CLIMATE CONVERSATIONS: THE PODCAST

2020 not only served up a global pandemic, but one of the worst hurricane seasons on record.  There were so many storms, forecasters at the National Hurricane Center ran out of names and were forced to dip into the Greek Alphabet.  Most climate scientists agree, warmer temperatures and sea level rise are playing a role in formation and intensification.  University of Miami graduate student, Maria Alejandra Cardona and I talked to local experts to find out what it all might me for the upcoming season and if South Florida is ready for whatever mother nature may dish out.   You'll hear from Ryan Phillips, NBC6 meteorologist and University of Miami lecture, Dr. Brian Soden, Professor of Atmospheric Science at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science and Amy Knowles, Chief Resilience Officer for the City of Miami Beach. For more information on Miami-Dade's resilience plan: https://resilient305.com/

Hosts Paige Flannery and Jack Strome along with reporters Pam Giganti, Briera Crockett and David McMillan dive into the topic of disaster preparedness for Miami-Dade County residents that struggle with mobility impairment. Guests include: Director of the Spinal Cord Injury Support Group, Anson James; physician and public health expert, Dr. Daniel Samano; Founder of the Sabrina Cohen Foundation, Quadriplegic, & Disability Activist, Sabrina Cohen; second year medical student, Marisa Carino Mason; Operations Bureau  Manager for Miami-Dade County’s Office of Emergency Management, Nixsa Serrano; Community Emergency Response Team Volunteer and Trainer, Winnie Browne; and Community Organizer of the Dade County Street Response Disaster Relief Team, Angelique Gadson. Thank you to the following organizations for the work they do and for helping us explore this important issue: • Miami Climate Alliance https://miamiclimatealliance.org • Florida Clinicians for Climate Action https://states.ms2ch.org/fl/fcca/ • Community Emergency Response Team https://www.ready.gov/cert • Dade County Street Response Disaster Relief Team https://www.southfldisasterrelief.org

I worked with University of Miami graduate student, Cameron Dobbs to find out more about composting.  In this episode, we dubbed "Pam and Cam," you'll meet Cassidy Fry, a composting expert who helps maintain several community composting sites in South Florida. It's messy, stinky work, but the benefits of turning waste into soil is tremendous, something Cassidy is very passionate about.  You'll hear about a movement called "Zero Waste Culture" and how it brings in the youth to get excited about taking steps to save the environment.  We hope this inspires you to at least start thinking about saving your food scraps and giving composting a try.  https://azerowasteculture.org/