When it comes to electric vehicles, we hear a lot more about cars than we do about big rig trucks. The fact is that while Americans are buying electric cars at record rates, the electrification of the US trucking fleet is on a slow roll. This week on Sea Change Radio, we speak with Adam Browning from Forum Mobility, a company that is trying to change that. We look at Forum Mobility’s vision for helping freight companies go electric, get a glimpse of the new electric trucks coming to market, and compare how America’s electric freight fleet compares to others around the world.

If you go to the website of the Pellet Fuels Institute – the industry’s trade association, you will see the claim that “wood pellets are renewable and clean-burning.” But the reality is something quite different – the manufacturing and burning of wood pellets have severe environmental, health, and social impacts. This week on Sea Change Radio, we speak with Danna Smith, the Executive Director of the Dogwood Alliance, about her organization’s efforts to keep the wood pellet industry in check and preserve America’s southern forests. More specifically, we focus on a campaign between several non-profits that have come together to create tribal and community-owned forests across the South with the goal of revitalizing local economies through eco-tourism and outdoor recreation.

If you remember watching Ginsu knife ads back in the day, you’re already well-aware that the hand can’t cut a tomato. This week on Sea Change Radio, we take a brief time out from all the ills of the world to learn more about knives. We speak to master knife maker Adam Simha about all things cutting. We discuss the ins and outs of knife maintenance, compare the quality of knife manufacturing across various countries and take a look at his new line of high-end knives.

As we kick off summer, looking forward to school breaks, barbeques and live outdoor music, it can also mean wildfire season and with it, bad air. This week on Sea Change Radio, we revisit discussions with the heads of two companies doing their best to let consumers know if the air they are breathing is healthy. First, we speak with Glory Dolphin Hammes, the CEO of IQAir North America, to discuss how her company’s online technology gives us a snapshot of air quality. Then we learn about PurpleAir’s unique crowdsourcing model from the company’s founder, Adrian Dybwad.

In 2016, the leader of the MAGA cult (who believes that climate change is some sort of hoax) incorrectly referred to the EPA as the “Department of Environmental Protection,” then vowed to, “get rid of it in almost every form.” After listening to this week’s guest on Sea Change Radio, you might think that getting rid of the EPA actually would have been preferable. Rather than protecting the environment, the EPA in its current iteration is rolling back sensible regulations and frankly wreaking havoc. Today we hear from John Walke, a senior attorney at the NRDC, the Natural Resources Defense Council, to discuss the enormous environmental cost of artificial intelligence, or AI, whose data centers consume ungodly amounts of water and electricity. We learn about the unquenchable thirst of these data centers, how much of this problem is uniquely American, and why new EPA policies constitute a Trojan horse filled with enemies of the environment, poised to pollute and consume at will.

Several times a day I find myself noting that this administration stinks. It turns out it’s not just the stench of cruelty, chaos, and corruption – it’s air quality issues, too. This week on Sea Change Radio, we are joined by ProPublica reporter Lisa Song to learn how the Trump administration is affecting the air we breathe. First, we discuss Song’s reporting on the EPA’s roll-back of air monitoring systems which allow big polluters to self-report their emissions. Then, we talk about how the EPA is actually questioning its own legal authority to enforce the Clean Air Act. Lastly, we turn to an upsetting story about how the unchecked use of tear gas and pepper spray by federal agents is harming children.

If you haven’t yet personally witnessed the very odd feeling of driving up to a four-way stop sign only to realize that the vehicle across the street from you has no driver behind the wheel, chances are you will soon enough. Like it or not, autonomous vehicles are coming, and this week on Sea Change Radio we are speaking with Samuel Abuelsamid, an expert on self-driving technology. We take a look back at the evolution of autonomous vehicles, examine the purported “full self-driving mode” offered by Tesla, and discuss some of the sustainability issues surrounding this technology.

The recent Supreme Court ruling Louisiana v. Callais not only eviscerated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act and allowed states to enact discriminatory maps with impunity, it was also a brutal reminder that despite record low approval ratings for the current president, reversing the negative impacts of this administration will be a big job. This week on Sea Change Radio, we enjoy a wide-ranging political conversation with John Stoehr of The Editorial Board. We discuss why holding Trump administration actors accountable should be a primary short-term goal for Democrats, look at how the illegal US/Israeli war against Iran is a bridge too far for many progressives, and touch upon the upcoming Senate race in Maine between Graham Platner and Susan Collins.

Copper and steel were pivotal to the industrial revolution. But these days, it’s clear that continued reliance on these substances as our key building materials has devastating environmental implications, including habitat destruction from open-pit mining, water toxification from acid mine drainage, and air pollution from sulfur dioxide emissions. Fortunately there’s an emerging array of cutting-edge materials that hold promise for eco-conscious developers. A company named DexMat has developed a material called Galvorn, which is fantastical stuff right out of Spider-Man. This week on Sea Change Radio, we speak with Bryan Guido Hassin, the CEO of the Houston-based DexMat, to learn more about Galvorn. Hassin explains how Galvorn is made, what makes it different from conventional materials, and the many exciting potential applications of this futuristic stuff that could get your radioactive blood pumping.

For decades, Republicans have been echoing the same mantra, that “government is not the solution, it’s the problem.” And for the most part, when the GOP is in power, this aphorism sadly rings all too true. This week on Sea Change Radio, we speak with Ann E. Carlson, an environmental law professor and former head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration about her new book, Smog and Sunshine: The Surprising Story of How Los Angeles Cleaned Up Its Air. We discuss the sound governmental policies and practices that allowed Los Angelenos to breathe easy again, talk about how private industry lacks sufficient motivation to tackle climate change, and get a glimpse into how today’s law students regard government service.