FORA.tv Environment Today (Short-Length Video Version)

Ken Calderia - Climate Fix: Is Geoengineering Our Only Hope?

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 15:12:00 -0700

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2010/02/23/Geoengineering_Global_Salvation_or_Ruin

Atmospheric scientist Ken Caldeira asserts that as long as any amount of carbon is emitted into the atmosphere, temperatures will continue to increase. "The only plausible way in which we could start the earth cooling this century is to directly intervene in the climate system."

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Should humans address man-made rising temperatures and sea levels by tinkering further with mother nature? A lively debate about geoengineering has burst into the mainstream recently with reference to Ken Caldeira's work in the final chapter of the popular book SuperFreakonomics.

This panel takes a measured look at the good, bad and ugly of what could and should be done. What is technically feasible? How could new tactics be tested? Does the mere possibility of geoengineering diminish efforts to reduce carbon pollution? Our speakers share their distinct perspectives on this passionate environmental topic.

Ken Caldeira is an atmospheric scientist who works at the Carnegie Institution for Science's Department of Global Ecology. He researches ocean acidification, climate effects of trees, intentional climate modification, and interactions in the global carbon/climate system. He also works as a staff scientist for Intellectual Ventures, a Seattle-based invention and patent company headed up by Nathan Myhrvold.

Caldeira's work was featured in a November 2006 article in The New Yorker, entitled "The Darkening Sea." In 2007, he contributed two op-ed pieces on the subject of global warming to The New York Times. He was named a "Hero Scientist of 2008" by New Scientist magazine.

Bill Gates Backs Genetically Modified Food Research

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 19:00:52 -0800

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2010/01/29/Rethinking_How_to_Feed_The_World

Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates explains why his philanthropic foundation helps fund genetically modified food research. "You are right on the verge of starvation all the time, so every tool that's safe and appropriate, you at least want to look into," he says.

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World leaders and CEOs at the Davos 2010 World Economic Forum participate in a panel called Rethinking how to feed the world. The panel discusses the challenges facing global food production and possible solutions that will increase yield and support agricultural producers worldwide.

The panel is moderated by Prannoy Roy, Chairman, New Delhi Television (NDTV), India, and panelists included: Jakaya M. Kikwete, William H. Gates III, Ellen Kullman, Nguyen Tan Dung, Patricia A. Woertz, Prannoy Roy, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala - World Economic Forum

William (Bill) H. Gates is chairman of Microsoft Corporation and co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Meet the 'Vortex of Despair': Four Predictions for Earth's Future

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 18:00:52 -0800

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2009/10/28/Brainfood_-_Can_You_Imagine_The_Next_60_Years

Dr. Chris Luebkeman outlines four different "plausible futures" for the planet – the selfish bubble, carbon is crime, ecological age, and vortex of despair. He judges each of these potential futures in terms of human development and planetary health.

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What will the world be like in 60 years? Back in the 1950s, people speculated that by now we would be flying around in commuter-copters, striding rivers with man-made sea-legs, and living in climate-controlled bubble cities.

As visiting thinker Chris Luebkeman said to an audience at University of New South Wales, "the future is fundamentally fiction." However, it's still an interesting thing to consider, and here, delivering a lecture as part of the university's BrainFood series, Dr. Luebkeman indulged in some fascinating speculation. - Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Dr. Chris Luebkeman runs the Global Foresight + Innovation initiative at Arup, a global design and engineering firm and a leading creative force behind many of the world's most innovative projects and structures. In his role, he conceives new ways of building - recyclable buildings, reusable offices, and furniture that can decompose - and works with some of the world's largest companies to develop what he calls "plausible futures" to better understand the opportunities that change is creating for them in the built environment.

In his book, Drivers of Change 2009, Chris and the Foresight team at Arup look at 50 important factors that will affect our world, arranged in a framework known as STEEP (social, technological, economic, environmental and political). Designed as a collection of note cards, the book provides a tool for developing business strategy, brainstorming, education, or simply to think creatively and holistically. The cards are designed to encourage deeper consideration of the forces driving global change and the role that individuals can play in creating a more sustainable future.

Sander van der Leeuw - Can We Adapt Our Way Through Climate Change?

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 16:31:18 -0800

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2009/11/18/Sander_van_der_Leeuw_The_Archaeology_of_Innovation

Archaeologist Sander van der Leeuw explores the theory that humans will adapt when faced with an changing climate. "I don't think it's [climate change] bad for humanity, I think it's bad for our societies," he argues. "I think we will survive... but there's going to be huge amount of collateral damage."

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Are we the first civilization to try and innovate our way out of climate change? How have past societies engineered sustainable solutions to a shifting world?

Sander van der Leeuw, Director of the School of Human Evolution and Social Change at Arizona State University and External Faculty Member of the Santa Fe Institute, has spent his career studying these questions. During his seminar, van der Leeuw explores this research into the past, as well as its application to our current global predicament. - Long Now Foundation

Sander van der Leeuw is an archaeologist and historian by training. After teaching appointments at Leyden, Amsterdam, Cambridge (UK) and Paris he presently holds the Chair of Anthropology at Arizona State University in the USA. He is an External Faculty Member of the Santa Fe Institute, a Correspondent of the Royal Dutch Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a Member of the Institut Universitaire de France.

His research interests have been in archaeological theory, reconstruction of ancient ceramic technologies, regional archaeology, (ancient and modern) man-land relationships, GIS and modelling, and Complex Systems Theory. He did archaeological fieldwork in Syria, Holland and France, and conducted ethno-archaeological studies in the Near East, the Philippines and Mexico.

Stewart Brand is a co-founder and managing director of Global Business Network, founded and runs the GBN Book Club, and is the president of The Long Now Foundation. Brand is well known for founding, editing and publishing the Whole Earth Catalog (01968-85), which received a National Book Award for the 01972 issue. In 01984, he founded The WELL (Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link), a computer teleconference system for the San Francisco Bay Area. It now has 11,000 active users worldwide and is considered a bellwether of the genre.

Jonathan Safran Foer - The Truth About 'Free-Range' Eggs

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 17:00:32 -0800

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2009/12/01/Jonathan_Safran_Foer_Eating_Animals

Jonathan Safran Foer, author of Eating Animals, claims agribusiness is guilty of "the worst kind of manipulation." He says the lies range from leading people to believe there's a "well funded" anti-meat lobby to applying meaningless "free-range" labels to eggs.

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Written with the verve readers know from his novels, Everything Is Illuminated and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Jonathan Safran Foer's first nonfiction book -- Eating Animals -- grew out of his need to justify dietary decisions to his children.

A vegetarian and sometime vegan, Foer carefully examines the stories we tell ourselves about what we eat, considering notions of comfort, tradition, and culture. He blends his memories of the roles food played in his childhood with literary representations of meals; reviews various philosophies of food; and conducts his own investigations into factory farms. - Sixth and I Historic Synagogue

Jonathan Safran Foer is a novelist and short story writer whose works have appeared in the Paris Review, Conjunctions, The New York Times and The New Yorker. He is best known for his semi-autobiographical novel, Everything Is Illuminated.

Tom Friedman Slams Climate Skeptics at COP15

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 15:46:23 -0800

FORA.tv's Stuart Schulzke interviews author and New York Times Op-Ed columnist Thomas Friedman at the COP15 Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. Friedman discusses the motives of climate change skeptics, speculates on the impact of the COP15 conference, and presses the US to take a stronger leadership position on climate issues.

FORA.tv's complete coverage of the COP15 Climate Change Conference: http://fora.tv/partner/COP15

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FORA.tv's own Stuart Schulzke interviews New York Times columnist Thomas Freidman at the COP15 Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen.

Thomas L. Friedman, a columnist for The New York Times, is a three-time Pulitzer Prize winner and a member of the Pulitzer Prize Board.

Friedman was bureau chief for The Times in Beirut and Jerusalem before writing, From Beirut to Jerusalem, which won the National Book Award for non-fiction. His book, The Lexus and the Olive Tree won the 2000 Overseas Press Club award for best nonfiction book on foreign policy.

His latest work, The World is Flat: A Brief History of the 21st Century, won the inaugural Goldman Sachs/Financial Times Business Book of the Year award. He has a B.A. in Mediterranean studies from Brandeis University and a Master of Philosophy degree in Modern Middle East studies from Oxford.

Stuart Schulzke is FORA.tv's Director of Content Development. He earned two graduate degrees at the University of Oxford and his research has ranged from conflict resolution in Palestine to anti-corruption strategies in post-communist Central and Eastern Europe. Schulzke previously worked for the United States House of Representatives, primarily in framing media strategies for the Congressional Human Rights Caucus.

