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Check out our 7-Part Plastic Plague Series on EcoJustice Radio
The Call to Decolonize: Thoughts, Actions, and Spaces – Ep. 91
What is meant by “Decolonization?” Not only of our institutions, but also of thoughts and behaviors directly influenced by the residuals of colonization. Listen to Marria Evbuoma of Race to Zero Waste and Richmond District Rising as she explores the meaning and importance of decolonizing thoughts, actions, and spaces. How do we recognize and legitimately decolonize in order to ensure equity and build community for all? How do those who have been colonized go about decolonizing?
Marria Evbuoma is a mother, writer, and zero waste educator living in San Francisco. She is also the representative for her district for the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission’s Citizen Advisory Committee focusing on waste water.
Recipe for Abuse: Palm Oil, Child Labor, and Girl Scout Cookies – Ep. 89
“Sustainable Palm Oil” is deceiving and does not ensure ethical ingredients. Palm oil is everywhere – in our foods, cosmetics, cleaning products, and fuels, while at the same time destroying the rich biodiversity of tropical rainforests and the livelihoods of Indigenous Peoples and small landholders.
Thus, the palm oil inherent in a purchase of a $5 box of Girl Scout Cookies is connected to child labor, deforestation and displacement, climate disruption, and human rights atrocities. But there are solutions. Our show’s guests are working to demand accountability from business and campaigning for solutions that support the climate, human rights, and indigenous self-determination. READ MORE…
Olivia Chaffin [girlsagainstpalmoil.wixsite.com/my-site] is a 14 year old Girl Scout, vegan, and activist.
SIGN HER PETITION TO THE GIRL SCOUTS: www.change.org/p/girl-scouts-of-…irl-scout-cookies
Daniel Carrillo is the Forest Campaign Director for Rainforest Action Network.
RAN Keep Forests Standing Campaign: www.ran.org/campaign/keep-forests-standing/
The People’s Budget LA and Reimagining Public Safety – Ep. 68
Reverend Eddie Anderson from McCarty Memorial Christian Church discusses the People’s Budget Los Angeles [peoplesbudgetla.com/] with our host Jessica Aldridge. He defines what it means to re-imagine policing and public safety, and how to ensure reinvestment back into Black communities. The institutions that run the USA continue to benefit from the repercussions of long-standing, systemic oppression and racism. How do we reinvent and re-imagine the power structures? How do we change the economic system and fund a budget that is community-centered?
Black Los Angeles Demands: Click Here
THE FUTURE: Solutions, Policy, & Resistance Around Plastic – Plastic Plague Pt 7 – Ep.66
Plastic Plague Series: PART 7 (of 7) THE FUTURE: We investigate how solutions, policy, & resistance around plastic can elevate, inspire, and drive change at a systems-level approach. We also dive into how reduction and reusables are still a viable and necessary solution, even when up against concerns relating to viruses like COVID-19.
The global community is up against a take and make economy where packaging is not the only disposable, but so is energy, water, resources, and PEOPLE! Our guests share how to inspire action and connect the dots for everyone who uses, disposes of, or is in some way affected by plastic. We all have the opportunity to play our role when it comes to creating and demanding the future we want to see.
Our guests, Matt Prindiville of Upstream Solutions, Sam Pearse of Story of Stuff, and Emily Parker of Heal the Bay, speak with our host, Jessica Aldridge of Adventures in Waste.
THE PARADIGM SHIFT: Reduction, Recycling, & Technology – Plastic Plague Pt. 6 – Ep. 64
Plastic Plague Series: PART 6 (of 7) THE PARADIGM SHIFT – we explore how reduction, recycling, and technology can create a paradigm shift that is solution oriented, equitable, and achievable.
There is too much plastic production for recycling to be the end-all-be-all solution to our problems, not to mention the inequity from its creation to disposal. However, waste-to-energy, chemical recycling, and plastic-to-fuel also have their concerns and might not be the winning silver bullet. Solutions best laid are community oriented and do not compromise the needs of future generations. So who is responsible for shifting the norm? Is it consumers, business, or manufacturers? How do we create community-based solutions? And how do these solutions around reuse and recycling weather issues and concerns related to virus spread and pandemics like COVID-19.
Our guests include Claire Arkin, from GAIA (Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives), Marcus Eriksen of 5 Gyres Institute, and Keng Baloco, of Athens Services.
THE BOTTLE SCAM: Land, Water, and Indigenous Rights – Plastic Plague Pt. 5 – Ep. 62
Plastic Plague Series: PART 5 (of 7) THE BOTTLE SCAM – we connect the dots between the Water Bottle Scam and the fight for Land, Water, and Indigenous Rights.
