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/2011/02/08/winds-of-change-congressman-jerry-mcnerney-wind-power-expert-michael-payne/ http://www.cchange.net/2011/02/08/winds-of-change-congressman-jerry-mcnerney-wind-power-expert-michael-payne/#comments Tue, 08 Feb 2011 18:03:46 +0000 Alex Wise http://www.cchange.net/?p=3167 http://www.cchange.net/2011/02/08/winds-of-change-congressman-jerry-mcnerney-wind-power-expert-michael-payne/feed/ 1 alex wise,congressman jerry mcnerney,jerry mcnerney,michael payne,Renewable Energy,sea change radio,wind,wind power Part 2 of Sea Change Radio's 2-part series on wind power with US Congressman Jerry McNerney, the only member of either house who’s also a wind power engineer - and veteran wind energy executive, Michael Payne. (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/jerry-mcnerney.jpg) (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Michael-Payne.jpg)(http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Michael-Payne-150x150.jpg)(http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/jerry-mcnerney-150x150.jpg)This week on Sea Change Radio, Part 2 of our 2-part series on wind power. First, we hear again from US Congressman Jerry McNerney (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_McNerney) (CA-11), the only member of either House who’s also a wind power engineer. Next, the US is lagging far behind Europe in the move toward renewable energy sources. To find out why, host Alex Wise (http://www.cchange.net/about/alex-wise/) talks once more to Michael Payne, a veteran wind power executive who’s served as Shell WindEnergy's General Manager of Europe & Asia as well as a Director at Enron Wind. Payne offers his perspective on the policy and business factors that will help direct the winds of change. For a better idea of the size of the renewable energy gap between the U.S. and Europe, 9.1% of the total energy capacity of the European Union  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_power_in_the_European_Union)now comes from wind, up from just 2.2% in 2000. By contrast, in the U.S., coal-fired plants contributed 44.8 percent of total power generation (http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/epm/epm_sum.html)in 2010 while renewables (hydroelectric, biomass, geothermal, solar, and wind) combined to generate around 10% (http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/epm/epm_sum.html)of our nation's electricity. Wind power itself accounts for only about 2% of the electricity generated in the United States (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_power_in_the_United_States). Alex Wise clean http://www.cchange.net/2010/03/24/whose-commonwealth-is-it/ http://www.cchange.net/2010/03/24/whose-commonwealth-is-it/#comments Wed, 24 Mar 2010 20:45:07 +0000 Francesca Rheannon http://www.cchange.net/?p=2408 http://www.cchange.net/2010/03/24/whose-commonwealth-is-it/feed/ 0 back to the future,Clean Tech,clean technology,Commonwealth,Dan Juhl,David Bollier,digital sphere,energy expert,green economy,intellectual commons,kerry buckley,mass humanities Journalist and policy strategist David Bollier tells us about the idea of the commons, wind energy expert Patrick Quinlan talks about how wind power in Massachusetts has become a battleground over competing definitions of the commons, (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Bollier_photo_June_10082-150x150.jpg) Welcome to the final episode in our Sea Change series, Back to the Future. Journalist and policy strategist David Bollier tells us about the idea of the commons; wind energy expert Patrick Quinlan talks about wind power in Massachusetts and how it has become a battleground over competing definitions of the commons; wind developer Dan Juhl talks about community wind power; and historian Kerry Buckley sums up the lessons of our series. Each month, Back To The Future looks at what we can learn from the past, when we used far less fossil fuels than we do today. We explore practices we can adapt as we move toward a lower carbon future. Last month (http://www.cchange.net/2010/02/17/cool-industry-for-a-cooler-planet/), we looked at how water power in Holyoke, Massachusetts helped fuel the industrial revolution in the U.S. and is powering the birth of a green economy in Holyoke. This month we look at how the ancient idea of the commons can be adapted to ensuring the survival of the ecological commons. We also take the case of wind power in Massachusetts to examine how controversy has erupted over conflicting ways people define the common good. David Bollier (http://www.bollier.org/) is a journalist and policy strategist whose work focuses on the politics, economics and culture of the commons.  He's the editor of the web portal and blog OntheCommons.org (http://www.onthecommons.org/ ) and also co-founder of Public Knowledge (http://www.publicknowledge.org/), a public interest group defending the rights of the  intellectual commons in the digital sphere.  Lately he's been thinking about how to establish a international legal framework for protecting the ecological commons. Patrick Quinlan is Associate Director of the Wind Energy Center (http://www.umass.edu/windenergy/)at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. He's been actively involved in wind power and clean technology development since 1982.  