Naomi Klein Slams Corporate Climate Lobbyists at COP15

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 15:41:37 -0800

Author and journalist Naomi Klein reveals Monsanto as the winner of the 2009 Angry Mermaid Award for the worst corporate lobbying group. She, along with Paul de Clerck from Friends of the Earth International and Dorothy Guerrero from Focus on the Global South, discuss the effects of corporate lobbying on the global climate debate. This program was recorded at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, on December 15, 2009.

Naomi Klein is an award-winning journalist, author, and filmmaker. Her first book, the international bestseller No Logo: Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies, was translated into twenty-eight languages and called "a movement bible" by The New York Times. She writes an internationally syndicated column for The Nation and The Guardian and reported from Iraq for Harper’s Magazine. In 2004, she released The Take, a feature documentary about Argentina's occupied factories, co-produced with director Avi Lewis.

Paul de Clerck is a corporate campaigner for Friends of the Earth International, a grassroots environmental network that campaigns on today's most urgent environmental and social issues.

Dorothy Guerrero is a senior research associate at Focus on the Global South, a non-governmental organization that works in Thailand, the Philippines and India to generate critical analysis and encourage debates on national and international policies related to corporate-led globalization, neo-liberalism and militarization.

Scott Harrison - Water As Luxury

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 15:48:10 -0800

chaity: water founder Scott Harrison presents his story at LuxuryLab's 2009 Innovation Forum. This program was recorded on November 6, 2009.

LuxuryLab presents its first-ever INNOVATION FORUM, an unprecedented event addressing the rapidly changing luxury marketplace.

Held at TheTimesCenter, the forum brought together thought leaders to share never-seen-before research, trends, best practices, and a passion for ideas. - LuxuryLab

Scott Harrison spent 10 years as a New York City party promoter, throwing fashion and music events at top nightclubs for the likes of MTV, VH1, ABC TV, Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Universal Records, Island Records, Bacardi, and Anheuser-Busch. In the fall of 2004, disgusted with the selfish and indulgent life he led, he returned to his childhood Christian faith and left nightlife to volunteer with a team of humanitarian doctors and surgeons onboard a hospital ship in Liberia, Africa. Armed with a pair of Nikons, Harrison spent eight months as the ship's volunteer photojournalist, documenting the incredible need he saw there.

Returning home to New York City a year later, he produced a large exhibition in Chelsea of more than 100 photographs and videos from the journey. The show gathered major media attention and brought in more than $96,000 in donations for medical procedures and freshwater well projects in Africa.

Following another six-month journey on the ship to West Africa, he returned to New York City to found the non-profit organization charity: water. Turning his full attention to the global water crisis and the 1.1 billion people without clean water to drink, he and a small team created exhibitions in galleries and outdoor parks, online campaigns, and nationally-aired public service announcements.

In three years, with the help of more than 60,000 donors from 200 countries and 300+ media mentions, charity: water has raised not only massive awareness, but more than $10 million, funding more than 1,400 water projects in 16 developing nations. Those projects will provide over 700,000 people with clean, safe drinking water.

Stewart Brand - Too Much Controversy over Genetically Modified Foods?

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:30:53 -0800

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2009/10/09/Stewart_Brand_Rethinking_Green

Genetically engineered foods are "only unnatural if you don't know the biology," says author and futurist Stewart Brand. "There is no good reason for genetically engineered food crops to be controversial."

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Environmentalist pioneer Stewart Brand talks about his book, Whole Earth Discipline: An Ecopragmatist Manifesto, in a discussion at the Long Now Foundation. This program was recorded in San Francisco, CA, on October 9, 2009.

Stewart Brand is a co-founder and managing director of Global Business Network, founded and runs the GBN Book Club, and is the president of The Long Now Foundation.

Brand is well known for founding, editing and publishing the Whole Earth Catalog (01968-85), which received a National Book Award for the 01972 issue. In 01984, he founded The WELL (Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link), a computer teleconference system for the San Francisco Bay Area. It now has 11,000 active users worldwide and is considered a bellwether of the genre.

Brand has been a member of the Board of Trustees of the Santa Fe Institute, an interdisciplinary center studying the sciences of complexity, since 01989. He received the Golden Gadfly Lifetime Achievement Award from the Media Alliance, San Francisco in the same year.

He was a founding member of the Board of Directors of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, an organization which supports civil rights and responsibilities in electronic media, and is an acting adviser to Ecotrust, Portland-based preservers of temperate rain forest from Alaska to San Francisco.

Brand is the author of many pioneering books including The Clock Of The Long Now in 01999, How Buildings Learn: What Happens After They're Built in 01994, The Media Lab: Inventing the Future at MIT in 01987, and Two Cybernetic Frontiers on Gregory Bateson and cutting-edge computer science in 01974. It had the first use of the term "personal computer" in print and was the first book to report on computer hackers.

Alicia Silverstone Not 'Clueless' About Vegan Health

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:30:40 -0800

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2009/10/19/The_Kind_Diet_Alicia_Silverstone

Actress and environmental activist Alicia Silverstone shares her experience adopting veganism. She claims the change in diet brought her more energy, clearer skin, and allergy-related health benefits.

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Long before it was cool to "be green," critically acclaimed actress Alicia Silverstone was coming forward as a passionate and vocal advocate for environmental causes. In her new book, Silverstone reveals how eating a plant-based diet not only provides numerous health benefits for you, but is also a major contribution to the health of the planet.

Filled with personal anecdotes, motivational tips, and nearly 100 recipes, The Kind Diet is a fun and accessible way to begin your own journey toward better health. Whether you’re simply curious about life without meat or are ready to go macrobiotic, The Kind Diet's three different approaches offer a way to choose the path that's right for you. - Kepler's Books

Alicia Silverstone is an American actress, author, and former fashion model. She first came to widespread attention in music videos for Aerosmith, and is best known for her roles in Hollywood films such as Clueless (1995) and her portrayal of Batgirl in Batman and Robin (1997).

Silverstone recently published the vegan nutrition book, The Kind Diet: A Simple Guide to Feeling Great, Losing Weight and Saving the Planet. The guide includes diet and fitness guidance and advice, along with holistic living tips. It "explores the connection between what we put in our bodies and what we're doing to the planet, and how choosing the right foods in the kitchen can help you feeling lighter, sexier, and more alive." She has also produced an online production called "The Kind Life."

It is described as an online expansion of her book, focusing on global warming and vegetarian topics.

Richard Swanson - Are Photovoltaics the Future of Energy Production?

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 16:01:40 -0700

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2009/10/08/Solar_Cells_at_the_Cusp_with_Dr_Richard_Swanson

Dr. Richard Swanson draws from a recent incentive program in Spain to argue that the scalability of photovoltaics makes the technology uniquely adaptable to energy production. He says that while a nuclear plant requires 10 years of permit planning, the equivalence in photovoltaics can be built and installed in a single year.

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After 55 years of development, photovoltaic electric generation is at a historic moment as it transitions from a niche technology to a significant source of clean, carbon-free energy.

Swanson discusses the promise of photovoltaic solar energy, policy issues needed to meet this promise, and how the industry is addressing these challenges. - Commonwealth Club of California

Richard Swanson received his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University in 1974. In 1976, he joined the faculty at Stanford University where he and his group conceived and developed the point-contact solar cell.

Laboratory versions of these cells achieved a record 28 percent conversion efficiency in concentrator cells and 23 percent large-area one-sun cells. In 1991, Dr. Swanson resigned from his faculty position to devote full time to SunPower Corporation, a company he founded to develop and commercialize cost-effective photovoltaic power systems. Dr. Swanson currently serves as its President and Chief Technical Officer. Along with his students and co-workers, he has published more than 200 articles in journals and conference proceedings, as well as several book chapters.

In 2002, Dr. Swanson was awarded the William R. Cherry award by the IEEE for outstanding contributions to the photovoltaic field, and in 2006 the Becquerel Prize in Photovoltaics from the European Communities.

Bernie Krause - Do Animals Grieve for the Dead?

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 11:18:41 -0700

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2009/09/22/Dr_Bernie_Krause_The_Great_Animal_Orchestra

Dr. Bernie Krause, creator of Wild Sanctuary, demonstrates that animal's may posses a degree of emotional depth by playing a sorrowful call from a male beaver after its entire family was killed by humans. "The world's really crying out to us for help," he says of habitat destruction.

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Dr. Bernie Krause, creator of Wild Sanctuary, demonstrates that every living organism produces sound. This presentation focuses on the symbiotic ways in which the sounds of one organism affect and interrelate with other organisms, local and regional, within a given habitat.

