http://www.cchange.net Covering the transformations to social, environment and economic sustainability Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:08:33 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Sea Change Radio covers the transformations to social, environmental, and economic sustainability. Change is accelerating in positive and negative directions: the clock is ticking in the race to see which will tip first—the problems or the solutions. Join Sea Change's Host, Alex Wise, as he provides in-depth analysis to help our audience understand possible remedies and potential pitfalls. Sea Change interviews sustainability experts including Paul Hawken, Stewart Brand, Bill McKibben, Van Jones, Lester Brown, and many others. Sea Change airs on over 30 radio stations around the country. Alex Wise clean Alex Wise awise@cchange.net awise@cchange.net (Alex Wise) 2007-2011 Making Connections for Sustainability Sustainability, Climate Change, Human Rights, Environment, Corporate Responsibility, Socially Responsible Investing, Accountability, Stakeholders, Clean Tech, Renewable Energy, Green Jobs, Wealth Divide http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/cwr-images-archive/SeaChangeRadioTAG_square144_sm.jpg http://www.cchange.net Weekly http://www.cchange.net/2009/08/19/urban-agriculture-sprouting-farms-on-rooftops-and-empty-lots/ http://www.cchange.net/2009/08/19/urban-agriculture-sprouting-farms-on-rooftops-and-empty-lots/#comments Wed, 19 Aug 2009 22:36:39 +0000 Bill Baue http://www.cchange.net/?p=1550 http://www.cchange.net/2009/08/19/urban-agriculture-sprouting-farms-on-rooftops-and-empty-lots/feed/ 2 Green Building,Green Jobs,organic farming,rooftop greenhouses,urban agriculture Sea Change Radio returns for a second week’s coverage of the 35th Annual Conference of the Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA.) Sea Change Co-Host Bill Baue speaks with Gardening the Community (GtC) Director Ippy Amatul-Wadud and her sister Qa... (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/Ippy3.jpg)(http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/Alice-150x150.jpg) Sea Change Radio returns for a second week’s coverage of the 35th Annual Conference of the Northeast Organic Farming Association (http://www.nofa.org/index.php) (NOFA.) Sea Change Co-Host Bill Baue speaks with Gardening the Community (http://gardeningthecommunity.blogspot.com/) (GtC) Director Ippy Amatul-Wadud and her sister Qamaria about this project (http://www.nofamass.org/programs/gtc/index.php) of NOFA Massachusetts (http://www.nofamass.org/index.php) that teaches youth about organic farming in the city.  And he also speaks with Top Sprouts (http://topsprouts.com/main/index.php) co-founders Alice Leung and Akshay Kolte (http://topsprouts.com/main/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=52&Itemid=55) about their startup company that puts greenhouses atop downtown buildings (http://topsprouts.com/main/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=46&Itemid=44). Last week’s show (http://www.cchange.net/2009/08/12/growing-food-growing-community/) featured keynoter Will Allen (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/05/magazine/05allen-t.html) of Growing Power (http://www.growingpower.org/) in Chicago singing praises to inner-city youth for teaching him the value of bridging generations by connecting to the land.  This week, we speak with some of those inner-city youth who are seeding a love for urban agriculture. (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/Qamiria3-150x150.jpg)Bill caught up with sisters Ippy and Qamaria Amatul-Wadud of Gardening the Community in the exhibition tent at the NOFA conference, where the youth team tabling for GtC stood out in their orange t-shirts.  Ippy and Qamaria’s enthusiasm shone brighter than their shirts, as they described their passion for urban gardening.  Amidst the din of the crowds, Bill asked Qamaria to explain what Gardening the Community does -- and what her favorite aspect of the program, based in Springfield, Massachusetts, is.  The commitment to biking (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/gtc-bike-150x150.jpg)as transportation to and from the gardens, Qamaria responded without skipping a beat, as it avoids driving cars and burning fossil fuels! Next, Bill spoke with Ibtihaj, or Ippy, the nickname she goes by.  She piggybacked on her sister’s comments, describing in depth what it means for her to be director of Gardening the Community. Last week, Sea Change Co-Host Francesca Rheannon invited presenters Abby Youngblood of Just Food (http://www.justfood.org/jf/) in New York City and Scott Kellogg of the Rhizome Collective (http://archive.rhizomecollective.org/) in Austin, Texas for an interview in the nearby WMUA studios, where we produce Sea Change.  At the end of the interview, they touched on the issue of rooftop greenhouses.  At about the same time, Bill was in the exhibition tent chatting with (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/Akshay-150x150.jpg)Akshay Kolte about Top Sprouts, a startup company he’s co-founding with Alice Leung to put greenhouses on rooftops in Boston and throughout New England.  