Shows
Sustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast: Plastic Bank's David Katz On Building A Global Bottle Deposit SystemDavid Katz, founder and CEO of Plastic Bank, returns to talk with Mitch Ratcliffe about the groundbreaking social enterprise's effort to transform plastic waste into economic opportunity. Plastic Bank has created a “global bottle deposit program" that partners with companies to incentivize the collection of ocean-bound plastic in vulnerable communities. Plastic Bank provides vital income while reducing plastic pollution, with over 3 billion plastic bottles already intercepted from entering our oceans.Since David last visited with Earth911, there has been a lot of growth and, recently, Plastic Bank introduced a subscription program that small businesses can join to support be...
2024-09-3036 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast: Mapping A Smart Path To The Circular Economy At The Ellen MacArthur Foundation REMADE ConferenceTune in to a special Earth Day 2024 episode about accelerating the path to a circular economy. Sustainability In Your Ear Mitch Ratcliffe shares lessons he learned at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's circular economy-focused REMADE conference, which met at the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in Washington DC earlier this month. Scientists and business leaders gathered to discuss and share research about enabling a circular economy. REMADE focuses on reducing waste and creating circular systems in the industry, which accounts for 30.2% of annual human CO2 emissions — and the conference has a decided tilt toward recycling, specifically industrializing it at a...
2024-04-2217 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast Special: Water For Peace With Model And Water Philanthropist Georgie BadielJoin Earth911's Mitch Ratcliffe for a special World Water Day conversation with model and activist Georgie Badiel and Newday Impact Investing's Dan Keeler. If you'd like to watch instead of listen to the show, which includes the world premiere of The Georgie Badiel Foundation's new fundingraising campaign video, visit our YouTube channel. Georgie's team supports a network of village wells in her homeland, Burkina Faso, that provides clean water, solar-powered community learning centers and gardens for more than 340,000 people. The organization trains women in the region to serve as engineers who install and maintain the wells, creating jobs and...
2024-04-011h 06Sustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast Special Event: Introducing the Ecological Benefits FrameworkThe landscape of environmental disclosure is changing fast. Go behind the scenes at Climate Week in New York to hear the introduction of a potentially transformative environmental reporting tool, the Ecological Benefits Framework (EBF). Created by the environmental storytelling studio The Lexicon, led by Douglas Gayeton, the EBF aims to go beyond Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) reporting, extending today's financial risk assessments with a comprehensive quantification of environmental impacts. Earth911's Mitch Ratcliffe also spoke with frequent guest Newday Impact CEO Doug Heske about the firm's commitment to be the first to use EBF information to build investment products...
2023-09-231h 06Sustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast: World Ocean Day Special -- Ashlan & Philippe Cousteau Share a Krill Call to ActionTrvl Channel hosts Ashlan and Philippe Cousteau join a special World Oceans Day conversation with Mitch Ratcliffe and Newday Impact Investing CEO Doug Heske about the rapidly declining krill population in the Southern Antarctic Ocean. These tiny crustaceans that are the keystone of a critical carbon cycle are threatened with extinction from overharvesting to make heart- and brain-healthy Omega-3 oils and for use as filler in animal feed. Just as humans once hunted whales almost to extinction, krill are being harvested extensively in the Antarctic Southern Ocean, so much so that the species is at risk. Demand for products made...
2023-06-081h 04Sustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast: Seeing the How of Circular Customer Experience with Allen AdamsonCan companies build circular services into their customer experience to earn a trusted relationship with the 81% of consumers who say they will buy more products and services from brands that help them live sustainably? We often talk about the Circular Economy and its benefits for people and the planet. Still, for many, the circular economy sounds like a lot of additional work to sort and drop off materials for reprocessing. And many people don't like the sound of "reduce and reuse" because the media tells us it means "less and worn out." That narrative needs to change. My special guest...
2023-05-2241 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast: Discover How The XX Edge Can Accelerate Sustainability & EquityWomen bring the skills, perspectives, and emotional intelligence necessary to achieving the green transition, addressing food shortages, and equitable financing. Women are 49.7% of the world’s population, but only 1.9% of venture capital investments in 2022 were placed with women-led startups. Patience Marine-Ball and Ruth Shaber, coauthors of The XX Edge: Unlocking higher returns and lower risk, join Mitch Ratcliffe to discuss the power and impact of women in business and other leadership roles. The book shares stories of corporate, startup, nonprofit and many other organizational innovations and improvements led by women, and they make the case that those of us with tw...
2023-03-2452 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast: Project Censored's Under-Reported Environmental Stories of 2023Stories and the way the press reports them shape our perception of the world and the Climate Crisis. While most major media companies have started to pay close attention to climate issues in recent years, often setting up their first environmental or climate desks, these beats are still understaffed to address the complex environmental narrative Mickey Huff, director of Project Censored and president of the Media Freedom Foundation, and Andy Lee Roth, associate director of the program, wrote an article for Earth911, Corporate Media Fiddle and the Planet Burns, about the environmental stories that were almost entirely ignored by the...
2023-03-0653 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast: Hungry Giant's Chris O'Brien on Reducing Institutional Food WasteHow can we eliminate food waste created by restaurants, institutional cafeterias, and retail grocers? According to the National Conference of State Legislators, food waste is a plague in our supply chains. Farms contribute 16% of total food waste and businesses another 39%, while households waste 43% of the food lost before it is consumed. Chris O’Brien joined the podcast to discuss processing food waste into soil supplement, a fuel source, and animal feed. He is the founder and CEO of Hungry Giant Waste Systems, which distributes bio-grinders and bio-dehydrators that grind and dry food waste generated by restaurants, cafeterias, and grocers. It's a...
2023-02-1037 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast: The Birth of the Lomi Home Composter With Pela cofounder Brad PedersenBrad Pedersen, cofounder and chairman of Pela, joins Mitch Ratcliffe to discuss the company's sustainable products. We recently spent a couple of months testing the Lomi home composter from Pela, a Kelowna, British Columbia-based maker of compostable phone cases, low-carbon and low-waste sunglasses, and now appliances for a sustainable life. Pela launched as a maker of phone cases made from flax and a plant-based biopolymer that can be safely composted at home or in an industrial composting system. The Lomi is a countertop appliance that composts food waste, paper, and a growing number of bioplastic products that don’t break dow...
2022-11-1443 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast: nZero and 3Degrees Team Up to Track & Manage Emissions GoalsLearn how to assess the green credentials of companies. Mitch Ratcliffe talks with Adam Kramer, CEO of nZero, a carbon tracking and reporting company, and Scott Martin, Vice President and Head of Global Commercial Business at 3Degrees, which provides carbon strategy consulting, decarbonization program development, carbon sequestration and renewable energy credit advisory services. The companies recently partnered to offer a comprehensive carbon reporting and management solution. Their wide-ranging conversation explores how to track Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions, manage and use carbon offsets transparently, ESG reporting, and the evolving job roles involved in decarbonizing the economy.CO2 emissions tracking and...
2022-11-0742 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast: Exploring Sustainable Footwear with Wildling Shoes Founder Anna YonaAnna Yona, cofounder with her husband of Engelskirchen, Germany-based Wildling Shoes talks with Earth911's Mitch Ratcliffe about making shoes that are easier on the planet. They make a wide range of shoes for women, men and kids, practicing sustainable design and manufacturing using a minimalist design philosophy the produces a light, comfortable and durable shoe. These high-cut shoe, which are made with certified organic cotton, hemp, and synthetic and recycled rubber and cork soles, have held up wonderfully over hundreds of miles of walking. A Certified B Corp., Wildling is working to reinvent shoes after starting out as a...
2022-10-0342 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast: Westerlay Orchids' Toine Overgaag on Making the Flower Business SustainableThe flower industry has a heavy environmental footprint but some growers are changing their agricultural and shipping practices. Toine Overgaag, president of family-owned Westerlay Orchids, grower and seller of live orchids, based in Carpenteria, Calif., joins Mitch Ratcliffe to discuss sustainable agriculture practices in the live plant industry. Westerlay uses natural predators instead of pesticides to deal with pests, energy and water management technologies, and recirculates waste exhaust CO2 to increase photosynthesis of plants.The company distributes more than four million orchids primarily through local and national supermarket chains, including Trader Joe’s, Kroger and Safeway.We talk thr...
2022-09-2342 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast: Author Peter Fiekowsky on Climate RestorationIn a conversation sure to fire controversy, author and Foundation for Climate Restoration founder Peter Feikowsky expresses optimism that the world could reach net-zero emissions and begin to drawdown atmospheric CO2 and methane levels within a decade. In a wide-ranging discussion with host Mitch Ratcliffe, Peter introduces several carbon capture technologies, low-carbon concrete, and natural carbon sinks that can contribute to removing anthropogenic CO2. He explains them in a new book, Climate Restoration: The Only Future That Will Sustain the Human Race. For example, using an inexpensive approach to remove methane, which warms the planet almost 28 times faster than CO2...
2022-07-2541 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast: How to Grow the EV Charging Infrastructure with Cyber Switching's Nick ZamanovNick Zamanov, business director at San Jose-based Cyber Switching, a maker of electric vehicle charging technology, joins Mitch Ratcliffe to discuss choosing the right EV and how to grow electric vehicle charging capacity. The company launched in 1994 and has developed charging solutions for offices, local governments, apartment buildings, universities and other charger installations. Nick also recently contributed an article at Earth911, Considerations To Help You Confidently Switch to an EV, a guide to the concerns shoppers have about buying and using EVs.The price of EV charging already compares favorably to fueling up with gas. According to American...
2022-07-0134 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast: The Ellen Macarthur Foundation Introduces a Circular Economy GlossaryAlice Bodreau, Strategic Partners Manager for Europe at the Ellen Macarthur Foundation joins Mitch Ratcliffe to discuss the new Circular Economy Glossary. She led the development of the glossary in partnership with IKEA to help provide a common language for different industries to explore and activate the circular economy. We wanted to learn more about their approach to the building circular systems and future efforts to extend the reference for wider application. Alice also explains how the the Ellen Macarthur Foundation educational programs help to grow the community of companies, governments and non-profits needed to kickstart circular economies for many m...
2022-05-2732 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast: Investing to Empower Future Generations with Doug Heske, Part 1Mitch Ratcliffe sits down with Newday Impact Investing CEO Doug Heske to start a two-part ESG investing conversation how to invest to help the future generations meet the unique challenges of the climate crisis and global competition. More than 1.8 billion youth around the world are readying themselves to take their place in their economies and communities. But as we know, today’s challenges are more technologically and intellectually difficult than the ones their parents and grandparents faced. They can be ready for great achievements with the right tools and support, and Doug identifies the companies working to engage with youth ar...
2022-03-2150 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast: The Ocean Conservancy's Dr. Anja Malawi Brandon on Plastic ProgressDr. Anja Malawi Brandon, an advisor to the Plastics Pact and U.S. Policy Analyst for the Ocean Conservancy, joins Mitch Ratcliffe to discuss three areas for potential progress in reducing our dependence on plastic and improving recycling rates. She explains how the Plastics Pact, a consortium of 100 companies, NGOs and governments, that has a plan for transforming the plastic recycling infrastructure by 2025. The organization recently released a list of "unnecessary plastics" that they recommend be abandoned in packaging. We also talk through the prospects for the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act in Congress; Anja was on the staff...
2022-03-0731 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast: Coral Vita's Sam Teicher Explains the Critical Need to Restore the World's ReefsSam Teicher, co-founder and Chief Reef Officer at Coral Vita, a social enterprise that grows resilient corals on land and transfers them to the sea to restore dying reefs, joins Mitch Ratcliffe to discuss ocean restoration. Check out his recent article, Coral Vita and the Vital Importance of Restoring Coral Reefs, on Earth911. More than half of the world’s coral has died since 1970 — if that doesn’t set alarm bells ringing, consider that a University of California Santa Barbara study published in Nature in August 2020 found that sea-sourced meat is essential to feeding humans in 2050. We must increase sea yields...
2022-02-0730 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast: Captain Paul Watson on Urgent Actions to Save Our OceanCaptain Paul Watson, founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, joins Earth911's Mitch Ratcliffe to talk about his new book, Urgent: Save Our Ocean to Survive Climate Change. He calls on readers to take action in their own lives to reduce their environmental impact and through protest. A controversial figure in the environmental movement because of his willingness to engage in direct action, Paul argues it is time for humans to change their relationship with nature and rejoin the bigger world they think that they control. Like his career, during which he has participated in direct actions against whalers a...
2022-01-1229 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast: Shannon Lohr on Building a Responsible, Tranparent Fashion IndustryShannon Lohr, founder of Factory45 sits down with Earth911's Mitch Ratcliffe to talk transparency in fashion labeling. Fashion is one of the most environmentally harmful industries on the planet because it has focused on delivering “fast,” short-lived products made to be worn a few times and discarded. Factory45 has worked with more that 500 sustainable fashion entrepreneurs to develop a responsible industry in textiles and clothing. Her blog, podcast and free or fee-based tools for fashion startups are a great resource to understand the environmental impact of traditional fashion and the potential for a low- or no-carbon future for fashion. ...
2021-12-0817 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast: Newday Impact's Doug Heske On Investing After COP26Newday Impact Investing CEO Doug Heske talks with Earth911's Mitch Ratcliffe about how to invest to reduce greenhouse gas emissions based on the outcome of the United Nations' COP26 meeting in Glasgow, Scotland. A consortium of banks controlling more than $130 trillion in assets announced the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net-Zero to direct investments into renewable energy instead of fossil fuels extraction. Will the announcement drive higher valuations of GHG companies?We discuss eight companies with negative carbon footprints, including AC Energy Corp, which is headquartered in the Philippines, New Zealand’s Mercury NZ, the Canadian energy company Tr...