He was an advisor to the U.S. Office of Science and Technology Policy and worked for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in the Washington office, serving the Federal wind energy, solar energy, geothermal, and hydrogen technology programs. (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/juhl_wind-104x150.jpg)Minnesota-based Dan Juhl of Juhl Wind (http://www.juhlwind.com/) is one of America's pioneers in community wind power. Sea Change Radio interviewed him (http://www.cchange.net/2008/07/16/the-community-building-power-of-wind/) originally in 2008. Kerry Buckley is executive director of Historic Northampton (http://www.historic-northampton.org/). He's the author of several books and editor of A PLACE CALLED PARADISE (http://search.barnesandnoble.com/A-Place-Called-Paradise/Kerry-W-Buckley/e/9781558494855). This program is funded in part by Mass Humanities, which receives support from the Massachusetts Cultural Council and is an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Francesca Rheannon clean http://www.cchange.net/2010/02/03/sustainable-schools-education-goes-green/ http://www.cchange.net/2010/02/03/sustainable-schools-education-goes-green/#comments Wed, 03 Feb 2010 23:05:37 +0000 Bill Baue http://www.cchange.net/?p=2325 http://www.cchange.net/2010/02/03/sustainable-schools-education-goes-green/feed/ 0 Renewable Energy,sustainable education,sustainable endowments institute This edition of Sea Change Radio studies sustainable education.  Co-Host Bill Baue speaks with Sustainable Endowments Institute Executive Director Mark Orlowski about the College Sustainability Report Card. (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/MarkOrlowski-150x150.jpg)This edition of Sea Change Radio studies sustainable education.  Co-Host Bill Baue speaks with Sustainable Endowments Institute (http://www.endowmentinstitute.org/) Executive Director Mark Orlowski (http://www.endowmentinstitute.org/mark_orlowski_bio.html) about the College Sustainability Report Card (http://www.greenreportcard.org/).  Co-Host Kelsey Flynn (http://wrsi.com/Kelsey-Flynn/3222248) then chats with Josh Stoffel (http://www.umass.edu/loop/talkingpoints/articles/93352.php), the new Sustainability Coordinator here at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, where we produce Sea Change Radio, and Monty Archbald, chair of the Green Campus Committee (http://www.gcc.mass.edu/gogreen/greencampus/) at Greenfield Community College (http://www.gcc.mass.edu/).  And finally, Bill talks with Neil Drobny of the Fisher College of Business at Ohio State University. School: it's all about the future, learning skills and gaining knowledge to broaden our horizons.  This forward-looking focus makes education a perfect place to study sustainability, which is all about protecting our environment and supporting social systems for present and, importantly, future generations.  You'd think that schools would be right on board with the sustainability agenda, but that hasn't necessarily been the case.  That's what Mark Orlowski found when he started examining how green and socially responsible college and universities are.  He's head of the Sustainable Endowments Institute, which issues an annual College Sustainability Report Card.  That's right, he grades schools! Orlowski was visiting the region last year before the most recent report card came out, in October, so Sea Change Co-Host Bill Baue invited him into the WMUA (http://www.wmua.org/) studio for a chat, which touched on a range of issues including the American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment (http://www.presidentsclimatecommitment.org/), among many other things. WMUA is housed in the Campus Center at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst -- so we can take an up-close look at how UMass is implementing sustainability.  UMass Amherst earned a C+ (http://www.greenreportcard.org/report-card-2010/schools/university-of-massachusetts-amherst) in the latest College Sustainability Report Card -- with A's in many campus initiatives counterbalanced by a couple of Fs on the investment side, in endowment transparency and shareholder engagement. (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/JoshStoffel.jpg)(http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/umass_CHP_rendering-150x150.jpg)The month before, in September 2009, UMass Amherst hired a recent graduate, Josh Stoffel, as its new Sustainability Coordinator.  For her Sustainable Valley (http://wrsi.com/pages/4791101.php) segment on radio station WRSI (http://wrsi.com/pages/3168599.php), Sea Change Co-Host Kelsey Flynn recently interviewed Josh, who described the university's Energy Conservation Project (http://www.umass.edu/epac/energyconserv.htm), which is saving the school over $6 million a year, and its co-generation power plant (http://www.umass.edu/fp/projectmanagement/constructioninformation/centralheatingplant/).  He also discussed the university's Green Portal (http://www.umass.edu/green/). Kelsey then talks with Montserrat Archbald, a Peer Tutoring Program Staff Assistant at Greenfield Community College.  Along with some of her peers at GCC five years ago, she helped form the Green Campus Committee (http://www.gcc.mass.edu/gogreen/greencampus/).  The group is committed to promoting environmental awareness on campus, pursuing sustainable energy and energy saving measures and advocating for green curricula.  