Let’s dream for a moment... not about a New York that survives climate change, but one that actually thrives in the future. It’s not a simple task, but luckily, there are people like Gita Nandan out there doing some serious reimagining. Gita is a designer, architect, and co-founder of the R.E.T.I. Center in Red Hook. She and Christina discuss how Gita works with the community to build innovative climate solutions. Some of them can even seem out of another world – one that’s guided by the principles of environmental justice, a regenerative economy, and social responsibility. Gita shares her vision with Christina and proposes a refreshing alternative to resilience. In this final episode of the season, we also take a moment to celebrate the resilience and survival of our city more than a decade after Superstorm Sandy.

Resources:

• NWS High Water Mark Project

Featured in this episode:

• Gita Nandan – Founder of the RETI (Resilience, Education, Training and Innovation) Center
• The Barnacle Parade

We’ve heard from so many amazing individuals and organizations that are mobilizing on the grassroots level, but how do they harness all of that local power and get things done legislatively? Christina speaks to Lonnie Portis, the New York Policy and Advocacy Manager at WE ACT for Environmental Justice. Lonnie shares the key to getting things done at the policy level. Then, Christina sits down with Louise Yeung, the Chief Climate Officer with the Comptroller’s office to ask whether New York is putting its money where its mouth is when it comes to climate solutions and environmental justice.

Resources:

• Uptown Chats Podcast
• NYC Climate Dashboard

Featured in this episode:

• Lonnie Portis, New York City Policy and Advocacy Manager - WE ACT for Environmental Justice
• Louise Yeung, Chief Climate Officer - NYC Office of the Comptroller

Back in Christina’s neighborhood in Brooklyn, something huge is developing… The Gowanus Canal has a reputation for being beyond gross -- brimming with industrial pollution, sludge, and sewage. Just over a century ago, the Gowanus Canal was one of the country’s busiest waterways, and, over time, it became a superfund site, an eyesore, and one of New York’s smelliest landmarks. Christina is joined by Natasia Sidarta and Diana Gruberg from the Gowanus Canal Conservancy, an organization advocating for the transformation of the canal into a resilient, vibrant, and open space. They discuss how this major clean up effort and long term management plan could be an important model for future resilience projects.

Resources:

• Gowanus Neighborhood Coalition for Justice
• Gowanus Canal Superfund Profile
• The Gowanus Neighborhood Plan

Featured in this episode:

• Natasia Sidarta, Diana Gruberg, and Jennifer Kepler of the Gowanus Canal Conservancy

Inspired by people who care deeply for their corner of the world, Christina takes a trip to the South Bronx to meet someone who’s committed to protecting their community. Mychal Johnson shares his story with Christina, from a childhood in Chicago that fostered love and respect for nature to his move to New York, and how he co-founded the grassroots organization South Bronx Unite. Mychal and Christina discuss how South Bronx Unite is breaking cycles of systemic environmental and economic injustice to ensure a more resilient future for all.

Resources:

• Mott Haven-Port Morris Waterfront Plan

Featured in this episode:

• Mychal Johnson – Co-founder of South Bronx Unite

We’ve heard about some of the giant resilience efforts happening in New York; now it’s time to think a little bit smaller and talk about... oysters! Not only are oysters a delicious treat, but they’re also fundamental to the health and sustainability of New York’s waterway ecosystem. To learn all about their environmental superpowers, Christina joins the team from grassroots organization City Island Oyster Reef for a day out on the water. By partnering with other nonprofits, the Department of Environmental Conservation, local restaurants, and a crew of dedicated volunteers, CIOR is working to restore oyster populations, create new reefs, and allow these amazing little creatures to do what they do best.

Resources:

• Billion Oyster Project
• City Island Nautical Museum

Featured in this episode:

• Sally Connolly, Mike Carew, Barbara Dolensek, and Luna Placchi of City Island Oyster Reef

Big storms aren’t going anywhere any time soon, so it’s essential to understand how cities like New York are adapting to and preparing for these increasingly precedented weather events. Christina gets the lowdown on some of the massive resiliency projects happening in the city. She learns about an exciting model for climate adaptation planning -- one that marries community voices with global design thinking. And, we get insight into one development that’s been the subject of some controversy on the Lower East Side.

