Planet Reimagined with Adam Met

On our final episode of Season Two, we’re talking to Naomi Oreskes, professor, climate activist, and author of the book Merchants of Doubt. Naomi began her academic career in Geology and Earth Sciences, working at Stanford and  Dartmouth, but later began teaching the History of Science at NYU and UC San Diego. Now, as a Harvard History of Science professor, Naomi is educating her students—and the world—on human-caused, or anthropogenic, climate change. Her most well-known book, Merchants of Doubt [https://www.merchantsofdoubt.org/]—co-authored by Erik M. Conway and later made into a documentary [https://www.sonyclassics.com/merchantsofdoubt/] of the same name—parallels the misinformation campaigns led against climate change with those led against the negative effects of tobacco. We talk about the companies that led those campaigns, the universities that have divested from fossil fuels, and the scientists who have raised public awareness. Her most recent book, Science on a Mission, is available here [https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/S/bo59258933.html]. Reminder that we plant a tree for every subscriber, so go ahead and hit that button! Executive Produced by Sustainable Partners, Inc. Edited/Produced by Shelby Kaufman Associate Produced and Engineered by Sophie Ewh Music by Ryan and Jack Met of AJR All Rights Reserved, Sustainable Partners, Inc.

Today we’re in conversation with Mila Rosenthal, the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Sustainable Partners, Inc (SPI), as well as Nia Smith and Rai Saad Khan, two of SPI’s New Futures Fellows. If you’re reading this, you may have noticed that Sustainable Partners, Inc. [https://www.sustainablepartnersinc.org] is the Executive Producer of this podcast. Adam Met, our lovely host, founded SPI in 2019 to turn climate research into climate action. Along with producing Planet Reimagined and other climate-focused media, SPI runs a summer fellowship that brings together undergraduate and graduate students from around the world to work on projects tackling the issues laid out by the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals [https://sdgs.un.org/goals]. Each fellowship group produces an academic paper that explores their topic deeply, and media that advocates for a solution. Mila [https://www.sustainablepartnersinc.org/team-mila] is not only the Managing Director of SPI, but also heads the fellowship program. Her work as the Head of Communications and Advocacy at the UNDP [https://www.undp.org], as well as her teaching position in Columbia University’s Human Rights department [http://www.humanrightscolumbia.org], makes her perfect for the role. This past summer, she brought together ten fellows—from California to Sri Lanka—who produced projects on waste management and coastal access. Nia [https://www.linkedin.com/in/--niasmith--/], an advocacy fellow on Team Waste, is an environmental designer and activist based in Los Angeles. She is currently studying architecture to develop more equitable and sustainable low-income housing. Rai [https://www.linkedin.com/in/rai-saad-khan-738a69136/], a research fellow on Team Coastal Access, is a Geography graduate from Christ Church, the University of Oxford, where he was a recipient of the Royal Geographical Society’s DevGRG Dissertation Prize. His research interests include development geographies and local governance, particularly in South Asia. He is currently pursuing the law conversion course, and looks forward to pursuing a career in development and advocacy. We talk about what it was like to combine research and advocacy, how their projects fit into this year’s theme of climate justice, and what they will take away from the program. If you’d like to support the fellowship, make sure to follow Sustainable Partners on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/sustainable.partners/?hl=en] and Twitter [https://twitter.com/sustpartners?lang=en]. You can find the projects of this summer’s cohort here [https://www.sustainablepartnersinc.org/publications]. And if you’re interested in becoming a fellow, we’ll be opening applications [https://www.sustainablepartnersinc.org/aboutfellowship] in the Spring of 2022. Make sure to listen closely, because you might just hear Mila’s cat in the background! Reminder that we plant a tree for every subscriber, so go ahead and hit that button. Executive Produced by Sustainable Partners, Inc. Edited/Produced by Shelby Kaufman Associate Produced and Engineered by Sophie Ewh Music by Ryan and Jack Met of AJR All Rights Reserved, Sustainable Partners, Inc.

Today’s episode is with Dr. David Lehrer, the Director of International Development at the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies. In 1978, David moved from the US to Israel so he could be part of a kibbutz—the cooperative living arrangements found throughout the country. A few years later he became a member of Kibbutz Ketura [https://www.ketura.org.il/welcome-to-ketura/], home to the Arava Institute [https://arava.org]. He was Executive Director of the Institute for 20 years, moving to Director of International Development just this year, after receiving his PhD from Ben-Gurion University. The Arava Institute brings together Israelis, Palestinians, and Jordanians to solve climate issues affecting the whole region: “The environment can’t wait for peace in the Middle East.” We talk about planting 2000-year-old Judean dates, harvesting solar power in the desert, and using animal waste to create clean energy. Reminder that we plant a tree for every subscriber, so go ahead and hit that button! Executive Produced by Sustainable Partners, Inc. Edited/Produced by Shelby Kaufman Associate Produced and Engineered by Sophie Ewh Music by Ryan and Jack Met of AJR All Rights Reserved, Sustainable Partners, Inc.

Today we’re talking to Kristy Drutman, also known by her social media handle, @browngirl_green [https://www.instagram.com/browngirl_green/]. As a graduate of Berkeley’s “Society and the Environment” program, Kristy was interested in joining the climate movement, but also making it more diverse. At the time, the media was focusing only on white environmentalists, while ignoring the climate disasters affecting BIPOC around the world. This problem, along with some burnout, caused Kristy to create Brown Girl Green [https://www.browngirlgreen.org], a media hub that shares climate news, uplifts the voices of women and people of color, and provides self-care tips for eco-advocates. We talk about curating information for social media, how activism can affect relationships, and centering BIPOC voices. Reminder that we plant a tree for every subscriber, so go ahead and hit that button! Executive Produced by Sustainable Partners, Inc. Edited/Produced by Shelby Kaufman Associate Produced and Engineered by Sophie Ewh Music by Ryan and Jack Met of AJR All Rights Reserved, Sustainable Partners, Inc.

On today's episode, we're chatting with Kathy Baughman McLeod, the Senior Vice President and Director of the Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center [https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/expert/kathy-baughman-mcleod/]. As someone who grew up, studied, and worked in Florida, Kathy is well-acquainted not only with the beautiful ecosystems of the state, but also with the climate-related disasters which threaten them. Throughout her work with the EPA, The Nature Conservancy, Florida's Financial Office, and other organizations, Kathy has emphasized the need to analyze climate risk and to create resiliency through education and resources. Naturally, our conversation moves into topics like community-organized aid and climate insurance. We talk about kitchen garden kits, resilience pods, and tree equity. Speaking of: reminder that we plant a tree for every subscriber, so go ahead and hit that button! Executive Produced by Sustainable Partners, Inc. Edited/Produced by Shelby Kaufman Associate Produced and Engineered by Sophie Ewh Music by Ryan and Jack Met of AJR All Rights Reserved, Sustainable Partners, Inc.