Go Green Radio

Summer 2026 was the hottest summer in 132 years, breaking over 3,000 all-time temperature records across the United States. Record temperatures disrupted life across the country, like when America celebrated its 250th anniversary and over half the population was under an extreme heat alert. Extreme heat has become a national economic crisis: lowering productivity, shrinking business revenue, destroying crops, and pushing power grids to the brink. Extreme heat is also taking a human toll. Heat kills more Americans every year than hurricanes, floods, and tornadoes combined.    Policy needs to catch up to the scale of the extreme heat problem, and fast. Nearly 150 organizations in 40 states endorsed a list of policy recommendations for extreme heat released by the Federation of American Scientists, with signers ranging from medical associations like the American Academy of Pediatrics to worker advocacy groups such as the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health.   Tune in as we speak with Grace Wickerson, Senior Manager of Climate, Health, and Environment at the Federation of American Scientists, about The State and Local Heat Policy Agenda.  

In the wealthiest country in the world, almost 14 percent of households - that's 48 million Americans, including 14 million children - lack consistent access to affordable nutritious food. How can so much hunger persist in a land of such abundance? Abiding Hunger investigates the four-century history of this contradiction, from the Starving Time of Jamestown into the present day, when all those families relying on food assistance are routinely forced to choose between paying for groceries or other necessities like rent, utilities, and medical care - heartbreaking decisions that have been made even more impossible by recent delays and cuts to programs like SNAP.  Join us as we speak with the author of Abiding Hunger, Roger Thurow, who spent decades as a foreign correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, covering humanitarian crises and hunger abroad.

In August 2025, Water Education for Latino Leaders (WELL), in  conjunction with the University of California, Davis, released a groundbreaking California governance study focused on the CA water sector. The study on Assessing Representation, Access, and Transparency of Decision-Makers in California's Water Sector examined board members and executive (or C-suite) positions, analyzing the composition of governing bodies in California's water sector. It identified 1,980 Public Water Agencies PWAs) and sampled 688 (or 35%) of them. Results showed that historically marginalized communities— including women, Latinos, and other underrepresented groups in these decision-making bodies. The study also examined systemic barriers that prevent more diverse representation and whether board members had prior advantageous knowledge before assuming their roles. Part II of this continuing study examined 364 Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA); and 12 State Water Agencies (SWAs); the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB), nine Regional Water Boards (RWBs), California Department of Water Resources (DWR); and the Colorado River Board. Sadly, the disparities nearly mimic the first study's results. Tune in as we speak with the President and Founder of WELL, Victor Griego, and Associate Professor at the University of California Davis (UC Davis), Dr. Samuel Sandoval Solis, about the studies and what can be done to rectify this issue. 

Tired of recycling frustration? TerraCycle offers a profitable solution for over 400 hard-to-recycle waste streams—from beauty products and candy wrappers to coffee pods and kids' car seats—keeping billions of items out of landfills. Through partnerships with leading global brands, they're pioneering recycling processes for hundreds of complex waste streams. Join us as we speak with TerraCycle's CEO, Tom Szaky, and discover how you, your community, and your workplace can be part of their movement toward a truly circular economy.

Teacher recruitment and retention is a challenge across the U.S., but the problem is especially challenging for Rural schools. Tune in for a conversation with Teneka Robinson, a K–16 education strategist and researcher focused on STEM teacher pipeline development and workforce readiness, with a commitment to building equitable education pathways for underserved communities. Robinson advises district executives, university leaders, and nonprofit organizations on aligning recruitment, preparation, hiring, induction, and retention systems to sustain educator talent.

Moving the needle on student achievement is heartbreakingly difficult. A highly successful educational intervention, one that districts might spend thousands of dollars per student implementing, might yield an effect size the equivalent of weeks of learning. Unfortunately, most interventions fare even worse, often showing little to no measurable impact despite substantial investments.   As education leaders, we cannot afford to limit our search for solutions to what we conventionally think of as "education interventions." What if one of our most powerful tools for improving student outcomes has been overlooked because it doesn't fit neatly into our current frameworks?   Research shows that test scores and attendance improve when schools install air filters and upgrade ventilation. Tune in as we talk with David Carel about this topic and his important article in The 74.   

In the wealthiest country in the world, almost 14 percent of households - that's 48 million Americans, including 14 million children - lack consistent access to affordable nutritious food. How can so much hunger persist in a land of such abundance? Abiding Hunger investigates the four-century history of this contradiction, from the Starving Time of Jamestown into the present day, when all those families relying on food assistance are routinely forced to choose between paying for groceries or other necessities like rent, utilities, and medical care - heartbreaking decisions that have been made even more impossible by recent delays and cuts to programs like SNAP.    In Part 1 of this conversation we spoke with the author of Abiding Hunger, Roger Thurow, who spent decades as a foreign correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, covering humanitarian crises and hunger abroad. Join us for the continuation of this important discussion with Roger!  

 "When people step forward to make the world a better place, almost anything is possible."   With these words, lifelong activists Annie Leonard and André Carothers introduce this vibrant, diverse, and inspiring collection of 42 protests and nonviolent movements that helped secure so many of the rights we often take for granted today: weekends off, women's right to vote, desegregation, same-sex marriage, cleaner air and water, wheelchair-accessible sidewalks, and so much more.   Protest is an invitation to anyone searching for ways to express their opinions in our complex and constantly changing world: a call to learn about the undeniable impact of peaceful protest, to celebrate what people can accomplish together, and to encourage readers to take action in defense of this essential democratic right. Along with powerful images, the book includes reflections from more than a dozen courageous activists—from Jane Fonda, Rebecca Solnit, and Robert Reich to Dolores Huerta, Nemonte Nenquimo, and Justin J. Pearson.   With protest under threat across the world, Leonard and Carothers remind us that there are many ways to safely engage in and support the right to protest—from organizing an action to supporting environmental action groups in your own community. This book offers inspiration for how to answer that call.  

Join us as we talk with Raj Setty,  President of Setty & Associates, a full-service Mechanical, electrical and plumbing consulting engineering firm headquartered in Washington DC, with 10 offices, specializing in institutional projects, energy modeling, commissioning and high-performance buildings. Across 10 offices, Setty works on over 200 projects at a given time across the healthcare, laboratory, university, K-12, commercial, local, state, and federal sectors. Tune in as we talk about their expertise in everything from Emergency Preparedness to Forensic Engineering and much more!

In the wealthiest country in the world, almost 14 percent of households - that's 48 million Americans, including 14 million children - lack consistent access to affordable nutritious food. How can so much hunger persist in a land of such abundance? Abiding Hunger investigates the four-century history of this contradiction, from the Starving Time of Jamestown into the present day, when all those families relying on food assistance are routinely forced to choose between paying for groceries or other necessities like rent, utilities, and medical care - heartbreaking decisions that have been made even more impossible by recent delays and cuts to programs like SNAP.  Join us as we speak with the author of Abiding Hunger, Roger Thurow, who spent decades as a foreign correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, covering humanitarian crises and hunger abroad.