The Most Important Question

In Episode 67, Quinn & Brian ask: Is Climate Change "Flippable"?Our guest is Catherine Vaughan, CEO and Co-Founder of Flippable, an organization dedicated to flipping state governments from red to blue. You may not be surprised that Catherine is, indeed, one of the people trying to make a positive change by getting states back on the light side of the Force.So, when it comes to things like climate change, cancer, clean energy, (the Presidency,) artificial intelligence... are those things Flippable? The answer better be yes, or this is going to be a very depressing episode. So, pay attention today, because the answer just might help us get on the right track to an even better place – not to where we were or are, obviously, because that place was and is not great.Want to send us feedback? Tweet us, email us, or leave us a voice message!Trump’s Book Club: Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky: https://www.amazon.com/registry/wishlist/3R5XF4WMZE0TV/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_ep_ws_2Gr8Ab6RS5WF3Links: Learn more at https://flippable.org/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flippableorg/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flippableorg/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/cv0 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherine-vaughan-759a649/ One Person, No Vote: How Voter Suppression Is Destroying Our Democracy by Carol Anderson: https://www.amazon.com/One-Person-Vote-Suppression-Destroying/dp/1635571375Connect with us: Subscribe to our newsletter at ImportantNotImportant.com! Check out our Morning Show and other daily bite-size content on Instagram: instagram.com/ImportantNotImportant Follow Quinn: twitter.com/quinnemmett Follow Brian: twitter.com/briancolbertken Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImp Like and share us on Facebook: facebook.com/ImportantNotImportant Pin us on Pinterest: pinterest.com/ImportantNotImportant Tumble us or whatever the hell you do on Tumblr: importantnotimportant.tumblr.com Intro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.comImportant, Not Important is produced by Crate Media

In Episode 66, Quinn & Brian want to know why the hell we can't -- and further -- shouldn’t just blow up asteroids. Our guest is the incredible Professor K.T. Ramesh, professor of mechanical engineering at John Hopkins, founding director of the Hopkins Extreme Materials Institute (HEMI), and our new hero.You can think of HEMI as a real-life Avengers (no, we’re not just stuck on Endgame), except every member is like Bruce Banner without all the Hulk-iness or Tony Stark if he was never kidnapped by terrorists. Every day, they’re working to protect people, structures, and the planet, exploring a number of topics that are both critically important and impenetrably complicated.One of their newest studies reveals that Hollywood and Atari may, in fact, have been incorrect when they repeatedly suggested that one viable way to defend the planet from an incoming asteroid would be blowing it up. We don’t know about you, but we certainly feel lied to – so it’s refreshing to have this conversation with Professor Ramesh to set the record straight. Have feedback or questions? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.comNew here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at podcast.importantnotimportant.com. Important, Not Important Book Club: These Truths by Jill Lepore Links: Learn more about Professor Ramesh & HEMI“If We Blow Up an Asteroid, It Might Put Itself Back Together”TwitterFacebookListen to Radiolab’s Dinopocalypse epDouble Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) Mission Connect with us:Subscribe to our newsletter at newsletter.importantnotimportant.comFollow 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.comArtwork by Amrit Pal 

In Episode 65, Quinn asks: Is Chernobyl a preventable and rare accident from the past or a vivid picture of our hellish nuclear future?Our guest is Craig Mazin, a screenwriter, podcaster, and the creator of a new HBO mini-series called Chernobyl – which is debuting TODAY, May 6th. So, if you currently have an account just to watch Game of Thrones, you’re in luck!We’ve had some accidents, but we’ve learned from them... right? We answer that question, talk about the how and why of nuclear power (and disaster), and take a gander into the future of energy.Want to send us feedback? Tweet us, email us, or leave us a voice message!Trump’s Book Club: Final Exit by Derek HumphryLinks: Watch Chernobyl (2019): https://www.hbo.com/chernobyl Chernobyl companion podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-chernobyl-podcast/id1459712981 Scriptnotes podcast: http://scriptnotes.net/ Ted Cruz’s Ex-Roommate (i.e. Craig) Shares ‘Misery’ Of Living With Him, After Porn Clip ‘Like’: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ted-cruz-roommate-porn-craig-mazin_n_59b7cff4e4b031cc65cc995dConnect with us: Subscribe to our newsletter at ImportantNotImportant.com! Check out our Morning Show and other daily bite-size content on Instagram: instagram.com/ImportantNotImportant Follow Quinn: twitter.com/quinnemmett Follow Brian: twitter.com/briancolbertken Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImp Like and share us on Facebook: facebook.com/ImportantNotImportant Pin us on Pinterest: pinterest.com/ImportantNotImportant Tumble us or whatever the hell you do on Tumblr: importantnotimportant.tumblr.com Intro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.comImportant, Not Important is produced by Crate Media

