
KPFA - Terra Verde
Environment
Terra Verde delivers news and views about the most critical environmental issues across California and globally. From agriculture and wildlife to energy and climate change, industrial pollution to design solutions, Terra Verde brings you stories of struggle and triumph that will determine the future of our planet.
Location:
Berkeley, CA
Description:
Terra Verde delivers news and views about the most critical environmental issues across California and globally. From agriculture and wildlife to energy and climate change, industrial pollution to design solutions, Terra Verde brings you stories of struggle and triumph that will determine the future of our planet.
Language:
English
Email:
terraverdekpfa@gmail.com
Episodes
Terra Verde – February 7, 2025
2/7/2025
A weekly public affairs show that delivers news and views about the most important environmental issues in California and globally. The post Terra Verde – February 7, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.
Confronting California’s Wildfire Crisis
1/31/2025
California’s growing wildfire crisis has impacted nearly every corner of the state in recent years, and this month we’ve witnessed a series of deadly, destructive, and unprecedented January wildfires in southern California. Governor Gavin Newsom created the California Wildfire & Forest Resilience Task Force in 2021 to introduce a more holistic, integrated approach toward effective forest management. The Task Force is a collaborative effort that unites federal, state, local, and tribal organizations to better manage forests, protect communities, and adapt to California’s fire-prone reality. On this episode of Terra Verde, host Fiona McLeod speaks with Patrick Wright, Director of the Task Force, to discuss their progress, challenges, and how we can all play a part in building a safer, more fire-resilient future in California. The post Confronting California’s Wildfire Crisis appeared first on KPFA.
Youth Climate Activists Demand Accountability for the LA Fires
1/24/2025
California is facing a growing crisis as wildfires become more frequent, intense, and devastating. In the face of the catastrophic wildfires in Los Angeles this month, youth climate activists there are sounding the alarm. Local activists from the Sunrise Movement’s LA chapter made headlines last week by staging a takeover of the Phillips 66 refinery, demanding accountability from the fossil fuel industry for its role in driving the climate crisis. On this episode of Terra Verde, host Fiona McLeod speaks with Suzie Hicks, also known as “the Climate Chick,” and Nico Gardner Serna of Sunrise LA. We discuss the connections between the LA fires and the fossil fuel industry, climate justice and education, and their fight for a livable future. Suzie Hicks is an award-winning filmmaker, author, and television host. They specialize in climate and environmental communication for kids of all ages. Their show, Suzie Hicks the Climate Chick teaches kids about climate change and empowers children and their families to care for the earth and themselves. Nicolas Gardner Serna is a community organizer and political strategist working at the intersection of economic and climate justice. As Chapter Coordinator of the Sunrise Movement LA, Nico works to build powerful campaigns to take on corporate polluters. He is currently leading an effort to address orphan oil wells in LA. The post Youth Climate Activists Demand Accountability for the LA Fires appeared first on KPFA.
Duration:00:29:58
Bird Flu has Spread to Dairy and Humans. How Worried Should We Be?
1/17/2025
A colorized transmission electron micrograph of H5N1 virus particles (purple). Photo courtesy of NIAID and CDC. As wildfires continue smoldering in Los Angeles, looming over the horizon is another worrying development — the growing spread of bird flu. This strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza, or HPAI – first detected in the United States in February 2022 — has since swept through poultry and dairy farms across the country and has jumped over to infecting humans as well. In December, the first fatal human case of H5N1 was reported in Louisiana. According to latest figures from the Centers for Disease Control, so far there have been 67 human cases of bird flu nationwide since 2024, 38 of which occurred in California, the most out of any state. Yesterday, the CDC confirmed that a San Francisco child was the second child in the Bay Area, and the country, to contract the virus. So how serious is the situation? How worried should we be? What should we be doing to safeguard ourselves and animals? To answer these questions, Earth Island Journal editor-in-chief and cohost Maureen Nandini Mitra talks with the two Dr, Maurice Pitesky from the University of California, Davis’ School for Veterinary Medicine, and Dr. William Schaffner of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases. Here is an interactive map the UC Davis School for Veterivary Medicine made that shows the entire outbreak in the Americas. The post Bird Flu has Spread to Dairy and Humans. How Worried Should We Be? appeared first on KPFA.
Tackling Whale Entanglements Along the California Coast
1/10/2025
A humpback whale entangled in fishing gear in Monterey Bay, California, last year. Photo by Robin Gwen Agarwal. Every year, hundreds of thousands of whales, dolphins, sea turtles, and other animals die globally from entanglement in fishing equipment. Countless more are injured. Along the US West Coast, impacted species include humpback whales, gray whales, and fin whales. Despite the breadth of the problem, information about entanglements, including where they occurred, what animals were impacted, and what kind of fishing gear was involved, can in some cases be hard to come by. Tara Brock, Pacific legal director and senior counsel with Oceana, and Ben Grundy, oceans campaigner with the Center for Biological Diversity, join Terra Verde host and producer Zoe Loftus-Farren to discuss their work on the issue, including efforts to fill information gaps, steer us towards practical solutions, and ultimately, reduce the number of animals ensnared in our fishing gear. The post Tackling Whale Entanglements Along the California Coast appeared first on KPFA.
“Casas Capay Valley” Farmworker Housing Pilot
1/3/2025
Latinx farmworkers, who make up over 80% of California’s agricultural workforce, face some of the state’s lowest levels of food security, wealth, and homeownership. This week on Terra Verde, host and producer Hannah Wilton is joined by longtime farmer and co-owner of Full Belly Farm Paul Muller to discuss their research and development initiative to create a replicable model of affordable homeownership for farmworkers. Their pilot project, “Casas Capay Valley,” will provide resident-owned housing for several farmworker families employed at Full Belly Farm through the acquisition of a 43-acre parcel in Yolo County by a community land trust. Muller speaks to the importance of strengthening rural communities, building equity for farmworkers, and fostering long-term social and economic stability for California’s agricultural workforce. The post “Casas Capay Valley” Farmworker Housing Pilot appeared first on KPFA.
Duration:00:29:58
Terra Verde – December 27, 2024
12/27/2024
A weekly public affairs show that delivers news and views about the most important environmental issues in California and globally. The post Terra Verde – December 27, 2024 appeared first on KPFA.
Remembrance as Resistance
12/20/2024
Never Forget: A vigil for Honduran environmental activist and Indigenous leader Berta Cáceres in front of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights headquarters in San José, Costa Rica in April 2016. Cáceres was murdered in her home in Honduras on March 3, 2016. Photo by Daniel Cima. Writer essayist, and journalist Lauren Markham soon-to-be released book, Immemorial, reflects on how language and memorials can offer strategies for coping with climate anxiety and grief. Journalist, activist, and author Jason Mark has a book-in-progress, The Remembered Earth: How Our Memories of Nature Can Protect the Planet, which delves into the so-called “shifting baseline syndrome” and explores antidotes to environmental amnesia. In this episode of Terra Verde, Earth Island Journal editor-in-chief and cohost Maureen Nandini Mitra talks with the two writers about their new books, the power of words, and how the mere act of remembering can be action. The post Remembrance as Resistance appeared first on KPFA.
Terra Verde – December 6, 2024
12/6/2024
A weekly public affairs show that delivers news and views about the most important environmental issues in California and globally. The post Terra Verde – December 6, 2024 appeared first on KPFA.
Terra Verde – November 29, 2024
11/29/2024
A weekly public affairs show that delivers news and views about the most important environmental issues in California and globally. The post Terra Verde – November 29, 2024 appeared first on KPFA.
Duration:00:29:58
Eliminating Herbicides on UC Berkeley’s Campus
11/22/2024
College campuses have a critical role to play in creating healthier environments for students, faculty and staff, and surrounding communities by eliminating synthetic pesticide use. Right here in our own backyard, UC Berkeley has made important steps toward transitioning to organic, biodiverse land management practices in recent years. On this episode of Terra Verde, host Fiona McLeod speaks with Mackenzie Feldman, founder and director of Re:wild Your Campus and Lydia Woltjer, Manager of the Landscape Services department at UC Berkeley, about their efforts to eliminate pesticide use on campus, create healthier green spaces, and set a precedent for sustainable land management at universities across the country. The post Eliminating Herbicides on UC Berkeley’s Campus appeared first on KPFA.
Duration:00:29:58
California vs. Trump 2.0
11/15/2024
An anti-Trump protest in Los Angeles in 2016, when he was first elected president. California is expected to be the special focus of the president-elect’s ire. Photo by Ken Shin. In California — a state whose progressive environmental policies have been the special focus of Trump’s ire — policymakers and environmentalists are bracing for the impacts of a second Trump administration where Republicans have full control of both houses. Lawmakers are gearing up to use state and local government powers to safeguard the environment and communities from imminent destructive federal policies. And on the ground, community groups and activists are preparing to organize. To give us a sense of the efforts underway in the state to “Trump Proof” California, Earth Island Journal editor-in-chief and Terra Verde cohost Maureen Nandini Mitra talks with Ken Alex, director of Project Climate and former senior policy advisor on climate, environment, and energy to Governor Jerry Brown. The post California vs. Trump 2.0 appeared first on KPFA.