Resources:

• Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force
• The Big U 
• East Side Coastal Resiliency Project

Featured in this episode:

• Amy Chester – Managing Director, Rebuild by Design
• Damaris Reyes - Executive Director, Good Old Lower East Side (GOLES)

Before we can understand what the future of New York City could look like as our climate changes, we need to go back... way back. With the help of local historian and professor, Kara Schlichting, Christina learns about what the area was like before European colonization, how settlers changed New York’s waterfronts, and how the development of industrial port infrastructure set the city up for economic dominance -- and put New Yorkers on a collision course with environmental issues we’re contending with to this day. How can our past help us determine what an equitable future might look like?

Resources:

• Manahatta to Manhattan: Native Americans in Lower Manhattan, National Museum of the American Indian
• Robert A. Caro - The Power Broker
• Vision 2020 New York City Comprehensive Waterfront Plan
• Russell Shorto - The Island at the Center of the World

Featured in this episode:

• Kara Schlichting, Associate Professor of History at Queens College, CUNY, Author of New York Recentered: Building the Metropolis from the Shore

In September of 2023, heavy rainfall led to flooding in New York City. Images of cars covered in water were all over the news and reminded people of one of New York’s most harrowing weather events: Superstorm Sandy. To kick off this season of A Little Green, host Christina Thompson sets out on a mission to find the upside. She asks local experts what the city’s learned in the years since Sandy, and what’s been done to make New York more a resilient, climate solutions-oriented place to live – for everybody.

Featured in this episode:

• Dr. Anthony Broccoli –  Co-director and Earth Systems Science Lead, Rutgers Climate Institute
• Gita Nandan – Founder of the RETI (Resilience, Education, Training and Innovation) Center
• Dr. Alison Branco Climate Adaptation Director, The Nature Conservancy in New York

Lance Garland was supposed to get married at 18 and become a preacher. But, that was never really in the cards for him; he knew early on that he was gay. Inspired by writers like Jack Kerouac, he forged his own path and found himself in the wilderness. In the season finale of A Little Green, Lance takes us on his first backpacking trip, one that would empower him to embrace his authentic self and share his story with the world.

Read more of Lance’s work at lancegarland.com. Do you have a story to share? Tell us how nature has changed your life @avocadogreenbrands on Instagram.

As a child in Michoacán, Javier Zamora remembers planting radishes and picking citrus. When he came to LA, he built a comfortable life for himself and his family, but everything changed when the 2008 recession hit. We follow Javier through the ups and downs of his journey and how he ultimately found his way back to tending to plants and his community.

Check out Javier’s farm and learn more about organic farming at jsmorganics.com.

Virginia Rose grew up loving nature. She rode horses and went backpacking with her family until a sudden accident changed her life forever. Virginia would go on to pursue a career in education. After retiring, Virginia found an unlikely hobby that would reconnect her with the outdoors and with an integral part of herself. Her experience would launch a movement to make nature more accessible for all. 

Visit birdability.org to learn more about Virginia’s work.

In 2022, Staten Island’s Elizabeth Shvarts was named New York’s Youth Poet Laureate. Ten years earlier, her home was destroyed by Hurricane Sandy; the experience opened her eyes to the devastating impacts of climate change at a young age. Elizabeth devoted herself to poetry and channeled her exceptional gift into climate action, becoming part of a community of young people driving change.

You can follow Elizabeth on Instagram @elizabeth.shvarts. Tell us how nature has changed your life @avocadogreenbrands on Instagram.

Nichole Alexander spent three years raising endangered butterflies while incarcerated. The butterflies weren’t the only beings that metamorphosed along the way. Nichole had experienced immense loss and years of discouragement within the prison system. Nature provided respite, a healing environment, and newfound confidence that would inspire Nichole to better her community and make the world a more just place.

