Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

Those standing up to climate and environmental injustice face challenges they weren’t seeing a year ago. But Gloria Walton, head of The Solutions Project, sees a bigger picture: "The reality is that the same systems that created the climate crisis, whether that's colonialism, white supremacy, racism, and the patriarchy, those are the same ones that have harmed communities of color for generations,” she says. Her organization has channeled tens of millions of philanthropic dollars to grassroots efforts that build community resilience.  Black Girl Environmentalist founder Wawa Gatheru is helping more Black girls, women, and gender-expansive people enter and lead in the climate space. She says the climate fight has shifted from education to action, with over 70% of Americans now understanding that climate change is real. So what should this 'action phase' look like? Guests: Gloria Walton, President & CEO, The Solutions Project Wawa Gatheru, Founder & Executive Director, Black Girl Environmentalist Highlights: 00:00 – Intro 05:30 – Gloria Walton on the impact of the Altadena wildfires 10:30 – Walton’s work as an organizer in South Central LA 13:00 – Living with idea of abundance 19:00 – Finding and keeping your individual power within our democracy 21:00 – Work of West Street Recovery Project in Houston 22:30 – Developing local resilience hubs 24:00 – Reframing frontline communities as victors, not victims 27:00 – Channeling philanthropy to climate resilience and frontline communities 36:00 – Story of Hoʻāhu Energy Cooperative Molokai  42:00 – Wawa Gatheru’s start in climate and environmental advocacy 44:00 – Not seeing herself in climate spaces 48:00 – Climate storytelling can offer nuance and move people  55:00 – Work and growth of Black Girl Environmentalist organization 59:00 – Climate One More Thing For show notes and related links, visit https://www.climateone.org/watch-and-listen/podcasts *** Support Climate One by going ad-free! By subscribing to Climate One on ⁠Patreon⁠, you’ll receive exclusive access to all future episodes free of ads, opportunities to connect with fellow Climate One listeners, and access to the Climate One Discord. ⁠Sign up today⁠. Ad sales by ⁠Multitude⁠. Contact them for ad inquiries at ⁠multitude.productions/ads⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join us to hear from a MacArthur genius awardee, former rocket engineer, and passionate leader in the social enterprise movement—Jim Fruchterman—about using technology for positive social change. To a lot of people in big business, the only worthy ideas are those that make a lot of money, preferably billions. But Jim Fruchterman believes there is a different path for technology. What if tech returned to its roots and made people more effective and powerful? What if the benefits of technology came to the 90 percent of humanity traditionally neglected by for-profit companies in favor of immense profits gained by focusing on the richest 10 percent? Fruchterman explores these questions in his book Technology for Good and delivers a comprehensive how-to for leaders who want to create, expand, join, support and improve organizations that see building technology as a key element of delivering on their social good mission. Fruchterman argues that tech is required for social change at scale. He offers guidance on how to structure, fund, staff, manage, scale and sustain nonprofits that leverage technology for social good. His vision is a call to action with a genuinely global focus, creating a path toward a future in which human beings come before profits. A Social Impact Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums. OrganizerGerald Anthony Harris  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Was the Grand Alliance simply a partnership born of necessity? Or was it also a missed opportunity for post-war civilizational cooperation among the United Kingdom, the United States and the Soviet Union? Once it became clear that the Allies would eventually defeat Hitler’s Germany, the varying post-war ambitions and political goals of Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt quickly brought cooperation to an end. Humanities West asks on the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II: What were Stalin’s strategic goals for Russia’s and its neighbors’ futures as victory became assured? How did Churchill’s strategies to retain as much as possible of the British Empire interfere with those goals? And was an aging Roosevelt capable of thwarting both those strategies and imposing, however inadequately and insincerely, a vision of Pax Americana on the globe? "From Their Archives" Norman Naimark will attempt to untangle what Stalin was thinking about how he wanted to shape the future once it was clear that the Allies would win the war. There is much we still do not know about Stalin’s “real” intentions, but the opening of the Soviet archives for research in the 1990s offer important insights into the way the Soviet dictator thought about the world. "In Their Own Words" Ian Morris will convey, in their own words, Churchill’s and Roosevelt’s perspectives on the Grand Alliance and the post-war world order. Churchill: I can never trust Stalin but can in the fullness of time talk around Roosevelt; and even without India, we can rebuild the world with the British Empire at its core. Roosevelt: I can usually handle Stalin and can always flatter Churchill; it's the Republicans I can't abide. But even without them, we can rebuild the world with democracy and American money at its core. "Walking in a Father’s WWII Footsteps" Bill Hammond will describe walking in a father’s WWII footsteps, an October 2023 trip to Europe he took with two of his brothers, where they traced their father’s path from his landing at Salerno, Italy, through Avellino, Monte Cassino and Rome, to his landing on the French Riviera at St. Raphael, and then up through Draguignan, Remiremont and the Foret Domaniale du