Terra Verde – November 8, 2024
11/8/2024
A weekly public affairs show that delivers news and views about the most important environmental issues in California and globally. The post Terra Verde – November 8, 2024 appeared first on KPFA.
Terra Verde – November 1, 2024
11/1/2024
A weekly public affairs show that delivers news and views about the most important environmental issues in California and globally. The post Terra Verde – November 1, 2024 appeared first on KPFA.
Duration:00:29:58
Making History in Riverland Conservation
10/25/2024
In September, Western Rivers Conservancy conveyed the 466-acre Dillon Beach Ranch to the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria for permanent conservation and stewardship. With this historic land-back conservation deal, the Tribe (comprised of Coast Miwok and Southern Pomo Indians) regains ownership and stewardship of lands within their aboriginal territory, spanning across Sonoma and Marin Counties. The property includes 1.5 miles of the Estero de San Antonio, home to critical habitat for a vast array of plants and wildlife, including the federally listed northern tidewater goby. Western Rivers Conservancy’s (WRC) Conservation Director, Josh Kling, joins host and producer Hannah Wilton on this week’s Terra Verde episode to discuss this historic land-back ownership transfer and other riverland conservation initiatives in the West. Among them, Blue Creek Salmon Sanctuary and Yurok Tribal Community Forest in collaboration with the Yurok Tribe, and an ongoing partnership with the Esselen Tribe in Big Sur to protect and repatriate a mile of the Little Sur River. The post Making History in Riverland Conservation appeared first on KPFA.
Duration:00:29:58
Young Climate Activists Inspire Hope
10/18/2024
Clockwise from top: Amelia Southern-Uribe, Austin Picinich, and Asa Miller. Photos courtesy of BYA. Three young activists from across the US — Asa Miller, Amelia Southern-Uribe, and Austin Picinich, who received the 2024 Brower Youth Awards at a ceremony in Berkeley last week talk with Earth Island Journal editor-in-chief and Terra Verde cohost Maureen Nandini Mitra about their outstanding efforts to promote ecological sustainability and environmental justice, what inspires them, the challenges they have had to overcome, and more. The post Young Climate Activists Inspire Hope appeared first on KPFA.
Duration:00:14:31
Taking Big Plastic to Court
10/11/2024
Photo by Cassandra Nelson / UNSOM. Plastics are pretty much inescapable these days, and that’s no mistake. The plastics industry has flooded our lives with countless single-use product, from bags, to food packaging, to drink bottles. This plastic now fills our landfills, litters our coastlines, and permeates our bodies. And still, the plastics industry creates more, pointing to plastics recyclability as the solution to our mounting plastic pollution crisis. Of course, recycling isn’t the solution they claim it is. Only 9 percent of the plastic that has been pumped into the world since 1950 has been recycled. And here in the US, only about 5 percent of the single-use plastic products we use today are recycled. As the scale of the crisis grows, environmental advocates have started taking plastic producers and distributors to court for their role in deceiving the the public and driving the crisis we now find ourselves in. Sumona Majumdar, Chief Executive Officer of Earth Island Institute, and Dianna Cohen, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Plastic Pollution Coalition, join Terra Verde Host and Earth Island Journal Managing Editor Zoe Loftus-Farren to talk about these efforts The post Taking Big Plastic to Court appeared first on KPFA.
Duration:00:29:57
Recognizing the Rights of Nature
10/4/2024
The Rights of Nature is one of the fastest-growing environmental justice movements in the world. Based on traditional Indigenous knowledge, the legal framework recognizes nature and ecosystems as inherently rights-bearing entities with legal standing in court, rather than treating nature as property. On this episode of Terra Verde, Shannon Biggs and Isabella Zizi, from the Bay Area-based organization Movement Rights, and Crystal Cavalier-Keck, Co-Founder of Seven Directions of Service, join host Fiona McLeod to talk about the interconnectedness between the movements for Rights of Nature, Indigenous rights, and climate justice. The post Recognizing the Rights of Nature appeared first on KPFA.
Duration:00:29:58
Special Fund Drive Programming – September 27, 2024
9/27/2024
Please donate online at kpfa.org or by calling 1800-439-5732 The post Special Fund Drive Programming – September 27, 2024 appeared first on KPFA.
Terra Verde – September 20, 2024
9/20/2024
A weekly public affairs show that delivers news and views about the most important environmental issues in California and globally. The post Terra Verde – September 20, 2024 appeared first on KPFA.