Sea Change Radio

Hosted by Alex Wise

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Latest episode

Jun 2026

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EN-US

About the show

Independent journalism focused on environmental and economic sustainability

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20 recent

June 16, 202629 min

Danna Smith: Southern Forest Restoration Efforts

If you go to the website of the Pellet Fuels Institute – the industry’s trade association, you will see the claim that “wood pellets are renewable and clean-burning.” But the reality is something quite different – the manufacturing and burning of wood pellets have severe environmental, health, and social impacts. This week on Sea Change Radio, we speak with Danna Smith, the Executive Director of the Dogwood Alliance, about her organization’s efforts to keep the wood pellet industry in check and preserve America’s southern forests. More specifically, we focus on a campaign between several non-profits that have come together to create tribal and community-owned forests across the South with the goal of revitalizing local economies through eco-tourism and outdoor recreation.

June 10, 202629 min

Adam Simha: Knives Out

If you remember watching Ginsu knife ads back in the day, you’re already well-aware that the hand can’t cut a tomato. This week on Sea Change Radio, we take a brief time out from all the ills of the world to learn more about knives. We speak to master knife maker Adam Simha about all things cutting. We discuss the ins and outs of knife maintenance, compare the quality of knife manufacturing across various countries and take a look at his new line of high-end knives.

June 2, 202629 min

Air Quality Monitoring: IQAir + PurpleAir

As we kick off summer, looking forward to school breaks, barbeques and live outdoor music, it can also mean wildfire season and with it, bad air. This week on Sea Change Radio, we revisit discussions with the heads of two companies doing their best to let consumers know if the air they are breathing is healthy. First, we speak with Glory Dolphin Hammes, the CEO of IQAir North America, to discuss how her company’s online technology gives us a snapshot of air quality. Then we learn about PurpleAir’s unique crowdsourcing model from the company’s founder, Adrian Dybwad.

May 26, 202629 min

John Walke: The Environmental Threat of AI Data Centers

In 2016, the leader of the MAGA cult (who believes that climate change is some sort of hoax) incorrectly referred to the EPA as the “Department of Environmental Protection,” then vowed to, “get rid of it in almost every form.” After listening to this week’s guest on Sea Change Radio, you might think that getting rid of the EPA actually would have been preferable. Rather than protecting the environment, the EPA in its current iteration is rolling back sensible regulations and frankly wreaking havoc. Today we hear from John Walke, a senior attorney at the NRDC, the Natural Resources Defense Council, to discuss the enormous environmental cost of artificial intelligence, or AI, whose data centers consume ungodly amounts of water and electricity. We learn about the unquenchable thirst of these data centers, how much of this problem is uniquely American, and why new EPA policies constitute a Trojan horse filled with enemies of the environment, poised to pollute and consume at will.

May 19, 202629 min

Lisa Song on EPA Rollbacks and the Dangers of Tear Gas

Several times a day I find myself noting that this administration stinks. It turns out it’s not just the stench of cruelty, chaos, and corruption – it’s air quality issues, too. This week on Sea Change Radio, we are joined by ProPublica reporter Lisa Song to learn how the Trump administration is affecting the air we breathe. First, we discuss Song’s reporting on the EPA’s roll-back of air monitoring systems which allow big polluters to self-report their emissions. Then, we talk about how the EPA is actually questioning its own legal authority to enforce the Clean Air Act. Lastly, we turn to an upsetting story about how the unchecked use of tear gas and pepper spray by federal agents is harming children.

May 12, 202629 min

Sam Abuelsamid on Autonomous Vehicles (re-broadcast)

If you haven’t yet personally witnessed the very odd feeling of driving up to a four-way stop sign only to realize that the vehicle across the street from you has no driver behind the wheel, chances are you will soon enough. Like it or not, autonomous vehicles are coming, and this week on Sea Change Radio we are speaking with Samuel Abuelsamid, an expert on self-driving technology. We take a look back at the evolution of autonomous vehicles, examine the purported “full self-driving mode” offered by Tesla, and discuss some of the sustainability issues surrounding this technology.

May 6, 202629 min

John Stoehr: Gut Check Time For Dems

The recent Supreme Court ruling Louisiana v. Callais not only eviscerated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act and allowed states to enact discriminatory maps with impunity, it was also a brutal reminder that despite record low approval ratings for the current president, reversing the negative impacts of this administration will be a big job. This week on Sea Change Radio, we enjoy a wide-ranging political conversation with John Stoehr of The Editorial Board. We discuss why holding Trump administration actors accountable should be a primary short-term goal for Democrats, look at how the illegal US/Israeli war against Iran is a bridge too far for many progressives, and touch upon the upcoming Senate race in Maine between Graham Platner and Susan Collins.

April 28, 202629 min

Wonder Materials: Bryan Guido Hassin of DexMat

Copper and steel were pivotal to the industrial revolution. But these days, it’s clear that continued reliance on these substances as our key building materials has devastating environmental implications, including habitat destruction from open-pit mining, water toxification from acid mine drainage, and air pollution from sulfur dioxide emissions. Fortunately there’s an emerging array of cutting-edge materials that hold promise for eco-conscious developers. A company named DexMat has developed a material called Galvorn, which is fantastical stuff right out of Spider-Man. This week on Sea Change Radio, we speak with Bryan Guido Hassin, the CEO of the Houston-based DexMat, to learn more about Galvorn. Hassin explains how Galvorn is made, what makes it different from conventional materials, and the many exciting potential applications of this futuristic stuff that could get your radioactive blood pumping.

April 21, 202629 min

Ann Carlson: How Los Angeles Cleaned Up Its Air

For decades, Republicans have been echoing the same mantra, that “government is not the solution, it’s the problem.” And for the most part, when the GOP is in power, this aphorism sadly rings all too true. This week on Sea Change Radio, we speak with Ann E. Carlson, an environmental law professor and former head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration about her new book, Smog and Sunshine: The Surprising Story of How Los Angeles Cleaned Up Its Air. We discuss the sound governmental policies and practices that allowed Los Angelenos to breathe easy again, talk about how private industry lacks sufficient motivation to tackle climate change, and get a glimpse into how today’s law students regard government service.

April 14, 202629 min

Hannah Murnen of Graphyte on the Quest to Remove Carbon

Most of us aren’t aware of just how much carbon dioxide is emitted from biomass waste such as sawdust, forest thinnings, and agricultural residuals but woody biomass energy production emits roughly double the carbon pollution per unit of electricity of coal, and 4.5 times that of gas. This week on Sea Change Radio, we speak to Hannah Murnen, the Chief Technology Officer at a carbon dioxide removal startup known as Graphyte to learn more about the company and the industry as a whole. We discuss how their technology is able to safely store biomass waste that would otherwise decompose or be burned, and get a better understanding of how carbon offsets work.