Learn about unusual soundscapes and their relevance to preserving natural sounds worldwide. Biophony--the notion that all sounds in undisturbed natural habitats fit into unique niches--will be used to illustrate the ways in which animals taught humans to dance and sing. - California Academy of Sciences

Since 1968, Dr. Bernie Krause has traveled the world recording and archiving the sounds of creatures and environments large and small. Working at the research sites of Jane Goodall (Gombe, Tanzania), Biruta Galdikas (Camp Leakey, Borneo), and Dian Fossey (Karisoke, Rwanda), he identified the concept of biophony (a/k/a The Niche Hypothesis) based on the relationships of individual creatures to the total biological soundscape within a given habitat.

Dr. Krause was Scientific Director (appointed by NOAA) of the operation that rescued Humphrey the humpback whale from the Sacramento Delta (1985) using processed feeding sounds of the same species to lure him to the ocean. Through his company, Wild Sanctuary, he has recorded over 50 natural soundscape CDs, and creates interactive environmental sound sculpture commissions for museums and other public spaces throughout the world.

Utilizing proprietary delivery technology, his sound sculpture commissions can be heard at the American Museum of Natural History (Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC), the Houston Museum of Natural Science, the Chicago Science Museum, the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center (near Mystic, CT), the California Academy of Sciences, the Flint River Center in Albany, Georgia, Natural World Museum (SF), and five new installations at the World Financial Center (NYC opening 6 October 2006). Krause is currently commissioned to prepare a series of tropical and sub-tropical rainforest installations for the new California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park scheduled to open in the Fall of 2008.

Willie Smits - How to Replenish a Rainforest

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 14:26:05 -0700

This program was recorded in collaboration with the Tides: Momentum Conference, in San Francisco, CA, on September 8, 2009.

Willie Smits is presenting at Momentum 2009 on the Carbon Plenary: A shift is underway from considering environmental issues a "special interest" to an understanding that the human impact on the planet and its life-sustaining atmosphere must inform every aspect of endeavor, from business to politics to culture. Ignorance could destroy even the possibility of bliss unless changing our ways becomes a central tenet of the social contract.

This plenary's speakers will explore this shift, how it can become a celebrated element in our renewal, and how restoration holds the promise of redemption.

Smits' momentum: "Nature is beautiful. Destroying its complexity is suicidal for mankind. I want to contribute to a better and fair future for people and nature." - Momentum Conference

The founder of the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation and Chairman of the Masarang Foundation in Indonesia, Willie Smits has rescued tens of thousands of animals from the illegal wildlife trade and planted several million trees. He uses his knowledge of diverse scientific fields, including plant propagation and microbiology, forestry, carbon issues, social agroforestry, environmental monitoring, and alternative energy, for the betterment of people and their living environment.

Masarang Foundation’s most well-known project is its palm sugar factory, a zero-waste facility that provides sustainable jobs and saves 200,000 trees each year. Smits directs a university in Indonesia, his home for 30 years, and has trained more than 1,000 Indonesian environmental experts and hundreds of Ph.D. students. He is the recipient of many awards and was knighted in his country of origin, The Netherlands.

Electric Cars: A Dual Plan for Recharged Driving

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 16:09:16 -0700

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2009/07/22/The_Electric_Horizon_Shai_Agassi

Better Place CEO Shai Agassi discusses his ideas for mass public adoption of electric cars. Agassi's plan calls for charging outlets at parking spots for city driving, and battery switching stations for traveling extended distances.

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Shai Agassi deliveres the 2009 Alfred Deakin Eco-Innovation Lecture, outlining how through smart business, improving technology and changing public policy, the electric car revolution can commence. - Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Shai Agassi is the founder and chief executive of Better Place, the leading electric vehicle services provider. He is focused on one of this century's biggest challenges, moving the world from oil-based to sustainable transportation. Agassi works with government leaders, auto manufacturers, energy companies and others to make his vision "zero-emission vehicles powered by electricity from renewable sources" a reality in countries around the globe.

Agassi's visionary leadership with the Better Place model has been recognized widely. TIME Magazine named him to the 2009 TIME 100, the world's 100 most influential people, and one of TIME's "Heroes of the Environment 2008." Fast Company placed him third on its "100 Most Creative People in Business" list. Most recently, Scientific American Magazine named him to the 2009 Scientific American 10, a select group of 10 people who have demonstrated outstanding commitment to assuring the benefits of new technologies and knowledge will accrue to humanity.

Before founding Better Place, Agassi was president of the Products and Technology Group at SAP AG and a member of the software company's executive board. He led global development of SAP's product line and portfolio of industry-specific solutions.

Agassi remains an active member of the Forum of Young Global Leaders of the World Economic Forum, where he focuses on climate change, transportation and other key issues. He is also a member of the Copenhagen Climate Council and the advisory board of the Corporate Eco Forum.

Fire and Ice: Permafrost Melt Spews Combustible Methane

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:25:02 -0700

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2009/08/18/A_REALLY_Inconvenient_Truth_Dan_Miller

Environmentalist Dan Miller discusses a possible environmental threat from methane gas contained within melting permafrost. Miller claims the melting permafrost contains twice as much CO2 as Earth's entire atmosphere.

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Dan Miller's presentation focuses on why the UN IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) reports are actually best case scenarios. For example, IPCC climate models do not include the effect of melting permafrost releasing greenhouse gases, even though the permafrost is melting now and it holds more greenhouse gases than all that mankind has ever released.

Another example is that IPCC predictions of sea level rise only take into account thermal expansion of the oceans and melting of glaciers; the largest factor, disintegration of glaciers, was not included because it is hard to model. The result is that sea level rise will likely be substantially higher this century than the IPCC predicts.

Miller discusses several other potential catastrophes that are not included in IPCC predictions and also discusses tipping points that could put climate change solutions out of our reach in years or decades, the psychology of climate change, and why it is difficult for people to respond to the threat posed by a warming earth.

His talk concludes with a discussion of ways to address climate change and the risks and opportunities that companies face due to the climate crisis. - Berkeley Cybersalon

Dan Miller is Managing Director of the Roda Group. He is the former president of Ask Jeeves, Inc., a Roda Group affiliate company. He is currently working with a number of Roda Group affiliated companies to assist them with their business development efforts. Mr. Miller sits on the Board of several Roda Group companies.

At the end of 1994, Mr. Miller retired from his position as Executive Vice President of TCSI Corporation (Nasdaq: TCSI), a company he co-founded with his Roda Group partner, Roger Strauch. Mr. Miller retired from the Board of Directors of TCSI in June of 1997. TCSI is a leading provider of integrated software products and services for the global telecommunications industry.

Prior to TCSI, Mr. Miller was a systems engineer at Hughes Aircraft's Space and Communications Group where he was responsible for designing communications payloads for commercial communications satellites.

Partha Dasgupta - Climate Protection May Cost Less Than You Think

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 16:10:05 -0700

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2009/07/16/Will_It_Cost_the_Earth_to_Save_the_Planet

Economist Partha Dasgupta claims that predictions of the high cost of fixing the climate change problem, when put into perspective, would not result in a significant decrease in global wealth and living standard.

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It is now generally agreed that human-caused emissions of greenhouse gases are very likely to cause global warming. This will have serious consequences in the next fifty to one hundred years. What should be done? Some economists argue that taking steps now to mitigate this problem is likely to drive up energy costs and result in reduced economic growth. They suggest that in the interests of economic equality - and particularly to foster economic growth in developing countries - it is better to let growth happen as quickly as possible and rely on future increased technological capacities to solve the problem. Others argue that we need immediate and decisive action on this issue. - Whole Earth Films

Professor Sir Partha Sarathi Dasgupta, FBA, FRS, is the Frank Ramsey Professor of Economics at the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom, and a fellow of St John's College, Cambridge.

Novella Carpenter - The Ethics of Raising 'Edible Pets'

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 10:53:38 -0700

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2009/06/18/Farm_City_Novella_Carpenter_with_Michael_Pollan

Michael Pollan questions Novella Carpenter on how she is able to slaughter the animals she raises on her urban farm. "I don't think there's anything wrong with loving them, feeding them, and gently killing them with love," says Carpenter. "That makes meat more of a sacrifice, which is what it should be."

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Novella Carpenter discusses her book, Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer, in conversation with author Michael Pollan. This program was recorded in collaboration with Berkeley Arts and Letters, on June 18, 2009.

Novella Carpenter grew up in rural Idaho and Washington State. She majored in biology and English at the University of Washington in Seattle. While attending Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism, she studied under Michael Pollan for two years. Her writing has appeared on Salon.com, Saveur.com, sfgate.com, and in Mother Jones.