The brief interview left Bill hungry for more information on Top Sprouts, so he arranged a phone interview with Kolte and Heung. The team described how the idea to launch Top Sprouts(http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/TopSprouts-150x150.jpg) got planted in their heads.  They also discuss the potential for stimulus funding to support rooftop greenhouses in the future, as well as their intention of engaging with the US Green Building Council (http://www.usgbc.org/)urging them to add points to LEED certification (http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CategoryID=19) for rooftop greenhouses.  Finally, they touch on the social justice aspects of urban agriculture, affirming their intention to make rooftop greenhouses available for low-income housing, Bill Baue clean 29:30 http://www.cchange.net/2009/03/18/gaviotas-a-village-to-reinvent-the-world/ http://www.cchange.net/2009/03/18/gaviotas-a-village-to-reinvent-the-world/#comments Wed, 18 Mar 2009 20:48:53 +0000 Bill Baue http://www.cchange.net/?p=683 http://www.cchange.net/2009/03/18/gaviotas-a-village-to-reinvent-the-world/feed/ 0 Alan Weisman,Alternative Economic Models,Chelsea Green Publishing,Clean Tech,Climate Change,Gaviotas,Green Building,Green Living,Local Living Economies,Renewable Energy,Robert Weissman,Sustainable Agriculture Journalist Alan Weisman talks about his book , reissued late last year by Chelsea Green Publishing on the 10th anniversary of its first edition.  And in the News Analysis, Rob Weissman of Wall Street Watch talks about its new report, (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/alanweisman-150x150.jpg) Journalist Alan Weisman (http://www.chelseagreen.com/authors/alan_weisman/) talks about his book , reissued late last year by Chelsea Green Publishing (http://www.chelseagreen.com/) on the 10th anniversary of its first edition.  And in the News Analysis, Rob Weissman (http://www.cptech.org/staff/rob.html) of Wall Street Watch (http://www.wallstreetwatch.org/) talks about its new report, Sold Out: How Wall Street and Washington Betrayed America (http://www.wallstreetwatch.org/soldoutreport.htm). And support Sea Change in the Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Changing Climate Change Contest by clicking here (http://www.justmeans.com/showideadetails?ideaid=8382&isread=y).  Finally, Sea Change is on Twitter (http://twitter.com/cchange) -- we'll tweet you if you tweet us. Is it possible to create a sustainable community in the harsh environment of a treeless savannah?  Yes, if you use affordable, small scale technology that respects people and the planet.  That's what the villagers of Gaviotas, an "unintentional" community in the largely uninhabited eastern part of Colombia, say.  Journalist Alan Weisman chronicled the making of this sustainable community in his book, GAVIOTAS. (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/see-saw-150x150.jpg)The interview begins with Weisman talking about what that community looks like today.  He talks about innovative uses of energy there -- including kid power: a see-saw doubles as a water pump. (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/hospital-150x150.jpg)In the midst of a country plagued by violence, no one has been killed in Gaviotas in the 40 years since its founding. One remarkable reason is the hospital Gaviotas built that treats all comers -- whether impoverished farmers, indigenous people from the area, or even rebels and paramilitaries. The hospital was designed with ideas from residents, Indians from surrounding areas, and a young engineer from one of Colombia's top universities, Esperanza Connell. (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/solar-150x150.jpg)But Gaviotas hasn't kept it's innovations to itself. It's teamed up with poor urban communities in Colombia to bring small, appropriate technology that leaves a light footprint on the planet.  For example, solar collectors. Bill Baue clean 29:28 http://www.cchange.net/2009/03/11/building-green/ http://www.cchange.net/2009/03/11/building-green/#comments Wed, 11 Mar 2009 22:01:47 +0000 Bill Baue http://www.cchange.net/?p=657 http://www.cchange.net/2009/03/11/building-green/feed/ 2 Alex Wilson,Climate Change,Community Economic Engagement,Erin Gorman,Fair Trade,Green Building,Green Jobs,Green Living,human rights,Karl Frisch,Labor Rights,Local Living Economies BuildingGreen.com founder Alex Wilson discusses the history, current state, and future of the green building movement. Erin Gorman, CEO of Divine Chocolate USA, welcomes the move by Cadbury to source Fairtrade cocoa from the Kuapa Kokoo cooperative in ... (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/alexwilson-150x150.jpg) BuildingGreen.com (http://www.buildinggreen.com/) founder Alex Wilson (http://www.buildinggreen.com/about/staff.cfm) discusses the history, current state, and future of the green building movement. Erin Gorman, CEO of Divine Chocolate USA (http://www.divinechocolateusa.com/), welcomes the move by Cadbury to source Fairtrade cocoa (http://www.csrwire.com/News/14719.html) from the Kuapa Kokoo (http://www.kuapakokoogh.com/) cooperative in Ghana that owns Divine, and Bama Athreya of the International Labor Rights Forum (http://www.laborrights.org/) also applauds (http://www.laborrights.org/stop-child-labor/cocoa-campaign/1971) Cadbury's move.  