Polluters' Campaign Contributions Can Pay For A Lot of Big Macs

Polluters' Campaign Contributions Can Pay For A Lot of Big Macs

WE'RE BACK! After a long hiatus, the most popular Virginia Sierra Club podcast is back with a new co-host and a new segment. The first episode of our third season introduces our new host, rants about some particularly bad news coming from the new administration, and game of translating complexity into simplicity, and a discussion on how much polluters' money influences our political system. References: Bad News: EPA Launches Biggest Deregulatory Action in U.S. History [https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-launches-biggest-deregulatory-action-us-history] Good News: A Majority of Americans Are Concerned about Climate: More Than You Might Think [https://ecoamerica.org/american-climate-perspectives-survey-2024-vol-i-blog/] How 'Bout We Don't sources: * Big oil spent $445m in last election cycle to influence Trump and Congress, report says [https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/23/big-oil-445m-trump-congress] * Virginia Public Access Project: Top Donors 2024-2025 [https://www.vpap.org/money/top-donors/] * Virginia state lawmakers quietly killed a bill to limit campaign donations [https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2024/02/virginia-legislature-killed-a-bill-to-limit-campaign-donations/]

The Spooky Plan to Raise Our Electric Bills

It's our Halloween episode! *Thunder strike* This week we cover how climate change is impacting housing affordability, new technology to make clean energy more efficient and cheaper, and how Dominion Energy plans to raise electric bills by 50% -- scary stuff!

How Natural Gas Killed Christmas and Solar Saved New Years

We are baaaaaaack! After a long summer break, Tim and Paige are back to talk ticks, the Navy's clean energy goals, and the many ways "natural" gas is a harmful and expensive energy source.

Soil Batteries, Heat Waves, and Stinky (Land)Phil

This month's episode answers questions from the audience, explores how to get energy from the soil (yep it's a thing), and highlights a big victory in a small town fighting a landfill. We hope you enjoy! Good News Article [https://www.euronews.com/green/2024/06/12/install-and-forget-soil-powered-batteries-could-bring-cheap-clean-energy-to-farms-in-europ] Bad News Article [https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czvvqdg8zxno]

Electrification is Sexy. Super Pollen is Not.

🌍 Happy Earth Month! 🌱 Get ready for a whirlwind of eco-fun in this slightly shorter (we blame time constraints, not our love for Earth) but equally enlightening episode! Join us as we electrify the airwaves with a discussion on why electrification is like the superhero we need in the fight against climate change. Plus, find out how climate change is teaming up with allergies for an unwelcome duet, and let's raise a glass (of clean water, of course) to celebrate kicking forever chemicals to the curb from our drinking water. We're always looking for new topics to cover in one of our segments. Comment with a question or use this form to contact the hosts! [https://vasierra.club/questions] Bad News *  4 reasons why climate change is making your fall allergies worse [https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/climate-change-allergies-new-175334734.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAADeeWkfwBX_9igLbUX5aTh7yoMQ3MYmj9YRD_rgObT7wN0gTnfSIBAt0Q61cCmIChGJ250E_yMhgGb5ijane2Ak-iip41vGCOhWKKuZdEtQBazLadO1pl7QneJqh0xtE6J1-nrhzn1ToL1snABX2s1PwjU6kC5OAMWn6pGkZUef9] Good News * Biden administration sets first-ever limits on ‘forever chemicals’ in drinking water [https://apnews.com/article/forever-chemicals-pfas-pollution-epa-drinking-water-1c8804288413a73bb7b99fc866c8fa51]