Visit sustainabilityinprisons.org to learn more about their programs.

Sonya and Necota Staples fell in love in college, got married, and bought a house in the suburbs of Atlanta. But happily ever after wouldn’t be that simple. They tell a story about the camping trip that changed the trajectory of their marriage, and their relationship with nature, forever.

Follow @staplesintents on Instagram or visit staplesintents.com to follow their work. 

We’d love to hear about your life-changing experience with nature. Share it with us @avocadogreenbrands on Instagram.

Spending just two hours a week in nature could improve your mental and physical health. That’s the conclusion researchers at the University of Exeter Medical School came to in their 2019 study; that analysis would change Mike Fuhrmann’s life forever. After struggling with anxiety and depression, he would go on to hike over 13,000 miles of the country’s most spectacular trails. Along the way, he learned to manage his mental health, was inspired to pick up a camera, and made lasting connections with fellow wanderers.

Visit www.portraitofahiker.com to follow Mike’s journey.

Content Warning: This episode contains a brief discussion of suicide, which may be upsetting to some listeners. If you or a loved one is in crisis, or having thoughts of suicide, help is available, please call 988, the National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Hotline or visit their website at 988lifeline.org.

Thousands of years ago, Polynesian seafarers did something remarkable: they navigated their way across endless miles of open ocean guided only by the stars, the wind, and the sea, ultimately arriving in Hawaii. As a child, Lehua Kamalu grew up hearing this epic story, and in 2022, she was the first woman to captain and navigate that ancient route. To kick season two of A Little Green off, Lehua shares how one historic canoe and the people that make up its crew could help preserve Hawaiian culture and the health of our planet.

Visit www.hokulea.com to learn more about the Polynesian Voyaging Society. 

Do you have a story to share? Tell us how nature has changed your life @avocadogreenbrands on Instagram. 

It’s a question that’s nagged Christina from the beginning of this podcast, and one she seeks to answer in the final episode of our series. With seven episodes under her belt, she wants to know how she can put all of these learnings into practice in her own life, and perhaps most importantly, how to share everything she’s picked up with the people around her.

She finds out that all this “talking about it” is actually a pretty big deal. Dr. Katharine Wilkinson and Professor Sarah Jaquette Ray make the case for having these climate conversations. So, Christina sets out to understand what climate communication is all about. What’s the best way to talk about all of this? And, will anyone even listen? 

Susi Moser, climate change communicator and researcher, shares tangible ways we can all start talking about climate change today -- in ways that will engage and motivate others. It turns out that these seemingly small nudges can make a profound difference.

Highlights:

• What are climate change deniers up to these days? (4:01)
• This could be the number one thing we can all do to fight climate change (5:31)
• What actually makes people change their minds? (6:42)
• Trustworthy messengers make all the difference (8:38)
• Lessons we can learn from climate change communicators (9:37)
• Balancing hope and reality (11:35)
• Three steps to start climate conversations in your own life (14:46)
• What it really means to “do our part” (26:06)

Terminology:

• Climate denial
• Climate change communication
• Information deficit model

Resources:

• The most important thing you can do to fight climate change: talk about it
• Learn more about climate change knowledge and attitudes from the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication
• Climate Engagement and Activism (Pew Research Center)
• Find more of Susi Moser’s work here.
• Listen next: Our 6 Favorite Podcasts Inspiring Climate Activism
• Read next: 7 great sources for staying up to date on climate change

What becomes clear is that it’s going to take bold, transformational climate action to steer us toward a livable future, and the Green New Deal has come to symbolize just that. Christina talks with fellow podcaster Georgia Wright about what this Green New Deal is all about.

Jade Begay of NDN Collective and Ali-Reza Vahabzadeh of the American Sustainable Business Council join Christina to shed light on the Biden administration’s approach to climate change and how they’re incorporating those important environmental justice principles we’ve learned are so vital to climate action.