Energy Reform: Nuclear Power and Carbon Caps

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 14:34:10 -0700

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2009/05/14/Americas_Energy_Future_A_Debate

John Podesta, Karen Harbert and Christine Todd Whitman debate the setbacks and advantages to nuclear power and carbon pricing. "I'm in favor of a cap and trade program," says Whitman, but "the devil is in the details."

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Christine Todd Whitman, James Woolsey, John Podesta and Karen Harbert debate energy policy, with a focus on the pros and cons of nuclear energy.

The dual shocks of record-high energy prices and global recession have produced fertile ground for policymakers to radically reform America's energy policy. While many have called for increasing production of domestic oil and coal supplies, others have seen this as a unique opportunity to move beyond an energy policy dominated by fossil fuels.

In July 2008, former Vice President Al Gore outlined the first step in this process when he called for America's electricity supply to be carbon-free in 10 years. - Miller Center of Public Affairs

John Podesta is the president and CEO of the Center for American Progress and visiting professor of Law at the Georgetown University Law Center. Mr. Podesta served as chief of staff to President William J. Clinton from October 1998 until January 2001 and was at that time responsible for directing, managing, and overseeing all policy development, daily operations, Congressional relations, and staff activities of the White House.

Karen Alderman Harbert is President and Chief Executive Officer of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Institute for 21st Century Energy, working to build support for national and international energy action through policy, education, and advocacy. Harbert is the former Assistant Secretary for Policy and International Affairs at the U.S. Department of Energy, where she focused on domestic and international energy issues, climate change programs, and regulatory concerns.

Christine Todd Whitman is President of The Whitman Strategy Group, a consulting firm specializing in energy and environmental issues. She served as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (2001-03), and as the first woman governor of New Jersey.

Jane Hightower - FDA Inactive on Toxic Mercury Levels?

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 12:53:48 -0700

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2009/06/09/Diagnosis_Mercury_Money_Politics_and_Poison

Dr. Jane Hightower, author of Diagnosis Mercury: Money, Politics and Poison, reads the FDA response to reporter Sue Kwon, who documented a significant increase of mercury in her blood after twenty days of eating tuna. The FDA's "action level" for mercury toxicity does not require the agency to actually take any action.

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San Francisco physician Dr. Jane Hightower is acknowledged by many to be the first doctor in the United States to recognize low-level mercury poisoning in patients who regularly ate certain kinds of fish. Hear firsthand about competing interests, varying government standards, and what it took to get high levels of mercury in the blood seen as a problem. - California Academy of Sciences

Jane M. Hightower, M.D., is the author of Mercury: Money, Politics and Poison. She is a board-certified internal medicine physician in San Francisco, California.

Sierra Club's Carl Pope: 'Congress Doesn't Get It' on Global Warming

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 17:41:11 -0700

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2009/06/10/Chevron__Sierra_Club_Drilling_for_Common_Ground

Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope and Chevron CEO Dave O'Reilly debate the future of energy policy. Pope says the White House is finally in on climate change, but "Congress doesn't get it."

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Chevron and the Sierra Club both see renewable fuels as a growing part of our future. Yet as the world transitions to a low-carbon economy, they have different views on how that change should occur and who should bear the costs.

Higher taxes? Voluntary conservation and efficiency? Government mandates?

In their first-ever public conversation, O'Reilly and Pope discuss balancing energy and the environment in the 21st century. - The Commonwealth Club of California

Carl Pope is the Executive Director of the Sierra Club, an American environmental organization founded by conservationist pioneer John Muir in 1892. Pope was appointed to his position as Executive Director in 1992, the club's centennial.

David J. O'Reilly, age 62, has been chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Chevron since January 2000. Prior Positions Held: O'Reilly was vice chairman of the board of Chevron from 1998 until 1999. He was a vice president of Chevron from 1991 until 1998. He was president of Chevron Products Company from 1994 until 1998. He was a senior vice president and chief operating officer of Chevron Chemical Company from 1989 until 1991. Other Directorships and Memberships: American Petroleum Institute; Peterson Institute for International Economics; the Business Council; the Business Roundtable; JPMorgan International Council; World Economic Forum's International Business Council; the National Petroleum Council; the American Society of Corporate Executives; the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals International Advisory Board.

The Feedback Loop: Ecological Damage Soon Beyond Control

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 12:03:54 -0700

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2009/05/06/Bill_McKibben_350_The_Most_Important_Number_in_the_World

Deep Economy author Bill McKibben, co-founder and director of 350.org, emphasizes the immediate need for environmental reform, as well as the consequences of climate change that may already be beyond repair.

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350 is the red line for human beings, the most important number on the planet. The most recent science tells us that unless we can reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to 350 parts per million, we will cause huge and irreversible damage to the earth.

In this exclusive lecture for Sydney Ideas leading environmental writer and activist Bill McKibben talks about how climate science and climate politics are quickly evolving–and how we now have a much more specific idea both of the peril we face and the steps (large and difficult) necessary to solve it.

Even two years ago, scientists could offer only vague ideas of how much carbon in the atmosphere was too much. But in the wake of the rapid melt of Arctic sea ice in 2007, it's become clear that this is a problem not for the future but very much for the present.

In addition, McKibben describes the swelling grassroots global movement, 350.org, which looks set to coordinate the largest day of global environmental action ever, with actions from high in the Himalayas to underwater on the Great Barrier Reef. - Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Environmentalist Bill McKibben is a scholar in environmental studies at Middlebury College. Bill McKibben is an American environmentalist and writer who frequently writes about global warming, alternative energy, and the risks associated with human genetic engineering. Beginning in the summer of 2006, he led the organization of the largest demonstrations against global warming in American history. McKibben is active in the Methodist Church, and his writing sometimes has a spiritual bent. He is the author of The End of Nature (1989), the first book for a general audience about global warming. Recent books include Enough (2004), which critiques human genetic engineering and other rapidly advancing technologies; Wandering Home (2005), which catalogs his foot-travels across the Vermont landscape; and Age of Missing Information (2006), in which he compares his experience watching 1700 hours of videotaped TV to that of contemplating nature in the Adirondacks.

Michael Pollan - Open Source Food and Genetic Engineering

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 20 May 2009 12:09:33 -0700

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2009/05/05/Michael_Pollan_Deep_Agriculture

"The real key to genetic engineering is control of intellectual property of the food crops that we depend on," says author Michael Pollan of companies like Monsanto. He advocates an open source GE model.

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Farming has become an occupation and cultural force of the past. Michael Pollan's talk promoted the premise -- and hope -- that farming can become an occupation and force of the future. In the past century American farmers were given the assignment to produce lots of calories cheaply, and they did. They became the most productive humans on earth. A single farmer in Iowa could feed 150 of his neighbors. That is a true modern miracle.

"American farmers are incredibly inventive, innovative, and accomplished. They can do whatever we ask them, we just need to give them a new set of requirements." - The Long Now Foundation

Michael Pollan is the author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals, a New York Times bestseller. His previous books include The Botany of Desire: A Plant’s-Eye View of the World (2001); A Place of My Own (1997); and Second Nature (1991). A contributing writer to The New York Times Magazine, Pollan is the recipient of numerous journalistic awards, including the James Beard Award for best magazine series in 2003 and the Reuters-I.U.C.N. 2000 Global Award for Environmental Journalism. Pollan served for many years as executive editor of Harper’s Magazine and is now the Knight Professor of Science and Environmental Journalism at UC Berkeley. His articles have been anthologized in Best American Science Writing 2004, Best American Essays 2003, and the Norton Book of Nature Writing. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, the painter Judith Belzer, and their son, Isaac.

Can Wind and Solar Replace America's Coal Plants?

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 06 May 2009 17:12:59 -0700

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2009/04/28/Clean_Coal_Myth_or_Reality

Panelists hotly debate Google's proposed plan to phase out all coal plants by 2030 and replace them with alternative energy plants. Clean coal advocate Joe Lucas draws from an example of a North Dakota town to argue against the vulnerability of wind power.

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Is clean coal hope for the future, or just misleading marketing jargon? Panelists weigh in on the possibilities and opportunities.

