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This week NRDC OnEarth magazine senior editor Laura Wright and journalist Lisa Selin Davis bring us environmental activism in virtual space, or if you prefer, Massive. Multiplayer. Online. Roleplaying. Games. Got it? OK. But whereas most games of this sort allow you to behave violently in the most unthinkably violent civilizations, Second Life houses virtual ecosystems, clean water systems, and visions of post-global warming tragedy. While it is  a virtual pastime in a world of rather concrete problems, Second Life offers the opportunity to envision many of the various futures still available to us. LISTEN (7 min)

Deadly Sonar: The U.S. Navy's Assault on Whales and Science

NRDC's flagship magazine OnEarth features an article by Peter Canby on the Navy's use of Sonar (widely accepted to be harmful and/or fatal to whales), and the Navy's efforts to silence its (often authoritative, science-based) critics. Daniel Hinerfeld follows up on the article with NRDC Senior Policy Analyst Michael Jasny. LISTEN (7 min)
Picture: Ken Balcomb, Center for Whale Research

TXU Buyout Makes Utility Greener

Good news! NRDC's Climate Center Director David Hawkins tells Betsy how the two private equity firms who are in talks to buy energy giant TXU wanted to talk to Environmental Defense and NRDC about how they could satisfy rising public opposition to proposed coal power plants in Texas.
This is a major victory for grassroots organizing, and the blueprint is clear: citizens make themselves heard in the streets, online, on the air, and in their state capitols; public opposition brings stock prices down; corporations are then forced to meet environmental groups at the bargaining table. Americans, you helped save the air you breathe! LISTEN (11 min)

Green Awards

Congratulations. Every single one of you who saw the movie and were moved by the movie, made "An Inconvenient Truth" simply too influential for the Academy to ignore. NRDC's Allen Hershkowitz gives props to Al, the producers, and the Academy itself, which did about a thousand little things to green this year's awards. Yay! LISTEN (7 min)

Frances Beinecke about California

NRDC President Frances Beinecke talks with Phil Gutis about her recent trip to California.
LISTEN (7 min)

The Car 2.0

NRDC Vehicles Policy Director Roland Hwang tells Betsy how when other countries come to the US to talk proactive environmental strategy, they are increasingly bypassing Washington for California: "California and Europe are moving forward together into the future, while Washington seems stuck in the past." Unlike the Bush Administration, which has long used China and India's inaction as an excuse for their own, California and Europe remained undeterred by cynicism or nearsightedness: Mandatory carbon and tailpipe standards in California and Europe promise to transform the automotive industry,  and the influential precedents that the world needs will be in place and ready for copy. PART ONE (11 min)
Picture Treehugger  Title from Boston Globe

Roland also shared with us one of the more succinct and cogent analyses of Ethanol that we have heard: "Not all ethanol is created equal, and if you want to help the environment, you have to use the ethanol in the right way. Here's what I mean...." PART TWO (7 min)

Navy Sonar vs. Whales

NRDC Senior Attorney  Cara Horowitz tells Betsy how the US Navy has violated California State Law by using sonar, which is harmful and potentially fatal to whales, in protected waters. LISTEN (8 min)

Visit Whales in Danger to watch the video...

Upgrade Morro Bay's Sewage Plant Now!

Daniel Hinerfeld tells the sad and shocking story of the Morro-Bay Cayucos sewage plant that the city refuses to upgrade asap.
LISTEN (7 min) and take action: Email now

Image: Surfrider Foundation

Mandy Moore and the Film Your Issue Contest

NRDC's Daniel Hinerfeld reports from the Sundance Film Festival on the Film Your Issue contest, a competition to get young auteurs to put their hopes, fears, and creativity on film. FYI judges included John Cusack, Wolf Blitzer, and Mandy Moore. Here Moore tells Daniel about the responsibility she feels for her planet. LISTEN (8 min)

NRDC and Kevin Bacon: Film Your Issue

NRDC's Daniel Hinerfeld checks in from the Sundance Film Festival, where he's checking out the Film Your Issue international film contest for 15- and 16-year-olds. At the FYI party he chatted with actor Kevin Bacon, and later he spoke with some college students on the street to find out what was on their minds. LISTEN (8 min)

NRDC Prez Frances Beinecke and not the Usual Suspects

NRDC President Frances Beinecke tells Betsy about the coalition of large corporations, including Duke Energy, DuPont, General Electric, and PG&E, who are demanding strong leadership on climate change from the Federal Government, just in time for tomorrow's State of the Union speech: "The most important thing we'd like to see the president to do is commit to a cap-and-trade proposal that reduces our carbon emissions. But we're not that optimistic." LISTEN (11 min)

NRDC tours First Platinum Leed Home!

NRDC's Daniel Hinerfeld tours the house of our dreams: the first home given a Platinum rating by the US Green Building Council. It's a Zero Energy, Zero Water, Zero Waste, Zero Carbon, Zero Emissions residence. Wow. LISTEN (8 min)

Hybrid Savings

NRDC's Daniel Hinerfeld  reports on a study that concludes that no matter what you may have heard, owning a hybrid does indeed save you a substantial amount of money-- perhaps as much as $13,000. Hear all about it, and new concepts like the Chevy Volt. LISTEN (6 min)

Picture The Hybrid Guy

New Year's Resolutions

NRDC's Daniel Hinerfeld hears the different resolutions that Americans are going to stick with in 2007, from decreasing their energy consumption to taking fewer showers.
LISTEN (7 min)
What's your New Year's Resolution? How are you planning to contribute to a more sustainable planet in 2007? Email betsy@ecotalk.net .