In a very special Episode 64, Quinn & Brian discuss (live! Kind of): everything that’s good at the Sunrise Movement Tour (and everything that’s not-so-good in the local communities)! Our guests are politician and native Hawaiian Kaniela Ing, environmental activist Michelle Cerecerez, native activist Miguel Quimichipilli Bravo, and LA City Councilmember Nury Martinez. We make some new friends and have a lot of fun while we chat about the Green New Deal, supporting indigenous people, the scars of hyper gentrification, being surprised when you meet people with basic consideration for other human beings, environmental racism, and all of the important work that Sunrise Movement is doing here in California. Links: Join the Sunrise Movement Tour: https://www.sunrisemovement.org/tour Kaniela Ing: https://www.kanielaing.com/ Michelle Cerecerez: https://www.calfac.org/person/michelle-cerecerez Miguel Quimichipilli Bravo: https://twitter.com/ogBravo1 Nury Martinez: http://www.nury-martinez.com/ Connect with us: Subscribe to our newsletter at ImportantNotImportant.com! Check out our Morning Show and other daily bite-size content on Instagram: instagram.com/ImportantNotImportant Follow Quinn: twitter.com/quinnemmett Follow Brian: twitter.com/briancolbertken Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImp Like and share us on Facebook: facebook.com/ImportantNotImportant Pin us on Pinterest: pinterest.com/ImportantNotImportant Tumble us or whatever the hell you do on Tumblr: importantnotimportant.tumblr.com Intro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.com Important, Not Important is produced by Crate Media

In Episode 63, Quinn & Brian discuss: Building a new pipeline of sustainable food growers.Our guest is Dena Leibman, the Executive Director of the Future Harvest Chesapeake Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture (or Future Harvest for short), a non-profit that works to build a sustainable Chesapeake Foodshed from farm and fishery to table. But Dena is one to practice what she preaches – or a workaholic – so the Leibman family also started ZigBone Farm Retreat, a 100-acre sheep and goat farm in Maryland's Catoctin Mountains that they are slowly converting into a naturally built retreat center and event space.And you know what’s really cool? Food without a bunch of shit in it, literally and figuratively; food that keeps us healthy instead of making us sick; food that makes us stronger, faster, and generally more like The Six Million Dollar Man. Today, we learn where our current food pipeline fails us – and what we can do to start supporting more sustainable farming and distribution practices today.Trump’s Book Club: He’s maybe not reachable by book, but we try: https://www.amazon.com/registry/wishlist/3R5XF4WMZE0TV/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_ep_ws_2Gr8Ab6RS5WF3Links: Future Harvest: https://www.futureharvestcasa.org/ Beginner Farmer Training Program: https://www.futureharvestcasa.org/new-farmers/how-apply Foodshed Field School: https://www.futureharvestcasa.org/foodshed-field-school Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FHCASA/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fhcasa/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ Find a local CSA: https://www.localharvest.org/csa/Connect with us: Subscribe to our newsletter at ImportantNotImportant.com! Check out our Morning Show and other daily bite-size content on Instagram: instagram.com/ImportantNotImportant Follow Quinn: twitter.com/quinnemmett Follow Brian: twitter.com/briancolbertken Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImp Like and share us on Facebook: facebook.com/ImportantNotImportant Pin us on Pinterest: pinterest.com/ImportantNotImportant Tumble us or whatever the hell you do on Tumblr: importantnotimportant.tumblr.com Intro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.comImportant, Not Important is produced by Crate Media

In Episode 62, Quinn & Brian ask: Where does Ebola go from here?Our guest is Karin Huster, a Field Coordinator at Doctors Without Borders, where she is currently bouncing between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Mozambique. She spent a decade in the trauma ICU before flinging herself head first into humanitarian efforts across the globe. She’s sorta the Forest Gump of humanitarian field nurses; if there’s a health-related outbreak, or a storm-related outbreak that turns into a health-related outbreak, she’s there – and she’s inspiring as hell!The latest Ebola outbreak started in the Democratic Republic of Congo in August 2018, which is the worst on record for the DRC and the second largest Ebola outbreak in recorded history. Ebola is a beast of a disease, the kind of thing Hollywood uses as a go-to when they need a horrible disease outbreak. However, we do actually have some experimental drugs for treatment and a promising vaccine, thanks to recent medical advancements, but they don’t seem to be doing a lot to slow the spread of this disease. But why? We get into it in this episode, and Karin explains in further detail in a beautifully written New York Times opinion piece, “Why Couldn’t My Ebola Treatment Center Save This Baby?”Trump’s Book Club: Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela: https://www.amazon.com/registry/wishlist/3R5XF4WMZE0TV/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_ep_ws_2Gr8Ab6RS5WF3Links: Support: http://doctorswithoutborders.org “Why Couldn’t My Ebola Treatment Center Save This Baby?”: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/30/opinion/ebola-treatment-democratic-republic-of-congo.html LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karin-huster-a225352/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/reunionislagirl Read all of Karin’s articles: https://muckrack.com/karin-huster/articlesConnect with us: Subscribe to our newsletter at ImportantNotImportant.com! Check out our Morning Show and other daily bite-size content on Instagram: instagram.com/ImportantNotImportant Follow Quinn: twitter.com/quinnemmett Follow Brian: twitter.com/briancolbertken Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImp Like and share us on Facebook: facebook.com/ImportantNotImportant Pin us on Pinterest: pinterest.com/ImportantNotImportant Tumble us or whatever the hell you do on Tumblr: importantnotimportant.tumblr.com Intro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.comImportant, Not Important is produced by Crate Media

