If we’re going to deal with climate change, we’ve got to talk about buildings. Thirty percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions can be traced back to our homes, offices and other buildings – how we heat and cool them, how we insulate them (or do

Are Electric Cars Really Better for the Climate?

Nov 12th, 2020 46m 10s

We love listener mail! You've sent us some amazing notes. Some made us laugh, some made us cry, and some made us say – hey, that’s a great question! We should answer it. So this week, we dig into one of your questions, and in the process, resol

The Green Wave

Aug 27th, 2020 45m 6s

It started with students walking out of school to demand more action on climate change, built into an international movement – and then was propelled forward by a pandemic. Today on the show, the surprising story behind Europe’s climate plan, a

Soil: The Dirty Climate Solution

1 Jan 7th, 2021 1h 7m

On this week's episode, we meet two farmers who, at first glance, seem very different. One is a first-generation farmer in upstate New York raising fruits and vegetables for the local community. The other is a third generation farmer in Minneso

If Miami Will Be Underwater, Why Is Construction Booming?

2 1 Nov 26th, 2020 26m 14s

Miami Beach could be mostly underwater within eighty years, but construction of new beachfront properties is booming. What’s behind this disconnect? To find out, writer Sarah Miller went undercover posing as a high end buyer to meet with real e

Recycling! Is it BS?

1 1 Jan 21st, 2021 48m 46s

The recycling bin — many of us have learned to view this humble container as an environmental superhero. It is, after all, the critical first step in turning our trash into… well, not treasure, but at least more stuff. Or is it? In this episod

Presenting: Gastropod

1 Jun 10th, 2021 58m 40s

Over the past century, we've transformed the arid lands of the American west into year-round, well-irrigated agricultural powerhouses. Today, fruits, nuts, and nearly all of our leafy greens are grown in the desert, using water diverted, stored

How Amazon Workers Got Serious About Climate (and How You Can, too)

1 May 27th, 2021 51m 5s

A common piece of career advice is to bring your whole self to work. But what if your whole self includes a deep concern for the climate? Can you bring that part of yourself to work, even if it makes your workplace uncomfortable? This week we t

Presenting: No Place Like Home

1 May 7th, 2021 40m 2s

This week, we’re sharing some wisdom from Sherri Mitchell. Sherri is an Indigenous rights attorney, author, activist, and contributor to the book Ayana co-edited, All We Can Save. In this conversation, which originally aired on the podcast No P

The Fight to Stop Oil Pipelines: "For Water. For Treaties. For Climate."

1 Apr 15th, 2021 52m 56s

This week, we’re talking about oil pipelines. From the fight against Keystone XL to Standing Rock, pipeline protests have been central to the climate movement in the U.S. But they’ve always been about more than just the climate -- they’ve also

The Beef with Beef

1 Mar 25th, 2021 44m 37s

A quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions come from agriculture and land use – and a big portion of those emissions come from producing meat. Adopting a plant-based diet is one of the biggest steps an individual can take to reduce their own

Kelp Farming, for the Climate

Feb 18th, 2021 53m 32s

Seaweed and giant kelp are sometimes called “the sequoias of the sea.” Yet at a time when so many people are talking about climate solutions and reforestation — there aren’t nearly enough people talking about how the ocean can be part of that.

Answering Your Tree-Mail (and Nuclear) Questions

1 Dec 17th, 2020 58m 11s

We love listener mail! You've sent us some amazing notes. Some made us laugh, some made us cry, and some made us say—hey, that’s a great question! We should answer it. So that’s what we did. This week, we dig into some of your questions about t

Trying to Talk to Family about Climate Change? Here's How

1 Nov 19th, 2020 38m 56s

It’s important to talk about climate change. But how do you talk about it with friends and family who don't believe it's real, or don’t think we can do anything about it? We hear from a father and son who successfully navigated this conversatio

Fighting Fire with Fire

1 Oct 15th, 2020 39m 57s

From California's crimson skies to smoke so thick along Colorado's front range that sent people indoors for days, this year has been an especially bad one for extreme wildfires. On today's episode, we ask, how did the wildfires get so bad – and

How 2020 Became a Climate Election

1 Oct 8th, 2020 55m 22s

For years, American politicians have failed to take climate change seriously. The 2016 presidential debates didn’t even include a single climate question. Fast-forward four years, and climate change is a major election issue. So how did 2020 be

Making Republicans Environmentalists Again

1 2 Oct 1st, 2020 1h 1m

The Republican Party has been almost uniformly opposed to climate action for years – nobody more so than President Donald Trump. But it wasn’t always like this. On today’s episode, we look back at how conservatives came to see the denial of cli

An Origin Story of the Blue New Deal

1 Jun 17th, 2021 52m 6s

This week, the inside scoop on how a climate policy gets made. In 2019, when the Green New Deal resolution was unveiled, How to Save a Planet co-host Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson noticed something big (and blue) was missing: the ocean. The ocean

Listener Mail: Is Renewable Natural Gas a Scam?

1 Apr 29th, 2021 43m 26s

It’s listener mail time! This week, we’re digging into a mysterious email one listener received from their utility about renewable natural gas. Can natural gas actually be renewable, or is this just a marketing scheme? We also take a look at Ve

Solving a Rooftop Solar Mystery, and What’s a Nurdle?

Mar 11th, 2021 50m 3s

If you put a plastic bag in a bin outside your grocery store - will it really end up being recycled? Are some utilities trying to sabotage the solar industry? We've got answers to these questions and more incredible info about kelp (we are glad

Kelp Farming, for the Climate (Part II)

Feb 25th, 2021 44m 45s

So, what do you do with 579 pounds of seaweed? In our last episode, we ventured into the ocean to learn how seaweed farming can help solve climate change. In part II, we ask: What do we do with all that kelp? Plus our team does some seaweed R&D

Should We Go Nuclear?

Dec 3rd, 2020 46m 42s

When it comes to nuclear energy, many people have strong opinions. Some say that if you're not on board with nuclear energy, then you aren't serious about addressing the climate crisis. Nuclear, after all, produces a lot of electricity and does

How Much Does the President Matter for the Climate?

Nov 5th, 2020 48m 56s

When it comes to climate change, it can feel like our future hangs in the balance of this presidential election in the U.S. But how much does the president really matter? And how can climate action move forward regardless of who wins? This week

The Witch of Wind

1 Aug 20th, 2020 44m 6s

For decades, coal fueled the town of Somerset, MA. But when the coal plant went bust -- taking with it millions in tax dollars -- the town struggled. That’s when a local politician, the self-proclaimed Queen of Coal, learned that an unexpected

Should We Mine the Deep-Sea?

Oct 6th, 2022 42m 42s

In the coming years, we'll need millions of batteries: batteries to store renewable electricity and power a massive fleet of electric vehicles. But those batteries will require certain metals, and those metals have to be mined. And the mining i