How does what we’re learning about the great apes teach us about our humanity and hopes for survival on planet earth? Our guest on this week’s Planet Watch is Michelle Merrill. She is currently an independent consultant (perplexedprimate.org) and the founder of Novasutras.org. She taught anthropology and sustainability courses at Cabrillo College from 2006 to 2013. She • Read More »
On the podcast we hear an interview with deep sea researcher Linda Snook whose work takes her 1500 feet down underwater in a tiny submersible. The creatures she sees few people lay eyes on in a lifetime; giant sea bass, strange worms, and lantern fish are some of the surprises she finds on old oil • Read More »
An interview with NASA scientist Carol Stoker, an expert on Mars, the Red Planet. Carol Stoker is a staff planetary scientist at NASA Ames Research Center. Her most recent work is focused on developing instruments and robotic systems for space exploration and testing them in terrestrial analog environments. She has led field experiments in the Antarctic, • Read More »
Ever thought of making your own electricity in a nearby stream? We’ll talk with Don Harris, world-class guru on micro-hydropower and inventor of the Harris Hydroelectric Permanent Magnet Turbine about his experiences with these low-cost, high-return devices. Don lives up in the hills in the off-grid community of “Last Chance”, north of Santa Cruz, but • Read More »
A conversation with David Orr, writer and professor emeritus of environmental studies and political science from Oberlin College about the future of American democracy. What do we do to repair the damage being done to our basic institutions by the current administration? What happens after 2018, 2020, and next week if there is a constitutional • Read More »
What’s so green about skyscrapers? What are the top three best ways to “green them up”? How long until owners recoup their investment in green retrofits? Find out with green building guru, Barry Giles, CEO of BREEAMUSA. Barry is the CEO of BREEAM USA and BuildingWise, as well as a LEED Fellow and a BREEAM • Read More »
Dark Skies, Starry Nights: What have we lost by lighting up the world with artificial light? What can we gain by helping the skies stay dark at night, and infusing our days with natural light? How is artificial lighting impacting wildlife? What is being done to protect our sleep problems and loss of the night • Read More »
We present a conversation with Dr. Mary Wilcox Silver,Professor Emeritus of Ocean Sciences, one of the first women to head a major Ocean Sciences department at a UC. Her works focuses on phytoplankton and ocean food webs. What do phytoplankton have to do with Alfred Hitchcock’s movie, The Birds? Find out how Mary Silver figured • Read More »
James Zachos‘s investigations of the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum and other major climate shifts in Earth’s past are highly relevant to understanding how human activities are driving modern-day global climate change. A study he coauthored in 2016 shows that the current rate at which carbon is being released into the atmosphere is unprecedented in at least • Read More »
In this podcast we present an interview with former Director of the California Coastal Commission, Charles Lester. Lester presided over the most powerful regulatory body in the nation when it comes to coastal protection under Governors Davis, Schwarzenegger, and Brown. He’ll talk about protecting our coasts against drilling, development and sea level rise among other • Read More »
