Unless you're living in Florida, you may have missed out on the fallout from a proposed development plan involving nine of Florida's state parks. Casey and Sara discuss the whole situation, from the problems with the proposals to the odd secrecy around the plan to the fallout--and share some lessons that we can all take from the situation to help make our voices heard to protect the planet.

Resources for this episode

DEP Announces 2024-25 Great Outdoors Initiative to Increase Public Access, Recreation and Lodging at Florida State Parks

Florida State Parks Threatened by Development

https://floridawildlifefederation.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1-Overview.jpg

Legislation Scrapped in 2011 Offers Clues to How Florida Might Fund ‘Great Outdoors’ Initiative)

State offers more details on plan to revamp parks including in South Florida

DeSantis' plan to develop state parks faces setback as golf course backer pulls out | AP News

Audubon Protects Florida State Parks from Development Proposals

The Chicago Marathon is one of six World Major Marathons, and this year will host around 50,000 runners from around the world, not to mention the spectators, vendors, and volunteers. So, is it possible for an event of this magnitude to be sustainable? On this episode, Casey and Sara chat with Cat Morris, the Sustainability Manager at Chicago Event Management, overseeing the Chicago Marathon. Hear about how the Chicago Marathon became certified as an Evergreen Inspire event through the Council for Responsible Sport, how waste, from water cups to gel packets, is being diverted from landfills, and how runners and spectators can get involved!

Sara will be running the 2024 Chicago Marathon as part of Team Fox, raising funds for the Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. If you'd like to donate to support the Foundation's work to find a cure for Parkinson's, you can donate through Sara's fundraising page here: https://give.michaeljfox.org/fundraiser/5270913

Resources for this episode:

Chicago Marathon Sustainability

Community Impact through Compost: Chicago Distance Series

Instagram: Tina Muir, Chicago Marathon Sustainability Ambassador

Instagram: Chicago Marathon Know Before You Go: Sustainability

This week, Casey and Sara recap Sara's first trip to the Rocky Mountains, covering everything from road trip musings on land use to wildfires to amazing wildlife encounters!

Resources for this episode:

Natural Features & Ecosystems - Rocky Mountain National Park (U.S. National Park Service)

Moose Research in Rocky Mountain National Park

Tribal Partners - Rocky Mountain

White-tailed deer may not be the first species that pops to mind when you think of conservation, especially if you live across much of North or Central America. For many of us, these animals are commonly seen around our own homes and (unfortunately) roadways. Depending on your perspective, they can be seen as a nuisance, a game species, beloved local wildlife, or all of the above. In this episode, Casey and Sara discuss the history, ecology, and conservation of one of our most recognized animals.

Resources for this episode:

White-Tailed Deer-Penn State University

The Relationship Between Deer Density, Tick Abundance, and Human Cases of Lyme Disease in a Residential Community

You're More Likely To Hit a Deer This Week while Driving

Deer-Vehicle Collisions | Purdue Extension Forestry & Natural Resources

Reproductive characteristics of female white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in the Midwestern USA - ScienceDirect

Lithium-ion batteries are found everywhere, from watches to power tools to e-bikes and electric cars. But perhaps you've heard a thing or two about these batteries that make you unsure. This week, Casey and Sara discuss some of the environmental, social justice, and safety issues associated with lithium-ion batteries and how we can look to improve moving forward.

Resources for this episode:

How Lithium-ion Batteries Work | Department of Energy

A Comprehensive Comparative Analysis: Lithium vs Alkaline Batteries - The Earth Awards

Safety Risks to Emergency Responders from Lithium-Ion Battery Fires in Electric Vehicles

EVs are being set on fire in Ottawa for NRC battery abuse research

Electric Car Fires: What You Should Know | Edmunds

Deadly fires from phone, scooter batteries leave lawmakers playing catch-up on safety

Environmental impact of direct lithium extraction from brines | Nature Reviews Earth & Environment

