The Planet Today

Matt and Nick close 2024 and Chapter 1 of TPT with a fun episode, where they just talk about what the show has meant to them, what they’ve learned from it, and their friendship as a whole. After today, TPT will be on hiatus for the start of 2025. After some time to regroup and refocus, the show could either pick back up where it left off, come back with a different structure, or end on a high note...

Matt introduces plays clips of interviews from: August 23, 2024 - Laird Christensen (Prescott College) , October 11, 2024 - Alex Schulze (4Ocean) , November 8, 2024 - James Leitner (Mission Clean Water) , And November 22, 2024 - Fiona Nugent (Made By Fiona) ! Make sure to check out our sponsor for today’s episode at Vala Alta using this link for 15% off.

Matt introduces and plays clips of interviews from: May 17, 2024 - Shubber Ali (Garden for Wildlife) , August 2, 2024 - Chris Bonifati (Pets Add Life) , August 9, 2024 - Amber Wendler (Been Outside) , And August 16, 2024 - Brett Jenks (Rare) ! Make sure to check out our sponsor for today’s episode at Vala Alta using this link for 15% off.

Matt talks about the UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan ( Backroom deals and betrayal: how Cop29’s late $300bn deal left nobody happy ), Scientists creating a mouse from microorganism genes ( Scientists just used genes from a microorganism and created a mouse ,) And burial sites in the U.S. becoming greener ( Life After Death: America’s Cemeteries Are Rewilding )! Matt refere...

Happy Thanksgiving to all of our American listeners! Matt checks in to let everyone know what the team has in store for December and beyond.

Matt interviews Fiona Nugent, the creative mind behind Made by Fiona. Fiona is a friend of Matt’s and a New York City-based knitter, pattern tester, and all-around crafter. They talk about sustainability in fashion, making your own clothing, the fast-fashion problem, and what it means to be environmentally conscious when filling our closets. For more from Fiona, follow her on Instagram , TikTok ,...

Matt talks about this year’s Biodiversity Summit in Colombia before breaking down what the 2024 U.S. Elections mean for the environment and our climate goals. COP16 Sources: COP16: Landmark biodiversity agreements adopted | UN News ‘We are walking a long path’: Some progress at COP16, but so far to go U.S. Election Sources: U.S. Election Sends Alarming Message for Global Climate Efforts What Trump...

Matt interviews James Leitner, the Founder and Executive Director of Mission Clean Water (MCW). James recently returned from Uganda where his team installed hand-pump water systems to help bring clean water closer to the communities the wells service. MCW aims to address a major issue with clean water projects in Africa: 60% of them fail within the first two years, according to the World Health Or...

Matt and Nick end this week’s show talking about this week’s upcoming elections, specifically environmental policies. Before that, they quickly cover the U.K. going coal free ( How Britain became the first major economy to quit coal ), 10 new amphibian species discovered in National Park in Bolivia ( Madidi National Park in Bolivia May Be the Protected Area with the Highest Amphibian Species Diver...

Matt interviews Larry Selzer, President and CEO of The Conservation Fund (TCF), who is revolutionizing conservation by integrating environmental protection with economic growth. TCF operates in all 50 states, pioneering innovative financing and partnerships to safeguard nature, wildlife, and enhance communities to increase economic opportunity Larry’s leadership embodies a forward-looking approach...

Matt interviews Maria Cho, the CEO of Triplebar , a pioneering biotech firm using advanced technology to tackle the urgent issues of food and drug supply. With a passion for leveraging biology to address global challenges, Maria leads her team in creating sustainable and nutritious food solutions. Maria is an expert in biotechnology and its impact on the food system. Go check out Triplebar’s profi...

Matt interviews Alex Schulze, the co-founder and CEO of 4ocean , a global ocean cleanup company founded in 2017. It aims to remove plastic and glass waste from oceans and coastlines, recycling the materials to make bracelets. Each bracelet sold funds the removal of one pound of trash. Under Alex’s leadership, 4ocean has removed over 38 million pounds of trash from the ocean and employs more than 2...

Matt and Nick talk about houses falling into the ocean in the Outer Banks ( Another Outer Banks home collapses into North Carolina ocean, the 3rd to fall since Friday ), Climate change’s impact on Europe’s flooding ( Europe’s September rains were twice as likely due to climate change ), German education about beer-making ( Brewing a cold beer on a warming planet is hard. Germany uses education to...

