A Little Greener

Sustainability at the Chicago Marathon: A Conversation with Cat Morris

The Chicago Marathon is one of six World Major Marathons, and this year will host around 50,000 runners from around the world, not to mention the spectators, vendors, and volunteers. So, is it possible for an event of this magnitude to be sustainable? On this episode, Casey and Sara chat with Cat Morris, the Sustainability Manager at Chicago Event Management, overseeing the Chicago Marathon. Hear about how the Chicago Marathon became certified as an Evergreen Inspire event through the Council for Responsible Sport, how waste, from water cups to gel packets, is being diverted from landfills, and how runners and spectators can get involved!
 
Sara will be running the 2024 Chicago Marathon as part of Team Fox, raising funds for the Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. If you'd like to donate to support the Foundation's work to find a cure for Parkinson's, you can donate through Sara's fundraising page here: https://give.michaeljfox.org/fundraiser/5270913
 
Resources for this episode: 
Chicago Marathon Sustainability
Community Impact through Compost: Chicago Distance Series
Instagram: Tina Muir, Chicago Marathon Sustainability Ambassador
Instagram: Chicago Marathon Know Before You Go: Sustainability
 

Rocky Mountain Adventures

This week, Casey and Sara recap Sara's first trip to the Rocky Mountains, covering everything from road trip musings on land use to wildfires to amazing wildlife encounters!
Resources for this episode:
Natural Features & Ecosystems - Rocky Mountain National Park (U.S. National Park Service)
Moose Research in Rocky Mountain National Park
Tribal Partners - Rocky Mountain

White-Tailed Deer

White-tailed deer may not be the first species that pops to mind when you think of conservation, especially if you live across much of North or Central America. For many of us, these animals are commonly seen around our own homes and (unfortunately) roadways. Depending on your perspective, they can be seen as a nuisance, a game species, beloved local wildlife, or all of the above. In this episode, Casey and Sara discuss the history, ecology, and conservation of one of our most recognized animals.
Resources for this episode:
White-Tailed Deer-Penn State University
The Relationship Between Deer Density, Tick Abundance, and Human Cases of Lyme Disease in a Residential Community
You're More Likely To Hit a Deer This Week while Driving
Deer-Vehicle Collisions | Purdue Extension Forestry & Natural Resources
Reproductive characteristics of female white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in the Midwestern USA - ScienceDirect

Lithium-ion Batteries

Lithium-ion batteries are found everywhere, from watches to power tools to e-bikes and electric cars. But perhaps you've heard a thing or two about these batteries that make you unsure. This week, Casey and Sara discuss some of the environmental, social justice, and safety issues associated with lithium-ion batteries and how we can look to improve moving forward.
Resources for this episode:
How Lithium-ion Batteries Work | Department of Energy
A Comprehensive Comparative Analysis: Lithium vs Alkaline Batteries - The Earth Awards
Safety Risks to Emergency Responders from Lithium-Ion Battery Fires in Electric Vehicles
EVs are being set on fire in Ottawa for NRC battery abuse research
Electric Car Fires: What You Should Know | Edmunds
Deadly fires from phone, scooter batteries leave lawmakers playing catch-up on safety
Environmental impact of direct lithium extraction from brines | Nature Reviews Earth & Environment
The Environmental Impacts of Lithium and Cobalt Mining
Potential impacts of proposed lithium extraction on biodiversity and conservation in the contiguous United States - ScienceDirect
How is lithium mined? | MIT Climate Portal
Maine Has the Lithium America Needs, But Won't Allow Mining | TIME
Society Watch: Across the globe, indigenous rights are being trampled in lithium goldrush | Reuters
What Is Thermal Runaway? | UL Research Institutes
Their batteries hurt the environment, but EVs still beat gas cars. Here's why
This electric car battery takes less than 5 minutes to charge | CNN Business
Tribes face an uphill battle to defend their sacred land against lithium mining
A fire at a lithium battery factory in South Korea kills 22 mostly Chinese migrant workers

Butterfly Conservation: An Interview with Dr. Vaughn Shirey

This week, Sara and Casey chat with conservation biologist and data scientist, Dr. Vaughn Shirey, for a wide-ranging conversation about his work in butterfly conservation and climate change. Learn what got Vaughn interested in the field, how artificial intelligence is being used in his work, and what cold climate butterfly species (yeah, that's a thing) are telling us about climate change.
Resources for this episode:
Find more on Dr. Vaughn Shirey and his work HERE
Find Vaughn Shirey on Twitter
Find Vaugh Shirey on Instagram
Vaughn Shirey - Google Scholar

Should We Eradicate Mosquitoes?

