This month's episode answers questions from the audience, explores how to get energy from the soil (yep it's a thing), and highlights a big victory in a small town fighting a landfill. We hope you enjoy!

Good News Article

Bad News Article

🌍 Happy Earth Month! 🌱 Get ready for a whirlwind of eco-fun in this slightly shorter (we blame time constraints, not our love for Earth) but equally enlightening episode! Join us as we electrify the airwaves with a discussion on why electrification is like the superhero we need in the fight against climate change. Plus, find out how climate change is teaming up with allergies for an unwelcome duet, and let's raise a glass (of clean water, of course) to celebrate kicking forever chemicals to the curb from our drinking water.

We're always looking for new topics to cover in one of our segments. Comment with a question or use this form to contact the hosts!

Bad News

• 4 reasons why climate change is making your fall allergies worse

Good News

• Biden administration sets first-ever limits on ‘forever chemicals’ in drinking water

This month's episode covers some scary topics like invisible pollution in our air and water that harms our health as well as the energy and economic consequences of unyielding data center development in Virginia.

News Covered in this episode:

- EPA announces New Rules To Cut Down Climate Pollution from Vehicles - Homeowners face rising insurance rates as climate change makes wildfires, storms more common

- Environmentalists hope to keep PFAS out of the James River

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- Ask a question or submit a topic!

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If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Especially if it's coming from polluters.

Today's episode exposes the false promises of pollution intensive industries, a concept known as greenwashing. Tim and Paige also cover how climate change is creating more frequent and intense hurricanes (bad news), but also how the same trees that absorb climate pollution in the Amazon are undergoing stronger protections (good news).

Today's episode is dedicated to a listener we met at VCU. Thanks for following our pod, Mary!

Questions? Visit vasierra.club/questions

Read the covered stories:

Deforestation in Brazilian Amazon down 22% in a year

Category 6? Climate-boosted hurricanes push scientists to rethink classifications

New year, new podcast format! For now on, the show will present four segments designed to bring you good news and bad news on climate, answer your questions about complex terms and concepts, discuss a topic in detail, and provide action opportunities. This weeks topic is on how YOU (yes, you!) can make an impact on Virginia's legislative process. Tim and Paige break down everything from grassroots lobbying to testifying to committees -- two important strategies to pass climate and environmental justice laws in the Commonwealth. Can't wait to put this information into practice? You don't have to by registering for our FIRST Lobby day on January 18 here.

As always, send your burning questions on global warming (see what we did there?) to vasierra.club/questions.

Additional stories featured in this episode:

Bad News: Grapes used in champagne may become harder to grow because of climate change

Good News:

Offshore wind energy work is growing ‘much faster than average,’ and the training takes very little time

2023 was quiet the year! Grassroots power took on big polluters and won big... for the most part. In this episode, Tim and Paige details the years highlights and lowlights and share some headlines about which issues they wish they could cover while shouting out a lot of unsung heroes in the climate justice space. If you're curious about what the climate movement was up to in 2023, Sierra Club Wrapped is for you.

Just because this is the last episode of the year doesn't mean we don't want to hear from our lovely listeners during our break! Please send any questions, topic ideas, comments to vasierra.club/questions.

We'll see you again in 2024!

Transportation may not sound like a scary environmental issue, but it represents biggest source of climate pollution in Virginia and the U.S.! In this episode, our transportation campaigns lead, Cheri Conca, helps us understand the impact of dirty fueled vehicles on our climate, health, wallets, and quality of life. Spoiler Alert: It's not good. Cheri also details common-sense solutions to reducing tailpipe emissions through policy such as the Advanced Clean Car Standards and SMART Scale funding directives. Unsurprisingly, Governor Youngkin is doing his darndest to undermine solutions that protect people and make our communities healthier, safer places to live.

Dominion Energy, Virginia's largest utility, is seeking approval for a plan to build a massive polluting project in Chesterfield county that will harm communities, increase monthly electric bills, and undermine Virginia's climate progress. This episode features special guest, the intrepid and brilliant Dr. Mary Finley-Brook. Dr. Finley-Brook connects the local to the global, highlighting how Dominion gas-plant follows a playbook the fossil fuel industry has used for years to stifle efforts to curb pollution while they rake in massive profits at customers and taxpayers expense.