Matt and Nick talk about U.S. methane levels still increasing ( ‘Red Flags’ on Climate: U.S. Methane Emissions Keep Climbing ), The lack of emissions reductions targets around the world ( Some 40% of regions, cities and companies lack emissions-cut targets, survey says ), Three Mile Island set to reopen ( Three Mile Island nuclear power plant will reopen for Microsoft ), A tobacco-like warning for...

Matt talks about California's lawsuit against ExxonMobil, which was filed yesterday. Our apologies for the feint ambulance siren in the background in the beginning. Guest appearance by Matt's cat Penny who was meowing because he recorded this during dinner time. Source for today's episode: California sues ExxonMobil for alleged decades of deception around plastic recycling . Other sources: Califor...

Matt interviews Cristin Lyons, a Partner and Energy Practice Leader at ScottMadden . The two discuss balancing objectives and trade-offs in the clean energy transitions. ScottMadden is one of the leading energy management consulting firms in the U.S. focused on transmission and distribution, the grid edge, generation, energy markets, rates and regulation, natural gas, and more. Cristin oversees Sc...

Matt interviews Manda Scott, author of Any Human Power , a novel that aims to craft a path through from where we are , while ensuring those that come after us inherit a planet we would be proud of. Manda has degrees in veterinary medicine and a Masters in Regenerative Economics. Her life is oriented towards creating radical new narratives that will pave the way to the total systemic change our cul...

Matt and Nick talk about Joe Biden ending his campaign for reelection ( President Joe Biden drops out of 2024 presidential race ), Summer 2024 was the most humid summer ever ( You just lived through the most humid summer on record ), An update on the Rio Grande and Colorado Rivers treaty ( Water treaty between Mexico and U.S. faces biggest test in 80 years ), Recyclable wind turbines potentially o...

Matt interviews Marcy Thrash, Program Director of Project AnimalAid . Project AnimalAid is dedicated to improving the health and welfare of animals in the U.S. and around the world by collecting veterinary equipment, technology and supplies from veterinary hospitals, human hospitals, medical equipment and supply manufacturers, zoos, other non-profit organizations and individuals. These donated ite...

Matt interviews Laird Christensen , a writer, teacher, and activist focused on addressing the global climate crisis through local sustainability efforts and intentional community building. As the pioneering Director of online Graduate Programs at Prescott College in Environmental Studies and Resilient and Sustainable Communities, he reshaped distance education, stressing practical application in s...

Matt interviews Brett Jenks , the CEO of Rare , a nonprofit that has led environmental conservation projects for 50 years and impacted the lives of millions, helping people and nature thrive together through community-led efforts across 60 countries. Brett was a journalist and film producer before he traveled to Costa Rica in 1992 for a government-partnered English teaching program. There, he desi...

Matt interviews Amber Wendler, a PhD candidate in the Department of Biological Sciences at Virginia Tech, an Interfaces of Global Change Fellow, and National Science Foundation GRFP Fellow. Last year, she co-edited a book called Been Outside: Adventures of Black Women, Nonbinary, and Gender Nonconforming People in Nature. For more from Amber, check out her website or follow her on instagram . Make...

Matt interviews Chris Bonifati, co-host of Pets Add Life , a podcast dedicated to the pet industry. The show covers topics including pet products, pet insurance, pet safety, and trips to the vet. Chris boasts an extensive career within the Pet Industry, notably serving as a key Trade Show organizer for APPA/Global Pet Expo. Chris has been a guest host on The Planet Today many times between 2021-20...

Matt interviews Levar Jackson , CEO of Yogh Group , which designs sustainable technologies for the hospitality industry in partnership with Oregon State University. Yogh Group’s technologies focus on efficient electricity, sustainable hotels, and an automated algae growth system for sustainable food, beverages, beauty products, and more. Levar also serves as President of NEWH New York , which prov...

Matt interviews Gerald Leonard . Gerald is the Publishing Editor, CEO, and Founder of the Leonard Productivity Intelligence Institute and Turnberry Premiere . Turnberry Premiere has recently partnered with Greenly, the leading carbon management platform, to help companies start their climate journey easily and affordably. His third book, “A Symphony of Choices: How Mentorship Taught a Manager Deci...