The Sweaty Penguin

Wastewater treatment plants made national news this month after the mayor of Danbury, CT (the city where Ethan was born) responded to a joke on “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” by naming Danbury’s sewer plant the “John Oliver Memorial Sewer Plant.” But in addition to being the ~butt~ of a joke, wastewater treatment plants have been responsible for some environmental issues. Today, we discuss a few of those issues from overflows to energy to microplastic contamination to antimicrobial resistance, what threats they pose to the economy and public health, and how we can improve wastewater treatment to make it the sustainable water sanitation solution it was designed to be. With special guest Dr.  Patricia Keen: Visiting Assistant Professor of Energy Management at the New York Institute of Technology, Vancouver Campus.

The global vanilla market is ridiculously unstable, with vanilla prices  swinging from $20/kg to $600/kg in the span of a few years, higher than the price of silver. And 80% of vanilla is grown in Madagascar, an island facing extreme poverty and, increasingly, cyclones which threaten to destabilize the market even further. Today, we break down why the  vanilla price swings so dramatically, how cyclones threaten to impact it, the consequences of these swings for the environment, economy, and Malagasy farmers’ livelihoods, and where we could go from here. With special guest Dr. Julie Zähringer: Senior Research Scientist in the Centre for Development and Environment at the University of Bern in  Switzerland.

Join us for a conversation with The Sweaty Penguin’s three Researchers  Olivia Amitay, Megan Crimmins, and Dain Kim about mega(n)cities, fast  fashion, salmon, and some of the recent climate-induced hurricanes and  wildfires currently hitting the United States.

During the coronavirus pandemic, a global economic collapse, and  increasingly frequent and severe droughts, what better time for southern  African countries to see upticks in another disease: pellagra.  Pellagra, a disease caused by chronic deficiencies in Vitamin B3  (niacin), is prevented with nothing more than a half-decent diet. So why  is it still here in 2020? Today, we go on a journey through history to  figure out what caused this vitamin deficiency disease to appear, why it  still exists, and what we can do about it. With special guest Dr.  Christopher Conz: Lecturer in African Environmental History at Tufts University.

In the last thirty years, the number of cities with a population of over  ten million jumped from 10 to 34. Today, 55% of the world population  lives in a city. And those numbers are only going up, which creates  concerns since megacities face disproportionate effects of climate  change due to their population densities and geographic locations.  Today, we’ll break down some of the many environmental risks facing  megacities, and some strategies to manage them. With special guest Dr.  Madhu Dutta-Koehler: Director of the City Planning and Urban Affairs  program at Boston University.

We often hear about projects that will harm salmon such as the recently  proposed gold and copper mine in Alaska, but why does it matter? As it  turns out, salmon isn’t just a tasty meal, but a multi-billion dollar  economic engine, a centerpiece of Native American and Alaskan culture,  and a species that rivers, streams, and nearby ecosystems can’t survive  without. Today, we’ll break down four primary human threats endangering  salmon, and discuss a few ways to protect them in the future. With  special guest Dr. Syma Ebbin: Professor of Agricultural and Resource  Economics and the Connecticut Sea Grant Research Coordinator at the University of Connecticut. 

On this week’s bonus episode, we’re discussing the cancellation of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, reflecting on last week’s Rethinking Climate Change episode as Frank’s home in Puerto Rico experiences a tropical storm, sharing some behind the scenes stories about the making of “The UNEP Song,” and more. With Sweaty Penguin Researcher Olivia Amitay and Producers Frank Hernandez and Caroline Koehl.

Climate change is so often framed as a problem for “our kids and our  grandkids,” and that’s true, but climate change is also here right now,  and it’s causing a lot of problems. We’ll take a look at a few of the  countless problems climate change causes today, and how we can better  conceptualize climate change as we move forward and try to adapt to  these issues. With special guest Dr. Adil Najam: Inaugural Dean of the  Boston University Pardee School of Global Studies and co-author of the  Third and Fourth Assessments of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate  Change, work for which the panel was awarded the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.

Murder hornets may be getting all the attention, but gypsy moths are another invasive insect species causing a lot of damage by defoliating trees, disrupting wildlife, causing skin rashes, and costing cities, homeowners, and the timber industry millions of dollars. Today, we’re talking gypsy moths: why they’re so harmful and what we can do about it. With special guest Dr. Valerie Pasquarella: Earth & Environment Research Professor at Boston University.