2021-11-1734 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast: A COP26 Progress Report from the Foundation for Climate RestorationAs the world prepares for the United Nations’ COP26 climate change conference, we talk with Rick Wayman, the new CEO of the Foundation for Climate Restoration (F4CR). They are working to return atmospheric CO2 levels to pre-Industrial Era levels by 2050. Members of the F4CR team have been on the show many times to discuss carbon capture and sequestration, an approach to permanently removing excess atmospheric CO2 that stores carbon in the ground or uses it to make new products and materials, from vodka to concrete. Earth911's Mitch Ratcliffe recently moderated a session about mining the sky for th...
2021-11-0130 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast: Forust Cofounder Ronald Rael on 3D-Printed WoodRonald Rael, cofounder of 3D-printed wood maker Forust and chair of the Architecture department at the University of California Berkeley College of Environmental Design joins Mitch Ratcliffe. Ronald co-invented a method for printing wood with realistic grain using sawdust and lignin, the natural adhesive in wood.Forust's 3D-printing system can mimic the natural grains and colors of different species, including rare rosewood, mahogany and ebony that are the cause of widespread deforestation. Because it is printed, Forust wood can be shaped for use in furniture or and printed to service as a structural support in building — it opens a...
2021-10-2520 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast: Getting Indigenous Kids Outside with Activist Jody PottsEarth911's Mitch Ratcliffe talks with Jody Potts, an Alaskan native Han Gwich’in environmental and indigenous rights advocate who recently was named to the Explore Fund Council at outdoor gear maker The North Face. That council guides the company’s grant-giving. She is working in particular to launch a program, Native Youth Outdoors, that encourages indigenous kids to get outside and involved with nature. With Indigenous People’s Day this month, and so much controversy swirling around protections of the Alaskan wilderness, we are excited to talk with Jody about the challenges and opportunities for positive change she sees these
2021-10-2224 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast: Newday Impact's Doug Heske on responsible energy investingEnvironmentally responsible investing requires we apply carbon sense thinking, says our guest, Doug Heske, CEO of Newday Impact Investing. Doug and Earth911's Mitch Ratcliffe launch a series of conversations about making informed decisions about stocks and funds, beginning with a comparison of the emerging solar and declining fossil fuels industry. In this episode, we'll look at Sunpower, First Solar, Canadian Solar, Sunnova and Tesla, all stocks Doug suggests are core energy holdings for the future, as well as Exxon Mobil, Chevron, British Petroleum and Royal Dutch Shell, which he advises avoiding or selling if your goal is to protect t...
2021-10-1835 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast: Meet the World of Waves Crypto Token Designed to Do GoodWhat if the money we used could also do good every time we spent it? There’s a movement among cryptocurrency developers to add a social purpose to the coins they make. Earth911's Mitch Ratcliffe talks with the co-creators of the World of Waves token, a cryptocurrency that has a “built-in tax” that “[support] as many charitable organizations in the world as possible while rewarding holders with substantial returns.” Sami Touzani and Kristijan Tot explain how they developed the idea of a crypto token aimed at helping clean up the world's oceans.Every time a World of Waves coin...
2021-10-1329 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast: Talking Sustainable Living and Business with Kate GaertnerMitch Ratcliffe talks with Kate Gaertner, the author of Planting a Seed: Three Simple Steps to Sustainable Living and an expert who has advised companies about enacting sustainable business practices for several decades. She recently shared an article on Earth911, Developing Habits for a Sustainable Life. We talk about the values-based decisions for sustainable living in the article and her advice for individuals and companies that want to turn the corner to achieve dramatically improved environmental outcomes.
2021-10-0627 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast: Climate Crisis Lessons From the Struggle Against Industrial AgribusinessEarth911's Mitch Ratcliffe talks with authors Daniel O’Connell and Scott Peters about their book In The Struggle. It is a chronicle of the decline of the traditional small farm in California’s Central Valley, the resulting social and political movement by small farmers and farm workers, and the lessons for future generations seeking equitable, environmentally responsible communities. Under the onslaught of industrial agribusiness, which manipulated provisions of several landmark federal laws meant to protect small farms, those farmers, farm workers and a cadre of university social researchers forged a resistance that attempted to preserve democratic agrarian communities against loss...
2021-09-2731 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast: Planting 8BillionTrees to Offset Carbon EmissionsEarth911's Mitch Ratcliffe talks with Jon Chambers, cofounder of 8BillionTrees.com, which offers a variety of ways to “shop and erase your carbon footprint.” They've planted more than 6.4 million trees to date and make is simple to calculate how much CO2 your daily habits produce. For example, 8 Billion Trees provides tree-planting to offset your streaming video habit, a birthday party or your pet’s carbon footprint. Chambers and his cofounder Michael Powell set out to create “the most environmentally aware social enterprise on the planet.”
2021-09-1327 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast: Finding Our Niche with Author Philip LoringEarth911's Mitch Ratcliffe explores the cultural barriers to a harmonious relationship with nature in conversation with author Philip Loring about his book, Finding Our Niche. Loring is the Arrell Chair in Food, Policy and Society at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada. He writes that “reconciliation takes hard work at all levels, from federal governments to within individuals’ hearts and minds. It requires that we dismantle our existing, imbalanced systems of power and privilege, give the land back to Indigenous peoples and then trust, rather than fear, what these actions will mean for us settlers.” His meditative writing based...
2021-09-1025 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast: The ChangeIt App Promises Climate ImprovementsThe ChangeIt app for iPhone and Android devices promises to help "busy people that want to fight climate change." Earth911's Mitch Ratcliffe talks with ChangeIt creator Tiago Ferreira about how he designed the app, why it avoids calculating the user's total carbon footprint, and how early users are engaging with climate goals and the community. The app is designed to coach users through adopting new habits, including sharing good ideas, and unlike other apps does not first walk the user through calculating their carbon footprint. Tiago tied ChangeIt into the Discord chat app to support a growing community of...
2021-08-1623 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast: Zero Hour Youth Ambassadors Explain the No Youth, No Truth ProjectMeet Zero Hour movement Youth Ambassadors Lindy Feaster and Lyne Odhiambo. They talk with host Mitch Ratcliffe about the No Youth, No Truth project, a multi-generational project to share stories of underrepresented youth and low-income communities suffering the brunt of climate and environmental disasters. This August, the No Youth, No Truth project will train youth spokespeople to connect with media, pitch stories and address climate policy issues as well as counter misinformation. The climate crisis affects all of us but it is youth, their children and future generations who face the worst climate change impacts during their lifetimes. If we...
2021-08-0220 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast: Ideanomics Is Building a Renewable Energy-based Transportation InfrastructureEarth911's Mitch Ratcliffe talks with Ideanomics CEO Alf Poor about the evolution of transportation. We need new systems for vehicle charging in public transportation and distribution, more alternatives to cars, trucks, buses, motorcycles and scooters, as well as new approaches to paying for mobility. We may soon be paying just for the distance we travel while the vehicles we use become shared assets managed and maintained by companies that specialize in specific types of transportation. Ideanomics takes a holistic approach to solving these problems, creating companies to tackle a variety of the challenges we face as we reinvent our e...
