The Climate Conversation

4.7 Year in Review: Progress on U.S. Climate Action and the Road Ahead

It’s the final episode of season 4! To wrap things up, Dan and Anna are joined by Alejandro Moreno, the Acting Assistant Secretary for the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Together, they recap the federal climate action that took place during the past two years of the 117th Congress, from the climate legislation that passed to new programs launched by federal agencies. Dan, Anna, and Alejandro also discuss where the federal government, and specifically the Department of Energy, will go from here as they work towards meeting national climate goals in a holistic and equitable way.
Shownotes:
Inflation Reduction Act articles: https://www.eesi.org/page/IRA+-+Inflation+Reduction+Act
Energy Efficiency for Nonprofits article series: https://www.eesi.org/energy-efficiency-for-nonprofits
Federal Agencies in Action briefing series: https://www.eesi.org/0203Fed

4.6 From Farm to Table: The Role of the Farm Bill in How We Eat, Farm, and Trade

U.S. agriculture policy deeply influences how we interact with food. If you have ever shopped at a farmers market, eaten a school-provided meal, or bought something using food stamps, then you have seen a massive piece of legislation known as the Farm Bill at work. This bill, which Congress is set to update next year, shapes how the U.S. farms, eats, and trades. Dan and Emma talk with Vanessa García Polanco, policy campaigns co-director of the National Young Farmers Coalition, to understand the history and impact of the Farm Bill. They are also joined by Keefe Keeley, executive director of the Savanna Institute, and Tucker Gretebeck of All Seasons Farm in Cashton, Wisconsin, to explore how a small but important aspect of the Farm Bill, planting trees on farms, can also benefit the climate.
Shownotes:
Farm Bill Resources: https://www.eesi.org/2023-farm-bill
Agriculture and Climate Article Series: https://www.eesi.org/agriculture-and-climate-series

4.5 Love into Action: The Power and Politics of Motherhood in Climate Activism

Across the United States and around the world, motherhood is often the foundation of vital caregiving networks that help make communities more resilient in the face of crisis and conflict. Effective climate adaptation policy should account for the ways in which mothers are disproportionately affected by climate change hazards, while also supporting the essential caregiving role their communities depend upon. With COP27 underway, Dan and Alison sit down with Diana Duarte from MADRE, an international women's human rights organization and feminist fund, to talk about how motherhood empowers climate activism in the global south. They are also joined by Moms Clean Air Force Co-Founder Dominique Browning for her insight on how networks of moms and dads are engaging with climate policy in the United States.
Show notes:
Go-To Resources on Gender Day:
https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/go-to-resources-on-the-key-themes-of-cop27-week-2#Gender
What Congress Needs to Know About COP27 briefing series:
https://www.eesi.org/cop27
COP27 Dispatch newsletter:
https://www.eesi.org/salesforce

4.4 Celebrating Two Years of Coastal Resilience Solutions at EESI!

October 26, 2022 marks the two-year anniversary of EESI’s comprehensive report called A Resilient Future for Coastal Communities. This report is a guidebook for policymakers on coastal resilience, featuring policy recommendations, guiding principles, case studies from across the country, and so much more. To mark this anniversary, Dan and Emma speak with Shana Udvardy, Senior Climate Resilience Policy Analyst at the Union of Concerned Scientists, to learn about how the climate of the present is affecting our coasts, what the big climate bills in the United States mean for coastal communities, and some examples of coastal resilience in action.
Show notes:
A Resilient Future for Coastal Communities report: https://www.eesi.org/papers/view/a-resilient-future-for-coastal-communities
Regional coastal resilience briefing series: https://www.eesi.org/initiatives/coastal-resilience

4.3 Energy Efficiency Brings Blessings to Delaware Houses of Faith

Many faith buildings across the country are old and inefficient, racking up huge energy bills that faith groups sometimes cannot afford to pay. In Delaware, two state nonprofits have formed a partnership to help address this problem, running energy audits and providing educational outreach to faith communities across the state. Dan and Emma speak with Shweta Arya from Delaware Interfaith Power & Light and Tony DePrima from Energize Delaware to learn about their Faith Efficiencies program and the benefits it can have for houses of worship. They are also joined by Pastor John Graham of Temple United Church in Wilmington, who shares stories of the transformation in his church after completing energy efficiency upgrades.
Show notes:
Energy Efficiency for Nonprofits article series: https://www.eesi.org/energy-efficiency-for-nonprofits
Articles on the Inflation Reduction Act: https://www.eesi.org/page/Inflation+Reduction+Act

