The Best 10 EarthDay Podcasts To Unlock Your Green Side
Not that every day shouldn’t be earthday, but now that April is officially upon us, it’s time we look at what podcasts have to offer up.
Podcasts pair very well with nature. Don’t you just love bringing your favorite podcast with you outside for a walk, to sit under a tree, or to hang out at the park? One of my favorite activities when I’m in a rut, creatively, is going on a podcast walk. I stick my AirPods in and set out on an outdoor adventure with zero destination in mind.
I listen to whatever’s in my queue. After just a few minutes of hearing from my favorite hosts and creators, ideas start flowing. On this Earth Day, let’s connect the two.
Table of Contents
Why we Celebrate Earth Day and the History of Earth Day
Ironically, we celebrate EarthDay because climate activists and Richard Nixon got on a bit of an environmental kick in the late 1960s. So, the history of EarthDay is a little weird. The first Earth Day was celebrated in 1970 and by the end of that year, the Nixon administration had created the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and passed the Clean Air Act.
Environmental degradation and the world’s biodiversity have to be crashing pretty hard for the environmental movement to team up with Richard Nixon. Have environmental issues improved much since then?
Well, we are certainly using more renewable sources of energy and there is an official government organization devoted to problems like air pollution. So maybe future generations have a chance?
These podcasts ought to help us answer some of these pressing questions.
On to The Best EarthDay Podcasts For Your Normal Rotation
While you can find a podcast on pretty much any topic these days, including some fantastic science podcasts generally (let me know if you need any recommendations), in this blog post, I want to highlight podcasts that focus on climate change, the earth, sustainability, and similar topics. Earth Day is here! Let’s celebrate with some audio.
Climate Vision 2050
If you like audio fiction mixed with hope, this show is for you. It imagines a world in which we’ve radically reduced carbon emissions and saved ourselves from a climate catastrophe. The year is 2050. Do you think it’s possible? Listen to find out!
Climavores
How does food fit into the climate and sustainability discussion? Climavores looks into food systems and human consumption habits via this weekly chat show with journalists Tamar Haspel and Mike Grunwald. Learn about how wheat, a vital crop to so many diets, also has some pretty rough climate problems such as causing soil degradation.
Drilled
Amy Westervelt is an award-winning investigative journalist who looks into what she calls “true crimes about climate change.” In her latest series, which dropped both on the Drilled and Damages podcast feeds, Westervelt looks into what happened when Guyanese government officials announced they’d struck oil 40 miles offshore. The show looks at what oil colonialism looks like in the 21st century, and why everyone should care.
Still TBD
Curious about green tech? Still TBD is a solutions-oriented podcast from brothers Matt and Sean Ferrell, who discuss electric vehicles, renewable energy, smart technology, and how all of these impact our lives. Recently, Matt and Sean discussed how the future is… worms? Matt’s popular YouTube channel Undecided, which explores how sustainable and smart technologies impact our lives, has more than a million followers. Still TBD brings his smart and creative reporting and storytelling straight to your ears.
A Matter of Degrees
There’s a lot of doom and gloom when it comes to the climate crisis. Americans like to bounce between optimism and pessimism on a pretty regular basis. It’s something of a staple of the United States.
But what tools do we have to actually do something about it? On A Matter of Degrees, hosts Dr. Leah Stokes and Dr. Katharine Wilkinson discuss current events with a bend towards action, like reducing reliance on fossil fuels like natural gas.
Meet leaders in the climate justice movement, such as Marina Anderson, deputy director of the Sustainable Southeast Partnership, and learn how they are fighting the impacts of the climate crisis.
House on Fire
But where are the young people? You know, the people who are hopefully gonna live on this planet as it warms up… Right here! This show is a youth-centered podcast based in climate ground zero, AKA Miami, Florida. House on Fire brings you intersectional and intergenerational conversations with scientists, activists, artists, and more about how to become active in the climate crisis movement. If you’re looking to get involved, this show will be right up your alley.
TILclimate
Need news about climate change? Need it fast? TILclimate, the award-winning show from MIT, will give it to you. Each episode focuses on one topic and tells you what you need to know about it as it relates to the climate crisis and what you can do about it.
Climate Rising
How does the world of business factor into the climate crisis? Climate Rising from Harvard Business School brings business and policy leaders together to share insights about what business have done, are currently doing, and can do in the future to combat climate change. Where should companies be located? How should they make purchasing decisions? Where should their product roadmaps be focused on? Climate Rising explores these questions and more.
The Trail Ahead
When we refer to “the great outdoors,” what do we really mean? Hosts Faith E. Briggs and Addie Thompson are athletes, environmental advocates, and activities. On The Trail Ahead, they speak with folks from all walks of life about what the outdoors means to them. Part of that discussion is focused on environmental sustainability, but also on equal access to being and enjoying “the great outdoors.”
Outside/In
Humans “use” the natural world in a number of ways. Outside/In explores how, mixing powerful storytelling and reporting to cover topics like hiking, sledding, driving, worms, and so much more. Each episode investigates a topic and shares reflections on how we depict nature. Curious about competitive sled dog racing and how it relates to the climate? Outside/In has got you covered.
Conclusion
This may be where we are ending today, but it isn’t really the conclusion. Get out there and volunteer. Continue to recycle. Pick up a bit of extra litter in your day to day life. Start to compost. Swap out a plastic bottle for a metal flask. Learn something about the endangered species act.
There are a myriad of activities we can collectively do to save our oceans and the planet. Including listening to the relevant podcasts and vetting your resources. Don’t let EarthDay be something we only think about during the spring equinox. It can be something we take part in each and every day.
Happy Earth Day 2023! I hope these podcasts help you celebrate this planet and also expose you to some stories, people, and opportunities you may not have been aware of previously. Happy listening.
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