NRDC President Frances Beinecke: The Good Earth

The American Heartland's role in solving global warming was a big topic of discussion this year at the 28th annual Prairie Festival, where Frances Beinecke, President of the Natural Resources Defense Council,was a guest speaker. She speaks about the festival with NRDC communications director Phil Gutis. LISTEN (8 min)

A Farewell to Pombo, and a Poem for Winter.

NRDC's Daniel Hinerfeld and Andrew Wetzler say goodbye to outgoing Rep. Richard Pombo, "the single greatest threat to biodiversity in America."
LISTEN (7 min)
Also, a poem to mark today Winter Solstice, "Mockingbird at Winter Solstice" by Eamon Grennan from the Winter Issue of OnEarth.
Picture of Winter Solstice by Sigurd Towrie

National Science Teachers Association rejects 50,000 "Convenient" DVDs

Why did the National Science Teachers Association reject 50,000 free copies of An Inconvenient Truth, but freely show videos created with the backing of Conoco Phillips? NRDC's Jon Coifman wonders the same thing. LISTEN (11 min)

NRDC at the Alternative Car Expo

NRDC's Daniel Hinerfeld chats up Ed Begley, Jr. and others about all the fun and fuel-efficiency at the Alternative Car Expo in Los Angeles. No concepts, no promises for the future, this cavalry of inspired and intelligent cars is here today. LISTEN (7 min)

Trash Landings: How Airlines and Airports Can Clean Up Their Recycling Programs

While flying home this holiday season, airlines will throw away zillions of cups, newspapers, napkins...  nearly anything consumed on an airplane that could be recycled will instead be carelessly thrown to the landfills. Recycling guru and NRDC Senior Scientist Dr. Alan Hershkowitz tells us about Trash Landings, the new report on the garbage monsters overhead. LISTEN (12 min)

NRDC: The Little Mouse that Got in the Way

NRDC Correspondent Daniel Hinerfeld introduces us to the Preble mouse, a species of jumping mouse nearly doomed  when its Western habitat was targeted by developers. Does the Preble mouse warrant protection under the Endangered Species Act?

Also: Betsy Rosenberg and EcoTalk Producer Will Craven have a chat about their show, the inspiring guests and listeners who spur them on, and being a 'niche' show when that 'niche' is a whole planet.
LISTEN (10 min)

GREENDAY + NRDC

Daniel Hinerfeld explains how
Green Day and NRDC have joined forces to engage more people in one of the most important issues of our time: our addiction to oil. LISTEN (7 min)

NRDC: Electric Skateboards

NRDC's  Daniel Hinerfeld knows what he wants this holiday season: An electric skateboard. It’s emission free, silent and, by all accounts, a lot of fun. But shhh: It's illegal. LISTEN (7 min)

Gabriela Chavarria & NRDC's New Science Center

Gabriela Chavarria is heading the NRDC's new Science Center, dedicated to the search for solutions   and hard facts, while serving as honest brokers between scientists, communities,   business and government. She tells Betsy about the Center's spirit, priorities, and her own scientific passions. LISTEN (10 min)

Amy Domini and Socially Responsible Investing

NRDC's  Daniel Hinerfeld  interviews Amy Domini of the Domini Social Equity Fund. "If you invest blindly, " she says, "your future will be blindly created." LISTEN (7 min)

NRDC Reveals Stockpiles of Methyl Bromide Far Exceed Allowed Use

NRDC Correspondent Daniel Hinerfeld tells how American chemical suppliers have been stockpiling the dangerous chemical Methyl Bromide, an ozone-depleting and cancer-causing pesticide, and how the US government will allow them to profit off Methyl Bromide, even though its production has been blocked since 1987. LISTEN (6 min)

Green Election Results

NRDC Legislative Director Karen Wayland discusses the election results with several victories for pro-environment candidates like Jerry McNerney.
LISTEN (11 min)

In New York: City Sol

NRDC's Kelly Cox interview City Sol's Chris Neidl about innovative ways to get people to pay attention to alternative energy.
LISTEN (8 min)

Destroying Precious Forests to Make Tissue

Darby Hoover coordinates NRDC's campaigns to promote the use of recycled paper products by US colleges with a 3 ponged approach: paper procurement, use reduction and recycling. Destroying precious forests to produce disposable tissues is the reason for targeting Kimberly Klark and pressuring the pulp and paper industry to change its ways. LISTEN (8 min)
More inforrmation: A shopper's guide to home tissue products, saving paper in schools

This is a rerun of our May 19 program

China Power: How To Bring Clean Energy To 1.25 Billion People?

NRDC's Daniel Hinerfeld interviews Barbara Finamore, director of NRDC's China Clean Energy Program about the situation in China and its implications:"China's staggering economic growth is an environmental time bomb that, unless defused, threatens to convulse the entire planet regardless of progress in all other nations."
LISTEN (7:50 min)

Sheryl Eisenberg: This Green Life

Sheryl Eisenberg is producing This Green Life, a monthly column for NRDC.
LISTEN (12 min)

Gus Speth: Global Environment Governance

Gus Speth talks with NRDC's Phil Gutis about Global Environment Governance.
LISTEN (7 min)

NRDC Florida Road Trip: Drive Beyond Oil

NRDC's Eben Burnham-Snyder talks about their Florida road trip to promote hybrid and flexible fuel technology.
LISTEN (7:50 min)
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Schwarzenegger Signs Landmark Global Warming Bill

As NRDC's Daniel Hinerfeld reports, California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger yesterday signed historic global warming legislation that will reduce the state's greenhouse gas emissions 25 percent by 2020.
LISTEN (7 min)

Frances Beinecke: How the Danes are Doing It

Frances Beinecke, President of the Natural Resources Defense Council, visited Denmark to learn more about that country’s commitment to renewable sources of electricity. Daniel Hinerfeld interviews Frances to find out how Denmark has been so successful at developing wind power. LISTEN (7: 50 min)