The chain of environmental and social impacts is an embedded cost of bottled water, a resource that is supposed to give us life, but now arguably the process to extract, make, ship, store, and dispose seems to take from it. With a ½ billion bottles used and disposed of every week in the United States, while land and water resources are stolen and polluted it is time to close the tap on the Bottle Scam. The solution isn’t as easy as switching over to a reusable water bottle.
Our guests include Stiv Wilson, Co-Director of @peakplastic and Creator and Producer of the film, The Story of Plastic and Raven Stevens, Board Member of W.A.T.E.R. (We Advocate Thorough Environmental Review). Raven does not speak for the Winnemem Wintu Tribe. They are a sovereign nation and speak for themselves. They can be reached at: https://www.winnememwintu.us/ for further information.
THROWAWAY SOCIETY: Economics & Inequity of (Plastic) Consumption – Plastic Plague Pt 4 – Ep. 61
Plastic Plague Series: PART 4 THROWAWAY SOCIETY – In this episode, we go global and investigate the economics & inequity of plastic consumption once thrown away. Does plastic truly get recycled and what is the burden of other countries? More than 300 million tons of new plastic is produced annually and less than 10% is recycled. 40% of the plastic produced is for packaging. China was the recycling destination for over 40% of the USA’s waste commodities. When they shuttered their doors to recycling imports, new opportunities popped up in other countries, but with it came the same issues of contamination, excess waste, and a dumping ground for the consequences of a “throwaway society.”
Our guests include Shibu Nair, India Coordinator for GAIA – Asia Pacific and Michael Doshi, Director of Partnerships for Algalita Marine Research & Education.
HUMAN HEALTH: The Threats of Plastic – Plastic Plague Pt 3 – Ep. 59
Plastic Plague Series: PART 3 HUMAN HEALTH – On this episode, we investigate the impact plastics have on our personal health and quality of life. From our food packaging to our building material, we cover the toxins types, corporate responsibility, and how can we avoid exposure. We dive into what it means to support the efforts of frontline communities to minimize exposure by reducing these toxic chemicals. Did you know that after packaging, the #1 global use of plastic is building materials?
Our guests include Yvette Arellano, Policy Research & Grassroots Advocate for TEJAS, Dr. Julia Varshavsky, Reproductive Health and the Environment, UCSF Medical Center, and Bill Walsh, Healthy Building Network
Social Equity in a Zero Waste Baltimore – National Zero Waste Conference – Ep. 58
This episode is the third installment of our National Zero Waste Conference series meant to elevate the voices featured during the two-day event in Berkeley, California (postponed this year).
Baltimore, Maryland, is setting the standard for #ZeroWasteCities by ensuring social equity! Their racially and economically just Zero Waste Plan goes beyond the successful management of resources and waste by lifting up human rights values and ensuring that those communities who are historically burdened by the ill effects of our waste system are made a priority.
Our guests are Meleny Thomas, Shashawnda Campbell, and Greg Sawtell all Leadership Organizers with United Workers in Baltimore, Maryland, speaking with our host, Jessica Aldridge from Adventures in Waste.
REFINEMENT: Cracking the Plastic Production Boom – Plastic Plague Pt 2 – Ep. 57
Plastic Plague Series: PART 2 REFINEMENT – Once extracted, how does oil and gas become the resin that will eventually be the plastic we use in our daily lives? Then when we buy these products, the social and environmental justice issues are out-of-sight, out-of-mind.
The Plastic Plague journey now leads us to plastic manufacturing and the social justice issues, from Point Comfort, Texas to St. James Louisiana, also known as Cancer Alley. On this episode, we breakdown how fossil fuels become plastic and follow the train of economic interests and irresponsibility. We hear from front-line activists dealing with plastic manufacturing and the impact to their communities’ quality of life.
Our guests include Diane Wilson, Executive Director of San Antonio Bay Estuarine Waterkeeper; Sharon Lavigne, Founding Director of RISE St. James; and Jim Vallette, President of Material Research L3C, speak with our host, Jessica Aldridge.
Reducing Single-Use Culture Through Legislation – National Zero Waste Conference – Ep. 55
This episode is the second installment of our National Zero Waste Conference series meant to elevate the voices featured during the two-day event in Berkeley, California (postponed for now)
On this show we dive into what is happening with California legislation that is looking to reduce plastic pollution and support recycling and Circular Economy efforts. Our guests are Mike Sangiacomo, President & Chief Executive Officer of Recology and Eric Potashner, Vice President & Senior Director of Recology, speaking with our host, Jessica Aldridge from Adventures in Waste.
Website: https://www.recology.com/
Extraction: Fracking and Drilling for Plastic Dreams – Plastic Plague Pt 1
This is PART ONE of a special seven-part series, called, “The Plastic Plague: Connecting the Dots between Extraction, Inequity, and Pollution.”
