ENCORE: Solar Power to the People

ENCORE: Solar Power to the People

Author: Climate One from The Commonwealth Club December 26, 2025 Duration: 58:06
At this moment, the cheapest way to create electricity is by pointing a solar panel at the sun. That’s good news for the climate. It’s also good news for communities who want to take control of their own electricity generation. In the heart of Brooklyn, UPROSE is helping to build a solar project that will be owned by the community, provide jobs, and help residents bring down their energy costs. In Puerto Rico, where hurricanes have devastated the power grid, community members are building solar microgrids to provide reliable electricity as the utility has proven they cannot. Meanwhile in conservative rural Virginia, Energy Right is helping farmers and rural communities adopt solar projects, touting a free market message about energy independence and security.  Guests:  Elizabeth Yeampierre, Attorney; Executive Director, UPROSE  Skyler Zunk, CEO and Founder, Energy Right  Arturo Massol-Deyá, Executive Director, Casa Pueblo de Adjuntas For show notes and related links, visit ClimateOne.org. Highlights: 00:00 - Intro 4:11 - Elizabeth Yeampierre on the history of UPROSE 10:40 - Elizabeth Yeampierre on Sunset Park Solar 14:31 - Elizabeth Yeampierre on the GRID plan 20:46 - Arturo Massol-Deyá on the Origins of Casa Pueblo 23:43 - Arturo Massol-Deyá on providing solar power to the community 33:04 - Arturo Massol-Deyá on what other communities can learn from Casa Pueblo 38:08 - Skyler Zunk on the importance of reliable energy 47:06 - Skyler Zunk on dealing with resistance to solar projects 50:49 - Skyler Zunk on the Inflation Reduction Act  **** Support Climate One by going ad-free! By subscribing to Climate One on Patreon, you’ll receive exclusive access to all future episodes free of ads, opportunities to connect with fellow Climate One listeners, and access to the Climate One Discord. Sign up today at patreon.com/ClimateOne.  Ad sales by Multitude. Contact them for ad inquiries at multitude.productions/ads Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The conversation about our changing planet is often reduced to headlines and political noise, but Climate One moves beyond that. Hosted by Greg Dalton, Ariana Brocious and Kousha Navidar, this podcast from The Commonwealth Club creates a space for the full, complex dialogue we need. Each episode features candid discussions with scientists, policymakers, activists, and thinkers who are on the front lines. The focus is on drawing connections-between personal action and economic systems, between daunting scientific reports and tangible community solutions. You’ll hear analysis that doesn’t shy away from the severity of our situation while actively exploring pathways for genuine progress, from technology and finance to culture and justice. This isn't about alarmism or easy answers; it's about equipping listeners with a deeper understanding of the intertwined challenges and opportunities. Tuning into this podcast means joining a crucial exploration of how we adapt, mitigate, and fundamentally rethink our relationship with the natural world. The dialogue here is built on the idea that confronting the climate emergency honestly, in all its facets, is the first necessary step toward shaping a livable future.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 50

Climate One
Podcast Episodes
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse Won't Stop Talking About Climate [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:18
How should Democrats campaign on climate? Some are quietly shelving climate-specific language ahead of the midterms in favor of terms like “energy crisis” and “affordability.” But Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island…
As the Midterms Approach, What’s Electrifying the Electorate? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:15
As the 2026 midterms approach, voters are contending with concerns around affordability, the AI boom, and climate disruption in their daily lives. AI data centers have become the wild card in energy politics, driving up…
New Nuclear, Old Challenges. What Now? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:45
Growing power demands – coupled with increasingly frequent climate-driven disasters – have led even staunch environmentalists like NRDC head Manish Bapna to rethink their past opposition to nuclear power. Three Mile Isla…
The Little EVs That Could Displace Big Oil [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:38
While most Americans think of a truck or a sedan when they hear “electric vehicle,” a quiet revolution is happening in other countries on two and three wheels. In China and India, the electric vehicles doing the most to…
ENCORE: Protest and Beyond: Annie Leonard On What You Can Do [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:50
Protest is the ultimate in equal-opportunity political action. As Annie Leonard, former executive director of Greenpeace USA says, “Making change is like laying a stone path across the garden. Peaceful protest may be eve…
It’s Too Damn Hot… So What Can We Do? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:39
We all complain about the heat, yet it's a climate threat we routinely underestimate. In the U.S., extreme heat kills more people each year than floods, fires and hurricanes combined. About 16,000 excess deaths were reco…
ENCORE: Benji Backer and Katharine Hayhoe on Finding Common Ground [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:23
At a time when nearly everything feels polarized, Benji Backer is trying to carve out a different path, one where caring about the natural world isn’t a partisan issue. As the founder of Nature Is Nonpartisan, he’s bring…
Hollywood, Baseball, Cage Fights, and… Climate [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:03
When it comes to climate, we have the facts, but we aren’t moving fast enough. So we need to get climate education and solutions into the places where people already spend their time. Pop culture offers endless opportuni…
How Do I Say This… [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:22
It’s becoming increasingly clear that how we talk about climate change matters as much as the science or policy itself. The words we use carry weight, and climate communicator Susan Joy Hassol says specific word choices,…