In this week’s exciting episode the Last Chance Endeavors team sits down with Chief Tashka, leader of the Yawanawa Tribe that lives in the Amazonian Rainforest! Listen in as we discuss his fight to defend his tribe’s ancestral land from unfair and destructive practices in the Brazilian rainforest. If you'd like to learn more about the Yawanawa Tribe, click here: https://pib.socioambiental.org/en/Povo:Yawanawá If you'd like to learn more about our nonprofit, click here: https://www.lastchanceende...
Jun 05, 2022•17 min•Season 4Ep. 52
In this week's episode, we sit down with Daniel Tonkopi who is the founder of Delfast Bikes to learn more about how their electric bikes can reduce the amount of emissions being generated in urban areas! Their world-record electric bicycles are top of the line, and are part of a growing movement away from car based commutes here in US cities. We also hear how the war in Ukraine has affected this Ukrainian company's production and get a sneak peak at the company's future expansions! If you'd like...
May 29, 2022•23 min•Season 4Ep. 51
In this episode recorded at EarthX 2022 the Last Chance Endeavors team sits down with Emilie McGlone, Director of Peace Boat US to learn about the incredible opportunities guest have aboard! Peace Boat US works to build a culture of peace around the world by connecting people across borders and creating opportunities for learning, activism and cooperation. They achieve this through programs in which people from the US and around the world participate in voyages onboard the Peace Boat, one of the...
May 22, 2022•27 min•Season 4Ep. 50
Saving the planet by drinking beer is a Millennial's dream; Kenneth Flippin and the team from Texas Beer Company in Taylor, Texas is making it a reality! Listen in to learn how this microbrewery is turning the beer brewing process into a sustainable, community-building vehicle for change. We cover everything from heat exchangers, to solar panels, to community involvement! Click here to learn more about Texas Beer Co: https://www.texasbeerco.com Click here to learn more about our nonprofit: www.l...
May 15, 2022•32 min•Season 4Ep. 49
To kick off Season 4 the Last Chance Endeavors team sits down with a true titan when it comes to Earth Day celebrations, Trammell Crow! This man is the brains and the backbone behind EarthX which is the world's largest Earth Day celebration. Each year EarthX brings together hundreds of stakeholders in the environmental space, creating opportunities for meaningful discussions that have global ramifications. In this episode we sit down with the founder to discuss how EarthX came to be and to get a...
May 08, 2022•15 min•Season 4Ep. 48
In our final episode from the 2021 batch of REU students we talk with Regan, Zoe, Joelle, and Charles! These young scientists are all studying the ways in which the chemical and physical properties of an environment impact the organisms that live there! From studying how frogs are affected by adolescent exposure to salt, to the structure of pluff mud itself, to how quickly crabs recover in acidic water, all the way to extreme microorganisms and the chemicals they make. You won’t want to miss thi...
Oct 03, 2021•52 min•Season 3Ep. 47
Dr. Jon Armbruster is not only the Director of Auburn University's Museum of Natural History, but he is a celebrated ichthyologist (fish scientist) in his own right! He has been on collecting expeditions to some of the most remote rivers in the world, and has personally described and worked with more species of fish than he can count! Listen in to this episode to hear him recount the pet store fiasco that ignited his curiosity for fish morphology, as well as some incredible stories from the fiel...
Sep 26, 2021•28 min•Season 3Ep. 46
In our third episode from the 2021 batch of REU students we talk with Timara, Aubrey, and Christian! These young scientists have all chosen to research the impacts of interspecies interaction, which is how different species affect one another! From studying how snails are affected by micro algae, and how an increase in salinity affects tadpoles and their predators, all the way to the large scale question of who would win in a fight between a shark and moray eel. You won’t want to miss this excit...
Sep 19, 2021•43 min•Season 3Ep. 45
You may not know it, but Alabama is a HOTSPOT for biodiversity! In fact, the state has the highest amount of biodiversity found east of the Mississippi River! In this episode we sit down with Patrick Thompson who is the curator of the Davis Arboretum at Auburn University to discuss his work protecting rapidly disappearing plants, and to learn about the critical role that ecosystem disturbances have in maintaining Alabama’s biodiversity. Click here to check out our nonprofit: https://www.lastchan...
Sep 12, 2021•31 min•Season 3Ep. 44
In our second episode from the 2021 batch of REU students we talk with Adriana, Emily, and Sophie! In three very different ways, these young scientists are investigating how humans rely upon and change our coastal environments! We cover topics including horseshoe crab blood, bioremediation of micro plastics, and sustainable seaweed farming! Not only are these undergrads pushing the boundaries of scientific understanding in their topics, they're practicing valuable skills in science communication...
