EcoTalk's Archives

Marion Nestle: What to Eat

Renowned nutritionist Marion Nestle, author of Foods Politics and What to Eat tells Betsy why she eats organic, why our government cannot do anything to guide us nutritionally, why a healthy diet is not as complex as it is made out to be ("Eat less, and eat more fruits and vegetables!"), and why it's common sense for us omnivores to diversify our diets as much as possible.
PART ONE (11 min) PART TWO (7 min)

David Steinman: Safe Trip to Eden

The original Green Patriot David Steinman tells Betsy about watching Green Patriotism enter the mainstream, the often overlooked fact of petroleum in all of our plastic products, and his new book Safe Trip to Eden: 10 Steps to Save Planet Earth from the Global Warming Meltdown.
LISTEN (12 min)

John Gray: Neither Mars nor Venus, We're all from Earth

Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus author John Gray talks to Betsy about how best to communicate our differences with eachother, overmedicating ourselves out of ourselves, and the battle between toxics and nutrients in our food.
LISTEN (8 min)

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)

Rebates for Cleaner Vehicles

Just when you think California has been as ambitious and unequivocal as it can be in the face of a looming energy crisis and climate change, the state steps on the gas: Dan Kalb, California Policy Analyst for the Union of Concerned Scientists, tells us about the latest bill in the California legislature, proposing a steep discount for fuel efficient vehicles, and a surcharge for gas guzzlers. LISTEN (12 min)

Endangered Species Chocolates

It's pretty darn clear that the chocolate eater is not an endangered species, and so it would only make sense that the growing population of chocoholics would help those species who are a key part of our ecosystem, and need our support. Kill two birds wi-- no, wait, save the birds!...<sigh>...Just eat chocolate and support endangered species with Endangered Species Chocolates! CEO Wayne Zink: "Endangered species are not just about animals on a list. 'Endangered' is where we are right now as a planet." LISTEN (8 min)

The 18 Second challenge: Change A Bulb, Change Everything

Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill, Good Will Hunting, and An Inconvenient Truth Producer Lawrence Bender stops by to talk about his 21st nomination for an Academy Award, and why his global warming movie was more controversial than the ultra-violent flicks he's made in the past. Lawrence is also one of the prime movers and shakers behind the 18 Seconds campaign to get people to set aside 18 seconds of their time to screw in a Compact Flourescent Lightbulb, the gateway drug that will get them hooked on energy conservation: "Naturally you're gonna feel good. So you start to think, 'What else can I do?'"  PART ONE (11 min)  PART TWO (7 min)

EarthDay Network's Urban Environment Report

President of the EarthDay Network Kathleen Rogers summarizes their comprehensive new ranking of cities' environmental quality of life, including the vulnerability of your urban population and what individual cities are doing to combat that most global of problems, climate change:  "What we've provided is a roadmap for community groups to go to their mayors and talk to them about areas where they need improvement." Listen here, read up on your city, and then head to City Hall! LISTEN (12 min)

Dr. Dickson Despommier: Vertical Farms

Columbia Department of Environmental Health Science Microbiologist Dr. Dickson Despommier breaks down the science nonfiction idea that he says is a key component to any serious solution to the Earth's growing population pressures: Vertical Farms, urban skyscrapers housing productive, efficient, sustainable, and extremely local agriculture for an increasingly urbanized world: "Over the next 50 years there'll be 3 billion more people on this planet." Are Vertical Farms part of the answer? Dr. Despommier gives his take (yes), and points out that these structures can also serve as water treatment plants and other valuable public infrastructure. LISTEN (8 min)