Sustainability Now! on KSQD.org
by Ronnie Lipschutz
Are you concerned about the Earth's future? Are you interested in what is being done in Northern California and the world to address environmental issues? Do you want to act? Then tune in every other Sunday to "Sustainability Now!" on KSQD.org to hear interviews with scientists, scholars, activists and officials involved in the pursuit of sustainability. Sustainability Now! is underwritten by the Sustainable Systems Research Foundation in Santa Cruz, California
Episodes
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The Spark Community Utility: A City-Led Path to Clean, Resilient, Affordable Energy, with Bob Krause
Electricity prices in California are on the rise and they are forecast to go much, much higher in the future. Climate change is wreaking havoc across the world even as we are pumping more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere than ever before. And electric utilities want more and more control over...
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Here Comes El Niño! with Dr. Daniel Swain, UCANR and NCAR
Summer is over and the rainy season looms ahead. We are being promised a wild, wet and wooly winter, with a “Super” El Niño. Temperatures in the tropical Pacific are going up leaving marine mammals to starve and die. There have been few hurricanes in the Atlantic this year while, with two months...
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Fire and Ice on the Roof of the World, with Jonathan Mingle, Independent journalist and science writer
We’ve all heard about the terrible Himalayan flash flood that traveled nearly 100 km down the Lende Kholā and Trishuli̇̄ Kholā rivers on the Nepal-Chinese border, devastating towns and villages along the way, killing at least 1,250 people and leaving more than 5,000 missing in the two countries....
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Rancho Coyote Viejo--A Pilot Land Access Project for Farmers, with Josefina Lara Chavez, Executive Director of RegenerationLA
Local food systems are of great importance to the Monterey Bay Region and, indeed, to California, and there is a growing number of small farms across the state supplying these systems. Join Ronnie Lipschutz for a conversation with Josefina Lara Chavez, Executive Director of RegenerationLA, the...
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Speculations on Conjunctural Futures: What Might We Expect, What Must We Do? With Kim Stanley Robinson, author of The Ministry for the Future
There are lots of dystopian futures floating around in the air and on the air. Imagining the future is never really about the future; it’s more like commentary about the present. “Conjunctural futures” extrapolate from the present: they are not-so-distant, generational futures that could or might...
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Plutonium Pit Production--The Risks and Costs of US Plans to Build New Nuclear Weapons, with Dr. Dylan K. Spaulding of the Union of Concerned Scientists
Nuclear weapons have been with us for 80 years. There are fewer today than was the case at the height of the Cold War, but there are more countries with nukes than ever before. Some heads of state have been, of late, threatening to use them. If you’ve seen Kathryn Bigelow’s recent film, “House of...
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Trump’s War on California’s Environment, with Jason Rylander and Hollin Kretzmann from the Center for Biological Diversity
The Trump Administration has declared war on California and is hell-bent on eliminating any and all of the state’s environmental protections. As part of its “drill baby, drill” strategy, it is moving to open the California Coast to oil drilling and to increase exploration and extraction on BLM...
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The Santa Cruz Mountains Stewardship Network With Dylan Skybrook, Network Manager
The Santa Cruz Mountains cover more than 1,000 square miles of the Central California Coast, running from just south of San Francisco all the way down to the Salinas Valley. The region has been actively stewarded for thousands of years by indigenous people and is a place of significant cultural,...
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The San Francisco Bay Area—An Environmental History With David D. Schmidt
Over the past four centuries, the transformation of the Greater San Francisco Bay Region has been extraordinary. What was once a near paradise for a few hundred thousand indigenous First Peoples is now home to nearly 8 million whose accumulated activities since the arrival of Europeans have…
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Secret Sounds of Ponds and Other Animal Music with Professor David Rothenberg, NJ Institute of Technology
Who knew that ponds make music? To the eye and ears, they seem silent and tranquil—except at night when, maybe, choruses of frogs serenade listeners. But ponds are much noisier than that: you have to be very quiet and have the right equipment to really hear what’s going on. And there is a lot…
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Extractive Frontiers: Critical Minerals and Green Capitalism, with Professor Thea Riofrancos, Providence College
The attack on Iran by the United States and Israel demonstrated, among other things, the necessity of a rapid transition to renewable fuels, like solar and wind. The technologies for capturing and converting them into usable form are heavily dependent on critical minerals, such as lithium, cobalt...