On our first installment, we start at the well, the oily, methane producing beginnings of plastic. We discuss the extraction process, economic viability (of a bankrupt fossil fuel industry), the Texas Permian Basin (slated to be the global exporter), and the social and environmental costs of plastic before a product is even created.
Our guests include Jane Patton from the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) [Social Media: twitter.com/ciel_tweets, www.ciel.org/, www.stopformosa.org/], Sharon Wilson, or Texas Sharon on Twitter, a leading anti-fracking activist [@TXsharon (twitter.com/TexasSharon)], and Ethan Buckner, Energy Campaigner for Earthworks [Social Media: Twitter twitter.com/ethanbuckner & Facebook www.facebook.com/earthworksaction/IG: @earthworksaction].
Connecting Waste and Climate Change – National Zero Waste Conference – Ep 53
This episode is the first installment of our National Zero Waste Conference series meant to elevate the voices featured during the two-day event in Berkeley, California (postponed for now)
Our guest, Leslie Lukacs, Executive Director of Zero Waste Sonoma, formally known as the Sonoma County Waste Management Agency, speaks with our host Jessica Aldridge, who also is the founder of Adventures in Waste. Together, we discuss the lifecycle of our resources, the climate-disrupting effects, and the potential for climate-loving solutions.
Palm Oil and Orangutans – The Oily Truth & What We Can Do – EcoJustice Radio – Ep 50
Can palm oil can be produced in a responsible, sustainable, and regenerative manner that protects the environment, bio-diverse species, and communities where it is cultivated?
On this episode, we discuss what is happening in Indonesia and elsewhere around Palm Oil extraction, expansion, and exploitation. Our guest, Gary Shapiro, has been involved with orangutans for 46 years and has been working tirelessly to secure and protect the orangutan populations through creating more regenerative and equitable solutions around Palm Oil production.
The Power of Youth-Led Activism: Inspiring Change and Building Community – EcoJustice Radio – Ep. 48
On this show we discuss the power of youth-led activism and how our guest is helping to inspire change and build community. We welcome 19-year-old Youth Environmental Activist and one of the lead organizers for Youth Climate Strike LA, Kevin Patel, who speaks with our host, Jessica Aldridge.
Wixárika/Huichol People: Protecting Sacred Lands of Mexico – EcoJustice Radio – Ep. 47
In this episode, we discuss the struggle to protect the sacred lands and culture of the Wixárika people, also known popularly as the Huichol, an indigenous group inhabiting the remote reaches of the Sierra Madre Occidental of Mexico. Our guests are Andrea Perez, Indigenous Environmental Justice Advocate, and Susana Valadez Director of the Huichol Center for Cultural Survival and Traditional Arts. Jessica Aldridge did the interview.
The Intersection Between Faith and Environmental Activism – EcoJustice Radio – Ep 45
On Episode 45 of EcoJustice Radio our guest Reverend Oliver Buie, Minister of Community Engagement at the Holman United Methodist Church, speaks with Jessica Aldridge on the important relationship between faith and environmentalism and what his parish has been doing to promote environmental and social justice in their community.
As a member of the Steering Committee of STAND-LA, he speaks to the environmental justice movement to institute a 2,500-foot health and safety buffer between oil drilling and where people live, in particular motivated by the Murphy Oil Drilling site near his South Los Angeles church.
Urban Forestry’s Connection to Climate Change and Social Equity – EcoJustice Radio – Ep. 43
On this show we discuss Urban Forestry’s Impacts On Climate Change and Social Equity. Jessica Aldridge speaks with Mark Kenyon, Executive Director of the nonprofit, North East Trees.
Youth Climate Strike Takes Over Downtown Los Angeles – EcoJustice Radio – Ep. 42
The September 20th Los Angeles Youth Climate Strike was organized by a coalition of groups and led by Youth Climate Strike Los Angeles. EcoJustice Radio’s Jessica Aldridge and production team joined the action at Downtown LA’s Pershing Square, where anywhere from 10-20,000 people gathered for speeches and music, and then all marched through the streets to City Hall.
Shaping our Water Future: Through Water Quality, Equity & Nature Based Solutions – EcoJustice Radio – Ep. 40
Water is life. Clean, safe, reliable, affordable, and the future security of water is nonnegotiable. Los Angeles, California currently imports a whopping 70% of their water. And getting that water to LA is the largest use of electricity in the state of CA. When water is not captured and utilized within the system, it traverses through the city and out to the ocean. In order to shape a strong water future, we must manage the flow in way that ensures high quality, social equity, and solutions based in nature. Jessica Aldridge interviews Annelisa Moe, Water Quality Scientist with Heal the Bay and Miguel Ramos External Affairs Outreach Coordinator with the Nature Conservancy.
