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Sam Tesh is BREDL’s co-president of the board of directors of BREDL Sam has been a part of BREDL for several decades and now serves as our Board of Directors Co-President. He has been a critical part of past BREDL campaigns such as fighting ThermalKEM’s hazardous waste incinerator He’s also worked with organizations such as GreenPeace and Sierra Club. With Sam we discuss his background within the environmental realm, some of the BREDL campaigns he’s worked on, what the biggest problems he sees regarding the environment today, and why he keeps with this work. Contact and connect with Sam: wtesh@surry.net See updates and what we're doing: BREDL.org  Background Music Credits: https://www.youtube.com/c/mbbmusic https://soundcloud.com/mbbofficial https://www.instagram.com/mbb_music

Cathy Cralle Jones is a Senior Litigation Associate at the Law Offices of F. Bryan Brice, Jr. She focuses her practice on environmental litigation and has represented many property owners, business operators, and citizen groups in matters involving mold, groundwater and soil contamination, regulatory compliance, toxic torts, and land use matters. Her experience includes cases involving CERCLA, RCRA, OPHSCA, the Clean Water Act, NEPA, and the Endangered Species Act. Cathy has been crucial in our environment justice fights in Lee, Chatham County, and surrounding counties in NC. She has written articles regarding the resolution of the challenge to the Coal Ash Fill permits in Chatham and Lee Counties. With Cathy we discuss her journey to become an environmental attorney, campaigns she’s worked on with BREDL, 2020 victories, patterns she sees, and what keeps her coming back to this work. Contact and connect with Cathy: http://attybryanbrice.com/our-professionals/attorneys/cathy-cralle-jones/ F Bryan Brice: http://attybryanbrice.com/ https://www.facebook.com/Law-Offices-of-F-Bryan-Brice-Jr-138332119643031/

Jane Williams is Executive Director with California Communities Against Toxics who are inspiring and building a sustainable, healthy, and just future for the East Bay, California, and beyond. We discuss California’s economy in relation to polluting industries and their GDP last year was $3.2T, representing 14.6% of the total U.S. economy. California's economy is so big that if it were a country, it would be the 5th largest economy in the world, more productive than India and the United Kingdom. Hexavalent Chromium compounds are common in California and are given off by industry. They have been shown to cause lung cancer in humans when inhaled. The Report on Carcinogens lists hexavalent chromium compounds as known human carcinogens. Studies have consistently shown increased lung cancer rates in workers who were exposed to high levels of chromium in workroom air. We also talk about new laws in place with California, set to ban all heavy diesel trucks and vans by 2045. And these heavy-duty trucks are responsible for 70% of vehicle air pollution in the state. With Jane, we discuss California’s economy, what kind of toxins that are common in California, new laws coming in place, and how you can support this work.  Contact and connect with Jane: dcapjane@aol.com California Communities Against Toxics: https://ecologycenter.org/directory/directory-entries/california-communities-against-toxics-ccat/ Heavy Duty truck ban: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2020/06/california-set-to-ban-all-heavy-diesel-trucks-and-vans-by-2045/ Prop 65: https://oehha.ca.gov/proposition-65 CEASE fire campaign: https://cswab.org/cease-fire-campaign/about-the-campaign/

Claire Miller is the Movement Building Director at UU Mass Action in Boston, Massachusetts. Since 2006 UU Mass Action has been organizing and mobilizing the 20,000 Unitarian Universalists and 142 congregations in Massachusetts to confront oppression. Their pathways to justice are selected by identifying the priorities in which their congregations are engaged, engaging in our coalition partners shared priorities, assessing legislative momentum and identifying who are the most vulnerable people in the Commonwealth. UU Mass Action is committed to the abolition of fossil fuels and the just transition to 100% renewable clean energy. They believe that the technology is available to make this change, all that is lacking is the political will. They believe that they cannot wait for elected officials to take action – the people must take action.  A change of this magnitude requires a shared vision and effective organizing.  In the words of Naomi Klein, “It’s going to take everyone to change everything.” With Claire we talk about what environmental injustices in Massachusetts, what legislation they are working on, what got them into this work, and how you can get involved.  Contact and connect with Claire: clairebwmiller@gmail.com UUMass Action:https://www.uumassaction.org/ Environmental Justice: https://www.nrdc.org/stories/environmental-justice-movement https://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice https://www.sierraclub.org/environmental-justice/history-environmental-justice Background Music Credits: https://www.youtube.com/c/mbbmusic https://soundcloud.com/mbbofficial https://www.instagram.com/mbb_music