Christina brings things back to New York to dig into one amazing example of a bold, just, and intersectional initiative with Anthony Rogers-Wright of New York Lawyers for the Public Interest. It’s called Renewable Rikers.

With so much great work being done by these organizers in the climate movement, Christina wonders why we haven’t made bigger strides on the national and global scale. It turns out that we’re dealing with a “leadership crisis.” Christina looks at the ugliest manifestation of this leadership crisis with Sarah Jaquette Ray, and Katharine Wilkinson explains who needs to take the wheel if we’re going to move forward.

Highlights:

• What is the Green New Deal? (2:24)
• Understanding President Biden’s Build Back Better agenda and how climate factors in (5:14)
• What intersectionality looks like in action (14:50)
• Why the climate crisis is a leadership crisis (18:09)
• The dangers of moving forward without taking justice into account (21:03)
• What transformational climate leadership looks like (23:05)

Terminology:

• Green New Deal
• Civilian Climate Corps
• Grassroots advocacy
• Eco fascism

Resources:

• Read more about the Green New Deal and Civilian Climate Corps
• Mobilizing an Indigenous Green New Deal
• Hear from Inherited podcast’s Green New Dreamers
• Learn more about the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council
• Check out Renewable Rikers
• A sinking jail: The environmental disaster that is Rikers Island (Grist)
• Climate Anxiety Is an Overwhelmingly White Phenomenon (Scientific American)
• What We Like (and Don’t Like) About the Biden Climate Plan
• This is What Supporting Climate Justice Looks Like

Christina talks with author Michele Wucker about one of the first reactions many people have when faced with climate change: denial and avoidance. She likens these big crises to gray rhinos. They’re right there, charging at us, so how do we get from denial to action?

Many young people have been raising the alarm about this “rhino,” after all, they’ve been saddled with the worst effects of this crisis. Georgia Wright, co-creator of the podcast series Inherited, shares insight into the generational psychology of climate change. She brings up an important term that many people of all ages are grappling with: climate anxiety.

Christina looks to Professor Sarah Jaquette Ray for a definition. She helps uncover the wide range of emotions that we might be feeling when it comes to climate change. Professor Ray emphasizes an alternative way of approaching climate change, one that moves beyond urgency, dystopia, and despair. 

Highlights:

• The very human way many people respond to big crises (5:21)
• How young people are coping with climate change (7:09)
• Defining climate anxiety -- and understanding how to deal with it (11:42)
• Moving through burnout, despair, and urgency (18:57)
• What does joy have to do with all of this? (21:45)

Terminology:

• Gray rhino
• Climate/Eco anxiety

Resources:

• Learn more about Michele Wucker’s The Gray Rhino
• Listen: Inherited podcast
• Read Sarah Jaquette Ray’s A Field Guide to Climate Anxiety
• Why Most Americans are Dealing with Climate Anxiety
• Using Art to Process Eco Anxiety

But first, she debunks the “great equalizer” myth -- that people are affected by huge catastrophes equally. She learns that, in reality, some communities are hit first and worst. This is a core principle of climate justice. 

Christina gets in touch with a local New Yorker and the Director of New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, Anthony Rogers-Wright. Anthony helps explain environmental and climate justice in more detail.

To live with climate change, it’s clear that these injustices need to be addressed. So Christina talks with Professor Vivek Shandas, who specializes in climate adaptation, to get a better sense of what this livable future might actually look like.

During the making of this podcast, Portland, Oregon was hit with an unprecedented heatwave. Our producer, Anna, lives there, so we decided to focus on this event, and see what kinds of lessons we could learn from it. 