Monty (as she's called) also described the school's new Renewable Energy/Energy Efficiency degree program (http://www.gcc.mass.edu/departments/science/renewable_energy.html). Bill Baue clean http://www.cchange.net/2009/07/08/the-next-generation-in-green-jobs-and-energy-efficiency/ http://www.cchange.net/2009/07/08/the-next-generation-in-green-jobs-and-energy-efficiency/#comments Wed, 08 Jul 2009 22:18:41 +0000 Bill Baue http://www.cchange.net/?p=1372 http://www.cchange.net/2009/07/08/the-next-generation-in-green-jobs-and-energy-efficiency/feed/ 2 Green Jobs,Renewable Energy Sea Change Radio explores on-the-ground work in green collar jobs and energy efficiency retrofits.  Francesca Rheannon speaks with Patricia Moss, Project Manager of  Groundwork Springfield, and the Green Team of teens and young adults working in green ... (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/PatriciaMoss-150x150.jpg)(http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/AdinMaynard.jpg) Sea Change Radio explores on-the-ground work in green collar jobs and energy efficiency retrofits.  Francesca Rheannon speaks with Patricia Moss, Project Manager of  Groundwork Springfield (http://www.groundworkspringfield.org/), and the Green Team (http://www.groundworkspringfield.org/node/7) of teens and young adults working in green jobs.  And Bill Baue speaks with Adin Maynard (http://www.mycozyhome.org/about), Director of Operations at Cozy Home Performance (http://www.mycozyhome.org/), about the company's participation in the Weatherization Assistance Program (http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/weatherization/) for low-income homeowners and its move into deep energy retrofits for mid- and upper-income homeowners. Following up on last week’s interview (http://www.cchange.net/2009/07/01/boosting-employment-with-green-jobs/) with Bob Pollin (http://www.peri.umass.edu/staff/#c128) of the Political Economy Research Institute (http://www.peri.umass.edu/) on two new reports on green jobs (http://www.peri.umass.edu/green_prosperity/) and the clean energy economy (http://www.peri.umass.edu/economic_benefits/), this week we explore what’s happening with on-the-ground work.  Sea Change Radio Co-Host Francesca Rheannon visited the Spanish American Union (http://www.lacasahispana.org/) in Springfield, Massachusetts, home of Groundwork Springfield.  There, she met with Project Manager Patricia Moss and Green Team members.   (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/Groundwork1-150x150.jpg)Moss starts by sharing her definition of sustainability, especially in the context of urban environmentalism. She then goes on to relate the genesis of Groundwork Springfield as a pilot program of the broader Groundwork USA (http://www.groundworkusa.org/) network.  Moss laments how federal stimulus (http://www.recovery.gov/) funding is not making its way to Groundwork Springfield. (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/GreenTeam2-150x150.jpg)Green Team member Cristina Manship describes the "What's Buggin You (http://www.groundworkspringfield.org/node/5)?" project, supported by a $20,000 EPA environmental justice grant (http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/ba101350cde255eb85257359003f5338/1b0e88fd44614f14852575850055c320!OpenDocument), that educates on the dangers of over-the-counter pesticides, and she shares what she has learned about leadership.  Green Team leader Jalil Harrell discusses the challenges for young men getting jobs. In the second half of the show, Adin Maynard of Cozy Home Performance discusses the company's participation in the Weatherization Assistance Program, which has received a boost in funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act  (http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:h.r.00001:)(ARRA.)  He also points out that the American Clean Energy and Security Act (http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:h.r.02454:)  (http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:h.r.02454:)(ACES) supports renewable energy about twice as much as energy efficiency, despite the fact that energy efficiency uses "shovel-ready" technology and provides a significantly higher return on investment.  Finally, Maynard describes deep energy retrofits, which Cozy Home is set to pilot in partnership with Western Massachusetts Electric Company (http://www.wmeco.com/) (WMECO.) Bill Baue clean 28:30 http://www.cchange.net/2009/07/08/adin-maynard-on-government-support-for-energy-efficiency/ http://www.cchange.net/2009/07/08/adin-maynard-on-government-support-for-energy-efficiency/#comments Wed, 08 Jul 2009 14:03:07 +0000 Bill Baue http://www.cchange.net/?p=1425 http://www.cchange.net/2009/07/08/adin-maynard-on-government-support-for-energy-efficiency/feed/ 1 ACES,Renewable Energy Sea Change Co-Host Bill Baue speaks with Adin Maynard, Director of Operations at Cozy Home Performance, about the company’s participation in the Weatherization Assistance Program for low-income homeowners and its move into deep energy retrofits for mid... (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/AdinMaynard.jpg)Sea Change Co-Host Bill Baue speaks with Adin Maynard (http://www.mycozyhome.org/about), Director of Operations at Cozy Home Performance (http://www.mycozyhome.org/), about the company’s participation in the Weatherization Assistance Program (http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/weatherization/) for low-income homeowners and its move into deep energy retrofits for mid- and upper-income homeowners.   