Coal-fired power plants are the largest U.S. emitters of CO2 and human-generated mercury, yet our nation is poised to build many new coal plants in the future. Panelists discuss new technologies for carbon capture and storage and IGCC, and the implications of energy policy decisions on the health of our economy and our planet. - Commonwealth Club of California

Julio Freidman is Director of the Carbon Sequestration Project at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

Ray Lane is a Managing Partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers, focused on helping entrepreneurs with technological and market insight, organizational development, team building, selling and managing growth. Since joining KPCB, Ray has sponsored several investments for the firm in enterprise and consumer technology, as well as clean and alternative energy. These companies include Ausra (solar concentrator), GreatPoint Energy (coal to gas conversion), Fisker Automotive (plug-in hybrid car), Th!nk NA (electric car), Luca Technologies (biologically enhanced gas recovery from fossilized hydrocarbons), Xsigo Systems (virtual I/O switch for datacenters), SpikeSource (open source platform for integration and testing), MEVIO (social media network), Virsa (compliance for large enterprises) and Elance (marketplace for services). He also serves on the board of Quest Software.

Joe Lucas is the Vice President of the Americans for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE).

Bruce Nilles joined the Sierra Club in 2002 and currently directs its National Coal Campaign, the largest component of Sierra Club's new Climate Recovery Campaign. The national coal campaign is working to reduce America's over reliance on coal, slash coal's contribution to global warming and other pollution woes, end destructive mining, and secure massive investments in clean energy alternatives. Bruce previously worked as a staff attorney for Earthjustice's San Francisco office, and during the Clinton Administration as Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for the U.S. Department of Justice's Environment and Natural Resources Division in Washington D.C. He received his J.D. and B.S. degrees from the University of Wisconsin.

Gavin Newsom: Can Electric Car Makers Learn from Cell Phone Innovations?

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 10:17:59 -0700

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2009/04/09/San_Francisco_Mayor_Gavin_Newsom_Cities_and_Time

San Francisco Mayor (and 2010 California gubernatorial candidate) Gavin Newsom describes innovative ways of thinking about electric cars. He suggests a pricing plan for electric cars modeled after cell phone pricing plans. "Instead of buying minutes, you buy miles," says Newsom.

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San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom is a strong advocate for sustainable urban planning and green business practices; he lead San Francisco to join the Kyoto Protocol, created significant incentives for solar power installation through the GoSolarSF program, and is working on an ambitious plan to make SF the "Electric Vehicle Capital of the U.S."

He discusses his ideas and plans for shaping the growth of cities during these turbulent times. - The Long Now Foundation

Gavin Christopher Newsom is the current mayor of San Francisco. A Democrat, Newsom was elected mayor in 2003, succeeding Willie Brown and becoming San Francisco's youngest mayor in 100 years. Newsom graduated in 1989 from Santa Clara University with a Bachelor of Arts in political science. His PlumpJack Wine Shop, founded in 1992, grew into a multi-million dollar enterprise. He was first appointed by Willie Brown to serve on San Francisco's Parking and Traffic Commission in 1996, and was appointed the following year as Supervisor. Newsom drew voter attention with his Care Not Cash program, designed to move homeless people into city assisted care. He defeated Matt Gonzalez by 6% in his race for mayor in 2003. Newsom was reelected in the November 7 2007 mayoral election with 72 percent of the vote.

On April 21, 2009, Newsom declared his candidacy in California's 2010 gubernatorial election.

Leslie Hoffman - Finding Joy in Sustainable Living

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 13:36:48 -0700

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2008/11/19/Fast_Life_Slow_Fashion_A_New_Theory_of_Fashion

Earth Pledge president Leslie Hoffman argues that modern life discourages thinking about the origins or effects of everyday consumption. "A New York kid could think that food comes from a waiter," she says, "and nobody thinks about where it goes when we flush the toilet." Hoffman believes that promoting an understanding of these processes can create enthusiasm for sustainable values and policies.

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Is fashion getting less flash and more substance? As sustainable production becomes a global concern, emerging vogues might tend more to simplicity.

In an effort to reinvigorate a tactile consumer experience, innovative designers are developing slow clothing built to last and ethically manufactured with a thoughtful approach to the creative process.

A panel of experts explores the complexities and sustainability of fast life and fast fashion in the 21st century - The New School

Leslie Hoffman, president and executive director of Earth Pledge, holds a degree in architecture and design, and worked as a carpenter and green builder for ten years. She has led the Earth Pledge team since 1994. Hoffman is an avid gardener who has maintained a small organic coffee farm in Hawaii since 1990.

Aimee Christensen - Wal-Mart's Interest in Going Green

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 17:34:32 -0700

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2009/01/15/Climate_Countdown_Can_the_World_Cut_a_Deal

Environmental policy expert Aimee Christensen explains why many large corporations like Wal-Mart are beginning to show a greater interest in "greening" their company models.

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A recent survey of people worldwide indicates they are ready to tackle climate change. But are their governments ready and willing? The United Nations Forum on Climate Change in Poznan, Poland, in December 2008 is a step toward an international agreement to succeed the expiring Kyoto Protocol. Will the Obama administration step up and exert new leadership on the world's most pressing climate issues?

Want to know what happens and how the world's leaders are addressing our environmental quagmire? Hear the insider's scoop on the global politics of climate change - The Commonwealth Club of California

Aimee Christensen recently joined Google.org, the philanthropic arm of Google, where she focuses on global warming and its broader relationship to poverty, development, and public health. Aimee has designed, implemented, and advised on energy and environmental strategies for more than a decade, gaining diverse perspectives from her time in government, in the private sector, and with non-governmental organizations. Prior to joining Google, Aimee led Christensen Global Strategies, providing corporate, multilateral, and non-profit clients Aimee's combined experience in law, policy, and communications, and strategic, practical guidance on carbon finance, clean energy, and sustainability.

Robert Hefner Slams Coal Energy, Advocates Natural Gas

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 19:12:19 -0700

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2009/02/24/Robert_Hefner_The_Grand_Energy_Transition

Natural gas pioneer Robert Hefner blames laws restricting the use of natural gas in the U.S. for the continued use of coal worldwide. Hefner expresses hope that Secretary of Energy Steven Chu will "lead the way forward in energy."

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Robert Hefner discusses his book The GET: The Grand Energy Transition.

He argues that the United States needs to lead the world in transitioning from oil and coal for power generation and to natural gas, an energy source he considers cleaner burning and more abundant.

Robert Hefner is a long time natural gas producer, a pioneer in ultra deep exploration and founder of The GHK Company in Oklahoma, a privately-owned natural gas exploration and production company. From the late 1960's to the early 1980's, he led the technological innovation necessary for GHK to drill many of the world's deepest and highest pressure natural gas wells.

Van Jones - The Green Collar Economy

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 17:30:29 -0800

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2009/02/02/Van_Jones_The_Green_New_Deal

Van Jones, author of The Green Collar Economy, highlights specific ways to create jobs for Americans while also making moves to help green the planet.

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Van Jones thinks "green collar" jobs could clean the United State's energy-dependent economy.

His path to a healthy green economy includes his work on the Green Jobs Act of 2007, which authorized $125 million to train people for green-collar jobs. - The Commonwealth Club of California

Van Jones is the founder and president Green For All, based in Oakland, California. The mission is to help build an inclusive, green economy - strong enough to lift millions of people out of poverty. Jones is an advocate, championing "green-collar jobs and opportunities" for disadvantaged people. He is committed to creating "green pathways out of poverty," while greatly expanding the coalition fighting global warming.

Jones has worked to combine solutions to America's two biggest problems: social inequality and environmental destruction. Under the slogan "green-collar jobs, not jails," he is calling for green economic development in urban America.

Jones is the author of The Green Collar Economy: How One Solution Can Fix Our Two Biggest Problems.

Saul Griffith on Energy Efficiency: Is 100 MPG Ambitious Enough?

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 16:43:47 -0800

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2009/01/16/Saul_Griffith_Climate_Change_Recalculated

Inventor Saul Griffith explores methods to conserve energy consumption and better our quality of life, including a dramatically reduced speed limit. Would you drive 30 mph to save the environment?

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Engineer, environmentalist, and entrepreneur Saul Griffith examines the numerical reality of the fight against climate change.

Drawing from a personal assessment of his own energy needs, Griffith argues that we not only need to switch to alternative energies, we also need to drastically reduce their consumption in order to prevent a global catastrophe.

Griffith connects personal actions and global climate change by analyzing his own carbon consumption.

