Possibly Podcast

Did you ever wish you could wave a wand and get rid of all of those pesky mosquitoes? Especially the ones that spread serious diseases like zika, triple E and malaria? Some scientists think they have a solution. The post Is there a safe way to get rid of mosquitoes that spread disease? appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio .

Yes. Global warming increases the intensity of our weather because it causes temperatures to rise, which leads to more water evaporation. When those larger amounts of water come back down, they lead to bigger storms. The post Does global warming cause extreme weather? appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio .

Lawns can be beautiful and soft. But they’re pretty crappy when you evaluate them on really any other measure. Lawns waste water, they leak fertilizer into lakes and rivers… I could go on and on. I know all of these things about lawns. But guess what? I still have one! That’s because I’m not sure what to do instead. To find out, I drove down to Blue Moon Farm in Wakefield, Rhode Island. The post H...

Today, we’re going to talk about eating. How will climate change affect our food? The post How is climate change affecting our food? appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio .

What does it take to keep your lawn looking green and healthy? A lot of people say you need to use fertilizer. But do you really? And what’s the cost of using this stuff on our grass? The post What happens when you use fertilizer on your lawn? appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio .

About a month ago, I got a text message, asking me if I was ready to “shave the peak.” The message included a link with tips for using less electricity. Here at Possibly, we wondered— what are these peaks? And do we accomplish anything by trying to shave them? The post What is ‘shaving the peak?’ appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio .

We’ve had some seriously hot days this summer. So hot, that even though I know my central AC uses a lot of electricity, I’ve broken down and turned it on. Which made me wonder, is there anything I could do to waste less electricity while I’m cooling my home? The post How to cut electricity use while cooling your home appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio .

Imagine a field full of cows. What are they eating? You’re probably thinking: grass, hay, or some sort of grain. What you’re probably not imagining, is seaweed. But some scientists say cows SHOULD be eating seaweed. And this small change to their diet could have a significant impact on the effects of climate change. What is this all about? The post Can seaweed improve cow burps? appeared first on...

For the past few weeks or so, my eyes have been scratchy and I’ve had a runny nose. And I’m not alone. A lot of people are feeling the effects of spring allergies and they seem even more intense this year. That made us wonder, does climate change have anything to do with this? The post Is climate change affecting our allergies? appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio .

Today, we have a question from Keith Munslow, a musician from Providence. He and his wife drink a lot of seltzer. They recently switched to making his own seltzer at home with a soda maker — a machine that makes sparkling water. He wants to know if using it is more energy-efficient than buying seltzer by the can. The post Is using a soda maker more energy efficient than buying seltzer by the can?...

Today, we’re taking on a BIG question. It’s inspired by our friends over at the Trending Globally podcast. They asked policy experts to name one climate change issue that’s not getting enough attention. The post What’s another important climate change issue that nobody’s talking about? appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio .

Here at Possibly, we usually talk about the little things you can do to chip away at climate change. But of course, we need to do big things too. To talk about that, we’re turning to our friends at the Trending Globally podcast- Sarah Baldwin and Dan Richards. They wanted to know- what's a burning climate change issue that nobody's talking about? The post What’s an important climate change i...

Today, we’re going to talk about painting roofs white. Some experts say white shingles could lower electricity bills and cool down hot cities. So, should you make the switch? The post Are white roofs really “cool”? appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio .

Today we're answering a question from listener Liz Lee. She lives in Warwick, RI, and wants to know whether she is supposed to separate her paper and plastic recycling. The post Do you need to separate your recycling? appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio .

When we talk about climate change, we often think about the big issues- sea levels rising, extreme weather, melting polar ice caps. But climate change has small, intimate consequences too. It turns out, our warming planet is even affecting the flavor of our wine. The post How is climate change affecting the flavor of our wine? appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio .

Some take-out food containers, cups, and utensils are called “certified compostable.” What does that really mean? The post Can you really compost compostable plastics? appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio .

On our show, we talk a lot about how to reduce our carbon dioxide, or CO2, emissions. But some scientists are developing another approach to climate change — techniques to remove CO2 from the atmosphere. The post Can we address climate change by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere? appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio .

These days, it seems like there’s an organic option for every type of food out there, including meat. But organic usually means more expensive. That made us wonder, is it worth it to pay more for organic meat? And does it create fewer greenhouse gas emissions? The post Is it worth it to pay more for organic meat? appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio .

On our show, we tell stories to make climate change seem less overwhelming. We know that our episodes are no replacement for massive policy changes, but we hope that they help to shift your perspective or at least make the path forward seem a little clearer. Today, we’re going to talk to an artist who also tries to unpack climate change using a very different medium. The post Using Art to Unpack C...

How would you like to get all of your electricity from renewable sources? It turns out, you can, and you don’t even need to put panels on your roof to do it. Harrison Katz and Fatima Husain from our Possibly team are going to walk us through our options. The post How do I get renewable energy for my home? appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio .

I order a lot of takeout food these days. And I often cringe when I see the packaging, especially when I get all of those little soy sauce packets. I mentioned this to our founder, Stephen Porder. And he says, it doesn't have to be that way. Stephen is in Paris this year on sabbatical, and he says his take-out has way less packaging. So, we tried a little experiment to see if his claims stack up....

There are about 5.5 million different species of bugs and they make up nearly 80% of all animals on Earth. But all is not well with the world’s most abundant critters. What’s happening to insects? And why should we care? The post What’s happening to all of the insects? appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio .

Today, we have a question from listener Tom Chun. Recently, his water heater stopped working. Tom didn’t have time to spare, so he just went with the water heater his plumber recommended. But now, he’s wondering if he should have bought something else. Are there more efficient water heaters out there that are worth the price? The post What kind of water heater should I buy? appeared first on TPR:...

Take a look out your window. What color is the ground? It turns out that what you see plays a big role in the speed of climate change. The post How does the color of the ground affect climate change? appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio .

If you follow the news about climate change, you’ve probably heard the phrase “net zero.” But what does “net zero” really mean? The post What does ‘Net Zero’ really mean? appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio .