The Problem of Our Time

Colin Harden and Tiffany Fant of Sol Nation discuss their environmental justice work in Charlotte and statewide. Sol Nation prioritizes people, land, and water, investing in youth ambassadors and workforce development while organizing around solutions. Fant defines food sovereignty as community ownership of the entire food system and shares lessons from producing a 31-minute documentary connecting...

The episode connects soil restoration to human health and climate action, then examines food insecurity in Charlotte as both lack of funds and lack of proximity to healthy food retailers. It defines “food desert” using the federal criteria and cites a 2020 Sustain Charlotte figure that 15% of Mecklenburg County residents—about 180,000 people—lived in a food desert. Leaders from the West Boulevard...

This is episode asks the question: Is Charlotte's failure to provide a viable public transportation an environmental issue? Spoiler alert: YES! But how and what are some of the visions for the future. Host, Colin Harden sat down with Shannon Binns of Sustain Charlotte to find out. I also take the bus to work to see how trash it is and got an unexpected to call from my buddy Charles who tells me hi...

Host Colin Harden explores how trees and tree canopy connect to environmental justice in Charlotte, featuring Joi Mayo, Charlotte City Council District 3 member and Trees Charlotte community engagement manager.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Do you know what a heat island is? Probably not but if you do you may understand how dangerous heat can be; but to take it a bit further extreme heat and the injuries and deaths that can occur from impact people of color and people of lower incomes more than others. But why? I sat down with researcher and college professor Dr. Idzriorek who gave me some greater insight. Oh and my Mother joined the...

In this bonus episode of The Problem of Our Time, Colin Harden shares a full interview with Dr. Valerie Ann Johnson, a medical anthropologist, scholar-activist, and board member across multiple North Carolina commissions and advisory councils. Johnson explains how her interdisciplinary work connects preservation history, public humanities, environmental justice, and participatory sciences. She def...

What is environmental justice—and why does it matter in Charlotte? Featuring John Rash and Dr. Valerie Johnson, Episode 1 breaks down the history, systems, and real-world impact of environmental inequality. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.