Temperature Check

At the Grist 50 2024 launch event, we grabbed several of the people featured on this year's list for a rapid-fire Q&A designed to get your wheels turning about how to make a difference on climate issues in your own life. The Grist 50 launch event was produced in partnership with the Clinton Global Initiative. Discover this year's full Grist 50 list at grist.org/grist50. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A tree planting program gone wrong, and what Cate Mingoya-LaFortune learned about how to empower communities to improve their built environment. Recorded live at the launch of the 2024 Grist 50. The Grist 50 launch event was produced in partnership with the Clinton Global Initiative. Discover this year's full Grist 50 list at grist.org/grist50. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How language barriers during his time studying in Macedonia set Hikaru Wakeel Hayakawa on a path to making climate information accessible around the world. Recorded live at the launch of the 2024 Grist 50. The Grist 50 launch event was produced in partnership with the Clinton Global Initiative. Discover this year's full Grist 50 list at grist.org/grist50.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After getting her linguistics degree, Nicole Horseherder planned to return home to Black Mesa and teach. But with the region’s aquifers under threat from coal companies, she rallied against them – and won.Full transcript and related reading: https://grist.org/temperature-check/nicole-horseherder-coal-navajo-water/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Struggling with depression and on medical leave from his corporate job, Olatunji Oboi Reed decided to get his bike out of the basement and go for a ride. That ride set him on a new path that led to his current work: promoting racial equity in transportation and beyond, through his organization Equiticity.Full transcript and related reading: https://grist.org/temperature-check/olatunji-oboi-reed-equiticity-biking-equity Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Growing up, Hamid Torabzadeh experienced the impacts of climate change and pollution. In high school, he found a club that showed him his path to doing something about it. Now a college freshman, he's studying to be what he calls a "new type of doctor" in the field of climate health.Full transcript and related reading: https://grist.org/temperature-check/hamid-torabzadeh-readyteens-climate-health Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Maya Lilly had achieved the dream of many a theater kid: studying at Juilliard. But when she realized her environmental activism didn’t have a home there, it set her on a mission to bring climate storytelling to mainstream audiences. It was a journey that took decades.Full transcript and related reading: https://grist.org/temperature-check/maya-lilly-climate-hollywood-producer/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Until last year, Nate Johnson was a journalist at Grist, covering climate. But when he felt his passion for writing start to wane, he found a new direction — as an electrician. Now, instead of writing about the need to electrify everything, Nate is doing that work himself … and he says he is happier than ever.Full transcript and related reading: https://grist.org/temperature-check/nate-johnson-journalist-electrician/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sharon Lavigne lives in St. James Parish, Louisiana, where industrial pollution causes high cancer rates. For decades, Sharon witnessed her neighbors suffer as air quality worsened. But when yet another plant planned to open in her community, she decided to do something about it.Full transcript and related reading: https://grist.org/temperature-check/sharon-lavigne-cancer-alley-industry-formosa/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This season, meet 6 very different climate and justice leaders who faced crucial pivot points in their paths to climate action. Each immersive episode follows one person's journey, and the story of how they made a big change in their life, career, or community. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Valencia Gunder and Tamara Toles O’Laughlin are dedicated to improving the lives of those facing unjust conditions in frontline communities. They discuss what it means to build coalitions and work the levers of policy to combat environmental racism. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For these two Indigenous women, mentorship is “less about teaching skills and more about welcoming in.” Activists Jade Begay and Eriel Tchekwie Deranger talk about the consequences of holding in trauma, and the relief that comes from sharing that burden within their communities.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Herpetologist Earyn McGee and science journalist Tien Nguyen bonded over their experiences as women of color in STEM and finding their paths from academia to media. Says Tien, “This industry needs our stories.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bringing as many people as possible into the environmental movement is the goal for drag queen Pattie Gonia and science writer Spencer R. Scott. And the best, most inclusive way to do that? “Collaboration, community, and joy.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“When you don’t consider the nuances [among different groups of people], it can be really harmful,” says Leah Thomas, who founded Intersectional Environmentalist to do exactly that. In this episode, she speaks with her friend and mentor Teresa Baker, founder of the African American National Park Event. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Xiuhtezcatl was an aspiring hip hop artist when he met photographer Josué Rivas. The two have been collaborating ever since, documenting the struggles of Indigenous communities through powerful lyrics and provocative images. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Meet 6 climate and justice leaders and the people who have supported, mentored, and sustained them, as they engage in deep conversations about the world they’re building together. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Temperature Check's final episode of the season, host Andrew Simon sits down with Grist CEO Brady Piñero Walkinshaw to recap the season's standout moments. Then, we hear from runner and filmmaker Faith Briggs about her documentary, "This Land." In it, Briggs runs 150 miles through three national monuments amid controversy surrounding public lands. And for anyone wanting to pick up running this year, she gives some tips on the easiest ways to lace up and get out the door.Further ReadingFaith's websiteFaith's documentary This LandThis Land on InstagramMore on the Antiquities Act executive order of 2017Temperature Check is a podcast from Grist, produced in collaboration with Reasonable Volume. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Andrew Simon speaks with renowned climate and weather specialist Marshall Shepherd about what he'll be looking for in the climate arena this year under a new administration. We also learn about the inspiration behind his new book, "The Race Awakening of 2020: A 6-Step Guide for Moving Forward." Further Reading Marshall Shepherd@DrShepherd2013 on Twitter@marsh4fsu on InstagramThe Race Awakening of 2020: A 6-Step Guide for Moving ForwardOther publicationsTemperature Check is a podcast from Grist, produced in collaboration with Reasonable Volume. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Andrew Simon sits down with co-host Justin Worland of Time Magazine to talk about the biggest climate stories of 2020. Then, we hear from filmmaker Cecilia Aldarondo about her documentary "Landfall," which captures the stories of everyday Puerto Ricans living—and rebuilding—after Hurricane Maria.Further ReadingCecilia AldarondoFind more about her film Landfall hereLandfall trailerGrist 50: Cecilia Aldarondo "After Hurricane Maria, she kept the cameras rolling"@blackscrackle on TwitterJustin Worland@JustinWorland on TwitterWriting (2020 Is Our Last, Best Chance to Save the Planet)NewsletterTemperature Check is a podcast from Grist, produced in collaboration with Reasonable Volume. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.