Maynard discusses how the Weatherization Assistance Program has received a boost in funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act  (http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:h.r.00001:)(ARRA.)  He also points out that the American Clean Energy and Security Act (http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:h.r.02454:)  (http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:h.r.02454:)(ACES) supports renewable energy about twice as much as energy efficiency, despite the fact that energy efficiency uses “shovel-ready” technology and provides a significantly higher return on investment.  Finally, Maynard describes deep energy retrofits, which Cozy Home is set to pilot in partnership with Western Massachusetts Electric Company (http://www.wmeco.com/) (WMECO.) Bill Baue clean 9:55 http://www.cchange.net/2009/06/17/banking-futures-making-money-sustainable/ http://www.cchange.net/2009/06/17/banking-futures-making-money-sustainable/#comments Wed, 17 Jun 2009 21:51:18 +0000 Bill Baue http://www.cchange.net/?p=980 http://www.cchange.net/2009/06/17/banking-futures-making-money-sustainable/feed/ 0 Alternative Economic Models,Climate Change,Community Economic Engagement,doug rushkoff,international finance corporation,Life Inc,Local Currency,Local Living Economies,Lyle Estill,Peter Blom,Renewable Energy,Sustainable Agriculture Banks are increasingly viewed as a bane to a healthy economy.  But done right, banks can play a key role in the shift to sustainability.  Today, Sea Change presents three perspectives on futures for banking.  Peter Blom, (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/PeterBlom-100x150.gif)(http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/DougRushkoff-150x150.jpg) Banks are increasingly viewed as a bane to a healthy economy.  But done right, banks can play a key role in the shift to sustainability.  Today, Sea Change presents three perspectives on futures for banking.  Peter Blom, CEO of Triodos Bank (http://www.triodos.com/) in the Netherlands, proposes a shift in the mission of banks, from maximizing profit to maximizing sustainability.  Doug Rushkoff (http://rushkoff.com/), author of (http://lifeincorporated.net/), discusses how a surplus of debt that banks needed to sell triggered the financial meltdown.  (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/LyleEstill.jpg)And Lyle Estill (http://lyleestill.com/blog/?page_id=4) describes the role a chapter in his book (http://www.newsociety.com/bookid/3993) played in a local currency in North Carolina, The Plenty, being carried by a local bank. Triodos Bank was just named Sustainable Bank of the Year (http://www.triodos.com/com/whats_new/latest_news/press_releases/triodos_most_sustainable_bank) in an award (http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/e1dafe8c-51a4-11de-b986-00144feabdc0,dwp_uuid=590f3c26-4564-11da-981b-00000e2511c8.html) from the Financial Times and International Finance Corporation (http://www.ifc.org/).  Last year, Triodos CEO Peter Blom was knighted into the Order of Orange-Nassau (http://www.triodos.com/com/whats_new/latest_news/press_releases/603833) for pioneering sustainable saving and investment schemes.  At the recent Summit on the Future of the Corporation (http://www.summit2020.org/), Blom facilitated a World Cafe (http://www.theworldcafe.com/) session where Francesca recorded his comments on the changes necessary to achieve sustainability -- from the individual to the systemic level. Doug Rushkoff discusses the instrumental role banks played in the current financial crisis.  His new book ,LIFE INC, is about how corporatization is holding our lives as captives, all the way down to our individual identity.  In the book, Rushkoff presents the counter-intuitive notion that a surplus of money caused our collective financial crisis. This is an excerpt from a longer interview he gave Francesca and Bill. Finally, we end with a story of hope: the role banks can play in supporting local currency (http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/2009-04-05-scrip_N.htm), and the revitalization of regional economies.  Lyle Estill's story of how a chapter in his book, SMALL IS POSSIBLE, helped inspire a local bank to back a local currency in North Carolina serves as a launching pad for Estill to discuss the larger context of how local economies can help solve our concurrent crises around climate change, resource depletion. This segment is excerpted from a much longer interview he gave Francesca, which we'll air later in the season. Bill Baue clean 29:11 http://www.cchange.net/2009/06/03/climate-bill-pass-or-fail/ http://www.cchange.net/2009/06/03/climate-bill-pass-or-fail/#comments Wed, 03 Jun 2009 20:58:07 +0000 Bill Baue http://www.cchange.net/?p=908 http://www.cchange.net/2009/06/03/climate-bill-pass-or-fail/feed/ 2 carroll muffett,center for american progress,Clean Tech,Climate Change,climate policy,Climate Progress,Green Jobs,Greenpeace,joe romm,Renewable Energy,Sustainable Innovation,Sustainable Public Policy The Waxman-Markey Climate Bill is making its way through Congress, and stirring up controversy within the environmental movement between those who support it as a necessary first step, and those who think it's fatally flawed. (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/joeromm-140x150.jpg)(http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/carrollmuffett-150x150.jpg) The Waxman-Markey Climate Bill (http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.R.