Tom Clements is Director at Savannah River Site Watch or SRS Watch for short. They are working for the public interest by monitoring activities at the U.S. Department of Energy's Savannah River Site (SRS) in South Carolina and other DOE and commercial nuclear projects in the southeastern U.S. region and beyond & striving to halt proliferation of weapons-usable materials. The Savannah River Site (SRS) is a nuclear reservation in South Carolina, located on land in Aiken, Allendale, and Barnwell counties adjacent to the Savannah River, 25 miles (40 km) southeast of Augusta, Georgia. The site was built during the 1950s to refine nuclear materials for deployment in nuclear weapons. It is owned by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The management and operating contract is held by Savannah River Nuclear Solutions LLC (SRNS). Future plans for the site cover a wide range of options, including host to research reactors, a reactor park for power generation, and other possible uses. DOE and its corporate partners are watched by a combination of local, regional and national regulatory agencies and citizen groups. With Tom, we discuss what projects SRS is working on, who owns the site and what accountability they have, plutonium fuel and the dangers, and how you can get involved. Contact and connect with Tom: srswatch@gmail.com Savannah River Site info: https://srswatch.org/ http://www.bredl.org/nuclear/SRS.htm https://www.ncsl.org/research/environment-and-natural-resources/savannah-river-site-fact-sheet.aspx https://www.postandcourier.com/news/deadly-legacy-savannah-river-site-near-aiken-one-of-the-most-contaminated-places-on-earth/article_d325f494-12ff-11e7-9579-6b0721ccae53.html

Ralph Hutchinson who is the coordinator of The Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance whose main focus is stopping nuclear weapons production at the Y12 Nuclear Weapons Complex in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and protecting the environment threatened by legacy and ongoing activities at the Oak Ridge Nuclear Reservation. The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), or the Nuclear Weapon Ban Treaty, is the first legally binding international agreement to comprehensively prohibit nuclear weapons with the ultimate goal being their total elimination. It was adopted at the United Nations Conference on July 7, 2017, opened for signatures by the Secretary-General of the United Nations on September 20, 2017,  the 50th country signed the Treaty on October 24th of this year and now will enter into force on January 22, 2021. For those nations that are party to it, the treaty prohibits the development, testing, production, stockpiling, stationing, transfer, use and threat of use of nuclear weapons. For nuclear armed states joining the treaty, it provides for a time-bound framework for negotiations leading to the verified and irreversible elimination of its nuclear weapons programs. The nuclear-weapon-ban treaty, according to its proponents, will constitute an "unambiguous political commitment" to achieve and maintain a nuclear-weapon-free world. With Ralph, we talk about background on the treaty, what countries have signed it, what happens now that the 50th ratification happened, and ways to get involved for a nuclear free world. Contact and connect with Ralph: orep@earthlink.net FB Group: Nuclear Ban Treaty, nuclearbantreatyeif@gmx.com RESOURCES FOR JAN 22nd: https://orepa.org/nuclear-ban-treaty-entry-into-force-resources/ More on the Treaty: https://www.un.org/disarmament/wmd/nuclear/tpnw/ https://treaties.un.org/pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=XXVI-9&chapter=26 https://www.nti.org/learn/treaties-and-regimes/treaty-on-the-prohibition-of-nuclear-weapons/ https://www.icanw.org/historic_milestone_un_treaty_on_the_prohibition_of_nuclear_weapons_reaches_50_ratifications_needed_for_entry_into_force

Haakon ("Hoken") Williams is the Deputy Director of Committee to Bridge the Gap, a nuclear policy organization that works to improve protections from nuclear risks and assists communities near nuclear facilities and contaminated sites. Haakon has worked with Committee to Bridge the Gap since 2018, including helping produce a series of technical reports on the cleanup of the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard that received coverage from the San Francisco Chronicle and NBC Bay Area. The Hunters Point Naval Shipyard was a United States Navy shipyard in San Francisco, California (USA), located on 638 acres (258 ha) of waterfront at Hunters Point in the southeast corner of the city. The U.S. Navy acquired the site in 1940 and they built, repaired, and did maintenance of ships for the U.S. during World War II. Later, the U.S. Navy established the Naval Radiological Defense Laboratory (NRDL) in 1946 at HPS to study the effects of and to develop counter measures from nuclear weapons. NRDL operated until 1969 and conducted studies related to ship shielding, radioactive waste for deep-sea disposal, animal research, radiation detection instrumentation development, and other laboratory studies. NRDL also decontaminated and disposed of some ships involved in nuclear weapons tests in the Marshall Islands. The site currently consists of approximately 866 acres, 446 of which are under water. The base was named redundant as part of the Base Realignment and Closure effort in 1991, and was closed permanently in 1994. Since then the site has been part of a superfund cleanup effort to remediate the leftovers of decades of industrial and radiological use. Parcels have been sold off as they were cleaned up, mostly for condominium development. With Haakon we discuss the history not many people know about, with the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard, the effort to try to clean it up, and what they want to do with the area now. Contact and connect with Haakon: contact.cbg@gmail.com Committee to Bridge the Gap: https://www.committeetobridgethegap.org More on HPNS: https://www.committeetobridgethegap.org/category/hunters-point/ https://www.nrc.gov/info-finder/decommissioning/complex/hunters-point-naval-shipyard.html https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/san-francisco-hunters-point-contamination-cleanup-development/175231/ TetraTech Scandal: https://www.courthousenews.com/developer-sues-tetra-tech-and-feds-over-hunters-point-project/ https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/U-S-sues-Tetra-Tech-over-Hunters-Point-shipyard-13536013.php

Lesie, Scott, and Phil, are all members of Protect Caswell, a chapter of the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League that is dedicated to help protect and preserve rights in Caswell County, NC. They are fighting Carolina Sunrock, LLC, a company that plans to run three large hot mix asphalt plants producing over two and a half million tons of asphalt per year, plus three truck mix cement plants, two stone crushers, and three power generators at three separate sites within 10 miles of each other in their community of Caswell County, NC. Asphalt plants are sources of air pollution that may emit significant levels of both particulate matter and gaseous volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These pollutants are considered to be dangerous to human health. One action that the Protect Caswell Chapter has made is a formal request to the Board of Commissioners for a comprehensive review of existing and proposed paving industry permits in the Prospect Hill and Anderson communities. They said "We submit to you this request for a multiple source review. We believe the draft permits are fatally flawed because they fail to protect public health." She concluded, "We just want all these smokestacks looked at together because they all emit toxic air pollution." With Leslie, Scott, and Phil, we discuss how they got started as a chapter, how they informed their county commissioners about theses industries coming in, actions they are taking, flaws they found in the asphalt plants permits, and how others can help. Contact and connect with Protect Caswell: https://www.protectcaswell.org/ More information on asphalt plants: https://www.osha.gov/archive/oshinfo/priorities/asphalt.html http://www.bredl.org/air/asphalt_plants.htm County Wide Zoning: https://www.sog.unc.edu/resources/legal-summaries/county-zoning https://www.naco.org/resources/featured/planning-ahead-county-planning-land-use-zoning-strategies-affordable-housing Moratorium on Polluting Industries: https://www.caswellmessenger.com/news/article_e95a2712-ab22-11ea-b1a9-f3c766726a1a.html https://insideclimatenews.org/news/27032020/coronavirus-covid-pandemic-agriculture-plastics-airlines-renewables-coal Background Music Credits: https://www.youtube.com/c/mbbmusic https://soundcloud.com/mbbofficial https://www.instagram.com/mbb_music