Our Water LA: https://ourwaterla.org/
Pakistan: Connecting Climate Change, Women Empowerment, and Art – EcoJustice Radio – Ep. 37
Jessica Aldridge speaks with Ayla Suhail, Climate Change and Livelihood Project Coordinator at PODA, Potohar Organization of development and advocacy in Pakistan. She is a graduate of mathematics from Comsats University in Islamabad and is finishing her masters in Geographical Information System. Her thesis is based on “Analyzing the impact of Plastic Waste on the Urban Climate.” She is also a teacher and a coach.
Green New Deal Tour Comes to Los Angeles – EcoJustice Radio – Episode 34
EcoJustice Radio joined KPFK-FM to interview the voices in and around the Green New Deal Tour in Los Angeles, and our interviewer Jessica Aldridge spoke with oceanographer Josh Willis, former LA DWP Commissioner Aura Vasquez, environmental scientist at Cal State Northridge Loraine Lundquist, D Garcia with Sunrise Movement LA, Varshini Prakash, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Sunrise Movement with Gabbi Pierce also with Sunrise. And finally, Jack Eidt spoke to Bill McKibben, author, educator, environmentalist, and co-founder of 350.org, along with Lydia Ponce from SoCal 350 and a member of American Indian Movement.
Women in Politics and the Environment
Over the past few years, there has been significant growth in US politics of women candidates (especially women of color) and for many this being their first run for office. As of today, there exists a record number of women in congress and more young women and women of color than ever in US History.
On this show, Jessica Aldridge talks with Aura Vasquez, Environmental and Social Justice organizer and Candidate for Los Angeles City Council District 10, on how we change the “old boys club” and what this could mean for bringing social equity to the table.
Sweatshops: LA’s Dirty Secret and the Fight for Garment Workers
Los Angeles is the nation’s garment production capital and the city’s second largest manufacturing sector, yet workers face injustice, usually associated with the developing world, right here in one of the largest cities in the United States. Jessica Aldridge, interviews Mar Martinez, Organizing Coordinator and Wage Theft Clinic Coordinator from the Garment Worker Center, a worker rights organization leading an anti-sweatshop movement to secure social and economic justice for tens of thousands of Los Angeles garment workers.
The Steep Environmental and Social Costs of the Fashion Industry
When we get dressed in the morning, most of us don’t consider the environmental costs and human rights issues that may be attached to the clothing on our bodies. Jessica Aldridge interviews Andrea Plell, co-founder of The Sustainable Fashion Alliance and West Coast Regional Coordinator for Fashion Revolution, and Jennifer Gilbert, Chief Marketing Officer of I:CO (short for I:Collect). These two women have made it their business to not only consider how to clean up the global fashion industry, advocating for environmentally-supportive and equitable solutions to water pollution, pesticides, microfibers, and waste associated with making, washing, and disposing of our clothing.
Mobilizing a Climate Revolution: From the Personal to a Green New Deal
Massive climate disruption continues to strike all over the world, one disaster after another, droughts, wildfires, typhoons, mega-floods, with glaciers melting and methane escaping from deep under the permafrost. The UN IPCC said we have 12 more years to stabilize greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere to avoid runaway climate change. We need solutions to this problem to spark a climate revolution. Jessica Aldridge speaks with Peter Kalmus, NASA climate scientist and author of Being the Change: Live Well and Spark a Climate Revolution and Sam Berndt also a scientist and a coordinator of the Sunrise Movement Los Angeles.
Nuclear Waste at Santa Susana: The Los Angeles Meltdown & Cover-Up
The Santa Susana Field Laboratory (SSFL or Rocketdyne), north of Los Angeles, burned in the November 2018 Woolsey Fire, threatening toxic exposures from contaminated dust, smoke, ash, and soil. In the 1940s, SSFL with its 10 experimental nuclear reactors was developed for research and weapons testing. In 1959, it suffered an uncontained partial meltdown of at least one sodium reactor referred to by experts as the worst nuclear disaster in U.S history, and the fourth largest release of iodine-131 in the history of nuclear power. Until 1979 the incident and the toxic waste byproduct that still pollutes the ground water, air, and soil was kept secret.
Jessica Aldridge discusses the issues with Denise Duffield, Associate Director of Physicians for Social Responsibility-Los Angeles, and Melissa Bumstead, Mother and local advocate, and a founder of Parents Against Santa Susana Field Lab.
Expanding Suburbs at Expense of Health, Environment, & Resources
On this episode we interview Dr. Nick Jensen, of California Native Plant Society and Urban Planner Jack Eidt of SoCal 350 Climate Action on the proposal to build more than 19,000 homes at Centennial in the middle of a mountain-grassland wilderness on the far edge of Los Angeles County. (Read the blog here.)
The State of Recycling – How California Legislation is Driving New Waste Standards
On this episode we interview Nick Lapis from Californians Against Waste on recently passed legislation designed to protect environment and human health, while moving the state toward zero waste. (Read the blog here.)