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Is that Teflon in your food and water? Good for eggs, maybe, but probably not for you! with Dr. Faith Kibuye, Penn State University
Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances—commonly known as PFASs and "forever chemicals"—have become ubiquitous in the environment and are being found almost everywhere in soil, water, plants and bodies. The Trump Administration has lowered drinking water standards for PFASs presence but…
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Microplastics: invisible, insidious, and...fixable with Dr. Myra Finkelstein and Dr. Steven Mentor
We’ve heard a lot about the problem of microplastics pollution. Just how bad is it? What are its causes? What are microplastics doing to us and the world? Is anything being done to stem the accelerating production and consumption of plastics that end up in our water, our air, in animals, and in...
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"We think they'll kill someone" indigenous resistance in Oaxaca, Mexico, with Anjan Sundaram, The Stringer Foundation
Indigenous peoples around the world are under threat, especially from massive development projects engineered by governments and corporations, which promise to destroy the lands, forests and waters on which those peoples depend. In an article that appeared in a recent issue of The New York Review...
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Transformative Climate Communities in California With Nancy Faulstitch and Eloy Ortiz, Regeneración Pajaro Valley
The State of California has created a program called “Transformative Climate Communities,” focused on making low-income, urban areas more resilient, efficient and responsive to housing, energy and climate challenges. What does this mean on the ground? Join host Ronnie Lipschutz for a conversation...
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The Past and Future of Sustainable Communities with Peter Calthorpe, Architect & Urban Designer
The world’s cities are big and getting bigger. By 2050, 80% of the world’s people will live in cities. Can cities be made sustainable? Who is thinking about this? Join host Ronnie Lipschutz for a conversation with Peter Calthorpe, architect and urban designer with HDR, a global company…
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Biologists Unite! The Rise and Fall of Ecosystem Services with Professor Daniel Suarez, Middlebury College
Over the past several decades, there has been a concerted effort by biologists, economists and others to put a value on nature’s services: what would it cost, for example, to provide clean water the way nature does? Oxygen, photosynthesis, soil? Early estimates were around $30 trillion per year;...
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The Water Remembers—My Indigenous Family’s Fight to Save a River and a Way of Life with Amy Bowers Cordalis Ridges to Riffles Indigenous Conservation Group
The removal of four dams from the Klamath River in Northern California is rapidly becoming one of the great recent success stories in conservation and restoration. The riverbank habitat is returning to its former condition and salmon have been spotted swimming upriver past the sites where the…
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The Living Green Myth: The Promise and Limits of Lifestyle Environmentalism with Dr. Michael Maniates
Many listeners are probably familiar with the tags found in hotel bathrooms that read: “Save Our Planet,” followed by instructions about reusing and replacing towels, and concluding “Thank you for helping us converse the Earth’s vital resources.” Reusing towels might help conserve the hotel’s...
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Microplastics in Lake Tahoe: What are They Doing There? What are they Doing? With Madison “Madio” Wallner
Lake Tahoe is one of California’s natural jewels but it is under siege and increasingly awash in plastic wastes, as visitors carelessly dispose of bottles and packages and discarded items degrade into small pieces washed into the lake. What happens to that stuff? As we have been learning,...
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The Norris Center for Natural History at UCSC: What is it? Why is it there? With Professor Ingrid Parker and Center Director Chris Lay
The Kenneth S. Norris Center at UC Santa Cruz is one of the little-known jewels of the campus as well as the Monterey Bay Region. Ken Norris was an American marine mammal biologist, conservationist, naturalist, and co-founder of SeaWorld, as well as a professor of natural history at UCSC. He was...
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The ABCs of California Native Bees with Krystle Hickman, Conservation Photographer and National Geographic Explorer
If you venture out into parks, farms and gardens with various flowering species, you are almost sure to see European honeybees flying about. When we think of bees, those are the ones that usually come to mind. But there are more than 1,600 native bee species in California alone, and many of those...
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The Omnivore’s Deception--What We get wrong about meat, animals and ourselves, with Professor John Sabonmatsu, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Millions of Americans see themselves as "conflicted omnivores," worrying about the ethical and environmental implications of their choice to eat animals. Yet their attempts to justify their choices only obscure the truth of the matter. Join host Ronnie Lipschutz for a conversation with Dr. John...
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The Enduring Fantasy of ‘Feeding the World’ with Professors Adam Calo and Maywa Montenego
Even before the publication of Paul Ehrlich’s The Population Bomb in 1968, we heard warnings that humanity would be doomed to a future of famine, hunger and starvation unless industrial agriculture were unleashed to grow food as efficiently as possible in every nook and cranny of the world’s…
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An Hour Wasted with Tom Lehrer: A Tribute to the Man and His Music
Tom Lehrer, the musical satirist par excellence of the 1950s and 1960s, died this past July at age 97. Many listeners and their progeny grew up listening to and singing his compelling compositions: easy to remember, easy to sing and easy to finish. Who could forget “The Vatican Rag” or “The...
