Sustainable Idaho

On today’s episode, Madison talks with Belinda Breidenbach, the Director of the Environmental Solutions Program at the Idaho Small Business Development Center, to discuss the comparison between cordless electric and traditional gas lawnmowers. Millions of Americans mow their lawns each week, so the Small Business Development Center analyzed the power ability, cost, and environmental concerns of ea...

On today’s episode, Madison talks with Wade Egan, a farmer and rancher in Southern Bannock County to discuss the newly-finished Hawkins pipeline project in Arimo. Egan works as the Project Manager for both the Marsh Creek Irrigation District and the Hawkins Pipeline Project. This project reduced the energy usage and water loss from seepage and evaporation by converting open ditches into 10 miles o...

On today’s episode, Madison talks with Amanda Reed, the Idaho Chapter Organizer at the Sierra Club. The Sierra Club is the largest, oldest, and most influential grassroots environmental organization in the nation, starting in 1892 California

On today’s episode, Madison talks with Ethan Sims, an emergency medicine physician at St. Luke’s Emergency Medicine of Idaho and the Executive Director of the Idaho Clinicians for Climate and Health (ICCH).

In this episode of Sustainable Idaho, Holly Wilson speaks with Nathan Murray, Economic & Community Development Advisor, from Idaho Power, about how the state is working to meet rising energy needs while reducing environmental impact.

Idaho’s rapid growth brings new challenges in managing resources and planning for the future. In this episode of Sustainable Idaho, host Holly Wilson speaks with Dr. Karl Geisler, a regional economist, professor of economics, and chair of the Department of Economics and Finance at Idaho State University, as well as director of the Center for Economic Research and Quantitative Analysis.

On today’s episode, Madison talks with Nelda and Clif Swiggett about their original jazz concert, For The Birds. As an artistic expression of beauty, loss, hope, and action, the audience is engaged in a blend of live music, spoken words, poetry, and images. While her first climate concert, The Alaska Suite: a story of beauty, loss and hope, focused on the Arctic, Nelda has used birds as her messen...

In this episode, Holly Wilson, Sustainable Idaho host, speaks with Chris Taylor, the landfill gas plant operator for Bannock County about how the Fort Hall Mine Landfill captures methane and turns it into electricity. Since 2014, the gas-to-energy system has reduced emissions, powered hundreds of homes, and generated over $8.5 million in energy revenue for the county. A simple idea with a powerful...

On today’s episode, Madison talks with Mireille Chahine, a professor and extension dairy specialist in the Department of Animal Vet and Food Science at the University of Idaho. This is the second episode in a two-part series discussing the sustainability initiatives behind the University of Idaho research facility, the Idaho Center for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment (CAFE). Chahine is exci...

What do Idaho’s salmon have to do with hungry orcas hundreds of miles away and how could decisions made decades ago be still shaping that outcome today? In this episode of Sustainable Idaho, host Holly Wilson sits down with filmmaker Scott Levy, Executive Producer of The Snake and the Whale, to explore the powerful connection between Snake River dams, declining salmon populations, and the survival...

On today’s episode, Madison talks with Mireille Chahine, a professor and extension dairy specialist in the Department of Animal Vet and Food Science at the University of Idaho. This is the first episode in a two-part series discussing the background and purpose of the University of Idaho research facility, the Idaho Center for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment (CAFE). The new 649-acre researc...

In this episode of Sustainable Idaho, host Holly Wilson speaks with Eve Preucil-Cord, Sustainability Coordinator for Blaine County, and Andrew Mentzer, sustainability contractor and doctoral researcher at Boise State University. They discuss Blaine County’s recent wildfire history, the climate conditions driving increasing fire risk, and how local leaders are planning for resilience through the co...

On today’s episode, Madison talks with Brad Heusinkveld, the Interior West Regulatory Director of Vote Solar. They talk about a March 2025 Utah legislation that allows for the installation of balcony solar, or plug-in solar panels for residential homes. As a new technology already proven to work in Europe and more specifically Germany, the United States has a potential to provide clean, affordable...

In this episode of Sustainable Idaho, host Holly Wilson speaks with Jason Christiansen, Executive Director of Kiesha’s Preserve in Bear Lake County, Idaho.

On today’s episode, Madison talks with Kendra Kaiser, the Director of the Idaho Water Resources Research Institute (IWRRI) and Associate Research Professor in the Department of Soil and Water Systems at the University of Idaho. They discuss IWRRI’s exciting data program, the Big Wood River Dashboard, an interactive tool that will aid farmers and ranchers in the Big Wood River basin, Camas Creek, a...

In this episode of Sustainable Idaho, host Holly Wilson speaks with Ali Ward, Sustainability Supervisor for the Boise School District #, about how schools in the district are reducing energy use, managing resources responsibly, and involving students in meaningful, hands-on sustainability work. From clean energy commitments and solar installations to student-led projects like TreeQuest and bird-sa...

On today’s episode, Madison talks with Kevin Bradshaw, President of the Rotary Club of Twin Falls. Now in its third year, they discuss the specifics of the 2026 Youth Eco Film Contest. As part of Rotary District 5400, which covers Southern Idaho and Eastern Oregon, Bradshaw and other members of the Environmental Sustainability Action Team (ESAT) created a Youth Eco Film Contest to bring more youth...

Water moves through southeastern Idaho in ways we don’t always see both above the ground and below it, shaping agriculture, recreation, wildlife habitat, and the water we drink. On this episode of Sustainable Idaho, host Holly Wilson talks with Charity Staggs of the Portneuf Watershed Partnership about how the Portneuf River connects communities across the region. To learn more visit: https://port...

On today’s episode, Madison speaks to Roy Mink, President of MinkGeoHYdro, former Director of Geothermal Technologies Program for the U.S. Department of Energy. Roy has been involved in Idaho’s geothermal realm for over 40 years. They discuss the inner workings of the Raft River Geothermal Power Plant, located in Cassia County, and other matters surrounding Idaho’s geothermal energy. For more info...

On today’s episode, Madison speaks with Ryer Becker, the Forest Operations and Products Manufacturing Extension Specialist with the University of Idaho. Becker will answer one of the most common Christmas questions: which option is more sustainable? A 2023 survey by data company Statista found that 70% of American households planned to put up a Christmas tree, 24% chose natural or real trees, whil...