Wanda Bodnar, PhD is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering at UNC Chapel Hill and serving as the Scientist Program Analyst for the NC PFAS Testing Network. Dr. Bodnar’s specialty is the development and application of qualitative and quantitative mass spectrometry-based methods to improve our understanding of the health effects that result from exposure to environmental contaminants. She is focused on quality control and quality assurance of experimental processes and data generation to ensure scientific rigor. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS, are man-made compounds that are resistant to water and grease. Some PFAS have been linked with a wide range of health effects from thyroid disease to high cholesterol to lower birth weight, as well as some cancers. PFAS chemicals are likely contaminating the source of drinking water for more than a million North Carolina residents by running from the Haw River into the Cape Fear River. The PFAS Testing Network is a statewide research collaboration to test for current levels of PFAS chemicals in drinking water and air samples across the state. The Network comprises Principal Investigators from NC State, Duke, UNC-Chapel Hill, UNC-Wilmington, UNC-Charlotte, ECU, and NC A&T who have received NC General Assembly funding through the NC Policy Collaboratory. The NC PFAST Network was created in response to a legislative mandate and funding by the North Carolina General Assembly to help answer questions about exposure to PFAS chemicals throughout NC. With Wanda, we talk about the NC PFAS Testing Network, the research on PFAS that they’ve done and are doing, removal of PFAS in the environment, communicating PFAS to the public, and what you all can do. Contact and connect with Wanda: ncpfastnetwork@unc.edu NC PFAS Testing Network: https://ncpfastnetwork.com/about/ Updates on PFAS: https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/article246663348.html?ac_cid=DM309451&ac_bid=-1644846740#storylink=cpy Check your utilities for levels of PFAS: https://ncpfastnetwork.com/data-and-tools/ Dark Water: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvAOuhyunhY Background Music Credits: https://www.youtube.com/c/mbbmusic https://soundcloud.com/mbbofficial https://www.instagram.com/mbb_music

Dale Feik is the Chair of Washington County Citizen Action Network and Project Director of Hillsboro Air & Water. Located in Washington County in OR. So far this year, fires in Oregon, Washington, and California have burned some 5 million acres, marking the West Coast’s worst fire season in at least 70 years. The blazes have killed at least 35 people, destroyed hundreds of structures, and caused extreme air pollution that has threatened the health of millions of residents. Millions up and down the coast have spent weeks living under thick clouds of smoke and ash. Ecologists also fear the wildfires could inflict lasting damage on species and ecosystems. Data from two NASA satellites that can detect heat, shows fire activity in California, Oregon and Washington in 2020 has already eclipsed even the worst previous year. With Dale we talk about his experience with the wildfires in Portland, OR, what work he’s doing/ done to combat air pollution, how wildfires are linked with climate change, and what his hope for the future is. Contact and connect with Dale: dfeik33@comcast.net 21 Youth Suing Congress: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2017/03/kids-sue-us-government-climate-change/ https://www.ourchildrenstrust.org/juliana-v-us https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2020/01/17/federal-appeals-court-tosses-landmark-youth-climate-lawsuit-against-us-government/ Carbon Fee: https://citizensclimatelobby.org/basics-carbon-fee-dividend/ https://insideclimatenews.org/news/07032019/carbon-tax-proposals-compare-baker-shultz-exxon-conocophillips-ccl-congress Wildfires in the west: https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/09/wildfires-continue-western-united-states-biologists-fear-vulnerable-species https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/14/us/gallery/western-wildfires-2020/index.html https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/09/24/climate/fires-worst-year-california-oregon-washington.html

Oleg Bodrov is the Chairperson for NGO Green World. Oleg is an engineer-physicist and environmentalist. After finishing his studies at the Leningrad Polytechnic University (1976) as an engineer-physicist he has been engaged in testing of nuclear submarines. From 1980 till 1993 he was head of a group of the Regional Ecological Laboratory of the Khlopin Radium Institute, St. Petersburg. After a visit to the contaminated area of the Chernobyl NPP in 1986, he left the nuclear industry and came to the environmental movement. Since 2005 he has been one of the initiators & head of an international NGO project for a promotion of safe decommissioning of the Russian nuclear power plants and final disposal of, spent nuclear fuel on the basis of the best international practice (Germany, Lithuania, USA, Sweden, Finland). In 1999, Center for Safe Energy, sponsored 3 weeks of People's Hearings on plutonium fuel in Russia. A delegation of US activists and experts went to Russia as participants in this education effort. Delegates included our executive director Lou Zeller and this is where he met and worked with Oleg. A few years later, Oleg along with his other colleagues from Russia came to the U.S. to advocate and educate against nuclear. Ultimately, with this foundation, plus local community work in NC, SC and GA. Some legal actions challenging NRC permitting (Duke Energy’s Catawba and McGuire power plants were slated to use the fuel), succeeded in stopping the joint Russian-American project to use plutonium in nuclear electric power plants.  The American factory for fuel manufacture would have been at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina.  Indeed, the Dept. of Energy spent $4 billion on it before abandoning the project. With Oleg, we talk about his transition from nuclear into the environment movement, his experience in Russia before and after Chernobyl happened, his time in the U.S. touring nuclear facilities, the Russian version of the NRC, and current issues he’s working on now. Contact and connect with Oleg: bodrov@greenworld.org.ru Documentaries: 1. Wasteland  (about Russian nuclear weapons, reprocessing spent nuclear fuel and consequences for the people and environment) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCmcvyctVrU&t=849s 2. Digging our own grave (about nuclear weapon production in Russia and resistance of Russian society) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJftotBfGnU 3. Vermont state against Vermont Yankee https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONrpfBOwkDc&t=593s 4. Everything in our power (about Main Yakee NPP decommissioning)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fvs36in2Qo&t=9s 5. Hanhikivi (About Finnish NPP hanhikivi) and about connection of civil and military technologies) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgwKyZ3gSCs&t=60s Chernobyl: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-is-chernobyl-like-today/ https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/05/what-s-going-on-in-chernobyl-today/ Decommissioning: https://www.nrc.gov/waste/decommissioning.html https://www.nei.org/advocacy/make-regulations-smarter/decommissioning

Sara El-Amine is a progressive senior strategist who was one of the architects of the Obama grassroots movement, playing key roles outside the US White House to pass and implement health care reform, minimum wage, marriage equality, gun violence prevention, climate protections, and more. She is currently Head of Community Engagement at Lyft, where she oversees driver, passenger, and local non-profit engagement for the company. She is also a mom to 1.5 year old, Julius. Climate change has been a key factor in increasing the risk and extent of wildfires in the Western United States. Wildfire risk depends on a number of factors, including temperature, soil moisture, and the presence of trees, shrubs, and other potential fuel. All these factors have strong direct or indirect ties to climate variability and climate change. Research shows that changes in climate that create warmer, drier conditions, increased drought, and a longer fire season are boosting these increases in wildfire risk. Once a fire starts—more than 80 percent of U.S. wildfires are caused by people—warmer temperatures and drier conditions can help fires spread and make them harder to put out. With Sara we discuss the wildfires happening in the West, effects it’s had for her and her family, the correlation with the wildfires and climate change, local and state-wide action, and what actions you can take on climate change. Contact and connect with Sara: elamine.sara@gmail.com Twitter @sara_ela Actions you can take on climate change: https://www.curbed.com/2017/6/7/15749900/how-to-stop-climate-change-actions https://www.activesustainability.com/climate-change/6-actions-to-fight-climate-change/ http://participate.lwv.org/c/9217/p/salsa/web/common/public/content?content_item_KEY=3804 Climate Change and Wildfires: https://www.c2es.org/content/wildfires-and-climate-change/ https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/09/climate-change-increases-risk-fires-western-us/ Wildfire Alerts: http://www.alertwildfire.org/ How you can prevent wildfires in your area: https://smokeybear.com/en/smokey-for-kids/preventing-wildfires https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/types-of-emergencies/wildfire/how-to-prevent-wildfires.html Background Music Credits: https://www.youtube.com/c/mbbmusic https://soundcloud.com/mbbofficial https://www.instagram.com/mbb_music

