People Places Planet

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Combating Deforestation in the Amazon Oct 09, 2019

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The Amazon Rainforest is a hotbed of biodiversity and—perhaps most crucial to our current climate crisis—stores approximately 120 billion tons of carbon. But deforestation is threatening the Amazon at an alarming rate. Given the vast size and numerous stakeholders that rely on the rainforest, innovative and cooperative methods are needed to combat deforestation. In this episode, we talk to Professor Mark Ungar to learn more.

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Environmental Disruptors: Global Water Girls Sep 18, 2019

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Globally, we’ve accumulated nearly 9.2 billion tons of plastic since plastic production became widespread in the 1950s. Of this, more than 6.9 billion tons have become waste, dominating our landfills and seeping into our waterways. By 2050, the amount of plastic in the ocean is expected to outweigh the amount of fish, making plastic waste diversion from oceans a global priority. In this episode, we talk to Fidan Karimova, the co-founder and CEO of Global Water Girls, www.globalwatergirls.com, an all-female owned and operated company of water professionals dedicated to circular economy solutions to promote environmental sustainability and improve global quality of life.

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Herding Cats: Governing Distributed Innovation Sep 04, 2019

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Do-It-Yourself biology, 3D printing, and the sharing economy are equipping ordinary people with new powers to shape their biological, physical, and social environments. This phenomenon of distributed innovation is yielding new goods and services, greater economic productivity, and new opportunities for fulfillment. Distributed innovation also brings new environmental, health, and security risks that demand oversight, yet conventional government regulation may be poorly suited to address these risks. Dispersed and dynamic, distributed innovation requires the development of more flexible tools for oversight and government collaboration with private partners in governance. In this episode, Linda Breggin, Director of ELI’s Center for State, Tribal, and Local Environmental Programs, and Anna Beeman, Research Associate, sit down with Prof. Albert C. Lin of the University of California, Davis, School of Law to discuss some of the responses to the challenges raised by distributed innovation.

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Engage the Expert: Environmental Enforcement Aug 21, 2019

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In this episode of People Places Planet Podcast, we listen in on a casual conversation between Special Agent Andrea Abat, a criminal investigator at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and Tracy Hester, a Professor at the University of Houston Law Center, on the field of environmental enforcement. Andrea Abat discusses her illustrious career investigating oils spills on the North Slopes of Alaska and anthrax in Washington D.C. She also provides valuable career advice for those looking to enter the environmental enforcement field. Professor Hester discusses advancements in environmental enforcement and the best advice he has received as a lawyer looking to enter the environmental field.

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Carbon Taxation by Regulation Aug 07, 2019

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For more than a century, energy rate setting has been used to promote public good and redistributive goals, akin to general financial taxation. Various non-tax subsidies in customer energy rates have enormous untapped potential for promoting low-carbon sources of energy, while also balancing broader economic and social welfare goals. In Carbon Taxation by Regulation, 102 Minn. L. Rev. 277 (2017), Prof. Jim Rossi of Vanderbilt University Law School (VULS) argues that even though a carbon tax remains politically elusive, “carbon taxation by regulation” has begun to flourish as a way of financing carbon reduction. His article received Honorable Mention in the special “Environmental Law and Policy Annual Review” edition of ELR’s News & Analysis. In this episode, Linda Breggin, Director of ELI’s Center for State, Tribal, and Local Environmental Programs, and Elizabeth Holden, a student at VULS, sit down with Prof. Jim Rossi to learn more.

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What Does 100% Renewable Really Mean? Unpacking Corporate Renewable Energy Statements Jul 25, 2019

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At least 150 large companies have set goals to rely exclusively on renewable energy. These voluntary pledges can boost a company’s environmental image and can have a significant impact on the amount of generated renewable energy. But there are many different ways to get to 100% renewable power, all of which differ in the impact they have on the energy market. ELI recently published Corporate Statements About the Use of Renewable Energy: What Does the “100% Renewable” Goal Really Mean? In this episode, we talk to lead author Sofia Yazykova, a staff attorney at ELI, and Priya Barua, a Senior Manager with the Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance (formerly with the World Resources Institute), to learn what it really means when a company pledges to go 100% renewable. ELI created a handy terminology guide to help listeners follow along. Listeners may also be interested in this report from WRI.

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Trailblazing Tribes: Agriculture Jul 16, 2019

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When it comes to the 573 federally recognized tribes in the United States, agriculture represents not just a source of food security, but an opportunity to express tribal sovereignty, drive economic development, and reclaim the cultivation of plants and animals central to a tribe’s culture across generations. Join Cynthia R. Harris, ELI’s Director of Tribal Programs, as she explores how tribes are taking on challenges, reclaiming traditional practices, and innovating in agriculture and food production with special guests Zach Ducheneaux, Executive Director of the Intertribal Agriculture Council; Chris Roper with the Quapaw Services Authority; Pat Gwin, Environmental Resources Senior Director for the Cherokee Nation; and Colby Duren, director of the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative at the University of Arkansas School of Law.

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Environmental Disruptors: 3-D Printing Food Waste for Fine Dining Jun 26, 2019

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Food waste is one of the biggest and most overlooked global environmental challenges. Worldwide, approximately 30% of food is wasted across the supply chain. Food waste contributes to 8% of total greenhouse gases. This is tremendous. If food waste were a country, it would be the third largest emitter, after the United States and China. In the latest episode from People Places Planet Podcast, Azi Akpan of ELI’s Innovation Lab chats with Elzelinde van Doleweerd and Vita Broeken, co-Founders of Upprinting Food, based in Eindhoven in the Netherlands. Founded in November 2018, Upprinting Food reduces food waste by transforming it into beautiful, edible art using 3-D printing technology. Check out the Upprinting Food in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3y-jOOIy6c

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Environmental Disruptors: Craft Brewed Sustainability Jun 13, 2019

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When it comes to beer, no one knows innovation better than a craft brewery. But brewing a single gallon of beer uses about seven gallons of water. That’s why Great Divide Brewing Company, located in Denver, Colorado, is looking to apply their craft expertise to sustainability. In this episode, Kasantha Moodley of ELI’s Innovation Lab sits down with Erin Cox, the Quality Management Systems Supervisor at Great Divide, to hear how it is tackling this environmental challenge. We also hear from Kaitlin Urso, an official of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, who shares her knowledge of the environmental impact of the industry.

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Restoration Reflections: Gulf Residents Share Their Experiences in the Deepwater Horizon Restoration Processes May 15, 2019

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On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil drilling rig exploded, resulting in the death of 11 workers and the release of 4 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico—the largest oil spill in the history of marine oil drilling. Now almost a decade later, communities in the five Gulf Coast states—Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida—are still working to restore the devastated Gulf Coast. Since 2010, ELI has been supporting Gulf communities as they navigate the restoration process. In this episode, Taylor Lilley, Public Interest Law Fellow, and Christina Libre, a Research Associate, speak with residents of coastal Mississippi to hear about the challenges and successes they have encountered engaging with the recovery process in the nine years since the spill, as well as their hopes for the future.

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