2021-07-2625 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast: Nostromo Wants To Cool The World With Thermal-Energy StorageEarth911's Mitch Ratcliffe speaks with Yaron Ben-Nun, Chief Technology Officer at Nostromo, which has introduced a fascinating innovation in commercial building cooling, the IceBrick Thermal-Energy Storage technology. Nostromo is an Israeli startup that recently went public and trades on the Tel Aviv stock exchange under the symbol SMTO. IceBrick can shift the energy demand to prevent spikes in power consumption during the hottest part of the day when air conditioning demand peaks. IceBrick stores cooling energy in the form of ice during off-peak hours and overnight when there is plenty of generation capacity available. Think of it as storing th...
2021-07-1240 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast: Good Girl Green Stephanie Moram on Sustainable Summer EntertainingEarth911's Mitch Ratcliffe chats with Good Girl Gone Green creator and green living mentor Stephanie Moram, looking at the choices for entertaining sustainably this summer. Stephanie's been exploring the many ways we can reduce our environmental impact with an emphasis on making our lives unique and enjoyable. “There is no right or wrong way to become more green,” she says, and we agree. She offers online learning program, Find Your Green, for women who want to understand the sustainability questions they should consider when making choices at the store and home.We also cover questions about making your...
2021-07-0726 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast: Nudge Systems' Pleco Water Use Tracker Plugs Your Wasteful HabitsHow can we track our water usage to recognize how to save water? Earth911's Mitch Ratcliffe talks with Nelson Pedreiro of Nudge Systems, which makes the Pleco, a smart device that attaches to your water meter to track water usage by category, from toilet flushes and showers to washing the clothes and watering the lawn. It can also identify leaks long before the are visible to the eye. One tech magazine called it a “Fitbit for your water meter.” Nelson explains how to install and connect Pleco to an in-home display or smartphone app that reports your water use in d...
2021-07-0520 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast: Nexus Fuels' Jeff Gold on Molecular Plastic RecyclingEarth911's Mitch Ratcliffe talks with Jeff Gold, founder and CEO of Altanta-based Nexus Fuels, which processes 50 tons of plastic daily using molecular recycling that breaks the material down into the basic elements of hydrocarbon found in oil so it can be reused in new plastic. It’s the leading edge of chemical technologies for creating a circular economy. Nexus combines waste management and energy production using Plastics #2, #4, #5 and #6 to make feedstock, the raw materials, for new plastic or fuel. Gold explains that Nexus stopped sending its recycled hydrocarbons to oil companies to prevent the recycled plastic from becoming air po...
2021-06-2531 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast: Talking Sustainable Investing with Philippe Cousteau and Doug HeskeEarth911's Mitch Ratcliffe talks with Doug Heske, CEO of Newday Impact Investing and Philippe Cousteau, founder of EarthEcho International, about the potential to accelerate the transition from the petrochemical economy by investing in sustainable businesses. They have partnered to expand financial literacy in the young and communities of color around the world. They discuss recent criticisms of investments that aim to change the environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices of companies and their experience backing and coaching companies. Together, their organizations collaborate with the SIFMA Foundation on sustainable investing knowledge delivered by the popular National Stock Market Game.
2021-05-1030 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast: 3R Technology's Charles Brennick on Recycling Computers and SmartphonesEarth911's Mitch Ratcliffe talks with Charles Brennick, director of Business Development and eCommerce at Seattle-based 3R Technology, an electronics recycling company that also refurbishes and resells PCs, laptops, phones and monitors. He explains the two major recycling standards, eStewards and R2, and how devices are handled after people send them. Brennick also outlines the valuable materials in old electronics and how R3 refurbishes and sells PCs, phones, monitors and mother boards, extending their useful life and reduce the need for raw materials. eWaste accounts for 53.6 million tons of waste annually as of 2019 and is expected to rise to 74 million...
2021-04-2321 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast: Meat Alternatives with Before the Butcher's Danny O'MalleyDanny O'Malley, founder and CEO of plant-based meat alternative company Before the Butcher joins Earth911's Mitch Ratcliffe to talk about transforming the carbon footprint of human food systems. The company's UNCUT and Mainstream branded vegan, gluten- and GMO-free soy-based meat alternatives to beef, chicken and pork in a variety of forms -- patties, chunks, tips and ground for use in recipes, as well as shredded versions -- can replace meat in a variety of recipes. O'Malley shares why he started the company and discusses the sourcing of Before the Butcher's soy proteins and canola oils to avoid producing CO2 e...
2021-03-2029 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast: Talking Carbon Capture Investment with Rick ParnellCarbon capture technology is a keystone investment in restoring the climate to pre-industrial CO2 levels. Earth911 talks with Rick Parnell, CEO of the Foundation for Climate Restoration about his recent Newsweek and Washington Post op-eds calling for investments in the technology and setting a price for carbon. He and his co-authors, Kathleen Rogers of EarthDay.org and Sir David King of the Center for Climate Repair at Cambridge University, point out that climate change-related health issues will lead to more than 250,000 additional deaths per year between 2030 and 2050 and an that additional climate-caused food shortages will contribute to 529,000 deaths a year...
2021-03-0825 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Interview: Hannah Bacon, Cross-Country EnvironmentalistEarth911 talks with Hannah Bacon, a 27-year-old woman who decided to start a seven-month journey across the U.S. to raise awareness about climate change. She will walk from California to Virginia, and we caught up to her in New Mexico after two months on the road. Hannah was inspired by David Wallace-Wells’ book, "The Uninhabited Earth," while flying cross-country. She realized her non-essential travel was harming the planet, so she decided to walk home. Hannah’s “Miles for Movement” walk started on November 1, 2020, and will continue through the Summer.All donations to the walk’s GoFundMe p...
2021-02-0121 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Conversation: The Climate Policy Debate with Danielle Butcher of the American Conservation Coalition and Kevin WilhelmJoin another Earth911 conversation about the critical divides in U.S. politics and climate policy with Kevin Wilhelm of Sustainable Business Consulting and Danielle Butcher, Chief Operating Officer, Executive Vice President of the young-conservative organization, the American Conservation Coalition. We discuss the differences in the right- and left-leaning climate policy debate, the role of generational change in the future of U.S. climate regulations, and the potential for establishing a new center for political discourse. Host Mitch Ratcliffe talks with Wilhelm and Butcher about the role of economic stimulus, educational funding, and the federal government's ability to shape economic priorities...
2021-01-2536 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Interview: Coastal Flooding In 2050 With Climate Scientist James RenwickEnvironment and Earth Sciences at Victoria University, Wellington New Zealand, joins Earth911 to discuss the prospects for coastal flooding due to climate change. He shares troubling but important insights into how much seas have already risen since the 1800s -- about one foot -- and the potential for up to two feet more flooding in the coming century. He also reports the UNIPCC will acknowledge that the critical 1.5C warming threshold is locked in unless the world takes radical action to reduce emissions immediately. Humanity has already committed future generations to potentially disastrous climate impacts, he says.Renwick...
