KPFA - A Rude Awakening

On today’s show:

In 1971, John Francis, known the world over as ‘Planetwalker,’ witnessed an oil tanker collision in the San Francisco Bay. The sight of oiled birds on the shoreline caused him to give up motorized transport and rely solely on his own two feet. Months after that he took a vow of silence convinced that listening rather than adding fuel to any fire was the way ahead.

The documentary PLANETWALKER: The Inner Magic of Dr. John Francis focuses on the period of John’s life from the oil spill through his meandering 20-year journey across the States where he resumes speaking to work on oil spill legislation with the US Coast Guard. During this time, it seemed like the whole world, every creed and color, saw John pass by and interacted with him if only fleetingly. By tracking some of these people down, the film explores the weblike and sometimes deeply personal consequences of John’s decades of pilgrimage.

About the filmmakers:

Dominic Gill is a former biologist turned filmmaker. He began his filmmaking career by selling his house, buying a bicycle, and riding 20,000 miles from Alaska to Argentina.  His film on the subject, TAKE A SEAT, was released in 2011 on ITV4 to critical acclaim.  It was distributed to over 45 countries, winning the Special Jury Prize at Banff Film Festival.

Nadia Gill has been creating content in the outdoor space since 2011. Formerly an attorney, she decided to pursue a career in filmmaking after meeting her directing partner Dominic Gill. Together they formed Encompass Films and produced two seasons of a travel adventure series titled “Take A Seat: Sharing a Ride Across America”.  It was distributed by NBCUniversal. Over the next few years under her direction, Encompass Films built a branded clientele including Red Bull, Timbuk2, Black Diamond Equipment, and more.

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On today’s show, I’ll speak to award winning, investigative journalist Rebecca Raney.  Her her latest article in U. S. Right To Know (usrtk.org) discusses the fudged numbers surrounding the nationwide bee population.

In her article entitled, “Are the Bees Okay or Not.  USDA Bee Colony Numbers Disputed”, Rebecca Raney states:

“Beekeepers and honey producers are disputing a federal honeybee census estimate of 3.8 million colonies in the United States in 2022 – a record number for the nationwide count. That estimate showed a 35 percent increase from the estimate of 2.8 million colonies in 2017. The report drove headlines claiming that U.S. bee farms are “buzzing” and that bees are “flourishing again.”

To beekeeping advocates, inflated numbers of bee colonies – a prominent statistic on bee health – can undermine efforts to get funding to improve colony health. To conservationists, high-profile reports of record numbers of bee colonies in the face of a well-documented trend of insect extinctions complicate the job of maintaining public awareness about food security and the effects of pesticides.”

Additional Articles by Rebecca Raney:  “Anatomy of a science meeting: How controversial pesticide research all but vanished from a major conference”

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On today’s show, I’ll speak to physicist Dr. Alec Feinberg on how cities can instantly be ten degrees cooler.

Dr. Feinberg has a Ph.D. from Northeastern University in Physics. He currently does volunteer climate modeling to help out on the climate crisis. His climate work has focused on urbanization heat flux contributions to global warming, re-radiation modeling for the global mean Earth’s energy budget, and the development of solar geoengineering equations for solar radiation modification to reverse global warming trends. He has published in all of these areas focusing on physics based modeling methods.

https://banblackroads.org/

https://bestglobalwarmingsolution.org/

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An in-depth look at community affairs on a local, national and international level, with interviews and commentary. Hosted by Sabrina Jacobs.

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On today’s show, it’s time for July events in Berkeley!  Keep It In The Ground – Plastic Free July at the Ecology Center, Jessica Mitchell Education and Engagement program coordinator and Martin Bourque executive director discuss the interactive, community events. We’ll switch gears just slightly and speak to Cheryl Davila, founder and executive director of the Climate Emergency Mobilization Task Force about their upcoming summit July 19th on climate and biodiversity.

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On today’s show, Timothy A. Wise, senior researcher for the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy will weigh in on president-elect of Mexico Claudia Sheinbaum and give us an update on that country’s fight against GMO corn.  We’ll switch gears and have a conversation with Stanford Design School directors Carissa Carter and Scott Doorley on their book entitled, “Assembling Tomorrow – A Guide to Designing a Thriving Future”.

Links to updates on fight against GMO corn in Mexico:

English: https://www.iatp.org/rebuttal-mexico-measures-concerning-genetically-engineered-corn

Deadline for signing up to tune into public hearings, June 26 and 27.  Registration deadline of June 21. Here is the link to sign up:

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On today’s show, during this hour I’ll be playing a documentary by Max Monch entitled, “Footprints of War – Nature Under Fire” from Earth Stories – Climate Disaster Documentaries which displays how warfare is destroying our environment.  It is available on YouTube.

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On today’s show, I’ll speak to Ecology Center’s executive director Martin Bourque previewing Plastic Free July.  We’ll switch gears and get an update on the salmon crisis in Northern CA and Oregon from Scott Artis, executive director of Golden State Salmon Association.

EVENT LINKS:

Enemy of the People Event:

https://rb.gy/n83vte

Food solutions. Civil Eats is holding an email-based “crash course” on climate solutions in food and farming during June. Learn more.

Reproduction and climate. Grist is holding webinar “High Risk: How Climate Change Affects Fertility, Birthing, and Babies,” on June 11. RSVP.

Women leaders. Women’s Earth Alliance is holding a press briefing, “Voices Unearthed: Shifting the Narrative on Women Grassroots Leaders in the Climate Movement” on June 12. RSVP.

Actors’ climate voices. The Hollywood Climate Summit 2024 will bring together professionals across TV, film, gaming, and more to explore Hollywood’s role in the climate movement. In-person and virtual. June 25-28.

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On today’s show, I speak to Matt Scott Project Drawdown’s director of storytelling and engagement on his organization’s latest Drawdown Neighborhood feature based on Bay Area climate activists which will be debuting.  We switch gears and speak to Martin Winiecki co-director of the documentary Water is Love: Ripples of Regeneration which will be making its official debut June 6-9 online.

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An in-depth look at community affairs on a local, national and international level, with interviews and commentary. Hosted by Sabrina Jacobs.

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