+2454:) is making its way through Congress, and stirring up controversy within the environmental movement between those who support it as a necessary first step, and those who think it's fatally flawed.  Sea Change Radio talks with both sides.  Joe Romm (http://climateprogress.org/about/), editor of the ClimateProgress.org (http://climateprogress.org/) blog and a senior fellow (http://www.americanprogressaction.org/experts/RommJoseph.html) at the Center for American Progress, favors passing the Bill.  Carroll Muffett (http://members.greenpeace.org/blog/carroll_muffett) of Greenpeace (http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/) says the bill fails to address key issues in solving the climate crisis. HR 2454: The American Clean Energy and Security Act (http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:h.r.02454:). A draft (http://energycommerce.house.gov/Press_111/20090331/acesa_discussiondraft.pdf) of the Waxman-Markey Climate Bill, as it's better known, was released by the Energy and Commerce Committee on March 31st (http://energycommerce.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1560). Greenpeace immediately greeted it as a “good first step, but improvements needed (http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/press-center/releases2/waxman-markey-bill-a-good-firs).” ClimateProgress blogger Joe Romm agreed, grading the bill a B+ (http://climateprogress.org/2009/03/31/waxman-markey-energy-global-warming-bill/). By the time the Bill came out of Committee (http://energycommerce.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1630:energy-and-commerce-committee-passes-comprehensive-clean-energy-legislation&catid=122:media-advisories&Itemid=55), however, it had undergone significant changes – changes that Greenpeace (and a broad coalition of environmental organizations (http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/press-center/releases2/broad-coalition-criticizes-cli)) lambasted for “failing to impose necessary reductions (http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/press-center/releases2/climate-change-legislation-fai)” And Romm downgraded the Bill to a B- (http://climateprogress.org/2009/05/13/waxman-markey-deal-renewables/). Despite the Bill’s flaws, though, Romm supports it, and criticized Greenpeace (http://climateprogress.org/2009/05/17/greenpeace-attack-waxman-markey-european-trading-scheme/) for its attacks on the Bill. Sea Change Radio spoke first with Joe Romm.  The conversation started with discussion of the problems in the Bill.  Despite these problems, Romm considers passage of the Bill essential for solving the climate crisis.  He sees US climate policy as a multi-stage process, with this Bill as a starting point.  As climate science gets stronger, future emissions reduction targets can be strengthened.  Romm also discusses the role of emissions allocations, defending the shift from a regime of 100 percent auction of allocations as promised by Barack Obama on the campaign trail to a percentage of free allocations. Romm and other supporters of the Waxman Markey bill argue that the first order of business is to get the knobs in place that can then be ratcheted up in the future to tighten controls on greenhouse gas emisisons. They say, if we spend all of our time arguing over what the settings are, we'll never get the knobs on the climate console. Romm is no starry-eyed optimist, however.  Even if the Waxman-Markey Climate Bill becomes law, he predicts a mere 10 to 20 percent of averting disaster.  He says that "the human race does not have many examples of instances where the world collectively got together and transformed itself before something bad happened." To hear the complete interview with Romm, click here (http://www.cchange.net/2009/06/03/joe-romm-on-waxman-markey-climate-bill/). Bill Baue clean 29:41 http://www.cchange.net/2009/06/03/carroll-muffett-on-waxman-markey-climate-bill/ http://www.cchange.net/2009/06/03/carroll-muffett-on-waxman-markey-climate-bill/#comments Wed, 03 Jun 2009 20:57:07 +0000 Bill Baue http://www.cchange.net/?p=926 http://www.cchange.net/2009/06/03/carroll-muffett-on-waxman-markey-climate-bill/feed/ 1 Clean Tech,Climate Change,Renewable Energy,Sustainable Innovation,Sustainable Public Policy Sea Change's complete interview with Carroll Muffett of Greenpeace on the Waxman-Markey Climate Bill. (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/carrollmuffett1-150x150.jpg)Sea Change's complete interview with Carroll Muffett of Greenpeace on the Waxman-Markey Climate Bill. Bill Baue clean 20:39 http://www.cchange.net/2009/06/03/joe-romm-on-waxman-markey-climate-bill/ http://www.cchange.net/2009/06/03/joe-romm-on-waxman-markey-climate-bill/#comments Wed, 03 Jun 2009 20:53:15 +0000 Bill Baue http://www.cchange.net/?p=922 http://www.cchange.net/2009/06/03/joe-romm-on-waxman-markey-climate-bill/feed/ 1 Clean Tech,Climate Change,Renewable Energy,Sustainable Innovation,Sustainable Public Policy Sea Change's complete interview with Joe Romm of Climate Progress. (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/joeromm1-140x150.jpg)Sea Change's complete interview with Joe Romm of Climate Progress. Bill Baue clean 24:48 http://www.cchange.net/2009/04/30/the-green-jobs-debate/ http://www.cchange.net/2009/04/30/the-green-jobs-debate/#comments Thu, 30 Apr 2009 20:22:23 +0000 Bill Baue http://www.cchange.net/?p=824 http://www.cchange.net/2009/04/30/the-green-jobs-debate/feed/ 1 bob pollin,Climate Change,Community Economic Engagement,david johnson,Green Jobs,Green Living,greenbiz,Labor Rights,marc gunther,Renewable Energy,Sustainable Innovation,Sustainable Public Policy Green jobs are all the talk nowadays, which has predictably led to healthy debate.  On today's Sea Change Radio, Co-Host Francesca Rheannon talks with GreenBiz Senior Writer Marc Gunther about his controversial article, "The Phony Green Jobs Debate. (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/marcgunther1.jpg)(http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/bobpollin.jpg)Green jobs are all the talk nowadays, which has predictably led to healthy debate.  On today's Sea Change Radio, Co-Host Francesca Rheannon talks with GreenBiz Senior Writer Marc Gunther about his controversial article, "The Phony Green Jobs Debate."  Bob Pollin of the Political Economy Research Institute at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, author of a report criticized by Gunther, responds.  To end the show, Rhennon speaks with David Johnson about Transition Towns. When Sea Change Radio -- under our old name Corporate Watchdog Radio -- talked with economist Bob Pollin about the report he co-authored, Green Recovery – A Program to Create Good Jobs and Start Building a Low-Carbon Economy, he said that a $100 billion green economic recovery program would create two million jobs nationwide in such industries as building retrofitting, mass transit and freight rail, smart grid, wind power, solar power and advanced biofuels.  But environmental economics reporter Marc Gunther, formerly of FORTUNE magazine, thinks these claims may be downplaying the costs of transitioning to the green economy, especially the toll it may take on employment in conventional energy sectors. Gunther thinks the environmental movement needs to level with the public -- and he's gotten some flack from environmentalists for the recent Phony Green Jobs Debate article. After Marc Gunther posted the article, Pollin wrote him to dispute Gunther's claim that we can't forecast the costs to the economy of shifting employment to green jobs. Gunther published Pollin's comments and replied to them . After hearing this ad from the Blue-Green Alliance on green jobs, we talk with both Marc Gunther and Bob Pollin about the costs and benefits to jobs of the transition to a green economy. QUESTION TO LISTENERS: What most motivates you to make changes in your carbon footprint: fear of the long term consequences of climate change or economic benefits right now? Tweet us with your answer @cchange. Or leave a longer answer in our comment section. Transition Towns: As some ponder the role of government investment in creating green jobs, others aren't waiting for government to provide the stimulus for the transition to a low-carbon society. They are joining a grassroots movement called Transition Towns . Featured in the April 16 issue of the New York Times Sunday Magazine, Transition Towns was started in the UK four years ago by ecological designer Rob Hopkins. The Transition Towns (TT) movement isn't about creating a more sustainable industrial, globalized society. Rather, it's about building resilient communities in the face of the shock of declining oil supplies, climate disruption, and the unraveling of industrial society as a result. (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/davidjohnson.jpg) TT's goal is to put new systems in place to make local communities as self-sufficient as possible. It's process is to marshall the collective wisdom of those communities in an on-going, democratic, self-organizing evolution. And it focuses on practical efforts that can be accomplished now, but also help set up the conditions for a more profound transformation in the future. One example is the mass planting of nut trees in the small British town of Totnes--which now is the so-called nut tree capital of the world.  Recently, TT trainers came to Amherst, MA to put on an awareness raising workshop for people interested in making their own community a Transition Town. Sea Change Radio spoke with TT trainer David Johnson. He got involved in the TT movement in his native Britain, but has moved to Portland OR to help build the movement there.   Bill Baue clean 28:36 http://www.cchange.net/2009/04/15/wangari-maathai-peace-and-environmental-justice-taking-root/ http://www.cchange.net/2009/04/15/wangari-maathai-peace-and-environmental-justice-taking-root/#comments Wed, 15 Apr 2009 18:31:09 +0000 Bill Baue http://www.cchange.net/?p=779 http://www.cchange.net/2009/04/15/wangari-maathai-peace-and-environmental-justice-taking-root/feed/ 1 Alan Dater,Alternative Economic Models,Climate Change,Community Economic Engagement,Green Jobs,Green Living,lisa merton,Local Living Economies,marlboro college graduate school,nobel peace prize,Renewable Energy,Social Entrepreneurs Francesca Rheannon and Bill Baue of Sea Change host an intimate chat with Nobel Laureate Wangari Maathai about the links between environmental justice, women's empowerment, democratic governance, and sustainability at the Marlboro College Graduate Scho... (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/lisamertonalandater-150x133.jpg) (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/wangarimaathaifrancescabill21-150x130.jpg)Francesca Rheannon and Bill Baue of Sea Change host an intimate chat with Nobel Laureate Wangari Maathai (http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2004/press.html) about the links between environmental justice, women's empowerment, democratic governance, and sustainability at the Marlboro College Graduate School (http://gradcenter.marlboro.edu/), where Baue teaches.  