We All Want Clean H2O

Prof.  Jason Hill from the University of Minnesota discusses his work on food and biofuel production and their health and environmental effects,  with a focus on air quality. This is a true systems approach tour de force.  

In this episode, we talk about the challenges of recreational waters in Iowa, and how the problems are related to structural causes and how those can be addressed 

Professor Larry Weber, co-founder of the Iowa Flood Center and Nutrient Reduction Center  and Edwin B. Green Chair in Hydraulics, graces the podcast with his presence to talk about floodplain management and water quality, and gives a lesson in science communication as it is his wont. 

Prof. Remo, our guest for this episode, is a fluvial geomorphologist. We talk about levees and floodplains in the Mississippi river basin, the policies that support them , and how problematic they are - particularly in a world where stationarity is dead. 

In these episode we each discuss a potential solution to the environmental problems caused by agriculture. 

The Beatles had the White Album, we have the supersized N episode!
We talk about the mass balance problem we face, the links between climate change and water quality and the emerging science on health impacts of nitrogen in drinking water. 
*Credit for the title goes to Travis Schlenger.

Dave Swenson is back to discuss the economic, energy, political and environmental implications of the just-passed bill mandating the sale of E15 in Iowa. 

With guests Larry Stone and Orlan Love, we talk about changes in the landscape, farming and recreation in Iowa in the last 60 years (you read that right, yes!).  Alas, they did not share with us their secret fishing spots, but they did give us a real sense of the changes the land between the rivers has seen during their lives.  
With some final considerations on the role of local newspapers.

With guests Jess Mazour of the Sierra Club and Emma Schmit of Food and Water Watch, we  talk about their work to ensure local voices are heard on the construction of CO2 pipelines to allegedly mitigate climate change. We discuss how the pipelines mimic other ineffective technological fixes and how they fit (or don't) in the future of Iowa's agriculture in a changing climate.

Dr. Kevin Mason, an Iowa State University graduate and a Professor of history at Waldorf University, talks to us about his innovative approaches engaging students and the public and his work on Iowa's environmental history, which ranges from videos to hands on activities to books and journal articles. This episode is in solidarity with Iowa State University's History department.