2021-01-0130 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Interview: Talking 2021 Global Climate Progress with The Economist's Catherine BrahicCatherine Brahic, the environment editor at The Economist, joins Earth911's Mitch Ratcliffe to discuss her November 16, 2020, editorial, "The world could turn a corner on climate change." She explains the United Nations' upcoming COP26 meeting, when world leaders will renew and update their climate change commitments, was postponed to Fall 2021. Brahic shares her assessments of climate progress to date and the pivotal roles of China and the United States in 2021, when scientists and policymakers say aggressive action is essential to preventing a 1.5℃ increase in average atmospheric temperature. Yet, Brahic is optimistic because of the return of the U.S. to th...
2020-12-2828 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Interview: Talking Sustainability at Archer Daniels Midland with Paul BloomEarth911 talks with Paul Bloom, vice president of Sustainable Materials at Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), about the food and plant-based maker’s sustainability goals and changes to how they make food and plant-based products. He shares with Earth911’s Mitch Ratcliffe how ADM has invested to create sustainable alternatives to synthetic and petroleum-based materials.Bloom leads the company’s efforts to develop new renewable, plant-based sustainable solutions for food production and ingredients used in personal care, paint, and a variety of industrial products. ADM is also pursuing partnerships to produce alternatives to the chemical products corporate customers rely on to...
2020-12-2127 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Conversations: Bridging the Right-Left Renewable Energy Policy Divide with Todd MyersTodd Myers, Director of the Center for the Environment at the conservative Washington Policy Center joins Kevin Wilhelm, CEO of Sustainable Business Consulting, and Earth911's Mitch Ratcliffe to discuss the common planks of a renewable energy policy shared by both sides of the political divide. Myers in the author of Eco-Fads: How the Rise of Trendy Environmentalism Is Harming the Environment, as well as a member of the Puget Sound Salmon Recovery Council and former staff at the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. We discuss how to structure climate policy to achieve a rapid transition to renewable energy...
2020-12-1642 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Conversations: Introducing Our Healing Divides Series with Kevin WilhelmAfter another election fought over by parties committed to winning and sidelining the opposition for four years will not heal the nation or provide the basis for constructive conversations about progress toward a fair and sustainable net-zero society. Mitch Ratcliffe, publisher of Earth911.com, and Sustainable Business Consulting's Kevin Wilhelm introduce a series of conversations that cross the right-left, urban-rural, technologist-Luddite, low- and high-income, racial and enthnic divides that have paralyzed progress. Wilhelm is the author of How to Talk to the “Other Side”: Finding Common Ground in the Time of Coronavirus, Recession and Climate Change and a professor at Harv...
2020-12-0915 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast: Mark Schaus on Creating A Livable, Sustainable WorldAuthor Marc Schaus talks with Earth911's Mitch Ratcliffe about his new book, Our Livable World: Creating the Clean Earth of Tomorrow, a hopeful book about addressing climate change through improved energy efficiency and new, clean electricity generation technologies. Schaus explains that many new technologies are appearing that can help pivot the economy to renewable energy, and this is a source of hope. In addition to historically cheap solar power, waste-free nuclear fusion and tidal energy arrays that generate electricity from the flow of ocean tides and waves will make fossil fuels obsolete. But he also points out that fatalistic...
2020-12-0225 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast: Emerald Packaging CEO Kevin Kelly On Plastic Use and Producer ResponsibilityPlastic pollution surged along with COVID-19 as the world's human population raced to protect itself from the virus. We talk with Kevin Kelly, CEO of Emerald Packaging, one of the largest plastic bag makers in the country. Kelly shares how in-store recycling programs have been curtailed by fears about spreading infections and the continuing increase in plastic usage compared to previous years. Emerald Packaging is working to reduce its reliance on virgin plastic resins, as well as introducing recyclable and compostable produce packaging.Kelly also shares his personal concern that American business has not fully understood the...
2020-09-1421 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast: Avoiding Revenge Pollution With World Centric's Lauren OlsonAs the world re-opens in the wake of COVID-19 Wave 1, revenge pollution threatens to amplify human environmental impacts as people travel, spend, and discard products and packaging at a higher level than before the global lockdown. Earth911's Mitch Ratcliffe talks with Lauren K. Olson, zero-waste manager at World Centric, a Rohnert Park, Calif.-based maker of compostable bioplastic food packaging and tableware about how to avoid revenge pollution in our personal lives. She shares insights into plastic choices, composting practices, travel and conscious shopping strategies that will reduce your footprint.Join the conversation and share your thoughts...
2020-06-0120 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast: Making environmental lemonade from COVID-19 lemonsWe're still deep in the lockdown and the Earth911 team gathers from the far corners of the U.S. to discuss how to improve our personal and community sustainability as we emerge from the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Earth911's Sarah Lozanova, Mitch Ratcliffe and our producer, Doug Mackey, talk about the increased recycling reported by cities, as well as the disappointing news that people are not cleaning and sorting recyclables -- contamination rates stay stuck between 20 percent and 25 percent in many areas. The Recycling Partnership reports similar results from its recent survey of programs in Washington, Oregon...
2020-05-1835 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast: Isolation & Earth Day -- Living Sustainably During COVID-19The Earth911 team gathers, again, from the far corners of this isolated country to talk about the opportunities to improve our lives and reduce our impact on the planet in the midst of the COVID-19 lockdown. Join Mitch Ratcliffe and Sarah Lozanova for a conversation about keeping sane and adding sustainability education for your kids while stuck at home. We also talk more about the phenomenal evidence from the pandemic that many individual actions, such as reducing driving and closing ports, have had on environmental quality around the world. Los Angeles' air is cleaner than any time in memory, the...
2020-04-1340 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podast: Net-Zero Prefab Homes From DveleDvele's Brandon Weiss has a vision for durable Net-zero housing. As Chief Innovation Officer at Dvele, a San Diego-based manufacturer of sustainably made passive homes, Weiss is creating an array of home styles that buyers can customize and see built within six months. The company is working in Ventura and Sonoma Counties in California to help provide new homes for wildfire victims. Earth911's Mitch Ratcliffe talks with Weiss about the future of housing, Dvele's hardy construction standards, and sustainability features.If you are going to build a home in the next few years, prefab houses offer several...
2020-01-2018 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podast: Make 2020 The Year of A Greener YouHappy New Year, Earthlings! Join the Earth911 team as they talk about the green choices and important trends of 2020. Evelyn Fielding-Lopez, Sarah Lozanova, and Mitch Ratcliffe are on the air to discuss minimalist living and how it fits with frugal choices, the important trends in solar power and environmentally friendly living that we expect to see take hold in 202o, as well as the growing range of choices of electric vehicles and charging options for green travel. Our Earthling Questions answered this week include: How to recycle padded envelopes, changing glass recycling access in the U.S., and w...