Mosquitoes are common flying insect that inhabit all continents except Antarctica. There are over 3500 species of mosquitoes worldwide, but only somewhere between 6 and 9.3% bite humans and are disease vectors. That said, mosquitos are the deadliest animal on the planet, thanks to their role as a vector for disease. So, would we be better off getting rid of this pesky insect? Casey and Sara discuss the role of mosquitos in the environment, the pros and cons of eradication, and why mosquito gut bacteria is more important than you might expect!
Resources for this episode:
Mosquitopia - NCBI Bookshelf
MOSQUITOES
Why Are Some People Tastier to Mosquitoes Than Others? | Pfizer
About Mosquitoes - CDC
Robust network stability of mosquitoes and human pathogens of medical importance | Parasites & Vectors
Can Garden Plants Really Repel Mosquitoes? - Consumer Reports.
Invasive Mosquitoes - Birds Not Mosquitoes
Aedes communis: The Pollinating Mosquito.
Millions of Mosquitoes Will Rain Down on Hawaii to Save an Iconic Bird | Scientific American
Genetically Modified Mosquitoes - CDC

Can Artificial Intelligence Save the Planet?

What do you think of when you hear the phrase "artificial intelligence?" Does chatGPT or Alexa come to mind? Do you imagine robots taking over the world? What might not immediately come to mind are things like biodiversity preservation, green energy optimization, and water conservation, but AI is in fact being used in all these areas and more. Casey and Sara take a look at some of the ways AI is or has the potential to be used in the conservation realm and also explore some of the challenges with AI as a conservation tool. 
Resources for this episode:
A.I.’s ‘Her’ Era Has Arrived - The New York Times
Platforms - Wild Me
TrailGuard AI and Nightjar
Saving our Planet’s Biodiversity with AI | Ganes Kesari | TEDxAsburyPark
ASC Science Sundays - Tanya Berger-Wolf: AI for Wildlife Conservation
How artificial intelligence is helping tackle environmental challenges
Tackling climate change with machine learning | MIT Sloan
Artificial Intelligence to Help Prevent Extinction? | Wildlife.ai: Conservation Charity
tinyML Talks: Efficient AI for Wildlife Conservation
Seven ways utilities are exploring AI for the grid | Latitude Media
Why AI and energy are the new power couple – Analysis - IEA
AI for the grid has potential, DOE says — but comes with pitfalls | Latitude Media
How AI Is Cropping Up In The Agriculture Industry
US farms are making an urgent push into AI. It could help feed the world
Artificial Intelligence Can Prevent Enormous Amounts Of Damage And Water Loss From Building Leaks
AI and Water: Pioneering Solutions for a Thirsty Planet
AI to stop water pollution before it happens
Hundreds of sewage leaks detected thanks to AI
 
 

Zero-Carbon Industry: A Discussion with Jeffrey Rissman

Jeffrey Rissman is the Senior Director of Industry at Energy Innovation, a nonpartisan energy and environmental policy firm. He is also the author of a new book, Zero-Carbon Industry: Transformative Technologies and Policies to Achieve Sustainable Prosperity. Casey and Sara were thrilled to welcome Jeffrey to the show to discuss his ideas on cleaning up the industrial sector. Jeffrey shares policy ideas, new technologies, and simple changes that can be made to bring global industry to zero carbon within the next 50 years.
To purchase the book and get a 20% off coupon code, visit https://zerocarbonindustry.com/
Resources for this episode:
https://www.jeffreyrissman.com/
We must cut carbon from industry. Here’s how we can do it.

Who Gets the Trees?

Trees help give us clean air to breathe, keep us cool, and can even benefit our mental health. But not everyone has equal access to trees. In this week's episode, Casey and Sara discuss the benefits (and challenges) of urban trees and take a look at the factors involved in tree disparity across different neighborhoods. 
Resources for this episode:
The Inequitable Distribution of Urban Trees
Tree Equity Score National Explorer
Public Health Benefits of Urban Trees
Urban Trees and Human Health: A Scoping Review
Green gentrification in European and North American cities | Nature Communications
Ten-Year Urban Forestry Action Plan: 2016 -2026
Biden-Harris Administration Announces Historic Funding to Expand Access to Trees and Green Spaces in Disadvantaged Urban Communities | USDA.
50 years after being outlawed, redlining still drives neighborhood health inequities.
Urban and Community Forestry Grants - 2023 Grant Awards | US Forest Service

Don't Look Directly at the Sun!! (Animal Behavior and the Solar Eclipse)

With the total solar eclipse visible over parts of North America in just a few days, Casey and Sara discuss what we know about animal behavior during eclipse events. Listen to find out:
What are Baily's Beads and why does Sara like them so much?
How would Casey's pets respond to a total solar eclipse?
Why should we care about how animals act during an eclipse? 
If you are in the path of the eclipse, whether total or partial, you can join North Carolina State University's Solar Eclipse Safari project or take a look at NASA's Eclipse Soundscapes project.
And if you are viewing the eclipse, remember to do so safely! Never look directly at the sun! Total Solar Eclipse Safety - NASA
Resources for this episode:
Researchers to observe how total solar eclipse affects animal behavior | PBS NewsHour
NASA Eclipse Science
2024 Total Solar Eclipse - NASA
Total Eclipse of the Zoo: Animal Behavior during a Total Solar Eclipse - PMC
Unlocking the mysteries of animal behavior during cosmic events: IU News
Surprising Ways Animals React to Solar Eclipses - National Geographic
How Do Animals Respond to a Total Solar Eclipse? | Scientific American
Animals act weirdly during an eclipse. Help NASA find out why | CNN