EarthMatters

EarthMatters has been broadcasting on radio and podcasting for 2 years now – over 100 shows.

I've met and chatted with leading experts studying complex issues and regular folks just trying to make a difference in their daily lives.

Guests have come from England, Germany, Uganda, Kenya, New Zealand, Australia, all over the United States and, of course, Canada where I'm from.

Why am I saying all this? It's because EarthMatters, the podcast and radio show, is coming to a close. This is our final episode.

It's been a joy to discuss various different solutions to environmental problems and while my subjects have been diverse and wide-ranging, I still feel I've only scratched the surface – which is a good thing.

It means that there's a lot more out there.

As I say in the intro, EarthMatters sought out solutions, reported on news and events and hopefully inspired listeners to preserve and protect our planet.

So, to wrap things up, I've compiled a series of short clips from previous shows, in no particular order, to show that others are taking positive steps and that there is much more to come – if we all can focus on what's important for the natural world around us. Good Luck and thanks for listening.

EarthMatters has been broadcasting on radio and podcasting for 2 years now – over 100 shows. 

I've met and chatted with leading experts studying complex issues and regular folks just trying to make a difference in their daily lives.

Guests have come from England, Germany, Uganda, Kenya, New Zealand, Australia, all over the United States and, of course, Canada where I'm from.

Why am I saying all this?  It's because EarthMatters, the podcast and radio show, is coming to a close.  This week and next.

It's been a joy to discuss various different solutions to environmental problems and while my subjects have been diverse and wide-ranging, I still feel I've only scratched the surface – which is a good thing.

It means that there's a lot more out there.

As I say in the intro, EarthMatters sought out solutions, reported on news and events and hopefully inspired listeners to preserve and protect our planet.

So, to wrap things up, I've compiled a series of short clips from previous shows, in no particular order, to show that others are taking positive steps and that there is much more to come – if we all can focus on what's important for the natural world around us.  Good Luck and thanks for listening.

'For The Wild' is an anthology of the Anthropocene; focused on land based protection, co-liberation and intersectional storytelling rooted in a paradigm shift from human supremacy towards deep ecology.

'For The Wild' believes that:

Our economic system is based on converting the living world into dead commodities and waste, while our political system is designed to safeguard this system. No amount of "reform" will ever reach the root causes of our crises. Some people will turn their backs on Empire and create a parallel reality, while others will fight to halt the destruction.

The reality of biotic collapse is undeniable. As the demands of modern societies intensify, we are headlong into the most rapid extinction event in Earth's history. What's left of wilderness exists mostly in isolated pockets too small to support biodiversity.

We stand before a vast opportunity to re-imagine our relation to the whole, and to redefine happiness and progress.

Ayana Young is an American podcast and radio personality specializing in inter-sectional environmental and social justice, deep ecology and land-based restoration.

Buildings generate nearly 40% of annual global GHG emissions. Approximately two-thirds of the building area that exists today will still exist in 2050.  The question for many in the building and design fields is – what can be done to reduce the footprint of multi-level buildings?

One solution that is slowly taking root, pardon the pun, is mass timber construction.  Advances in mass timber construction have allowed for taller wood buildings of six storeys or more.  In North America, some jurisdictions regulate buildings constructed with engineered beams and interiors to 12 storeys, others only 6 storeys – like the 179 unit apartment building constructed in Toronto.

 

To find out more about mass timber buildings and tall wood construction, EarthMatters spoke with Kevin McKinley, President & CEO of the Canadian Wood Council.  The Canadian Wood Council (CWC) represents the Canadian wood products industry through a national federation of associations.

The Mission of the Council is to expand market access and increase demand for Canadian wood products through excellence in codes, standards, regulations and education.

https://cwc.ca/

After that, we speak with Dr. Anne Koven, Director of the Mass Timber Institute.  The Mass Timber Institute is a public-private collaboration focused on research and development, as well as specialized teaching and training regarding mass timber tall wood buildings and the use of advanced wood products. 

https://www.masstimberinstitute.ca/

 

Are you a Climate Concerned Citizen?  Do you have to deal with climate insincere politicians? Can you compromise enough to meet the 'other side' halfway, or are your cognitive biases holding you back from convincing others to 'do more'.

"After three decades of acknowledged concern by world political leaders, the global effort to reduce GHG emissions is still feeble and sporadic," says Prof. Mark Jaccard in his latest book, 'The Citizens Guide to Climate Success'.

Jaccard suggests that we avoid the 3 Big Myths put out by the fossil fuel industry.  He also asks us to accept that fossil fuels are still the cheapest and most expedient was for developing countries to achieve energy independence and grow their economies.

Often we cannot foresee what small event will trigger a big reaction.  Something as seemingly insignificant as a Swedish 15 year old, skipping school to protest climate change.  Or a young, black, African activist being cut out of a picture featuring four white activists at an international conference on climate change.

EarthMatters looks further into the frustration of African activists to have their messages heard, to break through a distracted media, to educate their fellow citizens to be aware of the impending crisis that lies ahead.  Activists like Vanessa, Hilda Nakabuye, and Leah Namugerwa, received training from a grassroots organization called Green Campaign Africa in how to educate and advocate on climate change.

Unfortunately, due to the fact that this interview was conducted via telephone between North America and Uganda, the quality of this recording is less than desirable.  To help listeners understand Timothy's words, we've prepared a written transcript available at www.newsandcomment.com/earthmatters/GCA.pdf

We spoke to Timothy Mugerwa, Founder of Green Campaign Africa, that trains young activists in advocacy.

https://greencampaignafrica.org

@TimMugerwa

 

Plug'n Drive is a non-profit organization committed to accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles in order to maximize their environmental and economic benefits. Since 2011, Plug'n Drive has established itself as a leader in the electric vehicle industry, a trusted and unbiased source of information on electric cars, charging stations and the electricity sector.

Cara Clairman is the President & CEO of Plug'n Drive.  EarthMatters caught up with Cara as she was speaking at an event hosted by the McMaster Centre for Climate Change.  The McMaster Centre for Climate Change, is a multi-disciplinary program working on climate change research at McMaster University with international collaboration.  

In a study released recently, researchers at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario say they have found a method that could reduce the environmental and safety hazards related to stockpiled tires.

Michael Brook, the study's lead author and a professor in the department of chemistry and chemical biology at McMaster says, "A tire is incredibly well made. We want to turn that tire back into something else, either make a new tire or make a new material, even if it's not quite as high quality, but not just go from my car to a landfill, which is mostly what's happening now."

Brook and some of his students have found a way to dissolve the rubber used in car tires, which they say could eventually help keep what is typically a single-use item out of landfills.

Yet another form of plastic pollution - "plastiglomerate" - rock-like fragments of plastic, sand grains, debris and organic materials fused together by human-induced fires. 

In certain areas of the Great Lakes surface densities of plastics are as high as those reported for areas of litter accumulation within ocean gyres.  Sources include microplastic beads, consumer products, industrial pellets, and waste from beach-goers, shipping, and fishing activities.

Prof. Patricia Corcoran, Dept. of Earth Sciences, University of Western Ontario, explains what plastiglomerate is and where it came from.

Also, Greta Thunberg's speech at the World Economic Forum - Davos.

The Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) challenges concentrated economic and political power, and instead champions an approach in which ownership is broadly distributed, institutions are humanly scaled, and decision-making is accountable to communities.

Focusing on Public Banking, Broadband Access, Distributed Energy, Independent Businesses, Composting and Waste to Wealth, ILSR fights build local power and resiliency.

John Farrell is co-director of ILSR and is its Energy Democracy Director.

https://ilsr.org