Living on Earth

The chasing arrow symbol that many consumers think means a plastic product is recyclable often doesn’t mean that in practice, since most plastics are of little to no economic value. Why revising the use of the recycling symbol could reduce consumer confusion.

Meanwhile, so-called ‘chemical recycling’ of plastics is a highly inefficient process that releases large amounts of carbon emissions and hazardous pollutants. And at the Brightmark chemical recycling plant in Indiana, health and safety problems have kept the plant from operating at full capacity.

Also, extensive draining and channeling of the Everglades ecosystem has led to toxic algae blooms and land loss in Florida, so now a huge restoration effort is attempting to reverse some of those human caused consequences. But environmental groups have raised concerns about the design of the sixteen square mile reservoir at the heart of the project.

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The first constitutional climate suit in the U.S. has made it to trial. Sixteen youthful plaintiffs allege that the state of Montana has violated their constitutional right to a “clean and healthful environment” by promoting fossil fuel extraction in the face of intensifying climate disruption.

Also, global warming is slowing deep ocean currents near Antarctica that transport heat, carbon, and nutrients around the globe. Why this may spell trouble for the entire climate system.

With two thirds of all cancer cases linked to environmental factors, many are calling for stronger chemical regulations as a means of cancer prevention. Treatments for cancer are better than ever, but cases continue to rise and cancer is still the second leading cause of death in the US.

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 We offer a full transcript for each show along with photos and links to learn more. Check it out at loe.org.

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PFAS “forever chemicals,” linked to cancer, liver problems and more, are leaching into cosmetics, household cleaners, and even food stored in plastic containers treated with fluorination. EPA is now going after a company that uses the fluorination process, but some advocates say the agency isn’t doing enough to protect the public.

Also, Shell’s massive new ethane cracker plant in western Pennsylvania is sending polluted air and strange smells into the surrounding community. But a $10 million fine pales in comparison to the roughly $100 million a day that the company made in profits in the first quarter of 2023.

And only a few dozen species have ever recovered enough to make it off the endangered species list, due to a lack of funding and political controversy.

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We offer a full transcript for each show along with photos and links to learn more. Check it out at loe.org.

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The European Union’s new deforestation-free regulation blocks certain products made from cattle, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, soya, and wood, from entering the European market if they have been produced on land deforested after 2020.

In honor of pride month we look into the academic discipline known as “queer ecology” which looks at environmental politics through a queer lens, rejecting heterosexual and cisgender identities as the only norms. 

Also, author Kate Beacon shares her story of austerity and trauma when working in Canada’s oil sands in her 2022 graphic memoir Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands.

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Generations of Black Americans have faced racism, redlining and environmental injustices, such as breathing 40 percent dirtier air and being twice as likely as white Americans to be hospitalized or die from climate-related health problems. So the quest for racial justice now must include addressing the climate emergency, writes Heather McTeer Toney in her book Before the Streetlights Come On: Black America’s Urgent Call for Climate Solutions. 

Also, the incredible story of Robert Smalls, who commandeered a Confederate ship called The Planter in Charleston, South Carolina in 1862 and liberated himself and his family from enslavement. How his courage relates to the courageous action and leadership that is now urgently needed to deal with the climate emergency.

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“Nuclear Now”, a new documentary from award-winning director Oliver Stone. Visit NuclearNowFilm.com to learn more.

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New research is showing that antimicrobial chemicals called quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs), which are widely used in disinfectants, pesticides and personal care products, are linked to numerous health concerns like asthma and infertility. But there are major gaps in regulation of these chemicals. 

Also, over seven years poet Camille Dungy gradually transformed her sterile Fort Collins, Colorado lawn into a pollinator haven teeming with native plants and the wildlife they attract. Her book “Soil: The Story of a Black Mother’s Garden” recounts that journey alongside a world in turmoil amid the coronavirus pandemic, police violence and wildfires. Camille talks about how all her hard work amending hard clay soil has yielded gifts of joy as well as metaphors.

And 2,000 people from across the globe recently gathered in Paris to work towards a UN treaty to eliminate plastic pollution. We paint a picture of a world with far less plastic and how we can get there.