2020-01-1354 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast: Recycling Info On Google Assistant, and Thanks For a Great 2019!The Earth911 team has a lot to celebrate this year. We're live on Google Assistant, where you can now ask how and where to recycle materials with a simple "Hey, Google!" Evelyn Fielding-Lopez and Mitch Ratcliffe sit down to talk about the last year and where sustainability is going. Learn how to be environmentally friendly at college -- the lessons there will affect a lifetime and can be applied by anyone. We have a lot of confidence that youth will live in greater harmony with the planet. Check out Seattle-based Ridwell, which provides home pickup of batteries, textiles, and plastic...
2019-12-2346 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast: Beat Wishcycling Habits with Lauren Olson of World CentricWishcycling, tossing something that can't be recycled into the blue bin, is the bane of recycling programs because it can contaminate other materials in the system. Earth911's Mitch Ratcliffe talks with Lauren Olson, Zero Waste Manager at compostable tableware maker World Centric in Rohnert Park, California, about building simple habits that prevent wishcycling. Simply keeping up with your local recycling program's rules is the best step you can take, but with rules changing so often consumers need to build a habit of checking with their recycler's website frequently.Wishcycled materials, which can include many types of plastic...
2019-11-2814 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast, November 4, 2019: How Dumps, Landfills, and Incinerators WorkThe Earth911 team sits down to talk about how dumps differ from landfills, how incinerators work, and the limits of landfill expansion. Join Evelyn Fileding-Lopez, Sarah Lozanova, and Mitch Ratcliffe for this week's But first, we explore natural ways to remove stains, including grease, blood, and wine in recent infographic from Tommy John that we published. Do you know how to dispose of plastic bags responsibly? In one of our most popular postings of the last month, Patti Roth explained how disposable plastic bags have become a greater challenge to recycle and, unfortunately, now mostly end up in landfills. Here's...
2019-11-0448 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast, October 28, 2019: Dr. Reggie Ferriera on Climate Change and Human Stress LevelsHow will climate change impact many people first? Through stress, our response to increasingly uncertain weather conditions and the increasing pace of climate disasters, Dr. Reggie Ferreira, Associate Director of the Traumatology Institute at Tulane University's School of Social Work. Having worked as part of New Orleans' recovery after Hurricane Katrina and in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria, Dr. Ferreira has advice for cities and citizens who are facing climate change: Prepare by planning for disaster and building a strong social network that can work together in the wake of a hurricane, wildfire, or other weather-related disasters. Dr. Ferreira is...
2019-10-2818 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast, October 25, 2019: Saving US jobs, and t-shirts from landfills, with Project RepatProject Repat, founded by Ross Lohr and Nathan Rothstein, has prevented more than 11 million t-shirts from landfills while bringing some sewing work back to the United States. Earth911's Mitch Ratcliffe talks with Rothstein about the inspiration behind Project Repat and the massive changes in U.S. t-shirt manufacturing over the past 30 years. After migrating to Mexico, t-shirt printing jobs have gone overseas and few American companies still make them.Project Repat has a better idea: turn old shirts into keepsake quilts hand-sewn using t-shirts sent by customers. Instead of tossing a t-shirt in the donation bin, it...
2019-10-2512 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast, Oct. 7, 2019: Hydrofluorocarbons, Bad Water, and Fall GardeningThe Earth911 gang is back at the microphone to talk about hydroflourocarbon 152A, the supergreenhouse gas in many U.S. aerosol products (it's banned elsewhere in the world), how to identify and deal with contaminated tap water, and the preparations and plantings you can make now to a healthy garden in 2020. Join Evelyn Fielding-Lopez, Sarah Lozanova, and Mitch Ratcliffe for a conversation that can help you prevent climate change and protect your family from lead and other widespread contaminants in the U.S. water infrastructure -- more than 63 million Americans are at risk from contaminated water. As always, we...
2019-10-0740 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast, Sept. 30, 2019: The State of the Recycling SystemExplore the state of U.S. recycling with Joe Pickard, Chief Economist and Director of Commodities at the Institute for Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI). He joins Earth911 to talk about the recently released ISRI 2019 Economic Impact Study. Despite massive change after China refused to accept U.S. recyclables in early 2018, the U.S. recycling industry grew last year to $110 billion in economic activity and added jobs. More than 531,510 people work in recycling-related jobs and direct employment in recycling increased by about 5 percent since 2017.Joe and Mitch Ratcliffe discuss the changing landscape in U.S. recycling. New players and n...
2019-09-3013 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast, Sept. 23, 2019: CBD Sustainability, Solar Installation Contracts, and Indoor Vertical GardensFollowing the rapid rise of CBD-based products, Earth911 looks at the environmental footprint of the non-psychoactive product of hemp and cannabis plants. We also walk the steps to a successful home solar installation contract and explore the opportunity to green your interior with vertical gardens. Join Evelyn Fielding-Lopez, Sarah Lozanova, and Mitch Ratcliffe for this week's sustainable living and recycling discussion.Products containing CBD are promoted as cures of pain, anxiety, and animal health, but is the production of CBD sustainable? We explore how CBD is grown and packaged to discover if your cannabis-based skin regime and sleep ai...
2019-09-2343 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast: Global Thermostat's Graciela Chichilnisky on Distributed Carbon Capture EconomiesDr. Graciela Chichilnisky, co-founder and CEO of Global Thermostat, pioneered climate change policy and sustainable development planning, participating in the development of the Kyoto Protocol and as lead U.S. author for the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports and guidelines. An economist and mathematician, she recognized early the looming climate impact of CO2 in the atmosphere and has been recognized by Time, The Washington Post, and other publications as a leader in environmental innovation. Dr. Chichilnisky talks with Earth911's Mitch Ratcliffe about the economic and climate-saving potential of Global Thermostat's carbon capture technology.Global...
2019-09-2026 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Innovator Interview: World Centric's Mark Marrinozi on the Battle to End PolystyreneWorld Centric, a 15-year-old sustainability advocacy and compostable food packaging Benefit corporation, is calling for the end of polystyrene use in food packaging. Mark Marrinozi, vice president of marketing at World Centric, joins Earth911's Mitch Ratcliffe to discuss the use of polystyrene, how World Centric's line of compostable alternatives behave when composted, and the evolution of a unique company that gives 25 percent of its profits to startup sustainability efforts around the world. Learn to identify polystyrene when shopping and dining out, find out what to tell local businesses that still use polystyrene, and help make the change happen.
2019-09-1328 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast, Sept. 9, 2019: Lighting, Satellite Dishes, and Vampire ElectronicsThinking of replacing your lightbulbs, upgrading to a satellite TV for the football season, or saving on home electricity spending? The Earth911 team has recycling and savings tips for the Fall when school and planning for next year begins. Join Evelyn Fielding-Lopez, Sarah Lozanova, and Mitch Ratcliffe for a discussion about sustainable living and recycling.We start with President Trump's recent decision to reverse a ban on incandescent lights that would have taken effect in 2020 to "will ensure that the choice of how to light homes and businesses is left to the American people." Unfortunately, the policy is...
