Waste Not WHY Not

Do you enjoy gaming? Do you enjoy surviving our climate apocalypse? Well, good news! You can enjoy both at the same time!  Last fall, Nature N8 went to a World Climate Simulation event, called En-ROADS, where participants roleplay as different sectors to negotiate for better climate policies. N8 finds out what goes on throughout the simulation, and why this game was created in the first place...

Nature N8 is too old and tired to debunk any more bad environmental hogwash baloney. So he’s definitely not debunking Seaspiracy, the new 2021 Netflix documentary that's trending all over social media and press coverages. Nope. Not doing it.  What we WILL do is share an open letter: Podcasters Declare . A group of Climate Podcasters is calling Apple Podcast to add a new category: Climat...

N8’s noticing some viral trends on Twitter, again. This time, media pieces are comparing COVID-19 to Climate Change. (Spoilers: they’re not comparable.) We also want to share an open letter that our friend Mark from the Climactic podcast is helping organize: Podcasters Declare . A group of Climate Podcasters is calling Apple Podcast to add a new category: Climate! This would greatly he...

Representative Dr. Jasmine Clark of Georgia is a microbiologist who organized the March for Science in Atlanta and was part of the following wave of scientists that ran for office in the United States. N8 and Dr. Clark discuss Georgia’s challenges in diversifying its energy portfolio, public transportation and infrastructure, and what it actually means to bring scientific expertise into law-...

Surprise! Nature N8 embarks on yet another field trip—this time to a waste recycling facility. Specifically, an electronic waste facility. If you’re reading this, you’re creating e-waste right now! What are you gonna do with it?! Corporate eWaste Solutions is a company that disassembles, recycles, and reuses e-waste for other businesses. N8 goes to their facility in Brea to talk...

*in some cases. Here’s another short(er) episode where N8 talks about whatever’s in the news! The International Energy Agency’s annual report just came out, and it finally recognizes the growing trend of solar energy. Solar is now the cheapest source of energy in certain areas of the world! These are incredible developments in spite of the pandemic that disrupted so many renewabl...

Nature N8 looks into a smart windows company: View, to chat with Piers MacNaughton. Piers is the Director of Health Strategy at View, a Research Associate at the Harvard School of Public Health, and an expert on how our living space changes our daily performance. He sheds light on how smart windows conserve energy, save money, and also, improve our brains!  Aren’t these windows so insig...

Nature N8 gives a quick quip about recent news that other Asian countries are going “carbon neutral,” specifically: China, Japan, and South Korea. N8 compares 3 countries in terms of their progress, touches on what comes after carbon neutrality, and suspects that China’s commitment may not be as sincere as it seems.  For more info on the industrial complex that sprung up aro...

N8’s currently AFK on a trip to Taitung!  But don’t worry, we’re still working on episodes while he’s gone, and you can expect more newsletters from Alisha, too! We have exciting things coming to you later this year!   In the meantime, check out our earlier stuff if you haven’t already, google the beautiful views of Taitung, and send us trash memes on T...

Jobs? In this apocalypse? It’s more likely than you think. It’ll also be more likely if we would just PAY ATTENTION to the ocean. That’s what Dr. Jason Scorse gave Nature N8 as his professor: protecting our seas is good for the economy. Jason is the Director of the Center for the Blue Economy, and a professor at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, where N8 did his...

Nature N8 speaks with Dr. Enric Sala about his new book: "The Nature of Nature - Why We Need the Wild", which lays out precisely how we are integrated in this planet’s wondrous and irreplaceable ecosystem. Dr. Enric Sala was a professor at the Scripps Institute of Oceanography, now working full time in conservation as a National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence. The Nature of Nature synthesi...

"Two Trees Make a Forest" is a mix of nature writing and memoir, that follows the narrator Jessica J. Lee through Taiwan’s landscape and history. Born from an immigrant family that moved across 3 continents within 3 generations, Jessica uses her training in natural history to uncover her connections to Taiwan.  Jessica J. Lee is a British-Canadian-Taiwanese author based in Berlin. In th...

Renewable energy is the future. But before we get there, we still need to figure out how to store renewable energy properly — and there are a billion ideas trying to do this. This week, Nature N8 talks to Dr. Antonio Baclig about one of the possible solutions: vanadium flow batteries. Antonio is a postdoc at Stanford University's Department of Materials Science and Engineering, working in Th...

