Now, That's What I Call Green.

Kia ora kaitiaki and welcome to the final episode in my nuclear energy mini-series. Over the last three episodes, I’ve taken you through the science, the messy history, and the chaos of radioactive disasters - but today? Today I’m answering the question I’ve been dancing around since the start: Do we actually need nuclear energy to hit our climate goals - or can we just stick with solar, wind, and good old hydropower? As always, the answer isn’t as straightforward as we’d like (and yes, I find that annoying too). But after wading through data, opinions, politics, and a few mild threats on LinkedIn, I’ve come to a conclusion that might help you cut through. In this episode, I talk through: * Why nuclear is low-carbon… but still not a silver bullet * What it really costs to build a reactor (spoiler: a lot) * The massive difference between what’s possible in theory and what actually works in reality * Why New Zealand should probably never go nuclear (hello, earthquakes) * How much land and water different energy sources really use * And the biggest roadblock to progress: not physics, not finances… but people We also take a little trip around the world - from France’s nuclear grid to Australia’s rooftop solar obsession, from China’s reactor production line to why tiny island nations are betting big on batteries. So - is nuclear the hero, the villain, or just a very expensive middle child? Tune in and find out. I promise I’ll actually give you an answer at the end. Kind of. Find our full podcast via the website here: https://www.nowthatswhaticall.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nowthatswhaticallgreen/ You can follow me on socials on the below accounts. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/briannemwest/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@briannemwest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briannemwest/ For our latest big project, find out more about Incrediballs here: https://incrediballs.com/

It’s part 3 of our mini-series on nuclear power, and we’re talking about what’s going on in the reactor world and what the future of nuclear looks like. That might seem dull, but we’ll be discussing questions we need to know like: will we all have mini reactors to run our houses? Or nuclear batteries to power our phones? In this episode, I share: * How different countries are currently using nuclear power * What nuclear waste actually is—and why it’s been over-villainised * The issues around nuclear waste storage and how people are trying to solve them * Modular reactors and how they could help smaller places with little sunlight * The safer, better material that reactors could be using instead of uranium * What micro-reactors are and how they could help with disaster relief * Whether nuclear batteries could become an everyday thing * What fusion is and why it's the ultimate in clean energy * Why we can’t use fusion yet Key Quotes “1 litre of sea water contains enough fusion fuel to equal 270 litres of petrol.” “Per person, a lifetimes use of electricity using nuclear would produce enough waste to fill a soda can.” “Fusion is the ultimate in clean energy.” “One nuclear plant supplies 25% of the UAE's electricity, which is bonkers. Find our full podcast via the website here: https://www.nowthatswhaticall.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nowthatswhaticallgreen/ You can follow me on socials on the below accounts. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/briannemwest/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@briannemwest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briannemwest/ For our latest big project, find out more about Incrediballs here: https://incrediballs.com/

Part 2 of the Nuclear Mini-Series This is part two of my mini-series on nuclear power and whether it could be the clean energy solution we’ve all been waiting for. As I said before (and it bears repeating): fossil fuels kill about 8 million people every single year — more than the populations of Aotearoa and most of the Pacific Islands combined. Despite that, nuclear power remains the energy source we fear the most. But should we? In the last episode, we explored the science of nuclear — what it is, how it works, and why it’s not nearly as scary as it sounds. In this episode, we dive into its history — a sometimes horrifying, sometimes absurd, and often misunderstood timeline that shaped our collective anxiety around nuclear energy. In this episode, I cover: * The early discoveries of nuclear materials and radiation * How public fear around nuclear energy really began * The rise of nuclear bombs and the race for atomic power * What actually happens inside a nuclear reactor (in plain English) * The major nuclear disasters that shaped global perception * What went wrong at Three Mile Island * What made Chernobyl so catastrophic * Why Fukushima shook public confidence in nuclear safety Key quotes: “Nuclear energy got its hideous reputation before it had even powered a single light bulb.” “Creepy green glows and mutant fish? That’s science fiction, not reality.” “Public anxiety about nuclear energy didn’t actually start with power stations.” Books & Resources Mentioned: Here are the books and materials I mentioned for anyone who wants to explore: * The Radium Girls by Kate MooreA gripping and enraging true story of the young women who painted glow-in-the-dark watch faces with radioactive paint — and paid the ultimate price. * The Woman Who Knew Too Much by Gayle GreeneA biography of Dr. Alice Stewart, who studied radiation risks and stood up to the nuclear establishment. (Recommended for broader radiation safety context). * Atoms and Ashes: A Global History of Nuclear Disasters by Serhii PlokhyCovers Six major nuclear incidents — including Chernobyl, Fukushima, and Three Mile Island — with historical and political analysis. If you want to go down the rabbit hole, I also recommend googling: * “Radithor” (yes, that glowing bottled water was real) * “Clarence Dally and Thomas Edison” (the first radiation death in the U.S). Find our full podcast via the website here: https://www.nowthatswhaticall.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nowthatswhaticallgreen/ You can follow me on socials on the below accounts. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/briannemwest/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@briannemwest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briannemwest/ For our latest big project, find out more about Incrediballs here: https://incrediballs.com/

