Stanford University made national news last week when the Board of Trustees announced the decision to divest the $18.7 billion endowment from coal investments. We bring you the story of the students of Fossil Free Stanford who were called into a surprise meeting with Stanford administrators and walked out smiling and speechless.


S4E5: Stanford's Divestment in a Tale of Three Meetings

Biofuels, mainly ethanol, now account for one-tenth of car fuel consumed in the United States and that number is set to rise. But are biofuels the silver bullet for the looming energy crisis? 

Produced by Citlalli Sandoval and Lingzhi Jin. Guests include: Dogpatch Biofuels, San Francisco's only biodiesel gas station; Karl Knapp, Associate Professor for Stanford's Department of Civil Engineering; David Lobell, Associate Director of the Center for Food Security and the Environment at Stanford; and Eric McAfee, entrepreneur, VC and philanthropist in the renewables field.

S4E6: Biofuels, or How GGR Learned About Popcorn-smelling Exhaust

Green Grid Radio returns to the topic of food. This time, we go all the way back to the farm, and to the promise of the tractor. The tractor that promised to make life for farmers easier and our farms more productive.

In today's episode, however, we meet a man who shares a story about the true impact the tractor had on farmers, and ultimately on our ability to grow food.

Hosted by Diane Wu, produced by Erik Olesund and featuring Matt Rothe.

(Photo: Matt and his dad Larry on a combine. Weldona, CO. October, 1979)

S4E7: How The Tractor Ruined Farming

I was born with a disease called cystic fibrosis (CF), the number one genetic killer of children in the United States. The most serious complication of the disease, which affects about 70,000 people worldwide, is the vicious cycle of chronic infection, inflammation and scarring in the lungs caused by defective chloride ion channels in the cell membrane.

Metaphorically speaking, the planet is diseased too. But while I can stand up and talk about my experience, the environment speaks to us in a language that is often incomprehensible to those who don’t study science. It speaks in a set of symptoms, signs that grow louder and clearer by the year.

In Biome, you'll hear two stories that may not seem to have anything to do with each other. But be patient. I'll walk you through a story of DNA and destruction, of colonization and conservation, of the body and the biome.

This piece was produced as part of The Senior Reflection in Biology.  Music used:

The Album Leaf - Blank Pages, A Day in the Life, Perro, Summer Fog, Shine

The American Dollar - Anything You Synthesize

This Will Destroy You - I Believe in Your Victory

Maneli Jamal - Us Against them

Antoine Dufour & Tommy Gauthier - Solitude

Josh Woodward - Together On Our Own

S4E8: Biome

Exploring local wintertime traditions and describing alcoholic beverages in the central European alternative capital, this story is not typical GGR fare. An original (shorter) version of this story appeared on NPR Berlin (http://www.nprberlin.de/post/holiday-report-rixdorf-christmas-market).

Xmas Markets in Berlin (GGR shorts)

It’s the second most-traded commodity in the world after oil but how much do you think about your cup of coffee? From coffee farmers in Colombia to the trash produced by your single-cup coffee machine, Making Contact and Green Grid Radio team up to count the costs of your morning cup o’ joe. 

Hosted by Mallory Smith and George Lavender. Contributing producers: Jennifer Dunn, Laura Flynn, Mallory Smith.

Featuring:
Jairo Martinez, Mariana Cruz, Suzana Angarita, coffee farmers;
Jeff Goldman, former executive director Fairtrade Resource Network;
Jeff Chean, Principal and Chief Coffee Guy Groundworks Roasters
John Hazen, single-cup coffee machine owner;
Rebecca Jewell, recycling program manager for Davis Street Transfer Station

S5E1: Coffee: Trouble Brewing?

Our 2013 interview with Ozzie Zehner about what's wrong with mainstream environmental discourse, and how changing zoning laws in San Francisco could make the world a better place in many different ways. 

S5E2: Thinking Outside the Green

The stories of those in civil society who seek to enact change in the international climate change policy process. Featured is the work of negotiator trackers in the "Adopt a Negotiator" initiative, which aims to paint a personal  face on the negotiators. And we hear the story behind "Fast for the Climate," the narrative of solidarity (and spiritual cleansing) in response to the devastating Typhoon Haiyan.

Photo courtesy of Adopt A Negotiator (https://www.flickr.com/photos/adoptanegotiator/)

S5E3: The Human COP

Engaging and transformative narratives regarding the environment, energy, and sustainability. Through meaningful dialogue about complex subject matter, we seek to educate the public and provoke change on both the individual and societal levels. We also seek to showcase the work of our academic, industry, and student speakers. Produced at Stanford University, CA.

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