The Defender

When you think about Wisconsin’s great outdoors, you might picture our lakes and rivers, our hiking trails that lead to breathtaking bluffs and waterfalls, but you might not think about our wetlands.

Even though they cover more than five-million acres of our state, wetlands don’t always top the list of Wisconsin’s most beloved outdoor spaces. But maybe they should, especially considering we’ve lost more than half of our wetlands in just the last century or so.  

In this episode, come along with us as we walk through a wetland in south-central Wisconsin with Katie Beilfuss of the Wisconsin Wetland Association to learn about these special places and why people are fighting to keep them protected and preserved.  

Climate change is making summers hotter, leaving people without air conditioning in Milwaukee and other cities vulnerable to its dangerous health impacts. Low-income communities and communities of color are often more likely to experience the harsh impacts of severe heat brought by climate change.

In this episode, we travel to the Century City Triangle Neighborhood in Milwaukee where over half of residents do not have air conditioning. We break down the dangers of Milwaukee’s urban heat island effect, why some communities feel the impacts of heat more than others, and what can be done to protect people going forward. Hear from Yvonne McCaskill from the Century City Triangle Neighborhood Association, Clean Wisconsin Milwaukee Program Director Pam Ritger, and Caitlin Rublee from Wisconsin Health Professionals for Climate Action.

Joe and Kathy Weitekamp have lived in the same home for nearly 40 years in the Town of Campbell, but they are just now learning of PFAS contamination in their private well.

And they are not alone.

Recently, La Crosse area residents are discovering PFAS in their drinking water, many over the state's recommended limit of 20 parts per trillion, from firefighting foam used by the city's fire department.

In this episode, we hear how residents are stepping up to advocate for clean water as local governments are slow to take action and how one piece of legislation moving through the state legislature could help not only clean-up current PFAS contamination, but help prevent more in the future.

After years of court battles, the Wisconsin Supreme Court handed environmental advocates in the state a pair of victories today. The Court ruled in two separate cases, each named Clean Wisconsin v. Department of Natural Resources (DNR), that the DNR must exercise its authority to protect Wisconsin’s water resources.

In this episode, Clean Wisconsin staff attorney Evan Feinauer breaks down the ruling in each case and what it means for water protections going forward.

In April, two cases brought by Clean Wisconsin to protect the state's water resources were heard by the Wisconsin State Supreme Court. Though these cases are centered around permits issued by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the implications of the rulings go far beyond the paperwork.  

In this episode, Clean Wisconsin’s staff attorney Evan Feinauer briefs us on the details of these cases, breaks down our arguments and explains what the future rulings could mean for water protections in the state. 

• Read more from our staff attorney on the two cases recently heard by the State Supreme Court.
• Sign-up for Clean Wisconsin’s Action Network. We’ll send you regular updates with opportunities to contact your legislators to protect our air, water and natural heritage.

Subscribe to State of Change on Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Be sure to rate our show and give us a review. It helps other people find us.

You can learn more about Clean Wisconsin and our work at www.cleanwisconsin.org

Sign up to get the latest news from Clean Wisconsin in your inbox at www.cleanwisconsin.org/email

Like State of Change? Help support our podcast and our work to protect Wisconsin’s environment at www.cleanwisconsin.org/donate

On Thursday, leaders of the budget-writing Joint Finance Committee voted to scrap nearly 400 items in Governor Evers' state budget, including many important water and climate change initiatives.

In this episode, Clean Wisconsin's President & CEO Mark Redsten breaks down what environmental protections were scrapped from the $91 billion dollar proposed budget, the message sent from Republican legislators and the future of these crucial clean water and clean energy initiatives.

• Take action: tell the Joint Finance Committee and your elected officials to restore Governor Evers' clean water, clean energy and climate change budget items!
• Sign-up for Clean Wisconsin's Action Network. We’ll send you regular updates with opportunities to contact your legislators to protect our air, water and natural heritage.

Subscribe to State of Change on Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Be sure to rate our show and give us a review. It helps other people find us.

You can learn more about Clean Wisconsin and our work at www.cleanwisconsin.org

Sign up to get the latest news from Clean Wisconsin in your inbox at www.cleanwisconsin.org/email

Like State of Change? Help support our podcast and our work to protect Wisconsin’s environment at www.cleanwisconsin.org/donate

Through electrifying our cars, trucks, buses and other modes of transportation, we can cut carbon emissions and curb climate change in Wisconsin. While carbon emissions from electricity have gone down, carbon emissions from transportation have increased over the last decade and is now the leading contributor of carbon emissions in the United States.

In this episode, we drive around with Clean Wisconsin's Jon Drewsen, an EV owner himself, to talk about the pros and cons of driving an electric vehicle and why it is crucial the state legislature invest in the transition to clean transportation in Wisconsin. We later talk with Kathy Kuntz from Dane County's Office of Energy and Climate Change about the county's accomplishment of having the most EVs on the road in the state and what needs to happen in Wisconsin to help increase the demand of electric vehicles. We also speak with Ned Noel, a senior planner with the City of Eau Claire, to learn about the importance of investing in EV infrastructure now so municipalities and the state can be ready for the future.

