Citizens' Climate Lobby

CC Radio Ep 29 Truth, Fact, and Cli Fi

When telling climate change stories, truth is more important than facts. Host, Peterson Toscano shares his own bizarre climate change coming out story. Like many people, he was aware of climate change, but it never hit him in the heart or the gut--until one day. Moving, funny, and unexpected, his awakening came when climate change hit him and his Italian-American/South African family close to home. In addition to telling how he woke up to the reality of climate change, he shares listeners' responses to the Puzzler Question—What Does Climate Change Mean to You?

Art House

We learn about climate fiction or “cli-fi” from Elizabeth Rush. Although she is the author of the bestselling and critically acclaimed non-fiction book, Rising—Dispatches from the New American Shore, she also teaches cli-fi at Brown University. She reveals the differences and important contributions both humanities and science students bring to the course. She also provides us with a reading list and discusses:

Gold, Fame, Citrus by Claire Vaye Watkins

10:04 by Ben Lerner

New York 2140 by Kim Stanley Robinson

Puzzler

The puzzler question is such an important part of this show. These questions are designed to help you improve in your climate communication skills. 

New Puzzler Question (especially designed for people of faith)

You are at a place of worship and you have fliers about an upcoming climate change event. Louis, someone you know from your faith community asks why are you involved in climate change work. You say, Lots of reasons, but a big part is because of my faith. Louis looks puzzled. He asks, Climate Change? What’s faith got to do with it?

So what do you say to Louis? How is climate change connected to your faith or religion or spiritual practice?

Send Peterson your answers. Leave your name, contact info, and where you are from.

Get back to him by November, 15, 2018. You can email your answers to radio @ citizensclimate.org or better yet leave a voicemail of 3 minutes or less at 518.595.9414. (+1 if calling from outside the USA.)

Dig Deeper

• Burning Worlds column in Chicago Review of Books by Amy Brady regularly features reviews of new 
• Interview with cli-fi novelist Claire Vaye Watkins CC Radio Ep 22
• La Jetée French sci-fi film 
• Article: With Cli-Fi Fiction Novelists Aim for ‘Radical Empathy 
• Cli-Fi Report (CFR) Global a research tool for academics and media professionals to use in gathering information and reporting on the rise of the emerging cli-fi term worldwide 

You can hear Citizens’ Climate Radio on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, SoundCloud, Podbean, Northern Spirit Radio, Google Play, PlayerFM, and TuneIn Radio. Also, feel free to connect with other listeners, suggest program ideas, and respond to programs in the Citizens’ Climate Radio Facebook group or on Twitter at @CitizensCRadio.

If you listen on iTunes, please consider rating and reviewing us!

Ep 28 College Students Modeling Systems Change

University campuses in the USA are the training grounds for collective action leading to systems changes. Since 2012 a group of students at the University of Delaware have taken on a big idea--to transform their large lush heavily chemically treated lawns into an organic public green. The Green the Greeninitiative has required thoughtful strategy, community building, public education, and lots of persistence. Climate advocates can learn a lot from their methods. Show host, Peterson Toscano, speaks with Sophie Phillips, a senior and the outgoing head of Students 4 the Environment. Sophie is in the process of handing over the work to sophomore, CJ Krulewitch who also talks about strategies and successes. They both offer advice for climate advocates.

Art House

In the USA one of the most dramatic encounters happens around the Thanksgiving holiday table. In the USA one of the most dramatic encounters happens around the Thanksgiving holiday table. In his play, Dad, theater student Dante Flores decides to magnify the tension.  He talks about the setting, tone, and structure of his play. By putting the action on a repeat loop, he deepens the theater experience.

Puzzler

You are talking with your neighbor, Tabitha. She seems interested in your work as a climate advocate. You tell her about large solutions like carbon fee and dividend. You are so excited to find someone who wants to know more. But then you notice Tabitha's eyes start to glaze over. She interrupts you, "This all sounds so important and overwhelming. But What does it mean for you and for me?"

Tabitha wants to better understand climate change. She doesn't need more facts right now. She needs to hear some of your own story. How might you begin to shift the tone and and get personal with her? What does climate change mean for you? Let's personal.

Send Peterson your answers. Leave your name, contact info, and where you are from.

