Q&A With Climate Change Experts
Recognizing that we are far from experts on climate change, part of our adventure includes reaching out and interviewing those that truly are experts in their field and impacting positive change in their communities. Our goal is to speak to locals and experts on our adventure, along with capturing a few perspectives from the US. Click on the links below to see the full interviews on YouTube!
Dr. Thor Hanson Author and Biologist
Thor is the author of Hurricane Lizards and Plastic Squid, Buzz, The Triumph of Seeds, Feathers, and The Impenetrable Forest, as well as the illustrated children’s favorite, Bartholomew Quill. He is a Guggenheim Fellow, a Switzer Environmental Fellow, and an independent conservation biologist. In addition to his writings, he consults for conservation groups and government agencies and is a sought-after public speaker. Max and Christina had the privilege of interviewing him – our very first one! He answers questions about climate adaptation, how to talk to kids about climate change, and recommends ways to become a citizen scientist.
To see more of Dr. Hanson or learn about being a citizen scientist, check out this YouTube video and go to www.scistarter.com.
Mary Jo Snavely, Manager of Private Sector Engagement at World Wildlife Fund
Mary Jo leads sustainable business partnerships and develops non-government organization (NGO) strategies to drive corporate accountability on critical conservation issues. She is a graduate of the American University Kogod School of Business with a Masters in Sustainability Management and will soon be joining their Sustainability Advisory Council. She is a master in translating complex scientific information to non-science audiences and took a few minutes to talk with Christina and Ian about climate adaptation and mitigation.
To learn more about World Wildlife Fund,Visit them at https://www.worldwildlife.org
Mike Watson, Conservation Biologist at Holden Arboretum and Cleveland Botanical Garden
Listen to this one, my fellow data and analytic lovers! Mike is a conservation biologist at the beautiful Holden Arboretum in Cleveland, OH. He's running a program on bluebird conversation that has been collecting data since 1965 to track nesting behaviors - but has found a second life as data for analyzing climate change! Mike walks us through how the data is being used to support both bluebird conservation and climate change, and how similar data is being used to help pest management for plants and tracking changes in plant lifecycles.
Visit Holden Arboretum, Cleveland Botanical Garden, Penitentiary Glen and Cleveland Metroparks. These are the gems and jewels of the city's parks. It's definitely worth a trip any time of year, but especially in the Spring and Summer!
Sanchali Pal, Founder and CEO at Joro
Sanchali is the founder and CEO at Joro, an app designed to help consumers build carbon intuition around their spending habits, change their behaviors, and move towards being Net Zero. Simply stated, Joro is on a mission to help people decarbonize the economy. Christina and Ian talk to Sanchali about our carbon footprint, how to prioritize changes in our daily spending, and how kids can impact their carbon footprint on the households and local economy. Sanchali also helps untangle the great meat debate in our house - red meat, only white meat or no meat at all.
To use Joro, download the app at https://www.joro.app/. It's also worth checking out the resources under the Learn menu. Two we'll be reading (and listening) to - 11 Great Reads (and a few Great Listens!) for Budding Environmentalists and one to learn about my personal nemesis - composting, A Quick and Dirty Guide to Composting.
Check back soon for more interviews from Isabella Todaro from Climate Neutral https://www.climateneutral.org/