The city of Boston has cut its PC energy use by an astonishing 44 percent with the help of power management software company Verdiem. With power management something we need in every city, Verdiem Vice President of Business Development Dave Harvey tells Betsy what they can offer to any City or Company in the land. LISTEN (8 min)
We here at EcoTalk are so taken with California Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi‘s leadership on energy, public health, and smart (re-)use of resources that we hope that one day he can simply drop the "Lieutenant" from "Lieutenant Governor". He checked in with EcoTalk today to discuss the new e-waste recycling center opening in San Jose, and the global benefits of acting locally. LISTEN (7 min)
The latest issue of Mother Jones Magazine features an incredible (and ominous) article by Julia Whitty on the astonishing loss of biodiversity that this Earth has endured in the last century, and the precipitous increase to come, if we don’t change: "It’s the interaction of lifeforms that make our planet habitable. If we subtract 50% of those lifeforms, we’re going to have a serious time sustainaing life on this planet." Listen to this interview, read the article in Mother Jones, and check out Whitty’s new book The Fragile Edge: Diving and Other Adventures in the South Pacific. LISTEN (11 min)
On this week’s Treehugger Simran Sethi sits down with Alisa Smith and JB MacKinnon to talk about 100milediet.org and its position at the forefront of the "Locavore" revolution, their book Plenty: One Man, One Woman, and a Raucous Year of Eating Locally, and the ongoing organic versus local (non-)debate: "Really the system to shoot for is local. Organics will follow, whether certified or not, because almost any small farmer both doesn’t want to use chemicals and doesn’t have to. When you have a wide variety of crops growing in a really small area, they’re not susceptible to pests in the same way that 10,000 acres of wheat are." LISTEN (9 min)
This is where the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) stuff gets really interesting: whereas the first to parts, released earlier this year, documented the global scientific consensus on climate change and forecast several possible effects, Part 3, to be released tomorrow, offers an array of solutions to minimize the impacts of climate change, and halt any further effects. Will the nations of the world implement these recommendations? Given their obsession with the wording of this document, there’s a good chance they will. Center for American Progress Senior Fellow (and author of Hell and High Water) Joseph Romm: "This report has to be signed off on by 120 governments, including the United States, and oil countries like Saudi Arabia. And they can veto any word. So you can take to the bank anything that all those countries agree to." LISTEN (10 min)
Care about Wild Salmon’s future? Grab a fork and eat one. So says renowned chef Alice Waters and the 200 chefs nationwide who are asking Congress to protect wild salmon habitats, and the delicious, natural nourishment that sustains mammals like us. Greg Higgins, Chef and Owner of Higgins’ Restaurant and Bar in Portland, Oregon tells Betsy about the Chefs who will be banging their pots on Capitol Hill next week, so that you can eat the good stuff. LISTEN (9 min)
The Bush Administration has been a bit skittish about peddling their weird science on Capitol Hill since the Democrats have started asking the questions. This week, Julie MacDonald, a deputy assistant secretary who manipulated the work of federal scientists, resigned a week ahead of yet more Congressional hearings on the politicization of science. The Union of Concerned Scientists‘ Michael Halpern tells Betsy why this is good, but not good enough.
LISTEN (11 min)
picture of a white tailed praire dog she did not want to protect…
Greenpeace Canada Climate and Energy Coordinator Dave Martin comments on the Harper Administration’s rather crafty emissions plan: " (Canadian Environment Minister John) Baird characterized it as turning the corner. I would describe it as hitting a dead end. What Mr. Baird came out with was a deliberate deception." LISTEN (10 min)
Kim McKay co-founder and deputy chair-woman of Clean Up Australia talks about her new book True Green, 100 everyday ways you can contribute to a healthier planet. LISTEN (12 min)
Governor Schwarzenegger’s environmental adviser Terry Tamminen (author of the kick-ass book Lives Per Gallon ) stops by to break down the Governator’s letters to EPA head Steve Johnson, threatening a lawsuit if the EPA does not release California (and a line of other states around the corner) from the Clean Air Act. Doesn’t sound very environmental to you? Well, considering that climate change isn’t currently being addressed under the current version of the Clean Air Act (we’ll see what happens, now that we’re post-Mass v. EPA), Schwarzenegger is here actually asking permission to address climate change. But it doesn’t sound like he’ll be merely asking for long. EcoTalk loves it. LISTEN (10 min)