Nell Larson

During the second half of the show, Nell and Chris covered the new geology park in Park City.  Bill Loughlin of Loughlin Water Associates and Bill Biek of the Utah Geological Survey joined in to tell the fascinating story of the area's geologic history.  Petrified trees, giant landslides, volcanoes, glaciers, and even saber-toothed cats and giant sloths are part of the story. 

During the first half of the show, Kenner Kingston, architect and President of Architectural Nexus, joined Chris and Nell. Kenner believes that architecture is about reestablishing  the harmonious relationship between people and the natural environment, and has become an advocate for the Living Building Challenge.  The LBC is the world's most rigorous performance standard for buildings, making them not only sustainable, but regenerative.  Kenner shared an update on the newest Living Buildings being built in Utah.

To wrap up Tuesday's show, Daniel Salmon from the ReUse People of America joined in to explain the benefits of home deconstruction versus demolition - economically and environmentally.  They offer free assessments for anyone interested in exploring this option for their site. 

During the first segment of the show, Chris and Nell spoke with local avian enthusiast Nate Brown about how and where to bird in Summit County, how to find local resources, and connect with other birders, and what you might find at this time of year.

Summit and Wasatch Counties currently have a bulk solar program available through Summit Community Power Works, open to all homeowners in the two Counties.  The program provides a trusted contractor, a significant discount from market rates, and additional guidance for all participants. Ryan Anderson from SCPW and Tom Mills from Creative Energies joined Chris and Nell to lay out how to participate. 

Jon Gertner, author of New York Times Bestseller The Ice at the End of the World: An Epic Journey Into Greenland's Buried Past and Our Perilous Future, joined Chris and Nell to talk about Greenland's wild past and early adventurers, its importance to climate science, and the impacts of climate change on this remote landscape. 

In 2018, the state of Utah initiated a Harmful Algal Bloom (HOB) monitoring program to monitor toxic blooms of cyanobacteria in the state's lakes and reservoirs.  Kelsee York and Sarah Beth Ross, the water quality technicians that run this program, joined Chris and Nell to explain what, exactly, HABs are, why they happen, how they are tracked, and best practices to stay safe.

In the second half of the show, we are speaking with Janice Gardner, Conservation Ecologist with Wild Utah Project, a Utah non-profit that focuses on Science in Service of Wildlife and Wildlands. She shares a few of their latest projects – including everything from pollinators to stream restoration - and also how you can get involved and help with field work!

In the first half of the show today, we speak with an author who is being compared to Edward Abbey for his “angry, eloquent, and urgent” writing.  Christopher Ketcham, author of This Land: How Cowboys, Capitalism, and Corruption are ruining the American West joins us in the first part of the show.

During the second half of the show, Chris and Nell were joined by local father - son business team Peter and Matt Murray of Stardust Sustainables.  This Park City based company produces reusable bags that are also easily compostable, eliminating any waste at the end of their life.  

PurpleAir is a Salt Lake based company that manufactures affordable air quality monitoring devices that report data in real time.  Better yet, the data they gather is shared online through a map, enabling anyone with internet access to check on air quality in their area, and to make informed decisions about their activity.  Founder Adrian Dybwad joined Chris and Nell on the show to talk about his company.

During the second half of the show, Nell and Chris learned about the Burn Smart Program in Summit County from Summit County's environmental health director Phil Bondurant.  Residents can receive financial support in order to swap out a wood-burning stove for a cleaner and healthier source of heat.  Phil also discussed the County's air quality monitoring efforts with Purple Air and Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment.

During the first half of the show, Nell and Chris spoke with Michael Erb, post-doctoral researcher at Northern Arizona University, regarding a recent publication by 19 scientists from 8 countries.  Using 700 data sources, the group reconstructed 2000 years of climate history to  reveal that although parts of the planet have warmed and cooled in the past, no past events compare in magnitude and geographic extent to the unprecedented warming we are currently experiencing.  

During the final segment of the show, Chris and Nell spoke with high school students Mia Vinding and Calder McEneany about their lobbying efforts in DC with Citizens Climate Lobby and their upcoming Mayors Town Hall on Air and Climate Solutions to discuss this potential carbon fee and dividend system.

During the second half of the show, economist and stand up comedian Dr. Yoram Bauman joined Chris and Nell to discuss the proposed state bill called Clear the Carbon Tax Act, for which a group of Utahns is currently collecting signatures.  It would put a price on carbon to help fund clean air initiatives, remove the tax on groceries, and support economic development in rural Utah.