Sustainability In Your Ear

Todd Myers, Director of the Center for the Environment at the conservative Washington Policy Center joins Kevin Wilhelm, CEO of Sustainable Business Consulting, and Earth911's Mitch Ratcliffe to discuss the common planks of a renewable energy policy shared by both sides of the political divide. Myers in the author of Eco-Fads: How the Rise of Trendy Environmentalism Is Harming the Environment, as well as a member of the Puget Sound Salmon Recovery Council and former staff at the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. We discuss how to structure climate policy to achieve a rapid transition to renewable energy, the benefits and hazards of pricing carbon and carbon taxes or credits, and the challenging issue of moving people from jobs in one era to another, which often leads to debates over green policy being a job creator or job killer.This is the second in an ongoing series of conversations that will include individuals from all sides of the ongoing discussion about what the United States will be, its role in the world, and how it will address climate change and the equitable transition from a fossil-fuel-powered economy.

After another election fought over by parties committed to winning and sidelining the opposition for four years will not heal the nation or provide the basis for constructive conversations about progress toward a fair and sustainable net-zero society. Mitch Ratcliffe, publisher of Earth911.com, and Sustainable Business Consulting's Kevin Wilhelm introduce a series of conversations that cross the right-left, urban-rural, technologist-Luddite, low- and high-income, racial and enthnic divides that have paralyzed progress. Wilhelm is the author of How to Talk to the “Other Side”: Finding Common Ground in the Time of Coronavirus, Recession and Climate Change and a professor at Harvard University who has consulted with hundreds of companies about their sustainability planning, programs and reporting.This is the first is an ongoing series of conversations that will include individuals from all sides of the ongoing discussion about what the United States will be, its role in the world, and how it will address climate change and the equitable transition from a fossil-fuel-powered economy.

Author Marc Schaus talks with Earth911's Mitch Ratcliffe about his new book, Our Livable World: Creating the Clean Earth of Tomorrow, a hopeful book about addressing climate change through improved energy efficiency and new, clean electricity generation technologies. Schaus explains that many new technologies are appearing that can help pivot the economy to renewable energy, and this is a source of hope. In addition to historically cheap solar power, waste-free nuclear fusion and tidal energy arrays that generate electricity from the flow of ocean tides and waves will make fossil fuels obsolete. But he also points out that fatalistic human thinking and cognitive biases born of filter bubbles can be a barrier to progress. And waiting to make investments in renewables will lead to more military confrontations over oil reserves and preventing mass migrations could lead to disaster even as new options are on the horizon.

Steve Groff, author of The Future-Proof Farm, the creator of widely used regenerative farming techniques known as cover-cropping, joins Earth911. He talks with us about the importance of improving soil health and explains the changing relationship between the farm and grocery store. America lost more than one-third of its topsoil during the last 150 years, and Steve says his technique mimics nature to restore all the carbon, living organisms, and nutrients that are lost by modern farming in just 20 to 30 years. By planting year-round and minimizing tilling, Steve’s approach to regenerative farming provides better crop yields for farmers and healthier food for consumers. We also talk about what it takes to be an honest marketer in the age of sustainable farming. It starts with being honest, marketers and farmers need to keep their word and avoid exaggerating their sustainability claims. Eventually, these changes in the fields will transform the entire process of growing, harvesting and moving fresh produce from farm to the store shelves.Take some time to read Steve Groff’s book learn how cover-cropping – planting fallow fields to keep the soil alive – can help a farm thrive financially while improving the output from their sustainable farm. Many companies, such as General Mills and Wrangler, have adopted Steve’s method in their supply chain. Check out stevegroff.com to learn more and buy his book The Future-Proof Farm for a comprehensive introduction to cover-cropping techniques.

Earth911 talks with oil industry veteran and critic Jack Kerfoot, the author of Fueling America: An Insider’s Journey. He spent decades in the oil industry and argues that it is responsible for pollution and geopolitical issues that plague our planet and people. Approximately 3.7 million people die from chronic or acute pollution-related illness per year due. Kerfoot argues that the U.S. and countries around the world can make a fast pivot to renewable energy while eliminating sources of conflict and illness globally.High global demand for oil continues to drive a flood of cheap oil into the market from nations like China and Russia where oil is the main source of national income. He questions whether the needs oil serves offset the social cost. Jack explains that in China, for example, air pollution is so bad that one cannot see their hand in front of their face on a smoggy day. Jack KerfootJack argues that Oregon, where he resides, could be powered entirely by renewable energy sources if oil subsidies were eliminated to allow funding to flow to the most efficient source of power. He challenges businesses large and small to embrace sustainability planning to help in the struggle against pollution while saving money. Kerfoot also offers ideas to the incoming Biden Administration about how to save the American economy using renewable energy, and without requiring any taxpayer-financed subsidies. Jack Kerfoot’s book, Fueling America: An Insider’s Journey is his memoir about his life spent in, and dissection of, the global oil industry’s perversion of basic economics to preserve its business.

Earth911 talks with Roger Duncan and Dr. Michael E. Webber of the University of Texas at Austin. They are the authors of The Future of Buildings, Transportation, and Power. We discuss the profound changes in the ways we travel and the places we work or live that will occur as we build a sustainable economy. Listen in to hear the political, social, and economic opportunities and challenges that will emerge as electricity displaces internal-combustion engines and fossil fuel power generation.Duncan and Webber describe a world in which cars and buildings are “sentient-appearing” systems that learn and adapt to their users. How should the U.S. prepare for a smart, networked environment? We talk about their advice for President-elect Joe Biden and his administration about the transformation of education and policy necessary to provide widespread prosperity in the sustainable era. They are techno-optimists who believe technology can wring immense efficiencies out of the current, wasteful economic system, which will fund new green jobs and companies capable of supporting everyone’s basic needs. We also explore how information technology can continue to grow in importance without creating more new CO2 emissions than its saves.We also talk through the sudden changes in behavior caused by the COVID-19 outbreak, which has accelerated the adoption by companies of sustainable practices. After three decades, the digital transformation of society has leaped forward because of the pandemic as people stay home and work remotely, organize and manage services, such as home grocery delivery and new retail experiences, and rethink their relationship to work.Check out The Future of Buildings, Transportation, and Power to learn more about what we can expect in the future of sustainability and the ways we live. You can also find them at webberenergygroup.com.

