The theme of the week is rain and mud, which is very timely given not only the weather, but the podcast topic—and my state of mind!
Last week I had the honor of speaking virutally to a class at Texas A&M taught by one of our long-time members. With a focus on the 1980s-90s era of climate policy, perhaps my favorite part of my book, I appreciated the (nerdy) chance to share how things used to be with a classroom of students who have grown up in this hyper partisan era.
If there is one thing I believe most EcoRighters have in common, it’s a love and appreciation for the great outdoors. And that brings me to today’s guest.
Sam Lovall is the author of a book titled Mud Lake, focusing on wetlands, biodiversity and climate change.
I was thinking about it almost being March and the adage that March is “in like a lion and out like a lamb” but at this point, it feels like the lion of winter is just a permanent fixture in our lives. But next week will be the true test of how long winter intends to roar.
Today’s delightful discussion is with Doctor John Kotcher, a Research Associate Professor and the newly minted Director of the Center for Climate Change Communication at George Mason University. At Mason 4C, he leads a dynamic team of faculty, post-doctoral fellows, and graduate students dedicated to exploring effective strategies for communicating about climate change and air pollution. Together, their work empowers organizations to engage and activate citizens in shaping our society’s response to these important issues.
TGIF… why do the weeks with Monday off sometimes feel like the longest? Is it because we are thrown off our routine? Anyway, after a week of Thursdays, I’m so happy it’s finally weekend eve!
This week’s conversation is with Ross Matzkin-Bridger, Senior Advisor for The Nuclear Scaling Initiative and Senior Director for NTI’s Nuclear Materials Security Program. In these roles, he works at the nexus of clean energy and security, leading efforts to strengthen nonproliferation norms, minimize inventories of weapons-usable nuclear materials, and promote solutions for nuclear waste.
Sorry, not sorry, but the Olympics are all I’m thinking about this week, made even more special because our dear friend Price Atkinson is there covering the U.S. Curling team. And this week, after the mixed doubles team played for gold (and won silver), he provided the English version of the announcing! We are so proud of Price—and of Team USA!
A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away (called Mountain Time) we discovered a young man named Nick Huey, who was profiled in a Utah media outlet for his miraculous feat: convincing students the University of Utah and BYU to agree on the importance of speaking up on climate change. And this agreement between long time rivals was proof positive that we could broaded the feat to achieve widespread bipartisan support for climate solutions.
Well, it happened. Punxsutawney Phil, that pesky groundhog that some people believe while still rejecting climate scientists, saw his shadow, predicting six more weeks of winter. Now, typically I love winter. But we are still encased in ice, which just makes me want to hibernate.
And we are back!
What do you need to know about season 12? First of all, we changed some things up. You will now hear all the republicEn.org team in every episode. Bob Inglis voices our new intro. Wen Lee and Angela Larck provide the transitions. And of course, Price Atkinson and I continue to wrap up each episode.
Well, hello from the tundra, where I now live. THIS IS NOT WHAT I MEANT WHEN I SAID I WANTED SNOW. We are literally frozen in a thick layer of snow-sleet-slush and my hands barely work from all the attemps to break up the ice and shovel. I guess I will emerge from my home in the spring. See you then.
Does the snow love me? Does it not? Does it love me… I’m hoping for all the snow love this weekend. Not just a measley few inches that make the roads sloppy and grocery shopping a contact sport. (Related: why does everyone go for eggs, bread, and milk? Is everyone making french toast?) I’m down for as much snow as possible and also recognize that this is an unpopular opinion!