Get back to him by October 15, 2018. You can email your answers to radio @ citizensclimate.org or leave a voicemail of 3 minutes or less. And don't be anxious about the voicemail. You can leave as many versions of your answer as you like. If you stumble, try again until you feel comfortable with your answer. Leave your message at 518.595.9414. (+1 if calling from outside the USA.)

Dig Deeper

• Interview w/ Paul Tukey about organic lawn care 

• Green the Green videoand Students 4 the Environment on Twitter.

• Dr. McKay Jenkins, author and professor of environmental humanities at U of Delaware

• 2,4-D chemical compound, Wikipedia article

• Removing Trays from Dinning Halls Cuts Food Waste, Reuters

• If You Must Talk Politics at Thanksgiving, Here's How, The Atlantic

• Citizens' Climate Lobby Higher Education
• CCL Higher Education Outreach page

• Dakota Access Pipeline Protests at Standing Rock, Wikipedia article

• Theater in the Age of Climate Change Convening

You can hear Citizens’ Climate Radio on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, SoundCloud, Podbean, Northern Spirit Radio, Google Play, PlayerFM, and TuneIn Radio. Also, feel free to connect with other listeners, suggest program ideas, and respond to programs in the Citizens’ Climate Radio Facebook group or on Twitter at @CitizensCRadio.

If you listen on iTunes, please consider rating and reviewing us!

CC Radio Ep 27 Telling Better Climate Stories with Sara Peach and Hayride Casualties

Sara Peach, the senior editor at Yale Climate Connections has only 90 seconds to tell a compelling and inspiring climate change related story. She sits down with show host, Peterson Toscano, to discuss the kind of stories that move people closer to climate advocacy. Based on extensive research from the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, Sara and her team have produced hundreds of short radio pieces. She brought two of these stories with her to share on this episode. Sara also talks about where she is finding hope these and what she does when she hears discouraging climate news.

Art House

Singer Song writer Dan Dewald produces music as Hayride Casualties. His album Fossil Fuel Kid is all about climate change. The songs explore how climate change affects us. They point to the complications of feeling complicit in contributing to the pollution.  In addition, they have songs that point to the fierce passionate response needed to address our growing fossil fuel problem.

Citizens Climate Radio Puzzler

Many listeners wrote in to say they want more puzzler questions. We have set up a new listener call line, so can share you answers with us. How about you take a stab at the puzzler.

New Puzzler question

You are talking with your neighbor, Tabitha. She seems interested in your work as a climate advocate. You tell her about large solutions like carbon fee and dividend. You are so excited to find someone who wants to know more. But then you notice Tabitha's eyes start to glaze over. She interrupts you, "This all sounds so important and overwhelming. But What does it mean for you and for me?"

Tabitha wants to better understand climate change. She doesn't need more facts right now. She needs to hear some of your own story. How might you begin to shift the tone and and get personal with her? What does climate change mean for you? Let's personal.

Send Peterson your answers. Leave your name, contact info, and where you are from.

Get back to him by October 15, 2018. You can email your answers to radio @ citizensclimate.org or leave a voicemail of 3 minutes or less. And don't be anxious about the voicemail. You can leave as many versions of your answer as you like. If you stumble, try again until you feel comfortable with your answer. Leave your message at 518.595.9414. (+1 if calling from outside the USA.)

Dig Deeper

• Sara Peach talks about the power of storytelling for Citizens Climate University 

• How to revolutionize climate change storytelling. An interview with the creators of Years of Living Dangerously TV series.

• Climate Change--the greatest story never told. Video of George Marshall TEDxWWF

• Science Needs to Take Storytelling Seriously, article by Elaine Burke

You can hear Citizens’ Climate Radio on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, SoundCloud, Podbean, Northern Spirit Radio, Google Play, PlayerFM, and TuneIn Radio. Also, feel free to connect with other listeners, suggest program ideas, and respond to programs in the Citizens’ Climate Radio Facebook group or on Twitter at @CitizensCRadio.

If you listen on iTunes, please consider rating and reviewing us!