Sep 05, 2021•36 min•Season 3Ep. 43
The Chattahoochee River is a hotspot for all kinds of conservation work, and in this episode we sit down with Dr. Troy Keller to discuss his research into the subject! He focuses a lot of effort into understanding the effects that invasive crawfish are having on the ecology of local waterways, where they come from, and what we can do about it. Not only that, but he's an expert on how small dams fragment rivers and slice up populations into smaller and much more vulnerable chunks! Click here to c...
Aug 29, 2021•34 min•Season 3Ep. 42
In our first episode from the 2021 batch of REU students we talk with Jake, Elle, and Olivia! From investigating the interactions between native and invasive algae, to studying the bacterial colonies associated with algae, and even looking at the ways in which sea sponges may influence cloud formation this is a power packed episode! Not only are these undergrads pushing the boundaries of scientific understanding in their topics, they're practicing valuable skills in science communication that th...
Aug 22, 2021•35 min•Season 3Ep. 41
We're kicking off season three by bringing Dr. Bob Podolsky back on the show for his third appearance! He's a professor at the Grice Marine Lab and the director of the Fort Johnson Research Experience for Undergraduates Program, and he's sitting down to describe the incredible opportunities they make available to undergraduate students every summer. These students get ten weeks to pursue original research, allowing them to experience the life of a professional researcher while honing skills they...
Aug 15, 2021•21 min•Season 3Ep. 40
We're kicking off season 3 with our first ever remote interview! This episode is in collaboration with EarthXOcean, which is hosting a virtual conference on ocean issues [ http://earthx.org/earthxtv/ ]. Vasser Seydel is an activist pushing for a moratorium on deep seabed mining in international waters, a destructive process that would disrupt the ocean's ability to perform vital ecosystem services. Tune in to learn about the process of deep seabed mining, and what you can do to make a difference...
Jun 11, 2020•39 min•Season 3Ep. 39
Tune in to another EarthX 2019 episode as we sit down across from Jerry Tinianow, the Chief Sustainability Officer for the City of Denver! His job is to set the high-level sustainability goals for the city and then help the various departments and services in reach those goals. This is a fascinating discussion on the concept of sustainability and the best ways to implement it. If you'd like to learn more about our nonprofit, click here: https://www.lastchanceendeavors.com...
Mar 22, 2020•21 min•Season 2Ep. 38
How do you divide up a public resource that private individuals have access to? How do we protect everyone's access to an increasingly scarce resource? Listen in to Vanessa Casado Perez, Associate Professor at Texas A&M School of Law and a Research Associate Professor at Texas A&M Department of Agricultural Economics, as she discusses the complicated situation that surrounds water rights in semi-arid ecosystems. This episode is a great discussion at the intersection between ecology, huma...
Mar 15, 2020•26 min•Season 2Ep. 37
Tune in to another EarthX Episode as the Last Chance Endeavors team sits down with Vance Martin, president of the WILD Foundation! Vance chats with us about the importance of connecting with nature, the strategies that the WILD Foundation uses to tackle massive environmental crises, and the "Nature Needs Half" movement. When was the last time you spent time out in nature? We hope this episode will inspire you to go take a walk in the woods, even if it's only in your backyard! Click here to learn...
Mar 08, 2020•20 min•Season 2Ep. 36
You've probably heard of genomics, the study of all of the genes found in an organism's DNA, but have you ever heard of proteomics? Listen in to this episode with College of Charleston associate professor Mike Janech to hear how he's using proteomics (the analysis of all the proteins present in an organic sample) to better understand the relationship between species! Click here to check out the NIST CoMPARe program: https://www.nist.gov/programs-projects/comparative-mammalian-proteome-aggregator...
Mar 02, 2020•31 min•Season 2Ep. 35
Listen in to episode 34 as we chat with Doug Woodring, the founder of the Ocean Recovery Alliance! He approaches current environmental crises with an artistic and entrepreneurial spirit that's helping him tackle big problems in new ways. Who would have ever thought to use images of plastic pollution as the art for a jigsaw puzzle? Doug Woodring, that's who! What better way to bring the obvious effects of plastic to the forefront of a family's mind? And that's not the only way that he's cleaning ...
Feb 24, 2020•30 min•Season 2Ep. 34
In this episode we sit down with Erica Bjelland, a Program Development Specialist at the Rural Renewable Energy Alliance! RREAL is a nonprofit organization who's goal is to make solar energy accessible to communities of all income levels, providing support for anyone who is interested in bringing solar energy into their community. Listen in to hear a great conversation about the importance of renewable energy and the ways in which RREAL is making it easier to access! Click here to learn more abo...