4.2 Boosting Innovative Companies to Accelerate Climate Solutions

People are always inventing new climate solutions, but it is challenging to go from an idea to a commercially-viable product. But we urgently need these technologies to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, especially in heavy industries like steel manufacturing. Enter: Third Derivative, a climate accelerator with a mission to help climate start-ups bridge finance and resource gaps to enter the market faster. Dan and Emma speak with Elaine Hsieh, Third Derivative’s co-founder and principal, and Erica Nemser, chief executive of Compact Membrane Systems, a company part of the Third Derivative portfolio that makes membranes to capture carbon from industrial activity. Elaine and Erica discuss the importance of supporting small companies for climate solutions, strategies to address the lack of diversity in climate tech, and how federal policies can support their work.
Show notes:
Scaling Up Innovation to Drive Down Emissions briefing series: https://www.eesi.org/tech2022

4.1 Colorado Cafeterias Serve Up a Healthy Meal Program for Kids and the Climate

Welcome to season 4 of The Climate Conversation! We are heading back to school to learn about reducing cafeteria food waste with Food Policy Researcher Melissa Terry and representatives from the Boulder Valley School District and the Chef Ann Foundation in Colorado. Each day, the school district cooks over 15,000 fresh, cooked-from-scratch meals that kids actually want to eat. At the same time, they have also reduced their food waste by installing bulk milk dispensers, a salad bar, a composting system, and more. Dan and Emma speak with Mary Rochelle from the Boulder Valley School District and Laura Smith from the Chef Ann Foundation about how the district overhauled its school meals with the support of the Chef Ann Foundation, which which works with school systems around the country.
Back to School Briefing: https://www.eesi.org/briefings/view/092822school
Reducing Emissions by Reducing Food Waste Briefing: https://www.eesi.org/briefings/view/121021waste
Resources on the 2023 Farm Bill: https://www.eesi.org/2023-farm-bill

S3:E8: Mapping Climate Opinions in America

It’s the final episode of Season 3 of The Climate Conversation, which takes a close look at the newest version of the Climate Opinion Maps developed by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. Yale has been publishing these maps since 2014, which display responses to prompts such as “global warming is happening” and “Congress should do more to address global warming” across different geographic levels in the United States. Dan and Emma speak with Dr. Jennifer Marlon, the lead researcher for the Climate Opinion Maps, about how these responses have changed over time, what these maps say about public support for climate policies, and how these opinions might continue to evolve in the future. The Climate Conversation will return for Season 4 in September 2022.

S3:E7: Green Light for Colorado’s Electric School Bus

It's the launch of the Beneficial Electrification Toolkit at EESI! This resource is a one-stop-shop for utilities to learn, plan, and implement a beneficial electrification program. To explore this kind of electrification in action, we travel to Durango, Colorado, a small rural town in the southwest corner with a big source of pride: the first electric school bus with vehicle-to-grid capabilities in the state. This bus, which first hit the road in January 2022, not only takes students to school every day, but also helps store excess clean power, distribute energy back to the electric grid, reduce local emissions, and provide better air quality. The Durango School District worked with their local rural electric cooperative, La Plata Electric Association, to apply for a grant to pay for the bus and a fast charger in this pilot program. Dan and Emma talk with Dominic May from La Plata and Karla Sluis and Daniel Blythe from Durango School District about how the bus has performed so far and where they hope to take the program from here.

S3:E6: The Road to a Just Climate Future in Washington State

In April 2021, Washington State passed the Healthy Environment for All (HEAL) Act, a landmark piece of environmental justice legislation that defines environmental justice, establishes an Environmental Justice Council, requires the use of an environmental health disparities map to analyze cumulative impacts, and builds community input into the decision making process. Dan and Emma discuss how the provisions within the HEAL Act can address environmental disparities and progress over the past year with Dinah Wilson, Equity and Engagement Manager for the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, and Guillermo Rogel Jr., Legislative and Government Affairs Advocate at Front and Centered - two organizations instrumental in informing this law.