2019-09-0942 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast, Sept. 3, 2019: Lawn Alternatives & Summer AllergiesThe Earth911 team gathers round the microphone to talk about the terrible cost of those pretty green lawns and natural allergy treatment options. As Labor Day passes and our water bills continue to climb, it's time to consider other ways to bring nature into your yard than the traditional grass lawn. A Victorian idea, the lawn may have been fit for a turn-of-the-20th Century home in England or France, but it is out of place in the water-limited world. Join Evelyn Fielding-Lopez, Sarah Lozanova, and Mitch Ratcliffe as they talk about their lawn options and share ways to reduce...
2019-09-0241 minSustainability In Your EarThe iRecyle App Is Back & Summer SustainabilitySummer break is over and the Earth911 podcast gang is back! In today's conversation, we introduce our new iRecycle 3.0 app and talk through how to build a better recycling information system. It's also time to talk Summer sustainability, including how to keep bugs out of the house and yard naturally, the best ideas for successful composting, how composting toilets can add flexibility to our infrastructure, and our recent guide to natural personal care products. And, as always, Earthling questions about recycling.Evelyn Fielding-Lopez, Sarah Lozanova, and Mitch Ratcliffe kick off this week's show with iRecycle 3.0, the newly released...
2019-08-1251 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast, August 5, 2019: Carbon Removal With Nuclear Power?The carbon emissions generated since the Industrial Revolution wrap the Earth in a heat sponge of one trillion tons of excess CO2 and that extra heat will remain in the atmosphere for hundreds of years after we achieve a net-Zero economy. Brett Kugelmass, managing director of the Washington, D.C.-based Energy Impact Center recently presented a vision for a prosperous post-carbon world that achieves net-Zero emissions and widespread prosperity in a speech to the American Climate Leadership Conference. The power source he advocates is a challenging one: thousands of small nuclear fission reactors. While the power source h...
2019-08-0530 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast, May 27, 2018: Get Ready for World Environment DayJune 5th is World Environment Day and the Earth911 team will help you get ready. Join Evelyn Lopez and Mitch Ratcliffe to talk about World Environment Day activities and how to participate in raising air pollution awareness in your community. The Mask Challenge, a global call for citizens to post pictures of themselves wearing face masks to protect against dirty air, began May 24th and runs through June 5th. We share Global Environment Day ideas that you can use to #BeatAirPollution, along with our own suggestions.Reducing air pollution is a constant project that you can start small, by switching...
2019-05-2747 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast, May 20, 2019: Helmm's Sustainable Antiperspirant For MenHelmm co-founders Zach Groffksy and Taylor Lane discuss sustainable men's care products. They recently launched a subscription antiperspirant/deodorant subscription service for a luxury refillable holder. The elegant Helmm deodorant container is made with recyclable metal and fine leather. With four fragrances available today, Helmm lets customers schedule how frequently their refills arrive. Each refill cuts 60 percent of the plastic used for traditional deoderant containers, and the refill containers are recyclable HDPE plastic.Groffsky and Lane talk with Earth911's Mitch Ratcliffe about the basic requirements customers expect in a modern product, starting with basic environmental responsibility. The...
2019-05-2026 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast, May 13, 2019: The Changing Recycling Industry2018 was a year of big changes in recycling and in 2019 we're seeing the beginnings of a new era taking shape. The Earth911 team sits down for a conversation about how local recycling programs are changing in the wake of China's ban on contaminated imports and shifts in overseas destinations for U.S. scrap metal and recyclables. While glass recycling is facing cutbacks across the country, U.S. scrap metal exports actually increased in 2018. Join Evelyn Fielding-Lopez, Sarah Lozanova, and Mitch Ratcliffe for a conversation about the future and safety of recycling. People can also make a big difference t...
2019-05-1348 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast, April 22, 2019: Earth Day Past And FutureHappy Earth Day, everyone! The Earth911 team sits down to talk about the history of Earth Day, the actions each of us can take to support endangered species, reduce our carbon footprints, and improve recycling outcomes across the world. Earth Day 2019 is focused on preserving and educating people about the extinction of species. Next year, the Earth Day Network aims to bring a billion people out into the streets. Evelyn Fielding-Lopez, Sarah Lozanova, and Mitch Ratcliffe also discuss the evolution of pesticides and the use of natural alternatives that control pests. A great place to start is in...
2019-04-2252 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast, April 5, 2019: Recycling Issues with ISRI Chief Lobbyist Billy JohnsonBilly Johnson, the chief lobbyist for the Institute for Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI), joins Earth911's Mitch Ratcliffe to talk through the major policy issues facing recycling in 2019. From the growth in ferrous metal exports despite China's ban on contaminated scrap imports to the U.S. Surface Transportation Board's impact on domestic recycling prices, we cover the growing sophistication of recycling companies as the United States shifts toward circular economies that preserve materials for reuse instead of sending them to landfills. We also talk about the job and entrepreneurial opportunities in recycling and the national, state, and municipal rules changing...
2019-04-0541 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast, April 1, 2019: Green Myths, Falsehoods, and GreenwashingApril Fool's Day could be the global holiday for greenwashers and ecological mythmakers, but the Earth911 team is on the case. We discuss the realities of products labeled biodegradable and compostable, how to shop for sustainability when presented "organic" and "recyclable" products, and the habits that will make a real difference in your carbon impact. From myths and truths, how to recognize and avoid greenwashing, and the FTC Green Guides to use to find responsible manufacturers. Evelyn Fielding-Lopez, Trey Granger, Sarah Lozanova, and Mitch Ratcliffe also talk through approaches to socially responsible investing, how to evaluate charities, and, i...
2019-04-0151 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast, March 29, 2019: Sana Packaging Aims for Sustainable CannabisThe fast-growing cannabis industry is a growing source of packaging waste, with billions of packages made of plastic, composite materials, and glass already contributing to a new problem. Sana Packaging, founded by two University of Colorado Boulder students, Ron Basak-Smith and James Eichner, has developed hemp- and ocean-plastic-based alternatives for cannabis packaging that is made from natural and recycled materials. Earth911's Mitch Ratcliffe talks to the Ron and James about their experience as young entrepreneurs in a young industry. Sana makes packages for cannabis flower (the part you smoke), extracts and vape pens, as well as edibles...
2019-03-2920 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast, March 18, 2019: Global Recycling DayThe Global Recycling Day episode of Sustainability In Your Ear features a conversation about the future of recycling, circular economies, the business value of preserving resources, and the power consumers have to drive companies to embrace environmental values. Evelyn Fielding-Lopez, Trey Granger, Sarah Lozanova, and Mitch Ratcliffe discuss producer responsibility laws, global access to waste removal services (more than half of the human species does not have regular trash pickup), and the viability of recycling on the West Coast after China's ban on contaminated waste imports. With recycling changing rapidly, the gang talks about how to reduce plastic...
