A Little Greener

Come join friends and environmental educators, Casey and Sara, as they discuss all things nature and explore how we can all live “A Little Greener.” This weekly podcast features conversations on topics ranging from backyard birding to global conservation projects, and everything in between.

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Episodes

Nuclear Fusion

Friday Jan 06, 2023

Friday Jan 06, 2023

Towards the end of 2022, headlines declared a new breakthrough in nuclear fusion experiments: for the first time ever, scientists were able to get more energy from a fusion reaction than they put in. Like nuclear fission, nuclear fusion does not produce any carbon emissions during the energy production process, so it has potential as a player in clean energy down the road. But, how far down the road? And is the possibility of fusion worth diverting time and resources away from other clean energy technologies w have right now? Sara and Casey discuss the history of nuclear fusion research, what really happened in this latest breakthrough, and what's next for the future of fusion. 
Resources for this episode:
What is ITER?
ITER: What is Fusion?
Nature: Nuclear fusion lab achieves 'ignition.' What does it mean?
CNBC: Nuclear Fusion Breakthrough
Investors Have Now Spent $5 Billion Pursuing the "Holy Grail of Energy"
BBC Science Focus: Why the Promise of Nuclear Fusion is No Longer a Pipe Dream
IAEA: Magnetic Fusion Confinement with Tokamaks and Stellarators
 
 

Friday Dec 30, 2022

There is a lot to consider before choosing to bring a new pet into your home. Do you have the appropriate space? Can you find and afford veterinary care? Is it even legal for you to own the animal (did you know it's illegal to own a hedgehog in Pennsylvania)? Casey and Sara walk though five big questions to ask yourself before taking on a new pet.
Resources for this episode:
USA Captive Constrictor Snake Human Fatalities
Dog Bite Facts and Statistics
Texas Assistant Coach, Girlfriend Sued After Pet Monkey Allegedly Bites Child
Pet Monkey Euthanized After Biting NY Woman
Do Primates Make Good Pets?
World Wildlife Crime Report
Turtle Poaching for Pet Trade Threatens Half the World's Species
A Shaky Case for Wobbly Snakes

Friday Dec 23, 2022

Sara and Casey discuss some of the laws governing ownership and care of exotic cats in the United States, including the new Big Cat Public Safety Act. They explore what this new law means for the welfare of big cats currently in human care, as well as the future of exotic cat ownership.
Resources for this episode:
Congress.gov: Big Cat Public Safety Act Bill Text
WWF: In a Win for Wild Tigers, the US Senate Passes Major Legislation Against Wildlife Crime
The Regulatory Review: Regulating Tiger Kings
MSU Animal Legal & Historical Center: Detailed Discussion of Exotic Pet Laws
US Fish & Wildlife Service: Captive Wildlife Safety Act
Animal Welfare Institute: Big Cat Public Safety Act
MSU Animal Legal & Historical Center: Map of Private Exotic Pet Ownership Laws

Red Pandas

Friday Dec 16, 2022

Friday Dec 16, 2022

If we asked you to think of a cute, furry, bamboo-eating animal, we suspect a certain black and white bear might come to mind. But, this week, we're talking about another panda. The red panda shares a name and some other characteristics with the more famous giant panda, but is actually a very unique species. Casey and Sara discuss why the red panda is actually the OG panda, the pros and cons of being incredibly cute, and why we should care about the conservation of this species.
Resources for this episode:
‘Fake market’: Red panda study finds no real demand behind rise in poaching
IUCN Red List: Red Panda
Red Panda Network

Wind Energy

Friday Dec 09, 2022

Friday Dec 09, 2022

Our series on energy continues as Sara and Casey discuss wind energy. They focus on a couple of specific concerns, especially the impact that wind farms have on birds on bats, and how or if this should impact our use of wind energy moving forward.
Resources for this episode: 
Onshore vs Offshore Wind Energy
University of Michigan: Wind Energy Factsheet
DOE Wind Vision Report
American Bird Conservancy: How Many Birds are Killed by Wind Turbines?
American Bird Conservancy: Wind Risk Assessment Map
Audubon: Can Painting Wind Turbine Blades Black Really Save Birds?
NREL: Partnerships Explore Coexistence of Bats and Wind Farms
Bat Conservation, International: Bats and Wind Energy
Contextualizing avian mortality: A preliminary appraisal of bird and bat fatalities from wind, fossil-fuel, and nuclear electricity

69% Less Wildlife?

