Megan Hall: Welcome to Possibly, where we take on huge problems like the future of our planet and break them down into small questions with unexpected answers. I’m Megan Hall. 

Lead paint and leaded gasoline haven’t been used in American homes or cars for nearly 30 years. But researchers say that these sources of lead are still an environmental hazard. But why? 

We had Nat Hardy and Will Malloy from our Possibly Team look into this question. 

Nat Hardy: Hi, Megan! 

Will Malloy: Hello! 

Megan Hall: So, why are we still worried about lead?

Nat Hardy: Well, lead used to be in a lot of products. It was used to make paint more durable, and in gasoline to help engines run smoother.

Will Malloy: But it’s also really dangerous. If it gets into your body, it can harm brain development, especially in young children.

Nat Hardy: Because of the health effects of lead, the federal government started phasing it out in the 70s. 

Megan Hall: Okay, but that was decades ago. Problem solved, right?

Will Malloy: Not quite! It’s still a problem, We talked to Gabe Filippelli, a professor of earth sciences at Indiana University, to figure out why.  

Gabe Filippelli: Lead is one of these elements– it is an element, meaning, unless alchemy works at some point, we’re stuck with it.”

Nat Hardy: Once it’s been introduced into the environment, lead doesn’t break down or wash away. So even though we’re not adding any new lead into our environments today, it’s not going away either. 

Will Malloy: These leftover sources of lead in the environment are called “legacy sources,” and they’re still a risk for people’s health today. 

Megan Hall: Well that doesn’t sound good! Do we know where to find these legacy sources?

Nat Hardy: We do! The major legacy sources of lead are in soil and dust near where the lead was originally used.

Will Malloy: For example, when the paint on old houses peels or cracks, the soil around the house can be contaminated. Then that soil can get blown into the air as dust. 

Nat Hardy: The exhaust from cars with leaded gas also contaminated the soil. Gabe still sees this when he tests for lead.

Gabe Filippelli: You will see a very definitive peak in soil lead near the roadway and a decline away from the roadway.”

Megan Hall: I didn’t realize lead could be in the soil. When I’ve heard people talking about lead these days, they’re mostly just talking about lead water pipes. 

Nat Hardy: And they’re right about that too!  Almost 10 million water pipes in the U.S. are made of lead. 

Will Malloy: And when water quality is mismanaged, these pipes can corrode, allowing lead to enter drinking water. 

Nat Hardy: But recently, the  EPA announced a plan to replace every lead service line in the country over the next ten years.  

Will Malloy: So we’re making great progress getting lead out of drinking water. But, research has shown that contaminated soil and dust can cause lead exposure just as much as pipes can

Nat Hardy: Especially for toddlers who spend a lot of time playing on the ground, and putting things in their mouths…

Megan Hall: So what can we do about this lead in the soil?

Will Malloy: Nationally, The EPA plans to update the country’s regulations around lead in soil. A change like this could encourage soil cleanup projects. 

Nat Hardy: And at home, there are affordable options to keep your kids safe. 

Megan Hall: Like what? 

Will Malloy: You can get your home or yard tested for lead…

Nat Hardy: And If you find elevated levels, you can put down a thick layer of mulch to cover up contaminated dirt. 

Megan Hall: I’m starting to feel overwhelmed…

Will Malloy: No, it’s okay! It’s not that bad. There’s a ton of reasons to be optimistic about cleaning up lead. 

Nat Hardy: Children born in the last decade already have way lower lead levels than people born in the 70s. 

Will Malloy: And Gabe says that cleaning up lead is something everyone can get behind.

Gabe Filippelli: It’s a little bit different than climate change, where we have so many embedded processes that use fossil fuels to emit carbon dioxide. Lead no longer has any embedded interest. Now we just need to clean it up.”

Megan Hall: Got it. Thanks, Nat and Will!

That’s it for today. For more information, or to ask a question about the way your choices affect our planet, go to thepublicsradio.org/possibly. Or subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts. 

You can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook or X at  “askpossibly”

Possibly is a co-production of The Public’s Radio, Brown University’s Institute for Environment and Society, and Brown’s Climate Solutions Initiative.

The post Why are we still worried about lead? appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio.

The post Why are we still worried about lead? appeared first on Possibly.