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And thanks to our sponsors:

“Nuclear Now”, a new documentary from award-winning director Oliver Stone. Visit NuclearNowFilm.com to learn more.

Oregon State University. Find out more about how Oregon State is making a difference at oregonstate.edu/believe-it.

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In a decision reversing five decades of legal precedent, the U.S. Supreme Court effectively stripped environmental protections from nearly half of the wetlands in the nation. 

Also, the new White House Office of Environmental Justice will coordinate EJ efforts across all federal agencies. EPA Region 4 Administrator Daniel Blackman discusses how the office can help address the disproportionate pollution and climate-related damages that environmental justice communities in the Southeast U.S. often suffer. 

And thirty years ago, a neighborhood group in Tucson started harvesting local rainwater by directing runoff into street-side basins filled with native, food-bearing plants. How “planting the rain” improves neighborhoods, builds climate resilience, and helps the desert bloom.

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Oregon State University. Find out more about how Oregon State is making a difference at oregonstate.edu/believe-it.

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Guyana has one of the fastest growing economies on the planet as an offshore oil boom gets underway. But a potential spill could wipe out its fishing and ecotourism economy. So a trial judge recently ruled that a major ExxonMobil crude oil project needs an “unlimited guarantee” to cover the costs of such a spill. 

Also, the states that rely on the Colorado River for water are facing a supply crisis as climate change reduces the river’s flow. Now, after months of tense debates and delay, California, Arizona, and Nevada have finally agreed to substantially reduce their Colorado River water use, at least for now. In return, they’ll receive some federal help to ease some of the economic pain of cutting water use.

And climate change is already making some places across the country unlivable and seems likely to uproot millions of Americans in the coming decades. The author of “The Great Displacement: Climate Change and the Next American Migration” collected the stories of people across the U.S. who have been driven out by fires, floods, droughts, and extreme heat.

Plus -- when a whale dies, it eventually sinks to the ocean floor. And although that whale’s life is over, that’s when a whole new circle of life kicks off, with thousands of organisms including hagfish, zombie worms, and octopuses feeding off this “whale fall” for 50 or more years.

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Oregon State University. Find out more about how Oregon State is making a difference at oregonstate.edu/believe-it.

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New York state has adopted a new law aimed at using federal funds to boost public power from renewables and shut down six polluting “peaker” gas power plants. Advocates say this will lower electricity rates and boost public health, environmental justice, and energy access.

Also, peat that’s burned for energy is a major emissions source in Finland, which aims to become net zero by 2035. Peat mining is also a leading cause of habitat loss in the country. The winner of the 2023 Goldman Environmental Prize for Europe joins us to share how life is flourishing in the peatlands he’s helped restore.

And as many as 13 percent of American households now keep chickens as pets and a cruelty-free source of fresh eggs. The author of the new book Under the Henfluence: Inside the World of Backyard Chickens and the People Who Love Them joins us to share the joys of raising chickens.

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And thanks to our sponsor:

Oregon State University. Find out more about how Oregon State is making a difference at leadership.oregonstate.edu/cic.

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This Mother’s Day we’re celebrating the incredible tenacity and tenderness of animal mothers, from crocodiles to leopards to whales. Our guest shares why observing mother orangutans inspired her own journey to becoming a mother. 

Also, an intricate web of roots and fungi connects life in an old growth forest, allowing ancient “Mother trees” to nourish and protect their kin. A forest ecologist shares her research findings and reflects on how these trees helped her through the challenges of motherhood and a cancer diagnosis. 

And the 2023 Goldman Environmental Prize winner from North America went toe-to-toe with one of the largest petrochemical companies in the world, Formosa Plastics, and won a $50 million settlement over its illegal dumping of toxic plastic waste. Diane Wilson shares her story of dogged truth-seeking and holding a major polluter accountable for spoiling the biodiverse landscape of the Texas Gulf Coast.

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Hold On Bags, with plant-based, non-toxic, 100% home-compostable trash and kitchen bags. Go to holdonbags.com/Earth or enter EARTH at checkout to save 20% on your order.

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