Shows
This Week in Sustainability Podcast17: Remodeling MaterialsIn which Felicia describes the materials choices for her kitchen remodel, and her guest, Helene Renard, Professor of Interior Design in the School of Architecture + Design at Virginia Tech, describes the “Healthier Materials and Sustainable Building” course she took with the Healthy Materials Lab at the Parsons School of Design. Host–Felicia Etzkorn of Virginia Tech, with music by Wendy Godley of The Kind.
Green Kitchen Remodel: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/e8tg8v/Green_Kitchen_Lecture_2015am1wy.pdf
Course: https://healthymaterialslab.org/learning-hub/e-learning-online-certificate-program
Healthy Materials Lab: https://healthymaterialslab.org/ab...2021-07-2657 minThis Week in Sustainability Podcast16: PFAS SassIn which we discuss per- and poly-fluoroalkylsubstances (PFAS) with Carol Kwiatkowski of the Green Science Policy Institute (https://greensciencepolicy.org), their properties, function, consumer products, toxicity, persistence, chemical analysis, and regulation both in the US and EU. Some companies, like Keen, are eliminating PFAS from their products. We then discuss a few green substitutes, including Solberg Co.'s firefighting foam, a fatty acid coated cellulose, and iron skillets. Host–Felicia Etzkorn of Virginia Tech, co-host–Jamie Ferguson of Emory & Henry College, with music by Wendy Godley of The Kind.
PFAS review: Kwiatkowski, C. F.; Andrews, D. Q.; Birnb...2021-06-071h 07This Week in Sustainability Podcast15: News Roundup: Blues, Catalytic Converters, and FrackingIn which we discuss the recent development of a series of new blue pigments, the theft of catalytic converters for the rhodium, and the health effects of fracking chemicals. Hosted by Felicia Etzkorn of Virginia Tech, co-host Jamie Ferguson of Emory & Henry College, and music by Wendy Godley of The Kind.
Blue pigments: https://chemistry.oregonstate.edu/content/story-yinmn-blue
Catalytic converter theft: https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129047092
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/catalytic-converter-theft-south-africa-rhodium/2021/03/03/dc288192-777d-11eb-9489-8f7dacd51e75_story.html
Fracking chemicals: https...2021-05-0143 minThis Week in Sustainability Podcast14: Chemical Alt-RockIn which we discuss the opportunities for substituting safer chemical alternatives for consumer products in current use with our guest, Joel Tickner of the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. We don’t need to wait for green chemistry to come up with great alternatives, many have already been designed. We need to collaborate with businesses to turn towards better alternatives, rather than imposing regulations away from the bad stuff, risking drop-in substitutions that are just as bad. Host–Felicia Etzkorn of Virginia Tech, co-host–Jamie Ferguson of Emory & Henry College, with music by Wendy Godley of The Kind.
Resour...2021-03-0159 minThis Week in Sustainability Podcast13: Next Seven GenerationsIn which we discuss sustainable, plant-based cleaning products, oxygen-bleached paper products, recyclable and recycled packaging, transparent labeling, and consumer education with Martin Wolf, Director of Sustainability & Authenticity at Seventh Generation. Host–Felicia Etzkorn of Virginia Tech, co-host–Jamie Ferguson of Emory & Henry College, with music by Wendy Godley of The Kind.
Great resource for sustainability and environmental justice issues:
https://www.seventhgeneration.com/home2021-02-131h 06This Week in Sustainability Podcast12: With the Weight of LeadIn which we discuss the uses of lead in gasoline (and the temporally and geographically associated violence), avgas, pipes, and car paint primer, and the greener replacements for these products—ethanol as replacement for tetraethyl lead as an anti-knock additive in gasoline, potential plastic replacements for lead pipes, and yttrium as a replacement for lead car primer.Host–Felicia Etzkorn of Virginia Tech, co-host–Jamie Ferguson of Emory & Henry College, with music by Wendy Godley of The Kind.
Abelsohn AR, Sanborn M (2010) Lead and Children, Canadian Family Physician 56:531. https://www.cfp.ca/content/56/6/531
EPA Final Revisi...2021-01-2556 minThis Week in Sustainability Podcast11 Farming is ElementalIn which we interview Anthony Flaccavento, organic farmer, author, activist, and local politician, about his sustainable practices to incorporate carbon, nitrogen, and other essential elements back into the depleted soil of his former tobacco farm in southwest Virginia. No-till agriculture not only sequesters carbon and nitrogen in the soil, it balances soil water content in both drought and flood times. Host–Felicia Etzkorn of Virginia Tech, co-host–Jamie Ferguson of Emory & Henry College, with music by Wendy Godley of The Kind.
Resources
Anthony Flaccavento Building a Healthy Economy from the Bottom Up: Harnessing Real World Expe...2021-01-121h 13This Week in Sustainability Podcast10: Fertilizer Out of Thin AirIn which we discuss the effect of synthetic nitrogen fertilizer on feeding the world, and the synthesis of ammonia from nitrogen in the air and hydrogen generated from methane, first by the Haber-Bosch process and then by electrochemical processes with our guest, Dr. Michael Stoukides from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. Electrodes, catalysts, yields, rates, and the potential for energy storage are discussed for the electrochemical synthesis of ammonia. Host Felicia Etzkorn of Virginia Tech, co-host Jamie Ferguson of Emory & Henry College, with music by Wendy Godley of The Kind.
