James Quilligan: The Commons and the Future of Democracy

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What is the American dollar based on? It was based on the gold standard until 1971 when it transitioned to a floating monetary system. This week’s guest on Sea Change Radio believes US currency now rests unofficially on the price of oil. What will a successful Green New Deal will look like if the underlying currency upon which the US economy rests is based on fossil fuels? We speak to James Quilligan, the Managing Director of Economic Democracy Advocates and longtime policy analyst in the international development space. Quilligan explains the history of the commons and monetary policy, points out some of the shortcomings of capitalism, and lays out how to ensure the survival of democracy. He argues that understanding the complexities of our global economic system is the first step in fixing it.

For-Profit, For Planet: Propagate Ventures + Parx Materials

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This week on Sea Change Radio, we speak with the CEOs of two startups that are trying in very different ways to help the planet. First, we hear from Ethan Steinberg of Propagate Ventures to learn more about how his company helps promote agroforestry efforts across the country. Then, we travel to Rotterdam and talk with Michaël Van der Jagt about his Dutch company, Parx Materials, which uses bio-mimicry to forge chemical-free, bacteria- and virus-resistant polymers, enabling the safe re-purposing of ocean waste plastic among other things.

Paul Wheaton Pt. II: Permaculture Gardening

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As you’re spending more time at home, and hanging out in the back yard or porch more than usual, are you noticing an urge to plant things? Apparently you’re not alone as there are multiple reports of a COVID-inspired surge in home gardening. Millions of Americans are rolling up their sleeves and digging into the earth. This week on Sea Change Radio, the second half of our discussion with author and permaculturalist Paul Wheaton. We discuss his unique and innovative approach to growing and cultivating plants, which he outlines in his book, Building A Better World In Your Backyard. He describes ways to enrich your garden’s soil naturally and affordably all while reducing your carbon footprint and water usage.

Paul Wheaton Pt. I: Home Heating Solutions

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Many of us are spending a whole lot more time at home these days, and are consequently knee-deep in a bunch of home improvement projects. A great area for home improvement that may not be on your mind in July, but will surely be a pressing concern in a few months when those utility bills begin to rise, is heating. This week on Sea Change Radio, the first half of our discussion with author and sustainability expert Paul Wheaton about his new book, Building A Better World In Your Backyard. He outlines some innovative ideas on home efficiency, including warming up our bodies rather than the air in our homes, and the advantages of using a rocket mass heater. We also touch upon next week’s topic, gardening and permaculture.

Espen Braathe + Kirk Lombard: Sustainable Seafood

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As most of us have been hunkering down over the last few months, we’ve been shopping for more of our own food and eating out less. As you’ve perused the seafood section of the grocery store, you may have wondered to yourself what type of fish is OK to buy. This week on Sea Change Radio, we look at seafood supply chains with Espen Braathe who heads up IBM Food Trust Europe. He works with the company’s clients in the aquaculture industry to help them implement blockchain technology to track the quality of sustainably farmed or fished seafood. Then, we dive into the archives to speak with Bay Area educator and entrepreneur Kirk Lombard to learn more about his sustainable seafood delivery service, Sea Forager.

Lloyd Alter: Innovation in the COVID-19 Era

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Human beings are nothing if not innovative. We have invented entire disciplines concerned with design, sustainability, and urban planning. Now, however, a global pandemic is forcing experts in these disciplines to rethink, adapt, and re-innovate. This week on Sea Change Radio, we speak to design expert and environmental journalist Lloyd Alter about innovation and adaptation in the COVID-19 era. We talk about the hurdles we are collectively facing when it comes to things like sky scrapers, air conditioning, and commuting – things that people, including experts, not too long ago took for granted.

Castle Redmond: Hope For Racial Justice

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In his book Lies My Teacher Told Me, James Loewen writes that “race is the sharpest and deepest division in American life.” We recognize the peaceful protests that have emerged in the wake of the murder of George Floyd as a force for healing, and for addressing our nation’s shameful history surrounding race. Millions of Americans of all ages, races, ethnicities, and identities are taking to the streets to support the Black Lives Matter movement. It appears that white America is finally waking up and acknowledging that being “not racist” won’t undo the pervasive racism in our collective psyche — rather, we must be actively antiracist. This week on Sea Change Radio, we welcome Castle Redmond, a senior program manager from The California Endowment to discuss why this moment feels different. He helps put the images of looting we’re seeing on our TV screens into historical context, and we look at the places where the environmental and racial justice movements intersect.

Maurice Plaines on America’s Epidemic of Racism

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This has been a difficult stretch for the country with millions sick, out of work, or simply stuck at home. But the horrific murder of George Floyd shifted our collective focus to a very different sort of epidemic. Mr. Floyd joined the names of Tamir Rice, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Philando Castile, Breonna Taylor and thousands of other African Americans who have been killed by the police in this country. We often hear that at times like this we need to have a national conversation about race, but where do we start? Host Alex Wise decided to start with a personal conversation with a longtime friend, to get his insights into what it feels like to grow up Black in America and to better understand the work that needs to be done on the racial justice front. This week on Sea Change Radio, in the first of two conversations about race, we welcome Maurice Plaines, a high school friend of our host who works for Emerging Scholars Program in the DC Metro area. We discuss racism and police brutality in America, his own reaction to George Floyd’s murder, and the work of his organization to broaden educational opportunity for students of color.

Megan Milliken Biven: Mississippi Dredging

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Some of Louisiana’s best buffers against the storms that lash its coast annually are the little spits of land in the Gulf of Mexico — they slow down hurricanes and help throttle storm surges. But as sea level rise is eroding these coastal wetlands, new land buffers are being built up through dredging, in order to protect Gulf Coast residences and habitats. Unfortunately, those dredging efforts are falling woefully short. This week on Sea Change Radio, we talk to shoreline expert Megan Milliken Biven to learn all about dredging in the Mississippi Delta. We discuss the inadequate number of boats known as “hopper dredges,” look at the relationship between dredging and the region’s oil and gas industry, and examine what policies could turn things around before the next major hurricane hits the Big Easy.

Barbara Freese: Industrial Strength Denial

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The next time you hear the White House assert that up is down and down is up, consider what paved the way for this template of mendacity. This week on Sea Change Radio, we speak with environmental attorney and author Barbara Freese about her new book, “Industrial Strength Denial.” Freese takes us on a historical tour of the havoc that big business has wreaked on the planet and on truth itself. We discuss the climate change denial movement and how it relates to the Trump Administration’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as the pernicious legacy of leaded gasoline.