China / Paris : Urban Innovations. — Lakes are Increasing in number and size - while curiously decreasing at the same time. — The definitive answer on recycling pizza boxes – maybe. — Mining Copper and our not so bright alternative energy future. — Teen create a Bee-Byway – so can you. — and  "A Little Bit of Outrage" 

Join Rico on one of his bicycle-touring journeys through the Cascade Mountains of Washington State. 

This is not a travelogue, but a revelatory look at how cowboys and capitalism are impacting some of our last great natural environments and open spaces. Learn how we can put the wild back into the wilderness. 

The evidence is clear that we are losing insects at an alarming rate. What we are witnessing is a "biological annihilation."

This is not good news. Their abundance and interactions power the living systems of our planet. 

As insects have declined, the numbers of insect-eating birds have plummeted in recent decades. There’s also been a widespread decline in nearly all bird species. Every bird needs to eat insects at some point in their life cycle.

The “unnoticed insect apocalypse” should set alarm bells ringing. The good news is that insects can be helped to be rescued and you have a role to play by letting go of control a little bit. The nice thing about insects is that most have incredibly large numbers of offspring, so if you change the habitat in the right way we will see them recover really fast.

Still, there are major challenges ahead, but they can be overcome. Tune in and let's solve this ultimate enigma. 

1. The one thing that the rich do that uses so much energy.
2. With so many changes happening in our world, maybe we should give the planet a break, and not travel so much? (!)

SHOW NOTES

 1. One of the great pleasures of life, swimming in the ocean, and how to do it safely.

2.  Earthquakes and Tsunamis are grand geological forces - you may be surprised to hear that we humans are actually powerful enough to generate these planetary shocks.

3.  A fascinating look at one of the most enduring planetary processes, everything ends up in the ocean. Everything.

The new Elephant Unleashed: more concise, provocative stories with insights, inspiration, and opportunities for you to get involved personally and in your community.  

SHOW NOTES

1. It has been a true phenomenon - a profusion of wildlife repopulating their former habitats thanks to our friend ‘Rona. Many find this charming, but it sends an important message too. This is an unprecedented chance to give back some of the wild spaces and better yet, to recognize our place among the multitudes of creatures we share the Earth with. 

 2. The virus has shown us that we not only have to deal with the pandemic, but it’s complications with other disasters. Corona and flooding. COVID and hurricanes. We often think of eco-disasters as one-off events, but experts are telling us that we could easily experience three, four, or even more climatic catastrophes at the same time. It’ entirely up to us if we want to avoid these eco-holocausts. 

 3. The Urban-Heat Island effect has long been known. Cities are often several degrees warmer than surrounding areas. Even within the same city temperatures can vary radically. This is contributing to another unwanted event: our nighttime temperatures are warming much faster than daytime temps. We offer opportunities for you to help your city stem this rising temperature tide. 

Through some celestial fortune, there is a perfect storm coalescing that could sweep humanity and the rest of creation into a spectacular transformation.

Our skies and waters are cleaner. Wild animals are taking back their ancestral lands. The oil industry had drilled a dry well. And there may even be some welcome changes on factory farms and the consumption of meat. 

There is no question that 2020 will be chronicled in history and will be reflected upon for a thousand years. The question is, how can we learn from it NOW?

The pandemic is a gut-wrenching reality check.

If this microscopic bug can decimate global economies so can climate and environmental change.

The coronavirus has put humanity at a crossroads, one in which we can choose to keep walking down the current path of destruction—or build a future that puts us back in balance.

Join Rico for a very special Green Elephant as we explore solutions to the unparalleled developments unfolding right in front of our eyes.

Also, don't you think it's time we upgraded PATRIOTISM for the 21st century?

Yes, we must absolutely focus on combating the virus now, but from this collective experience, we must comprehend one thing - that climate change may well be the great engine for the next pandemic. On this episode of the Green Elephant:

1. As we invest in ways to stimulate our economy, we should be focusing on how to make our society more resilient against both pandemics and climate change.  We will take a deep dive into how to realistically achieve those goals. 
2. Women, girls, coronavirus, climate, and the assault on feminism.
3. How to fight back against the shocking Republican and Corporate regulatory rollbacks on environmental regulations. 
4. Why 3.5% is a magic number that could restore our sanity and the health of the planet. 
5. Finally, the future of children.

It goes without saying, this is a remarkable time in modern human history. Virtually every person on the planet is collectively experiencing this unparalleled event together. Coronavirus has led to an astonishing shutdown of economic activity and a drastic reduction in the use of fossil fuels. To be clear, the coronavirus pandemic is a tragedy. However, it holds key lessons on how to combat the two great challenges of our time - climate change and the extinction crisis. The worse thing that could come out of this profound crisis is, that there would be no change. 1. In this episode, we examine what climate change and the coronavirus of 2020 reveal about human nature. 2. We will look at the environmental implications of where the virus originated, and how it could be avoided in the future. 3. Also, we will explore and compare COVID 19 to an environmental phenomenon in many urban areas that kills millions every year — The Plague of Air Pollution. 4. Finally, we observe how wildlife and Mother Nature are responding to this transcendent time in our history.

1. Packed with power, always reliable, the creator of civilizations, what's not to love about fossil fuels — except for that nastiness about liquidating planetary systems. Why is it so hard to break up with the black, gooey stuff? 

2. Prepping for the end of civilization in one’s own luxury bunker has become quite trendy among the rich, especially among billionaires from Silicon Valley and Wall Street hedge-fund managers. Does the 1% know something that you don't?

3. The surprisingly strong link between rising temperatures and violence — and other News of the Future.