Kyriakou V, Garagounis I, Vasileiou E...2020-12-1955 minThis Week in Sustainability Podcast9: Bury, Recycle, or Compost?In which we discuss the relative merits of burying, recycling, or composting plastic waste, in particular, packaging. We distinguish biodegradable from compostable. Jamie describes Eastman Chemical Co.’s new process to take any plastic and break them down into their small molecule components and resynthesize new plastics, a true recycling process. We decide burying plastics is not so bad because it keeps carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. Finally, we discuss the idea of geoengineering the atmosphere with sulfur dioxide to reflect sunlight back into space, which is terrible because sulfur dioxide becomes acid rain. Produced, edited and posted by...2020-12-1544 minThis Week in Sustainability Podcast8: Firing Flame RetardantsIn which, with our guest, Dr. Arlene Blum (www.arleneblum.com) of the Green Science Policy Institute at the University of California, Berkeley, we discuss the toxicity of flame retardants in children’s products, furniture, and her success in changing the standards for these products so that flame retardants are unnecessary to prevent the most common smoldering fires. Flame retardants are still found in TVs. Then host Felicia Etzkorn and co-host Jamie Ferguson discuss a paper about the flammability of cotton and synthetic fabrics, including the limiting oxygen index (LOI), the heat release capacity (HRC), and the peak heat re...2020-11-291h 09This Week in Sustainability Podcast7: Charging Ahead with BatteriesIn which we discuss safer, more efficient, and better rechargeability batteries with two experts, Professors Feng Lin and Lou Madsen of Virginia Tech. We discuss the basics of how electricity and batteries work, the components of a battery, the problems of conventional nickel-cadmium and lead-acid batteries, and the advantages of lithium ion batteries. Feng Lin describes his recent work on oriented microparticles for lithium ion batteries that lead to faster recharging and longer lifetime. Lou Madsen explains his invention of a solid-state electrolyte for lithium ion batteries that is more durable and non-flammable. Hosted by Felicia Etzkorn (Virginia Tech...2020-11-141h 27This Week in Sustainability Podcast6: Chill with RefrigerantsIn which we discuss refrigeration, how it works (more or less), and the history of refrigerants, with their various advantages and disadvantages for the environment. Ammonia is toxic. Propane is flammable. Freons and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) destroy the ozone layer and contribute to global warming. Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) are also greenhouse gases, except for (HFO)-1234yf, which has a global warming potential (GWP) lower than carbon dioxide, but it is flammable and produces highly toxic and corrosive hydrofluoric acid (HF) or toxic trifluoroacetic acid. Finally, the greenest alternative is carbon dioxide itself, non-toxic, non-flammable, non-ozone depleting, and a relatively low...2020-11-0549 minThis Week in Sustainability Podcast5: Sunny Vitamin D3In which we discuss vitamins to sustain ourselves, fat-soluble and water-soluble, and the foods rich in certain vitamins. Then we take a deep-dive into Vitamin D3––the 7-dehydrocholesterol precursor, the UVB light required to synthesize it in our skin, dosage recommendations from the Institute of Medicine vs. the US Endocrine Society, health effects of not enough and too much. Finally, we talk a little about the biochemistry and testing methods. Stay for the haiku reading at the end! Felicia Etzkorn and Jamie Ferguson, with music written and performed by Wendy Godley.
Most of this information can be foun...2020-10-3154 minThis Week in Sustainability Podcast4: Shoe News - New ShoesIn which I very briefly describe the sustainable features of a new brand of shoes from Brazil called Cariuma. Solo effort by Felicia Etzkorn.
https://cariuma.com/pages/about-us-sustainability
2020-10-2409 minThis Week in Sustainability Podcast3: Hot Windows & Cool RoofsIn which we discuss transparent wood windows that are 90% as clear, much stronger, and insulate 6 times as well as glass with Prof. Liangbing Hu of the University of Maryland and Invent Wood. Then we discuss radiative cooling thin films that can be used to reflect heat back into outer space in the frequencies not blocked by greenhouse gases, day or night, to pre-cool air-conditioning fluid with Prof. Shanhui Fan of Stanford University and Sky Cool.
Transparent Wood: https://www.cnn.com/style/article/clear-wood-architecture/index.html
Invent Wood: https://www.inventwood.com
Radiative...2020-10-201h 13This Week in Sustainability Podcast2: Disinfectants-Keeping it Clean and Green!In which we discuss different methods of disinfecting surfaces: UV light, quaternary ammonium salts, alcohols, chlorine bleaches, hydrogen peroxide and oxygen with an iron catalyst, ozone, and grapefruit seed extract.
Far UV light for disinfection: https://www.microbe.tv/twiv/twiv-666/
Quaternary ammonium disinfectants: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/cen-09830-cover
Dioxins: https://www.epa.gov/dioxin/learn-about-dioxin
Iron-TAML oxidants, Terrence Collins: https://www.cmu.edu/chemistry/people/faculty/collins.html
Toms River: A Story of Science and Salvation by Dan Fagin: https://www.amazon.com/Toms-River-Story-Science-Salvation/dp/055380653X2020-10-091h 22This Week in Sustainability Podcast1: Sustainable ClothingIn which we discuss the merits and demerits of various materials that go into making our clothes, from renewable resources to biodegradability.
Coca Cola's 100% Plant-based Bottle: https://www.packaging-gateway.com/projects/-coca-cola-plant-based-bottle/
Waste by Katie O'Neill: https://earthbound.report/2019/08/19/book-review-waste-by-kate-oneill/
Tencel(TM) - lyocell: https://organicclothing.blogs.com/my_weblog/2005/11/tencel_sustaina.html
Cariama Shoes: https://cariuma.com/pages/about-us-sustainability
Blue River Documentary about blue jean production: http://riverbluethemovie.eco
iPhone down-cycling, The One Device by Brian Merchant: https://www.amazon.com/One-Device-Secret-History-iPhone/dp/031654616X
N...2020-10-031h 20