Monthly Archives: November 2013

Strange + Rare Birds: Ralph Steadman & Ceri Levy (re-broadcast)

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RalphSteadmanCeriLevyConfronted with the topic of extinct birds, filmmaker and author Ceri Levy took an unorthodox route to raising awareness. He enlisted the irreverent and intoxicating painter, Ralph Steadman, who’s most famous as the partner-in-crime and illustrator for legendary gonzo journalist, Hunter S. Thompson.

Levy and Steadman embarked on the project, Extinct Boids, and created a coffee table book that documents in colorful hilarity many species of birds that have ceased to exist on the earth, as well as some that only ever existed in the recesses of Steadman’s unrestrained mind. A portion of the proceeds of the book go to supporting wildlife preservation through BirdLife International. While the book is at once a joyful exploration of imagination and a somber reflection on conservation, the conversation you’re about to hear in which host Alex Wise attempts to keep up with the creators of Extinct Boids is almost completely inane.

Global and Local Generations of Energy

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ChrisCannonAshKalra2How many of us have ever watched the boundless energy of little kids playing and thought, “if only you could capture that energy, you could light up a whole city!” Well, our first guest this week on Sea Change Radio, Chris Cannon, is doing just that – his nonprofit, Empower Playgrounds, taps the kinetic movement of children at play and converts it into usable power in electricity-deprived locales in the West African nation of Ghana.

In the second half of the show we move from the global to the local. Working in California’s third-largest city, and the tenth-largest city in the US, City Councilmember Ash Kalra expends a large portion of his energy ensuring clean air, water and transportation are available in San Jose and the surrounding area for generations to come.

The Best Things In Life Are Free: Adam Browning and Chuck Leavell

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AdamBrowning2ChuckLeavellThis week on Sea Change Radio, we dip into the archives to reconnect with three timeless essentials – the sun, the trees and music. First, we hear from Adam Browning, the executive director of Vote Solar, a non-profit organization that advocates for solar power adoption. He talks about the lessons we can learn from success stories like the German solar industry and look at some of the financial innovations emerging around solar.

Then, it’s rock and roll legend, conservationist and environmental author, Chuck Leavell. He has played keyboards for the Rolling Stones since 1985 and is also known for his work with artists ranging from The Allman Brothers Band to Eric Clapton to The Black Crowes. Leavell talks to host Alex Wise about the ins and outs of his stellar career as a musician, his founding of the Mother Nature Network and his tireless work for sustainable forestry.

Arctic 30 Update and Fog Harvesting

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GarethMcKinleyKeillerMacDuffBy now you may have heard about the arrest of 30 activists in the arctic by the Russian government. This week on Sea Change Radio we hear the harrowing tale from Keiller MacDuff, a Greenpeace colleague of the imprisoned group that has become known as the Arctic 30.

Then, host Alex Wise speaks to Gareth McKinley, an MIT professor whose students have come up with a potential solution for the rainless days that await many regions as climate change takes hold – a technology that effectively converts fog into potable water.