A Little Greener

The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 recently passed through the United States Senate, and while that may not sound like it has anything to do with the environment, this bill contains a number of items related to climate and emissions reduction, and is a big step forward in fighting climate change. Casey and Sara discuss what the bill does and doesn't do, and talk about the next steps as the bill moves to the House of Representatives.

Resources for this Episode

Summary of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022

Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget: What's in the Inflation Reduction Act?

What the Inflation Reduction Act Means for Climate

Vox: What Could the Inflation Reduction Act Mean for You?

USDOT: President Biden, USDOT and USDOE Announce $5 Billion over Five Years for National EV Charging Network, Made Possible by Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

Energy.gov: Heat Pump Systems

Sara and Casey take a look at how animals perceive color and discuss the purposes of color and patterns in nature.

Resources for this episode: 

UK research shows how to build more effective monarch butterfly gardens

How Do We See Color?

The Eyes and Vision of Butterflies

Optimizing Countershading Camouflage

The 'Why' of a Leopard's Spots

If you're asked to picture a butterfly, odds are the image that springs to mind pretty quickly is of the beautiful orange-and-black monarch. Despite being so well known and loved, the population of migrating monarch butterflies has been declining over recent decades, leading to their recent classification of endangered on the IUCN Red List. This week, Casey and Sara break down the amazing life cycle of monarch butterflies, discuss the factors perpetuating the population decline, and share what everyone living in migrating monarch range can do to help.

Resources for this episode:

US Forest Service: Monarch Butterfly Migration

Retention of Memory Through Metamorphosis

IUCN Red List: Migratory Monarch Butterfly

Sara and Casey take a look at the history of the United States' Environmental Protection Agency, and explore the recent Supreme Court decision in the case of West Virginia v. EPA.

Resources for this episode:

Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1970 (Nixon's message to Congress)

EPA: The Basics of the Regulatory Process

Laws and Executive Orders Related to the EPA

EPA Denies Petition to Regulate Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Motor Vehicles (2003)

Supreme Court Opinion on West Virginia v EPA

The Atlantic: How the U.S. Protects the Environment, from Nixon to Trump

The Atlantic: The Supreme Court's EPA Ruling is Going to be Very, Very Expensive

Allsides.com

The Future of Federal Agency Rulemakings After West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency

Law and the Multiverse: Ghostbusters and the EPA

Although coal has played an important role in the history of our country, it has some health and environmental impacts that are difficult to ignore. In this episode, Casey and Sara continue their series on energy and take a look at the pros and cons of coal, and the state of the coal industry in the United States today.

Resources for this episode: 

NASA Climate Kids: Coal

US Energy Information Administration: Coal Explained

Forbes: Renewable Energy Prices Hit Record Lows

EPA: Sources of Greenhouse Gas Emissions

End of Coal in Sight at COP26

Our World in Data: Fossil Fuels

National Geographic: High Cost of Cheap Coal

The beach is a fun and relaxing vacation destination for many people, but it is also part of a vital habitat for many species. Sara and Casey discuss some of the ways that we can incorporate sustainability into a day at the beach.

Resources for this episode:

Eco-friendly Sunscreen Guide

NOAA: Sunscreen Chemicals and Marine Life

PLOYS: items made from recycled pool inflatables

The Ecoboard Project

Sea Turtle Conservancy: What To Do If You Encounter a Sea Turtle

Tour De Turtles

A wedding is a big event for many people, but if you're looking for a way to keep your big day from having a big environmental impact, there are lots of options out there for you! And even if you're not planning a wedding, Casey and Sara discuss some of the was we can be a little greener participants and attendees.

Resources for this episode:

Bastet Noir  

Dear Cleo

Wildlife Friendly Wedding Guide (Center for Biological Diversity)

First up in our energy series: solar! How do we harness the energy from the sun to produce electricity? Why should we? What are the environmental impacts?

Resources for this episode:

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

How Does Solar Work (energy.gov)

End of Life Solar Panels: Regulations and Management

How to Have Your Solar Farm and Keep Your Regular Farm Too (NPR)

Solar Panels are Starting to Die (Grist)

Life Cycle Assessment Harmonization

Land Use Requirements of Solar

With works like the documentary My Octopus Teacher appearing on Netflix and  National Book Award Finalist honors given to Soul of an Octopus, more and more people are coming to appreciate these graceful and intelligent cephalopods. But, what is a cephalopod, you ask, and what is it really that makes the octopus so amazing? And what's the plural of octopus, anyway? Casey and Sara answer all this and more as they geek out over the octopus on this week's episode!

Resources for this episode:

Cephalopods (Smithsonian)

Octopuses Keep Surprising Us (The Natural History Museum)

Vision and Camouflage (Scientific American)

Cephalopod Brains (Frontiers)

The Case Against Octopus Farming (Arizona State University)

World's First Octopus Farm Stirs Ethical Debate (Reuters)

Frogs and toads are an incredibly diverse group of animals. They're found nearly everywhere around the world, are a critical component of the food web, and are valuable environmental indicators. On this episode, learn how you can get involved in frog conservation (and have some fun) by learning the unique calls of the frogs in your area.

Resources for this episode:

FrogWatch USA Chapter List

Frog and Toad Calls, Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative (USGS): calls used in episode

FrogID: citizen science program in Australia

Frog Fact SheetThe FrogID dataset: expert-validated occurrence records of Australia’s frogs collected by citizen scientists

Frogs and Toads of Pennsylvania