Megan Hall: Welcome to Possibly, where we take on huge problems like the future of our planet and break them down into small questions with unexpected answers. I’m Megan Hall. 

One of the great parts about living in the Ocean State is getting to eat fresh shellfish. But what happens to the shells after we slurp down those oysters? Possibly reporters and lifelong Rhode Islanders- Will Malloy and Iman Khanbhai looked into the options.  

Will Malloy: Hi Megan! 

Iman Khanbhai: Hi! 

Megan Hall: So, what happens to the shells after we eat oysters? 

Will Malloy: They can just go in the trash, but a number of coastal states have created programs to gather up those oyster shells and return them to the water.

Megan Hall: Cool! Is that to keep them out of the landfill? 

Will Malloy: Yes, but there’s more to it than that. 

Iman Khanbhai: Oyster shells can actually help rebuild wild oyster reefs. 

Will Malloy: To learn more, we talked to Tim Mooney from The Nature Conservancy in Rhode Island. He says wild oysters are in danger. 

Tim Mooney: we have lost about 85% of our wild oyster population compared to say 100 years ago … And so putting more shell in the water is a strategy to recreate self-sustaining wild oyster reefs.

Megan Hall: How do these oyster shells help rebuild those reefs? 

Will Malloy: For one, they provide a good surface for baby oysters to settle and grow on. 

Iman Khanbhai: Those babies need hard surfaces and old shells are perfect candidates. 

Will Malloy: Plus, reefs based on fresh oyster shells make nooks and crannies that small fish can use as hiding spots from predators. Plus, they nurture diverse plant and animal communities. 

Iman Khanbhai: Oysters are also really good at filtering water. 

Tim Mooney:An adult oyster can filter 50 gallons of water in a day. And if you do that at scale, you’re gonna see changes in water quality and clarity.

Megan Hall: Cool! Let’s dump all of our oyster shells into the ocean! 

Iman Khanbhai: It’s a little more complicated than that. These reefs can’t just get built anywhere, Oysters only survive and thrive under very particular conditions. 

Will Malloy: Scientists at The Nature Conservancy in Rhode Island and at the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management are in the process of figuring out exactly where new reefs would be most likely to do well. 

Iman Khanbhai: They’ve done some small-scale tests of potential locations to reestablish wild oyster populations locally. Right now, they have a couple dozen experimental reefs in ponds down in South County.  

Will Malloy: While they’re still working out what locations are likely to be successful, they have their sights set on something much bigger.  

Tim Mooney: Putting a little bit of shell here and a little bit of shell there, it’s not going to add up to enough to achieve the kind of water quality and fish habitat benefits that we’re looking for. Once we have the solid science on the best places to to build new reefs will be able to do this at scale.

Iman Khanbhai: In the meantime, the two organizations are working on building up a stockpile of shell so that when these plans are in place, they’re ready to drop. 

Megan Hall: How can I help? 

Will Malloy: Well, your oyster shells could do a lot of good, but Tim says…

Tim Mooney: that doesn’t mean everyone should go and start throwing oyster shells in the water wherever they are.

Will Malloy: Before shell can go in the water, it needs to sit outside and cure for a couple months to get rid of all the food waste or germs. 

Iman Khanbhai: So don’t go chucking your shucked oyster shells off the dock! 

Will Malloy: But if you want to support shell recycling efforts, think about eating at local restaurants or oyster festivals that donate their shell. 

Megan Hall: As if I need an excuse to enjoy an oyster festival! 

Thanks Will and Iman. That’s it for today. For more information, or to ask a question about the way your choices affect our planet, go to thepublicsradio.org/possibly. Or subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts. 

You can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook or X at  “askpossibly” 

Possibly is a co-production of The Public’s Radio, Brown University’s Institute for Environment and Society and Brown’s Climate Solutions Initiative.

The post How can oyster shells be recycled? appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio.

The post How can oyster shells be recycled? appeared first on Possibly.

Megan Hall: Welcome to Possibly. Where we take on huge problems, like the future of our planet, and break them down into small questions with unexpected answers. I’m Megan Hall. 

Recently, I’ve had a lot of people knocking on my door trying to sell me solar panels. It happened just last week! 

