantnotimpImportant, Not Important is produced by Crate Media