Kelp Farming, for the Climate

Kelp Farming, for the Climate

Author: Gimlet February 18, 2021 Duration: 52:32
Seaweed and giant kelp are sometimes called “the sequoias of the sea.” Yet at a time when so many people are talking about climate solutions and reforestation — there aren’t nearly enough people talking about how the ocean can be part of that. In part one of our two-part series, we go out on the water to see how seaweed can play a role in addressing climate change, and how a fisherman named Bren Smith became kelp’s unlikely evangelist. Calls to action:  Check out Bren Smith's book called “Eat Like a Fish” Check out Bren’s nonprofit GreenWave: A simple and direct way to help is to support GreenWave’s work, whose team is building 10 reefs and sponsoring 500 farms in the next five years. Start your own hatchery, farm, or underwater garden: Check out the University of Connecticut and Ocean Approved manuals and GreenWave’s Regenerative Ocean Farming toolkit.  Study ocean agriculture through the Algae Technology Education Consortium (ATEC) at the community college level or through Coursera courses Intro to Algae and Algae Biotechnology. Check out our Calls to Action archive here for all of the actions we've recommended on the show. And if you take any of the actions we recommend, tell us about it! Send us your voice message, ideas or feedback with our Listener Mail Form. We might use it in an upcoming episode. Sign up for our newsletter here. And follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Special thanks to our guests: Bren Smith and Casey Emmett This episode of How to Save a Planet was produced by our senior producer Lauren Silverman. The rest of our reporting and producing team includes Kendra Pierre-Louis, Rachel Waldholz and Anna Ladd. Our intern is Ayo Oti. Our editor is Caitlin Kenney. Sound design and mixing by Peter Leonard with original music from Emma Munger. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Looking for a way to engage with the climate crisis that goes beyond the headlines of doom? How to Save a Planet is that conversation. Hosted by journalist Alex Blumberg and marine biologist and policy expert Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, this Gimlet podcast digs into the practical, human, and often surprising realities of addressing our planet's greatest challenge. The show moves past abstract fears to explore tangible solutions, asking not just what needs to be done but how we can actually get it done. Each episode is a journey, scouring the earth for ideas and talking to the people on the front lines-from scientists and activists to policymakers and innovators-who are crafting real-world answers. The tone is grounded yet hopeful, blending serious investigation with relatable curiosity and the occasional dumb joke. Listening to this podcast means joining a search for agency and understanding, breaking down a monumental problem into stories about our collective power, systemic change, and the unexpected paths forward. It’s for anyone who feels the weight of the issue and wants to be part of a smarter, more constructive dialogue about our future.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

How to Save a Planet
Podcast Episodes
How 2020 Became a Climate Election [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:22
For years, American politicians have failed to take climate change seriously. The 2016 presidential debates didn’t even include a single climate question. Fast-forward four years, and climate change is a major election i…
Making Republicans Environmentalists Again [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:19
The Republican Party has been almost uniformly opposed to climate action for years – nobody more so than President Donald Trump. But it wasn’t always like this. On today’s episode, we look back at how conservatives came…
Black Lives Matter and the Climate [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:03
Black Lives Matter is the largest movement in U.S. history, and it’s had environmental justice as part of its policy platform from the start. In today’s show, Alex and Ayana talk about why the fight for racial justice is…
Unnatural Disasters [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:34
As this summer has made clear: from hurricanes to wildfires, climate change is exposing more of us to extreme weather. This week we hear what it's like to survive a life-changing disaster, get tips on how to prepare — fr…
20 Million Trees [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:48
Climate change is a big problem — and we’re going to need a big team to solve it. That means reaching people who might not think of themselves as climate activists. This week, we explore what the climate movement can lea…
The Green Wave [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:06
It started with students walking out of school to demand more action on climate change, built into an international movement – and then was propelled forward by a pandemic. Today on the show, the surprising story behind…
The Witch of Wind [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:06
For decades, coal fueled the town of Somerset, MA. But when the coal plant went bust -- taking with it millions in tax dollars -- the town struggled. That’s when a local politician, the self-proclaimed Queen of Coal, lea…
How screwed are we? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 11:12
How screwed are we? When it comes to climate change, that’s the question on a lot of people’s minds. Alex and Ayana ask experts and regular folks about what worries them most and what we can do to avoid that future. Lear…
Introducing How to Save a Planet [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 0:30
Does climate change freak you out? Want to know what we, collectively, can do about it? Us too. How to Save a Planet is a podcast that asks the big questions: what do we need to do to solve the climate crisis, and how do…