Fossil fuels kill about 8 million people every single year, which is more than the populations of Aotearoa and most of the remaining Pacific Islands put together. Nuclear power, though - it’s the one that evokes all of that terror and fear, and, well, fair enough because radiation sickness is terrifying. But I am fascinated by nuclear energy ever since I found out that Chernobyl happened on my birthday, albeit the year before I was born, but still - fascinating. The big fact is that nuclear is a far safer way to create energy than fossil fuels. So it begs the question: if nuclear energy’s fatality rate is orders of magnitude lower than coal’s, why are we still burning coal like it's 1890? To get into this, I’m doing a 4-part series on nuclear power, and to start with, I’ll be discussing what it actually is. In this episode I share: * What is an atom, what's it made of and how can they be changed * How atoms can become reactive * What nuclear reactions are and the creation of isotopes * The two types of radiation * What the 4 main types of ionising radiation are * Neutrons and their role in radiation and nuclear reactors * The fear and danger that comes with radiation Key Quotes “Ionising radiation can knock electrons out of DNA molecules and that is what ultimately can lead to cancer.” “Ultimately radiation is if the neutron to proton ratio in an atom isn’t balanced, it calms itself by emitting energy.” Find our full podcast via the website here:https://www.nowthatswhaticall.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nowthatswhaticallgreen/ You can follow me on socials on the below accounts. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/briannemwest/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@briannemwest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briannemwest/ For our latest big project, find out more about Incrediballs here: https://incrediballs.com/

Kia ora, I’m Brianne – and I’m the kind of irritating person who wants to talk about rewilding. Particularly wildflowers. If you follow me on social media, you might be over this topic. And if you are… I’m sorry, but you’re probably in the wrong place today — because that’s exactly what this episode is about. This one’s a little bit special. For one, Earth Day is basically right after this episode goes live, so it feels like a cosmic sign that we should talk about giving the planet some love. But also, rewilding isn’t something I’ve just read about in glossy magazines. It’s something I’ve been doing — actively — for years. And I’m absolutely seeing the payoff in my own garden. It’s really quite remarkable how quickly the planet can regenerate if we just leave it alone… or better yet, give it a helping hand. So I wanted to actually explain what rewilding is, how you can do it, and why it’s a bloody important thing to be doing. In this episode I share: * What exactly rewilding is * Successful rewilding * An example of rewilding working in a city * How you can rewild an entire ecosystem by changing/fixing one element * What the sweet spot for the rewilding approach is * Is de-extinction rewilding * What has happened on my lifestyle block that I am rewilding * What marine re wilding is and how it helps * One thing any of you can do today to do a little bit of rewilding. Key Quotes “You don’t have to rewild in any particular way.” “We need healthy forests and wetlands and grasslands because they store carbon far more effectively than bloody pine forests do.” ‘The idea that it’s just letting everything go wild is an over simplification.” Find our full podcast via the website here:https://www.nowthatswhaticall.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nowthatswhaticallgreen/ You can follow me on socials on the below accounts. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/briannemwest/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@briannemwest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briannemwest/ For our latest big project, find out more about Incrediballs here: https://incrediballs.com/