Greening Up My Act: A Sustainable Living Podcast

15-minute cities are a bit of a head-scratcher. On the one hand, hosts Tiff and Kat talk through beautiful examples of real cities becoming more walkable and bikeable. But on the other hand, there are some truly wild 15-minute city conspiracy theories around the topic. Let's get into it!

Sources

• Deloitte: https://www.deloitte.com/global/en/Industries/government-public/perspectives/urban-future-with-a-purpose/15-minute-city.html
• Fast Company: https://www.fastcompany.com/91119919/how-paris-became-a-15-minute-city 
• Bureau of Investigative Journalism: https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2023-10-04/what-is-the-15-minute-cities-conspiracy-theory/ 
• Wired: https://www.wired.com/story/15-minute-city-conspiracy-uk-politics/ 

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Find out if an electric scooter (e-scooter) is the green transportation choice of your dreams or if it's all just a green hooey fantasy in the lastest episode of your favorite sustainability podcast.

Sources:

• Reddit post - https://www.reddit.com/r/ElectricScooters/comments/cnhox6/escooters_are_worse_for_the_environment_than_many/ - Are e-scooters polluters? The environmental impacts of shared dockless electric scooters - https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ab2da8
• Nought (Scooter company) - Are e-scooters good for the environment? https://nought.tech/blogs/journal/are-e-scooters-good-for-the-environment
• Cenex -  Maximizing the benefits of e-scooter deployment in cities - https://www.cenex.co.uk/app/uploads/2020/08/Maximising-the-benefits-of-e-scooter-deployment-in-cities.pdf
• Colorado Sun - Electric scooters are the most efficient way to cut greenhouse gas emissions - https://coloradosun.com/2024/03/19/electric-scooters-transit-commuting-colorado-greenhouse-gas/
• 7 Reasons E-scooters are better than cars - Apollo - https://apolloscooters.co/blogs/news/7-reasons-why-electric-scooters-are-better-than-cars
• Consumer Reports - New Study Shows Safety Risks of Riding e-Scooters on the Sidewalk - https://www.consumerreports.org/electric-scooters/safety-risks-of-riding-e-scooters-on-the-sidewalk-iihs-study/
• Wired - Escooter rentals aren’t as green as you think - https://www.wired.com/story/e-scooter-rentals-carbon-emissions/

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Is ridesharing more sustainable than owning a car? Let's find out together on this episode of your favorite sustainability podcast. Hosts Tiff and Kat explain the (slightly shocking) study results, Uber's "road to zero emissions," and more. Vroom vroom!

Sources

• HyreCar sustainability claims: https://www.hyrecar.com/environmental-benefits-ridesharing/#how-does-ridesharing-contribute-to-the-improvement-of-the-environment 
• Union of Concerned Scientists: https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/ride-hailing-problem-climate 
• Yale Environment Review: https://environment-review.yale.edu/ridesharing-part-sustainable-future 
• NRDC: https://www.nrdc.org/bio/rabi-abonour/report-role-uber-and-lyft-sustainable-cities 
• Uber's road to zero emissions: https://www.uber.com/us/en/about/sustainability/ 
• Rideshare Guy: https://therideshareguy.com/uber-statistics/ 

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We're back from summer break and ready to talk about public transit -- specifically, buses. Are they a better option for sustainable transportation? And why can't America get its act together when it comes to public bus systems?

Sources

• MIT Climate Portal Explainer - Public Transportation - https://climate.mit.edu/explainers/public-transportation
• World Resources Institute - Post-pandemic, public transport needs to get back on track to meet global climate goals - https://www.wri.org/insights/current-state-of-public-transport-climate-goals
• CNBC - Here’s why public transit keeps running out of money - https://www.cnbc.com/2023/07/25/heres-why-public-transit-keeps-running-out-of-money.html
• Transit for America - the Basics on How Public Transit is Funded - https://t4america.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/James-Corless-Indy-academy-5-14-15.pdf
• Reason Foundation - Does Bus Transit Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions? (2010) - https://reason.org/commentary/does-bus-transit-reduce-greenhouse/
• Sustainable America - Why Doesn’t the U.S. Have Better Public Transportation? - https://sustainableamerica.org/blog/why-doesnt-the-us-have-better-public-transportation/

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Ever wonder if passenger trains are actually a sustainable form of transport? Learn all about that in the newest episode of this fun sustainability podcast! Tiffany also covers her disaster of a cross-country Amtrak train trip in 2018 (and how to do it right if you're considering buying your own Amtrak tickets).

Sources

• Boston Consulting Group: https://www.bcg.com/publications/2022/riding-the-rails-to-the-future-of-sustainability 
• European Environment Agency: https://www.eea.europa.eu/highlights/motorised-transport-train-plane-road 
• Train company Brightline’s press release: https://www.gobrightline.com/press-room/2023/brightline-130-mph-milestone 
• Popular Science on U.S. high speed rail: https://www.popsci.com/technology/high-speed-rail/ 
• Washington Post on high-speed rail plans: https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2023/08/30/us-high-speed-rail-projects/ 

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How much of an impact can you make on carbon emissions by choosing to ride your bicycle instead of driving? And is it always the best choice? Kat and Tiff put their bike helmets back on to discuss the pros and cons of being a bike commuter (or casual rider) in America. 

