The Sustainable Carolina Podcast

We "wood" love to talk about forests and trees forever, but to wrap up the season, we're bringing you three bonus episodes of the Sustainable Carolina Podcast. The episodes are re-releases of our webinar series. This first episode comes from our Welcome Back Webinar , which aired in fall 2025. It features Chief Sustainability Officer Mike Piehler, Sustainability Analyst Melanie Elli...

During her time at Carolina, Alexia Civit took full advantage of hands-on offerings at the UNC Institute for the Environment. She's traveled to the Currituck Sound, Morehead City, Amazon and Galapagos for hands-on environmental experiences. In this episode, she talks specifically about her experiences at the Outer Banks Field Site. Studying on the island, participating in field studies, and c...

Fresh off an epic 2,200-mile hike on the Appalachian Trail, Florencia Loncán began applying for her first post-grad job in spring 2025. She landed at the Triangle Land Conservancy , in a position she feels was made for her, where she could connect with the local community and get out into the field. Florencia is a double Tar Heel, having earned an undergraduate degree in environmental science and...

In the aftermath of Hurricane Fran, UNC Grounds' green recycling program began. That's because the University inherited the grinder used during storm cleanup, which made wood chips from downed trees. Two decades later, University Arborist Tom Bythell asked administration to purchase a new grinder in order to continue green waste recycling program. And a few years after that, Carolina Tre...

Forests impact water and air quality, and our quality of life. That’s why we’re exploring forests and trees in this season of the Sustainable Carolina Podcast. In this episode we talk with Jay Leutze, a double Tar Heel, author and land trust professional. An unscripted childhood outside, a love for reading, and dedication to his community has led to a life of stewardship and leadership. Earning hi...

The new season of the Sustainable Carolina podcast kicks off with a special episode, recorded live during a Carolina Engagement Week Panel.  From Highlands, North Carolina to the highlands of the Galápagos, Carolina’s communicators have stories to tell. Venture outside the confines of Chapel Hill to learn about the students and faculty conducting community-based research projects for a better futu...

Six million people living in the United States do not have access to safely managed sanitation. But Amy Kryston is cautiously optimistic that this public health problem can be solved in our lifetimes. In 2022, Amy began a deep dive into this staggering statistic. Through the UNC Institute for the Environment's Environmental Justice Graduate Research Award , she wrote a systematic review  on t...

"Anyone who thinks they're too small to make a difference has never met the honey bee."  Nathan Halsey, co-president of the Carolina Beekeeping Club lives by this quote. As a high school student during the pandemic, he picked up beekeeping. When he arrived to Carolina, he knew he wanted to continue his business, Halsey's Hives. But he also wanted to make an impact on campus. In...

On the fourth and final bonus episode, we learn about applying research out in the real world and engaging students in the process.  First, UNC Department of Earth Marine and Environmental Sciences Assistant Professor Antonia Sebastian talks about her research on 100-year floodplains, urban development and the social implications of development. She also shares how her research influences the ways...

This third bonus episode explores water.  First, we take to the skies with UNC Department of Earth, Marine and Environmental Sciences Professor Tamlin Pavelsky. Pavelsky, who serves as the freshwater science lead for NASA's Surface Water and Ocean Topography mission, shares findings from the Atlantic Coast to the Yukon Delta to the Kakhovka Dam. SWOT is visualizing rivers and lakes in ways we...

This episode explores two topics in global public health, presented at our spring Sustainability Research Symposium. Both researchers begin their conversations by sharing how our changing climate impacts their research and respective fields of study. Lindsey Smith Taillie, Gillings School of Global Public Health Department of Nutrition associate professor and associate chair of academics, shares r...

In the first of four bonus episodes this season, we have Mike Piehler and Chloe Hall's talks from our April 2024 Sustainability Research Symposium. The research presented in this episode takes place at two of the UNC Institute for the Environment's field sites. Piehler's episode looks at blue carbon storage at the UNC Institute of Marine Sciences and Hall's research takes us to...

Ileana Fenwick is both a marine scientist and a data scientist. Pursuing her doctorate in the UNC Department of Earth, Marine and Environmental Sciences, she searches for patterns in fisheries ecology data. Because she strongly believes that greater data transparency and inclusion will help solve the climate change puzzle, she challenges herself to share her own data and code with other scientists...

