Gulf Streams

Ep. 56 Energy Futures, Labor, and Democracy

In a wide-ranging conversation, my cohost this week, Dr. Casey Williams (Rice University) and I sit down with Dr. Nikki Luke (University of Tennessee Knoxville) to talk all about energy transitions, especially as to how the coming changes to the sector could impact laborers, and how to ensure we can keep the lights on for everyone. Later in the hour our researcher Sophia shares another critter corner, this time with Lillie Stockseth of the Houston Zoo. 

Ep. 55 Jeff VanderMeer

Jeff VanderMeer is the author of sixteen books, a wide range of short stories, as well as the co-editor of multiple anthologies. He is widely regarded as a leader in the "New Weird" movement, and his best-selling novels, such as Hummingbird Salamander and the Southern Reach Series have helped open new directions in contemporary science fiction. His novel Annihilation was turned into a 2018 film directed by Alex Garland and starring Natalie Portman. Jeff VanderMeer joins us (with Dr. Kelly McKisson as co-host) to talk about the role of fiction in reimagining our real environment, and how the Gulf Coast has shaped his writing. His latest book, Absolution, is on shelves now. 

Ep. 54 The State of Environmental Education

How are young people learning about the environment and climate change? On today's episode we talk to three Houston students who are behind SEE (Students for Environmental Education) and have been teaching other, younger students, the things they'd wished they'd know sooner. Then we speak with Dr. Judy Dickey about the state of climate education more broadly. 

Ep. 53 Rigs to Reefs

What happens to an oil rig after it's past its prime? On today's show, we sit down with Dolly Jørgensen (University of Stavanger, Norway) to talk all about the Rigs to Reefs programs throughout the Gulf Coast. Later in the hour, our researcher Jadyn talks with Taylin Nelson (Rice University) about the environmental origins and ideas in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. 

Ep. 52 Solastalgia

Solastalgia, or the distress of feeling the loss of home from environmental change, is the subject of a new art exhibit at San Jacinto College (South Campus). A collaboration between artists and theatremakers, we're talking about what a series of projects (including the theatrical work The Pitts) with three of the artists behind the shows: Bradly Brown, Jonelle Walker, and Sarah Welch. 
You can learn more about the exhibit here: 
Gallery page: https://www.sanjac.edu/programs/areas-of-study/arts/art-design/south-campus-gallery
Theater Page: https://www.sanjac.edu/programs/areas-of-study/arts/theatre-film/south
Ticket Page: https://secure.touchnet.com/C22834_ustores/web/store_main.jsp?STOREID=82&FROMQRCODE=true

Ep. 51 The Changing World of Urban Transit

Transportation accounts for about a 28% of greenhouse gas emissions in the US alone. Much of our transportation system also exacerbates related problems like air pollution and flooding. But increasingly there are calls to build our urban areas in ways that reduce these problems – chiefly, by reducing auto-dependency. On today's program we talk through questions of car-centric design with two local advocates, Alex Spike and Alondra Torres, and my co-host Dr. Casey Williams (Lecturer in Environmental Studies at Rice University). Later in the hour our researchers bring in a related story and the first in a new series called "Critter Corner."

Ep. 50 Liquid Natural Gas Across the Gulf Coast

Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) has been making news across the region over the last year with new export terminals authorized and then revoked. On today's show, we sit down with two advocates, Naomi Yoder of Texas Southern University, and James Hiatt of For a Better Bayou, who walk us through the environmental risks around these developments.

Ep. 49 River on Fire

A new exhibit at Diverseworks, a multi-disciplinary artist space and producer in Houston, exploring environmental and climate justice has just opened. Inspired by the 30th anniversary of the San Jacinto River Fire, the exhibit thinks across, Houston, the Gulf Coast, and the globe. We're joined by the exhibit's curator, Ashley Dehoyos-Sauder, and three of the artists in the exhibit: Kristi Rangel, Heather L. Johnson, and Willow Naomi Curry. 

Ep. 48 How the 70s Changed Energy Forever

On today's show we sit down with three historians at Maastricht University (Dr. Cyrus Mody, Dr. Simone Schleper, and Dr. Odinn Melsted) to discuss how the 1970s Energy Crisis remade global energy history and how the legacies this period shape the modern energy system in ways we rarely consider.  

Ep. 47 The Mighty Mississippi

Today we sit down with Boyce Upholt, the author of the new book The Great River which covers both the long history and future outlook of the Mississippi River. Recounting the ways the river has shaped America and we've tried to shape it, Upholt walks us through how this critical body of water has shaped both to our environmental and cultural worlds – and what the river's future tells us about our own.