In Episode 61, Quinn & Brian ask: How do we atone for poisoning generations of American minorities?Our guest is Dr. Michael Dorsey, a recognized expert on global energy, finance and sustainability matters. Dr. Dorsey holds Rotary International’s highest honor, The Paul Harris Medal for Distinguished Service to Humanity, and is a “full member” of the Club of Rome. A graduate of the University of Michigan, Yale, and Johns Hopkins University, he is currently Senior Program Officer for Sustainability at the US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.Dr. Dorsey is out there making change wherever he goes – which is just about everywhere, really – and today, he’s going to hold our hands and walk us through the history of environmental injustice in the United States (and beyond) – and how, ultimately, we can work together to make things better for future generations.We also have some BIG news to announce: we have been nominated as Best Podcast Host in the 2019 Webbys! We are so incredibly honored to be nominated with the likes of Serial, Conversations With People Who Hate Me, Ear Biscuits, and Pod Save The People. We’re the only independent podcast on the list, and with your help, maybe we won’t come in last! (Just kidding... kinda.) You can show us your support by going to importantnotimportant.com/vote!Trump’s Book Club: The Book of Embraces by Eduardo Galeano: https://www.amazon.com/registry/wishlist/3R5XF4WMZE0TV/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_ep_ws_2Gr8Ab6RS5WF3Links: Dr. Dorsey on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GreenHejira Detroit XPAC: Detroitxpac.org Watch Michael K. Dorsey discuss innovations in the energy sector: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ta46deJf1Nc Climate Working Group: http://apa.nyu.edu/climate-working-group/ Vote for us in the Webbys! importantnotimportant.com/voteConnect with us: Subscribe to our newsletter at ImportantNotImportant.com! Check out our Morning Show and other daily bite-size content on Instagram: instagram.com/ImportantNotImportant Follow Quinn: twitter.com/quinnemmett Follow Brian: twitter.com/briancolbertken Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImp Like and share us on Facebook: facebook.com/ImportantNotImportant Pin us on Pinterest: pinterest.com/ImportantNotImportant Tumble us or whatever the hell you do on Tumblr: importantnotimportant.tumblr.com Intro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.comImportant, Not Important is produced by Crate Media

In Episode 60, Quinn & Brian discuss: Why YOU should run for something in 2020!Our guest is Amanda Litman, the co-founder and Executive Director of Run For Something, a PAC that helps recruit and support young diverse progressives to run for down-ballot races in order to build a bench for the future. They aim to lower the barriers to entry for these candidates – which could and should be you, unless you’re a white guy (because we have plenty of those) – by helping them with seed money, organization building, and access to training.According to Run For Something’s strategic plan, their mission is to change the face of progressive politics, quite literally, by encouraging and supporting local candidates who can improve lives today, and who may be able to run for office on a national level in the future. They will never merge with the Democratic Party, and they never plan to support candidates in federal races – they are just here to create a much-needed, long-lasting infrastructure for regular people who just want to solve problems in their communities, but who have trouble finding resources because they’re not already part of the existing political system.Trump’s Book Club: What Happened by Hillary Clinton: https://www.amazon.com/registry/wishlist/3R5XF4WMZE0TV/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_ep_ws_2Gr8Ab6RS5WF3Links: Learn more at https://runforsomething.net/ Run For Something’s strategic plan: https://medium.com/@runforsomething/run-for-somethings-2019-2020-strategic-plan-a272e5633849 Amanda on Twitter: https://twitter.com/amandalitman Run for Something: A Real-Talk Guide to Fixing the System Yourself by Amanda Litman & HIllary Rodham Clinton: https://runforsomething.net/book/ “Improving Building Codes to Prepare for Climate Impacts”: https://www.mapc.org/resource-library/building-codes-climate/Connect with us: Subscribe to our newsletter at ImportantNotImportant.com! Check out our Morning Show and other daily bite-size content on Instagram: instagram.com/ImportantNotImportant Follow Quinn: twitter.com/quinnemmett Follow Brian: twitter.com/briancolbertken Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImp Like and share us on Facebook: facebook.com/ImportantNotImportant Pin us on Pinterest: pinterest.com/ImportantNotImportant Tumble us or whatever the hell you do on Tumblr: importantnotimportant.tumblr.com Intro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.comImportant, Not Important is produced by Crate Media

