Nell Larson

During the second half of the show, local resident Mike Stevens joined Chris and Nell to further discuss his recent Park Record letter to the editor.  He wrote about retail stores on Main Street and their practice of leaving their doors open even during very cold weather, a practice which he sees as wasteful - and unnecessary.  Mike and Chris also explored other locations that have implemented education and regulation on this practice.  

During the first half of the show, Celia Peterson from Park City's Sustainability Department joined Chris and Nell to discuss the City's efforts to bolster the number of Electric Vehicle Charging stations and locations in town, as well as preview the plans to update the vehicle anti-idling ordinance in the community.  

An article published last month in the Journal of Applied Ecology found evidence that plan and invertebrate diversity declines - and pest species increase - when lawns are mowed more intensely.  The authors propose that, "in addition to known advantages such as carbon emission reductions, we propose that a reduction in mowing intensity in urban lawns is likely to promote urban invertebrate and plant diversity, and associated ecosystem services."  James Wolfin of Metro Blooms joined Chris and Nell to talk about his research on pollinator communities that forage on lawns, and his work throug

On Monday, Goldman Sachs announced that it will not finance new oil drilling or exploration projects in the Arctic, becoming the first US bank to make such a commitment. The bank’s environmental policy framework now includes a ban on financing for new thermal coal mines worldwide.  Here to explain the details is Ben Cushing from the Sierra Club.  We also asked Ben what impact this will have on other major financiers and who might follow suit.  

The United Nations just completed their 25th Conference of Parties on Climate Change, or COP 25, in Madrid.  Who's leading the way and who is lagging behind?  What is required of major countries in order to adequately address climate change?   Jake Schmidt, Managing Director of International Programs for the Natural Resources Defense Council, joined Chris and Nell to cover the key take-aways. 

During the second part of the show, the conversation was all about beavers!  Marshall Wolf, a phd candidate at Utah State University, joined Chris and Nell to cover the rich history of beavers in Summit County, and how they have impacted our local geology and play a key role in native ecosystems.  He also shared information about his project in partnership with Swaner Preserve, using beaver-inspired restoration techniques to restore a healthier ecosystem and carefully monitor the changes taking place.  

The 120th annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count is scheduled to happen this weekend, and the local chapter will be hosting a Christmas Bird Count, which will kick off at Swaner Preserve and EcoCenter before spreading out to local reservoirs and birding hotspots.  Novices and experts are welcome to join in this nationwide citizen science effort to collect data on local bird populations.  Local birder Nate Brown joined Chris and Nell to share the details. Registration at swanerpreserve.org through the calendar.  

 This Green Earth's Chris Cherniak speaks with journalist and author Jon Waterman about his recent Op Ed in the New York Times titled:  Our National Parks are in Trouble.  Mr. Waterman is a former park ranger, and in the piece he describes how over-crowding, invasive species, climate change and budget cuts are threatening the health and welfare of our national parks.    

 This Green Earth  interview with attorney Rob Bilott who talks with Chris and Nell about his book "Exposure - Poisoned Water, Teflon and the Dupont Corporation".  The book is now a major motion picture titled:  "Dark Waters".  

Winter time is setting in, and as snow levels rise, air quality sometimes falls.  On today's This Green Earth, cohosts Chris Cherniak and Nell Larson speak with Adrian Dybwad who founded a company called "Purple Air", who manufactures a device that can measure and report air quality conditions anywhere, and in real time.  

In this interview on This Green Earth Chris speaks with Walt Meier, a Senior Research Scientist with the National Snow and Ice Data Center about Arctic sea ice and why this year may end up being the lowest areal extent of ice ever measured and recorded.    

During the second segment, Chris and Nell spoke with Jon Devine, Director of Federal Water Policy for Natural Resources Defense Council to learn about the Trump administration's repeal of the Clean Water Rule, what has motivated this move, and what it means for water quality and drinking water in the United States.

During the first segment of the show, Nell and Chris spoke with journalist and author Eugene Linden who recently published an Op Ed in the New York Times titled How Scientists Got Climate Change So Wrong.  Linden made the case that what was once thought of as far-off worst-case scenarios have now turned out to be - in many cases - reality, leaving cities and countries with little time to prepare for the accelerating changes in weather and ocean levels.  Linden shows that the pressure for scientific consensus and immense political pressure have contributed to the watering-down of climate co

During the second half of the show, Nell and Chris turn their attention to the Citizens Climate Lobby, speaking with Lauren Barros, who is currently representing the Wasatch Back Chapter of the organization while meeting with lawmakers in Washington DC.  They are educating western representatives and senators on  HR763, the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act of 2019, a national, revenue-neutral carbon fee that would also pay out monthly dividend payments to all Americans.

Last week on This Green Earth, a scientist from the research group Climate Central talked about a recent study showing that rising seas will impact more coastal land than initially thought.  This week, cohosts Chris Cherniak and Nell Larson turn their attention to the resiliency which those vulnerable communities will have to develop in order to address not just rising seas but, in our case, a warmer, dryer mountain west.  They speak with Alice Hill, the author of the book Building a Resilient Tomorrow - How to Prepare for the Coming Climate Disruption.