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Conserving California’s Lands and Coastal Waters: A Progress Report with Meghan Hertel, Deputy Secretary for Biodiversity and Habitat at the California Natural Resources Agency
In October 2020, Governor Newsom issued Executive Order N-82-20 which establishes a state goal of conserving 30% of California’s lands and coastal waters by 2030 – known as 30x30. The 30x30 goal is intended to help accelerate conservation of our lands and coastal waters through voluntary,...
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What's Happening with Climate Law across the World, the United States and California? with Professor Alice Kaswan, University of San Francisco School of Law
What’s up with climate change and climate law? The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced that it is going to cancel the “endangerment finding” of 2009 that provided the legal basis for regulation of greenhouse gas emissions. In July, the Department of Energy released “A Critical…
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Save the Valley Dragons! Restoring the Blunt-Notes Leopard Lizard to the San Joaquin Desert with Dr. Michael Telemeco and Dr. Michael Westphal
Who knew there was a desert in the San Joaquin Valley inhabited by the “valley dragon,” aka, the “blunt-nosed leopard lizard.” The lizards have disappeared from 85% of their historical range as a result of agriculture, rural and urban development and pesticides, and are now threatened in what...
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"What's in Those Plastics, Anyway?" with Professor Susannah Scott of UC Santa Barbara
The world is awash in plastic. According to a study published in 2020, total production of plastics since 1950 is now over 10 billion tons, with more than half of that simply discarded. And the production of plastics will only increase in the future. There is a lot of oil and natural gas in the...
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After the Floods--The Search for Resilience in Ellicott City, with Professor Ken Conca, American University
As the recent deadly floods in Central Texas remind us, Nature bats last. There seem to be a growing number of severe weather-related disasters that kill many people and lay waste to towns and communities. But what happens after the floods, as communities make plans to repair the damages? Why…
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The False Promise of Deep-Sea Mining, with Professors D.G. Webster and Susan Park
The United States has indicated that it will begin to explore commercial mining of mineral nodules on the international seabed, in violation of the UN Conference on the Law of the Sea and the International Seabed Authority. These nodules contain a variety of minerals used in cell phones, electric...
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Cull of the Wild: Killing in the Name of Conservation, with Hugh Warwick (rerun)
Do you remember the Northern Spotted Owl, icon of the old-growth Redwood Wars of the 1990s? Well, the Northern Spotted Owl is, once again, under threat. This time, however, the threat comes from another species of owl, the Barred Owl, a larger and more aggressive bird native to the United States,...
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Out, Out, Damned Carbon! with Dr. Barbara Haya & Dr. Stephen Lezak, Berkeley Carbon Trading Project
Carbon is a boon and a bane. It is at the core of all life on Earth, past and present. In the atmosphere, carbon is what keeps the Earth’s temperature at tolerable levels. Yet, carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere are rising, raising global temperatures and disrupting climate and weather....
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What's the Matter with California's Electricity System? with Loretta Lynch
Everyone is angry with California’s private utilities. Rates keep rising, the utilities lack accountability and they are running roughshod over small-scale renewable energy. Why make your customers so mad? Is that anger justified? And what are the utilities planning for the future? Join SN! host...
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The Return of Wolves to California with Amaroq Weiss, Center for Biological Diversity
Gray wolves were once ubiquitous across California but the state’s last surviving individual was killed in 1924. In 2011, the first documented wolf since 1924 was observed crossing into California from Oregon. Today, there are at least 7 gray wolf packs in California with some 50 individuals....
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Food Apartheid and Food Hubs A Visit with Saba Grocers and co-founder Lina Ghanem
Food insecurity and food apartheid are a common challenge in many low-income and minority neighborhoods across the United States. Big supermarket companies avoid those areas because stores are unprofitable and small stores find that they make the most money on junk foods, sodas and liquor. Saba...
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Are Tariffs Good for the Environment? Bad? Or What? With Ronnie Lipschutz and Christine Barrington
Tariffs are in the air and on the news. Tariffs are up and down. Tariffs are in and out. Who knows where they might go and what they might do. But what do tariffs mean for sustainability and the environment? Will they help or hurt? Do they matter either way? Tune into Sustainability Now! to hear...
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Titans of Industrial Agriculture With Professor Jennifer Clapp, University of Waterloo
Big agriculture is Big! And it appears to be getting Bigger, as the leading companies in four critical sectors—equipment, seeds, fertilizers and chemicals—consolidate in order to dominate their markets and the farmers who buy their products. Join Ronnie Lipschutz for a conversation with Dr....
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Getting Back to the (Alan Chadwick) Garden, with Orin Martin, Master Gardener, Horticulturalist and Teacher
UCSC’s Agroecology Farm is known around the world for innovation, training and inspiration. But before there was a Farm, there was a Garden: the Alan Chadwick Garden, launched in 1967 on a steep, rocky clay hill side. It is still there today, although very few people know of its existence. Join...
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“To Say Nothing of the Dog”* Understanding connections between culture and nature in environmental art
Episode #36, Sunday, January 10th: Hear Jeffrey Downing, Professor of Art at San Francisco State University and Artist-in-Residence at the Marin Museum of Contemporary Art talk about how his work connects culture and nature. Downing was featured in the San Francisco Chronicle a few weeks ago for...
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As long as grass grows: The indigenous fight for environmental justice
Radio Show, #29, October 4, 2020. Host Ronnie Lipschutz and guest Dina Gilio-Whitaker talk about indigenous environmental justice, environmental philosophy and the restoration of balance between humans and nature. Gilio-Whitaker is a member of the Colville Confederated Tribes in the Pacific...
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Give Me Land, Lots of Land in the Santa Clara Valley with Andrea Mackenzie of the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority
Host Ronnie Lipschutz speaks with Andrea Mackenzie, General Manager of the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority. For more than 25 years, Ms. Mackenzie has worked in the fields of land use planning, conservation planning, public policy, and finance for open space and agricultural land...
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History of UC Santa Cruz
Sustainability Now! October 6, 2019, History of UC Santa Cruz, with Professor Emeritus Jim Clifford, History of Consciousness at UC Santa Cruz, talking about the University and its history, and his book, In the Ecotone.
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Sustainability & Politics after Annus Horriblis 2020, with Kim Stanley Robinson
Sustainability Now! August 23, 2020. Host Ronnie Lipschutz and his guest Kim Stanley Robinson engage in a wide-ranging conversation about sustainability, politics, 2020 and after, and how we might prepare for the future. Robinson is a science fiction author, California futurist and environmental...
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Urchins in the Storm
Sustainability Now!, April 5, 2020, Urchins in the Storm, with KSQD engineer Emily Donham, a 5th-year PhD candidate in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology at UCSC. Emily’s research focuses on how sea urchins, which graze on kelp forests, may be vulnerable to ocean acidication and global warming. Emily...
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Climate Change, Heat & Birth Impacts
Sustainability Now! #25, August 9, 2020. Climate Change, Public Health & Birth Impacts, with Dr. Rupa Basu, Chief of the Air and Climate Epidemiology Section at California Office on Environmental Health Hazards in the California Environmental Protection Agency and a lecturer in the UC Berkeley...
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An SN! Revisit with Dr. Rupa Basu. Climate Change and Public Health
Planetary heating and climate change are in the news more and more, and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has just issued a very pessimistic report on humanity’s and the world’s prospects. In a revisit of a show from 2020, Host Ronnie Lipschutz and Guest Dr. Rupa Basu talk about about...
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Fighting Fires with Fire, with Dr. Sasha Berleman, Wildland Fire Scientist
California is dry, dry, dry and that probably means we are in for a wild wildfire season. Since the beginning of January, there have been more than 10,000 wildfires across the state. So, what are we to do? Hear from Dr. Sasha Berleman, Wildland Fire Scientist. She is director of Fire Forward at...
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What Do You Do About a Problem Like PG&E?
Sustainability Now! December 1, 2019, What Do You Do About a Problem Like PG&E?, with Professor Dustin Mulvaney, Environmental Studies at San Jose State University. His research focuses on the social and environmental dimensions of food and energy systems, innovation, emerging technologies and...
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Here Comes the Sun!
Here Comes the Sun! on Sustainability Now! Sunday, January 9th, 5-6 PM on KSQD January 2022 is Solar Energy Month on Sustainability Now! On Sunday, January 23rd, we will be welcoming Dr. Ahmad Faruqui, an energy economist who has been deeply involved in solar electricity issues in California. We...
About this show
Are you concerned about the Earth's future? Are you interested in what is being done in Northern California and the world to address environmental issues? Do you want to act? Then tune in every other Sunday to "Sustainability Now!" on KSQD.org to hear interviews with scientists, scholars, activists and officials involved in the pursuit of sustainability. Sustainability Now! is underwritten by the Sustainable Systems Research Foundation in Santa Cruz, California
Hosted by
Ronnie Lipschutz