This year's Farm Bill will determine whether US agriculture cuts its greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030. Republicans want to divert $20 billion away from agricultural climate solutions. Farmers who've adopted these practices say they incr

This Is My Home: Women whup petrochemical giant

Jul 9th, 2023 28m 1s

The David who fought Goliath had two sisters. This is the modern day story about two women taking on a giant. They started alone, standing up against a huge multinational petrochemical corporation, and won. Diane Wilson, a fisherwoman from Sead

Reviving Repair

Jun 11th, 2023 28m 1s

When we fix what we have, we reduce emissions, and strengthen communities. 80% of the carbon pollution from our laptops, cell phones, and appliances is embodied carbon, emitted before we even open the box. A return to repair means changing ou

Decarbonizing Based on Need, not LEED

May 11th, 2023 28m 1s

80% of the buildings that will be here in 2050 are already here, producing 30% of our greenhouse gas emissions. Uber sustainable new construction is cool, but the big carbon reductions will come from electrifying old buildings. Chicago plans t

Out of Gas, In with Justice

Apr 11th, 2023 28m 1s

A pilot study replacing gas stoves with induction stoves in a public housing building in the South Bronx did the expected and decreased indoor air pollution. Two unexpected discoveries were the popularity of the induction stoves and that the bu

An E-bike Loaves and Fishes Tale: From 13 bikes to 13,000

Mar 11th, 2023 28m 1s

"When I read in 2020 that Colorado ran a pilot program to give away just 13 e-bikes, I scoffed. What difference could that possibly make? Now I have to eat my bike helmet." - Wendy Ring, Cool Solutions Producer and Host. Turns out that mini-pi

Throwing Shade: Some crops thrive under solar panels

Feb 11th, 2023 28m 1s

With growing conflicts over solar development on farm land, dual use may provide middle ground and enough income to help small farmers keep farming. That's how Byron Kominek found himself putting a solar garden on one of his hay fields and host

Community Owned Solar

Jan 15th, 2023 28m 1s

Meet a retiree in rural OR and a group of millennials in WA who are spreading community owned solar projects across their states.

Home Grown Solar

Jan 10th, 2023 28m 1s

We don't have to wait for utilities or for-profit solar developers to expand solar power in our communities and, if we do it right, we can keep the dollars local. Activists from a small town in OR and the mid sized city Olympia,WA are spreading

A Garment Worker Victory: Slowing Fast Fashion, Part 2

Dec 11th, 2022 28m 1s

A small group of garment workers, tired of factory wage theft, organized and won passage of a law that makes fashion brands responsible for unpaid wages. Hourly pay went from a shameful $5 an hour to a minimum of $15 an hour. Now a similar bill

It's Getting Hot, Let's Wear Less Clothes: Slowing Fast Fashion, Part 1

Nov 11th, 2022 28m 1s

Part One of a mini-series exploring potential pathways to a sustainable garment industry. We explore some routes to slow fashion: restoring regional wool production in Pennsylvania, curbside pickup of used clothes in Massachusetts, second han

Citizens Beat Utilities in Battle for Clean Energy

Oct 10th, 2022 27m 31s

A Michigan environmental justice coalition is putting the "public" back in their state's Public Service Commission; closing coal plants, stopping new gas plants, and elevating the welfare of low income communities.

Fox in the Henhouse: Getting Oily Hands Off Climate Research

Aug 5th, 2022 28m 1s

For decades university departments, liberally lubricated with fossil fuel dollars, have been turning out research that adds a scholarly veneer to the industry's policy agenda. First that was opposing the regulation of oil and gas; now it's prom

Save the Planet, Go Solar With a Friend

Aug 5th, 2022 28m 1s

Solar coops bridge the partisan divide, raising panels on rooftops and building a broad movement to transform our energy system. Solar United Neighbors provides the technical know how, community groups do the organizing, and together they're re

When One Door Closes: Climate action post-SCOTUS

Jul 10th, 2022 28m 1s

With federal climate policy blocked by Congress and the Supreme Court, we look at opportunities to advance climate action at state and local levels. Caroline Spears explains how the Climate Cabinet uses big data to find pivotal elections and h

Irresistible Force Beats Immovable Object: Harvard (finally) Divests

Jun 11th, 2022 28m 1s

What did it take to get the wealthiest university in the world to break ties with the fossil fuel industry? 9 years and the combined force of students, faculty, and alumni engaged in everything from scholarly debate, to civil disobedience, t

Inter-Tribal Electric Highway Greens Rural Charging Desert

May 11th, 2022 28m

The inter-tribal charging network will connect upper midwest reservations with jobs, opportunities, healing, and each other. Project leaders Robert Blake of Native Sun (Red Lake Ojibwe) and Joseph McNeill of SAGE (Standing Rock Sioux) talk abo

Clean Trucks Coalition Puts Pedal to the Metal

Apr 10th, 2022 28m 1s

Activists accelerate states' switch to clean big rigs. A story about the power of coming together and speaking out for climate and justice.

Old Docs Take New Patient: The Climate

Mar 10th, 2022 28m 1s

Bill McKibben launches new climate group for seniors. Doctors devoting their retirement years to climate action talk about what motivates them and how they found their place in the movement. Their activities range from registering low income pa

Farewell to Factory Farms

Feb 11th, 2022 28m 1s

We talk with former contract farmers for Tyson, Perdue, and Pilgrim's Pride; the founder of a farmers' cooperative that outperforms Big Meat by a mile, and an animal welfare organization turning chicken houses into grow houses.

New Year's Pledge Helps Millions Eat Healthier

Jan 11th, 2022 1s

Two January diet challenges are remarkably effective at enticing people to try (and keep eating) more plant based meals. A 31 day vegan pledge gives our co-hosts a push to try new things.

Got Methane?

Dec 12th, 2021 28m 1s

We take a deep dive into dairy digesters: their impact on farms, climate, and communities; and the intersections between Big Gas, Big Ag, and government programs which are driving their proliferation. To get to the bottom of this complex topic,

When in Vermont, Watch Where You Throw Your Apple Core

Nov 11th, 2021 28m 1s

In Vermont it's now illegal to throw your apple core in the trash. Vermont's Universal Recycling Law aka "the landfill ban" went into effect last year. It cuts landfill methane by diverting food to feed the hungry and the soil, as well as banni

Kiss Your Gas Goodbye

Oct 12th, 2021 28m 1s

An innovative community energy center, cities with natural gas bans, and a crusading HVAC contractor are all on a mission to electrify our homes. To be zero carbon by 2050, we have to start now and retrofit millions of buildings each year.