Forest Fireside Chats

Meet Jill Baggerman, a Program Officer at the DC-based United States Institute of Peace. Baggerman walks us through her education and background to describe why water, peace, and inclusiveness is her chosen entry point for bridging gaps and constructing more equitable institutions. Learn about USIP's work on the climate and environment team, as well as several regional teams' work to address the environmental constraints on and opportunities for peacebuilding. Also, hear from Cora about where to start if you are interested in installing solar in your home or business.

Join us this month to learn about Jellyfish, an app developed by our two guests, the brother and sister duo Lucas and Lydia Slobodian. This app provides information about the carbon impact of food purchases, giving consumers transparent, reliable, and accessible information on a product’s lifecycle carbon footprint. The FFC sustainability story of the month details the triumph of Our Children's Trust and the young activists, ages 5-22, in Held V. Montana.

In this special one-year FFC anniversary episode, Elsa and Cora discuss The Colorado River and their thoughts on David Owen's Where the Water Goes: Life and Death on the Colorado River.

Brett Shipp, an investigative reporter and news anchor for Spectrum1 News, discusses growing concerns about methane pollution from natural gas drilling rigs in Texas and the apparent lack of action by regulatory agencies to control the problem. The episode also touches on extreme weather events and climate change, emphasizing the urgent need to address methane emissions before global warming becomes an existential threat. For this month's sustainability story, we hear from Dr. Marie Provine about her grassroots effort to stop the construction of an entertainment district in Tempe, Arizona.

Meet Tyler Bernstein, the 25-year-old CEO and founder of Zeno Power. Tyler's company has developed a groundbreaking radioisotope power system that can convert nuclear waste into a reliable source of clean energy. From the bottom of the ocean to the surface of the moon, Zeno Power's compact and lightweight system holds the potential to revolutionize energy generation and combat climate change. Plus, hear about Gen-Z's fight to build up the environmental movement in this month's sustainability story.

Meet Abby Spring, the new Senior Vice President of Strategic Engagement for the Conservation Fund and our May episode guest. From working at the World Wildlife Fund to serving as the US Spokesperson for the UN World Food Programme, Spring has had a fascinating career supporting sustainable development. Hear about her experience uplifting multilateralism, climate resilience, and the conservation of American land. And stay tuned for FFC's final US environmental news segment!

Tune in to hear about Shoren Brown's 14-year battle to shut down the Pebble Mine Project in Alaska's Bristol Bay. And in examining this important win for Alaska, we also consider the recent decision to grant oil drilling permits for the Willow Project in Alaska's National Petroleum Reserve. Decide for yourself what you think about these contradictory moves by the Biden Administration.

For March, we sat down with Braden Kay, the director of sustainability for the City of Tempe, Arizona. We discuss how a city can create its own climate action plan, develop a sustainability office, and mitigate some of the greatest environmental threats facing the United States. Then, catch up on the biggest environmental news stories from the month with Cora.

Learn more about the Biden Administration’s 20-year moratorium on sulfide-ore copper mining from Becky Rom, the National Chair of the Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters. Becky’s unique perspective tells us what it was like growing up next to the wilderness, how it came to be protected, why sulfide-ore copper mining would be dangerous, and what still needs to be done to ensure permanent protection for the Boundary Waters.

This month we're joined by Kevin Bell, a Legal Consultant who was working for Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) when a whistleblower notified him of the use of a harmful propellant in space travel. Listen to learn about this unique problem and how the success of the UN ban came to be. As always, we'll also give you a rundown of the biggest January environmental news stories.