Monthly Archives: September 2015

The Imprisonment of A Climate Hero

September 29, 2015Full Showamal clooney, genser, george clooney, maldives, nasheedAlex Wise

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In the remote Indian Ocean nation of the Maldives, they don’t have the luxury of discussing climate change as an academic subject. The small country’s very existence faces a nearly inescapable fate of submersion. As president of the Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed was embraced by the international environmental community when he sent out a clarion call for immediate action to harness greenhouse gases at the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference of 2009. He was also featured in the documentary film, The Island President, which chronicled his inspiring efforts. And yet, Mohamed Nasheed now faces a different sort of struggle. He was overthrown by a military dictatorship in 2012 and was incarcerated earlier this year. This week on Sea Change Radio, we discuss the plight of this imprisoned climate hero with his attorney, international human rights lawyer Jared Genser. Genser recently visited President Nasheed along with fellow human rights activist, Amal Clooney, who’s also known as the wife of movie star George Clooney. I talk with Genser about the current political situation in the Maldives and what his team is doing to help free not only President Nasheed but also the 1700 other political prisoners locked up by the dictatorship of Abdullah Yameen.

Dan Dicker: Deciphering Oil Prices

September 22, 2015Full Showalex wise, dan dicker, oil, oil prices, saudi americaAlex Wise

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Some energy analysts predict that the past year’s downward trend in oil prices will continue. Our guest this week on Sea Change Radio, energy expert Dan Dicker, disagrees. He thinks that the price of oil will inevitably rise again, and sooner than many of his colleagues believe. Dicker comes on this week to explain his prediction and why he thinks a little more pain at the pump might, in the long run, be a good thing.

Tim Dwight: Gridiron Solar

September 15, 2015Full Showalex wise, chargers, falcons, football, iowa, nfl, patriots, solar, tim dwightAlex Wise

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Perhaps the hardest job in professional football is that of the Punt Returner, who tries to avoid being torn to shreds by very large, rapidly approaching human beings. Our guest today on Sea Change Radio is Tim Dwight, who was a Kick Returner and Wide Receiver in the NFL for ten years. He now applies his David vs. Goliath skills to the solar industry, where he competes against fossil fuel giants and advocates for better energy policies as a solar lobbyist and an executive for a solar EPC, or Engineering Procurement and Construction company. We talk about his transition from one of the least sustainable careers you can think of, in every sense of the word, to one of the most sustainable. We also touch upon some of the systemic problems plaguing the NFL, including artificial turf and public stadium financing. And, finally, Dwight gives us a behind-the-scenes glimpse into his time spent with the Chargers, Falcons and Patriots.

Salt Water Wilderness: Summer Brennan & Doug Woodring

September 8, 2015Full Showdoug woodring, drakes bay oyster farm, oyster war, summer brennanAlex Wise

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What does the word wilderness evoke in your mind? A vast field, a dense forest, a body of water? If you’re an attorney, it may simply be a legal term. It turns out that how the law defines wilderness can be pretty significant for conservation efforts, for private enterprise, and for food production. Our first guest today on Sea Change Radio is Summer Brennan, whose recent book, The Oyster War, tells the story of a legal struggle concerning an oyster farm in Northern California. The case, hinges largely on the definition of wilderness, and made a bit of a splash, if you will, with Fox News and the Koch brothers. We delve into the history of the Drakes Bay Oyster Co. and talk about the hostilities that ensued when the government tried to shut it down. Later, we revisit my discussion with Doug Woodring of the Ocean Recovery Alliance whose Hong Kong-based organization continues the fight to clean up our ocean wilderness.

The Slow One

September 1, 2015Full Showalex wise, new slow city, william powersAlex Wise

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As we approach Labor Day, now seems like a good time to think not only about the value of our labor, but about the value of the time we spend not working. Our guest this week on Sea Change Radio is William Powers, author of New Slow City – a reflection of an unhurried, minimalist life in the heart of high-speed Manhattan. In his book, Powers offers an alternative philosophy for living, one that stands in stark contrast to the American ethos of constant growth and unending expansion of production and consumption. Powers and host Alex Wise have a conversation about the root of our obsession with work, the drawbacks of constantly striving for increased productivity, the influence of technology on the quality of time, and how better stewardship of the planet may be tied to just slowing down.