Dr. Saul Griffith has multiple degrees in materials science and mechanical engineering and completed his PhD in Programmable Assembly and Self Replicating machines at MIT. He is the co-founder of numerous companies including: Low Cost Eyeglasses, Squid Labs, Potenco, Instructables.com, "HowToons" and Makani Power. Saul has been awarded numerous awards for invention including the National Inventors Hall of Fame, Collegiate Inventor's award, and the Lemelson-MIT Student prize. A large focus of Griffith's research efforts are in minimum and constrained energy surfaces for novel manufacturing techniques and other applications. Griffith holds multiple patents and patents pending in textiles, optics, nanotechnology, and energy production. Griffith co-authors children's comic books called "HowToons" about building your own science and engineering gadgets with Nick Dragotta and Joost Bonsen. Griffith is a technical advisor to Make magazine and Popular Mechanics. Saul is a columnist and contributor to Make and Craft magazines.

Scrap the Tofu: Mark Bittman on Less-Meatatarianism

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 17:27:08 -0800

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2009/01/12/Mark_Bittman_Food_Matters

In order to quell the "globesity epidemic" and lessen the environmental impact of the meat industry, cookbook author Mark Bittman prescribes reducing meat consumption by practicing a "less-meatarian" diet.

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Mark Bittman talks about Food Matters: A Guide To Conscious Eating with More Than 75 Recipes.

From the award-winning guru of culinary simplicity and author of the bestselling How to Cook Everything and How to Cook Everything Vegetarian comes a plan for responsible eating that's as good for the planet as it is for the waistline -- Book Passage

Mark Bittman is a bestselling cookbook author, journalist and television personality.

Although Mark Bittman never formally trained as a chef, his pursuits as a curious and tenacious foodie have made him a casual culinary master. His weekly New York Times food column, The Minimalist, meshes accessible and inexpensive ingredients with "anyone-can" cooking techniques to produce exceedingly delicious dishes.

Bittman's funny, friendly attitude and trademark informal approach to food-craft extend to his blockbuster TV programs (which retain delays and mishaps that other producers would edit out), his blog, Bitten, and ambitious cookbooks, like How to Cook Everything and The Best Recipes in the World.

After a decade as the "Minimalist," Bittman has emerged a respected spokesperson on all things edible: He's concerned about the ecological and health impacts of our modern diet, which he characterizes as overwhelmingly meat-centered and hooked on fast food. His criticism has the world listening: His revolutionary How to Cook Everything Vegetarian is a bestseller, and his memorable talk at the 2007 EG Conference (available now on TED.com) delivered a stinging condemnation of the way we eat now. A subsequent New York Times article pursued the same argument.

Bittman's new book Food Matters explores the link between our eating habits and the environment, offering an accessible plan for a planet-friendly diet.

Amory Lovins Advocates for a Cleaner, Safer Energy Future

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 16:12:52 -0800

Amory Lovins, Chairman and Chief Scientist of the Rocky Mountain Institute, explores halting climate change, reducing oil dependence and using micropower instead of nuclear.

EG is the celebration of the American entertainment industry. Since 1984, Richard Saul Wurman has created extraordinary gatherings about learning and understanding.

EG is a rich extension of these ideas - a conference that explores the attitude of understanding in music, film, television, radio, technology, advertising, gaming, interactivity and the web - The Entertainment Gathering

Cofounder and CEO, Rocky Mountain Institute, Amory B. Lovins is a consultant experimental physicist educated at Harvard and Oxford. He has received an Oxford MA (by virtue of being a don), nine honorary doctorates, a MacArthur Fellowship, the Heinz, Lindbergh, Right Livelihood ("Alternative Nobel"), World Technology, and TIME Hero for the Planet awards, the Happold Medal, and the Nissan, Shingo, Mitchell, and Onassis Prizes. His work focuses on transforming the hydrocarbon, automobile, real estate, electricity, water, semiconductor, and several other sectors toward advanced resource productivity. He has briefed eighteen heads of state, held several visiting academic chairs, authored or co-authored twenty-nine books and hundreds of papers, and consulted for scores of industries and governments worldwide. The Wall Street Journal named Mr. Lovins one of thirty-nine people worldwide "most likely to change the course of business in the '90s"; Newsweek has praised him as "one of the Western world's most influential energy thinkers"; and Car magazine ranked him the twenty-second most powerful person in the global automotive industry.

Obama Energy Secretary Steven Chu - The Ultimate Fuel Technology

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 16:12:52 -0800

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2007/09/13/Steve_Chu_A_New_Energy_Program

Steven Chu, future U.S. Secretary of Energy under President Obama, describes the "ultimate" development in fuel technology: an "artificial plant" that would be able to generate energy in a manner similar to photosynthesis.

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A New Energy Program with Steve Chu speaking at the Climate Change and Global Politics Conference hosted by the World Affairs Council of Northern California.

No one nation can effectively reverse the growing problems caused by our changing climate. Coordinated global efforts - between governments, corporations, and individuals - can help us conserve and develop energy resources, as well as ensure the continued growth of emerging and developed nations.

What can political leaders do? What can businesses and investors do? And what can you do? - World Affairs Council of Northern California

Steven Chu is Director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Professor of Physics, Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of California, Berkeley. Previously, he was at Stanford and Bell Laboratories. His research includes tests of fundamental physics, the development of methods to laser cool and trapatoms, polymer physics, and single moleculebiology. He has become active in the energy problem and is co-chairing an InterAcademy Council (IAC) study Transitioning to Sustainable Energy.

Chu has numerous awards, including the 1997 Nobel Prize in Physics. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Academia Sinica, and a foreign member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Korean Academy of Science and Engineering.

Jerry Mander - Is This the End for America's "Era of Growth?"

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 17:01:57 -0800

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2008/10/09/Battling_for_the_Environment_Stories_from_the_Frontlines

Activist Jerry Mander describes America's current economic model as "unsustainable," and argues that a full return to pre-crisis levels of economic prosperity may not be possible "in our lifetimes."

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The fight for the environment does not stop at the edge of Antarctica's icebergs. The front lines stretch from the WTO and South Korean farms to our shopping bags and gas tanks.

With so many simultaneous environmental combat zones, many questions arise. Who is fighting this war? And who is going to win?

We have compiled a panel of leading authors, each with a unique perspective on environmental battles.

They use stories to explain what is happening to the environment around the globe, and look at how we are being directly affected at home and how each of us can play a part - The Commonwealth Club of California

Jerry Mander is an American activist best known for his book "Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television" (1977), and for his contribution to a book on an unrelated topic, "The Great International Paper Airplane Book" (1971).

Mander worked in advertising for 15 years, including five as partner and president of Freeman, Mander and Gossage in San Francisco. In 1971 he founded the first non-profit advertising agency in the United States, Public Interest Communications, which worked on campaigns to prevent dams in the Grand Canyon, found Redwood National Park, and stop the American project to build a supersonic transport. He is currently the director of the International Forum on Globalization and the program director for Megatechnology and Globalization at the Foundation for Deep Ecology.

Dan Burden on Beating the Street: Designs for Walkability

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 17:49:22 -0800

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2008/07/14/Dan_Burden_Building_Livable_Walkable_Communities

Dan Burden explains how designing city streets to facilitate pedestrian traffic can improve community businesses, driver behavior, and health.

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Dan Burden, a nationally recognized authority on bicycle and pedestrian-friendly urban design, discusses some of the best communities being developed today - communities for people, not just cars.

Burden will share his observations of his own "walking audit" of downtown San Jose - The Commonwealth Club of California

Dan Burden is a nationally recognized authority on bicycle and pedestrian facilities and programs, street corridor and intersection design, traffic flow and calming, and other design and planning elements that affect roadway environments. He has had twenty-five years of experience in developing, promoting, and evaluating alternative transportation facilities, traffic calming practices, and sustainable community design. He served for sixteen years as Florida DOT's State Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator, and he presently works as executive director of Walkable Communities, Inc., a non-profit corporation helping North America develop walkable communities.

Newt Gingrich on Global Warming: Man-Made, or Nature-Made?

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 17:33:58 -0800

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2008/03/20/The_Business_of_Going_Green_with_Newt_Gingrich

Former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Newt Gingrich expresses his doubts that global warming is caused by human activity; however, he also argues that conservatives should endorse a prudent approach to climate change, regardless of its causes.

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Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich joins several business executives from the largest corporations in the world engaged in the business of going green, in the first program of our Red, White, Blue and Green speaker series.

Guests include Francine Colaneri, Vice President of Manufacturing and Corporate Purchasing at Scholastic Inc., and Alan R. Weverstad, Executive Director, Environment, Energy and Safety Policy at the General Motors Corporation. The Wall Street Journal's Jeff Ball moderates - The National Constitution Center

Newt Gingrich is the former Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, serving from 1995 to 1999. Gingrich is the Chairman of the Gingrich Group, a communications and consulting firm that specializes in transformational change, with offices in Atlanta and Washington, DC. He serves as a Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, DC, a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California and is an Honorary Chairman of the NanoBusiness Alliance. Newt is also a news and political analyst for the Fox News Channel. Newt was first elected to Congress in 1978 where he served the Sixth District of Georgia for twenty years.

