Cool Solutions

When Teaneck NJ Girl Scouts saw pictures of birds tangled in plastic bags, they got to work and sparked a movement that led to the strongest state plastic ban in the US.

This is an engaging story about how big change happens when local efforts add up; with side trips into the chemistry of plastics, the importance of plankton poop, and comics as a metaphor for life.

Storytellers:
Judith Enck Beyond Plastics
John Weber Surfrider Foundation
Steve Jasiecki Sustainable Downbeach
Monica Coffee Sustainable Downbeach
Eliza Stilletto NJ Girl Scout Troop 19

:11 How big a deal is plastic for climate?

1:46 Science nerd minute: the chemistry of making plastic from fossil fuel

2:26 Ocean plastic’s impacts, from plankton to people

5:15 The dramatic rise in plastic production and greenhouse gas emissions

5:44 Why giving up your straw won’t solve the problem.

7:55 Monica and Steve in Downbeach, NJ decide to work on a bag ban

10:35 Political pushback and a detour by balloon

12:32 Victory in Downbeach

13:11 Teaneck Girl Scout Troop 19 gets passionate about plastics

15:26 Girl Scouts go to Teaneck City Council and get a pat on the head.

18:48 Victory in Teaneck

19:11 Municipal bans spread to other towns and the campaign for a statewide ban begins.

21:00 The girls’ Plastic Bag Monster meets a real plastic lobbyist, and they do some lobbying of their own.

25:52 Monica and Eliza share the big lessons

Links:

Beyond Plastic 

South Jersey Surfrider, Rise Above Plastics

Banning Plastic Bags Town by Town, a guide 

Food hubs are not just for foodies. These homegrown networks provide markets for farmers moving beyond corn,soy, and CAFOs to regenerative modes of farming. This past spring, when supply chains failed, those lifelines kept communities fed. Founders of two Virginia food hubs tell their stories.    

How do we turn farming from climate pollution to climate solution?  In Part 1 of this mini-series we learn how changes in farming and ranching could remove gigatons of carbon from the atmosphere. A carbon farmer and rancher tell their stories and we begin our search for ways to spread these farming innovations across the country. First we talk with the directors of two startups helping farmers sell soil carbon credits. But farmers and soil carbon experts tell us that turning carbon into a commodity crop won't create the change we hope to see. In Part 2 ( the next episode) we'll be looking at the Green New Deal and the Farm Bill, and breaking up the power of Big Ag.  Episode One includes interviews with rancher Chris Prevatt, winner ofe 2020 Carbon Cup, Jeff Creque of the Carbon Cycle Institute,  Aldyen Connelly of Nori, Ed Smith from Indigo Carbon,  Jim Goodman of the National Family Farm Coalition and Steven Woods, a soil ecologist at the Nature Conservancy. 

You don't need solar panels to be part of greening the grid. Our refrigerators, hot water heaters, and air conditioners can shift energy use to when the sun is shining and decrease the need for fossil fuel.  

Climate and science super PACs are a donor's best bet for getting climate leaders elected to public office. While 50% of direct progressive campaign contributions go to waste, these super PACs focus resources where they can do the most good, training and supporting climate candidates. 

We talk with RL Miller of Climate Hawks Vote, Shaunessy Naughton of 314 Action, and Mary Lynn Cesar of Blueprint about the need to replace Democrats who are beholden to fossil fuel interests, the trials of teaching scientists how to talk like regular people, and the importance of downballot races and community organizing for a healthy democracy. 

There are millions of Americans who care deeply about climate change but rarely cast their ballots. A home-based army of volunteers is changing that. 

The Environmental Voter Project and Vote Forward both target and motivate these infrequent voters. Their founders, Nathaniel Stinnett and Scott Forman, explain how this began, why it's working, and how you can join in.  

The best way to store more carbon in forests is to stop cutting down big trees.  Families own more US forest land than timber companies or the government. A new program pays them not to log their big trees and to help new trees grow. 

Reclaim Our Vote volunteers are sending millions of postcards to people purged from voting rolls in recent years, often in error and without their knowledge. NextGen America's young organizers look for ways to find and register young voters online while campuses are closed by the pandemic. 

Salt marshes absorb carbon and blunt climate impacts but we must heal them before they can protect us.  Local governments, non profits, and volunteers are racing sea level rise to get it done.

Climate conscious cooks turn discards into delicacies.