Ella Feathers, a senior at Carolina, wears many hats in the sustainability space at Carolina. She has served on the Carolina Sustainability Council and currently co-chairs the UNC Student Government Department of Environmental Affairs. She also works as a science communicator for the Data Driven EnviroLab, led by Angel Hsu. In her episode, Ella talks about recognizing burnout, carrying a mindset o...

On Earth Day 2024, Chief Sustainability Officer Mike Piehler gives an update on the University's sustainability initiative, Sustainable Carolina. He walks through Carolina's Climate Action Plan, Water Plan and progress made from 2020 - 2024. This audio comes from a video, shared on the UNC Institute for the Environment's YouTube Channel: https://youtu.be/HpjasYF_IaM?feature=shared S...

Between his day job and his passion projects, Will Freund gets the best of both worlds. As the community engagement specialist for Morehead Planetarium and Science Center, he leads programs for adults, teens and our youngest North Carolinians. And every April when Morehead's Science Expo rolls around, he runs the show. Freund has a natural curiosity for the world around, and it's contagi...

Julie Jacobson Vann made her way down to North Carolina to pursue her passion — and Ph. D. — in public health. She grew up in Wisconsin knowing the importance of water quality and recycling. So when she began her career at the UNC School of Nursing, it only made sense that she would incorporate environmental health and sustainability into the courses she taught. Most recently, her interest, advoca...

In this episode, Assistant Professor and Voit Gilmore Fellow Amanda DelVecchia talks about her lab's work in understanding greenhouse gas flux — the natural release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere — in rivers and streams.  Then Drew Coleman, chair of the UNC Environment, Energy and Ecology (E3P) program talks about balancing Earth's ecosystems. Specifically, he talks about his pa...

In the third of four bonus episodes, we bring you a conversation about water and air quality from two centers based out of UNC Institute for the Environment.  First, Megan Lane talks about the work the Center for Public Engagement with Science is doing, especially as it has to do with water quality. Then Sarav Arunachalam, director of the Center for Environmental Modeling for Policy Development ,...

In the second of four summer bonus episodes, we talk with Xuewei Wang of Data Driven EnviroLab and Noah Kittner of Gillings School of Global Public Health . The Data-Driven EnviroLab us using both large data sets and citizen science to analyze the impacts of urban heat islands within different communities. Kittner has also worked with the Data-Driven EnviroLab to think about ways to help emerging...

This is the first of our four summer bonus episodes. In this episode we hear from experts at the Center on Financial Risk in Environmental Systems (CoFiRES) and the Environmental Finance Center (EFC). With two different lenses, they talk about infrastructure, the environment and affordability of public services. Most of us don’t think about everything that has to happen before we flip on a light s...

John Richardson isn't sure his career path existed when he was in college. Inspired by his parents, who coupled environmental stewardship with municipal service in their careers,  Richardson earned a master's degree in urban and regional planning. Since 2007, he's been the Town of Chapel Hill's go-to person for sustainability. In the 16 years since he's been with the town,...

In 2022, UNC Institute for the Environment and UNC School of Law's Center for Climate, Energy, Environment & Economics (CE3) launched the Energy Transition Initiative (ETI). After just a few short months working for the ETI, Alex Hopkins became interim director. Mike Piehler guest hosts this episode of the Sustainable Carolina Podcast, in which Alex talks about strategies for engaging wit...

When Melanie Elliott graduated from Carolina, she had no idea she'd be playing a big role in one of the University's greatest challenges: achieving carbon neutrality by 2040. In this episode, she talks about tracking campus emissions, understanding the latest trends in the energy transition, and working with students to pass on knowledge (and excitement) about sustainability. Sustainable...

Green roofs enhance sustainability by slowing rainwater runoff, reducing energy consumption, and more. The Carolina Drone Lab (CARDNL), housed within the UNC Institute for the Environment , is taking a closer look at Carolina's green roofs through its Islands in the Sky project. The project, made possible through the Center for Faculty Excellence (CFE)/Lenovo Instructional Innovation Grants p...