California’s 2014 Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) was designed to stabilize the state’s groundwater resources, but its implementation has posed significant challenges, particularly for small-scale farmers. Many of these producers across the state face barriers to accessing technical support and taking part in decision-making processes under SGMA. While large agricultural operations can invest in efficient irrigation systems or purchase extra water, small-scale farmers stand to be hit the hardest by water caps and overuse fees.

The post Managing Groundwater: From Policy to Practice appeared first on KPFA.

A weekly public affairs show that delivers news and views about the most important environmental issues in California and globally.

The post Terra Verde – October 10, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

A weekly public affairs show that delivers news and views about the most important environmental issues in California and globally.

The post Terra Verde – October 3, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

A weekly public affairs show that delivers news and views about the most important environmental issues in California and globally.

The post Terra Verde – September 26, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

The City of Berkeley has passed strict regulations that will require residents in certain parts of the city’s hills to keep five feet around their homes, dubbed “Zone Zero,” free of flammable materials. That includes wooden fences and trellises that are attached directly to homes, trash bins, and most controversially, almost all vegetation. The State of California too, is drafting Zone Zero rules that include limiting vegetation directly next to buildings in high risk areas. In this episode of Terra Verde, Earth Island Journal editor-in-chief and cohost Maureen Nandini Mitra talks with two scientists who study how vegetation ignites and burns — Max Moritz, head of the Mortiz Fire Lab in UC Santa Barbara and a wildfire specialist at the University of California Cooperative Extension, and Luca Carmignani, assistant professor of engineering at San Diego State University and a former fire advisor for the Wildland-Urban Interface in Southern California. Moritz and Carmignani say what appears to matter more for keeping plants from becoming fuel for fires is how well they’re maintained, and that the debate around plants is distracting from the essential and urgent work of implementing other home hardening measures.

Read an article they co-wrote citing their concerns in The Conversation.

The post Zone Zero: Can Removing Vegetation Within 5 Feet of Homes Really Reduce Wildfire Risk? appeared first on KPFA.

In recent years, the movement to decarbonize the buildings where we live, work, and otherwise spend our time has picked up speed. It’s no wonder. The climate crisis is escalating, and building operations account for a significant portion of our greenhouse gas emissions here in the United States, somewhere around 30 percent. Reducing these emissions could go a long way towards mitigating global climate change. It could also come with significant benefits for our health.

Alongside the push to decarbonize is a growing movement to ensure that it is done equitably. Community advocates are drawing attention to the fact that, if not handled thoughtfully, the transition could leave lower-income residents behind. In an effort to prevent this, they are piloting projects to bring the benefits of decarbonization to underserved communities.

In this episode of Terra Verde, Earth Island Journal managing editor and show cohost Zoe Loftus-Farren talks about equitable decarbonization in California’s San Francisco Bay Area with Edith Pastrano, lead organizer for the Contra Costa office of ACCE Action, and Chris Selig, director of the Health Resilient Homes initiative at PODER.

The post Centering Equity in Home Decarbonization appeared first on KPFA.

A weekly public affairs show that delivers news and views about the most important environmental issues in California and globally.

The post Terra Verde – September 5, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

A weekly public affairs show that delivers news and views about the most important environmental issues in California and globally.

The post Terra Verde – August 29, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

In his latest book, Here Comes the Sun: A Last Chance for the Climate and a Fresh Chance for Civilization, veteran climate activist and author Bill McKibben makes a deeply-researched and passionate argument that the path out of our planetary crisis s lit by the sun. Additionally, he says, a massive, and rapid, pivot to solar power will come with some key co-benefits, including a chance to build a healthier and more just world. On this episode of Terra Verde, Earth Island Journal editor-in-chief and show cohost Maureen Nandini Mitra talks with McKibben about his new book, the opportunities for and roadblocks to the energy revolution that’s underway, and why he believes that “if you don’t put up a field of solar panels now the world will break.”

Note: Check out McKibben’s call for Sun Day celebrations on September 21 at sunday.earth.

The post To Avert Climate Chaos, Turn to the Sun appeared first on KPFA.

Here in the United States, most of us have a lot of stuff. We have things that we use everyday, and keep using for years, and others that we use a few times and then outgrow. We have books and magazines we’ve read but don’t want to discard, and junk drawers filled with trinkets that we don’t want to throw out, but aren’t quite sure what to do with.

What we do with all this stuff can have real implications for the environment. As the guests on this episode of Terra Verde can speak to, it can also make a difference when it comes to community building, arts, education, and more. Terra Verde co-host Zoe Loftus-Farren digs into the reuse economy with Lela Means, co-founder of Strange Exchange SF, which aims to extend the life of small household items, and Danielle Grant, programs director at Scrap SF, a nonprofit working at the intersection of art, the environment, and education.

The post Giving New Life to Old Stuff appeared first on KPFA.