Eco Insights – Details, episodes & analysis

Today, Chloe and Georgia spoke with Darren Riley, Co-Founder and CEO of JustAir. After earning his B.S. in Information Systems, Darren decided to use his love of data and technology to mitigate the issue of air pollution, specifically in BIPOC communities, by starting JustAir. JustAir aims to collect data and make it accessible to all so that air quality disparities can be identified and solved in order to ensure everyone has access to clean air, regardless of what community they were born into. We spoke to Darren about the general issue of air pollution, his experience with JustAir, and the importance of communicating science effectively. 

After listening, be sure to check out JustAir by visiting their website.

In this episode we welcomed Penelope Kopp, a Co-Founding National Leadership Board Member and current Actions Director of the Jewish Youth Climate Movement (JYCM). JYCM is a Gen-Z led movement dedicated to combating climate change and environmental injustice from a Jewish lens. We spoke to Penelope about the intersection of Judaism and environmentalism, JYCM’s works and her own experiences with this work, and how faith-based environmentalism can shape political and cultural perspectives.

Be sure to check out JYCM’s work here: https://www.jewishyouthclimatemovement.org

On today’s episode of Eco Insights, Chloe and Georgia spoke to Baylee Ritter, a woman working to protect both the planet and its people in various ways. She is a National Geographic Young Explorer, Youth Advisor for the Ocean Project, Founder of ‘Operation Endangered Species’ and the ‘Prescription Pill and Drug Disposal Program’, and she recently started a plastic-free shop called ‘Everyone’s Collective’. Baylee told us about the incredible work she has done, including the lessons she has learnt and the significance of each project, in addition to how she thinks other youth can get involved and truly make an impact.

Chase Iron Eyes is an Indigenous rights activist, Attorney with Lakota People’s Law Protect, and the Co-founder of “Last Real Indians''. Today we spoke with him about indiengous rights and public lands in, what is now known as, the United States of America. Now more than ever, indigenous people need to truly be listened to as we confront the environmental crises, as they are not only on the front lines of its impact, but play a key role in the solution.

Resources:

Watch this short video to learn more about Standing Rock: https://lakotalaw.org/resources/vice-chase 

Last Real Indians: https://lastrealindians.com 

Stop the Line 3 Pipeline: https://www.stopline3.org/#intro 

Rory Moore is the founder of CCV Global, the world’s largest COVID-19 volunteering network and an advisor to UK government on volunteering strategy. In this episode, we discuss how starting small is the key achieving great successes, and the importance of diverse perspectives in politics. Rory also shares advice on how young people can get involved in politics and not only be heard, but truly listened to.

You can check out CCV Global and volunteer by visiting https://www.ccvglobal.org .

To kick off Season 2 of Eco Insights, our hosts spoke with Alexandra Bowman, a junior at Georgetown University and Editorial Political Cartoonist for Our Daily Planet and the Lincoln Project. Climate information can be complex and hard to understand, but in order for the environmental movement to be successful, the information needs to be accessible. Alexandra explained how art forms, such as cartoons, can do this, and she also spoke about how youth artists can get involved in activism and take advantage of the opportunities around them.

Kevin Mtai is an environmental activist from Kenya who has done significant work with various organizations and campaigns, such as ‘Mock COP26’ and ‘Africa Is Not A Dumpster’. With a medical background and vast experience in the environmental crises, he told us about the various negative impacts of landfill, in addition to corporate, government and individual responsibility in reducing waste, specifically in the case of Africa.

In this episode, we met with environmental engineer, Neena Hemmady, and discussed the pushes for sustainability that she’s been able to achieve whilst working at an electricity utility. We spoke about the importance of working from the inside of a major fossil fuel emitting industry and about having hope for the future of energy.

In today’s episode, our hosts spoke with Eddy Badrina, CEO of Eden Green. Eden Green uses vertical farming technology to help the world sustainably grow large amounts of food to create a healthier and happier existence for all. Urban farming is expanding rapidly, and with good reason. Our guest explains how vertical farming actually works, the advantages and disadvantages to it, and how it can be scaled globally.

Mainstream media often only focuses on the environmental movement in the West, however, the environmental crises varies widely around the world. Rayan Kassem, who has lived in Lebanon, Austria and Denmark, provides us insight into these differences, and their significance. Such discrepancies also occur in food systems, and we discuss the significance of sustainable food and how it differs depending on the surrounding ecosystem and local conditions.