How 'Bout We Don't? The Pollution Solutions Show

WE'RE BACK! After a long hiatus, the most popular Virginia Sierra Club podcast is back with a new co-host and a new segment. The first episode of our third season introduces our new host, rants about some particularly bad news coming from the new administration, and game of translating complexity into simplicity, and a discussion on how much polluters' money influences our political system...

It's our Halloween episode! *Thunder strike* This week we cover how climate change is impacting housing affordability, new technology to make clean energy more efficient and cheaper, and how Dominion Energy plans to raise electric bills by 50% -- scary stuff!

We are baaaaaaack! After a long summer break, Tim and Paige are back to talk ticks, the Navy's clean energy goals, and the many ways "natural" gas is a harmful and expensive energy source.

This month's episode answers questions from the audience, explores how to get energy from the soil (yep it's a thing), and highlights a big victory in a small town fighting a landfill. We hope you enjoy! Good News Article Bad News Article

🌍 Happy Earth Month! 🌱 Get ready for a whirlwind of eco-fun in this slightly shorter (we blame time constraints, not our love for Earth) but equally enlightening episode! Join us as we electrify the airwaves with a discussion on why electrification is like the superhero we need in the fight against climate change. Plus, find out how climate change is teaming up with allergies for an unwelcome du...

This month's episode covers some scary topics like invisible pollution in our air and water that harms our health as well as the energy and economic consequences of unyielding data center development in Virginia. News Covered in this episode: - EPA announces New Rules To Cut Down Climate Pollution from Vehicles - Homeowners face rising insurance rates as climate change makes wildfires, storms...

If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Especially if it's coming from polluters. Today's episode exposes the false promises of pollution intensive industries, a concept known as greenwashing. Tim and Paige also cover how climate change is creating more frequent and intense hurricanes (bad news), but also how the same trees that absorb climate pollution in the Amazon are u...

New year, new podcast format! For now on, the show will present four segments designed to bring you good news and bad news on climate, answer your questions about complex terms and concepts, discuss a topic in detail, and provide action opportunities. This weeks topic is on how YOU (yes, you!) can make an impact on Virginia's legislative process. Tim and Paige break down everything from grassr...

2023 was quiet the year! Grassroots power took on big polluters and won big... for the most part. In this episode, Tim and Paige details the years highlights and lowlights and share some headlines about which issues they wish they could cover while shouting out a lot of unsung heroes in the climate justice space. If you're curious about what the climate movement was up to in 2023, Sierra Club...

Transportation may not sound like a scary environmental issue, but it represents biggest source of climate pollution in Virginia and the U.S.! In this episode, our transportation campaigns lead, Cheri Conca, helps us understand the impact of dirty fueled vehicles on our climate, health, wallets, and quality of life. Spoiler Alert: It's not good. Cheri also details common-sense solutions to red...

Dominion Energy, Virginia's largest utility, is seeking approval for a plan to build a massive polluting project in Chesterfield county that will harm communities, increase monthly electric bills, and undermine Virginia's climate progress. This episode features special guest, the intrepid and brilliant Dr. Mary Finley-Brook. Dr. Finley-Brook connects the local to the global, highlighting h...

Offshore wind represents a lot of good for Virginia. It's a clean energy source, an economic vehicle, and an industry powerhouse if we develop it correctly. This episode Paige explores what offshore wind is (and isn't) and all that this exciting concept has to offer. To learn more about offshore wind, visit

This episode features a very special guest McKenna Dunbar , Electrification lead at the Sierra Club Virginia Chapter. Electrification is the notion that every home and building can be powered without any connections to fossil fuels. McKenna and Tim talk about how fossil fuel appliances release pollution outside and inside our homes that are harmful to climate, health, and financial wellbeing. It&#...

Misinformation represents a major obstacles between us and a livable future. This week's episode features a special guest, Kierra Johnson from Progress Virginia , who walks us through the problem of misinformation, where it comes from, how to identify it, and how to combat it. Huge thanks to Kierra for sharing their lengthy knowledge on the subject! If you don't follow Progress Virginia, y...

The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) is a program that makes the power sector pay money to the state for how much they pollute. The money raised by RGGI is invested back into communities. RGGI has been wildly successful in Virginia, raising over a billion dollars to strengthen Virginia's communities and lower our electric bills through energy efficiency programs. It's also popular...

Utilities that lock-in natural gas infrastructure are harming communities in more ways than just air pollution. This episode explores the many harms to health, financial wellbeing that is caused by public utilities who can't break their addiction to natural gas. This topic is discussed using Richmond, Va as a case study and explained by two guests representing Beyond Methane RVA.

Climate change is a global issue, but  the harms caused by the crisis aren't felt equally. In fact, those who shoulder the greatest impact of pollution are those who contribute the least amount. This week, the Sierra Club Virginia Chapter breaks down the concept of environmental justice and how it does -- and doesn't -- manifest in our state.  

The regulatory system for approving pollution-intensive projects in Virginia benefits industry at the expense of communities. Tim and Paige explore the unjust elements of how polluters secure permits and explain how people-power can influence the process in ways that put the needs of communities over polluter's profits. Plus, an overview of name suggestions for the show!