Maathai is touring (http://www.greenbeltmovement.org/events.php) the US promoting her new book, (http://www.amazon.com/Challenge-Africa-Wangari-Maathai/dp/0307377407), as well as the documentary, TAKING ROOT: The Vision of Wangari Maathai (http://takingrootfilm.com/index.htm).  In the second half of the show, Rheannon and Baue speak with the filmmakers, Alan Dater and Lisa Merton (http://takingrootfilm.com/production-team.htm) of Marlboro Productions (http://www.marlboroproductions.com/index.html). In her native Kenya, Wangari Maathai saw that deforestation was devastating the environment. Good arable land was eroding, streams were getting polluted or drying up and the women had to go further to find ever-scarcer firewood. So in 1977, she founded the grassroots Green Belt Movement (http://greenbeltmovement.org/index.php). Over the past 32 years, it's planted 35 million trees, bringing back whole ecosystems with it and revitalizing villages. The program has been carried out mainly by women in those villages. By hiring them to plant the trees, it gave them the means to care for their children and protect their environment. The corrupt regime of Daniel Arap Moi sought to stop her, arresting her numerous times and even jailing her. In 1991 she was beaten while planting trees on public lands and suffered a head injury. But she fought on and earned world acclaim for her actions and her courage. In 2004 Maathai became the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for “her contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace.” She's in the US to promote her new book, CHALLENGE FOR AFRICA and a new film about her, TAKING ROOT, which aired recently on the PBS program, Independent Lens (http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/takingroot/index.html). Taking a break from her tour of major cities, Wangari Maathai visited the filmmakers near their home in Vermont for a public talk.  Sea Change Co-Hosts Francesca Rheannon and Bill Baue  sat down for an intimate chat with Wangari Maathai at the Marlboro College Graduate School, where Baue teaches. The story of Wangari Maathai, and the Green Belt Movement, is captured vividly in the documentary, TAKING ROOT.  The film won a bunch of awards in 2008.  Rheannon and Baue spoke with filmmakers Alan Dater and Lisa Merton of Marlboro Productions from their home studios.  The interview started with the question, what inspired them to tell the story of Wangari Maathai's vision in film? Bill Baue clean http://www.cchange.net/2009/04/08/closing-the-climate-feedback-loop-with-everyday-citizen-opinions/ http://www.cchange.net/2009/04/08/closing-the-climate-feedback-loop-with-everyday-citizen-opinions/#comments Wed, 08 Apr 2009 20:58:53 +0000 Bill Baue http://www.cchange.net/?p=759 http://www.cchange.net/2009/04/08/closing-the-climate-feedback-loop-with-everyday-citizen-opinions/feed/ 2 Alternative Economic Models,Carrick McCullough,Clean Tech,Climate Change,Colin McCullough,Community Economic Engagement,corporate governance,Green Jobs,Green Living,Lars Klüver,nell minow,OurRenewableNation Lars Klüver of the Danish Board of Technology talks about the World Wide Views on Global Warming project he directs that will gather opinions of everyday citizens in 45 countries globally in September 2009 to feed into negotiations at the United Nation... Lars Klüver (http://www.tekno.dk/subpage.php3?page=sekretariatet/person.php3&toppic=om_os&id=1&language=dk) of the Danish Board of Technology (http://www.tekno.dk/subpage.php3?page=forside.php3&language=uk) talks about the World Wide Views on Global Warming (http://www.tekno.dk/subpage.php3?article=1497&toppic=kategori11&language=uk&category=11) project he directs that will gather opinions of everyday citizens in 45 countries globally in September 2009 to feed into negotiations at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (http://en.cop15.dk/) (COP15) in Copenhagen in December 2009.  And Colin and Carrick McCullough of OurRenewableNation.org (http://www.ourrenewablenation.org/index.htm) talk about their "cross-country eco-video adventure" where they will visit, video, and interview folks advancing sustainability solutions -- as well as everyday folks on their thoughts about climate change and this shift toward renewable energy.  Finally, this week's Sea Change ViewPoint comes from Nell Minow (http://www.thecorporatelibrary.com/info.php?id=62) of The Corporate Library (http://www.thecorporatelibrary.com/) with commentary on first steps on toxic assets. Last year at a monthly get-together here in Amherst, Sea Change Co-Host Bill Baue met Dick Sclove, and the two chatted over a beer or two.  Sclove worked for years with a nonprofit that coordinated community consultations around the world, and now he's senior advisor to World Wide Views on Global Warming.  That's an initiative spearheaded by the Danish Board of Technology to gather input to COP15 -- the United Nations Conference on Climate Change happening in  Copenhagen in December 2009.  