Shows
From Oil to Soil: the shift, "a podcast that plants trees!"Episode 11- Ecology and Education: Building Biodiversity (with Dr. John O’Halloran)What is Biodiversity and Education?
Drawdown states, in their “Protect and Restore Ecosystems” section of their website, “Let nature be nature is a powerful principle—let peatlands, grasslands, and forests continue to do what they do best by protecting them from human disturbance. Where ecosystems have been degraded, restoration can help them recuperate form and function, including absorbing and storing more carbon over time.”
Who is Dr. John O’Halloran?
John O’Halloran is a proud alumnus of University College Cork. He graduated with a degree in Zoology in 1984, a PhD in 1987. He has published...
2021-07-0535 min
From Oil to Soil: the shift, "a podcast that plants trees!"Episode 10, Part 2 - Smart Thermostats, Home Water Savings and Distributed Solar PVWhat are the solutions of Smart Thermostats, Home Water Savings and Distributed Solar Photovoltaics?
Smart Thermostats
Drawdown explains that, “Thermostats are mission control for residential energy use for heating and cooling—9 percent of energy consumption in the United States. At present, the majority of thermostats require manual operation or preset programming, and studies show people are notoriously unreliable in doing either efficiently. Smart thermostats eliminate the capriciousness of human behavior, thereby driving more predictable energy savings.
Smart thermostats detect occupancy, learn inhabitants’ preferences, and nudge users toward more efficient behavior. The newest technologies also i...
2021-06-0630 min
From Oil to Soil: the shift, "a podcast that plants trees!"Episode 10, Part 1 - Bright Ideas: LED LightingWhat is the solution of LED Lighting?
LEDs work like solar panels in reverse, converting electrons to photons instead of the other way around. They use 90 percent less energy than incandescent bulbs for the same amount of light, and half as much as compact fluorescents, without toxic mercury. By transferring most of their energy use into creating light—rather than heat, like older technologies—LEDs reduce electricity consumption and air-conditioning loads.
The question about LEDs is not whether they will become the standard in lighting fixtures; it’s when. The price (per watt equivalent) is two to...
2021-05-1729 min
From Oil to Soil: the shift, "a podcast that plants trees!"Earth Day Minicast!Happy Earth Day, Listeners!
Today's Minicast explores a poignant poem by the Ecologist/Poet, Wendell Berry. Along with this is features a mid-length prose piece, "The Carbon Story" by one of the founders of the podcast, Eamon Durkan.
This Minicast concludes with a less known piece by the wonderful American poet, Mary Oliver, called "Such Singing in the Wild Branches."
We hope you enjoy!
-The Oil to Soil TEAM
2021-04-2216 min
From Oil to Soil: the shift, "a podcast that plants trees!"Episode 9 - Education and Youth Empowerment: Jane Goodall's Roots and ShootsWhat is the Drawdown Solution of "Education"?
Drawdown states, “Climate and social systems are profoundly connected, and those connections open up solutions that are often overlooked. Some initiatives, designed primarily to ensure rights and foster equality, also have cascading benefits to climate change. It is critical that human rights are always centered, that gender equality is the aim, and that benefits to the planet are understood as positive ripple effects of access and agency.”
Who is Angel van Lawick?
Born in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Angel van Lawick is the granddaughter of the insp...
2021-04-1824 min
From Oil to Soil: the shift, "a podcast that plants trees!"Episode 8 - Marine Permaculture: KELP! I NEED SOMEBODY! (Extended Episode)What is Marine Permaculture?
According to the Climate Foundation, “Kelp forests are one of Earth’s most vibrant biomes and dynamic carbon sinks, drawing down more CO2 from the atmosphere by area than land-based rainforests do. They comprise a major tool in the fight against ocean acidification, climate change and biomass loss and hold the potential to help reverse global warming. In addition, kelp forests are the habitat and foundation of the food chain for countless of the fish and crustaceans many of us consume.” To learn more, please visit their website: www.climatefoundation.org.
Who is...
2021-03-2842 min
From Oil to Soil: the shift, "a podcast that plants trees!"Episode 7 - Coastal and Ocean Sinks: The Changing TideWhat are Coastal and Ocean Sinks?