And Karl Frisch (http://www.karlfrisch.com/) of Media Matters (http://mediamatters.org/) brings us the ViewPoint on how the mainstream media is dropping the ball on covering climate change. Alex Wilson founded BuildingGreen in 1985, when the green building movement was in its infancy.  As executive editor of Environmental Building News (http://www.buildinggreen.com/articles/), the bible of green building, Wilson has provided the information that has formed the building blocks of the movement.  In November 2008, Wilson received the Leadership Award for Education (http://www.buildinggreen.com/press/leadership_award.cfm) from the US Green Building Council (http://www.usgbc.org/), whose board he served on from 2000 until 2005, the crucial period when the organization created the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) (http://www.usgbc.org/leed/) certification. Wilson launches the conversation with a primer on green building and its history, starting with an explanation of LEED.  He then compares indigenous structural design, such as the Anasazi, who oriented their dwellings toward the sun to capture solar energy, compared to design that developed in the age of cheap fossil fuel, which abandoned age-old principles of efficiency.  Wilson points out, however, that the Anasazi  civilization collapsed due to reliance on unsustainable water use -- a fate our current culture may share with them. Wilson highlights solutions, such as green roofs (http://www.buildinggreen.com/auth/article.cfm/2009/1/30/Integrate-Food-Production-and-Green-Building/) and urban agriculture which integrates into the built environment (http://www.buildinggreen.com/auth/article.cfm/2009/1/29/Growing-Food-Locally-Integrating-Agriculture-Into-the-Built-Environment/), citing the example of City Farm (http://www.resourcecenterchicago.org/70thfarm.html) in Chicago.  He then proposes the idea of passive survivability (http://www.buildinggreen.com/live/index.cfm/2008/10/14/On-the-Path-to-Passive-Survivability), the notion of designing our buildings to survive the kinds of challenges that will become more prevalent as the climate changes, such as power outages and water shortages.  The beauty of this idea is that it's exactly the kind of design we need to achieve sustainability. Bill Baue clean http://www.cchange.net/2009/02/18/making-the-case-for-a-green-stimulus/ http://www.cchange.net/2009/02/18/making-the-case-for-a-green-stimulus/#comments Wed, 18 Feb 2009 22:15:23 +0000 Bill Baue http://www.cchange.net/?p=566 http://www.cchange.net/2009/02/18/making-the-case-for-a-green-stimulus/feed/ 0 Clean Tech,Climate Change,EPA,global warming,Green Building,Green Jobs,Green Living,nicholas stern,Renewable Energy,stimulus,Sustainable Agriculture,Sustainable Innovation Alex Bowen, a Principal Research Fellow at The Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment of the London School of Economics, discusses An Outline of the Case for a ‘Green’ Stimulus, a report he co-authored with Lord Nicholas Stern, (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/alexbowen.jpg)(http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/greenstimulus.jpg)Alex Bowen, a Principal Research Fellow at The Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment (http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/granthamInstitute/Default.htm) of the London School of Economics, discusses An Outline of the Case for a ‘Green’ Stimulus (http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/granthamInstitute/publications/An%20outline%20of%20the%20case%20for%20a%20'green'%20stimulus.pdf), a report he co-authored with Lord Nicholas Stern, the man behind the 2006 Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change (http://www.occ.gov.uk/activities/stern.htm).   And in the ViewPoint, Donald Bartlett of the investigative journalism team Bartlett and Steele (http://barlettandsteele.com/index.php) advances the idea of a Federal Reserve for health care (http://barlettandsteele.com/blog/?p=10). President Obama signed a $787 billion dollar stimulus package into law this week --and many say it's good news for the green industry (http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/17/obama-signs-stimulus-packed-with-clean-energy-provisions/). Obama declared it would "double the amount of renewable energy produced over the next three years" and help transform the way we use energy. That's all to the good. But is it enough? Forty percent of the package is in the form of tax cuts, which most economists think are much worse at stimulating economic activity than spending (http://www.forbes.com/feeds/afx/2009/02/06/afx6019551.html). Mass