Friday Dec 02, 2022

Friday Dec 02, 2022

You may have seen recent headlines about the loss of 69% of wildlife from 1970. This data comes from a World Wildlife Fund project called The Living Planet Index, which comes out every two year. Casey and Sara take a look at the report, highlighting what it shows, what it doesn't, what the major areas of concern are, and where we go from here.
Resources for this episode:
A Deep Dive into the Living Planet Index
Living Planet Report 2022
National Geographic: Wildly Misinterpreted Report Still Shows Catastrophic Animal Decline (2018)

Talking Turkeys

Friday Nov 25, 2022

Friday Nov 25, 2022

Turkey for Thanksgiving dinner is a big tradition in the United States, but how much do you know about the bird itself? Sara and Casey discuss some of the features of the wild turkey and take a look at their conservation success story.
 
Resources for this episode:
PBS: Wild Turkey Fact Sheet
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology: Wild Turkey
Audubon New York: How Wild Turkeys Made a 49-state Comeback
NC State College of Natural Resources: Talking Turkey: How the Bird Made a Comeback in North Carolina
Audubon: Let's Talk Turkey Beards
National Wild Turkey Federation: History of the Wild Turkey in North America
Florida Fish and Wildlife: Living With Wild Turkeys
The Peregrine Fund: Did Ben Franklin Really Want the Wild Turkey to be the National Symbol of the United States?
The Franklin Institute: Did Benjamin Franklin Want the National Bird to be a Turkey?

How the Moon Impacts Nature

Friday Nov 18, 2022

Friday Nov 18, 2022

The moon is a constant in our lives. Most of us have marveled at a full moon, some of us remember when man first walked  on the moon, but what we probably don't think about much is how the moon impacts life on Earth. In this episode, Casey and Sara discuss the ways, both large and small, that the moon affects our world.
Resources for this episode:
Natural History Museum: How Does the Moon Affect Life on Earth?
Institute of Physics: How Does the Moon Affect Earth?
Nature: Pull of the Moon
NASA: Earth's Moon
Science News: How the Moon's Light Affects Animals
Lunar and Planetary Institute: The Moon's Influence on Us

Fall Foliage

Friday Nov 11, 2022

Friday Nov 11, 2022

We're well into the fall season here in the northern hemisphere, so Sara and Casey take a look at what causes those brilliant fall colors, and why trees lose their leaves in the fall, anyway. 
Resources for this episode:
National Weather Service: Why Do We Have Seasons?
Young People's Trust for the Environment: Why Do Trees Lose Their Leaves in Winter?
Three Rivers Parks: Why Do Leaves Change Color in Fall?
Three Rivers Parks: Why Do Some Trees Keep Their Leaves Through Winter?
Forestry and Land Scotland: Why Do Trees Lose Their Leaves?
University of Florida: Florida Fall Color
WCJB: Where to Find Fall Colors in NCFL
 

Not-So-Spooky Spiders

Friday Oct 28, 2022

Friday Oct 28, 2022

As Halloween approaches, we take a look at an animal that is sometimes considered spooky: the spider. From "excessive leggy-ness" to powerful venom, Casey and Sara discuss why people might be creeped out by spiders, and whether or not they really deserve their bad reputation (spoiler alert: they don't). 
 
Resources for this episode: 
National Geographic: Spiders Evolved Spare Legs
WSJ: Spiders' Legs are Hydraulic Masterpieces
Why 8 Eyes Are Better Than 2 (If You're a Spider) [VIDEO]
Scientific American: Fact or Fiction? People Swallow 8 Spiders a Year While they Sleep
Eight Fun Facts About Black Widows
Penn State Extension: Brown Recluse Spiders
Natural History Museum of Utah: Don't Fear the Widow
Museums Victoria: Top Spider Myths
National Library of Medicine: Black Widow Spider Toxicity
UK Entomology: Brown Recluse Spider
 

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