How 'Bout We Don't? The Pollution Solutions Show

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 Get Involved! - Ask a question or submit a topic! - Get updates about actions! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sierra-club-va/message

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 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sierra-club-va/message

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 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sierra-club-va/message

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! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sierra-club-va/message

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. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sierra-club-va/message

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. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sierra-club-va/message

Offshore wind represents a lot of good for Virginia. It's a clean energy source, an economic vehicle, and an industry powerhouse if we develop it correctly. This episode Paige explores what offshore wind is (and isn't) and all that this exciting concept has to offer. To learn more about offshore wind, visit --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sierra-club-va/message

This episode features a very special guest McKenna Dunbar, Electrification lead at the Sierra Club Virginia Chapter. Electrification is the notion that every home and building can be powered without any connections to fossil fuels. McKenna and Tim talk about how fossil fuel appliances release pollution outside and inside our homes that are harmful to climate, health, and financial wellbeing. It's also cheaper than any before to electrify your home because of the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act. McKenna talks with Tim about the many benefits of electrification and how it is vital to a livable future. More information: https://www.rewiringamerica.org/app/ira-calculator https://www.sierraclub.org/virginia/building-electrification-everywhere https://vasierra.club/questions --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sierra-club-va/message

Misinformation represents a major obstacles between us and a livable future. This week's episode features a special guest, Kierra Johnson from Progress Virginia, who walks us through the problem of misinformation, where it comes from, how to identify it, and how to combat it. Huge thanks to Kierra for sharing their lengthy knowledge on the subject! If you don't follow Progress Virginia, you should. https://www.instagram.com/progress_va/ https://twitter.com/ProgressVA https://www.facebook.com/ProgressVA/ https://www.tiktok.com/@progress_va --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sierra-club-va/message

The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) is a program that makes the power sector pay money to the state for how much they pollute. The money raised by RGGI is invested back into communities. RGGI has been wildly successful in Virginia, raising over a billion dollars to strengthen Virginia's communities and lower our electric bills through energy efficiency programs. It's also popular with everyone except the fossil fuel industry and their pro-polluter allies like Governor Glenn Youngkin. This episode both describes the massive benefit of Virginia keeping the RGGI program and details how Governor Youngkin is trying to get rid of it. Learn more and social media links: Sierraclub.org/Virginia/support-RGGI https://vasierra.club/updates https://www.instagram.com/vasierraclub/?hl=en https://twitter.com/vasierraclub --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sierra-club-va/message