Brady Watson is the Civic Engagement Coordinator with Southern Alliance for Clean Energy or SACE for short. Brady is based out of Knoxville and is responsible for organizing around ballot initiatives and utility issues that may impact climate and energy policy. He is in charge of a Tennessee state-wide campaign where they want to see lower utility bills for Tennesseans most in need; increase access to solar energy, and put the “public” back in public power. A part of this large campaign is a more localized campaign called ACT on KUB - KUB is The Knoxville Utilities Board (KUB) - this is the main utility provider in Knoxville. They have been a long-time, trusted community partner, yet the rules governing KUB have facilitated a drift away from the people KUB serves. Here’s what they’ve done lately: Increased its mandatory monthly electrical fixed fee from $6 in 2010 to $20.50 in 2020. All utility fixed fees on customers' bills now exceed $85 per month. Rushed signing a 20-year long-term contract with power provider TVA, with no meaningful opportunity for public comment even though customers’ dollars are on the line, which has put customers at risk. Spent hundreds of thousands of customers’ dollars on public relations consultants to boost KUB’s image, even though KUB is a public-power monopoly without competition With Brady we talk about KUB and what they have done lately, impacts and where KUB gets their energy from, actions they’ve done to get the public involved, and other energy related campaigns SACE is working on in TN. Contact and connect with Brady: brady@cleanenergy.org Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE): https://cleanenergy.org/ ACT on KUB: https://www.actonkub.org/ RenewTN: https://www.renewtn.org/ Register to Vote: https://govotetn.gov/ https://vote.gov/ Background Music Credits: https://www.youtube.com/c/mbbmusic https://soundcloud.com/mbbofficial https://www.instagram.com/mbb_music

Shelby Ward a public interest environmental lawyer as well as Director of Sustainable Tennessee and Staff Attorney at the Tennessee Environmental Council (TEC). She is dedicated to serving communities in Tennessee through environmental education and advocacy. She collaborates with stakeholders who share a vision for a sustainable Tennessee and directs the Council’s law and policy program. She is also in charge of the TEC’s Recycle Right, Tennessee program, and it’s goal is to help you understand how to recycle right in your area so we can keep recyclables out of the landfill and in our economy. And here are some quick facts on recycling: A single plastic water bottle saves enough energy to run a laptop for 2.5 hours and and creates 20% air pollution and 50% less water pollution than would be created when making a new bottle Landfills are one of the biggest contributors to soil pollution and the majority of what’s in the landfill could be avoided or recycled Clean prescription bottles can be often donated to animal and other shelters, veterinary, and other clinics With Shelby we talk about how to properly recycle, resources to know what not to recycle, economics of recycling, the lifecycle of products and how much goes into landfills, and what’s happening with recycling on a state and local level. Contact and connect with Shelby: shelby@tectn.org Tennessee Environmental Council: tectc.org Learn more about Recycle Right: https://www.tectn.org/recyclerighttennessee.html Why China is not accepting our recycling: https://e360.yale.edu/features/piling-up-how-chinas-ban-on-importing-waste-has-stalled-global-recycling https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2019/03/china-has-stopped-accepting-our-trash/584131/ Landfill facts: https://www.usi.edu/recycle/solid-waste-landfill-facts/ https://www.rubicon.com/blog/statistics-trash-recycling/ Background Music Credits: https://www.youtube.com/c/mbbmusic https://soundcloud.com/mbbofficial https://www.instagram.com/mbb_music

Anne is an Environmental Justice Research Assistant intern with us at BREDL and a grad student at Duke University. She is working to help community members learn how to use Zoom and organize digitally and investigate COVID incidence across EJ communities in NC. Nanda Gupal is a Research Assistant intern with us at BREDL and a graduate student getting his Master of Engineering Management at Duke University and he is studying the health impacts of PM2.5 from the various non-mobile sources in the states of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama. The study includes trend analysis on the various aspects of PM2.5 effects in these states. Contact and connect with Anne and Nanda: anne.crabill@duke.edu and nandagopal.suresh@duke.edu PM 2.5: https://www.health.ny.gov/environmental/indoors/air/pmq_a.htm https://www.epa.gov/pm-pollution/particulate-matter-pm-basics How to find your levels: https://www.epa.gov/air-trends/particulate-matter-pm25-trends Environmental Justice Communities during COVID: https://www.greenamerica.org/blog/how-environmental-justice-connects-covid-19 Background Music Credits: https://www.youtube.com/c/mbbmusic https://soundcloud.com/mbbofficial https://www.instagram.com/mbb_music

Dr. Sam Weaver has a PhD in Metallurgical Engineering, he came out of retirement in 2005, and now is the president of Proton Power, Inc whose goal is to make clean energy cost-competitive with fossil fuels and more accessible to people who need it. Proton Power, Inc. (PPI) has developed a proprietary, patent-protected, clean energy system for the cost-effective conversion of a wide variety of biomass feedstocks into synthetic fuel or electricity.  In addition, PPI systems produce a high quality, semi-activated carbon biochar product with valuable agricultural and industrial applications.  And, an exciting recent development is the ability to produce graphene in significant quantities. Dr. Weaver and his business partner Dan Hensley have a long, 40+ year history of developing successful and innovative technological products from the ground up, including: Aircraft brakes for the Boeing 767 and 777 The first 2800C production furnaces for high strength, high modulus carbon fibers Ceramic punch technology and equipment to make Coors the thinnest aluminum beer cans in the world This mini series will be broken into three parts with the first episode getting the background of Dr. Weaver, Proton Power and what they do. Part 2 will include the economics of their energy sourcing, outreach for their products and technicalities of it. Lastly, part 3 we will talk about all the environmental and therefore human health benefits to their technology and what going carbon negative can look like. Proton Power offers sustainable solutions to Adequate food supply, world energy demand, climate change, water-supply and reduced agricultural water need, desertification, forest fire control, antibiotic use in cattle, nitrogen fertilizer in the water streams, and graphene for energy storage. So throughout all the episodes lookout for solutions to these various topics. Contact and connect with Dr. Weaver and PPI: scweaver@protonpower.com http://www.protonpower.com/ Graphene: http://www.protonpower.com/about-graphene Biochar: http://www.protonpower.com/research-development

Brian Terrell is the co-coordinator with Voices for Creative Nonviolence (or Voices for short) located in SW Iowa, they are committed to strategic campaigns and experiments, engaging in active nonviolent resistance such as the electoral and legislative process, protest, and to march and demonstrate. Voices has people and campaigns working in Yemen, Iran, Afghanistan, Guantanamo, Germany and more. With Brian we talk about his work he does nationally and internationally, what would happen if nuclear weapons are used, why nonviolent direct action is important, drone activism, and how you can take nonviolent action.  Contact and connect with Brian: brian@vcnv.org Voices for Creative Nonviolence: http://vcnv.org/ Drone Activism: http://vcnv.org/drone-activism/ Nonviolent action: https://www.usip.org/issue-areas/nonviolent-action https://peacepresence.org/learn-more/nonviolence/ Background Music Credits: https://www.youtube.com/c/mbbmusic https://soundcloud.com/mbbofficial https://www.instagram.com/mbb_music

John LaForge is the Co-Director with NukeWatch and is currently working and advocating in Hamburg, Germany. Nukewatch has been working for a nuclear-free future since 1979, they bring critical attention to the locations, movements, dangers, and the politics of nuclear weapons and radioactive wastes. The US is the only government that deploys nuclear weapons in other countries. US B61 nuclear gravity bombs are deployed in Holland (20), Italy (40), Belgium (20) Turkey (50-90), and Germany (20). Currently, The United States provides about 60 tactical B61 nuclear bombs for use by Germany under a NATO nuclear weapons sharing agreement. The bombs are stored at Büchel Air Base and in time of war would be delivered by Luftwaffe Panavia Tornado warplanes. Many countries believe this violates Articles I and II of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), where Germany has committed: which states "... not to receive the transfer from any transferor whatsoever of nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices or of control over such weapons or explosive devices directly, or indirectly ... or otherwise acquire nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices ...". With John we talk about Germany and the US relationship with nuclear weapons, differences in direct actions between the two countries, the goals of the Peace delegation they hold every year, if Germany is making itself a target by having these nuclear weapons, and the relationship Germany has with other NATO countries. Contact and connect with John: nukewatch1@lakeland.ws NukeWatch: https://nukewatchinfo.org/category/nuclear-weapons/ US and Germany history/ background: https://nukewatchinfo.org/category/direct-action/us-bombs-out-of-germany/ https://www.dw.com/en/us-set-to-upgrade-controversial-nukes-stationed-in-germany/a-52855886 Nonproliferation Treaty: https://www.un.org/disarmament/wmd/nuclear/npt/ Germany’s progessive stances: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2015/11/germany-renewable-energy-revolution/ https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/index.php?page=view&type=99&nr=24&menu=1449 Germany Peace Delegation: https://nukewatchinfo.org/action-alerts/ Two Plus Four Treaty: https://www.deutschland.de/en/topic/politics/germany-europe/two-plus-four-treaty