Salespeople: “We’re part of field marketing outreach, we actually go seek out homeowners and try to see if we can get them qualified for the no cost program that’s going on in this state right now”

Megan Hall: When I meet these door-to-door salespeople,  I always wonder- are these solar panel programs legit? So I asked Juliana Merullo and Cameron Leo to look into this question. 

Juliana Merullo: Hiya Megan! 

Cameron Leo: Hi there! 

Megan Hall: So can I trust these salespeople that keep knocking on my door? 

Juliana Merullo: There’s nothing inherently fishy about these door-to-door salespeople. A lot of companies do this to spread the word about incentives for homeowners.

Cameron Leo: But, there’s the possibility these salespeople might exaggerate some parts of those incentives.. 

Megan Hall: What do you mean? 

Juliana Merullo: Well, the federal government currently offers a tax credit for 30% of the purchase price of a solar panel system. 

Megan Hall: And that’s legit, right?

Cameron Leo: Yes! But, not everyone qualifies for this tax credit. 

Juliana Merullo:  Door to door salespeople might say you’re guaranteed to receive the credit, or even call it a down payment, but that’s not really how it works. 

Cameron Leo: To get the tax credit, there are a few conditions. You have to owe federal income tax for that year, and you have to be buying, not leasing, the solar panels. 

Juliana Merullo:  Plus, if the panels are going on your home, and you use part of your house as an office, that can also reduce the tax credit.  

Cameron Leo: And it doesn’t mean the solar panels are “no cost”. A tax credit just means that you don’t have to pay the full amount of your income tax at the end of the year. 

Megan Hall: Got it! So what are some things I should ask these salespeople if I’m thinking about  buying solar panels for my house?  

Juliana Merullo: It’s really important to get a full breakdown of the cost of the project and the financing they might be offering. You can also ask for references, and talk to your friends and family to see if any of them have experience with that company. 

Cameron Leo: And you shouldn’t feel rushed in the process. Even if you sign a contract with one of these companies, you have up to three days to cancel if you change your mind. 

Juliana Merullo: For more advice, we spoke to someone who is working to help consumers make informed decisions about buying solar panels. 

Peter Neronha: I’m Peter Neronha. I’m the attorney general for the state of Rhode Island.

Cameron Leo: The Attorney General’s office filed a lawsuit last summer against Smart Green Solar, a company that they say was deceiving customers through door to door sale tactics. 

Megan Hall: What did Smart Green Solar do? 

Cameron Leo: Well, the case is still working its way through the system, but some customers said the company promised them the 30% tax credit, and didn’t tell them about the option to cancel within three days. 

Megan Hall: That makes me think I shouldn’t talk to those people knocking on my door…

Juliana Merullo: A lot of people have that reaction. And the Attorney General says that’s a problem.

Peter Neronha: When solar companies engage in these kinds of practices, they taint all of the legitimate solar companies that are trying to sell solar to a Rhode Islander. 

Cameron Leo: The truth is, transitioning to running our homes on renewable energy is a key part of how we can lower carbon emissions. And the attorney general says we can’t give up on that effort. 

Peter Neronha: The office is heavily focused on this area because we believe it is something that Rhode Islanders need to consider to be part of our climate crisis solution.

Juliana Merullo: If you’re looking to buy solar panels, there are lots of legit companies, including ones that knock on your door, that can help you start the process. 

Megan Hall: But if I want to get solar power for my home, how do I do it without getting scammed? 

Juliana Merullo: The Attorney General says you should treat buying solar panels like you would treat any other big purchase. 

Peter Neronha: I think it’s the rare Rhode Islander who walks into a car dealership without thinking about what kind of car they want, how much they’re prepared to pay…What make or model they’re looking for.

Megan Hall: But how do I get reliable information about solar panels? 

Cameron Leo: To help with that, the Rhode Island attorney general’s office created a whole website for their Solar Panel Initiative with answers to consumers’ questions about who they should trust when they’re buying solar panels. 

Juliana Merullo: The site also has a list of questions you can ask the salesperson to make sure they’re legit. So the next time someone knocks on your door, you’ll be prepared. 

Megan Hall: Got it! Thanks, Juliana and Cameron. 

That’s it for today. For more information, or to ask a question about the way your choices affect our planet, go to thepublicsradio.org/possibly. Or subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts. 

You can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook or X at  “askpossibly”

Possibly is a co-production of The Public’s Radio and Brown University’s Institute for Environment and Society, and the Brown Climate Solutions Initiative.