Project Drawdown states, “Ours is a water world. Though Earth has a land-centric name, oceans cover 71%, of its surface and make land livable. Some of the planet’s most critical processes happen where sea and air meet, as oceans absorb and redistribute heat and carbon—both rising due to the glut of emissions in the atmosphere.
Oceans have absorbed at least 90% of the excess heat generated by recent climate changes, and, since the 1980s, have taken up 20-30% of human-created carbon dioxide.7 The latter happens through the biological processes of pho...
2021-03-1427 min
From Oil to Soil: the shift, "a podcast that plants trees!"Episode 6 - Women's Empowerment: Mothers of the ForestWhat is Women's Empowerment/Educating Girls?
According to Project Drawdown, "Education lays a foundation for vibrant lives for girls and women, their families, and their communities. It also is one of the most powerful levers available for avoiding emissions by curbing population growth. Women with more years of education have fewer and healthier children, and actively manage their reproductive health.
Educated girls realize higher wages and greater upward mobility, contributing to economic growth. Their rates of maternal mortality drop, as do mortality rates of their babies. They are less likely to marry as children or...
2021-02-2827 min
From Oil to Soil: the shift, "a podcast that plants trees!"Episode 5 - Conservation Agriculture: Recovering Soils, Farming for ResilienceWhat is Conservation Agriculture?
According to Project Drawdown, "Conservation Agriculture protects soil, avoids emissions, and sequesters carbon using crop rotation, soil cover and minimal to no tilling in the production of annual crops."
Who is Mick McEcvoy?
Mick has a 20 year career in horticulture, ecology and agriculture beginning in Ireland and the UK. His career has taken him all over the world. Mick put his roots down in the soil of Plum Village after Thich Nhat Hanh and his community visited Ireland in 2012. Mick McEvoy has been the Manager of the Plum Village...
2021-02-1432 min
From Oil to Soil: the shift, "a podcast that plants trees!"Episode 4 - Biodiversity, Equity and Inclusion: Empowering New Voices of Climate LeadershipWhat is Biodiversity, Equity and Inclusion?
All of the beautiful solutions researched by Project Drawdown require a shift in thinking. It becomes clear that these solutions to the climate crisis demand a broader view, a new lens, a shift toward diversity—both in those telling the story and those hearing it—only then, can a new story emerge.In Drawdown’s mission statement the say, “We aim to support the growing constellation of efforts to move climate solutions forward and move the world toward Drawdown—as quickly, safely, and equitably as possible.”
The importance of equity becom...
2021-01-3126 min
From Oil to Soil: the shift, "a podcast that plants trees!"Episode 3 - Multistrata Agroforestry: Exploring the Edge As Juliana Birnbaum, Director of the Sustainable Revolution Project states, "Our evolution forward involves a looking back and honoring." Multi-strata Agroforestry, often implemented in permaculture design, is one Drawdown solution that can propel us into this future.
What is Multistrata Agroforestry?
According to Project Drawdown, "Multistrata agroforestry takes its cues from the defining feature of forests: layers. Blending an overstory of taller trees and an understory of one or more layers of crops, multistrata agroforestry maximizes both horizontal and vertical space."
Who is Juliana Birnbaum:
Skilled in multiple languages and trained in postcolonial...
2021-01-1725 min
From Oil to Soil: the shift, "a podcast that plants trees!"Episode 2 - The Beauty of Biochar: Enriching Soils, Reclaiming Carbon As our acclaimed interviewee and founder of the US Biochar Initiative, Gloria Flora puts it, "Biochar is basically charcoal, biomass that is not so much burned, but baked."
So What Exactly is Biochar?
In the Project Drawdown solution of Biochar Production, "Biomass slowly baked in the absence of oxygen becomes biochar, retaining most of the feedstock’s carbon. It can be buried for sequestration and potentially enrich soil. Biomass slowly baked in the absence of oxygen becomes biochar, retaining most of the feedstock’s carbon. It can be buried for sequestration and potentially enrich soil. The output is t...
2021-01-1726 min
From Oil to Soil: the shift, "a podcast that plants trees!"Episode 1 - Introducing From Oil to Soil: the shiftAn introductory episode elucidating the inspiration behind our work, as well as the environmental benefit of our solution-focused podcast.
2021-01-1606 min