Aspen Ideas to Go

Mary Robinson’s book, Climate Justice, records the stories of people experiencing effects from climate change first-hand. They’re not staying silent. From Malawi to Mongolia, people are waging a battle for climate justice, many of them women from poor communities. Robinson, the former president of Ireland and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, believes climate change is one of the most pressing humanitarian issues of our time. She speaks with Peggy Clark, executive director of the Aspen Global Innovators Group. Thilmeeza Hussain, former deputy ambassador to the UN from the Maldives joins part of the conversation to address how her nation is dealing with rising seas. Show Notes Listen to Our Common Future: Mary Robinson and Rachel Kyte from The Bridge from the Aspen Institute. Email your comments to aspenideastogo@gmail.com. The views and opinions of the speakers in the podcast do not necessarily reflect those of the Aspen Institute. aspenideas.org

What if we could turn back time and reverse extinction? Famed writer, biologist, and environmentalist Stewart Brand is attempting this with an organization he co-founded. Revive and Restore is building a tool kit for genetic restoration that would allow the rebirth of species, like the woolly mammoth. Brand says the absence of these animals has left a gap and reviving them will re-enrich the entire conservation world. There are other reasons to bring back certain species, like enhancing genetic diversity. But what about the ethical questions surrounding such a pursuit? Brand speaks with Flora Lichtman, science writer and host of Gimlet Media’s “Every Little Thing” podcast. Show Notes Listen to Saving the High Seas, a podcast episode from Aspen Insight featuring marine biologist Sylvia Earle. Passes to the Festival are still available. Register today! Email your comments to aspenideastogo@gmail.com. The views and opinions of the speakers in the podcast do not necessarily reflect those of the Aspen Institute. aspenideas.org

Economists who have researched happiness over a lifetime find it starts to decline after adolescence and noticeably dips when people enter middle age. How can we avoid the middle age blues and feel purposeful later in life? Arthur Brooks, behavioral economist and American Enterprise Institute president, uses eastern and western philosophies, classical music, and the latest research to give usable advice on how to be joyful throughout life’s different stages. It’s inescapable that we’ll grow older, so how can we develop new strengths as our life journey progresses? Show Notes At the Aspen Ideas Festival in June, Arthur Brooks will talk about his new book, Love Your Enemies: How Decent People Can Save America from Our Culture of Contempt. Passes to the Festival are still available. Register today! Email your comments to aspenideastogo@gmail.com. The views and opinions of the speakers in the podcast do not necessarily reflect those of the Aspen Institute. aspenideas.org

A recent blockbuster article by journalist Jane Mayer examines close ties between the White House and Fox News. The piece, published in The New Yorker, spurred the Democratic National Committee to choose not to allow Fox to hold any of its presidential debates. In this broad conversation, Mayer touches on the Fox News article, another piece on Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, and her book Dark Money. She speaks with Carolyne Heldman, former president of Aspen Public Radio. Show Notes Register for the Aspen Ideas Festival, and learn more about it. Listen to our episode, The Underground Railroad, featuring author Colson Whitehead. Email your comments to aspenideastogo@gmail.com. The views and opinions of the speakers in the podcast do not necessarily reflect those of the Aspen Institute. aspenideas.org

Christian Picciolini went to his first white supremacist skinhead meeting at age 14. A lonely and bullied child, he was quickly swept into the movement and eventually became a leader. In this candid conversation, he speaks with journalist Matt Thompson about why he decided to leave the skinhead movement and turn his life around. Picciolini now helps people disengage from hate groups through an organization he leads, Free Radicals Project. Picciolini is the author of White American Youth: My Descent into America’s Most Violent Hate Movement. His interviewer, Matt Thompson, is executive editor of The Atlantic. Show Notes Listen to the episode Ellen Johnson Sirleaf: When Women Lead from The Bridge. Follow Aspen Ideas to Go on Twitter and Facebook. Email your comments to aspenideastogo@gmail.com. The views and opinions of the speakers in the podcast do not necessarily reflect those of the Aspen Institute. aspenideas.org