Ye Weijia - China on the Edge of Environmental Disaster

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 17:28:10 -0800

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2008/07/11/The_Future_of_Green_Business_in_China

Ye Weijia, head of New Ventures China, explains that although the Chinese people are excited to be the manufacturing center of the world, they are now realizing the ecological and financial costs.

Weijia says that developing countries like China are growing increasingly worried about global warming and pollution.

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Terry Yosie, President and CEO of World Environment Center and Ye Weijia, head of New Ventures China, discuss opportunities for green businesses in China. They discuss the work their companies have already done, while anticipating new challenges. This program was recorded in collaboration with the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, in Washington, D.C., on July 11, 2008.

Ye Weijia graduated from the University of Pittsbugh with an MA in Public Policy Analysis and an MS in Industry Enginering. He has served as General Manager of China Operations and Business Director of Asia/Pacific Region for PPG Industrial Inc. He currently works with the World Resource Institute, serving as the Country Director of New Ventures China, and with the Fuping Development Institute, where he is Program Director of their Center for Social Investment Development.

Sustainable Farming: Turning Manure into Energy (aka "Poop to Power")

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 13:32:08 -0800

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2008/08/28/Dairies_and_Feedlots_Whats_the_Good_News

Albert Straus, proprietor of the Straus Family Creamery, details the process by which his farm converts cow manure into electricity.

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Albert Straus, proprietor of the Straus Family Creamery, discusses sustainable practices in the organic dairy industry. This program was recorded in collaboration with the Commonwealth Club of California, in San Francisco, CA, on August 28, 2008.

Recent press coverage of the dairy industry has been less than positive: lack of access to pasture, use of antibiotics and genetically modified feed have all made headlines.

Albert Straus, the creator and owner of the first organic dairy west of the Mississippi, will present his holistic and sustainable approach to dairy farming.

He will share his views and successes on how he is making his business more sustainable - The Commonwealth Club of California

Albert Straus is the president and owner of Straus Family Creamery, the first certified organic dairy west of the Mississippi, in Marin County, California.Straus has been close to dairy farming throughout his life. He grew up on the farm in Marshall, California that his father, William Straus, started in 1941 with 23 cows. After going to college at California Polytechnic in San Luis Obispo, where he wrote his senior thesis on creamery operations, he returned to the family farm. He currently has a herd of 300 cows most are Holstein, some are cross-breeds of Holstein and Jersey.

Thomas Deichmann - Is Recycling a Waste of Time?

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 16:05:41 -0800

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2007/10/27/Battle_of_Ideas_Recycling_is_a_Waste_of_Time

German journalist and commentator Thomas Deichmann argues that most modern recycling methods are a waste of time and money.

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"Recycling is a Waste of Time" at the 2007 Battle of Ideas conference hosted by the Institute of Ideas.

With rubbish a major political issue, and threats from councils that residents might be fined if they do not sort their waste correctly, recycling has become a hot political issue. But, why bother to recycle? The benefits are far from indisputable. According to advocates of the new green orthodoxy, recycling is essential if we are to reduce pollution and alleviate global warming, but given its limited impact on CO2 emissions, it often seems as if the imperative to recycle has more to do with conspicuous good citizenship than efficient waste management. Perhaps recycling is not only an inconvenient, but an unnecessary part of our daily routines.

Some have hailed the recycling industry of Mumbai as an economic model that we should all take notice of. Many inhabitants of the Indian city spend their time sorting dumped rubbish for recycling. But, how does this resource efficiency match up to our standards of human efficiency? Might a certain amount of wasted material be a price worth paying for the freedom to spend time on other things?- Institute of Ideas

Thomas Deichmann is founder and since 1992 Editor in Chief of the bi-monthly German magazine Novo, published in Frankfurt. Since 1993 he has worked as a freelance journalist and researcher for numerous quality papers across Europe.

During the 90s, Deichmann's journalism covered international relations and the civil war in the former Yugoslavia. Since 1999 he has focused his research and writing on science topics, and modern biotechnology in particular. His investigative journalism and his enlightenment approach repeatedly cause international and national wide debates. He has appeared on radio and TV repeatedly.

He studied Civil Engineering at Darmstadt University and was awarded his diploma in 1989, spending some years working at Darmstadt University and as a freelance engineer.

Eric Schmidt - Green Energy Technologies to Watch

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 17:48:09 -0700

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2008/10/01/Eric_Schmidt_Where_Would_Google_Drill

Google CEO Eric Schmidt discusses new approaches to solar and wind power generation, central to the company's plan for clean energy reform.

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Would "Drill, Baby, Drill" be part of Google's vision for green energy? Yes, but not drilling for oil.

CEO Schmidt says punching down into the Earth to capture natural and clean geothermal energy could help move the United States away from its dependence on petroleum. Google's new energy plan also calls for a bold move into solar and wind power.

It would cost $2.7 trillion through 2030. However, Schmidt says it would generate $2.1 trillion in energy savings. It would also create hundreds of thousands of jobs. And help fight global warming - The Commonwealth Club of California

Eric Emerson Schmidt, Ph.D is chairman and CEO of Google, Inc. and a member of the board of directors of Apple, Inc. He also sits on the Princeton University board of trustees.

Since coming to Google, Eric has focused on building the corporate infrastructure needed to maintain Google's rapid growth as a company and ensuring that quality remains high while product development cycle times are kept to a minimum. Eric shares responsibility for Google's day-to-day operations. Eric's Novell experience culminated a twenty-year record of achievement as an Internet strategist, entrepreneur, and developer of great technologies. Prior to his appointment at Novell, Eric was chief technology officer and corporate executive officer at Sun Microsystems, Inc., where he led the development of Java, Sun's platform-independent programming technology, and defined Sun's internet software strategy. Before joining Sun in 1983, he was a member of the research staff at the Computer Science Lab at Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) and held positions at Bell Laboratories and Zilog.

Eric has a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Princeton University and a master's and Ph.D. in computer science from the University of California, Berkeley. In 2006, Eric was elected to the National Academy of Engineering, which recognized his work on "the development of strategies for the world's most successful Internet search engine company." Eric was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences as a fellow in 2007. He is also chairman of the board of directors for the New America Foundation.

Jeffrey Sachs - Water Shortage and Global Crisis

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 17:44:36 -0700

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2008/07/15/Professor_Jeffrey_Sachs_on_Sustainable_Solutions

Earth Institute Director Jeffrey Sachs links water shortages to many violent crisis areas around the globe, including those in Darfur and Afghanistan.

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One of the world's leading experts in aid and economic and sustainable development, Professor Jeffrey Sachs, gave a free public lecture at the University of Sydney on Tuesday, 15 July, 2008, to mark the opening of the University's new Institute for Sustainable Solutions.

Professor Jeffrey Sachs is Professor of Health Policy and Management at Columbia University and the director of The Earth Institute at Columbia, an organisation that leads large-scale efforts to promote sustainability throughout the world.

Professor Sachs is one of the leading international voices for combining economic development with environmental sustainability and is also a special advisor to the United National secretary-general.

His free public lecture marks the officially opening of the University of Sydney's Institute for Sustainable Solutions - Sydney Institute

Jeffrey Sachs is Director of the Earth Institute, where he is also a professor of sustainable development. The unconventional and impassioned economist advocates combining economic development with environmental sustainability. Through the Earth Institute and as Professor of Health Policy and Management at Columbia University, Sachs has analyzed challenges of economic development, poverty alleviation, and globalization for more than twenty years.

Tom Friedman - Carbon-Copy Americans and the Global Environment

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 15:34:29 -0700

Video at: http://fora.tv/2008/09/23/Tom_Friedman_Hot_Flat_and_Crowded

Three-time Pulitzer Prize-winning author and columnist Tom Friedman discusses the increasing trend of developing nations to aspire to U.S. levels of economic consumption, and warns that this trend may be extremely detrimental to the global environment.

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Tom Friedman discusses his latest book, "Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution -- and How It Can Renew America."

In this talk, New York Time columnist and author Tom Friedman exposes the irrationality of U.S. policies that promote consumption of vast quantities of oil.

Friedman stresses that the United States must lead efforts to develop energy alternatives that would 1) free us from our dependence on petro-dictatorships and 2) help preserve the earth, oceans, and biodiversity.