transit supporters were discouraged by the small portion given over to light rail. (Although there was a last minute infusion for high speed rail (http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0209/18924.html).) Throwing a lot of money at roads and bridges instead of public transportation doesn't exactly help the climate. We've talked a lot on this show about how going green is good for the economy, too. But when the economy is in free fall, many argue the priority is a stimulus that is "timely and targeted"-- and that means getting the political will behind quick passage with the sweetener of tax cuts and funds for "shovel ready" projects like repairing roads and bridges. But a new report says we can get the stimulus right and green. "An outline of the case for a 'green' stimulus" is jointly out from the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment and the Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy (http://www.cccep.ac.uk/Default.htm). They're both connected to the London School of Economics. Sea Change Radio Co-Host Francesca Rheannon spoke with the report's lead author, Alex Bowen. Bill Baue clean http://www.cchange.net/2009/02/11/envisioning-a-green-economy/ http://www.cchange.net/2009/02/11/envisioning-a-green-economy/#comments Wed, 11 Feb 2009 22:22:58 +0000 Bill Baue http://www.cchange.net/?p=550 http://www.cchange.net/2009/02/11/envisioning-a-green-economy/feed/ 0 Clean Tech,Climate Change,economic security,Green Building,green business,green economy,Green Jobs,Green Living,greenbiz,joel makower,john harrington,Obama This week, green business guru Joel Makower encourages us to envision success in creating a clean, sustainable economy that averts climate catastrophe and improves our environment, communities, and lives.  And shareholder activist John Harrington urges... (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/joelmakower.jpg) This week, green business guru Joel Makower (http://www.makower.com/) encourages us to envision success in creating a clean, sustainable economy that averts climate catastrophe and improves our environment, communities, and lives.  And shareholder activist John Harrington (http://harringtoninvestments.com/johnharrington.aspx) urges banks bailed out with Troubled Asset Relief Program funding to make sure they stabilize US economic security. Green is the buzzword of the day, when it comes to business and the economy.  But what is a green economy, and how do we distinguish between a coat of green painted on the old, now failing economy -- and a truly clean, sustainable economy?  These are the questions Joel Makower has been asking for decades.  He founded the Green Business Letter in the early 1990s, and then launched GreenBiz.com (http://www.greenbiz.com/) in the early 2000s.  The Associated Press calls him the "guru of green business."  His latest book, (http://www.makower.com/book.html), came out this year.  Joel spoke with Sea Change Radio Co-Host Bill Baue from San Francisco on the heels of the release of the annual State of Green Business (http://www.stateofgreenbusiness.com/) report from GreenBiz. Makower started by discussing the good news, how business is greening in amazing ways, often under the radar screen of mainstream media.  Makower calls this effect "greenmuting," a term coined by Bob Langert of McDonald's (http://www.crmcdonalds.com/publish/csr/home/_blog.category.2254307.html), and he notes the irony that companies like McDonald's may be greening more than most individuals.  Makower also discusses the bad news -- that business is not greening enough, or fast enough, to avert environmental, social, and economic crises such as climate catastrophe, human rights abuses, and the financial meltdown. Baue poses the specific example of GE to illustrate this paradox of good and bad news.  Makower consulted on GE's Ecomagination (http://ge.ecomagination.com/) initiative, encouraging the company to set rigorous standards.  The conversation expands to the broader issue of standards for a green economy, and Makower opines that green jobs, which currently lack clear definition, may be the next greenwash (http://readjoel.com/joel_makower/2009/02/will-green-jobs-become-the-new-greenwash.html). Makower ends with inspiration, using the example of Obama's campaign of hope as a launching pad for encouraging us all to envision what success would look like in achieving a green economy (http://readjoel.com/joel_makower/2009/01/obama-and-the-vision-thing.html)that not only saves the world, but also improves our lives. Bill Baue clean 29:30 http://www.cchange.net/2009/01/21/clean-energy-connections/ http://www.cchange.net/2009/01/21/clean-energy-connections/#comments Wed, 21 Jan 2009 22:31:43 +0000 Bill Baue http://www.cchange.net/?p=436 http://www.cchange.net/2009/01/21/clean-energy-connections/feed/ 0 Clean Tech,Climate Change,Community Economic Engagement,elizabeth kolbert,Green Building,green for all,Green Jobs,Kevin Doyle,New England Clean Energy Council,Phil Guidice,Regional_Greenhouse_Gas_Initiative,Renewable Energy