Champ du Feu, earning two silver stars and two purple hearts before crossing the Rhine in a dash through southern Germany to finish the war near Kufstein, Austria. A Humanities Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums. In association with Humanities West. Organizer: George Hammond  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Students are heading back to school, and in addition to all of the usual challenges of the school year, some children are carrying an extra weight: climate anxiety. Teachers are also swimming in tricky waters as conversations around the climate crisis — and renewable energy — become more polarized. Yet there are educators who have worked to create resources for students and teachers, to help bring climate education into the classroom. The question is: How can schools, parents and teachers better help young people navigate the ideas and feelings around a warming planet?  Guests:  Margaret Wang-Aghania, Executive Director and Co-Founder, SubjectToClimate Robin Cooper, Co-Founder and President, Climate Psychiatry Alliance Melissa Lau, High School Environmental Science Teacher, Piedmont, Oklahoma Leah Christenson, 2026 Piedmont High School Senior; Vice President, Piedmont High School Green Team  Alyson Dennie, 2026 Piedmont High School Senior; President Piedmont High School Green Team This episode features a field piece by Mary Catherine O'Connor, who originally reported the ⁠⁠story⁠⁠ for KALW Public Media.  Highlights: 00:00 - Intro 3:33 - Margaret Wang-Aghania on her aha moment 5:42 - Margaret Wang-Aghania on how lessons get developed 12:33 - Margaret Wang-Aghania on teacher development 15:00 - Alyson Dennie and Leah Christenson on their climate related feelings 17:10 - Robin Cooper on how the emotions young people face because of climate 24:17 - Robin Cooper on how the moment the guides her thinking  26:52 - Robin Cooper on how to know if a young person is dealing with climate anxiety 33:34 - Mary Catherine O'Connor’s Piece on Electric Buses in Oakland  40:05 - Melissa Lau on the arctic trip that changed her life 44:33 - Melissa Lau on not being shy about teaching climate  48:35 - Melissa Lau on the importance of relationship building For show notes and related links, visit ⁠ClimateOne.org⁠. *** Support Climate One by going ad-free! By subscribing to Climate One on ⁠Patreon⁠, you’ll receive exclusive access to all future episodes free of ads, opportunities to connect with fellow Climate One listeners, and access to the Climate One Discord. ⁠Sign up today⁠. Ad sales by ⁠Multitude⁠. Contact them for ad inquiries at ⁠multitude.productions/ads⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join Lillian Samuel, CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area, at Commonwealth Club World Affairs for an inspiring talk: “When Kids Have Mentors, Cities Get Stronger.” Backed by powerful national economic data, Lillian will discuss how mentoring doesn’t just change one life—it uplifts entire communities. Youth with mentors are more likely to graduate high school, attend college, and earn significantly more as adults. Mentorship narrows income gaps and boosts local economies.  Through inspirational local case studies, she’ll share how even a single match between a Big and Little can ripple out to benefit families and neighborhoods. This is more than a program—it’s a proven strategy for creating stronger, more connected cities. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn how one relationship can transform a life and a community. About the Speaker Lillian Samuel is the CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area, serving all nine counties. Under her leadership, the organization earned national recognition with back-to-back Quality and Growth Awards in 2022, 2023 and 2024. With more than 15 years of experience in nonprofit leadership, she has held leadership roles in institutions at UCSF, Girl Scouts of Northern California, and Bay Area health centers. Lillian holds degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and the University of San Francisco and has served on multiple boards.  A Psychology Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums. OrganizerPatrick O'Reilly  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

According to one recent survey, Americans think about climate change more than abortion, immigration, or gun violence. And yet, while they care deeply about the issue, they don’t see it as a political issue. When asked by the Environmental Voter Project what actions should be taken to rein in climate disruption, those surveyed suggest taking small, personal steps, like recycling, over broader, political action, as they do with other top-of-mind issues.  Where does this disconnect come from? And what will it take to shift the narrative from the personal to the political? Guest: Nathaniel Stinnett, Founder and Executive Director, Environmental Voter Project *** Support Climate One by going ad-free! By subscribing to Climate One on ⁠Patreon⁠, you’ll receive exclusive access to all future episodes free of ads, opportunities to connect with fellow Climate One listeners, and access to the Climate One Discord. ⁠Sign up today⁠. Ad sales by ⁠Multitude⁠. Contact them for ad inquiries at ⁠multitude.productions/ads⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join us for an inspiring look at how culture leads the comeback—and why San Francisco’s creative heartbeat might be its greatest miracle.  "Jesus, San Francisco: The City’s Resurrection from Perceived Ashes" asks: What if the soul of the city was never dead, just hidden in plain sight? Community cultural/arts leaders shed light on the arts "resurrection from perceived ashes." An Arts Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums. Organizer: Robert Melton  This program contains EXPLICIT language. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The climate doesn’t care where emissions cuts come from; what matters is that the world transitions to renewable energy quickly and cheaply. If it’s significantly cheaper to install solar panels in India than on a rooftop in California, then isn’t that where they should be built? Similarly, transferring money directly to local people with the greatest stake in preserving their land can have outsized impact in conservation. Where does a climate dollar go furthest?  Guests: Kinari Webb, Founder, Health in Harmony Premal Shah, Founder, kiva.org, renewables.org  Nathaniel Stinnett, Founder and Executive Director, Environmental Voter Project Highlights: 00:00 – Intro 04:30 – Origins of Kinari Webb’s nonprofit Health in Harmony 09:00 – Rainforests as lungs and heart of the planet 12:00 – Radical listening to communities about what they need 15:00 – Positive outcomes from responding to community needs directly 18:00 – Webb’s near-death experience from a jellyfish sting 22:00 – Rainforest conservation as a giant climate lever 29:00 – Premal Shah describes how he came to create Kiva.org 32:00 – How ⁠Kiva.org⁠ works 35:30 – Thought experiment from moral philosopher Peter Singer 38:40 – Kiva tries to reframe stories of poverty as stories of entrepreneurship 41:00 – Applying crowdfunded microfinance model to renewable energy 46:00 – Idea of “effective altruism” 49:30 – Nathaniel Stinnett: we’ve been taught to blame ourselves for the climate crisis 53:00 – How to shift public actions to make climate more political  For show notes and related links, visit https://www.climateone.org/watch-and-listen/podcasts *** Support Climate One by going ad-free! By subscribing to Climate One on ⁠Patreon⁠, you’ll receive exclusive access to all future episodes free of ads, opportunities to connect with fellow Climate One listeners, and access to the Climate One Discord. ⁠Sign up today⁠. Ad sales by ⁠Multitude⁠. Contact them for ad inquiries at ⁠multitude.productions/ads⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Charles Sumner is mainly known as the abolitionist statesman who suffered a brutal caning on the Senate floor by the proslavery congressman Preston Brooks in 1856. This violent episode has obscured Sumner’s status as the most passionate champion of equal rights and multiracial democracy of his time. A friend of Alexis de Tocqueville, an ally of Frederick Douglass, and an adviser to Abraham Lincoln, Sumner helped the Union win the Civil War and pass into law the Emancipation Proclamation, the Thirteenth Amendment, the Freedmen’s Bureau, and the Civil Rights Act of 1875. In his new book Charles Sumner: Conscience of a Nation, Zaakir Tameez presents Sumner as one of America’s forgotten founding fathers, a constitutional visionary who helped to rewrite the post–Civil War Constitution and give birth to modern civil rights law. He also argues that Sumner was a gay man who battled with love and heartbreak at a time when homosexuality wasn’t accepted. And he explores Sumner’s critical partnerships with the nation’s first generation of Black lawyers and civil rights leaders, whose legal contributions to Reconstruction have been overlooked for far too long. Join us as Tameez brings back to life one of America’s most inspiring statesmen, whose formidable ideas remain relevant to a nation still divided over questions of race, democracy, and constitutional law. The Commonwealth Club of California is a nonprofit public forum; we welcome donations made during registration to support the production of our programming. A Humanities Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums. Tameez photo by Arifa Ali, courtesy the speaker. Commonwealth Club World Affairs is a public forum. Any views expressed in our programs are those of the speakers and not of Commonwealth Club World Affairs. OrganizerGeorge Hammond  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Trump administration has taken aim at green energy, but one technology has largely been left untouched: batteries to store wind and solar electricity. California alone surpassed 13GW of battery storage last year, and Texas has become the fastest growing market for the technology. But producing batteries isn’t without its downsides, especially when it comes to mining the necessary raw materials. The upside is that those materials can be recycled and reused. If the recycling technology can reach scale and price targets, the environmental impact would drop significantly. And spent EV batteries could become a grid scale storage site even without breaking down the battery packs. How soon before renewables plus batteries can power our grid 24/7? This episode features a reported piece by Camila Domonoske that was originally broadcast on NPR’s All Things Considered on July 10, 2024  Guests:  Julian Spector, Senior Reporter, Canary Media David Klanecky, President, Cirba Solutions Sheila Davis, EV Battery Waste Strategist, Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives Episode highlights: 00:00 - Intro 4:08 - Julian Spector on what grid scale battery instillations look like 7:43 - Julian Spector on the success of battery deployment in 2024 14:14 - Julian Spector on the impacts of Trump’s new budget law  20:06 - Julian Spector on the outlook for battery storage in the next decade  24:09 - Reported piece on Ascend by Camila Domonoske 28:43 - David Klanecky on the battery recycling process 36:21 - David Klanecky on competing with China 41:45 - Sheila Davis on the biggest concerns about battery production  44:56 - Sheila Davis on some of the risks posed by battery storage facilities 47:13 - Sheila Davis on the risk a battery recycling facility posed in New York For show notes and related links, visit ⁠ClimateOne.org⁠. *** Support Climate One by going ad-free! By subscribing to Climate One on ⁠Patreon⁠, you’ll receive exclusive access to all future episodes free of ads, opportunities to connect with fellow Climate One listeners, and access to the Climate One Discord. ⁠Sign up today⁠. Ad sales by ⁠Multitude⁠. Contact them for ad inquiries at ⁠multitude.productions/ads⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices