The State of Sustainability

The State of Sustainability Podcast is back and better than ever! Our podcast now offers a video aspect to accompany each episode. Episode 50 highlights Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and we are joined by Emily Leonard, Senior Policy Analyst for TDEC's Office of Policy and Planning. The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) has published its report, "Addr...

Episode 48: We get to sit down with Nancy Youssef, Chief Corporate Development Officer for Soles4Souls . The conversation highlights the overlapping themes of helping others and sustainability. We discuss: How the Organization Started The 4Relief , 4Opportunity , and 4EveryKid Programs Environmental Impacts and Waste Reduction Metrics

Episode 46: This month is No Trash November! Nobody Trashes Tennessee is a campaign put on by the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) to bring awareness to litter prevention through community based programming. We are joined by Mike McClanahan, the Transportation Manager for TDOT's Beautification Office. He highlights all of the great resources and initiatives that the we have in Ten...

Episode 45: This month we get the pleasure of sitting down with Missy Marshall, the Executive Director of Keep Tennessee Beautiful (KTnB) . KTnB's mission is to educate and inspire Tennesseans to take action every day to improve and beautify their community environment. They are celebrating 40 years as an organization at the end of this month. Listen in to hear about the history of KTnB, the c...

Episode 44: This month we are talking about the ever changing electric vehicle landscape in Tennessee. There are currently three separate automotive manufacturers that are producing electric vehicles in TN, with another to begin in 2025. Mark Finlay, from TDEC's Office of Energy Programs, joins us to highlight the status of electric vehicles and some eye opening metrics that you will want to h...

Episode 43: As you all should know, we like to call April "Earth Month" since it houses our favorite holiday: Earth Day. Not only that, but it is the start of true spring weather and a busy time of our office. We set up booths at festivals and conferences to highlight the sustainability programming and resources that we offer to Tennesseans. This episode is a casual chat about the histor...

Episode 42: Sorry for the month break everyone! Ashley and Caleb both welcomed new babies during the month of March so we were unable to get an episode out. With that being said, we wanted to come back this month with some things that they have learned during pregnancy and the early newborn stage. It can sometimes be hard to be sustainable with a new baby, but this episode gives some good tips and...

Episode 41: This month we get to catch up with Cash Daniels, a 13-year old river conservationist. He is better known as the Conservation Kid . Cash tells us about his passion for sustainability, where it came from, and how he is making a difference. He is one of our heroes and really embodies the fact that even though kids are a small part of the population, they are 100% of the future. Make sure...

Episode 40: This month we are joined by Debbie Ball, a business development consultant for the Tennessee Department of Agriculture. She oversees the Pick Tennessee Products Program which connects people everywhere to all of the great things that come from Tennessee farms and food businesses. Make sure to download the app to find your closest farmers market and locally grown produce. Apple Store or...

Episode 39: We are joined by a returning guest, Lincoln Young. He is the owner of Rockwood Sustainable Solutions and talks about how his business started as a shingle recycler and has grown into more of a "hard-to-recycle material handler". He also highlights the science behind gasification and how the City of Lebanon is doing it. The Ranger Report is back and we are joined by Ranger Jesse Germera...

Episode 38: In the U.S., heat waves harm more people than all other meteorological hazards combined. Cities have a lot of buildings, concrete, and anthropogenic heat being produced, which can help trap heat near the city’s surface. This creates Urban Heat Island effect, where cities tend to be hotter than surrounding rural areas that have more green space and trees. The effect is intensified as ci...

Episode 37: This month we get to speak with Hugh Morrow, the President and CEO of Ruby Falls . Ruby Falls is a one-of-a-kind, iconic attraction in Chattanooga, TN that includes the tallest underground waterfall open to the public. Hugh tells us about the innovations and sustainability initiatives that have been added to Ruby Falls during his tenure there. The Ranger Report this month highlights Re...

Episode 36: Summer is coming to an end so everyone is trying to get in one last family vacation. In this episode, we go over some tips and tricks to make your traveling experiences more sustainable. We cover points on hotels, public transportation and hiking. The phrase that we couldn't think of during the episode is "pack in, pack out". This is just a reminder to always bring back everything that...

Episode 35: July is National Parks and Recreation Month! Y'all know how much we love our Tennessee State Parks so we decided to pull in the big guns for this episode. For the first time on the podcast, we are joined by four guests that make up the TN State Park Panel (I made this up). We are joined by Mike Robertson (TN State Parks Director of Operations), Robin Peeler (Upper East TN Area Park Man...

Episode 34: We are joined by Rhett Dunlap from CarbonCure , a carbon removal technology company that reduces the carbon footprint of concrete. Concrete is the most abundant human-made material on earth. With billions of metric tons poured annually, we rely on it to build our growing world. CarbonCure’s technologies allow concrete to be used as a pathway to store CO2 emissions in a way that is perm...

Episode 33 - April is the month that we celebrate Earth Day, but this year we celebrate another sustainable holiday, Food Waste Awareness Week. So much food and organic material gets thrown away due to it going bad or people not knowing the proper ways to dispose of it. Food Waste Awareness Week brought together organizations, companies, and sustainable individuals to discuss how to properly dispo...

Episode 32: Do you or someone you know, own a small business? Have you ever had a environmental question but didn't want to bring attention to the regulators? If so, this episode is for you! This month we are highlighting one of the best resources that TDEC has to offer, the Small Business Environmental Assistance Program (SBEAP) . Donovan Grimwood and Crystal Warren make up the team that is ready...

Episode 31: This is part 3 of our Sustainable City series! In this episode, we got to chat with Brian Blackmon, Director of the Office of Sustainability for the City of Knoxville. Brian gives us updates on current programs and initiatives that Knoxville is doing to continue to be good environmental stewards! We get to learn about exciting initiatives regarding sustainable transportation and e...

Episode 30: This is part 2 of our Sustainable City series! In this episode, we got to chat with Dr. Kendra Abkowitz, Chief Sustainability and Resilience Officer for the City of Nashville, Office of Mayor John Cooper. Kendra gives us updates on current programs and initiatives that Nashville is doing to continue to be good environmental stewards and things to come! The Ranger Report this month...

Episode 29: This is the first episode of our Sustainable City Series! Chattanooga is such an amazing city and we have the pleasure of talking with Erik Schmidt, the Director of Sustainability for the City of Chattanooga. He informs us on the dark past of the city and how far they have came regarding air quality and environmental stewardship. In this episode, we get to hear about some sustaina...

Episode 28 - This month we are finishing up our two part Higher Education Series. We are joined by our colleague, Brook Powell (not related to Caleb lol) to discuss the great programs that she has authored and continues to grow. Universities and colleges have a big opportunity to decrease their environmental footprint while also being an example for their communities. We highlight the TN Coll...

Episode 27 - This month we are starting a two part series on the topic of sustainability in higher education. Today we are talking to Olivia Herron, the Sustainability Coordinator for Austin Peay State University . She chatted with us about Project EcoGovs, the competition to become the most sustainable department on campus. We also took some time to talk about something every college student need...

Episode 26: The time has arrived! We finally get to sit down with David Salyers, Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) . His leadership qualities make our department a prominent leader in the fight for environmental sustainability, justice, and conservation. This month we get to learn more about who Commissioner Salyers is, where he came from, and what he...

Episode 25: This month we are talking about hidden treasures found in urban areas. First, we are joined by the Farm Manager, Farmer Scout, of Crabtree Farms . Crabtree Farms is an urban farm in Chattanooga, TN that provides fresh, healthy food and networking and educational opportunities for their community. We are informed about the various workshops, U-Picks, and events that go on for the commun...

Episode 24: We are joined on this episode by Christopher Pianta, an experienced colleague that knows his stuff about reducing waste. Although we start the episode by talking about recycling, Chris goes into detail about all of the ways we can reduce the amount of waste we produce. We talk about tips that come straight from one of our newest programs, Zero Waste TN . Check out the website for a dee...