Sustainable Idaho

In this week’s episode, Charlie talks with Craig Hunter, the president of Tire Reclaim, a dedicated tire reclamation organization with multiple facilities across Idaho. In this secondary episode, Craig and Charlie discuss further on the topic of sustainable recycling of discarded tires, how Tire Reclaim is tackling the problem of mass “Legacy Piles” across the state, and how citizens can use the s...

In this week’s episode, Charlie speaks with author, cultural advocate, and speaker Randy’L He-dow Teton about the meaning and importance of cultural sustainability. Drawing from her extensive career in public affairs and advocacy, Randy’L discusses the relationship between culture, community, and the natural world, and how maintaining these connections can help ensure that knowledge, autonomy, and...

In this week’s episode, Terra speaks with Kelly Driscol the collection development supervisor at Nextrex. Nextrex is a nationwide material sourcing program for the Trex company that works with universities, nonprofits, municipalities, retailers, community groups to collect polyethylene plastic film and upcycle it into composite decking boards. Terra and Kelly discuss what happens to the plastic ba...

In this week’s episode, Charlie speaks with Bryce Walker, the coordinator for the Idaho State University climbing wall, and one of the recreation coordinators for the Outdoor Adventure Center. They discuss the nature of Idaho’s climbing culture, how our public land climbing areas can be impacted from increased visitation, and how climbing communities can foster a more sustainable future for the sp...

In this week's episode, Terra had the privilege of speaking with John Tunca, a representative for this year's Southeast Idaho electric car show. They discussed the event’s connection to sustainability, its impact on the Portneuf community, the relevance of today’s electric vehicles, and sustainable transportation in Idaho. They also discussed how the event gives community members a chance to talk...

In this week’s episode, Charlie talks with Craig Hunter, the president of Tire Reclaim, a dedicated tire reclamation organization with multiple facilities across Idaho. Hunter discusses Tire Reclaim’s origins, its growth to processing more than two million tires in Idaho, and the environmental motivations behind diverting discarded tires from public lands, waterways, and landfills. Charlie and Hun...

Sustainability is shaped not only by the issues we discuss, but by the people who bring those conversations to our communities. In this episode, Charlie Medema speaks with new Sustainable Idaho host, Terra Gray, about her background in ecology and environmental conservation, her connection to Idaho’s natural environment, and what she hopes to bring to the program. Together, they explore Terra’s in...

On today’s episode, Madison talks with Ali Khan, the CEO and founder of MOATIT, and Megan Ronk, the Director of Customer Experience and Economic Development at Idaho Power. Khan wrote an article in the Idaho State Journal based on his research for the recently proposed AI data center in Pocatello, with Lex Developments applying to convert the former Hoku Materials polysilicon plant into a $2.26 bi...

Pollinators play an essential role in Idaho’s food production, wildlife, and biodiversity. Growing community recognition has inspired new efforts to protect their populations and habitat in the Portneuf Valley. In this episode, Charlie Medema speaks with Linda Popelka, a founding member of the Portneuf Pollinator Partnership, about how the organization grew from a single community event into a bro...

On today’s episode, Madison talks with Doug Finkleberg, an extension educator in cropping systems for the University of Idaho and co-team lead for the Innovative Agriculture and Marketing Partnership Grant (IAMP). We discuss the five-year program as funded by the United States Department of Agriculture. The IAMP team works alongside the Agriculture Research Service, the Natural Resources Conservat...

In this episode, Madison Long interviews the new co-host for Sustainable Idaho, Charlie Medema. Charlie is a senior biology student at ISU who shared his motivations for joining Sustainable Idaho, perspectives on sustainability as an Idahoan, and hopes for the future. In the second half of the episode, Charlie speaks with Brittani Hobson and Karl Petitt; co-chairs for the new Pocatello organic com...

On today’s episode, Madison talks with Brittany Brand, the Director of the Resilience Institute.

On today’s episode, Madison talks with Nate and Wilder Jones, the father and son managers of King’s Crown Organic Farm - located in King Hill, Idaho. As a third-generation farmer, Nate began his journey as an organic farmer in order to remain profitable during the farm crises of 1970s and ‘80s. After getting involved, he saw the premium benefits in the food quality and ecosystem benefits, and has...

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...