The truth is under assault in America, according to Marty Baron, executive editor of The Washington Post. By labeling the press as the opposition party and calling into questions facts, President Trump is subverting the role of free and independent news, says Baron. Baron talks with Brian Stelter, host of CNN’s “Reliable Sources,” about how his journalists are operating in a fake news atmosphere where people doubt the truth. He describes how newsrooms need to change — incorporate more transparency and diversify staff — to earn back trust. Finally, he goes into what it’s like working with Post owner Jeff Bezos. Show Notes Listen to Technology Is Changing How We Trust from Aspen Ideas to Go. Register for the 2019 Aspen Ideas Festival. Follow Aspen Ideas to Go on Twitter and Facebook. Email your comments to aspenideastogo@gmail.com. The views and opinions of the speakers in the podcast do not necessarily reflect those of the Aspen Institute. aspenideas.org

Kate Bowler and Elaine Pagels both teach religion, write about religion, and have experienced immense hardships. In this frank and funny conversation, they explore why people still seek ancient religious teachings in our modern age. In moving and relatable moments, they explain how they overcome loss, illness, and isolation. Pagels is the author of The Gnostic Gospels and Why Religion?: A Personal Story. Bowler is the author of Blessed: A History of the American Prosperity Gospel and Everything Happens for a Reason (and other lies I’ve loved). They speak with Gina Murdock, a writer, yoga teacher, and community organizer. Show Notes Listen to How to Save a Democracy in Decline on Aspen Insight. Follow Aspen Ideas to Go on Twitter and Facebook. Email your comments to aspenideastogo@gmail.com. The views and opinions of the speakers in the podcast do not necessarily reflect those of the Aspen Institute. aspenideas.org

The latest World Happiness Report puts the United States in 18th place, behind all the Scandinavian countries, Costa Rica, Canada, and others. The report, issued annually by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, looks at income, healthy life expectancy, social support, freedom, trust, and generosity. Another happiness list from National Geographic puts Boulder, Colorado in first place because of its high levels of civic engagement, walkability, and healthful food options. Boulder Mayor Suzanne Jones sits down with Dan Buettner, author of The Blue Zones, and journalist Steve Clemons to talk about the relationship between place and happiness. Show Notes Listen to The Bauhaus Roots of Aspen on Aspen Insight. Follow Aspen Ideas to Go on Twitter and Facebook. Email your comments to aspenideastogo@gmail.com. The views and opinions of the speakers in the podcast do not necessarily reflect those of the Aspen Institute. aspenideas.org

Nearly two decades ago, author Colson Whitehead began thinking about writing about the Underground Railroad. “I remembered when I was a kid, I first heard those words…I thought it was a literal train beneath the earth,” he says. He put pen to paper and the result was the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Underground Railroad. In it, the historic secret network of safehouses for runaway slaves becomes a make-believe set of tracks and tunnels beneath southern cities and towns. The book tells the story of Cora, a runaway slave who makes various stops along the railroad in her search for freedom. Whitehead recreates the terror black people in the pre-Civil War era faced. It’s an essential read to understand America’s past and present, according to The New York Times. In this episode, he talks about the novel and about the process of writing. Show Notes Listen to the Aspen Ideas to Go episode Pushing the Limits, featuring climber and author Tommy Caldwell. Follow Aspen Ideas to Go on Twitter and Facebook. Email your comments to aspenideastogo@gmail.com. The views and opinions of the speakers in the podcast do not necessarily reflect those of the Aspen Institute. aspenideas.org

When Americans elected their first black president more than a decade ago, some questioned whether the country had transitioned into a post-racial era. But today race is a more prominent and intransigent problem than ever. As the US grapples with issues like identity politics, the Travel Ban, a wall on the southern border, and Black Lives Matter, writers Jelani Cobb and Wajahat Ali question the likelihood of a post-racial America. Cobb, a staff writer at The New Yorker and journalism professor at Columbia, says America needs to closely examine its imperfections and reflect on its history of slavery. He speaks with Ali, a New York Times op-ed contributor. Show Notes Follow Aspen Ideas to Go on Twitter and Facebook. Email your comments to aspenideastogo@gmail.com. The views and opinions of the speakers in the podcast do not necessarily reflect those of the Aspen Institute. aspenideas.org