The post Can I trust the solar panel companies that knock on my door? appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio.

The post Can I trust the solar panel companies that knock on my door? appeared first on Possibly.

Megan Hall: Welcome to Possibly, where we take on huge problems like the future of our planet and break them down into small questions with unexpected answers. I’m Megan Hall. 

Last summer, I got a letter in the mail, welcoming me to the Providence Community Electricity Program. 

If you live in Rhode Island, there’s a decent chance you got some version of this letter, too. That’s because last year, seven towns in Rhode Island launched brand new energy programs, called community choice aggregation. 

We had Cameron Leo and Juliana Merullo from our Possibly Team look into the program to figure out how it works and what it means for Rhode Islanders. 

Cameron Leo: Hey, Megan! 

Juliana Merullo: Hiya! 

Megan Hall: So, what is community choice aggregation? And what makes it different from the way I got my energy before?

Cameron Leo: The first thing to know is that Rhode Island has a deregulated energy grid.

Juliana Merullo: That means that even though Rhode Island Energy distributes all of the electricity across the state, residents can choose to get their energy from an outside company.

Megan Hall: So if I wanted to, I could opt out of Rhode Island Energy and get my electricity from somewhere else?

Cameron Leo: You could! But most people don’t choose to find a new provider on their own, because it’s a complicated process. 

Juliana Merullo: This is where community choice aggregation, or CCAs, come in. Under these programs, towns can shop around for an outside energy supplier on behalf of all of their residents.

Cameron Leo: To learn more, we talked to Emily Koo, who was Providence’s Director of Sustainability when the city started developing this program.  She says community aggregation has two main goals: lower prices, and more renewable energy.

Emily Koo: In contrast, an investor-owned utility, also has its own bottom line and fiduciary obligations to consider.

Megan Hall: Let’s start with the lower cost part of this. How does community aggregation cut my utility bill?

Juliana Merullo: Under community aggregation programs, towns purchase electricity for their residents in bulk.

Megan Hall: When you say “purchase in bulk,” my mind immediately goes to big-box stores like Costco.

Cameron Leo: And that’s actually a pretty great comparison! In the same way that you land a better deal when you buy big packages at those stores, towns with community aggregation programs aim to get lower costs by pooling together everyone’s electricity needs.

Megan Hall: Okay, so, bottom line – how much money am I actually saving through this program?

Juliana Merullo: So far, it’s varied by the season. Last summer, the program was 1 cent per kilowatt hour cheaper than Rhode Island Energy. That’s a 10% discount! 

Cameron Leo: But this winter there’s been less of a difference. The CCA’s current rate is only one tenth of a cent cheaper per kilowatt hour than Rhode Island Energy, which isn’t much.

Megan Hall: Ok, so I’m likely to save, but not a lot. So, remind me why this is exciting?

Juliana Merullo: With community aggregation, towns can choose to select energy suppliers that will use more renewable sources, like wind and solar.

Cameron Leo: In Rhode Island, towns with the aggregation program are  set to increase their renewable energy by 22 percent.

Megan Hall: That’s pretty good!

Juliana Merullo: It is! And nearly all of this new renewable energy is from sources in New England, which could help incentivize more renewables to come onto our local grid. 

Megan Hall: So, everyone who got a letter, was automatically signed up for this program, but I saw that I also have the option to “opt up” and increase my renewable mix.

Cameron Leo: That’s right. You can do that by heading to your town’s Community Electricity website and filling out a quick form. It costs a bit more, but you can choose an electricity mix that’s 50 or even 100 percent renewable.

Megan Hall: So—what’s the catch? Are there any downsides to the program?

Juliana Merullo: Not really! But since the program is new, just how effective it is remains to be seen. 

Cameron Leo: Still, it’s probably a step in the right direction to lower customer costs and drive more renewables onto the grid. 

Megan Hall: Thanks, Cameron and Juliana! And thank you to Ella Spungen for helping with research for this episode.

That’s it for today. For more information, or to ask a question about the way your choices affect our planet, go to thepublicsradio.org/possibly. Or subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts. 

You can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook or X at  “askpossibly” 

Possibly is a co-production of The Public’s Radio,  Brown University’s Institute for Environment and Society, and Brown’s Climate Solutions Initiative.

The post How does Rhode Island’s new community choice aggregation program work? appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio.

The post How does Rhode Island’s new community choice aggregation program work? appeared first on Possibly.

Megan Hall:  Welcome to Possibly, where we take on huge problems like the future of our planet and break them down into small questions with unexpected answers. I’m Megan Hall.

Today, we have a question from one of our reporters, Kolya Shields. What do you have for us, Kolya?  

Kolya Shields: I’ve learned so many great tips about saving energy and addressing climate change during my time at Possibly! But it’s hard to convince my friends to try something new,  and sometimes even I forget to unplug my electronics or bring my reusable bags to the store. 

So I was wondering, are there research-based ways to change our behaviors?

Megan Hall: We had CharlieAdams from our Possibly team help Kolya look into it. Welcome, Charlie and Kolya!

Charlie Adams: Hi, Megan!

Kolya Shields: Hello!

Megan Hall: So, how do we convince people to make climate-conscious decisions? 

Kolya Shields: Well, it’s complicated! There’s a whole field of science dedicated to how people make decisions, behavioral science. To learn more, I spoke to Caroly Shumway:

Caroly Shumway: “I’m the director of the Center for Behavior and Climate”

Charlie Adams: She says behavioral science is 

Caroly Shumway: “the collective term for those scientific disciplines seeking to understand the causes of individual group and organizational behavior”

Megan Hall: So what does this have to do with climate change? 

Charlie Adams: Caroly says that climate change is not just a ‘science’ problem, but a people problem too. The science about our greenhouse gasses warming the planet has been clear for decades, but our behaviors and policies haven’t caught up.

Megan Hall: What can we do about that?

Kolya Shields: Caroly says much of our individual behavior is heavily influenced by habits. And…

Caroly Shumway: “It’s a challenge to change habits. All of us know how many new year’s resolutions fail… you have to do that habit, try that new thing, probably for… two weeks, maybe a month before it… solidifies”

Megan Hall: Ok, so once I get into a groove it gets much easier to remember to do things like take the bus and turn off the lights when I leave a room. But how do I make sure I don’t forget or quit?

Charlie Adams: Well, of course, there’s no perfect fix, but one helpful way to think about decision-making is through ‘social norms.’

Kolya Shields: For example, Caroly says framing sustainable habits as a popular choice, a trend, makes it easier for people to change their behavior.

Charlie Adams: This approach can have a big impact. For example, researchers at Stanford looked at how student eating habits changed after they read different anti-meat arguments.

Megan Hall: What did they learn? 

Kolya Shields: Messages that said people have turned away from meat in the last 5 years were much more successful than vague statements about people eating less meat.

Megan Hall: How do I put that lesson into practice?

Kolya Shields:  See if you can decide on a choice that your friend group can try together. When you have other people to hold you accountable and remind you why this change is important, it’s much easier to build new habits! 

Megan Hall: Can we use these strategies on a larger scale?

Kolya Shields: Caroly says if you want to influence behaviors, incentives are much more effective than punishments.

Caroly: “if you can enable choice, and you make the better choice more available or more accessible, you’re more likely to increase change for the better than if you take a hard line.”

Charlie Adams: The way we talk about the climate is important too! Research shows messages that emphasize the economic and social benefits of addressing climate change, like new jobs in the green economy, increased the likelihood that people made more sustainable choices.

Caroly: “People already believe climate change is real… So we have to, rather than make people feel a sense of apathy and despair, give people a sense that things are getting better”

Charlie Adams: It’s also important to remember that no amount of personal behavior change can solve this problem by itself – climate change will require fundamental policy changes, and there is only so much we can do as individuals. 

Kolya Shields: But on the flip side, policies don’t come from nowhere, they come from people. So talk to the people in your life about changes you can both try, the positive impact those actions make, and remember that people across the world are making similar changes every day! It’s not just a fun thing to do — it’s Behavioral Science! 

Megan Hall: Thanks, Kolya and Charlie!

That’s it for today. For more information, or to ask a question about the way your choices affect our planet, go to the public’s radio dot org slash possibly. Or subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts. 

You can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram– at “ask possibly” 

Possibly is a co-production of The Public’s Radio,  Brown University’s Institute for Environment and Society and Brown’s Climate Solutions Initiative. 