Earth911 talks with Space, keyboardist and guitarist of Never Not Nothing, (“NNN”) a rising British duo that takes sustainability seriously. Space discusses the band’s philosophy of positive nihilism and how they contribute to sustainable culture through direct donations and support for green music festivals. The band, originally named Black Futures, recently changed its name in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. Space and his bandmate, Vibes (percussion, which is an understatement), write “party music for the end of the world.” They believe that people can look directly into the face of climate catastrophe and find ways to build a better, sustainable world. Check out their latest video conversation about their 2020 tour, which was pursued across parts of the world by COVID-19. We even get a little philosophical.NNN’s positive nihilism involves composing the environment of their shows to create an empathetic relationship between fans, the crowd as a whole, and toward the planet. They strive to find their own meaning in an otherwise meaningless world and to stay optimistic about the future about which they dreamChoosing eco-friendly music festivals is a great way to enjoy music while staying sustainable. NNN plans to participate in the upcoming 2000Trees music festival in 2021. The festival gathers rock bands across the world to promote eco-friendly celebration with a plastic-free, locally catered experience for fans. NNN also lives its commitments by donating a portion of merchandise proceeds to sustainable non-profit organizations. Never Not Nothing contributes part of their profits from their merchandise sales to the U.K.’s National Health Service and to preserve the venerable Boileroom music venue in Guildford, UK.Want to hear more of Never Not Nothing? You can find their music on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Music.

Carbon emissions are piling up every day, affecting the world’s weather patterns, and accelerating climate change. Earth 911 talks with Cool Effect’s Blake Lawrence about how you can offset your carbon emissions inexpensively and with confidence it will remain sequestered. Cool Effect is a non-profit organization that seeks out the highest quality carbon reduction projects globally and assists them in selling their carbon credits to individuals, organizations, non-profits, and anyone who wants to reduce their carbon footprint. We discuss a few of the organization’s projects, from teaming with American Airlines and Twitter to offset travel emissions to providing low-smoke cookstoves and building homes for families in need in Brazil to prevent local deforestation. One recent project is seeking a better way to usage for pigs’ waste to produce compost for farmers.Lawrence talks about Cool Effect’s Seller’s Pledge and their promise of transparency to their buyers with a small 9.87% management fee. Cool Effect also helps individuals and businesses offset travel emissions – by car, plane, boat, or at the hotel -- by the hour with easy-to-use calculators. In addition to the environmental benefits Cool Effect provides, carbon offset purchases are tax-deductible. Check out Cool Effect and consider supporting their projects to reduce your carbon footprints. Visit cooleffect.com to learn more.

Earth 911 talks with Sandra Ann Harris, the founder and president of Ecolunchboxes.com and the author of Say Goodbye to Plastic: A Survival Guide To Plastic-Free Living. She’s been living an increasingly plastic-free lifestyle for several years and shares here experience and what she’s learned along the way. There are many small ways to help with preventing pollution that you can do daily. Take your lunch as an example, using reusable bags, utensils, and containers can be helpful but are they made with the best materials? Harris offers her answer, the range of steel and silicone lunchboxes, reusable lunch bags and biodegradable utensils from Ecolunchboxes, the company she founded.Sandra also shared her plastic-free Thanksgiving tips. There are many ways to plan for a waste-free holiday. She has some great ideas about how to write holiday party invitations that prepare your guests to reduce food waste, packaging and food storage waste, and still have a great time. Perhaps your Thanksgiving can be the first step to your family’s plastic-free future.

Extreme weather damage grows more expensive every decade. Storms, floods, droughts, and wildfire have cost the world more than $2.97 trillion dollars since 2000, according to the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction. Earth911 talks with Professor Ilan Noy, Chair in the Economics of Disasters Climate Change at Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand about the economics of disaster and how society can make reasoned decisions when spending money to avert climate change. His recent YouTube lecture, The Economics of Disaster caught our attention.Noy discusses how insurers and government can spend now to reduce the cost of future climate-caused damage. Every decision we make about climate has an underlying economic impact, and there is no escaping the issue when choosing where we live, placing businesses, or building new infrastructure. The risk related to each our individual decisions is hedged by insurers who may begin to restrict coverage of homes in wildfire-prone regions or on coasts at risk of flooding due to sea-level rise. These companies must cover those rising costs, so insurance will become more expensive -- this may be the first direct experience many of us have of climate change. Noy shares his thinking about the distribution of risk, and how society has subsidized wealthy homeowners in areas like Marin and Sonoma County California who have lost homes to fires.We also talk about the how government can get involved to reshape risk by changing zoning rules and the scope of disaster damage recovery programs. In New Zealand, for example, banks are required to disclose the climate risks from their investments, but investors in the United States cannot check their bank's risk (though private and non-profit entities have published research on banks' undisclosed climate risk). Noy discusses the need to encourage greater transparency so people can make better decisions and how governments should begin to encourage the location of communities in areas that are not exposed to climate risk. He believes that well-informed private decisions can produce rational resutsl. And we explore a series of "Is it worthwhile to?" questions about locating homes and key infrastructure.