Conservation Connection

If you thought that all conservationists are scientists and forest rangers, think again. Cassie Bowe and Bethany Gorham, two key members of Energy Impact Partners, sit down with us at EarthX 2019 to discuss how the world of venture capital and conservation go hand in hand. EIP is the link connecting energy utility investors to innovative green energy start-ups that are propelling the energy field to new heights!  Listen in to learn how EIP makes a difference for the planet through intentional investments!

Here are some of our favorite quotes from this episode:

"This day and age, you don't have to choose between caring about climate and making a profit... that IS the way you make profit these days." -Cassie Bowe, Energy Impact Partners

"Where are we investing? In any technology relevant to the convergence of the energy system towards a de-carbonized, electrified, and de-centralized future." -Bethany Gorham, Energy Impact Partners

"In terms of the types of checks we write, it's usually 10-30 million dollars. So these are pretty big checks, especially for the energy industry." -Cassie Bowe, Energy Impact Partners

"Conservation is not just about the people knee deep in mud everyday. It's also about the people in business suits, working in venture capital, growing and investing in the green innovations of tomorrow." -Chance Ruder, Last Chance Endeavors

If you'd like to visit Energy Impact Partners' website, click HERE

And If you want to learn more about the companies they've invested in, click HERE

National Audubon Society is known worldwide as a leader in bird conservation, and for good reason. Listen in to hear David Yarnold describe the steps that Audubon is taking to reach the next generation of conservation leaders through their brand new Campus Chapters program! 

With as much diversity as birds bring to our planet it's no surprise that they're facing an equally diverse set of threats, but the biggest of them all is climate change. As the environment changes, species of birds that we hold dear to our hearts are being pushed out of their historic ranges. Check out THIS LINK to see what scientists predict will happen to your favorite species (try looking at the Common Loon!).  

Here are some of our favorite quotes from this episode: 

"The biggest threat to birds is the biggest threat to the planet, which is climate change." -David Yarnold 

"By 2080 nearly half of America's [bird] species could lose more than 50% of their range. Is extinction likey for some of those species? Yeah probably. That's the bad news. The good news is there's a lot we can do about that." -David Yarnold 

After we ask about his favorite bird: "That’s a bit like asking me to pick a favorite kid!" -David Yarnold 

CLICK HERE to check out the beautiful purple gallinule! 

CLICK HERE to learn what native plants you can grow to help your local bird population! 

CLICK HERE to learn how you can become an advocate for birds! 

CLICK HERE to start your own Audubon Campus Chapter!

Dr. Bob Podolsky is the director of the Grice Marine Laboratory at the College of Charleston, and has spent his career working to unlock the secrets of the early life stages of marine invertebrates. He's on the front lines of ocean acidification, fighting every day to understand the ways in which changing oceans are putting the foundation of important marine food webs in peril. The gametes and larvae of your favorite marine organisms (sea stars anyone?) live in an alien world where minor changes in water temperature and chemistry can have massive effects on their survival, and no one knows more about this than Dr. Podolsky himself! 

Here are some of our favorite quotes from this episode:  

"When you have a situation of low genetic variability, you have a situation where it’s going to be hard for those populations to respond to future changes in pH." - Dr. Bob Podolsky 

"Even though echinoderms seem inconsequential to human populations, their larval forms are parts of food webs that support the kinds of fisheries that humans depend on for their food." - Dr. Bob Podolsky 

"People have to recognize this: that it’s not just stuff out in the ocean that you shouldn’t care about, but rather human populations that are going to be impacted by changes in the way that these ecological communities work." - Dr. Bob Podolsky 

For more info on the Grice Marine Laboratory click HERE

Vicki Nichols Goldstein and Taylor Shedd, two key members of the Inland Ocean Coalition team, sit down with us at EarthX 2019 to discuss a hidden truth: no matter where you live your choices still affect the ocean and the ocean still affects YOU. Increasingly across the continent groups from inland states like Colorado, Arizona, and Illinois are banding together to protect our ocean, proving that "out of sight, out of mind" isn't always true. Listen in to learn how you can start your own Inland Coalition chapter!

Here are some of our favorite quotes from this episode: 

"The idea is very simple; you don’t have to see the ocean to protect it." - Vicki Nichols Goldstein

"What's an Ocean gal to do in the middle of the country? So I started the Colorado Ocean Coalition..." - Vicki Nichols Goldstein

For more info on the Inland Ocean Coalition click HERE

For info on starting your own Inland Coalition Chapter click HERE

For more info on EarthX click HERE

Sarah Kathryn and Chance travel out to Texas to take part in the largest Earth Day Celebration in the world! EarthX is a public event with hundreds of free exhibitors and educational opportunities in Fair Park, Dallas. Beyond the public expo, EarthX hosts a series of conferences that bring together experts from all corners of the environmental arena, providing a space for important discourse to take place! Listen in to hear what's going on in the Lone Star State.

For more information on EarthX, check out their website: www.EarthX.org

Dr. Paul Gayes does a little bit of everything. He's the Executive Director of the Burroughs and Chapin Center for Marine and Wetland Studies with the Coastal Carolina University, and he's involved with everything from tracking changes in long-term storm patterns to searching the sea floor for the best location to place an off-shore wind farm! In this episode, the Conservation Connection team sits aboard the Coastal Explorer to learn how a changing environment interacts with a growing coastal population, and what that means for the future of coastal science.

Conservation Connection takes Dallas by storm! We've got a big announcement, and it has to do with the massive EarthX conference being hosted in Dallas on April 26-28th!

We'll see you next time on Conservation Connection!

Dr. Jody Beers is an integrative physiologist who focuses on how fish respond to changes in their environments. She's the newest faculty member at the College of Charleston's Grice Marine Lab where she's setting up a lab to investigate the effect of cooling waters on local fish populations. Listen in as she describes her previous experiences living and working in Antarctica with the only vertebrate that lives without hemoglobin in their blood! By understanding the ways that a changing climate affects individuals and populations, we can better protect all of our ocean resources!

Dr. Dave Eslinger is an oceanographer for NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. In his spare time, he and his team are documenting the beauty and value of South Carolina's waterways at many levels; using everything from satellite imagery to microscopy to produce a wholistic look at this vibrant ecosystem. Listen in to hear how a 12 year-old boy from land-locked Idaho became the citizen scientist saving his underwater robot from entanglement beside a nine foot alligator! 

If you'd like to explore Dr. Eslinger's project after listening to this episode, check it out at bit.ly/SCWaters

Dr. Gorka Sancho is a fish ecologist and a professor of biology at the College of Charleston where he conducts research at the Grice Marine Laboratory. He's been captivated by fish since age seven and has spent his life dedicated to unlocking their secrets. Though he is a prolific scientist, he also firmly believes that research and education should go hand in hand. Join us to learn about his work on the issue of micro plastics in Charleston Harbor and how he has tracked unexpected tiger sharks in South Carolina Estuaries!