At the Clean Energy Connections Conference in November 2008, Sea Change Radio Co-Host Francesca Rheannon spoke with Massachusetts Commissioner of Energy Resources Phil Guidice about the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) and state-level clean en... (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/philgiudice-120x150.jpg)(http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/kevindoyle.jpg)At the Clean Energy Connections (http://www.umass.edu/green/index.html) Conference in November 2008, Sea Change Radio Co-Host Francesca Rheannon spoke with Massachusetts Commissioner of Energy Resources (http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=eoeeaagencylanding&L=5&L0=Home&L1=Grants+%26+Technical+Assistance&L2=Guidance+%26+Technical+Assistance&L3=Agencies+and+Divisions&L4=Department+of+Energy+Resources+(DOER)&sid=Eoeea) Phil Guidice about the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (http://www.rggi.org/home) (RGGI) and state-level clean energy initiatives. She also interviewed Kevin Doyle, co-chair of the workforce development group of the New England Clean Energy Council (http://www.cleanenergycouncil.org/), about the importance for low income people to have a voice at the table in developing the clean energy economy. For the News Analysis, Rheannon and Co-Host Bill Baue speak with Elizabeth Kolbert about her New Yorker profile of Green for All (http://www.greenforall.org/) Founding President Van Jones entitled "Greening the Ghetto (http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/01/12/090112fa_fact_kolbert)." And Francesca brings us a modest proposal for funding energy efficiency in this week's ViewPoint. Bill Baue clean http://www.cchange.net/2009/01/21/news-analysis-elizabeth-kolbert-on-greening-the-ghetto/ http://www.cchange.net/2009/01/21/news-analysis-elizabeth-kolbert-on-greening-the-ghetto/#comments Wed, 21 Jan 2009 22:28:19 +0000 Bill Baue http://www.cchange.net/?p=432 http://www.cchange.net/2009/01/21/news-analysis-elizabeth-kolbert-on-greening-the-ghetto/feed/ 0 Alternative Economic Models,Clean Tech,Climate Change,Community Economic Engagement,elizabeth kolbert,Green Building,Green Jobs,Green Living,Renewable Energy,Sustainable Innovation,Sustainable Public Policy "Greening the Ghetto" is the title of Elizabeth Kolbert's profile of Van Jones in a recent New Yorker. The piece traces Van Jones' development from a civil rights activist to a green collar jobs guru. Kolbert quotes Jones saying "Sometimes a breakdow... (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/elizabethkolbert-150x150.jpg)"Greening the Ghetto (http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/01/12/090112fa_fact_kolbert)" is the title of Elizabeth Kolbert's profile of Van Jones (http://www.vanjones.net/) in a recent New Yorker. The piece traces Van Jones' development from a civil rights activist to a green collar jobs guru. Kolbert quotes Jones saying "Sometimes a breakdown can lead to a breakthrough.” She tells the story of how this resonates on a personal level for him. And, he's also referring to this moment in history when an economic breakdown could lead to an environmental and economic breakthrough. Bill Baue clean http://www.cchange.net/2008/01/02/the-clean-tech-revolution-part-two/ http://www.cchange.net/2008/01/02/the-clean-tech-revolution-part-two/#comments Thu, 03 Jan 2008 00:02:00 +0000 Bill Baue http://www.cchange.net/2008/01/02/the-clean-tech-revolution-part-two/ http://www.cchange.net/2008/01/02/the-clean-tech-revolution-part-two/feed/ 0 china,Clean Tech,Clint Wilder,Green Building,Ron Pernick In the second part of this two-part interview, Corporate Watchdog Radio co-hosts Francesca Rheannon and Bill Baue speak with Ron Pernick and Clint Wilder, co-authors of the new book, The Clean Tech Revolution: The Next Big Growth and Investment Opportu... In the second part of this two-part interview, Corporate Watchdog Radio co-hosts Francesca Rheannon and Bill Baue speak with Ron Pernick and Clint Wilder, co-authors of the new book, The Clean Tech Revolution: The Next Big Growth and Investment Opportunity. Pernick and Wilder, who helped define the clean tech industry in their work with the research and publishing firm Clean Edge, explain three of the six major forces they identified that are driving the clean tech revolution, all starting with the letter "C": China, consumers, and climate (they discussed the other three, costs, capital, and competition in part one.) They also describe plug-in hybrids capable of getting 500 miles per gallon, define the "corn conundrum" pitting fuel against food, and survey green building strategies. In the end, they point out that profitability and environmentalism are not necessarily contradictory, but rather can complement one another--especially in supportive regulatory regimes (which they predict will come in the next US presidential administration.) The Clean Tech Revolution Clean Edge (http://www.cleanedge.com/) SocialFunds.com book review of The Clean Tech Revolution by Francesca Rheannon Bill Baue clean 27:42