CC Radio Ep 26 In Deep Water with Edgar Westerhof and Elizabeth Rush

Super Storm Sandy shocked the New York Metropolitan area in 2012. By some freak coincidence, right before this epic storm hit, Edgar Westerhof, moved to New York City from the Netherlands. Not only does he come from a country that knows a lot about flooding, Edgar is an expert in integrated urban water management.

Since Sandy, Edgar has become the National Director for Flood Risk and Resiliency for Arcadis North America. He talks about his experiences with Sandy and how this devastating storm could have been even worse. 

Art House

Author Elizabeth Rush reads from her new book Rising: Dispatches from the New American Shore. 

Puzzler

Do you enjoy the Puzzler section of our show? We are considering replacing it with another segment, but we would love to hear from you before we do. Email Peterson radio @ citizensclimate.org

 

You can hear Citizens’ Climate Radio on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, SoundCloud, Podbean, Northern Spirit Radio, Google Play, PlayerFM, and TuneIn Radio. Also, feel free to connect with other listeners, suggest program ideas, and respond to programs in the Citizens’ Climate Radio Facebook group or on Twitter at @CitizensCRadio.

If you listen on iTunes, please consider rating and reviewing us!

CC Radio Ep 25 Race, Pollution, Justice -- Brentin Mock, Tyree Daye, Dr. Natasha DeJarnett

After 10 years of reporting on race, culture, and civil rights, Brentin Mock embraced environmental issues as his new beat. That was in 2008. He has since become a leading voice highlighting environmental racism in America.  He speaks with Citizens Climate Radio host, Peterson Toscano about pollution, segregation, asthma, and mobility. Brentin also speaks candidly about failures of predominately white environmental organizations that attempt to reach out to people of color. He shares why these attempts fail and what climate advocates can do to build a more diverse coalition. Also joining the discussion is Dr. Natasha DeJarnett, environmental health policy analyst from the American Public Health Association. She outlines statistics on historical and contemporary pollution and how air and water pollution pose severe heath risks for everyone, but espeically people of color in the USA. 

Art House

Joining us in the Art House today is poet Tyree Daye. As an African-American man living in the  the US South, Tyree weaves together stories and voices from his family. He artistically expresses the collective trauma they have experienced and the deep insights passed down. Rivers, water, and flooding continually come up in his book of poetry called River Hymns. Tyree talks about his poetry and reads pieces from the book and new poetry. 

Puzzler

You are on a break with a co-worker, let's call him Murphy. You tell Murphy about a climate change conference you attended hoping to engage him in conversation. Murphy blurts out, "Seriously. I never pegged you as one of those save the whales and the polar bears kinda person. The way I see it, humans are the most adaptable beings on earth. Whatever is coming our way, we will be able to handle it. Sucks for other creatures, but humans will be just fine."

Murphy has put just you in a certain environmental box. It may or may not be a fit for you. But how can you respond to Murphy to help crack open the conversation?

Send Peterson your answers. Leave your name, contact info, and where you are from.

Get back to him by July, 15, 2018. You can email your answers to radio @ citizensclimate.org or better yet leave a voicemail of 3 minutes or less at 570.483.8194. (+1 if calling from outside the USA.)

Dig Deeper

• African-Americans faced 54% higher health burden from air pollution (particulate matter) compared to the overall population. Communities of color overall had a 28% higher health burden compared to the overall population (Mikati et al., 2018).
• Communities of color have higher exposure rates to air pollution than their white, non-Hispanic counterparts. A study monitoring 12 air pollutants showed that whites had the lowest exposures, non-Hispanic blacks had higher exposures than whites to 13 of the 14 pollutants. Hispanics generally had the highest exposures (Bell & Ebisu, 2012). Some of the pollutants studied including particulate matter, nitrate, chlorine, nickel are connected to repertory illnesses, asthma, and cardiovascular issues.
• From a 2010 CDC report, seven million American children have asthma, about one out of ten. One out of every six black child has asthma (CDC, 2010). The reported rate rose 50% between 2001 and 2010.
• In 2000 and 2010, disparities in nitrogen dioxide concentrations were larger by race-ethnicity than by income. Black and Hispanic people experienced 37% higher exposures to NO2 than white people in 2010 (Clark et al., 2017). NO2 is linked to asthma symptoms, increased susceptibility to repertory problems and heart disease (EPA).
• Most communities located next to, and directly affected by the operations of, corporate, industrial, or service facilities are low-income, communities of color, and other systemically oppressed groups. This placement exposes these groups of people to health, economic, and social hazards. Over 1 million African-Americans live in counties facing cancer risks above the EPA’s level of concern from toxins emitted by natural gas facilities. (Franklin, 2018)
• The percentage of black people in fenceline zones is 75% greater than for the U.S. as a whole, while the percentage of Latino people is 60% greater than for the U.S. as a whole (Orum et al., 2014). Larger, more chemical-intensive facilities tend to be located in counties with larger black populations and counties with high levels of income inequality.
• People of color are more likely to be exposed to environmental threats than are whites of the same social class. Race is a powerful predictor of many environmental hazards including the distribution of air pollution, location of municipal solid waste facilities, location of abandoned toxic waste sites, toxic fish consumption, and lead poisoning in children (Bullard, 1993).
• People of color make up nearly half the population in fenceline zones (11.4 million), and are almost twice as likely as whites to live near dangerous chemical facilities. Children of color make up almost two-thirds of the 5.7 million children who live within one mile of a high-risk chemical facility in the United States. Facilities in communities of color have almost twice the rate of incidents compared to those in predominately white neighborhoods – one incident per six facilities compared to one incident per 11 facilities (Starbuck & White, 2016).

          (Special thanks to Dr. Natasha DeJarnett and Siena Fouse from the APHA for Dig Deeper content)

You can hear Citizens’ Climate Radio on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, SoundCloud, Podbean, Northern Spirit Radio, Google Play, PlayerFM, and TuneIn Radio. Also, feel free to connect with other listeners, suggest program ideas, and respond to programs in the Citizens’ Climate Radio Facebook group or on Twitter at @CitizensCRadio.

If you listen on iTunes, please consider rating and reviewing us!

All music is royalty free and purchased thorough PremiumBeat.com and AudioBlocks

CC Radio Ep 24 Climate Comedy

Conversations about climate change can get downright dire and dreary. But isn't there room for comedy? Brian Ettling is a comic who is not ashamed to pull out a rubber chicken for a gag. He joins show host, Peterson Toscano for a lively conversation about climate comedy.

Art House

Playwright Chantal Bilodeau returns to the Art House. This time she tells us about two visual artists whose work helps make the invisible worlds of pollution and climate change visual in very visceral ways. Learn about American artist, Eve Mosher with her flood lines, and Chinese artist, Brother Nut and his pollution bricks.

Puzzler

Should we just wait for a technical fix to climate change? We hear what you have to say to Samantha who believes geo-engineering will solve all of our climate woes.

New Puzzler Question

You are on a break with a co-worker, let's call him Murphy. You tell Murphy about a climate change conference you attended hoping to engage him in conversation. Murphy blurts out, "Seriously. I never pegged you as one of those save the whales and the polar bears kinda person. The way I see it, humans are the most adaptable beings on earth. Whatever is coming our way, we will be able to handle it. Sucks for other creatures, but humans will be just fine."

Murphy has put just you in a certain environmental box. It may or may not be a fit for you. But how can you respond to Murphy to help crack open the conversation?

Send Peterson your answers. Leave your name, contact info, and where you are from.

Get back to him by July, 15, 2018. You can email your answers to radio @ citizensclimate.org or better yet leave a voicemail of 3 minutes or less at 570.483.8194. (+1 if calling from outside the USA.)

Dig Deeper

• Brian Ettling's YouTube Channel
• Tosh.O featuring Brian Ettling
• The Arctic Cycle
• Eve Mosher, visual artist
• Brother Nut's Pollution Bricks (New York Times)

You can hear Citizens’ Climate Radio on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, SoundCloud, Podbean, Northern Spirit Radio, Google Play, PlayerFM, and TuneIn Radio. Also, feel free to connect with other listeners, suggest program ideas, and respond to programs in the Citizens’ Climate Radio Facebook group or on Twitter at @CitizensCRadio.

If you listen on iTunes, please consider rating and reviewing us!

