Essays Episodes
The weekly tent-pole essay, plus Action Steps. 10/10, you're welcome.
Nov. 4, 2022
#298: What they're *not* teaching kids today
This week: Climate change in the curriculum Increasingly divergent subvariants Cell-cultured meat RSV vaccines are coming Generative AI (...didn't write this, but it might one day) Here's What You Can Do: Teachers can't teach...
Oct. 28, 2022
Newsletter #297: Your neighborhood's about to get much cleaner
This week: $1 billion for electric school buses A potential "tripledemic" sandwich (not as delicious as it sounds!) One person's (treated) wastewater is another person's drinking water Most pregnancy-related deaths in America...
Oct. 21, 2022
Newsletter #296: Fake meat, fake profits?
This week: Plant-based meat stocks Another COVID winter is coming A long-term plan for the baby formula shortage The uncertain future of telehealth Willfully shunning data privacy Here's What You Can Do: Help elect progressiv...
Oct. 7, 2022
Newsletter #295: Insurance, for when climate change comes at you fast
This week: What climate change means for insurance Pregnancy and the COVID vaccine Food insecurity in America What wildfire smoke means for air quality Internet blackout in Iran What we can do Understand your flood risk with ...
Sept. 30, 2022
Newsletter #294: Look for the helpers (that's us)
This week: It's hurricane season Viral levels in wastewater spiking What the world might look like in 2050 Results from the biggest-ever Alzheimer's study Asking better questions about our apps Action Steps Send disaster reco...
Sept. 23, 2022
Newsletter #293: Is COVID "over"?
This week: The companies building a new clean economy (and the pretenders) The "I" in COVID Defrauded pandemic funds for hungry kids Preventing overdoses with safer supply programs Increasing surveillance Action Steps Read Pr...
Sept. 16, 2022
Newsletter #292: A love letter to my e-bike
This week: What's happening with cars and micro-mobility in America Brain fog A food system rundown The corporations backing a national abortion ban Border agents are taking your phone data Action Steps Watch this short about...
Sept. 9, 2022
Newsletter #291: When climate change happens to you
This week: Corporate clean energy purchases go down as temperatures go up The current status of COVID-19 vaccines Moving towards a healthier, climate-friendly diet A promising new malaria vaccine Back to the drawing board for...
Sept. 2, 2022
Newsletter #290: Life at 1.2°C
This week: The cost of electrification The end of free COVID tests The water crisis in Jackson Minimizing cancer treatment side effects The companies selling your location data to the police Action Steps Read Rewiring America...
Aug. 26, 2022
Newsletter #289: The new arms race (where everybody wins?)
This week: Heat in China ramping up a clean economy arms race How to learn more about Long COVID Cleaning up after coal Magic mushrooms and depression Better data for pregnant people Action Steps Check out CTVC's rundown on I...
Aug. 19, 2022
Newsletter #288: What $200,000 buys you
This week: What IRA means for cars Centralizing data for the next pandemic A parched Earth Big Pharma is Big Mad about IRA Fingers crossed that Big Tech will protect democracy Action Steps: Listen to a very-Ira episode of "Th...
Aug. 12, 2022
Newsletter #287: France has *how many* EV mail trucks??
This week: Ira’s here and ready to fund the future It’s back to school and the air’s still not clean Our relationship with water is changing everywhere Monkeypox folks are helping each other Facebook’s liable for a whole lot ...
July 29, 2022
Newsletter #286: Holy sh*t what a week
This week: A surprise for climate development that isn't terrifying? Facebook might relax their COVID misinformation policies Less land, more rice Alzheimer's under a microscope A treasure trove of biological proteins Get mor...
July 22, 2022
Newsletter #285: How to beat the heat and avoid quacks
This week: How to beat the heat in your city COVID quackery Introducing "Explainers"! A blockbuster depression study A new federal privacy bill is comin' Get more: Get more news, analysis, and Action Steps at newsletter.impor...
July 15, 2022
Newsletter #284: How to beat plastic
This week: Manchin fuels more heat waves COVID reinforcements on the way India and California fight plastic How we fight monkeypox Wow Ring doorbells are not great Get more: Get more news, analysis, and Action Steps at newsle...