2019-03-1854 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast, March 11, 2019: Sustana Group Aims for 100% Paper RecyclingThe Sustana Group is a pioneer in paper recycling. The company's Rolland division started producing recycled paper decades ago and now provides annual sustainability and production lifecycle assessments of its supply chain to ensure customers have all the necessary environmental information to make a carbon-aware purchase. Today, Sustana is partnered with Starbucks and other food packaging makers to capture and separate plastic and paper fibers used in wet packaging such as coffee cups and microwaveable food dishes.Earth911's Mitch Ratcliffe talks with Sustana's senior marketing director, Michele Bartolini, about the power consumers have to shape an industry's...
2019-03-1117 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast, Feb. 25, 2019: One Person's Impact -- Buying an EVMaking changes to improve the sustainability of our lives is not easy. Old habits, long-held assumptions, and preferences built over decades can keep us from making the moves that will help to reduce the CO2 and other greenhouse gas levels, as well as reduce water pollution and waste. Earth911's Mitch Ratcliffe tells the story of his recent conversation from a gas-guzzling sports car to an electric vehicle, a used 2016 BMW i3. He shares how his doubts about range prevented him from taking action and, ultimately, how quickly the EV proved itself during commutes and longer trips. The change also...
2019-02-2516 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast, Jan. 23, 2019: EarthEasy.com's Greg Seaman Talks Off-The-Grid LivingGreg Seaman, the founder of EarthEasy.com, had the courage to live his values. He, his wife, and son moved to an island off the Pacific Northwest coast more than 30 years ago. They lived off-grid and raised a family in a home they built from recovered wood. The Seamans settled into a comfortably challenging existence living lightly on the Earth. In 2000, he launched EarthEasy.com to share his experience and offer island-tested sustainable products. Building his own community, both on the island and in business, Greg created an income for a dozen people. He talks with Mitch Ratcliffe of Earth911...
2019-01-2523 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast, Nov. 19, 2018: Thanks-cycling!It's Thanksgiving and that means it's Thankscycling time! The Earth911 team gathers around the table to enjoy a sustainable family day of simple swaps for a healthy Thanksgiving.Sarah Lozanova explains seven Thank-worthy DIY decorations and Trey Granger explains how to recycle cooking oil. Evelyn Fielding-Lopez talks 12 ideas to reduce or eliminate food waste on Thanksgiving, and Mitch Ratcliffe explores his memories of deep-fried Turkey. We also discuss recent Earthling surveys and new innovator interviews with Chris Wilke of Puget Sound Keepers, who are fighting for better regulation of cattle-feeding operations in Washington state, and Marc Choyt of...
2018-11-1937 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast, Nov. 16, 2018: Ice911's Leslie Field Aims To Restore Arctic IceArctic ice is in trouble. Leslie Field, Ph.D. founded Ice911 to build a solution to retreating ice in the Arctic, where 75 percent of the ice pack that existed in 1979. Field brings decades of high-tech work and 54 patents to the problem of restoring ice, which will contribute to cooling the atmosphere and returning the jet stream to its normal path. The non-profit has created reflective sand, which you may have seen recently on Vice's coverage of climate change. It's a white floating glass pellet that can be distributed over the surface of the ocean or a lake to reflect solar...
2018-11-1631 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast, November 12, 2018: Bits & Pieces!Heading into the holidays with a sustainable mindset, Evelyn Fielding-Lopez, Sarah Lozanova, and Mitch Ratcliffe get ready for guests. The gang talk about how to eliminate toxins when choosing home cleaning products, how to make your own Earth-friendly cleaning recipes, and recycling of household product such as toothbrushes, toothpaste tubes, and cleaning product packaging. We also look to the skies to talk about the orbiting mess humans have created on the planet's front porch. Hear the five weirdest, and very practical, Terracycle recycling programs and how to use them.Earthling questions this week include how to rinse a...
2018-11-1243 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast, Oct. 26, 2018: Sustainability in Your Ear — RTS Delivers On-Demand RecyclingGreg Lettieri, co-founder of New York City-based RTS is bringing a variation on Uber's playbook to recycling. RTS connects local recycling haulers with business recyclers in several states, delivering recycling training and services to employees along with a complete accounting of what happens to materials after they are picked up. By focusing on the logistics of recycling, RTS enables flexible business solutions that have improved recycling rates at Citi Field in New York and Nationals Stadium in Washington, D.C., among other locations. Earth911's Mitch Ratcliffe discusses how RTS started, the role of technology, and the value of accountability...
2018-10-2618 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast, Oct. 19, 2018: Sustainability in Your Ear — The Clean Energy FutureAuthor B.F. (Bruce) Nagy discusses his new book, The Clean Energy Future, with Earth911's Mitch Ratcliffe. Nagy offers his advice for homeowners who want to clean up their carbon footprint, as well as observations on the progress being made, albeit in fits and starts, across many sectors of the economy. You'll come away from this episode with plenty of actions to take. Follow Bruce at http://bfnagy.com.
2018-10-1914 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast, Oct. 15, 2018: Sustainability in Your Ear — Fall Garden PlanningEvelyn Fielding-Lopez, Mitch Ratcliffe, and Sarah Lozanova talk the last week's recycling and sustainability news on Earth911. This week, we took a deep dive into planning your garden for next year and extending the growing season. How to minimize leaf cleanups, orchids in the yard, and more. We've also got Earthling Questions! How do you dispose of mercury safely? And a question with a twist: Are dentures recyclable?
2018-10-1536 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911.com Podcast: Sustainability in Your Ear -- SodaStream's Sustainable FizzJecka Glasman, general manager of SodaStream USA, maker of the Fizzi, Electric, and Premium home soda-making machines. SodaStream helps reduce single-use plastic bottle waste, letting a household that switches from canned or bottled soda reduce its waste by as many as 3,700 cans or bottles each year. Mitch Ratcliffe of Earth911 explores the recyclability of SodaStream devices and bottles, as well as its innovative Gas Exchange program. Get the lowdown on sustainable fizz.
2018-10-0414 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast, Sept. 17, 2018: Sustainability in Your Ear -- Ethical Metals, Gemstones, & JewelryLearn what questions you should be asking a jeweler when purchasing responsibly. Lifting small miners in developing regions out of poverty and teaching them sustainable environmentally friendly practices is at the heart of a new movement in the jewelry industry. Monica Stephenson, president of iDazzle.com and a board member at Ethical Metalsmiths, joins Earth911's Mitch Ratcliffe to talk about her experiences in Tanzania and other artisanal mining regions.
2018-09-1730 minSustainability In Your EarEarth911 Podcast, Sept. 3, 2018: Sustainability in Your Ear -- Land Restoration with Adam SachsAdam Sachs, Executive Director of Biodiversity for a Livable Climate (bio4climate.org), an educational and research group dedicated to promoting land restoration using natural techniques, joins Earth911's Mitch Ratcliffe for an extended discussion. Adam shares projects that have restored land in Eastern Europe, Mexico, and elsewhere -- the transformation of previously desertified land into rich local ecosystems with plenty of water is stunning. Spend 50 minutes to learn how beavers, cattle, and human ingenuity can work together to turn drylands into productive grazing and wetlands.
2018-09-0350 min