Highlights:

• What a winning approach climate action could look like (3:59)
• The origins of environmental justice (4:27)
• Why intersectionality has to be central to climate and environmental action (6:03)
• How we move forward in an era of climate change, using three complementary strategies to create a just and livable future (7:53)
• Zeroing in on the unprecedented 2021 heatwave in Portland, Oregon, and what we can learn from this event (12:35)
• How and where we can implement adaptation strategies (18:39)
• Why community leadership, social infrastructure, and mutual aid make a huge difference in the face of climate change (21:28)
• Advice for taking action in a sustainable way (23:00)

Terminology:

• Climate/environmental justice
• Decarbonization
• Intersectionality
• Climate mitigation
• Climate adaptation
• Climate resilience
• Heat island
• Mutual aid

Resources:

• New York Lawyers for the Public Interest
• Intersectionality Matters! With Kimberle Crenshaw podcast
• Dr. Robert Bullard, the “father of environmental justice”
• What do adaptation to climate change and resilience mean?
• Mutual Aid Toolkit
• West Brooklyn Waterfront Mutual Aid
• How Environmental Racism Makes Urban Heat Islands Worse

Christina wakes up to the aftermath of one such event: the 2021 Bootleg wildfire.

The massive West Coast wildfire spewed unhealthy amounts of smoke across the country, reaching her all the way in New York. Christina asks a tough question: are these extreme weather events the new normal? And can she do anything about it?

These questions lead her to a recent study from climate researchers Tom Corringham and Rosana Aguilera. They found some troubling evidence about the effects of wildfire smoke on human health, and they join Christina to share their takeaways. The question becomes, what can we do today to prevent devastating wildfires? 

Christina revisits climate justice, a concept introduced in our last episode. According to a climate justice approach, the people most affected by climate events likely have the knowledge to develop solutions in their communities. Christina gets in touch with Jade Begay, the Climate Justice Campaign Director for NDN Collective, to learn more about climate justice, and how Indigenous groups are uniquely poised to lead the way on climate.

With Jade’s insight in mind, Christina talks with someone who is on the frontlines of these wildfires, and who is actively leading solutions. Bill Tripp is the Director of Natural Resources for the Karuk Tribe in Northern California, and he explains the history and importance of cultural fire use; a promising and proven practice.

Highlights:

• The impacts of wildfire smoke on human health (3:11)
• Climate justice, and why Indigenous communities are already equipped to lead solutions (10:53)
• The Karuk Tribe’s approach and relationship to nature (11:48)
• What is cultural burning? And how could it change the severity of wildfire events? (14:20)
• What you can do to help preserve traditional Karuk ecological knowledge (24:53)

Terminology:

• Extreme Weather Event
• PM 2.5/Fine Particulate Matter
• Cultural burning/Prescribed burning
• Indigenous/Traditional Ecological Knowledge

Resources:

• Donate to the Karuk Tribe’s Endowment Fund
• WECLIMA
• Study Finds Wildfire Smoke More Harmful To Humans Than Pollution From Cars (NPR)
• NDN Collective
• Karuk Tribe’s Department of Natural Resources
• Western Klamath Restoration Partnership
• Ask your elected officials to act on climate change
• How Indigenous Groups are Leading the Way on Conservation
• Why Prescribed Burns are Essential for Forest Health

In this episode, Christina focuses her attention on greenwashing. It’s one of those big bad words of environmentalism, and it can be kind of tricky to spot. Many of the products we use in our daily life are subject to greenwashing -- even bank accounts! So, how do you avoid greenwashed products? How much does your dollar actually matter? And what are companies really doing to act on climate change?

Christina brings these questions and more to a few people who are determined to combat greenwashing. First, she catches up with Avocado’s Director of Sustainability and Impact, Bri Decker, to hear about how Avocado is communicating its impact to customers.

Bri shares that there are legitimate, rigorous certifications and labels that brands can pursue to verify and convey their environmental practices. So, Christina chats with representatives of these certifications to learn more. They include Climate Neutral, 1% for the Planet, and B Lab’s B Corp certification.

Going beyond specific certifications, Christina talks with Raj Aggarwal of the B Corp Climate Collective about how business leaders can and should be approaching climate action, specifically through climate justice. Ali-Reza Vahabzadeh of the American Sustainable Business Council also shares how the organization is advocating for these priorities legislatively.