The program concludes with a Q and A between Friedman and Editor of The New Republic, Frank Foer - Sixth and I Synagogue

Thomas L. Friedman, a columnist for The New York Times, is a three-time Pulitzer Prize winner and a member of the Pulitzer Prize Board. Friedman was bureau chief for The Times in Beirut and Jerusalem before writing, From Beirut to Jerusalem, which won the National Book Award for non-fiction. His book, The Lexus and the Olive Tree won the 2000 Overseas Press Club award for best nonfiction book on foreign policy. His work, The World is Flat: A Brief History of the 21st Century, won the inaugural Goldman Sachs/Financial Times Business Book of the Year award. He has a B.A. in Mediterranean studies from Brandeis University and a Master of Philosophy degree in Modern Middle East studies from Oxford.

Franklin Foer is an American political journalist and the editor of The New Republic. Foer graduated from Columbia in 1996. Before joining The New Republic, Foer was a frequent contributor to the online magazine Slate. His writing has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Spin, U.S. News and World Report, Lingua Franca, The Atlantic Monthly, The Wall Street Journal, New York and Foreign Policy. In 2004 he published his first book, How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization.

T. Boone Pickens - Offshore Drilling Won't Help Energy Independence

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 13:36:15 -0700

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2008/09/22/T_Boone_Pickens_-_Reducing_Oil_Dependence

Billionaire investor, philanthropist and energy reform activst T. Boone Pickens warns against expectations that domestic oil drilling can ever contribute significantly to American energy independence.

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Billionaire investor, philanthropist and energy reform activst T. Boone Pickens presents his plan to reduce America's dependence on foreign oil. The plan is centered on generating electricity with wind while diverting natural gas from power generation to transportation fuel. This program was recorded in collaboration with Georgetown University, in Washington, D.C., on September 22, 2008.

Mr. Boone Pickens is the founder of BP Capital. Pickens is active in the management of both the BP Capital Equity Fund and the BP Capital Commodity Fund. Specifically, Pickens is principally responsible for the formulation of the energy futures investment strategy of the BP Capital Commodity Fund and the BP Capital Equity Fund. Pickens frequently utilizes his wealth of experience in the oil and gas industry in the evaluation of potential equity investments and energy sector themes. He also participates in the marketing of the BP Capital Equity Fund to certain groups of potential investors. Pickens was the founder of Mesa Petroleum in its various forms beginning in 1956. Pickens' career at Mesa spanned four decades. Under his leadership, Mesa grew to become one of the largest and most well-known independent exploration and production companies in the U.S.

Anna Lappe - Can Organic Farming Fix the Food Crisis?

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 14:37:33 -0700

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2008/08/30/Slow_Food_Nation_Climate_Change_and_Food

Author and sustainable food advocate Anna Lappe rejects claims that organic food and agriculture will never be able to produce enough food to satisfy global demand.

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Climate change and our food system are inextricably linked, yet most people are unaware of the ways in which our everyday choices about food affect the environment.

Conversely, while we are focused on how climate change may affect global temperatures and the polar ice cap, we have not spent much time discussing how climate change may severely impact our food system.

This panel will focus on future food production and the importance of land stewardship, biodiversity, urban planning, and much more. Come to learn how every person - whether a consumer or a policy-maker - can address climate change through how and what we eat - Slow Food Nation

Anna Lappe is a national bestselling author and advocate for sustainability and food justice. A founding principal of the Small Planet Institute and Small Planet Fund, Anna is the co-author of Hope's Edge: The Next Diet for a Small Planet and Grub: Ideas for an Urban Organic Kitchen. Her writing has been published in the International Herald Tribune, Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, New Scientist, and Los Angeles Times, among other outlets. She has appeared on PBS, CBC, NBC, and FoxNews and is the host of MSN's Practical Guide to Healthier Living and the public television series, The Endless Feast. From 2004 to 2006, Anna was a Food and Society Policy Fellow, a national program of the WK Kellogg Foundation. She is currently at work on a book about the industrial food system and climate change.

Anna Lappe is the daughter of author and activist Frances Moore Lappe.

Carl Pope and Brian Keane - Economic Benefits to Going Green

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 13:10:38 -0700

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2008/08/26/TNR_Environmentalism_Whats_Next

Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope and SmartPower President Brian Keane argue that living in an environmentally friendly can be economically beneficial. This excerpt is taken from a panel discussion entitled "Environmentalism: What's Next?" recorded in collaboration with the New Republic, at the 2008 Democratic National Convention, in Denver, CO, on August 26, 2008.

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Panelists Brian F. Keane, Ted Nordhaus, Ben Nelson, and Carl Pope describe their efforts to make make "going green" easier, faster, and cheaper. They argue that the government shouldn't make fossil fuels more expensive, but rather they should invest in making alternative sources cheaper and marketing them to consumers.

Carl Pope is the Executive Director of the Sierra Club, an American environmental organization founded by conservationist pioneer John Muir in 1892. Pope was appointed to his position as Executive Director in 1992, the club's centennial.

Brian F. Keane is President of SmartPower, a nationwide non-profit marketing organization dedicated to promoting clean, renewable energy and energy efficiency. Hailed as the "Got Milk" campaign for wind, solar and waterpower, SmartPower's award winning marketing campaign has been credited with creating hundreds of GWh of clean, renewable energy across the nation.

Paul Ehrlich - The Toxification of Planet Earth

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 12:34:38 -0700

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2008/06/27/Paul_Ehrlich_The_Dominant_Animal

Stanford biologist Paul Ehrlich argues that widespread pollution of the environment by toxic, manmade chemicals may have major effects for the future of humanity.

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Paul Ehrlich gives a seminar at the Long Now Foundation on his book, The Dominant Animal: Human Evolution and the Environment, in which he examines the evolution of human culture and its effect on the environment. This program was recorded in collaboration with the Long Now Foundation, in San Francisco, CA, on June 27, 2008.

Paul Ralph Ehrlich (born May 29, 1932 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is a Stanford University professor and a renowned entomologist specializing in Lepidoptera (butterflies). He is also well known as a researcher and author on the subject of human overpopulation. Ehrlich has written numerous books on the subjects of ecology, entomology, overpopulation, and related subjects. His best known book is The Population Bomb, published in 1968.

Gary Hirshberg - Can a "Green" Business Also be a Profitable One?

podcasts@fora.tv — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 18:42:28 -0700

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2008/02/20/How_to_Make_Money_and_Save_the_World

Stonyfield Farm CEO Gary Hirshberg argues that environmentally sustainable business practices can lead to financial benefits in the long run.

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Gary Hirshberg talks about Stirring It Up: How to Make Money and Save the World.

Hirshberg shares the secrets that helped his company, Stonyfield Farm, skyrocket to success. He argues that traditional business practices are counterproductive and have created many of the problems that threaten to make the world uninhabitable - Book Passage

Gary Hirshberg is CEO of Stonyfield Farm and author of Stirring it up: How to Make Money and Save the World.

Skip Bowman - Is Nuclear Power Worth the Environmental Cost?

podcasts@fora.tv — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 18:07:14 -0700

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2007/09/13/More_Nuclear_Energy_Why_America_Needs_it_Now

Admiral Frank "Skip" Bowman, President and CEO of the Nuclear Energy Institute, argues that nuclear waste management is a less severe problem than many believe.

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Frank 'Skip' Bowman discusses "More Nuclear Energy: Why America Needs it Now."

The volatility of natural gas prices and the potential for restrictions on coal-fueled power plants have combined to generate greater demand for nuclear power. Nuclear energy expert Bowman will speak frankly on the triumphs and challenges involved in securing a future for nuclear power in the United States. - The Commonwealth Club of California

Admiral Frank L. "Skip" Bowman is a native of Chattanooga, Tenn. He was commissioned following graduation in 1966 from Duke University. In 1973 he completed a dual master's program in nuclear engineering and naval architecture/marine engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and was elected to the Society of Sigma Xi. Adm. Bowman has been awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters from Duke University. Admiral Bowman serves on two visiting committees at MIT (Ocean Engineering and Nuclear Engineering), the Engineering Board of Visitors at Duke University, and the Nuclear Engineering Department Advisory Committee at the University of Tennessee.

Admiral Bowman assumed duties as Director, Naval Nuclear Propulsion, on 27 September 1996, and was promoted to his present rank on 1 October 1996. In this position, he was also Deputy Administrator for Naval Reactors in the National Nuclear Security Administration, Department of Energy. Admiral Bowman retired from the Naval Service in November 2005.

Admiral Bowman is currently president and CEO of the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), positions he has held since February 2005. NEI is the policy organization for the country's commercial nuclear power industry, and its mission includes interaction with Congress and the Executive Branch, as well as the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.