All music is royalty free and purchased thorough PremiumBeat.com and AudioBlocks

CCR Ep 23 Your Mental Health and Climate Change

How does climate change affect us psychologically? How do extreme weather events impact our mental health? What can we do to protect ourselves and our family from the mental health risks that come with extreme weather? How can climate advocates avoid being overwhelmed by the work and address the anxiety, the anger, and the despair? You will hear answers to these questions and much more on our latest episode.

Dr. Lise Van Susteren, a leading expert in looking at the psychological effects of climate change, and Dr. Natasha DeJarnett, a policy analysis in environmental health at the American Public Health Association, join show host, Peterson Toscano, for a thought-provoking and insightful conversation.

Art House

Artist Fritz Horstman talks about his trip to the Arctic Circle to take underwater photographs. The visual landscape of the frozen and thawing North captivated him, but the sounds really inspired him. He asked his fellow artists on the voyage to recreate the creaks and groans of the glaciers for his video, Ice Voices. Watch the video over on Vimeo

Puzzler

 
On FB you you encourage people engage in climate action and join your group. A friend of yours, let's call her Samantha, comments, "That's very noble of you, but really the only solution is going to be a technical one. It's gone too far and they are going to have to geoengineer a solution. Don't stress about it. They are working on a fix somewhere."
So what do you say to Samantha who believes geoengineering will solve all of our climate woes and we should just live our lives until the patch is available?

Get back to Peterson by May, 15, 2018. Email your answers to radio @ citizensclimate.org
You can also leave a voicemail of 3 minutes or less at 570.483.8194. (+1 if calling from outside the USA.)

Dig Deeper

• American Pyschological Assocation: Climate Change's Toll on Mental Health
• National Institute of Mental Health: Mental Disorders Persists Among Hurricane Katrina Survivors
• American Public Health Association: Fact Sheet--Climate Change and mental health

You can hear Citizens’ Climate Radio on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, SoundCloud, Podbean, Northern Spirit Radio, Google Play, PlayerFM, and TuneIn Radio. Also, feel free to connect with other listeners, suggest program ideas, and respond to programs in the Citizens’ Climate Radio Facebook group or on Twitter at @CitizensCRadio.

If you listen on iTunes, please consider rating and reviewing us!

All music is royalty free and purchased thorough PremiumBeat.com and AudioBlocks

CCR Ep 22 Claire Vaye Watkins and Climate Storytelling

Claire Vaye Watkins, author of the cli-fi novel, Gold Fame Citrus, is Peterson Toscano's special guest. Claire talks about her book and the importance of storytelling in this time of climate change.

With her writing and imagination, she allows herself to go to places many climate advocates avoid. In doing so, she raises important questions about our work and this critical time in history. Wise, insightful, and witty, hearing this interview will help you hone your own skills as a storyteller.

Art House

This month Claire Vaye Watkins is both our main guest and our Art House guest. Stay tuned for upcoming Art House episodes featuring artist, Fritz Horseman, and climate change-themed band, Hayride Casualties.

Puzzler

We share multiple responses to January's puzzler--which was really an accusation: What are you actually doing to address climate change? What does an climate advocate say when someone dismisses you as a hypocrite?

New Puzzler Question

On FB you you encouraged people engage in climate action and join your group. A friend of yours, let's call her Samantha, comments, "That's very noble of you, but really the only solution is going to be a technical one. It's gone too far and they are going to have to geo-engineer a solution. Don't stress about it. They are working on a fix somewhere."

So what do you say to Samantha who believes geoengineering will solve all of our climate woes and we should just live our lives until the patch is available?

Get back to Peterson by April, 15, 2018. You can email your answers to radio @ citizensclimate.org or leave a voicemail of 3 minutes or less at 570.483.8194. (+1 if calling from outside the USA.)

Dig Deeper

• Gold Fame Citrus in GoodReads
• Ruth Ozeki, novelist, filmmaker, and Zen Buddhist priest
• Lake Mead
• List of Cli-Fi Fiction from GoodReads

You can hear Citizens’ Climate Radio on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, SoundCloud, Podbean, Northern Spirit Radio, Google Play, PlayerFM, and TuneIn Radio. Also, feel free to connect with other listeners, suggest program ideas, and respond to programs in the Citizens’ Climate Radio Facebook group or on Twitter at @CitizensCRadio.