Mattson is a food innovation company that creates food for almost all of our favorite grocery stores and restaurants. N8 grabs a bite with Mattson’s food technician Maddison Gurrola and vice president Al Banisch to discuss how they keep sustainability in mind when developing food. They dig in meat alternatives, food packaging, and upcycled byproducts from manufacturing.  Do you ever won...

Zepeda is a Professor Emeritus of University of Wisconsin-Madison and an expert on food systems. She gives us a taste of everything food-related from food (mis)labeling to delivery services, and how we can make food choices that are healthier for both our bodies and the environment. This episode was recorded at the AAAS annual meeting in Seattle in February, 2020.   Support “ Waste Not...

Nature N8 sits down with Christine Bader , former head of CSR for Amazon, and before that, a long-term employee at BP. What is it like working for giant corporations? What is it like holding corporate executives responsible for their impact on society?     We discuss how Christine’s experiences in Indonesia, China, and the U.K. led her to revelations about sustainability and work c...

Nature N8 sits down with Dr. Jeff Chen, a doctor and entrepreneur who specializes in cannabis research and commercialization. We’ve heard that hemp can strengthen concrete, be used in automotive manufacturing, or even make super batteries—but are these just pipes dreams? Dr. Jeff Chen was the founding director of the UCLA Cannabis Research Initiative. Today, he helps separate fact from...

It’s our one-year anniversary! Hurray! We were launched last year on Earth Day as a sarcastic podcast fighting against greenwashing. The show has since become so much more.  For this special episode, Nature N8 looks back on his journey with our new production assistant, Yu-Chen. They interview almost everyone who had a hand in creating Waste Not Why Not, and find out what it really mean...

The Honorable Dr. Jane Lubchenco was the appointed Administrator of NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) from 2009 to 2013 under U.S. President Obama. This episode, Dr. Jane discuss with Nature N8 the responsibility of scientists, her intense four years administering NOAA, and the future of the ocean. This episode was recorded at the AAAS annual meeting in Seattle on February 15,...

At AAAS, N8 and Emily spoke to the Honorable Dr. Jane Lubchenco, former head of NOAA under US President Obama and current Ocean Goddess. But wait! That’s next episode. First, what even is NOAA?!    This week, Nature N8 talks about the US “ocean department”: its Frankenstein birth, its role in the GDP, and how its latest leader weathered through 770 tornados, 70 hur...

Nature N8 chats with Professor Stephan Lewandowsky about the psychological nature of science denialism. Professor Lewandowsky is the chair of Cognitive Psychology at the School of Experimental Psychology, University of Bristol. He has studied people’s belief in conspiracy theories, disinformation surrounding the Iraq War, and public opinion on climate change. This episode was recorded at the...

After many educational chats with science educators, N8 makes an educated guess… Maybe he’s a science educator too!  This week on Waste Not Why Not, N8 talks about what he learned from AAAS (the American Association for the Advancement of Science), reflects on his trip back home, and what this all means for his new found purpose in science communication.  Support &ldquo...

Nature N8 and producer Emily Y. Wu have just returned from a two-week trip to the U.S. We spoke to a lot of really interesting people and can’t wait to share these episodes with you.   We spoke to the former head of NOAA under US President Obama. A cognitive scientist on the rejection of science. A doctor who founded the first cannabis lab at UCLA. An ex-CSR person who worked at bo...

It’s common to blame climate change on population growth. Even Dame Jane Goodall recently said so. Nature N8 used to be a population control advocate. He explains why he changed his mind.  Support “ Waste Not Why Not ” on Patreon. Follow us on Twitter  @wastenotpod .  EPISODE CREDIT | Allison Chan, producer, editor | Nate Maynard ( @N8May ), host | Yu-Chen Lai ( @a...

There’s a $35 million problem in the fight to reduce marine plastics. It’s called “The Ocean Cleanup.” You have seen the video clips: a young hero invents a solution to ocean plastic. But is it that simple? Nature N8 breaks down the high tech high-seas cleanup device. We also hear from Irene Hofmeijer, founder of a social enterprise in Peru that’s been cleaning up coa...