Sources

• UCLA Transportation - How Riding a Bike Benefits the Environment - https://transportation.ucla.edu/blog/how-bike-riding-benefits-environment
• Bicycling for Beginners - REI - https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/getting-into-biking.html
• Is cycling safe? - Harvard News - https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2023/01/is-cycling-safe-in-many-cases-the-answer-is-no
• How Much Does a Bike Cost? - BuyCycle.com - https://buycycle.com/blog/en/post/how-much-does-a-bike-cost/
• Car, bike or motorcycle? Depends on where you live - Pew Research Center - https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2015/04/16/car-bike-or-motorcycle-depends-on-where-you-live/

Secondary sources

• How being a cyclist is like being a woman - Kat Cox - https://medium.com/@pqhaattte/how-being-a-cyclist-is-like-being-a-woman-1abbeeeac118
• Cycling is bad for the environment - Velo by Outside Mag - https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/must-read-cycling-is-bad-for-the-environment/
• IRS Commuter Benefits - TRPC - chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.trpc.org/DocumentCenter/View/4213/IRS-Commuter-Benefits?bidId=#:~:text=%E2%80%9CQualified%20bicycle%20commuting%20reimbursement%E2%80%9D%20means,employee's%20residence%20and%20place%20of
• National Bicycling and Walking Study - US Dept of Transportation Federal Highway Administration - https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/ped_bike/docs/case15.pdf (January 1993)

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In our 50th (!!!) episode, Tiffany teaches Kat about the idea of "clean diesel" and how the U.S. government has been pushing it. Does it exist? Is it something you can use to live a more eco-friendly lifestyle? Or is it just a bunch of green hooey?
Sources 

• EPA on NOx: https://www.epa.gov/no2-pollution/basic-information-about-no2 
• US Department of Energy: https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/di_diesels.shtml 
• Scientific American on “clean diesel”: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/can-diesel-finally-come-clean/ 
• International Council on Clean Transportation: https://theicct.org/sites/default/files/Gas%20_v%20_Diesel_%20CO2_emissions_%20EN_%20Fact%20_Sheet%202019_05_07_0.pdf 
• Performance results on ducted fuel injection: https://www.sae.org/publications/technical-papers/content/2021-01-0503/ 
• Impactful Ninja: Carbon footprint of biodiesel: https://impactful.ninja/the-carbon-footprint-of-biodiesel/ 
• Car Talk: https://www.cartalk.com/content/car-talks-guide-alternative-fuels-0 

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We're starting off season 5 with a controversial chat about electric vehicles and whether they're worth the switch.

Subscribe to our new Patreon to get exclusive content and support the podcast! www.patreon.com/greeningupmyact

Sources: 

• NPR - EV Batteries Hurt the Environment, but Gas Cars are Still Worse - https://www.npr.org/2024/05/09/1250212212/ev-batteries-environmental-impact
• The Atlantic - The Best Hope for Electric Cars Could Be the GOP Districts Where They’re Made - https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2024/05/electric-cars-republicans-democrats-biden-infrastructure/678341/
• Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy - The U.S. National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization - https://www.energy.gov/eere/us-national-blueprint-transportation-decarbonization-joint-strategy-transform-transportation
• USA Facts - What are the main sources of greenhouse gas emissions? - https://usafacts.org/articles/what-are-the-main-sources-of-us-greenhouse-gas-emissions/
• CarMax - Electric Cars vs Gas Cars: What’s the Difference? - https://www.carmax.com/articles/electric-cars-vs-gas-cars
• CNBC - Poor resale values of EVs threaten adoption, warn some experts - https://www.cnbc.com/2024/04/05/poor-resale-values-of-evs-are-a-problem-for-the-industry-warn-experts.html

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Hooray! Kat and Tiff are so excited to announce they launched a Patreon. If you're looking to support an independent podcast and you get value from their show, they'd love the support. The cost of one cup of coffee a month gives you a bonus episode every month (even between seasons)!

Head here to sign up: patreon.com/GreeningUpMyAct

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In the final episode of season 4, Kat and Tiff may break your heart a little as we discuss the truth about large-scale tree planting programs. But don't worry -- there's some hope for the forests.

Season 5: Travel and Transportation starts June 4!

Sources:

• U.S. Forest Service Plant-a-Tree Program - https://plantatree.fs.usda.gov/
• Yale Environment 360 - Are Huge Tree Planting Programs More Hype Than a Solution? - https://e360.yale.edu/features/are-huge-tree-planting-projects-more-hype-than-solution
• Carbon Brief, Analysis:How some of the world’s largest companies rely on carbon offsets to ‘reach net-zero’ - https://interactive.carbonbrief.org/carbon-offsets-2023/companies.html
• U.S. Department of Agriculture - The Power of One Tree - The Very Air We Breathe - https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2015/03/17/power-one-tree-very-air-we-breathe
• EcoTree - How much CO2 does a tree absorb? - https://ecotree.green/en/how-much-co2-does-a-tree-absorb
• Science News - Why planting tons of trees isn’t enough to solve climate change - https://www.sciencenews.org/article/planting-trees-climate-change-carbon-capture-deforestation
• Deep Root - How Much Should You Water Your Tree? - https://www.deeproot.com/blog/blog-entries/how-much-should-you-water-your-tree/

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