The post How do we convince people to make climate-conscious decisions? appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio.

The post How do we convince people to make climate-conscious decisions? appeared first on Possibly.

Megan Hall: Welcome to Possibly, where we take on huge problems like the future of our planet and break them down into small questions with unexpected answers. I’m Megan Hall. 

At the beach, we’re supposed to watch out for strong tides. Our oceans are powerful places. Could they also be power sources?

Here to tell us more are Charlie Adams and Kolya Shields from our Possibly Team. 

Charlie Adams: Hi, Megan!

Kolya Shields: Hello! 

Megan Hall: So how exactly could we use tides as a power source?

Charlie Adams: One method gaining some momentum is tidal turbines. 

Rob Cavagnaro “From a physics perspective, it’s the same as a wind turbine. It’s fluid flowing past the blade that generates torque, that spins the rotor that turns the generator”

Kolya Shields: That’s Rob Cavagnaro, a mechanical engineer studying marine energy at the Pacific Northwest National Labs.

Megan Hall: How do they install these turbines?

Charlie Adams: They either float on the surface of the ocean or get anchored to the sea floor. And they generate power when water flows through them as the tide goes in and out. 

Megan Hall: How much electricity are we talking here?

Kolya Shields: The Department of Energy estimates that all forms of tidal power could power more than 20 million homes in the US 

Megan Hall: That sounds pretty good!

Charlie Adams: It’s something, but that’s still only about 5.4% of the electricity we currently use. And that’s before we all electrify our cars and home heating.

Megan Hall: So, don’t count on tidal power to be our main source of renewable energy’? 

Kolya Shields: No, but there’s something tidal power offers that could make it a useful part of our energy grid- it’s extremely predictable. 

Charlie Adams: To learn more, we spoke with Dr. Andrea Copping, a Senior Manager at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

Dr. Andrea Copping: We know the tides come and go most places twice a day…we can predict what a tide will look like two and 300 years in the future.”

Kolya Shields: In other words, tidal energy is reliable. 

Megan Hall: So, why don’t we have more of these tidal turbines?

Charlie Adams: First, there are a lot of places with small tides, and of course, in the middle of the country there are no tides at all.

Kolya Shields: And right now, these projects are pretty expensive to install and maintain. 

Charlie Adams: There have been some successful demonstrations in New York, New Hampshire, and Maine, but no commercial-scale ones in the US, yet. 

Kolya Shields: But Andrea says it doesn’t have to stay that way.  

Dr. Andrea Copping: ​​the US has several large sites of really big tidal power: Cook Inlet in Alaska, Puget Sound in Washington, coastal Maine, those are the big ones. But there’s a lot of smaller areas…They’re not megawatts and gigawatts but they could very well serve many of those communities.”

Megan Hall: Ok. But, the idea of these tidal turbines makes me a little nervous. Won’t marine life get chopped up in those big blades? 

Dr. Andrea Copping:  Whale sushi, I hear it all the time, and it’s absolutely not correct.

Charlie Adams: Andrea says that’s a common fear- that these really fast blades will hurt fish and other sea creatures.

Kolya Shields: In reality, the turbines spin very slowly. Andrea says she hasn’t seen a single case of lethal collision with marine mammals.

Charlie Adams: Researchers have also monitored how tidal turbines contribute to underwater noise and electromagnetic radiation and have found, so far, they fall within appropriate levels. 

Megan Hall: Ok, but back to the cost of these projects- are they worth the investment? 

Kolya Shields: They’re not going to meet all of our needs for renewable energy, but they do have a role to play. 

Charlie Adams: For example, when one village in Alaska installed a tidal turbine, they reduced their use of diesel fuel by 90%. Other remote coastal communities and island nations could do something similar. 

Kolya Shields: Also, out at sea, Andrea says tidal power could be used for remote data collection, weather buoys, and even offshore aquaculture. 

Megan Hall: So what does the future look like for tidal turbines?

Charlie Adams: In short, it’s likely to be a small, local solution that can be very effective in some places. And, with more research and development, it could play a bigger role in the future of renewable energy.  

Megan Hall: Great. Thanks, Charlie and Kolya.

That’s it for today. For more information, or to ask a question about the way your choices affect our planet, go to the public’s radio dot org slash possibly. Or subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts. 