If you listen on iTunes, please consider rating and reviewing us!

All music is royalty free and purchased thorough PremiumBeat.com and AudioBlocks

CCR Ep 21 Day Zero -- Cape Town Water Crisis

Day Zero is coming to Cape Town, South Africa. What happens when a city of four million people runs out of water? Our host, Peterson Toscano, chats with two Cape Town residents, Helen Moffett and Judy Abrahams. Together they explore "Day Zero," the day when their city will turn off the water to the taps.

Discover the multiple causes of this crisis and the role climate change has played. Hear about the responses, both the ugly and the beautiful. Funny, insightful, and well informed, Helen and Judy talk about many aspects of the crisis that are being overlooked in the media.

Puzzler Question and Art House

The story of the water crisis is so big we will share the many answers to the popular puzzler question next month when writer Claire Vaye Watkins talks about her cli-fi novel--Gold Fame Citrus.

Dig Deeper

• Helen Moffett's Blog about the Water Crisis and more
• Industrial Development Corporation, Project Funding Company where Judy Abrahams works
• Ten Good Things about Cape Town's Drought by Patrick Dowling 
• Cape Town Water Crisis Wikipedia Page
• Itzapala, Mexico City Water Crisis

Listen, Rate, and Share!

You can hear Citizens’ Climate Radio on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, SoundCloud, Podbean, Northern Spirit Radio, Google Play, PlayerFM, and TuneIn Radio. Also, feel free to connect with other listeners, suggest program ideas, and respond to programs in the Citizens’ Climate Radio Facebook group or on Twitter at @CitizensCRadio.

If you listen on iTunes, please consider rating and reviewing us!

All music is royalty free and purchased thorough PremiumBeat.com and AudioBlocks

CC Radio Ep 20 When the oil folks embrace the wind

Grant Samms was curious about the expansion of wind energy in Western Oklahoma, especially in the oil town of Woodward. He expected to see a lot of conflict there. Turns out there was no conflict. Because of their identity as energy producers, the citizens of Woodward found a way to weave wind energy extraction into their lives and economy. 

Grant is currently at Washington College's Center for Environment and Society in Chestertown, Maryland, where he is witnessing tensions in rural Maryland over proposed windmill farms. He chats with Citizens' Climate Radio host, Peterson Toscano, about what he learned in Western Oklahoma and how it essential for climate advocates to understand how "sense of place" plays a major role in affecting how communities respond to new ideas.   

Art House

Chantal Bilodeau is a playwright originally from Quebec Province in Canada. Her award winning plays take on climate change. Set in the Arctic, they are beautiful, original, and are moving audiences all over the world. In her Arctic Cycle plays, she has roles for human and non-human characters. Chantal believes live theater experiences create special opportunities for audiences.

In order to address the lonliness and isolation that can come with doing creative work around global warming, Chantal created Artists and Climate Change, a website that is connecting artists all over the world and making their work known to climate advocates. She is also committed to bringing original quality climate theater to many communities. She talks about Climate Change Theatre Action. Learn how you can easily and inexpensively host a reading of short climate plays. 

Puzzler Question

The Puzzler is BACK! Our latest question is one that often is thrown in the face of climate advocates in order to silence us. 

You are at a community event talking to a neighbor, let's call him Greg. You reveal your passion about climate change and climate solutions. Greg looks you up and down and says, "So I guess you don't use any fossils fuels yourself. You don't drive a car, travel by plane, or heat and cool your home? What are you actually doing to address climate change in your life?"

Greg's question sounds more like an accusation. How do you answer the question while also addressing the accusation?

Send Peterson your answers. Leave your name, contact info, and where you are from. Respond by February, 15, 2018. Email radio @ citizensclimate.org or leave a voicemail of three minutes or less at 570.483.8194. (+1 if calling from outside the USA.)

Listen, Rate, and Share!

You can hear Citizens’ Climate Radio on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, SoundCloud, Podbean, Northern Spirit Radio, Google Play, and TuneIn Radio. Also, feel free to connect with other listeners, suggest program ideas, and respond to programs in the Citizens’ Climate Radio Facebook group or on Twitter at @CitizensCRadio.

If you listen on iTunes, please consider rating and reviewing us!