Feb 17, 2020•21 min•Season 2Ep. 33
Listen in as we sit down with Erik Sotka, an evolutionary ecologist with the Grice Marine Lab at the College of Charleston. He's an expert on invasive species and the ways in which they're changing the ecological make up of marine habitats in the eastern United States. Did you know that the vast majority of introduced species do not go on to become invasive, but instead fizzle out? Erik Sotka is fascinated by why some species succeed where others fail, and the effects that they may have once the...
Feb 09, 2020•30 min•Season 2Ep. 32
Listen in to this EarthX micro-episode to hear what the Mexican government is doing for the critically endangered vaquita! This species of shy porpoise is endemic to the Gulf of California, and is on the brink of extinction. Often caught as bycatch in illegal nets set for a species of fish called totoaba, the number of vaquita remaining in the wild is estimated to be fewer than 30 individuals! If you'd like to learn more about our nonprofit, click here: https://www.lastchanceendeavors.com If you...
Feb 03, 2020•8 min•Season 2Ep. 31
Join us for our final interview to come out of WhaleFest 2019 as we sit down with Janet Neilson, a whale biologist who works at Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. Janet's job is to understand how many whales are in Glacier Bay each summer, and to figure out where they're concentrating! She and her team use a variety of techniques to monitor their whales, and spend the entirety of the off-season analyzing all the data they collect in the few short months that the humpbacks visit the park. If...
Jan 27, 2020•24 min•Season 2Ep. 30
Join us for another episode recorded in Dallas at EarthX 2019! This week we're sitting with Emily Hazelwood and Amber Jackson-Sparks, two leaders in the Rigs-to-Reefs movement and the co-founders of Blue Latitudes! Their company designs sustainable, creative, and cost effective solutions for environmental issues in the offshore industry. Offshore oil rigs are massive pieces of infrastructure that are put in place for decades at a time to extract petroleum, but once the oil reserve has been deple...
Jan 20, 2020•23 min•Season 2Ep. 29
Join us for another gripping episode coming all the way from Sitka, Alaska! We sit down at WhaleFest 2019 across the table from Mayumi Arimitsu, a research ecologist with the U.S. Geological Survey's Alaska Science Center, to discuss the shift that the mysterious "Blob" has caused to the food chain in the eastern Pacific! A massive die-off of critical sea birds puzzled scientists, and Mayumi's work has helped clarify some of the possible links and mechanisms behind it! To learn more about our no...
Jan 12, 2020•29 min•Season 2Ep. 28
Join us for another EarthX episodes with the CEO of Fresh Food Connect, Candace Chandra! Fresh Food Connect is a tech platform that allows small-scale urban agriculturalists to connect with the people who need their produce the most, and was launched as a way to lessen the impact of food deserts- urban areas with no easy access to fresh produce. It's important to remember that environmental issues go beyond just preserving habitats or species: if your family has no access to nutritious food you'...
Jan 06, 2020•24 min•Season 2Ep. 27
Join us this week as we continue our Sitka WhaleFest series with Rob Suryan, Research Ecologist with the NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center and Science Coordinator for Gulf Watch Alaska! Listen in as Rob unravels the mystery behind the disappearance of a critical link in the Alaskan marine food chain! If you've been listening to our other WhaleFest episodes you're probably already familiar with "The Blob", a several year phenomenon of unusually warm water in the northern Pacific ocean. With th...
Dec 30, 2019•27 min•Season 2Ep. 26
This episode tells the story of how some very special dogs are helping to protect one of the most iconic marine animals found in the US! Listen in to the hilarious Christian Fritz, Founder and Chief of Operations for K9s 4 Conservation, an organization that trains dogs to sniff out sea turtle nests so that marine biologists can protect the precious hatchlings within. Believe us, recording this episode with an adorable pup in the studio was a highlight of our week! If you'd like to learn more abo...
Dec 23, 2019•20 min•Season 2Ep. 25
This week's episode is with one of the most driven and passionate guests we've ever had; Jackie Hildering, the keynote speaker at WhaleFest 2019! She calls herself the Marine Detective in part because she always asks the question "Why?", and she believes that a sense of wonder is the most important tool in the conservationist's toolkit. Listen to her journey from the classroom to the co-founder of the Marine Education and Research Society, and all of her crazy stops along the way! Click here to ...
Dec 16, 2019•31 min•Season 2Ep. 24
This week's episode is a power-packed panel of film makers and producers discussing the massive impact that virtual reality films can have for conservation. We sit down with Christophe Balihache (an underwater filmmaker and co-founder of Underwater Earth), Sophie Ansel (a virtual reality filmmaker), Raymond Chavez (a producer for Guardians of the Kingdom), and Susan Grella (an associate producer for emerging media at Vulcan Productions) to hear about the process behind the incredible VR film, Gu...
Dec 08, 2019•31 min•Season 2Ep. 23
