Masks From Recycled Fabric – Jennifer (JJ) Lee, United We Mask

“100% of the materials used in our back to school (mask-making) kits were …from deadstock (discarded) materials…to provide a sustainable mask alternative for kids in need to that they ….can keep their communities safe.” Jennifer Lee on Green Connections Radio. As we all adapt to the temporary normal of having to wear a mask to protect ourselves and others from the Covid-19 pandemic, Jennifer Lee came up with a creative eco-friendly way to make mask-wearing fun for kids and give masks to people of all ages in need.  Building this nonprofit is Jennifer’s side hustle; her day job is as a global technology manager in cosmetic giant L’Oréal’s incubator. Listen to Jennifer describe to Green Connections Radio host Joan Michelson how she came up with the idea for United We Mask, who else is on board (including Fabscrap, a previous guest on this show), and how L’Oréal is responding.

7 Million EVs By 2030, Climate Week – Katie Sloan, Southern Cal Edison

“I’ve never seen as much alignment as there are in electric vehicles today.” Katie Sloan on Green Connections Radio podcast. To commemorate Climate Week 2020, Listen to Katie Sloan, Director of eMobility at Southern California Edison, who is the focal point for electric vehicle adoption in the most populous state in the U.S. and how they plan to achieve their 7 million EVs goal. (This was recorded shortly before the pandemic broke out in the U.S.)

Fuel Cell Cars & Trucks – Jackie Birdsall, Toyota

Many voices are talking about how we need to rebuild the post-pandemic economy to also make us more resilient to the ravages of climate change.  Ramping up adoption of electric vehicles is always in those conversations, especially battery-powered ones. But not there are hydrogen fuel cell EVs too. Listen to Jackie Birdsall, Senior Engineer of these vehicles at Toyota explain how they work and much more, with Green Connections Radio host Joan Michelson.

How to Talk Science to Policy Makers – Michelle Wyman, National Council For Science and the Environment

The COVID-19 pandemic has given us all a renewed appreciation for the importance of science in decision-making, especially in policy making.  It can mean the difference between life and death, literally. But how do you do it, especially with policymakers and elected officials who resist the science?
Listen to Michelle Wyman, Executive Director of the National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE), who has been involved in policy for 20 years, share her tips in this engaging interview on Green Connections Radio podcast with host Joan Michelson.

Insurance For How We Live – Tina Kirby, Insurance Innovators

Business Interruption & Disaster Insurance Explained & Redefined “When you think about what you are claiming from an insurance perspective, it’s partly property damage, but it’s largely also business interruption. So, your lack of sales, your lack of being able to produce things, your lack of being able to distribute things.” Tina Kirby on Electric… Continue reading Insurance For How We Live – Tina Kirby, Insurance Innovators

Lessons From Coronavirus For Future Climate Change Public Health Crises

Climate scientists have been warning us that, “Climate change carries a threat to human health and health care systems in the coming decades,” as ATS journal (of The American Thoracic Society) reported. I am not saying – and have not heard – that there is any association between the current novel coronavirus and climate change.  However, this outbreak and how we manage it does provide lessons for how we ought to prepare for and manage any potential increase in infectious diseases that scientists predict will come with the extreme weather events, droughts and other environmental ecosystem changes brought on by climate change.

The Press, Climate & Diversity – Wanda Lloyd, Author of “Coming Full Circle: From Jim Crow to Journalism,” Former News Executive

“There are environmental issues that are very important to people on a local level…(but they are) being covered (by the local news media) based on everyday issues in local communities… because it affects tourism, it affects the economy, it affects a lot of things, not to mention the places that we live…(and) because it affects their taxes.”Wanda Lloyd on Green Connections Radio podcast – Wanda Smalls Lloyd former senior editor at USA Today and at local newspapers, and a former Washington Post executive, and the author of a new book – “Coming Full Circle: From Jim Crow to Journalism.” She provides valuable career advice to

Sea-Level Rise “Detective” – Andrea Dutton, MacArthur “Genius” Winner 2019

“A lot of these times we see these problems as having binary solutions, it’s either we stay and defend…or we just pick up and leave, but there’s a lot of space in between.” Andrea Dutton on Green Connections Radio
Geologist Dr. Andrea Dutton was awarded the coveted MacArthur “Genius” award recently for her work in finding an innovative way to predict sea-level rise and identify the options for managing it. Listen to her explain her innovative approach – and how that approach might be used in other context too – to Green Connections Radio host Joan Michelson in this inspiring and fascinating interview.

Energy Innovation Needs Women – Katie Mehnert, Pink Petro

“Your biggest challenge is your biggest opportunity. Get people into the system so they can change the culture and the industry to clean energy” – Katie Mehnert on Green Connections Radio podcast.
At the 2020 World Economic Forum where global leaders across industry gather in Davos, Switzerland every January, climate change took “center stage,” as The New York Times headline put it. A key topic of debate was the conundrum of providing clean energy to everyone on the planet and it is abundantly clear much more rapid innovation is needed, including of the oil and gas sector. But how?
Listen to Katie Mehnert, who spent 20 years in the oil and gas sector and remains devoted to it, in this surprisingly candid interview on Green Connections Radio podcast with Joan Michelson. Katie passionately lays out the urgent need for the sector to innovate and why bringing more women into the industry is key. Katie left a job in Big Oil that she loved to start Pink Petro to get more women into energy industry leadership.

Why Place Matters – Stacy Jupiter, MacArthur “Genius” Winner 2019

As world leaders and climate leaders, scientists and activists gather to address solutions to the climate crisis, Dr. Stacy Jupiter has a novel perspective on what communities need to address in those climate resilience plans – and in driving change.  She just won a MacArthur “Genius” award for it. Listen to Stacy explain to Green Connections Radio host Joan Michelson why our sense of a place and its culture are just as vital to our well-being as clean water and food, especially in many countries like Melanesia, where she is currently working.