PODSHIP EARTH

Our mothers made us. Our mothers shaped us.  I talk with my mother Helaine Blumenfeld about her passion for life and creativity. By the age of 22, Helaine had received her PhD in politics from Columbia. Then, everything changed when she discovered the language of sculpture. Early in her career she decided to divide her time between being a mom when at home and being a sculptor when in Pietrasanta, Italy (where she still works). In 2011, Helaine received the Order of the British Empire from Queen Elizabeth. We talk about spirituality, art, nature and her childhood in Queens.

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Satellite data is now giving us real time data on which crops are being planted, which crops might fail because of climate impacts like drought or disease, and how many acres of rainforest are being cut down for grazing land.  Using this information we can better prepare for famines, reduce price volatility and work out how to feed a planet of 9 billion people by 2050.  I talk with Dr Inbal Becker-Reshef, the Director of NASA’s food security and agriculture program about how we can build a more integrated global food system.

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Willie L. Brown Jr., is a legend. He is California’s longest serving speaker and was San Francisco’s first African American mayor. Since hiring me 19 years ago, he’s been a friend and mentor. This week we talk food, movies, fitness, politics, re-gifting, legacy and why it always helps to be sharply dressed! Talking with Willie Brown always leaves me with a sense of vitality, vigor, and a love of life!

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Good COP / Bad GOP

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The sea level is rising and we need to get ready! From Venice to the Florida Keys, to Pacifica  - coastal communities are waking up to the realities of significant climate related impacts.  California Coastal Commissioner Sara Aminzadeh and I meet up with community organizers Jennifer Kalt, from Humboldt Bay Keeper, and Violet Saena, from Acterra.org who is working with residents in East Palo Alto to listen, learn and plan for sea level inundation. We then talk with Susanne Moser about how to remain hopeful as the tide gets higher.

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Heather Bolint and Bryan Galvin were so frustrated by the plastic on Florida’s coastline that they decided to be the first people to walk around the entire state - all while picking up trash and bringing attention to the issue. They ended their walk by dumping 3,000 pounds of trash on the steps of the Florida State Capitol.  I catch up with Heather and Bryan to find out about walking in sand, the most annoying types of trash, and what sea-level rise looks like.

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Mono - is a magical lake twice the size of San Francisco that has tufa towers, salty water and millions of birds. It’s also the story of how scientists and advocates came together to save a national treasure threatened by water being taken by Los Angeles. I talk with Geoff McQuilkin and his daughter Ellery and David Herbst who was part of the original student team that went to Mono Lake in 1976.

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With an all star team of scientists and advocates, I witness firsthand a few of the more than 500 rock glaciers in the Sierra Nevada mountains. To be honest, I had never heard of rock glaciers -  it turns they are well kept secret. Led by Daniel Taillant, Dr. Connie Millar, Dr. David Herbst, Sara Aminzadeh and Adam Riffle, we discover that rock glaciers may help many streams keep flowing cold even during the worst climate change has to offer. As a bonus you’ll learn how to make a rock glacier in your home freezer!

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Purple sea urchins, a “blob” of warmer water, and star fish wasting syndrome have all conspired to turn California’s northern pacific coastal kelp forests into wastelands. As a result, ocean biodiversity, including prized Abalone, are all suffering. I get into scuba gear and go with Jack Linkins a local abalone fisherman and Mike Esgro a dive master and ocean expert to find out what’s going on.

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When Melissa Bumstead’s daughter Grace was diagnosed with a rare form of childhood cancer - both their lives changed in unimaginable ways. They spent weeks and then months in hospital over many years fighting for Grace’s life. As Melissa got know other children with cancer and their families, a pattern began to emerge - many of them, including Grace, lived close to a Cold War era weapons and nuclear energy testing site - Santa Susana Field Laboratory near Simi Valley California. We talk with Melissa about her journey and what she discovered.

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