You can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram– at  “ask possibly” 

Possibly is a co-production of The Public’s Radio, Brown University’s Institute for Environment and Society, and Brown’s Climate Solutions Initiative.

The post Can we use the ocean as an energy source? appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio.

The post Can we use the ocean as an energy source? appeared first on Possibly.

This story originally aired in December 2022

Megan Hall: Welcome to Possibly, where we take on huge problems like the future of our planet and break them down into small questions with unexpected answers. I’m Megan Hall. 

Today, we have a question from a listener named Susan. She wants to know about gift wrapping: 

“Is it better for the environment to wrap Christmas gifts in fabric you can use over again rather than paper?”

We had Harrison Katz and Juliana Merullo from our Possibly team look into this question. 

Harrison Katz: Hi, Megan!

Juliana Merullo: Hey there! 

Megan Hall: So, should I be stocking up on paper or fabric this holiday season? 

Harrison Katz: Well, wrapping paper is definitely the more popular choice. An estimated 4.6 million pounds of wrapping paper is produced in the U.S. each year.

Megan Hall: Woah! That’s a lot more than I thought. But most of it is recycled, right?

Juliana Merullo: Actually, about half of it ends up in landfills. While paper in general is very recyclable, wrapping paper is often an exception. Many wrapping papers have metallic finishes, glitters, or ribbons. Those are not recyclable.

Harrison Katz: In fact, putting too much of that metallic wrapping paper in the recycling bin can contaminate an entire truckload of recycling, which means everything in that load has to be thrown away.

Megan Hall: What’s the environmental impact of just normal paper without metallics or glitters? 

Juliana Merullo: Normally, making a pound of wrapping paper emits about 3 and a half pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. 

Harrison Katz: Recycling a sheet of paper saves about 60 percent of those emissions. That’s good, but still not 100 percent. 

Megan Hall: And how do those numbers compare to fabric?

Juliana Merullo: Present wrapping with fabric is actually a lot more common than you’d think. It’s a Japanese tradition known as Furoshiki, which has been practiced for more than a millennium.

Harrison Katz: Furoshiki fabrics are usually silk or cotton, but can also be polyester.

Megan Hall: And which of those materials is best? 

Juliana Merullo: They’re about the same in terms of emissions – roughly 20 pounds of carbon dioxide per pound of wrapping, so about 5 or 6 six times as much as paper.  

Harrison Katz: That means fabric can be a good alternative, but only if you’re going to reuse it for many years.

Megan Hall: Paper is better than reusable fabric? That’s pretty counterintuitive.

Juliana Merullo: That’s only if you’re talking about NEW fabric. Re-using fabrics like old table cloths gives them a second life and doesn’t create new emissions. 

Harrison Katz: It’s always better to repurpose than recycle, just like it’s better to recycle than throw something away.

Juliana Merullo: In fact, a lot of holiday items can be tricky to recycle, like tissue paper and some holiday cards.

Harrison Katz: Tissue paper doesn’t have the same contamination or greenhouse gas emissions as decorated wrapping paper, but the paper fibers are too thin to be used again, so it can’t be recycled.

Juliana Merullo: And while cards can usually be recycled, they often are coated with glitter. Glitter is definitely something to avoid.

Megan Hall: So, what do we tell Susan?

Harrison Katz: Re-using materials is the best choice. If she likes the look of fabric, Susan can go through her closets for old clothing or pillowcases that can be turned into festive wrapping!

Juliana Merullo: If she prefers paper, she can try decorating old paper bags from the supermarket.

Harrison Katz: If re-using is too much work, her best choice is buying recycled wrapping paper, just make sure to avoid the kind with metallic finishes or glitter.

Juliana Merullo: And for tissue paper and holiday cards, definitely reuse as much of the tissue paper as possible, and purchase holiday cards made only with paper.

Megan Hall: Great! Thanks, Harrison and Juliana! 

That’s it for today. For more information, or to ask a question about the way your choices affect our planet, go to the public’s radio dot org slash possibly. Or subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts. 

You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter- at “ask possibly” 

Possibly is a co-production of the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, Brown’s Climate Solutions Initiative, and the Public’s Radio.

The post Should I wrap my presents in fabric or paper? appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio.

The post Should I wrap my presents in fabric or paper? appeared first on Possibly.