• Learn about the work Clean Wisconsin is doing to help advocate for investments in clean transportation and support statewide electric vehicle infrastructure here.
• Read more from Clean Wisconsin's Scott Blankman on why electric vehicles must be the future of travel in Wisconsin.
• Read the City of Eau Claire's Electric Vehicle Roadmap.

Subscribe to State of Change on Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Be sure to rate our show and give us a review. It helps other people find us.

You can learn more about Clean Wisconsin and our work at www.cleanwisconsin.org

Sign up to get the latest news from Clean Wisconsin in your inbox at www.cleanwisconsin.org/email

Like State of Change? Help support our podcast and our work to protect Wisconsin’s environment at www.cleanwisconsin.org/donate

Energy efficiency may not be as flashy as electric vehicles or solar panels, but it is an important step that all Wisconsinites can take to save energy and save money.

In this episode, Clean Wisconsin's Climate Solutions Director Chelsea Chandler explains how residents and business owners have a great tool in their tool box when it comes to being more energy efficient, and that is the statewide program Focus on Energy. It is a program that provides Wisconsin state residents and businesses with resources, incentives and support to implement energy-efficiency and renewable energy projects.

Later in the show, we talk with Isaac Showaki, the president of Octopi Brewing in Waunakee, Wisconsin, about how using Focus on Energy has helped make his business more energy efficient and saved him money in the long run.

• Tell your state legislators and the budget-writing Joint Finance Committee: Support increasing our investment in Focus on Energy in the budget here.
• Learn all about the Focus on Energy program and its benefits for all Wisconsinites!
• Read how Clean Wisconsin is working toward a clean energy future here.
• Clean Wisconsin's Climate Change Mini-Report includes different recommendations that can help move Wisconsin forward on addressing climate change while building healthy communities and a healthy economy for all.

Subscribe to State of Change on Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Be sure to rate our show and give us a review. It helps other people find us.

You can learn more about Clean Wisconsin and our work at www.cleanwisconsin.org

Sign up to get the latest news from Clean Wisconsin in your inbox at www.cleanwisconsin.org/email

Like State of Change? Help support our podcast and our work to protect Wisconsin’s environment at www.cleanwisconsin.org/donate

It's that time of the year when the days get warmer and Wisconsinites start their spring cleaning. For some, that means re-sealing their driveways, but certain pavement sealants can be harmful to both the environment and public health due to having high levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAH.

In this episode, we sit down with Clean Wisconsin's water resource specialist Ezra Meyer and staff scientist Paul Mathewson to explain what PAHs are and how certain pavement sealants are toxic to the landscape and the health of Wisconsinites. We also talk with the former mayor of Port Washington to discuss what the town did to help curb PAH exposure and what the state government can do, as well.

• Clean Wisconsin is a leading voice to end the use of high-PAH pavement sealants around the state. Read more on how they impact residents and the environment here.
• Read more from Paul Mathewson how high-PAH pavement sealants affect public health.
• Tip when looking for alternatives to high-PAH pavement sealants: Tar can have a lot of different names, and some other byproducts can have very high levels of PAHs. To be safe, check the “Material Safety Data Sheet” of the product (try searching online) and avoid anything including CAS #’s 64742-90-1, 65996-92-1, 65996-93-2, 65996-89-6, 69013-21-4, or 8007-45-2.

Subscribe to State of Change on Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Be sure to rate our show and give us a review. It helps other people find us.

You can learn more about Clean Wisconsin and our work at www.cleanwisconsin.org

Sign up to get the latest news from Clean Wisconsin in your inbox at www.cleanwisconsin.org/email

Like State of Change? Help support our podcast and our work to protect Wisconsin’s environment at www.cleanwisconsin.org/donate

On February 16th, Gov. Tony Evers outlined his $91 billion dollar 2021-2023 biennial budget. Despite the many challenges our state is facing right now with the COVID-19 pandemic, impacts from climate change and many residents struggling without clean drinking water, the governor's budget includes strong clean energy and clean water initiatives.

We sit down with Clean Wisconsin’s Director of Government Relations Carly Michiels to break down what exactly is in the governor’s budget, what happens next with the Joint Finance Committee and the future of the governor's environmental priorities.

Background reading:

• Read Carly's latest blog post that goes into greater detail about the governor's environmental priorities in the budget.
• Take a look at our press statement we released following the budget announcement.

Subscribe to State of Change on Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Be sure to rate our show and give us a review. It helps other people find us.

You can learn more about Clean Wisconsin and our work at www.cleanwisconsin.org

Sign up to get the latest news from Clean Wisconsin in your inbox at www.cleanwisconsin.org/email

Like State of Change? Help support our podcast and our work to protect Wisconsin’s environment at www.cleanwisconsin.org/donate