The Environmental Impacts of Lithium and Cobalt Mining

Potential impacts of proposed lithium extraction on biodiversity and conservation in the contiguous United States - ScienceDirect

How is lithium mined? | MIT Climate Portal

Maine Has the Lithium America Needs, But Won't Allow Mining | TIME

Society Watch: Across the globe, indigenous rights are being trampled in lithium goldrush | Reuters

What Is Thermal Runaway? | UL Research Institutes

Their batteries hurt the environment, but EVs still beat gas cars. Here's why

This electric car battery takes less than 5 minutes to charge | CNN Business

Tribes face an uphill battle to defend their sacred land against lithium mining

A fire at a lithium battery factory in South Korea kills 22 mostly Chinese migrant workers

This week, Sara and Casey chat with conservation biologist and data scientist, Dr. Vaughn Shirey, for a wide-ranging conversation about his work in butterfly conservation and climate change. Learn what got Vaughn interested in the field, how artificial intelligence is being used in his work, and what cold climate butterfly species (yeah, that's a thing) are telling us about climate change.

Resources for this episode:

Find more on Dr. Vaughn Shirey and his work HERE

Find Vaughn Shirey on Twitter

Find Vaugh Shirey on Instagram

Vaughn Shirey - Google Scholar

Mosquitoes are common flying insect that inhabit all continents except Antarctica. There are over 3500 species of mosquitoes worldwide, but only somewhere between 6 and 9.3% bite humans and are disease vectors. That said, mosquitos are the deadliest animal on the planet, thanks to their role as a vector for disease. So, would we be better off getting rid of this pesky insect? Casey and Sara discuss the role of mosquitos in the environment, the pros and cons of eradication, and why mosquito gut bacteria is more important than you might expect!

Resources for this episode:

Mosquitopia - NCBI Bookshelf

MOSQUITOES

Why Are Some People Tastier to Mosquitoes Than Others? | Pfizer

About Mosquitoes - CDC

Robust network stability of mosquitoes and human pathogens of medical importance | Parasites & Vectors

Can Garden Plants Really Repel Mosquitoes? - Consumer Reports.

Invasive Mosquitoes - Birds Not Mosquitoes

Aedes communis: The Pollinating Mosquito.

Millions of Mosquitoes Will Rain Down on Hawaii to Save an Iconic Bird | Scientific American

Genetically Modified Mosquitoes - CDC

What do you think of when you hear the phrase "artificial intelligence?" Does chatGPT or Alexa come to mind? Do you imagine robots taking over the world? What might not immediately come to mind are things like biodiversity preservation, green energy optimization, and water conservation, but AI is in fact being used in all these areas and more. Casey and Sara take a look at some of the ways AI is or has the potential to be used in the conservation realm and also explore some of the challenges with AI as a conservation tool.

Resources for this episode:

A.I.’s ‘Her’ Era Has Arrived - The New York Times

Platforms - Wild Me

TrailGuard AI and Nightjar

Saving our Planet’s Biodiversity with AI | Ganes Kesari | TEDxAsburyPark

ASC Science Sundays - Tanya Berger-Wolf: AI for Wildlife Conservation

How artificial intelligence is helping tackle environmental challenges

Tackling climate change with machine learning | MIT Sloan

Artificial Intelligence to Help Prevent Extinction? | Wildlife.ai: Conservation Charity

tinyML Talks: Efficient AI for Wildlife Conservation

Seven ways utilities are exploring AI for the grid | Latitude Media

Why AI and energy are the new power couple – Analysis - IEA

AI for the grid has potential, DOE says — but comes with pitfalls | Latitude Media

How AI Is Cropping Up In The Agriculture Industry

US farms are making an urgent push into AI. It could help feed the world

Artificial Intelligence Can Prevent Enormous Amounts Of Damage And Water Loss From Building Leaks

AI and Water: Pioneering Solutions for a Thirsty Planet

AI to stop water pollution before it happens

Hundreds of sewage leaks detected thanks to AI