Temperature Check

At the Grist 50 2024 launch event, we grabbed several of the people featured on this year's list for a rapid-fire Q&A designed to get your wheels turning about how to make a difference on climate issues in your own life. The Grist 50 launch event was produced in partnership with the Clinton Global Initiative. Discover this year's full Grist 50 list at grist.org/grist50. Hosted on Acast. See ac...

A tree planting program gone wrong, and what Cate Mingoya-LaFortune learned about how to empower communities to improve their built environment. Recorded live at the launch of the 2024 Grist 50. The Grist 50 launch event was produced in partnership with the Clinton Global Initiative. Discover this year's full Grist 50 list at grist.org/grist50. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more infor...

How language barriers during his time studying in Macedonia set Hikaru Wakeel Hayakawa on a path to making climate information accessible around the world. Recorded live at the launch of the 2024 Grist 50. The Grist 50 launch event was produced in partnership with the Clinton Global Initiative. Discover this year's full Grist 50 list at grist.org/grist50.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/priva...

After getting her linguistics degree, Nicole Horseherder planned to return home to Black Mesa and teach. But with the region’s aquifers under threat from coal companies, she rallied against them – and won. Full transcript and related reading: https://grist.org/temperature-check/nicole-horseherder-coal-navajo-water/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Struggling with depression and on medical leave from his corporate job, Olatunji Oboi Reed decided to get his bike out of the basement and go for a ride. That ride set him on a new path that led to his current work: promoting racial equity in transportation and beyond, through his organization Equiticity. Full transcript and related reading: https://grist.org/temperature-check/olatunji-oboi-r...

Growing up, Hamid Torabzadeh experienced the impacts of climate change and pollution. In high school, he found a club that showed him his path to doing something about it. Now a college freshman, he's studying to be what he calls a "new type of doctor" in the field of climate health. Full transcript and related reading: https://grist.org/temperature-check/hamid-torabzadeh-readyteens-climate-health...

Maya Lilly had achieved the dream of many a theater kid: studying at Juilliard. But when she realized her environmental activism didn’t have a home there, it set her on a mission to bring climate storytelling to mainstream audiences. It was a journey that took decades. Full transcript and related reading: https://grist.org/temperature-check/maya-lilly-climate-hollywood-producer/ Hosted on Acast. S...

Until last year, Nate Johnson was a journalist at Grist, covering climate. But when he felt his passion for writing start to wane, he found a new direction — as an electrician. Now, instead of writing about the need to electrify everything, Nate is doing that work himself … and he says he is happier than ever. Full transcript and related reading: https://grist.org/temperature-check/nate-johnson-jo...

Sharon Lavigne lives in St. James Parish, Louisiana, where industrial pollution causes high cancer rates. For decades, Sharon witnessed her neighbors suffer as air quality worsened. But when yet another plant planned to open in her community, she decided to do something about it. Full transcript and related reading: https://grist.org/temperature-check/sharon-lavigne-cancer-alley-industry-formosa/...

This season, meet 6 very different climate and justice leaders who faced crucial pivot points in their paths to climate action. Each immersive episode follows one person's journey, and the story of how they made a big change in their life, career, or community. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Valencia Gunder and Tamara Toles O’Laughlin are dedicated to improving the lives of those facing unjust conditions in frontline communities. They discuss what it means to build coalitions and work the levers of policy to combat environmental racism. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For these two Indigenous women, mentorship is “less about teaching skills and more about welcoming in.” Activists Jade Begay and Eriel Tchekwie Deranger talk about the consequences of holding in trauma, and the relief that comes from sharing that burden within their communities.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Herpetologist Earyn McGee and science journalist Tien Nguyen bonded over their experiences as women of color in STEM and finding their paths from academia to media. Says Tien, “This industry needs our stories.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bringing as many people as possible into the environmental movement is the goal for drag queen Pattie Gonia and science writer Spencer R. Scott. And the best, most inclusive way to do that? “Collaboration, community, and joy.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“When you don’t consider the nuances [among different groups of people], it can be really harmful,” says Leah Thomas, who founded Intersectional Environmentalist to do exactly that. In this episode, she speaks with her friend and mentor Teresa Baker, founder of the African American National Park Event. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Xiuhtezcatl was an aspiring hip hop artist when he met photographer Josué Rivas. The two have been collaborating ever since, documenting the struggles of Indigenous communities through powerful lyrics and provocative images. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Meet 6 climate and justice leaders and the people who have supported, mentored, and sustained them, as they engage in deep conversations about the world they’re building together. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Temperature Check's final episode of the season, host Andrew Simon sits down with Grist CEO Brady Piñero Walkinshaw to recap the season's standout moments. Then, we hear from runner and filmmaker Faith Briggs about her documentary, "This Land." In it, Briggs runs 150 miles through three national monuments amid controversy surrounding public lands. And for anyone wanting to pick up running this...

Host Andrew Simon speaks with renowned climate and weather specialist Marshall Shepherd about what he'll be looking for in the climate arena this year under a new administration. We also learn about the inspiration behind his new book, "The Race Awakening of 2020: A 6-Step Guide for Moving Forward." Further Reading Marshall Shepherd @DrShepherd2013 on Twitter @marsh4fsu on Instagram The Race Awake...

Host Andrew Simon sits down with co-host Justin Worland of Time Magazine to talk about the biggest climate stories of 2020. Then, we hear from filmmaker Cecilia Aldarondo about her documentary "Landfall," which captures the stories of everyday Puerto Ricans living—and rebuilding—after Hurricane Maria. Further Reading Cecilia Aldarondo Find more about her film Landfall here Landfall trailer Grist 5...

Host Andrew Simon and returning co-host Angely Mercado talk big takeaways from a recent UN climate report on global warming. Then, we hear from Dr. Gaurab Basu about the relationship between people's health and planetary health. Further Reading: Dr. Gaurab Basu @GaurabBasuMDMPH on Twitter "Want to prevent the next pandemic? This doctor is prescribing climate action" Center for Health Equity Educat...

Host Andrew Simon and returning co-host Yessenia Funes discuss president-elect Joe Biden's climate czar pick. Then, we hear from Doctor Chelsea Frazier about Black feminism, and how it's core to saving the planet. Further Reading: Dr. Chelsea Frazier Website Twitter "Black Feminist Ecological Thought: A Manifesto" Yessenia Funes Website Twitter Her newsletter, The Frontline Leah Penniman of Soul F...

This Thanksgiving holiday, we're publishing a special episode—a podcast version of the Grist and Town Hall Seattle chat between New York Times Magazine reporter Nikole Hannah-Jones and Bloomberg CityLab writer and editor Brentin Mock. This summer, the two sat down to talk about the New York Times 1619 Project, which sheds light on the consequences of slavery in the U.S. Further Reading Grist and T...

Host Andrew Simon and co-host Justin Worland of Time Magazine talk about the state of renewable energy in 2020. Then, we hear from Kristal Hansley, founder and CEO of We Solar. Hansley wants to bring community solar to underserved communities. Further Reading: Justin Worland Twitter Writing ( 2020 Is Our Last, Best Chance to Save the Planet ) Newsletter Kristal Hansley Twitter We Solar Temperature...

Host Andrew Simon and co-host Angely Mercado talk climate under the incoming administration. Then, we hear from James Beard award-winning Chef Edouardo Jordan about sustainable foods and diversity in the culinary industry. And stay tuned for cooking tips for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. Further reading / eating: Chef Jordan on Twitter and Instagram His restaurants: Junebaby (Be sure to check...