Everything is Fine in SWWA

Today Karissa spoke with Alex Brennan, the Executive Director of Futurewise, an organization from Washington that believes the elements of a strong, resilient community are the same no matter its size. You should have a healthy home you can afford; be able to walk, bike, roll, and take transit where you need to go; have access to food from local farms; and enjoy stunning natural spaces and wildlif...

Today Karissa speaks with Kristin Edmark, a local climate ally who specializes in the movement to divest from fossil fuels. We discuss the Third Act effort to stop American banks from investing in environmental destruction. We also discuss how Washington state is still INSANELY investing peoples’ pensions (amounting to BILLIONS OF $) in fossil fuels, and the effort to change that being lead by a g...

Today’s episode is our second installment of our Legislative Session Series. We talk about the replacement levies that will be on your special election ballot if you are in the city. Ballots are out now and need turned in by February 14th! Spread some love on Valentine’s Day with your YES vote on both Prop 6 to fund Vancouver Public Schools and Prop 3 for the Affordable Housing Fund. We also discu...

On this episode, we speak with returning guest Sara Schmit, who has an MA in Behavioral Health and is a credentialed Washington state substance use disorder counselor, about addiction, the treatment process, myths about recovery, and the truth about our brains! We aren’t going to have our traditional call-to-action at the end of the episode; rather, we hope you walk away with more knowledge that c...

Welcome to the first episode of our Legislative Session Series, which will be an ongoing series on bills and hearings with very specific and timely calls-to-action for testimony, whether in the Washington State Legislature or closer to home! On this episode, we speak with Treasure Mackley, executive director of Invest in Washington Now, a movement of educators, working families, and everyday Washi...

Today’s episode is all about universal healthcare! Andre Stackhouse, campaign director of Whole Washington, graciously joins us to answer all your questions about the universal healthcare effort in Washington state! Karissa also shares a story in the intro about a chance encounter, a remarkable coincidence, and where she learned about our state senator representing Washington’s 49th legislative di...

We were ELATED to speak with Rebecca Small, Senior Policy Analyst and Neighborhood Liaison for the City of Vancouver, who gave us the rundown on all things to do with the Climate Action Framework that just passed Vancouver City Council earlier this month. This included everything from what to expect, most exciting aspects, listener concerns, how to protect this framework to ensure it is implemente...

We were so pleased to be joined by Tina Barrows, a local climate activist who partakes in civil disobedience and disruptive action, specializing in OUTSTANDING artistic props and organizing with groups such as Extinction Rebellion and Declare Emergency. She details all the different actions she’s been involved in, and we discuss the controversy that surrounds certain actions as well as the histori...

A climate change primer for you! We explain the warming potential, half-lives, and sources of the main greenhouse gases, as well as the greenhouse gas effect itself. Knowledge is power, and knowing the basics helps us understand that climate change is 1) anthropogenic, and 2) an issue we can actually do something about---we are not helpless! We also hope to boost your confidence in talking about c...

TRIGGER WARNING: Violence, Hate Speech, (Extra) Profanity Karissa and Sydney sit down again for another unfortunate fascism update. We talk how hateful rhetoric has produced hateful action in recent instances, go deeper into the insidious spread of groomer theory under the guise of media figures “just asking questions” and how it’s gone under the radar of well-meaning locals, parallels to Nazi tac...

Introducing our Climate Change Series! This is a quick & dirty convo where we myth-bust some of the common misconceptions about all things climate change and explain how to use the Socratic Method to help you in those fun conversations with family over holiday dinner. Later in the series, we will be deep-diving further into many issues we merely touch on here in this episode, but this will be a ni...

13. Midterm Elections: Results, Analysis, & What’s Next by Everything is Fine in SWWA

Ashley Blose, mutual aid organizer for the Vancouver Free Fridge Project, joins the podcast to walk us through the stark realities of houselessness, speaking from both her personal and organizing experience. Those who have not been through this experience will never fully understand the day-to-day struggles, but Ashley gets us very close with her descriptions. We talk about how just one single dom...

Everything is Fine in SWWA went DEEP on this one! From press passes to the second debate between Marie & Joe to a Joe Kent town hall, we immersed ourselves in the frenzy surrounding & rhetoric of the Joe Kent campaign. We talk of the theme of persecution expressed by Joe Kent's supporters, Kent's spin on reality to provoke the fear response, & analyzing who his policies are actually in service of....

Hector Hinojosa, candidate for County Council District 1, sits down to talk with us about the issues. Climate change was on all of our minds given that it was 85 degrees in mid-October and with the burgeoning Nakia Creek Fire in the news. Hector is the only one in any of the CC Council races to explicitly state that a Climate Action Framework similar to the Vancouver City Council’s would be a top...

Some of you here in Clark County might not realize the importance of this election for Clark Public Utilities Commissioner. Let Don Steinke tell you why we need to get rid of 30-year incumbent Nancy Barnes, whose greatest achievement is a coal-fired power plant from the 90's that she won't let go of. Moreover, let Don demonstrate through both his talk and actions why he is the most experienced, qu...

Sue Marshall drops by for a lovely chat, elaborating on her lonnggggg list of experience in public service and conservation before becoming a farmer 7 years ago here locally. She easily demonstrates her knowledge of the needs of the rural community because she herself is a part of that community. One of Sue's passions is ensuring that agriculture remains appreciated and protected in Clark County f...

We were so happy to be able to sit down with working-class candidate Chartisha Roberts, who we are supporting for the position of Clark County Councilor, District 2! We talk all the top issues, such as population growth, affordable housing, transportation, climate action, homelessness, and public safety. What we love about Chartisha is that she wears her heart on her sleeve, and it gets a bit emot...

This minisode is a quick and timely update in recent developments related to the campaigns of Joe Kent for Congress and Rey Reynolds for Clark County Sheriff. Us at Everything is Fine in SWAA broke this story that was completely overlooked by our local media outlets about Joe Kent and Rey Reynolds joining up for a live taping in Battleground of a Christian Nationalist Podcast called Cross Politic...

This episode is all about FASCISM! For those who questioned whether we appropriately used the F-word to describe Joe Kent in our pilot episode, we are here with the RECEIPTS---detailing the definition and elements of fascism laid out by scholars and those who lived under fascist dictatorships, such as Umberto Eco who lived in fascist Italy. We also make sure to define some other misunderstood word...

Evelyn is on a well-deserved vacation for this episode, and she is missed! Fortunately, we arranged for our first ever interview with the rogue Sara Schmit---avid biker, street equity advocate, MA in Behavioral Health, Washington State licensed Substance Use Disorder Professional, and self-described average person to speak on a range of issues. Active transportation and infrastructure design are S...