The Planet Today

The Planet Today

by Matt Norden and Nick Gennusa

Best of 2022’s Interviews Part 2!

Matt talks about three interviews that meant a lot to him this year. He introduces each one and why it stood out to him, then plays the answer to his first question for each interview: “what got you first interested in environmentalism and sustainability?” Links to each full interview below: September 19: Hal Harvey (Energy Innovation) and Justin Gillis (New York Times) August 8: @SustainablyMaija October 17: Anastasios Arima (Iperion X)

Best of 2022’s Interviews Part 1!

Matt talks about three interviews that meant a lot to him this year. He introduces each one and why it stood out to him, then plays the answer to his first question for each interview: “what got you first interested in environmentalism and sustainability?” Links to each full interview below: February 21: Sandy Gibson (Better Place Forests) May 23: James Leitner (Mission Clean Water) November 28: Marshall Conley (SLØ)

A major fusion breakthrough, solar cars, & more!

Matt is joined by recurring guest co-host Dan Walsh for the final quick hits episode of 2022. Matt and Dan discuss The Lightyear 0 solar car (Dutch startup begins production of world’s first solar car (gulfbusiness.com)), A major fusion energy development in the US (US scientists boost clean power hopes with fusion energy breakthrough | Financial Times (ft.com)), How bacteria can help make concrete greener (Adding bacteria can make concrete greener | The Economist), And protecting marine life in the EU (The European Commission Will Now Put A Limit On Underwater Noise Pollution Helping To Protect Critical Marine Species - World Animal News)! Make sure to check out our sponsor for today’s episode at Vala Alta and use promo code “TPT” for 15% off.

Guest Interview: Graham Stewart (Fibre52)

Matt interviews Graham Stewart, an international textile and apparel production fiber to brand specialist. For the past two years, Graham has developed and patented a more sustainable process to bleach and dye cotton. Fibre52 is environmentally- and cost-conscious processing for cotton that can impact global cotton production. It can replace traditional and outdated cotton preparation methods in an inexpensive way. Fibre52 uses natural products instead of heavy chemicals and operates at lower temperatures, with less energy, less water, and less processing time. Make sure to check out our sponsor for today’s episode at Kitcaster with a special offer for friends of our show to become guests on other podcasts.

Keeping big polluters honest, short domestic flights banned in France, & more!

Matt and Nick talk about Spain’s plan to save the Doñana wetlands (Spain pledges 350M euros to save Doñana wetlands | AP News), Why fixing methane leaks is not just good for the planet; it is a smart move for the global economy (Why fixing methane leaks from the oil and gas industry can be a climate game-changer – one that pays for itself (theconversation.com)), A new website that aims to keep big polluters honest (A new website backed by Al Gore tracks big polluters by name : NPR), France gets the go-ahead to ban domestic flights under 2.5 hours (It's official: France bans short haul domestic flights in favour of train travel | Euronews), And why outdoor cats are harmful for local ecosystems (Outdoor cats are an invasive species and a threat to themselves, scientists say | Salon.com)! Make sure to check out our sponsor for today’s episode at Vala Alta and use promo code “TPT” for 15% off.

Monday minisode: Demolishing dams for salmon runs & US FDA says lab-grown meat is safe!

We 100% stole Lil' Wayne's intro for the first 5 seconds of this episode. Matt and Nick discuss the FDA’s declaration that lab-grown meat is safe for human consumption (US declares lab-grown meat safe to eat in ‘groundbreaking’ move | Food | The Guardian) And four dams on California’s Klamath River to be demolished to open up salmon habitats (Dam demolitions set for Klamath River in Western U.S. will be biggest in history : NPR)! Make sure to check out our sponsor for today’s episode at Kitcaster with a special offer for friends of our show to become guests on other podcasts.

How border walls impact global wildlife, renewable energy capacity soaring in the US, & more!

Disclaimer: Matt has the flu and sounds bad but the show goes on. Matt and Nick talk about a “second summer” of coral bleaching in 2022 for the Great Barrier Reef (Record heat over Great Barrier Reef raises fears of second summer of coral bleaching | Great Barrier Reef | The Guardian), How border walls impact wildlife globally (Fenced In: How the Global Rise of Border Walls Is Stifling Wildlife - Yale E360), A way to neutralize PFAS has been discovered (PFAS chemicals last forever. A Clarkson professor found a way to neutralize them. | NCPR News (northcountrypublicradio.org)), And renewables are set to account for 20% of the US power supply by the end of the year (U.S. Renewable Energy Will Surge Past Coal and Nuclear by Year's End - Scientific American)! Make sure to check out our sponsor for today’s episode at Vala Alta and use promo code “TPT” for 15% off.

Guest Interview: Marshall Conley (SLØ)

Matt interviews Marshall Conley, the Co-Founder of SLØ. Marshall began working with startups and small businesses after dropping out of university in 2017, which focuses mostly on growth and sales. He took the leap of starting his own startup in 2021 by joining MNTN Co. Eventually, he started SLØ with MNTN Co. founder Kristian Hansen to focus on the sustainable fashion industry. Slojeans.co and fakepocketssuck.com Make sure to check out our sponsor for today’s episode at Kitcaster with a special offer for friends of our show to become guests on other podcasts.

The Planet Today’s 2022 Recap and 2023 Preview

Matt and Nick drop in for a quick update for the listeners on what to expect next month and some changes to the show in 2023. They close the show with what another year of TPT has meant to them, what they’re looking forward to in 2023, and express some genuine gratitude for the listeners of TPT. Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate - we'll be back on Monday!

COP27 Recap!

Matt talks about what went down at COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt this year. Topics include whether or not COP27 was a success, The Amazon and Lula’s involvement, India’s call to phase down all fossil fuels, loss and damages, and more. Sources for today’s episode: Key takeaways from the COP27 climate summit | Reuters COP27 live updates: Nations agree to historic fund to help vulnerable nations with climate disasters - The Washington Post COP 27 ends with historic win and abysmal fail (msn.com)

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