Francine Stephenson, President of BREDL chapter No Pipeline Johnston County (NPJoCo), Tom Clark, member of BREDL chapter Cumberland County Caring Voices (C3V), Marvin Winstead, President of Nash County Stop the Pipeline (NSTP) and BREDL community organizer, and Lou Zeller, Executive director of Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League (BREDL). Francine, Tom, and Marvin were all along the 600 mile long proposed pathway of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline where BREDL strategically organized these chapters. With Francine she speaks on how there should be a place where citizens can go to know what their rights are, Tom talks about how the ACP caused conflicts within his family and when Dominion cut down his grandfather's pine tree, Marvin speaks on the disadvantages and problems with fracked ‘natural’ gas, and then Lou talks about turning points throughout the six year journey against the ACP and what is next, moving forward from the victory. No Pipeline Johnston County (NPJoCo) County: Johnston County, NC Francine Stephenson, president – francine.stephenson@gmail.com Facebook: No Pipeline Johnston County Cumberland County Caring Voices (C3V) County: Cumberland County, NC Tom Clark, member - 910.322.0664 Facebook: Cumberland County Caring Voices Nash Stop The Pipeline (NSTP) County: Nash County, NC Marvin Winstead, president – 252-478-5442 / marwinstead@gmail.com Facebook Group: Nash Stop The Pipeline Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League Office  Lou Zeller: bredl@bestsky.com or 336.982.2691 More on chapters and campaigns: nopipeline.net  Background Music Credits: https://www.youtube.com/c/mbbmusic https://soundcloud.com/mbbofficial https://www.instagram.com/mbb_music

Valerie Williams is President of BREDL Chapter Concerned Stewards of Halifax County. Valerie has a family farm that was on the proposed pathway of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP). Since 2014, us at BREDL began campaigning to counteract the planning and construction of the Atlantic Coast Natural Gas Pipeline that would stretch 600 miles across West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina. After six long years of dedicated work, we all succeeded on July 5, 2020 in cancelling its construction due to ongoing delays and increasing cost uncertainty which threatened the economic viability of the project. One of the key tactics in leading to BREDL’s massive success was uniting community members against the pipeline from all across the political spectrum. By reaching out to people who are both conservative and liberal and everywhere in between, we were able to create a cohesive and extremely powerful bipartisan movement, one that you don’t see often in today’s political climate. The success of defeating the Atlantic Coast Pipeline is one that should be greatly celebrated. The idea of never giving up fighting for what you believe in and working together despite differences are important themes that led to this victory. With Valerie we discuss her story of the six year journey she and others have been fighting against this pipeline, actions they took, and what the cancellation means to her and her family. Contact and connect with Valerie: valwilliams6@gmail.com BREDL on the ACP Victory: http://www.bredl.org/safeguard_americas_resources/ACP_Cancelled_BREDL_Statements.htm ACP Supreme Court Cases: https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/whose-land-atlantic-coast-pipeline-appalachian-trail-supreme-court-dominion-energy-duke-energy http://www.springhopeenterprise.com/stories/pipeline-opponent-wants-appraisers-off-his-property,205899#.Xo8hZt-YzOg.facebook Dominion and Duke Energy’s Statements: https://atlanticcoastpipeline.com/news/2020/7/5/dominion-energy-and-duke-energy-cancel-the-atlantic-coast-pipeline.aspx