WWV is coordinating community consultation meetings in 45 countries two months before the conference to gather opinions from everyday citizens on what kinds of climate change policy they'd like to see enacted at COP15.  Baue recently spoke with WWV director Lars Klüver from his office in Denmark. Klüver has agreed to coordinate with Sea Change Radio to cover the events of September 26, and continue following up with interviews of WWV participants around the world. On the day of producing this episode of Sea Change Radio, the New York Times ran an article (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/08/business/energy-environment/08greenoil.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper) on big oil companies expressing skepticism about the shift to renewable energy.  On the other end of the spectrum, the McCullough family is full of optimism.  They're gearing up to embark on what they're calling a "cross-country eco-video adventure" to visit, video, and interview folks working hard to make the transition to  renewable energy a reality -- no matter what big oil says.  They're heading out from central Massachusetts in early May, and you can follow their progress on the web at OurRenewableNation.org (http://www.ourrenewablenation.org/index.htm).  Sea Change Radio Co-Host Bill Baue spoke with Colin and his nine-year-old son Carrick, who has been nominated for the President's Environmental Youth Award (http://www.epa.gov/enviroed/peya/index.html). The McCulloughs have agreed to send dispatches from the road to Sea Change Radio with interviews of folks working on renewable energy and everyday folks' views on how to tackle climate change. Bill Baue clean http://www.cchange.net/2009/03/25/seeding-the-solidarity-economy/ http://www.cchange.net/2009/03/25/seeding-the-solidarity-economy/#comments Wed, 25 Mar 2009 21:03:49 +0000 Bill Baue http://www.cchange.net/?p=729 http://www.cchange.net/2009/03/25/seeding-the-solidarity-economy/feed/ 0 Alternative Economic Models,center for popular economics,chilo villarreal,Climate Change,Community Economic Engagement,emily kawano,Fair Trade,forum on solidarity economy,Green Jobs,Green Living,human rights,Labor Rights The Center for Popular Economics (CPE) recently hosted the first Forum on the Solidarity Economy at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst -- home of Sea Change Radio.  CPE Executive Director Emily Kawano explains the theory and practice behind the s... (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/solidarityeconomy.gif)The Center for Popular Economics (http://www.populareconomics.org/) (CPE) recently hosted the first Forum on the Solidarity Economy (http://www.populareconomics.org/ussen/node/99) at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst -- home of Sea Change Radio.  CPE Executive Director Emily Kawano (http://www.populareconomics.org/bios/kawano_e.htm) explains the theory and practice behind the solidarity economy, and discusses strategies and next steps for the US Solidarity Economy Network (http://www.populareconomics.org/ussen/) in cultivating a socially and environmentally sustainable economy.  And Chilo Villarreal (http://www.ruralco.org/aboutus/board.html) of the Coalición Rural (http://www.ruralco.org/index.html) in Mexico illustrates solidarity economy concepts through story.   Finally, the News Analysis examines the business of water. (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/emilykawano.jpg)As our existing economy collapses under the weight of its own unsustainable growth, what economic forms will replace this failed system?  Policymakers bend over backwards to prop up a the broken status quo, while idealists around the world envision more equitable and ecological alternatives.  The solidarity economy -- that's one such vision.  Last week, these visionaries traveled from around the world to the Forum on the Solidarity Economy here at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, hosted by the Center for Popular Economics.  This week, after the dust had settled, Center for Popular Economics Executive Director Emily Kawano visited us in the WMUA studios.  Sea Change Host Bill Baue opened the conversation by asking Emily, what is a solidarity economy, and what role can it play in helping fix the current economic breakdown? Kawano identifies three priorities for advancing the solidarity economy by focusing on leverage points where the current economic system is failing or has gaps: housing, finance, and cooperatives. (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/chilovillarreal.tiff)The colorful wrap draped across her back immediately caught the eye of Sea Change Host Bill Baue at the Forum on the Solidarity Economy.  When he saw her later in an empty classroom, he jumped at the chance for an interview.  She introduced herself as Altagracia Villarreal -- but everybody knows her as Chilo.  Since 1995, she's served on the board of the Coalicion Rural, a collaboration between 17 organization in Mexico.  Its partner in the US, the Rural Coalition, is made up of 70 to 80 organizations throughout the country.  He opened by asking Chilo how she defines solidarity economy, and later asked Chilo to describe a specific example that illustrates the solidarity economy in action, and she answered in both Spanish and English.  You'll hear her Spanish underneath her English response. 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