Highlights:

• What is greenwashing? (3:04)
• Trusted certifications we can look for when shopping (5:38)
• What’s the difference between a stakeholder and a shareholder? (8:35)
• Going climate neutral (10:52)
• What 1% of sales can do for our planet (16:04)
• Avocado’s journey to B Corp certification (19:59)
• Defining climate justice (21:56)
• 8 questions to ask yourself as you move toward climate justice (25:03)
• How values-driven organizations are advocating for change on a national scale (26:33)

Terminology:

• Greenwashing
• Stakeholder capitalism
• B Corp
• Carbon Neutral
• Carbon offset
• Net zero
• Climate justice

Resources:

• Climate Neutral Certified brands
• Brands that are donating 1% for the Planet
• Certified B Corps
• American Sustainable Business Council member brands
• Learn more about the B Corp Climate Collective
  • Read their Climate Justice Playbook for Business
• The Truth About Greenwashing
• Conscious Living 101
• What are Carbon Offsets?

Is there more to it? What are the big recycling dos and don’ts? And what’s composting all about? What happens when we throw food in the trash?

Sarah Dearman, Vice President of Circular Ventures at The Recycling Partnership, shares the lowdown on recycling today. She also introduces a key concept; circularity. Christina then sits down with TerraCycle, an innovative company that aims to recycle everything, to better understand the science of recycling, and what the future could look like. 

After all of this talk about recycling, Christina decides to see it in action. She visits local recycling hub Sure We Can, and gets a tour from Executive Director Ryan Castalia. A big question presents itself; what about plastic? Svanika Balasubramanian of rePurpose Global paints a stark picture of plastic pollution, and what we can do to help.

Finally, Christina takes a look at another circular process with Rebecca Louie: composting. She hears about the potential to compost in her apartment and community, and what a large-scale compost system might mean for our planet’s health.

Highlights:

• Defining circularity (3:11)
• TerraCycle’s “recycle everything” approach (9:29)
• The science of recycling (13:33)
• On the ground at Sure We Can recycling and sustainability center (16:33)
• Breaking down our world’s big plastic problem (24:49)
• The impact (and the joy!) of composting (31:52)
• A glimpse into Portland’s curbside composting system (36:08)

Terminology:

• Circular Economy
• Upcycle
• Wish-cycle
• Canner
• Extended Producer Responsibility
• Zero Waste
• Plastic Footprint
• Composting

Resources:

• Learn more about
  • The Recycling Partnership
  • TerraCycle
  • Sure We Can
  • rePurpose Global
  • The Compostess
• How to Compost
• Find out what your local government is doing
• 5 R’s of Sustainability
• 4 Innovative Plastic Pollution Solutions
• A Guide to Recycling Symbols
• How to Compost in a Small Space

She starts by going back to basics, and high school science teacher Sofia Di Bari is here to answer the questions that some of us might be a little hesitant to ask, like, are we even calling it global warming anymore?!

After gaining a better understanding of her own day-to-day impact, Christina talks with Dr. Katharine Wilkinson, who is at the forefront of the climate conversation. Dr. Wilkinson helps to unravel some nuanced questions; what is the individual’s role in all of this? And, how much of the science does one person need to understand before taking some real action?

Highlights:

• Climate Science 101 (6:24)
• Christina calculates her Ecological Footprint (14:20)
• Top climate solutions and how we move forward (17:39)

Terminology:

• Global warming
• Greenhouse gas
• Carbon
• Carbon footprint
• Fossil fuel
• Ozone
• Climate resilience
• Carbon footprint/eco footprint
• Drawdown
• Confirmation bias

Resources:

• Learn more about New York’s Resilient Schools Consortium
• Calculate your own Ecological Footprint
• Check out top climate change solutions at Project Drawdown
• Listen: A Matter of Degrees Podcast
• Read: All We Can Save
• 8 Climate Change Wins
• Keeping Up with Climate Change
• Your Vote is Essential