In Episode 59, Quinn & Brian ask: Is Florida the harbinger of doom? (Probably)Our guest is Dr. Salvador Almagro-Moreno, an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Central Florida. His lab, The Moreno Lab, lies at the interface between ecology and pathogenesis, studying the emergence and evolution of bacterial pathogens. From what we can tell, this means they’re focusing on how and why bacteria want to eat and/or kill us.This episode contains what has to be some of the most scientifically-laden potty talk you’ve ever heard as we learn more about the good, the bad, and the ugly awaiting us in our poop and the water. But don’t get us wrong, this is some serious shit.We’ll also spoil one big takeaway from this episode now, and we hope you take it to heart: do NOT retire to Florida.Trump’s Book Club: Thank You for Being Late: An Optimist's Guide to Thriving in the Age of Accelerations by Thomas Friedman: https://www.amazon.com/registry/wishlist/3R5XF4WMZE0TV/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_ep_ws_2Gr8Ab6RS5WF3Links: Learn more at http://vibriocholerae.org/ Florida Man: https://floridaman.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/bioetry Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SalvadorAlmagroMoreno The toxic consequences of polluting our coasts | Salvador Almagro-Moreno | TEDxOrlando: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXqJO5IJFQc The Darwin Awards: https://darwinawards.com/ “The Midwest flooding has killed livestock, ruined harvests and has farmers worried for their future”: https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/21/us/floods-nebraska-iowa-agriculture-farm-loss/index.htmlConnect with us: Subscribe to our newsletter at ImportantNotImportant.com! Follow Quinn: twitter.com/quinnemmett Follow Brian: twitter.com/briancolbertken Like and share us on Facebook: facebook.com/ImportantNotImportant Check us on Instagram: instagram.com/ImportantNotImportant Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImp Pin us on Pinterest: pinterest.com/ImportantNotImportant Tumble us or whatever the hell you do on Tumblr: importantnotimportant.tumblr.comIntro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.comImportant, Not Important is produced by Podcast Masters

In Episode 58, Quinn & Brian ask: Is faith sustainable?Our guest is Dekila Chungyalpa, a trained scientist and Buddhist operating at the intersection of science, faith, and the environment. She is the director of The Loka Initiative, a new and innovative education and outreach program at the University of Wisconsin–Madison for faith leaders and religious institutions. Its mission is to support faith-led environmental efforts locally and around the world through collaborations with faith leaders and religious institutions on environmental protection, sustainable development, and global health issues.Dekila believes that science and religion can be sympathetic, rather than adversarial, in their commitment to solving environmental and social problems compassionately and effectively. We are all different, in oh so very many ways, but there’s one thing that that every single human being has in common: if we destroy the planet through our own negligence, there will be nowhere left for us to argue about (and kill each other over) religion and politics.Trump’s Book Club: The Joy of Living: Unlocking the Secret and Science of Happiness by Eric T. Swanson and Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche: https://www.amazon.com/registry/wishlist/3R5XF4WMZE0TV/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_ep_ws_2Gr8Ab6RS5WF3Links: Loka Initiative: https://centerhealthyminds.org/loka-initiative Twitter: https://twitter.com/dchungyalpa LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dekilachungyalpa/ Episode #4: What does the bible say about climate change?: https://www.importantnotimportant.com/podcast/2018/2/13/e-4-what-does-the-bible-say-about-climate-change- Episode #29: The Pope Has Decided to Fix Climate Change With His Own Bare Hands: https://www.importantnotimportant.com/podcast/2018/08/07-e-29-the-pope-has-decided-to-fix-climate-change-with-his-own-bare-hands Being Peace by Thich Nhat Hanh: https://www.amazon.com/Being-Peace-Thich-Nhat-Hanh/dp/188837540XConnect with us: Subscribe to our newsletter at ImportantNotImportant.com! Intro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.com Follow Quinn: twitter.com/quinnemmett Follow Brian: twitter.com/briancolbertken Like and share us on Facebook: facebook.com/ImportantNotImportant Check us on Instagram: instagram.com/ImportantNotImportant Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImp Pin us on Pinterest: pinterest.com/ImportantNotImportant Tumble us or whatever the hell you do on Tumblr: importantnotimportant.tumblr.comImportant, Not Important is produced by Podcast Masters